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  1. #1
    Shattered heart and Soul

    EXP: 76,735, Level: 11
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    Amari's Avatar

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    4,933

    Name
    Amari L'Olfsden
    Age
    30
    Race
    Ar'Tuel
    Location
    Corone

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    Shattered Soul and Heart

    Corone-The Sword an Staff

    I was flung into the rain, body thrown limply into the dirt. I wasn't able to catch myself and I could feel the cold mud smear across my cheek. His words were as cold and ruthless as the day I had met him. I suppose whatever equality we had was gone. Or perhaps, as Amari - I only thought we had it. It..was hard to tell... my mind was fuzzy and my face felt flushed, and heated. Rain pelted my back and quickly soaked through the thick velvet dress I wore. The cold leeched into my skin and it alleviated the heat that was swimming around inside of me. I felt like I was on fire. My body churned with the searing sensations of my own soul. It felt similar to healing, but - I was not injured?

    "Get up. Slave."

    Sore muscles shook as I slowly pushed myself off the ground. Words spewed from my mouth like a vile vomit. "You're going to die." The words caught his ire and I felt the strong grip of his glove around my neck pressing down on my trachea and forcing me to look up at him. Emerald eyes thin and worn stared back at me. Dark circles lined them. He was tired, he was at the end of his ropes.

    Dots danced in front of my eyes and my head remained fuzzy. I was barely aware of my own actions. Trembling hands reached out to cup the pale and scarred skin of his cheeks. Thumbs danced gently beneath his eyes. He tightened his grip.

    In response six snakes sprung forth from my back, I didn't even will it. They hissed and encircled him like a vermilion chrysanthemum with the two of us at the apex of its center. Onset nausea and dizziness came with their appearance and I struggled to stay conscious. What was I doing? Why were my hands on his face caressing him as though he were a lover?

    A cough was forced through my lips, followed by strained words, each syllable a gasp as I tried to inhale the air I was so easily denied. I could do it, it'd be so easy. He was weak and vulnerable, I would be able to end his existence right here and not a single person would care. He had no one. He had nothing. So then, why did these words come out of my mouth?

    "I... don't want you to...die..." The words spluttered through black stained trembling lips.

    I wasn't sure if he threw me backwards or if I simply fell. Body no longer listening to my own will. The corrupted manifestation of my soul; the snakes, crackeld and faded from existence as I once again found myself on the ground, splayed across it like spilt wine. Eyes staring listlessly at the cloudy sky. A sea of black and grey, every so often light danced across it and they became a burning white.

    That was the last thing I remembered seeing before I fell unconscious.
    Last edited by Amari; 09-18-2017 at 10:12 PM.

  2. #2
    Administrator

    EXP: 87,404, Level: 12
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    Level completed: 81%,
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    Lye's Avatar

    GP
    3,226

    Name
    Lichensith Ulroke
    Age
    32
    Race
    Human
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Corone
    His serpentine eyes pinned her unconscious body where it laid. He scowled, but stood motionless in the downpour as if he expected her to rise with fists flying. Covered in mud, donned in crimson, and skin cracked like damaged porcelain, she looked every bit as broken as she warned. But Lye knew that her definition of broken varied greatly from his own. He was mortal, she was not. At least to his understanding, he only controlled her through thin mental fibers of his teachings and a precise display of his own power. Beyond that, the assassin knew what laid unconscious in the street was quickly growing beyond his control.

    And it could not be stopped. By him at least.

    With a grunt, the silver crested killer clutched the open wound in his chest. He processed the poison from the crossbow bolt, but the injury remained. For a reason unknown to him, he struggled to suture it shut with his living marrow and bone. Despite this, he could not leave Scarlet in the streets of this backwater town. He would never hear the end of it. With clenched teeth to brunt the pain and his frustrations, he took a knee and lifted her over his shoulder. A wave of blood seeped from his chest and washed down his body with the waves of rainwater.

    Three of the cardinal directions offered nothing but plains and the closest city meant three day's travel by foot. The occupants of the tavern either arrived on foot, or carriage, for no horses waited idly outside. Lye hefted his dead weight to a more comfortable position on his shoulder, and he began his trudge to the only semblance of cover away from others: the forest.

