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 Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 8:47 pm
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If the priestess dreamed anymore, all remnants usually faded in waking. The last concise dream the mare remembered was the chaotic world of Wonderland, and every awful, wonderful, horrible vision that had been thrust upon her. That dream had ended, life had gone on(or had it? The events were a little muddied). Not any easier, not really, but a routine had been built, and followed. Now she found herself once again in a dream, and was not entirely sure where that knowledge came from.
Perhaps it the table resting before her, with it's pair of items.
Or perhaps, and far more likely, it was the tall figure standing beside her. Nergui had not seen Soren since the battle with the White Queen. She had not spoken with him since their accidental nuptials in the cracked teapot. Now there he was, beside her, invaded, or invited into her dreams.
She didn't look up to see his face, because she wasn't at all certain what she would find there. If he was watching her it would give hope where likely there was none. If he wasn't, it would just hurt all the worst. No, she kept her head down, mismatched eyes focused on the items on the table. One red, one black. One heart, one hourglass.
Whispering voices were commonplace for the Insanity touched priestess, but this one was different. This one held a patient command, where the incessant murmur that plagued her mind lacked anything even close to patience. They begged, they coaxed, they hissed, but they were never patient. Drawing a breath, her hand lifted from her side and reached out, hovering over the hourglass, death, but it was the other those dark fingers wrapped around. The heart, destruction. Ironic, accurate.
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Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2014 9:01 pm
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The dream Soren found himself in was not like his usual ones. For one, there was less screaming happening, and second of all, it seemed closer to the feeling of Wonderland than any other dream. It was disturbing, and he focused his time on cataloging what was around him.
The priestess he knew without much study. He did not know what had happened to her recently, but she was familiar enough that he was easily swayed to stay by her side, examining the table with only his eyes.
The whispers started in, urging him to make a choice, and it simply wasn't his main concern. Even if this was but a dream, there was a priestess here, a priestess he had to admit he cared for more than others, and it was her decision he needed to support. There was something to be said for both items. The simple idea of death calling to him. The promise that destruction gave. Instead of moving for an item he took a small step toward Neru, choosing to side with her decision more than one of the items, though his eyes drifted past her fingers to the hourglass.
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Posted: Thu May 08, 2014 7:38 pm
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The darkness around them shattered and in it's place was a world of red. In front of them a red sea of bodies, of nonsensical human carcasses devoid of Fear. It smelled only of rot and decay.
Slosh. A small Famine clan soldier appeared, a young one, decorated only in a single layer of red cloth. She kneeled right in the waters. "Thank you." She remained kneeling. "We are grateful for your servitude and we will not forget your choice. You have chosen destruction and there is only one task remaining for you. To destroy the beast. Once you accomplish this our power, our blessings, will be yours. However, if you fail, our vengeance will also be absolute. If you wish to become something greater, step forward, choose your weapon, or fall eternally as nothing."
In front of them were three weapons: a sword, a bow, and a spear.
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Posted: Fri May 09, 2014 11:17 am
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Eyes down, Nergui had watched as Soren had moved closer, siding with her and her choice. It had caused lips to purse, thoughtful and perplexed, before the darkness around them cracked and shattered, falling away to reveal an endless landscape of red. Everything red, the sky, the ground, the lake of blood before them and the bodies that floated within. They were engulfed in crimson, and it was startling. The smell of rot and decay was think in the air, and it it the mare with enough force to make her stagger, a hand reaching out to catch a tanned wrist so she kept her feet. She was no stranger to scenes like this, but it had been...unexpected.
The sound of moving water pulled her attention up and across the lake, and her hand fell away from Soren's arm as that small figure came into focus. She was petite, even more so than the priestess herself, and Nergui took a small step forward as the filly neared. Even she was red, wrapped in red clothing, blood staining her legs as she sank to kneel before them.
