Well after a week i'm finally done getting rid of stuff, giving stuff away, and preparing buni for Apollonious, so the Shadowbuni you all once knew is now gone. Take it easy on Apollonious i left some big sandals for him to fill lol.
And well i got a little bored at work so i wrote a nice long story as to how this all came about lol. Hope you enjoy.
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Shadowbuni's Death Part #1
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This is being retold from the memories of the Tales Keeper, and thus may be a bit fuzzy but bare with me in the end it should be clear.
One day Shadowbuni had followed Merodi and an Elvaan Ranger he did not recognize out to the Tavnazian Stronghold. Lurking in the shadows he watched from afar, trying to listen in on what was being said. To no avail he was to far to hear anything audible. He watched as they conversed. They began to make for Lufaise Meddows Shadowbuni hid behind some rocks as they passed.
They arrived out in the fresh air with Shadowbuni following shortly behind them. Shadowbuni took a deep breath and fell back for a while, it had been a long while since he'd smelled fresh air and the fragrance of flowers, with a lite hint of Merodi's scent lingering in the wind. Merodi and her friend made it out to the cliffs edge over looking the long gone Tavnazian Island.
Shadowbuni finally caught up to them and stood from behind a large rooting tree stump as he watched them from afar. He silently watched and waited for something to happen............ Nothing happened, all they seemed to be doing was talking and enjoying the view.
He then backed away, with his fears eased slightly and set out to find the flowers he had smelled earlier. He came upon an old dilapidated house with a large flower bed covering the whole field in front of the house. "Who could have planted and cared for these flowers, the house has long since been gone and these plants are young and blooming...", he wondered as he searched out that special scent of a white rose he smelled. There it was in the middle of the field, "Heh there it is, wow, just blooming open, its perfect, a beauty of a flower fit for a gift for my beloved Merodi." He approached it and plucked it from its roots, cleaned off a few dieing peddles and removed the thorns with a knife he carried in his pouch.
Drew from his pocket a polished shiny silver ring with his name inscribed on the inside. It was his masterpiece that belonged on the finger of his true love. Tied the ring to the base of the rose petals with a silk green thread. As he marveled at his idea of the perfect way to propose, he remembered the friend who was with her that he knew not of....... "Who could that be?" "I've never seen him around before...." Blasted dirty Elvaans.... Always wanting everything for themselves" All these thoughts flooded his simple mind. And with one thought they all disappeared, The warmth of Merodi's smile as he embraced her in his arms. Secured the ring to the rose and began his way back to them.
He made it to the stump, there they were as the sun was setting. "Damn it that Elvaan is still with her, what in Promathia's name could they be talking about! Well I'll just have to do this with him there, gahhh!, why don't my plans ever work out....."
As he came out from behind the stump 3 Fomors appeared out of thin air behind Merodi and the Elvaan. "MERODI!!!!!!!!!" he screamed as he ran towards them to help. She turned around to see the fomors standing behind them, quickly jumped onto her feet, drew her sword, and pounced onto the Dragoon Fomor's Wyvern sending its skull crashing through the rock cliff. With one swipe of the sword the fomor's dropped to its knees. Thud! The Fomor's helm toppled over as the body fell limp. "Heh, that's my princess ready for anything." Shadowbuni Quietly Thought to himself. She turned to her friend in time to watch the Fomor Dark Knight Swipe its scythe dropping the Elvaan to the floor unconcious. "Daitsuke!?, my best friend and her brother, how could i not have known..... there was nothing to worry about, gah! why did i let my rage take over my thoughts..... I could have been here to stop this.." he thought as he ran up to them sent Ramuh forth to finish off the Dark Knight.
"BUNI!!!! Look Out!" Merodi Screamed as she was casting Stun on the Samurai who had flanked him in the process and was going in for a kill attack. Shadowbuni turned around to see the Samurai's Great Katana as it went straight though the golden silk and cloth of his Vermillion Cloak.