    Hours passed with no sign of relief from the dark sky above. The canopy of the woods provided a limited reprieve from the frigid downpour so long as the assassin kept off the main road. As he struggled to carry Scarlet along, his wound constantly bled. So long as the rain kept him wet, the wound would not close. He looked for opportunities to set her down and take a moment, but the flat land didn't afford the luxury of a cave or cliffside. It came to the point, Lye's vision began to grow dark at the edges. His bones would keep him alive no matter how much he bled out, but conscious was a different story entirely.

    Through the trunks and boughs, far off the worn path and honestly lost beneath a star or sunless sky, the assassin spotted two downed trees conveniently crossed atop one another. It would do. He hefted the Ar'Tuel off his shoulder and propped her under the two logs where the rain struggled to encroach. Lye shook his head. His mind fogged and each breath resounded in his ears as the steady thrum of his heart beat slower and softer.

    He righted himself and set to work with what time he had left. With khukri in hand, the assassin cleaved boughs and branches nearby. Each one set on top of the fallen logs, extending their shelter to accommodate more than one. The darkness grew from the edges, leaving him a fogged window no bigger than a viewing glass by the time he could call his efforts complete. Through ragged, raspy breaths, he weighed his time to find enough dry wood for a kindling but knew his limits.

    The assassin gulped back a dry mouth and mustered enough strength to settle himself into the impromptu shelter. The steel of his blade cut the front of his drenched cloak from his chest, then thudded into the black dirt beside him. His fingers, shaking and weak, fumbled with his leather chest plate. Buckle by buckle he finally freed the carapace from his body but before he could remove his tunic, both hands slumped to his side. His head cocked off against his shoulder and pinhole vision settled on the woman beside him.

    He let a bemused breath escape his lips as a haze in the chilled air.

    "If you're going to do it," his voice manifested low as a whisper. "Then get it over with."

    And the two found peace, side by side, in the ambient hiss and roar of the storm.

  3. #3
    Shattered heart and Soul

    EXP: 76,735, Level: 11
    Level completed: 98%, EXP required for next Level: 265
    Level completed: 98%,
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    Amari's Avatar

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    4,933

    Name
    Amari L'Olfsden
    Age
    30
    Race
    Ar'Tuel
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    Corone

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    I opened my eyes to darkness and the fresh scent of loamy earth. My skin tickled and prickled feeling it beneath me. I wriggled my fingers and allowed them to dig into the dirt. It was odd, it both comforted me and sickened me to the point where I felt as though I would heave what little contents were in my stomach across the floor. Taking a deep breath I tried to ground myself. I closed my eyes again but all I could feel was the earth, and a throbbing pain. It's pain... and I was the cause. Of course I was... it was all I did, it was what I was c͉̯͎̟͝rḛ͕͎͓͖́a̝͞t̤̲̘̘̞͞ed̴̪̣͈̩͖ to do.

    I groaned as I sat up hand pressing a hand to my head. Damn... I felt hot. Something wasn't entirely right I struggled to see, to sit, to breathe. It was though existing was a struggle. This was not me. I was far stronger than this I am S̻̻̭̰c̤̜͘à̫̙̳̳̣r̘͙̳̣̰͔l͕͉ͅẹ͎̖̲ţ͔̘̥̜, I can defeat this feeling.

    I glanced toward Ulroke. His Jacket, tattered and burnt at the sleeve lay by his side leaving his wounded chest exposed. It glistened, even in the darkness. I pursed my lips, he had not healed himself. Normally, he'd be able to suture such a wound shut. It must have been due to the...the... I furrowed my brows, thoughts were so hard to grasp right now.

    Why was he here?

    Why was I?

    Oh...

    That's right... he had been poisoned, and his answer to fix that was to get absurdly drunk.

    "If I were to k-" My words stopped, as I struggled to piece together a solid sentence, it felt as though each time I tried to form a thought I'd loose it just as quickly. "-To Kill you...I'd have done it in the tavern." A low sigh escaped his lips as he drawled out a command. He wanted warmth. Unlike her, he had no ability to withstand the cold. Unlike her, he was bleeding out.

