A kingdom that was once filled with great promise was taken within the grasp of one's dark ambition and led to ruin. Now reborn, it is set to once again flourish as it was meant to be.
A land of strength and valor
Touched by the mystery of spellbinding magic . Let . your . legend . begin . here .
. CREATOR . Kyra || sn: Seen In Her Eyes
. INFO . KoS Founded || Dec. 2004 KoV Founded || July 2006
Forum put together by Kyra.
These are ongoing stories that other members are welcomed to join in on. If you want your story posted here, just send me a PM.
Another Kind of Darkness « Thread Started on Dec 10, 2008, 5:38am »
After parting ways with the former prince of Sendaria and his sister, Alyandra, Cole had led the others in another direction entirely, deeper into the darkness towards Lithia forest following nothing but the faint glow of a stone he now regarded with barely veiled skepticism. Turning a quick glance at Mara, he was careful with his words, knowing she was probably in no mood to be answering questions at this point. Instead, when he spoke, it was loud enough for even Liz and Aurelia to hear, "Who is this...Serai person we are supposed to be looking for?" he had trouble with the strange name; even speaking it brought forth no awareness or memory so he knew he was not mistaken in the knowledge that this was someone he didn't know. "And why are they so important?" he added as an afterthought, his musing tone barely concealing his curiosity. Surely, if this was someone of importance, he must have heard of them...or so he thought. Cole did not like not knowing things he ought.
Liz hadn’t exactly been thrilled with the notion of separating but things were not exactly something she liked in anyway. Two of the people she cared about were off god knows where, though she had every faith in both of them, and another was trapped in the castle with a shadow of her brother. Silence had taken over the group causing her to lose herself in her own thoughts causing a deep sigh escaped her. She followed behind Cole, walking along side her sister. Her gaze lifted as she heard Cole speak. Gaze shifted to Mara before she looked back to Cole and spoke. “She is someone who is caught up in the middle of the entire situation. The darkness sent her out here.” Kind of hard to explain exactly how, but she had been tossed out here by the darkness, and Cerdwyn herself was the one who told Liz to go find her.
Mara listened to what her friend was saying, and she did get it, but it didn’t make it any easier to accept. Mara was only just herself again and then thrust into this. Nothing about this really made sense or was easy for her. So she just held her tongue. She watched as Matthus created the stone, a brow arching a bit but she remained silent still. She watched the two leave, silently wishing them safe before turning and moving along with the others. She remained silent as they began walking; she had nothing to say really, the whole of everything was very upsetting and unnerving. As Cole asked about Serai her gaze lifted from the ground where it had been focused. She had forgotten he had no idea who this woman really was. Before she could speak Liz answered for her. “She was from Sendaria, but she left before you arrived.” Mara added in to clarify why he wouldn’t really know her name. Mara hadn’t even really been aware she was back until now, just fit along with everything else.
The information Liz offered didn't answer all his questions regarding this woman they were searching for but it was enough to ease some of his confusion. "I see..." he replied, though he really didn't. Instead of launching into another round of questions, he turned his attention to the stone in his hand which he lifted, directing it ahead of him. So far, there had been no change in brightness of the stone's glow, it remained as dull and faint as it had when Matthus handed it to him. However, when Mara spoke up, he turned to look at her. Something in her voice... "You knew her?" Even he could hear it, the ever present skepticism in his voice and it plainly said, underneath his question, 'Can she be trusted?
Mara looked at him a brow arching a bit. “Yes I knew her. She was a fellow ranger. I fought alongside her…” That was her way of saying that yes she trusted the woman. Cole would understand that. In any of the divisions you had to trust those though fought alongside. Mara had known Serai well enough, but the woman like everyone else had her secrets, and time had passed, it had been sometime since she saw her. Who knew what had occurred in the time. Lord knows enough had happened to Mara.
He knew before she spoke by that lifted brow that Mara did not like the insinuation in his voice and he found himself watching the play of thoughts that she didn't speak aloud as they flitted behind her eyes and the emotions they wrought. "Time can change many things..." he began softly, knowing he was treading dangerous ground in challenging Mara's word on the woman but Cole did not know her and yet, here he was, following a glowing stone out into God's knew where to find her when she could be just another puppet of what he had heard Liz call 'the darkness'. It was an apt name for the being that now wore Matthus's form back there in the palace...where his son was. He bit back once more on the onslaught of rage that threatened to drive him mad just as he had every moment since Cole had realized where Matthus transported them. He didn't have to voice this concern to Mara, knowing full well that she too bore the heavy weight of worry over their son's safety on her already tenuous mind.
Liz watched the two, she didn’t know Cole well, but she knew Mara fairly well, and disregarding the past couple of weeks she could see this heading down a wrong path. She would interject before Mara could response. “She only recently resurfaced, but she is against the darkness as much as we are.” Serai had seen the dark Matthus too. She had been going to see Cerdwyn for a similar reason as Liz had been, so in her mind it was safe to assume that Serai was on their side.
Mara’s gaze narrow on him knowing he was challenging her, but before lips could part Liz was swooped in to add in her thoughts. A look flashed in her eyes before she turned her head away focusing her attention in front of them. He knew what that look meant. And she was well aware of where their son was, it was a worry yes, but one she would handle as she had done before. Mara was no longer lost, she was here and she didn’t plan on going back to that state she had been in, she needed people to stop looking at her like she would.
