Kuros
Echo Member
Colonel Sanders
Posts: 816
|
Post by Kuros on Jan 22, 2012 18:02:54 GMT -8
"Dachande?" Her soft voice caught him by surprise and what's more was that for the first time she called to him by his name. His hand closed with his fingers almost coiling around the bottle of whiskey the kamael just gave him. For what seemed to be an eternity his eyes gazed on the wrapping. So she actually kept it he realized. He didn't really take her seriously last night due to her drunken state but now that he saw his gift that she gave him and rushed away he truly believed. "I believe this would be yours." Kuros looked up at her, again she spoke in a soft voice, something he never would have imagined she would be capable of. Her gaze was on him, or more on his eyes and he saw the silky white bangs fall to her face. There was a long silence as he returned that gaze of hers with his own and for a moment he found he couldn't tear his eyes away from her. It was as if the entire tent went all dark and it was just the two of them.
"Where are you going?" Her soft voice and then finally that glare of hers snapped him out of the trance. "And are you sure you should be going alone?" He shifted slightly from one foot to the other, for some reason he felt cornered like a rat, again. The gaze she gave him unnerved him and he bristled at the thought. This is stupid. He closed his eyes and turned his head to the side slightly to get her image out of his thoughts. Why are you doing this! His mind screamed at her yet he himself kept silent. Don't be foolish. Another part of him spoke in a cynical and bitter tone, and it's sharp edge was directed at himself. He wanted to reach out and rub the temples of his head but it would show she had some effect on him. He could not show weakness here in the camp, not in front of her. He was the Alpha of the pack. He finally looked up at her, his eyes taking a neutral tone now that she lifted her head higher. "I am going to the mainland." Kuros spoke and shifted his weight from one foot to the other once more. "You need not worry for me, I can handle myself." The last phrase atleast came out properly, though somewhere in the back of his mind the thought that her tone of voice did not match her body language ate away at him. For some reason her behavior had more of an effect on him than he cared to admit. He had to get away. "Excuse me ambassador." He tipped his head respectfully. "But I must be on my way now." He turned then and walked back to the flap of the tent and paused. He looked at the bottle once more and then back at the exit. "Thank you for your gift. You take care of yourself now...and...be well." With those final words he exited. Be well? His own words repeated themselves in his thoughts and he shook his head when he exited. Just what the hell was he doing? This is stupid. He told himself once more and made his way out of the camp.
|
|
|
Post by lithillia on Jan 23, 2012 12:01:33 GMT -8
The kamael stood there, left behind in the tent staring at the empty place where he had been just recently. What had just happened? She scoffed and went over to the still open chest, and slammed it shut. She must have looked ridiculous, no wonder he stood all shocked like. Of all the weird things she had done so far under his care, she had to go and do something like this. And where was the mainland anyway? "You need not worry for me, I can handle myself." Yeah she would not worry. Why would she even care? He had kept his distance for most of her time there, why would she now feel anything at this time? She folded her arms across her chest. What was he doing all this time alone anyway? You don’t care remember... She turned her head to look over her shoulder to the empty place again and her hair danced around her. She would just let him go, but then came the urge to run after him and yell... something. Such a child. Lith narrowed her eyes to the thoughts labeling her. She was not a child... You should rather worry about what he is actually doing out there... Do you really trust him? Think of all the things he have been doing that you don’t know about. She turned her back at him, even if she could not see him, she did not want to face his direction anymore. Would you not want to know what he is up to? You can surely see that even if you are here as an ambassador... you are not a part of them, and you will never be involved with what they do. What are they hiding? Hmm? Lithillia bit her lip. You don’t trust him... do you? The voice asked her, and Lith had to search her feelings before she could answer it. He had always been honorable, had he not? Always helped her if she needed it? But still, she knew nothing of what he or his men did. Humans...Shifty short lived creatures. This new voice in her head spoke her worries, and the feelings grew in her chest the more she thought of them. You want to follow him... and see what he is up to. Lith nodded. She would follow him. Starting with questioning the second in command.
|
|
Kuros
Echo Member
Colonel Sanders
Posts: 816
|
Post by Kuros on Jan 29, 2012 11:54:22 GMT -8
***The Isle of Souls - Gevurah***
Unkempt, desolate, foreboding and yet.....majestic. Those were some of the words the black knight described the Isle of Souls when he made his way through the foggy ruins of Gevurah. His gleaming red eyes surveyed the scene with each swift step he took. His black cloak trailed behind him, whipped by the ill winds that blew here giving it a life of its own. Kuros paused in front of what appeared to be a blood filled pond with four downed pillars. He knelt down and dipped one armor clad finger into the the crimson liquid before inspecting it. So, even the blood rain reached here. He looked about his surroundings once more, at the ruined crates and the buildings. Yes, the buildings, he stood up and ventured to one of them and studied the walls. He was amazed that he could still feel the power within the red veins of light that glowed within the stone. The architecture he realized was very similar to that of the giants, like that in Cruma Tower and Ye Sagira. He paused. Could it be? He knew the Kamael were very interested in Ye Sagira, their soldiers guarded the place fiercely. He stood up and looked over the other buildings before moving to a large building that resembled a Cathedral. He had to find out, he had to know what Lithillia and her kin were all about.
***Nornil's Cave - Hours Later***
The winged creature shrieked as the Dark Lord's blade sliced though it and fell to the ground. Kuros' heart was pounding from the thrill of battle once more and he held none of the power he wielded as a Hell Knight back. It was good to release it once more, the long months of hiding it and fighting with his blades alone was growing to be tedious. Many were an occasion where he felt his blood rise, the darkness that flowed through it wanting to come out, especially around the female Kamael in his camp. He looked down for a slight moment, the avian creature he dispatched was already withering away to become a shriveled corpse. He stepped over it, his boot crushing the husk and causing it to crumble to dust before moving on to face the rest of the creatures that guarded the labyrinthine halls of Nornil's Cave.
His search on Gevurah, as he found the name of the Kamael home in the texts left behind by the inhabitants proved to be fruitful. He learned much after doing some digging, about the plague that hit this land and the call of Hermuncus that began the exodus of this winged race to Talking Island. One particular text however caught his attention, the writings about Nornil's Cave, the shrine named after the goddess the Kamael served. If anything he knew he would learn more here. He shifted his gleaming red eyes to catch another of the avian creatures and he rushed it, impaling it with his blade and draining it to create yet another withered husk before moving on to the next one and then the next. His strides never stopped and he made his way deeper and deeper into the complex.
He finally reached a room with a statue to the side. He slowed his pace and entered slowly as if expecting some sort of trap or guardians to emerge. Nothing, the room was empty, there were no triggers or any of those avian creatures guarding it. Kuros' gaze fell on the statue once he found the room was safe and studied it. The being depicted in the statue looked like a giant human priest, with log flowing robes, a hood and a book in her left hand, yet it was far from human. He took a few steady steps towards it, his boots giving off a metallic echo with each footfall he made. When he got close enough his eyes caught something that looked like a button in front of the statue. He reached out with his hand and paused a mere inch or two away from it before looking up at the statue. Was this a trap to lure intruders in? He wasn't sure. What he was sure about is that he wanted to know the secrets of this place and there was nothing else in this room. He steeled his nerves and narrowed his eyes. He has survived Shilen's Wrath on Talking Island to stop now. Kuros paused the button with his clawed armor clad finger.
The front panel of the statue opened and revealed some sort of machinery but the black armored knight did not make a move. He would not be spooked by such things. There appeared to be some sort of screen that displayed the overall situation with a complicated group of buttons buttons just beneath it. Kuros studied the terminal and the buttons and found that each was marked with a letter from the alphabet of the language belonging to the Giants. Interesting. He mused at the new discovery. So there seemed to be some link between the Kamael and the Giants. He looked at the somewhat damaged screen and read what it said.
########################
Please enter password in order to open communication.
Password: |
########################
He pondered what it could be for a moment before reaching into his armor producing a piece of paper he found on a corpse of an abandoned Kamael. The paper itself was blank with only four letters of the Giant's alphabet on it. The letters CRTR were written on it. He looked to the terminal and reached out with his index finger before pressing the first letter, then the next and the next and finally the last one. He looked up at the screen then.
########################
Please enter password in order to open communication.
Password: ****|
[Authentication Successful]
Connecting...
? ? ?: Hmm..?
? ? ?: You must have been sent by Kekropus. Since you have found me, it will not be long before you leave this island. As you have come come this far into Norni's Cave, your physical development must be impressive...
Then, as requested by Kekropus, I will tell you some stories to assist your mental development. You will ponder these stories long after you have left the shores of this island, for they are a part of your Kamael heritage. As long as you are a Kamael, you will face the ramifications of these stories again in various forms, though when and how remains a mystery...
########################
Kuros read the message that popped up on the screen and smiled beneath his greathelm. The machine believed him to be a Kamael. He looked at the panel and figured it was because of the damage it must have sustained during Shilen's assault on the world. So be it. He smirked and looked down at the keypad once more. Show me your secrets. His index finger pressed the keys once more to type in his response.
########################
User: Who are you?
? ? ?: Me? You will know soon, shortly after my story comes to an end. For now...call me N. Shall we begin?
########################
N? Came the question in the Dark Lord's thoughts. Now who would you be? His lips curled to form a smile once more. He had a hunch who this N was but he would wait for the thing on the screen to identify itself. He was a patient man afterall.
