View Full Version : dogs and gods
((open only to Sacred Delirium))
(All bunnying has been discused and allowed.)
Jin was lost in thought as he walked, passing through this particular city for the second time in four months. To be honest he hated these cities that humans and other species had constructed. He hated them because of there complete lack of anything even remotely natural save for the odd stream or river here and there, some didn’t even have any trees until you got to the outskirts. This particular city just happened to be one of those that went more towards art set in stone then anything ells. The first time he passed through he was actually quite impressed by the intricate carvings and handling of the stone, but over the months he grew to really hate them for that same quality when every place he came to was the same.
Jin looked up ahead of him to the mountains that lay at the end of the city, the only real reminder that nature still existed beyond these confines. Behind him where the hills he had to pass over to get here and his thoughts turned to how there had been many thieves lurking in those hills waiting for and praying upon the weak and or weary travelers. Just this morning he had killed on of those thieves that tried to take Jin out to steal whatever he had, witch wasn’t much as the only real things of value he had on him where his three swords. Sadly the idiot looked only to be sixteen and now his inner workings where all over the forest floor. Kasan had been angered by that fool when he tried to scare him by saying how many he had killed and how. Although the thief said these things Jin could tell that he had pretty much no experience with a sword of any kind simply by looking at how he held it in what the man had probably thought was a ready stance. Only two blows where trade din the entire fight when the man attacked, one was blocked by the dog demon as he used one of his katanas to push the attackers blade to the side. The second blow was delivered by Kasan as he used his other katana quickly stab his victim and tear out his left side, and because the bandit’s sword was still being pushed aside there was no chance at blocking that last strike. As he lay there trying desperately to hold his guts in place, the young thief begged for mercy, either by finishing him or helping him and that he would do anything. At this Jin simply turned his back and replaced his blades at his side wile he stated that his kind deserved what they got and calmly walked away.
Kasan again turned his attention to the mountains as they steadily came closer. He wasn’t particularly proud of how he left that man to die painfully, but he wasn’t exactly feeling any guilt over it either. Coming out of his thoughts and back into the present. He was now in the outskirts of the city only a few minutes from reaching the path into the mountains. Looking to the sides of the street he noticed something odd, he was getting strange looks but not just the kind he got when others noticed his clothing, eyes, and ears, no these where different. Wile most of them where just the “who or what are you” type, some where fearful, as if he might come after them any time for any reason.
As Kasan was about to reach the city gates he stopped dead as those same people with the fear in there eyes gasped as one, his eyes widened slightly and his pupils shrank instantly to the point that others may think he was blind and he stiffened his entire body in surprise. All he could do wile in his "shocked" state was think of how bold this person was.
Sacred Delirium
03-31-06, 01:45 PM
She stalked him like a jungle cat, her eyes locked as she weaved around bodies like so much tall grass. Her smile wasn’t predatory, though. It was faint and quivering, like mirth being held in. Some might have thought she was in a trance, for she didn’t seem to notice when her baggy blue pants or black cloak snapped at people in all her fluidic, fast movement. She even managed to ignore the comments her ears drew, most notably the exclamation that they, in all their pickaxe-like glory sprouting from her messy hair, had nearly taken out someone’s eye. None of it mattered as she kept pace with her prey.
She never did close the distance on him, though. She didn’t intend to. All she wanted was to keep those fuzzy doggy ears in sight for as long as possible. So rare was it, to see a patch of beauty in the cesspool of humanity that was every town she had crossed in Corone. Her fingers were twitching from the joy of it, and her mouth opened a crack to let out a small giggle.
Suddenly, the fuzzy-eared man slowed as if surprised by something he was hearing from a passerby. The young elf, unfortunately, did not change speed. Lost in a wave of suppressed glee, she kept walking right for his back as she lifted her hands in what appeared to be a move to soften the impact. But, her hands went higher and in a beeline to those lovely, twitching ears. She latched on like she had been drowning, her fingers playing over the fur as if the tickling sensation was completely foreign. Her mouth finally unclenched, and she somehow combined a relieved sigh with childish, nearly-maniacal giggling.
“Run, child, run!” shouted an old woman from the crowd. The elf turned just enough to see her and stared as her brain tried to comprehend why someone would ruin such a happy moment. Nearly everyone else, though, took the warning to heart. Those who weren’t hightailing it to another street were backing away with arms raised submissively. With her brain still muddled and her hands still clinging, the elf simply watched them in bewilderment. “He can’t be a bad dog with such pretty ears,” she mumbled to herself.
Jin had come out of shock about the time that everyone was running. You meet new ones every day… “Remove yourself from my ears.” Jin calmly demanded. In the few seconds he was giving her to comply with his wishes Kasan surveyed everything that had happened. He noticed the stares of a few humans and a green slimy “thing” as he didn’t know what they where called. …One… I wonder what brought this on anyway, people aren’t supposed to randomly grab body parts. Is she sane? …Two… and why are these citizens acting out of so much fear? I haven’t done anything to my recollection. …three…After three seconds Jin grew impatient with the girl still rubbing his ears so in a slow fluid movement, he grasped the hilt of his giant 8foot long blade that was on his back. Again the ones that stayed to watch held there breathe. Then wile Jin bent down at the waist and to the side, he pulled the sword up off his back and to his side.
With a dull thud Kasan had lifted the girl up over himself using the flat of the sword and rammed her into the ground to his side. Pulling his mighty blade off her face and back into place seemingly hovering where he put it on his back as it never really touched him Jin straitened up and cast a look down to the girl laying before him. He was going to say something, almost go into a chastising speech about personal space but could tell that one, she still didn’t seem to be all there and two, the people where calling the guards on him for something. So not wanting to be delayed Jin quickly pulled his hair out from between him and his sword and swiftly walked out the gates with his hair floating behind him. The only sound being made was the gravel under his bare feet and the clanking of metal as he assumed those would be the guards. Very strange land this is.
As He walked down the dirt path Jin collected his current knowledge of this land that he gained since stepping off the airship. I can see why not many of us came here for anything other then studying this place. She wasn’t the first person to seem off, as a matter of fact the first one tried to collect my clothing wile I bathed so he could play something called dress up with his father if I remember correctly. That was strange enough to make that last girl seem almost civil. I wonder if the social structure has anything to do with these cases. It is quite different then Mooruze of Siguelus for certain, but by that much it is a wonder they aren’t killing each other… even more so.
Jin had walked the rest of the way to the mountains and sat at the base of them. He hadn’t been chased but he was sure that if he had stayed longer things would have been quite a mess for him and then that would make him late to getting home. With a sigh he took his giant blade and placed it on the ground, watching it slowly sink in a little before laying down himself. He never worried about his swords being stolen even out here. His giant blue blade weighed more then most men and he would wake up if some one tried to get at his katanas on his person. With one last look up at the now full moon he shut his eyes to get some sleep as he wanted to get going early.
Sacred Delirium
05-02-06, 06:34 PM
Why hadn’t she seen the huge sword she had to reach around to get to his ears? Well, she would probably rationalize it later as his long hair hiding the blade’s true mass, but the truth was that she wouldn’t have cared if he had it with blade to her throat at that moment. Euphoria had her. Though, it got left behind as she suddenly realized something. Her eyes were indeed focused on the ears, but she was conscious of the space behind those ears too… kind of. She was able to make out simply that what once had been a view of the street was forcefully a view of the dogman’s bare feet, and than a shot of the street behind her. Upside down. What followed was a quick flash of sky with a heavy thud of pain at her back, then a view of a flat metal surface and another blast of pain, her front this time.
Soundly beaten over most of her body, the elf quickly lost consciousness. As always, she dreamed. But, it was a faint dream tainted with the still-discernible pain in her everything. An image appeared in her mind’s eye, wispy and translucent. A stern elven man’s face looked down at her with a mix of concern and disapproval. It was only a tightness of the mouth that betrayed the emotions, but she could read it from years of experience. Within that dream realm, she shivered and cast her eyes down ashamedly. Idiot, she scolded herself, for this wasn’t the first time. Many a fuzzy ear or tail had shattered her vigilance and training like a porcelain doll. Anger started to well up in her at remembering that fact. But, it faded into the dark background as voices reached her.
“Child, wake up!” shouted the old woman who had spoken from the crowd before the blade-induced summersault. She accompanied the worried tone with a tap to the face, which didn’t help much given that she already hurt there. Though, there wasn’t really anywhere else to touch her at the moment that wouldn’t hurt.
“Don’t touch me,” Katrena muttered, her normal attitude resuming now that there wasn’t fuzziness dancing before her. Weakly, she tried to push away from the woman, which wasn’t too hard seeing as the remark seemed to have stunned the old hag.
“Well…,” the old woman said indignantly, “That’s not much of a thank you.” That crowd was filtering back to the scene now, and they seemed to be on the woman’s side. There was still a touch of fear in their eyes at what they assumed to be a mental case, but it now had scorn added for the ungratefulness of her.
