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Post by Sadori on Dec 12, 2013 12:56:07 GMT -8
The Dancer stood poised in the room adjoining the library, waiting for the word that would send her through the hidden door and to the aid of her wife and Celebrant. But the feeling conveyed through the link (an unexpected side-effect of a blood bond created ages ago) was relaxed and curious, for the most part.
From what she could gather, the visitor was a young priestess of Einhasad that Olorae had hoped to foster and groom a short time back. Now she had returned, asking questions and seeking to topple the Church. The Otherness inside her stirred at the thought of the faction which had been the source of so much of her pain in the past. Forcing the memories and related emotions back, she almost jumped when Olorae's thoughts reached out to her once more:
~"She's asking about Eriendis."~
"By the Goddess! What ever for?!"
...
Mere mention of the man caused her body to tense and eyes to grow dark. He was a menace and she blamed herself for not being more involved in the hunt for him so long ago. Had she been more attentive, perhaps he would have been caught and dealt with then. Finally came the call to action, though not the one Sadori expected or what the Otherness had hoped for.
~"Call the trackers. I want this one watched."~
"Of course. Anyone in particular?"
~"Theren and Buki."~
Activating her clan pin, she called for the human and the demon and received an almost immediate response. "They are on their way. What are they looking for?"
~"A dead man."~
"And should they find him?"
~"They should merely watch and report for now."~
"Understood." But she didn't... understand. If the Paladin was still alive, in whatever form, wouldn't it be best to deal quickly and with precision? At least bring him and the girl in. But Sadori learned long ago to trust the Celebrant in her machinations, regardless of her personal misgivings, she was the best at what she did. If her opinion was wanted, Olorae would ask for it. "I hope you know what you are doing, D'anthe.", she whispered as she left to brief the trackers.
Once more it was time to "release the hounds", and this time there would be satisfaction. A slight melancholy overtook her as she wound through the rear passages, recalling those lost over the centuries. Those who took such pride and excitement from these hunts and associated tasks within the clan. If only Allana were here now.
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Post by Olorae on Jan 10, 2014 11:19:48 GMT -8
Theren lounged in the tree, letting out a frustrated sigh. What exactly were they waiting for? The knight and priestess hadn't moved from their camp for more than a few moments, and whenever the priestess left, Rhedyn would follow.
He was bored, but until the order changed he would hold his position. He knew the man's habits better than the knight did himself. He knew the wolf's prowling patterns, but he could never pin down the panther that roamed the woods around their camp. There was no pattern, nothing that could be relied upon. He'd heard the term 'wrangling cats' before, but this was something else completely.
He was frustrated. Watching the knight and the priestess throughout the day and night, he had witnessed their intimacy. Being so close to his wife, yet unable to touch her for fear of giving away their position had him on edge. He considered slipping away for a moment with her, but quickly put the thought out of mind. That would be the one moment in which everything changed, he was sure.
So he continued to watch. He continued to wait for further orders.
He continued being bored.
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Post by Olorae on Feb 7, 2014 18:38:16 GMT -8
Theren shifted as the firelight dimmed in the camp below. Someone was moving, but who? He moved to his feet, crouching tight on the branch, ready to move.
You stay with her, he signed to the woman next to him. He didn't wait for a response, seeing the knight in the campsite moving into the darkness on the opposite side of the camp. He moved quickly, slipping from branch to branch through the trees to follow him. It wasn't easy: he had a lot of ground to cover before the knight could get out of his sight in the blackness of the forest.
----
Eriendis slipped away from the campfire, leaving Asimah sleeping quietly alongside the great wolf. How had Ukiah lasted this long? He had mused on it for quite some time once he was reunited with the wolf outside Schuttgart, but since accepted that some things would not be answered.
Now, though, he followed the light that shone through the trees. There was something there, calling him toward it with a pull so irresistible that he could not deny it. Somewhere ahead of him, a light as bright as the sun burned. He didn't know why, but he felt like it could provide the answers he needed.
The panther stalked alongside the knight, slinking through the shadow and underbrush. Despite the pitch blackness of the forest under the new moon, it could see as clear as day. Darkness was its ally, its body, and its weapon. He followed the knight into the dark wood, aware of the presence in the trees above them but confident enough not to care. Let them watch, it thought. They needed to fear.
----
Theren froze as the panther came into sight for a brief moment, a darker shadow among the ferns and roots. It was fast. Suddenly it was moving on the other side of the knight, then ahead of him, then behind. It was seemingly everywhere at once, but he could not pinpoint exactly where. He moved again slowly, timing his motions with that of the knight. Would this prove to be another dead end? The knight had not put on his armor, so it wasn't as though he were expecting conflict. There was a dark clearing up ahead, bathed only in the light of the new moon.
