Fang
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October 2015
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Post by Fang on Nov 7, 2015 3:48:08 GMT
A comforting hand belonging to one that Wake could not see through the haze of his hallucinations rested upon his sweat soaked back as the illusions became stronger in both intensity and gore. Undead hands appeared to claw at him from the ground as he slowly sank into it, becoming swallowed in the loamy soil and feeling barely more than a corpse himself. Scattered words filtered through his melancholy delusions from the conversations being held outside of his mind, but already he was lost to another world.
An imp, or something near to its kin, appeared upon his shoulder in the blackness and told him of evils that he may one day commit, as well as the benefits that such atrocities might lend him. His knowledge of the illusory nature of these dreams did nothing to assuage the guilt he felt when a tiny angel, which looked remarkably like the winged woman who had come seeking the same destination as him, appeared on the other shoulder to remind him of sins that he had already committed. The faces of fallen warriors, both his allies and his enemies, called to him for their release and their justice simultaneously and Wake could not help but cover his ears, though it provided little help.
Through these illusions he had sank to the ground in earnest, the once lighthearted fancies that might have made his condition pleasurable turning dark and leaving him with little energy. He was useless to the world, limp and seemingly lifeless with the exception of the rise and fall of his chest and occasional twitch in response to another stimulus in his mind. He had fallen asleep without realizing it, though the others gathered in the glen would surely take note and likely leave him where he lay for being such a useless lout.
In the back of his mind, even with the fact that he was not truly capable of conscious thought in his state, Wake registered that he might have lost sight of his goal. Illusion became memory with the sound of a single word uttered by a tongue he had not seen.
"Harbor."
He was nineteen, still fresh on the rod yet weary from the toils that had troubled him since leaving the Temple of the Heart. Despite this deep seated weariness he found that the road helped, and so he followed it without hesitation in the hope to see something brighter come of his travels than the past he had left scattered in his footstep. He had been several days without food and his stomach grumbled constantly about the lack of nourishment when a comely young woman happened upon him.
She claimed to be from a nearby village under the protection of a force of pure sanctity; a village that had grown prosperous since the arrival of their protectors and thus had far more food than they could possibly eat alone. With a kind smile she guided Wake to the village, his mind focused upon the prospect of a meal so wholeheartedly that he had not the attention to notice her amazing figure.
Several hours later, after thoroughly gorging himself upon roast lamb, steamed vegetables, and an amazing salad made of nothing but fruits and honey, Wake felt more himself and felt the need to comment upon the beauty of his rescuer.
"My dear, I wish to thank you kindly for your fantastic fare and hospitality. I find you to be quite the vision of loveliness both within your heart and without." The girl had blushed at his remark and covered a smile as she glanced to the white robed figures whom Wake had barely acknowledged seated across from them at the local inn's table. Wake in his general oblivious manner, did not notice this clandestine warning.
"Please, Sir Wake, you flatter me. I ask nothing in return."
"Nonsense, Lady. Shall we retire so that I may thank you properly?" Wake asked, ignoring the fuming duo in white robes. Had he known better he would not have spoken so brazenly, but alas he was not always one for gauging a situation properly. The white robed men had seen enough when he stood and took the young woman by the hand, and both sprang from their seats and unsheathed their swords with amazing speed.
"This village is under the rule and protection of the laws of Harbor, and we shall not allow your indecency to continue further. Come with us and serve your penance and no one will get hurt."
Wake had never taken kindly to threats, whether they be from holy men or devils, and so he had reacted as he would no matter the man that faced him. He vaulted across the table and made a right nuisance of himself by kicking the closest robed man in the face as he rolled over their food to vault feet first toward the ceiling above the other man's head. Cold steel faced his right punch and deflected his body weight away from the opponent even as the other man wrapped surprisingly strong arms around Wake's midsection. Scarlet blood spattered his robes from his broken nose as he struggled to hold the combative young Disciple of the Heart.
"You will be executed for your resistance should you take one of our lives!" the man holding Wake shouted just before his nose was struck once again, this time by the back of his captive's head. Both white robed men held out their hands and chanted, green circles composed of light and symbols encompassed their outstretched hands and within moments Wake felt his muscles tighten and refuse to budge.
Wake raged against the magic and sought to use one of the only defenses he had against such practices, but the attempt failed due to his angered state. Despite this he slowly was able to force one arm to move, and then a leg, until before long he was close enough to one of the men to deliver a powerful blow.