Ignoring the looks, for humans had directed such glares at her for years, she crawled to her knees and looked back over her shoulder in annoyance. “I don’t need your help, old bat,” she hissed. Not a touch of the pain showed on her face, though there was a lot of it. Everything was on fire, especially the areas that would smart from just a jab. She’d have to find a private place later to check for anything broken. Nothing seemed out of place, just slightly compressed. But, if both legs had been broken, she’d still have walked from that crowd.
“You’re lucky you’re still alive, child,” the woman admonished as a few heads nodded. “Don’t tell me you haven’t heard of Bloody Kasan…”
Bodies, there where bodies everywhere. A tall man with dog ears clad in white and blue at the center of the carnage, quite effectively taking care of the last survivors from the village. A slice here and one child became two, A crunch there and a young woman’s brains where painting the aria. He was very good at killing to be sure, no attack failed, not one missed. He had started with the young first, making those around watch as there children where executed as they ran before the armed ones could fight him. He loved a good fight; it made him feel alive and full of energy. So be it if he needed to practice to gain this feeling of wholeness, besides, it wasn’t his fault that the children annoyed him. And the best part was that he never remembered what he had done until he began again.
A smaller man came at him with an axe, and left without his head as he was batted away with the flat of an ungodly sized blade. It had been done. He relished in the smell of the dead and his blood soaked apparel, drank in the sound of the dieing as they moaned and screamed…Bliss. This was the one thing he could fully enjoy here on the tainted land, away from his, girlfriend. But now, he was just happy with him self, the world, and life in general as he walked away, as if nothing happened with a smirk on his face. Not knowing that an old woman was running away from him and the destroyed hut she was hiding in with a speed only pure terror could induce in mankind.
---
Jin was standing tall and proud as he watched the ever-storm thin out around him, and then dissipate completely as his air ship past the divine barrier. He glanced up ahead and smiled a true and happy smile bourn from this moment. He was home. He could see the tower off in the distance. So beautiful as it shone in the light. Beautiful like his friend Tier, soon she would know. He made a promise to himself that when he returned she would know. He grew nervous.
All too soon he was ashore at the center of the ever-storm, greeting everyone the staring at Tier with a nervous grin. He opened his mouth and prepared to form the words he had yet to say and closed his eyes. As they opened once more she knew what he had to say, people around the two shocked at hearing this from him but now she knew, finally knew what he had promised himself to say to her.
---
Kasan woke up to the birds singing happy tunes and he stood and stretched from his position leaning against the tree at the path’s side. The slight breeze playing with his pony tail. With small grunt Jin reached down and ripped his blade from the earth where it had sunken a good foot into and set it onto his back, a small sigh escaping him. It won’t be too much longer, only e few more days until I have to say it. Lord help me. Why did I make that promise in the first place? Now I need to keep it, even if I only promised myself I am a man of my word. I suppose she has a right to know anyway as it is about her. But since no one knows of it the promise won’t stain my honor if I break it right...I really must stop arguing with myself. I will keep my promise, I always have and I always will. God he hoped no one he readily knew would be there.
Jin was about to set off toward the ocean again but the sound of a cart drew his attention. He waited patiently wile it came into view with an old man guiding the horses and four other young boys walking alongside him. Kasan guessed they couldn’t be any older then twelve years, but as for the old guy; there was just no excuse for how ugly he was.
As the cart drew closer Jin could swear he could here a small whispering voice in the back of his mind saying things such as “unclean, tainted, and unworthy”. He was about to walk away before the old man called to him. “Hay. You there wait.”
“What is it?” Jin was now staring at the guy intensely.
“I noticed that sword of yours and I was wondering if you could do me a small favor. You see, a few days ago we came up on a cave and found this sword here.” As he said this the man had walked up to the side of the cart and uncovered a blade, a very large blade that was even larger then Jin’s current one and continued. “It took the five of us to get it on the cart it is so heavy, and my favor is this. If you can lift it, it is yours. Now I wont lie to you, I believe it cursed as it began to whisper those words at us ever since we took it from the alter. But I assure you it has not harmed anything that I know of and if you can stand the disembodied voice then well…”
The old man let his words end there as he looked at Kasan, trying to figure out if he had noticed the slip in the mans story, but like every one else who tried to read Jin, he came up empty. Jin simply continued to stare at the old fart wile he ran things over in his head. He had noticed the slip up and figured the sword stolen. However the old man had now explained that the alter was inside a cave and that no one was around, plus the fact that he would be grateful to be rid of the “cursed” blade. Jin rolled the idea around in his mind for a moment more, all the wile the blade still throwing foul words here and there.
“So what do you say? Give it a try?” The old man was desperate.
“Very well, it couldn’t hurt step aside. I wile relieve you of the blade” The old man looked relieved just as much as the others as he steppe away and Jin walked up to the still cursing sword and reached out to grab it. He looked at the old man just as he touched it. The cursing whisper had stopped and he felt a bit odd until the whisper came back and said one word…”Worthy."
Sacred Delirium
05-08-06, 05:57 PM
Katrena lay in her bed at an inn, the name of which she hadn’t bothered to remember since entering, and stared at the ceiling. Her cloak lay at the foot of the bed, revealing her white shirt with black and red striped sleeves. It made her arms look like failed attempts at candy canes. Of course, any human to say that to her face would probably have to deal with her katana, which was sheathed and leaning against the stool next to the bed. Weapons had to be close at hand even in cities, especially human cities.
Thoughtfully, the elf muttered to herself. The old woman had managed to get the whole story out before she had gotten bored and left the scene, which Katrena was now wishing she hadn’t listened to. It wasn’t important now. But, at the same time, it was a very big and very annoying ‘what if’. What if that woman was just spreading rumors? It didn’t make sense for her sister, as she claimed, to have escaped a massacre that left no one else. But, if she actually had all her fruit in one basket, Katrena had just put her life in very real danger and all she would have done about it was squeal like a child. Just the thought of it make her kick a boot off one of her feet in disgust, probably scaring whoever was asleep in the other room as the wall reverberated. She didn’t want to sleep until she figured out if her stupidity today deserved a simple, “Hehe, oops,” or a few sound blows to the head.
But, there wasn’t an answer to be found. The dogman had used enough force to show that he could be very violent. (Every inch of her still ached, though nothing was broken. Maybe she should have taken the old woman up on her offer of medical treatment.) Yet, he had been non-lethal. Was he just toying with her?
“Stupid…,” Katrena grumbled as she turned to the side and pushed her remaining boot off her foot and to the floor with a satisfying thud for the people downstairs. Her hand drifted up to the silver chain at her neck. It was from them, a sign of their love. If she couldn’t figure this out, they would. It was what she had been hoping to avoid, but it seemed necessary, and she knew their judgment would be fair. It always was. So, with her eyes finally getting heavy and her muscles burning a little less, she drifted into the realm of the Guardians.
The starry expanse of the constant midnight rolled over her, moonless and calm, as the carpet of short, nearly shimmering grass swept underneath. After a blurred moment, everything was in focus. Her people. They stretched about her in numbers reaching the hundreds, each standing proudly with their pickaxe-like ears in the air. Some wore armor, others dresses or court robes, and some even appeared to have wings. If it wasn’t for the grey haze that seemed to cling to them, Katrena was sure she would be amazed by the shine of the armor and the embroidery of the gowns. Only three figures among them were as colorful as life, though.
One was clearly a warrior. His frame was wide for an elf, and it was magnified by his golden armor and ox horn helm, which clearly accommodated his ears in the hollow horns. The only measure of skin visible was his shadowed face. But, even then, she could see the controlled ferocity in his eyes. He was the one who had taught her the way of the blade, though his own was a massive long sword. Someday, she would hopefully wield one just as magnificent, but not until they decreed it.
Opposite from the warrior was the complete opposite of him, a lithe and beautiful dancer. At least, that was what Katrena assumed. Her gown was so revealing as to barely be called that, but it was decorated with so many bows and ribbons that the true form of the woman’s body was a mystery only caught in glimpses as she moved about in perfect and graceful steps. Her head was the only part truly visible. Such magnificent ears she had. They were as pointed as Katrena’s, but curved slightly back so as to make her longing face appear even more so. It was from her that Katrena had always received comfort. She remembered every caress from those ethereal hands and faint lips.
In the middle of the trio stood what Katrena would have to call the leader. He was a mage, as far as the silver robes and the bejeweled staff told. But, more so, he was authority personified. His cold blue eyes cut so deep that Katrena never did get the chance to examine the multiple gold rings in his ears, or to muse upon what sound they would make if they jingled together… if she could hear in this realm. He was the one she was anxious about seeing tonight. If she wronged their honor or her own, he was the one who would appear angriest, and with just a simple curl of the lip. Already, she had seen him today. But, she was never sure if that kind of dream was actually with them or just in her mind.
Timidly, she awaited judgement, her eyes locked on his just because she knew he didn’t want her to look away, and oh how she wanted to look away. He made no motion of disapproval, though. He simply blinked, and the intensity of his gaze softened to be merely equal to the light of the sun. Questioningly, Katrena looked at the other two. The warrior stood with arms crossed, apparently looking elsewhere, and the dancer gave a small smile and nodded subtly. Katrena felt herself silently sighing. Everything was going to be ok.
