[Plot Topic] Starving in the Slums (Wolfie, Lyss, Kouzai)

"Hey, you little street rat!" Ulrich looked behind him to see the vendor waving a staff at him. "Get back here and pay for that!" Ulrich smiled and held up the apple he had taken. "I gladly would, but, alas, I have nothing to pay for it with!" He tucked the apple into his pocket and took off down a familiar alleyway. Every street was familiar to him. He'd spent a good portion of his life on the Light Capital streets. He knew every nook and cranny of the city, the best places to get a free meal, the best roofs to tan on, and the best places to find shelter. This alleyway was one such place.

The alley turned from being between two buildings to the back entryway of one building. But it was no ordinary building. It was a modest hotel, and the owner was a friend to Ulrich. Business had been slow. Ulrich was very aware of the current condition of the slums of the city. People were struggling, even people who would normally be making decent money. The hotel owner would give Ulrich a place to stay in exchange for food for his family. Of course, Ulrich had to steal the food, but if it meant helping the man out and finding a place to stay, he was willing to do anything.

Ulrich rapped lightly on the back door in a special pattern that he and the man had developed a while back. The door opened slowly to reveal a girl in her teens. Her black hair grew to her waist and was greasy and unkempt. Her clothes were tattered. Her tight shirt revealed her ribs underneath. Her skin was sunken and pale. She looked up at Ulrich with recognition and smiled. Ulrich smiled back. "Here," he said, holding out the apple. "This is for you. And this-" Ulrich slid a bag of bread and other fruits from his shoulder. "-is for your parents."

The girl reached out for the apple, but stopped, looking at Ulrich with teary eyes. She ran out to him and embraced him. "Thank you..." she said between sobs. "Anything I can do for my favorite family." The girl took the food and led Ulrich inside. "Daddy made sure your room was unoccupied tonight. Not that anyone wanted it anyway, but, it's the thought that counts." Ulrich thanked the girl, doing the same for her parents as he walked through the dining area to the stairs of the second floor. There were a few people at the tables, though all they had was wine. There wasn't any food to spare here, but at least people could get a decent drink with their stay.

Ulrich went to the familiar room on the second floor. In some places, the floor boards were loose where he was keeping some of his belongings. He didn't have much, but he did have a few things. He pulled up a board that sat right below the dirty window. There, he found three things: a picture of him and his brother from their days at the orphanage, a picture of the man who had taken care of him, and a crude drawing of what Ulrich imagined is parents might look like. He smiled, ignoring his own hunger. He had given every scrap of food he had to the family. He would be fine. He could go a few days without food.

Dori'thur flew through the streets of the Light Kingdom capital.  The spirit owl was searching for someone.  The Spirit King knew nothing but his name, and could not discern a picture of him through his scrying pool.  Being a Warrior, he was untouchable through the scrying pool, as was the Avatar and the Spirit King himself.  Because the scrying pool locks on to people based on their spirit.  The Avatar and Warriors were reincarnation, and therefore their spirit is one and many at the same time, making it hard to scry through all the interference.  That was how Anaria understood it anyway.

Regardless, she was now searching for a bastion of spiritual energy.  Even if it was hard to find Ulrich through scrying, his chi would leave an massive residue behind wherever he was.  He was, after all, a Warrior of Light, an incredibly powerful being beaten only by the Avatar and Spirit King, and perhaps even the Jinchuriki.  His energy was bound to bright and easy to see.  Anaria's eyes were closed as she saw through the eyes of her spirit owl.  Dori'thur homed in on a beacon of light and energy that she knew had to be Ulrich Nara.  For it was different from that of a Jinchuriki.

The Jinchuriki energy was tinged with a hint of darkness.  It was powerful but tainted and filled with hatred.  This light was not.  The energy was pure.  It was Ulrich.  The glowing spirit owl landed within the open window, and stared hard at Ulrich.  The two locked eyes and looked at each other for a minute before Dori'thur flew off, returning to his master to lead her to Ulrich.  Her new student.

The two were reunited within minutes, for Dori'thur flew swiftly, and Anaria began her walk across the city to retrieve her pupil.  The Spirt King's nephew, Hiruko, waited in his airship by the bay.  He insisted on coming with her, though Anaria did not need his help.  Owlan insisted as well.  He only wanted the best for the Warrior, and though Anaria was powerful, she supposed backup wouldn't hurt too much in a pinch.  She was immortal, but not infallible.  She was still--for the most part--human.  Even if her looks and powers betrayed that.

