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 Posted: Wed Jun 06, 2012 12:45 am
 Keira sat between his legs as she smiled looking up at him. "I'm sorry daddy but I have decided not to go through with that aging ritual until John returns." She looked down. "I want John to return and I know I have you daddy but still. I'm sorry, I just reacted wrong that I was just being selfish. I should have thought about John but I am just nit use to all this."
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Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2012 5:26 pm
"And if John doesn't come back? Even if there's another way to close the door, he might not survive the battle." He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I won't make you take on the ritual until you are ready," he said, standing. "And as I understand it, you have enough on your plate. You have a wedding to plan."
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Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:16 pm
 It was an early morning and a breeze blew gently through the small grassy clearing in the woods. Borus knew that what he saw was real in a way, but not entirely. He himself did not sit resting peacefully in the clearing; he was still asleep, as he had been for some time. It wasn't natural for any creature to sleep for so long and so often, but the malady that plagued him was far from natural. Some time ago he had fallen into a stream just beyond the badlands, and shortly after that his condition began. The dreams had started out very simple, but with time had come to be more elaborate as he resisted its influence. Now it showed him a reality that wasn't real, at least not anymore. Looking down at his hands Borus could see he was just a boy, no older then eight years old. He appeared human though, not a mix of man and boar as he was outside the dream. Borus knew why; he had been through these dreams for some time now, and had lived through bits and pieces of this boy's past as he had grown up. Silently he looked over the grassy clearing where the boy lived, surrounded by leafy trees from the nearby forest. A large section of the clearing was filled by a crystal clear pond, seemingly untouched by the forest around it and eerily still. The primary feature notable of the rest of the clearing was a solid stone tower that jutted from its center. The tower was made not of bricks but of one solid piece of stone that seemed to grow from the ground. The boy had been born here, and sadly enough, never left. As he looked around he saw the figure of a woman clad in turquoise robes approach from the tower, holding an aspen wood staff in one hand and a small smile on her face. This he knew was the boy's mother, though her name he had never discovered. As she approached the boy smiled back at her and ran to her, excitement in his eyes. Throughout the scenes of his life, he had seen that the woman cared much for her child, but always carried an heir of apprehension when he was around. Now was no different, she gave her son a hug, and through the boy he could feel the soft fabric of her robe. He could also feel the racing of her heart though, as if she was for some reason afraid. He didn't know why she always seemed so afraid around him, but he guessed that unraveling that particular mystery was part of the reason he was having these dreams in the first place. As the hug ended and the two stepped away from each other the boy spoke, giddy with excitement. “You're Home! I missed you mommy!” He said, earning a small laugh from his mother. “That I am, hopefully for longer this time.” His mother had to leave quite often to conduct business around the kingdoms, this last time she had been gone from the tower for a week. She left her servitors to look after him, but they were little more then lifeless inanimate objects enchanted to conduct regular business. Lately she had become so busy she didn't have time to even make them properly, so they would often break down and stop working entirely before she returned. He had gotten good at taking care of himself as a result, though he would be doomed if his mother was ever not to return. He had never left the small clearing, and had never met anyone besides his own mother. As a result he had nothing but love for her, and did not understand at all that she could fear him.
