R A I Y A
G E A R H A R T
||| ||| |||
|| Elven {possible hybrid~?} || Immortal ||
T H E N
|||- Nomad, Fugitive, Warlord, Dragon Rider -|||
__________
The begining is hazy
Much like how one never recalls the start of a D R E A M
||| N O M A D
She grew up astride the back of her guardian, Obsidian. The elf and the dire wolf led a nomadic life, traveling the planet at their leasure for as long as Raiya could remember.
Dangers of such a life were inevitable, for they occasionally found themselves in the crossfire of multiple wars, territory disputes between opposing civilizations, and tracked by hunters who so desperately desired the ancient wolf's hide. It was still a quiet, peaceful life for the majority of it, and it was a life that they were both content with. As Raiya grew older, her desire for knowledge and new experiences grew. Obsidian eventually allowed her to go off and visit populated areas when they stopped to rest, and he stayed out of sight with a watchful eye. Raiya socialized and learned from those she encountered, picking up various skills such as different languages, cultures, self-defense methods, healing, and much more. Raiya found that each place provided a different skill, and she could not get enough. Obsidian would always appear again after a few weeks, and he and Raiya would continue on their way.
They had no home of their own, and they never stayed in one place for too long. Raiya was fully content with this lifestyle.
Until, that is, She met Maigra Lainé.
||| F U G I T I V E
It was a chance happening, and one that would alter the course of life as she knew it. Raiya and Obsidian ran into Maigra Lainé, an ex-member of the infamous Warlord Army, and Leer, her black-feathered dragon companion, while ambushing a slaver's squadron as they transported their newest haul of prisoners. The four of them quickly subdued the slavers and freed those imprisoned. The squadron leader used his final breaths to mock Raiya and Mai, stating that they have done nothing but brush dust away from the surface, and had saved no one in the long run. The women soon found leads to the potential headquarters and, filled with determination to sever the head from the snake, began to plan their attack. Leer and Obsidian warned them to leave it be, but did they listen? Absolutely not. Alas, the pair were inevitably captured and faced horrors untold within a gargantuan underground slaver's prison.
Yet their spirits remained unbroken, and their treatment only fuled their motivation. The two ultimately broke free, and their escape and aquisition of the prison's database ultimately led to the violent self-destruction of the entire facility.
Raiya was absolutely devastated at the loss of so many innocent lives. Mai argued that that the lives sacrificed are miniscule in number compared to the lives saved in the future. Thus was the mentality of a Warlord, and it was a mentality that Raiya had yet to accept.
The four of them had to flee due to the following investigations. Raiya and Obsidian found a home with Mai and Leer, and they all lived together for a bit over a year. During this time, Raiya helped Mai study the lands and the creatures in it, and Mai taught Raiya various forms of advanced skills. Obsidian still had the heart of a Nomad, and soon became restless. He wished that he and Raiya move on, yet the elf protested. She enjoyed what she was doing with Mai, and felt like she had much still to learn. Mai found a solution; she would reach out to a colligue for a due favor;
And thus, Raiya and Obsidian traveled to the Warlord territory, and Raiya was taken under General Creed's wing.
||| W A R L O R D
Their initial arrival to the Warlord territory was met with quiet hostility from all of the high-ranking generals. General Creed himself seemed quite disgruntled that he had to take the young elf under his wing, yet he kept true to his promise to Mai, and took on the roll of Raiya's mentor.
Raiya was no stranger to magic and its many uses, yet Creed mentored her on exactly how magic worked. The physics, the theories, he overall taught her to better grasp exactly what magic was, how it interacted with the planet's many elements, and how it can be paired with more "artificial" components to enhance desired powers. Raiya gained a much deeper understanding of how to use magic, and thus, her abilities and strength increased tenfold.
Magic was not the only skillset that Raiya sharpened. She partook in weapons training and routine sparring matches with the other soldiers, hence honing her combat techniques both with and without weaponry.
Her time as a soldier did not come without qualms. The Warlords were a brutal bunch, and they relied on the strength of their teams and the strength of the army as a whole to survive. Any form of weakness in a soldier was seen as a threat to the rest of the squad, and hence, weakness was not tolerated.
Raiya got into frequent verbal spats with one of the Grandmasters, Mitchel Blade, most commonly known as “Wrath." Accurately titled, the inflammatory personality of the Grandmaster did not mesh well with Raiya's unsubmissive temperament, and those verbal spats quickly escalated into a physical altercations. The altercations proved to be a source of both amusement and annoyance to the colleges that had to pull them apart.