Dori'thur stood on Anaria's shoulder as she walked.  The whole citizenry of the Light Kingdom seemed to fear her, even those she recognized as Spirit Benders.  Her eyes were not eyes, but glowing bulbs of light that shone with a pure white power.  They could see the Spirit World, a gift from her days as a Paladin, and could see Spiritual energy as well.  A honed skill any Spirit Bender could learn.  Her skin was pink though, from exposure to the Spirit Energy of the Spirit World, and from devouring the flesh of Spirit Fruits and Animals.

Her hair had changed from blonde to green, and her ears had become comically large and pointed, bouncing as she walked.  At first Anaria had been disgusted by her transformation, but as she spent more time in the Spirit World, it became more and more natural to her.  It was who she was.  The Spirit World had changed her, and for the better.  There was no need to be ashamed.  She cared not that crowds parted as she walked by.  She cared not that people stared at her behind her back, whispering and making comments about her appearance.

Besides, there was some solace in knowing that she could rip them apart with the flick of her wrist.  Something about that gave her great joy; though she would never unleash that power upon them.  They were the people she was tasked with protecting after all.  Though, Anaria couldn't help but wonder what Ulrich would think of her.  They were to train together, after all.  For years on end.  Would he judge her harshly and reject her training?  She hoped not.  She would need to bring him back unconscious if he did.  His position was not up for negotiation.  He had a duty to fulfill, end of story.

Ulrich heard the familiar flutter of wings above his head. He quickly returned the pictures to their place and pushed the board back into its position. Looking up, there was an owl sitting in his window. It didn't come inside, nor did it fly away as Ulrich stood. It stared at him intently. Ulrich reached behind him where his staff was resting in a loop on the waistband of his pants. Normally, the sight of the bird wouldn't have fazed him. He would have just waited for it to fly away or shoo it out of the room. But when the bird appears to almost be transparent and is staring deeply into your soul, you know something's up. This owl was unlike anything Ulrich had ever seen. It was a mysterious shade of blue and almost appeared ethereal. It's eyes didn't have pupils or irises like you would find in a normal owl. They were pure white, and Ulrich couldn't visibly see where it was looking. But he could feel its stare.

Ulrich shook his head, trying to clear his mind. When he focused again, the owl was gone. Ulrich sat on the bed, wondering if the encounter had been his imagination. He had seen owls before, of course, but never had he seen a creature alive that looked like that. It almost made him think of spirits, or ghosts, or something. It had to be his imagination. He could easily make something like that up. He stared at the window, watching the sun touch the horizon and slowly slide out of view, casting the golden glow of twilight across the light state. Ulrich's favorite time of day. It only lasted for a few moments each day, and Ulrich cherished each one. It felt peaceful and warm, the last glimpse of light before the world would be enshrouded in darkness. The fading light glinted off of something on Ulrich's window sill. He stood up to examine it. He almost fell back onto his bed as his eyes fell on the blue feather sitting there.

So it had been real. But what did it mean? Was it an omen? A warning? Were the spirits telling him something? What would they want with a starving street rat in the light state? Ulrich pulled the window shut as the cool night air blew into the room. He pulled his shirt off and tossed it in a corner, then removed his staff from its holster and leaned it against the bed. Flopping on top of the soft sheets of the familiar bed, Ulrich stared up at the ceiling, not at all tired. Too much was on his mind. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the owl. He felt a cold, empty feeling inside. He felt like something was off, like something was coming. He pulled a blanket around himself, clutching it in his hands. He looked at them with surprise. They were shaking.

Urlich closed his eyes, determined to get some sleep. When he finally did, he found himself struck with the nightmare, the same one he'd had the day he met the woman who had trained him. Was it a premonition? Was he about to meet another slap to the face from life? He awoke in a cold sweat. The sky was a deep blue, showing the earliest signs of sunlight. His heart was racing, his breath matching its pace. He sat up and looked around the room. Everything was normal. So why did he feel as though he was being watched?