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Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:16 pm
He quickly ran back to the pond where he had been playing and returned with his newest friend, a frog with four eyes. The creature's extra eyes seemed to defy nature by being on its back and having no eyelids or capability to defend themselves from the elements. The creature looked terrified, pained, and unable to understand it own mutation. The boy bore no realization of the creatures evident hardships though. His mother looked at the creature for a moment with a look of horror as the boy smiled, showing it to her. “Look mommy, he's special!” His mother showed no compassion for the creature, and as she flashed her hand in the air a small flash of light shot forth, and the look of pain and fear left the frogs eyes forever. The boy did not understand, no matter how his mother tried to explain. What she did was an act of mercy, but in his young eyes it was an act of robbery. He knew nothing of the world beyond the clearing, knew no human companionship other then his mother, and failed to understand that a creature could feel pain or misery. In his mind such emotion belonged to him alone. Every thought and feeling the boy had pinged at Borus as if it was himself who was pained by unending loneliness. The dreams continued as Borus slept and he experienced time after time instances of the boy's misery as he grew. His childhood years passed by without any sign of ever escaping the world that was his clearing. He would spy from his room as his mother would get visitors from the local town on rare occasions. They would talk to her about events, plead for her aid with their trifling ordeals, usually to be turned down because his mother had more pressing matters to attend to. He had several times come to his mother after they left to ask her if he could help them in her stead. He desperately wanted just to speak to another person. She always refused to allow him though, telling him it was important he not leave the clearing until he was mature enough. So he waited and watched from his room, intently listening to every word he heard from visitors. He kept notes of what they said and how they said it, the slightest use of slang or accents never escaped his notice. To him they were curious aliens, creatures he could see and hear but nothing more. He dreamed of what their lives were like, and how wondrous it must be to have freedom. As the boy turned to his teen years he began to wonder if he would ever be allowed to leave. His mother was his captor, yet she was gone almost all the time. She had stopped bothering to enchant the construct to take care of him; he was more then capable of that, even though he was only fifteen years old. As he sat by the pond staring at its serene and motionless surface, he wondered what more there was out there, as he usually did. He had read every book, studied every painting, and practiced every skill he could have possibly found to practice countless times, but eventually he had come to a point where he had time and nothing more to do with it. That was what it had come to today, but unlike every other day that Borus had recounted from the memories, he knew this one would be different, that it was important in some dynamic way. As the boy looked up from the pond he could immediately tell what it was that would make this day so special.
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Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:18 pm
The boy's eyes widened as he saw the image of a girl at the edge of the clearing, staring at her with sparkling blue eyes. She had golden blonde hair and freckles on her face. Others would describe her appearance as merely average, but The boy had never made eye contact with anyone other then his mother before in his life. To him, as he looked at this young lady, he couldn't help but instantly feel something in the pit of his stomach that he could not understand, but Borus knew well. Normally the only people to come to the clearing were the village elders of the nearby town, all others were warned against coming close due to his mothers protective barriers. She had left in a hurry on her most recent venture though, and had not renewed the protective spells. The boy could only figure that was the way this girl had come to see him, the second person to ever have done so. “Um... Hello?” The girl asked, a nervous rind in her voice. The boy figured she couldn't be more then a year younger then himself. The boy stuttered out the first words he could think of in response. “W-who are you?” He sounded more like a scared child then the dark haired man he had developed into, but he had no way of knowing how he was supposed to act. The girl giggled half under her breath at the boys response, but then seemingly came to her senses and became quite serious. “I'm sorry I came without the consent of the elders, I know I am not supposed to, but this matter is urgent. I need to speak to your master, the sorceress, right away!” It took him a moment to realize that the girl believed that he was his mothers apprentice, not her son. He wouldn't even have known about the idea of an apprentice if several men hadn't come to try and become his mother's apprentice. Her response had always been the same though, that she was too busy to take an apprentice on. In this situation though he felt the urge to act like he was an apprentice. He had spent his entire life acting like his mother's son and lived an abysmal life. He didn't want to risk this woman running away from him if she thought he was who he really was. All he knew was that, as it was, she thought he was an apprentice, and she was not running away, so that was what he should pretend to be. He hesitantly opened his mouth to speak, “She... is not in right now. I might be able to help you though. Whats wrong?” The girl looked at him hesitantly, unsure at first. It took her only a moment to become convinced of his ability to help though. The boy did not know it, but he had grown into the figure of a strong and handsome young man; even wearing the grass stained robe and covered in dirt from not having taken a shower in several days out of lack of necessity, he was the most handsome person the girl had ever seen, or likely ever would. His voice, too, carried a majestic quality that he was not aware of that seemed to impart an idea of understanding and power. Though he himself had the mind of an unwitting child and acted as such, others would see him as a striking and powerful personage. “My sister... She fell out of a tree and has been asleep for two whole days. The medicine man said he fears for the worst. I had hoped that the sorceress could revive her, but if you are her apprentice you must be able to help some, right?” He took a moment to consider and then nodded. He was scared, frightened of talking to a stranger for the first time and terrified of going out into the outside world. He had never left the clearing. He had always believed that his mother would stop him. But if this girl could come in undetected, surely he could get out and then back in without his mother ever knowing. He was overwhelmed by a life time of curiosity, as well as a deep and rather dark desire to get out, to escape his confinement and leave his mark on the world. He did not want to die alone in this clearing, never known and never remembered. He felt deep inside him a need to touch the world, and he intended to one way or another. “I can help... Lead the way.”
