Kaori's Story Episode 3 - Event Horizon - Private

"Unbelievable..." Susano muttered with a sigh as he took a moment to facepalm. Mission taking for Samira had been reduced to nonexistent while she underwent training with some of her spirits. Her magic power was strong enough, but she still never got serious when it came to making herself better on the field physically. Susano had thought giving her basic training with different types of weapons as well as basic hand to hand combat would of done some good, but now he was seeing why Kali had implemented a cheat system within the chakrams she had given the summoner. The four armed spirit lacked any sort of patience to begin with, but with how bad Samira was even he was starting to lose it. "You. Are. Terrible."

Samira's eyes narrowed at hearing the criticism, and she lowered the bow she had just used to fire several arrows at a target placed on a nearby tree. Well fire at a target was too strong a description. With the way her arrows moved, assuming she didn't drop them while trying to fire them, it was hard to tell if she was actually trying to hit the target or not. Not a single one even hit the tree. One had hit a completely different tree, one had landed on a sign way too far to the left, and one had nearly impaled the head of someone that was passing by...no where near them. That was not even counting the ones that were on the ground, having only made it a couple of feet ahead of her. "I am trying, you know," she said calmly despite feeling annoyed. Everyone thought she was useless in a fight, but she did try. So what if she did the least amount of damage overall and killed the least amount of monsters. She was a summoner, not a warrior. A researcher, not a combatant. Her interests lied with increasing her magical power to further be able to activate more of her keys. That was partly why she had joined a guild in the first place. Taking on experienced missions that she had no business doing with her low level of personal fighting skill was just something that spontaneously happened quite often.

"That's what makes this even worse," the wind spirit replied, almost crying and feeling sorry for himself for having to suffer and torture himself by attempting to turn her into something that wasn't...her. He lowered his hat so it covered his eyes for a minute while Samira stared at him as if he were being overly dramatic. Susano took a breath and perked up. He could do this. "Okay, enough with the bow." The ranged weapon was taken from Samira and he tossed it aside. 'Skadi, give me your spear real quick.'

'Hm? You wish to use spear? I should teach!'

'No, no, no, no, nooooo,' Susano quickly responded to the winter spirit, fearing she'd try and skull bash him with a rock or target some poor pedestrians. 'I can teach her fine.'

'Is okay. I just remember that I busy anyway. Tomorrow I teach.'

'I'll be sure to not be here. Now spear.' An icy spear then materialized in his hands, having been passed through realms by Skadi so he could borrow it. "Lets see what you can do with this," he said and then tossed it at Samira to catch. What happened he should have expected, but he was still surprised and amazed by how clumsy she was with weapons. The moment her hands grabbed onto the spear she immediately fell forward from its weight and faceplanted into the ground with a scream on the way down. He stared at her blankly, suppressing the urge to leave and see his therapist. "You know, you were more badass when you were fused with Ama. Did you really forget how to handle basic weapons and move? I knew you were gullible, prideful, and a complete basket case, but I at least thought you had decent memory to go with that."

Samira stood up from her landing, wiping off random ground particles from the athletic clothing she was wearing and fixing the bun her hair was in. "When I use that ability I gain the power and knowledge of that spirit, but it does not stay with me. I also cannot just resort to using it time and time again. It takes a lot of energy." The woman then knelt down to grab onto the spear that was lying on the ground, but grabbing on was about all she could do. Lifting it up all the way was nearly impossible. No matter how much grunting, pushing, pulling, bitching, kicking, or stomping she did it was too heavy for her. Susano could only watch as a sweat bubble formed at the side of his head just from witnessing the ridiculousness of the scene. At least she wasn't giving up on what should have been a trivial task. "Maybe Skadi's spear is a little more...advanced than I thought it would be," he said after a few more minutes had passed. "Lets just go back to the bow. It can't really get any worse."

Susano would be proven wrong with that theory. As soon as the training went back to the bow it was as if she was back at step one. The arrows she shot immediately arced and hit the ground. The one she actually managed to get off somehow magically ricocheted several times against different surrounding things and objects until it flew into and broke the window to a shop. Both spirit and summoner cringed as they heard the angry shouts from within and Samira took to quickly hiding the bow innocently behind her back. "Well, it was not that bad, was it? I made some progress?"

A small smirk crossed Susano's lips as he patted her head playfully. "Oh, yes, it takes a special kind of skill to get even worse than you were when you started. You should be proud. I'll make a written report that you can stick to your refrigerator. I'll even include a golden sticker." Samira pouted as a response but otherwise said nothing to him as she stomped off, ignoring the waves of laughter the wind spirit was now unleashing.

Around noon Samira had returned to her room within the guild halls of Lamia Scale. She was ready to just take a shower and nap to recover from that horrible training, but her plans had been put on hold the moment she noticed some sort of letter levitating in her room. That was a new one. Curious, she grabbed onto it and allowed her eyes to read the short message upon its surface. "Hibiscus?" The restaurant she had heard rumors about from other members of the guild, but she never visited the place herself. "Who is 'I'?" As soon as the question left her mouth her brain put it together and she let out a sigh. The word Hibiscus, being called Miss Nassar, and even the mention of a request all pointed to Ikuchi. Leaving a notice was a different style for him to use though. "Wait a minute..." Samira crumbled the letter as her hand took the form of a fist. Another request?! The nerve! The last one he made was more of a demand than anything, and yet here was another. She looked at the time on a small clock on the wall and noted she had less than an hour to get to the meeting place. She would go, but only to give him a piece of her mind.

Samira had to find a way to turn her normal over hour shower into a quick ten minute one and get dressed in her usual style before she made her way to Hibiscus. It wasn't hard to find, and seemed to be a one of a kind sort of place. Its design was stunning actually and explained why there were decent rumors going on about the place. One could go there just to enjoy the scenery if nothing else. She only wished that was the actual reason for coming. As she made her way inside she noticed it was oddly empty except for one familiar man sitting in the middle of it. Even stranger was that he was not wearing the mask he normally wore around her. Eerie music began to play in her head as she somewhat cautiously made her way over and took a seat of her own. She remained silent as the tea was poured by the dog-girl waitress and continued to be at a loss for words when he for once spoke in a normal tone instead of the cold one she had grown accustomed to hearing. Her drive to take the discussion to a rude and condescending level was killed before she could even use it. Samira was outright confused by the scenario.

"Uh, yes," she said and then started to look around more from within her seat, taking even more appreciation with it after hearing the idea had been Kaori's. "It is rather lovely and unique, but," Samira turned to face him once more with a face that was a mix of her confusion and concern. "Are you sure you are not unwell?" She allowed herself to ask, coming to the conclusion that he must have been suffering from some mental defect to go into another 180 with his personality. "You are handling this different than your last...request."

(Word Count: 1583)

Samira allowed herself to relax in her seat, letting the waves of confusion pass now that his strange behavior had been explained. It was a personal request, and one where her reasoning for going was weak. Even the last one had the benefit of the rewards being for Kaori's gain. This one was solely for Ikuchi's gain, and she had to question herself whether helping him at all was something she desired to do. Amaterasu did not explain fully of the conversation she had had with the "hound of dragons", as she put it, but she did state that his actions were worthy of forgiveness and to forever hold the past events against him would not help with her own healing. To hate just because she was hated would only cause more pain and an even longer chain of events that created an endless void of no return. Would it help Kaori at all that if she returned the two beings closest to her were in constant conflict? It would of only hurt her even more given the circumstances.

The summoner reached for her teacup and pulled it closer, but rather than taking a drink she just lightly tapped the side of it with her nails. Gabriella came in during her mental weighing of her decision and she watched the interaction over the pastry with curious eyes. She had expected before that the seraphim was learning to bake just to please Ikuchi, and the pink shades her cheeks turned during the compliment confirmed her suspicions. It was strange to see what was once a proud warrior of the angel world turn into...that. Samira took to resting her chin in the palm of her hand while the elbow rested on the table as she watched the display come to an end and gave time for Ikuchi to finish the éclairé without interruption. In the back of her mind she wondered just how many the archangel had to make just to get one that was good enough to serve. That was the most common cliche, wasn't it? A girl learning to bake in order to please a man, but was also terrible at it. Good thing she had no reason to become a master baker herself. Usually the women that took that route never got the man they desired anyway. It was a foolish endeavor, and one she never saw herself doing.

The tapping of the teacup with her free end came to an end as Ikuchi spoke again. Her bored expression being replaced with one of interest during the explanation of the new mission that was on the table. Dragon's Tomb in Iceberg? Dragon Gods? Her mind skipped over the danger part as it went into excitement mode, all mentally of course. Samira was not going to allow herself to show it in her appearance like she had at the second phoenix shrine. She was capable of some form of control. Sure it was a location that not many had visited if they even knew about it, and sure there was likely a ton of things she would find interesting along the way that just had to be written down or picture captured...but yes, control. His argument for her tagging along just became stronger. The question of who was his first choice never crossed her mind, although in the grand scheme of things she probably should have wondered. There weren't all that many she knew of that would of been in his inner circle to take on a personal mission like the one presented.