However, they did not dismiss her yet. The mage now stepped forward with a look as if going on about business. He waved his staff slowly through the air before him, causing it to ripple and take on an image. It was of the dogman from earlier, again walking away. But, he was no longer on a city street. He was at the foot of mountains where a forested path led up to the rocks, and beyond him in the distance was an ocean. Far beyond that, barely distinguishable, was a speck of land. There was no way to tell if it was a continent or an island, as size seemed warped in this vision. But, Katrena clearly felt the strong pull of it. She had to go there. It was meant to be. The dogman would be her guide.
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Huffing, wheezing, and wincing, Katrena ran down the path. It had been the same one she followed since she began well before dawn. There was no sleep for her, nor anything for the aching everything. He was already half a day ahead of her. If she didn’t catch up soon, she knew he’d be out of reach. So, now with the sun well risen in the sky, she continued. The pain seemed to have fallen away miles ago, anyway.
That didn’t fall away, though, was the doubt. In the dream, she knew it was right to follow him. But, that old hag’s tale still stuck. Would she be putting herself in more danger? Did it even matter if it was what the Guardians wanted? She asked herself over and over again, each time coming to the conclusion that it was best not to think about it.
Finally, as she wove down the forest path and came to the foot of the mountains, she saw him. Instantly, she knew the chase was over, and every instinct that had been driving her all this time fled. Like a cut coin purse, she fell to the ground and sprawled her limbs. Her muscles felt too much like liquid to resist. Raising her head weakly, she could make out just what was happening, though it was hard to see as her vision jumped with every wild, hungry breath.
He must have been buying something from a merchant, for he was reaching into the wagon. Almost inaudible was a voice saying, “Worthy.” She dismissed it as her imagination, though she was too tired to have thought of anything like that. She couldn’t even think about how cute his ears were in that bed of long hair. Yes, it was due to exhaustion, but she still congratulated herself for not going into a state of twitterpation.
Jin stood with his arm stretched out touching the blade for a second wondering what the voice had meant by worthy, When all at once hundreds of similar voices began assaulting him with there echoing whispers. He was vaguely aware that he couldn’t move anything. Even as he slowly tipped forward the voices continued to keep him confused. He was starting to speed up as his vision began to fuzz up and his hearing was like he was under water as he heard the voices continue there mindless wailing.
He had expected his head to hurt after braining himself on the side of the wagon, but surprisingly he felt nothing. He did however see stars. But upon closer inspection he realized they where merely the night’s sky. Jin took a moment to look around and found he was standing in a barren land. A grey; crater strewn land with no vegetation to be seen. Looking back up he also found that the moon was full, but instead of the bright grey blue color he was used to it was mostly blue with a little green and some weighted puffs here and there. Kasan was soon cut off from exploring further by a plight cough to his right. When he turned around he found himself face to face with some one he had only ever read about, or seen in pictures. Standing there not five feet away was the goddess of the moon, Soara. Jin couldn’t help the surprise that showed on his face, it wasn’t every day you came face to face with a god but there she was smiling serenely at him in her blue robes and silvery staff. Her short black hair lining a face that would make the most beautiful woman jealous.
“It is good to see that you know who I am Kasan, it makes things much easier. I suppose you would like to know why you’re in an audience with a god correct.” Soara’s smile never seemed to leave her face as she spoke. Quickly wiping the surprise off his face but not succeeding in getting his neutral “I don’t care” look back on it Jin replied that he was very interested in that and also why there where slight tremors in the ground at that moment.
“First off those tremors are just Ouna having some fun outside. You can still feel everything outside as you are only sleeping right now.”
“I see, so everything that happens here is just a figment of my imagination then…Why am I asleep again?”
Soara let go a small snicker when Jin asked that but kept from getting into a full blown laughter. It wasn’t professional after all. “You’re sleeping because you left a sizable impression on the side of the wagon with your skull. However I must clarify that everything that is happening in this “dream” of yours is not you’re over active imagination. I am here and I am here to tell you your future and your true past.”
“My true past?”
“Indeed. You see, you never did enter the mortal world alive and your weren’t really born by its full and true meaning.” Soara held up here hand and let the smile leave here face, forestalling anything Kasan was about to say. “I know it is hard to believe that since you have lived for 22 years but the truth is that for the first few moments after your “birth” you where dead. Your parents where devastated, but it was your mother that was broken the most.” With that said Soara waved her staff in front of her and motioned for Jin to watch. As he did so he could see an image of his mother crying and wailing as if the world was about to end cradling a tiny Jin in her arms and rocking it back an forth. His father was trying to comfort his wife and be strong for her even though he was failing by larger amounts as time went on. The image froze after that and Kasan turned back to face the moon god before him. “As you can see you didn’t even have enough time to collect the soul from which you would have been the reincarnation of so there is no doubt that the infant you saw was never truly born…Now this is the part where I come in. I decided to grant your mother and father a miracle as they where and has always have been avid follower of the path and I gave you an entirely new soul, one that I crafted and placed into your being. A blank slate if you will. This means that you didn’t have any form of influence forced on you from a previous life to add to that soul’s experiences. You made your choices on your own…I made you a potential, and a potential is a person or creature that has been selected to become the vessel of the god that made them the potential. You where one of about 230 potentials I chose, all of them having the calmness that the moon represents.”
Kasan stared at Soara for a moment, trying to sort through the information and not get a massive head ache at the same time. “Can you tell me more?” There was a lot of hope laced into that question as he looked at here with a little bit of understanding.
“I’m afraid you will need to wait for that. If I continue to inhabit your mind for to much longer I risk damaging your soul as they can’t handle infinite knowledge. I am truly sorry but you will just have to ask me again later okay?”
“Alright I understand” Jin looked a little downcast but quickly realized that he had plenty of time to get the rest of the information and that if he wanted it bad enough, witch he did, that he could always question his parents themselves.
As the landscape rippled away Jin fell into a true sleep this time, not even getting to dream as he was so mentally worn out and by the time he awoke the next day, he felt so good it was as if he was reborn, or was that re-resurrected? Jin had a hard time figuring that on out as he found much to his amazement some roasted chickens lying around in a basket where the wagon had been. With the merchant and his sons nowhere to be found. Had they left it for him? Jin looked to the side and found the whispering sword some what sunk into the ground not far for the basket and the elf that had molested him before only feet away. As Jin began to eat one of the chickens he pondered as to why the elf was there right now. It was a huge coincidence if she was heading the same way.
Sacred Delirium
05-17-06, 10:47 PM
Jin seemed to be too preoccupied with what was in the wagon to notice Katrena, so she opened her mouth to speak. But, no words came out. It was a shame. The first time she was intelligent enough around him to say something without the words “pretty doggie”, and she was too exhausted to say anything, let alone remain conscious. She started to drift away, but a loud noise brought her momentarily back to reality.
It sounded a lot like someone smacking a tree, though it turned out that it was the cart being smacked… by Jin’s head. Heavily, he fell unconscious next to it. In that instant, Katrena was plenty awake, enough to reach forward and make a futile attempt at pushing herself up. All she did was shovel a handful of dirt. Helplessly, she just watched as the old man and the children, who had been staring wide-eyed at her moments ago, turned to the fallen dog man and tried to help him stand. Katrena didn’t know whether it was because she needed him as a guide, or the simple fact that a being of such adorable features was in pain, but she couldn’t stand to do nothing.
She didn’t have a choice in the matter, though, and neither did the humans. As they were inches away from touching him, a high-pitched female voice shouted, “Stop right there!” Everyone froze and looked toward the speaker. There, at the opposite side of the path, stood the most beautiful creature Katrena had ever seen. She was a kitsune, her tail swishing majestically behind red robes, her ears laid back slightly in warning, her eyes sparkling with intelligence too great to imagine.
The only response from the merchant and his sons was quivering and whimpering; plenty from all of them. They could sense her power like heat on their skin. Katrena could sense her power too, though it had the opposite effect. Invigorated as if a bakery’s supply of sugar had been shot into her veins, she jumped to her feet and pointed. Her mouth worked at pronouncing something, though the only word that truly escaped was a squealed, “Fuzz-eeeeeeee!” Everyone present, mortals and gods alike, stared at her aghast. It wasn’t until she started forward, hands clutching the air in anticipation, that the goddess responded to the bewitched elf.
“Enough!” she shouted in that commanding, yet sweet, voice as she pointed to the ground. Immediately, the ground shook with such loud force that it drowned out the whiney of the merchant’s frightened horses and almost overrode the distressed creaking of the trees. Katrena pitched forward and got a mouthful of dirt as the humans were thrown against their wagon, which they hurriedly clambered onto. A cackle filled the forest as the kitsune laughed and the quake faded. “Heh, that’s it. Run scared!” The merchant was ready to do just that. His sons were stowed haphazardly in the wagon, and he stood upon the drivers seat with the reins raised to crack them. Though, the horses didn’t seem to need the encouragement, as they were clearly ready to bolt once they found their balance.
