Age: 27 Height: 6'4" Race: Inferlupar - a higher class of hellhound, beyond alphas Home:Dread Forest
Born in Brimaz but was raised in the Dread Forest among a village of those who could not stay in the human city of Dark Realm. During a blue moon, the air around the forest became chilled and thick mist began to cloud it. A cloaked stranger stalked through the village that night, ruthlessly murdering each soul there. When it came to him, all Damien could see were soulless golden eyes before it vanished. Whenever he had tried to leave the village, the cloaked figure would appear just on the outskirts of the village and disappearing when he would retreat into its borders. As he became older, he ventured further into the mist where he was attacked. He fought back with everything he could but was eventually pushed back to the village. As time went on, he let his fuel of anger and hate for the cloaked stranger to propel him to fight back. Whenever the cloak figured showed he, Damien would attack it. During one of their encounters, the stranger saw something in Damien and disappeared for what seemed like for good. Eventually, he became territorial over the entire forest and claimed it was his home, paranoid that any who came into it was potentially this unknown enemy. As Damien grew after the massacre of his village, he began to experience changes in himself; acute sense of smell and hearing.
Damien wears a leather jacket with simple pants and shirts that were found around the village. Yes, he looted. With dark black hair left to its own volition, he has a more don't-give-a-crap attitude about himself and for others... when he isn't being overprotective and highly territorial. Not being around anyone for nearly 18 years, his social abilities are just glares, growls, and pointed looks.
Other: - Usually appears grumpy, frowning with furrowed brows. Sometimes with a rumble or a growl. - Doesn't normally ask questions, usually speaks as if giving orders or firm statements. - Strongest during a full moon but becomes feral!human (unresponsive,savage, and highly territorial). - Does not wag - Eyes range from Hazel > Yellow > Blue - Body gives off immense heat. - Smells a lot like woody earth.
Golden Eyes - Human!Wolf state. - Heightened strength, speed, and reflexes. - Accelerated Regeneration
Blue Eyes - Wolf state - full-on bi-pedal wolf - Hellwolf abilities: ____ - Hellhound of Pack: (Cocytus, Umbra, Maero) ____ - Hellhound of Pack: Quad Form ____ - Manipulation of Azure Flames ____ - Sooth (absorb pain and calms recipient)
pointed look - direct and obvious in meaning or reference. surly - gruff, arrogant, domineering, threatening rankle - cause annoyance or resentment that persists; continue to be painful, fester gratuitous - uncalled for, without reason, unwarranted grate - an unpleasant, rough sound
An orphan from a fire that ripped through Brimaz's 1st Distrct that left much of the outer city limits a ruin. However, thanks to a cloaked stranger, he had survived with guidance and training. The stranger, Gale, raised and taught him how to survive with his skills and wit. During his 18th birth year, he was given a weapon that many of Brimaz's 1st District came to know as the 'Resurgere ex Cineribus'. Through Gale's guidance, Caellum became a skilled fighter with blade, hand-to-hand, and fluid reflexes. During a blue moon, the orphan dreamt of a place where he and a large wolf-like man fought side by side with magicks beyond his comprehension. When brought to Gale's attention, the two promptly left Brimaz to the elusive Dread Forest.
Caellum is a young, fit individual from Brimaz on the Dark Realm. He tends to be quick to ask questions as a form of gathering as much information as he can before making a decision, which tends to get him into trouble. Though he is a skilled fighter, he often goes head first if he hadn't had the time to gather information. He also tends to following instructions and does what he thinks is right (even when it isn't).
Having auburn-brown hair in an upward wind-blown fashion, still comes off as blonde at times. Brown eyes. Typically wearing wearing a white, orange, grey short-sleeved hoody under a long sleeveless coat. His outfit is typically seen among those who live among the 3rd District of Brimaz.
Other: - Has the ability to heal, however, due to inexperience, suffers bleed through. - wields a rifle-blade, a "forbidden weapon" due to it using a trigger mechanism. Only three of these weapons are known to exist. - The only reason he wears his coat is because he likes the idea of a cape. - sword stance is based off of Riku (KH) - He bears a strange tattoo somewhere on his body.
Argent Counsel - The first angels of the Sacred Realm. [Angelic skill: "Prayer"] Sariel - Faith Abbadon - Power Galadriel - Knowledge Nym - Peace Destiel - Protection
Daemons - The first demons of the Dark Realm. [Demon skill: "Rites"] Bardozain - Hël'würgen - Fear (frost, bone, and shadows) - commands Hellhounds ______ - Maero - Bone pack ______ - Umbra - Shadow pack ______ - Cocytus - Frost pack ______ - Cruor - Blood pack (unclaimed) ______ - Brenna - Fire pack (unclaimed) Pazuzu - Chimera - Blight (winds) Belial - Fallen Angel - Corruption Mastema - Devil - Obedience Bahnjako - Chimera - Satisfaction Giz'jama - Behemoth - Terra former
Draconic Summit - The first ferals that gave rise to the Anima spirits and humans. Ignatius - Fire Levane - Water Stratha - Air Quar - Earth/Nature Kheesrathane - Dark Ennadora - Light
Epitaphs:(Immortal beings who bear an aspect of the world's foundation) [they all have a form of triskelion on them] Darkness - Negative emotions, demons, shadows, moon. fear. ( Balazzar ) Light - Emotions, angels, sun, hope. ( Hophesus ) Energy - Motivation, strength, animals, currents. ( Omaegys ) Nature - environment, seasons, purity. ( Aster ) Arcane - Magics (fire, earth, water, air). ( Godrick ) Death - Arbiter of the end of life and race. Life - Breather of new life and race. ( Pandora ) Fate - Sees the end of life and race, and, also, the intervene. Time - flow of time; past, present, but not the future. ( Steinritter ) Order - The plan must be followed.
Lore:
Before there were the beings that roamed (name of world), there were the 'Old Ones'. The Argent Counsel of the Sacred Realms demanded control and order for the world below. The Draconic Summit of Earthly Realms demanded subjects, followers, and prey for the world they exist. The Daemon of the Dark Realms demanded just the same as the others, but upon all the worlds. The three bickered and battled, waged wars with many casualties to their cause. Very few of the Counsel members lived, only a handful of the Elder Dragons remained, and the Daemons became scarce and paranoid. As the battles slowed, their lives and energies spent, a truce was struck; with their blood and desires, they would forge a new world where they may influence but not participate. Thus they created Sphota; a world where the Sacred Realm had their order, where the Earthly Realm had their followers, their subjects, and their prey, where the Dark Realms had their desires. Due to their truce - their pact - none of them could step upon the new world and thus they needed those to watch over them. From them they created ten individuals that would embody and watch over their new world. To ensure the safety and continuation; the individuals were made immortal. They were known as the Epitaphs.
One a king. One a queen. One a scholar. One a naturalist. One an assassin. One a father. One a mother. One a rogue. One a tyrant. One a writer.
The Argent Counsel began the silent reconstruction of their realm and their people, hovering over the Sphota. The Draconic Summit simmered silently upon their realm as its inhabitants evolved and grew to civilizations. The Daemons hid upon their barren realm... until an Epitaph created the demons that spilled forth onto it and the realms above. The history of the four realms continued in a downward, but steady spiral. The Epitaphs kept, not only their realm but all the realms in order and check, until they became too wise. Rebellion within the ranks caused feuds and threats were made. It was then that they learned that there was a condition to their immortality... Only an Epitaph could kill an Epitaph. Sides were made and they sought their own ends; one sought to keep the balance as what they were made to do, one sought to sway the others to reign over all four realms, and a single individual sought another future; a world without the Epitaphs.
Time has been rewritten, yet the history remains much the same. The Great King now reigns over the Earthly Realm and Sphota with influence into the deepest corners of the Sacred and Dark for there has been a threat to him. Of the Epitaphs, he has been able to account for all but two. The two that could end the time rewritten and the two that had always been the strongest. However, even they do not know who or what they were, but there are those who do. An Epitaph has rewritten time but, as an Epitaph, his powers have absolutely no influence on the Old Ones that created him. And it is the Old Ones who have set the motions to fix their mistake.
Misc. Kaien - Son of Balazzar (shadow demon) Elspeth - Mate to Kaien (human/angel) Sulfin - Son of Balazzar, twin to Sofia. (manticore demon) Sofia - Daughter of Balazzar, twin to Sulfin. (wolf appearing)
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 5:30 pm
Before there were the beings that roamed Creation, there were the 'Old Ones'. The Argent Counsel of the Sacred Realms demanded control and order for the world below. The Draconic Summit of Earthly Realms demanded subjects, followers, and prey for the world they exist. The Daemon of the Dark Realms demanded just the same as the others, but upon all the worlds. The three bickered and battled, waged wars with many casualties to their cause. Very few of the Counsel members lived, only a handful of the Elder Dragons remained, and the Daemons became scarce and paranoid. As the battles slowed, their lives and energies spent, a truce was struck; with their blood and desires, they would forge a new world where they may influence but not participate. Thus they created Sphota; a world where the Sacred Realm had their order, where the Earthly Realm had their followers, their subjects, and their prey, where the Dark Realms had their desires. Due to their truce - their pact - none of them could step upon the new world and thus they needed those to watch over them. From them they created ten individuals that would embody and watch over their new world. To ensure the safety and continuation; the individuals were made immortal. They were known as the Epitaphs.
One a king who ruled a realm of his late lover. DARK One a queen who ruled a realm by the king. LIGHT One a scholar who sought all the knowledge to their created world. ARCANE One a naturalist who hid away in the nature he created. NATURE One an assassin who maintained even order. ENERGY One a writer who archived all things that existed. TIME One a tyrant who watched as everything fell into place. ORDER One a mother who created her own following. LIFE One a rogue who traveled unseen, unnoticed. FATE One a survivor of the last of his kind. DEATH
The Argent Counsel began the silent reconstruction of their realm and their people, hovering over the Sphota. The Draconic Summit simmered silently upon their realm as its inhabitants evolved and grew to civilizations. The Daemons hid upon their barren realm... until an Epitaph created the demons that spilled forth onto it and the realms above. The history of the four realms continued in a downward, but steady spiral. The Epitaphs kept, not only their realm but all the realms in order and check, until they became too wise. Rebellion within the ranks caused feuds and threats were made. It was then that they learned that there was a condition to their immortality... Only an Epitaph could kill an Epitaph. Sides were made and they sought their own ends; one sought to keep the balance as what they were made to do, one sought to sway the others to reign over all four realms, and a single individual sought another future; a world without the Epitaphs.
Time has been rewritten, yet the history remains much the same. The Great King now reigns over the Earthly Realm and Sphota with influence into the deepest corners of the Sacred and Dark for there has been a threat to him. Of the Epitaphs, he has been able to account for all but two. The two that could end the time rewritten and the two that had always been the strongest. However, even they do not know who or what they were, but there are those who do. An Epitaph has rewritten time but, as an Epitaph, his powers have absolutely no influence on the Old Ones that created him. And it is the Old Ones who have set the motions to fix their mistake.
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It was a known fact among the humans that settled on the realm of demons that they would be forced to live a life of fear and paranoia. Never certain when the next threat would come from the shadows, the darkness, the unknown, the humans could only live the lives they were given and hope that the Epitaph of Fate was fair. The humans quietly prayed to the Epitaphs to spare them, to protect them, to shield them from the dangers from the very being that even created the threats. The humans of the Dark Realm settled wherever they felt protected, safe, and had an advantage over those who threatened their lives. One in particular was the great walled city of Brimaz that bordered the sea, the largest and safest of the human settlements in the Dark Realm. Until the night of the Azure Moon.
The poverty stricken district of the city goes largely unnoticed by those beyond the second and third walls where life comes more simple. Here, those who managed to live did so by living day to day by whatever means they could; stealing, bartering, crafting, fishing. It wasn't uncommon for humans to die in Brimaz, and it wouldn't even matter much to the economy of the other districts of the city. Those who lived in the first district were meant to stay in the first district or to leave the city and fend for themselves in the wilds. And that night was the night of the Blue Moon.
Sparks of fire crept along the roofs silently at night. No crackle of tile. No pop of air pockets. The fire moved like a hunter through the night, setting silent fires to the houses of an area of the first district that was far and away from the rest of the buildings. The humans slumbered blissfully unaware that their lives were in danger within the safety of the great walls of Brimaz where guards watched ever vigilant. But tonight was different. The houses quickly burst into flames as the fire blanketed the roofs that were, just a moment ago, sparked. And in seconds the fires gravitated to the ground trapping the area within a ring of ignition. The guards' alarm rang out startling those inside awake; trapped inside their homes. Their screams split the air and the thudding of their wooden traps added to the crackle and pop of their settlements. Some managed to escape the confines of their homes, others' screams continued to crescendo. Those of the other areas came to assist but to little avail as the fire acted out against them.
"Mommy?" A voice called out among the crackling of wood, the bonds weakened by the flames that ran through them. The child cried, clutching his chest as he watched as the room danced to life in a light that was eerie to behold. The cries outside and the sound of falling beams startled him further, crying out for his parents. As the flames crept along the floor toward his feet, the boy darted for the door, shouting for his guardians. Crashing through a nearby wall, a cloaked figure crouched before him, taking his hand into his.
"Stay with me." The man uttered as he guided the child through the burning house, knocking away falling beams and kicking down doors. Scooping the child into his arms, the cloaked stranger escaped the death trap to the safety of the water fountain in the center of the ring of fire. The little boy stood in the middle of it all, by the fountain that ran no water - frozen instead. No tears shed as he listened to the devastating cries of that night. As the flames flickered and the buildings collapsed, fire reaching into the night air as if to touch everything that lived. A rumbling growl vibrated through the cloaked man's arm into his small body. The cloaked figure scooped him up into his arm, pressing the child close to his chest to shield him from the horrors taking place. The smell was fetid, but the vision was all he was spared from that night. He was the only one spared from that night.
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Blood. The floor was pooled with it, the wall refurnished with the cold color. The bodies strewn across the floor, lifeless and still, eyes still opened to the night sky, the Blue Moon's ray spilling across them. The boy struggled to his feet as if the body urged it to move, but the mind was no longer registering anything anymore. Soft footsteps past the body of his parents, their hands locked together in their final moments, past his siblings he could only imagine tried to escape from the house. As he pushed past the threshold, his feet trudging along the dirt roads, he looked down as his feet became moist, streaked with that cold color. Looking up, his eyes wide as the village was all out and about, and yet it was silent. Bodies sprawled where he recalled them just that afternoon; the smith over the anvil, the baker under his table, the tailors face down in their spools of cloth, mothers over children... As the child looked ahead, a lone figure stood among the corpse of many, eyes glowing an eerie blue, clouded in thick mist. With the raising of its arm, the village came to life with light.
