How long have I been drifting? The thought slowly crept up on him. The waves gently pushed him onwards. Gale couldn't remember how he got in the water in the first place, He did have a horrible pain on the back of his head and the rest of his body felt numb which gave him some hint as to what might have happened. This led to other thoughts swirling in his head more badly then the waves had swirled him and he passed out again.

A day later a body washed up one the shores near the city of Taras. The body had been there for no longer then an hour when a strolling couple stumbled upon him. A woman screamed. "Is he dead, Jace?" The woman asked her voice trembling. The man left her side as he approached the wind picked up ever so slightly. The body was normal and intact except for a few things that struck the man as odd. The man had skin that was cold to the touch and white hair not common traits among humans. He placed two fingers on the man's neck and felt, to his relief, a pulse. "He's alive," He said with a sigh,"Thank the gods." Jace lifted the man on to his shoulder and the couple went back to there small house in the city.

The Next Day

Gale awoke with a start and immediately started to cough. He rolled himself to the left with a strong push of the log wall with his right hand, and vomited into a basin set on the floor at the bunk's edge. retched twice more and managed, by begging it weakly, to convince his body that nothing more could come up from his empty stomach. Exhausted, he rolled back, closed his eyes, and lay there trying to imagine how he had gotten here, and where here was.

He felt a cool cloth laid on his forehead. "Kiera?" The name came from a memory in the deepest recesses of his mind. It was a familiar name but he couldn't remember fully. Gale opened his eyes and saw a woman he did not recognize sitting on the edge of the bunk. She smiled. She was a fair woman. She had black hair and wore it short. Her dark eyes coruscated in the dim light and her smiled drained his fears. "You need more rest." Was all she said to him and held a new moist cloth ready to take the old one's, which had grown warm, place. He kept his thoughts to himself and soon enough drifted back into a deep slumber.

One Week Later

Gale had been up and around for nearly two days slowly regaining his strength. He had been reviewing his possessions, a katana and cloak for any clues as to who he was and why he had washed ashore near Taras when there came a loud banging at the door. The man Jace move towards the door but only got half way before a giant of a man crashed through door. Splinters flew every which way. Gale twisted from his chair drawing his sword while dodging a hail of wooden shards. Gale hit the floor and rolled breaking his fall. He came up in a low Manits stance. Gale looked to his left and saw that Jace had been knocked back and and was being held by his wife, who was trembling with fear.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Gale asked the anger in his voice clearly heard. "So soon you forget me Gale? I am disappointed." The man said with a laugh. "How do you know my name?" Gale didn't like this guy... Gunner, The name was a memory. "We used to be the best of friends. Hahaha." The giant laughed. "Gunner, your name is Gunner and I don't care if we were the best of friends you need to leave now!" Gale growled starting to grow tired of this man. "I am touched that you at least remember my name but I am afraid I can't leave without something very important." Gunner said with the same sadistic grin. "Oh yeah and what would that be?" Gale asked the wind starting to pick up. "Your Head!" Gunner launched himself forwards at a speed that should have been impossible for any person of his side.

Something like a sixth sense warned Gale of the attack and he dodge a blow that should have cut him from navel to crown. Gale flew to the left and brought his blade in a wide arc that should have severed the man's spine had he not followed through with his last attack that brought his blade around in a sweep to deflect the attack. Gale jumped back planted his feat on the wall and pushed off lauching himself with great speed at Gunner. Gunner brought his blade down in an overhead stirke but Gale caught Gunner's blade with his katana, used it as a pivot, which caused him to move right of the attack and kick Gunner full in the face. Gunner was knocked into the far wall while Gale gracefully landed in a crouch. Gale figured that a kick like that would have had to have knocked Gunner out, but much to the displeasure of Gale, Gunner got right back up, blood streaming from his mouth and his now disfigured nose and laughed the same maniacal laugh as he had done when he first entered the house. Gunner wipe the blood from his face and charged Gale. Gale had to end this now and saw the mistake in Gunner's attack. Judging by Gunner's past attacks Gale could clearly understand that Gunner didn't defend unless he converts his attack by following through it was mearly a matter of Gale forcing Gunner into an attack where he couldn't covert. Gale charged forwards to meet the attack. Let him think that I have played into his hand. Gale Thought to himself. Gunner swept his blade in an attack that would have chopped Gale through the hip. Gale had planned for this ducked and brought his blade up under Gunner's guard. Gunner couldn't convert the attack because that would have been impossible and regreted the choice of attack as Gale's katana sheared through his arms and up through his neck. Blood sprayed out from the wounds but eventually stopped when Gunner's heart stopped beating.

