Stupefied

BETHESDA, 2420 AA, After the Great Ascension. "Connors! Connors!" his radio crackled but he was too dazed to answer it. No matter how he tried he could not look away from the scene that was unfolding right in front of his eyes. "Connors dammit!  Say something!" "It's... it's..." it was useless. This was not something that he could easily explain to command over the comms. And he continued to stare on as another burst of light, much brighter than the first one emanated from her body. However, she did not seem to be aware of it. The light grew in intensity and became large, pulsing out in waves that bathed up the entire area. The wyvern that had captured her and the others that were still in the area, roared out, writhing in pain as wave after wave of bright light hit them continually. Singeing their black scales and the dark armours that produced a thick cloud of dark mists and yellow sulphuric fumes that continually evaporated. The roars of the other wyverns rose up all around him creating a cacophony of noises that could be heard all over the town, he was sure, and to him, it sounded like the indestructible wyverns were finally crying out in pain. What was happening? He wondered even as his gaze wandered all around him and back to the girl who was shining like a sun in the darkened sky. What was this? What was this technology? Was it something that was used in her own country? For she was decidedly foreign. Foreign, from the way she dressed, to her accent, down to the nitty gritties of who she was. Where had she come from? He could only wonder as he stood there somewhat flabbergasted and feeling useless. Watching, even as his amazement grew and the roars slowly faded away into nothingness and finally, all that was left was the dark fumes that were slowly dissipating to reveal a sight that he had never seen before in his twenty years of life. The thick blanket that usually covered the sky at night was now gone and in its place was a glittering sky with a bright moon and a myriad of stars. The occasional cloud dotted the open night sky, but it was light and beautiful and not as heavy and full of evil like the previous clouds that had once accosted it. It was beautiful yes, and all because of her. The soldier turned his gaze upon her and at her form that was now glimmering even as she slowly descended to the ground. Her feet touched the cobbled pathway near where he was standing and he looked on stupefied. She glided towards him and he took a step backwards, panicked even as he took in her once ink black robes that were now a shiny black with a golden vine-like embroidery. Her once dull grey eyes were now a shimmering silver. Huge silver orbs that glinted in night light as they took in his bewildered expression. "What are you?" he finally croaked out, ignoring the background sounds of the chaos that was now raining on a confused command centre back at the Hub. "What are you?" he repeated his question. Havillah stared back at him at loss on how to respond. On one hand, she herself was in shock and she could not even begin to explain what had just happened to her. On the other hand, how could she even begin explain to him her origins when all his responses until then had all been sarcastic? This was not normal and not even she, a Great researcher, could find a way to explain it. "I will not ask you again." He said as he took another step back to walk away from her. Panicked, Havillah reached out her hand and tried to stop him. "Please… Don't go. I will try to explain it. I will tell you, but I doubt that you will believe me anyway." she replied even as her thoughts went back to Killion and his original reaction to her official introduction. "I am Havillah, previously daughter of Jaykob and Tamaar, elder of the Great. I was a Great Appriser's apprentice and until recently, I actually lived in another realm, in a city up there." she said pointing upwards, and the human followed her finger quite dutifully until he finally realised where it was pointing at.  "Really?" he scoffed at what was obviously a very outrageous assertion but Havillah still nodded. "And you expect me to believe that?" She seemed to mull it over for a moment and then, she shook her head no. "Killion had some trouble believing it so I guess, you too must have some trouble as well." And rightly so, Connors thought as he stared back at her, studying her for any signs of deception. Then out of nowhere, he suddenly laughed, letting out a mirthless laughter that was aimed more at the situation and not at the words that she had just then spouted. "I guess you are right." he said as he resumed walking again and Havillah felt herself heave out the breath that she had not known she had been holding back. "Will you lead me now? Will you take me to see Killion?" she ran up to him and stopped him. The expression on her pleading, begging him to hear her out. For a while, he just regarded her and that weird explanation. Then, he suddenly sidestepped her and continued walking, not knowing how to respond in the wake of such a development. Either she was mad or she was telling him the truth.  