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Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:19 pm
His first steps outside the clearing were slow, and the girl wondered what was wrong with him. It took him only a little time to catch up pace though; he desired to see more. His eyes darted left and right as he went, examining the closest detail of everything he saw. Every new thing he could see was life changing to him, every step brought new meaning to his life. By half the time five minutes had passed, he felt like he had seen more than he had ever seen before. He never wanted to go back. The girl hurried him along whenever he stopped to examine minute and insignificant details of his surroundings, and it did not take long for his interest to switch from the environment to his first chance at human interaction. He determined the girls name was Abby, though he had no name to give back to her besides Son. It was all he had ever been known as. He had never had any need for anything else. She remarked on it being strange, but accepted it. The more he talked, the more the girl came to be infatuated with him, but he did not know. Her flirting was on ears deaf to such concepts. When they reached the village Son's intrigue grew even more. He spent a good minute evaluating the shape and function of a wheel barrow before she drug him off to see her sister. As people looked at him in passing, he felt like a stranger walking on an alien world, its denizens evaluating him and judging him. He had felt judged many times by his mother, but not the way these people did. They knew nothing of him, and seemed to bare a curiosity just like his own. His mother never seemed to have an expression of curiosity when it concerned him, but rather one of knowing, one of expectation of what he would do and how he would act. These people though did not know him, they did not know what he would do. He felt an unbelievable sense of freedom; he could do and be whoever he wanted to be. He knew he had to use his freedom. He wanted to get everything he had dreamed about and imagined in his clearing. Most of all, he wanted friends. With his power it was a simple task to bring the girls sister back to consciousness, and that first action brought him exactly what he desired. He was praised as a hero, if in a small way by the girl's friends and family. Each word of praise or admiration filled him to the brim with happiness; it was all he had ever really wanted. He wanted more though, and it was little trouble for him to get it. His first day he mended the blacksmith's anvil and trimmed the elders' rose garden. By the end of the week he was building dams with power he had never known he had, putting out fires with a twist of his hand. It was no trouble for the people to believe he was the sorceress's apprentice when he showed off such amazing powers at a whim. He reveled in his own glory, and the people loved him for his sudden appearance and his ability to solve any problem they may have.
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Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:19 pm
After he had taken a bath and gotten a fresh pair of clothes, the girls were unbelievably drawn to him as well. In addition to his breath taking powers, he was gifted with an appearance that was almost unmatched by any other mortal. Young girls and old married women alike were taken by him, and most took a hand at trying to seduce him. He did not understand usually, but he built up quite a reputation, for he was always happy to spend time with anyone who asked, no matter who they were; but he never got beyond casual flirting, which he had begun to believe was just how men and woman talked to each other. In his heart, Son only felt his heart strings pull for Abby, the girl who had first come to save him from his clearing. She knew nothing of his feelings though, but actually thought he felt quite the opposite. He rarely spent time with her because he was so busy helping others and doing things with anyone who asked for his attention. He flirted unwittingly with all of the girls except her, for whenever he was around her he was to nervous to try to act how he felt was normal, and ended up talking to her very little. It was in that way that she came to believe he did not like her, so turned to the boy who used to be considered the catch of the village. He was a rough lad, a farmer with a fair share of muscles that had been the girls' infatuation until Son had come along. The first time Son saw them together though, Borus could feel the hatred fill in Son's heart, felt anger and jealousy sweep in with so much force that Borus felt as if he would leap out of the boys body and strike the farm boy down, even though he himself had in no way been offended. Son struck the boy down with a flash of light just as his mother had killed the frog so many years ago. It was act of pure instinct, an instinct he never knew he had. Abby screamed and ran, and it took no time at all for him to go from the town hero to the town monster. Guards attacked him while he asked how he could amend his mistake. They told him to leave and never return, but he could not. He knew nothing besides the village and the clearing. He killed the guards one by one with a flash of light from his hand. In his mind this was what was right, what was supposed to be. His mother had told him long ago that a creature that must live a tortured existence does not want to live, and should be put out of its misery. She had killed his friend the frog to save it from its own misery, but she had not granted him such a reprieve. He lived in misery for fifteen years, blind to what it felt like to not feel misery. Now he had felt it though, and he understood. He had ruined the frog by perverting its shape into something that could not recovered from. So, too, had he perverted the minds of these people, he had given then hope, a hero to solve all of their problems, and then dashed it away, he had doomed them to misery. He had decided thus to do the only responsible thing, and he Borus watched from inside, feeling the twisted and warped feelings of right and wrong that Son felt as he killed them. Abby was the last to go, and he had tears in his eyes as he extinguished that glorious light from her eyes that had been his illumination, his guide out of the darkness. Once they were all gone, Son raised a dagger from the mayor's belt and plunged it through his own heart. Borus felt the blood bubble from his chest as if it was his own, coughed up spurts of red liquid as he collapsed to the floor, felt the light fade as he looked into the dim and and lifeless eyes of Abby. He felt a cold and dark chill float over him, as if death was blowing out the candle that had been his brief moment of hope. He felt it all slip away, except for the darkness.