########################
N: You know, of course, that the Kamael do not serve the gods as do the other races, who generally serve the god or goddess who created them. In this way, the Elves serve Eva, the Dark Elves serve Shilen, the Dwarves serve Maphr, the Orcs serve Pa'agrio, and the Humans serve Einhasad. Only we serve no god... Does that not seem somewhat unnatural? If one of those gods or goddesses created us, why do we not worship him or her? Who is our true creator?
########################
Now this was getting interesting, Kuros read on, he ignored the fact that humans were seen as Einhasad worshipers for now. Hmmm....I had a feeling your kind was not aligned with the gods or I would have heard of you from before. His thoughts answered though more to himself than the machine. But if not the gods, then what?
########################
User: Someone other than a god, perhaps...?
N: Well...what do you think? Curb your impatience. Relax and think. Based on what you will hear and feel in the future, the day will come when you will make your own decision... I will continue to communicate with you through the Icon of the Present. Find it somewhere within this Norni's Cave. The password for the Icon of the Present is also "CNCL". Do not forget...
########################
Kuros looked at the screen and wrote down the letters needed for the Icon of the Present before tucking his paper away. He continued to stare at the screen, questions assaulted him from every corner of his mind. Who were the Kamael really? What purpose did they serve? The Giants? The idea did not sound all that crazy as he would have believed. The evidence was there. However if that was the case then what was Lithillia doing before he found her. He paused stiffened suddenly and looked up from the keypad. He was no longer alone. The presence he felt was familiar and it sent a chill down his spine when he felt that hunger radiate from her. "So we meet again..." His voice carried through the room giving it a distinct echo. He did not turn to face the female kamael that stood some distance away from him. "So tell me, are you here to unearth the secrets this place hides as well, or are you this tomb's final guardian come to stop me?"
|
|
|
Post by lithillia on Jan 29, 2012 17:00:31 GMT -8
"So we meet again..." Lithillia looked at him from the corner of her hide place, his word spoken startled her. She had not thought that she had been noticed, and as he voiced the next trail of words he kept his back to her still. "So tell me, are you here to unearth the secrets this place hides as well, or are you this tomb's final guardian come to stop me?"
It was him, the black armored knight she had encountered before. She could feel that her stomach knotted, and she narrowed her eyes for not to have them betray her rush of fear. Her hand placed it self onto the hilt of the rapier, and shifted her stance.
*** Earlier that day***
Lithillia had finally arrived to the location where she thought she would find Dachande, she had followed the directions from villagers and strangers who had seen him pass through. Every time she had found someone to question, it seamed like he would gain distance from her. He moved quickly, and she had to search for him causing her venture carefully.
It irritated her though, but she had kept on going. She would figure out what Dachande was up to, even if it took days to track him down. She stood in the middle of the ruins, taking in the ruined buildings and broken down pieces. She placed her feet carefully as she moved over the ground, keeping her eyes up at the tall building towering over her. What was this place? And what had happened here? She took a new step, and her foot slipped and she looked down quickly for to see what she had put her foot into. It was a pool of red substance, and she crouched down after pulling her boot back from out of it. It held the scent of blood and she stood back up frowning as she looked around. What had indeed happened here.
Lithillia thought she could hear something, and she started to half run to the large doorway leading into the great building. What ever it was she had heard, she wanted to hide from it. Perhaps it was Dachande, and she was not ready for him to find out that she was onto him. She hid just inside of the room, peering out but seeing nothing else but the dead broken buildings. It was like the place lacked any signs of life.
The kamael huffed and placed her back onto the wall allowing her self a few minutes of rest. Her back ached still. And she shifted her shoulders in a stretching movement. The bandage had held its place on her form, and she had no plans for to remove them just yet. Right in front of her she saw a big staircase, and she pushed her self from the wall and started to climb it. When she was almost at the top she saw something alarming. White feathers was fanned out onto the floor, and they were still and lifeless like anything else here. Lith moved closer slowly, looking down at the dead kamael lying at her feet.
The beauty It had once held was warped as the death had started decaying the creature. She wrinkled her nose at the whole thing, and did not bother to look for the cause of death, or if there was anything on the body she could take for her own. She was normally not skittish around dead bodies, but the whole place had held her on the edge of her nerves. It was not just the fact that she felt eerie because it was one of her own race, it was the whole building, and city too. Some where back in her mind she felt that she ought to know her way around it, that she should know where she was.
Her steps were hurried when she moved away, half way running up the stairs that lead to the outside. Again she saw it stretch further, and higher, and felt compelled to go all the way out to the top. Well up, she saw the scene unfold, a great view of the whole city were displayed, and again she felt the stir of something with in her saying that she knew this place. Stop this nervous behavior. Get a grip on your self. She hissed angry to her self.
Her eyes caught a movement from something further down and like a animal it triggered her senses to activate. It was something dark, moving like a man, down a long staircase on the other side of the city ruins. Was it Dachande? It had to be, no? Who else would be roaming this dead city? She felt the urge to jump off the platform, but decided against it as her wing reminded her of the limits. She could not break the fall, so she hurried back down the same way she had came up.
*** at the entrance of the Nornil's Cave ***
She was sure he had gone in there. The footprints had lead her so far, and they seamed to stop right at the mouth of this cave. She pulled in some air to grow braver, and it annoyed her that she even had to do such a thing, and shrugged of what was left of the tension.
The marking on the walls caused her even more alarm, even more so now as she ventured down the corridors. The deeper she went, the more fresh killed bodies she found. Not of people or any sentient race she knew of, but the sight of the fallen feathers made her flex her fingers. The air held more than the scents she could smell, it was tainted with some dark power that she swore she had felt before. Her mind was to preoccupied with staying alert so she did not go and dig deeper in that memory before she rounded the corner and saw him.
***back at the present time***
"I wont let you escape me this time..." She warned him with out answering his question. Her arm stretched out, and she held the rapier out for to threaten his life. "You are not the one I expected to find here, but I am sure it will give me the chance to repay you." She glared at him, keeping her eyes onto his back awaiting his next movement.
|
|
Kuros
Echo Member
Colonel Sanders
Posts: 816
|
Post by Kuros on Jan 29, 2012 18:19:07 GMT -8
"I wont let you escape me this time... You are not the one I expected to find here, but I am sure it will give me the chance to repay you." His question went unanswered and the Dark Lord finally turned to face Lithillia. His gaze caught the kamael, his gleaming red eyes piercing hers before he let out a rasping but mocking laughter. "Repay me?" He asked feigning a concerned tone. "I think not, you look like you can barely handle that weapon girl. You stand even a lesser chance than you did when we first battled." Kuros turned to the side that revealed his black bladed sword and walked to the right wall of the room. The fabric of his cloak shifting as it trailed behind him. He paused at the wall, his black clawed gauntlet reached out and traced the red veins on the wall as if to study them. "For me to even raise my blade against you would be far less than sporting." He turned to face her once more, studying her. He wondered what she was doing here and how did she find him? Silently he applauded her, he was so sure that she would stay in the camp, yet here she was, following him, or rather Dachande. He continued to close in on her from the side, each step taken in careful calculation. She may have been injured but it made her no less dangerous. "You are looking for the knight are you not?" He tilted his head to the sides, the red eyes flickering with amusement in them. He might as well play around with her for a moment. "What if I were to tell you I snuffed the life out of the wretch?" He brought his armored hand up before him, his fingers curled as if he held something and crushed it right before her eyes.
|
|
|
Post by lithillia on Jan 29, 2012 18:39:03 GMT -8
Her eyes grew wider at his latest spoken words. Somewhere a chill started spreading out and the feathers on her wing bristled. He had not... had he? "I would call your bluff!" She hissed out to him, and shifted the rapier in her hand pointing it once again into his direction. Her voice held the soft trace of tremble, and as she noticed it her self she narrowed her red eyes again angry to have displayed any kind of weakness. Lithillia wanted to move over to him and punish him for his words, even if they held no truth she wanted him dead for just feeding her such an image in the first place. "I am not afraid of you, I wont do the same mistakes twice." She could feel it now, the desire to feel his life ending, and her body started trembling by the force that fueled her. Her eyes fell back down onto his closed fist and she decided she would cut and sever it from his arm.
|
|
Kuros
Echo Member
Colonel Sanders
Posts: 816
|
Post by Kuros on Jan 29, 2012 19:06:59 GMT -8
Kuros' gleaming red eyes watched her reaction and smiled. Her eyes when they widened, the chill down her back that his words gave her and the way her feathers bristled. He knew that a lot of it was due to his words when he addressed her current state yet when she called his bluff regarding his alter ego he knew that her anger was about Dachande as well. It pleased him to see her react that way, she was nervous even though she tried to hide it. Good, let her get closer to him. Then he would have her where he wanted her. "I am not afraid of you, I won't do the same mistake twice." The words came out in anger and his smile widened when she held her rapier pointed at him. He laughed again and shook his head. "Perhaps not, but it does not mean you won't make a different one, especially in this condition." He said his words as a matter of fact, because at this point they were. The Kamael was at a disadvantage, he knew, because he already knew things about her. He could play her like a fiddle if it so amused him. "Do you actually believe you stand a chance against me girl? If the silver knight could not stop me what makes you think you can." His eyes narrowed as they continued to gaze into hers while he made the steady advance.
|
|
|
Post by lithillia on Jan 29, 2012 19:19:57 GMT -8
How did he know that she was not in her best condition? Lith shifted in her place, and her eyes danced nervously over his armored form. And what was this? He again tried to make her believe that he had touched and ended Dachande? "You vile...." She wanted to crouch down and take off from the ground, but as her body jerked to react to her wish she felt the pain shoot across her back. Crap... he was right, she was in no condition to move like she used to, but that did not mean she could not move at all. Her hands started to cover in dark shadow, and while she felt the dark power build up she grinned slyly. She would see if he could deflect or dodge this. Lith concentrated on building up the energy build onto her free hand and reached it out towards him almost as if she threw a ball, the flick of her wrist made the projectile spin as it flew towards him.
|
|
Kuros
Echo Member
Colonel Sanders
Posts: 816
|
Post by Kuros on Jan 30, 2012 21:03:12 GMT -8
"You vile...." His lips would have smirked beneath the helmet if she could see his face and what beautiful irony that would be. She looked so hard for Dachande and yet here he was, standing right in front of her. His eyes focused on the woman when she crouched down to try and pounce on him only to see her body jerk in pain. He would have laughed and told her so but was stopped short when he saw her hand gather shadows. Interesting. He kept on watching as she kept on generating her power with a sly grin on her face.