He thought before responding. "I won't and even if I wanted to, I simply can't." "But why?" she continued to ran after him. "But, I just explained everything!" "Really? Did you? Did you really explain everything?" At that she kept quiet. "Anyway, our Captain is out at sea and as you can see at the moment, it is still dark outside." he replied pointing out at the blackness that had once again engulfed the night with its long shadows. "I cannot risk it." he added. "There may be more terrors out there and I have a duty to perform." but even as he said it, Havillah could tell that he also doubted it. For this darkness did not bare in it the malice or the blanketing evil that had once shrouded evening, but rather, was as a result of a heavy rain cloud that had moved in to block the moon's silver rays. "Fine, How about in the morning then?" she asked him, refusing to give up. "What about it?" His remark was snarky and Havillah could not help but narrow her eyes at him, even as she fixed with him with one irritated glower. However, he did not even turn to look at her. Instead, he bent over his head and began to study the screen that was mounted on a panel appended to his armour on the back end of his right fore-arm. Left with no other choice, she breathed out a heavy sigh and tried it again. "Please..." The soldier first paused and then, he raised up his head to face her. Was she finally getting through to him? Unknown to her, the man had been weighing all his options and had suddenly decided that it was not favourable to him to invite his captain's wrath if she was truly who she had said she was. "Fine, but only because you said please." He finally replied before shutting down the screen and the panel with it. Too exhausted to protest, Havillah let the young soldier to drag her inside, into one of the abandoned buildings where they waited out the night within the sanctuary of its still sturdy walls. With everything that she had been through up to this point,  her banished self was feeling exhausted and there, with nothing else to do, she sat down on the bare floor and folded an elbow to rest her head. It only took her a few moments and she was fast asleep, managing to catch a few hours of dreamless slumber until she was woken up by a hand that roughly shook her up.  It was the soldier and he was telling her that it was time for them to once again begin moving. "Are they back?" she asked groggily, noting the relative darkness that was still enveloping the room that they had chosen to occupy. "No. It's morning!" The soldier hissed. "We need to get going if we are to find them before the advent of dusk." Havillah sighed as she gathered herself, feeling quite irritated at his methods. She shook off the imaginary dust from her now gold and black Triban robes and proceeded to follow the irritating soldier out of the somewhat derelict mansion. "You know, you never got round to telling me your name." she tried, attempting to start some semblance of a civilised conversation when the silence had dragged on for too long. "You never asked." his responses remained rude despite her attempts at acting cordial. She sighed at his statement and continued after him, struggling to catch up with his long and heavy strides that were leading them off into a wide but empty tarmacked pathway. Still, she would not give up, she told herself. This was the only other human that she had ever encountered and interacted with in this realm below and if it meant that she would have to try harder to win him over, then, she would have to give it her best. It would all be worth it in the end, she reasoned. "That's true, but I am now asking." she finally responded after the short repause that it took to think things over. The man did not respond immediately and Havillah almost despaired and went back to walking behind him. With nothing else to say she took to watching the scenery. Her immediate environment and the beauty of the pieces of architecture that were littered all over the place. The paint looked a little peeled off in most if not all of the buildings and some outer walls that did not enjoy the shade of a roof were all cracked up where others had crumbled. However, most of the buildings inside the outer walls were still intact and they still maintained that same allure that so fondly reminded her of home. "Gabriel! Gabriel Connors" the human finally croaked out and Havillah found that she could not hide the smirk that had now wormed its way up to her face. Gabriel, she thought as she stared at the back of the dark form still walking on ahead of her. She even tried to connect the seemingly sweet name to the face of the grumpy soldier and yet it did not seem to feet his brash personality. If anything it was the total opposite, she smirked even as watched him already marching off some distance off ahead of her. "Hurry up!" he called out. "We do not have all day!" he yelled after noticing that she had slowed down her pace to an easy walk. With the smile still lurking on her lips, Havillah quickened up her pace and managed to catch up. The two of them then soldiered on silently, even as more light continued to filter in with the advent of the new day. The sun's rays warmed Havillah up. Casting away the coldness from the previous night. The yellow rays streaking the once bland and cold grey sky with a pink and orange glow that marked its burst out of the eastern horizon. All these she took in in silence and every once in a while, she would burst into a little jog to keep up with the longer strides of