He had not expected Liz to speak up so swiftly, and her voice brought his head around so that he could look at her over his shoulder as she spoke. There was a warning in her voice, just as there had been in Mara's. They both seemed to trust this woman and so it would seem, Cole must as well whether he liked it or not...which he clearly didn't. It was neither in his habit nor his very nature to trust a person he had never met. With a soft, barely audible, 'humph', he returned his attention to the stone in his hand but not before it settled on Mara briefly, noting the steely glint in her eyes and the stiff hold of her shoulders. Yes, he knew what that look meant. It meant, had they been at home, he would be in for a good screaming match. But they weren't at home. With a sigh, he lengthens his stride slightly, urging them onward in the direction of that dark blot of Lithia forest in the distance.
Meanwhile...
In the dark, all the sounds and smells of this unfamiliar forest assailed her in a rush. She loved this, the freedom this form allowed her. It thrummed through her, shuddering down her spine with every powerful stride that stretched her lean body long and coiled it tight again before launching her forward once more...over and over. The wind slicing across her muzzle was ripe with the rich scents of the forest which flew so fast that it became nothing more than a blurry tunnel on all sides. With an easy spring, she launches over a wide ravine, clearing the distance that was almost the height of ten grown men laid out feet to head as though it were nothing more than a small puddle. Still, it was not fast enough to fully stretch out these legs after spending so long in that other form in which her primal mind remembered nothing but darkness and vague impressions that seemed so...irrelevant now.
- - -
Well at least she seemed to appease him somewhat. She would simply shake her head a his obvious mistrust at their words. She could understand not fully trusting someone you didn’t know but with people who said they knew her to give such a blatant reaction. She just let silence fall over the group again as the continued deeper.
They walked for a bit, her gaze dropping a bit to the ground in front of her. Silence lingered but she didn’t actually mind, she really did have a lot to comprehend and compartmentalize. However, even as she was semi lost in her thoughts, she heard something. Her gaze shot up as she came to a stop, listening closer, the ranger coming out in her. She knew these woods better than the rest of their group. “Something is coming.” She had no idea what it was, something didn’t sound normal to her. Her gaze shifted to Cole, he was the only one with a weapon. She felt out of her element, she had nothing to defend herself or them if that was the case. It was then she noticed the stone was glowing bright… “Cole….” She spoke her gaze locked on the stone waiting for him to notice it. They were nearing Serai, but who knew what else was there, the darkness was the one that tossed her out here Liz said, it could have sent something else too.
The silence stretched and so too did their journey deeper in to Lithia forest. Here, amongst the dark trees and the quiet with nothing but a glowing stone and a single sword between the lot of them, Cole was aware more than ever of the darkness’s presence in the lands of Vangard. Perhaps it was paranoia, but he could almost feel it in everything so when he too caught that distant sound, so apart from the regular noises of the forest, he was already on alert in spite of Mara’s warning and he whipped around, his sword coming loose in one swift movement. He dipped his other hand, the one that still held the stone, to his boot and loosed a single dagger there before handing it to Mara knowing she could handle herself even with such a meager weapon. His instincts to protect so clouded his mind that it took him a minute to understand Mara saying his name, trying to get his attention. When he finally rips his eyes from the surrounding darkness to her, he follows her gaze to the stone in his hand and it's suddenly brilliant glow that was only getting brighter. Serai was out there…at least he hoped it was her and not some summoning of the darkness.
Running like this, fast and free as she hadn't run in what felt like a lifetime, it was difficult to keep in mind the two wolves and the warning that had been so evident in their brief encounter. They wanted her out of their forest and, at the time, she had been keen to oblige...that is until another scent slammed her full in the face, hot and inviting, making her throat and mouth burn for the taste of it. Prey. Without giving further thought to those two wolves, those simple beings, she veers off her course nimbly and plunges through the trees. The fleeting memory of the wolves and their warning was a faint obstacle easily dismissed with the tantalizing scent of prey in her nostrils. She was close now, close enough to hear their murmurings. In this form, they were just sounds with no meaning behind them. She could feel that other part of her stir in recognition of the sounds and, she had the sense that, if she wanted, she could make them out but...she didn't. The fight with those darklings had taken so much out of her and she hungered for a chase now. But...this prey wasn't moving; were she able to in this form, she might've smiled at that.
Liz’s gaze traveled around them, she was not at ease here. She really wasn’t the one that knew how to defend herself. That had been Matthus and Aly’s deal; Liz had always been stronger in other ways. As Mara came to a stop, a feeling of dread washed over her as she stopped too, pulling Aurelia to a stop as well. She listened, but she wasn’t sure what she heard, what was out there? Her attention shifted to the glowing stone as Mara brought it to their attention, eyes widening. They were close to her, but then what was out there that was alarming? Had the dark Matthus sent something
The dagger wasn’t much, but she felt better having something to help defend them. Cole was only one man, and there were four of them there. Gaze shifted away from the stone. Serai had to be close, but was she alright? And what on earth was out there? She focused on listening, whatever it was, it was coming at them and fast. She moved to place herself between Liz and Aurelia and the direction the sound was coming from, she wasn’t about to let something happen to them if she could avoid it.
