Lost in the light

[Ryan Gabriel]

He put on a good show for the kids and the staff, but the fact was, Ryan just couldn't shake the feeling after the trip to Limbo. He wasn't sure why. Maybe it was just the place clinging to him. Maybe it was just the memory. Either way, he found himself in the air over the campus, wings extended, streaking through the sky faster than he could have before the recent power surge he'd had (that still left him a little unnerved).

He closed his eyes, flying high enough that he knew nothing was there for him to hit for a bit. Higher. He didn't know why, he just felt like it. He angled up toward the clouds, not really caring how far he got from campus, not really caring what direction he was heading in. Nothing was around, he knew that. He could feel that. He could feel the cloud layer clinging around him as he pierced through it, his glow intensifying to shut out the cold, bright enough that he was sure he could be seen beneath the clouds.

[Narrator]

Leaving the earth and all it's faint impressions of life behind seems to work for a while, Ryan's head clearing of the constant feeling of being surrounded but after a couple of minutes he'd feel the world below him as one big web, not unlike what he'd felt in the ocean, but somehow less... tainted. It feels almost empowering.

[Ryan Gabriel]

He kept his eyes closed, focusing his senses down underneath him to better 'see' the web of energy across the world... the bright spots of people, the overlapping faint layers of plants, motes of this and that that he couldn't even identify. He could almost make out how everything was linked, how perfectly everything just fit together... if he tried, he could reach out and just... almost... touch it...

[Narrator]

And as suddenly as it appeared it suddenly falls away as if his senses had moved past it and into something... darker, more uniform. And unlike the life-force of the humans and animals and plants this one seems to take notice, turning towards him like a massive but sluggish eye.

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan hesitated in the air, coming to a stop without thinking about it (which thankfully didn't make him fall from the sky anymore). What the... He hesitated, then reached with his power. What are you...

[Narrator]

The entity doesn't seem to answer. Or really notice Ryan, the feeling of it's gaze passing over him and moving on. He'd get the vague impression that it is searching for something and that it is incredibly old. It's presence feels strangely familiar, some of it having been present in the creature that attacked Mariuset on the beach.

[Ryan Gabriel]

This brought back memories of that cthuluish thing that he'd fought (and the taste), making him shudder. Still... He followed its gaze with his own senses, flying after it again, still navigating with his non-physical senses. What is all this? And why didn't I ever feel it before...

[Narrator]

Following the feeling is drawing him down towards the ground again, though if he'd open his eyes he might notice that he's drifted out over the sea and there's only grey waves beneath him.

[Ryan Gabriel]

He didn't open his eyes until he actually smelled the ocean spray beneath him, and at that point his eyes snapped open and he shot up in the air to regain 'safe from running into stuff' altitude. Seriously, what is that? He closed his eyes, focusing... then focused his power at what he'd felt, pulling in the light, sending it toward it. There shouldn't be anything alive he couldn't touch with his power... right?

[Narrator]

If that is true, and from all his experience so far it definitely is, then the only conclusion is that whatever he's feeling isn't alive at all. Unlike the monstrosity they fought on the beach, which had definitely been alive, if riddled with some kind of abnormal touch. This thing now feels just like that if it was stripped of every bit of lifeforce and the only thing left was something wrong. Depending on how much attention he's paying to this presence compared to his sense of living things (and sight) he may or may not notice the shapes rising up under the waves.

[Ryan Gabriel]

It was like a magnet, drawing his attention unavoidably. Something that inherently alien and... wrong? just couldn't escape him, couldn't let him go. It wasn't until he'd again drifted lower that his senses kicked in and he noticed, with alarm, the approaching figures. Oh god, what is it now... He hovered without dropping any lower, but wasn't about to go running without knowing what was coming for him.

[Narrator]

Three shapes burst out from the water, revealing themselves as Lemurians, riding the back of giant mantas that glide up through the air towards Ryan.

"There it is!" the Lemurian in the middle shouts, rising his jagged trident and pointing it at Ryan.

[Ryan Gabriel]

"All right, I know that you guys are pricks, but I never called you an 'it,'" Ryan snarked as he went evasive, flying in an arc that would give him a shot at their manta.

[Narrator]

"Silence, mammal!" the leader screams, a jet of water shooting from it's trident, aimed at Ryan. "Surrender the Choral and you shall be spared!"

[Ryan Gabriel]

"I don't know what you're talking about, and I care even less!" Ryan shouted in return, continuing his arc so that he'd put the other two lemurians between himself and the jet of water. "You COULD make this easy and run before I kick your asses too hard, though..."

[Narrator]

Either the leader doesn't notice in time or he doesn't care as the stream sends one of his guards tumbling down back into the sea. The flying manta he was riding, on the other hand, seems to go into some kind of rage, breaking off to come after Ryan.