Samira sat back in her chair when Ikuchi got up and started to leave, stopping only to converse with Ashley after she had run down the stairs to see him off and filled with hope at being able to come along. She turned in her chair to watch and listen, and it was to the point of sweetness she could have exaggerated that she became a diabetic just from being a witness. Hyperbole aside, the interaction between Ikuchi and Ashley did present a side of him Samira had not seen before. It was as if they were really father and daughter, and it hurt the both of them to be without the other. Now that she thought about it, the question of Ashley's origins never came up. The first time she saw the girl they were already leaving for the shrines and the second time Ikuchi and herself were not in a state to have a pleasant conversation. Maybe she really was his daughter or related to him.

As soon as Ikuchi vanished Ashley then unexpectedly made her way over to her and gave her a hug. How someone that close to Ikuchi could not of known his hatred for her and treat her like such a friend was beyond her. She returned the hug with a hello added in, although she really wanted to stay there and squeeze the poor thing for her cuteness and sweetness, but instead allowed the young girl to head back upstairs. Samira quietly waved as Ashley left, and then she realized she was alone in the room. A decision had to be made. Most of her screamed to go with the side of no. Her inner self was afraid to be around him again, and even if he was calm and treating her well while making his request, there was no guarantee it would last. The cycle of petty hatred could continue at any time during the journey. There was also the fact if it was an audience with his father would she not only be in the way? How much help did he really need with a parental visit? Customs between dragons and their offspring wasn't really something well known even among the more knowledgeable circles of researchers. There was also no real reward, but that was usually not much of a problem for her. Just being able to see the place and interactions would have sufficed. The winning argument? The horrible feeling she would have within her forever if something bad did happen to him and Ashley was left to always wonder if he would return. It would of worked the same way for herself even if Ashley were not involved, but Samira was not going to admit that to herself.

"You're going to need this!"

Samira nearly jumped out of her skin when the voice of Serqet sounded in her ear and as she turned her head she saw nothing but a floating knapsack, likely filled with her journal, weapons, and a change of warmer clothing due to going to Iceberg. Shorts and tights wasn't exactly going to be enough in that sort of frigid weather. The spirit she knew had come on her own and at that moment had been using her invisibility spell to make the knapsack look haunted. Honestly. Hopefully no one else actually entered the restaurant during it. "I never said I was going," Samira said bluntly as she took the bag from its spot in the air.

"You didn't have to. We all kind of knew what choice you'd make without even reading your mind. Ama also said you needed to do this. Step one of forgiveness and rebuilding a sense of trust or something like that. I don't really care. I made my delivery so I'm off. Don't have too much fun without me!"

Even while invisible the spirit's exit was seen as a flotation of quickly disappearing small lights. All options weighed it looked like the side of her tagging along had won. The excuse of not being prepared couldn't even have been used. Samira stood up from her seat and made her exit, leaving the cup of tea completely full.

She made her way towards the ship that had been used on the last mission, although that time as she stepped inside she noticed the cargo bay was full of different types of equipment ranging from weights, grappling hooks, and weapons. Samira merely gave a nod of her head when he expressed his thanks and she muttered a thank you of her own upon being given the information of the cloak in her room. Thinking that would of been the most communication they would have until the destination had been reached, Samira had stepped forward to go to her room when the sound of her first name quickly made her pause. It was a form of her name he had never used before and it surprised her somewhat. "Very well," she said calmly, not having any cold tone added in. Curiosity built up, especially considering he had used to term "please", meaning she could have refused to show altogether at the specified time. It was unlike her to do that however. She had said she would meet him there, and so she would if only to see what he wanted of her at that time.

Once six had approached, Samira made her way back into the cargo bay, expecting that maybe the summons was for discussing a plan of sorts. Instead she saw Ikuchi shirtless and wrapped with bandages in a way that reminded her of those that did physical training. She had seen the shirtless sight before and under the circumstances did not want to make such a display that she was some immature school girl fawning over the most popular guy in class. Samira merely turned her gaze away and focused on other things as she made her approach. The words he spoke stung her pride, but it was no different than that of her spirits. She was holding them back, was constantly a target, and clearly needed help. Such words she had gotten used to and there was no reason for her to get mad at him no matter how blunt they were. He had even noticed that she had been training earlier with weapons and somehow she felt he knew very well that she had done a poor job at hitting an easy target. "All right," she said quietly and with no signs that she had any objections or was unwilling to accept his help. By that point, she needed any she could get no matter who it was from. Ikuchi may have said her spirits were tired of her constant weakness, but really she too also wanted to try and improve. Her life seemed to not allow her remain idle. The fact she was on yet another dangerous mission was proof of that.

Samira took her place on the specified "X" and kept glancing sideways as she copied his movements and looked for the next one in the pattern. The movements were slow, making it easy for her to keep up the pace. The words spoken she listened to closely while still focusing on the movements. Soon it became silent as he stopped talking but still continued moving. She continued as well, but she did worry whether or not step two was coming where the movements got more difficult.

"The mutt actually has a point." Kali said to some of the other spirits in Samira's mental space, but keeping the channel off so Samira's couldn't hear. "Your training was horrible by comparison."

"It's how I learned...I think. You know being a spirit based on a legend I was kind of already good at it. At least I tried to give her some form of training, unlike some demon-looking bitch I know. I am surprised you even agree with him anyway."

"My last summoner used such dance-like methods. Her title was Spirit Dancer in the land of Desierto. It was why I gave her the chakrams. The cheat ability, as you seem to insult it, was not added as an instant lock on a target. They were to act as tools for a wielder that was a constant moving tempest. Samira is too stationary for it and I-"

"Lacked the patience to teach her?"

"Of course. My last summoner was already skilled with it. I expected the girl to pick it up on her own."

"We really have no idea what we're doing, do we? We've been stuck up here for way too long."

"Aren't you glad now that I took the time to make way for the possible bridge of forgiveness, brother? Without the help of the Hound of Dragons, Samira may constantly be in square one. Your therapy bill would be quite high. If she learns from this experience, you should thank him."

"Shut up..."

(Word Count: 2081
Total So Far: 3664)

Two hours of doing the same slow movement style had passed. Samira was actually ready to stop after the first due to not exactly being used to performing that type of action for so long, but she continued without complaint. Although, by the end of it she felt as if she were ready to die. It was exhausting, and it wasn't as if she had a nap after her earlier form of training either. When Ikuchi had stopped, Samira paused in place, expecting another move. He begun to speak though which made her come to the conclusion it was finally over and she returned to her normal posture. She listened without interrupting as he gave further advice, but by the time step three was mentioned a slight look of worry crossed her face. "Why I fight?" The question came quietly and was more of her repeating it to make herself understand it rather than actually asking him. The question worried her. What was the reason she found herself fighting? At that moment she wasn't sure of the answer. If she did know of the answer then what sort of weapon would be hers? His offer to help, although she was not certain why he was going through all of the trouble, was going to end up going to waste unless she figured out the answer. Was there even one or was she just constantly dragged into battle by a series of unfortunate events?

The next question referred to Kaori's reason to fight. Samira had seen her as a quick and merciless killer, but she had also seen the woman use much of her magic to save people, herself included. The result was always Kaori leaving herself vulnerable and passing out. Each time there was always leaked emotions that contradicted that of a savage killer as well. Her reason to fight wasn't for the kill or even revenge. However, Samira never counted it as completely righteous either. The time Kaori had killed the mercenaries Samira purposely left alive was a scar of disapproval that would never fade from memory. It was confusing trying to pick just one reason. Aside from Kaori making sure her allies were safe she didn't really know the ninja clan leader's reason for fighting. "I do not know," she replied, feeling slight shame for not really knowing the answer perfectly. Even after being given the answer she was still confused by it. "Everyone's safety?" Everyone included enemies. Samira had seen Kaori heal ones that were left alive, but she had seen the other woman kill defenseless ones without mercy as well. Her reason for fighting seemed too complicated to be put into a single category without it sounding illogical. Samira listened to the short story of Saia and how Kaori had gone from originally giving light punishments for severe crimes to harsh punishments for just about anything on the lesser side. Her gaze had went to focus on the wall as she got lost in her thoughts for a moment, contemplating the words. 'She fights for peace then,' Samira thought to herself, acknowledging what she thought to be the long term goal. Realistically that goal was likely impossible, but even the summoner herself was guilty for wanting a world where fighting was not needed. Her mind snapped back to reality when Ikuchi stood up and begun to take his leave, but not before leaving her with one more piece of advice. She didn't know which felt worse; the tension and coldness of the last mission or the civil act of the current one. "Thank you, Ikuchi," she said to him as he left, not coldly or rudely but certainly not with any warming smile behind it. As grateful as she was for the advice and training, they were not friends at the end of it all. They tried tolerating each other for Kaori's sake, and that was all.

Samira returned to her room and shortly after that entered the bathroom to shower. Following the advice given to her she started the water cold. The sensation of cold running water clashed against the warmth of her skin and should have been enough for her to jump out. She instead paid absolutely no attention to it after the first second or two. Her mind drifted and eventually her body got used to the temperature on its own without her even realizing it. For a while she just stood there, allowing the water to flow down across her hair and body as she stared at the shower wall in front of her. What was her reason for fighting? Ikuchi's was a simplistic find and fight stronger enemies, something practically imprinted into his genetic code. Kaori's was for the safety and protection of all with peace in mind. Samira then thought of the reasons some of her spirits fought. Amaterasu, happiness and joy for all. Susano, atonement. Kali, destruction. Athena, protection. Isis, love. Chaac, regret. None of those were her reason. One could say that since she desired to increase her magical power that was the solid answer. Power. That was not it though. Those that want power do what they can to increase it quickly. Samira had been content with taking her progress slowly before meeting Kaori. Her reason was what led to wanting a magical power increase in the first place; it was a requirement for finding the truth.

