Rimaru's Epiphany

[Rimaru]

   Relax...open your mind... fall into the hands of Mahrina... walk the path of dreams...
   She repeated this to herself over and over again as she sat cross-legged on a rug in the center of the High Priest's hall. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find the opening into the world of the goddess Mahrina, and truthfully she didn't want to.
   Since the moment Rimaru could understand the explanation of walking the dream world she knew that it wasn't for her, that her calling was higher and more powerful; that it would actually affect the world. But she could never find the answer for this longing, this urge. Her home and the city it was located in was completely fixated upon the Dream Goddess, almost suffocating the young Heishan.
   "Malamar, focus!" The high priest hissed at her, he used her last name to pick her out from the rest of the students, though none shared her first.
   Opening her eyes a squint, she glowered at the wiry old elf wobbling down the rows of students, disgusted at his wasted life. Dressed in grey robes his vertebrae poked up on his bent spine giving him the appearance of a boulder covered in warts. As he turned to come back down the line she quickly straightened and closed her eyes again.
   He was wasting her time just as he was wasting his own teaching her. Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, she began to chant to herself again, attempting to enter the dream world once again. In the silence of the stuffy, lilac scented room, a groan erupted from one of the pupils. Rimaru opened her eyes and looked to her right as her friend Kalipa collapsed in a fit of spasms.
   Jumping to her feet she dashed to her friend's side, as she was about to take her up into her arms, she was pushed aside.
   "Let her be!" The High Priest shouted, glaring at Rimaru. He wielded his staff threateningly, Rimaru knowing full well that he had many spells that could kill her in an instant.
   "But she could die!" She shouted back, getting to her feet.
   "She has crossed into the dream world! If Mahrina wants her, she shall take her!"
   Growling, Rimaru made a move to her friend again, only to get jabbed in the chest with the butt of the staff.
   "I said let her be!"
   "You old coot, your foolish dream walking causes the death of innocents every day!" A flame flickered, Rimaru's anger igniting. "I am not going to stand by and watch it happen again!"
   Kalipa groaned again, curling into a ball, hands contorted and face contorted in agony.
   "Look at what your goddess does to her! Look! She causes torture and fear. What good is that?"
   "Only those unworthy walk this path." The old man retorted, almost smiling.
   By now other students were watching the argument, brought out of their attempts of dream walking. The nearest, a boy only a few years shy of Rimaru's age, stared in shock at the shuddering form beside him.
   Her's eyes met the cool copper eyes of the old Heishan's, trying to calm herself and keep from tearing out his throat. "Let me wake her. This one time go back on your teachings and let me wake her."
   "Go back to your place, Malamar, you will learn why such things are as they are."
   Looking down at Kalipa, she noticed that the girl was barely moving now, body still contorted and face now slack. Maybe he was right? Maybe Mahrina was guiding her to a better place, or at least to a path of safety within the dream realm. There were many stories of those who crossed and were attacked by hobgoblins on the other side.
   No. It wasn't right. Rimaru moved again to her friend's side, preparing to lift her and take her from the temple. The High Priest's staff came up and dug into her side, shoving her away again. This time she didn't stand down, instead she gripped the staff in her hands and yanked it from his feeble grasp. Before he could shout out or cast a chant she swung the thick piece of wood and knocked him upside the head.
   His eyes rolled back and he fell against the marble floor, unconscious but alive.
   "Revel in your dreams now, bastard." She snarled, tossing the staff  Kneeling down next to Kalipa she softened her voice and began to shake the fragile female's frame, all the while students were rushing to find someone to deal with this blasphemy. "Kalipa! Kalipa! Come on, wake up."
   Seeming to hear a familiar voice, Kalipa's body began to soften, color slowly returning to her cheeks. A flood of relief washed over Rimaru, a comfort to know that the worst of Kalipa's experience was over and she was gradually returning to reality.
   "She's knocked out the high priest!" Screamed a Heishan female to the guards as they entered the hall. "Down there! With the red hair!" The boot falls were loud and piercing as the guards ran down the long hall to her.
   Standing to turn and face the guards she stepped back and barely missed a flashing metal sword, the tip running up the right side of her face. She felt the skin of her cheek split and the blood pour out of the cut and down her front. She stumbled back, tripping over the unconscious priest and falling back, her head hitting the marble.
   Everything went black.