As time wore on, she began to gain a better understanding of the complicated world they lived in. The more she learned about the world, the more she learned about herself and the history of those she lived with. One could say that she learned a little too much. The familiar feeling of restlessness grew. One final and brutal battle with Wrath left them both with severe injuries; That was the final straw in the elf's mind. Raiya was no Warlord. She never could be; the difference between her nature and theirs was far too stark.
Raiya gained Creed's permission and forgiveness, and she withdrew from the Warlord army.
||| D R A G O N . R I D E R
The Empire of the Night-Winged, or more commonly known as "Nightwing." It was one of the two segments of the whole planet that was entirely untouched by the modern world, and it was completely and viciously free from the influence of outside forces. The gargantuan territory and all who dwelled in it were ruled under the fierce and watchful eye of Kaida and her trusted Draconian council. The territory was as great and feral as the beasts that called it home, and it was there that Raiya found her own true home for many, many years.
After Obsidian's departure, she found herself bonding with a dire Dragoness by the name of Atheria. Atheria was the mate of Chanook, the Dragon who ruled the lower crescent of the Empire.
Raiya and Atheria collaborated with their many companions to help build and defend the Empire. Raiya flew with the kings and queens of the sky, she fought wars side by side with friends, she helped nurture the young dragons and new life that blossomed during times of peace.
She learned, she loved, she thrived,
;---- and she l o s t,
The Empire of the Night-Winged met its premature and devastating end.
N O W
| | | - Drifter, Redemption, Keeper -| | |
__________
" --- You must live o n "
||| D R I F T E R
Raiya experienced death on that fateful day. The mental bond between Dragon and Rider allows the pair to share feelings, sensations, thoughts and notions even from afar. Raiya felt everything when Atheria fell to her violent and abrupt end, and with the loss of her partner, a part of Raiya died too.
Once she scrounged up enough strength to travel again, Raiya searched the ravaged territory for any signs of life. Any hope she had of finding those she cherished was quick to dissolve ;; with every death confirmed and every life unaccounted for, it became all too real that the life she knew was over.
Raiya began to withdraw deeper and deeper into herself. For the first time in her long life, she was truly, completely, and terribly alone.
||| R E D E M P T I O N
Light has an odd way of reaching even the darkest corners;; A gleam of hope was birthed by the unexpected meeting of Naomi Shimura.
Raiya's adaptation to life in the bigger city was a smooth transition thanks to Naomi's help. Rehabilitation came with time, and soon enough, Raiya found purpose once more.
||| K E E P E R
Omnia Oddities is Raiya's current "project." This two-story shop features a library on the top, and a general oddities shop below. It appears fairly normal to the untrained eye, yet Omnia provides necessary items and valuable tools for magic users. Some of these commodities include ritual tools, healing supplies, various herbs, stones and a plethora of other things both on display and hidden away. Ask nicely, and she may have it.
One best mind their step and keep ill intents at the door: Omnia is guarded by an array enchanted beings that are hidden in sight. These creatures become self-activated upon the detection of a thief or a patron with sinister intents both towards the shop or its keeper.
Comments
Watching the near blinding blue light bolt across the floor directly beneath him nearly threw him off balance in a fit of shock— the skittish creature unsettlingly watching the movement… but they were steadfast enough to stay on both feet, and gave Raiya a look of grateful confusion as they disappeared from sight. The phantom pains of adrenaline began again, quiet and still as a mouse, the chlorophyll rushing to their head and clouding their hearing.
The talking on the porch persisted for a good moment. It felt more like they were the snooping children trying to eavesdrop on a parent's conversation than anticipating a sudden dangerous arrival. It was almost ominous how placid and casual the voices outside were. Was it… a false alarm? Maybe Saltmoss did lose them and he was just paranoid now. As the thought was sewn into their mind with each passing, undisturbed moment— embarrassment permeated through their invisible bubble.
And as the feeling peaked, the door creaked open to a large hooded figure struggling to make his way through the door. He turned and ducked his head to fit himself through the doorway, horns clunking against the wooden frame as he situates himself inside. From her spot behind the desk, Raiya would be met with the towering, seven and half foot tall visage of the stranger Saltmoss was trying so desperately to avoid. Shaking his head and brushing himself off, a gruff voice from beneath the hood laughs at himself jovially. The horns hinted at it, but now that she could see his face in full view— a patchwork of muddy brown fur across a goat's snout would confirm he wasn't human.