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan's wings glowed brightly, and with a snapping flap he sent a few energy feathers darting at the manta. Have to keep my distance... don't know how strong these things are, if they pull me underwater I could be toast. Fittingly, he angled away to keep ahead of the manta. "So, you going to tell me what I did? Was it that sushi dinner I went to last week?"

[Narrator]

The manta tries to dodge but while it's surprisingly fast it's not particularly nimble outside the water and the glowing feathers slice into it. It's bleeding but doesn't seem like it's about to give up the chase because of that.

"Don't play uss for foolssss, mammal!" the leader shouts. "You struck down the High-Priessst!" He gestures and the other guard dives down and back into the waves, out of sight.

[Ryan Gabriel]

"If you're talking about that giant monster? Sure. And she tasted even worse than she l- oh god, I can't believe I just said that. Just shut up and go filter feed." He turned and rushed at them, opening fire with a blast at full strength. Maybe if I can get them off the manta...

[Narrator]

"He was blessed by Set! Now return what you stole from him!" he spits out in disgust as the manta tries to dodge out of the way. The other one isn't quite so lucky and both mount and rider are knocked out of the air and fall beneath the waves. At the same time the one that had disappeared earlier shoots out of the water again, trying to cut Ryan off from below.

[Ryan Gabriel]

"I... didn't steal... a THING!" Ryan grunted as he veered off. Atlanteans were stronger than humans by an incredible degree, he was willing to bet he didn't want to grapple a Lemurian either.

[Narrator]

The manta tries to follow Ryan's maneuver, slashing at him with it's tail.

"Liar! We can sssensse it on you!"

[Ryan Gabriel]

The hell are they talking about? He dove under the manta, hoping for a good shot at its belly. I'd say they're crazy, but... seriously, how did they find me? I doubt they're on Twitter...

[Narrator]

As he dives underneath it the manta opens a mouth that seems much too large and much too full of teeth for a normal creature. While it does leave itself open for attack it also tries to wrap Ryan up in it's 'wings' and take a bite out of him.

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan tried to drop down far enough to keep out of its reach, but started trying to identify vital points on the manta anyway. Sometimes you just couldn't avoid being grappled, but what you COULD avoid was panicking and being completely ineffectual.

[Narrator]

The manta drops down and with Ryan between the water and it manages to grab a hold of him, it's mouth trying to take a bite out of him. Meanwhile Ryan is able to sense a couple of important points of the creature's physiology, mainly it's brain and the two major arteries leading into it pulsing with life.

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan's only available counter move was to deliver a blow to slam the Manta's jaw shut. Maintaining that, though, was likely a full time job.

Which left him kind of screwed, and he knew it. All the Manta had to do now was drop down into the water and he was toast. Which left his options... "You bastards... I didn't want to do this..." He reached out with his power again, and this time didn't try to touch or feel the life of the Manta. He seized it in a silver-green grasp and started, for lack of a better way of putting it, to drink its life in.

[Narrator]

The creature screeches as Ryan drains it's lifeforce, bucking and convulsing as it tries to shake Ryan off. As a side-effect it manages to toss it's rider into the waves.

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan swung around, aiming for the rider that was thrown. He wasn't worried about finishing off the manta... If the thing had enough life to get back to its home, that was fine with him. He wanted that rider, though. He dove for it, energized by the drain he'd put on the manta and feeling like he could take on anything just now.

((Many apologies for the thread necromancy. If this is a problem, just let me know.))

[Narrator]

It's a close shave but energized by what he just did he manages to catch the rider just before he disappears into the waves and yanks him back up into the air. The Lemurian isn't particularly happy about this and tries to kick and squirm to loosen Ryan's grip on his wrist.


((No problem. I'll just see how to best rekafooble things to restart the plot after the time-skip if you don't mind? We can hash out any details in IRC.))

[Ryan Gabriel]

Ryan punched the Lemurian in the face, pulling him up out of the water as he soared back toward land. "What is it you want!" he demanded, ready to keep the punches and the question coming.

((That works. This is kind of a leisurely paced thing, I figured))

[Narrator]

"The Mammal doesn't even know!" he laughs. "Revenge for the Priest of the Abyssss you killed!" he hisses, which might not be entirely wrong but is clearly meant to be misleading.

[Ryan Gabriel]

He glared at the Lemurian, then punched it again. "That's fine. I'm sure a telepath can tell me everything you won't," he growled. He dipped the thing guy under the water for a moment to give him another breath, then continued on toward land.

[Narrator]

"I'm not ssscared of your kind, mammal. Your mind-readerss are chaste and weak."

[Ryan Gabriel]

"Yeah, say that to her face. I'd love to see the reaction."

[Narrator]

The Lemurian goes quiet and stops his struggling once Ryan makes it above land again, apparently resigned to his fate.