Flames flickering in hazel eyes.
PhiferWolf Captain
Loyal Werewolf
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PhiferWolf Captain
Loyal Werewolf
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Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 8:13 am
"Let me get this straight, you have survived Strife at the Dread Forest and, now, War is here in Brimaz because of you two?" The woman asked as the trio ran through the damped allies of the 1st District. The forerunner made no comments, then again, he hadn't made any before. The other man gave a nervous chuckle as if to play off the severity of their current predicament. Never before has she been placed in this situation. Never in her life did she expect that the low-life, slumming of the 1st District would get her wrapped up in the troubles of two wanted men, let alone be chased by one of the Riders of the Dark Realm. "How the hell did I get caught in all of this!?"
"You tried to steal our gilt." The forerunner said as he jumped over a pile of crates and barrels.
"If you hadn't tried to rob us, then you wouldn't have been seen with us." the other man laughed as he wiggled his way over the pile himself. With a broken arm, he wasn't as quick and maneuverable as the other two.
"Well, you two go around flashing your money around the poorest place of the city and you expect nothing to happen? Nothing!? Seriously, that is all kinds of messed up, but, fine, you're right, I tried to rob you. Now, if only I did it sooner and then I could have left you two to the Rider and be on my damn way out of this mess!"
The trio came up to the wall that separated the 1st District from the 2nd, and it was one that was far too high to attempt to pass over and it was far too wide to even look for the checkpoint at this moment in time. The three of them looked all around for places to hide, to lurk, to escape to, but they knew that if they stuck around too long, the large behemoth of a demon would be on them in a matter of minutes. Caellum fidgeted with his broken arm as he tried to calm himself. The woman bent over, hands on her knees, as she tried to catch her breath. The largest of them kept a vigilant look out, but he was distracted. Their hearts were racing, their beating organs deafening his ears. Their body reeked of fear and sweat, stifling his nose. He let out a sharp growl that got their attention.
"You two look for a way out." The two of them looked at one another, shocked at the request - was it a request? No, it sounded more like an order. He glanced over his shoulder to see the two still glancing at one another unsure if they should carry through with it, abandoning this man. The woman had thoughts, she could care less, but the other man couldn't. Not yet. Gale had wanted him to stick with this man from the Dread Forest. As time was wasting, Damien gave them a pointed look. Taking his good arm, the woman dragged him away in the opposite direction. Perhaps it was for the better, he was better off alone to begin with. Just like his life. Rolling his neck, the survivor of the Dread Forest raced down the length of the wall where the scent of the dead reeked the most. As he passed from the last building, a large blade came down clean.
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"Do you even know a way to get us into the 2nd District? Being a thief and all, I am sure you have your holes and routes throughout the areas so-"
"I've never left the 1st District! All I can do is avoid getting us killed by the damn Rider!" The woman yelled as the pair ran down a network of allies and passages. She led the way, pushing open doors and running through homes and businesses alike. He did his best to keep up with the broken arm on the mend, but it seemed like whenever he got close to her, she'd stop. It was as if panic was finally reaching her and she was losing her way through her city. "This way."
Caellum had lived here for most of his life, but the poverty stricken areas were the largest in Brimaz. The area he was currently in was one that he and Gale often avoided, opting to stay in the ruined areas to avoid glances. At least, Gale tried his best to keep him where he could keep an eye on his pupil. The buildings here were at least standing, firm, and structured well enough that a fire could not take them down as easy as the ones from his area. The people here looked well off, able to take care of themselves, and work for a living instead of scrounging and stealing like where he was from. He found his mind wandering to a what-if life when the woman he was following disappeared around a corner.
"Hey!" He shouted as he turned the corner to find her standing at a dead end. How was it possible? Was she actually lost in her own city? Looking at her, he noticed her shoulders shaking, soft whimpers under her breath. She was frightened, she was not only lost in her city, but in her own fears. Standing here in the alleys would do them no good. He could only imagine Damien was only getting the beating of his life - not that Caellum wouldn't agree he needed one, it would only buy them so much time. Finding a way into the 2nd District to escape the Rider of War became more of trying to outrun him. Grabbing the woman's hand, she jerked around with a tear streaked face. "Come on, let's go. Follow me."
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"The ruins?" She said softly. This area of the district was distinct from the rest... in fact, very few ventured here. The buildings all fallen and charred, ash still clung to the area like sands on the desert. What the thief saw was a place to hide. What Caellum saw was a place that was what he knew as home. The fallen buildings were hidden behind larger, better structured ones to hide the horrid events that once happened here. The city did not bother to clean or repair what he happened. He wasn't even sure the city was even aware of the fire that engulfed the area. It came so sudden that no one was able to escape the fires that struck each house as if it had purpose. If he hadn't been protected by the cloaked stranger, he, too, would have perished. He found himself watching the events play out again before him among the ashes of the fallen. The flickering flames became blue under the colored moon. The agonizing screams of those trapped inside pierced the air as the banging on doors added to the increasing din.
"Caellum, what are you looking at?" He look to her with raised brows, snapping free of his memories, unsure what she was speaking of. "We should go further inside."
The thief and the man made their way further into the ruined area when something intercepted their path, impacting the bordering wall in front of them. They laid their eyes upon a snarling Damien half embedded in the stone barrier, shocked, and a bit frightened. With a growl, he pushed himself free, brushing off the debris. He gave them a what-are-you-doing glare before jerking his attention before him. "Run." he growled before dashing forward, leaving them again.
The thief didn't need to be told. Caellum stood as he watched Damien charge into the battle again. How was a man to fight a demon who wielded a large sword? It was unfair. It was one sided. Gale said that the two needed to stick together, and that wouldn't exactly be possible if one of them was dead.
"Caellum!"
"Run, you get out of here." Caellum gave the thief a look that gave her the answers she needed. With a nod, she was off. Drawing his blade from his sheath, he joined the fray.
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"To think Strife lost to two pathetic humans." The armored demon laughed as he held his blade before Damien's blows. Fists against the flat of his wretched sword. Eyes of piercing gold as if pupils did not exist among them, but, then again, he was a being that seemed to beyond the average demon that ran around Dark Realm. He towered over Damien, who, himself, was a tall individual, and needed little work to defend himself from the human's onslaught. "The Great King would be pleased to know that he won't need to worry about the pair of you." Damien growled as he glared. "Once I am done with you, the maggot's will be next. At least he'd be more of a fight." Suddenly, the human's attention jerked upward which did not go unnoticed. Turning around, War promptly used his blade as a guard as a figure fell from the rooftops.
"I'll hold you to that, Rider!" cried Caellum as he brought his smaller blade down, sparks flying as the two collided. Followed by a few swift strikes to the broad side of the demon's weapon, he kicked himself off, bounding a good distance away. His maneuvers were practiced and executed with precision, his blade kept aside, blood dripped from the point. The Rider glanced at his hand, the gauntlet's knuckle plates slashed away. "Even with a broken arm, you are still too slow for me."
"Speed is not an issue, maggot." Brandishing his blade in his hand, he scoffed a glance over his shoulder. "If I were to touch you once, you're bones will break beyond repair." War was a tank, he moved slow, but with purpose, his blade a large and deadly reminder of the power of devastation that he wielded. Damien and Caellum, though able to flank him, moved with caution, circling the demon, ready to act. Caellum caught a glimpse of a grin on the demon's face before he suddenly appeared before him.
s**t! he thought, caught off guard. He would be too slow to bring up his blade to brace, and with this distance, if War used his blade, he was done for. A snarl broke his thoughts as he watched Damien physically throw the creature from his companion. He gave a glance over his shoulder as Caellum gathered himself. He chuffed as he readied for another attack.
"You move fast and you are strong, perhaps I judged you too quickly!" War laughed. He grinned again as he ducked down to his knee. Unsure of what to expect, the two of them braced for anything. A battlecry ripped the air, shuttering the remnants of the area, "WAR COMES FOR YOU, MAGGOTS!" Vanishing like he had before, the two could not keep a sight on him but the clouds of dust that his heavy steps left behind. Damien caught a glimpse of the demon as he approached at a blinding speed from their flank, but something was off. He wasn't coming at him - no, he was after the crippled one. Ramming hard with his shoulder, taking out the sword-wielder, the demon used the forward momentum to bring arm upward to take out the lone standing. Sending both crashing into dilapidated ruins. War looks to the sky, eyes closed, taking in their agonized cries as if feeding off them. "How could the Great King see you two as threats?"
The sound of a falling beam shifted the Rider's attention in the direction of the older individual, his dark jacket blanketed by gray ash. Rolling his shoulders, the human dashed forward with a cry that was an eerie mixture of human and... something else. The Rider has saw this attack many times before and this was no different; raising his blade up to block with the flat side, he was taken back when the blade fell away. A flicker of gold was all he got before being pushed away by claws - claws? Composing himself, the Rider glanced at the figure before him with a frown.
"So that is why you are a threat. You hid what you were," he started, pointing an armored digit at his opposite. "You are a demon, Damien."
Damien did not respond, he felt a surge of energy flow through his body; to his legs, his arms, his fangs, and his heart raced. He gave another cry as he dashed forward. Though the Rider tried to block, his defenses were pushed aside by brutal strikes that targeted by forcibly working around the large demon's defenses. While the Rider tried to strike back, Damien's body moved by reflex and dodged around the slower target. With clawed hands, he slashed away at the uncovered calves of the opponent before getting caught by a backhand that sent him bounding away with a growl. Damien stood, hunched over ready for another go as he watched his crippled prey turn to him.
The sound of dust falling away from the surface was quickly overlapped by the clattering of heavy footsteps in a sprint as a figure moved past the first demon, directly for the larger. Caellum had recovered and joined the fray, blade coming down onto another. Without any sort of acknowledgement or motion, Damien was already before them, thrusting a fist into the exposed chest. The duo alternated swings and blows where the Rider's defenses left areas exposed while trying to stop one or the other. With a bloody roar, the Rider caught them both with an outward swing of his blade, propelling the two backwards away from him. Either the blade of the human cut him or the powerful blows of the newly-discovered demon, he found himself weakening. The cut from the human earlier was making it more difficult to grasp his weapon. The hamstring cuts from the demon was proving it even more difficult to maneuver around their attacks. He commended their ability to work together when just moments ago they fought as if they were individuals rather than a pair. Drawing his ghastly blade over his head, he drove into the ground sending up pointed projections that erupted through the ground around him as a way of defense. The pair took steps back to avoid being impaled by such a demonic skill. Damien growled as he watched the projections recede back into the ground as the sword was withdrawn. War raised it again and brought it down in a downward slash. As it collided with the ground, similar projections short forth as a line toward the pair. Dodging, the two seemed to judge the attacks as they came. Wasn't exactly the first time they faced demonic skill, but they would agree that this was far different from Strife's.
"The sword." Damien growled. With that word he was off against the demon, bounding in ways to avoid the projections as they came. The Rider knew that he was at a disadvantage against two in his condition, opting for his ranged abilities, but with the speed and how quickly his targets are falling into their new found prowess, he was more concerned about surviving. As the pair approached closer, War plunged his sword again, creating the ring of projections around him to deter their charge. Damien grabbed hold of human, turning to throw him into the air. As he came down, he let gravity guide his blade. War re-actively brought his blade up to defend himself. As the blades collided, the gravity and Caellum's weight pushed the blade away, grazing along the face of it. Damien, swinging his clawed hand up the face, he slipped his hands over the hilt and pulled it back up across War's chest with a devastatingly deep swing that sent blood splattering across the ground. The Rider gave a blood curdling cry as he fell to the ground, unmoving.
The pair watched, panting, waiting for their hunter to get up against. The ground seemed to open up as an inky blackness seemed to whisk the fallen foe away like the wind, along with the heavy sword in Damien's hand. It was just like that, as fast as that encounter had went, the body of their foe was gone like the ashes on the ground around them. Caellum sheathed his blade into his holster when he turned to face Damien. Arms crossed his large chest, golden eyes leering downward toward the human yellow. He watched as the golden eyes began to fade into grey with flecks of green. He hard swallowed as he felt an uncomfortable pressure fall upon him.
"Find the thief."
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2014 3:37 pm
Rocking a stone under the heel of his boot, the boy sat back on the edge of the fountain in the city's square, watching as everyone went about their day. The traders bartering with the people that passed them just the days before, the guy who watched that one girl at the tavern's outdoor table from around the corner of the building, the fishers wheeling in their haul from that morning. It was a simple routine of Brimaz's 1st District; the poverty stricken area of the city, settled between two towering walls of the 2nd District and the wall that kept the demons outside the human city. He often wondered how it was possible that the humans were able to survive this long on the Dark Realm with the amount of demons out there. From what he heard from the taverns, there were demons that were larger than the city itself, there were demons that could move through the wall with ease, there were ones that could fly overhead and invade their safety. But how was he to know? He's never been outside these walls. Bored, the boy continued to toe with the stone beneath the heal of his boot; back and forth.
"Are you bored, Caellum?" A deep, yet gentle, voice called as a cloaked man approached. Caellum looked up from his idle thoughts to the man he had saw as a mentor - a father even, and yet he had never seen the man's form before. Cloaked under heavy garb and hooded so deeply that it was difficult to make out much of a face at all. Initially, he had imagined the garb to be imbued with some sort of magic that kept the wearer undetectable to the eyes of anyone but the wearer and simply came to accept that this man was always be this way. Upon closer inspection, he noted a bundle in armored, gauntlet arms. "For you," he spoke as if reading his mind. "Today's your 18th season, no?"
Taking the package into his hands, he gave a soft chuckle. "Why can't you say 'birthday' like everyone else, Gale? If you keep that up, people are just gonna give you funny looks." Not that they already didn't. Wherever Gale went, everyone made sure to take wide berth as he moved through the district. There were rumors that he was a survivor of the fire that took the 1st District's northern community all those years ago. His body horribly disfigured that it is kept hidden and his body clad with metal to keep it from falling apart. But Caellum knew better for he was the survivor that night and Gale was the one who protected him. He couldn't say if Gale lived there or not, but he was always cloaked as he was since then. Perhaps he gained that reputation for always being seen around with himself. Smiling at the past, he looked down to his present. Pulling the string free, the cloth let loose to reveal a new set of clothes. Here in the 1st District, clothes were not common to come across, at least not without having to pay heavily out of pocket. But each year, Gale always had a gift of clothes for the ever growing boy and this one was no different. Well, perhaps it was. As he removed the pieces one by one, he noticed the intricate details, the stitching, the pattern, the material, the design. "Gale... is this from the 2nd District?"
He huffed with a single-shoulder shrug.