Squish! The Samurai was now frozen in place, as Shadowbuni looked down at the Katana as it Gashed through his stomach..... Ramuh's Strike landed dead on the Samurai as he vanished into thin air, it was too late.
"No, this isn't the way its supposed to happen, I'm supposed to propose and we live happily ever after.....I can't die here this can't be, Why!! WHY!!!!!" He thought as he fell over and the rose slipped out of his hand. Cling! Clank! the Ring and rose bounced off the cliff edge. As he laid there with Merodi by his side a distant splash could be heard as tears began to roll down his cheek.
"Its Ok I can fix this..... I can fix this!!!......If I can't fixed this Apollonious will fix it he can fix anything!!!!! You can't go not yet!!!" Merodi cried as she quietly brushed his hair and wiped Shaodbuni's tears.
*Cough* "Its...... too late...... the wound..........*cough* is straight through.....there's nothing anyone.......*cough, blood lightly sprays from his mouth* can do..............
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Shadowbuni's Death Part #2
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Merodi sat there holding Shadowbuni's head as the life left his eyes and they closed for the last time. "NOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She screamed as his eyes shut. She pulled his head close to her heart. Leaned over and whispered "no matter what i will find a way to bring you back."
Datisuke finally came to, to see Merodi curled in a fedle position holding Shadow. "What happened!? WHAT HAPPENED!?" Merodi looked up at Dait as he tower over her and began to cry.
"He's gone........... They took him away.............."
"What!? How!? Who!?" He muttered as he looked at the blood soaked Vermillion Cloak that Shadow once worn with such pride.
"We must get Apo!, He can fix this.............He can fix this"
"I don't think this is within even Apo's Power" he said as he knelt down to try and comfort Merodi.
"Shut up, Shut up, SHUT UP!!!! HE CAN FIX THIS,†She cried as she pushed Dait away. "Help me get him to the safe hold we can contact Apo there."
"Okay..." he said quietly as he picked up the galka's large legs. "Ugghh, was he always this heavy?"
"..........."
As the night fell they finally reached the Safehold. They got Shadowbuni to a bed and sent out message for Apo to get there quickly. The next day Apollonious arrived. As he walked into the room Merodi flew into his arms and cried "He's gone, he can't be gone you have to fix this"
"What in Promathia's name are you talking about? Why is my special Mithra crying?" She pulled away, grabbed his hand and led Apo to the bed. As they stood over the dead soulless galka that once was Shadowbuni, Apo screamed "How?" He knelt down and removed the cloak he had given Shadow so long ago. "This is too deep, this is beyond the powers of a White Mage. I'm truly sorry Merodi there's nothing I or any White Mage can do to fix this." She got up and slapped Apo so hard he fell back onto the floor, "I'm sorry."
"You're useless! How can you say there's nothing you can do, how great can you be if you can't bring the dead back to life"
"I'm sorry but its beyond the powers of White Magic, we merely cure wounds and bring people back into consciousness, we can't raise the dead!"
"So it can be done?"
"What can be?"
"I can have my Buni back!"
"No, it’s forbidden.... It mustn’t be done, there are prices to pay that can't be taken back."
"Tell me! Tell me now!!!!!!!!!! You must tell me if you value your life" She cried as she drew her sword to Apo's throat. *Clank* Her sword hit the floor. "I'm sorry, please tell me I need to know................I must try to bring him back.........."
"I'm sorry I don't know too much. Its rumored the ninjas in Norg may practice in forbidden magic they take as their own."
"Please, take us to Norg, I want to know for myself for sure"
"I can't take us directly there but within walking distance." They grouped around the bed and Apo began to cast a teleportation spell. Within the blink of an eye once he finished they arrived at the crystal of Yhotar Jungle. They made their way to Norg. Once they arrived there Apo and Merodi went to talk with Gilgamesh. They had a long talk about it and Gilgamesh agreed to help because of Shadowbuni. Mer and Apo wondered what could be so special about Shadow to Gilgamesh there was no allegiances between them that they knew of, but they ignored it in hopes of finding a way to bring him back. He sent them to speak with Ryoma.
