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 Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 9:04 pm
 Razien had been sent North to find out what the Greater Herd were up to. The time for war had come, and many had died in the fighting. It was rumored that the great Valdien had been vanquished, and the King was without his bonded. If that was true, then the Six hoped to take advantage of his grief and they had sent Raz and others out to see what they could find out. The fact that Razien's mother lived in the North made choosing him a natural choice. He'd been to the north before, and knew his way around. He had easily blended in with azrein allied with the King, no one ever knowing his true allegiance. But what the Six didn't know was that in his heart of hearts, he had no intention of returning to them. After his recent time with his extended family, he had made the hard decision to leave the herd of his father. He'd returned home with him after the family reunion, but as each day passed, the urge to leave grew stronger. Being given this assignment was his ticket out of the herd, and he was not about to turn it down.
He had headed north along the edge of the Greater Herds plains, crossing first one river, and then the second that flowed just to the south of the King's castle. He hadn't really decided what he was going to do once he got close to the castle, but he knew he had to keep a low profile for the time being. He would stick to the woods as much as possible, until he could gauge the general atmosphere around the castle.
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 9:35 pm
arian had been in this world for only six days, and already he had been incredibly busy. He had heard from a raven that a small band of the Six's allies were heading north to scope out information on the King's armies,and Varian had to stop them before they could count numbers and return with the assessment. At all costs, the Six must not know their plans. Even though Varian wasn't Bonded to the boy King -- yet, anyway -- he still had a Duty to ensure the safety of not only the Greater Herd, but of the people that lived in the north who were allied with the King as well. The small part of his heart where his father's spirit still lived on told him the route that the Six's allies were most likely to take, and so Varian had been flying above the clouds for the last four hours. He had already found one of the Turned, using the Spirit Web in his mind and the bells on his antlers -- which chimed whenever there was a presence near, but in a different tone than usual -- to locate him. He had dropped down from the sky like death itself, goring the Turned with the sharp, merciless tines of his antlers. Even though he was a God, he was a deity of Duty and Sacrifice. And those two went hoof-in-hoof. And sometimes, lives must be taken in the line of duty, as much as he abhorred the very thought of killing another Azrein. As he flew above the clouds, moonlight painting the rise and fall of the landscape of vapor below him, his thoughts turned towards the delicate mare he had met several nights ago, Avari. He had hoped she was safe and warm, and once this was done, he planned to return to her and check in on her. He shuddered as he remembered the rope around her neck and the scars on her hindquarters, a low, burning anger in his chest. How any man could do that to a unicorn -- any animal, actually -- was beyond him. So lost in thought was he that when one of his bells chimed in a low pitch, and one of the pinpricks of light in the Spirit Web within his mind flared, Varian almost missed it. Extending his wings to their full span, he backwinged, coming to a stop mid-air, hovering as he tried to locate the source of the soul. It seemed directly beneath him, which was lucky. Another few yards of flying and the stallion would've missed the Turned entirely. Taking a deep breath to steel his heart, the Azrein nodded to himself, shifting his center of mass forward as he tipped into a noiseless dive. He tucked his wings against his flanks, legs cocked, neck extended and the feathers in his tail directing him, Varian plummeted. The bells on his antlers chimed furiously as they were whipped about in his near-vertical dive. Closing his eyes just before he hit their surface, the stallion broke into the landscape of clouds beneath him and out through their underside, opening blue eyes once more. A sprawling landscape revealed itself to him, and there, just past the river was a small speck that was the Turned. Willing his bells to silence, his Skill wrapped around them, muffling them entirely as he continued to fall, the wind singing in his elongated ears. He watched as the ground came closer and closer, and when he was but fifty feet from its unyielding surface, the stallion opened his wings with a loud snap, turning the uncontrolled dive into a downward slope, coming from behind the Turned. He flew not ten feet over the Azrein's head, the wind from his velocity causing the mane of the stallion on the ground to ruffle furiously, Varian glided for another ten feet then backwinged once more, pivoting in the air to face the stallion, and dropped gracefully to the ground. He stood in front of the stallion on the path, standing tall and strong, muscled neck proudly arched, antlers reaching upwards and almost seeming to glow from within. His wings were pressed tightly to his flanks -- not feeling the need to mantle them for a sign of dominance or intimidation -- and he let go his small amount of Skill, allowing his bells to chime in the gentle wind on the plains. The small feather hanging from a prong on his antlers danced gaily in the breeze as the stallion stood as still and unyielding as a mountain before the Turned. "What do you seek by entering the lands of the Greater