It was coming at them fast now, and the stone was only getting brighter, almost blinding in it's brilliance. A sudden, nameless apprehension gripped him now. What was out there? It sounded large even from far away, and fast. Without needing to think about it, he shifted his position to match Mara's, placing himself between whatever was coming for them and Liz and Aurelia at his back. "If anything happens, I want you two to take the stone and run." he instructed in a low whisper. It was close now...very close...
The smell threatened to drive her wild but…they still weren’t running. Lips pull back, baring razor sharp teeth. They weren’t running yet. With a slight grunt of aggravation she puts on a final burst of speed before springing lightly, launching herself over that last thick wall of underbrush and over their little cluster to land on the opposite side. Her speed brought her sliding around to face them, claws gouging deep marks into the dry earth while, simultaneously, her powerful jaws opening in a snarling roar that echoed in the quiet forest deafeningly. A pair of wild, feral eyes fix on them as her muscles coiled, preparing to spring even as that vague part of her stirred a little more forcefully now but she brushes it off in irritation.
Liz’s stood there not really sure what to do as the other two moved in front of them. The sound of whatever was coming their way was not appealing. Liz would swallow hard, keep emotions below the surface. A faint muttered response was given to Cole’s command to run if they had to, though she didn’t like the idea of leaving them here and running away.
Her grip on the dagger tightened as she heard it approaching. What was it? And whatever it was seemed to be matching the increase in the glow of the stone. How could that be? Whatever was coming their way didn’t sound like Serai. She most defiantly had a more graceful step then that. As the thing came out in front of them hues widened. She could see it now, but she didn’t really know what exactly it was. It was big and didn’t look friendly, it was all she needed to know. There was no way they could out run this thing, did they stand a chance with a dagger and a sword. And why was the stone glowing so brightly? Where was Serai? She would come in handy as an extra pair of armed hands right now. Little did she know…
In the instant the beast lunged from the forest and over their heads to land in full light of the dim moon filtering through the trees and the suddenly blinding glow of the stone, Cole realized he had been well prepared for something, but not this. This…creature, so unlike anything he had seen before was surely the work of the darkness. It’s emaciated frame and dark, matted fur that was black as pitch night was only offset by the lambent glow of those eyes that were too intelligent, too fierce to belong to any normal animal of the wild. Sweeping an arm around both Liz and Aurelia, he pulls them both behind him as she shifts forward, his sword point out and ready though, what that could do against a denizen of the dark, he wasn’t certain but he would be damned if he wouldn’t try. The stone's glow was so bright, it was like a single star he held in his hand. He couldn't see and so, he passed it back to Liz blindly, not taking his eyes from the beast in front of him.
She had been ready to launch herself into the chase but...something...stilled her ready muscles, her aching jaws. The harsh glint of steel in the dim light as well as the brilliant glow of something else kept her hackles up in spite of the strange sense of familiarity from that vague part of her that was still attached to the other form, the one with a name and a voice. Those bright green oculars stare unwavering at the group of them, the wildness in them tempered only slightly by the confusion caused by the awareness of the other and it's sudden refusal to go back into the dark. It was a strange sensation that was only growing more intense with each passing second that they stared at her. Dropping into a crouch, her lips pull back to show those rows of razor sharp teeth as a growl rumbles from her chest as she takes a step forward.
Joined: May 2007 Gender: Female Posts: 35 Karma: 0
Re: Another Kind of Darkness « Reply #1 on Jan 1, 2009, 9:22am »
Liz stood there waiting, and when the thing appeared she stiffened as hues widened at the sight of it. What on earth was that? She would swallow hard as she not at all sure as what to do. Who even knew if that was the only one of them, if they ran, they might only find another one. Liz could barely take her eyes off the creature as Cole passed the rock back to her. She nearly dropped it before she looked down at it. The thing was so bright it was blinding. Why was it so intense? Where was Serai? Hues lifted scanning around as if she would appear.
Mara did not move her gaze; she kept it locked on the thing, looking for any sign of movement, waiting for any opening. She wouldn’t move, she didn’t want to risk angering the thing. All she had was the dagger, if she was going to use it, the move would have to be a calculated one, because she most likely would not get another chance.
Cole had never before seen anything like this creature, wild and obviously ferocious. Damn Matthus for sending them out on this wild hunt for a single girl in a forest this size with who knew what lurking in the darkness...from the darkness, even; because that was surely what this was, some denizen of darkness sent by the man-thing that wore Matthus's form. The brilliant glow of the behind him lit up the scene, casting it's skeletal frame, razor teeth and claws, and those bright, feral eyes into sharp, vivid relief.
The light...it was too bright. It hurt her eyes. It hurt and she growled at the pain and irritation, trying to see past the brightness with her now too sharp, too strong eyes. And now there was something in her way, a protector stepping forward to meet her advance. A defender. She protests it's interference and unwillingness to be frightened into running so she could give chase with an other worldly snarl of rage before coiling her muscles and lunging forward, a long, thin leg ending in glinting claws swiping at the air between them. The light hurt more still distracting her enough for the other to crowd her mind, the one inside who felt a recognition in looking into these pale, hairless faces. Confusion and indecision swam in those luminous yellow-green eyes.
Liz stood there, she didn’t dare move. Her gaze moved to the thing as it swung its claws at them. Oh not good they really could use another pair of hands with a sword or something. Serai had to be out there, the stone wasn’t glowing so bright for no reason. She looked back down to the stone, she had to trust her instinct, it might work. “Serai!!” She shouted loud enough that if the woman was around she should hear her. Now it was a risk, could anger the thing, but it already looked angry, and another weapon would help them.
