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 Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 10:36 pm
Maya lay unconscious, breathing still, but very smally. The atmosphere around them seemed to shift, almost becoming "Wobbly". A shadow appeared in the air at Maya's feet upon the branch, an apparition slowly coming into view.
At its most solid state, it was translucent at best. Red-orange eyes stared skeptically down at the scene before them. It was Omie, but she was not entirely there. A forlorn look upon her face was the only emotion visible as she stared at Maya's body. She seemed to kneel, extending a hand to Maya's forehead. It went through it as she was just an illusion of her former self. Withdrawing her hand, she turned her head toward Anarel. Something almost familiar seemed to resonate within the fiery embers of her eyes, something familiar and yet unknown.
"Men are...such fools." though her lips had not moved, her voice sounded in his head. "Always thinking everything has an answer, but little do they realize sometimes they seek answers not from questions, but from the answers themselves." she seemed to giggle, scrutinizing look upon her face, a gleam of mischief in her eyes. "Foolish men."
In her unconscious state, Maya's body trembled and shivered, and as it did, Omie's appearance also seemed to waver and wobble. Omie turned her gaze in the opposite direction, her image fading away into the air.
Maya's eyes opened, her vision blurred and distorted. She brought a hand to her face, blocking out the rays of sunlight which seeped through Yggdrasil, and let it fall to her side to attempt to push herself up. Her hand landed with a thunk on Anarel's stomach, startling her as to why the tree suddenly felt soft and warm. Glancing over, she gave a startled but meak yelp at seeing him, withdrawing her hand as if she had touched a burning stove.
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 9:14 pm
Omie's voice resonated in his head. His body did not move the entire time her apparition appeared. He continued to lay against the branch, feeling more paralyzed than extremely fatigued. His arms and legs remained fanned out as he pointed his face down to where Omie's image now stood. Anarel didn't say a word, but looked into her eyes.
Something formed and loomed over his mind, something fantastic and horrific at the same time. It floated over him like a cloud. The thoughts ran through him like ghostly wisps, before concentrating into a tiny dot, right in the center of his forehead. Anarel came to a conclusion.
Maya suddenly awakened. He knew she was probably horrified to see him, after what he had done to her when she brought him to this place. But thoughts and feelings of being apologetic for his rash actions or concerned for how she might be feeling at the moment fled him entirely. Instead, feeling her hand touch his stomach, he turned his head, displaying a blank stare in his eyes.
A single word fell from his lips.
"Omie."
His body continued to lay on the branch -- mind and soul, neutral and confused at the same time.
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 9:22 pm
Maya's wide eyes narrowed a little in confusion, her hands grasping onto the large side of hte tree for balance. "Wha?" First his outburst and threat, and now he spoke nonsense. Was he ill?
Maya studied him a long moment before speaking. "Are you sickly? What are you doing here?" She attempted to keep her head up strong, but her body was growing weary from blood-loss, and it showed in her lack of demeanor. Her skin had grown cool and her breathing was shallow. She shivered every so often as if chilled. She was confused as to why he was there.
Did he return for her? If so, why?
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 9:46 pm
Anarel shook his head at her response. His heart had calmed fully now, and his body was now filled with a sense of grace and relief. The mana of the tree seemed as if it had flowed into him. He did not understand, and did not want to push the matter. Mysticism and the unknown made up the very core of Asgard.
He sat up, adjusting his attire so that he felt more comfortable, and climbed up onto his feet. Anarel scanned the area, then turned his attention curtly toward Maya.
"It does not matter. I am here now."
His eyes ran over her body. "Are you in need of healing?"
His voice was different know -- stern and full of impersonal composure and coldness. His breathing was calmed. Something triggered within him, something that drove him to think that Maya was only bluffing. Despite the look of bewilderment on her face, he took it as a crafty act. There was a connection between her and Omie, and she was fully aware of it. But he did perceive the motivation that made her think to deny that connection.