"Haven' had t'deal with that fer awhile, sorry abou' that! Didn' mean t'cause a ruckus there,"
Pulling off the hood, his nose wrinkles slightly at the smell of incense, his eyes sweeping over the store in curiosity… and he looks for just a little too long. For a horrifying second, Saltmoss could've sworn they made eye contact. But he turned back to look at the shopkeep a split second later, as though nothing happened— and the stranger's smile sustained. There was a potent energy in the air, one that seemed to clash with the serenity of the store. Something moved behind his eyes that was bigger than him, bigger than the building itself, but his patient demeanor disguised it well. Interrupting his train of thought with Raiya's obligatory, chirpy customer service— he chuckled again, less boisterous this time.
"Oh, I'm no patron, lass— my business here is more urgent, if I could have a moment of yer time? I won' be too long, I promise. Jus' wanna ask a couple questions,"
Shoving a hand into the pocket of his cloak, he pulls out a crinkled paper— the bottom is torn off and the word at the top is blotched out in ink, but she should immediately recognize the creature in the picture: the one huddled by the shelves deeper in the store.
"Have ye seen him? Poor lad thinks he's in trouble an' won't come home. Breaks my heart t'think he could be in danger."
The leshy was hyper aware of the clicking of shoes against the tile floor, jerking his head away from the product and expectantly watching the mouth of the aisle for a figure to appear— and appear she did. Shamefully, despite her well off demeanor, the first thing he noticed was her ears. And then, bright blue peering back at him, almost pervasively. There was a jaggedly instinctive smile that was nervously pulled onto Saltmoss' face when she cleared her throat, trying to mimic her feigned hospitality. But even the politeness in his grin couldn't hide the abject anxiety in his eyes and body language. Saltmoss was bouncing on his heels so much, one could easily mistake him for trembling.
"Oh, OH you're the shopkeep! Oh yes, yes, I could really use some help."
His eyes flicked between her and the door before continuing, just to be sure no one had heard his initial guffaw. They spoke in a deathly quiet whisper,
"I need something that could hide me for, err…"
He checked the imaginary watch on his wrist, attempting to humorously display his desperation to buy back time Saltmoss just didn't have. A nervous laugh bubbled up from his throat, and his smile sustained as he glanced back up at her pleadingly,
"Ten minutes? I'll pay now. Right now. Everything I have. If they see me, I'm dead."
The sound of heavy footsteps and mumbled conversation on the wooden porch of the shop nearly rendered Saltmoss further onto his knees to beg for his life, ducking his head down even lower behind the shelf in case that someone walked in. For a few seconds, they lost themself straining their ears and staring in horror at the door, and only then did their smile waver in the glimmer of what could be the final moments of this chase. Their phantom of a rabbit heart flared up again when they looked up to Raiya.
"Please."
The sound of boots slamming against wet cobblestone through an alleyway, the echoing still ringing in their ears. The familiar shouts of marauders screaming something that sounded akin to their name, but fear kept them from remembering the last few seconds in the dark. They could practically feel the fingertips on their shoulders when they rounded the corner—
The street was crowded, which wasn't terribly odd at this time of night. In this part of the city, populated and jubilant, drunkards and patrons and social butterflies walked briskly about the street. Window shopping, drinking, laughing obnoxiously loud— nothing could seem to halt the lively atmosphere as the sun began to set. Not even the group of vagrants barreling down the street could stop the night for long enough.
"SALTMOSS!"
Zipping and pushing through crowds of people, ducking through legs and climbing over tables, the plantkin was desperate to move forward by any means necessary— anything to make sure they couldn't get that close to him again. Offense was quickly taken by every street goer he shoved into, and one nearly grabbed him by the scruff of the neck when he attempted to shove her closer to the pirates. It was a life or death chase of swimming through bystanders, met with the many different shades of surprise, concern and anger. As long as the voice behind him never got to show its face again, Saltmoss didn't care what anyone thought of his brutish behavior.
Rounding another corner down the street, taking the few blissful seconds out of their line of sight long enough to hide— the plantkin quickly ducks behind a couple crates sitting on the stoop of a shop. They clamp their hand over their mouth, and watch the shadows of the lamplight swim over the stone road beside them. The visage of silhouettes, dancing and laughing, were interrupted by the towering frame of Uncle Morosa. Saltmoss made themselves small, as small as they possibly could— even with the accordion strapped to their back. It was moments like these where they could swear they have a pulse, because the drumming in their head was maddening. They strain their ears, past the bustle of the city,
"... It's close by. I don' see any movement in th' street."
The giant figure shifts to look at two others.
"Find it. But don' kill it. We need t' talk with the lad, if nothing else."