As the magic ebbed away Wake was able to fully control his body, though the effort of gaining that control had left him quite exhausted. He turned to the man whom he had not knocked out, the man with a broken nose and blood pouring freely, but lowered his fists as the white robed mage prepared for the expected attack.
"I did not come to this village looking to fight its guardians. My behavior was rude. I'm leaving." With that Wake picked up his bag and brushed past the remaining guardian with a momentary pause in case he thought to attack while his back was turned. Convinced that he was being allowed to leave Wake turned only once, facing the young woman who had brought him to the inn and pulling her up to him from the place she had chosen to hide. Without warning he gave her a kiss that lasted but a few seconds, setting her on her feet and turning back to the door as Broken Nose shouted after him.
"Harbor will know of your insult this day, Wake Trekker! Vagabonds like you always come to justice!" As Wake walked away he only waved over his shoulder in response.
Wake stirred in his restless sleep and mumbled the word that had sent his addled mind into a fit of memory from his travels. Within seconds, despite the worried look on his face, he rolled over and began to mumble again about roast pork running away before snoring loudly.
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Leb
The loneliest are the kindest. The saddest smile the brightest. The most damaged are the wisest.
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August 2015
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Post by Leb on Nov 8, 2015 6:10:33 GMT
"I am Aurora, from Harbor. Maybe you have heard of it, maybe you haven't,"
Harbor? she thought. She had never heard of such a place and imagined it to be some far away land she'll never see in her lifetime. The soft thud behind her nearly spooked the girl as Wake passed out mumbling of Harbor. She had gone to check him in case he suffered any head trauma after collapsing on the ground. Thankfully no injuries were sustained, nor did Wake show any sign of feverish symptoms.
"I am of their esteemed Justicar ranks, trained in law and magic. Etirath and the surrounding lands are now under my jurisdiction by divine ordinance of the Harbor Guardians themselves, and I am to use any force necessary to uphold righteousness as according to the Heliocholex."
Heliocholex? Loretta stared quizically at Aurora, she did not understand what this woman spoke of. Perhaps Heliocholex is her people's divine being they worship? It's best to not make assumptions before she steps on any toes. Wake began to stir as brows furrowed with a look of worry. He had mumbled of Harbor again before he rolled about the ground restlessly. Once he had stopped, he spoke of roast pork running away and began to snore, quite loudly at that too. Loretta smiled as the silly man seemed to have come down from whatever was afflicting him. She didn't catch the last part of what Aurora had said and instead looked to Gurath. When she was about to call out to him she realized she not only did not know his name, but she had yet to introduce herself.
However, the red streams that fell from the hooded woman's covered eyes was enough distraction for her to forget what it was she had thought. Loretta gasped in surprise at the sight and confusion settled in after as Aurora smiled up at the sky. It left Loretta to feel the unease of the quiet that followed. She worried for the health of this young woman but the smile she held unsettled her.
"Aurora..?" she called out with a shaky voice. "..the blood. It's.. from your eyes, yes? Are you.. Are you injured as well? Or did you perhaps opened old wounds?" She did not wish to offend the foreigner as it was made somewhat clear from her previous statement of her importance to Harbor. She did claim she was an esteemed Justicar after all, yet would that title hold here in Etirath as well?
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Post by Maur on Nov 11, 2015 4:49:31 GMT
The strange angelic being spoke many words, many he did not understand, the half-breed would have scratched his head were it a common thing for him to do while confused, the fact that he was wearing a thick helmet also restricted his ability to do so, What was a Justicar? Maybe it had something to do with justice...but what about Jureezdicktion? What did that word mean? He had no clue, for some reason she must have liked to speak strange words that someone who lived in the forest was unfamiliar with, also, what was a Helicomplex? The Giant shifted uncomfortably, he had no clue as to what he could say in this scenario, Gurath was out of his depth with all these large words, and he knew it. What could he, a large yet deceptively incompetent living and breathing organic being do about such a thing? Read a book? He never had the time...or a book. His attention was immediately stolen by the mention of respects, and the paying thereof, he knew those words, and respect was not something you paid, it was something you gave, and something you earned, respect is not a law and it is not mandatory, faking it could be mandatory, but actual respect, no, it didn't work like that, he knew this why didn't she? Maybe the serene creature was ill-informed, or maybe he was, either way he had no intention of paying respects to anyone or anything without them earning it first.