Kuros felt the energies gather, the hairs on the back of his neck tingled as they rose. He tilted his head to the side clearly amused. She reached out towards him and with the flick of the wrist she sent the projectile shrieking at him. The dark lord waited and brought his clawed hand up to summon his own power. Strands of darkness quickly responded as they erupted from his hand and lashed out at the projectile the moment her attack connected with him. He stopped the projectile in its flight, almost as if his hand alone pushed it back. Astonishing! The dark lord mused as her attack continued to burn, the room howled as if swept by some dark wind, that blasted his cloak back. It was as if her power was trying to push its way though the dark energies he unleashed. Her power was already growing. He narrowed his eyes and willed more of his own dark energy to come out and engulf the projectile. Finally after what appeared to be a short struggle his hand grasped the energy ball and closed over it. Then all fell silent, the winds died down, the projectile was snuffed out. "You've grown stronger, I'm impressed." He brought his hand down and finally spoke when the ringing in his ears died down. "Perhaps if you weren't so injured you would have made this more entertaining." He shifted his footing and turned to walk to the side. His hand at his side trailed dark smoke as he continued to walk. He then stopped in the middle of the room and brought his hands up. "As I said, to fight you right now would be far less than sporting, however if you truly need to burn off that energy let me give you something more.....appropriate." He spoke and with his index finger traced a pentagram in the air. The energies rushed into the design making it larger. "Come forth my Abyssal Huntress." He whispered the incantation, his voice ending of with a multitude of echoes. "Rend this world with your claws once more." The pentagram reached it's full size and drifted down to the ground where it shot up in a multitude of blue and purple lights. From within a feline growl was heard and a black shadow began to emerge from the portal.
A pair of red glowing eyes was the first thing that appeared followed by a black armored paw with razor sharp claws that dug viciously into the stone. Then came the feline head followed by another claw. The rest of the body emerged to reveal the dark panther's body. Her tail, which ended with a spade like fin twitched from side to side, like some withering serpent. The panther growled again, fixing its gaze on Lithillia. Her claws clicked along the floor as she stalked and harried the kamael to get her to move from the stairs.
|
|
|
Post by lithillia on Feb 1, 2012 14:04:39 GMT -8
The kamael took a few steps back as the pentagram grew in size and placed it self onto the floor opening a portal to somewhere. She could not remember ever seeing such a thing, and her eyes danced between the dark armored knight, and the emerging huntress. Lithillia did not want to feel afraid, but her body was injured holding her back, and the feeling of being toyed with sent shivers down her spine once more. He did not take her seriously... Did he not see her as a threat? She moved one foot back, taking on a defensive pose as the big cat like creature stepped out, and the rapier held ready for use. The dark power just used formed again around her free hand, and this was held up warningly as if to keep the monster at a distance. I am no coward. Lithillia hissed in her mind and narrowed her eyes getting that resolved look on her face. The dark power that licked it self around her hand started to slowly creep up her arm as she became battle ready. She could feel something build up inside her self, and she was not really sure what she was doing, but in truth she was calling forward some of the furious souls she had harvested and allowed the strength from them to grow stronger and more protected. Her entire frame seamed to be covered in a dark veil, almost as if her skin grew a few shade darker. Red orbs stared back into the glowing eyes of the beast called forth, but she spoke to Kuros next, "If it is so that you have destroyed Dachande, I will revenge his death. Firstly I will end this conjured pet of yours, but then rest assured, death will come for you next after that." Her voice held the promise and poison only a infuriated Kamael could produce, and with a quick glance she shot a deadly glare over to the man in black. I will not run, nor give up. She moved her eyes back to her first target and felt ready for what ever would come next, and right then the long bangs of her hair fell down to cover half of her face. "You will find I am not so easy to snuff out...."
|
|
Kuros
Echo Member
Colonel Sanders
Posts: 816
|
Post by Kuros on Feb 4, 2012 16:53:06 GMT -8
Kuros watched the kamael make her vow to avenge Dachande. The way she spoke her words with such fervor chilled him to the bone for he knew if she was only more experienced in battle such a promise would be carried out without failure. His eyes focused on her for the moment and paused. Why did he hesitate so all of a sudden, he should have given the panther the command to attack already. He studied Lithillia with his red orbs, though his true greens widened almost in awe in what......admiration for her? The Dark Lord's skin shivered beneath his armor with the way she summoned her power once more, the darkness only fueled by her fury at him. She was beautiful. "You will find I am not so easy to snuff out..." The words caused him to shift his gaze back to hers, to stare right into the kamael's red eyes in silence. The panther too shifted before him, where normally she would have attacked she only looked back at her master. Kuros' eyes narrowed. "Nileha, take care of this." He spat the words out with all the power he could muster and at his command the panther leaped towards the kamael.
***Nornil's Cave - Icon of The Present***
Kuros stood before the giant statue and studied it. Again it reminded him of a man wearing priest's robes but this time instead of holding a book it held a sword in front of it and resting one hand on the hilt while keeping the other hand tucked in across his chest. He strided towards the Icon of The Present and just like before he found the panel. He pressed he button and the screen popped up with the keypad. He took the paper out once more and read the password the Icon of The Past told him to remember. He reached out with a clawed finger and prepared to type the password in but then he stopped his movements as if something just struck him.
He gasped slightly when he felt the link between him and Nileha severed abruptly. He stumbled forward and braced himself against the statue for a moment before regaining his bearings. Kuros grit his teeth, his eyes darting around the room waiting for the vertigo to settle. He never expected the huntress to be defeated so easily, at least not yet. The kamael surprised him this time, he did not expect this to happen this fast. Silently he congratulated her, Nileha was no easy prey. However with that knowledge he had to move fast, it would be a matter of time before Lithillia would arrive to carry out her promise to him. His own destruction at her hands. He reached out for the keypad and typed the password he received earlier.
########################
N: Ah! You came. Shall we continue the story?
N: I assume you have heard of it as well? Though it is no longer the case, this Isle of Souls was once sealed, hidden between dimensions... Why do you suppose it was sealed? The other races believe that it was because of the Kamael's exceptional combat abilities, but do you really think a dimensional seal was necessary for just that reason? Hiding an island of this size between dimensions would have been almost impossible even for the combined strength of hundreds -- even thousands -- of the best magicians on the continent.
########################
Kuros read the information off the screen and narrowed his eyes. How could he have ignored such things? When the kamael first appeared in the world there were news that every race sent envoys to learn about them while he himself remained hidden. His spies among the other humans told him the stories about the great strength of the winged race and judging from what he saw with Lithillia they were true. If he only had acted sooner. He reached out to the keypad and wrote his own message.
########################
User: Does that mean there was another reason?
N: Between dimensions, away from prying eyes... Is it not natural to surmise that the true purpose was to hide this Isle of Souls?
User: Hide it from who?
N: This Isle of Souls was sealed between dimensions because if it had been left in this world, there was a high probability of it being discovered. In other words, it was being hidden from someone with the ability to scan the entire world...
########################
Someone who can scan the entire world? Kuros mused, such a thing would require great amounts of power, no mortal could do... He paused. A God? It seemed to be plausible, if the Giants are the creations of these beings and they were hunted by the gods, or rather Einhasad then. He paused again and turned back, he heard horrible shrieks coming from the hallway connecting to this room. Lithillia was on her way here, and she was bringing her fury with her it seemed. He turned back to the screen and hurried on to read the rest, he didn't have much time left.
########################
User: Then...a god?
N: Perhaps. Or at least an equal of the gods.
User: Why did the Kamael have to hide themselves in the first place?
N: I cannot tell you that now. You will know later, when you have advanced sufficiently to learn the Kamael's "Lost History." Our story here is finished. Find the Icon of the Future somewhere within this Nornil's Cave to hear more. The password for the Icon of The Future is "CHAOS". Do not forget!
########################
Damnit! He cursed in his thoughts. He wanted to know more now and all this thing did was send him on another chase. He grit his teeth again and turned away from the screen with a swift but sharp movement. He made his way to the steps with quick strides but it was too late. Lithillia was already there, standing and waiting for him. "You have arrived here much sooner than I anticipated." He spoke in his calm demeanor. "I had hoped my pet would have kept you entrained for a little while longer." He took a few cautious steps to the side and shifted his footing to minimize his target areas from her in case she attacked. "Tell me, did this place stir any of your forgotten memories yet?"
|
|
|
Post by lithillia on Feb 4, 2012 20:16:03 GMT -8
The short silent moment before the Huntress attacked gave Lithillia the time to prepare for the attack and even if her wing would protest the abuse, she thrust her self off from the floor and jumped over the black raging animal. She landed with a soft flex in her knees and spun round to see the panther turn while digging its claws into the ground for to break the speed it had built up. Lithillia sent of her ball of dark energy, and the spell landed perfectly.