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Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:21 pm
So awoke the next day without even a hint of a scar from where the dagger has stabbed through his chest the night before. He did not understand; he did not want to live. The bodies of his victims lay scattered all around him. With no other idea of what to do, he fled into the woods and ran. He spent the next month going from town to town, trying to discover who or what he was, and find what the point of living without any hope was. It was at the home of an old and grumpy hag that he began to understand his true meaning. He related to her his story, as he had to many others who never believed him. This woman, however, told him a legend, a myth of a time not long ago that he knew revealed the truth of his unnatural heritage. A myth of the gods and of grand tournament among them to choose the savior of the mortal people of Otherworld. He became enraged by the truth and his sole desire turned to vengeance. He knew now what he was, who he was, and why his mother had kept him locked away so long. She was afraid of what he could do, and without a second thought he unleashed the monster she had feared so much. He slaughtered villages, towns, whatever he could find. His powers were unmatched, and the more he killed the more he mastered them. His rampage was meant to show his mother that he could no longer be controlled, to bring her out to fight him once and for all. The Sorceress, who had been unaware her son had even left his clearing, was quickly made aware of his actions. She confronted him at her tower, the boy's old home and the place he knew best. The battle was nothing short of epic, but the Sorceress stood no chance of killing her son. He had learned already that he was all but immortal; no matter how great her power was, she could not truly destroy him. More than that though, he was still her son. She had raised him from boyhood, and though she had been sure to always keep her distance, she had never given up on him, despite what he was. Son could never realize her love for him in his anger, but Borus could see. In the end it came to one final moment. The sorceress had exhausted almost all her energies, and Son was riddled with bloody wounds. He knew they would bind with time though, they always had, and he had begun to count on that. As he charged, he could feel the power begin to amass as he prepared for one final deadly attack; but the sorceress simply held up her hand. Son laughed. Blinded by his own power, he believed it was over. The sorceress snapped her fingers, and in an instant Son was gone. She had prepared for her son to turn on her, though she wished it would not be so. She used all her power to try to subdue him, but she never relinquished her trump card in case she should fail. She had failed, and so she was forced to trap her son's soul in the pond that sat serenely in the clearing. Borus knew that Son had been trapped in that pond for roughly three thousand years. He knew that because he was the first one to ever stumble into that clearing, hidden by magic between the Badlands and the White Woods. For the first time in three thousand years, the soul of Son had a way to escape. As Borus opened his eyes for the first time in a long time, he felt strange. He had slept for a long time, but it had taken quite some time for Son to convey to him the full perspective of his tribulations. As Borus stood, he could not help but wonder what he should do now. He knew for sure he wasn't going to tell anyone about the visions he had been seeing; he wasn't sure they were real, and if they were, he was pretty sure telling people might be dangerous. He looked around the soldiers' quarters where he had been sleeping and began to slowly prepare to go out and get a bearing on reality. He was beginning to have trouble telling what exactly was and was not reality.
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Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 12:13 am
 Keira heart felt heavy as she knew the Colonel was telling the truth. "I honestly wish John wouldn't die daddy. I want him here next to me, I want him to be the father of my children. I honestly don't want to feel the pain of him dying." Keira stood up as she kissed his cheek. "I will be more careful dad. And I am nervous about the wedding. You're walking me down the isle yes?" One of her maids came out and gave her the list she neededor the wedding but she didn't look at it yet. "Daddy, who is Brown? I remember a name, he was a man in a top hat who attacked the orphanage i was in."
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Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2012 1:19 pm
Henry chuckled darkly. "Lord Brown is my... Uncle. My mortal Uncle, anyway. A very bad man. Just put him from your mind and let me deal with him." He stood and brushed off his trousers. "I'll walk you down the isle, so you can check that off that very long list in your hand," he said playfully with a wink, "I'll see you at dinner little one. For now, I must see to my friend Borus..."