    "Right...wood..."

    And it took all my efforts to stand, the world around me span and I had to shuffle out from under the shelter with one hand against my head, and the other, my abdomen. Anything to alleviate the symptoms. It wasn't exactly hard finding dried wood...anything I touched began to dry up and wither. I used it to my advantage and pulled apart lush ferns which crumpled in my fingertips. Drying to brittle yellow and brown stems. There were a few logs beneath an overhanging branch which were relatively dry. I picked them up, and in delirium returned to our little shelter. I dropped the wood and dry kindling before I collapsed to my knees, breathing heavily.

    Silence fell between us. I wasn't sure if he was still conscious, or if he was waiting for me to finish my 'task'

    wait... what was that task again?

    I stared blankly at the logs before me, why on earth did we have those in here? Was it some sort of joke? Was he testing the miasmatic effects of my soul? Wait. No. Fire. We needed fire. I pushed myself up again, fueled only by an iron will of determination. I grabbed his jacket, which hissed, parts of it burning in my grip as I started to fish through his many pockets. Finding what I needed I pulled out fire-starters, two rocks with etchings on them.

    I dropped his jacket, not caring about whatever damage happened to it. It was new, to have the effects so strong but I struggled to remain curious as to the why. I clacked the stones together, with each loud snap sparks flew, alighting the small hideaway. Finally, they hit the kindling. Smoke formed, then a small flame. I leaned down, and with a ragged breath blew gently till the flames grew strong and steady.

    We were close, he only mere inches from me. I could feel the prickled goosebumps of his skin against my own. The hand I used to steady myself lay in a cold pile of his own ichor. I absently rubbed my fingers together, feeling its velveteen slick against my skin. I kept my gaze to the fire. What was...hi͈̣̝̝̻̜ͅs̰̞̩ ̪͓n̩͖͍̪̝ͅa̰̳͕̗̮̠m̗̤e̫͚̝ a̩͈̱̲̝̙g̻a̩̝̺̙i̭̥̦̳͇͙ͅn̹͉̲̫̲͚̱?̻͉̮̜̜ What was ... what was it? Why couldn't I remember?

    Seconds passed before it came to me.

    "Lye..." My voice was low, and again I found myself talking without realizing what I was saying, I didn't even recall the words coming out of my mouth. "I do not...want you to die. You are the only constant I have. Everything and everyone else has crumpled beneath and around me." I glanced down at my own cracked skin, blackened lines thick and angry covered most of my sickly looking skin.

    Did I always look this way?

    I clenched then released my fist, swaying slightly. Still blurry... everything was so blurry and fuzzy. Did I just say something? I couldn't remember.
    Last edited by Amari; 09-19-2017 at 11:36 AM.

  4. #4
    Administrator

    EXP: 87,404, Level: 12
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    Lye's Avatar

    GP
    3,226

    Name
    Lichensith Ulroke
    Age
    32
    Race
    Human
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Corone
    The embers glowed, spewing black smoke into the sky. The winds of the storm, broken by the surrounding foliage fanned the infant flames to a hearty fire. If his assailant tailed him, this beacon would only help them finish the job. That though lingered in the back of the assassin's mind with a groan from his lips. The shelter and reaching warmth of the blaze finally gave his wound some time to close. Small fibers of calcified bone reached across the meaty gap and locked with one another. A lattice began to form, much slower than his expected normal and through a focused effort of will.

    His vision still fringed on darkness, only his second sight illuminating Scarlet's silhouette in the sea of vague shadows. He heard her voice, and turned the corner of his lips into a weak smile.

    "Get used to it," he murmured in reply. "Mortals die. Magic can only go so far, but death will always come."

    He opened his eyes, but the world still failed to come into view. Despite his blindness, he looked toward the direction he sensed her.

    "Not for you," he added. "No, not for you."

    His head fell backward against the mossy bark. Lightning crackled across the sky and thundered in his ears. Fiber by fiber, his bones reached to weave his wound.