Nileha, as the animal had been addressed as, let out a roar of pain but did not back down from the fight. It was like it already knew Lith was damaged and also unable to muster such an attack before long, so the claws dug down into the stone floor once again and shot forward in a surprisingly forceful jump. The kamael tried to duck and avoid the claws, but she had not been quick enough and got pummeled to the ground and rolled around with the attacker a few times before she was pinned to the ground.
The sharp claws dug into her shoulders and she had to hold back the panthers head to escape the snapping jaws. The roars filled her ears, and the breath felt warm to her skin.
Come on, you can best this thing.
She Kicked out with her feet, lifting the animal up and away from her, and she groaned out loud from the effort. As soon as Nileha was forced to give up the upper hand, Lith let her go and rolled over to her side and stood up fishing up the rapier she had lost in the fall. "Come on then, you would not want to disappoint your master...."
Again the panther jumped towards the kamael, and as she saw this she threw her self backwards flying with Nileha and thrust the rapier up and into the soft furred belly. The landing was brutal, as the heavy cat came down upon her. The air was knocked out from the both and it made Lith whimper, as the cat let out a defeated murmuring sound. The huntress was dying, and the kamael fought to get out from under her.
The animal seamed to just lie there, not yet dead but not fighting anymore. The red eyes looking at Lith, but the girl could not decipher what it was saying or wanting to say to her. The Kamael, stood up slowly, looking down at the black being at her feet. She did not feel the lust for the killing blow, as she had done with all the others that had fell to her blade. It was like nothing else she had felt. It was odd to have the hunger lie dull in the back of her throat like this, but she accepted it as it were, and knelled at the huge head with the rapier held firmly in her hand. "I missed your heart...I am sorry..." Her voice was soft, as if she spoke to someone she held dear, and this because she felt somehow connected to the beast. For some reason she did not want it to suffer and felt no pleasure in this. "I will send you back to where you belong..." And with these words she thrust the rapier quickly down into the animals head, and the being dissolved around the blade, and was gone. The tickle of her thirst vanished with the beast, and she lifted her head to look in the direction of the dark armored knight had disappeared. She would get to him next as she had promised, and stood up letting her eyes survey the room.
The task of standing up, made her wince, and she knew she had to give her self a few minutes before following her target.
It was then her eyes caught the light from the screen, and she moved over to the panel. She read over the words, her eyes widening and her brow frowned. Kekropus?... And what did this dark knight want to do with the knowledge of the Kamael race? She felt a cover of ice flow over her heart. The feeling of being threatened filled her every cell at this point as she read on. We serve no gods? This hit as if it was no news to her, though it was odd to have it confirmed. There was a comfort in knowing that there was someone who looked after you was it not? But then it held no more information for her, and she wanted to know more her self. She pressed random buttons but it only caused it to shut down. "NO!" She cried out loud, "Show me more!!"
Filled with rage, she looked back to where she had to go. If she wanted to know more, she had to find /him/, and so she would. She let go of her sore ribs, and started walking out of the room.
*** The more mediate present ***
One of the avian creatures that still lingered in the hallways, got into her way and she struck him down. The creatures shriek filled the room and echoed down the walls. The look on Lithillas face was pure hate, and the promise of soon to pay the revenge she so wanted, egged her on.
Soon enough she stepped into the room and saw him standing next to a new panel. What information would it hold for her? His voice broke her out of the thought and desire for knowledge. "You have arrived here much sooner than I anticipated. I had hoped my pet would have kept you entrained for a little while longer." So that was how much he cared for the passing of his guardian, none at all. This angered her and she barred her teeth in a hiss. He moved and she shifted the rapier in her hand, feeling its weight, and ignored the pain.
"Tell me, did this place stir any of your forgotten memories yet?"
She stopped breathing. How... how did he know? The frozen muscles kept her from looking like a complete idiot, and she made sure her heart had settled for the most part before she gave of a curios whisper. "How do you know?"
Lithillia shook her head. "It does not matter." She said with a stronger voice, as if she demanded of her self to not fall in any games with this one. "I hope you are ready to face your god, if you do serve one. I am not as blind as these machines, I can tell you are not a kamael, and this information you are seeking is not for your eyes!"
|
|
Kuros
Echo Member
Colonel Sanders
Posts: 816
|
Post by Kuros on Feb 4, 2012 20:44:37 GMT -8
The Dark Lord simply laughed in dark tones when she reacted to his words. How the look on her face gave him all that he needed, whatever he was digging up here struck fear into her, perhaps enough to trigger some of those memories. Whatever the outcome of this little venture of his was, Lithillia held the key to what he wanted to know. She shook her head then. "It does not matter." The voice came in stronger, replaced by an anger that he gladly drank in. "I hope you are ready to face your god, if you do serve one. I am not as blind as these machines. I can tell you are not a kamael, and this information you are seeking is not for your eyes."
"And what do you fear that I will find out, little kamael? Is there something you do know after all?" Kuros spoke with some mirth in his tone. He reached to his side and slowly and deliberately drew his black blade from its sheath. The silent room echoed with the his of the weapon when the Dark Lord produced it and pointed the tip towards Lithillia. "Do you, who is already battered and bruised from all of your battles, believe that you can truly stop me?" His eyes bore down at her and he took a few steps towards her. His armored boots made heavy sounds as they hit the stone floor, step by step. "Are you truly ready to die so that this knowledge remains safe from my prying eyes, little guardian?"
|
|
|
Post by lithillia on Feb 4, 2012 21:55:39 GMT -8
Lithillia sidestepped keeping the distance between them as he came closer. His words confused her, but she also had the panel in the side view and that was where she wanted to end up at. His last question made her stop, and fortunately, she was by the screen. She let her eyes lower to look down upon it, keeping her rapier up ready if he was to attack her while she read. She did not fear it too much, she would rather know before she died, what her race was all about. Soon she lost her self to the reading, leaning onto a safe corner for support, her eyes danced over the screen, taking in the conversation Kuros have had with N. Her eyes whipped up to the other, and her pointed rapier trembled in her shaking hand. She had no idea what this meant, she could not make sense of it. "Where is the rest? Show me the rest!" Her voice trembled as well, something inside of her made her sick, as if she half way remembered something but it would not come through. It was just enough to make her feel ill, and she shouted now. "Show me the rest!"
|
|
Kuros
Echo Member
Colonel Sanders
Posts: 816
|
Post by Kuros on Feb 4, 2012 23:13:35 GMT -8
The Dark Lord too continued to sidestep to keep the distance just as the kamael did until in effect they changed positions. He watched her go to the screen and beneath that dark helmet of his, he smiled. So, the kamael was just as interested in what secrets this tomb held as he was. Good, let her hunger for it, let her memories come. He wanted to know what she was all about as well. Some time passed and the Dark Lord remained unmoving, he did not attack like she expected him to, it was nothing more than a silent moment of observation. Then she saw her eyes widen and the rapier she held shook from her trembling hand. He smiled again. Keep on feeding your mind little bird, show me what you are hiding. "Where is the rest? Show me the rest!" He heard her frustrations. "Show me the rest!" Again came the female's demand and Kuros tilted his head to the side curiously. Nothing yet then. He concluded. Very well, it seems the visit to the next Icon was long overdue now. The Dark Lord turned and left the girl while she worked her frustrations out. "Come after me." He spoke in a low tone before disappearing behind a corner.
***Icon of The Future***
The room was similar to the others, it held the same architecture with the walls flowing with red veins of pulsing energy. It was almost as if the room itself was alive, sentient even. Kuros once more stood before a giant statue of a priest, like the others it was wearing robes, but this time it held a scepter or some sort of rod in its hand. Not wasting any time the Dark Lord closed in the distance between the statue and himself to work the panel. The kamael would be here at any minute, those guardians he stirred earlier wouldn't hold long against her, he hadn't much time. He reached out with his hand again and typed in the password he was told. "CHAOS" The screen blinked and flashed as a familiar text popped up.
##########################
N: Ah! You came! Let us continue our conversation, then. For ages, this Isle of Souls acted as a seal between dimensions, but as you can see, the island and its inhabitants, the Kamael, have now been unsealed. It is unknown who was responsible for unsealing the island, but the first outsiders to set foot on the newly unsealed Isle of Souls were a man in black armor and a lady in a blue dress. Hierarch Kekropus treated them very cordially, almost as if they were royalty or....something greater. A few months later, the Kamael came to this island one by one..
##########################
Kuros' eyes devoured the information, however when N mentioned the first two outsiders, he paused in thought. Royalty...or something greater? His thoughts went to the man in black armor. Someone that even an elder Kamael like Kekropus would treat very cordially. Kuros knew of only one man that was referred to as the man in black armor, well other than himself. He heard the Priests of Gran Kain speak of him among the ranks of his soldiers. But that would mean that the gods were involved in this, Gran Kain especially. Didn't Gran Kain aid the Giants in shielding them from Einhasad's wrath before? If the Kamael were their legacy then someone like the Lord of Destruction would be interested in them wouldn't he? But why? Is it because of Shilen? He shook his head and stroked the keys on the pad that would form his next question for N.