A jacket, a new pair of pants, and even a pair of new boots, all of them white in color with patterns that ranged from grays, browns, and reds, with some colors in between. Comfortable and made moving more effortless but it clung to his form nicely. He couldn't help but enjoy something that wasn't a year old and constantly washed over and over, it was due for something knew. Gale reached under his cloak to pull out one another package, this one wrapped with more care. Holding out to him, Caellum removed the cloth that bound it. A holster, and in it a silver glean. Brown eyes traced over the polished surface over the leather carrier and the silver object inside. "Your new weapon."
Gale hooked an armored finger into the ring that stood out from the holster and one swift movement, pulled the object free. As it was removed, an audible swish and click came from what now looked to be a blade. It was unlike anything Caellum had seen before. The entire surface appeared to be some sort of silver with intricate details that transcended beyond human craftsmanship. Among the bottom where the guard would have been looked to be cylindrical objects, but that just added more to the mystery of the blade itself. "D-does this mean I can stop using the wooden one I made?"
Gale huffed again as he flicked the blade forward, offering it to the boy. Taking it in hand, the weight difference was obvious, it was heavy and yet it moved as if it was lighter than the wooden sword mentioned. "I do not want you using that wooden sword, forget about it." The cloaked man moved around the boy with the holster, placing it against his back, hooking it with what Caellum could only imagine custom attachments that Gale had requested with the outfit and addition. "This weapon is far more special."
"Are we gonna spar today?" The excitement in the boy's voice only received a chuckle behind him and a pat on the back.
"No, we have other plans."
"But I memorized all of the maneuvers and the movements! I even-"
"There is a Blue Moon tonight, Caellum." The voice was no longer joyful, the atmosphere seemed to change with that comment. Looking over his shoulder, he could have sworn he saw a glimpse of yellow deep within the depths of that hood. "I hope the last fifteen years of training and raising you did not go to waste for tonight... we leave Brimaz."
Turning, he watched as his mentor raise to his full height, returning, what he only imagined, a look of uncertainty. Was the training and sparring meant for this? Survival outside the safe walls of the city? A part of him was angered, but another was confused. Leaving did not make any sense, the city was safe, it was where he was born and raised. But this was the 1st District, no one would realize if anyone went missing. No one really cared if anyone disappeared, he could recall the commotion shortly after the fire that took his community. The people had an uproar and after a few days it was forgotten, just whispers under the breath. The city did not care what happened to the district, so why should the people living in it? Caellum looked to the blade in his hand. "Where are we going?" He muttered.
"We are to meet someone who lives in the Dread Forest." Gale turned toward the large wall that bordered their city against the monstrosities on the other side. "He makes his move tonight."
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The 1st District has settled down since the evening, everyone retreating inside. Those who linger out tonight are those who did not care for their well-being, thieves, and miscreants. The pair of cloaked figures moved between the alleys of the cobbled streets, lit by the soft glow of the scattered street lamps. Guards patrolled regularly through the city, but even here, the soldiers of Brimaz found the job to be nothing more than intimidation to discourage those from doing anything malicious. Pressed up against the wall, Gale glanced down the street. He huffed. With an armored hand against the younger's chest, Caellum noticed that the armor has changed; it was clawed. "Gale?..." By pressing harder against his chest, it was all he needed to be told to stay where he was; silent and out of sight. Without so much of a word, the mentor disappeared around the corner and moments later the loud clang of metal against stone. Peering around the corner, Caellum caught the glimpse of the legs of the guards disappear into the nearby alley.
"Jeez!..." He gasped as he darted his gaze up and down the street, seeing very few people along it. Chancing it, he darted to where the guards once were. There he found his mentor over the two guards' body, propped up against the wall as if they were too drunk to stand anymore. "Are we beating up guards now? Please tell me this is not what you trained me for, because I am not exactl-"
Suddenly, Gale grabbed the boy and pressed him up against the wall just as before, shushing him as he peered around the corner again. He made a nodding gesture as if affirming something with himself, he turned back to his partner. Muttering 'this way' as he disappeared further into the alley. The pair moved through the city, guided by the mentor as if he had a map before him. They moved with precision with direction and knowledge of the location of stationed guards, avoiding those who moved around, or dealt with them otherwise. The further they moved from the safety of the inner communities of the district, the more concerned Caellum grew. How did he know where he was going? He, too, have been here for the last fifteen years, and these alleys were still confusing and winding. But Gale moved like this was planned. And sure enough, they found themselves at the main street that cross-sectioned the district from one gate to another. The main gate of the city was heavily guarded with many on each side and upon the wall, where he imagined the mechanism to open it. Typical.
"This is how it is going to go. I will take care of the guards, you will wait at the gate. Can you follow that?" Gale questioned, head forward around the corner. Caellum could tell he was already working on a plan, and contingencies. He was always calculating something, even sparing with him all those years he found that if he was given enough time, a chance of landing a hit was gone.
"Stay put, move when clear. Sounds simple. Do you want me to do a little dance for you while I wait?" A swift press of a armored claw against his chest silenced him. Perhaps not the best of times to make jest. Ducking himself down, Gale did the same, crouching low, his hands lightly pressed against the ground. In a blink of the eye, it was like his mentor disappeared. Startled, he looked around the corner to watch his mentor move.
Running at a low couch, he was incredibly fast. With arms out, he jumped between a pair of guards, thrusting his arms out, slashing at their chests, bounding off to another pair that were greeted with a swift kick and a fist. The guards raised alarm and they were upon the cloaked man within moments, but it proved to be of little matter as they fell to his skills. Caellum rushed to be at the gate as instructed but could not help but watch as Gale move up the walk ways to the top of the wall. He moved with calculated maneuvers, pushing and shoving, opting to not harm but remove the guards out of the equation in his head. Soon enough he disappeared out of sight, leaving the boy standing around a bunch of groaning, writhing bodies.
"This is awkward..."
The loud clanks of gears and chains boomed through the district as the main gate creaked itself opened. Caellum slipped underneath and onto the other side before the gate came crashing down again. "GALE!" He shouted, his fists hammering up against the iron wall. "GALE!"
"You needn't do that, little one." A voice came from behind him. There, Gale stood, hidden beneath his cloak as if nothing was wrong. Caellum looked to the gate, the wall, and to him. He stood there with no signs of a struggle as if what had occurred was nothing at all. "Come, we move now before the night's over." Turning as if what they had just done was not against the law or any sort of possible danger to their lives, Caellum watched as his mentor took steps away from the one place he has always called home. He opened his mouth to speak, turning to look up at parapet for any sort of signs of movement. He was certain that Gale was up there, but how did he manage to end up on this side of the wall?
"Caellum!" The boy turns from the city, a journey from home into the untamed lands of the Dark Realm.
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A pair stood before the tree line of the mist covered forest. The air smelled fresh, clean even, and yet the air yelled death. It was difficult to make out the trees themselves with such a thick blanket, but they were certain of where they were. It was the Dread Forest, a localized place that was surrounded by a range of mountains on each of its sides, only opened briefly to allow a river that fed through it. Some day that once inside, people get lost without am experienced guide. But those were to come by when they've become lost themselves. Caellum edged forward, reaching out with his hand into the mist that seemed to extend the closer he approached.
"It's cold." He mutters as he retracts his hand, watching the soft filigree of ice disappear from his gloves. Mist had settled in Brimaz before but it was but water in the air and it cleared up not too long after, it was hardly as cold as this. This must have been something produced by a demon. Turning, he noticed that Gale had not moved from his spot, his good to the tops of the trees. "Gale?" His name seemed to snap him out of some sort of trance. "Are you coming? You said that the person we were to meet was here, right?"
Gale shook his head. "Something is not right." Caellum watched as he moved around from his spot, but never approaching closer to the tree line like he, himself, did. Was it guarded? Protected? Caellum suspicions only grew. "I cannot enter here, Caellum. It is not safe for me to do so. Come. Come here." The younger approached cautiously, looking over his shoulder to watch the mist recede into the forest. The mentor reached into his cloak and fished out what appeared to be an orb of some sort. "Take this."
"What is it? You did teach me not to take just anything from anyone," he chuckled as he held it with curiosity. It was a small, solid thing, no bigger than an apple, and weighed just about the same.
"Keep it on you, use it only when you feel like you are surrounded. It will keep you safe, I promise you that." The older man took a heavy breath as he looked past the younger's shoulders. Something felt off, wrong even. But knowing that, he could not leave his meeting unmet. "Now listen to me, Caellum, and listen well. You must go into the forest. You will find someone in there, you will know who. Stick with them, do not leave them." He ordered, a firm hand on the boy's shoulder. Something about the pressure wasn't one that made the boy feel pressured into some sort command, it was gentle, assuring as if it more of a request. Caellum nodded. "You find him, and then you two will find me."
"That's all good and all, but I hope you didn't forget that this is my first time outside of Brimaz," he countered, crossing his arms over this skinny chest as if to intimidate the man before him. The only knowledge he had of the darker beings of the world were from word of mouth from the streets or the brief lessons from Gale.
"You are resourceful. Or you die."
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PhiferWolf Captain
Loyal Werewolf
Offline
PhiferWolf Captain
Loyal Werewolf
Offline
Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2014 1:51 pm
Thin, sickly trunks reached up to the unseen sky, their limbs disappearing into the dense mist. The forest looked like Death's stalking grounds, it felt like it too. The mist was thick, blurring visibility to just a mere foot in any direction, even the ground rolled in the cloud, creeping up to the ankle. The forest was a labyrinth without walls, but dangers lurk here.
Upon entering, Caellum was certain that it was night, but there was no way for the moon's light to reach him. Keeping his hands out in front of him, he waved them back in forth in a futile attempt to fan away the mist. It was successful to feel around for anything he could bump into. Dragging his feet along the forest floor was helpful, especially he had tripped moments before over roots that his under the white covers. He stumbled on for what seemed like hours and, all the while, cursing out a string of profanity. Though, in his mind, he went through possibilities and memories; how could this turn out, who this person he was suppose to meet, the offensive maneuvers, the defensive ones, and why the only person he had left had left him in the Dread Forest. Gale seemed like he had a plan in his head, even when it appeared that things were not going his way, he adapted and made his plans work. Perhaps this was one of those times.
Suddenly, the palm of his hands touched against the cold, rough bark of a tree trough the thick mist. However, something was different about this one as oppose to those he had past before. This was larger, thicker, an yet it appeared brighter than the rest; it's harsh grey to their decaying black. The bark was rough, cracked unlike the others whose smooth surface felt like clean picked bones.
"What are you doing here?" A voice called out from the mist. It was a man's voice, deep and rough, and angry. Threatening. Caellum raised his head, whipping it around to peer into the surrounding white. There was no shadow, no figure, no movement. The source of the voice was lost here. "You do not belong here."
"I'm looking for someone!" Caellum shouted back, trying to clear the mist from him, but it seemed to swirl back with claw-like wisps. "I was told I would meet him here!"
"There is no one here but me. Now leave." His voice seemed like it was moving from his left to his right, but there was no sound made of footsteps. "No one should be here. You are not welcomed!"
The boy flinched at the last words of the voice, it was sharp and had the intent of harm. It wasn't a yell, it sounded more like a growl. Still, he stood his ground. "I cannot leave until I have met this person. I am to travel with him and find my friend again. If it's you, then I have to take you with me."
"You will not take me anywhere." The voice was growing louder, angrier. Closer.
"I was told to take you from here!" He replied, swinging his arm around in hopes to dissipate some of the mist, in hopes of seeing this man. "Gale was to meet you, but I am here in his stead."
"I know no Gale. I don't know anyone anymore." The stranger from the mist snarled, his voice sounded as if he were beside him. Caellum twisted and turned, his brown eyes trying to peer through the cloud for movements, sounds, a shadow, but nothing seemed to stand out. A low rumbling growl hummed through the silence from all around. Backing up to the tree, he felt his back flesh against it as the growl became louder. He was without sight. His hearing was distorted. His body was panicked. Reaching into his cloak, the boy held out a spherical object, given to him by his mentor. The object hummed to life within his fingertips. Intricate lines traced along the surface, spreading outward from his touch. Sudden a flurry of wind lashed free from the sphere, a whirlwind of air whipped the area and, just as sudden, it was gone. The mist that once clung to the surrounding was cleared, writhing far into the treelike beyond the boy's view. His body pressed up against the large, gray tree, eyes wide trained on the fading sphere in his hand. Looking up, he noticed a man, stoically standing just a bit aways by the tree line, hands in his pockets. His thick brows furrowed, dirty emerald eyes trained on the trespasser. His large frame covered in what looked like some leather jacket. Was this the man he was suppose to find?
"I-I didn't mean to-" Caellum stammered.
"You cleared the mist." The stranger spoke. His arms crossing across his thick chest. Caellum looked to there sphere, nodding in response. The man remained silent, his eyes focused with a hint of intent. He was thinking. "Follow me." He commanded, turning and began disappearing into the mist. Scrambling, the boy stuffed the sphere back into his cloak, and followed after.
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The two walked through the mist, a single voice was discerned, that of the boy's. It was throwing questions left and right with no answers given. Sometimes, he'd reach out to touch the man's back to assure himself that he was still there only to have it shrugged off with a scold. Every series of questions were usually answered with a quick word with threatening intent. Which only silenced him for so long before starting again. The man moved with steady steps along the uneven terrain, their feet hidden from their sight beneath the soft blanket of white. Caellum was glad that the man knew where he was going and wasn't wandering around lost like he was. But it made me concerned that he was actually following this man in the first place. His mentor's words remained in the back of his mind: 'Stick with him'.
A wooden archway came into view, it's blackened surface poking through the mist. As the two of them passed under the stand, it seemed like the mist did not extend any further. The man moved with purpose through what looked like the remnants of a village; burned and broken. Caellum moved with more caution into a place he was certainly unsure of. The village looked like it was made mostly wood with some of the only standing structures being brick and mortar. Just beyond the houses that lined the only lane through town, he could see the wall of white that had engulfed them earlier. He considered if the town was warded from demons like Brimaz, however, there were signs of warding that he could see as he walked through the village. At the end of the lane was the largest standing structure that appeared as a building. At least it looked like it was in one piece from the outside. The boy watched as the bulk of the man he was following disappeared beyond the doors. He hesitantly followed.
The doors were still attached to their hinges, barely, but enough to close them. The large foyer sported two staircases that stretched up along both sides of the walls, hall way that seemed to extend further into the wings of the house. Movement beyond the doors that the stairs framed urged him further inside to investigate. The man stood in front of a stone table that extended to each end of the room, Caellum could only imagine it to be some sort of grand feast hall. Upon the table, were rations, food, cans, water, clothes, blankets, just about anyone would could imagine as necessities to survive. Initially, he figured this was something all that belonged in the house, a place that this man lived. But upon further observation, he noticed some of the clothes were women's, and it seemed that inspecting anything on the table received an inward growl from the man beside him.
