A pole light lesson

Laying there in the frigid snow, the harsh burning of the ice cold pole digging into her hand was all that was keeping Rin conscious, she wasn't completely in cognizant of course, even cut off from much of the world and overwhelmed with pain, the corruption within her wreaking havoc both physical and spiritual, parts of Rin were still capable of processing the world around her. Specifically those parts were Vis and Codex, fragments of her mind and spirit that were capable of processing the world independently from the will of their original.

Feeling the pressure from the woman receding they each sneaked a tentative peak, witnessing the fallout of what had happened, and mentally relaying that to their originator. Rin of course was drowning on pain, the sensory signals from her remaining eye all but useless in the face of the horrid pain that she was feeling, the little information she was able to process, almost completely useless, obscured by splotches of black as they were.

Of course to Rin it just seemed like her vision was worn and blurry from her exertions, it was not something she hadn't experienced before when overtaxing herself, but those around her who looked closely could see the eye had turned a milky white, blinded in places as corruption dripped down around it. So it was that when the woman reached down to her, Rin saw nothing, her spiritual senses, whilst honed enough to sense the woman utilising her chakra like this normally, were completely overwhelmed by the corrupt power that was raging through her internally, ravaging her organs almost as if it was trying to force her to take its power.

That pain lasted eons, or at least that is how it felt, each infinitesimally small moment dragging out into an eternity, but eventually Rin felt something new, something more than just pure pain; she felt a soft glow of heat slowly trickling inside her, a pleasant numbing warmth flowing through her body in a slow tide. She felt a force inside her that felt... wrong, her body and spirit, so acclimatized to the corruption of the ragdoll as it was, shouldn't have even been fazed by such a thing, but this force was... different, overwhelmingly so. Where the corruption that flowed through her veins oozed filth and radiated an overwhelming sense of wrongness, this chakra was so much more subtle, it spoke of purity, and whispered of power beyond mortal ken. It radiated a spiritual light, sending out blinding waves of healing aura as it pulsed within her.

She could faintly sense something more between those pulses of blinding light, a sense of a battle far beyond her own powers of perception, she caught flickers, faint hints of a battle fought on a level she had yet to even begin to comprehend, she could feel the corruption within her rippling in dissatisfaction, striking out at the light as it staked its claim, the pain within her seemed to sharpen as the tendrils of corruption raked horrid gashes into her spirit, marking its claim even as that purity healed the damage, scars formed on her spirit even as the battle raged, her mind creaked and groaned under the pressure even as she sat on the edge of oblivion, but eventually the two forces came to a tenuous equilibrium. The pure light, not sweeping away the corruption, but at least containing it, keeping it in check and abating some of the pain as it did so. 

Rin could feel her wounds slowly starting to knit back together, the blood within her almost seeming to writhe and twist into new forms as it rippled in resonance with this new power, pulling rent and torn flesh back together as the healing energy seemed to stitch closed those same wounds; At the same time she could feel a burning in her palm, the skin seeming to smoulder and burn even as the healing energy continued its work, healing the damage almost as quickly as it was created.

Eventually the pain faded enough that Rin's mind, barely able to stay awake as it was, even with the adrenaline that had been pulsing through her body, collapsed into unconsciousness, leaving that warm energy to continue it's work healing her body even as her mind took the time to recover on its own; of course no matter the damage that was healed to her body, no matter how her mind recovered, the damage that had been done to her soul was not so easily fixed. Any that had the ability to do so would see those horrid thick black veins that had been so prominent before now seemed like they made up the majority of her spirit, the vines of corruption almost completely covering her and keeping the few pure remnants of her spirit suppressed under a thick black mass of pulsating oozing corruption.

Vis and Codex would watch cautiously, Codex attempting to record every detail of the woman's actions, the flow of her chakra and the methods she used, as was its nature, whilst Vis, now cowed from its previous proud attitude, sat silently, it's eyes watching the movements of a predator far beyond its understanding, it's hackles raised as it's eyes occasionally darted left to right, eyeing the various routes of escape it had.