Mara could see Cole out of the corner of her eye, but she didn’t look over. She didn’t even allow herself to flinch as the thing swung at them. It wasn’t close enough to hit them, not yet anyway. Her gaze remained on the thing, studying it. It was then that she realized there was something familiar about them, though she couldn’t place it. She wasn’t expecting to hear Liz’s voice, and that caught her off guard what was she doing? Then again it wasn’t hard to figure out. That stone was so bright perhaps Serai would hear them and come; she only hoped that the creature didn’t react to it.
« Last Edit: Jan 30, 2009, 3:51pm by Mara DeValian »
Joined: Mar 2008 Gender: Female Posts: 46 Karma: 0
Re: Another Kind of Darkness « Reply #2 on Jan 30, 2009, 2:00pm »
Tense muscles coiled reflexively, claws furrowing into the earth in preparation for a spring. Lips pulled back from teeth ready to rip these enemies limb from limb when that shriek shot through the air. It sliced through her like an arrow. Recoiling visibly, a vague consternation passes over those luminescent eyes as the veil between woman and beast dissolved. No! Stop!! Serai. I am Serai! The voice of reason shouted in her mind. Stop, I am Serai! I have to stop!!
The primal fury and instinct to protect oneself against all costs vanished with a few quick, alert blinks, leaving behind a pair of feral eyes glittering with an intelligence that was more than animal. It was human. As recognition swept through her, she felt her being, her humanness, all that made her Serai, rush up from the dark to fill that strange body; the Change began.
There is a short sound, like a choked whine before jaws were clamped down tight to stifle the sound. The air around the animal seemed to shimmer with a sudden heat in the chill night air. Then the shape before them began to distort, shuddering and curling inward as though to protect itself from something. In the same instant, the glow of the stone would suddenly intensify, shining brighter still as the animal began to change before their eyes.
The small clearing filled with the wet sounds of bone and muscle shifting sickeningly. The ribcage collapsed inward with a jarring crunch that hunched the figure over. Skeletal limbs shortened and that long tail withdrew. With two sudden snaps, hind legs jerked forward and brought her down roughly onto newly reformed knees and hands that were no longer clawed paws but small, sun toned, feminine hands shot out to catch her. Two more cracks sounded as her shoulders popped into proper placement. Steam rolled off the twisting form as black fur seemed to dissipate into the air leaving behind only smooth skin that was covered in patches of dried blood and was marred by wounds that were still in various stages of healing; at least most of them had stopped bleeding. Back arches as the spine recurves to a human shape, and the head is thrown back, a grimace of pain on the shifting face, collapsing in ward, jaw clicking back into place, gleaming white teeth retracting. Her breaths came in sharp, ragged gasps. It was very quick, perhaps taking place within the span of a minute but it felt like an eternity. Finally, near the end, a low moan is pulled from her clenched jaws, still rough like the snarl of a wild animal and it sharpens into a soft, womanly keening; teeth that were still retracting bared up to them before her head dropped to hang inches from the ground.
The stone’s glow continued to brighten through it all until it was blinding, until it hurt even through closed lids. Then, without any warning or fading, the light was gone as though someone had blown out a candle in a dark room. Where, only a moment before had stood that dark, snarling beast was now the small, thin figure of a woman-child known as Serai. When standing, the top of her head would have only grazed the chin of the man or come to eye level with the woman. She was naked and her bare skin was sweaty and covered in blood and streaks of dirt. Her hair hung in wet, tangled ropes around her shoulders and in front of her face. Those thin shoulders heaved with great, shuddering breaths as the last of the tremors shook through her small frame in occasional twitches. She had sunk into a half sitting, half laying down position with her legs tucked under her. Those trembling, sinewy arms were the only thing holding her up and it looked as though they might buckle at any second.
The moment of calm hung in the air like the calm surface of a lake an instant before a stone was to be thrown in. Lifting her head, she doesn’t look at the crowd of people standing in front of her, instead keeping her eyes closed against the stiffness in her movements. As she straightens her neck, a wince slices across her sweaty face, a sharply indrawn breath hissing through clenched teeth. “Ow.” The single word was dry & raspy, coming out slightly misshapen around a pair of fangs that, at that moment, finally slid from view with a visible shudder of her shoulders. Her head rose slowly, hesitantly, as though not quite sure she wanted to see what…who was standing in front of her. One shaky hand lifted to cover across her chest as eyes traveled up and up until they were peering straight into their faces just in time for a faint emerald glow to be seen fading into coal blacks depths.
« Last Edit: May 26, 2009, 11:53pm by Serai Dyrim »
Re: Another Kind of Darkness « Reply #3 on Feb 16, 2009, 10:45am »
They'd travelled hard and travelled fast. Their mounts showed that they were worse for wear, given their labored breathing and the lather on their flanks. The trio could not afford to be tardy, however. They had to catch up with the others...the heart and soul of this unexpected but necessary resistance. Matthus pushed them hard, more willing to lose the mount than risk that the Darkness might find his sister and Cole before they did. If they found Serai, it gave them a better chance, but even her strength and gifts were transitory, hardly reliable and not something Matthus wanted to bank the life of his loved ones on when they were faced against a creature such as this.