Herd?" His voice was smooth, rich, and dangerously, fatally calm. "I am Varian, son of Valdien, God of Duty and Sacrifice,
and I shall kill you where you stand if you mean any here harm, stallion. You
have thirty heartbeats to convince me that you bear no ill will to those within
these safeguarded lands. If you are Allied with the Six, then you will receive
no mercy." Though Varian kept his eyes trained on the stallion, he didn't look directly into the Azrein's eyes. To do so would initiate a Soulgaze, and he did not want to see into the very core of an Azrein who was working for the Six. They disgusted him, and he was certain that if he ever did See inside of one, it would be filled with decay, corrosion, and would stink of darkness. Varian readied his gift of Empathy, pulling strands of the Torment he held inside of him together. Though it made him in agony, none could tell save for the tensing of the muscles in his wings. If this Azrein had Power to call of his own, all Varian had to do was Project the Torment, and though it would make Varian himself scream from the pure, unadulterated mental and physical trauma from it, it would incapacitate -- if not outright kill -- the stallion standing before him. "Thirty heartbeats. Talk." [ [ O O C : ] ]
✖ ❤
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 10:38 pm
Raz felt the gust of wind as something flew overhead. He'd seen a few of the King's Own that sported wings, and there were those in his own herd that did, but he'd never had one fly right over his head before. The feeling was disconcerting, and ominous to say the least. After all, he was now in the King's lands, and had to tread lightly if he wanted to keep his head on his shoulders. When the azrein landed in front of him, and furled his wings, Raz knew he was in the presence of one unlike any he had ever seen before. The sheer strangeness of the stallion was enough to make him want to turn tail and run as fast as he could in the opposite direction.
His voice did nothing to relax Raz's disconcerting either. Nor did the words he spoke. He gave a brief thought of lying to the stallion, and claiming that he was on neither side in this war, but he had some feeling that this stallion would know if he lied. But if he told him the truth, he was dead on the spot. He had no doubt at all that this Varian, son of the King's bonded, could and would end his life this day. They'd not even heard that the King's bonded had begotten a son, so this was news that the Six would give their teeth to get. However, they would not be getting it from him, no matter what happened in the next few moments. Realizing that he was running out of time to give an answer that would assuage the stallion, he quickly came to a decision.
"I seek sanctuary. It is true, I was sent here by agents of the Six, to scout out the King's territory and report back, but I never had any intention on following through with those orders. I have been trying for months now to leave my herd, and come north with the intention of leaving that life behind me. I was unfortunate enough to be born to a mother who would not choose a side, and a father who chose to side with the Six. Being a young colt, and not understanding what that meant, I elected to leave my mother and go with my father when I was old enough. It did not take me long to realize that I had made the wrong decision, but by then it was too late. No one leaves the herd. If you try, you might as well say goodbye to your life. But when I found out I had a new batch of siblings, I finally decided that the time had come to make my move to freedom. I could not allow harm to come to my sisters and brothers from those like the Six and their followers. I can give you only my word that I have never killed another azrein, and only once have I harmed another, and I have regretted it ever since that day. Do with me what you will, but know that I claim sanctuary from the Six. I give you my word that I will not, nor do I have any intention of, causing harm to any of the Greater Herd."
He hoped that the sincerity he felt, had come across in his voice and his words. He stood there trying to judge the effect they had had on the strange stallion. The stallion had called himself a god. A god of duty and sacrifice, but Raz had never had cause to meet a god before, so he really couldn't say one way or the other if this stallion was truly a god or not. He only knew that he was definitely stronger than himself, and therefore one to be wary of.
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 10:43 pm
♞x x x xL o r dxxV a r i a nx x x x♞ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━   Varian listened with his head tilted to the side to the young stallion's words. They seemed sincere, but so had many of the Turned that his father had dealt with. Of course, there was one way to know for certain, and Varian flat out refused to let any of questionable intentions come into these lands. The Azrein flicked an elongated ear in thought, weighing the options of following through with his present course of thought. He would kill this Azrein, but if this stallion was truly seeking succor, then he had no right to deny him safety. Besides, the King -- his soon-to-be-Chosen -- would outright refuse to accept the Bond if Varian killed one who was leaving the Dark Herd.
