Dirty Secrets

[PainTrain16]

OOC: This is a closed quest for Tevan Tyro, Selene Freemont and Berick

“Rebecca!”
Is this a dream?
“Rebecca, please don’t run!”
I can see a woman and…
“I love you!”
A man with…wings?
“I was sent to watch over you, but I have failed…”
Is that…mom!?
“I fell in love with the very woman I was supposed to protect”
“Get away from me!”
What…what are you doing to my mother!?
“Don’t struggle Rebecca”
Leave her alone!
“I must do this my love…”

Selene awoke suddenly, a cold sweat running down her back, wetting the sheets. Feeling the cold draft prickling her skin, she pulled the top quilt over her bare shoulders, holding it there with her hands. Letting her heart slow down, she let the thoughts in her head run wild.

Was that mom? Why was she with that man? Is he—no, he couldn’t be dad. Mom said he died when he went off to the war. Is she alright!?

The thought of her mother being in danger threw Selene back into the real world. Closing her eyes, she tried to feel her mother’s thoughts. Clenching her eyes tighter and blocking out everything, she focused her entire mind on finding her mother’s consciousness.

Nothing

Hopping out of bed, Selene grabbed her robe and slipped it over her slender body. Running down the hallway, she thought she heard something in the kitchen, but ignored it as she thrust open the door to her mother’s room. Striding to the empty bed, Selene looked around the room for any sign of her mother. The bedside table was perched nicely against the wall, a small book on its surface. Leaning down, Selene gently picked it up, looking at the title.

The Celestial: A Guide to Races Beyond Ours

Placing the book back on the small bureau, Selene turned and examined the rest of the room. There wasn’t much to it besides an old rocking chair in the corner, and several drawings that Selene had done when she was a child hung on the walls. Returning to the bed, Selene pulled back the covers, expecting to find something. About to return to her room, Selene noticed something. The tiny form of her mother was still imprinted in the soft mattress.

She must’ve been here not ten minutes ago!

Hurrying back to her room, Selene slipped on her sandals and grabbed one of her sheets off the bed. Securing it in her hands, she threw it over her head and wrapped it tightly across her chest. Suddenly she heard a soft creaking sound. Clearing her mind she pried deep in her mind, searching for another person. She made contact with whomever, or whatever’s, mind for only a split second as a painful burst of pain launched through her head. It was as if the person, or thing, was defending its mind against her. Stumbling back, Selene found her footing and ran from her room, searching for this stranger. There was the sound of footsteps and a loud bang as Selene entered the kitchen. She watched as the front door slowly creaked shut on its own.

Mother, why are you running from me?

Selene was about to give chase when she noticed something on the nearby wall. At first it looked like nothing more than just another child-rendered drawing pinned to the wall, but as she moved closer Selene could tell it was not. Reaching the wall, Selene ripped the parchment from its hold. Moving to the candle the burned dimly on the table, Selene read what was scrawled on the note.

“I swore that I would never abandon you my sweet child, but life’s burden is more than I can handle.”

Selene felt tears slowly well up in her eyes as she read her mother’s last words.

“Forgive me”

The note fell from Selene’s limp hands as she ran to the door, throwing it open.

Where are you Mother?

[icer189]

"Tevan, leave this place at once! You must go!"

"Xellan I can't... I won't leave you!"

"Go, Tevan. If lady luck is on my side, we will see each other again in the future sometime..."

"I won't..."

"GO!!"

With that said, Xellan shoved his apprentice to the ground but a few feet a away. Tevan gazed up into Xellan's eyes as he saw his mentor raise his hands towards the sky. From seemingly out of nowhere, a huge wall of fire dropped from the ground, slamming into the ground right in front of him. The heat from the fire was more intense then the young mage was used to, and he instinctively rose to his feet quick and stepped back. Tevan knew then and there that he was by himself now, and he had to continue alone.

Tevan broke into a slow jog away from the wall of fire. He continued down the shallow decent quickly. Looking back, hoping to see his mentor close behind, he saw nothing. It was not meant to be. He continued to see the giant fire wall still burning bright. He was now separated from not only his mentor, but his friend. He wouldn't be there anymore to protect from harm. Tevan now had to fend for himself.