Suddenly, a sick look overtook the kitsune’s face, and she made a desperate motion at the wagon. “No, don’t leave with it,” she commanded as she wove her spell. The two horses thundered out into the forest, carrying only their bridles. Where the wagon was moments ago, there was now a wooden basket, and in it lay five freshly roasted chickens, one larger than the other four… and kind of ugly for a chicken. The sword that had been laying in the back of the wagon thudded to the ground, and the kitsune sighed as she slouched forward in relief. Then, she looked up and noticed that the elf was still there.
It was Katrena’s turn to look aghast. Though, it wasn’t just for what she saw, but also what she felt. Even after seeing people rendered to foodstuffs in a blink, part of her still wanted to grope the goddess within an inch of her eternal life. The more rational side of her brain, admittedly small at this moment, floundered in the idiocy of it all. So, the elf just stared dumbly and hoped she wasn’t drooling.
“I guess I’ve got to do something about you too,” the kitsune remarked with a malicious twist to her face. She raised her hand to point one fuzzy finger at Katrena, but then she stopped and suddenly appeared thoughtful. Her eyes drifted to the sword and then back to Katrena. “Hm… you could be useful, after all.” Katrena only shuddered as she felt some force searching about in her mind. “Them?” the kitsune continued with a rye chuckle, “What idiots. Oh well, I’ll wait to see how badly they fail this game they’re trying to play.” With that, the goddess disappeared.
The elf stared for a moment, her mind as empty and silent as her surroundings now were. Then, the exhaustion finally caught up with her and she passed out facedown in the dirt. She was even too tired to dream, whether it be of Guardians or not.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Katrena awoke to the noonday sun, though her body felt so lethargic that she must have slept for a full 24 hours as opposed to a few minutes. “I’m going to look up, and it’ll all have been a dream,” she mumbled to herself with her eyes closed and her mouth numb from the taste of dirt. Slowly, she raised her head and found that she was very wrong. The mysterious sword, which the kitsune had been so concerned about, lay in the bed of earth it had kicked up, and the dogman sat near it with the basket and the chickens near him. Something struck Katrena as strange, though (more strange that everything that had happened, at least). One of the small chickens was missing, and she didn’t have to look far to find it.
Actually, she found half of it in Jin’s hands. The other half was naturally working its way through his digestive system. At exactly that moment, a piercing shriek shook the forest and sent every bird airborne for a good mile. By the time Katrena realized that the scream was her own, she was already on her feet and diving toward him with her hand on the hilt of her katana. But, something in her memory sparked in that instant, and she realized she’d need something to equal the power the dogman was rumored to have. So, she twisted to the side and rolled past him right over the huge sword. When she got on her feet again, it was in her hands. Anyone could tell that it easily outweighed her by three times, but she held it with as much effort as a stick required. “Put… what’s left… of the child… down,” she hissed at him while she held the blade an inch over his head. There was so much anger seething through her voice that he’d have to know she was serious.
Jin had been savoring the chicken he was eating wile thinking of home. For the last few days he just couldn’t stop thinking of how great it will be to see every one again after sp long. Especially Tier, h knew she liked him he just needed to know how much. He also wondered if she still trained with staffs and staff-blades. Jin remembered the last time he had watched her practice on a dummy on her farm, watched as she performed the most basic of moves in a way that made it seem like a dance of grace to him. He couldn’t wait to see it again. Then there was his sister, although for some reason Jin was not looking forward to seeing her as much as Tier. His father was always good for combat tips and his mother was love itself embodied.
Kasan was about to take another bite and continue thinking of the future when an enraged scream filled the air. Instinctively he reached for his sword on his bake and stand up but quickly found his way up blocked by a rather large blade and a very irate looking elf. Jin didn’t move for a few moments as he took in the situation and glared at her. He knew from the look on her face and the position they where both in that he was in no place to argue. He also wondered why she referred to the chicken as “child” but that would be revealed soon.
Kasan slowly removed his hand from the hilt of his blade and put down the chicken. He then proceeded to raise his arm and place two fingers on the side of the massive blade over him and gently pushed it aside enough to let him stand. He now just realized how large this new sword was. The blade alone was silver with the reflections coming off of it being purple and 8 feet long and a foot wide with wierd blue runes etched into the outer part of it. It thin'd at the bottom of the blade to connect to the cross hilt that looked ot be made of clause curved up with angel wings and a halo in the middle before getting to the silver grip. All in all the sword was 10 feet long so truthfully he wanted to move it faster as he couldn’t really understand why the elf could even lift it and he was afraid that she would drop it at any moment, and he didn’t much feel like having to die right now. As he stood slowly he glared into her soul and listened to her breathing, she was clearly ready for anything he might try and the rage that was so clear on her face indicated she could go berserk on him…He would have to tread carefully.
Jin had to squint his left eye slightly when he stood as a beam of sunlight was getting through the tree cover and shinning into his face, he really hoped he didn’t screw this up. After letting his glare die and shifting to a softer type of expression he hoped would calm her down a little Jin tried ask her in as calm a way as anyone could with a murderous elf after them;"Kindly explain as to why you are attacking me as well as why you are here."
Sacred Delirium
05-21-06, 10:59 PM
She could have cleaved his skull in half just by dropping the sword, but she didn’t. As enraged as she was, she just couldn’t bring herself to harm a creature such as him. Although the chicken had once been a child, innocent as they are at that age, he would still have grown up as corrupt as any other human. The hierarchy of it made perfect sense in her mind, though it also made her want to slap herself.
Still glaring, which was partly directed inward now, she let Jin’s questions wash over her as she lowered the sword to her side. Its tip struck the ground with a weighty thud. She decided to answer his first question, as it was easier and would allow an outlet for all the anger. The unleashing began. “You’re a stupid mutt! Just taking a nap for no good reason and making everyone worry. Then, when you’re sleeping, a sexy kitsune pops out of nowhere,” she didn’t seem to notice the misplaced word, “and turns the old goat and his kids into chickens. That’s them right there, in the basket that used to be the wagon! Half of one is in your stupid gut! So, don’t touch them anymore! We need to do something to fix them, a mage or someone like that. Though…” The anger was gone. As she looked down at the roasted meat, sadness filled the gap. “I guess they’re dead anyway, aren’t they? You just had to get them caught up in whatever crazy junk is going on around you,” she snapped, though the force was no longer in it. She had lost track of what she was talking about, anyway. There was no proof that he had caused this. All she knew was that it definitely wasn’t her fault.
She took a moment to think as she stared at them, tears almost forming. “I’ll take them,” she finally decided. Dropping the sword loudly, she stooped down and put the half-desecrated chickeny corpse back into the basket, which she then picked up. It seemed to weigh much more to her than the sword had. With a last glare at him, she turned and took a step down the path he had been following. The instant she did so, her stomach grumbled. She hadn’t eaten for more than a day, after all. Freezing, she turned her head just enough to let him know she was speaking to him. “No! That’s not what I’m taking them for,” she snapped. It was tempting, though. The humans did smell delicious in their new forms. Hurriedly, she wiped a speck of drool from her lips and rushed forward to a nearby tree. Below it was a gathering of brown mushrooms that looked somewhat edible. At that moment, she’d take hallucinogenic effects or poison over guilt. Even if they were humans, they were still kids. They weren’t that low on the hierarchy.
As she gathered the fungi into one of her oversized pockets, which her baggy pants had plenty of, she responded to the dogman’s second question as best she could. “You don’t need to know why I’m here, but I’m going with you. If you don’t like that, I’ll just follow you.” It was all the answer she could give. “I’m Katrena Evangeline, if you actually have to talk to me, but I don’t really want to. Let’s get going.”
She started down the road with her shoulders tense. Hopefully, he’d get the message that she wasn’t in a mood to be antagonized further. In the back of her mind, she suppressed a chuckle as she realized he was the first demi-human she had ever been angry at. It was a welcome change, and one she was quite proud of.
Jin was getting rather angry at this elf that had started throwing accusations at him. He was basically only half listening to her after her initial outburst of “stupid mutt” and half seething with anger. How can she presume to make such accusations! She has barely known me for a few minutes! If you can even call this little meeting knowing some one…Why do I feel that putting her in her place right now would make things worse? It was then that he caught the words that would haunt him for months.
Apparently the chickens he had thought where left for him turned out to actually be the merchant and his sons. All thought left his mind in the blink of an eye as the reality hit him. He slowly lost control of his jaw as it slid open and his eyes took on a look of pure horror. What!...I…What have I!... I killed an innocent! And what is worse it was most likely only a child. How could I have been so ignorant? There is no excuse for this. At this time Kasan dropped his look of horror and slipped into one of deep shame, his eyes and shoulders drooped and even his ears now looked saggy. He suddenly felt over a hundred. This is worse then anything I could ever dream of doing. Even if I’m not totally to blame due to my lack of knowledge this… I am beyond redemption…
Jin’s eyes began to water as the most intense sadness he had ever felt washed over him. Normally he would have kept it in, but this was hardly normal and right now his outward appearance was of no importance. He realy couldn't face his family or friends now, with such a heinous crime in his history he would be looked upon as one would look at a worm if they found out. He would go home, make his report on the mainland and leave. He would be exiled anyway if not put to death. He looked up to noticed that the elf was walking away with the chickens in the basket, he never herd about her following him or her name as he was lost in is self loathing. Seeing as she was heading in the same general direction Jin grabbed his new sword off the ground and slowly dragged it with him as he continued to beat himself up with the tears now rolling down his cheeks.