Anaria, with Dori'thur on her shoulder, had reached the are that the owl had seen when he scouted the city for Ulrich.  It was not a fancy hotel.  But it was decent.  This is where he was staying?  How?  What did he do for a job?  Anaria would need to examine that aspect later.  She didn't have enough information about her prey to make that determination yet.  She tracked Ulrich how she tracked her prey when she hunted.

Such were her ways, after all.  She was one a Champion of the Hunt, Champion of Laedaela, Paladin of the Holy Light.  Those ways were hard to give up.  The door was locked, as Anaria felt the door resist when she tried to enter the hotel.  Closed for the day.  Wonderful. Oh well. A locked door wasn't stopping her from getting her new student.

Anaria sent Dori'thur back to Ulrich's window, and placed her hand on the wooden door. "Goodbye door," whispered Anaria. Sending a burst of spiritual energy through the door, she felt it shatter and split into several pieces. The door flew back into the empty building, and Anaria stepped over the wooden remains.

With a small smile, Anaria was glad she was not still a Paladin, or the power of the Gods would've ripped the front wall apart. Well that and she probably would've still been using her hammer and shield, and that would've been a bigger mess. With a small smile, Anaria used her shared vision with Dori'thur to walk her way up to Ulrich's room.

Another locked door. With a sigh, Anaria decided to not to destroy this one. Instead, she raised her foot and kicked the door in. Using a combination of her spirit powers and the power of light. Besides, being a Paladin, she was fit, well trained and extremely strong. It also helped that she had spent almost two decades training and getting stronger as a member of the Order of the Elements.

"Hello, child," smiled Anaria Shola, "I suppose you can call this destiny knocking on your door. Come, take a walk with me. We have much to speak about." Dori'thur cocked his head to the side and glared hard at Ulrich. If he struck out against his partner, he would kill him. He was not above it. He WAS a spirit after all. "Calm, Dori'thur," waved Anaria, sensing his thoughts, "Come child. Come or I drag you unconscious to your fate." Anaria gave a kind smiled. Such was her way.

Ulrich stared in shock at the owl. It had come back again. And again, it was just staring at him. It didn't come into the room, nor did it fly out. It simply sat and stared, giving Ulrich an uneasy feeling. The sun was already well into the sky, and it seemed to make the strange sheen of the owl's feathers reflect light all over the room. Ulrich couldn't help but find the image to be soothing. He liked feeling the light reflect onto his bare chest, and the owl wasn't really a threat. If anything, it was helping him calm down after his rough night. "Thank you..." he whispered, closing his eyes.

Of course it was after he had them closed that somebody kicked his door down.

Ulrich snapped around to face whoever had the nerve to break into his room. If it was a robber, he could take them easily. But he was not expecting to find a purple lady with green hair and pointy ears. He knew that staring was rude, but he couldn't help it. He had never seen anyone like that in his life. Her eyes seemed to bore into his soul, making him feel weak. Sweat beaded his forehead. It was as though this woman radiated power. Somehow, he knew that one wrong step could mean the end of him.

The woman spoke with a surprisingly calm tone. Ulrich had expected her to yell at him and threaten him for some random thing he likely didn't have. But all she wanted was to take a walk with him. The owl, on the other hand, seemed to have different plans. The former tranquility was completely gone now as the owl stood ready to fly at Urlich's throat at a moment's notice. Of course, the woman threw a calm threat at the end of her statement, but she didn't really need to. Ulrich, while never formally educated, was smart enough to know when to stand down and comply.

Ulrich followed the woman out the door and down the stairs. At the bottom waited the same girl he had given the food to the night before. She was shaking in terror, tears streaking her face as she stared at the purple woman. Her eyes drifted to Ulrich, relief flooding her face. "Ulrich, you're alive. I thought she might have...we thought you were..." Ulrich smiled and walked up to the girl, embracing her. "It's alright, Aria. Everything will be fine, and i'll help you get the money to repair any damages." Urlich looked around the parlor. The door was in shreds and scattered all over the room, the tables and chairs closest to the doorway toppled over, some broken in a few places. The girl sobbed into his chest. "We were scared you wouldn't be alive. You're the only hope for our family. If you were gone, we all would have starved to death." Aria made an attempt to steady her breathing and calm herself down. "But I know that everything will be okay."