"I-is this all yours?" Caellum inquired, placing down a can of corn. It was unusual, he had always imagined that those outside of Brimaz did not have such luxury of canned goods or access to clothing, let alone as many as these. However, if one considered that the village was in such a state, then all of what was here could have been gathered. Looted even.
"It is now. All that's left of the village." The man replied, leaning over the table, his eyes trained on the guest. "Mine now."
"So, you're the only one left or..." He left it opened, leaving it up to the man to decide what to make of the inquiry. But he didn't respond, he just huffed.
"Do not take anything unless you need it." The man spoke as he turned to the door. Caellum could not help but feel like he was just being kept around purely to be kept around. He made a motion to move toward the man before he spoke again. "It is late, you'll stay here." He moved toward the door as he glanced over his shoulder, golden eyes ringed with a deep green. Sharp and focused. "Do not come upstairs." Caellum slowly nodded as the man left. Alone, he was able to gather his thoughts as he picked up blankets and such from the table. He was in a run down village with a strange man in the Dread Forest with no idea if he should follow through with his instructions, and yet here he was setting up a sleeping area in this strange house. Ashe laid there, all he could smell was smoke, feel the cold loneliness that seemed to linger here. His mind seemed to unravel itself, allowing it to wander as he stared up at the stained ceiling that he imagined to have once been decorated to the best abilities of the people here. How long had the village been in such a state? How long has that man been here? Alone? His thoughts seemed to adventure through his thoughts until those thoughts led into sleep.
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The morning came silently, no chirps of birds or rustling of leaves or bustling of people in their routines. It was quiet, the soft and separate creeks of the house. The boy rolled in his nest f blankets, slowly letting himself wake from the warmth of the bundles of bedding. Peeking, he saw the ceiling just as it was before he fell asleep. Yawning inwardly, he forced himself up as he stretched. As he opened his eyes again, immediately, he picked out a figure with those eyes again, watching him silently. Startled, he threw the blankets up and his hand falling onto the hilt of his blade. The eyes furrowed but unmoving. When he realized who it was, he relaxed, but his hand still on his weapon.
"Jeez, do you just lurk around giving people heart attacks? Bet that's what happened to everyone else," he joked. The man didn't find it funny as he pushed from the table and left. Concerned, he followed.
The mist remained vigilant against the borders of the village, their wispy claws extended and reaching toward the village, recoiling into itself silently as it tried to press forward. There was no night sky, there was no sky, and resemblance of wind was a false motion by the mist itself. Caellum looked to the sky and and he could almost make out the sun as it tried its darnedest to pierce through, hints of blues filtered through where the mist didn't connect. The man stood watching him from the lane. As Caellum approached his arms crossed across his large chest. Without the mist he could see him more clear. He was tall, large chested with proportional limbs from what he could assume under his leather jacket and jeans. His hair was kept short and the some on his face appeared to be kept short as well. It was his strong jawline and eyes that stood out to him.
"You were able to clear the mist." He spoke, his voice just as deep. He'd say there was a slight rasp to it from sleep, but he appeared wide awake. "You are gonna help me find someone." It didn't sound like a request, it was more of a demand. "By clearing the mist, we will find him."
Throwing his arms up, "Hey now, I can clear mist, and I'm just finding this out now, sure. But I don't know your name and you're already ordering me around." Caellum responded, exasperated.
"Damien." He replied as if the information absolved any issues that were stated.
"Caellum. But, if you think-"
"You will help me, especially if you intend to see this 'quest' of yours through." Damien replied, pointing at him with indignation. He was right, this man was the only factor of Gale's request that he was responsible for. Without him, he couldn't go looking for Gale. He wouldn't. Caellum gave it a moment's thought before reluctantly agreeing. "Good, now follow me. Stick close."
The two passed under the archway and the mist was quick to welcome them again. Damien made sure that he was close enough for the boy to follow safely, closer than the other day. Every so often, he would stop and instruct Caellum to use the orb like before. Just as the other day, it glowed. It hummed, and it whirled to life with an outward burst of air that cleared the mist, sending it roiling back into itself away from them. Each time, the man took a moment to glance around, long, careful sweep into the mist, before moving on again. Caellum questioned him a few times, which resulted with no responses or non-communicative gestures, sometimes even asking for a moment to rest. Holding the orb during the release of air took a toll after a few attempts; extreme rush of wind nearly pushing him back as well. Though, he learned that the orb had some uses and it had a finite number of times being used and that the air the it produced could be stopped short if his fingers left the surface. They stood in a clearing after the last use of the orb, the mist seemed to be reluctant to cover up the areas they had passed through earlier. Looking back the way they had came, the trees limbs that were once hidden seem to reach toward one another creating a sort of tunnel through the thick mist. Caellum found the Dread Forest a but less scary with a sight, thought of it more of he forest guiding him back. Damien didn't. He showed signs of being agitated, the boy never questioned why the man kept pressing onward, glaring into he mist. He said he was seeking someone but no one was around. Gale was certain that there would only be a single person here and Caellum had came to accept that Damien was that person. He just wasn't sure if he would inform the native, just yet.
"So... Should we head back? I don't think this is gonna keep working if we keep trying to use it." Caellum brought up the orb, showing that it no longer glowed within his palm. Not to mention, he had grown tired and hungry after trekking through the forest and using the magical orb.
Damien scoffed as he disappeared into the mist. Caellum started to follow, but ended up opting to stay where he was with a frown. The man seemed to go off on his own and do whatever he wanted, he was just along for the ride. Soon enough, he would return with a grumpy expression. Turning to the boy, "Fine, we'll head back." And of he went, taking the lead.
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"So, this mist." Caellum started, his mouth full of corn as he sat up at the long feast table. They had not spoke since their venture into the forest. The night was here, the air was colder and the little that the mist let through was enough to tell them that it was dark. Damien had wandered out into the village, setting up small lamps on certain posts, enough to illuminate the lane and the archway. Caellum had noticed the time it took him to do it, always seeming to peer out into he mist. "It's not exactly natural, huh?"
He scoffed from where he sat, spoon dropped back into an empty can. "A demon created it." That much, the boy gathered. No mist he had ever experienced in Brimaz moved like this, was never as perpetually thick either. This mist was placed and remained but that was all he had gathered. The demon who placed it must still be around if it is as well. At the very least, still alive.
"I've noticed you've been watching it whenever you're outside." He probed again, trying to get information out of him. It seemed like he responded to questions invoking the mist or the history here. But when it came to himself, it was brushed off. This time, he doesn't answer. "Why don't you close the doors at night?" Caellum changed the subject. Again, he doesn't answer, his attention to beyond those front doors, trough the village, and into the mist. "Gale said to find someone in the Dread Forest before he left. He said that I was stay with them and then find him again. You were the one I found, so I am gonna stuck with you," Damien made a clicking sound with his tongue. Clearly, he didn't like this idea. "But you said that there was someone else out there. Perhaps he is the one I am suppose to be helping."
Just as he had finished the sentence, the man had cleared the distance between him, the front of the boy's shirt balled up into a fist, lifted off his feet, face to face with the man and a finger pointing into the boy's. "If you are gonna help that monster than I should just end you right here." He growled, words sharp as knives. Caellum swallowed. "I will go wherever you want after I find that thing."
"P-promise?" He squeaked. The man's thick brows knitted together before dropping him down into his chair. That could be misconstrued as a 'yes'.
"So what is this 'monster'?" Caellum asked sheepishly as he curled himself in a blanket, abandoning the can of corn on the table for warmth, and, secretly, comfort. "Is it the one who made the mist?"
"You could say that," he started, his arms crossing his chest, eyes out the door with furrowed brows. "It's a demon, a powerful one, that's been lingering here for the last fifteen years. It's blue eyes appear from time to time. I would chase it into the forest, we'd fight..." His voice seemed to catch there, dropping off into a sort of mumble. "I'd lead it back here but... It never crosses the archway. It stays in the mist."
"So you've never seen it." He shakes his head. "Are you sure it created this mist? I mean why stick around for fifteen years?"
"To finish what it had started." A silence took the room, Damien turning to look at the boy after realizing that the back and forth of questions had stopped. It was because the boy was watching him, waiting for him to expand on the previous comment. Inquisitive. "The mist came the night the fire took the village. It was also here. Since then, he's been lingering around the outskirts of town, but he never came in it."
"Is the town warded?" Caellum's enthusiasm seemed to catch the man unprepared as he shook his head. "Oh... That would have made sense. Perhaps it just doesn't want to how itself by coming into the village."
"That was what I banked on when I looted the village."
"Ah! So that's how you got everything! And since you said fifteen years ago, guess that means the clothes you are wearing were some dead guy's clothes. And do you sometimes dress up in the women's clothes, too?" A grin slipped across his face when the man sighed, shaking his head clearly exasperated by his guest.
"I use them for tourniquet." The man pulled his leather jacket from his shoulder, lifting his arm to reveal a blood soaked dressing from a strip of white with some sort of subtle floral design.
Suddenly, a snap from outside jerked their attention to he door. Damien moved quickly and was already bounding down the lane with Caellum shortly after. The man stopped short, his hands balled into his fists and his posture pulled him down into a wide, braced stance. Muscled compressed, ready to lunge. His head swiveled to find the source of the sound. Caellum joined his side shortly with his blade drawn and doing the same, mirroring his search.
Silence.
"Show yourself!" The man shouted, more like snarled. A gleam from his peripheral caught his attention. However, the eyes here were not the blue that he had described before, there were four. As the stranger moved, soft metallic clinks broke the silence of the village. It stepped out from the mist behind a nearby building, an armored mask covering its face. Armor seemed to cover this being from head to toe, a traveler's cloak grasp around its shoulders.
"You were not expecting us." It's voice was hollow an distant, as if echoing inside the armor but it was rough. "I would not expect you too, either. You must have been expecting the one that made this mist. Well, we take pleasure to inform you that he is no longer here."
"What!?" Damien snarled.
"Oh yes, he fled as soon as he realized We were in his forest. Poor thing, always hiding from us." The man seemed to laugh. Even that was haunting.
Caellum edged backward. "Why does he keep saying 'we' and 'us'?" He whispered under his breath to himself. Damien moved, glancing over his shoulder with a questioned look. The boy just returned it back.
"No matter, We found what we were looking for." The stranger spoke. It reached under his cloak and grasp something. A click sound was made and his arm shot up with an object and a flash of light projected at the pair. Damien pushed the boy aside, using the momentum to move him out of the way, the pair falling to the ground. The light crashed into some rubble with a bang. In the stranger's hand was a long weapon with a circular barrel at the end and a handle at a strange obtuse angle. It wasn't a weapon Caellum had seen in Brimaz but there was only one weapon that he knew of that did anything to project like this one and that was a bow and arrow. When it dawned on him what it could be he leapt to his feet with blade drawn.
"That's a forbidden weapon! Even the Great King forbids the use of a triggered weapon!" He announced, taking his blade into a defense stance. "Those who use them are-"
"Condemned to death." It finished as he held the weapon up. It seemed to look at it with admiration, clawed gauntlets caressing its frame. "It is indeed a trigger weapon. It is indeed forbidden. But you see, We are here on orders by the Great King to kill the pair of you. We are the ones who carry out those convictions." He clarified, his finger pointing at them as the weapon came down and shot again. The pair dashed off to evade as the projectile exploded against another building.
Caellum cursed under his breath from where he hid, turning to see that Damien was also pressed up against a building, peering around the corner at the stranger. His thoughts thrown into a whirlwind of questions over the statement. Why were they being sought after? His heart raced as his eyes began to display panic.
"Caellum, calm down!" The man's voice called out from across the lane. Caellum looked at him with the same panic but how did he know what he was feeling? The assailant shot at the wall where Damien was hiding causing him to recoil.
"We can't get close to it like this," he mumbled out loud to himself as he sheathed his blade. "It has a distinct advantage over us and it is purposely trying to kill us. If we go out there, we'll die... If we stay here, it'll come get us." He continued to hash out his thoughts to himself, looking over to see Damien leaning up against the other building, watching him. "But Damien knows the forest! He could get through that without a problem! And, if i get into trouble, I still got my orb." Caellum frantically searched his cloak for he orb, holding it out, it began to him as the intricate glow swept over the surface. He quickly out it away before it activated. Excited with a possible plan, the boy turned to Damien only I find out he was already gone. He swore under his breath, apparently loud enough for the stranger to direct his aim toward his building. Cursing the man, he turned and ran past the buildings and into the mist, allowing it to take him, hide him.
------
The boy moved the woods, slowly , but at a pace he felt comfortable enough that he could put some distance between him and that gun wielding assailant. He kept the orb within reach and an arm at the read on his blade. The mist was as thick as ever and he only assumed that it was some time during the day based on the slight warmth from over head. He didn't like the idea that Damien wasn't with him but it was the man's fault for disappearing before they could discuss anything. His foot caught on something as he tumbled forward. Quickly he got to his feet, fearing that the sound could have tipped off his hunter. Quickly, he moved ahead when a something grabbed his cloak, pulling him back. Instinctively, he drew his blade and brought it down over head before his wrist was caught by a strong grip. Golden-green eyes glared at him from the mist.
"Damien?!" He exclaimed in disbelief. Struggling to get his wrists free from the grip. The man's face emerged from the whiteness with a scowl ok his face. Caellum was starting to think this person had one setting and it was grumpy with a heavy dose of emotional constipation. The grip slacking, Damien brushed past him, leading him on. "Hey, you could have said something effort disappeared."
"I did what you thought. You wanted us to use the mist to escape that guy. And I did just that." He paused and took a few glances around. He was taking in his surroundings, gathering his bearings before pressing on again. "I can get through this place. You? You'd be lost for days and probably die like an idiot."
"Thanks, I appreciate that you abandoned me only to come back to insult me." How did he know he had wanted to use the mist as a cover? He was on the other side of the lane, there wasn't a way for him to have heard his muttering a at that distance. He narrowed his gaze on the middle of the man's back, contemplating and reasoning with himself of the possibilities as they moved between the trees. Suddenly, Damien turned, grabbed him, and pushed him down into the roots of a nearby tree, covering him with his body. He shushed the younger individual as his eyes remained over his shoulder. Did he hear something? Caellum moved to protest but a firm hand against his chest kept him still. At this distance, he was able to smell the only other thing in the Dread Forest other than the burnt wood of the village. Damien. The scent was odd, very much what he would expect from someone who lived in the woods; bark, dirt, shrubs, and some sort of musk. Very earthy. It was weird, the forest didn't give off any sort of scent, nor any sort of sounds other their own movements.