It took a few minutes but because the elf had been walking rather slowly Jin was able to drag his sorry broken self up to her side. The sword was incredibly heavy and remembering the ease at witch she had lifted it earlier Jin swallowed his pride, however little he had of it now. “Would you…Would you carry the sword for me? And tell me what happened. Everything that was said and done to the best of your recollection…I must know. Also your name, mine is…I don’t have a name anymore.” As she began to tell him what happened he knew what he had to do should he ever meet up with family members of the merchant and his children, his life was now forfeit to them.
Sacred Delirium
05-23-06, 06:21 PM
Barely glancing at him, she plucked the sword from his grasp and, with a single hand, rested it upon her shoulder as she walked. The temptation was there to make a remark about him being weak, but that would lead into him wanting to know why she could lift it so easily. It was surprising that he hadn’t asked yet. So, she didn’t want to push her luck. It was easier to keep secrets if people didn’t want to know them.
“I already told you my name. It’s Katrena. I bet you didn’t hear what I said about talking, either,” she grumbled before she related the events to him again. It wasn’t much more information than she had already told him, but he seemed to understand better when she wasn’t shouting. Now that she was actually looking at him, she could see that her earlier words had indeed hit him hard. The anger started slipping away, and by the time she finished explaining what she had seen, she wanted to pet him. But, she settled for simply saying, “It’s not your fault,” in a quiet voice.
They walked on in silence, Katrena frequently glancing sideways to see the regret in his face. It started to weigh on her too. Sighing, she told him to stop and knelt down at the side of the path. Using the huge sword as a shovel, she dug a shallow hole and placed the basket inside. It would have been better to do it at a proper cemetery, but she didn’t want to cart around a reminder of what he had done. Those ears were much cuter when they weren’t sagging. After covering the remains, she placed upon the mound a smooth rock and a stick upright behind it, as it was all she could think of as a marker. Sadly, they continued down the path.
It was almost evening by the time they reached the next town. Katrena, feeling somewhat better now, was tasting the mushrooms she had gathered. They were kind of bland, though they did quiet her stomach and didn’t make her see groovy colors or a bright tunnel, so she wasn’t complaining. The rustic houses they were approaching were set so close to the trees that the branches overshadowed them. But, there was probably little that the people could do about that. There was very little flat ground this far into the mountain range.
Katrena started walking faster at the thought of a good meal and a clean bed. But, she only moved a few steps before stopping dead and nearly choking on the last bite of mushroom. Right in front of them was someone eerily familiar; the merchant along with his sons. Ghosts! Katrena screamed in her head, though all that left her mouth was a strangled gurgle. It was enough to make the unbecoming man notice her. His face seemed strained, but he perked up slightly at seeing them. “You two,” he called as he jogged over to them. For a moment, he paused to notice with wide eyes that Katrena was holding the sword bigger than herself. But, he soon looked at Jin and said with worry in his voice, “Have you seen my other son? Me and three of them just seemed to… appear here after we ran. But, I can’t find Pedro.” He seemed a bit dazed, perhaps bewildered from trying to make sense of what had happened.
Jin was extremely relieved now that he knew he hadn’t killed a child. He no longer looked like a sad and broken half mutt, but he now simply felt embarrassed and ashamed that he desecrated its corps even if it tasted heavenly. His ears where still slightly drooped but that was now the only visible indication of what he felt. Kasan was very grateful that the elf Katrena had described everything to him as now he knew he was not to blame for anything that happened. He also felt rather idiotic for over reacting like he had and gave her his name, “Thank you for explaining all of that to me Katrena, it takes a great deal off my shoulders. By the way my name is Jin.” Of course she wanted to know why he had “fallen asleep” to witch he simply said that his mind was very preoccupied and left it at that as he didn’t feel a need to mention gods and such, besides she probably wouldn’t believe him if he did say he was basically the creation of a god.
The hours leading up to finding the latest village had been rather nice after Katrena had given the poultrified humans a burial. The birds where singing and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. A slight breeze kept the bite off the heat and it was generally what one would call perfect weather. Jin figured that it would only take about another half day or three quarters tops to reach the ocean and was starting to think off ways to kindly get rid of Katrena before he got to the airship as the duo arrived at what seamed to be a hunting village. Not many children where around and the place as a whole looked to be quite primitive compared to the cities and towns from before. The only exception was the large mansion type structure that stood at the far end of the place.
Kasan had just finished taking in the sites around him when Katrena made a strange noise and was starring ahead of them when he looked at her. He followed her gaze and nearly had a heart attack. Standing not two feet away was the merchant from before with three out of the four sons. Kasan’s relief was now complete, not only had he not been responsible for any deaths but seeing they here now meant he hadn’t desecrated any corpses. “Have you seen my other son? Me and three of them just seemed to… appear here after we ran. But, I can’t find Pedro.”…Or maybe not.
It didn’t take long for Jin to make a connection; if the four chickens that weren’t eaten where now here and back to normal then what of the half eaten one? Jin envisioned the last some somewhere trying to crawl somewhere with his entire left side missing. It disturbed Kasan for a minute before some one came running up to them.
Jin now felt no shame, no regret, no sadness or any other negative emotion concerning the entire chicken issue. Because the one that had run up to them was non other then the lost son of the ugly one. His ears perked right back up and he let loose a small smile as he listened to the tale that the new arrival was telling. “I have been looking all over for you guys! You wouldn’t believe what happened to me! One moment this man here passes out and dents the kart the next I find my self on a huge table beside many food stuffs with a fork inches above my face! It was all so weird and the it turns out I appeared on the dinner table of the mansion owners but when I tried to explain they threw mew in a cage and aid something about me being a demon out to corrupt the innocence of the village. It took me hours to get out!”
The boy stopped his story and started to catch his breath. Jin turned to the ugly merchant; “It would seem you have found Pedro, so if you will excuse me I will be off.” He then turned back to the road and began walking down its dirt path with renewed vigor and back to his normal self.
Sacred Delirium
05-25-06, 06:35 PM
In just a few seconds after the merchant’s words dawned on her, Katrena was struck with nearly crippling nausea. The same image played in her head that was in Jin’s, though likely in more detail, of a half-massacred boy struggling through the underbrush. The color drained from her features and her knees felt like they would collapse any moment. But, salvation came with the arrival of the missing child. Sighing loudly in relief, Katrena fell to her knees and dropped the sword at her side as she swallowed the fading urge to vomit. Not that she would have much to empty from her stomach, anyway, with only mushrooms in it.
“Oh, thank god,” the father exclaimed as he embraced Pedro, all of the family far too ecstatic to notice Katrena almost keeling over next to them. “That happened to us too. We just popped up on a chicken vender’s cart.”
“Everyone ran!” chimed another boy earnestly, his eyes sparkling with the excitement and novelty of it.
“It was funny,” the youngest said, “I think the chicken seller man peed his pants.”
Too shocked to find the humor of it at that moment, Katrena glanced up from under her wild hair. “So… I threw away perfectly good chickens,” she sighed as her stomach grumbled angrily. Her mouth tightening in resolve, she looked up to where she expected Jin to be standing and said forcefully, “That’s it. We’re stopping for foo…” He was no longer there.
“Are you ok, lady?” asked one of the boys who had approached her just now. She didn’t seem to notice, though. Finding Jin already halfway to the other end of the small village, she grabbed the sword and sped after him. “Ooooo… she’s strong,” gasped the child as she shot past with the blade as weightless as a streamer behind her.
“Hang on just one minute!” she shouted at the dogman as she passed him and then spun to bar his path. Warningly, she thrust the sword into the ground in between them as if it would act like a barricade. “Aren’t we stopping here for food and a good night’s sleep? I’m hungry!” At this volume and intensity, her high-pitched voice sounded downright obnoxious. The townfolk, who had boarded themselves up in their homes after the ‘chickens turning to people’ incident, cracked windows open to see what was going on. What they saw was a very peculiar elf with one hand on a planted sword and the other gesturing wildly in the air as if to summon the will of the gods. “I need a bath too,” she continued, tossing her hair out of her face so that he could see just how intense her gaze was. “I only have one set of clothes, and I don’t like it when they get dirty. Plus, it’s almost night. I need to be clean and full and rested before we go any further.”
Jin’s response was less than sympathetic. “If you’re going to follow, follow. But I don’t have time to stop.”
Katrena choked as Jin walked around her and continued into the forest. Hasn’t he heard of chivalry?! A command from the Guardians was still law, though. She had to follow him, whatever that might entail. Whimpering quietly, she hoisted the sword from the earth and dragged it dejectedly behind her as she followed him. She’d have to pick more mushrooms if she wanted to shut her stomach up and hope for rain if she wanted to be clean. Sleep in a normal bed, that felt like a long lost luxury, but there was nothing to do for it.