  5. #5
    Shattered heart and Soul

    EXP: 76,735, Level: 11
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    Level completed: 98%,
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    Amari's Avatar

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    Amari L'Olfsden
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    Ar'Tuel
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    Not for you, not for you

    His words echoed in her mind. I am i͈̳̺͈̻̗̘m͇̭̳̙ͅm̠̻̮̦o̬̝̰̲̬r͕t̟̱a̫̲̞͍̩͕l̩̻. I am Ś̫̮̰͖̙̙c͍̠͢a̠̻̻͞ͅͅr̥͈̠ḷ̦̠e̴̦̘̭t̸̯̯. I am - who?

    "Not for me." The words lilted softly from my lips as I pulled my hand away from the pool of blood. I stared at it. It was his. I wasn't sure I'd even bleed red anymore. I wasn't human, I wasn't Ar'Tuel. I was some sort of abomination. I shifted closer to Lye, a slick of wet red hair fell over my shoulder and slapped the front of my dress. I leaned over his form. Scelera eyes gazing at him. Every suture, every scar on his body. It had told a story, it had been a time he had shown weakness, a time he had learned and a time he had grown.

    Time.

    T̹̹̦̼̖̲͍̀i͜m̲̭̼e͏̫...
    ̵͓̻̜̗

    What was.... what was that? I lost my train of thought, my mouth opened and lips moved, yet I wasn't willing it. It was as though a part of me, a part that was so desperately reaching to claw its way back to the surface was using my fevered weakness to peek through the dark curtain that Scarlet had placed over her heart and the thick bile that drowned her very being. S͉̩̘̼h͔̼̖̟e̳͖̝̞͕ ̛̯̟̟͉w̛̟̠ḁ̹̙̤s̛̱͔̹͓͙̗ ̻̗̦̭g̝̖̦̼o̟͎̱͟n̸̝̙̙̲̹̘e̼̬̭̗̰.̮͟ She was dead. Still, the words came. "Your property. Was that really all it was? After everything?"

    I struggled to place memories of us, I could recall times many times we were together but none of them were pleasant. It felt lonely. "How Lonely...you must be..." I whispered as I went to clutch my heart. I misjudged, using the hand I had used to prop myself up and had subsequently fallen into his lap. He made little effort to help me. I rolled onto my back and slowly closed my eyes. The fire was smokey and hot. I felt the heat against my skin but it barely warmed me. I felt an unrelenting and bitter cold from deep within me.

    And I realized that frozen tundra within me was my reality. It was me. It was what I had felt, what I had known. Lye wasn't the one constant in my life that bitter empty loneliness was.

  6. #6
    Administrator

    EXP: 87,404, Level: 12
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    Lye's Avatar

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    3,226

    Name
    Lichensith Ulroke
    Age
    32
    Race
    Human
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Corone
    Lonely? She knew not the meaning of the word. Not yet at least.

    "No," he spoke as though trying to laugh. "No, you were something else once."

    The formation and manipulation of bone never became a pleasant experience after all these years, but the current task at hand wracked him. Lye struggled to get his body to respond, even to the commanding and absolute will he possessed. Whether it be the residual toxins or something else entirely, his body screamed in pain as he tried to accomplish such a simple task. The only other time his memory could recall such a struggle was that year beneath the Seventh Sanctum. Celestial essence - Angel's blood.

    "I trusted you to stay in the Sanctum," Lye continued in strained words. "Shinsou, Vincent, Jake, Taka, the Ixian witch... Noel... You just couldn't leave well enough alone. Could you?"

    Lye's hand reached up to his chest and dabbed at his injury. His vision slowly crawled back to light. Less red than before transferred to the blur that was his palm.

    "How many enemies will you bring to my doorstep?" Lye turned to her. "Look what your actions have done."

    He couldn't make out the details of her face, the cracks, or the red dress that once belonged to someone far more important to him. He saw red. Red, black, and the pastel tones of flesh, backlit by the orange glow from the fire.

    "You were something once," Lye admitted. "Then, you became this. Whatever, this is."