   Finally coming to her head pounded and her body ached. As Rimaru sat up the dried blood on her face and body cracked and flaked. Slowly she raised her hands to her face. Her right cheek had an open wound from the corner of her eye to her jawline, scabbed over and painful. As her hazy gaze came into focus, she realized that she was no longer in the city of the Heishan's, but somewhere out in the hot and forbidding Wastelands, most likely left to die.
   I wonder how Kalipa is.... Was her first thought. As she stood another entered her mind. Push those thoughts from my head, I am obviously excommunicated and unwanted. They don't deserve my worries or sympathies... any of them.
        Sighing another thought entered her head. She was no longer welcome in the only place she knew, no longer a part of her family. She was no longer a Malamar amd no longer a dream walker. Neither she would truly miss.
   She thought back on hitting the priest and the feeling she got from it. It was justice. The heishan male got what he deserved letting a young innocent like Kalipa seizure and almost die. And even though this is what she got for it, she still felt good.
   Looking down at her soiled clothes and blood encrusted body she began to laugh. "Well, one thing's for sure. I need a bath."

[Rimaru]

        Stumbling down the mountain path, Rimaru felt on the verge of death. Her throat burned, body screaming of pain the need for water, her skin dry, cracked and burned. Every muscle in her body ached, begging her to just lay down for a while. But she knew that if she did there would be no way for her to carry on, she would become food for the vultures.
   Through bleary, dry eyes she saw a blurry lining of trees, salvation. She could make it there, she had to. As she reached solid, flat ground, her legs began to shake, weary from the burden they had been carrying for many days. Forcing herself to carry on, she set the tree line as her destination, she could rest there, there had to be people in the forest.
   Every labored breath felt like her heart was being torn from her chest, her lungs stabbed with hundreds of tiny needles. She could almost accommodate dying now...

   She knew that she had collapsed. Heat stroke and exhaustion can do that to anyone, especially in the desert with no water. And she had hoped that someone would have found her, but when she awoke she was quite surprised had just who had located her. Short and hairy, the two humanoids looking down at her seemed quite surprised that she had woken up.
   "What were you doing out in the woods in such condition?" The female dwarf asked her, accent thick but her common speak clear.
   It took a moment for the actions that had resulted in excommunication to flood back to her. She took a deep breath, happy to realize that her throat was no longer dry and it didn't her to breath. Quickly, and tenderly, she explained the story, not sure of how the two would take it.
   The male grunted. "Damn elves, high on their horses and not givin a hoot r holler what becomes of their deeds."
   "Quiet Uthor..." The female muttered, jabbing her husband in the ribs. "Don't mind him. He is very cautious around your kind, I had to badge him to carry you back here."
   Rimaru turned her eyes on the man. "Thank you." She gave him the best smile she could muster, still unsure of the two.
   "Once your feelin' better you're out of here." Uthor grumbled, turning and leaving the room.
   His wife only sighed and shook her head.