Jin was leading the way through the forest a few steps ahead of Katrena. The little scene that Katrena had put on earlier was on his mind. Katrena looked allot like that statue on the university grounds when she was going on about sleeping, food, and a bath. That reminds me didn’t the one of the professors ask me to bring back some kind of artifact or other object to study? He looked back to the elf behind him and wondered; It wouldn’t be the first time an actual citizen was brought back. I could always ask her if she would consent to being some what of a guinea pig I suppose. She may not be to adverse to the idea if she really is wanting to follow me so much…That also raises the question as to why she wants to come with me so much it isn’t like she knows of me or Siguelus is it?.. Nah couldn’t be possible without being told of it and no one has left the islands but me that I know of. Kasan had to stop his mental debate concerning why she wanted to come so bad because his head was starting to hurt from thinking to much without getting any answers. So now walking down the paths Jin had to content himself with observing his surroundings under the light of the full moon.
---
The sun was now peaking over the horizon and the birds where coming to life with there morning songs. Jin could see the cave up ahead that held there mode of transport to the islands. He was thinking of how to word the question he was going to ask Katrena concerning the university and stopped just inside the cave where the Rokainen lock pedestal stood to the side. Jin loved these type of locks as they where so simple yet could keep anyone out of whatever they protected since they worked under the principle that whom ever wanted to unlock it needed to know the language and history of Siguelus, and these where only used off of Siguelus lands to keep the airships safe inside. Of course if they where used on Siguelus itself it would be as useless as a boat with no bottom. Kasan turned to Katrena “If you are so dead set on coming with me there is some thing you should know. If you come anything and everything you see from this point on is not to leave your lips, the secrets we keep are too important and if you do tell any one anything you will be hunted down and either killed on the spot or dragged back with no chance of leaving and put to work in the mines. It is very important that or lands are not found. That and I need a reason to bring you so if you agree to go to the Verisimiltian University and let them study you a bit I can take you but you must agree to everything first. Do you?”
Sacred Delirium
05-27-06, 06:05 PM
Katrena spent most of the night in a stupor. With stiff legs, she wobbled after the patch of silver that was Jin’s hair. It did look very pretty in the moonlight, flowing like an ethereal stream behind him. More than once, she had started giggling because of that. But, there always seemed to be a distraction, either another assortment of uniquely colored mushrooms to add to the collection or a pesky root grasping at her feet. Jin didn’t seem to notice, though, the many times she lost her balance. He was too focused on wherever his destination was to see the blade upon her shoulder flail back and forth to keep her from eating dirt. She had already consumed her recommended daily intake of that stuff.
When the first beams of morning light slapped her into full wakefulness, she realized just how far they had traveled. The trees were different here, hardier, though she didn’t know enough to name them. The altitude was noticeable as well, for her head ached slightly. But, that clue wasn’t necessary. Right in front of them was a perfect view of the ocean, or at least as perfect as one would expect when looking at it from a thousand feet in the air. Fear took a good chunk out of the charm of it all.
“Um…,” Katrena began, trying to point out without being rude that Jin was about to lead them over one very large drop. Though, before she could say anything more, he changed course of his own volition. It was into an unimpressive cave that he led her now, and at only a few steps in he finally turned to speak to her.
Perhaps her sleepiness was a gift at this moment, for it kept her from throwing a refusal immediately into his face. A university, she mused to herself, too distracted by that thought to pay attention to the threats that came before it. School had never been necessary for her, as the Guardians taught her all she needed to know. She had never had much trouble reading or writing in most languages. Even this symbol-engraved outcropping of rock that Jin had stopped beside was somewhat decipherable to her in the limited light that came through the cave mouth. Curiously, she inched closer to it. It pulled at her the same way the Guardians’ visions did.
“Oh, yeah. Sure,” she answered quickly as she remembered what his question had been. “Secret’s safe with me, and they can ask me whatever they want.” Excitement welled up in her, burying any bitterness at the rude threat or the idea of stuffy scholars annoying her. Anxious to be moving on and bubbling with curiosity, she pointed to the symbols and asked innocently, “That one means ‘ah’, right? And that one’s ‘ro’?”
Kasan wasn’t expecting Katrena to answer so fast, but was happy for it as he didn’t to be standing there all day. He was also extremely surprised that she could know the Siguelun Written language. He began to eye here critically, “Yes, that is what they are… Do you know all of them?” He watched her shake her head in an impatient manner and figured that it wouldn’t be to productive to ask her how she could only know two symbols now as she was quite obviously not paying to much attention due to excitement.
Now that everything was taken care of Jin turned back to the pedestal. It was not a simple looking device. On the top of the pedestal where everything was worked were seven rings of carved stone with nine squares with symbols in them and a circle in the center with a red dome half the size of the circle in the very center of the pedestal. The hints to the lock combination where on the side in the same symbols. The hint was “starvation of Elder Island. So now armed with the information he needed Jin began to delicately slide the rings around on the lock to spell out the word Krit and placing the blank squares after it as he was the ruler of the land at that time. Almost instantly after Jin pushed on the dome after completing the combination the top of the cave wall directly behind the pedestal began to fall farther into the cave side.
Jin lead Katrena into the opening the falling wall created and made sure not to clip the ropes tied to the top of the door as they where needed to pull the wall back into place. After making sure they where both inside he pushed the dome on a similar pedestal and watched as the counter balances fell pulling on the ropes and putting the wall back in place. Turning to Katrena he put his hand on her shoulder to get her attention and told her to hurry and follow him as they didn’t have much time to get on the airship and promptly lead her to what looked like a wire framework of a large boat and usher her inside of it quickly following himself.
The pair did not need to wait long as the holes between the framework where filled in with what looked like rippling water and the boat began to rise into the air and emit an orange barley visible sphere around it. Now floating in the air and with the shield in place the airship started forward and as it neared the wall opposite the one they came in the rock simple seemed to be pushed out and to the side allowing them through then promptly floated back into place. Befor walking up the steps to the top deck of the ship he told Katrena to get whatever sleep she needed now as in a few hours it would be practicly imposible.
Sacred Delirium
05-27-06, 09:29 PM
Katrena’s curiosity was very much satisfied when the wall of the cave fell out like a drawbridge, and what she found within was just icing on that sugar-filled cake. Within the cavern, lit beautifully by the beams of light sneaking in the ceiling, was a metal ship. Well, it was most of a ship. From this distance, it seemed to lack a mast and hull. It was just a collection of metal floors and inner walls with the appropriate furnishings visible through the mesh that, upon Jin pulling her forward, she could actually make out. She would have walked to it under her own power if not for the way it reminded her of a doll house, open so as to allow one to reach in easily. She couldn’t remember if she had owned one as a child, but she wanted one now more than ever.
Jin led her up a stone rise that acted as the gangplank and onto the main deck. The sheets of metal that formed it rang under her heavy footfalls as she paced its circumference, appraising it all with so much delight that she couldn’t voice a single word of it.
Then, it started moving. Katrena felt like falling over as she watched the cave move around her, but its motion was so smooth that she had nothing to fear. As the far wall parted, the full heat of the rising sun hit her in the face and she rushed to the rail at the fore of the main deck. The ocean spread out before her, an endless expanse of crystal. Though, there was a slight orange tinge to it. Looking closer, she realized that everything outside of the craft’s immediate vicinity was tinged as well by the wall of orange. It even wrapped under the ship, which she had to lean over the rail to see. As she did so, she noticed the mesh of the hull now rippling with the watery substance that filled it. It was distorted, but she could make out the edges of the lower sections through it.
Katrena turned to find Jin and throw upon him a barrage of questions, but he was heading toward the stairs from the main deck to the top deck at the rear of the craft. As she ran to him, he told her in a rather serious tone that she wouldn’t have long to rest. At just the mention of rest, the adrenaline left her system and she remembered just how exhausted she was. “Ok,” she replied, a bit disappointed. The questions could wait, for she was already struggling to hold in a yawn. “I’ll just leave this here,” she told him as she lay the huge sword down near the stairs. Then, she headed for the door under the top deck as she rubbed her eyes sleepily. It led into a small corridor with the galley around the corner and one door right in front of her. She pushed it open and was greeted by the captain’s cabin. It was rather bare, just a plain wooden desk, a few shelves, and a bed, all of which looked out of place against the metal floor and the outer wall which portrayed a rippling, orangey view of the cliff retreating behind them. Lazily, Katrena slumped down on the rough brown blankets and stared at the slowly shrinking Corone. If she felt any beginnings of homesickness, they were washed away when sleep took her in its warm embrace.
In her overtired mind, she sensed the beginning of the Guardian dream. As usual, all the events since her last visit played in her mind as she entered. It was as if someone was leafing through her mind like a book. This time, however, it stopped suddenly. “I’ll wait to see how badly they fail,” the kitsune had said, and it played over and over as a very strong sense of irritation grew. Through blurred vision, she could make out the shapes of the Guardians. The warrior stomped about, the dancer paced, and the mage stared at the ground in a brooding pose. Before they could fully come into focus, though, the mage waved a hand disdainfully and Katrena fell back into the sleep of a normal mortal. The faint memories of this encounter drifted away, too insubstantial to be of note.