Samira allowed her mind to drift to the point of seeing her own flashbacks. She would be in a large room of cherry wood and antiquities. The walls were adorned with artifacts if they were not first covered by several bookshelves filled with rare ancient texts and journals. Glass cases were also placed neatly around the room, clear of any form of dust to allow what they contained to be seen with ease. A large black desk was at the back of the room, but even though it was a mess of open books and paperwork no one sat in its chair. The chest containing ancient keys that was normally in present day Samira's room was also on the desk, closed and locked.

"Hmmm, I don't like this story, grandfather. It is silly," a younger girl version of Samira said with a disapproving pout. She looked to be no more than nine or ten and was dressed in a small white dress that was perfectly clean and without wrinkles. A clear indicator that she had not been outside or into any rough play that day if she ever was. She sat on the lap of an older man, who was sitting on a comfy large recliner chair. He held a book in front of them both but his current tale did not come from it.

"What is so silly about it, little Samira? It's been passed down through generations since the time of our ancestors." The elderly man chuckled as he patted her head.

"You just told me a story where a monster saves a princess and then from them our ancestors came. That is a silly story. Read me something from here!"

"Oh, all right, it seems the family fairy tale isn't enough to let me call you my little princess, is it?"

"Nope."

The man started to flip through the pages in the book when he stopped at one that had an image of a giant serpent on its surface. "Hm, have I already told you the one about Apophis?"

"Isis says we should not speak of him. He's a very bad spirit."

The pleasant atmosphere of a granddaughter spending time with her grandfather turned serious. The man grew silent and tense and his next words did not even have the volume above a whisper. "What did you say?" The little Samira repeated it and then she was questioned of who told her that for more clarity. "You opened the chest?" The girl nodded hesitantly for she remembered the rule not to go near it. The keys within were very important and she was not supposed to touch any of them. "You activated a key? Summoned a spirit?" She nodded again. "Isis was my first one! Chaac came after and so did brother Agni! I also called on Geb but he sleeps a lot." The little Samira grinned as she spoke, getting excited about being able to tell how she managed to activate four of the keys no one else had been able to. She thought he would of been proud of her, but instead he turned grim. He picked her up and placed her gently on the ground before standing from his seat, heading towards the desk, and picking up the chest. He turned to her and spoke before walking out. "Speak of this to no one. You did not open this chest, you did not activate any keys, and you do not have any spirits."

That had been the last time she had a real conversation with the man she had called grandfather. An accident happened that had taken his life shortly after and with her parents not being alive either she was shipped off to stay with other distant relatives. The four keys she had taken from the chest remained with her, but the chest itself had disappeared. It was not until her 18th birthday that it suddenly showed up again along with some notes and journals that were also within it. From their contents she saw that all of the people called to try and summon the spirits from the keys were all distantly related to the Nassar family. Nothing stated why, but it was abundantly clear that they were searching for something within the bloodline no matter how diluted it was. She had wondered if someone had found out that she activated four of the keys but no one came to question her and no one came looking for the chest that had been missing for several years. It was strange, and when she had asked Isis about it all the magical guidance spirit said was that the next step was to gain the power to summon each and every key. From there, she would find Ma'at and get the answers she sought.

Present day Samira switched the temperature of the water so it would change to a point where it was warmer. Strength, peace, atonement, retribution, justice; none of those matched her reasons. Her life spiraled out of control somewhere down the line and got even worse after being charged with killing off a Titanoboa, a serpent, much like Apophis, the deity of darkness, evil, and chaos. She always wanted answers and hated secrets. She wanted to see just what happened once all keys were activated. She needed to get stronger to do it. Her reason for keeping up with things the way they were was simple; she needed to know the truth behind it all. It wasn't a flashy reason or one that was needlessly complicated. It wasn't even a reason that was selfless. It was hers though and that was all that mattered.

The shower water finally reached the point of hot, and soon after Samira stepped out of the bathroom wearing a nightgown that had been conveniently packed and towel drying her hair. Her gaze noticed the silver covering of what was likely a meal upon the desk of her room. She raised the cover to see what it was before lowering it back down. It looked decent but she was not really in the mood for food. Drowsiness was overpowering any reaction her body had towards the thought of having a meal. Then again, it would of looked bad if she ignored it completely. Skipping a meal when heading into the depths of Iceberg was likely going to be put on the list of stupid things she obtained credit for. She forced herself to eat half of it before giving up on the task and took to lying on the bed under the covers. A book that had been in her bag was placed beside her, opened to the pages concerning Apophis now that she had been reminded of the serpent deity. The pages were read repeatedly until she finally fell asleep from exhaustion.

(Word Count: 2036
Total So Far: 5700)

The ship had landed in Iceberg, but unfortunately not right at the location they needed to be. Much to Samira's dismay they would have to walk in the thick snow and freezing temperatures. The one she was accompanying may not of had issue, in fact, he wasn't even wearing proper attire for such weather. The perks of being a creature with inner fire were certainly beneficial for snowy landscapes. For a human growing up in Fiore? It was terrible. Samira could still feel the cold even through the winter gear her spirits had provided her. Perhaps to someone used to cold weather it would of been enough, but for her case she was constantly shivering. She pulled the hood of the cloak that had been in her room tighter over her face, and she did her best to keep up as she stomped her way through the thick snow. Thank goodness for snow boots. Her normal ones were not suitable, and she even had to make sure she didn't wear a single piece of her normal jewelry or else suffer some form of frostbite. With all the winter clothing she wore she still felt naked without her accessories. The only one she couldn't leave behind was the keychain that held her spirit keys. The straps of her knapsack were also over her shoulders, although under the cloak.

Samira heard Ikuchi make a few comments regarding the economy of Iceberg and even part of the history. There they were, traveling through god knows how much snow in cold weather with slaps of wind added in, and he was making small talk. It was interesting for her at the very least, but it would have been a better conversation in a warmer and comfortable setting. "Kingdom is an exaggeration. Iceberg is a country of villages and tribes. They as a people survive because many die before they know what it is like to be old. It is a harsh existence, but they will not go extinct. Humans adapt and the people of Iceberg have had many years to do so." Samira then paused for a moment to fix the hood of her cloak that had blown off from a sudden gust of wind. "As for the 'foolish man', you speak of the tale concerning Fálki, an archeologist that originally found the crown that has been passed from king to king for generations. The crown was cursed and he put it on without knowing what would happen. It took his sanity and the only thing he was left with was the compelling instinct to freeze everything around him. His tale blends with that of an ice make wizard of Iceberg named Úlfr. The wizard stormed the castle of The Frozen King with the desire to avenge the loved ones that had fallen from the storm and to end the crisis for his people. He defeated Fálki, but not before taking the crown for himself. He fell under the same curse and saw himself become the same villain he wished to save his people from. With every generation since, a child is selected to be the one blessed and given the destiny of battling The Frozen King. Their hope is that one day there will be someone with a will power strong enough to not be taken in by the curse and restore their land to what it once was." She told the tale without really considering if he had desired to hear it. He didn't exactly ask for local folklore. For all she knew he was ignoring the whole thing, but she didn't care. Seeming as if she was talking to herself was normal for her. Her spirits were at least listening in so she didn't feel as if she were invisible.

(Word Count: 629
Total So Far: 6329)

Samira had begun listening to a conversation between her spirits regarding the lore of Iceberg, mainly with Skadi planning to smash the king's head with a rock, and had barely noticed that Ikuchi had stopped moving until she nearly bumped into him. Only one word was said; run. She was not so idiotic that she did not understand the importance of that word. The fact he took off quickly himself gave her reason to believe whatever was coming was something that could not be defeated even by him. "Wait!" It figured that she cared enough to tag along for the family reunion to make sure he made it back in one piece just to get left there as he took off. Her pace through the snow quickened, although it was still quite slow in comparison. The loud cracking sound thundered through the region and with it came the conclusion that the reason they were running was due to a force of nature. The rumbles behind her echoed and grew louder, and she began to quickly understand that there would be no outrunning it at that rate. She was far too slow and even Ikuchi wasn't much farther ahead. He would have been buried as well. Her thoughts went in rapid circles as she thought about what spirit she could use to aid in the situation. While Agni and Ra were fire spirits she doubted even their combined power could melt a path through the avalanche as it came crashing down. Chronos could have stopped it temporarily but it was unlikely the spirit could keep the avalanche in a pause long enough for them to make a proper escape. Athena's shield barrier likely only worked on keeping enemies out and Samira did not really wish to test it out on nature right when they were about to be buried. Summoning Cupid would give her wings to fly away, assuming she was quick about it, but it would of done nothing to help Ikuchi. Jing Wei was also an option due to her wings and speed. The rest of her spirits were either offensive or had utility that did not help with the current scenario. That didn't even go into the fact summoning required a little bit of time that she did not have while running away from snowy doom. Being clumsy and dropping a key during the getaway was also a possibility.

'Stop!'

The voice of Skadi's deep voice echoed in her mind. Samira did as she was told and watched with widened eyes as the surface Ikuchi stepped on dropped suddenly, creating a cracking sound that told her it was about to break apart. Behind them was a clashing avalanche, and ahead of them was a path that would break as soon as they tried to traverse it. Well scratch that last part. It broke even more, leaving only a thin layer of ice as a walkway over a giant hole. They were trapped.