Ulrich held Aria in the hug for a moment longer, letting the poor girl calm down. Finally, she broke away. With one last glance at the strange woman, she ran across the parlor and through a door to a back room. Ulrich's chest felt cold from Aria's tears. He hoped the family would be okay. He also hoped that wherever this woman was taking him, he would be back in time to bring dinner back to the inn.

Anaria placed a small pouch of gold coins on the table as she and Ulrich left the hotel.  He would not be back.  This girl would not be okay.  Soon darkness would fall upon the world.  She may be victim.  Anaria could not and would not deny that.  Everyone was at risk.  Everyone.  Even this child and her family.  There would be no lying to Ulrich, not today.  That would only hurt later.

Dori'thur flapped above both Anaria's and Ulrich's head.  The owl kept watch for incoming enemies.  Anaria then looked over at Ulrich and spoke.  Calmly.  No break in her voice.  She spoke as if she was talking about a grocery list.  "You are a Warrior of Light," she said simply, "Chosen by the gods above to fight alongside the Avatar and the other Elemental Warriors."

Anaria continued as the two turned a corner, walking down some shady looking alley.  "You will serve alongside the Avatar, and I will teach you," said Anaria, "This is not up for discussion.  It will happen by will or by force.  I do not care.  But it will happen.  Such is your fate child.  You cannot run from fate."  Anaria froze as two men stepped out from behind her.  They had their faces covered. They held daggers.  They lunged for Anaria.

With a smirk she spun, raised her bow and shot two arrows of spirit energy at her opponents.  They were pierced through the chest and fell to the ground.  Their bodies grew still, their eyes grew dead, and blood leaked out onto to the cobbled streets.  "Dori'thur," whispered Anaria, giving her owl permission to feed off the bodies if he liked.  The owl declined, instead choosing to stay with his master.  Anaria nodded and the two, Ulrich and her, continued down their path towards wherever they were headed.

"You are the reincarnation of the three Warriors that served before you," explained Anaria, "Three since the first Avatar.  Three blessed by the Great Light Spirit.  And now four, yourself."  Anaria and Ulrich rounded another corner.  Anaria's large ears bouncing as she walked.  She paid them no mind.  Even if everyone else around her did.  She merely glared at them with her glowing white sockets that were her eyes.  "There is darkness coming to the world, child," said Anaria in a low voice, "Darkness that even the Spirit King cannot stop.  You must train, grow stronger.  Then, and only then, can you, the Warriors and the Avatar hope to stop it."

"What answer you?" asked Anaria. She had not given much detail, but she gave as much as she knew. Which wasn't much. The Spirit King knew not the nature of this darkness. Only that it was unavoidable and fast approaching. Were it not stopped, many would die. Very many. Anaria hoped Ulrich would choose fast.

Ulrich breathed a sigh of relief as the unnamed woman placed a bag of coins on the counter. It would be more than enough to take care of the damages, and there would likely be some left over to stabilize the family's financial situation for a while. A sense of dread washed over Ulrich. He looked around the room and couldn't shake the feeling that it would be the last time he saw it, the place where he had shared laughs and tears, where he had found a substitute family. Had he been a different man, he might have shed a tear, but he was beyond that now. He hadn't truly cried since the day his brother was killed.

Ulrich listened with curiosity as the woman explained the situation to him. He found it hard to believe that he was supposed to fight alongside the avatar. That was the job of someone who was actually special, not a street rat from the Light Capital. Him? A warrior? He was less of a fighter than the drunken soldiers that frequented the pub they were walking past.

Finally, they walked into an alley, one that Ulrich was familiar with. He wasn't fond of the place, as it was the meeting-place of a local gang. Naturally, two of the gang members attacked them. Ulrich could only stare in awe as the woman killed the two with ease. They had lunged at her, seeing as she wore armor that looked extremely expensive, armor that would fetch a nice price on the black market. Just who was this woman, and what did she want with him?

He just HAD to ask.

Ulrich's jaw dropped as the woman described how he was a reincarnation of the previous "warriors". Blessed by the great light spirit? What the heck was that supposed to mean? In Ulrich's eyes, he was anything BUT blessed. This woman was spouting a load of crap. None of what she said sounded true. She probably wanted to take him and sell him as a slave or something. "What the heck are you talking about, lady? I don't even know your name, much less who you are. How do you expect me to believe some random stranger who broke into my hotel room and then threatened to kill me? Thanks, but no. I'm needed here. That girl you saw? Her family is barely holding on. They need me to bring them food every night, or they'll all starve to death." Ulrich paused as his own stomach growled. "I'm not a warrior. The only hero I am is the hero who is trying his best to keep that family alive." Ulrich turned to walk out of the alley.