   It didn't take long for Rimaru to heal up, thanks to the kindness of Vyola, the dwarven woman who found her. And it wasn't long after that that Uthor gave her the boot. With kind goodbyes to Vyola, Rimaru wandered out of the little Dwarven village of Hagarth, pointed in the direction of a city called Naerlan. She was told that she could start a new life there.
   The world was different, coming from the wastelands, so much greenery and life. So much to look at and observe. She couldn't help but stop in awe and stare at everything around her. She had known for a long time that the real world could offer much more than dreams, and this proved it.
   At one such moment, when she was enjoying the atmosphere, she heard the cry of an animal in distress. Hesitating only a moment, she shot off into the brush, wondering what could make such a call. Shooting through a line of trees and brush, she came upon a clearing with two wolves who were snarling and pawing at the trunk of a tree. Neither of them noticed her entrance and she didn't want to attract their attention if she could help it, she still felt a little under par.
   The noise called again, it was coming from a hole in the trunk. The noise only excited the wolves more, who began to scratch and dig.
   Rimaru knew it was no ordinary animal, at least it couldn't be seeing how it seemed to form partial words. Lifting her right hand, she grasped the hilt of her light sword, given to her by Uthor after much pratter from Vyola.
   Pulling the blade out slowly, she kept her eyes trained on the two hungry wolves, set on saving whatever was in the hole. It was more out of curiosity than out of humane feelings. Charging forward she lifted the blade and brought it down upon the back of the neck of the first wolf, slicing the head clean off.
   The other wolf, now knowledgeable of the heishan's arrival, jumped back and snarled. Swinging the sword high, Rimaru aimed for the beasts throat, hoping for a clean attack. The wolf charged, teeth bared and snarling. Realizing the position she was in, Rimaru ducked and rolled out of the way, jumping back to her feet to dig the tip of her sword into the wolf's belly, spilling his guts. As the corpse of the beast fell to the ground, she stopped and thought about what she had just done.
   She didn't feel guilty, but not happy either. Just glad that they died and she hadn't.
   "Urg amha burm ba gree-eg." A gravel toned voice said timidly from the tree.
   Turning about, she almost gasped at the sight before her. He was no more than 1 1/2 halfling heads, dressed in brown and greens with a funny little green hat. Beady yellow eyes stared at her with an unsure wonder, brown skin slightly wrinkled and dirt covered.
   "A brownie?" She smiled, taking a few steps forward and kneeling. "Quite an odd thing to see, I have heard of your kind but have never seen. Come here, little one."
   He seemed to understand her, or at least the kindness in her voice and took a few steps closer. As he got closer she saw that he had coarse black hair on his arms and poking out from under his hat, a thick smell of must and earth emanating off of him. He garbled out more of a language she couldn't understand and he bowed to her. She shrugged and stood up.
   "Alright, little one, I have a destination. I want to get there soon, so good luck to you!" She waved and turned, heading back towards the path.
   It took her only a few steps to realize the little creature was following her.
   "What? You can not come with me, I don't even know what I am to do in my life."
   He seemed to plead with her, then move his arms and express more in the unknown language.
   After only a few seconds, Rimaru nodded. "Fine, you may come with me. But we have to learn how to communicate."

[Rimaru]

        The brownie followed close behind her, darting from fern to shrub, trying to remain hidden from any that posed a threat. Rimaru found it comical, the little guy hadn't grown accustomed to the fact that she would protect him. She liked the fact she had a new companion, after wandering in a desert alone, then abruptly being shoved out into a new world. They didn't really have much in common that she knew of; the communication barrier between the two of them was quite large.
   One of the times they had taken a break during their walk through the woods, they tried having a conversation. The brownie would speak in his gutteral tone, waving his arms and wiggling his fingers to try and describe exactly what he meant. She could follow some of it, enough to make sense of what it was he was talking about. He could understand her, though, quite well. She figured it was because he lived underfoot of the mortals who used common speech and didn't seem to have a trouble with it.
   They split a bit of the jerky and bread Vyola had sent with them, the brownie happily began nibbling on the items, showing his appreciation through grumbles. Clarification of names hadn't happened, yet. They had tried, and the brownie's name for her had become Grimagru. It wasn't flattering, but at least they were that much closer to getting to know each other.
   After their rest, they continued on their way. Rimaru had decided to side-track through the Dwarven Forest for as she looked at it, it would be good to know the area. Who knew what kind of knowledge was necessary in a place like this?
        The only knowledge you have is of something you hated? She told herself as she was deciding which way to go. You are going into this like a na?ve child.
        But what else was she to do? The only people she knew had exiled her, and the only people she had met besides were merchants whom she wasn?t allowed to fraternize with. The dwarves were nice enough, though unwilling to describe the choices she would face. She assumed it was because their community was quite strict with who they followed.
        Markov? She wrinkled her nose at the thought. Not that she thought the temple too low for her, it was more of the fact they were extremely righteous and would smite any who thought otherwise. She didn?t like that aspect; she knew that the world had a mixture of both good and evil. Having thought on it many times she knew that a completely good world would be? boring for one. The same went for Barbades, they were not as forceful with their views, but she definitely did not feel the same about life as they did.
        Ytrewtsu? Just the thought made her shiver. She was not willing to die and give her soul to the demon lord, just like she was not willing to sell her body to advance in life like the followers of Jirah. Kiradus was definitely out of the question, for their thieving ways was something she was strictly taught against by her family.
         All that really left were the neutral temples, which she did not know much about. She would have to wait until she reached the city to base her judgment on them.
         The brownie tugged at her tunic, grunting to get her attention. She realized that she had been standing there debating with herself when they should have been walking. He darted under a shrub and began to head north towards the great city of Naerlan. Soon to be her new home if things went right.