'That's it. I don't care what happens to that beast. Use that ability to make use of Chronos' power to stop that pile of snow and then summon Cupid or Jing Wei to get out of there!'

The plan was sound, and if she only cared about her own well being she would have done what was suggested. Unfortunately, there were many factors that made her not take such selfish actions. One, she came on the whole trip to help Ikuchi, not let him die or get lost in a massive amount of snow and ice. Two, Kaori would have been devastated if anything happened to him while she was away. Three, so would Ashley for each day he did not return. Four, it would have caused a massive amount of guilt and regret for herself regardless of the events of the past. As a pinnacle for human foolishness she declined to go through with Susano's plan.

"I cannot just-"

'Dammit, Samira!'

It was then some weird guy that talked in a strange way appeared next to her. Her expression became blank and with his sudden appearance and way of talking she almost forgot about the crisis. "...Excuse me?" Even the voices of her spirits went into different forms of what the hell at the same time. Next thing she knew the man grabbed her hand and with a snap of his fingers they were both teleported into the cave that was below where they originally were. Then Ikuchi came down to join them, although quite painfully and with a less than graceful landing. Although difficult, she fought the first instinct to show great concern and go to him to check on his condition. He wasn't human nor was he some weak creature. Her actually showing needless concern was the last thing he needed. The mind knew that much and thankfully hers was clear enough at that point to force its dominance over her emotions.

The strange genie man disappeared before she could properly thank him, but she felt she could live with that. She wasn't even sure how to word her gratefulness in his language. Samira wrapped her arms around herself to keep a bit warm as she looked around the cave with the small light Ikuchi's flame provided. There were no exits save for the one above them, and there were no connecting tunnels. One room of the cave of ice. "Hmmm," she heard the advisement regarding her fire spirits and considered its value as her green eyes looked around. He was right. With the way the place was set up it was risky to melt it.

'Whoa, whoa. You're seriously thinking of staying in that block of ice? Ra, help me out here! You can literally nuke the place down!'

'To what end would my power accomplish? My flames of the sun would only bring more chaos and destruction for my summoner if used in such a way. It is disgraceful to ignore wisdom when it is present.'

"What about Janus?" Samira asked vocally as she walked over to one of the walls and placed a gloved hand on it. How thick were the walls? Would even his portals allow them to get to the other side? If it did then was there a guarantee they wouldn't end up in some chasm or another cave with no exit?

'I apologize, my dear. My portals will not get you through safely. The walls of a natural cave system are too much of an uncertainty. I will not allow myself to make a portal for you to try. You could end up inside another wall or above a hole.'

Samira sighed before turning her attention to the interactions between Ikuchi and Charlotte around the point of Kaori being asked about. The spirit's reaction wasn't a good sign nor was the answer. Her heart sank at the news. She had hoped her friend was at a point of doing better and would soon return, but it seemed she was still a long way off from that. At the very least her spirits were there to help her so she wasn't alone, if they weren't being ignored that is. Even Aquarius was likely to get ignored by probably the only person in the world able to. "Thank you, Charlotte," Samira told the spirit gratefully when she returned and handed over a thermos and gave more intel. With the snow storm they were not leaving anytime soon. Her gaze went towards the ground upon realizing she was stuck in the enclosed space with Ikuchi until the morning. Sarcastically wonderful. Her moment of self pity for the awkward scenario was interrupted when he handed her his thermos, stating she would need it more. She took it as she lifted her gaze and for a moment she watched him walk away towards a wall, blinking silently in bewilderment. There was no doubt he was keeping her alive and unharmed for Kaori's sake, but at the same time she had to wonder why he kept putting her in the danger zone to begin with. He wanted back up and aid on missions and yet he tended to pick the one he had to waste his time on protecting. It seemed counter productive.

Wanting to take a seat as well, Samira walked over to the opposite wall and sat down with her back against it and legs forward. One thermos she sat on the ground beside her but the other she held onto with the bottom of it resting on her lap. The air around her was cold, but she made no vocal complaints regardless of how her body shivered. Drinking some of the hot broth helped, but she had her doubts on it lasting until the morning. Ikuchi once again tried to make small talk, most likely as a way to cure himself of boredom. The topic pained her somewhat. He had already pinpointed that she herself did not feel the same type of love for Kaori as she did for her, and Samira had theorized that Kaori also knew of it. The words spoken by her back then was proof of that. Love in friendship was not what Kaori desired, and the pain she could not have anything more was possibly keeping her away. Samira did not know how to properly ease that pain if even showing her face made the wounds deeper. The summoner flipped the hood of her cloak off and let her head rest against the icy wall as she stared up at the opening above. "What do you normally say when someone you care about returns?" The question was rhetorical and she did not expect an answer, even after giving a moment of silence before speaking up again. "Welcome home, Kaori." The statement was spoken softly, as if she forgot she was even answering the question and was merely whispering it to herself while lost in thought. If she did see Kaori again, would those words even fit? A small smile formed on her face as she realized just how cliche those words were, but at the same time she felt its simplicity was enough to get across that Kaori was back where she belonged and around those that cared for her. Samira returned her gaze back to normal level as she took to focusing her stare where Ikuchi was. "You say you know my feelings when not even I understand them fully. Is such a trait common among your kind or do I make it so obvious to others?"

(Word Count: 1754
Total So Far: 8083)

Humanity being labeled as a disease was a rather harsh description, but one that was appropriate when one looked into the history of the species. There were always conflicts and wars over the pettiest of things, and humanity as a whole had weaknesses that often jeopardized the land and creatures around them. How Iceberg became the barren frozen wasteland it currently was was an example of that. Even to that day no human could overcome the control of the crown; a control that had to have been placed upon it by some human in the past originally. Still, Samira had seen how emotions could be a powerful tool, and it seemed only humans could make full use of it. No other species understood the concept and limited themselves as a form of being superior. For herself, her emotions were a jumbled mess and tangled in such a way she didn't know which was the most dominate feeling. She was emotional like any other, but she had a habit of hiding and ignoring them as well, and that was if she did not analyze them. Emotions were not to be analyzed, they were to be acted on. Her heart and body was nothing more than a tightly closed bottle that kept filling with emotions until it burst from over capacity. It also appeared that for someone so sure he had a handle on his own emotions, Ikuchi was rather uncomfortably uncertain. Perhaps he then understood emotions were not as simple as writing them down on a piece of paper. They were complex and often blended.

Samira watched the small flame figure play as he told the story of Joseph. She enjoyed being told stories just as much as reading them herself, and for a moment she had forgotten she was trapped in an ice cave for the night as well as the cold air that surrounded her. Having visual representations only added more to the distraction. A small laugh was even impossible to suppress when the story reached the part of the princess. The interactions between a member of royalty and a man raised outside of human civilization much of been entertaining indeed. A shame Ikuchi never did make that book. Of course, even she could have guessed how it ended. He wasn't telling the story as if it were one with a happy ending. It wasn't a fairy tale like the one passed down in her family where the monster and princess lived happily ever after. His story was based on reality and actions of humans, royal humans at that. The boy he had raised was executed by orders of the king for mere disapproval of the relationship, and in turn the entire kingdom was purged. She did wonder if he had killed the princess as well, but it was not a question worth asking. The most likely answer was that she too faced some horrible death regardless of her relationship with Joseph. Rage was a terrible and powerful emotion.

The fire images died and a small bit of sadness spread through Samira at the end of the tale. He had already lost one person from typical human actions in the past. With Kaori he had almost lost another. Almost being a keyword. She had yet to return and it was uncertain if she ever would. Ikuchi had even allowed himself to get close to another human child in the form of Ashley. Time and time again he repeated the same mistake by getting closer to humans in one way or another. Why he kept doing it he probably didn't understand himself. At the very least the story gave her a little bit more knowledge about him as well as some understanding. With more of the facts being piled up it was getting more and more difficult to find a reason to be spiteful and hate him as he hated her.

"It was not boring. I enjoy stories," she replied, resisting the urge to add in he was generally the one that did not care for story mode. It was also a way to temporarily avoid answering the question asked of her; how did she become a celestial wizard. No one had really asked her before then and if they had they would not be given a decent answer. She felt obligated to answer though if only to give more information about herself as he had done himself. After a few seconds of silence Samira sighed and closed her eyes. "By performing the actions of a disobedient child. Another tally to be added to the foolishness of humanity." Ever since that last day she had spoken with her grandfather she had allowed herself to become so submissive and obedient. She had learned the consequences of her actions, and it was taking the chaos of recent events to break the cycle. "Humans are curious creatures, more so as children. When you are told to stay away from something you feel compelled to do the opposite." Samira began talking in her own story mode, although her voice was all she had. There was no magic within her that could create entertaining visuals. She placed the thermos she was still holding on the ground next to the other one and shifted her position so that she was sitting and hugging onto her knees. "My grandfather was a well known researcher and archeologist among his colleagues. He was a natural in his field and knew so much about the world. There was always time for me though whether I was with him on his trips to another country or at our home in Fiore. He even had this ridiculous family story he would tell me all the time when all I wanted to hear about were legends and lore within his books." Samira chuckled as she said the last part as she went down the good path of memory lane. Her tone turned serious once more as she continued. "I do not know if you noticed that old looking chest in my room whenever you spontaneously drop in. That could be categorized as his greatest find, something he had been searching for his whole career. Spirit keys from all over the world and even from civilizations that no longer exist. All representing characters from myth and legend. Everyone who was anyone in terms of research knew what they were. Summoners from around the world were called to make contracts with the spirits, but none were able to do so. For a reason unknown to the child version of me, I was told to stay away from the keys. I refused to do so and allowed a child's curiosity to take over. My first four spirits activated easily for me: Isis, Chaac, Agni, and Geb. A feat that came so naturally I thought my grandfather would have been proud of me. No one else was able to even summon one. I had contacted four. You could say that was when pride was born within me, but my ancestors were always proud people regardless." Samira paused for a moment to catch her breath and then spoke again, although more softly. "He died shortly after I told him what I had done and I never did get that expected feeling of pride that his own granddaughter was taking part in his legacy. I was instead scolded and told to hide what I had accomplished. Back then it was a stab through the heart and I did not understand why he thought so little of me." Tears began to form in her eyes as once again that feeling she felt so long ago came back. She did not allow herself to cry fully though. That part of her past she got over long ago.