Eventually the woman's chakra faded, the woman kneeling and throwing their master's arm over her neck as she lifted the limp figure, walking towards the two of them. Were it not for it's originator being trapped here, Vis would have bolted then and there, the primal energy inside it urging it to flee for its life, even with that being the case the clone's scrambled back in the snow, creating some distance even as it stared at the creature before it.

Codex on the other hand simply nodded at the woman, waiting for her to explain her actions, when the woman spoke, a simple command, though one phrased like it might be a request under any other circumstances, “Come. Now. We will go and sit and wait for her to recover.” Codex obeyed without comment or complaint, simply standing and gesturing for Vis to follow as it trailed along after the woman, recording everything for both it's own use and to relay to it's creator once she awoke.

Rin stirred within the darkness, feeling the weight of that endless corruption around her, the darkness that had penetrated her very soul, the horrid blackness that she had contended with every day, since being marked by the Ragdoll's chakra, coiled around her, almost defensively. Certainly it wasn't being protective of her, she knew that, but it was almost as if it was staking its claim, she could feel it rippling and writhing, trying to press against her own defences, or what little of them remained, she could feel the corruption finding the cracks in the haphazardly constructed walls she had built throughout her spirit, a desperate defence against the inevitable corruption and it's slow encroachment on her very soul; but something was different this time...

Rin had this dream every night, and every night she frantically fought against the corruption, its slow methodical advance something she could delay, but never escape entirely. This time however the corruption was behaving completely different from usual. Where normally the corruption would rush in, a slow tide lapping against her walls, seeking to slowly overwhelm them, to erode their foundations as it's tendrils dug into their foundations, now it seemed far more frantic, far less inevitable. It ebbed and flowed, waxed and waned as it pushed against her defences in a haphazard dance.

Rin couldn't understand at first, the corruption, normally so organised and placid, now seemed under pressure, she looked around, seeking something from within the all encompassing blackness that might explain this new development. It took her time, precious seconds that could not be wasted, even with the corruption's tide so disrupted; there, in the far distance, she saw a glimmer of light, a light that had not been seen in this space for years, so encompassed by endless darkness as it was it took Rin a moment to recognise it, but once she did, looking throughout the sky of her inner world, she saw glimmers of light flickering throughout the sky, like starlight they shone down on her, thin beams of hope stretching out through her inner world.

For a brief moment Rin was filled with joy and hope, could it be that her inner world was finally being cleansed, could she finally be rid of this curse? But fate is not that kind, though the light shone throughout her inner world for a time, the corruption was quick to respond, it stretched out, blocking off first one star, then another, stretching throughout the nights sky it devoured each and every one, until only one remained, the first star, the one Rin had first seen. She saw the corruption quivering around it, the thick cords of corruption slowly gaining ground as they crept towards the star in some dark parody of light.

At first Rin felt dread at that, so long she had been without the light of hope, resigned to her fate, and now fate had gifted her a glimpse of hope only to drag it away. Rin's dread turned to fear, but given the choice between resigning herself to the whims of fate and forging her own path... Rin chose to rail against fate. Reaching out with what little remained of her own spiritual power she grasped onto that star, that glimmer of light and pulled. She could feel resistance, the light itself almost seeming to shy away, trying to retreat from whence it came, the corruption around it seemed to redouble its efforts, quivering as it tried to rush forward towards the light, trying to claim it's power and destroy it, but Rin beat back at both of their wills. Here, in her inner world, even if only for a few moments, she could exert her will to its fullest potential. Pulling and pulling against the star she drew it down towards herself, towards the many interlocking walls she had built to keep out the corruption. 
In some distant part of her mind she could feel her outer walls cracking, the corruption, unable to compete with her focussed will drawing in that star of power, was taking advantage of her distraction, breaking down her outer walls and crashing through parts of her inner fortress. Then, there was an almighty crack, the star seeming to come loose from whatever had kept it tethered in place; Rin pulled the star down into the center of her inner world and held it there, fixing it above what remained of her inner fortress, a beacon of hope that shone in the center of her soul. Not enough to defeat the corruption, but fixed here, reinforced with Rin's will, it could at least slow it's advance.