Anarel did not posses the patience to play mind games Maya. He was now within the Yggdrasil. His journey seemed less drastic and perilous now. Whether or not Maya admitted she was familiar with the name he had mentioned to her, he would complete his journey regardless. After he had assessed her wounds, he would ask her about the tomb once more.
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 10:09 pm
Maya could sense the bitter resent in his voice. She could see his look of scrutiny in his eyes, his presence seemed to emenate it.
She turned her head, coughing and shuddering a moment before glancing back at him, a fierce determination within her violet eyes. "Why do you care.." her words were a bitter sting. "You think I asked for this to happen? That I have all the answers to everything? That its some secret conspiracy to lure you into some trap?!"
She stood up shakily, the sudden movement causing her head to reel. "You think... I asked for you to show up and put me in this state?!" Her eyes swam with tears of frustration. "If I had wanted to kill you or hurt you, I'd have let Nidhogg snap you in two instead of letting it do this to me!"
For the first time her voice had raised in anger. Her body shook under her frustration and weak state. "I don't know what will happen or why these things exist, all I know is that they do! I don't have the answers!"
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 10:28 pm
Anarel lips parted, feeling his stern exterior crumble underneath her throaty scorning.
He cleared his throat, trying to regain composure. He understood her words, understood what fed her frustration toward him, but he could not bring himself to apologize. It was as if his throat swelled and cut off his air and voice before he could mouth the words, 'I'm sorry.' Was it pride? He was unsure.
He swallowed slightly, as if trying to digest all of the anger that Maya was now fuming with, then paused before he replied.
"Stand still." His demeanor was slightly softer, but only because he forced it to be. He looked her in the eyes.
He balled his hands into tight fists, then released them, stretching out his fingers that felt stiff and rigid.
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 10:34 pm
Maya turned so she was at a 3/4 angle to him, clutching to the side of the tree as if to shield herself. When no blow came, she peeked over her shoulder, curious as to what he was doing.
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 11:03 pm
In a split second, Anarel unclasped his dagger from his belt, and stabbed it suddenly into the trunk of the tree, an inch or two from where Maya's head was.
Modi's blade was crafted so that it could easy channel and manipulate mana, and since the Yggdrasil was filled to the brim with such energy, the blade could also draw out a bit of mana from the tree itself.
He then pulled the blade out, and a neat, linear hole was left in the tree. Anarel placed his hand over it, and focused hard on the tree trunk. Mana began to vibrate within the tree, being drawn out and absorbed into Anarel's hand. His hand began to glow white hot with healing energy.
He looked at Maya, making sure she understood what he was doing, then tightened his lip. He guided his hand to the first wound that he saw, and pressed hard against it, pouring the tree's mana into her body, hopefully healing her wounds. He would then tend to each gaping wound Nidhogg left on her body, hopefully relieving her of the pain she felt, and maybe even the resentment she now harbored for him.
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 11:57 pm
As the wounds upon Maya closed from the great tree's mana, a loud booming noise was heard, followed by the crashing of branches and roots.
"WHO HAS STOLEN FROM MY TREE!?" Came a loud, hissing, earth-shaking voice.
Nidhogg burst through the branch from under them, attaching upside down the trunk of the tree.
"Sss........A couple of half-elves, is it?!" The corpse-eater leapt to another part of the tree, opening its mouth, showing rows upon rows of dagger-sized fangs that oozed a red-hued saliva. "Only I may feast upon this delectable feast! Haaaalf-elves!" the thing hissed, drawing closer, as if readying to leap upon its prey.
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Posted: Sun May 06, 2007 12:44 am
Anarel staggered back from the sudden eruption from the roots and branches beneath them. The giant beast stared them down ferociously.
Anarel swiftly retrieved an arrow from its quiver, setting it into Magni, and tugged hard against the string. He aimed for Nidhogg's eye.
Suddenly, a scurrying could be hurried through the branches above. A large creature slinked down further to where the Maya, Anarel, and Nidhogg were. Bursting forth from the dim lights, was Ratatosk. It's red fur glowed bright underneath the sun's rays.
"Get on!" the squirrel creature commanded, yanking Anarel by the collar and flinging him onto his furry back.