With that, he wandered off toward the soldiers' quarters.
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Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 2:03 am
Keira laughed as she shook her head as she looked at the list. She signed as she went to hers and John's quarters. She was dressed as she than looked down the list and had to go pick out the cake. She walked out the estate but stopped at the gate as her horse was satyled. She was happy she was dressed properly but she wasn't sure if she could leave without permission since she needed to pick out the cake, plates, dress again, and other things.
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Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 2:43 am
"You should help your fiance with the wedding plans. Go on. I have this under control," a sargent told him. "No. I have my orders. I need to see all the new recruits. Bring them to the stables." John sighed; he always hated inspecting the new troops. "Besides," he added under his breath, "I'd have no idea what I was doing. Weddings aren't exactly my forte." He entered the stables and saw - just across on the other side - Keira by her horse, stroking him thoughtfully. He smiled.
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Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 12:03 pm
Borus shook his head as he made his way slowly out of the barracks. The dreams he had been experiencing he knew were something to be seriously worried about, but so far all it had been was extra long sleep hours and a unique journey through dreamland. What concerned him right now was how long it had been since he had last eaten. His stomach roared louder then any beast he had had the pleasure of facing in combat, his hunger was an opponent that he never wanted to face down, but rather appease it. He quickly made his way to what seemed to be a kitchen. The cooks gave him strange and somewhat dirty looks as he opened all the cabinets and began to eat whatever he could find. They seemed to want to tell him to stop, but when he ripped the raw meat from its hook and began to devour it they became apprehensive. As he sat ripping meat from what he could only assumed was a deer carcass he began to wonder why he had not woken from his slumber to feed himself. A voice in his mind told him it was nothing though, so he set it aside. After a moment though he realized that the voice had not been his own thought, and he stopped to look around. The voice returned, now telling him to turn around and move forward. He was apprehensive at first, but slowly turned and began to walk, wondering who was inside his head and wanting to find them so he could hurt them. He did not like people messing with his head. The voice brought him to a cabinet in the corner, and told him to open it. He readied his fist for if there was something devious inside, then with a quick swoop threw it open. His eyes widened as he saw what was inside, surprise shook him at what the strange voice had led him to. Why would it lead him here, and how did it even know it was here. He was not sure and it only took him a moment to stop caring as he reached in and pulled out a platter of freshly made pastries. Truffles to be exact. He sat down on a counter and began to slowly devour the tasty morsels, receiving encouragement from the strange voice in his mind. The cooks stared at him in fear as he sat eating their goodies while covered in blood and cooking ingredients, occasionally muttering to himself. He wasn't sure what the voice was, but it hadn't steered him wrong yet, at least in his opinion.
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Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 2:51 am
Keira smiled as she stroke her horse. The horse nuzzled her as she than.swung up and couldn't wait any longer. She gently patted her horse as the horse started to move towards thegate as she was heading for the village as she looked down at the list again. The gates than slowly opened.
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Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 4:26 am
Henry heard the crashing in the kitchen and froze when he drew level with the doorway; Borus was stuffing his face with a platter of truffle pastries. "Well, well," he chuckled, causing several maids to start, "I see you've found them. By all means, continue," he added as Borus paused and looked up. "You must be starving."
Henry looked around at the staff and smiled. "If you'd be so kind, the silver in the ballroom could use a bit of polishing for the wedding rehearsal." They bowed and hurried out of sight. Henry closed the door behind them, his expression suddenly grave. "I know what you hold inside, Borus. But, I don't think you do," Henry spoke quickly and urgently, knowing there was not much time. He had to act quickly. As realization dawned in Borus's eyes, Henry nodded and continued, rushing to get the words out. "He is a demon, born from a god - not unlike me. However, the god that sired him did so with evil intentions, claiming he was chosen to save the people of Otherworld. He was never meant to be here, and you seem to have freed him from his bonds in what was once the kingdom of Rhodesa."
Borus gave him a quizzical look and swallowed a mouthful of pastries. "Rhodesa... but you may know it as the Badlands. His mother cursed the land when it's king and prince were taken by the vampires. He has been in you too long, my friend - taken too much of your life force. Were he to leave, you would die. Luckily, he seems to be unable to discover how to transport himself to another vessel. I know this is a lot to process, but we are running out of time. I need a favor from you, a favor that could save our world..."
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