----
Eriendis came to a clearing, awed at the radiant glow that emanated from its center. Someone was there, in the center of that brilliance, and she was calling to him. He felt the warmth as the light touched his cheek, and suddenly dropped to his knees.
"Holy mother," he whispered, dropping his forehead to the grass. "Forgive me, I did not know it to be you."
The panther made a sound then, almost like a laugh. It escaped the knight, but it did not escape the notice of the rogue in the tree.
The woman moved to the knight, extending a slender hand and placing it on his shoulder. She spoke, words that soothed his spirit and his mind. She spoke words that mirrored those coming from the panther at the clearing's edge, loud enough for the rogue to hear.
"You have served me well, Eriendis, but your fight is not over. From tonight, your fight grows harder. Tonight, you must strike. Orven will not be expecting it, and will be unguarded. Strike, but leave him alive. He must pass on the message that you are to give him."
The knight nodded, forehead against the grass. "Whatever you ask of me, Holy Mother," he whispered.
"I am sorry for the burden I place on your shoulder," the woman said. "But you must carry it. Utilize the tools I have given you, and utilize Asimah's help, and together we can excise the hypocrisy from my church. They will serve you well when you take the fight to the heretics and the Celebrant."
----
Oh shit, Theren thought. He had to get message out, to ensure all of the agents of the Celebrant were out of Aden's church. He had to get a message to the Celebrant, or to the Hand...
----
The panther shifted then, pouncing from the shadows along the trunk behind the rogue. He'd heard enough, and the girl would be enough to relay the message.
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Post by Olorae on Mar 22, 2014 14:37:40 GMT -8
The crash of man and beast through branches and into the underbrush split the still of the night. The knight turned and looked to the commotion, squinting against the darkness to see what his companion had found. He could not see well, but what he saw made no sense to him. The panther and the man struggled, the massive cat trying to bite and claw at his prey. For his part, the man appeared to be escaping major injury, his body writhing and twisting like a snake. A loud pop sounded, along with a flash of light as the air collapsed in on itself and the man vanished, only to reappear behind the knight. Bloodied and fearing for his life, Theren struck and his dagger lodged in the knight's back. He turned and ran as fast as his feet would carry him, straight into an army of orcs. At least here, his pursuer would have more to contend with than him.
The panther let out a low growl, and slipped back into the shadow; the man would never make it to Oren.
"BUKI! RUN!" Theren shouted as he weaved into the Timak encampment. He hoped she had heard him. He hoped she would be able to make it back to the clan hall. He hoped he'd see her again.
Why did the bad things always happen in Oren?
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Post by Sadori on Mar 22, 2014 15:05:50 GMT -8
Buki watched Theren leave, and smiled to herself. She would take this opportunity to get closer to the girl as she slept. She knew the wolf was there with her, but Buki wasn't troubled by that one bit. She knew his smell, knew him as the same wolf Theren had brought home so many years ago. The same one that she had played and hunted alongside in the seasons that passed.
Pulling the shadows around her, she moved fleetingly through the trees and crumbled ruins towards her erstwhile ward. As she got close, she slowed and dropped down to crawl forward so Ukiah would have a chance to come to her before he saw her as a threat. At the edge of the dying firelight she crouched and waited.
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Post by Olorae on Mar 22, 2014 15:10:11 GMT -8
The wolf raised his head, ears perking forward. He let out a growl, deep and rumbling, then sniffed at the air. There, mixed in among the ashes of the campfire, was a familiar smell. It was one of earth and water, of blood and wind through long grass. It was the smell of... playtime?
The wolf rose silently, padding away from the sleeping priestess to find the source of the scent, his tail wagging behind him slowly.
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Post by Sadori on Mar 22, 2014 15:33:29 GMT -8
Buki smiled and held out her hand, in it a piece of dried meat. She fed the massive wolf and scratched behind his massive ears and the ruf of his neck as she rumbled a soft greeting for his ears only. After a few moments, she stood alongside the wolf and walked slowly towards the sleeping Asimah, her right hand patting and stroking Ukiah as she moved.
Crouching down once more, she tilted her head and watched the slumbering girl, becoming familiar with her scent. Campfire smoke and under that, a clean floral scent combined with the faintest hint of incense and old books. Buki watched her breathe, almost hypnotized until a sharp sound in the distance caught her attention. She lifted her head and turned the direction the sound had seemed to come from and waited, but the sound did not repeat itself. She turned back to the young woman and then moved slowly back to just beyond the light and waited. Theren would let her know when he was returning. Until then she would spend her time with an old friend, wondering what was so special about this girl.
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