Rael, of course, seemed unperturbed by the hours they'd spent on the saddle. While even Matthus was beginning to flag from the fatigue, he seemed quite comfortabe and well-rested as they galloped along. That silvered mane flowed behind him, the matching bracer holding onto the reins just barely. The moonlight kept flashing from those amber eyes on his fingertips, making them burn like fire. Whenever the youngest Taulk's gaze would travel back to him, it was matched with that wolfish, uneven smirk...as though this all was simply some sort of elaborate comedy. It didn't match well with what she'd seen before...the ease with which he'd killed. His bemused expression was at odds with simplicity with which he brought death....bordering close to enjoyment.
They were close, however. Matthus could feel it. His magick was drawing them near like water draws a divining rod. They broke out from the trees to that path, the pair of horses coming out onto that forest trail, crossing the path of the very people they had been searching for. The group seemed to have stopped...the royalty facing a lone figure there, crouched upon the road. From the moonlight lancing through the trees, it wasn't hard to make out the fact that the lean frame there was that of a woman...a woman who was in a state of complete undress. Matthus reigned in his horse a bit...something the poor animal was only too happy to oblige with. He knew that form. It as Serai. He heaved a sigh of relief as everyone seemed to be...relatively... okay.
Rael brought his own mount up ahead of the one that held Matthus and his sister. Those violet hues looked over the naked woman...then the rest of the group that had to be Matthus' loved ones. Inexorably, his attention was brought back to the woman on the ground. Insufferably, he flashed that roguish grin back at the former Prince and his sister, that low, cool tone amused as it flowed through the air. "Matthus, you know me too well...trying to ply my cooperation with pretty little wenches. You really should try to clean her up before trottingher around in public. It makes a better impression." He chuckled in his own private amusement before his attention was drawn to the rest of the forest around them. He wheeled the horse around the group standing there in the road, covering their flanks. Nothing seemed to be amiss.
"We always long forbidden things, and desire what is denied us."
Joined: May 2007 Gender: Female Posts: 50 Karma: 1
Re: Another Kind of Darkness « Reply #4 on Feb 17, 2009, 10:38pm »
Elizabeth prayed that Serai was near. Whatever this thing was, it didn't look pretty, and it looked hungry. Elizabeth was not at all prepared for what came next. She stood there in disbelief as those changes began to take place. She couldn't even register it right away. She had seen some strange things, but this seemed to top them all. That light in her hand got so bright to the point where she had to shut her eyes. And then suddenly it was dark. Hues flashed open confused as to what the hell was going on. When she caught sight of the figure again, it was nothing like it had been before. There was a person there. Elizabeth had to shake her head in order to And even as the form became human, she had no clue what happened.
Elizabeth took a moment to realize that the form was a familiar one. Hues widened. "Serai?" She asked in disbelief. Elizabeth was not really paying attention to much else, she was just taken aback by the fact Serai had just come from that creature? After a moment Liz realized the poor girl was there with nothing on. Hands moved to unfasten her cloak as she moved forward. She couldn't leave her there like that. Questions could come later. Liz slipped the cloak from her shoulders and as soon as she was close enough to Serai, she laid it over her. "Are you alright?" She looked down to Serai with a brow arched, and a question clear as day on her face. The only reason she looked away was the sound of horses. Her gaze shot over, worry taking over. However, she instantly recognized who it was, at least she knew two of them, she had no idea who the other was.
Re: Another Kind of Darkness « Reply #5 on Feb 18, 2009, 1:10am »
It was difficult not to look in the rogue's direction...mainly for the fact that she was afraid to turn her back on him. Alyandra still sought her mind for a reason to trust him, but the constant chill running up and down her spine from that arrogant, sly grin...as if they weren't all in danger, as though nothing serious was happening, made it far too difficult. It made her upper lip curl up lightly in disgust as jaws clenched tightly to keep herself from saying something or possibly spitting in his direction. Her arms hugged around her brother's waist tightly as she rested the side of her face against his back, turned away from their otherworldly companion as they rode on in that lingering silence.
Alyandra had almost fallen asleep when the horse had been drawn to a stop and she heard Rael's voice, speaking words that only caused her to sigh and allow those bright blues to roll up into whites in her annoyance. Eyes would blink as she sat up straighter, finding the dark figures before them and the small scene that had taken place. A nude Serai crouched there on the forest floor...and oddly enough, Aly wasn't in the least bit shocked. Of course, gods know what had happened, and it was certainly something new...but weird things happening were not foreign to her now. She'd slip from the saddle, glad to be stretching her legs, before swift steps carried her over to the others and embracing first Aurelia then Mara. Elizabeth had gone over to Serai. The look on her face was questioning, but she didn't bother to speak.
Re: Another Kind of Darkness « Reply #6 on Feb 19, 2009, 11:38am »
Cole saw the instant everything changed. One second, he was looking into the eyes of an animal, a demon...a killer and the next, there was intelligence in those eyes, recognition of Liz's shriek. He had been prepared to fight the beast but not for what happened instead. He watched as the creature changed, his mouth falling open but the point of his sword remaining between them throughout. He had seen much in his years, strange, terrible, powerful things but this was something else; this was beyond anything he had ever witnessed. No sooner had he lifted his free hand to shield his eyes from the blinding brilliance of the stone Liz held than it was suddenly gone. He dropped his hand and, though he shouldn't have been considering all that had happened that day, could only stare in mute shock at what he saw.
