It was an odd thing, receiving a Soul Crystal directly rather than having to get one through connections, theft, or the hands of the fallen. It had only happened once before, when he had aided in defeating the vengeful king of the tonberries, and received his Scholar stone as his requested "knowledge." Considering the rarity and power of the things, the last thing the Dunesfolk had expected was being freely handed another one. And yet here Gogonji was, in possession of the crystallized memories of an ancient Warrior. Given unto him by an ape of a man named Curious Gorge.
There was a lot of words that had come rumbling out of the mountain of a Roegadyn, some of it surprisingly eloquent for a brutish hulk such as him. Words about controlling one's inner beast, and how the Lalafell's great rage was something that needed to be tempered and controlled. Ha, he had no idea how finely tempered Gogonji's rage was. It was like a well-honed blade deep within his breast, ready to be wielded against both the murderers of his people as well as those that refused to aid in the aftermath. He merely needed a plan of attack and the strength to see it through.
If that wasn't laughable enough, the fool had muttered aloud about how he had lost himself to something similar in the recent past. That he would compare his bemoaning of a way of life simply fading into obscurity to the razing of Doma and the death of hundreds - not to mention the displacement of hundreds more - was almost comically pathetic. He even went so far as to proclaim that he'd prove his new methods of teaching through "helping" Gogonji, like the Lalafell was a broken wagon wheel that needed mending. The eldest Gegenji child had entertained the thought of striking the fool down to show the yalms of difference between them, but had dismissed it with a shake of his head. He was still formulating his plans, and couldn't risk them over a brief, violent moment of self-indulgence.
And so he indulged himself in a different manner, locked away once more in his frigid little cabin with naught but his thoughts and the flitting form of Ezra to keep him company. He had taken to leaving the Rouser with his Scholar stone on at all times, for both the company and the ready access to a tactical mind not unlike his own. He only turned it off in times such as these, when he had a new stone to attune to through the original Awakener. The last time had been with another relatively new stone - collected through the usual means - that he had hunted down after his attunement to the Black Mage crystal. The Summoner crystal had yet to get its own Rouser due to the costs of construction, but already provided ample access to more destructive mathemagical formulae than the ones he had become so accustomed to.
And now a method to possibly weaponize the very fury that welled up within him? To bring that tempered blade of anger within his breast and make it manifest? Such thoughts added a certain level of swiftness to his movements as he adjusted the dials for his newest acquisition, goading it to life in short order. Without hesitation, he pressed his fingers against the familiar cold smoothness of the Awakener and plunged into the memories of the soul within.
"-rward, continue charging forward!"
Gogonji was in already in motion, his muscled mass pounding across the rocky terrain. A few arrows found purchase against his leathery hide, but that only fed his rage. The wordless bellow that he hadn't even realized he was making cut short as he brought his axe 'round in a murderous arc. The archer, to his credit, had enough wherewithal to retreat from the Roegadyn's approach, but his bow now lay sundered on the ground between them. And what was an archer without his bow?
He was good as dead, that's what, and the Miqo'te knew it well enough as he retreated as quickly has his skittish feline feet could carry him. Gogonji wasn't about to let him escape that easily, however, and burst into hot pursuit. His opponent's bronze eyes flit back towards him as the Roe's leather-bound feet crunched against the loose assortment of dirt and rock, and quickly started trying to dart and weave around the various outcroppings and obstacles. The cat was agile, Gogonji granted him that much, but he only needed to slip up once and the Warrior's axe would be slaked in blood once more. The Hellsguard found himself grinning at the thought of it.
All around him, combat continued to roar. His kinsmen against a tribe of Seekers that had overstepped their boundaries. The young, scar-less Nunh had proudly claimed this stretch of mountain as his, and Gogonji and his well-weathered clan were more than willing to refute that claim. The fleeing Tia was likely silently damning his patriarch for his foolish pride. Or, at least, he should be.