"I was left with my four keys but the rest disappeared. I assumed he had hid them somewhere or given them to another colleague. For years I hid my spirits. If they were summoned or appeared it was done in secret. Most of the time they were voices in my head and you know how often that looks when I talk to them. My other relatives thought I was mentally unstable and had imaginary friends. A couple of years ago the chest appeared at my doorstep and not only were the rest of the keys inside but so were some of the journals written by my grandfather. After reading them, I understood he was trying to protect me from something. All of the summoners called previously were related to my family bloodline in some way and he was trying to not have to resort to the main genetic code. I do not know why it was important or what they were trying to do aside from that. As far as the research is concerned, step one was a failure. For the chest to reappear so suddenly though I am assuming someone knows the actual truth and wants me to to complete step two; make contracts with all of the spirits. In order to do that I needed to become an actual mage and join a guild so I could increase my magic power. This was not what I had in mind when I began my journey as one though..." She still found a small amount of humor in being trapped in a cave when her original goal revolved around staying near the guild hall and progressing slowly. How her plans changed without fully realizing it until it was too late was beyond her. "Most of my spirits know nothing in regards to this. The only ones that seem to know something are those from the land of my ancestors. I will find my answers eventually from what I have been told, although whether it is something I truly want to know or come to regret finding out is still up for debate. You once explained to me that I needed to find out my reason for fighting. I have none. Not in the same way as you and Kaori have. Although I will say for certainty I have no intention of dying until I find out the truth behind the veil of mystery. I have no doubts that my grandfather's death is connected to it and I grow tired of being blind. So, there you have it. One 'boring' story for another."

(Word Count: 1728
Total So Far: 9811)

Samira's eyes narrowed slightly as she had at first thought he was laughing at her in the mocking sort of way, as if her story truly was terrible. As she listened to his words though it was the complete opposite. The reason she kept going was a valid one, it was just the way she thought about doing it that was wrong. To get stronger she had to challenge herself and all the events that had taken place, no matter how depressing or difficult they were, had provided it. Even that was not enough though and she was aware of that fact. There were still many keys left to activate so what more would she have to endure to get to that point? How much suffering did she also have to bring to those around her to accomplish her goal?

She remained silent again as he further went into explaining the members of his own family. The parents seemed nice enough, and it was actually quite comical to think of a dragon god going vegetarian just for having the sake of an open mind. Once he spoke of the brother though it seemed as if it was the sibling that gained nothing from his parents that Ikuchi himself had obtained. Shi hated humans and wanted nothing to do with them except to aid in their destruction. Pretty stereotypical monster villain that was in plenty of fairy tales and stories. Good thing he also seemed the be the weaker of the two or the world would of had more problems than it already did. "Other things?" Samira questioned with a raised brow. She thought it was just some family meeting for some trial he needed help with. If there was to be more to it then it would have been appropriate to say as much either at the Hibiscus or even well before getting stuck in an ice cave for a day. As usual such information came at a time where it was too late to bother getting angry. The fact was she was now stuck in Iceberg and the only way she was leaving was to help clean up the mess and get him through his trial, whatever that was. For now, she was left alone to do as she pleased while he decided to sleep. She herself wasn't tired, not even a little, and even if she tried to force it the cold would of been hard to ignore.

'Eighteen hours of the same boring channel. Where's my crossword puzzle?'

'Um, oh, it's over here! You sure you don't want to play cards with us? It's funnnn!'

Samira's expression turned blank as she began to hear the conversation, then she begun to pout. "You are all having a game night while I am stuck here until morning?"

'Well, it's not like we should suffer from absolute boredom just because you are.'

'Take the advice of the mutt, you foolish girl. You require training. We do not.'

An twitch of an eyebrow upon hearing her less tolerant spirit speak as if she were actually joining the group for game night. "You too Kali?"

'Must we play cards? I think Twister would be more amusing.'

'Do you really think you can beat Kali at that? She's practically against the rules just existing. Ow-hey! Take that as a compliment, you four armed bit-Ow! What the hell, Amaterasu?!'

'There is no need for such insults. You do have good point though. I think I will join my brother and do a Sudoku. My poker face is terrible.'

'Hmm, a four letter word that also means sloth and lethargic. Hey, Samira, help me out here.'

"Lazy?"

'That works! Pure genius! Now how about you stop being that and do some of that fancy dancing whatever the hell that is training stuff. I'll be turning off our end of the channel. You won't hear us but we can keep track of what you are doing so I better feel you getting a work out. Later, summoner. Hey, Ama! Help me out-' The mental conversation cut off.

Samira could only sigh in defeat. Her choices were to either pass the time by walking in circles, sitting there, tapping walls for the sake of doing so, sleeping, or training. She couldn't sleep and the only other choice that would do anything of worth for her was to train. So, she did. The spirit summoner slowly performed the moves she had memorized while doing it the first time back on the ship. If she was to get stronger then she had to will herself to do it, for both herself and for those around her. The mistakes of the past happened because she was weak in more ways than one, and if she was to see Kaori again she wanted to be at a place where she would no longer be categorized as a weakness for her. Her pride was also getting tired of her being a burden, and she was also damn well tired of Ikuchi coming to her for help but still treating her as if she was just in the way and inefficient. She took frequent breaks during the process, ensuring she didn't overwhelm herself and cause some sort of misfortune for herself that would once again sticker her with the label of moronic. Eventually she ended it, feeling tired enough that maybe her mind would finally shut off and allow itself to rest. She laid down on the icy ground near the wall she had sat during their conversation. Samira pulled her hood up and turned so that she was lying on her side facing the wall. Closing her eyes and holding them there for just a few short minutes was enough for her to fall into a sleep, even with her constant shivering. For some reason her dreams did not reflect that of an icy landscape or the feeling of freezing. She felt warm, comfortable, and the sun shone bright. The strangeness of it caused her to stir and her eyes wearily opened to view reality. The icy wall was still there, but the cold was not. Instead she felt the heat of something large lying next to her. It did not take much for her to put it all together and she did not even have to turn around. She knew it was Ikuchi in his dragounhound form, and it was very likely he was keeping her warm so she would not either get sick and/or die as a frozen human popsicle. Loyal servant to Kaori to the very end. He hated her and could still tolerate doing something that seemed so simple yet required that level of closeness. She was only thankful he chose his hound form rather than try to use his human one for the task. Even with the circumstances between them she doubted she could have held her indifferent composure if she had woken up to the alternative. "Thank you, Ikuchi," Samira said in a soft tired voice. It was beginning to be a very common thing to say, but she would allow her pride to take the hit with that one. The warmth was nice and during her sleep whenever she felt a chill she unconsciously shifted closer and against the dragonhound as if he were a heated cushion that had been placed beside her.

Morning came, and Samira sat up as Aquarius was being summoned. She rubbed her eyes as she stood up and then stretched her arms out. The spirit got straight to work with getting them out of the cave and had even made some form of slide for quicker travel. Unfortunately, that was about all he could do. Information regarding his summoner was kept secret. She really did not want to be found so easily. Keeping her away was one thing, but Samira could not comprehend why she kept Ikuchi in the dark. Surely she needed him, and it was not as if he really did betray her. Everything he did was for her even while she was gone. Perhaps it was just something an average woman from Fiore could not understand fully.

Samira watched Ikuchi jump on the slide with absolutely no hesitation. The thought of getting on it herself made her cringe. It had no sort of safety mechanisms, seemed to have no breaks, went over several hills, and was a long ride. If she got on there would be no stopping until the end was reached, and upon reaching said end she'd likely go flying unless it was enchanted so make the riders come to a complete stop, which she doubted Aquarius took the time to add in. "I...do not think so. Just...no," she said with a slow shake of her head. She was stupid at times, not crazy. No, hearing voices in her head does not count as a crazy tally. Ikuchi was on his own with riding the slide of terror. Taking a key from the key chain she wore, Samira used it to open a gateway for a spirit that could enable her to just fly over that icy hell. “Open, gate of the Avatar, The Oathkeeper! Jing Wei!" The young contract spirit appeared and immediately began to hug her own waist from the cold. The spirit turned to her and started to fuss about what she could possibly want in the middle of a frozen wasteland. Samira held out her arms and said one simple phrase. "Carry me."

"What?! I have so much paperwork to do and you summoned me here to carry you?! Summon cupid if you want wings and air travel!"

"You are faster."

"SO WHAT?!"

"Please?"

