|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 10:56 pm
Well, if the title isn't enough, this is where I'm going to be posting some of what I write... including in this post, since I really don't feel like making a second one for it right now.
This one is part of a campaign that I'm working on involving my character Eldrysta (currently in use in Josh's RP) and another character of mine who ascended to godhood along with a third (who will, most likely, appear in few, if any, pieces that I post here). I may edit in the precursor later, but that part is very much still a draft. It feels awkward at the moment, so, until I finalize that, I'll do a quick run-down of what lead to the following piece.
Also, constructive criticism is welcome.
EDIT: The preceding part to the original post has been edited in; due to the length of the first part, I will also be moving the second part to a new post to attempt to keep it a little more manageable for those reading.
-------------Part One-------------
A dark helmet faded away into a mask of dark reds that framed a woman's face as opposed to covering it. The mask seemed to find it origins in bat-like wings with the way it covered parts of her forehead before drifting down the frame her cheeks and part of her jawline. Her long auburn hair was pulled back in a tight bun that seemed to fit quite easily under the now-hidden helmet.
Pale brown eyes, bearing a faint resemblance of cat's eyes upon closer inspection, drifted across the city of Brègan from their vantage point atop a hill a few miles away. Smoke drifted lazily from below, lit ever-so-slightly in the waning daylight by the orange glow that fed them. It had taken two regiments of her army to take the town from her brother, Thoran.
After a few long, tense moments, she broke the silence. "How many lost?" came the armored woman's question, deliberately slow and clearly frustrated.
"Several hundred at the least, Milady," one of two men nearby responded, "aside from Lorn's battalion." His silver plate mail glinted a little in the evening light as a cloud briefly allowed the sun to shine through before covering it once again.
"Fifteen hundred soldiers," the woman muttered under her breath, shaking her head a little. Her head dropped a little, turning some towards the man who had answered. Elevating her voice a bit, she continued. "Fifteen hundred soldiers fell to force a third that size." Her jaw clenched repeatedly in frustration.
"Yes, Milady," came his hesitant response.
Closing her eyes, she bit a little on her lower lip as she thought for a moment. "We cannot afford these kinds of losses, Kaelic. Not if we ever hope to remove Thoran from his self-proclaimed power."
The metal of her spiked armor made a faint clanking sound as she turned more fully to Kaelic. "I left this battle for you to prove yourself to me," she told him, one of her hands clenching into a fist as she paused but a brief moment. "You may have won, but at heavy losses for us. Our forces have already been reduced to nearly half of what they were two months ago because of such-" she paused for a moment as she tried to find the right word- "incompetence as you showed today." Her lips formed a slight snarl as she turned away.
There was an uncomfortable moment of silence as the woman mounted her horse. "What would you have me do, Milady?" Kaelic asked tentatively, shifting around a little in his nervousness.
"Send ten of your best to the Den of War," she told him flatly as she settled onto her mount, "along with the priest. I'll deal with you tomorrow."
Turning back to him for a moment, she added, "If even you- the one supposed to be my best strategist- cannot minimize losses in a minor battle such as this, then something must be done. A sacrifice to The Brutal God, I think, has been made necessary."
This time, it was the second man- dressed more as an advisor than as a warrior- who spoke up. "Lady Eldrysta-" he started before she cut him off.
"No, Jed," she half-growled. "The risks have become too great and our losses too heavy recently. Something must be done!"
"Even at such risk to yourself?" Jed leveled, a slight sense of fear lining the concern in his voice.
"They are calculated risks," she snapped back, a mix of fear and anger glinting in her eyes. "We have few other choices if we are going to assault his castle."
A bit surprised at the forcefulness in which she spoke, Jed straightened up a little, then nodded slightly. They'd gone over the possible risks with the priest before, agreeing that it would be a last resort. The fact that she now saw their situation as such concerned him, but he knew there was no stopping her.
In silence, Jed and Kaelic watched her ride down to the city before the latter sent off for the soldiers she requested. Jed watched the smoke rise from some of the buildings for a while longer before he, too, made the trek into the city.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2010 1:02 pm
-------------Part 2-------------
Heart pounding in her chest, Eldrysta drew the ritual dagger fluidly across the neck of the tenth soldier before gently lowering his body to rest on the stone, allowing the blood to drain into the basin below like the rest of the bodies. Sweat was clinging to her brow as she looked to the nearby priest, who gave an approving nod. The sacrifice had been made appropriately, and all that was left was to wait for a response.