Anarel secured himself on the great creature, extending his arm out to reach for Maya's grasp. A look of urgency could be read within his eyes.
"Maya!"
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Posted: Sun May 06, 2007 1:05 am
As Anarel reached for Maya, for what seemed a long, precarious moment, there seemed to be a strange...feeling coming from Maya, and as Anarel reached out for her, one particular trait he would be sure to notice were her eyes. The gentle, gold-flecked violet was a soulless red-orange hue, her expression seemed tight and angered, and her body was rigid.
Faster than expected, a jolt of gravity threw itself from her body, the sheer force of it knocking her back some. The gravity pulse smashed into Nidhogg, knocking it down as it leapt at them.
The creature wasn't injured, and was quick to scrabble to its feet, obviously pissed now. Maya shook her head as if dazed, her eyes violet once more. It had happened so quickly...within a five-second course of time at the most. Rattatosk was still in mid-bound.
Maya grabbed Anarel's hand, just as the large squirral thing took off, letting out a cry of surprise as her feet were picked up off the ground. She shrieked, clutching onto Anarel's arm for dear life as she dangled helplessly as the creature began fleeing the scene.
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Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 9:36 pm
Anarel yanked Maya up from the ground as hard as he possible could, plopping her onto a seat in front of him.
Ratatosk was swift, but Nidhogg did not have any trouble in keeping the speed.
The two giant animals raced through the massive tree of life, maneuvering themselves through the intricate maze of roots and branches that made up the Yggdrasil. Anarel's heart was pounding, and he could imagine Maya's was doing the same as well. He saw the amazing feet she displayed a few minutes ago -- the massive force that emitted from her body that was able to knock down Nighogg itself. He didn't have time to ask questions though, as their lives were in much danger.
"Be ready half-elves, and cling to my fur tightly. I plan to return Nidhogg to the depths of the Yggdrasil." Ratatosk's speed suddenly increase, the motor rotation of his leg muscles caused then entire trek through Yggdrasil to be a rough one. Slowly, the gap between Nidhogg and Ratatosk grew wider. Anarel looked behind him, only to catch a glance of a full row of blood stained dagger teeth that lined the inside of Nidhogg's mouth. He turned forward again, clutching even tighter to Ratatosk's fur. Maya sat in front of him, between his arms.
The squirrel creature raced higher into the Yggdrasil, abruptly changing from a linear course. Anaral's body swayed with the animal's quick turns and slides. Ratatosk drove up higher into the tree, hoping Nidhogg would continue to follow.
Anarel fought hard against his urge to question Ratatosk's intentions, but his need to survive outweighed his own curiosity.
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Posted: Wed May 09, 2007 12:22 am
Higher and higher they climbed, it was too insane to really tell how high they had come. Nidhogg seemed to have attained a burst of energy, Snapping tree branches off as it scrabbled up the trunk.
"Stop RUNNING, YOU WRETCHED RODENT!" the corpse-eater serpent's booming voice could be heard.
As Ratatosk bounded high into the air, Maya gave a small cry of surprise, curling in a way that she seemed to retreat into the cavity made by Anarel's torso and arms. Her arms curled under his and held onto his wrists with a death-grip, afraid to fall from the hopping creature.
The air around them whirled as a flurry of huge feathers sped by. Nidhogg was knocked back in mid-leap, crash-landing on a large branch.
"Bird! Don't interfere!" the serpent hissed, snarling at the tremendous golden eagle that hovered in the air, beating it with its powerful wings.
Ratatosk paused on a large branch above the two, turning to momentarily peer down.
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Posted: Sun May 13, 2007 12:02 am
Watching Nidhogg fall back breifly from his pursuit, Ratatosk glanced upward only to see the giant eagle soaring high into the tree. NIdhogg again, scrambled to all four of his legs, regaining his balance. The red saliva dripped from his bared fangs.
When Nidhogg resumed the chase, Ratatosk didn't immediately retreat in the other direction, as Anarel would have expected.
"Go!" Anarel shouted as his eyes followed the bounding Nidhgg.