Jing Wei growled as she slapped her forehead. If not for feeling a disturbance in the wind she probably would have dismissed herself to save herself from the ridiculous request. "Fine...but you better not mention this to anyone!" The spirit picked Samira up, quite easily given how fragile she looked, and begun to quickly fly towards the end of the slide. The spirit and summoner duo reached the ruins quite unharmed and with no crashing involved. Jing Wei placed Samira down and landed as well. "Can I go now? I have way too much paperwork to do." As soon as the summoner was about to dismiss the spirit a couple of long ranged fire elemental attacks hit Jing Wei, although it was rather pathetic as she didn't feel a thing. The two glanced in the direction they had come from to see two figures wearing some form of mask with dragon faces painted on the surface. They were also shouting about sacrifices for the dragon gods and gaining blessings. "What are they? Some dragon obsessed fan club?" Another wave of attacks that Jing Wei and even Samira easily avoided. Clearly they were not the more powerful of the cultists in the ranks. No, those were likely farther in. What they currently had were the wannabes that had to stay outside from the in crowd. "I got too much work for this," Jing Wei said after sighing in exasperation. She snapped her fingers and the two pathetic cultists were caught in a mini cyclone of wind and snow. A large scroll then materialized within her hand and she promptly flew over and beat the hell out of them with it until they were unconscious. All the while shouting how, because of them, there was further delay in her work. The cyclone then spat them out into the air and they flew miles away over the snowy hills. A spirit that took her work too seriously was easily one that got pissed off for annoying wastes of time. "Now, please tell me the welcoming party is over." Samira was still sweatdropping from the way her spirit handled them but it proved to be effective nonetheless. "You may go." One easy victory on their side, now just a shrine and some ruins full of several more difficult enemies as well as a whole trial to go. The day was already starting to become more eventful than the last.

Edit 3-8-20
Posts above complete the 16,000 S rank WC for Original Turn In 9811 + 8053
New WC: 2018

Once Jing Wei had returned to the celestial realm Samira followed Ikuchi down into the now open tomb. Since it was dark, she remained close due to the firelight he was providing as they ventured down the tunnel. Anxiety was building up, but not the sort that came from fear or nervousness. It was the type that was created from excitement. An ancient dragon tomb, near an ancient dragon shrine, with ancient dragon artifacts, with ancient dragon knowledge, with an actual dragon god somewhere inside. It was an archeologist's dream come true to see inside and get a glimpse of the culture and traditions. The extra story bit was enough to make her absolutely giddy. She kept her composure though, of course. No doubt her turning into some sort of squealing nerd all of a sudden would have created yet another face palming and eye rolling moment for her current companion. The place was dangerous and only a fool would forget that.

The next room was opened much the same way as the tomb's entrance was. Inside was a single man wielding a claymore and wearing dragon-like armor, someone Samira figured to be the first of many challenges. His very eyes even gave away that he would be a powerful foe, at least for her. What would be his name? Surely something fierce, ferocious, and powerful to signify his heritage! The reality nearly made Samira keel over. "B-bob?!" The disease that was common and overused names had even affected closed off tombs! She couldn't write that down in her notes! What a waste.

Samira stood back as the two fought and watched it with complete focus. It didn't last very long, but she did at least manage to see Bob transform. The battle appeared to be over so she left her little safety zone space and walked closer so she could hear the conversation fully and be ready to move on. A mistake on her part. The conversation had been interesting and touching up until Bob had to question whether or not she was Ikuchi's woman and was providing...the next divine? Oh, good god no! Her pale face turned an obvious shade of red, and even though she completely agreed on Ikuchi's denial she still felt as if she had the right to be angry at the words. The logic of women. "Not your type or species and yet you had no problems constantly picking me as a trophy before," she grumbled to herself as their conversation came to a close. She never did understand what that was all about, and she sure was not about to ask about it right then and there. The Bob knight left and with his disappearance came Ikuchi's explanation for his previous reaction which were words she did not expect from him. She had expected him to not even mention it whatsoever. In a single sentence she was complimented not once, but three times. That alone should had been enough to question whether the world was coming to an end. His main issue with her was the forgiveness aspect, which may come with time or maybe it would never happen. Her own bridge of forgiveness for him had already made progress, but that was thanks to her more open minded spirits laying out the blueprints for it. He did not have that luxury and had to deal with it himself. Then there was the fact of the matter; they were different species. Yep, a little weird, but no more weirder than that silly family fairy tale of hers. "You are correct there, I suppose," she said a little hesitantly as she began to picture just how that worked on the more intimate side of things. The images were immediately burned, sliced, frozen, blown away, etc etc by the poor spirits currently occupying her mind while shouting NO! Apparently their side of the channel was still linked to her mind. Whoops.

She followed him to another door, all the while listening to the explanation of the Dragon Knights. Speed, strength, skill; she had spirits for all of those. As far as she was concerned, unless they tested her rather than allow her to use spirits, she would be able to complete the tests without issue. Samira was there to add utility and versatility and that much she could provide. It was still slightly insulting that she was second to a Re-quip user, but perhaps she was very powerful or just on better terms with Ikuchi than herself. "If you had known three humans then it is quite possible I would have been the third choice," Samira said with a small laugh. She had a feeling no matter how many humans he knew she would have been dead last no matter how much he respected her magic usage. "I suppose I should thank you for your consideration regardless." For a trial that tested different aspects of strength and skill she was chosen behind a re-quip mage...a RE-QUIP MAGE. Insulting! Or, rather, maybe she was just a tiny bit jealous that she couldn't handle weapons, armor, and magic items like the re-quip specialists could so easily. More information was given, only that time concerning something he had once again forgotten to mention. Clearly he needed to take his own notes to prevent such a thing in the future. "That should not be an issue," Samira replied with confidence. She had faith that her own mind was strong enough to handle the simple prankster hallucinations of the Dream Dragon. As far as she was concerned, she had no desires that would warrant the divine's time of day.

A long time had passed with the journey being uneventful as they did nothing more than walk. No complaints were given, but she was getting slightly bored. She expected more by then. As if someone knew of her boredom and decided to make the phrase be careful what you wish for into reality, a vision began to play before her. The dark tunnels of the tomb had transformed into a sunlit field where she saw herself laying against a tree. Next to her was a girl she had only seen once before; the true version of Kaori. The side of her that was always hidden under some form of magic. She saw them talking, although their voices were silent. Samira began to conclude that the hallucination was her desire to see Kaori return and that her friend was happy. Then things got a little strange. Her head tilted at first when she saw herself angling Kaori's head, causing the ninja's face to flush. Then her eyes widened as she saw her vision self get closer and closer towards the visionary Kaori until their lips met. A small sense of relief as her vision self pulled away. Then she moved in again causing the real Samira's mouth to drop and her face turn red. That...was it even considered perverted if you were watching your own illusionary self kiss someone rather than looking away? That should have been what she had done as an instant reaction, as well as scream from complete and total embarrassment. Her illusion counterpart then wrapped her arms around the illusion Kaori and then turned its gaze over towards her. The eyes of the illusion were fierce and protective, although she herself had no idea why. The vision vanished, leaving Samira to be even more confused than she was before. Ikuchi had said the hallucinations could also be linked to individuals with strong bonds. So, was that vision something of Kaori's mind, or was it something that existed within her own desires subconsciously? No, it most certainly had to be Kaori's.

Susano: 'I don't know. With the way your emotions have been going I'd say you like Kaori more than you let on. I can practically feel your rushing blood and heart racing from here. It's giving me a heart attack! Calm it down, will you? I don't need more time in the therapy seat.'

Samira cringed as Susano's voice entered her mind. She had forgotten that the link was back on which means they probably all saw the same things. "You...you saw that did you?" The summoner took to nervously playing with her hair as she walked and kept her voice in a low whisper.

Susano: 'Every single moment of it. It was a refreshing change from dark tunnels so naturally we all couldn't look away.'

Agni: 'It was hot! Ow! Dammit why do you guys always find it necessary to hit me?!'

Samira: "That was just a hallucination. Just a trick to play on how Kaori felt about me."

Susano: 'You didn't look away. I am not even getting a sense of complete denial. Are you sure you don't feel the same way as she does?'

Samira: "I like men romantically, not women."

Susano: 'Oh, right. Well lets look at how the man angle has been going. Ooo, that's right, I forgot. There aren't any. Since I've been around the one man you showed any sort of interest in is dragon beast over there, and where are you on that? Ooo, ouch, sorry, forgot again. He's not interested. Thank the true gods for that.'

Samira: "I am just picky."

Susano: 'Or maybe you swing both ways. That's fine too.'

Amaterasu: 'Stop your teasing, brother.' A loud crash could be heard to imply Amaterasu sent Susano flying away from the leader chair and took over. 'Samira, I have mentioned this to the Hound of Dragons as well; you do not decide who you love. Will you forever hide yourself within the barrier of denial without exploring the possibility that you feel for Kaori as she does for you?'

Chaac: 'Now I have to worry about women trying to take her purity away? That's it, she will be locked up in a basement and if she must go out she will be wearing a chastity belt! While in a bubble! That will smite down those that touch it and turn them all into ash!'

Susano: 'As...interesting as that method is, and by interesting I mean completely hilarious, do you really think you have a chance of keeping our favorite ninja away?'

Chaac: In a very serious tone lacking any fear and filled with supreme confidence. 'Yes.'

A roaring laughter then is heard from many of the spirits.