At the end of this the lady began doing something irregular, she started bleeding, now, Gurath knew that females often bled on a regular basis, but he also knew that bleeding from the eyes was a strange occurence for anyone. Wait a minute, she doesn't have any eyes. SHE DOES NOT HAVE ANY EYES. The healer woman stepped forward concernedly after she had finished consoling Wake, who ironically enough, was no longer awake. Gurath decided he would not recognize the authority of this 'Harbor.' Until he had seen what power they held, with this opinion rooted in his mind the Giant made an action. Which was a step forward, indents in the ground where he stood were evident of the mass this beast of a man commanded, he had regained function in his wounded arm, and so as he strolled ominously towards the Angelic creature, ignoring the vision that had offered to help her with her empty eye sockets, which, to be honest he didn't think she could do anything for, after all she couldn't even heal his wound fully. This is not to say that he wasn't grateful because he was, but he was also truthful. As Gurath took the last step in silence the woman was within reach, he stuck out his wounded arm, flattened his palm, presented it to her, and waved.
"Greetings Justy-carr of Harbor, I am Gurath."
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Annasiel
At last, my peace. I found it in her eyes.
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Aug 13, 2015 22:40:06 GMT
August 2015
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Post by Annasiel on Nov 11, 2015 15:52:18 GMT
"Aurora..? ..the blood. It's.. from your eyes, yes? Are you.. Are you injured as well? Or did you perhaps opened old wounds?"
The woman seemed concerned. Heathen or not, perhaps this little group was not past redemption. If the heart of humanity lied beneath the visage of sin, it could easily be pulled out to shine by some miracle. And Harbor worked miracles daily.
"I am quite alright. Thank you for your concern," Aurora happily replied. She touched a finger to the blood tenderly. "These are stigmata. Marks of my order. For them to bleed is a rare occurrence, and we take it to mean we are acting in accordance with the Lord of the Law. It is a... a blessed thing to happen. Please excuse me, I'm just so delighted." She pulled the hood back, exposing her eyeless sockets to any that had not yet noticed.
The giant approached, his hand held before him in a sign of submission. Aurora's smile widened; out of all the gathering, she expected him to be the most trouble. Instead, it seemed they were all far from combatants. A concerned woman, a passed-out imbecile, and a friendly behemoth... not exactly demons of destruction.
"Greetings Justy-carr of Harbor, I am Gurath."
Aurora rose her own hand in a wave, the blood oozing down across her palm.
"Hello, Gurath. You speak well for one of your race," she replied, instantly and naively marking herself as an insensitive ass.
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Post by Maur on Dec 20, 2015 3:26:13 GMT
It hit him like a stone wall he had thrown himself against, but this time, the wall didn't break, there was no dust as the metaphorical rock construction crumbled around him, the obstacle did not crack or groan, it was firmer than the mountains. The half-breed could do many things, but he could not win against something so insurmountable as his heritage. He could not conquer a mountain.
He knew he was a fool to interact with them, he saw that now, no matter what he did or said, there would always be the barrier of the blood that flowed through his veins, damn his father to Noc's embrace for the pain he had suffered at that man's mistakes. Gurath winced at the mention of his 'race', those that would not even acknowledge his existence, it wasn't possible they said, for a giant to procreate with a human, this sentiment would most likely follow every last one of them to their graves, even if he was living proof that such things happened.
Wordlessly the Giant turned, the soft grass being crushed beneath his monolithic feet as the hulking man-giant began to stride into the forest, head cast down with the realization that he was not welcome, always under suspicion, the forest was easier, it was simpler. There he was a king, among the trees, where he hunted for survival amidst the most primitive of beasts, befriended and fought the wildlife, it made sense to him there.
Halfway to the treeline the Giant arrested his movement, his feet halted their progression, and he stood stoic whilst his mind raced, could he live with himself if he didn't see what it was like? they were going to the city and he could find no better companion than the warrior-man for this journey. Trekken seemed to hold his own against the feral assault of that magnificent beast, surely the two of them could repel any threat within the confines of such a city... and hee was curious as to what it was like within those gleaming walls.
His resolve as firm as it had ever been, which admittedly is not very firm at all, Gurath ignored his general surroundings and strode over to Wake's prone form, he kicked the man in the side, as lightly as he could muster, which was likely too hard. 'Wake up Wake! hehe." A giggle escaped the Giant at his clever wordplay, hopefully his shout was significant enough in volume to wake the sleeping human.