The chase rounded a bend, and the aforementioned smooth-skinned Miqo'te stood before him atop a boulder. Of course he was atop a boulder, he was thought himself above everyone else, after all. The weaponless Archer was scampering that way, apparently to seek protection from his leader. What a foolish thought, since Gogonji would simply crush his way through the Nunh to get to him if he had to. And yet, something nagged at his mind.
"... -bviously an ambush. Miqo'te archers are likely positioned here and here and..."
An arrow caught him in the shoulder with a solid thunk, and the Hellsguard's red eyes flitted briefly towards the source of the attack. A good dozen female Miqo'te sprouted from the rocks like weeds, their bows drawn and leveled at him. It was only the Nunh's raised hand that kept them from loosing the rest of the arrows. The first had been a warning shot, a show of the Seeker's supposed superiority over the Warrior. Emphasis on supposed, he thought with a grin.
"Ngraaaaaaaah!" Gogonji roared as he continued his rush, his target changed from the weaponless Tia to his smirking leader. The Seeker let out an almost dismissive sigh and dropped his arm, and the arrows flew. Some struck naught but stone, while others managed to be deflected by the amalgam of leather and metal the Hellsguard wore. Many, however, found purchase and sunk deep into Roegadyn flesh. And yet the Warrior would not stop.
The Nunh's eyes widened in alarm and he screamed at his tribe to reload and fire again, and they did with practiced precision. More arrows came and more decorated his arms, legs, and body. And yet the Warrior would not stop.
The male Seeker was looking worried now that the Roegadyn was mere fulms away now and turned to retreat from his perch, but it was too late. With a grunt, Gogonji hurled his axe at the cat and caught the would-be escapee in the shoulder and sent him spinning. The female Miqo'te didn't need orders now, firing wildly to protect their foolish Nunh. The hurried nocking and firing meant many of the arrows missed their mark, but a few still managed to strike true. And yet the Warrior would not stop.
A bounding leap brought the Hellsguard up onto the rock with the Nunh even as he righted himself and clutched at the gaping wound in his shoulder. The axe had landed with a clatter somewhere beyond the boulder, too far to worry about reclaiming, but the Warrior didn't need it. Thick, muscled fingers wrapped around the Seeker's neck and he was lifted off the ground and held aloft like a victory flag. He flailed and scratched and kicked as best he could as his jugular was crushed under the unrelenting grip. And the arrows continued to find purchase.
And yet...
Gogonji...
would not...
The Dunesfolk's hand jerked away from the Awakener, his eyes wide and his breath coming in short, sharp gasps. He had been through a half-dozen of these now, but he had never encountered such a vivid account of the soul's death. He could still feel the phantom pains where the last arrows had caught the Hellsguard in the neck. The Warrior had died with the suffocated Nunh still held tight in his hand, bearing more arrows than a quiver in his flesh. Gogonji had heard tales of great generals in Doma who died standing on the battlefield, but he had never imagined such things were actually possible.
Was this the strength of one's Inner Beast?
And what of that brief thought just before the ambush? The memories were quickly fading into obscurity, but the Lalafell was certain he had encountered thoughts that were neither his nor that of the Hellsguard Warrior. Acting on a hunch, he rolled up his left sleeve to check on the Rouser there. Just as he had guessed, the Scholar gem was still alight. In his rush to tap into the knowledge encased in his newest Crystal, he had forgotten to turn the device off.
He had used two stones in conjunction before, but only after attuning to them and locking away the memories deep within his subconscious. While he had originally suppressed the soul of the Scholar, the flood of memories of the newest stone had jarred the mental cage loose for the briefest of moments. Long enough for the ancient Nymian to intrude, albeit briefly, on the battle. At the very least, it proved Gogonji's concerns about having the Rousers on when attuning to a new stone. He would have to be extra cautious in the future to avoid any additional bleeding of memories.
Gogonji was to be the master of these Soul Crystals, not the other way around. They would be the vehicle with which he would execute his plan. A plan that became more and more clear in the Dunesfolk's mind with each passing sun...
~