Hours later, just as Jin had said, she awoke to a loud racket from above. It sounded like a storm with winds raging and lightning cracking. Hurriedly, she sprang from the bed and up to the main deck with her cloak wrapped unevenly around her and her hair more disheveled than usual. What awaited her was indeed a storm, and one that made her realize the very dire possibility of this magical ship crashing into the sea. It was literally a wall of water, and it was lit from above by some of the brightest and most frightful lightning she had ever seen. Flash after flash, they moved ever closer to that torrential downpour. “Do something before we die!” she shouted as she looked around for the dogman.
A few hours after Katrena had gone to rest Kasan had been watching the Ever-Storm grow closer since he could see it in the horizon. Now it was only minutes away from consuming them but Jin wasn’t worried. By now the thunder from all the lightning was getting deafening and he made his way down to the lower decks of the vessel to have the noise dampened by the ship’s magic, and wile looking out the side of the ship continued to watch as they where about to fly over the thirty foot wall of water that signaled the beginning of the storms effect he heard the most ear splitting screaming he had ever had the unpleasantness to experience. I think maybe I should have said something about this before hand. Why must the more important thing slip my mind? Jin sighed as he stood up and found his way to Katrena, witch wasn’t hard with al the running around she was doing.
Upon reaching her Kasan gently grabbed one of her hands in his in an effort to calm her down and proceeded to explain things that should have been hours ago. “Err, sorry I think I should have told you about this earlier but there is nothing to fear from this storm. You see this storm never dies. It is kept going and infinitely strengthened by my homeland to keep unwanted visitors away from us. The orange haze like field around us shields us from all the storms effects, including the giant hail stones that will soon pelt us. To answer the question I think is going through your mind no; the hail can’t reach us here in the ship as they shatter against the shield. The shield itself draws its power from the residual magical energies in the storm and since the storm doesn’t get a chance to use most of its energy the shield is always a lot stronger then it needs to be. We will also be through this in about another two hours.” Letting go of her hand he turned his attention back to the outside where there where now hail stones easily larger then any man flying around. Some smacked the shield causing it to ripple shattering on impact with the pieces swiftly being carried of by the fierce winds. Kasan was really glad this ship dampened the noise otherwise we would probably die from it alone.
---
Jin had spent those two hours simply watching the storm outside after finding a chair to sit in. He really should have remembered to tell Katrena sooner but it was too late now. Jin stood and made his way back to the ships top deck as he could see light through the clouds now, signifying its end. As the ship ripped through the last of the storm and past the cliff of water below Kasan saw the most beautiful sight he had seen in just about a year. Ahead not very far in the distance lay Siguelus itself in all its glory. The Aspril tower stood in the middle of a ring of seven large islands of varying shape connected by the force bridges with a huge amount of small island doting all over the place. The tower itself looked to be made of a pearly substance but a little more to the sky blue side and very shinny. The main part of it was lifted above the water by a number of curved pillars that connected to the bottom of the tower and to the ocean floor in a dome like style with five smaller towers again arranged in a circle around the main one but not nearly as tall as the main one because it was easily a few thousand feet high with a large egg shapped node on top. Although he couldn’t see them yet he looked forward to seeing the intricate patterns carved all the way up the towers, both the Aspril one as well as the five Orshfron towers.
Jin could barley contain his glee as she vessel began to descend to the large forested island of Angwan, but he couldn’t help the great smile on his face. He was home again.
Sacred Delirium
06-01-06, 07:24 PM
Upon realizing that Jin wasn’t on the deck, Katrena had raced back down the stairs and almost crashed into him. Like a true gentleman, surprisingly, he held her hand and explained everything that was happening. Eventually, the wild fear left Katrena’s darting eyes and her breathing returned to a rhythm that was almost normal. She couldn’t calm down completely, though, for she realized now that a dogman was actually holding her hand! A blush came to her cheeks and her mind filled with things she wanted to say but never would have the guts to. “Um… ok,” was all she could come up with, her face blank as a board. Then, in his curt way, Jin left her and went to look at the wall of the galley, where the hail was throwing itself uselessly at the shield. For a moment, she watched it with him.
As she got used to it, the fear disappeared, and she actually found herself bored with looking at it in such a small frame. So, looking over her shoulder to see if he offered any protests, she went up the stairs and stood in the deck doorway. Here, the view was magnificent. The rain and clouds were so thick that they appeared to be in water that was murky, though still beautifully blue in all its shades. Each chunk of ice sent ripples through the shield to add to the effect. Knowing now that they were harmless, the elf stared with dancing eyes and lay her head back against the door frame. With each crack of lighting and the coinciding drumbeats, the sword that now lay in the middle of the main deck glowed in the reflected light. It was as if it was pulsing, as if there was a heart inside, one so loud that it made her head ring. For a moment, she was jealous. The katana at her waist, which her hand drifted to instinctively, simply didn’t compare. But, it was all she was allowed to have.
A fitful sleep eventually overtook her, which pulsed along with the thunder so as to keep her from truly losing consciousness. Only when the beat slowed did she truly come to her senses again. The clouds were brighter now with solid rays of sunlight streaming through. Expectantly, Katrena crawled to her feet and wobbled, yawning, to the front of the ship. She vaguely heard Jin coming up the stairs behind her, but she wasn’t paying enough attention to care because at that moment, the clouds parted. What unfolded before her was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. In the middle of this hurricane, in the eye so wide it hit the horizons, lay a chain of islands with a tower jutting into the sky even from this vantage point. The sun was directly behind its tip, looking like a skewered egg. She half expected molten yolk to run down the pearly needle and fill the gaps between the islands.
As they descended, the islands themselves took her attention. The one closest to them, which appeared to be their target, was heavily forested. It reminded her of Concordia, though she had never seen Concordia from this angle. The large, leaf-shaped island to the right of that was very different. It appeared to be overrun with buildings of white polished stone. They didn’t look like any of the buildings from towns she had visited, though. They were more like mountains, each carrying the will of the earth in their smooth angles and glimmering heights. Soon, those buildings were hidden behind the trees as they landed at a cliff-top dock. It wasn’t as high as the cliff they had embarked from, so Katrena could see very clearly the land that sloped down from it. Along one side, off in the distance, was a beach. The waters lapped lazily at the sand, giving no hint as to the fierce winds out to sea. There were a few small figures moving around on that beach. They congregated around what looked like large red disks set into the sand. There was a metallic gleam from the surface of those, but she couldn’t image what they could be for.
Then, the people waiting at the dock came into focus. She heard a squeal and moments later realized it was from her. There was so much fur down there. She hadn’t thought to ask Jin, but was everyone in this country like him? Katrena felt both nauseous and overjoyed at the prospect of it.
Jin had just finished his letter to the head mistress of the university explaining why Katrena was here and that a point of interest for there studies of her was her seemingly innate ability to lift unheard of amounts of wait without a problem when the airship touched down. He then stood and folded the letter neatly in his hand as he made his way down to the bottom deck where he would disembark. He was dieing to get off and see his home city again, Angwan on the island of Mooruze was considered the most beautiful city of Siguelus mostly because nearly every home, business, and any other facility that required a structure of some kind was carved out of the giant trees and even the insides where like an art. Rope bridges connected various trees together at differing heights with wooden platforms constructed around every tree and every level of the tree with small lamps pegged into them. The forest floor was used as farmland in small plots as to not disturb the natural plant life too much.
AS Jin reached the side of the vessel he noticed that the people outside had already placed the steps to get off and that one of them was now about to release the magical barriers of the ship, and upon pressing a red dome on another pedestal that looked like the locks of land but without any symbols or rings the watery looking substance between the wire frame of the ship was released and just like water fell to the ground in a torrent and pooled around the aria. The orange shield simply fading into nothingness and a rather short bird demon in there military uniform came up to him and bowed. The uniform was like a green camouflage suite with pouches here and there for miscellaneous things and a small knife strapped to the leg. Even though they hadn’t had to fight any outside threat for a few millennia didn’t mean they weren’t prepared. Jin bowed back to him and began to converse with him about what had transpired wile he was way. Apparently the archeologists had figured out how the T-Cannons worked as they decided to actually climb into the barrel of one of them and study it. The people where also pleased with his sister’s handling of the nation and that made Kasan proud of her and happy that he could place his lands into her care without worry.
Remembering his companion Jin handed the letter to the birdman “This letter is to be delivered to the headmistress of the university, and my companion is also to be escorted there. The proctors will know what to do with her.” After relaying the information the birdman gave a skeptical look behind him and following his eyes Jin found Katrena behind him, almost hiding as if she were shy. Noticing all the people around them and going about there business where mostly furry he concluded she must have some kind of strange mental case in regards to fur.
After a second or two the birdman acknowledged the order and called for the escort: “Hey Kinka! Escort this lady to the university and bring this letter to the headmistress as well.”