Serqet: 'No offense, Chaacy, but I think she'd be sending you back here within a split second. You should stop being a daddy spirit and just let Samira live, you know? Look at mommy Isis! She's very much okay with it! Right, Isis? ....Isis?'

Isis: '...My little girl is a whore...' An overly dramatic and depressed tone was the spirit's voice, complete with mild sobbing. 'First strange men, now lust for a woman.'

Samira: "...I did not even do anything." A sweat bubble appeared at the side of her head as a blank expression took over her facial features. A bit over dramatic. She was still very much a virgin and it wasn't as if the hallucination was something she dreamed about. Her thoughts were very much still on the innocent and naive side of things.

Susano: 'So about those thoughts on how a dragon and a human-' Susano naturally got a beating from every spirit in the mental space for trying to bring that imagery back up.

Samira: "Thank you all for your interesting...input. I am just going to go with my original theory before you all interrupted."

Amaterasu: A soft sigh. 'You will continue to be confused about your feelings for quite some time, won't you? Very well. The choice is yours. I have no doubt that the topic will turn up again.'

Skadi: 'I have brought ice rock. Where is sweet ninja girl? She must use rock on summoner after kiss. Best way to ensure perfect mate.'

Susano: 'She's gone and that was just an illusion. But...were you really going to suggest she hit Samira with it?'

Skadi: 'Of course! Kiss is compliment. Compliment requires skull bashing. She survive-'

Susano: 'She is perfect mate, yeah I get the concept. Lets just...put this thing over here and let it stay there. Without it being used to kill our summoner.'

Skadi: 'Is fine. It can wait for next time.'

Samira could only facepalm from embarrassment and the ridiculousness of it all.

Edit: 3-8-20
WC: 2060
New Total: 4078

"Bad, no. Confusing, very." Samira said with a sigh in reply towards Ikuchi's comment. So much for her mind being strong enough to avoid any sort of hallucinations. It seemed to work in the reverse. If a human had a powerful mind then it was likely filled with all sorts of entertaining thoughts and ideals that could be taken advantage of. The Dream Dragon was probably writing another script that very moment, using her mind for inspiration. Another chamber was entered, this time having a woman dragon knight that seemed to not know Ikuchi himself as the last one had. What served as proof? Well the tattoo on his back of course! Samira shyly averted her gaze from the sight and had expected the whole interaction to be over and done with quickly and with respectful acknowledgement. Only one of those happened. His proof allowed them to move forward quickly, but the dragon knight's reaction to seeing a half naked man was slightly overboard. Typical human reactions aside, she had expected someone in the position of dragon knight to be a bit more composed than that. The woman had keeled over, had a massive nosebleed, and had become embarrassed from the sight of him. Not even Samira herself was guilty of that type of reaction. Samira just shook her head as she passed the woman, almost feeling embarrassed for her from having witnessed such a display.

"You think?" Samira followed him down the path regardless. It wasn't as if she knew the correct way, and she would give him some leniency due to not having been there in quite a long while. They found themselves in front of another door, which was apparently the wrong one. She sighed but her mild annoyance was filled with a slight curiosity when he made his sarcastic comment. The door opened and within was a gigantic collection of books the likes of which she had never seen. She had suddenly found her reason for tagging along on the icy hell of a journey! An excited loud squeal almost left her but she restrained it and instead it came out as a high pitched whine. Look, don't touch. She had not been given permission to touch. Or to run around like a child in a toy store. The moment the words "feel free" left Ikuchi's mouth Samira zoomed ahead towards one of the shelves, completely missing the part where he mentioned they were there just to find something, not be there all day. The summoner had reached up and grabbed hold of a random book, but as she pulled it down to open and start glancing through the contents the sound of a flute playing distracted her. She looked up and like the vision given to her previously the scenery begun to rapidly change.

Samira saw an illusionary version of herself and Kaori again, this time in a white room with stained glass windows. Kaori had been playing the tune she heard or rather a cloned Kaori. Another one had appeared and sat down next to the illusionary Samira, although this one was wearing items she had never thought the ninja even owned aside from the hibiscus necklace. A white dress, diamonds, and even eyeliner. Those added with the happy grin and cheerful smiles really did make Samira believe that Kaori was a beautiful person. She continued watching as the vision Kaori convinced the vision Samira to dance and continued watching as the dancing led to a rather close and loving kiss. She could feel her cheeks growing hot from the embarrassing feeling coursing through her, and yet she could not compel herself to turn away from the sight. It was her but it was not her! Was that vision really something she wanted? No! It couldn't have been. She never had those types of desires or wishes for Kaori before then! Samira was beginning to feel even more confused and if she could smack that Dream Dragon to the next century she would have. There were already way too many mental instabilities with her mind and he was just adding on to it!

The sound of a book slamming made her body jump back into reality. The vision ended, and instead of the bright happy room with Kaori she was back in the dark depressing tombs with Ikuchi. She felt herself become disappointed momentarily until he explained what the book was. Her eyes lit up almost instantly as she put the book she was currently holding away and took the leather covered one he had offered her. A warm smile appeared on her face and she immediately went to work on flipping through its pages. She stopped herself after a few seconds though when she realized that was probably not the most appropriate time to read. There was still a whole trial to get through, after all. "Oh...thank you." The feeling of being silly and a complete fool ran its course through her and she had to force herself to look away from him for fear she'd get some odd judgemental stare. As more of a distraction she carefully put the book into her knapsack.

Susano: 'Good god, this channel is so boring. Can we go back to the one where you're dancing with Kaori? I enjoy your embarrassment. It makes me feel better about myself.'

Samira: "No, we may not go back to that. In fact, do not bring it up again." She spoke lowly, trying to hide the fact she looked like some crazy woman. Samira knew quite well that Ikuchi knew of her habit of talking to her spirits in such a way, but she did not want him to actually know what they were talking about in that particular case.

Serqet: 'But we could feel what you did. I felt all floaty! Were you even breathing while watching that? I think you were about to pass out. She was about to pass out, right? Come on, lets see more!'

Skadi: 'Missed chance for skull bashing. Demand we see more.'

Samira: "It does not work that way and you know it. Please, I beg you, drop it."

Susano: 'I just love how you thought she was pretty. That's a new one.'

Samira: "I never thought she was ugly. It is also normal for a woman to compliment the appearance of another."

Agni: 'While watching a vision version of themselves making out with said woman? Is that a normal thing now and I missed the memo? Why did no one give me that memo?'

Susano: 'Hey, I got it! We can just influence your dreams. All night, every night. All right, who's turning themselves into Kaori?!'

Serqet: 'I am playing Samira!'

Amaterasu: 'Brother, you are not serious with this misuse of your power?'

Susano: 'What? Do you object to my great idea of torturing our summoner for giggles?'

Amaterasu: 'No...this time it will amuse me.'

Kali: 'If you are going to perform this ridiculous case of stupidity then you will need someone to play the mutt. He is partly to blame for our summoner's confusion.'

Susano: 'Hm, you're right. So who wants to be Chaac's punching bag?'

All spirits: '...'

Susano: 'Oh, come on! Is that why no one signed up to be Kaori too?'

Serqet: 'OW! What the heck, Skadi! That hurt! Wait..noo...Not again!'

After rendering Serqet unconscious Skadi stood above her with her boot on the scorpion-like spirit's back, in a satisfied victory pose. 'I play Kaori. Spirit Samira not perfect mate.'

Susano: 'I thought I told you to leave that rock alone!'

'You...you hurt my baby!' The sounds of conflict and tons of clashing and fighting could be heard within Samira's head, and she cringed with each sound. All the while she could hear Isis shouting how Skadi, the one playing Kaori, had turned her girl into a whore.

Susano: 'My therapist is going to have a very busy schedule. You are making all of us go nuts. Ama and I will get things calmed down on our side. Try and focus on the trial from here on out. I don't know what will happen if you send more confusing feelings our way. Hey, Chaac put th-' Transmission forcefully ended temporarily. Please enjoy the commercials.

Edit 3-8-20
WC: 1376
New Total: 5454

"I thought I did have them under control. This Ysrad you speak of is having too much fun with me," Samira replied with a pouting whine. If only she was as boring as she originally thought she was. There were no pointers to be offered though since it seemed it was just one of those things she had to figure out for herself. Hopefully that was the last vision she would endure during the trip. She followed Ikuchi to the other side of the library and after hearing his observations she knew exactly what to do. It was a good thing she had come along to provide such a useful portal spirit. No Re-quip mage could have done that!...maybe. Were there portal re-quip users? Regardless of the answer to the question that was not to be answered, Samira pulled out the correct key for the spirit and opened the gateway so he could pass through. “Open, gate of the Avatar, God of Portals! Janus!” The familiar form of the armored and phasing spirit appeared and he greeted both individuals warmly and respectfully. "Hello, Janus, could you please make a portal over here so we can pass?"

"Of course, Samira!" And with that said the portal spirit effortlessly materialized a portal upon the welded door. As Ikuchi went to check if all was clear Samira turned to Janus with a questioning look. "So, do you-"

"Lets not talk about that. I am an old spirit. It is too late for me to want to sit on the cushion of the therapist office."