  7. #7
    Shattered heart and Soul

    EXP: 76,735, Level: 11
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    Level completed: 98%,
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    Amari's Avatar

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    Amari L'Olfsden
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    Ar'Tuel
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    I blinked he said names I didn't quite remember. A few rang familiar, and tugged at memories I simply could not bring forth at the moment. Taka? Noel? S̜̘̟̪͇̼͕h̹i̫̣̩̫͉̳n̯S̱̱̲̪͇̻̟o̟̼͖͖̭̞u?͙̙̼͚̗

    "WHo...ArE thosE peoplE?"

    My actions. Did they cause his blood. Slowly, memories trickled into the forefront of my mind as I repeated the names to myself. Minutes passed, I wasn't sure how many, did they turn into hours? I didn't know. "Noel was a cuck who deserved his fate." These words, they were mine. They were spoken wth the cold rythmic tone I felt I was accustomed to. So why was that b͚̯̪̥r͉̲̙̤̣e̟̱̮a͍̪̲k̖i̮̗n͎̰g͎͍̻͇̪̤? I continued. Voice strained. Who were the others? Taka...oh he meant Zero. The little empty shell I had destroyed.

    I closed my eyes, loosing my train of thought again. "What was I to you?"

    What..what was that? DiD I saY thAt?


    'Snap, Crack, Snap'

    There was the distinct sound of footsteps approaching. Denying me of an answer I wasn't entirely sure I sought. The silver haired man tensed. He heard it too. Then the makeshift shelter was torn away. Despite my ailments I found myself acting on instinct, I pushed myself to Shaky feet, and six snakes erupted form my back. They hovered threateningly behind me as I stood over the silver haired man.

    "WHO?"

    The word dripped from my mouth, a hissed order through clenched teeth. My entire body was on fire and I struggled to focus on the figure before me. He looked to be a man dressed in royal blues, he was armed with a crossbow aimed directly at my heart. He spoke in a calm, clear voice. "I don't have the poison to waste on you. Move."

    PoIsoN

    This was the man that hurt him. He was but a man, a cutthroat to be sure, but naught but a man. Before his finger was able to pull the trigger one snake had sunk its teeth into the flesh of his neck. Two others had twisted his hands sickeningly away from the bow, breaking the bones. The man was already on his knees. I took three shaky steps toward him. "WhO SenT YoU."

    The man gasped for air, refusing to answer, I leaned over him, digging a heel into the meat of his groin. He screamed. "EISKALT! FUCK! EISKALT!" I pressed harder, his screams ebbing me on. I had no thought, no constraint. I breathed deep and could smell death lingering on the air. My lips twisted into a cruel and cold grin. "I like how you smell..."

    "Wh-WHAT?"

    His confusion and fear was clear even with the toxins that were seeping into his skin, and the burns in his arm, the internal bleeding. He fell to the floor. All I had to do was finish the job.

    "Enough."

    His command snapped me out of it. His words rang loud through the night, over the roar of thunder. I stepped back and to the side. Why did he ask me to stop? I was defending him wasn't I? Then it hit me. Bubbling up from inside, I couldn't stop it. I vomited. Black bile and ichor spilled from my lips as I stumbled backward. With that bile came a sudden wave of pain, emotion. Why? WHY? W̙̹̩͍̼̤͉H̤̲̳͇̭̭̤Y̱̮̟͚̗̩

    Shit.

    ShIt.

    The snakes flickered out of existence, and I quickly realized I had pushed myself too much. But how was that too much? It was a small feat that re-

    that..

    wait...

    Wh A T...

    What am I?

    My wo rl d w. a s fading...I had to say something..."Lye.... My voice cracked as I caught this wrist, trying to tug myself up off the ground. My eyes caught his, and I swore I saw flickers of amber reflected in his stony emerald gaze. The way his breath hitched in his throat. I know he saw it too. Flecks of something which should have been stomped out of me a long time ago, things that had been ripped from me, beaten from me time and time again by the very man I was trying to make amends to. "Lye..." His lips were always turned down into that scowl. What was my promise? Did I not...tell him I'd make him s̖̻̻̻m͕͉̻̦̞i̹le̟͔̪͍ͅ?