She was just a girl. A woman-child who, if you saw her on the street would never guess what lay beneath deceptively innocent features. His shrewd gaze scoured over her, noting the dried blood as well as the open wounds that he could see beneath the layers of filth. When Liz suddenly moved into his line of sight, he almost reached out to stop her but the name she whispered stopped him. His gaze snapped over to her, glowering, the point of his sword, still leveled on the very naked girl . "Her?!" His gaze swept back over her with a new sharpness as Liz moved forward, shedding her cloak and draping it over the girl's bare shoulders. "This...is the one we were supposed to find?" He had hesitated, trying to find a word to describe just what sat in a heap on the ground, naked, before them but found nothing definitive. He looked at all of them in turn and only found matching looks of shock and surprise. "Mara?" those eyes stopped on her last, a clear question in her breathed name.
The rumble and thunder of hooves quickly brought him out of his shock and he whirled to face the intruders, sword at the ready. Such an eventful day already, Mara waking up, the two Matthus's, their transportation out of the palace, and now this demon-girl...he wondered darkly just what else this strange day going to throw at them next. So, he wasn't all that surprised to see the two Taulks or even that they had brought another with them whom he took in with a crude sweep of his eyes before returning them to Matthus. It was then he noticed something else; while the others all seemed just as shocked as he was, Matthus did not. "What is this?" he demanded in a growl, jerking his sword back in the direction of the strange girl, clearly speaking to Matthus specifically.
« Last Edit: Feb 19, 2009, 11:48am by Cole Adonis »
Joined: May 2007 Gender: Female Posts: 35 Karma: 0
Re: Another Kind of Darkness « Reply #7 on Feb 22, 2009, 9:38am »
Mara had been leery about Elizabeth calling out for Serai. It could anger this large nasty looking cat, and even if Serai was around who was to say that she would be able to get in time. But deep in her gut she prayed that it worked. Cole had a sword and she had a dagger, but if that would be enough to take down this thing she wasn’t sure. But as she watched it seemed to have the opposite effect, the creature seemed to recoil. Mara was a little confused, but she wasn’t about to question that right now.
Hat came next she never would have expected. Around the creature it seemed to being to shimmer. Mara had seen a lot of magical things in her life between her mother and sister, but she was still not expecting this. She watched in awe as a transformation began to take place. That as until the light behind her because so blinding that she couldn’t keep her eyes open. Hand moved up in front of her eyes, trying to shield them. It was so unbelievably bright, and then it as gone? Mara gently shook her head as she opened her eyes blinking a few times adjusting to the regular light again. When she was finally able to see again, she saw what was probably the most shocking. Serai?
Mara stood there for a moment looking at the woman that had just come from the creature. Mara had known Serai fairly well, she had confided a few of her secrets. However, Mara was always certain there as something else that the girl had been hiding, and had she ever been right about that. Mara as a little shocked by what was in front of them, having to blink a few times to ensure it wasn’t some trick of her mind. My wasn’t she having a over powering day of surprises. She awoke from the confines of her mind to be hit with what was going on with Cerdwyn, the darkness here with two Matthus’ and now this. She just stood there for a moment a little transfixed.
When Liz said Serai’s name and moved over to cover the poor girl Mare snapped herself from her trance. Hues narrowed on Serai, now becoming aware of the wounds on the girl, she was going to have to try and tend to her, but she had nothing out here. Mara’s mind began to race until she heard her own name. Gaze shifted over to Cole who was probably the most confused out of them all. She couldn’t really blame him. Lips parted to speak, but she heard the sound of horses. Gaze shifted over to spot Matthus and Aly thank go they were alright. Though there was someone else, someone she didn’t recognize. A brow arched a bit as she looked to him for a moment. Should she know who this man was? She actually wasn’t sure, she had missed so much. But her ponderings were interrupted as her friend moved over to embrace first Aurelia and then her. Was she ever happy to see Aly safe and sound.
Mara caught the questioning look on her friends face, and just kind of shook her head a bit in a way that said she really had no idea how to explain it. Serai was really the only one that was going to be able to explain it. Sure Mara knew what she saw, but why that had occurred she had no idea. Gaze snapped over to Cole as he spoke very demanding about what was going on. “Cole.” She spoke with a bit of a warning in her tone. Could he not see that they were all a little confused. And with everything recently that they had seen, he was going to have to be a little more patient.
Joined: Mar 2008 Gender: Female Posts: 46 Karma: 0
Re: Another Kind of Darkness « Reply #8 on Mar 11, 2009, 10:09pm »
Crouched on the ground, her body trembled in the sudden cold now that the heat of the Change was gone. Though her thoughts jerked back and forth in a wild whirlwind inside her mind awkwardly, Serai kept her stare leveled on them and, even though her stomach twisted at seeing the matching expressions of varying alarm and horror, she did not recoil or shrink away from the stares. When Liz spoke her name, a look passes behind her eyes, a ghost of some unnamed emotion a fraction of a second before it is gone as her look shifts to the woman. Serai opened her mouth automatically but nothing came out and so closed it again, clenching her teeth against the uncontrollable shivering. What could she say? What could she possibly say in 5 seconds that might explain and- or- make up for her deception?