Gale looked at Gunner's head and could only shake his head when he saw Gunner with a smile on his face. Gale knew he was a marked man so he said his farewells and vowed to someday repay Jace and his wife for there hospitality. "But where will you go?" Jace asked. "Well to find out more about my self, but I have caused you far to much trouble so I will just be off." With that Gale Windurst set off to reclaim his past...

Gentol trudged on over the Ebon Plains. He had set out from his home near the Norwood Forest weeks before. He had been living on stale water, hard crackers, and salted deer meat. The tiring Gentol hoped to reach Taras soon. A few weeks before, Gentol had seen the rumored ghost of Norwood Lake, or one of them. It appeared in the form of a man. A knight clad in armor. The knight had looked so familiar to Gentol though there were no knights living in his village. All the knight said to Gentol was, “Find Renwin in Taras,” and as quick as he appeared, he was gone.
Renwin! Such a familiar name. It was that of his older brother. Could it be true? Gentol thought Renwin was dead. He been on the death list from a war, almost five years before. Gentol spent many days after the encounter trying to decide whether he was hallucinating, or if it was real. He knew if he didn’t go, he’d spend the rest of his life wondering what would have happened if he did go. The next day, he packed his things: salted meat, hard crackers, water, various medicinal plants from the forest, and his sword. A few weeks after, he found himself tired and desperate to arrive in Taras.

Night arrived that day earlier than Gentol would have liked. He was taught by elves of Norwood Forest how to predict the phases of the moon, and that night there was a new moon, or no moon. He could see faint lights on the horizon, the lights of Taras.

Gentol arrived in Taras just before noon the next morning. He found an inn/tavern to stay in. He went right to his room and rested for the whole afternoon. When he got up for dinner, he found there was many rumors going around. Mostly about a man who had appeared on the shore a week before.

“I heard that man walked straight across the ocean,” one man said.

“Nah, he didn’t walk, he flew, stupid,” another man said.

“Well, I heard he’s faster than lightning!” a man put in.

“They’re crooks, don’t listen to them,” the bartender said over his shoulder. “The man floated in unconscious, and a couple took care of him for a week. He’s out and about now.” Turning to Gentol, he said, “You seem interested.”

Gentol was interested. This was an event out of the ordinary and he wanted to know if it was linked to the ghost. It probably wasn’t, but it interested him anyway. “Yes, I am, where can I find him?” he said.

“I’m not sure, maybe he’s still hanging around the house where he was,” the plump bartender replied. “More beer?”

“No thanks,” Gentol said, getting up. He headed to his room to sleep.

The next morning, Gentol got up, gathered his stuff, and went to the house where the bartender told him to go. He stood out there, waiting for someone to notice him.

Varila was walking the streets of Taras with her head down, her ebon hair falling forward to shade her eyes. All around, other people were hurrying to get to where they needed to be, but her pace was slow and relaxed. With a glaive upon her back, she just looked like a traveling foreigner, one who knew how to fight. No aura shone forth from her body as she kept up the pace, headed toward the house where many of her old possessions were kept.

Passing by a tavern, she saw a strange man walk out of it, one who was talking with the bartender. Her lips curved in a mischievous smile as she decided to follow, hoping that it would maybe make her day a little more interesting. Slow as she walked, it was still fast enough to keep up with the man as he walked through the streets. She also knew the alleyways and shortcuts of Taras, having lived in this city for almost two years now.

Suddenly, he stopped at the house of a couple of peasants, and Varila stood back slightly, hoping that he wouldn't notice her before she found anything out. Though some called it nosy, she liked finding out what was going on in Taras. It was a large city, and in a large city, things always tend to happen.