Focusing too much on what was behind him, Tevan tripped over a root sticking out of the ground. His momentum carried him forward and brought him into a very rough, painful roll. The mage couldn't stop his forward motion and continued to descend.

He came to an abrupt stop with a loud 'thud' as the flat of his back smacked into the trunk of a large tree growing out of the ground. He thought he heard his back crack multiple times as his body hit the loosened dirt. He stood slowly and painfully to his feet.

Composing himself slowly, Tevan began to walk away from the mountain. The sun had set, and darkness had started to consume the land around him. He had no idea where he was going, or what he was going to do, but he knew he had to keep moving.

Unsure of how much time had actually passed since he left the mountain, Tevan tried to look back, but it was too dark to see much of anything. He could only see a few feet in front of him, and nearby he saw what looked like a comfortable tree, however the feeling of relief of finding a place to spend the night turned to horror as he saw one of the tree limbs. Attached to it was a thick piece of rope, and attached to the rope, the limp body of a woman.

He then heard what he thought were footsteps running away, but Tevan ignored them, gazing upon the dead woman.

Why would someone...

[PainTrain16]

The cold hit Selene like a wall as she plummeted into the night. It slowly crept down her skin, covering every inch of her petite body in frigid embrace. Wrapping her make-shift blanket tighter, she gazed into the night. Attached on a rusty metal hook next to the door, was a lantern, half-filled with oil. Retrieving it hastily, she strode away from the house, searching the ground for footprints. Sure enough, ground into the muddy soil were several sets of prints. Standing only slightly over five feet, it was difficult to discern anything from the trees, even with the added help of the lantern.

Perhaps a new perspective could help

Concentrating her mind once more, Selene sensed for other presences close to her. After several seconds she confirmed her solitude, and released her wings from their spell. Extending them to their full length, she let them stretch. Taking several preliminary thrashes, she thrust her body from the soil.

As she took to the sky a fresh wave of cold air greeted her body. She grimaced as her feet, already numb, began to burn in pain. Turning her concentration back to finding her mother, Selene gazed over the tree line. Following the path of the freshly tread footprints, Selene pushed herself through the air. Doing her best to stay low to the ground, Selene slowly soared above the trail marked with footprints.

As she entered a patch of dense forest, Selene opened her mind to incoming thoughts, staying alert for any sign of life. She had already been flying for almost four minutes, and she was quickly growing tired. Feeling the cold air wrapping tighter around her body, Selene couldn’t help but slowly drop lower, her wings struggling to stay aloft.

I’m coming mother

Feeling the burden of her weight grow steadily more difficult to sustain, Selene looked for a spot where she might land, but because of the thick tree cover, no such option was available. Feeling her body draining of energy as she fueled the pumping of her wings, she felt herself graze the tops of several trees. With her last reserves of energy Selene searched her mind for someone. Anyone. Before everything went black and she plummeted to the ground, she was able to reach one person’s mind and decipher a few words.

Why would someone…

[icer189]

What would cause someone to want to hang themselves? How could anyone do such a thing?

Tevan was still in shock of the sight he saw. Never did he expect to see someone hanging from a piece of rope from a tree. The man stood there, dumbfounded, not sure what to do with himself. She obviously didn’t deserve to stay where she was. She deserved a proper burial. The mage noticed a fairly large gap between the branch she was hung from and where she was in air.

Conjuring a small fireball in his right hand, Tevan let it fly towards the center of the rope. It hit its mark, going through the thick rope, causing the woman’s body fall lifelessly to the ground. Hitting with a sickening thud, Tevan cautiously approached the corpse, not entirely sure what to see. It was dark after all, and he couldn’t exactly see the body well. Carefully removing the remainder of the rope from the woman’s neck, he couldn’t help but notice some severe bruises around the neck, probably from the rope itself, but Tevan wasn’t fully convinced.

It was just around that time, that Tevan heard the noise of something crashing into the forest not twenty yards from him. The mage walked slowly to where the crash came from, trying to make as little noise as possible. Leaning against one of the large oak trees, he waited for some sort of movement or noise to let him know what exactly fell through this part of the forest. Was it something friendly or aggressive?