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Fang
Commoner
Posts: 37
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37
October 2015
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Post by Fang on Jan 3, 2016 11:41:08 GMT
Memory faded to dream and Wake's illusions relaxed their hold as he slowly entered the world of fantasy. He was light as a feather, floating in a sea of sparkling sky that rumbled in a staccato beat beneath him. In contentment he floated there, glad to be rid of the memories of the past and illusions while he had been conscious. Yet something nagged at the back of his mind.
It was a barb, an itch he couldn't quite identify that told him now was not the time to relax and float away. The shaking beneath him intensified momentarily then stopped suddenly. Only a split second later sudden pain rocked the sparkling dreamscape and radiated sickly colors from his side throughout his mind.
Wake up Wake!
The booming voice was as jolting as the pain, and Wake reacted without waking fully, springing into the air like a started cat and landing several feet away in a defensive position.
"I am training, Master! I swear!" Wake yelled with a groggy slur just before flipping backwards onto his hands and twisting to face the people gathered in the glen. From that position he blinked, his eyes clearing almost visibly as a sheepish grin cracked his face. "I guess I haven't woken in an upside down world?" He inquired with a chuckle as he righted himself.
To his credit he regained what sense he possessed rather quickly, identifying both Gurath and Loretta, though not by name in his mind. His gaze paused as it fell upon Aurora.
"Well I do not believe we have...met?" He stammered as he saw her eyes. "Justicar....?"
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Leb
The loneliest are the kindest. The saddest smile the brightest. The most damaged are the wisest.
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August 2015
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Post by Leb on Jan 6, 2016 1:37:39 GMT
"I am quite alright. Thank you for your concern," Aurora touched the blood tenderly, happily. It was strange to her. "These are stigmata. Marks of my order. For them to bleed is a rare occurrence, and we take it to mean we are acting in accordance with the Lord of the Law. It is a... a blessed thing to happen. Please excuse me, I'm just so delighted." Delighted, huh? Loretta tried her best to speak as normally as she could but speaking with a woman whose eyes are but bloody sockets was a tad difficult, and a bit unnerving.
"I see, it is a good thing then."
At this point Loretta was talking more to herself than to Aurora as a reassurance that the woman was fine and it was completely normal for her. What could she possibly do for her other than stop the bleeding? And even then that is more than likely a rude thing to do for someone who claims it is good to bleed from-
"Wake up Wake!"
The booming voice startled Loretta out of her thoughts as she flinched back a few steps away.
"I am training, Master! I swear!"
Confused at Wake's outburst, she realized what he had meant in accordance to the previous outburst. A tiny snort of sorts eased out of her as she took in these characters. They were much larger than life and revealed to her how big the world truly is.
"I guess I haven't woken in an upside down world?"
Loretta only shook her head with a smile
What a silly man.
She started to make her way back to Etirath only to stop as she realized something she had forgotten. What should she do about Cass? She was long gone by now for sure but.. perhaps she may come back. Eventually she might.. One day..
Shoulders slowly slumped weighed with heavy thoughts, the least she could do for now that she was here with these travelers is to get them back onto the main road and show them the way to Etirath. She glanced behind in quiet patience as they finish conversing.
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Annasiel
At last, my peace. I found it in her eyes.
369
Aug 13, 2015 22:40:06 GMT
August 2015
annasiel
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Post by Annasiel on Jan 8, 2016 6:33:54 GMT
Aurora smiled at the inquisitive young miss, any judgements of impropriety now fading.
"Yes, it is a very good thing. It means I am doing the will of my Lord."
Her attention shifted when the meandering giant came bounding back, and began shaking and shouting at the unconscious slob. Why such an innocent-seeming girl was hanging around with such vile specimens was unfathomable; and why she had engaged in them with such seemingly lewd acts bordered on despicable. The woman's new mindset was reaffirmed by the words of the now-awakened drunkard, who arose with a fantastic aerobic display. Aurora watched as his colorful form righted itself, and then spoke with tentative recitation.
"Well I do not believe we have...met? Justicar....?"
He had been unconscious when she had introduced herself. Anyhow, the tone of voice in which he spake was not one of curiosity or inquiry, but more an echo of a realization. Ears tempered by lack of sight have a propensity for detail, of course. And what did this mean? He knew of the Justicar. And if he knew of the Justicar, and if he was the vagrant criminal Aurora assumed, he may have been in custody. He may have been punished prior.
"You know of my order, then?" Aurora sharply replied. "I assume your encounter was less than comfortable. I would love to hear of your opinion, odd man."