the young soldier who was still guiding her to where Killion was, or so she hoped he was. Slowly but surely, they left behind the abandoned district and the further they moved on eastwards, she noticed that the streets were growing narrower and that the houses were also getting smaller. There were signs of life everywhere, the buzz of human life and even, the occasional sound of an animal that was yet to be let out. Eventually, the pair burst out into an open air market space, one that was beginning to bustle with activity, even as the traders began to stir up and to air out their wares displayed upon shelves in shops and small wooden stalls within the market square. Havillah wanted to stop and stare. To grab a meal or to,maybe some bread to take along, but this young soldier, this grumpy human would not let her do so. Not that she had the money to spend though, but he kept on leading her at a fast pace and in no time, they came to stop in front of a dock. One that was much smaller than some of the bigger harbours that she had already witnessed from the Viewpoint. Havillah soon came to the conclusion that it must have been a small part of the same port that she had seen back then.  Back when she had dropped off Killion not more than seventy two Triveria hours before. But now, as she studied it, she noticed that it looked somewhat empty of people and a little too full of small boats. Either way, she was still of the same thought that it was the same port that she had seen albeit a little smaller and probably a little south of the peninsula, where the armada of great ships was also docked. Once they arrived at the docks, Gabriel took off again. This time, he led her through a northern route that was along the portside. Still looking around, Havillah followed him and he led her to the farthest point north of the little docks and to a sail boat that was tethered there. "Get in." she was told without ceremony and soon after, he began to untie the ropes that had been keeping the little sailing boat from drifting off with the ebbing of the tide. Having no choice but to do as instructed, she settled down in the middle of the boat, too scared to touch anything and risk rousing the temper of the human that had been stewing all along right there in front of her. What was his problem anyway? She could not tell, though she was sure that she had not imagined it. That he was much grumpier than he had seemed when she had met him that previous day. "Are you always this grumpy?" she found her mouth moving without her permission and once again, she cursed her seriously loose tongue that always seemed to land her in trouble. She knew she had done it when he quit all his activities and turned to glare at her, his face contorted by what she assumed was an advanced version of an glower. It had to be. After all who could tell what was happening that dark helmet? For most of the time, the visor had remained pulled down and only his tone of voice and body language had communicated his feelings about her so called adventures. Yes, and the fact that he had just pulled up his visor and was now in the process of showing his very livid face to her, spoke volumes on how very infuriating he found her to be. *** She could not bring herself to blame him though. She had a problem with her tongue and with herself for failing to master it. "I do not know about you, but I am always wary of enigmas and you, just happen to be a very big one. That and also the fact that I should now be resting. Sleeping away the effects of the night, but I cannot do so now that you have compelled me to take you to our beloved dear captain!" He yelled before turning back to his efforts of unfurling the sails. "Okay...so you are grumpy." she finally responded, "and sleepy too, but how can I help?" Havillah added as she stood up to join him beside the wheel. "For one you could pray that the winds change direction, and that we find them alive! It would all be for nothing if we found that they aren't." He told her as he turned the wheel to steer the little sailing boat out of the crowded docks. It made Havillah wonder though, was there really no way for him to communicate with them? Sure they were not Great and as such, they did not have teleportation chutes or specialised crystalware for that kind of thing, but still, how did they coordinate their efforts? She had seen the tablet on his forearm and at one time, she had also caught the sound of some crackling and a voice that was coming from his helmet. Surely, there had to be a way, right? How else did he know where they were located? 'Stop staring at me with those gleaming eyes! It's creepy!" 'I can do better." 'What? What do you mean? What could be better than having an unknown share the same space as me?" Good old sarcasm. She thought with a smile. Virtue was now humming deep within her veins and as she flexed a muscle, the First responded in a way that she had once thought that she would never get to feel again. What had really happened?  she wondered as she looked down at her Triban garbs. Garbs that were still dark, but with a distinct golden embroidery that was shimmering around the hems and the edges. "Let me guess?" Gabriel ceased to turn the wheel and turned to regard her with what she assumed was a skeptical look in his eyes. "You can also control the winds?"