- Joined
- Sep 30, 2018
- Messages
- 60
- Awards
- 4
- Essence
- €8,649
- Coin
- ₡11,550
- Tokens
- 10
- World
- Mesa Roja
- Profile
- Click Here
- Faction
- Babylonia
Flashback
He shot up with a start, sweat pouring from his brow. Covers clutched to his chest, he gasped for air, a muted scream clawing its way out of his throat. One hand drew its way up to his shoulder, his nails digging into his skin, knuckles paling from the pressure he exerted. His shoulder seared with pain, it didn’t matter that it was in his head, he could feel every inch of it burning with white hot pain. He wrenched his eyes open to escape the vision of a pair of jaws closing in around his head.
It was dark. The middle of the night most likely. Cho glanced about as he gathered his wits about him. He was unsure how many nights it’s been that he’d woken up, drenched and panicked, feeling as though the walls around him were closing in. It’d been too long, either way. He’d shied away from checking in with Sigmund and the others, perhaps out of fear that he’d be pulled into something like that death game again. He ripped the covers back and stood from his bed with a sigh, his focus turning to the window. It stood open, the curtains billowing in the gentle breeze of the cool desert night. He rested his head against the frame and peered out over Uruk. At least Sutor was good for one thing, they’d sorted out a home for Cho, though he didn’t question the means or their methods.
He turned his attention to a building he’d visited some days prior; the library.
————————
“So, what is it you’re looking for?” The mousy, blond archivist asked Cho as he scoured the bookshelves.
“I’m.. not really too sure.” He replied, barely giving the archivist a second glance, “I need some information on an entity called Shaan. And uh- I dunno if it’s something you know anything about, but I need some Earthbending scrolls. I heard something about Sandbenders out in the desert.. They've got carts that float over the sand because of their skills. I figure that could be useful here.” He gestured, vaguely, to the whole of Uruk. The archivist pondered for a few, long moments.
“I can’t say I know of anything that contains information on this Shaan entity you mentioned. But if you can give me some more information, maybe there’s something... Now, Earthbending scrolls. Those are something that we have here, archived away... dusty old things. There weren’t too many that believed in the ability to move rocks and the like with your mind. It sounds quite fantastical when it’s said out loud, I must admit!” She let out a hushed chuckle, “I could pull them for you, if you’d like?”
Cho shook his head a bit, in disbelief. “You- you don’t- ... huh. Yeah. I’ll take the scrolls.” He sighed, dismissing the arguments that rushed through his head.
“I’ll be back in a moment. Keep browsing if you’d like.” Cho nodded and went back to reading the spines of dusty tomes. None of them were of any particular interest to the Earthbender. He shifted a few to get a look at the covers before placing them back with a huff.
“You’re one of them, aren’t you?” A voice called out quietly behind the Earthbender. Cho spun on his heels, greeted by a man, about his own height and beaming a grin.
“Them?”
“Oh- sorry. An Earthbender. I’ve read those tomes and I’ve heard about the Sandbenders out in the desert. I’ve always wanted to meet one.”
“Well. Yeah. I am.” He smiled, a little apprehensively, as the man before him extended a hand. Cho took it and gave it a quick shake, though the man held on for a few moments too long.
“I’m Nass. It’s an honour to meet you, truly.”
“Cho. Pleasure to meet you too. So uh- Earthbenders, huh?”
“Yeah! I read about you folk in this archive. Figured I’d want to meet one of you one day and see it for myself. I mean, if you don’t mind that is?”
“Oh- um. Well, sure. But not right here. I wouldn’t want to trash all the books by accident or something.” Cho forced a quick chuckle, “Once I’ve got the scroll, maybe I could show you a thing or two.”
“That’d be great! Really great, actually. Can any old person learn how or-“
“I’m not too sure. I know there was an influx of benders when the Avatar opened up the gateway to the Spirit World. I’ve not met any other benders here, but maybe it’s something that’s dormant in everyone. Maybe not. Maybe I’ll have to go to the Spirit World and try to open a gateway here, eh?”
“That’s a lot to unpack. You’ll show me some stuff, though, really?”
“Sure, why not? What’s the worst that could happen?” Cho scoffed, “I’ll show you what’s in that scroll.”
The Archivist returned moments later, a pair of dusty scrolls in hand. Immediately, Cho recognised the Earthbending scroll and beamed a grin, a hand extended to take it.
“I do need these back. At some point. I also brought this one, I’m not sure if it’s of any use to you, but we had a Firebending scroll.” She passed the pair of scrolls over and folded her arms, “We require these back. In the same condition. Sooner rather than later. And in one piece.”
“Of course.. of course. I’ll get them back to you as soon as I can. Thank you.” Cho dipped his chin a little, before turning on heel and ushering Nass out with him.
The pair exited the relatively cool interior of the archives out to the oppressive heat of the desert. He was still ill at ease in the heat. He’s barely gotten used to the cold of Inverxe before they were hauled away. Still, there was some shade to be had here and there. A cool wind whipped through the streets occasionally, dredging up some loose sand with it. Cho gestured for Nass to follow him as they set out into the streets. He was looking for a clearing, if anything, exciting brimming in him at the prospect of the contents of the scroll.
A small square rolled into view as Cho rounded a corner. It seemed quiet enough, there were a few locals, but that wasn’t an issue. He rushed for the center, Nass following quickly behind. Cho caught the attention of a few individuals as he skidded to a halt and unfurled the scroll. He placed it down in the sand, carefully. He let out a dejected sigh as he read the contents.
“I already know how to do this…” Cho huffed, “Guess we should return it.” Nass hesitated a moment before speaking.
“Well, what if I try?” He enquired, “You could teach me, right?”
“Uh-oh-uhm-well,” Cho stammered, “I can give it a go. I dunno if you’ll be able to or not, it might be wasted effort...”
“I’m all for it.”
“Alright.. well.. copy the poses on the scroll. You gotta- it’s all well and good posing, but you gotta extend your feeling beyond- uh. Sounds dumb, but you gotta feel the earth beneath your feet. Like it’s an extension of you, yknow? You move, the rock moves. Earthbenders are sturdy. Resolute. Heck, stubborn, even. It’s gonna take a while for you to figure it out.”
Cho took the stance noted in the scroll, feet wide apart, knees bent and his arms bent, elbows at his hips. Nass followed along as Cho lifted his right foot and took a heavy step forward. The sand resonated beneath the Earthbenders foot as a small rock lifted from beneath the sand, worn smooth from years of erosion. Nass gave a sigh as nothing emerged from the sand at his movements, but continued on. Cho thrust forwards with a fist and the rock shattered into innumerable pieces before dropping to the sand once more.
“Focus on those two movements for now and we’ll go from there.”