[Rimaru]

     Breaking through a barrier of shrubs, ivy and ferns, Rimaru and the brownie stumbled back onto the path. The heishan stopped to pick the twigs and leaves that had stuck in her hair and to her clothes, surprised at the sudden lush growth the forest seemed to have gained. The brownie as well, he pulled off his stove-pipe beanie and nimbly picked leaves and sometimes thorns from the thick fabric.
     "Gurb grana burm hana." He stated firmly, obviously annoyed with the route they had taken.
     Rimaru shrugged, giving him a short smile. Turning to face back up the path, she had to pause to take a breath. A great stone wall rose up at the end of the path, tall enough than any giant she had ever seen. Looking down at the brownie, she realized that she was the more shocked one out of the pair. He had obviously seen the huge stone wall and city before.
     "It's huge..." She murmured, returning her gaze. The large gates were close, a few guards posted outside of them to keep unwanted travellers from entering the city. Hesitantly she made her way up to the gate, nodding at the first guard to make eye contact.
     "What are your intentions?" The male human guard asked firmly.
     "I came from the south... from the desert..." She replied, unsure of how to reply.
     "I can see that, Heishan." He growled in reply. "What do you have planned in the city? Merchant? I think not, you have no cart and I doubt anyone would want to buy that brownie from you."
     She narrowed her eyes slightly. "I have no malicious acts in mind, if that is what you are asking. I left the desert in the south because I do not follow the ways of the Heishans there. I was hoping to start anew here."
     The guards glanced at each other, one giving a shrug and walking up to the large wooden gate. Three large knocks from his metal gloved fist alerted the guards on the other side and slowly the gate began to open. Keeping in mind she was being watched by a large group of guards, Rimaru remained calm. But inside she was tickled.
     The streets were busy with the inhabitants of the city, bustling about and shouting to vendors and acquaintences. There were many races she had never seen, only heard of in stories. Tentatively she stepped onto the busy street, glancing to the left and right. She could feel the brownie pressed against her calf, being sure to keep close and be kept from getting swept away into the crowd. Reaching down she scooped him up into the crook of her right arm and began her exploration of the city.

      "Oh my word..." Rimaru sighed, dropping onto a near by bench. "This city is huge!"
      The brownie grunted his reply, sprawling out on the bench next to her. Once they had been within the walls and amidst the crowd for a few hours, he was comfortable enough to move about himself.
      "They seem friendly enough." She shrugged and propped her head against the wall behind them. "Perhaps one would point me in the direction of a temple." She laughed and the brownie chuckled.
      Groaning she stretched her legs out in front of her, the muscles tense and sore. They had been on their feet most of the day, and after entering the town they didn't take much time for another break. It was quiet, the side street they had wandered down and found the bench, changing the atmosphere drastically. Giving a light sigh, the Heishan closed her eyes and began to drift into her own dreams...

      "Hey, wake up missy." Someone brushed one of her feet, jolting her awake. Sitting up straight, she rubbed her groggy eyes and turned her head in the direction of the voice. "There 're more comfortable places to sleep, y'know."
      It was a fire giant, kneeling down to be eye level with her. He had a curious smile, understandable given the situation.
      "Oh..." She sat up and stretched, accidentally bumping the brownie. He jumped to his feet and assessed his surroundings. Once his beady yellow eyes landed upon the fire giant, he began to growl and give a low long hiss. Pinching the back of his tunic, Rimaru pulled him close, being sure to keep him from attacking the new comer. "We are new here. Didn't really know where to go. Just found a bench and decided to rest our weary feet." She looked up at the sky and realized it was now dark out.
      "The temples'll take you in."
      "Oh I know that... but I have not yet decided who to devote to."
      The man shrugged, pointing towards the west. "Out along the wall road there is a place after the Gypsy encampment, known as the School of Faith. They might be able to help you."
      Rimaru stood, smiling and giving the man a nod. The brownie was quick to jump between the two, hissing and growling vehemently at the giant. "Thank you for your help. My name is Rimaru..." She held out a hand to shake his.
      "Scrunge." He replied, his hand enveloping her's completely. He grinned before he let go and stood to his full height. "Have a safe trip, Rimaru."
      He turned and left the area that she and the brownie had napped in.