"He's nearby." Damien spoke, his eyes into the mist, his body hovering inches from Caellum's, pressed into the dip of a tree's roots.
The boy thought he was being covered, protected by the stranger. It was relieving to know that he had a partner in this fight. He opened his mouth to hash out a plan before Damien disappeared into the mist again, leaving him alone there against the tree. His heart raced with paranoia, uncertain. The sound of metal clicking together as their assailant approached closer, just as the man said. Clutching his blade close, he angled it for an upright swing in hopes of catching the gunner off guard as he came by. Two sets of yellow spheres bobbed and moved through the mist. The gunner, Caellum thought. It turned toward him, the metal getting louder as it got closer. An audible click came in the general direction as the gunner raised his weapon at the slight visible outline when a roar came from behind. Heavy footsteps followed by a thick arm around its neck, Damien took to delivering blows to the stalker's side with his free arm, growling as he drove each one into a rib. The armored killer doing himself free, swinging an arm out to get its attacker but he had alread escaped into the mist, his gun drawn. Another set of steps came from behind him, different than edits. As he turned, a flash of silver came across his chest, knocking the gun from his hands. Caellum brought his blade back down only to have it blocked by both hands by this killer. Knowing that he had an advantage, he knew that this was going to take time. Caellum pushed back and took to the covers of mist like Damien. The armored assailant hissed as it fumbled around for it weapon, keep its head up to watch for its prey. As it's hand rested on the weapon, a swift knee to the chin by Damien sent the thing dealing back and sputtering sounds as it held the spot. Damien gave a threatening growl before turning to disappear into the mist.
"Cowards!" It roared. It rolled in the direction of its weapon, parrying an attack by Caellum from the flank, and picking up the gun. Quickly, it aimed at where the boy once was but he was already gone. The armored being jerked around before running into the mist as well. When everything was white, it was easy to get lost. When an arm snaked around it neck a second time, it clawed at it with his free hand as his gun shot randomly into the mist. The two struggled back and forth; Damien growling as he did his best to keep the being's neck tight and back while the other shot and clawed at him. A humming noise rose from underneath the noise and a burst of wind cleared the air, Caellum greeted their gaze with equal bewilderment. Damien looked to the orb, clearly on the ground as the boy's hands were on it to pick it up. Before he knew what hit him, the gunner twisted out from his grasp, swiping across his chest and a point blank shot from his weapon. The projectile pushed him through the air, landing a bit a ways into the mist. It let out a haunted laugh as clawed hands came to chest. "Thank you! Thank you, fool! This damned mist was getting frustrating, and you two running around, was getting on our nerves!"
Caellum looked up in fright as the man stood over him, the devastating, forbidden weapon over his shoulder. If it weren't for the mask, he swore that this thing was smiling at him. The mist had baffled him, tripped him. He could hear the thudding of the sphere that Gale had given to hun clatter along the Forest floor. He did not know why his first thought was to find it, but when his fingers touched it, it hummed to life without a period of getting started. The wind flared and pushed the mist away, revealing the three of them. Damien was hurt and thrown off, out of sight and it was just him.
"How?" He muttered, his breath screamed fear as he spoke under the gaze of the four eyes of this gunner. "How could anyone allow someone to use a forbidden weapon?"
It laughed. "Do you know why triggered weapons are forbidden?" It questioned, squatting down to Caellum's level. It brandished its weapon. The weapon looked clean, polished, and well kept. It was crafted with a metal unknown to him and the design itself was sleek. On its surface it had a haunting visage that was seen from the side, the long barrel protruding from what appeared to be the maw of a demon. Just between the handle and the weapon itself was a semi-circular projection in which its finger curled around - the trigger. "It is because it was made to kill. The chance of surviving a blow from a trigger weapon are considered to be extremely low and the fact that it is a ranged weapon. People would consider it unfair, but We do not. We fight to kill, it is within our nature. Demons kill one another for power, for numbers, for territory. You could say claws are dangerous, just as are fangs and whatever else, but it would not matter when they are dead as soon as they stand before a weapon like this. That is why they are forbidden. That is why it is perfect for carrying out the Great King's will."
"The Great King sent you here to kill two humans?" He urged out, his brows furrowed as he edged to his knees, the gunner swiftly turning the weapon directly onto him. "Two humans who don't have anything left in this world. Why do we deserved to be killed?"
"Because you are here." It replied plainly. It spoke as a matter of fact. Caellum glared at it. "We were suppose to find a certain Daemon who was... Misbehaving, and instead, We found you two. Normally, We would let you go seeing as you two have haven't done anything, but you two have been touched by him."
"What are you talking about!?" Caellum exclaimed, getting to his feet, the gunner's weapon pressed up against his chin.
"Uh ah." It warned.
"There is no one here but the two of us. You said so yourself, the demon that created this mist is gone. It isn't here anymore!" Caellum expanded, his eyes unfocused, shifting, avoiding the armored gaze of this being before him.
"You've been in the presence of a Daemon." It spoke after moment, its tone low and serious. It sounded angry even. Lowering its weapon, an armored claw grasped around the boy's neck, lifting him effortlessly. "Anyone who comes into contact with a Daemon should not live."
Suddenly, a hard thud and a gasp escaped from the assailant, its eyes wide as the grasp on the boy loosened. Turning, its gaze met a very angry Damien, his hand wedged into its armor. The man's eyes were different, they were no longer that golden-green, but a shimmering gold. As the gunner struggled and flexed around the penetrating wound in its back, he growled, revealing pronounced canines. The gunner felt it, a different level of strength that the man did not display before. The ferocity. "Shut up." Damien growled, jerking his hand up into the wound, causing his victim to sputter. Twisting, he threw the assailant aside, eyes trained on where it had fallen.
The armored being struggled onto all fours, his back arched in pain. "So that is how it is..." It muttered. "I was prepared for two humans.... But you? You are no human." Its armored rattled with anger as it got onto its feet. "No matter how much you look human, you are still a demon!" It whipped its arm up with weapon ready, firing at the pair of them with reckless abandon. Damien dodged effortlessly, moving low across the ground, bounding directly for the opponent. His hands have become clawed, slashing and swiping into the armor of the gun-wielder. He moved with fierce precision and fluidity, alternating between outstretched legs and swiping claws.
Caellum watched from behind, struck with confusion, surprise, and awe. Just moments ago, they struggled against this thing and now Damien had it on defense, desperately trying to defend itself. The sounds of snarls and growls sent shivers down the boy's spine. Even in the midst of his emotions, they instilled a sense of fear. The realization dawned on him, that Damien was still incredibly hurt. He had taken a point blank shot from the weapon and yet he moved as if it had not happened. Was he pushing through the pain? A painful sound, a mix between a snarl and a yelp, shook him from his thoughts, catching Damien bounding away onto his feet. The armored being's protective coating was falling away; mangled and broken. It held onto its chest, weapon prompt to fire again, breathing heavy behind the barrel. Damien growled, hunched over to go at it again. The boy knew if he had, he would get injured, and Caellum wasn't sure if he could take another shot. Hesitantly, he raised his blade in a meek attempt to threaten the opponent.
"I wasn't prepared..." The being spoke with staggered breath. Lowering its weapon, he clasped onto his chest. "To think, a demon like you had bested me..."
"You're saying 'I' stead of 'We' now?" Caellum questioned over Damien's loud growls. "Are there more of you?"
It laughed. "Wouldn't you like to know?" The taunt was enough to have Damien charge again. Just as the large demon-man approached, the armored creature's form began to dissipate into black smoke, disappearing before their eyes with a rattling laugh. Damien growled at where the thing once stood, exhaling with a damped scoff.
He had gotten away.
-------
The pair moved silently through the forest, neither exchanged words since the disappearance of their assailant. Every so often, Caellum would clear the mist, but The man pressed on ahead. As he stared at the man's back, his mind filled with thoughts. Since they hadn't spoken, his mind came to talk among itself. Damien was a demon; evident by his eyes, fangs, claws, strength, and confirmed by their hunter. They weren't originally being hunted by the hunter until it had realized that they were, at one time, been in the presence of a Daemon. That was what stuck out amongst his thoughts. The only individuals he had been around for a decent period of time were enough to be counted on one hand. But Damien? From what he was been able to piece together, he had been alone for most of his life.
"The mist isn't clearing." Damien spoke, his voice was rough, coughing to relieve the irritation. He did not turn, but his pace noticeably slowed. The recent new discover clearly on his mind.
"A powerful demon casted it. Because it isn't here doesn't necessarily means that whatever it did goes away too. Could think of it like a curse, a last attempt to make people suffer some more. Well, in this case, that'd be you, but seems like a bit much if the Daemon used it on the entire Dread Forest." The boy rambled. The man stopped, looking over his shoulder, his golden-green eyes staring back at him with a raised brow. With the short time they have been together, Caellum had already associated that look as either 'explain what you are talking about' or, the default, 'shut up'. "Well, Daemons are the most powerful of demons and I couldn't think of any logical reason for a one to haunt here. Especially for just one person. But if any other demon did it, the mist would have dissipated a long time ago." Damien huffed before moving on again. "Was there anyone else here...?"
"No."
"So just you." He clarified, no verbal response. He pieced it together quickly after that; Damien was haunted by a Daemon. It was the 'someone' Damien had demanded his help for. Now, the boy wondered what the next step would be now that the man knew his target wasn't here anymore.
The mist path leading to the village remained cleared from the time before, still, their guard remained high. The idea of the their hunter referring to itself as a plural set them on edge, the possibility of others bearing nearby. They moved cautiously through the deserted village, their only protections from line of sight being the remains of the buildings. They retreated into the main house quickly, shutting the doors to the dining room, pressing up chairs against them in a sort of false belief that it'd help. Their chests panting, resting against the cluttered table, staring at what they had just done. Caellum smirked, cracking a muffled laugh. Damien huffed, shaking his head as he turned to hunch over the table. They had trapped themselves in the room with everything they had, but an alternative way out.
"Well, now that we've done that, should we get cracking on eating everything in here?" Caellum piped as he held a package of crackers.
Damien slammed a hand onto the table, glaring at him. For a split moment, he could have guessed the gold flakes in his eyes radiated outward - those demon eyes. "No! Use only what you need and nothing else!" Caellum's flinch was noticed as he turned his gaze away.
"H-hey, I get it. You've been alone all this time, so you've been managing." He said, placing the crackers down and casually making his way around the room. Damien wasn't looking at him, his head hanging. Something was triggering in his mind now that he was alone with the man, able to think about what had been going on more clearly. This time, it is about Damien. He was a demon, his change of eyes and aggressive behavior, beyond the usual, could be evident of that. Raised in Brimaz, he still didn't know how he would feel being left alone in a room with one. But how hard could it be after being tracked by a crazed hunter?
"Stop floating." He let out.
"What?" The boy replied, stopping on the other side of the table.
"You moving around. It's distracting."
"Distracting would mean I was taking your attention away from something. You're kinda just standing there." Caellum retorted as he began moving again. Damien lifted his head, eyes hard on him with a scowl as he moved back around the table again. "Looks like you wanna kill me."
"Contemplating it."
Caellum chuckled. Damien cocked a brow. "You could have many times now, just saying if you wanted to, you could have."
He have an exasperated groan as he walked away, running his hands through his hair. He was clearly annoyed by the boy and he had little patience. It was not something he had growing up, raising himself and surviving from what he could find. And now he was in a predicament. A boy came to find him, the demon he was hunting turns out to be a Daemon, and now they have some psychotic, gun-wielding hunting the two of them. But, he had his own goals he wanted to achieve and it was something that never changed. "I'm leaving the Dread Forest." Damien said at last, catching Caellum eating crackers from earlier. "I'm going to find that demon and kill it. And it isn't here, so someone has to know where it is." The man began filling a bag with the contents of the table haphazardly. He wasn't entirely concerned about what got in there or how heavy it would be by the end of it.
Caellum hopped from where he was, reaching to grab the man's arm, who responded by shifting stares from the contact and to the boy. Taking the hint, he removed his grasp. "H-hey, listen. I get you want to find this guy, but if you're not gonna pack correctly, then let me do it." The man was hesitant, looking down at the bag that had survival tools but very little food or water or much of anything else. He huffed, stepping away allowing Caellum to move in to pack. The man glowered as he moved about the room apparently in his thoughts. He wasn't entirely sure why this man was so adamant on going after a demon, let alone kill it. But he pieced the puzzle together easily enough and made assumptions based on that information. He was good at that. As Caellum placed the last of what he thought he'd need, he turned to see that the man was pressing his head against the wall. "I might have an idea of might know where he is." The man motioned to speak. "But we'd have to get to Brimaz first."
"Then I'm going to Brimaz."
"Do you know that is, or who you will be looking for, big guy? I mean, I could admire your determination if it weren't for you strange bloodlust for this guy and impulsive behavior of getting yourself into things, how about we take a step back and think about this." Caellum spoke as stared at him, watching as he return with a glare. It had been a day or so and it was already wearing on him. "Well, Gale and I are from there. He said to come friend him when I got you. So he can help us with finding this demon of yours."
"He is going to help us." Damien asked incredulously. It would have sounded more like a question if he wasn't skeptical. It would seem that was using Caellum rather than working with him. Shrugging the pack over his shoulder, he reached for the door only to stop. "We don't have a lot of time to waste here. We leave now or wait... A few days."
Caellum doesn't hesitate, opting for the former, brushing past the large man and through the doors with blade drawn. If whoever was around was going to stop them, they'd have to make them.
The pair had no resistance leaving the Dread Forest and onto the wilds of Dark Realm.
Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2014 3:10 pm
PhiferWolf
"I do not want you anywhere near us, Godric." Damien snarled, a clawed digit pointing at the small, feline creature at the end of the aisle. The large wolf backpedaled, his shocking blue eyes trained on the Epitaph as he made his way to Caellum who had settled himself within the comforts in the middle of the Arkive. Godric hadn't moved from where the demon had threatened, until he was beside the boy, Damien finally took his eyes off of him. "I do not like him." he verified as he settled into the cushioned concave that sat in the middle of the library where Caellum had sat with towers of books.
"Like him or not, he is kind of the only person who can help us out here." He spoke, not bothering to raise his attention from the book. Title reading: Primordial Demons of Dark Realms. "Since we are here, we should be well informed on what exactly you are and everything it entails, y'know?"
The large, black wolf-demon huffed as he settled into a similar sitting position. This was the third time his emotions had propelled him through the seal that forced his human appearance. The fact his legs were digitigrade now made sitting normally uncomfortable, taking the time to adjust into different posture. A chortle across from him was answered with growl before flopping onto his belly. Oddly, it was much more comfortable. Caellum snickered again which was responded with a swift kick to his outstretched leg and snatching the book from his hands. Furrowing his brows and a flare of his nose, the boy knew that he shouldn't press him any further.