Her gratitude was perplexing, and the priestess raised her eyes to look out over that crimson painted landscape, at the ruin of it all, before dropping those mismatched eyes back to the girl at her feet. "The beast?" It was a task, a mission, and they were no stranger to such things. Nergui didn't know what this dream was, but she knew, somehow, that it was important. "What beast, where?"
Weapons now, and the mare regarded them thoughtfully. The sword would have been her first choice, but she knew Soren also preferred a blade, and he was the better trained warrior. Instead she reached for the bow. Not something she was altogether familiar with, but she had done target practice, she could shoot.
Finally she looked up at that tall figure beside her, delicate features as neutral as she could make them. Silver and gold searched candy apple red, an unspoken question between them. Would he follow her? Would he protect her?
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Posted: Mon May 12, 2014 6:33 pm
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Having his entire world go red was nothing expected, but the sight in front of him was one Soren could appreciate. The only real downside was that he felt no Fear, that and the stench. He preferred the smell of fresh blood, preferably caused by his own hands, but he could deal with this. He stood firm as the mare used him to steady herself, glancing down to make sure nothing was wrong, and it was her gaze he followed.
He stayed back as the filly knelt, eyes matching the world around him watching her, listening carefully to what she had to say. Destruction. The ultimate result of which would be Death. Hopefully of the beast she had mentioned. The offering of weapons was enough for him, but still he held back, allowing for the priestess to have her choice first. He had an obvious preference, but he could make the spear work if necessary. In the past he had dealt with longer scythes, and while the spear was pointed rather than having a sickle the range would be familiar.
In the end there was no decision to be made. She took up the bow, and he took the sword almost immediately.
When he looked back to the priestess she turned her attention to him, and he met her gaze before tilting his head to her in deference. If the priestess would lead, he would follow. As the scars marking his face attested to, he was no stranger to beasts. Or the destruction of them.
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Posted: Mon May 12, 2014 7:28 pm
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The moment the weapons were taken it was a signal. The red dirt began to shake, and in the distance, footsteps.
They were horsemen, they numbered in the hundreds, thousands. Famine, Conquest, War and Death, all wearing their clan designs, bound only by the colour red. It was a beautiful sight and now they stood in perfect, neat rows in unison, facing Nergui and Soren. They kneeled, like the horseman prior, and lowered their heads in deference.
"This is your army," the clan soldier said, the young famine girl. "We will fight with you against the beast. The cave, we must travel to it's cave. It's time is near. We will fight and then you will deliver us."
She lead them through the red path, across red grass and red streams, deep into a dark red forest. Behind them were the footsteps of their soldiers, doggedly following in files of four.
At last they reached a great mountain, but unlike everything else, this one stood strong and prominent, a glistening white mountain. At the base was a monstrous cavern.
"Speak to the beast," the clan soldier continued, "walk in and speak to the beast, and do not fear it. Find the beast, and bring it to us, and you will be granted the power of destruction."
OOC: THE CAVE The cave is a labyrinth, but the wall is made entirely out of reflective crystals. It is difficult to navigate and there are voices that call and cajole them from within, increasing their doubt and uncertainty, clouding their mind. Both characters have a POOL of 20 clarity points. If they reach 0 before they find the beast they have FAILED their mission. Roll and respond to the prompts below until you find the beast. Each roll costs 1 clarify point as each memory unraveled causes you to become more and more confused and uncertain. These are all flashback prompts. Write them in drabble style! 1. You see a surface and on the other side you see a great loss 2. You see a surface and on the other side is a great triumph 3. You see a surface and on the other side plays something bloodthirsty 4. You see a surface and on the other side is your failure 5. You see a surface and on the other side is a bargain 6. You see a surface and on the other side is love 7. You see a surface and on the other side is defeat 8. You see a surface and on the other side is madness 9. You see a surface and on the other side is belonging 10. You see a surface and on the other side is simply your reflection. You have found the beast's lair as the mirror shatters and turns into an opening. Inside it is dark. (Quote Zoobey!)