The Deity took several steps forward, cloven hooves leaving small divots in the ground beneath him, bells chiming on his antlers. He really had no choice. He had to initiate a Soulgaze to see if this stallion was telling the truth. His nostrils flared as he took a deep breath. "Look into my eyes, stallion, and hold my gaze for seven seconds. Do not look away until after eight seconds have passed. Lay down on the ground first, so that you will not hurt yourself." Varian waited until the Azrein had done so before closing the distance. He stayed standing, and bracing himself with another breath, the Deity looked down into eyes of blue. He counted down in his head, and the moment seven seconds passed, the Soulgaze began.
Immediately, Varian was swept away from this world and into the mind of the stallion -- Razien, son of Flighty. Confusion and a lack of direction slapped Varian across the face, first and foremost. Flashes of times in the young stallion's life whipped before his eyes, and Varian took hold of one among all the others. Razien had raped a mare name Freezia. Varian felt disgust boil in his stomach as he saw her try to run, to dart around him, and saw how she was foiled. He saw the stallion n** her first on the hindquarters, then on her back before mounting her. With a sound of loathing, Varian forcibly shoved the images away.
Later, he felt the blue sorrow and green regret of Raz's feelings towards what he had done to her, felt the way he had hated himself for giving in to his baser urges, especially since it had been the mare's first time. Though it did not atone for his crimes, it said something about the stallion's heart. Time went on and Varian saw the truth of the stallions words: he did want to leave. He was tired of the Dark Herd, wanted to get out before he did something he would end up killing himself for -- like taking the life of another. Varian felt a wave of sympathy roll over him as the young stallion's fear painted the landscape of his mind -- a cracked, barren ground with lush greenery ten paces away, that he could never reach no matter how hard he tried.
Varian felt the frustration, the anger at his situation, and how Raz saw this as his one chance to wipe the slate clean and to start over. He was telling the truth. The Deity felt a tear trail down his furred cheek -- though whether from his relief or the other Azrein's, he couldn't be sure. Varian lowered his head to the scorched, bare earth of Razien's landscape and breathed. He breathed moisture, breathed life into the parched earth, and in several moments, the greenery from ten feet away began to flourish and spread outwards, towards and then past where he was standing. As far as his eyes could see, the wasteland was springing forth new life, and with it, a hope for Razien. A small smile curved the God's features and he nodded to himself before lifting his wings and clamping down on his mind, breaking off the Soulgaze.
He once more stood, staring down at a shuddering Razien. He knew either his memories, his father's, or the Torment had the stallion locked in its throes. The Azrein went down on his knees and extended his wings forward, mantling them over Razien, and he projected the Call into his voice. "Come, Razien. Duty calls you back to this world, which has now offered you new hope. Open your eyes, open your mind, and See what there is to offer now that the taint of the Six has been purged and scoured from your soul."
[ [ O O C : ] ]
✖ ❤
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Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 12:31 pm
Raz did as the stallion had instructed. He really didn't have a choice. Lying on the ground, he looked into the stallions eyes, something he would soon come to regret. He began to count as told, but he barely reached the count of five before his head felt like it was going to explode. Never had he experienced such pain and torment in his life. All of the beatings he had taken in the herd, at the hooves of the older males, as he was trained to be a fighter were nothing compared to the agony he was feeling. He was also seeing things the likes of which he could not, and didn't want to, explain. He laid there on the ground, limp as the day he was born. All he could think about was how deplorable he was, and how his life was barren and lifeless, and would likely remain that way should he be lucky enough to live through this encounter.
Just as he felt all was lost, and he would spend the rest of his life wandering in this barren wasteland, Varian's voice called to him from across the distance. Calling him to rebirth, new life, new hope. He struggled to stand, noticing that the barren waste around him was slowly turning to a lush, green landscape. In his heart, he knew something had changed, and that he would never again serve the Six, or possibly see his younger brother Nasu, or his father. Opening his eyes slowly, he saw Varian there before him, wings spread wide over his body, his eyes no longer locked on Raz's. "What just happened? What are you? I have never met any Azrein like you before? Are you going to kill me now?" There were so many questions racing through his mind, and he was still reeling from the agony he had just experienced, though it was quickly fading from his mind. Not waiting for the stallion to answer he said, "I am yours to command if you but spare my life. I would live and die in your service."
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Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 5:54 pm
♞x x x xL o r dxxV a r i a nx x x x♞ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ A small, sad smile that had no mirth in it graced the stallion's features as he looked down at the young Azrein. "No, I shall not kill you. Nor do I want your service, Razien. All I ask is that you follow your heart, and do what right from this day forward. It is your Duty, and I humbly ask that you take up the mantle of responsibility and bear its weight across your withers." With a motion of his wings, he helped Raz to his feet.