Onto the book, Damien read aloud, "Hël'würgen are considered a primordial demon due to their access to a wide range of abilities. The species was considered a strange mutation to the uncommon, and elusive, species known as Hellhounds, however, upon further research they are a not. The two species share many similarities as far as bone structure and familial hierarchy where there is a single leader, often a male, known as an 'Alpha'. I have come to the conclusion that the Hël'würgen is not a mutation of the Hellhound nor are they unrelated. I believe that the Hellhounds are of the same phylogeny. Based on observation studies, individuals of a pack of Hellhounds share the same ability, which varies from pack to pack. Upon further study, it would appear that a pack of Hellhounds can affiliate themselves to a Hël'würgen who they see as their ultimate leader and protector. Due to unable to reaching such an elusive species, I can only make theoretical assumptions based on what I have learned from cooperative Hellhounds." Damien raises a brow and attention to Caellum who was now holding a new book, but he returned the questioning look.
"'I'?" he murmured. "So then that means someone wrote about the Hël'würgen and studied them. But it sounds like he doesn't know all that much."
"If the Hël'würgen are anything like the Hellhounds, I only assume that their shared aspects are simply amplified to a different level." The demon continued. "Upon the full moons, the Hellhounds become more powerful. How the Alpha had explained it; their emotions reach a new level, making them susceptible to them. She said that they were "vulnerable, and thus stick close to one another", I have come to believe that they protect one another during these times. Is anger their strongest emotion that makes them so powerful?" Damien turned the page with a clawed digit as he huffed. Though he found the information informative, but he annoyed that whoever wrote it wasn't exactly good at getting all of the details. Upon the next page, he raised a brow at a scribble on the top of the page. Godric said he had consolidated and re-wrote all of the books in the Arkive, but this page, in particular, was unlike the others. It appeared to be more of a journal entry. Unsure of what he was looking at, he turned the pages back and forth a few times, even venturing further into the tome. Caellum gave him a questioning look from where he sat. "6th Full Moon. A new pack member has reached adulthood. In the light of the moon, the demon had became susceptible to its emotions and went on a rampage through the dens. Fight broke out among the the members in an attempt to stop it. The Alpha had to step in and put the demon down. That night, their howls haunted the night. I did not sleep."
Caellum crawled to Damien's side, placing a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. If what the book said was true and Hellhounds also went through these uncontrolled states during the lunar cycles. The Hël'würgen must go through something worse. The fact that his partner was still alive means that he wasn't harmed. If only he could recall those times. The boy noticed his companion's eyes soften and become distant as if lost within his mind, tightening his grasp on his shoulder seemed to do it. Those icy blue eyes jerked to their corners as he shrugged off the human's hand from his shoulder before training them back to the tome.
"H-hey, listen to this." Caellum called as he crawled to his side of the circle, plucking up a book. "Hellhounds are known for the heightened speed, strength, and intelligence. Some of the abilities that a pack can display range from; incredibly sense of smell and hearing and hyper regeneration. Each pack has their own unique ability that are not shared outside of their pack." he read aloud, offering the book outward for the demon to read. "It isn't something we didn't already know, but it is nice to confirm it again. Like we know Umbra has their shadow abilities as well as your hyper regeneration and Maero has their bones and the stronger senses. Does your book say anything about shared abilities?"
Turning to look, he read again. "Hël'würgen's vast array of abilities seem to stem from the pack in which they lead. Thus is considered a threat to many demons, and even Daemons, therefore are often sought after to be killed. It had been rumored that killing a Hël'würgen bestows the victor their abilities. So it is to say that Hël'würgen are either made or born, the latter being extremely rare due to the low population. The fact that the Hël'würgen gather packs of Hellhound may be to protect themselves from those who seek them out." The information sounded firm, it was why the three packs that the late Hël'würgen led was given specific trials in order to meet him safely. Trials that would be difficult for any sort of demon foolish enough to try and challenge the late Daemon. "There is nothing in here about 'Soothing'."
"It makes sense. He said that soothing someone is usually done as they die to prepare them so to avoid any sort of permanent effects of bleed-through."
"I was hoping to know what exactly we give in order to take." Damien sighed. Still he continued to scan through the pages.
"So basically, it is just information we kind of already knew. You have the collective abilities of the Hellhounds in your pack; Maero, Umbra, and Frost. You have their strength and speed. You also go on blood crazed rampages when the moon is out," if he was actually listening, Caellum could almost hear that utterly out of place noise that escaped Damien's maw. "You have the Hël'würgen's ability to manipulate blue fire and sooth. But you have so many different behaviors that aren't describe in that book nor this one, it's like you are a demon and yet you are still something else, too."
The Hël'würgen gave him a questioning look. "What sort of behaviors?" his voice dropping deeper, as if it could, incredulous.
"Well, you tend to snuffle in your sleep," he began, counting off his fingers. "You also throw your arm out in front of me whenever you stop, mind you, often knocking the wind out of me, you wag your tail-"
"I do not wag." Damien growled, raising to his haunches as the sound reverberated throughout his chest. It sounded like a thunder rolling down a mountain. Instantly, the hair on his scruff, ears, and tail shot up as his head jerked around. That rumbling grew into a crescendo. It was then that Caellum had noticed the soft footsteps that were approaching. It was Godric who peered around the corner of a nearby bookshelf. "What do you want?" the demon growled.
"I know you said to leave you two be, but could I recommend a few supplemental reads? Since you are a demon, you do have some of their qualities, and, um, you should look into Therianthropes." the little feline spoke sheepishly, huddling behind the safety of the shelf, his eyes trying to avoid the demon's who remained trained on him. Godric's ears fell flat as he moved himself out of sight and the soft pitter patter of steps fading into the distance.
Caellum watched as Damien gave a smug huff as he settled back down onto his belly. "He could have helped us go through all of these. He knows more about us than we do."
"I don't care." he deadpanned before sliding a book under his muzzle to begin leafing through. Sighing, Caellum did the same.
-----------------
Caellum sat with books opened, sprawled all around him that ranged from magics, demonology, Therianthropes that went from ursine to feline, and some books about weapons. The concave that they rested upon became filled the tomes of the Arkive and when he didn't find what was looking for, the boy went into the aisles to find the necessary tome. Even if the tome didn't have what he was looking for, it was left opened, abandoned on the way side. Falling back against the rest of the concave, he let out a sigh. He watched as Damien's ear twitched, swiveling toward his direction whenever he made a move. Even when he was looking at him directly, Caellum still felt like he was under a tight watch by the larger individual. Since the meeting with the Hël'würgen, it seemed like he was being kept under a close watch.
"So, I found something interesting about demons," Damien huffed in response as an acknowledgement. "
PhiferWolf Captain
Loyal Werewolf
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PhiferWolf Captain
Loyal Werewolf
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 3:40 pm
The fire crackled in the night air, the pair of travelers huddling around it as the night air cooled to freezing levels. During their travels, they learned quickly that they should have brought more supplies and have been better prepared, but made due with what they had. Haven just eaten, the two stayed close to the fire, cloaks and blankets their best form of keeping the heat inside. Caellum stared into the fire, mentally going over the details of their journey thus far so, when try do find Gale, he would know everything. He was glad he wasn't alone in his on this journey, but with Damien, it felt that way. He hardly spoke, often responding with non- communicative gestures such as glaring, scoffing, shrugging, huffing, and general silence. The more he did it, the less intimidating he was, at least to Caellum, but it conveyed enough. It was coming to a point that his facial expressions were getting their own name for whenever the man responds with specific expressions. The boy looked over at the man whose golden- green hazel eyes were staring up at the night sky. He did the same to get an idea of what he was looking at. The moon was near full again since he had left Brimaz. The travel from the forest to the city was long but with little incident. Damien shuffled, laying himself down for the night. The boy did the same, watching the fire die into embers.
The next day was different. Damien was grumpier, more closed off, distant even, keeping his pace further than Caellum's but just enough to be within a few bounds' reach. He questioned the behavior but got the cold shoulder-silent treatment. Their pace was picked considerably; while Caellum bounded over the terrain, Damien seemed to storm on with little care or resistance. They were attacked twice that day and the demons were dispatched with very little difficulty, yet the man moved as if not to bother with the obstacle whereas the boy felt sort of remorse for the incapacitated foes. As the day went on and the light waned, Caellum noticed changes in the man's behavior; irritable, impatient, to name a few, but the man denied these signs and urged them to move on. By nightfall, the pair had a fire going just under an embankment, preparing their blankets and supplies to safeguard for the night. If anything, they seemed to be prepared for most things that wandered the night.
"Stay here." Damien commanded out of the blue, garnering a confused expression from the boy. He expressed concern before the man raised to his feet, with his cloak. "Stay here. I'm going for a... walk."
"I'll come to, the fire'll be fine." Caellum spoke. The man glowered before repeating his command.
"Stay here. Stay... warm." His words seem to drift, the intent was hazy at best, but Caellum had no chance to question it as he turned and climbed the embankment back into the flatland above.
Caellum huddled close to the wall, cloak and blanket wrapped tightly around him, the supply pack between his legs, kept warm by the flickering flames. He would express his pride over the well built fire, but his concerns for Damien's strange behavior and abrupt departure overshadowed any lingering thoughts. This was the man's first time from the Dread Forest in a long time so this was a new experience as it was for him. Though, he'd admit, the man was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Moments past and he found himself looking up at the embankment for any signs of his traveling companion and none came. The fire was dying and his eyes were getting heavy from the day's travel. His eyes closed for a while, sleep tugging him deeper into the dreamscape when a roar split the night's eerie silence. Jerking awake, his hand fell to the pummel of his blade beneath the cloak of blankets, eyes scanning around for the source of the feral cry. Growls and snarls, claws on stone and the tumbling of earth down the embankment off in the distance. On edge, he did not sleep again that night.
-----
The sound of shifting earth jerked his eyes awake to find Damien had returned, putting out the fire and packing his belongings. He looked over his shoulder with a huff before going back to his task. Caellum could vaguely recall a 'get up'. Yawning, he unfurled himself from his warmth as he stretched, grabbing at his things and his pack. The pair was packed and ready to go again, over the embankment and toward the white walls in the distance of Brimaz.
"You didn't come back," Caellum muttered as he trudged behind the man who had slowed the pace from the day before. The terrain becoming rougher and uneven compared to before. The man led the way, finding the safer paths and foot holds. "Run into on the walk, like say, something big and growly?"
"No." He replied promptly as he hopped over one rock to another, pulling himself up, watching as the boy struggled to keep up. He looked tired, it wasn't just being slow. The boy clearly lacking the rest he required. "You didn't sleep."
"How could I? My partner left and there was something big out there near the embankment. Can't exactly sleep when there something out there ready to eat me while I am sleeping." Caellum grumbled as he extended a hand.
"You were asleep when I got back." He added, as he offered a hand, pulling the boy in beside him. "And I'm not your partner."
The two continued for a while, breaking briefly for rest and food, the boy complaining about one thing or another, Damien grumbling all the while when a new complaint came up. Their trek came to a brief stop as a group of goblins had crossed their paths below, hunting another group of demons. The pair watched as the goblins ran around, hooting and hollering as their numbers took over the prey. Caellum felt the man grow uncomfortable as they realized that they were not hunting but terrorizing their food, playing with it. Stabbing and poking, their prey cried and struggled against them. Damien kept the boy from jumping in, preventing him to move. He knew better, something like that would be a difficult fight, one not worth their time and energy. He came to terms that this was a natural occurrence on the wild lands of the Dark Realms; demons attacking demons. It was their source of nourishment, their food. The last thing they'd want was to be involved in that. They waited silently as the band of creatures moved on after their prey had fallen, moving cautiously in case they came back.
Night fell when they had finished preparing; fire and settled areas started and ready. Caellum was anxious, waiting for Damien to speak after being silent most of the day, only speaking when going cautionary warnings. He was waiting for him to disappear again. All day, he had spent most of his thoughts on where the guy went, what he did, and when exactly did he return to their camp site. Still, since earlier, he didn't voice his curiosity, assuming whatever it was was done out of necessity. Or something of the like. Regardless, he doubted the man to give him an answer, let alone a vague one.
Feeling eyes on his back, Damien glanced over his shoulder, catching the boy averting his own. Brows furrowed, shaking his head, he settled himself down before their fire, breaking into their supplies for the night's meal. "I'm not going anywhere." He said finally.
"What?"
"I'm not going anywhere. You're worrying," he answered as he bit into jerky. He watched as gears turned in the boy's head, formulating questions now that he knew he wasn't going anywhere.
"Where did you go the other night?"
"Out for a walk."
"Why didn't you come back?"
"I wanted to be alone."
"Was it something I said?"
"No." He rolled his eyes. The questions stopped while the boy ate, thinking of more. "Don't question it. I just want to be alone at times. Just don't question it and I won't have to punch you in the face."
"Well, that was a quick escalation." Caellum deadpanned, hunkering down onto his side, pulling the blanket over himself and the supplies close to his middle. "Fine, I won't question it as long as you stick with me until we find Gale." The man raised a brow out of question. It had been a time since the name came up. "He is who we are looking for. He said that I was suppose to find someone at the Dread Forest and then find him. If he meant you, that was fine. But I got to thinking, what if he meant for me to find the Daemon? If that is the case, then he would know where your guy is. So we have to find Gale. And, from what I know, he's been living in Brimaz with me since I was little, and I'd wager he hasn't ventured far."
It was Damien's turn to think, staring down at his hands as they opened and closed to fists. He was only following this boy around because it meant he would find the Daemon. But he did no imagine he'd be stuck with him this long, let alone longer. He growled under his breath before releasing a sigh. "Alright, we'll go to Brimaz, restock, and find your friend. Find out where my guy is and then we both are gonna find him. Understood?"
"Fine. We'll likely end up having Gale with us, so it's gonna be easier if you intend to fight this... Demon."
There was a silence over them, the man watched boy as he laid beside the fire, his eyes trained in the flames. "Just ask it."
"Ask what?" Caellum murmured.
"You want to ask about me. You always ask questions, and me being a demon hasn't been one. You've hinted at one back at my house, but you didn't follow through."
The boy seemed to curl into himself. "How long have you known you could do that?"
"Since I was eleven. I was angry and the demon was venturing into the village. I was pissed so I attacked it." He recalled. He remembered that night. It was shortly after the massacre, the smell of smoked wood and ash still clung to the air. He had spent the time trying to bury the dead when his presence made itself apparently, standing and waiting for him to return. He charged at him swinging and yelling. He was filled with hate, anger, exhaustion, rage, anguish, he just let guide him. "It was like that for a while."