Anaria frowned as Ulrich turned to walk off towards his pathetic little life.  Afraid.  Running from his faith.  She had warned him.  She raised an arm, Dori'thur flew towards the entrance to the alley.  He blocked Ulrich's escape, clawing, scratching, pecking to keep the boy away from leaving.  Anaria walked up behind Ulrich, punched him in the kidney so that he fell to his knee.  Then she walked in from of him, grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up, pinning Ulrich against the wall.

"I warned you child," she hissed at him, glaring through him with her glowing white eyes, "I told you I would drag you back unconscious if you need me.  That child needs you more as a Warrior."  Anaria refused to give her name.  She owed nothing to this child.  Not yet.  Perhaps when they started training.  Maybe if he wanted to know that bad he'd discover it for himself.  But he would have to earn her pleasantries.  Abandoning tens of millions of people to die was not a good way to go about doing that.

Anaria placed her finger against Ulrich's forehead, and showed him just how stupid he was being.  How much worse everything would be if he stayed.  Anaria spared nothing.  Women being raped.  Children being slaughtered.  Families ripped apart, murdered in the streets as they're dragged from their homes crying.  Mothers, infants, fathers, children.  It was horrible.  It was violent.  Cities set aflame.  A massive dragon burning the world to the ground, destroying everything.

Whispers, whispers from beings that were older than old creation, warping everything to their will.  Nippon destroyed by these beings and their demons.  Oina slaughtered for failing their duty.  Freezing to death, starving in the eternal winter that now covered their land.  Millions of people dying.  Then he showed Ulrich what she knew he had to see.  What would change his mind.  That girl from before and her family, slaughtered, lying dead in their burning remains of the hotel they owned, and Ulrich lying on the floor with his head removed.

Where was his head?  On a stick.  A battle standard for the people who had done all this.  Those who bore the black flag with a white rose of seven thorns.  Anaria released Ulrich from this nightmare when she felt it was enough, and released his throat and let the boy collapse to the ground and gasp for air.  As she did, she lowered a knife to his throat and waited for him to respond to her next question. "We shall try this again child.  Do you still choose to run scared like an infant hiding behind his mothers skirts?" she asked with a hint of poison in her voice, "I will not hesitate to beat you within an inch of your life if I must."

"Why do you run?  Because you are afraid to fail?  If you do not try you have already failed.  Shameful.  That is how you are acting.  Completely shameful.  Your shame your past lives," Anaria had spent years as a Paladin, as a warrior, a fighter.  A Paladin's whole life is duty and justice.  What Ulrich did betrayed all of that; all Anaria had stood for.  It was sickening.  It angered her. "If the Warrior of Light is this big of a coward, this much of a weakling, of a wimp, then perhaps it is best to kill you now and find your next life.  Perhaps the infant who succeeds you will have more balls than you ever could."

Anaria was harsh, but she spoke truth, from her heart.  From anger at Ulrich's cowardice attitude.  She spat at his feet, her blade still grazing the skin at Ulrich's neck ever so slightly.  What a shameful display from someone destined for greatness.

Ulrich paled. The woman's hiss told him that he had clearly made the wrong decision. And to make matters worse, now her owl was tearing his face apart. Ulrich could feel the warm blood as it slid from the wounds and down his chin, dripping onto his chest. A sharp jab to the kidney and Ulrich was on the ground, still swatting at the owl. He couldn't see a thing, and before he knew it he was being lifted off of the ground by his throat. The woman's grip was icy, sending chills down Ulrich's spine. He felt his body be slammed against the wall of the alley. The owl had stopped attacking him, but he had gotten blood in his eyes, and he couldn't physically see. He didn't need to.

The woman reissued her threat, her voice burning at Ulrich's ears like a fire. Then she said something that confused Ulrich, saying that Aria would be better off with him as a warrior. Before he could retort, he felt a pressure on his forehead, and suddenly his mind was full of images he never wanted to see. Destruction, disaster, discord, disorder, everything was falling to pieces. The world seemed to be destroying itself as people were killed right and left. Urlich would have screamed if he could, but the woman's grip on his throat kept him silent. Instead, he felt tears streaming down his cheeks as he saw the final image: he and Aria lying dead on the ground.