Ratatosk ignored him until Nidhogg grew dangerously closer. The squirrel creature then turned around, and resumed the chase with Nidhogg, regaining his previous speed quickly, and without effort. Anarel felt Maya's grip tighten. He felt more of a father figure to her at that particular moment. He gazed down at the head of shiny, dark hair underneath his chin.
The chase continued on, but took on a different pace as Ratatosk halted his climb upwards, now taking a much more horizontal path toward the outer branches of the Yggdrasil. Nidhogg stayed close behind, chomping, spitting, and bearing teeth all the while. The high pitched screams drew out dull pains in the center of Anarel's forehead, and he imagined it did the same for Maya.
Ratatosk bounded further and faster than before, realizing his scheme was reaching completion. The creature remained calm throughout the entire trek through the tree, as if it knew its speed was his only attribute that could outdo Nidhogg's maniacal strength.
Making one final giant leap forward, Ratatosk stretched out its arms forward, grasping a vertical, pole-like branches in front of him. He then used his weight to swing around the pole, to avoid leaping out further from the safety of the Yggdrasil's branches, and down to the earth below. Anarel clung tightly this time, pushing his body down against Maya's back, for his own protection as well as hers. He maintained a vice grip on Ratatosk's unruly fur, threatening to tear it from the skin.
Ratatosk hoped, with Nidhogg being so close behind, that the corpse-eater would fall off of the edge, being that bulk and muscle of Nidhogg's heavy body would usher it to its doom to the ground below.
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Posted: Sun May 13, 2007 3:53 am
The farther they ran from the original location of Loki's tomb, Maya felt the strange amount of strength she had felt begin to diminish the farther they got away from it. If she wasn't being jerked around on the back of this giant, smelly rodent like a rag doll, she might have wondered about this anomaly more.
They rode and rode until they came to a plateau, Nidhogg still in hot pursuit, muttering curses in serpent tongue. As they clambered up onto the plateau, the scenery changed drastically. A city within Yggdrasil, carved into its very trunk? Ah, but this must be the most sacred place in Telythia, perhaps.
Nidhogg almost seemed to hesitate at the ledge of the plateau, then snaked up, muscles visibly tensing under its scaley hide. "No where to run now, no where to run now!!!"
Though it seemed they were indeed trapped in this area, of course something would save them, for in all stories of good and evil, the good cannot succumb and fall at the beginning of the story now, can they?
A booming female voice reverberated through the green walls, which sent Nidhogg into a cowering state of fear at the edge.
"Filthy lizard! How dare you climb so high in my tree, gnashing your teeth upon its very branches and coming into my city!"
A green shimmer manifested between Ratatosk and Nidhogg, taking shape and becoming a woman. Long, green hair that appeared to morph into leaves at the tips adorned her fair skin and stature. She had a majestic presence about her, whimsical yet very powerful.
Maya's eyes widened as she witnessed this scene set before them, and she leane back until her head was close to Anarel's ear. "Its Frigg..." she whispered as softly as she could. "The only god to ever physically reign on our mortal realm instead of the god's realm...so I heard. We must be in the inner sanctum of the holy city."
Frigg raised her hand, slapping the air with it in front of her. The air felt nothing, but Nidhogg took a wollup hard enough to knock him into a wall, causing a great shake and thud to be felt, as if there had been an earthquake.
"Tressspasssers they are! TRESSPASSERS!" the creature hissed, cowering slightly.
"You survive from feasting upon the roots of my tree and the corpses of the dead in nifleheim; yes, you keep the dead from coming into my tree, but you've no right to cause harm to the living! Now back to the roots with you, beast!"
Nidhogg gave a growling hiss, then turned and slinked down and out of sight, likely headed back to the roots like ordered.
Frigg turned to gaze upon the pair of mortals who had made it so far not only to yggdrasil, but the most holiest of places within it.
Her eyes roamed over both Anarel and Maya slowly, studying, speculating, reading their feelings and intentions.
"So I see. You want to release the Fell Hero, don't you?"
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