Chi

WORK IN PROGRESS

Chi (chi0san)

Summary

A woman of little known origin who stumbled upon the land of Paradise. She quickly gained the trust of the towns people and settled into a peaceful lifestyle. This woman with remarkable skills of brewing and building opened her own bar with a friend in two towns one a ghost town the other busy city. Though she is a bit weary of the towns people and hardly talks to anyone outside the military leader who welcomed her and her spouse shockingly who is his "sleep paralyses demon" soon though she hopes to learn more about those towns and herself.

Origin

She seldom talks about where she came from and how she wondered into the land where she now resides. But if asked Chi will tell you this.

"I am unsure of where I was born but I do remember a seemingly magical place. All light was snuffed when I came too not a shred of light I couldn't tell if my eyes were even opened or closed without touching my face. Stumbling through the darkness eventually I did happen to come across a single blue flame. The flame like wisps guided me through a near labyrinth of stairs and halls. Prevented me from falling to my death many time through the journey in fact. I figured one adventure was enough for me so I started wondering. Lucky for me a town was near by and they quickly set me up on my own in what's now the Frost and flame tavern... we'll end the story there"

Her life story Is mostly a mystery but It can be assumed she's not fully human although she looks it. Through further inspection It has been determined She is a homonculious; better known as an artificially made human. No branding can be found on her skin so her maker is unknown. The only clue she has is her red crystalized arm which is fully functional. The second best clue she has is faint blue light and the memory of purple glowing crystals. (Assumed to be some sort of crystal imbued with magic)

The crystal growth

After spending months in her tavern a growing feeling in her gut began drawing her back to the first thing she remembered. She needed to go back, and soon. Taking a trip over to the ruined fort the next day she found herself confused by her transfixion of the place. Almost as if she knew every inch by heart she started walking through the place. Making her way to a small basin of water that could fit a person in it like it was meant to be stepped in. Next thing she knew she was underground staring at a beautiful tree and stairs. Luckily bringing a lantern with her she made her way down hoping to find a way out as she could go the way she came from. During her visit she felt her body grow weaker and heavier. Confused she found the exit quickly making her way back home to sleep the weariness away. Days went by and things started getting weird first her hand getting stiff, then changing colors, then crystals? Concern made her go back a sinking feeling in her chest growing and the absence of memory making her fear what's happening to her. By this time half of her arm had been coated in blood red crystals. She gained the ability to use her hand again but adjusting to the change was scary and hard. She couldn't hide it well so she went back to the ruins hoping going back would revert the effect. Maybe she did something wrong and was cursed? The moment she stepped into the ruins- something was different about this visit.She began searching the ruins more closely hoping for a clue. With no luck after searching every nook and cranny above ground. She made her way to the tree again. The stairs dark yet some how also glowing faintly with something she doesn't remember. Magic? Her heart dropped. What if is this place was cursed and she was trapped in a jump spell... She had heard of mages in other towns from a friend she had made. Hollow steps echoed around her. The place that seemed comforting the first time now eerie and terrifying. What was happening to her? reaching the bottom of the ruins once again she was faced with something new and far more magical than she thought possible. She knew mages were still around though far weaker than they used to be. How she knew that wasn't the point but the portal standing before her was strange and enthralling demanding her to go through it. One hand, foot, than her whole body fell through the frame leading her somewhere she wasn't familiar with at all. Though there was a blue and familiar light shining within. Drawing her in. A hand. A face. gone. The purple haze pulling her thrashing her around and spitting her out the other end to goodness knows where. It was dark and empty? No. There were tents and a fire somewhere. Dragging herself up she was faced with another ruin but this time it was made of something new and there was something floating above the water in the middle. She had no idea where she was. But this is where our true story begins.

The rift

PT. 1) The night was long and the tunnels longer. Exploring abandoned mines was proving futile; they collapsed for a reason. Maybe this was for naught? But that wasn't going to stop her. Ruins are never that small; there had to be more to it than that tiny portion that she had seen. Maybe she had to go deeper? The tales she's heard of a massive and ancient city lying in wait for its people to return had to be true. If so, maybe it held the truth behind what and who she was. The moment she fell out the first portal was where she could no longer be satisfied with the mindless and meaningless life she was leading before in that ghost town. These people. This city…. This ruin. My ruin. All of them had connections in one way or another they were connected to those giant crystals. Clenching her arm she swung her pick once more out of desperation. The echo of the stone and drips of sweat against her skin the only thing of comfort she could come across aside the small specks of glittering red she used to follow her path. She had learnt early on she didn't need to eat or drink if she didn't want to. There was another life source she could live off of. Bloodshed. And this world has plenty of it. Food did taste good and made her more energetic but it wasn't needed. So she wouldn't surface till she found the rest of the ruin.

Pt. 2)

The endless digging and searching of caves had led her to this point. It was here. How it was here of all places was interesting and confusing. But when she took everything into consideration. It made sense how the bottom and top got separated like this. Now to uncover everything here. There had to be a clue here about what she was and who these people were. Endless crumbling halls of pitch black stone and red vine like crystals were the only sight within this place. She could just barely see her feet thanks to her eyes adjusting to the dark ages ago. Unbeknownst to her it wasn't that she had adjusted, it was that her eyes had changed completely. Now softly glowing and pupils slit like cats to narrow in on a target. Her hand slit across the wall tracing the cracks and veins hoping it would guide her through the area. Soon enough she found herself at a dead end with something engraved on the black stone walls. What did the words mean?

'Uif qbttbhf dbo cf pqfofe cz uiptf pg dpssvqufe cmppe. Cf xbsofe gps podf jotjef pof nvtu tvggfs boe hspx hsfbu bnpvout up ibwf uif dibodf up sfuvso.'

What did this mean? Reaching her hand out to the letters to trace them in an attempt to guess their words. She flinched when red sparks went flying towards her hand. Nothing had happened other then that. So she thought anyways, the crystals in that hall started to palse like a heart beat. In the midst of her studying those words a sudden pull brought her backwards. Her body couldn’t catch itself on anything and she began falling. And falling. And falling… Panic reached her heart and she screamed reaching for the last glimpse of that small ledge. Missing it but mere inches she let out soft tears and a silent sorry to her lovers.