It was well over an hour later when Rin awoke, groggily, a throbbing in her chest told her that that thin sliver of power she had grasped onto in her desperation still flickered uncertainly in her core. Looking around she was confused to see she seemed to be sitting in a cafe, her two mirror images on either side of her and the woman who had, last she remembered, been trying to kill her sitting across from her, looking intently upon her. "W where am I" she asked groggily as she sat up, a horrid piercing headache wracking her as she doubled over, having to suppress the urge to retch up the contents of her stomach.

WC: 1944
TWC: 8251

As the woman sat at the table, sipping her tea, the pair of Rin's mirror images would sit silently watching her, Codex's eyes visibly darting from point to point as it constantly recorded everything about the woman's actions, noting everything from the bright red colour of the tea, the pungent aroma that came off of it, a mix of mid grade alcohol and floral overtones, and the way the woman held the cup, it noted the slight twitch of her fingers that indicated her body was used to the motions, the woman's pinkie sitting in such a way that she likely extended it quite often, a habit developed in high society. It noted the faint sigh that escaped the woman's lips, and the way the woman's reddish eyes stared at it's master, seeming to almost bore into her with a piercing gaze. It watched and obsereved; silently catolouging the brief glance she paid towards itself and it's twin. It sat and observed in comfortable silence, seemingly unbothered by the power it had only just recently been exposed to, and ready to relay the sensory information it recorded to Rin as soon as she awoke.

Meanwhile Vis sat eying the woman with a weary caution, a wild animal ready to grab it's master and try to flee at the slightest sign of danger, the muscles in its body taut, though as that was its natural state it wasn't abnormal for it physically. The Image's rudimentary consiousness was still developing, more a loose cluster of similar instincts than a true personality it never the less pondered the events of the night even as it continued to watch the predator that sat across from it with a weary gaze. Though it would likely take much time to show it's first experience of such overwhelming might was already solidifying itself within the entities burgoning consiousness.

The group would sit there, three odd creatures that hid among the populace of the city as their forth member slept, twitching and twisting before she eventually awoke, "W where am I" she asked groggily as she sat up,  a horrid piercing headache wracking her as she doubled over, having to suppress the urge to retch up the contents of her stomach.

Rin heard the woman speak, though it took her more than a moment to decrypt what had been said, her head swimming with pain, that small sliver of light she had taken for her own still pulsing within the center of her spiritual power in a way that would take some getting used too, the power seeming to fill her with a feeling of... emptiness wasn't quite the right word but it was the closest word Rin could think of to describe it.

“We’re no longer in the street. I carried you off to this establishment. I’ve ordered plenty of food for you and your… companions.” The woman across from Rin said, and even as she felt codex scratching at the back of her mind, relaying what little information she had missed, she could feel that emptiness react to the woman's words, hunger blossoming in her chest. “Eat. Drink. Build up your strength.” the woman said and Rin had to resist the urge to begin devouring the food before her with wild abandon. Instead she gave the woman a nod of gratitude, selecting a small pastry for herself from among the fare even as she had codex pour her some tea of her own.

Eying the woman curiously Rin took a bite of the pastry, some sort of creation of chopped and baked pistachio nuts, layered between multiple layers of filo pastry, and soaked in what she suspected was rosewater. Even as she eyed the woman cautiously, a slight hint of resentment flickering behind her eyes for a moment at the damage she had caused to Rin's already strained and broken chakra system, she had to admit the woman certainly had good taste. Rin couldn't help but pluck another of the pastries, taking a polite bite as she watched the woman tilt her head back against the padded bench she sat upon, seemingly relaxing for a moment before speaking again. “I formally would like to apologize for my outburst. I never intended for that to cause…that much damage. I suppose I figured you were stronger.” the woman said, a soft chuckle escaping her lips.

The insult stung, even though she was used to such veiled slights Rin was normally the one to use them, and the few who had tried their hand at such things often found themselves on the recieving end of Rin's own barbed wit; the jibe likely wouldn't have bothered her if it didn't ring so true. She had felt the woman's power, it was deep and consolidated, an almost flawless foundation that felt like it had been developed for centuries, but even so during her prime she could have at least kept her feet against such power. Rin schooled her face, not rising to the challenge that the woman's words posed, even if her wounded pride railed against such a decision, instead she sat there pondering the woman's words, internalising them, giving herself another reason to keep moving forward. Though it may take her an eternity, she would find a way to cleanse herself of this parasitic corruption that lay upon her, and when she did she would grow stronger than this woman, stronger even than the accursed shade who had placed this curse upon her.

