Dreams and Nightmares

[Tidus Revok]

Nishaio was still crouched in the same position, somewhat surprised by several very distinct, very connected facts:

First, the fact that Falkan Reval and his companions were completely overwhelmed by a small opening attack. True, the amulet allowed him to completely vanish, but the fact that his first attack had connected so well didn't feel right. The warrior who had faced him in the tournament would have responded much quicker.

Second, the lack of an immediate counterattack, or at least an attempt at one, was also out of character for the V'alcan. Something about his stance now suggested a more relaxed individual than the one who fought in the tournament. Maybe it was just the environment, but Falkan seemed more patient than before, as if he'd been tempered by years of battle. It had only been a few months since the tournament, though, so that couldn't be the reason.

Third, there was the fact that Reval went for his longsword and completely ignored the Android's sword. That had several implications of its own. It meant either than he didn't really know how powerful the sword was, or that he had some reason to choose his other sword. Maybe both. Still, anyone who fully understood how dangerous even a small part of Pravent's form could be would certainly handle it differently. That had to be it. Reval didn't understand what he had.

Maybe killing the warrior wasn't the way to handle the situation at all. Not only did it appear that Reval's heart wasn't in a fight, it occured to Nishaio that given the recent events on Dragonia, any warrior that could go toe to toe with him was more valuable as an ally than a corpse...at least until the sudden death and rebirth of an entire panet could be explained. While it was true that Nishaio's original mission to retrieve and destroy the last piece of the Android Pravent remained a high priority, the whole purpose of the mission was to put a stop to an evil that wiped out entire planets. Why should he ignore the plight of this planet then? If Pravent regained his true form, it would be a nightmare for sure, but it looked like he was still completely dormant in the sword. There would be time to deal with it later.

Suddenly, he stood and deactivated his amulet. Visible again, he walked slowly - for a Falcome - toward Falkan and the other man, hands raised in a universal sign of non-agression. If either attacked, a fight was still not out of the question.

[Garoten Reklor]

Falkan whirled the moment his eyes caught the figure of Nishaio to his left. The man simply appeared out of thin air, it seemed, but if that were the only 'impossible' thing Falkan had ever seen, his response would have been different. As it was, he took a measured stance and carefully watched the other man approach, hands raised. before his return to Faerdone, he probably would have unleashed on Shimata with his full fury, but things had changed. A hard learned lesson had been that sometimes patience must prevail.

Still, it didn't make sense. Why would the strange, silent warrior attack for no apparent reason, then suddenly come looking for a truce. It was erratic behavior to be certain. Finally Shimata came within ten feet of Falkan and Ryan, and Falkan gestured with his sword that it was far enough and eyed the man carefully.

"That's close enough. I hate to trouble you to break your vow of silence, or whatever, but I think I speak for everyone when I say we're going to need an explanation for that attack."

[Tidus Revok]

Nishaio lowered and crossed his arms when his soon to be ally spoke. It made since for him to ask for an explanation, but Nishaio Shimata did not explain himself. Ever. In fact, he had not found anyone on this planet worth of even talking to so far, except maybe this one. This man had given him a good fight and carried a since of honor that came close to the code of the Tenju. After a few minutes of silence, he nodded his head and spoke. His voice was unexcpected, really, much deeper and softer than people thought it would be. He spoke quietly, which was fine because his voice carried so much authority, it didn't need to be loud.

"I attacked because I chose to. Tenju do not explain themselves. The attack is done. Instead, I propose an alliance now, at least until the danger to this planet has passed. Then we can finish our business, Falkan Reval."

He ended with a nod toward the android sword, testing to see if the V'alcan really knew what he had.

[Garoten Reklor]

Stunned by the actual, verbal response he had received, Reval thought for a long moment before responding to Nishaio. The 'Tenju' response to his demand for an explanation sat well with Falkan, where it might have been problematic for most. The fact was that it was a very similar repsonse to what he himself might have given. Clearly Nishaio viewed himself as a member of an elite group who saw it as demeaning to explain themselves - a trait shared by the V'alcan people. There were even times in V'alcan history where full scale invasions of other nations had been explained - or not - in a similar manner.

There was never a need in Falkan's mind to fight this man in the first place, so an alliance was by far the most desirable circumstance as far as he was concerned, especially since Shimato hinted at a knowledge of some crisis on Dragonia after all. But he still seemed dead set on fighting again, eventually:

"Then we can finish our business, Falkan Reval."

It had something to do with Pravent's sword apperantly. Still, Falkan had no idea what. No matter, it could be discovered easier from a friend than a mortal enemy. Besides, the challenge of fighting Nishaio again would be enough on its own to merit another bout. After a long silence, Falkan nodded.

"Agreed. I look forward to settling whatever score you wish, but if this place is in danger, I'd much prefer to handle it first. Now, what can you tell me about the situation here on Dragonia?"

[Tidus Revok]

Nishaio was glad to hear Falkan's answer.

"I was in the jungle training when I suddenly passed out...that's not something that happens to my kind, ever. I awoke to find a burned, ruined wasteland, but no damage to myself..."

As he explained what had happened, the sudden loss of consciousness, waking up to fires, ash, and a Dragonia completely devoid of life, he took extra care to leave Garoten out of the story. He might still need the boy's help in six months, after all. As he came to the end of his explanation, he remembered the encounter with Kihaku and his student.

"There are others who witnessed the same events as I. Still, I awoke only hours ago to find everything as it was before. I would have suspected the whole ordeal to be a dream, but...it wasn't. Somehow it was as real as anything I've ever been through. Still, here we are, safe and sound."

He knew if Reval had any since, he would simply dismiss the incident as a nightmare, just the result of too much trianing. That was why he made his next suggestion.

"I think we should find the others that I encountered and check on them. At best, we find out it was a dream, that your suspicion and my memory are both mistaken. Still, I think we'll discover something very different."