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Posted: Mon May 12, 2014 9:09 pm
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There was a certain apprehension about the mare as the ground began to shake and a flood of bodies marched towards them, and mismatched eyes widened as she retreated a step from the kneeling filly, hand tightening on Soren's wrist almost painfully before dropping away as she lifted the bow. Arrow nocked, she she drew back on the string as the army fell into neat lines, and had her nerve been anymore fragile she might have loosed the shot before making sense of what she was seeing.
Horsemen, all in red, but dressed for their clans. War, Famine, Conquest, and most familiar of all, Death. The bow lowered, tension easing until the she could safely release her grip on string and arrow. She recognized no faces among them, but she recognized them. Allies, comrades in arms.
As the filly spoke the priestess released the breath she'd been holding, and that air shook as it eased past parted lips. The mare was on edge, a new constant for Nergui, though as it always had before, the guardian's mere presence was enough to dampen the erratic murmurings in he head to dull static, like white noise.
In this world of red death there was no refusing the task presented to them. Even if she had wanted to, somehow she knew it would have been impossible. So she would nod, those thin shoulders straightening as she regained that small retreated step that placed her firmly at Soren's side, instead of in the wake of his shadow, and she remained there as they made the journey to the cave. Walking in silence until they came to the foot of the white mountain.
That, in and of itself, was important. The lack of color in this so red world. She stared up at it before heterochromic eyes rolled down to the dark opening of the cave. Speak the filly had said. Speak and bring the beast out to meet the army. It sounded so simple, but she knew better.
With a sudden and hallow upturn of lips, the mare recalled something she'd heard, or read, in the past. Some passage of scripture the human's clung to in times not unlike these. "Yea," she murmured, humorless and light. "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of Death, I will fear no evil." Her chin rose, head held high as she walked forward towards that dark mouth. "For thou art with me." Her guardian. She had no other, would take no other. "Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."
Come what may. Death, or destruction; she had nothing left to lose.
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ramenli rolled 1 10-sided dice:
2
Total: 2 (1-10)
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Posted: Mon May 19, 2014 5:31 pm
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The priestess' unease was plain to see in the tenseness of her form, the arrow ready to loose. Soren's sword stayed loosely gripped in his hand as he surveyed the herd moving toward them. If they were an enemy there were far too many for them to face, seeing as they were horsemen and not humans. But he could buy the priestess time. As they bowed he slowly let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Troops for him to lead then. A larger group than he was accustomed to dealing with, but nothing unmanageable
There was something right about being at the priestess' side as a herd trotted behind them, relaxing almost. There was no fear in him of these beast, no real worry at the number of troops that would apparently be necessary to bring it down. In fact he felt excitement more than anything, a hum of adrenaline singing in his veins.
The instructions given were simple, but already he knew that if the goal was speaking Neru would be the better horseman for the job. He could go with her though. He could hear her, words different enough from her usual speech to sound as though she was quoting a bit of poetry or passage.
The cavern they entered was not what he had expected. Rather than an obvious lair for some creature it was made up of crystals, the very walls around them making their path difficult to determine. He knew to stay by Neru, to not risk getting separated, but as they drew closer to one of the walls he could not help but to look in, curious as to what the crystals looked like.
Instead of the shine of rock he had expected he saw claws coming toward his face, felt the phantom touch on his cheek. But the animal in front of him had signed his own death warrant, bringing itself close enough that Soren shoved his hand forward. His sword had been knocked out of his hand but even as he moved it dissipated, re-materializing in his hand as it brushed against fur, the blade forcing aside flesh as it appeared. He pulled back, the curved blade opening the wound as it forced it's way out, and as he staggered back a step the animal keened before slumping into the snow, thick blood staining the churned up white beneath it. What a lovely cloak that pelt would make.
