Arawn
05-23-06, 10:43 AM
(Join) (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=1158)
The humanoid being’s skin was a solid ruby red, deficient of any imperfection whatsoever. It almost seemed his form was encased in colored marble rather than living skin, as his bald head reflected the light of the moon above unnaturally. He was draped in a robe of dark brown tied about him with a golden sash. With his hood down, one saw his flawless visage. He had facial features akin to those of the elven race with elongated ears and piercing eyes, which were a penetrating sky blue. His strong bare chest rose and fell with his calm breath, showing no sign of worry for the impending meeting. He was very muscular, evidenced by the bulges at distinct intervals in the arms of his robe and the protruding veins in his upper body and thick neck. His lower body was covered in pants of strong leather, held at his waste by a belt of rich gold. He appeared to be unarmed as he waited, confidently staring up at the full moon as it illuminated the clearing in Concordia. For a time, the only sounds were the soft rustling of leaves and the being’s sure, steady breathing.
This intimidating individual was an archon; a member of select paramount creatures who strove to rid the land of evil as they saw it. However, evil as they saw it was a debatably broad term. They were unpredictably chaotic in some cases, eliminating those in their way who did not fit into their narrow definition of virtuous beings. Still, they were known as paladins of good, acting only when they sensed a distinctly unnerving state of circumstances in their realm. They were the elite, powerful beyond even the tales of their exploits. It was not rare for one of them to exterminate their quarry seconds after confronting them where countless other beings had failed for years. The sole archon standing in the woods of Concordia was credited for single-handedly destroying the infamous lich of Harsglen and its unholy army, undead creatures being his victims of choice.
He reflected on the purpose for the meeting as he waited. A new creature had arisen as a threat to the archons’ quest for balance, unique in several ways. It was rumored he had been responsible for the particularly vicious slaughter of two young warrioresses in the conflict over the Magi Tower some time ago. Violence by an individual alone was not enough to warrant any worry, but this was the act of a truly potent undead beast. However, even in such a case, the archons seldom sent one of their own to handle such inconsequent matters. The intrigue in this mark’s instance lay in the fact that he had been turned to the ranks of vampirism only partially. It was rumored his alter ego still retained some control over his sovereign form. Though this was not unheard of, it seemed the vampire relied on this half of his persona’s abilities whenever he was in danger of extermination, making it nigh impossible to utilize its inherent weaknesses against it.
“Hikari no Ashigaru,” the lone archon spoke to the night air with a deep reverberating voice, his breath manifesting itself as a puff of mist.
The mark’s name was all he really had to go on at the moment. Rumor’s abounded regarding his accomplishments and the limits of his powers, but he knew nothing concrete as yet. Still, if he posed the threat the archons believed he did, their sending an emissary to handle the situation was called for. It was said Hikari no Ashigaru had domain over light and the ability to transform into a juggernaut of sorts. His vampiric side relinquished control whenever cornered, so those attempting to use sunrays or other equivalents to char his flesh would suddenly be aiding his alter ego to overcome them. The opposite would come to pass if one tried to deprive Hikari of the illumination he so needed. This rare complimentary pairing would result in a truly relentless foe if given time to grow into its powers. Time was what the red-skinned archon intended to keep the vampiric dark elf from getting any more of.
“I got what you wanted!” a voice came, gasping for breath. The human stumbling into the clearing had obviously been in a hurry to get to their arranged meeting in time, stains from nature on his leather garb.
“You’re late,” the archon pronounced in his low tones as he looked the man up and down in aversion. He was a bottom feeder of Corone’s society, his services available to anyone with capital. “How much did you find out?”
“Everything’s here,” he said, conjuring a sheet of paper from his chest pocket. “I got a good account of what he can do from a witness of the Serenti tournament. His whereabouts were easy enough too, not many albino elves out there,” he finished with a half-hearted chuckle.
“Well done,” the archon said as he snatched the paper from the man’s hands and looked over the notes.
“And my pay?” the man ventured tentatively when he felt he was being forgotten.
“Tell me something,” the archon interjected, ignoring the question as he continued to stare at the paper. “Have you ever killed an innocent creature?”
“Are you kidding?” the man responded. He mistakenly construed the question as a measure of his manhood and boasted, “I’ve killed any man, woman and child that ever looked at me funny!”
The archon smiled for the first time in their meeting and turned to face him fully, sinewy muscles bulging as he raised his right hand between them. Nervous now, the human took a few steps back when the archon snapped his fingers. On command, bright yellow flames suddenly appeared engulfing the human’s form with a soft “fwop!” The man began to scream in agony such as he had never imagined, his skin bubbling and scorching from the intense heat. His face contorted grotesquely as he raised his hands up to it in a vain attempt to extinguish the encompassing blaze. He felt his skin was melting away slowly and prayed he’d cease to be soon as his screams continue to reach far into Concordia. In a few more seconds, his prayers were realized and his figure fell to the ground in a black smoldering heap, the yells finally silenced. With hardly a reaction to the display, the archon left the clearing murmuring something over and over.