The tears washed the blood out of his eyes. When he blinked them open, the woman released him, dropping him to the ground. Ulrich gasped desperately for air, clearly shaken by the images he had seen. His heart rate was off the charts, sweat dripping off of his chin. He looked up at the woman. Was going with her really the only way to prevent all of that from happening?

Ulrich was almost ready to agree and go with the woman. But then she began spitting insults. Him, weaker than a baby? A coward? A traitor? No. He'd had enough. The woman's words only made him think about the lives he had already failed to save because he was too scared to act. Ulrich's eyes flashed with a bright light, flashing light down the entire alley. He leapt to his feet, bringing an uppercut to the woman's stomach as he did so. His fist was glowing. A pure white light shone off of it as he used the momentum from his stand to give the strike extra power.

"I am not a coward!" he yelled, anger clearly taking control. "The coward who would only do what his brave brother did, the coward who foolishly trusted a greedy woodsman, the coward who let his brother die to an unknown beast," Ulrich felt his fist connect. "That man is dead!" He felt stronger in that moment than he ever had before. It wasn't his own voice anymore. Others joined him. "I am Ulrich Nara, the Warrior of Light!"

Ulrich flared up, and drowned himself in light.  He aimed a punch at Anaria.  Futile.  His fist swung through an afterimage of her.  The real Anaria stood between Ulrich and the wall.  The space was tight, but Anaria didn't need it for attack.  She looked down at the newly transformed Ulrich and merely shrugged.  "Calm, child," she soothingly, no hint of impression in her voice, "The whole Light Nation probably saw that little display.  Including our enemies.  Don't be so foolish.

Anaria frowned and peaked around the corner of the alley.  No one had come yet, but she was not to take any chances.  Dori'thur was sent into the sky to fly and watch from above, while Anaria summoned a massive Spirit Moose into the alley way.  Anaria settled herself upon its hump, where the saddle was nestled, and extended her hand out to Ulrich.  "Come boy," she said as she pulled Ulrich on to the Spirit Moose, sitting him on the saddle behind her.

"Hold on tight child," was all Anaria said before she dug her heels into A'lar's sides.  The great beast reared, and snorted, half-mooing, half-braying, much like a moose was apt to do.  A'lar stamped through the streets, stampeding and snorting, braying and mooing.  The great beast shook the ground as he ran, and people dodged his antlers by an inch.  People screamed and yelled after Anaria.  If all went well, in a few years they would be thanking her.

By the time Anaria had reached the docks however, the people were screaming for a much different reason.  Airship had begun bombing the capital, enemy soldiers battled Imperial and Light Kingdom soldiers in the streets.  The enemy battled against dedicated citizens who helped defend their country as well.  Houses were falling, people were dying.  Prince Hiruko's fleet of airships had engaged in battle with the fleet of enemy airships, though Hiruko's ship remained firmly planted on the ground.

He had waited for them.  Good.  Though no doubt he was standing at the helm, commanding as many soldiers as he could.  Anaria pointed to the Imperial airship.  It was Victory Class, massive and black, with apparently the ability to travel from sea, to land to air.  Amazing, but useless if it didn't get Anaria and Ulrich out of here safely.  The ship was labelled Resolute Warrior.  Let's hope so.  Let's truly hope so.

Anaria turned to Ulrich as she and he dismounted A'lar, and the beast disappeared to the Spirit Realm once more.  "Come boy, we must leave now," explained Anaria with a tone of great haste, "The nation is lost.  We cannot help them now.  The darkness that the Spirit King warned us about.  It is them."  Anaria pointed to the black standard painted on the side of the black airships.  A black background, a white rose, seven thorns.  The same symbol from Ulrich's vision.

"We must go," pleaded Anaria, "It is no longer safe here.  I shall answer all questions once we arrive to our quarters.  Until then, do as I say.  Come child!"  That was all Anaria had left to say on the matter.  She waited, hands on hips, Dori'thur on shoulder, bow in hand, as she waited to see whether or not Ulrich would be joining her conscious or unconscious.