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Beejoux rolled 1 10-sided dice:
7
Total: 7 (1-10)
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Posted: Mon May 19, 2014 6:12 pm
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The sound of shattering crystal was loud, and the priestess slowed in her forward progression, turned to look over her shoulder at the guardian. His hand, sword grasped in thick fingers, had smashed through the glittering wall like glass. It left dark features puzzled, concern drawing silver brows down low. She had not seen what he had seen, only the sparkling rain of crystal dust falling at his boots. A questioning look lingered even as she glanced the way they were headed, looking for any signs of movement, any dangers that might soundlessly creep upon them.
Instead those mismatched eyes locked onto her own reflection in one of the many crystals that surrounded them. For the space of a heartbeat that was all she saw, and then that dark figure grew taller, paler. Bright blue eyes and white blonde hair. As light as Nergui was dark, Anya was the opposite of her younger sister, and just that moment those icy eyes were burning in jealous rage.
She was screaming, and Nergui's breath caught in her throat as she fell into that memory.
Dark hands had been holding a music box, were now, and Anya ripped that gift from her hands, smashing it on the ground between their feet as she shrieked, severing that sisterly bond. Falling into the hate that had eventually consumed her.
It was not a typical defeat, but in that moment that is what the priestess had felt as that tall, beautiful woman had stormed away, out of her life for good.
"No." Her voice was hallow as she lifted the bow and drew back on the nocked arrow. She would no relieve the worst moments of her life. She would not. The string gave a load twang, the arrow hit the crystal, and the image shattered.
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ramenli rolled 1 10-sided dice:
2
Total: 2 (1-10)
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Posted: Mon May 19, 2014 7:18 pm
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As Soren looked away from the now ruined crystal he felt good. More than good. The thrill of victory warmed him, but when he caught sight of the priestess he could sense that she was not feeling the same as he had. Then perhaps the key was to the crystals themselves, and that was the type of task he wasn't fond of. Nothing brute strength could help him with.
For a split second he wondered if they should continue, but he pushed the thought aside, trying to keep his eyes cast downward to follow the path at their feet. However his gaze rested on an angled crystal, for a moment his own eyes looking back. And then that image started to blur, the field before him a different shade of red.
This red was strewn about, as carefree as a child with glitter. And he recognized the scene instantly. He smiled to himself, allowing himself to enjoy the scene. Bodies lay around him in various states of dismemberment. It heightened the fear of the humans to see their loved ones not merely killed but hacked apart, and it was simple enough to do. One of his hunts from the glory days, the days when death was what their clan dealt to humans, with so little restriction. He turned, memory and vision bleeding together, half remembering seeing the child, half seeing it for the first time.
A simple thrill ran through him as his blade carved into flesh, and he held back from the killing blow. The Fear from the child alone was enough to give him a sort of high. Leave a survivor. Someone to pass on the stories. Someone to spread Fear in their wake. There would be a great reaping when the time came for this one.
He blinked, then knocked the crystal with his sword's pommel, not exactly upset when there was no way through.
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Beejoux rolled 1 10-sided dice:
1
Total: 1 (1-10)
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Posted: Mon May 19, 2014 7:37 pm
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It would not take long for the mare to realize that every pain of glass like crystal they faced, they were met with a memory, or a vision. It set Nergui on edge, and her bow remained up as she watched that smile creep along the guardian's lips. Whatever he saw was pleasant, and she found herself wondering what he was seeing to place such a peaceful, happy look upon his face. Did it involve her? Or was it Astrid? Or maybe neither. Maybe it as simply death and destruction.
If she were not so unsure of his answer she would have asked, but there was no answer that would not hurt.
Her gaze turned back to the path ahead, and tough she tried to keep her gaze down, reflected movement had her lifting her head, and once again she was faced with herself.
This time the scene was peaceful. A fire roared in the heath. The hut was warm, the furs under her legs soft as the smile on her face as she looked over each and every carved figure in the handmade chess set. Soren's arrival, the beginning of a quiet game, and the voicing of a question that ruined everything.