With a quickly, slight wave of her hand, the priest bowed slightly before turning to leave the Den of War. With his job here done, he could return to the soldiers and tend the wounds of the living along with the many other clergymen that had volunteered to join him.
Wiping the sweat away, she flicked her hand and swung it dry before dipping her fingertips into the basin. Slowly, she began to trace intricate, mirrored patterns over her face and neck, barely managing to keep her fingers still. The process took a few minutes, during which time her heart began to pound harder against her chest. Quietly, she wondered if the guards outside of the Den could hear it.
Taking a seat in the middle of a bloody circle that had been made with the blood of the first soldier, Eldrysta closed her eyes and waited in a meditative position.
After what seemed like a few passing moments, the sound of claws clicking faintly on stone caused her to snap her eyes open and look for the source, which stood but a few feet in front of her.
The first thing she noticed was the sheer size of the beast before her, standing easily two feet taller than her unusually tall frame and probably weighing at least three times as much. His musclebound body was covered in a dark brown fur and pieces of black armor that seemed to expand and contract with each breath that he took. The man's massive hands ended in clawed fingers, his feet replaced by two large wolf's paws. Even his face resembled something more akin to a wolf than that of a human. The last thing that caught her attention were his glowing red eyes.
"It is very rare for one not a high priest to execute such a ceremony so perfectly," his deep voice rumbled through his elongated snout. "Especially a woman." He smirked with his last comment. She bit her tongue to keep from back-talking the god.
"Rise," he commanded, as his eyes went over her body, "and tell me what it is you would ask of me." Her clothing fit her body remarkably well, he thought as she stood, though the black cloth did little justice for her shapely figure even with its gold lining. Auburn hair hung down low, just barely reaching the small of her back in the tight ponytail she had made it into. He pretended not to notice her pale brown eyes following him as he began to walk around her.
"As you wish, Brutal One," she replied with a slight nod of her head. The sound of him sniffing the air a little reached her ears, most likely from trying to take in her scent. It made her wonder what he could smell from her. "As I'm sure you know-"
"Tell me as if I didn't know, Eldrysta," he cut her off, his gaze still going over her figure. He was now to her left side in his slow circle around her, paws padding softly on the floor, claws rhythmically clicking as he moved. She did well not to turn with him.
Though it shouldn't have, the fact that he knew her name without having asked for it still caught her off-guard. It was a brief moment before she recovered enough to say, "Of course.
"I am presently at war with my siblings. Three of my brothers have been vanquished, two by my own hand, and the last one, Thoran, attempts games with me to whittle away at my army. He knows defeat is at hand once I catch him."
"So why come to me if he will soon be defeated?" he asked slowly from behind her.
"To end his games," she replied quickly. A cold sweat began forming on her brow again. "This war has gone on for too long as it is."
The god's lips curled into a twisted, disturbing smirk. Again, he sniffed the air. He could smell her nervousness in his presence, mixed with a few other scents. "This war frustrates you?" he asked after a moment.
She nodded a little, forcing herself not to wipe her brow and smudge the bloody facepaint. "Yes, it does. Ever since the death of Vaelic, Thoran has been little more than a thorn in my side and the only thing keeping me from having my kingdom-"
"Which was granted to you by your adoptive father." He paused, now at her other side. A sharp breath went into his lungs- an unnecessary act aside from emphasis- before he continued as he moved back in front of her. "I can do what you ask, but it comes at a price. Normally, I would demand the firstborn child, but you haven't one, have you?"
Eldrysta shook her head slowly, her heart pounding wildly at her ribs as he stopped in front of her, still facing to one side as if he were going to continue walking. "No, Brutal One. None have earned the right to bed with me."
"Then I shall take both," he stated, turning to fully face her, "and you shall have your kingdom- so long as your blade ends his life."
Eyes widening slightly, she felt her heart falter for a split second as he approached her, silently praying that it would be quick.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