“I’m sorry I no longer have the information you seek, I wish I could help but I had given all the information I had about this I gave to a Galka a long time ago.â€
“Whom did you give the information to? Who was the Galka?â€
“I don’t remember his name he was some Galka, nothing too special he just knew a lot about this method. Oh wait I remember something I think he was a Summoner, quite odd for a Galka to take up magic if you ask me. But who was I to judge he seemed happy and well off. And he paid quite well for the information.â€
“Shadowbuni?†Bursted out from the mouths of Apo and Merodi’s.
“Yeah, I think that’s what his name was.â€
“Tell us about what you gave him.â€
He explained everything he had given Shadow about bringing the dead back to life. But the only thing of importance was that it was a dark magic and to perform the spell properly would require a beating heart to be paid for such a powerful spell. In other words a living sacrifice of equal value as the life that was lost. But all attempts that have been tried failed due to the bodies coming back to life but being empty. Even the darkest of magic could do nothing to control a soul. It was up to the soul to find its place.
“So we could fix the wound and give him life again?†cracked from Merodi as tears rolled down her cheek.
“Yes but it would be soulless, in other words not the same person you once knewâ€
“I see, so we could bring him back but its up to him whether or not he comes back completely?†Apollonious asked as he comforted Merodi.
“Yes, exactly it is up to the soul to find and return to make the body complete. There is nothing we can do about that.â€
A week went by and they finally made there way back to Windurst. Merodi rushed into Shadows home and ransacked the place in search of the information. Behind some books about the history of the avatars she found it. There it was his notes and the information about raising the dead. She dropped the work on the floor once she turned to the incantation page and saw her name in the spell. Apo finally found his way to the room and stood behind her. “What’s wrong?â€
“Have I ever died?â€
“What do you mean? Why would you say that?â€
“My name, my name is in his notes? Why is my name in his notes…………..â€
“Hmm, well, hmm I don’t know…………. He couldn’t have, he said you had been gone so long because of a long journey…………No that can’t be…. it must be a mistake.â€
“What do you mean gone? I’ve never been gone, what are you talking about I’ve never been gone for long.â€
“A few months ago, Shadow came to me saddened and very dark, he said you had gone away on a long journey, and then you came back a few days ago.â€
“Was I dead………..†She began to try and remember but there was nothing it was all too vague to remember anything. “Well if he did it for me then I will do it too and pray he can find his way back to me in this world.†She prepared the room for the spell and asked Apo to bring in Shadow’s body.
“Are you sure you want to do this? What if he doesn’t find his way back?â€
“Shut up! How can you say that? He’ll find his way back to me I know he will and I’ll be waiting for that day.†She proceeded to chant the spell. Apo decided to leave the room and closed the door behind him. Hours passed, time seemed to pass endlessly. And then Merodi came out of the room in tears and sweat. She quietly said “I’m done with the spell, I brought his body back to life.†She then ran out of the house and left Windurst before Apo could stop her. Apollonious then walked back into the room and found Shadowbuni Staring back at him but he seemed empty. His soul was gone it wasn’t the Shadowbuni they once knew and loved.
“Oh dear, what have we done………..†Apo whispered as the galka slowly raised his hand towards Apo and handed over a letter.
“Here the girl who just left told me to give this to a bald man named Apollonious. Is your name Apollnoious?â€
“Yes, yes it is………You don’t recognize me at all………..?†He said as he opened the letter.
“Apollonious I’m sorry but I can’t stand to look into his eyes. They are empty; there is no love in them. I can’t bear to see his eyes staring back at me without the love I once saw in them. This isn’t the galka that took my breath away; he isn’t the galka I gave my love to so willingly. I can’t bear to be near him without him knowing about me, or my feelings for him. Please take care of him until his soul finds its way back. I will wait until that day happens. For now I can’t be near him any longer. I hope you understand. I’m sorry for doing this to you and thank you for taking care of him.
-Merodiâ€
Edited, Fri Dec 16 18:40:58 2005 by shadowbuni