"Do you know what kind of demon you are? I mean, I don't know if you read about or or anything. You do look really human, it's just surprising when your eyes do that and you get fangs and claws." It was actually startling. He'd have guessed the man was hoping to use the mist to conceal it from him, but it was his stupidity that got him hurt to begin with. He should be thankful, he was saved because of it. The man shook his head in response, giving a noncommittal shrug. He didn't know. He just was. "If we try to get into Brimaz, they're gonna check if your human. How? I don't know, but try not do any of... that." He was gesturing to all of him as if to entail bring himself. The man huffed before laying down himself.
"Go to sleep. We'll make the city tomorrow."
-------
There were a line of people at the bye of the city, travelers, merchants, hunters, refuge-seekers. The gate held wide open as people shuffled in and out, the congestion at people trying to enter the city. Caellum was edgy, uncertain of the methods the city used to determine entry, having watched groups of people turned away. Damien looked human, dressed as if he was from the first district, could pass off as second, but his threatening appearance could cause the guards to be suspicious. Damien noticed the boy's fidgeting, nudging him to stop. With this many people around, they would blend in and go unnoticed, at least that was the plan. There was a brief scuffle, the guards taking down a group of rowdy vagabonds seeking to get safely inside until they were denied entry. The fight began to escalate, cascading down the line of people trying to get inside. People fled, spreading out to avoid the confrontation, fearing that any involvement could hurt their chances of entry. Women fell, children screamed, the men tried to defend themselves and those they were with, the guards growing in number like a den of demons coming out to hunt. Caellum ran to assist a woman when a guard came with pike pointed on them. He shoulded commands until Damien grabbed the shaft of the weapon with a menacing glare. The woman raised to her feet, fleeing away. The guard shouted commands such as 'stand down' and 'back up'. Damien responded with a swift punch to the face.
"Seriously!? That is how you react!?" Caellum shouted over the chaos as he tried to stay close to his companion but, seriously, he had attacked a guard. The man huffed, grabbing his hand as he started to drag him along, wadding through the crowd of fear, panic stricken people. Guards tried to control what they could, their attention elsewhere, Damien moved brisk but subtle enough to slip inside, as did a large crowd of people using the chaos to flee into the city. Inside, it was Caellum who led him, dispersing from the group and into the allies off the main lane.
The pair stood in an alley, gathering their breath and composure. Storing away their cloaks, Caellum took in the surroundings. "Okay, we're not too far from the main part of town. We should try to avoid that when the heightened state of guard right now. So, let's stay off the Main Street and not punch anyone else in the face."
Damien stayed behind him as the boy moved down the alley. "He deserved it."
They made their way to the low town area where Caellum and Gale had often met each day to go off on their routines, coming to the fountain, he sat and looked around, Damien did the same. The tavern was quiet at this point of the day, but the vendors around were busy with their goods. He found a rock under his foot, something to ease him a bit as he looked, at least to appear casual. "I am hoping he'll just walk by at some point... It's almost noon, so he'd come by here to get me for lunch and then we would go trough our training routines."
Damien kept his eyes opened as he took a seat on the fountain. This was his first experience of the city and being around so many people since he could remember. He watched as the vendors bartered, argued, and got their deliveries of fish, vegetables, and meat from hunters. He looked to the tavern, an old wooden building that looked to have some old character to it that made it seem inviting. The streets were not made of dirt like his own, but it was still uneven, but even enough to be aesthetically nice. The soft sound of rock on rock made him grimace down at the boy's foot. Kicking at him, the boy yelped.
"What-"
"That was annoying. I could hear it, and it was annoying." He answered, turning his gaze back to the people of the city. Caellum grumbled something under his breath as he goes the rock back into place when Damien got to his feet, his body tense. His eyes flashed gold briefly, scanning around the square, before gesturing for the boy to get to his feet. "We need to get out of here."
An eruption of screams filled the air just before a loud explosion came from where the city's gate was. The commotion startled the people in the lower town. The man frowned. "A demon just broke into the city."
"Well, that's something different. So, about getting out of here?"
"Restock and we'll hide somewhere. Better off being prepared." The boy nodded, leading them further from the sound. The sounds of screams, alarms, and the heavy footsteps of guards overshadowed their own into the back alleys.
------
Damien cursed under his breath, mostly to the boy. After a wrong turn blocked by guards, they ended up on the main lane of the 1st District, people running past them, but their eyes fell to the large, bipedal-armored beast at the far end of the city. Circled by guards, they served nothing but being targets of the swing of its large, wicked sword. What sent the chills down the spine was the laughter this creature gave while it slaughtered whomever stood in front of it. It was nearly over half the size of the men in front of it, large armored hands on a sword of its own height. It wore armor just like that hunter from the Dread Forest. It's laugh came to a halt, as did its movements when it's cold, black eyes fell into the pair, watching as people fled around them. The chill became a bone-shaking quake as Caellum disappeared into a alley with Damien close behind. They needed to flee while they still could. Put some distance between them and it. The boy knew these alleys better than the Dread Forest native, pushing himself into a building and shutting the door behind him. The two panted heavily as they listened to the sounds beyond the door. Nothing. There was nothing coming for them.
"May I help you two?" A woman's voice called out, startling the boy. They had entered a small shop, one of supplies, food, and some weapons. The girl was young, perhaps around the age of the man, but her features were beautiful compared to the dim light shop. She was resting her head on her hands until Damien stepped up to the counter. "So, I hear a bunch of commotion outside and now I have you two hiding in my shop. I guess I should make you buy something or kick you out of here." She smiled. Reaching over, Damien picked up a few things, placing them on the counter. Caellum added a few things himself, some that they had used up on the way here; flint, wood, food. The boy gaped when he man pulled out a leather bound pouch from his cloak, even the woman's eyes shimmered at the sight. Damien noticed as he plucked three golden pieces from it and put them on the counter. "Are those... Golden gilt?" She questioned, turning the gold piece carefully in her hands, tracing over the half skull on one of its sides.
"Are you to say that there is anything else?" He replied dryly. He wasn't certain, the girl have him a greedy look while Caellum shook his head. "Pack." He commanded as he started to put away his purchases.
"You two running away?" She questioned. "I could get you into the 2nd District, if you want to get to somewhere safer." The pair gave one another a look, nodding in agreement. The woman nodded, opening up the door behind the counter. "Follow me and stay close, don't want anyone else to be following us."
The trio escaped through the back, running up a few alleys until another colossal wall stood before them. It was a lot larger than the one they passed through earlier but it was certainly as solid. The pair stood close to the woman as she pressed up against the wall, her hands passing over it as if searching for something. Damien kept listening, his face scrunching up from time to time. Caellum's heart raced, also trying to search the wall, looking for whatever it was that the woman was.
"Never got your name, heh. Just help random strangers who hide in your shop?"
"I don't give my name to random strangers and I am helping because you just paid for my shop, thank you very much. Do you know how many pieces of gold gilt is left in the world? Like none, the Great King took it all so it's a rarity now. If I can pawn these off, I'll be set for life." She smiled. "Ah hah!" She exclaimed, her hand Sinking into the wall. "Alright, this is the way into the 2nd district, just keep out head low and no one will be any wiser."
"Thank you!" Caellum exclaimed as he pushed himself inside. Damien have the woman a passing glare before following.
Inside, Damien bumped into his companions back, growling up at him, a hand on his back to push forward. But he did not budge. Peering under his arm, he understood why. It was an enclosed space, almost like the tavern, but this one was full of people, all of varying degrees of danger. The smell hit him hard, his nose flaring to the scent of smoke, alcohol, and questionable odors. He felt Caellum tense under his hand, pulling him behind him as he stood full in the room. The men chortled menacingly, drawing out daggers and knives, Damien growled, edging backwards.
"D-Damien?" A voice croaked behind him, eyes wide as the view of a knife clean against his throat and a head of hair behind him.
"Oh, sorry, didn't think it would be this easy to steal from you two." The woman cooed, her smile now wicked and cruel as the gleam of the dagger shined against the flesh of the boy's throat. "You flash gold gilt, it's like asking to be killed for. Now get down or this cute one here is dead." Damien gave a scowl, rumbling in his chest, looking into the boy's pleading eyes before complying. She cooed softly as he did so, two men came to hold him down. "I honestly thought it be harder with someone of out size, but who would have thought that the boy would be your chip?"
"He's not." He growled, shrugging at one of the man holding him.
"Oh? Well, you certainly stood down when I threatened him," she pushed the boy into another man who took her position as she came down before Damien, fingers tracing along his chin. His face did not frighten her, he was harmless in her eyes. She reached into his pocket with a smile when a crash came from the wall opposite of them.
The debris cleared to reveal a large sword lodged into the wall, everyone pressed against the wall far from it, their eyes panicked and wide. An armored hand clutched the side of the hole as a head moved inside. "Found you, maggots!" The voice came out as the behemoth of a man, if that, pushed himself inside, finger around the hilt of his blade. "Thought you could hide? Hah! You should know better than hide from me." The man have a once over of the room, grinning at the shivering men. Pulling his sword free, he raised it over his head, striking down with a thundering crash that sent furniture of debris everywhere. The hauntin laugh of the man filled the room; everyone fleeing outside through various entry ways; even Damien and Caellum made it out. The behemoth crashed through the wall with little effort, sword across his shoulders. The relaxedness that was displayed was discouraging. "Can't see how Strife lost to you two, but I won't. But if you want, I'll let you guys get a head start. I'll even close my eyes." He did so, grinning as he began Counting.
With a growl, Damien was on his feet, as were the woman-thief and Caellum, making their way down the wall and into an alley.
"You guys pissed off The Riders!? Are you insane!? The Riders!?" She exclaimed as she kept up with them who barreled through obstacles and people as they ran, not bothering to turn back. He ran with a sense of determination, survival instinct even. A flight response.
"What are The Riders!?" The boy called as he tried to keep up, holding tight onto the supply pack. "H-hey, wait, stop, guys." Damien stopped abruptly, holding his arm out and across defensively as he peered up and down he alley. People were still in a panic, guards rushing to deal with the masses and the threat. "W-what is Rider?" He panted out beside the woman.
"The Riders are the Great King's kill squad. They come out only when ordered and kill people." She answered. "I have heard of only three of them; Strife is the first one, he is said to be quick about the job and that would be it. But if he is beaten, then it is War who comes who just destroys everything. The last one is rarely seen, but I have heard that there was a third." Caellum and Damien exchanges looks.
“Strife? The gun-wielding psycho from the Dread Forest?” They had encountered Strife, that was who was after them at the Dread Forest. And if there were multiples of these hunters then the constant referral of 'us' and 'we' made sense. He was with the group and must have splintered off when they had realized their target wasn't there.
"Let me get this straight, you have survived Strife at the Dread Forest and, now, War is here in Brimaz because of you two?" The woman asked as the trio ran through the damped allies of the 1st District. The forerunner made no comments, then again, he hadn't made any before. The other man gave a nervous chuckle as if to play off the severity of their current predicament. Never before has she been placed in this situation. Never in her life did she expect that the low-life, slumming of the 1st District would get her wrapped up in the troubles of two wanted men, let alone be chased by one of the Riders of the Dark Realm. "How the hell did I get caught in all of this!?"
"You tried to steal our gilt." The forerunner said as he jumped over a pile of crates and barrels.
"If you hadn't tried to rob us, then you wouldn't have been seen with us." the other man laughed as he wiggled his way over the pile himself. With a broken arm, he wasn't as quick and maneuverable as the other two.
Damien suddenly perked up, garnering the attention of those beside him, his brows knitted together as if focusing on something. Eyes wide, he grabbed the pair of them. "Get down!" He shouted as he pulled them down as something speared overhead and into the far wall. There was an audible crack and a thud and, certainly, a painful wail. It was the Rider's blade, instinctively, they ran toward the blade and disappeared around the corner. Damien kept to the back of the group, allowing those who knew their way around the city to guide them. He could not help but smell the scent of blood and dust, the sensation running under his skin made him whine. The group made sharp turns and risked crossing lanes before stopping again.
"The other one was hardly as persistent!” Damien shouted.
"No, he kinda just stalked after us. This one is plowing through everything just to get to us! We can't fight him like we did before, we don't have any advantage." Caellum replied, there was a haggerness to his breath. Damien's eyes fell from the boy's pained expression to his clutched arm. Tenderly taking it into his own, he scowled. Broken. “I-it was the hilt of the blade.”
"How did you two piss off the Riders!? Let alone the Great King to even have them sent after you!?" The woman exclaimed. The men turned to her as she furrowed her brows. "Now that he saw me with you two, I'm as good as dead!"
"You wouldn't have gotten involved if you did not try to steal from us," The man growled as he tore his cloak for triage, receiving a whine when he wound it too tight.
"I wasn't stealing, I was spreading the wealth that we richly deserved!"
Damien heard a shift. The sound was constant before, among them, but it shifted. He never questioned it before, but the minute changes to his surroundings sent him on edge. The behemoth that was following them triggering a flight response in his mind with the slightest changes to his surroundings. But this constant sound, it was from the three of them, has been since they fled that hole in the wall. "That you deserved?" Caellum questioned. "Because I totally deserved to have my throat cut while already being chased by a mad man hellbent on killing us."
"I have lived in the 1st District all my life!" The constant shifted. "I deserve to have some money, it's hard enough living here," it shifted again. "than it is to not get killed by someone just for the things that you have! So excuse me if I want an easier life." the shift became constant again. It did not take Damien long to realize what it was when he felt the other constant sound - rhythm, against his chest. Looking down, it was the boy's hand holding him back.
"Are you lying?" Damien hissed.
"No!" It shifted again. Damien gave her a pointed glare, crossing his arms across his chest. She flustered. "Fine! I didn't live here my entire life, but so what, I am here now and I don't see how that currently matters in our current predicament." The boy looked to him for some sort of acknowledgment as to what was going on. He wasn't entirely certain himself. "My guild..." she murmured. "They're gonna be scattered all over the city. I can't believe that you two went around flashing your money around the poorest place of the city and you expect nothing to happen? Nothing!? Seriously, that is all kinds of messed up, but, fine, you're right, I tried to rob you. Now, if only I did it sooner and then I could have left you two to the Rider and be on my damn way out of this mess!"
"Too late for that." The man replied.
The trio came up to the wall that separated the 1st District from the 2nd, and it was one that was far too high to attempt to pass over and it was far too wide to even look for the checkpoint at this moment in time. The three of them looked all around for places to hide, to lurk, to escape to, but they knew that if they stuck around too long, the large behemoth of a demon would be on them in a matter of minutes. Caellum fidgeted with his broken arm as he tried to calm himself. The woman bent over, hands on her knees, as she tried to catch her breath. The largest of them kept a vigilant look out, but he was distracted. Their hearts were racing, their beating organs deafening his ears. Their body reeked of fear and sweat, stifling his nose. He let out a sharp growl that got their attention.