Nergui lashed out before she had to watch herself crumple to the ground and weep. She remembered how her heart had shattered, and not even the breaking crystal could compare. This time she cried out at the bow destroyed the memory, and her weapon fell, momentarily forgotten, and she huddled over, hid her face behind the press of small palms, and tangled fingers tightly in silver hair.
She didn't want to see it again. She didn't want to relive it.
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ramenli rolled 1 10-sided dice:
6
Total: 6 (1-10)
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Posted: Mon May 19, 2014 8:02 pm
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The priestess' cry alerted to him and he turned to face her, concerned to see her on the floor. It was obvious that whatever he had seen, she had seen something much different. He crouched down, uncertain what to do, what he was allowed to do. He shrugged it off, reaching out with one large hand to placed it on her arm, murmuring softly. "I think it was just a memory," he offered, knowing what he had seen. "Part of the mission."
He glanced around then, trying to stay on alert with the threat of a beast nearby, and as he looked past her his eyes caught on yet another crystal surface before it too distorted.
He found her easily. They stood for a time, the Guardian eyeing the fragment, the Priestess looking up into her Guardian's eyes.
They needed no words. She was not scared, she never was. She was just lonely. But there he was, standing strong. Sure there was pain in his eyes, a deep ache that would never leave him as she cupped her hand on his cheek and he bent down for the brush of a kiss, her fingers trailing along his scars before she dropped her hand.
She knew how to make an exit. Always had. She smiled at him. A soft smile that grew into a grin, and she laughed, a sound filled with joy as she drew away, head tilting just so as she took another step, raising a hand in front of her to show him the graceful ring on her finger before she began fading, eyes never leaving him, smile never leaving her face.
Moving on.
The memory stayed with him as he came back, possibly a second later, possibly longer. The memory was bittersweet. His final sight of Astridr, the point where he was finally able to allow himself to start to move on.
Or so he had thought. He had not fully moved on, but now, with a priestess that needed his help, this was his chance to prove that he could. He wasn't really sure why he picked up a chunk of broken crystal to toss it on the one he had just looked at, he wasn't sure really why he was shattering them in the first place. It was all a bit confusing. So he focused on what he knew instead. "Priestess, what are your orders?"
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Beejoux rolled 1 10-sided dice:
10
Total: 10 (1-10)
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Posted: Mon May 19, 2014 8:35 pm
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She flinched at his touch. It was unexpected, but more than that, even an innocent brush of fingers against her skin seemed ache down to her core. It ached now, more for the memory she'd just seen, and she had to swallow a sob, for fear he would hear how broken she was. For fear that if she let the sound escape, she would never stop again.
That deep rumble of a voice was a soft murmur of rationality, but she knew it had been a memory. A jagged, sharp edges memory that struck to the bone.
Her hands pressed harder, pulse thudding, breath high pitched and too fast. The white noise static in her mind rushed forward, lunging for the cracks the memory had caused, and the mare whimpered as those voices roared up in incoherence. For a second she was deaf to the world, to the sound of the breaking crystal, and only when the guardian speak again did sound rush back in and chase the murmurs back.
What is your mission?
Breath held, she slowly untangled slim fingers from her own hair, hands falling to rest in her lap as she straightened up. For a moment she was all wide eyes and the shadow of despair dimming silver and gold eyes, then those delicate features smoothed. When her breathing was in control, when her pulse had slowed again, she looked up at Soren as he knelt beside her. "Find the beast." The bow was retrieved, and the mare rose up on her feet. "Lead it out to it's destruction."
Her reflection stared back at her, and this time it did not waver and fade into memory of vision. This time it simply shattered and there was no more path. No more crystals. There was only darkness.
She reached out again, groping in that darkness for the guardian's hand.
ramenli Quote zoo in your next tag. @w@
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