Repaying Rhia - Umbra - Thursday March 19th

[DerekCase]

Ethereal Realm
Darien had been following this moon path for half a day, stopping only to convince the lunes he passed of the nature of his quest. In the distance, he could see Helios's light. Each step he took pushed him impossibly far forward against the solar winds until within the hour, at least he thought it was an hour for time was impossible to tell in this place, Helios was all that he could see. As he neared the celestine, he noticed dozens of fire elementals surrounding him. Five came at him, setting his flesh abaze, but he moved past them without thought. This was for Rhia. Fire wouldn't be enough to stop him. He was burning as he stepped to Helios, who appeared as a great native american warrior with deep bronze-red skin and long flowing black hair. The attacks on Darien stopped as the incarna spoke.
"Why have you come Garou?" He said in a deep, booming tone of disinterest.
Darien stood proud and unafraid. "You will be pleased to know this is not for me. I have come in the name of Rhia Phoenixfire to ask a favor."
"And what have you to offer in exchange?" Hyperion, Helios, seemed a bit less disapproving.
"A service or quest. Ask of me what you wish." Darien replied, remaining unshaken despite still being on fire.
"What is it you wish for my child?"
"I want you to make her crinos beautiful." Darien answered.
"It would please me to do this, but in exchange, you will find me something." Helios said, his stern features revealing a hint of a smile.

[DerekCase]

Abyss

Darien stood staring into the gaping emptiness that was the abyss and was unafraid. For what seemed like forever, the tear in the fabric of the umbra spread out from where he stood. Figuring to get this over with, Darien climbed down over the side. His claws sank into the wall as if it were any other rock. As he climbed lower, the area about him grew darker, quieter. Even his sense of smell began to fade. Along the sides of the wall, there were intricate carvings of what appeared to be demons, horrible monstrosities, but he ignored them. He had experienced all this before. On his way down, he pulled a stone from the wall, a dark piece of what appeared to be normal obsidian. Placing this behind his ear, he continued his climb. Finally, he came upon three paths, an iron, silver and gold path. He dropped to the iron, knowing it would lead to a series of caves. Traveling the iron path was no simple task. The world about him grew nearly pitch black, and the path itself was treacherous, covered in fissures and straight drops and steep hills. But he was Get and this would not stop him, though twice he nearly fell. Finally after a few hours, he came upon a deep, jagged cave. Climbing off of the path, he jumped to this cave and began searching for what Helios sent him for. In the cave the ground was level though many things were strewn all over the place. Everything lost ends up in the abyss.

Then, as he was rummaging through a pile of mismatched socks and had just found a klaive, he heard a growl and had his swords in hand before he'd even looked up. Before him stood a garou, nearly eleven feet tall in crinos. His fur, claws, and teeth were all black, but his eyes were more than that. Staring into his eyes was staring into the eternal crushing nothingness of the abyss. Just standing near him, Darien's life was being pulled out of him, sucked into this walking void.
"Nightmaster," Darien growled, "I was wondering when I was going to get to kill you."
The Shadowlord grunted, setting down a foot long sliver of mirror. "I've been watching you. You're quite the nuisance."
"Yeah, minions of the wyrm to seem to have that impression of me. Personally, I think you have me all wrong. What if I just wanted to be friends." Fights grinned bearing his swords.

The Nightmaster twitched and Darien felt like his soul had been torn from him. All about the room, dozens of sharp things, knives, broken pipes, shards of glass, were breaking from their prison of inanimate suspense and coming for Darien who charged through of the volley swinging. Nightmaster managed to block the first attack, but the second took off one of his legs. Falling, he swiped at Darien's feet, and Darien turned his wrist and blocked the swing underhanded. With his left, Darien cleaved the night master in two.
A howl broke the eternal silence of the abyss, but it wasn't the nightmaster. The gaping maw of jormundgr, the abyss itself screamed in fury at the death of it's incarna. The parts of the nightmaster began to rise, to move to attach themselves again.
Sifting through the pockets in both halves of the Nightmaster before he could reform, Darien pocketed a few trinkets including the assassin's klaive and a few shards of moonsilver. Gently, he placed the mirror behind his ear and began his very past paced trek back out of the abyss.

[DerekCase]

Again Darien stood before Helios's awesome countenance, singed but not stopped. He held the mirror before him.
"I have done what you asked." Darien quite formally.
Helios, once again the native american warrior, nodded and replied, "So have I. I must say I am impressed with your prowess, but I must request you do me one last favor."
Darien's shoulders sagged betraying his fatigue.
"Give that mirror to Rhia. She must be commended for whatever she has done to have such a loyal friend." Again that faint whisper of a smile though the booming voice stayed firm and patient.
"Absolutely, wise Helios." Darien turned to leave and stopped. "Helios, thankyou. I know you have no love for the garou. Thankyou for hearing me out."
With that Darien began his descent home.

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