    I'm SoRry..." My words, did they reach him? Or were they drowned out by the harsh winds and rain?

    His Assailant was as good as dead. I had done my task.

    AftEr AlL...

    I aM jUst a a̖͙ͤͫͧ́͛ͥͩ ͓͍̳̟̠͊ͯ̂͋̓͛͐D͓̲ͣͪe͓͈͇̫̾́̂̓ͅM̦͕̰̙̯̺̗͊̑o̯̥̯̾ͨ̂̒ͧ̔͑ͅn I̮̣͉̋̉͂̄ͪc͖̠͕̲̩̜̊͊̒͊̎ͫ͋ ̼͓͉͖̣̩̝͑̄Tͯ̿̓ͫ͆̉ỏ̘̥͉͗ͫͬ̽öl̜̖̓.͉̺̗̼̣͖ͧͦ͑ͪ͂


    And then, the darkness came and took me once more.
    Last edited by Amari; 09-19-2017 at 02:03 PM.

  8. #8
    Administrator

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    Lye's Avatar

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    3,226

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    Lichensith Ulroke
    Age
    32
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    Human
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    Male
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    Corone
    The boneknit lattice completed just enough to make do before the cover was ripped from above. Rain poured down and the fire popped and hissed. Lye's vision began to sharpen enough to make out Scarlet jump into action. Black vines spouted from her back and plunged into the unknown attacker. Lye recognized his aura through his second sight. The bolt in his chest belonged to this man. Muffled cracks and pops preceded a violent scream of pain. Scarlet put the man on his knees, heel buried in what used to be genitalia. The man yowled one word before Lye spring into action.

    "EISKALT!"

    "Enough!" Lye roared. The ivory sutures strained against the bellows from his chest.

    He forced himself to stand as Scarlet turned to him. The inky appendages flickered and faded into dust. Hand clutched to his chest, the other reached out to her. And then she staggered. The assassin cursed the recent chain of events, but as Scarlet began to buckle under her own weight, he managed to catch her by the wrist. It was a brief moment. As she dangled, pressed against his legs, he saw a ring of amber in her eyes. Between the pitch black and blood red, golden hues crawled through for a fraction of a second as she slipped two words through her lips.

    I'm sorry.

    What for? Passing out? Taka? Shinsou? Exposing him and his location to the world and enemies? What for?

    The black sclera devoured the slivers of gold near as quickly as they appeared and Scarlet's body wracked as though struck with lightning. Parts of her body untouched by the corrupted cracks shattered like glass. New paths and webs of darkness etched across fair skin to the point, it singed his hand. He let her out of his grasp to collapse to the damp earth. Half of his glove fell from his blistered hand and joined her on the ground.

    "Fuck," he swore as he clutched his hand.

    Two motionless bodies now lay in the midst of the Condordian Forest. One banged up assassin, still lightheaded from blood loss, stood over the two of them.

    "Fuck," he repeated, then drew a long, deep breath.

    Lye hobbled over to the downed killer, his arms twisted in ways they were not meant to bend. Yet, despite the black wounds from Scarlet's dark magicks, the assailant's chest still rose and fell. Beside him, the shattered crossbow and bolt laid. For curiousity's sake, the assassin plucked the bolt from the ground and stashed it away on his person. As for the two bodies, Lye did recall a farm with a particularly putrid ale, a dead swine, and far more firewood than necessary. In the barn, were several wagons.

    What bad luck for that poor soul.

    ------

    The journey took them only as far as Underwood. Neither Scarlet nor the assailant woke during the nightlong trip. The storm subsided mid way, and with his wound shut, Lye felt his strength begin to return. Unfortunately, the farmer and his wife paid the price for their expedited journey. The two children however... Well, only time would tell if they joined their parents in the afterlife. He thought of them on the trip. Why he spared two lives he would otherwise have taken. Perhaps it was the wounds? Perhaps he was worried his assailant would wake? Perhaps he was worried Scarlet would be eaten by a Gorian'Fel? All in all, he spared them.