Bum bum. Bum bum. Bum bum. The ghost of a frantic heartbeat haunts him when he hears the words. As the dark shapes dissolve further into the street, Saltmoss scampers into the building— the chime of a doorbell rings above their head, and there's a homey, familiar smell that wafts through. Despite the gentle 'welcome' this shop seemed to embrace him in, he quickly interrupted that fleeting sense of comfort with a resolute SLAM of the door, the welcome bell clunking painfully at the force. Saltmoss descended further inside towards the rows of shelves, keeping their eyes peeled for the door yet hunching down to pretend to 'browse' through all the product— praying no one heard. Their breathing was quick and shallow.
'I thought I outran them for good.'
The Elf’s actions, beyond what their visitor could see, actually made Tempest visibly fluster some, having been a while since he actually held a woman to any extent, even if it was just for the purpose of rescuing her. His right arm wrapped around her shoulders and leaned into it as they ventured away, a more genuine smile plastering itself across his face. This would undoubtedly make a certain someone stare out of sheer jealousy.
Once they had rounded a corner and headed to another section ahead, where a few piers could be seen. Now out of earshot, an audible exhale of relief was given, soon turning slightly so he could glance at Raiya’s face.
“Dunno, he’s kinda creepy though. But let’s go!” With that said, he’d continue on with their trek up a ramp, which would lead them back up onto the boardwalk. Since they came dangerously close to having a witness, perhaps it was wiser not to change while people were around, even if he could dive underwater first.
By the time they went about their journey on foot past all the shops, the sun was already beginning to descend into the horizon, casting an orange and golden light in their vicinity. What a spectacular sight to conclude their day, despite being soaking wet. Luckily for Raiya, he tugged on the water molecules when no one was paying attention to pull it from her outfit, instantly drying it.
. . .
Nearly two days went by since their initial encounter. By now, it was well into the afternoon during opening hours when the doors swung open at the press of a palm, where none other than Tempest had set foot inside. Some water droplets from ongoing rainfall were shaken off until his coat would be hung on a wall, /if/ there was a place for it.
“Got something awesome for ya Rai!”
Making his way over to the counter, an eight by eight-inch cube made from tiny, dark, unsaturated bricks with a window on all fours sides was pulled from a cushioned cardboard box. With the item in hand, the sea drake gently placed it down, quickly searching around for a stool and placing it to sit on.
“Found an old thing from Gleeon’s collection of magic stuff. It’s called the Nautilis Cube, and has some weird pocket dimension thingy inside filled with water that’s like a giant aquarium. Big enough for my chonky ass to swim!”
we both have stories locked inside.
we sneak away time and again to breath life into them.
we keep them in places where so few know where to look.
Where even fewer are invited.
and find the stories that hide here inside my heart.
{/pats pocket and goes happily about my day :)/} missed u too
"Oh~ One of these days I should stop by to check out the shop, I heard it has a lot of cool magic stuff on sale." Despite her subtle attempt at shrugging him off passively, this mystery man was only probing further. For whatever reason, he was rather persistent in trying to engage in a conversation with Raiya.
It was at this moment when her visitor stepped closer so they'd be standing beside each other, shoulder to shoulder. Now facing the open ocean, he took a deep exhale, only to extend an arm and open his hand for an offer. "Names Aramos." The stranger promptly introduced himself with a firm smile plastered across his sharply sculpted face, hoping she'd do the same.
Just when the Elven woman was likely getting tired of this unforeseen encounter, mild splashes could be heard coming from their right, behind the man. Two familiar hands rose up to take hold of the wooden ledge before a figure hauled himself up: Tempest, in his human facade. Unsurprisingly his azure strands were soaked, clinging to him. Thank gods he transformed before coming up because chances were he probably noticed the man.
"Sup mate!" In order to play cool, the sea drake in disguise greeted him with his own warm smile, soon making his way over to a certain woman as the water was tracked behind him. In this form, all he had on was a pair of onyx swim trunks, most of his bare figure exposed to open air.
"Oh, hi."
Once in between the two, the reptilian braided and twisted most of his hair, a bit too close to where their visitor was standing. Some of that water got on his pants and dress shirt. This made him raise his voice slightly out of disgust and briefly scrunched his own face in response. "Hey!!" He'd say, half-aware that this was deliberate.
When this hipster of a male approached Raiya, the corners of Aramos' lips drooped down into a slight frown. Tempest placed one arm around his Elven friend and bought her close. "Don't mind us bro, we're just on our way." He'd say smugly, eventually claiming Raiya’s hand with his own and stepping closer towards the edge, as if ready to jump in with her. Chances were he heard what was going on.
"See you later I suppose…"
That being said, the older man turned and began his trek away from them. Once he was out of earshot, her aquatic friend could finally speak quietly. "Hope he never shows up while you're open. Shall we~?"
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