##########################
User: If the Isle of Souls was hidden to avoid discovery, why would it be revealed now?
N: That is a mystery. Perhaps the original reason for hiding the island is no longer necessary -- or perhaps there is an even more compelling reason to risk unsealing the island. I wonder how the Kamael will cope with this sudden change... I suppose that will be decided by how well and wisely you young people act. It is far past time for you to take ownership of your own destiny as a race.
I can tell you nothing more; return to Kekropus. Farewell!
##########################
"Wait!" Kuros shouted and tried to type into the keypad. "I have more questions." He hit the keys furiously but got no response. It seemed that whatever this automation was it said all it was programmed to say. "Who are you!" Again he was rewarded with nothing until he clenched his hand into a fist and smashed it to the side of the statue. The ground shook then and pieces of the ceiling fell to the ground. Dust, long disturbed from its rest rose off the walls. The Dark Lord stepped back, his eyes darting around the room as if to prepare himself for some sort of death trap. But then just as it seemed the room would tear itself apart a wall on his right opened to reveal a long dark hallway.
What was this? Kuros drew his blade as if expecting a horde of monsters to rush out at any moment. Nothing happened. He approached the entrance and scanned the hallway. It seemed to end into nothingness, he could not see anything beyond a few meters. Very well, if that is where I shall find my answers. He stepped inside and disappeared into the darkness before Lithillia appeared.
|
|
|
Post by lithillia on Feb 5, 2012 0:01:25 GMT -8
She ran into the room, seeing the new fallen rubble on the floor and there was fresh blood on her rapier. She grunted, and made a quick halt to catch her breath looking about seeing that she was to late to find him. While she was catching her breath, she saw the new panel and swallowed hard. She was unsure if she could handle reading all this, her mind seamed to hang in one fragile thread, and her chest ached from the hidden truth.
With the free hand holding folded over her ribs, she took some slow steps forward and glanced down at the screen. And once again she devoured the words. She paled, her face becoming ash gray. A man in black armor... she rode of a shudder and stood up. So he must know more than he gave appearance for, but why were he here? If he already knew?
So if this dark armored... man... would be something more than just a man, perhaps a god. Would she want to go up against him again? She could not fight gods, could she? She shifted again, feeling her body protest even the simple task of standing upright. But she had come so far, and he had already disappeared...
Lith looked over to where the opening in the wall had came to be not too long ago, and took a step closer. She was brave enough, and she had to know. Even if it killed her, she had to know. She had came so far, and she would go just a little bit further. Her slow paced walk started, and her fingers grip a firmer hold of the rapiers hilt.
|
|
Kuros
Echo Member
Colonel Sanders
Posts: 816
|
Post by Kuros on Feb 5, 2012 3:09:17 GMT -8
The trek through the hall seemed to take forever, but Kuros continued on with a steady stride. He held his sword at his side, ready to strike down anything that would come at him. He could have used Nileha here, her senses would have been an asset, but he knew the panther had spent precious amount of energy when she fought the kamael and needed time to regenerate. His gaze spotted a faint red light in the distance and he moved toward it. It is there where he met his fist obstacle. As it turned out the red light was a barrier of sorts. He looked over the energy signature and the symbol of the kamael race on it. His hand traced along it, but it wouldn't go through, but then, he saw something on the wall.
Kuros shifted his gaze to the wall and found a keypad of some sort, much like the ones at the Icons. Ironically enough there was a small statuette that represented the three Icons he visited. The first one held a book. He turned again to look at the barrier and reached out for the keypad. With his index finger he typed in the letters "CRTR" on it and once more turned to the barrier. The red light flickered and went out. The Dark Lord smiled and went through.
As he continued down he met with two other barriers, one with the Icon of the Present and the other the Icon of the Future. He typed in their respective passwords and went through the barriers as well. When he finally cleared the long hallway he found himself in a large rectangular room with another large statue in the middle. Another Icon? He wondered and approached it. Though this time there was no keypad or screen. Instead the statue spoke to him.
Ah, you have really come to see me... It must not have been easy for you to find me.
The Dark Lord tilted his head as he regarded the statue. "N?" He asked the simple question.
Yes, I am N. But the time for aliases has passed; there is no need for you to call me N. I am Nornil... This is my true form. Surprised? The founders of the Kamael created me and then fashioned a cloak of myth and legend around me.
Perhaps I can help you understand. Listen to why I called you here.
The Isle of Souls was sealed long ago to keep it hidden and protected. But if the Kamael were to truly grow strong as a race, they must be prepared for the day when the seal was released and all of the dangers of the world lay before them.
So an external device was created artificially to provide both crisis and blessing to this Isle of Souls. I, Mother Nornil, am the central processing unit that controls the island's entire ecosystem. I also produce the monsters that roam the island.
Kuros listened to Mother Nornil's explanation of the Kamael home. He stepped to the side and continued to walk around the room to inspect it fully. He paused, pondering what the machine told him about the Island and how it worked. "Then the monsters that I defeated so far are also..?"
Yes. All the monsters that have attacked you were created by me. What you faced were designed as trials to promote your growth. The world you know, my child, is an artificial one...
"Why are you telling me this now?" Kuros turned to look back to face Nornil but all he was rewarded with was silence. He walked up to the machine. "Nornil?" He asked again and there was again silence. "Wait, who are you people? Who created you?" Kuros wanted to know this, he needed to know. "What is the secret of the Kamael race? Answer me! Nornil!" No good, the machine went silent. He would get no more answers. "Damnit!" He was so close, if only he had come here before Shilen's attack then perhaps Nornil would have functioned properly.
The room seemed to shake again and Kuros spun in time to see yet another wall open up. He looked back at the silent machine and nodded. "Thank you." The Dark Lord spoke briefly and then made his way to the opening and disappeared into the darkness as before.
|
|
|
Post by lithillia on Feb 6, 2012 1:25:42 GMT -8
Lithillia stood in the doorway leading in to this new unfamiliar room but stepped back as she saw Kuros and heard the conversation unfold in there. She did not feel ready to confront him again, even if she did intend to at some point, but right now she was to into hearing the words coming from the statue, hearing the truth, learning something new. She made sure that she was not seen, and pressed her back against the wall face towards the open space where the dark armored man was. Man... or was he a god?
Kuros questions created even more in her mind, but she was to busy to grasp the answers given to him to even think them through right then and there. They would surface later, and create turmoil with in her mind.
"Why are you telling me this now?" Kuros voice reached her, and the following silence from the statue made Lith peek forward for to see the display. "Nornil?" Even more silence. "Wait, who are you people? Who created you?" So he did not know? He knew just as little as her self? She pulled back into hiding at his next trail of words."What is the secret of the Kamael race? Answer me! Nornil!" He sounded like he was loosing his temper, or if not that, then his patience.
"Damnit!" His outburst made her jump and press her self even further back to the wall, and she cursed the fact that she felt so affected by all of this. She looked down at her free hand, and it was shaking. Her mind trying to make sense of all that she had learned so far. What did it mean? What did this mean, and what did this make her?
The room shook, and the sound of something shifting place filled the hallway she was in. What happened now? "Thank you." His words was now spoken more calmly and she could hear that he moved away now. When she could barely hear his steps, she peered into the room, seeing the coast was clear and moved up to the statue.
"Mother Nornil?" She whispered, as if somewhere she ought to make sense of who this 'mother' was, and what she ought to mean to her. Lith reached out her hand and placed it onto the surface of the statue and tried to settle her nerves. What ever you learn, don’t let it make you act like this! What ever you are, you are strong and powerful! Her mind tried to get her to calm down, and slowly she did to some degree, but the butterflies in her stomach never really stopped fluttering. "Alright... here I go." She whispered, moving away from the statue, letting her hand linger on it until the distance she made grew to far to let stay touching.
Slowly she followed up the next path into the new room that had revealed it self for Kuros, and she steadied her breath to brace her self, what ever it was she would see.
|
|
Kuros
Echo Member
Colonel Sanders
Posts: 816
|
Post by Kuros on Feb 6, 2012 1:52:53 GMT -8
***Nornil's Cave - Chryochambers***
Kuros found himself in a large room surrounded by tables, alchemy apparatus and other items he could not identify. In the middle of it he saw what appeared to be a metallic pod, or rather what was left of it. Tubes hung from the ceiling like dead serpents, though the stench of smoke and something else hung in the air. From the blackened walls and the shards of black crystal, the Dark Lord was able to tell that there was some sort of explosion here and suddenly he felt a chill down his back. The sensation he got was as if he was here before, yet nowhere in his memories could he recall this place.
He took a few steps toward the pod, brushing aside the metal tubes as he walked. Strange he found that even the steps felt similar and the contact his armored hand made when he knelt down to push the loose steel door to the pod. The rusted hinges made a loud metallic creak as they were forced to move again. The Dark Lord paused then and brought his hand up to his face as if to inspect it. Hand... He could almost hear his own voice say the word, almost as if this happened before. The feeling he got from this place was an odd one and it confused him. Why was this happening to him?
Kuros stood up and moved to the wall, his hand traced the blackened stone and the shards of black crystal before he spotted a stain that was the color of rust. Blood? Came the immediate question and he moved over to the area. His hand reached out, almost as if it had a mind of its own and then immediately pulled back the moment it touched the stain. His fingers curled to the palm and his eyes remained focused on the stain.
