[Prelude] In the Pursuit of Knowledge

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Straken
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Re: [Prelude] In the Pursuit of Knowledge

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A light laugh accompanied Jane's story. "Aye. Ah know what you mean. Way back when, Ah walked from Ireland to Japan," he reminisced along with his companion. "That time though Ah did it without magic. This time we'll be trying a different method."

Continuing the walk, the duo eventually reached the trees and a nice pathway that wound it's way through. The Druid breathed deep, relishing the smell of the forest in the early morning air. He had tended the woods at that comprised the majority of the Safeholme property just as he tended the more tidy grounds around the mansion, and was never quite as calm as when he walked among the branches. A short way in, there was a nice clearing with a couple of benches.

"This should work," Ruarc announced, hefting his book and beginning chant. After a few moments his feet began to glow faintly. "Alright, basic run down. With this spell, we'll get there in about five hours. All you need to do is hold on to my shoulder, and DO. NOT. LET GO. Unless you want to end up in the middle of nowhere. You might feel a little light headed at first, but it should be pass. Questions?"
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Re: [Prelude] In the Pursuit of Knowledge

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"Nowhere ain't so bad," Jane replied. One glove settled on Ruarc's shoulder. "Let's go, Mr. Flynn."
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"Alright, then, hold on to you hat," Ruarc said as he placed his other hand on his tome and chanted the second half of the spell. With the incantation finished, the light around Ruarc's feet grew around them in a whirlwind. Taking a deep breath, he took a step.

In that instant, the world around Jane became a blur, and she would feel as though all the weight had left her body. The scenery around her shimmered and shifted like an oil painting in motion, pulsing and changing in a steady cadence in time with Ruarc's steps. Vibrant greens gave way to deep blues, and every once in a while grays and browns could be seen.

Seemingly almost as soon as it started, the surreal scene stopped and became whole again. Ruarc and Jane were standing on a vast, dull green steppe. Off in the distance a large mountain range could be seen growing above the horizon.

"Whew, oh man, takes a bit more energy with two people," the druid said to Jane. "Still got that lunch basket handy?"
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Re: [Prelude] In the Pursuit of Knowledge

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Jane snagged her hat just in time to save it as they zipped off. Her stomach lurched, but clung tightly to its contents. Ruarc had said five hours. The absurdity of traveling that way for five hours was brewing a pot of regret in the back of her mind. That was dumped moments later when they popped out of hyperspace or whatever in the hell druids called that insane planetary highway.

"Next time, I'll just ride," she informed the druid. "I ain't doin that again." The lunch basket was riding atop her duffel, handle held in the same hand that gripped the duffel. Jane set all her bags down and opened up the lunch. "I swear if it's just birdseed..." She sounded serious, but perhaps there was a twinge of humor to her voice...?
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"What? Oh, right, yeah, first time is rough, book referred to it, as ley line sickness," Ruarc explained between breaths of air, looking up from his forward lean. With one last deep breath in, he straightened up and moved closer to the basket. "Well, iffen it's seed, we could always use it as bait to catch... whatever lives around here," Ruarc jested back.

As the contents were revealed, Jane could see sliced sandwiches and a container of fresh summer berries. The sandwiches included corned beef and swiss, roast beef and cheddar, and egg salad. Reaching in, Ruarc grabbed one of the corned beef sandwiches and unslung his rucksack, and after digging through it briefly he produced the thermos of coffee. Shoving the sandwich in his mouth, he poured a small cup of coffee.

"Got a collapsing cup if you want some," he said through half a mouthful. "Otherwise, Ah'm just gonna quickly eat a couple of these so I have energy for the last half of the trip."
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Re: [Prelude] In the Pursuit of Knowledge

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Thankfully, there would be no fishing nor trapping necessary. Jane settled back with a handful of berries and two sandwiches. She declined the coffee. "As ye will, Mr. Flynn. I ain't in any hurry t'do that again." She was, however, eager to reach their destination. Free from the clutches of the school her senses seemed revivified, and every muscle yearned to explode with violent energy. Subduing all this, however, was a sense of melancholy dread. She was walking into danger. There was a sense of evil, too, but mild. Whether that was mitigated by distance or not remained to be seen. Some evil did not feel great until in its presence.
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Re: [Prelude] In the Pursuit of Knowledge

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Much like Jane, Ruarc was feeling in higher spirits out beyond the limits of civilization. The druid figured that, based on the geography, the direction they were heading, and the time it took that they were somewhere in Southern Russia. Smiling to himself as he ate and looked at the horizon, he noted a sense of freedom in likely being hundreds of miles from the nearest settlement. Noticing something not to far off, he stood up, tossed the rest of his sandwich in his mouth, and began to wander off a short ways through the shin high grass. Kneeling down, Jane would see him pulling at something.

Then, with whatever he had found in hand, Ruarc returned. In his hand was a small bundle of leaves attach to some fibrous roots. "Ginseng," the Druid announced to alleviate any confusion. Snapping the leaves off, he dusted the roots, prepared a small pocket knife, and began to slice the skin off of the roots. This took up the rest of the short rest, and upon finishing the task, popped one of the roots into his mouth and chewed on it.

"There we go. Energy for the last leg. Ready to go?"
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The American stood when her meal was complete and hooked thumbs into her crisscrossing gunbelts. These moments of silence were spent reflecting in her latest thoughts. It had been a hot minute since she last drew steel, and even longer since she had pulled a trigger. This was not alarming: her hands had long since memorized the dance of firing and reloading. Even so, it felt downright queer to be walking back into the crucible. Jane had recently adopted the naivete of her students and believed gunslinging was fully in her past.

She watched him go and come passively, mind preoccupied. His words ended her reverie. "Ready, Mr. Flynn."
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Packing up the few things he had pulled out of his pack, Ruarc was ready to go in no time. Swinging the rucksack onto his shoulder, the Druid hefted his tome up again, found the spell, and once he was sure Jane had a grip on his shoulder he recited the incantation once more.

Unlike the first time, the second jump seemed smoother. Jane's surroundings still became a blur of motion, but each step now appeared clearer and more discernable. Likewise, the previous feeling of discomfort, while still present, was much less severe, though she also became more aware of time passing; whereas the first trip took mere moments, this one seemed to take a couple of minutes.

When finally Ruarc ended the spell, they were standing near a copse of dense trees on the edge of a meadow. Unlike before, signs of civilization could be seen easily. About a half a mile down a gentle slope was a road with several cars driving along it in either direction. In one direction was a vista of rolling hills spotted with farms and homesteads, while in the other, about two miles off, was a large city.

"And that, should, be Avignon," Ruarc said to Jane, once again sounding winded. Looking off at the city, he seemed proud of himself. "Only a couple miles off point, my aim is getting better."
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Re: [Prelude] In the Pursuit of Knowledge

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Keen sharpshooter's eyes took in the tableau. The closer they moved to Avignon, the more she felt like her old self. Old instincts were emerging from her past like the undead from their graves. It was as reassuring in an odd way. She no longer felt eager for combat. Nevertheless, violence was old hat for her muscles and sinew that waited in relaxed anticipation for the commands they knew to come.

Normally Jane would have teased him about this being an improvement. Something about poor aim, or suggesting he could have told her it was intentional, but the gunslinger was distracted.

"That's it alright. I can feel it." She reached out to stroke No Name's mane, who craned his neck toward her in response. Then she mounted the saddle in a single fluid move. "My turn, I s'pose. Mount up, Mr. Flynn." One hand was outstretched to help him onto the dark horse's broad back.
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