"As for what I am . . . I am a Lesser Deity, the God of Duty and Sacrifice. My father gave his life -- as he had always known he would -- in defending the Greater Herd, both Azrein and human alike, from your old masters and comrades. Valdien lives on within me, and because of the Sacrifice he made and the Duty he upheld when he Fell, the Good Spirits and the Greater Gods granted me life on this Isle."
The stallion's gaze grew distant before he once more focused on Razien. Once a Soulgaze had happened with another being, it would not happen again, so the stallion didn't fear hurting him any longer. "I have been charged with a duty to Bond to the King, as he is broken and shattered without me. You are free of your fetters from the Six, Razien. You are free to do as you please, as long as you are making the correct decision."
Varian's eyes became cold, his expression one of granite, utterly lacking in mercy at his next words. "But if you return to the darkness, I will kill you." He spoke it with no menace, no anger; it was simply a statement of fact, and all the more dangerous because of it.
[ [ O O C : ] ]
✖ ❤
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Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 6:48 pm
Razien stood and listened to the words Varian said. He knew in his heart that he would never return to the service of the Six, nor was he likely to ever head south again, for that was their territory. Not unless he was ordered to do so by the King. For it was the Greater Herd he now wished to serve. He was somewhat disappointed when Varian turned down his offer of service, for in his current state he felt lost and without purpose in life. Serving one such as Varian would give him a purpose to live for. For most of his life he had been given a purpose, albeit the wrong purpose. Only for short periods of time had he escaped that purpose, and been able to wander the land on his own. But even then, though he might meet other Azrein in his journeys, he felt alone and apart from them. Only with his mother and siblings did he have any peace in his heart, but even that did not give him a purpose to live for. He felt called to serve, and right now, the only one he could think of to serve was Varian and the King. If he turned and left Raz there on his own, he had absolutely no idea what he would do with his life, or where he would go. So he pleaded with him.
"Please sir, take me with you. If you will not accept my service, would you accept my friendship? I am lost in this land, having grown up in the south. I have no purpose, now that I am no longer shackled by the Six to do their bidding. I would serve the King too if he would but have me." Razien looked once more into the eyes of the first deity he had ever met. "And I will gladly lay my head before your hooves, and give up my life, should I ever even consider returning to the darkness."
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Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 7:30 pm
♞x x x xL o r dxxV a r i a nx x x x♞ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Varian gave the purple stallion a measured stare before acceding to his request. "Very well. You may come with me, but I am not yet quit of my Duty this night. I have several more roads to patrol." Actually, Razien might be an advantage that he had not had previously.
If the Six had sent him, then perhaps he knew how many of his ex-brothers had gone out with him to assess the King's forces. Varian blew a soft sigh through his nose. His heart ached from not answering the Call for the Bond, his head hurt, wings felt as if their very bones were splintered . . . and yet the boy was still not ready. Giving his head a small shake to clear his weary thoughts, the bells on his antlers chimed softly.
"I know the King will gladly accept your assistance, and I would enjoy to have more than an acquaintance in my life, Razien. However, first I must ask for your aid." Varian turned his head to look off towards the west, where his next area lay. His gaze lingered on the horizon for a moment before turning back to Raz. "Two questions. How many more Turned came up from the south with you on this patrol?" Varian felt his mouth turn up into a smile, and there was a feral, fierce gleam in his eyes.
"And how fast can you outrun them?"
[ [ O O C : ] ]
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Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 7:45 pm
Raz's heart lept in his chest at Varian's acceptance of his offer this time. We would gladly do anything to aide his new friend. When he was asked about the others, he heaved an inward sigh of relief that Nasu had not been chosen for this mission. For he could not bear the thought of his little brother being killed by his new friend, or of himself leading him to Nasu. But the others were another matter. He held no affinity for any of them, and he wasted no time in answering Varian's questions.
"There were six of us sent north. I and another were instructed to get as close to the King's castle as possible, and blend in with those in support of the King. Two were sent to the northwest, to determine what sort of support the King had in that part of the kingdom. The last two I am unsure of, for they were given their instructions in private. I do not know where they went, or what their mission was, other than to acquire information about the King's forces and return with it to the herd." He stopped and gave some thought to Varian's last question. He was very familiar with those who had been sent out with him, and after assessing their individual abilities he felt confident enough to give his answer.
"Of the five who came north with me, I can easily outrun four of them."
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