    Once at Underwood, Lye managed to persuade a local mage to conjure up a portal to Archen in exchange for their wagon and the bales of wheat within. It was an unfair trade, but the steal he gave the mage was indeed stolen afterall. There, an envoy from the Sanctum granted them passage north. All the while, Scarlet slumbered and their captive unfortunately slipped into eternal slumber. Lye stripped the man of his belongings and ditched the corpse in the Forgotten Forest for the Dark Crawlers to enjoy.

    "Sir, what happened to you?" Caellus asked as he aided the assassin from the wagon.

    "It's a long story I rather not tell," replied the assassin. He noticed Caellus pause as he looked at the second passenger in the back of the wagon.

    "Go on," Lye urged. "Her too."

    "Is that--?"

    "Yes, it is. Bring her to my chambers and have that... alchemist take a look at her," Lye ordered with a groan.

  9. #9
    Shattered heart and Soul

    EXP: 76,735, Level: 11
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    Level completed: 98%,
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    Amari's Avatar

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    Amari L'Olfsden
    Age
    30
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    Ar'Tuel
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    Savar: Seventh Sanctum

    Scarlet lay on the bed, her loosely clothed form drenched in sweat. Her sclera eyes struggled to focus on the carved onyx ceiling, her chest rose and fell in quick succession. She had a fever, and has had one for the last few days. At first, it was a nuisance, then, it was followed by constant waves of nausea. Now, the red headed assassin struggled to stand without falling. Strands of crimson hair clung to her pale and cracked face, her lips were dry and cracked.

    Richard, one of her subordinates stood at Lichensith Ulroke’s alchemic desk, breezing over some notes he had taken during his time questioning her. A beaker atop a bunsen burner bubbled away, and the thick smell of mint mixed with a chemical hung heavy in the room. He had her drink some form of truth serum, it left a bitter taste on her lips, but it ensured she told the truth to him.

    Richard tore his brown eyes away from his work when Lye entered the room. “Sir.” He dipped his head as a sign of respect to the man.

    “Well? What’s wrong with her?” Lye asked as he stalked up to Richard, thin lips pressed into a hard line. His one good eye bore down on Richards pristine form. “She’s useless like this.”

    “Mmm…” Richard mused, shifting his gaze to the barely conscious woman on the bed. “Master Ulroke,” Richard began, speaking with his usual inflection. “Tell me, have you noticed anything about her that has changed recently?” Lye rose a skeptical brow. Richard continued. “I do not mean her transformation, I mean her body.”

    Lye’s gaze shifted to Scarlets form then back to Richard. “What of it.”

    Richard frowned, seeing no way to tip-toe around the matter. He cleared his throat and lowered his tone so that she would not hear. “She’s pregnant. Her nausea is morning sickness, common misconception is that it only happens during the morning. It -” Lye narrowed his gaze, Richard skipped that and continued.” I’d stake my life on the reason she has her fever. Her corrupted soul struggles to heal her, and with it now working in overdrive for herself and for a child - well, something like that would put a strain even on a demigod.” Richard sighed as he handed Lye the notes. “I would avoid telling her. She would probably try to rip it out of herself - which would just exert her soul further as it tries to repair the damage. I’m not certain on that but it is something to consider. I think, the soul of the child may help heal her. These are just theories. It may be why she’s showing some semblance of emotion.”

    Richard didn’t give pause, he was concerned with how the man would react. “It looks to be about 3 months. I questioned her whilst she was under the influence of a truth serum I whipped up. It is still in effect now, so if you wish to further question her, do so. The father has been narrowed down to two people.” There was a slight pause as he drew in a deep breath. “Either yourself, or a man named Shinsou Van Osiris, She barely seems to recall him.”

    Richard shook his head and folded his arms to stop his hands from shaking. Speaking with Lye always made him extremely nervous, and the assassin was known to shoot the messenger out of anger. “My advice...let her rest a few days. Do not let her use her abilities right now. I’m not sure how she will cope. She needs rest, and she needs to be looked after. Should I have Advencia come and change her cloth?”

    “Leave us.” Lye growled.