Even as Rin did so the woman continued speaking “I find you… Interesting, Rin.” the woman said, her eyes turning down as she stared into her tea,  before continuing “you’ve got something inside of you. Something powerful, waiting to get out.” Rin riled at that, She was right of course, though not in the way she likely meant. There was power inside of her, more now than even before this fiasco, though the corruption was the most overt of that power, it was by far the least relevant, whether the woman realized it or not Rin would never lean upon such power, but once cleansed of the chains it imposed upon her she would grow into a furious bonfire of strength unlike even that of this woman's.

About to open her mouth and tell the woman just that she found herself cut off as the woman glanced back up at her, meeting her gaze with a piercing stare, that felt like it bore right into her very soul, before speaking. “I’ll tell you something, something that was told to me… Many moons ago.” she said exhaling briefly; “Two roads. Diverged in a yellow wood, you cannot travel both, as you are but one traveler. Long, you still stand, and look down each; one you can see as far as you could go, just until it bent in the undergrowth; the other, just as fair, and having… perhaps the better claim, as it was grassy and wanted wear, though as for that the passing there had worn them really about the same. Both that morning, equally lay, in leaves no step had todden black. Would you take the road, less traveled by?”

Rin recognized the poem of course, it had experienced a brief period of popularity within the upper echelons of echelons within the land of wind, the correct answer... or at least the answer that high society praised was of course to take the road less traveled, not that any of the heirs and heiresses of the various old families there really understood what that meant. Watching as the woman paused, no doubt waiting for her to comment on the poem, Rin opened her mouth, about to offer the standard response to the pome before she paused; despite the woman's appearance and  civilized demeanour Rin was not infiltrating some pompous high society gathering, and so perhaps for the first time she had an opportunity to consider what her response would actually be to such a question; closing her mouth she sat there pondering for a solid minute before finally coming to settle on an answer, though it was likely not the one the woman wanted, and most certainly not the one she expected it was the one that Rin felt was true to herself, and after all this woman had done she felt little need to provide her with a pointless platitude.

"It's a well known poem, The Road Not Taken if i remember correctly." she said, pausing a moment as she examined the woman's reaction, curious to see what she made of Rin knowing the origin of her words. "The answer most of my... contemporaries came too was of course that the road less traveled is the path filled with adventure, and perhaps they are right, but they were also sheltered and spoiled children of men and women with far more wealth than they had sense. If you want my answer to such a question however then I would take neither road, each path has been traveled by others, at the very least forged by someone else, it's most valuable treasures picked clean. Though the context does matter, within that of what the poem provides us I would much rather forge my own path, to explore the wonders and treasures of the world on my own terms, and if that path intersects with some of the joys of other's paths for a time then all the better, but to let other's choices define my own fate? That is just not who I am" she finished, eying the woman curious to see if she understood the deeper meaning of her words, the desire and intent to forge her own path, independent of any power offered from the path of another.

WC: 1623
TWC: 9874

When Rin had finished her explanation she was left rather shocked when, despite everything else she had seen of this woman, she responded to Rin's answer with a joyous laugh, though even that was somewhat deranged, what started as a laugh that could have been described as simply over-exuberant ended with something that bordered on maniacal as the woman dragged her hands down her face, her fingertips leaving the faintest of trails visible for a short moment; and then came the woman's voice, as she spoke Rin felt her blood running cold.