"You two look for a way out." The two of them looked at one another, shocked at the request - was it a request? No, it sounded more like an order. He glanced over his shoulder to see the two still glancing at one another unsure if they should carry through with it, abandoning this man. The woman had thoughts, she could care less, but the boy couldn't.
"No! I can't have you get killed before we find Gale!" The boy exclaimed, standing tall.
"Take the thief and run, I am not arguing with you, kid." The boy opened his mouth as Damien glared at him with a menacing look, sharply pointing down an alley.
"I have a name, you know." The thief corrected.
"I don't care."
As time was wasting, Damien gave them a pointed look. Taking Caellum's good arm, the woman dragged him away in the opposite direction. Perhaps it was for the better, he was better off alone to begin with. Just like his life. Rolling his neck, the survivor of the Dread Forest raced down the length of the wall where the scent of the dead reeked the most. As he passed from the last building, a large blade came down clean.
-----------
"So, how did you end up with a guy like him?" The thief cooed, pressed against the wall as the boy edged around the corner, giving quick takes to scan the area. People were still in a panic, many doing what they were doing; dodging and hiding. He sprinted across the lane and into another alley before continuing with his pace along the routes, hoping that when he turned the corner that the Rider was not there waiting for him. "I mean, all he does and grumble and growl with that silly face of his. Hardly a fun guy to be around, but if you ask me-"
"I'm not asking you."
"If you ask me, he would one hell of a fighter for my guild. You two should really consider joining if we all don't die after this." She smirked as the boy rolled his eyes. She did not need to see his face to even know that much. They turned the corner, coming to a halt at a dead end. Cursing under their breath, they had to backtrack a ways to the closest forked path and hope that didn't also lead to another dead end. The alleys were places people used to cut through the sections of the city, sometimes there were doors of housing apartments, but they were few and in-between. The 1st District was hardly a place to live comfortably, but enough so that it was better than living vulnerable to the wilds of the Dark Realm. A few guards stood in their way, but the panic-stricken people of Brimaz served enough of a distraction to evade them and disappear into the crowds again. The alarm blared over the district, the heavy footsteps of the stampede, the cries and screams of the people, it overshadowed everything but the eerie silence of the alleys.
"He's just traveling with me." Caellum spoke as they stopped for a moment. The woman gave him a cocked brow with a smirk as if to say that there was more to it. "Seriously, I am looking for my friend Gale. It's complicated, just that... we're looking for someone that Damien wants to find." His expression fell. Gale was his friend. Damien was his traveling companion. The person they were looking for was a Daemon. From what he knew of the legends, they were the oldest of the old, the first demons. That in itself should be a good indication that not only should they not look for him but to forget that he even existed. But what bothered him more was that Strife had changed his target from the Daemon of the Dread Forest to hunting them because they had been in contact with Daemons. So then the Riders had switched their targets from the Daemon to them... but what did the Great King have to do with any of it? Caellum sighed. He started walking down the alley without any other words, ignoring the thief's expression. "Do you even know a way to get us into the 2nd District? Being a thief and all, I am sure you have your holes and routes throughout the areas so-"
"I haven't left the 1st District in years! All I can do is avoid getting us killed by the damn Rider!" The woman yelled as the pair ran down a network of allies and passages. She led the way, pushing open doors and running through homes and businesses alike. He did his best to keep up with the broken arm on the mend, but it seemed like whenever he got close to her, she'd stop. It was as if panic was finally reaching her and she was losing her way through her city. "This way."
Caellum had lived here for most of his life, but the poverty stricken areas were the largest in Brimaz. The area he was currently in was one that he and Gale often avoided, opting to stay in the ruined areas to avoid glances. At least, Gale tried his best to keep him where he could keep an eye on his pupil. The buildings here were at least standing, firm, and structured well enough that a fire could not take them down as easy as the ones from his area. The people here looked well off, able to take care of themselves, and work for a living instead of scrounging and stealing like where he was from. He found his mind wandering to a what-if life when the woman he was following disappeared around a corner.
"Hey!" He shouted as he turned the corner to find her standing at a dead end. How was it possible? Was she actually lost in her own city? Looking at her, he noticed her shoulders shaking, soft whimpers under her breath. She was frightened, she was not only lost in her city, but in her own fears. Standing here in the alleys would do them no good. He could only imagine Damien was only getting the beating of his life - not that Caellum wouldn't agree he needed one, it would only buy them so much time. Finding a way into the 2nd District to escape the Rider of War became more of trying to outrun him. Grabbing the woman's hand, she jerked around with a tear streaked face. "Come on, let's go. Follow me."
-----
"The ruins?" She said softly. This area of the district was distinct from the rest... in fact, very few ventured here. The buildings all fallen and charred, ash still clung to the area like sands on the desert. What the thief saw was a place to hide. What Caellum saw was a place that was what he knew as home. The fallen buildings were hidden behind larger, better structured ones to hide the horrid events that once happened here. The city did not bother to clean or repair what he happened. He wasn't even sure the city was even aware of the fire that engulfed the area. It came so sudden that no one was able to escape the fires that struck each house as if it had purpose. If he hadn't been protected by the cloaked stranger, he, too, would have perished. He found himself watching the events play out again before him among the ashes of the fallen. The flickering flames became blue under the colored moon. The agonizing screams of those trapped inside pierced the air as the banging on doors added to the increasing din.
"Caellum, what are you looking at?" He look to her with raised brows, snapping free of his memories, unsure what she was speaking of. "We should go further inside."
The thief and the boy made their way further into the ruined area when something intercepted their path, impacting the bordering wall in front of them. They laid their eyes upon a snarling Damien half embedded in the stone barrier, shocked, and a bit frightened. With a growl, he pushed himself free, brushing off the debris. He gave them a what-are-you-doing glare before jerking his attention before him. "Run." he growled before dashing forward, leaving them again.
The thief didn't need to be told. Caellum stood as he watched Damien charge into the battle again. How was a man to fight a demon who wielded a large sword? It was unfair. It was one sided. Gale said that the two needed to stick together, and that wouldn't exactly be possible if one of them was dead.
"Caellum!"
"Run, you get out of here." Caellum gave the thief a look that gave her the answers she needed. With a nod, she was off. Drawing his blade from his sheath, he joined the fray.
------
"To think Strife lost to two pathetic humans." The armored demon laughed as he held his blade before Damien's blows. Fists against the flat of his wretched sword. Eyes of piercing gold as if pupils did not exist among them, but, then again, he was a being that seemed to beyond the average demon that ran around Dark Realm. He towered over Damien, who, himself, was a tall individual, and needed little work to defend himself from the human's onslaught. "The Great King would be pleased to know that he won't need to worry about the pair of you." Damien growled. "Once I am done with you, the maggot's next. At least he'd be more of a fight." Suddenly, the human's attention jerked upward which did not go unnoticed. Turning around, War promptly used his blade as a guard as a figure fell from the rooftops.
"I'll hold you to that, Rider!" cried Caellum as he brought his smaller blade down, sparks flying as the two collided. Followed by a few swift strikes to the broad side of the demon's weapon, he kicked himself off, bounding a good distance away. His maneuvers were practiced and executed with precision, his blade kept aside, blood dripped from the point. The Rider glanced at his hand, the gauntlet's knuckle plates slashed away. "Even with a broken arm, you are still too slow for me."
"Speed is not an issue, maggot." Brandishing his blade in his hand, he scoffed a glance over his shoulder. "If I were to touch you once, you're bones will break beyond repair." War was a tank, he moved slow, but with purpose, his blade a large and deadly reminder of the power of devastation that he wielded. Damien and Caellum, though able to flank him, moved with caution, circling the demon, ready to act. Caellum caught a glimpse of a grin on the demon's face before he suddenly appeared before him.
s**t! he thought, caught off guard. He would be too slow to bring up his blade to brace, and with this distance, if War used his blade, he was done for. A snarl broke his thoughts as he watched Damien physically throw the creature from his companion. He gave a glance over his shoulder as Caellum gathered himself. He huffed as he readied for another attack.
"You,” he gestured to the man, “move fast and you are strong, perhaps I judged you too quickly!" War laughed. He grinned again as he ducked down to his knee. Unsure of what to expect, the two of them braced for anything. A battlecry ripped the air, shuttering the remnants of the area, "WAR COMES FOR YOU, MAGGOTS!" Vanishing like he had before, the two could not keep a sight on him but the clouds of dust that his heavy steps left behind. Damien caught a glimpse of the demon as he approached at a blinding speed from their flank, but something was off. He wasn't coming at him - no, he was after the crippled one. Ramming hard with his shoulder, taking out the sword-wielder, the demon used the forward momentum to bring arm upward to take out the lone standing. Sending both crashing into dilapidated ruins. War looks to the sky, eyes closed, taking in their agonized cries as if feeding off them. "How could the Great King see you two as threats?"
The sound of a falling beam shifted the Rider's attention in the direction of the older individual, his dark jacket blanketed by gray ash. Rolling his shoulders, the human dashed forward with a cry that was an eerie mixture of human and... something else. The Rider has saw this attack many times before and this was no different; raising his blade up to block with the flat side, he was taken back when the blade fell away. A flicker of gold was all he got before being pushed away by claws - claws? Composing himself, the Rider glanced at the figure before him with a frown.
"So that is why you are a threat. You hid what you were," he started, pointing an armored digit at his opposite. "You are a demon, Damien."
Damien did not respond, he felt a surge of energy flow through his body; to his legs, his arms, his fangs, and his heart raced. He gave another cry as he dashed forward. Though the Rider tried to block, his defenses were pushed aside by brutal strikes that targeted by forcibly working around the large demon's defenses. While the Rider tried to strike back, Damien's body moved by reflex and dodged around the slower target. With clawed hands, he slashed away at the uncovered calves of the opponent before getting caught by a backhand that sent him bounding away with a growl. Damien stood, hunched over ready for another go as he watched his crippled prey turn to him.
The sound of dust falling away from the surface was quickly overlapped by the clattering of heavy footsteps in a sprint as a figure moved past the first demon, directly for the larger. Caellum had recovered and joined the fray, blade coming down onto another. Without any sort of acknowledgment or motion, Damien was already before them, thrusting a fist into the exposed chest. The duo alternated swings and blows where the Rider's defenses left areas exposed while trying to stop one or the other. With a bloody roar, the Rider caught them both with an outward swing of his blade, propelling the two backwards away from him. Either the blade of the human cut him or the powerful blows of the newly-discovered demon, he found himself weakening. The cut from the human earlier was making it more difficult to grasp his weapon. The hamstring cuts from the demon was proving it even more difficult to maneuver around their attacks. He commended their ability to work together when just moments ago they fought as if they were individuals rather than a pair. Drawing his ghastly blade over his head, he drove into the ground sending up pointed projections that erupted through the ground around him as a way of defense. The pair took steps back to avoid being impaled by such a demonic skill. Damien growled as he watched the projections recede back into the ground as the sword was withdrawn. War raised it again and brought it down in a downward slash. As it collided with the ground, similar projections short forth as a line toward the pair. Dodging, the two seemed to judge the attacks as they came. Wasn't exactly the first time they faced demonic skill, but they would agree that this was far different from Strife's.
"The sword." Damien growled. With that word he was off against the demon, bounding in ways to avoid the projections as they came. The Rider knew that he was at a disadvantage against two in his condition, opting for his ranged abilities, but with the speed and how quickly his targets are falling into their new found prowess, he was more concerned about surviving. As the pair approached closer, War plunged his sword again, creating the ring of projections around him to deter their charge. Damien grabbed hold of human, turning to throw him into the air. As he came down, he let gravity guide his blade. War re-actively brought his blade up to defend himself. As the blades collided, the gravity and Caellum's weight pushed the blade away, grazing along the face of it. Damien, swinging his clawed hand up the face, he slipped his hands over the hilt and pulled it back up across War's chest with a devastatingly deep swing that sent blood splattering across the ground. The Rider gave a blood curdling cry as he fell to the ground, unmoving.
The pair watched, panting, waiting for their hunter to get up against. The ground seemed to open up as an inky blackness seemed to whisk the fallen foe away like the wind, along with the heavy sword in Damien's hand. The Rider coughed. “No matter. We got what we came for. Our Daemon is not here, but he is on conquered territory. It was fun playing with you, maggots.” It was just like that, as fast as that encounter had went, the body of their foe was gone like the ashes on the ground around them. Caellum sheathed his blade into his holster when he turned to face Damien. Arms crossed his large chest, golden eyes leering downward toward the human brown. He watched as the golden eyes began to fade into grey with flecks of green. He hard swallowed as he felt an uncomfortable pressure fall upon him.
"Find the thief."
Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 10:34 pm
The city had calmed down but people still moved around cautiously, traveling in groups. The guards have doubled, tripled in some areas, and remained on patrol. The group kept their backs to everyone, keep their voices to a soft hush as they spoke among themselves. Their encounter with War left them with questions, ones they could not answer. Their knowledge of these events, much of the Dark Realms, were unknown to them and it was clear that they would require the only person who knows anything in Brimaz's 1st District. The people of the Thieves' Guild were scattered all over town and it was difficult getting many of them to talk while others opted to run at their sight. It was when they managed to corner a gangly man did he divulged the location of their leader.
"Conquered territory?" She questioned as she sat on the fountain.
PhiferWolf Captain
Loyal Werewolf
Offline
PhiferWolf Captain
Loyal Werewolf
Offline
Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2014 10:51 pm
I’m quiet, and I’m unnaturally shy for a werewolf. I’m grumpy and possessive, I’m distrusting, I’m unorganized but still a perfectionist, and I have made so many mistakes in my life
Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2014 4:00 pm
Preferece: Onnie and Peas
Bribe: $
A lot has changed from Y1 to Y2. He has cut his hair of his dyes, he has hidden away his ears, magically kept himself scruffy. His scarf has been torn and is used more as a sash on his side, hidden beneath his clothes so it just hangs out from under them. His shackle on his left wrist is gone. He is taller, broader, more muscular. Still has fingerless gloves (optional), a thin, chain necklace that goes under his shirt. A change of outfit, throwing away his ties to his family and it's colors; opting for neutral greys(gunmetal?), blacks, and (off-)whites that have a very subtle hue of blue to them.* Very surly, very growly, and has a resting b***h face of grump. He is a kick-boxer and a fighter and a gym rat. He is a lot more active now. Could totally mistaken for mid-twenties with his scruff. Have at him.
* Note: Though, feel free to take liberties where necessary Note 2: I intend this to be his final art piece to be used for his Y2 and Y3 (unless something happens ICly) Note 3: Possible Poses? - linku