The two watched as Ikuchi poked his head back through and went back in, indicating it was safe to proceed. "It's still chaotic up there so do try your best to keep your emotions in check. I do wish to return to that mental space for game nights." As soon as Samira took the portal through, both Janus and the portal disappeared. "Why do all my spirits insist they need therapy? It is not as if I really need one. It is just recommended that I see one." Samira began to speak softly, that time really to herself. She continued walking and following Ikuchi while muttering about the nonsense of her spirits. Her attention snapped back as the world changed again, and she instantly began to dread what was coming next.

Shadows converged and formed into the next vision, except it wasn't truly a vision like before. She felt herself walking but she had no control of the movements. Samira's inner mind freaked as she realized she was actually taking on the role of her illusionary self. A huge panic swelled within her as she concluded from the past visions what would eventually transpire in the current one. She was certainly not ready for that sort of contact when she didn't even know her own feelings for Kaori! Behind the waterfall she and Kaori walked and eventually they reached a cave where it was evident they had been there before, possibly as some secret getaway spot for privacy. The next few moments that passed were slow as the real Samira was locked in and forced to act and feel as the vision Samira was. Outside the vision she was sure the heat of her rushing blood and embarrassment over the situation was enough to melt the entirety of Iceberg. Forget killing the king and destroying the crown; just put the summoner from Fiore in a very sexualized situation with Kaori. Ice crisis dealt with! The needs and desires of the vision Samira were blending in with the true one as the vision continued, and it was beginning to get extremely difficult remembering which one was the true self. Her true self screamed and was on the verge of an actual heart attack, but the sound was getting drowned out until Samira eventually lost herself in the vision.

Susano: 'Okay, link back on. We've got the situation han- WHAT AM I WATCHING?! TURN IT OFF! TURN IT OFF RIGHT NOW!'

Serqet: 'Ooo, I am getting fuzzy feelings.'

Isis: '...She really did become a whore....'

Skadi: 'Hmph, they skip skull bashing.'

Kali: 'You all are idiots.'

Agni: 'Now that I think about it, we never did really cover what we're supposed to do when she gets into...that kind of situation. Are we supposed to sit here and watch? Not that I mind...Ow! Dammit stop with the hitting!'

Chaac: 'She is not supposed to be in that sort of activity ever! I am going in!'

Susano: 'Whoa, whoa. Cool down the thunder, Rainstorm. I had time to process and it's an illusion...I think.'

Amaterasu: 'Were your thoughts in such a state of perversion as Agni's, my brother?'

Susano: 'What? Nooo. She's my summoner.'

The vision came to a sudden stop much to the relief of all parties involved. Well almost. If Samira's cheeks were not already hot and flushed from the vision they certainly would be after popping back into reality with Ikuchi planting a kiss on her forehead. It was harmless and meant nothing since it was only done to keep the annoying Dream Dragon out of her mind, but the act itself still caused her body to react. Not to mention she was damn grateful that he bothered giving some of his power to her so she could keep her sanity away from the prankster Ysrad. "Thank you, again." Just how many times had she expressed her thanks while on that one singular trip? She was supposed to be helping him, not the other way around. It wasn't fair.

Susano: 'No, no. No! NO! I condemn it.'

Samira: "What?"

Susano: 'I felt those rosey cheeks from here. Pick one. ONE! Onnnnneeeeeee! Repeat it: one. Preferably the woman since I actually like her...'

Samira: "I do not understand what you are implying."

Susano: 'I just got done watching not one, not two, but THREE visions of you and Kaori together. This was all done sometime after I had to listen to one of your mental breakdowns regarding that beast that drove me to see a shrink. Now once again you are back to blushing your cute little cheeks the moment he kisses your forehead. What's next? Batting your eyelashes? I can't take it. Pick one. The flip flopping between Kaori and him is going to drive me to spiritual suicide!'

Isis: '...Whore...' Depressing and low cries could be heard and Samira somehow had a sense Isis was huddled in a corner somewhere hugging her knees and staring at Samira's childhood photos.

Agni: 'I see no problem with her having both...Ow!'

Samira: "You are all overly dramatic. All he did was lend me some of his power and as for Kaori...those were visions. They were not real. I have no intention of starting a romantic relationship."

Amaterasu: 'And yet your feelings are more confused than ever. You are not so certain what you desire as you make it sound.'

Samira: "Do I really need to conclude my true feelings at this present moment? I do have a trial I am supposed to assist with."

Amaterasu: 'Of course not. However, you will have to decide how you feel at some point. You cannot hide them forever.'

They reached yet another room, this time filled with a combination of twenty cultists. Samira could only sigh and sweatdrop at hearing the words spoken by the leader. She could even tell her spirits, who were based on god lore, were cringing. Ikuchi continued on, leaving her to deal with the group of annoyingly obsessed dragon cultists. Well she was there to help but she still couldn't help but blink her eyes in bewilderment while pointing to herself. "Me?" Well damn.

"Arise my brothers and sisters! We shall defeat this challenger so that we may receive the Dragon God's blessing!" Loud cheers echoed through the room, drowning out the sounds of Samira's summoning. “Open, gate of the Avatar, The Shining Light! Amaterasu!” The bright portal appeared, blinding those of the group that stared at it. They may have been wearing masks but they still had eye slits and even those that were compelled to use some magic were throwing them around without proper aim. Amaterasu had dealt with half of them before her portal's light faded. The bodies stood still for several seconds before falling to the ground as slashes of bright light erupted from them. The other half was dealt with after with the help of Samira, who saw it as an opportunity to test more of her spirit's powers when it was with her rather than the appropriate spirit. During Amaterasu's portal ability, Samira had called upon Susano's power. It changed her clothing into that of a red and white kimono, signifying that she had taken the power of a Midi spirit. The protective wind barrier that was normally around Susano was now around her, absorbing the attacks that were made to injure her. It made for decent added protection in case she screwed up with her movement. Although she had trained a couple of times, she was not at the point of being perfect. Still, she did find that she had improved somewhat. She would get the cultists that were near her off balance and if a gust of harsh wind and colliding with a wall was not enough to knock them out, Amaterasu was quick to finish the opponent off. Soon all twenty cultists were on the ground by the teamwork of spirit and summoner.

"These Cultists of Dragons amuse me. Should they not be stronger?"

"I suppose there is a reason they do not have any blessings, although," Samira remembered how easily the female dragon knight was dealt with. What on earthland were the standards for getting a blessing? Maybe it was in that book Ikuchi had given her. It couldn't have been based on strength or power alone. "I actually do not know. They are defeated though so lets hurry." She stepped over a few of the bodies on the ground as she made her way to the room's exit, Amaterasu following because why not? Old dragon tombs and tunnels seemed amusing. They made their way to the next room where Ikuchi had gone off to.

Edit 3-8-20
WC: 1705
New WC: 7159

Samira and Amaterasu made it into the next room where Ikuchi was about to begin fighting his brother. The two looked identical except for hair color, and Samira had figured they were close in power levels with Ikuchi just managing to be a little bit more powerful. What the reality was was something...unexpected. The fight was over literally in a few seconds. Both Amaterasu's and Samira's jaws dropped for they had expected to witness a great battle between dragons. Instead...well their own battle with the cultists was more entertaining. In fact, maybe they were even more powerful than Shi. It was rather pathetic. "That is what humanity had to worry about?" It was good news that that particular monster that wanted humans obliterated was very weak, but at the same time it was so disappointing. She never imagined a dragon that was of the line of a dragon god could be so...ungodly. The battle wasn't even worth a footnote in her journal.

"Hello, Hound of Dragons," Amaterasu said with a warm smile after she had been greeted. Naturally a sweat bubble formed on the side of her head as she felt Samira's glare upon her. The different tone of voice was quite obvious. "Now, now, Samira. It is not my fault he is friendlier towards me. Maybe you should pet him more."

"P-pet?!" Samira was stunned speechless except for that word. That certain detail of her time comforting Ikuchi was left out. Amaterasu just continued smiling as she began to follow Ikuchi, fully amused by her summoner's reaction. Samira grumbled and shook her head as she too began to follow them. The whole thing with her spirits, Kaori, and Ikuchi was getting more ridiculous by the minute.

Within the next room Samira and her spirit remained quiet as the conversation between Ikuchi and his father took place. Well, more like Ikuchi and a voice. The actual form never showed itself. Amaterasu found the whole thing rather humorous and had to force herself from rudely chuckling in the middle of it. Samira found it to be rather cute in its own way. She had expected a strict and foreboding presence with a challenging trial to match. Instead it was as if an annoyed and unruly human teenager was communicating with the cool dad. There wasn't even a true trial other than them handling the cultists, which was laughable at best. Then it got towards the end where the voice had said she could take a trinket for herself. That was rather generous, but something did confuse her. "Scored one?" She blinked, not really understanding that terminology. Ikuchi's reply towards it made her understand, and once again her face turned red from a mix of anger and extreme blushing. How she has not fainted by all the blood rushing throughout the journey through the tomb was anyone's guess. The fact remains that now even the father thought they were together! What was wrong with all of these dragon people and dragons?!

"I agree..." Samira replied after she had calmed down. Being stuck with all of those crazy dragon people was not something she wanted. She didn't want to get mixed up as a mate for some divine being anymore, she didn't want anymore dream dragons messing with her head, and she sure as heck did not want to find out what he meant by touchy. An item that looked interesting to her eyes was quickly grabbed and placed inside her bag before strapping it once more over her shoulders. It was time to get out of there. "Let us leave this place before I really do go crazy."

Edit 3-8-20
WC: 607
New Total: 7766

7000 for A Rank Freeform
500 for D Rank Freeform