Waiting for the man, she was starting to grow tired, as she had been up all night. Running a hand through her hair, she sighed and looked at him. Even if she were free, he wasn't anything special to look at, and she could tell that he had been traveling for countless days. For some reason, he seemed to be here on a mission, going to a peasant home to find some bit of information that was important to his quest...

Gentol looked around, hoping that the man would be around. He didn’t know what he looked like; the descriptions he got from the men at the tavern didn’t match. He noticed a young girl standing at a distance. This was odd to him because all the others around him were walking, even running to where they needed to go. She looked somewhat familiar to Gentol. It was as though he had seen her before. But how could he have seen her? Gentol didn’t know anybody, certainly not this girl. He had remembered seeing a bent figure before when he left the tavern. Maybe this was the figure he saw. She seemed interested in what Gentol was doing so he decided to introduce himself.

“Hello,” he said, walking over to her, “Were you following me?” He said it like he didn’t know if she was, not as though he was angered that she had followed him. “I think I saw you earlier.” Gentol decided to leave it at that and wait for a reply.

Varila looked up at him as he approached her, letting the hood of her cloak fall down to reveal long ebon hair and icy blue eyes. "I wasn't following," she muttered. "I was simply watching. You make it sound like such a dishonorable thing to do. Really, I prefer to know what's going on in my city." She looked at him intently, smiling rigidly as she pulled her long hair out from underneath her cloak.

A dark aura that was barely visible shone about her, following her outline. She looked Gentol up and down, her eyes seeming to weigh and measure him as they ran their course. "So you have been traveling for a while?" she asked, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "You look rather tired."

((sorry it's short...gotta scram))

“Yes, I traveled here from Norwood Forest,” Gentol said, replying to the goddess’ question. He had not realized that he was speaking to a goddess. “A spirit appeared to me in the form of a warrior at the Norwood Lake almost one month ago. He told me to come here.” Gentol decided not to reveal what the spirit had told him. His long black hair began to flow in a cool breeze coming from the direction of the sea.

Gentol looked at Varila carefully, wondering why she was so curious. He thought she was glowing, but dismissed it as an illusion. He thought of his brother, and hoped that he could find him soon. This showed slightly by his actions. He was looking around often, searching for something out of the ordinary like the spirit was. The wind began to get stronger, and Gentol noticed that there were dark clouds on the horizon. “It looks like a storm is blowing in,” Gentol said, looking at the woman again.

"Indeed," Varila mused lightly, looking up at the clouded sky. "Rain is quite a beautiful thing, though. It's very enjoyable to sit out in the rain....nobody else comes out to bother you." She looked at him with her head cast down, wondering whether or not she had seen this brother of Gentol's. A few drops came down, splashing on her curtain of ebon hair. A few drops turned into a light shower, which quickly became a downpour. Covered in the warmth of her cloak, she looked upward, smiling. Today was a beautiful day, to be cherished for a very long time.

Her hand reached out of the cloak slightly, until she felt the chill of the night sink into her wrist and lower forearm. It was better to just admire the rain. Craning her head downward, she thought for a while. "So what was your brother's name?" she asked. "Was he older or younger than you?" Really, she had very little interest, but there didn't seem to be anything else to use as a conversational topic. That was about all she could think of.

Gentol had only a wolf fur vest to cover his white tunic. He was shocked when the woman asked about his brother since he never said anything about it. His thoughts quickly changed when the rain started to pour down. Gentol did not know any way to say he did not like the rain after Varila showed how much she liked it. The summer rain was quite refreshing. "I don't think I've properly introduced myself," Gentol said. "My name is Gentol." Thinking about the questions the woman had asked, he said: "How did you know about my brother?" Without waiting for a reply, he continued: "His name is Renwin, and he is older than me." Gentol could tell she was not interested, but she had asked wanted to know.

Gentol was now dripping wet and shivering slightly. He looked up to see if the clouds were thinning, but found them as thick as they were. The people around him were all heading to their homes or taverns to hide from the rain. The various merchant carts that lined the streets were closing; their owners pulled large cloths over the goods. The rain slowed from a downpour to a light shower.