"Impossible...." He breathed out the word in shock and disbelief. "How....how is this?" His eyes widened. The stain on the wall carried his own energy signatures, and from the touch he fully felt it to the point where the few remaining strands seemed to evaporate from it and snake their way back into his hand. He took one step back away from it. He did not know what to think. That shock however was quickly shattered and he stiffened when he saw an image flash through his mind. His body seemed to move on its own accord then and turned to walk toward the tables that held the alchemical equipment.
Kuros brushed through all the apparatus, knocking beakers and test tubes off the counter where they fell to the floor and shattered. He did not understand his actions but he felt that he was searching for something and it pulled him here. Then after uncovering more junk he found it. The tome was burned and blackened at the edges but when he opened the hard cover his eyes widened again. He read through the first few pages and devoured the information. The tome spoke described the many creations of the giants and the processes used to create them. Then when he flipped to the next page he stopped. What he saw next only confirmed what he was looking for, the pages showed diagrams of winged creatures, and the machines used to create them. Nornil herself was there too. As he continued to read he saw the notes about the dark energies used to infuse the beings, something about the ability to fight the gods themselves? He learned that there were three Kamael at first two males and one female. They were the most powerful of the species, Spicula they were called. From these three, the Giants with the assistance of the female created the next generation of Kamael, and even though they weren't as strong as the original three they still held great power. Thus the Giants had their weapons.
Kuros flipped a few more pages which described some of the processes in creating these weapons before he slammed the book shut. This was not the place for such research and while the discovery and the information he was given excited him, he had other questions that now popped in his mind. How was it that he was here before? Did this have something to do with Dachande? Was it possible that his other self was here before....no, it wasn't even a question, from the evidence on the wall Dachande WAS here but the question remained for what purpose? The Dark Lord was so deep in his own thoughts that he did not feel the presence of the female kamael that arrived.
|
|
|
Post by lithillia on Feb 6, 2012 15:02:20 GMT -8
The sounds of glass shattering to the floor made her slow down her pace and only just peer into the next room, finding the knight searching for something with a seemingly impatient actions. What was he searching for? He picked up a tome, and this answered her unspoken question.
Would it hold more secrets? Answering her new and now piling up questions? She licked her lips quickly and tightened her fingers around the rapier.
The situation was a gift, as he stood with his back to her not even aware she had came this near again. If she was quick, if she moved quicker than she ever had before, she might as well manage to not only surprise him but perhaps also win this encounter. Lith also knew if she spent to much time thinking this through, she would eventually miss out on this moment, so she took a deep breath and collected her self. What ever happened next was all instinct.
The kamael took the first step in the run, the rapier held out ready to pierce his armor. At the third step everything changed around her. It was like her eyes lost focus of the scenario before her, and for the shortest of moments everything went completely black.
The reality came back with the rush of vision and sounds, and Lith had to brace her self with a hand onto his armored shoulder as she collided into the mans body. She grunted, her chest aching again complaining the continued abuse, and she tasted blood in her mouth. Lithillias mind spun around at the pain and exhaustion she felt, and the confusion to what had just happened added to the unclear moment. Her head leaned onto his back and the sudden stop had sent the hair flying forward, her long white strands flowed down her own form as well as over his shoulders and down at the front of him,. The wing had moved to be almost half closed around them, also forced forward at the impact, and she opened up her eyes slowly. What she saw next concluded her success. The rapier was long embedded into the dark knights body.
|
|
Kuros
Echo Member
Colonel Sanders
Posts: 816
|
Post by Kuros on Feb 6, 2012 17:13:49 GMT -8
He felt her braced against him, her hand on the shoulder plates of his armor. Her head leaned onto his back just as he felt her white hair fly over his shoulders and cascade down his chest followed by the white wing that seemed to act as some sort of private cover for the two of them. The strike itself came without warning, perfectly executed. It was so sudden that the Dark Lord did not have a chance to even turn. His back arched and he breathed in audibly, something that was akin to a sharp gasp that was quickly cut off when he felt the stabbing pain ripple through his body from the impact and then the rapier when it pierced him.
Shock, disbelief and denial flowed through him at first until he tried to breathe in and found himself rocked by the sharp pain when his punctured lung tried to work. He groaned slightly, the grip on the book he held loosened and fell to the floor. Kuros looked down and saw the blood stained blade protruding from his chest, only a mere inches where his heart would be. He stumbled forward, ripping the blade from the kamael's hands and slowly turned to her. "Y-you....." The faint tone he spoke in was a pained one, filled with shock. Another spasm sent his body rocking with tremors from the pain. He gasped for air once more and narrowed his eyes. His anger boiled over, though it was more about the fact that he let his guard down so carelessly than her actually stabbing him. Nonetheless the energy gathered itself quickly in his hand and he sent the projectile right into the ground beneath her legs.
The explosion that followed even rocked him and stumbled him back and fall onto his knees. The movement sent another shockwave of pain through his body. His lung was already filling with blood, he was hurt and he had to get away from here. The Dark Lord mustered all of his strength and reached back to grasp the rapier while with his other hand he pushed at the part that protruded from the front. He cried out in both rage and in pain when the blade slid out and fell to the floor with a clutter. Drops of his blood already stained the the area beside it.
He stumbled out of the room, through the chambers where Nornil was and out to the long hall. His vision swam with each step he took, his lung was already on the verge of collapsing and he found it difficult to breathe. Just a bit further, he had to....he... The Dark Lord collapsed against the wall and slid along it onto his knees. Damn that wretch for underestimating her, he was so sure she posed no threat at least not just yet. She was right, he never should have went alone and how he cursed himself for spending the Panther already, he could have used her help now. He turned over then, his back against the wall as he looked down the hall he came from. He used what was left of his power to change his armor to that of the Silver Shield once more. If he was going to fall here then he might as well make it look like he was struck down by the Dark Lord. His last image his mind flashed for him before the darkness set in were a pair of crimson eyes, a playful smirk shrouded by a mane of long white hair and that single white wing, somehow he found it to be a pleasant last thought.
|
|
|
Post by lithillia on Feb 6, 2012 21:16:33 GMT -8
Where am I? The faint thought echoed through Lithillias mind as she sat up somewhere in the Chryochambers. Her eyes scanned the surroundings once more, and the knight was no where to be seen. He got away...
She shuffled to stand once more, and moved to where the book lied on the floor and picked it up. There was no time to read it now, and she dared not to flick through the papers for to even get the idea what it was about. She stashed it into her bag, and turned around to see if there was anything else of importance. She coughed some, her entire body was worn down from the days event, and the blood came on her lips again.
She decided to backtrack now, knowing she have had enough of this place. Finding Dachande was also important, though she did not fully believe that the dark knight had done anything to him. Perhaps the young lord had never came here in the first place, though.... how would the knight know she was looking for him?
She pondered this as she walked past the statue of the Mother, having now the rapier on her hip and not in her hand. Her stride was quick, and with goal, but suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks.
"… Dachande..." Her mouth just whispered the name, and as soon as she realized who it was sitting sloped against the wall. She was next to him in no time, kneeling down her hands feeling over his pale face. "Dach..." she could not even finish uttering his name, as she found her self standing in the pool of his blood.
She found his pulse and after that she started removing the heavy armor. The once white tunic, now blood red became visibly and she half way tore it open to see where the damage was. The blood kept pumping out of a hole in his chest, but still she made no connection between that and the wound she had just inflicted upon him.
She needed bandages... Lithilla had no spare ones, but the one already on her body. She figured that he needed it more than she at this moment, so she removed her own tunic and leather vest, and unfastened the long white piece of cloth. "… Hang in there... Alright? Can you hear me at all?.." She murmured nervously. Her mind could not recall if she had any skills in first aid, but she managed to stop the bleeding with some effort.
How am I going to get him out of here? Her mind mussed as she covered her naked chest with her tunic again. Is it possible for me to actually carry him?
|
|
Kuros
Echo Member
Colonel Sanders
Posts: 816
|
Post by Kuros on Feb 6, 2012 21:46:16 GMT -8
Dach.. The calling stirred him from the darkness of oblivion as did the pain of his collapsed lung. ...Hang in there...Alright? Can you hear me at all? The voice was faint, but he was able to recognize it belonging to a female, it was a pleasant distraction from the pain. His eyes half way opened though they were glazed and he was disoriented from the blood loss he suffered. He couldn't even remember for the moment how he become like this. He tried to speak but all that came from his mouth was the flow of blood followed by a gargle and a fit of coughing. The pain that shot through him from the effort helped him from slipping out of consciousness and prevented him from going under.
Kuros felt the weight of his armor lifted, then the chill of the draft that flowed over his blood soaked skin. Some part of him that saw the Kamael protested at what she did, but he had no strength to resist her. His eyes followed her in a lazy manner, almost as if they too lacked the strength to move. He watched take her top off and unwrap the bandages she wore. He then watched her dress his wounds, much like he dressed her in the past before she moved off to put her clothes back on. He tried to move his hand as if to reach out to her. "Beautiful...." Kuros barely mouthed the words out before his eyes rolled to the back of his skull and he slumped into oblivion again.
|
|
|
Post by lithillia on Feb 6, 2012 22:48:31 GMT -8
"Beautiful...." Her eyes darted to him, and her cheeks blushed instantly. Had he seen her? Even if he had, he seamed to have passed out now so her embarrassment did not have to last for to long, at least not at this moment, so she tried to just shrug it of as much as she could.
