Training for Iman al...ect.

[Danikat]

((I was going to start this by asking you to post your arrival at the Training Dojo so I can get an idea of what you've picked up already but it seems you've already done that so ))

[Iman al-Rashid ibn Aali]

When Iman came around, he was almost too frightened to open his eyes. It was a strange sensation. Sure, he had been scared before, but not for a very long time. Hassan's training had focused on creating the ultimate sect of killers, and a killer paralysed by fear was useless. So Iman had learned to bury his fear so far down that it had never surfaced since.

~But... this place. It was strange enough before, but now?~

Eventually, he forced his eyes to open, hoping that all of this had been a dream. That he was back in Mongolia - where, six months after fleeing Alamut he had come face to face with a former comrade. But no... he was still in in the building. And the demon was still there. But strangely, she seemed to have been taking care of him.

~That's it! Either I'm dead, or I'm dreaming. Either way, things can't get much worse if I spoke~

Iman tried to open his mouth to speak, but his throat was so dry that his intended words came out as a series of coughs and splutters.

~Way to start the conversation, Iman!~

[Danikat]

((In this case its a very minor point but I suspect its going to apply later so I'm going to deal with it now:

You need to try and imagine what's actually going on, visulise where everyone else is in relation to you and keep track of it otherwise you're going to find yourself doing impossible things.

For example I said Danikat left the room but I never actually said she came back in again so in theory she shouldn't be there for that post. Otherwise you're controlling my character, which is power-playing (aka cheating).

But I was going to bring her back in again as soon as you posted so we'll let it slide for now.))

Danikat had just come back into the room when the man on the bed opened his eyes and began coughing. She put down the tray of food she had been carrying on a table by the door and picked up a glass of water.

Seeing the fear in the mans eyes she approached him carefully, holding the water out in front of her.
"Hello. I don't know if you remember but you just collapsed in my doorway and I brought you in here to let you recover. Do you have a name?"

((Bt the way do you know what I mean when I say power-playing?))

[Iman al-Rashid ibn Aali]

((Yes, I know about power-playing... just didn't think of it like that... sorry))

The demon was walking towards him, carrying what looked like... food? She really was looking after him. Whatever this thing was, she certainly wasn't living up to his expectations of what an embodiment of evil would be like. The way she was moving suggested that she was even trying to make him feel at ease. He'd used this trick before many times in order to win a targets trust, but the strange creature didn't seem to be contemplating that at all. If she'd wanted to kill him, she could have done when he was unconscious.

Iman watched as the... demon? - he was sure any more - put down the food and picked up a glass of water, and carried on towards him. Iman flinched away - despite all of his instincts telling him that he was in no danger, he couldn't shake the fear out of his mind. It's not every day you're nursed by a human-like creature with a bat-like wings, and a tail after all... he hadn't even noticed the tail until now.

Then, she spoke. "Hello", she said in a surprisingly softly spoken voice whilst offering him the water, "I don't know if you remember but you just collapsed in my doorway and I brought you in here to let you recover. Do you have a name?"

Iman hesitated for a second, but eventually took the water, taking a small sip. He couldn't remember a time when liquid hitting the back of his throat was so welcome. After a few minutes of staring into space he finally felt confident enough to answer.

"Thank you", he began, "I am Iman".

[Danikat]

((Well any instance of you controlling someone else's character or changing their position/actions, even if its just by accident like that, can be seen as power-playing. As I said that is a very minor example but I thought I'd get it out of the way now.))

Danikat was relieved to see the human looking a little calmer, although he still seemed terrified of something.

"If we're right and he's just arrived here of course he's going to be frightened. Even you found it hard when you first arrived." Arian interrupted her thoughts.
"Good point." Danikat agreed. "I'll go easy on him."

"Well Iman its good to see you awake. This might seem like a strange question but do you know where you are?"

[Iman al-Rashid ibn Aali]

The question wasn't nearly as strange as the creature evidently believed it did. Iman had spent weeks asking himself this question, with the answer always out of reach. It was only after seeing this demon... creature... person that he had come up with two possible answers. There was no way any of this was real - or at least not real in the world he came from. And seeing as his last memory on that world was having his shoulder pierced by the sword of a hashshashin, it was perfectly reasonable to assume that one of the possibilities was that he was dead. It would certainly explain some things - maybe Hassan had been right when he said that paradise was only available to those who served him. Perhaps this land was the punishment for deserting his brothers and his master.

But he had believed himself dead before and had been wrong. Perhaps he was merely unconscious, and everything that had happened since had been a dream. He never would have thought this creature would be a part of his imagination, but dreams were such strange things that almost anything was possible.

Nervously, Iman looked directly into the creatures human, oddly sympathetic eyes and allowed his fear to show in his voice, "Am I... am I dead?"

[Danikat]

The question suprised Danikat at first but considering the injuries this man had evidently suffered and his, presumably sudden, apperence in the Dojo maybe it wasn't such a strange assumption after all.

"Dead? No, not as far as I know. At least this place isn't any sort of after-life. I believe what had happened is that you've somehow slipped over to a diffrent world. But why don't you tell me what you know of your story and we'll work it out from there."