In response a rather large boar demon came up to the group in a similar uniform and bowed to the group in witch Jin and the bird bowed back. Jin now addressed Katrena and told her that Kinka would be here guide to her next destination and asked her if she had any questions before leaving.
---
Meanwhile back on the mainland of Corrone a short dog demon similar to Jin with short greenish hair and eyes wearing Wight and blue was arguing with a short fat and bald human in black cloths covering everything but his head about an elution spell.
“Why won’t you cast the spell? You know that unless you do I won’t look like that cousin of mine and we won’t be able to complete our task!” The dog demon was relaying a lot of irritation in his voice at the human as he spoke. “And another thing, why don’t you ever tell me what I do when the spell is cast? I keep telling you I don’t remember anything.”
“Well for one you don’t need to know what you do, it isn’t important. And two I won’t cast it because we need to head back to Sancortar for further instructions. My resources tell me that out target has already gone back to the islands you spoke of.” The human replied in a calm manner as the dog man grew ever more irate.
“What! Damn it this is not what was supposed to happen why didn’t the humans band together and kill him Minare!?”
“I suppose they didn’t kill him because either we didn’t get the word spread fast enough or maybe it had to do with the fact that according to you this Jin person’s skill with large blades is better then yours and the humans didn’t stand a chance against you and where probably dead pretty fast when they attacked him.”
“Fine whatever lets just get back.” With that the fat human muttered strange words and a black portal opened up and the two stepped in. Then as if nothing ever happened there the portal closed leaving peace and quiet in its wake.
Sacred Delirium
06-16-06, 10:07 PM
There really were fuzzy! Well, the bird demons weren’t, but everyone else was. In the crowd that had gathered to respectfully acknowledge Jin’s return, there was all manner of cuteness. Cats, dogs, even a squirrel, all in humanoid form. Katrena clenched her hands together in front of her face and tried to keep from squealing too loudly.
A bit of her noise did escape, though, causing some of the welcomers to look at her and quietly mutter amongst themselves. They didn’t look offended, just confused. But, no matter their mood, Katrena had the sudden impression of weight. It was as if all their stares pressed a wall up in her face, one that she couldn’t cross yet desperately wanted to. Quivering slightly, trying to resist the urge to dive into them like a mountain of stuffed animals, she took a step behind Jin and pressed her forehead against his back as if it were a shield. “I’m going to explode,” she whimpered.
He seemed distracted though, and she quickly realized that he was talking about her. Cautiously, so as to keep any urges in check, she looked around his shoulder at the one he spoke to. He was a bird demon, thankfully. While they were cute, she didn’t feel her groping hands turning into magnets. Then came the demon that made every urge in her wither and die.
“Kinka.” She gagged out the word. It tasted as terrible as he looked; a tall pudgy man, pig snout sticking out with nostrils wide enough for her to fall into and tusks like tarnished horns. There was hair too, patches of it at the bottom of the snout and the top of the head. It looked like his shaving kit had turned on him, or his skin couldn’t decide whether it wanted to be a bald rancid pink or stubbly course sandpaper.
Through the disgust, she heard Jin ask her if she had any questions before she went. Many went through her head. I have to go somewhere with this thing? What did I do to deserve this?! Where can I go to vomit? But, she held her tongue. The well-mannered aura about all these people was already breeding guilt for even thinking such disrespectful things, even if they were appropriate.
Her face twisting into a knot, Katrena just shook her head and followed the boar demon off of the dock. The vehicle that awaited them was a normal enough carriage pulled by two horses. They were wider than any horses she had seen, and there was some strange variations of orange and purple in their coats. But, they were still horses.
((More to be edited in later.))
Jin had felt good about having Katrena come along with him, not only had he completed a task asked of him by the educational institute to which she was going but he never actually needed to look for her as she came to him. Though had she not it wasn’t like he was about to go out of his way to find her or some one like her. After seeing her leave with Kinka Jin directed the bird in front of him to have his blades, all four of them brought to his chambers in the palace and have his parents informed of his arrival.
All that taken care of Kasan then made his way into the forest under the city in the trees. He had some one to see right now and it would not do to be stopped and pestered on his way. It almost seemed to take forever as he walked on forest floor paths feeling almost naked without his weapons on him. It had only taken a few minutes to reach the small plot of farmland and Jin was both excited to see her again and apprehensive about her reaction to him and his long stay away at the same time. However, she was still the reason he was here and he would be a man about it, if she was less then impressed with him he would take in stride, but he hoped for the opposite. Dropping the whole “I’m not fazed by anything” face and personality Jin let himself relax and let the coldness in his eyes bleed away. Giving him the face of a normal man his age that was happy as he approached the gate to the farm. The only person there right now was her father who looked like he was having a hard time of harvesting the vegetables from the stalks, his hair all messed. He paused as he seamed to know now that he had a visitor and straitened up will dusting off.
“Hello!” He said as he turned around and now knowing that it was Jin who was standing there smiled. “Well it has been quite a wile young man. It is good to know your safe and sound, I would ask you to join me for some drinks but I have a slight feeling that you’re here for another reason yes?” The man was smiling warmly at Kasan, He knew that Jin was the lord of this land but the formalities had been discarded long ago between them. They where almost family now and he knew it. It was only a mater of few words at this point.
“Yes I’m afraid that I didn’t come here for you specifically Gobau, perhaps later. But to the point can you tell me where she is?”
“I thought as much ha! You will find her up in the house. Please let yourself in.”
“Thank you” Kasan let Gobau back to his farming and entered the base of the tree to get upstairs to the house. Nervous as he climbed and knocked, and watched as Tier opened the door.
“It is good to see you Tier.”
Christoph
09-29-07, 07:00 PM
General notes: I tried to keep this brief, since you mainly wanted this thread judged for some spoils and exp. Feel free to PM me for more details on your judgment, or with any other questions you may have. Also, I hope that this wound up in the right place, as I never could figure out which region it was originally in.
Continuity: 3
I really got no idea of where Jin came from, what he was doing in the city, or how this fit into his overall story. Sacred Delirium: The same goes for you. You started off very abruptly with little explanation regarding why you were chasing Jin. I was very confused. I think the story on the whole had a lot of potential, and would have been quite good if it made more sense. Also, the fact that it was incomplete also hurt your score here.
Setting: 3
There was some detail here and there, particularly in the city. For the most part, though, it was very blurry. Use vivid details to describe the surroundings so that your reader actually feels like he/she is there. Also, since I picked this up from the unresolved, I never figured out where it originally took place, which wasn’t good. I should have been able to figure out where it was even without knowing what sub-forum it was in.
Pacing: 2
There was a lot of jumping around and time skipping, as well as a lot of moments that dragged much longer than they should have. Much more could have been done to keep the reader interested. Also, as stated in continuity, it was dropped off at the end with no conclusion.
Dialogue: 4
Again, rather confusing. There wasn’t much original or creative here, and it seemed rather unrealistic. There were a couple good moments, such as Katrena’s expression of glee regarding fuzzy ears and such, but it could have been much better. Practice and work on it, and you’ll see improvement.
Action: 4
Same as dialogue. Also, there was a bit of power gaming regarding the whole sword lifting routine. It wasn’t all bad, though. It did seem that your characters were acting according to their personalities most of the time.
Persona: 3
I got a little bit of an idea as to what these two characters were like. My major concern was that Katrena seemed very exaggerated and unrealistic. Jin seemed to make a little more sense, but I still didn’t get as good a glimpse into his character as I wish I had. Also: show, don’t tell. Don’t just tell me that your character is angry; demonstrate with their actions. There was also some contradiction that didn’t make much sense. Feel free to PM me if you want to go over it further.
Technique: 4
I didn’t see very much in the way of advanced literary techniques. Jin: your writing was quite choppy. Work on refining your style, and focus on more vivid descriptions and this category, as well as most of the others, will jump up quickly. There’s some potential here.
Mechanics: 3
Jin: Your posts were frequently riddled with typos, incorrect word usage, run-ons, and grammatical errors. Proofreading thoroughly will help you in the future. Sacred Delirium: Your mechanics were a bit better. They weren’t perfect, but I didn’t see quite as much that detracted from the overall posts. It could still use work, though.
Clarity: 3
I really had very little idea of what was going on most of the time, I’m sorry to say. Much of this was made worse by problem in other categories, particularly mechanics, dialogue, and continuity. Always remember that the things you write always make more sense to you than they do to the reader.
Wild Card: 5
The rubric was pretty harsh on you, I felt. That said, there’s a lot of room for improvement. I felt that this story, though incomplete, had some interesting potential. Keep practicing and work on the things that I mentioned. PM me if you have any questions or if you would like any more pointers. I’ll be happy to help. Keep trying and you’ll get better.
Total: 34
Spoils/Rewards:
Jin gains 445 EXP, 30 GP, and five hallucinogenic mushrooms. These can produce minor hallucinations, just as seeing rocks walk, and talk to you, and will leave the eater disoriented for about thirty minutes afterwards. (This varies based on the will power and constitution of the eater)
Sacred Delirium gains 424 EXP, 25 GP, and five of the same mushrooms as Jin.
Congratulations!
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