In that brief moment after Liz spoke her name, Serai thought that this was it; this was the day she became a monster in the eyes of all who ever knew her. You are a monster… a voice in the back of her mind, soft and cruel, reminded her and she inwardly flinched away from it, the familiar sense of guilt and humility creeping up to replace her confusion. So when Liz stepped forward and draped a cloak over her shoulders, Serai appeared to steel herself at first, her gaze wide and wary until she manages a soft, rasping whisper, her eyes never leaving the woman’s face, “Thank you.” At seeing the question in her eyes amidst the lingering shock and confusion, Serai opened her mouth to explain, to apologize...as she should, “I’m-" but before she could utter another word, the sound of horses heralding the arrival of Matthus and the others, cutting off any reply to Liz’s very loaded question. It was possibly a good thing because Serai wasn’t all too certain she had an answer. Hastening, Serai pulled the cloak into place with jerky fingers but not before the riders were able to get a good look at the fact that she was as bare as the day she was born in the middle of the freezing cold forest.
At hearing the man's comments, her lips pull back in a snarl, a low growl of warning passing between her lips as she pushed herself off the ground and struggled to her feet, stumbling only once. Though she was exhausted and she still could not stop shaking, she would rather not be huddled on the ground as though she were some wounded animal. But, you are an animal… the voice whispered again. Shut up! she snapped back viciously, shoving it and all other thoughts away for now - her confusion over the last several hours, the two faces she had never seen before - and shifted her gaze from Liz to Matthus, remote all but for an apologetic tilt of brows for a scant instant before that too vanished. He alone had known. Well, not entirely; he hadn’t known all of what she was capable but he had known some…known enough. Her chin ticked upward a little, pride winning out over whatever else she might have been feeling. “I’m alright.” she finally answers to Liz, shifting her gaze to the woman at her side briefly before rising back to Matthus. Her back automatically straightened, shoulders going back; it was the stance of a soldier. Even after all this time, it was still a habit.
« Last Edit: Jun 22, 2009, 11:34am by Serai Dyrim »
Re: Another Kind of Darkness « Reply #9 on May 17, 2009, 9:51am »
Matthus trotted the mount around before pulling up near his sisters and the now cloaked form of Serai. Indeed, he knew of her...that there was more to her than met the eye. He'd come dangerously close to bringing it out of her a few times. Out of anyone here, he'd been the closest to her secret though even he had never really seen it, not really. Given her state, however, it seemed fairly clear that she'd found a reason to go into that secret, to latch onto it like a lifeline. If it was anything like what the Darkness had sent up against them, he didn't want to imagine.
He'd rein in the horse and then gently extricate himself from the saddle, dropping down to the ground lightly on his feet just after Alyandra did.
He didn't intend for them to dally very long. Their enemy could choose to send out more forces at them at any time. It wouldn't do to get too complacent until they found someplace they could defend, someplace relatively safe.
Turning back to the rest, he spoke. "Is everyone all right? We'll need to move quickly...we were attacked once already enroute. We need to find someplace safe so that Rael..." he nodded his head to the silver-haired rogue that no one else had met before, "can shield us from attempts at scrying."
Rael held up a hand like an imperious ruler waving down at his underlings. He looked at each person in turn, taking them in by their eyes and measuring them with his own, bemused violet stare. Looking down at the little thing the former queen had put her cloak about, he gave her a wink, seeing the fiery indignation in her expression and the stubborn pride with which she held herself.
A veritable hellcat in the sack, he ventured...
He'd noticed Alyandra staring at him almost the entirety of their ride. He was used to it. Unless he wanted to remain unobserved, he tended to draw attention. He also knew that his reactions to this all was most likely not what she would have expected. The poor girl had no idea who or what he was or just what he had already gone through in his life. Perhaps they were worried about this dark, vile force that was rising up against them...but Rael still held himself comfortably in the knowledge that he was the darkest, most dangerous threat within these lands. Not that he was going to have a pissing contest about it, however.
Dropping from his own mount, he moved past Aly, his head dipping in low, close to her ear as he paused, whispering against that tender curve far too intimately. "You shouldn't stare so much, little one...but if you can't help yourself, I'll make sure to let you know where my bedroll is when we decide to stop." That insufferable grin widened all the more as he stepped back after speaking those provoking words.
Why did he like instigating this woman? Hell...who knew?
Re: Another Kind of Darkness « Reply #10 on May 20, 2009, 12:52pm »
Alyandra wasn't even sure what to expect at this point. Matthus had to face a part of him which they all believed to be gone, her sisters were dragged through the woods in unfamiliar terrain, most likely fearing this whole situation as much as she was. Matthus, for whatever reason, needed that snake fiend for this all and it made it all the more unsettling for her. Even Serai seemed so frail and vulnerable right now. She would turn for the horse once again, drawing out a water skin from one of the saddle bags in which to offer to the former ranger....when she was stopped in mid-return towards the others, deep spoken words brushing over the skin of her neck and ear. She felt her fingernails digging into the water skin as though she had the strength to burst it.
No one on this earth dared to speak to her in such a way. Never in her life as a princess or simply as a noble now...and here was this pig-headed, arrogant son-of-a-dog breathing down her neck every chance he got. And thought he could. He found it amusing. It made her stomach twist, began to make her blood boil with her anger...and she'd hiss at him. A glare of those blues as he walked away, she let the air slip passed clenched teeth in her response before drawing in a deep breath. Aly found herself looking over to her brother, perhaps sharing that glare for him as well, a warning in her eyes that would just as quickly dissolve...and she'd find herself kneeling beside Serai to offer her the water. "So where do we go?" she'd finally speak, attention drifting back over to Matthus once again.