“I see... It’s interesting how your kind decides on things... Creating a nindo... Making waves, small or big, for every action has a reaction... I look forward to seeing the reactions your waves will cause Rin.” she said, and Rin couldn't help but shiver slightly at the way she said 'You're kind.' She didn't know why exactly just yet, but given time and experience perhaps that small hint might lead her to understand just how close to death she came this night, still for now she simply listened as the woman continued. “I expect you to make great waves. The power inside of you, the one hidden... You’ll find it, I can see it now..." She said, and Rin couldn't help but wonder just how much this woman saw, did she realise the fraction of her power that Rin had taken into herself to keep back the corruption? Or was she refering to her own strength? Rin wasn't sure, but the woman's next words made her well aware that she should ensure that she made full use of both in the near future. "You’ll find, because if you don’t, then I’ll have to be disappointed... I don’t like disappointment, Rin. I don’t handle it well, you see... I was disappointed when you collapsed from my power, I only realized then, in that process that your power hasn’t been unlocked... I wasn’t sure about your creatures, I summarized that none of you were stronger than me... But then again, not many are. But you have potential, I like that. Your spunk... Like some burning flame deep inside of you. I want to see that." she said, and Rin simply gave a somewhat absent nod, her mind more focused on keeping her cool. How had she managed to encounter not just one, but two monsters within her life, how could she manage to attract both of their attentions enough for them to take some perverse joy in her fragmented life?

“Your answer was delightful. I’ve been around a long time, Rin... A very long time. I’ve only ever encountered four other people with a similar light to yours. Not the same, no their never the same. Don’t be snuffed out by that darkness inside of you. Let your light shine through, fight it. Grit your teeth, be victorious. Don’t waste that potential inside of you.” the woman said, and despite herself Rin replied, a simple affirmative, though one that showed the grit and determination within her voice as she did so. "I will, I was already determined to fight on long ago." she said simply, trying to ignore the bead of sweat that began to drip down the back of her neck as she watched the table creaking, beginning to crack under the pressure of the woman's hands, Rin opened her mouth to ask the woman her name, but she was cut off again as the woman contined.

“When you get stronger... When you unlock your power... When you think you can stand toe to toe with me. I want you to find me, Rin. I want to see how you progress.” she said, and Rin felt something within her quivering in response, as if some part of her was being drawn to such a response, it took a moment of introspection to realize it was the small fragment of power she now held within her that was quivering with excitement. Finally the woman stood, speaking again as she left. “I’m sure I’ll see you again in these lands, but after that, I don’t expect to see you until you’ve meant my request. I’m a patience woman... A creature of habit. But I don’t like waiting long. Don’t die before you find me either. That would be such a waste... I expect a lot. Meet those expectations.”


Turning to leave the woman began to walk away, and it took more than a moment for Rin's mind to catch up, just as the woman was about to leave earshot Rin stood, speaking one more time. "Wait, what do i call you?" she asked, more on instinct than anything else. After that she would allow the woman to leave, sitting there, staring at her tea for quite a while as she mulled over all the information that had been gathered by vis and codex.


WC 812 
TWC: 10,686
Exit
Claims on next post

Claims

Mission Rewards:

WC claims
Total WC: 10,686

Codex - 67 Vigor (Maxed Stats)
6700 words usable without max stat reduction 
3986 Usable with MSR


Rin
Demonic Illusion: Flower Garden  (1720/2500) + 780 = 2500/2500
Genjutsu Frogging  (1875/2500) + 625 = 2500/2500
Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Technique (1875/2500) + 625 = 2500/2500
Ephemeral (1313/1750) + 437 = 1750
Genjutsu Binding(1125/1500) + 375 = 1500
Tree Binding Death (1125/1500) + 375 = 1500
Hiding in the rain (1313/1750) + 437 = 1750
Hidden mist technique (1125/1500) + 375 = 1500
Temporary paralysis (1125/1500) + 375 = 1500
Vacuum Sword (750/1000) + 250 = 1000
Wind Release Great Vacuum (750/1000) + 250 = 1000
Water Replacement (421/500) + 79 = 500

Total used sans MSR 4983/6700 -> 1717 Remaining

Vis
1717 towards Block (219/2500) + 1717 +47(Leftover from below= (1983/2500) 

MSR based WC: 3986
Rin
Rhythm Echo: Afterimage  - A-rank (2063/2063)
Mind Read - 188/188
Fear Pull - 188/188
Hell Viewing Technique (375/375)
Genjutsu Choking (1125/1125)

47 words remaining going towards block on vis (see above)

Approved

Also Memorizing Chakra Signature for Remika under the name "Scary Night Lady" unless provided with an actual name (For Rin and LC's)