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Fang
Commoner
Posts: 37
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Fang
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October 2015
fang
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Post by Fang on Jan 10, 2016 2:49:22 GMT
Wake could not tear his eyes away from the bleeding orifices that served as Aurora's eyes. He heard her words, registered them within the back of his mind, but could not bring himself to speak for several seconds as he thought about the instance which he had remembered in his fevered dream. The word, Justicar, had brought itself unbidden to his lips, but no sooner had he spoken it than he realized that it was the correct term. He struggled to remember the name of the affliction the woman bore, but could only come to a word he felt must be wrong.
"Yes, I have heard of Harbor, and of the Justicars of which you claim to be. I recognized you by your Stagnata," he said, risking the word he was so unsure about. "Your initiates have loose tongues, even when they should act with the utmost accordance. Before I corrected the guys I am talking about I heard them threaten to call one of your kind on a shopkeeper who they felt was over-charging them." Wake paused and took a breath, taking a few steps behind Loretta before turning back.
"I don't really have time to argue about the past, though. I believe I will follow this kind woman, since she seems to know this land better than the rest of us. I believe that we all owe her for wordlessly guiding us to our destination, don't you?"
He turned his head back to the retreating woman and smiled slightly, knowing that his reluctance to reveal more information about his knowledge of Harbor would likely irk the stiff collared Justicar. The smile faded as he recalled his large friend.
"Come on big guy. Bring your beast and let us head towards our futures. I tire of this demonic wood and its sickening mushrooms. Surely more fun awaits us wherever this woman may lead."
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Post by Maur on Jan 10, 2016 22:57:38 GMT
The Giant was ignorant of any possible tension in the air, Wake was up and moving and this was good enough for him, he barely listened as the Waking Wake conversed with the Justy-carr, it was of little importance to him, at least, he thought it was. The leaves upon the ground crunched beneath his feet, the sound reminiscent of the popping of beetles, or that was the Halfbreed's opinion, he moved once again across the clearing, to where he had defended Wake from the magnificent beast. Maybe if it was injured he could track it, and take that lustrous coat, peradventure he could make a jacket or something, Gurath arrived at where he had thrown the animal carcass. This being the corpse of an animal he had just recently procured from the forest. Hopefully it would not spoil before he could cook it, the hybrid idly wondered if he would have time to cook it here. People who use big words generally talk for longer amounts of time, so Gurath felt it safe to assume that he had time, in fact he had gone so far as to fall to his knee, and begin collecting dry flammables for his fire's base...
Then he heard Wake call, and cursed his assumptions on conversation duration due to the relative size of words. Heeding his companion Gurath grabbed the beast firmly by the neck and stood, tossing the animal over his shoulder, he had to admit, even though the woods were comforting, they were just a tad too familiar. The Half-giant shifted his impressive frame, and strode toward his companion, coming to a stop near the warrior, he resolved to remain silent as he awaited their departure. Something puzzled him however, and he voiced his thoughts. "What does accordance mean?"
He ran through a list of the words he knew, and matched it against them, trying to come up with a satisfactory mental definition, perhaps he could correct himself if he found such a word in time, then he'd appear smart, that rarely happened, but on the rare occasion it did he was pleased abundantly. "Is it like acceptance?"
Perhaps this would not be one of those times.
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#ea7ca1
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Jan 27, 2019 20:04:50 GMT
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Leb
The loneliest are the kindest. The saddest smile the brightest. The most damaged are the wisest.
223
August 2015
leb
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Post by Leb on Jan 14, 2016 13:21:39 GMT
"What does accordance mean?"
Loretta looked up at Gurath as the question stole away her undivided attention.
"Is it like acceptance?"
Loretta took a few moments to gather her thoughts so as to give him a definite answer.
"It's sort of like acceptance but is more closer to following the rules of something." She emphasized on the definition to be clear with him. She smiled a bit before glancing over to Aurora wondering if she would be able to follow on her own since she seems to be the kind who can fend for herself. Not to mention she's gotten this far alone without any seeing-eye for assistance.
"It's right this way, come." she explained and gestured the direction of the kingdom with her hands towards the two who neared. The sun would set soon if she didn't guide them to the main road quickly enough. And with that in mind she coaxed the others to follow her as she lead them through the trees and underbrush with confidence and purpose. It didn't take long until they broke free of the foliage in time to see the sun kiss the horizon where the rolling hills of Etirath bid the sun farewell. The Large dirt path that served as the main road meandered lazily across the land leading the way to the rising Kingdom.
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