Joined: Mar 2008 Gender: Female Posts: 46 Karma: 0
Re: Another Kind of Darkness « Reply #11 on May 26, 2009, 2:31pm »
Steadfastly ignoring the look she was getting from the strange, silver haired companion Matthus had brought, Serai was still arranging the loaned cloak when the blond Taulk sister, the one she, personally, had never had the chance to really meet before, came forward and offered the water skin. Suddenly, Serai realized she was indeed parched and reached for it gratefully. "Thank you." she whispered before tipping it up to her lips and taking a few healthy swallows, all the while listening to Matthus. The water skin was lowered abruptly. "I was attacked as well. It would seem he knows my final answer, now." She wouldn't clarify on just what she meant by that and simply took another drink.
Handing the water skin back to Aly, Serai spots the blade at the woman's waist. "Can I borrow this?" she asks, quickly looking to the woman with a gesture to the long knife before swiftly sliding it free of its scabbard. "I'm sorry, M'Lady..." she offers to Liz in a regretful undertone before sliding the blade through the fabric of the cloak with two deft motions, creating holes for her arms to slip through. Once that is done, she bends to slice through the hem, starting a tear at the bottom before ripping a thin strip free. Using the strip as a belt, she wraps it around her waist and across her chest creating a makeshift robe of sorts. It wasn't pretty, but it would have to do and by the swiftness of her motions and the almost detached way she did them, it might be obvious that she was not unfamiliar with the necessity."Again...thank you." she offers the Taulk sister, easily slipping the sword back into its sheathe with something like a quick, 'almost smile' for the woman, the kind that twitches the corner of her lips but doesn't reach the rest of her face before it is gone.
Her hands were reluctant to give the weapon back; they almost ached for the weight of her sword, the one she forged sometime ago right after leaving Sendaria. It was her masterpiece. Now she had not even the small boot dagger that was now sunk at the bottom of a small forest pool. Her wishful thinking is brought up short as Alyandra asked the question she herself had been wondering. 'Where would they go now?'
"We ought not stay here. There are..." she paused, hesitant to expose the presence of other shifters in the forest who may not appreciate the revealing. "...other...dangers in this forest besides what our enemy is capable of conjuring." At this, she shifts her gaze down and to the side, surreptitiously tightening the knot of her makeshift robe.
« Last Edit: Aug 5, 2009, 10:49am by Serai Dyrim »
"We always long forbidden things, and desire what is denied us."
Joined: May 2007 Gender: Female Posts: 50 Karma: 1
Re: Another Kind of Darkness « Reply #12 on Jun 3, 2009, 2:43pm »
Liz looked back over to Serai with concern in her features as she waited for a response to her question. She gently shook of the thank you, giving her the cloak was the lease Liz could do for the girl. When the girl finally gave a very broad response Liz would finally look over to her sister and brother as they reached them. Gaze washed over them with concern for a brief moment until she saw they were alright.
Liz stood there for a moment taking it all in. As Matthus spoke of Rael her gaze would shift to the one she didn’t know. Liz wasn’t really too fond with the looks of him. An eerie feeling washed over her as she looked to him, but he was with Matthus so she would take his word, and ignore the feeling as best as she could.
As Serai as she spoke of there being other dangers, a brow arched a bit, curious as to what she meant by that, but then again after what she just saw, who was to question. Liz was at a loss as to where they should go. It wasn’t a feeling she was very fond of, but she didn’t know where to go. She didn’t have an understanding of this darkness like some of the others did. Her gaze shifted back to her brother waiting to see if he had an answer for Aly’s question.
Re: Another Kind of Darkness « Reply #13 on Jul 5, 2009, 2:24pm »
Seeing Matthus's face, it was clear the man was not as surprised and confused as the rest of them were. Flicking his gaze back to the woman-child called Serai, Cole watched as she managed to muster up a measure of fiery indignation at the words spoken by the stranger accompanying the prince and his sister before facing Matthus as though she were a soldier and not a very exposed woman, body and now her secret exposed to all of them. Her eyes, he noticed, seemed ancient, far beyond the tender age those features presented, an impression that left him uneasy.
Again, he was momentarily stunned by what he had seen in this long, strange day. Though no one answered his question, a fact he couldn’t help but notice and resent, that muscle in his jaw would flex as he clamped down on the questions he wanted to bark out at all of them until something sensible was said.
He didn’t put his sword away as the prince dismounted and approached, still wary of these woods and the woman-child called Serai almost as though he expected her to turn back into that...that thing at at second. Watching her mangle that cloak and arrange it into some semblance of decent covering brought a slight lift of that brow, he began to have a whole new round of questions regarding this strange woman-child. Though they all seemed to trust this girl, there was clearly some darkness in her that begged a close watching…at least until he had answers.
The little cat speaks up, her first full sentence which only confirmed the his uneasy suspicion that they were indeed far from being out of danger while hedging around an explanation of 'other dangers' and Cole scoffs lightly; her question was hardly news to any of them. At the mention of their 'enemy' he turns away from her to face the rest of them once more a low growl in his throat forming words, "Speaking of which...would anyone care to explain exactly what that thing is we just saw? You know, the one with your face?!" His head whipped around to fix a stare on Matthus, dark eyes demanding perhaps not the full recount but at least an answer of some kind.
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