She sat down on the far end of the bed and reached over to the tray of food on the table, bringing it over to rest on the mans legs. And please, feel free to eat if you're hungry."

((The tray would have a bowl of fruit, some strawberry jam sandwiches and some buiscuits on it.))

[Iman al-Rashid ibn Aali]

The creature's answer settled it. He was dreaming. Did his mind actually expect him to believe that he'd "slipped over into another world?".

Nice try... now wake up!, he demanded to himself, thinking that if he tried hard enough, he could will himself awake. But nothing happened, WAKE... UP!!!! Still nothing. Finally, Iman retired to the fact that if he was to wake up, it would be when his mind wanted to and not the other way around. This was going to get very old very fast.

In the meantime however, he was feeling hungry. It wouldn't do any harm to take advantage of his imaginary nurse's hospitality. Picking up an apple, Iman let himself show a knowing smile.

"Another world, eh?", he said in between bites, "That's a new one."

[LordPsycho]

It was then that another person entered. Unlike the "demon", he appeared normal, though his attire was just as bizarre to the Arabian. He stood kind of short, very scrawny, and wore a long black coat of some type.

"You wished my assistance, Lady Danikat?" he asked.

He was curious of why he was being summoned at this time of all times. He had spent the past few days as a rock outside, just no longer wishing to exist, hoping to erode. What's the point of going on with his training now that his Master was dead.

But another student had relayed a message that Danikat was requesting his assistance, in human form no less. He figured the Sensei had always respected Danikat, so he might as well show the same respect now.

[Iman al-Rashid ibn Aali]

This crazy dream was getting crazier by the second. Now there was another person here... human this time, but dressed in the strangest clothing that Iman had ever seen, and as scrawny as he was when he was living on the streets of Acre, trying to steal enough food to stay alive - those days were long behind him.

"You wished my assistance, Lady Danikat?"

Lady Danikat? Iman assumed that he was referring to the winged creature... though calling her a "Lady" was a bit of a stretch even for his imagination. And he certainly hadn't heard Danikat ask for any assistance from anyone.

Iman finished his apple, before finally sitting up in his bed - a little too quickly, as he gave himself a slight headrush.

Finally, he felt he had to interrupt... "Erm... so who are you?", he asked the creature, before pointing at the scrawny little human, "And who is this?"

[Danikat]

"Yes Blackfoot I did. I think you might be able to help me with this gentleman here." Danikat answered Blackfoot at almost the same time Iman spoke.

"My name is Danikat, I have no formal title, Blackfoot here is just being polite. You're lucky to have found yuor way here as I happen to be in charge of teaching those new to this world how to get by, this place is known as the Training Dojo and was built for that purpose. Blackfoot here," She indicated the man who had just entered, "is a friend of mine who I asked to come here because I thought it might be more....reassuring for you to deal with one of your own kind."

She neglected to mention that Blackfoot was anything but human, it really wasn't what Iman needed right now and he looked human enough that it didn't really matter for now.

[Iman al-Rashid ibn Aali]

"Blackfoot... Danikat", Iman said disbelieving. He'd heard strange names before - particularly those of the crusaders from the west, but these had to be fake, "I hate to say this, but I think it's going to be difficult for me to get used to any of this from any race".

It was then that Iman began to stand up. He stumbled forward a little, but was eventually able to regain his balance. I must've fell on my head, he thought to himself. Now that would explain a few things... like why his brain was creating this nightmare.

"I must say", Iman went on, "It is reassuring however to know that humans do still exist in my haywire imagination. Only seeing demons until I wake up would be even more disturbing than this... situation".

[Danikat]

"As you can see, he seems a little confused still," Danikat explained to Blackfoot as she watched Iman finding his feet.

"A lot of people find this place a little...disorientating at first, esspecially if they've come from a fairly....erm....stable world, but don't worry, you'll get used to it eventually."

[Iman al-Rashid ibn Aali]

Get used to it? If he had it in him, he probably would have laughed. A lifetime on the streets, followed by five years of intense training and dedication to a sect of killers however, had sucked any sense of humour out of him. In its place was anger. And that was building up quite rapidly. Staring down the creature - which he finally noticed had the strangest coloured eyes he had ever seen... he'd never looked at her eyes until now. He was far too distracted by her other distinctive features.

In the name of Muhammad, Amin, he thought to himself, she has shown you kindness! At the very least acknowledge her with respect... she has a name!

It was with this in mind that his response became a lot more civil than it had first appeared in his head, "Forgive me, Danikat, but I won't be in this nightmare long enough to get used to it. I'll be awake sooner than later".

[LordPsycho]

"I see..."

Blackfoot walked around appreciatively, taking in the details of this latest entrant into the Dojo.

"I take it you are an Arab? Where is it do you hail from, stranger? Mecca, Jerusalem? By your dress, I'd say sometime between 12th and 15th century? Not that it ever changes in that regoin. Well, not like it matters, either. I'll tell you this, you may be in a nightmare, but it is no less real. You must have been some one special for the Dojo to bring you to it. I'd be lying to you if I told you I knew how this place works, but here, the impossible is possible."