Of Lies and Liars ((Open))

[Serilliant]

((Open to whomever can deal with a rusty duck. Let's rock.))

Years had passed since boots pressed into the graveyard's tentatively yielding soil. The dirt was packed tight from ages of use, but the recent rainfall helped to ease it somewhat. There was still a multitude of prints around a particular stone in the far right corner of the group; it bore the name of 'Serilliant'. There was no body buried below its ominous declaration. In fact, the man who owns the name now stood just meters away under the metal gargoyle that perched atop the graveyard's gated entrance. The stone had been put there at the request of the village elders and those who knew the truth of Serilliant's continued life were never granted an explanation. Instead, they were instructed to keep quiet and go about their lives and think nothing of the lie the gravestone silently repeated.

Naturally, the young psionic was not really granted the ability to return to his supposed resting place. This visit was instead facilitated by the Citadel monks, who masterfully constructed the arena from nothing more than memories read from his mind. Serilliant had asked nothing of their services in a great deal of time, but the allure of seeing his home village once again finally brought him back. Why he selected this particular locale required an explanation he himself could not even provide. There was some comfort, he supposed, in seeing his own name written somewhere in the village. And while its appearance on a gravestone served only to perpetuate the lie of his death, its very existence, at least, lent credibility to his life.

With swordhand rested on his blade's polished hilt, Serilliant ventured deeper into the graveyard. The moss muffled his steps somewhat, but the damp ground would still yield an occasional satisfying gurgle. He continued in until he arrived at small mausoleum that was slightly raised above the ground and accessible only by a triad of stone steps. There was, thankfully, no body inside, but a pair of prominent slate guardians armed with lances and topped with crowns still guarded the surprisingly wide entrance. The inside was small, consisting only of a few square meters of space, enough for a stone coffin that would eventually be placed on the back wall and about five or six mourners. A circular hole cut high on the west wall cast an oblong red-orange spot on the floor from the setting sun that hung low in the sky.

Serilliant seated himself upon a wooden pew placed off-center. It one one of the very few organic items in eyeshot in a place composed almost entirely of stone, metal, and decay. His seat provided a unique view of both his gravestone on the far end and the half-open gate that marked the only entrance to the yard. The monks assured him that there would be a competitor to show up shortly, but he could not bring himself to trust such a guarantee. Why, after all, would someone gleefully enter a graveyard when there must be countless other rooms constructed of happier thoughts?

A single crow cawed in the distance. Then, the air fell silent.

[Massacre]

It had been a matter of chance that A'rei had ended up in this place of all her options. Her head had been totally dry of thoughts as the monks of probed around for an idea, fragments of a memory. They had offered that a place of her past could be the setting for a showdown but they found nothing. Her time with Dan had been enough to teach her to clear her head at least. The solemn scene stood before her like a masterful work or art on a canvas, using only the darkest shades of blue, gray, black, and green. Even the grass the girl now stood on seemed like a horrible memory someone possessed. The trees hung gloomily in the darkened sky, she had enough light to see where she tread, that was enough for her. The ground was damp and the air was humid. It gave off the stench expected from a graveyard. Decay.

The Scara Braen ran her hand across the scabbard of her sword, the etchings on the side had no meaning but the girl liked to run her fingers across them for the feel. It calmed her down, she could calculate and think better, it was the same as when she would lay and pet the cats back on the farm in Scara Brae. That was a story she would think about another time though, what mattered now was the fact that her opponent could be anywhere or not have arrived yet. The prospect of being surprised by an opponent sounded bad, whether the said person was of greater or lesser skill, she would more than likely get wounded. As a crow cried out its deathly call next to her, A'rei flinched a bit, the lone bird fell silent except the flapping of its wings and the swooshing sound that accompanied it.

With her initial excitement gone, the girl began down the small dirt path that led further into the graveyard. There were various gravestones littered throughout the sober location. They all read various names and dates, some littered with small flowers in beautiful arrays of colors. Red, yellow, orange, pink - they were all a nice change from the battered gravestones they sat near.

Lucas, Serilliant, Yana, Joan... so many people buried right under my feet. A'rei thought.

The thought passed through her mind quickly, a large gargoyle statue attracted her attention more, it was another macabre construction to add to the somber portrait. The girl continued along her path, going no place in particular, hoping that she would see an opponent soon. It would be a nasty surprise if she got slashed wide open from the shadows that so easily fell into place here. There was a small mausoleum that stood in front of her in the distance, she couldn't see inside of it due to the shadows that fell with an odd ring of light entering it. Instead, she chose to sit on a gravestone and wait.

She placed her hand on the hilt of her sword and caressed it slowly, anticipating an arrival shortly.

[Taskmienster]

This thread has been waiting for over a year. If you would like to complete it, or work on it further, you can PM myself or another staff member and ask for it to be moved. However, till that time, it will be resting in the Citadel Archive forum.

Thanks,
~Task