(Sorry it took so long for me to post but I have been on vacation in New York City)

Gale had been in the for not even a few weeks before news of his "Divine Arrival" had become the latest rumor. He found it laughable that people actually believed that he flew across the ocean! Gale didn't even know how the hell he had gotten there in the first place.

He sighed and got up from the small alcove he had been occupying for the last half hour or so in one of Taras' many taverns. He hadn't actually bought a drink, much to the displeasure of the bartender, but it was a valuable place to be to hear possible rumors of people that were perhaps looking to kill him. He had overheard a conversation between the bartender and a wanderer by the look of him concerning Gale. Gale waited thirty seconds after the man left to follow him and see what he knew if anything at all.

He moved swiftly between shop carts and moved into other streets that would bring him looping around and bring him behind the wanderer but this was so the man didn't see himself being followed. The man stopped aburptly in a street and the man moved off towards someone but Gale couldn't see clearly because it had begun to rain so he moved into and alley and scaled the walls to the rooftops. He made his way swiftly to one overlooking the street he had last seen the man and hunkered down.

He was watching the man from the rooftop talking to a girl who might also know something. It had been pouring from so time now but neither seemed to care one way or the other. There was something unsettling about the girl she looked very... well weak but the amount of power he felt eminating from the girl suggested to the contrary. Gale wasn't about to find out how much power she contained...

Varila could sense someone was watching her, but continued to talk to Gentol, knowing that he probably wouldn't notice if she did nothing to acknowledge his presence. "So you lost him to causes other than death?" she continued, leaning against the side of a building as she squeezed some water out of her long hair. A flash of black lightning seemed to flutter across her pale palm as it was visible against her dark hair.

Shaking her head slightly, she managed to get the majority of the water out as the rain seemed to subside. A little sprayed off toward Gentol, but it otherwise remained in the area of her person. Wondering who it could be that was watching her, she forced herself to keep looking at Gentol. Really, it seemed like he was just another man on a hopeless quest, nothing she hadn't seen before. If someone was watching her, she knew it could be trouble, though it would be nothing she would be unable to handle. Betrayal was her art, and she used it skillfully where brute strength did nothing.

"I was separated from an elder brother of mine when I was twelve years of age, but he rose to such fame and fortune by the time I felt it was safe for us to reunite that it wasn't hard to find each other." She sighed at the thought of all those years when she compelled herself to leave, for the good of all of them. One little girl dead was better than seven other people killed. Sometimes it was necessary to take such drastic measures.

Toshi Umezawa, an Ochimusa of little renown, strode out of a tavern near the Taras shore. His Katana was under his cloak, his cloak over his katana. Anyone who challenged the man would swiftly be dealt with. Still, he moved quickly like a shadow through the crowd. He had no purpose to his step, not yet. Until a job came up, the rogue would simply wander the streets, until one of his informants gave him...information...about a possible job.

As he walked onwards, his head was raised, and if one looked closely, the light of the sun would reveal a scar that ran down the side of his face. The rain fell lightly on the ground, but he walked onwards. The rain was simply there, just like everyone else in the street. He turned, stopping to turn around. All of a sudden...

"What the..." He turned, his hair moving slightly. He walked towards the person in question. "Gale, is that you?" Could it be? One of his longlost friends? He'd have to find out. If it was an imposter...perhaps it was Garuda.

Gale had been there for no more then 10 seconds but he knew that the girl already knew he was there. There were subtle signs that gave it away. The first being that although she was wrapped in conversation with the man, she was taking too long to answer back to him which meant that her thoughts lingered elsewhere IE) Gale.

The second was that no one that powerful would be crazy enough to not be aware of there surroundings. Gale would not waste his time paying attention to those people. Usually if he had met the person a memory or at least the feeling of knowing someone would come to his thoughts but it was not so with these two.

He jumped off the roof and into a dark abandoned alleyway and made his way back on to a street away from the conversing pair. He was preparing to enter a magic shop when he heard his name being called out. He put his hand on the hilt of his katana and slowy turned around. "Who is asking he called back?"