So he was alive... good. Because it was good, right? Well of course it was. She shook her head to clear her mind from the thoughts. They did not help her right now, and she was not in the mood to go contemplating his existence. "I am going to take you home." She said to him, even if he could not hear her she found some silly comfort in talking. His armor was placed back onto him, and she hoped it would keep him warmer somehow, as he did feel cold to the touch. "I will take you to the town next to here, find you a cart, blankets... so you will feel warm. Soon we will be home with your men... It will be fine." Her smaller form, knelled down by him now. Lifting him up to sit as she put one of his arms around her own neck. Her left arm tilted him to her shoulder, and she placed her wing to cup around him for to help keep him in place. Her right hand moved to under his knees.
Lifting him was not difficult at all, even if her body protested the strain it made. And with out more fuss, she took him out of Nornil's Cave.
*** Later, back at the Silver Shield camp. ***
Dachandes healers checked on him again where he was finally dressed up properly and taken care of. Lith sat in a chair, looking over at his resting form keeping him under her own watchful eyes. The roles were reversed, it was her time to be the one saving him. It gave her a feeling that she found hard to define so she tried not to give it to much thought.
In her hands rested the book she had found, but she had not yet opened it. She was not yet ready to read what ever it had to tell her.
A healer came to her, checking if he could do anything to ease her pain. She refused, wanting to heal up on her own, and sent him away. Lithillia felt tired, but she could not find the calm to settle in. Sleep would have to come later, for now she felt the need to watch over the man resting in the cot beside her.
After a while the ordeal got the better of her and she found her self sloping forward, folding her arms under her head, resting onto his bed. The book now lying beside her, placed between the fingers of her right hand.
|
|
Kuros
Echo Member
Colonel Sanders
Posts: 816
|
Post by Kuros on Feb 7, 2012 0:41:44 GMT -8
He floated in the endless darkness, his knees tucked into his naked form with his arms wrapped around to hug them close. His long blond hair seemed to flow around him, with strands spread out in all directions as gravity held no meaning to him here. This was his sanctuary, his place of retreat from he world where no god could touch him. He came here whenever he took severe damage and the wound the kamael caused was severe indeed. This place was his personal corner in the infinite void with only the sound of his steady heart beat and the whispers of the dark energies that flowed through him to keep him company. The feeling was soothing and relaxing, he felt free and unrestrained by the limitations of the flesh or the pain that slowed him. His eyes remained closed but even with that he could still see his entire form. Strands of dark energy seemed to flow out of the two puncture wounds where the damage was done, it was as if they were being released back to the void they came from. Yet the human felt at peace for he knew he was only recharging. Already the wound was closing and the void reached out to him, caressing his skin with the touch of a caring parent before setting in on him to cover him with its dark embrace. It was time to go back and wake up. The Dark Lord opened his eyes.
The light burned and he was forced to shut them again. Then came the sensation of his beating heart and the painful rise and fall of his chest when his lungs filled themselves with air once more. Kuros groaned slightly and brought his arm up over his eyes before allowing them to open again to adjust to the brightness. When that was done and over with he looked at his surroundings and found himself back in his tent. How did I get here? Was the first question his mind formed. Yet as he did so his memories of the events that happened not too long ago flooded back. He recalled the feeling of that cold blade piercing him, his chest still ached from the phantom pains the image brought. He did get out of that place he remembered, though the details were hazy, the image that stood out and one he would never forget was the winged form that came to him, she was beautiful like something from a dream. Lithillia... His destroyer became his savior, what irony.
Kuros shifted then as he felt something soft brush his skin and his eyes widened at the image he didn't expect to see. Lithillia was sloped forward, with her head resting over one arm while the other still held the book he found. Her movement caused him to shift his gaze to that white wing he once tended to as he now found out what brushed against his skin. He shivered from the sensation.
"She has been here watching over you all night, my Lord." A quiet voice from the side of the tent caused Kuros to turn and focus on one of his soldiers that entered the tent at some point. "Indeed?" He asked shifting his gaze back at the sleeping form of the female kamael. "Yes, my lord. It was she who brought you here and threatened to have us flayed if we weren't able to bring you back." The soldier paused to look at his lord and continued. "You were severely injured, your lung was punctured and collapsed with the second one on the way. You've lost a lot of blood too." "I see, though she almost killed me this time around." He answered absently, his gaze was focused on Lithillia to the point where it made him feel uncomfortable. His respect for the woman grew, even as Dachande he did not expect her to go that far for him and yet there she was, going as far as to giving up her own bandages to keep him from bleeding out. "Thank you guardsman." He said again. "Of course, my Lord." The man saluted and prepared to leave. "Guardsman." Kuros called out softly as if not to disturb Lithillia's peace. "Yes my lord?" The soldier paused and looked at his lord. "What do you think? Should I bring her into our fold? Make her one of us?" Kuros turned to look at his soldier. "My lord?" The man seemed to be confused by the Dark Lord's question. It was not something he expected. "I..." He seemed to be at a loss for words. "You've heard correctly Guardsman, one of us." Again the man was unsure and his gaze too shifted to the kamael as if he was worried she would wake up any minute. "The men adore her my Lord. However what you ultimately do with her we will as always, respect." Kuros smiled, the man answered perfectly. "Very well then, that is all. Return to your duties." "Yes, sir." The soldier saluted again and left the tent.
When the two of them were alone again Kuros laid back down on the pillow slowly, out of both to control the pain and not to wake the woman up, but not before taking one of his blankets and draping it over her.
|
|
|
Post by lithillia on Feb 7, 2012 7:41:21 GMT -8
A few days after she had brought Dachande back to the camp, she found her self visiting with him again. Lithillia, had left him mostly to his own after making sure he was on the mend, but now she could not keep her self from seeking his council.
Normally she would probably have gone to town, found Kekrpous, and asked him these questions, but as he had been mentioned as a part of everything going on in Nornil's Caves, she could not make her self go to him at this moment. Dachande had been there, he had sought after something in that very cave, and so had the black armored knight, and it was because of this she would go to him now.
The kamael announced her self at the flap of the tent, and entered soon after. She saw no reason for to wait to be invited in, after all, she had saved his life and thus he should have time for her no matter what. She held the book with both her hands in front of her self as she moved to the empty chair beside his bed, and looked him over as she came close enough to take in the details of him.
"I hope I am not disturbing," she said with a normal tone of voice, and sat down with out being invited to do so either. "There is a matter I need to discuss with you." Lithillia continued with out waiting for him to let her know how he was doing, or if she disturbed him at all.
"I don't think I have mentioned the encounters I have had with The Black Armored Knight, and this was not the first time..." She shifted slightly finding a better posture to hold, and placed the book to rest onto her thighs. "I don't know what to make of him, nor will I claim to know what he is out after. But he did seam to be very interested in my race, and how we came to be...." Lithillia let her eyes drift out into the private chambers, taking note of the private property that was scattered about. "He also seamed to have knowledge about me, things I would not expect an stranger to know... And he is also very powerful." Admitting this was nothing she felt comfortable with, but the fact was what it was, she had been bested by him more than once. Her pride suffered this fact, but hiding it would not help anyone. "I can only hope I have injured him severely enough. That he will crawl back to what ever rock he came out from, and stay away from now on. Next time, I will not spare him...Next time I will be even stronger..." Her crimson eyes shifted back to Dachande, and stared into them as she always would when she was searching him for some sort of truth or response, however, she did not wait for him to say anything.
"I read everything from the panels, I cant hide the fact that I am curious to what it was all about. There is unfortunately some facts missing from my memories, from before the fall." Admitting to this made her heart grow heavy in her chest, and she felt as if she sat even more naked before him than the day he had put the bandage on her. "It feels like I ought to know... more..." she picked up the book with her one hand and lifted it up as if to show it to him. "He sat reading this when I found him, I expect it holds vital information...." Her eyes dropped down to look at its bindings, and her jaw muscles flexed. "I have not read it yet. I don't know what it is that I will find in it." Would she dare to make her self so vulnerable, to make her self appear this weak? Would she omit to how much this scared her? Lithillia looked into his eyes again, trying to lock his gaze with hers as she pondered if to say or not.
"I am unsure if I should go to Master Kekropus. Unsure if I should tell him everything I know about this knight and his interest in us. I am unsure if I should show this book to the master, give it to him, and trust in him that he will share the information I would need to know." She did then extend her arm out to the human man, as if she offered the tome to him instead. " … Or should I place my trust with you?" Her gaze grew more intense. "For was this not what you were seeking as well?"
The kamael fell silent waiting for any reply at all, hoping that he would not ask why she had not read it her self.
|
|
Kuros
Echo Member
Colonel Sanders
Posts: 816
|
Post by Kuros on Feb 7, 2012 22:14:49 GMT -8
Kuros laid in his cot and fidgeted. The days he spent in the infirmary did him well in terms of the wound he received from Lithillia. His body was healing quite nicely both on the outside and the inside. His men checked up on him on a regular basis, whether it was to inspect how he healed or for orders. The camp itself kept busy, the captains kept the men in line and missions that they received from their "allies" went smoothly. He was pleased with all the reports that came in and the fact that his men functioned without him. What he hated however was the fact that he was stuck here. He hated being idle, he felt so.....useless.