[PainTrain16]

Where am I? It’s so…dark. What happened?
“Selene”
Who’s there!? Why can’t I see anything?
“Selene”
Who are you!? Please, what’s happening?
“Selene, you must stop them”
I can’t move. Please, tell me who you are!
“There is little time”

Opening her eyes, Selene was disappointed to find herself staring up at columns of trees. Attempting to get up, she felt a warm trickle make its way down her face. Wiping away the fresh blood with the back of her hand, she stood. Not able to remain standing for very long, she fell to her knees.

I have to keep moving!

Pushing herself up again, Selene made it a few more feet before collapsing unsuccessfully into the dirt. Selene found it difficult as she tried to take a deep breath, the cold stinging her lungs like fire. Coughing loudly in her pain, Selene lifted her head. Looking slowly around the dark woods that encompassed her, she stopped as she thought she saw something. Focusing her eyes, she saw the outline of…something.

Not one of the demons, please!

Selene fell backwards instinctually, catching herself with her elbows. Trying to control her breathing, she remained still, hoping that she wouldn’t attract the creature’s attention.

[icer189]

Seeing the outline of this shadowed winged creature crash through the woods and stumble around initially gave Tevan an icy chill down his spine. He had never seen a half-angel before, and had no idea what they looked like or were for that matter. He didn’t even know if they actually existed, only hearing briefly about them in a select few stories.

Who is this? What is this… thing?

His gut instinct told him to dash away, but there was something majestic, luring telling the mage to stay. Against his initial thought, Tevan moved towards the shadowy figure. Upon further inspection, Tevan noticed this figure was actually a female, with beautiful long white hair.

The mage could tell that she was scared of something, but of what exactly he wasn’t sure. His first thought that just as he was scared of her to begin with, she must be scared of him. In as gently and calming as Tevan could be, he spoke out.

“I’m not going to hurt you. I am simply a wanderer, recently separated from a dear friend of mine. Are you hurt at all? You look exhausted…”

Leaning over and offering a hand to help her up, the mage noticed something different about Selene. He wasn’t sure if it was the intensity of the color of her light blue eyes, or if it was the bronze necklace glimmering in what little moonlight came through the tree covering. There was something strange about this woman though, something different. The mage didn’t make a habit of helping complete strangers out, but something inside made him feel obligated to do so.

“My name’s Tevan, I am a mage of sorts. Who might you be?”

Do half-angels actually exist, and is this what they look like? Is this one of them?

[PainTrain16]

“I’m not going to hurt you. I am simply a wanderer, recently separated from a dear friend of mine. Are you hurt at all? You look exhausted…”

Selene felt a wave of relief pass over her body.

Maybe he can help me find mother

Selene bowed her head, letting out a long sigh and wiping the small trickle of blood away with her forearm. About to push herself up, Selene stopped herself as she saw the extended hand of the man. Blushing slightly at his manners, Selene placed her small hand in his. There was a rough feel to his calloused hands, like she was holding tree bark. Pulling herself to her feet with the man’s assistance, Selene wasn’t given the opportunity to speak as he introduced himself suddenly.

“My name’s Tevan, I am a mage of sorts. Who might you be?” Selene quickly fixed her tattered robe before responding, careful to make sure anything wasn’t showing.

“It’s very nice to meet you Tevan. My name is Selene, and I don’t mean to be forward, but,” Selene paused, wondering if she should ask for his assistance in finding her mother, “well, do you think you might help me find my mother? She left a note saying she’d left home, but I think she may still be around these parts.” Selene winced as a sudden cramp pulled tightly in her left calf. Bending down slightly to massage the knotted muscle, Selene suddenly remembered that she had left her wings visible.

Snapping upright quickly, Selene tried to fold her wings tightly into her back.

Maybe he didn’t notice…damn, who am I kidding, of course he noticed

Feeling a flush of red fill her cheeks, Selene smiled shyly at her new companion.

“I don’t suppose you wouldn’t mind helping me?”

[Taskmienster]

This thread has been sitting for a full year. Since no response has been made to create activity I am going to be moving this. If you would like it to be reopened please feel free to PM myself or another admin and they will be able to move it for you back to Scara Brae.