    “But-”

    “Do not test my patience.”

    Richard didn’t give Lye any further words, he offered him another nod of the head and hastily made his way toward the exit. He shut the door and exhaled, pulling a cloth from his front pocket and lightly dabbing the sweat from his forehead. “Those two will be the death of me.” He jumped when he noticed the stoic figure of the masked man. Scarlet’s knight. Richard knew of the things she had put him through, and a part of him felt bad for the poor sod, another part, felt that he got what he deserved for willingly placing himself in such a position.

    ------------------------------------------

    That fucking bastard. Whatever he gave me...it was bitter, and I barely had control over myself before. Now…. Now?

    Now….

    "Lye?"

    I could hear him, and his footsteps as he approached. I turned to him, blurry eyed. I barely remembered the conversation I had with Richard, my voice felt hoarse, as though I had been talking a long time.

    Ev E R Y THi N G was So F U . Z . Zy....


    "Lye..." his name croaked out of my mouth a second time as my hand swatted at him in an affectionate drug induced stupor. The way he was looking at me...why? Why was he looking at me like that?

    What had I done now?

  10. #10
    Administrator

    EXP: 87,404, Level: 12
    Level completed: 81%, EXP required for next Level: 2,596
    Level completed: 81%,
    EXP required for next Level: 2,596


    Lye's Avatar

    GP
    3,226

    Name
    Lichensith Ulroke
    Age
    32
    Race
    Human
    Gender
    Male
    Location
    Corone
    Lye stood at the bedside. Her hand reached out just shy of his attire. The torch's light on the wall cast a warm glow on the four horseman blade held against the small of his back. With his half blind gaze, he silently stared. The woman in the bed, cracked, broken, and swallowed in darkness seemed much more human in this moment. He knew her to be immortal, but what about the child? Was it his? Was it his enemy's? Would he be doing her a favor by killing it?

    He pondered these questions and many more. As his thoughts deepened and whipped into a frenzy, the grip on his dagger tightened.

    "Lye..?" Scarlet called out once more. She used his name yet again.

    "How..." The sentence hung on his tongue. Did he really care about her well being? Did he really care about a child's; even his own?

    "How are you feeling?" he asked.

    Scarlet looked at him while still in a daze, but her brows further scrunched in confusion. She paused, closed her eyes, and rested her arm against her forehead.

    "Tired," she muttered. "Feels like my stomach is in knots..."

    'That's because you're with child,' he thought to say. His teeth clenched and again he felt the urge to plunge his blade into her abdomen. Where was Aurelianus when you needed him? Lye held himself back. Somewhere in the miasma of his twisted sense of reality, a small emotion stayed his otherwise vicious tenancies. It resounded like a voice in his head.

    Daddy.

    It was faint, distant. That shrill, innocent voice. A soft tug at the fabric of his trousers and two bright eyes staring up. A little smile, some teeth recently missing.

    "Lye..?" That voice again. While it was hers, it overlapped another. His throat dried and he suddenly forgot how to breath.

    "Yes?" he answered after a pause to catch his breath.

    "What am I to you?" Scarlet asked. The cold, sharp words of her usual tone seemed absent. It sounded soft, genuine, if not weak and confused.

    'You're nothing to me,' he thought to say, but the tightness in his chest held the words behind his lips. A mother? The mother of my child? A victim. A weapon and tool for the liberation of Salvar? A demon?

    "You should get some rest," he stated. His words ended with the punctuation of blade against scabbard. Then, he reached over her and pulled dampened, charred sheets up to her neck. "I'll have fresh linens brought up."

    Scarlet reached up while he was over her and drew a gentle hand across his cheek. It froze him for a brief moment.

    "Stay?" she asked.

    The assassin wrenched away and made for the door.

    "Get your rest," he stated in his familiarly firm tone. The grate of iron groaned open and Lye removed himself from the room. The door shut, and the clang of metal on stone rang out.

    Outside their quarters, Lye turned his eyes to the former Ixian that waited calmly beside the wall.

    "The fuck are you doing here, puppet?" spat the assassin through a scowl.

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