Kuros tried to sit up for a moment to test his movement but the moment it happened he was rocked by a sharp stabbing pain that forced him back down. He cursed audibly and hated the fact that it took time to heal, even with all the potions he drank and the spells that were cast on him. He sighed and relaxed at the moment before looking up at the ceiling of the tent. How he envied the kamael with the way she was able to recover so fast. His thoughts at that point went to her and what happened on the Isle of Souls. He recalled the information Nornil gave him about the weapons of the Giants and the power they wielded to fight the gods. The words and images in the tome he found, right before it was taken from him by Lithillia lingered. He found himself smiling though, the revelation that they were not bound to any of the gods was a relief. In some ways he found kinship in that. They were militaristic from what others spoke of them, they were great fighters and they were honorable. Despite holding such power he never once did hear any of the other humans complaining about them. They were also, beautiful and Lithillia was no exception. The men adored her, they wanted to be in her company as well and what about himself then? They had their differences, they clashed in the camp before and he did make her hate his real self, but he too wanted to be in her company did he not? After all he did ask one of his soldiers what his opinion would be if he made her one of them. He furrowed his brow suddenly and looked to the side to see his hand resting on the area of the bed where she rested when he woke up from his first night back.
This is silly, he was human and she was a kamael, a weapon meant to fight the gods, who was he to her? He bit his tongue the moment those thoughts surfaced. Anger was replaced with whatever the alien feeling he just felt. Idiot, you are a Hell Knight. Such trifle things on who is what are beneath you. His hand clenched into a fist and dark strands of energy rose to the surface like black smoke as they skipped angrily across his pale kin. I am above such petty things. When this world is remade such things will have no meaning. He vowed, though the energy continued to ripple and now showed in his eyes.
The tent flap flew open and the power within the Dark Lord died as fast as it sparked to life. Speak of the Devil. He almost murmured the thoughts aloud when Lithillia entered the room unannounced. She moved to him and sat down beside him. Did his thoughts of her bring her here? No, she seemed normal there was no shock or surprise. Kuros did not say anything, he listened to what she had to say even though it all came out so fast. His eyes however remained fixed on her. In the light of this revelation he really began to notice her more. The long white hair, the pointed ears, the crimson eyes, soft pale skin and the single glorious wing that was the identifier of her race. In some way she was like an angel from the stories younger knights would speak of when he still believed in Einhasad. Her movements were graceful and without flaw. The power she held too coursed beneath her skin, he felt it before, he was drawn to it like a hapless fool to a Siren's Call. She really was beautiful. "I am unsure if I should go to Master Kekropus. Unsure if I should tell him everything I know about this knight and his interest in us. I am unsure if I should show this book to the master, give it to him and trust in him that he will share the information I would need to know." He listened to those words and regarded her in an even gaze and then her arm extended to him, almost as if she were offering the tome to him instead. "...or should I place my trust with you?" Her gaze on him grew more intense and he felt as if she lit him up on fire with the glaze. "For was this not what you were seeking as well?" The Dark Lord shook his head to get that feeling out of him and simply felled his gaze on the Tome.
Kuros' hand reached out instinctively for it. The Tome after all was a treasure he wanted to study. His hand shook slightly and his fingers traced the cover before he finally smiled and pushed the tome back into her. The tome was indeed worth something, but the fact that he had a live weapon to study was completely priceless. "What would you have of me, Lithillia?" He asked and gazed back at her. "The Hierarch told me, from the meeting I had with him when you went shopping that you weren't yourself and that I was to take care of you until you found what you were looking for." His hand moved and pressed the Tome to her chest. "Whatever secrets are buried in that book surely it was meant for you to find it. I'm just here to help you in any way I can."
|
|
|
Post by lithillia on Feb 12, 2012 14:33:07 GMT -8
Lithilla looked down as the book was pressed back to her and her chest. The crimson orbs holding the half glare down at his advancing hand, as if it moved into forbidden territory. She did not voice her protest, nor really mind the gesture, and if at all it would barely be seen as she were half leaning forward. The reaction was just an automatic thing, and before she could really look too out of place in this moment, she let her eyes soften and lift to look back at Dachande.
"If that is your advice, then I will follow it." She leaned back then, out of reach from his hands. It just felt safer that way, keeping distance. She have had enough close contact for a little while. "I will then read it, find the secrets that is written down here..."
She let her eyes wander over his resting form, sucking some of her cheek to rest in between her teeth while pondering something unsaid. So Kekropus had told Dach about her? How much did he know? Her eyes whipped back up to him, almost as if she wanted to force the knowledge from him. The fierce feeling of being left out started a little fire with in her, but she kept her self cool as possible. Found what she was looking for? Did she even know what she was looking for? Her memories? Did she want to remember?
The old dream from several days ago sent a shiver down her spine as her mind played out segments from it. The pain was vivid still and even more so enhanced from her current injuries. What if it had been giving her a taste of the past, that it was a memory leaking out from the black? With that picture, other ones were stirred and she was pulled back to relive all the small "run-in's" she have had with Dachande since she woke up. Did he want her to stay then, or was he fed up with her already? Did he mean it when he offered his help, or did he just want to owe up to what he had promised the elder Kamael?
She shifted and the distant look in her eyes vanished, and the direct gaze at him resumed. "I will try and find what I'm looking for as quick as I can." If she had been pawned of on him by request of her elder, would this reassure him that he would not be stuck with her for ever? She searched his face as she said this, looking for anything that would clue her about his feelings regarding that.
The kamael shifted uneasy like, and stood up suddenly. "I should not...Impose any further..." Lithillias eyes danced over him and his features again. Was she suddenly struck shy? "I thank you for your council..." She tipped her head to look down and her bangs fell into her face. The gesture of the bow held some form of respect, but soon she raised her chin back up. "I am sorry for disturbing your rest... and may you have a speedy recovery."
She had collected her self again, from what ever it was that had caught her with surprise for a moment, and looked back over at him. If he had something more to tell her she would wait for it, if not let him dismiss her before leaving.
|
|
Kuros
Echo Member
Colonel Sanders
Posts: 816
|
Post by Kuros on Feb 14, 2012 1:08:46 GMT -8
Kuros felt the glare on his arm and his natural reaction, oddly enough, was to pull his hand back. It felt odd indeed, because normally he wouldn't have paid such attention to his action and the glare would have been seen as a challenge on her part, he would have already shot back some sort of comment regarding the behavior. Then, however, her crimson orbs softened. The feeling he got from her was alien, well perhaps not alien but it was something he had put far far away to the back of his mind. It was really strange to see the kamael, especially her, to correct herself like this. "If that is your advice, then I will follow it." His eyes followed her when she leaned back out of reach from his hands. "I will then read it, find the secrets that is written down here..."
A part of him lit up and he smiled internally, though he wasn't sure whether if was because it would lead to finding the secret behind her power or having her actually find out who she really was. He felt her eyes wander over him then and there was a silence between the two, it was as if her mind was somewhere else. He found himself following her gaze, tracking her movement and the path she took with it. He felt warm for some reason, as if the temperature rose slightly. He felt awkward, though he would not show it. What is happening? The thought echoed through his mind and his green orbs slowly traveled from his form back to hers. She shifted then and the distant look in her eyes vanished, her eyes met his once more. "I will try and find what I'm looking for as quick as I can." He watched her shift uneasy like, and then she stood up suddenly. "I should not...Impose any further..." Again her eyes danced over his features, it was as if she could not look him into his eyes. Her voice was calm but it did not truly match the behavior. Was is possible that there was more to this? Has he been mistaken about Lithillia's cold and snotty nature? He shook his head, no it couldn't be, the idea itself sounded so foolish...and stupid. "I thank you for your council..." Hear head tipped to look down and he saw her bangs fall into her face. The Dark Lord noted the gesture of the bow held some form of respect, it was long enough of a moment for him to notice before she raised her chin back up. "I am sorry for disturbing your rest... and may you have a speedy recovery."
Kuros gazed her in silence once more, he himself found himself frustrated in this whole situation. Just like the kamael he too felt something alien, and that was further intensified when the image of her at the flap of his tent popped up. It would have been different...If you found me beautiful.... Her voice from that night echoed again He swallowed, the silence making things even more uncomfortable. "I...." He paused and frowned, he suddenly found his voice failing him. What the hell is happening to me? What the hell am I doing! His mind screamed in protest yet something else that was long forgotten tugged at his vocal cords and struck him in his chest. The temperature got warmer and he wanted to tear the blankets off and jump into a pool of cold water. He cleared his throat pretending as if something got caught in it when he tried to speak. His lungs were damaged afterall and fluids could have easily come up. "Lithillia..." He began. "If it weren't for you, I would have been dead." He gave her a faint smile almost as if he were trying to ease her discomfort as well as his own. "Thank you....and...." Again he lost it. He shook his head and reached over to his chest as if to make it look like talking was causing him some pain from the wound. "You are not imposing....I don't.....mind your presence here. You've certainly more than earned it."
|
|
|
Post by lithillia on Feb 14, 2012 1:23:25 GMT -8
She frowned as he seamed having issues speaking, she did not like to see that talking made him feel such pain though she waited him out letting him take his time.
He thanked her, and she felt something swell in her chest. Pride? It could have been, she did like to be told that she did well. She let a small smile play on her lips before she found enough words to form a sentence. "Then I will return later, bring some news from the 'outside world'. It might amuse you..." She moved over to the doorway, and half turned to look at him before exiting. " I owed to save you anyway." And with that she left, the smile still tugging the corners of her mouth, and she resumed going about the daily life of the camp.
|
|