“Hikari no Ashigaru…”
The humanoid being’s skin was a solid ruby red, deficient of any imperfection whatsoever. It almost seemed his form was encased in colored marble rather than living skin, as his bald head reflected the light of the moon above unnaturally. He was draped in a robe of dark brown tied about him with a golden sash. With his hood down, one saw his flawless visage. He had facial features akin to those of the elven race with elongated ears and piercing eyes, which were a penetrating sky blue. His strong bare chest rose and fell with his calm breath, showing no sign of worry for the impending meeting. He was very muscular, evidenced by the bulges at distinct intervals in the arms of his robe and the protruding veins in his upper body and thick neck. His lower body was covered in pants of strong leather, held at his waste by a belt of rich gold. He appeared to be unarmed as he waited, confidently staring up at the full moon as it illuminated the clearing in Concordia. For a time, the only sounds were the soft rustling of leaves and the being’s sure, steady breathing.
This intimidating individual was an archon; a member of select paramount creatures who strove to rid the land of evil as they saw it. However, evil as they saw it was a debatably broad term. They were unpredictably chaotic in some cases, eliminating those in their way who did not fit into their narrow definition of virtuous beings. Still, they were known as paladins of good, acting only when they sensed a distinctly unnerving state of circumstances in their realm. They were the elite, powerful beyond even the tales of their exploits. It was not rare for one of them to exterminate their quarry seconds after confronting them where countless other beings had failed for years. The sole archon standing in the woods of Concordia was credited for single-handedly destroying the infamous lich of Harsglen and its unholy army, undead creatures being his victims of choice.
He reflected on the purpose for the meeting as he waited. A new creature had arisen as a threat to the archons’ quest for balance, unique in several ways. It was rumored he had been responsible for the particularly vicious slaughter of two young warrioresses in the conflict over the Magi Tower some time ago. Violence by an individual alone was not enough to warrant any worry, but this was the act of a truly potent undead beast. However, even in such a case, the archons seldom sent one of their own to handle such inconsequent matters. The intrigue in this mark’s instance lay in the fact that he had been turned to the ranks of vampirism only partially. It was rumored his alter ego still retained some control over his sovereign form. Though this was not unheard of, it seemed the vampire relied on this half of his persona’s abilities whenever he was in danger of extermination, making it nigh impossible to utilize its inherent weaknesses against it.
“Hikari no Ashigaru,” the lone archon spoke to the night air with a deep reverberating voice, his breath manifesting itself as a puff of mist.
The mark’s name was all he really had to go on at the moment. Rumor’s abounded regarding his accomplishments and the limits of his powers, but he knew nothing concrete as yet. Still, if he posed the threat the archons believed he did, their sending an emissary to handle the situation was called for. It was said Hikari no Ashigaru had domain over light and the ability to transform into a juggernaut of sorts. His vampiric side relinquished control whenever cornered, so those attempting to use sunrays or other equivalents to char his flesh would suddenly be aiding his alter ego to overcome them. The opposite would come to pass if one tried to deprive Hikari of the illumination he so needed. This rare complimentary pairing would result in a truly relentless foe if given time to grow into its powers. Time was what the red-skinned archon intended to keep the vampiric dark elf from getting any more of.
“I got what you wanted!” a voice came, gasping for breath. The human stumbling into the clearing had obviously been in a hurry to get to their arranged meeting in time, stains from nature on his leather garb.
“You’re late,” the archon pronounced in his low tones as he looked the man up and down in aversion. He was a bottom feeder of Corone’s society, his services available to anyone with capital. “How much did you find out?”
“Everything’s here,” he said, conjuring a sheet of paper from his chest pocket. “I got a good account of what he can do from a witness of the Serenti tournament. His whereabouts were easy enough too, not many albino elves out there,” he finished with a half-hearted chuckle.
“Well done,” the archon said as he snatched the paper from the man’s hands and looked over the notes.
“And my pay?” the man ventured tentatively when he felt he was being forgotten.
“Tell me something,” the archon interjected, ignoring the question as he continued to stare at the paper. “Have you ever killed an innocent creature?”
“Are you kidding?” the man responded. He mistakenly construed the question as a measure of his manhood and boasted, “I’ve killed any man, woman and child that ever looked at me funny!”
The archon smiled for the first time in their meeting and turned to face him fully, sinewy muscles bulging as he raised his right hand between them. Nervous now, the human took a few steps back when the archon snapped his fingers. On command, bright yellow flames suddenly appeared engulfing the human’s form with a soft “fwop!” The man began to scream in agony such as he had never imagined, his skin bubbling and scorching from the intense heat. His face contorted grotesquely as he raised his hands up to it in a vain attempt to extinguish the encompassing blaze. He felt his skin was melting away slowly and prayed he’d cease to be soon as his screams continue to reach far into Concordia. In a few more seconds, his prayers were realized and his figure fell to the ground in a black smoldering heap, the yells finally silenced. With hardly a reaction to the display, the archon left the clearing murmuring something over and over.
“Hikari no Ashigaru…”