A solemn temple, away from the foulest of creatures Val'ghast has to offer. No one is clear who built it. Perhaps Techno Queen? Many of the creatures who visit this temple come to practice Val'Ghastinism, as such, the temple is not a place for creatures who cannot control themselves. Though, that is what makes this area that much more dangerous. The smarter monsters resided here, and with intellect comes power.
Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2015 11:12 am
ʀᴇᴄᴏɢɴɪᴢᴇ ɪ ᴅᴇᴘʀɪᴠᴇ ᴛʜɪs ғᴇᴀʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴇᴍʙʀᴀᴄᴇ ɪᴛ
The ancient war between gods and monsters did more than shatter the nation -- it shattered reality itself. What began as traditional skirmishes bloomed over the course of centuries of conflict into the vast battles between magi armies, legions of constructs, potent summoned monsters, and ravenous undead. Eventually, the war reached an apocalyptic climax and much of the land laid in ruin. Still the land is heavily saturated in sorcery, the monsters gargantuan, thriving and nearly over taking the land. Wurms. The damned and blessed creatures cultivated the land, tilling the soil to which a band of people clung to. Gem traders in the beginning, like most things, it simply was the start and gave way to a bigger, better picture. The majority consists of rocky deserts, plans of strangely colored sand mixed with shards of raw glass from ancient, fiery cataclysms, and jagged furrows and clefts in the wounded earth. The elements are deadly enough, some areas with so little water coupled with blistering heat by day, and bone numbing cold at night, but then there are others. Those held together by the instability of magic, the raw element of the universe creating lush tropical paradises home to some of the deadliest beings. Anyone brave enough to explore the jungles finds thriving tribes. Within them is the legend, of the Harrowing, of devastating nights that nearly claimed a populace. Many didn't make it, she was lucky enough herself to be delivered into her fate.
From the dimensional door they'd step, crossing over from one threshold and spat out to another. There was beauty here, too, on the far side of the arcane portal. Her world was the bright, glorious summer day that held no secrets, but his was the dark, glittering night where anything was possible. She tipped her head back. Was that a black ceiling painted with stars so high above them? No. A night sky sliced from another world and brought here for their pleasure. How many times had she peered at the same sky, knowing he was under it too? Her gaze flitted to him, she turns in a slow circle, allowing him to absorb the white marble floors, the high arched ceilings, many of which had openings to praise what nature produced, the columns, the granite nearly white like a brilliant, frosted winter’s day. This place could do strange things to people. Unravel their inhibitions, as if these walls had no tolerance for lies, or within them there was no need.
Her hair is no longer in the high ponytail, instead it hangs in a cascading wave of crimson, completely straight. The black gives way, fading and replaced by the symmetry of vermillion silk, hanging at her shoulders and draping to trail just enough in her wake to look as if she walked on air. The robe did nothing to hide her figure. He had known every detail of her undead being, but this true form, her preferred guise, lived and breathed. There's a pulse in their touch, the gentle throb of blood flow, her heart pounding in his grasp. Fire to his chill. Ice to her flame.
Red stared at the doors ahead of them, halted before the gigantic doors, chiseled, they had to be a hundred feet tall. There was no way someone could open them. But she knew what the elaborate symbols decorated upon the high arches said. The command comes out her mouth, words she was incapable of uttering with a human tongue, and the enormous doors swung silently open. Giving way to a chamber of someone with title and claim, a sanctuary grandiose but not heavily decorated by frivolous belongings. A wall of books, a bed and other simple adorning. The candles suddenly ablaze, their flame pulling towards her. Only entering, just beyond the aperture, does she come to face him. Truly, wholly.
"I knew my mistake as soon as I made it. I rushed you, for that I am sorry. It was never my intention to force you to do something you didn't want to do, I won't again. Not now." The air hummed with a low-level charge, and in the distance, thunder rolled. "We have lived apart, we could remain as such....if that... is truly what you want?" She knew the joy of their union and the despair of their separation. The breeze was rich with spice and the fragrance of blooming jasmine in the night, at least that is what she breathed in.
Unexpectedly, as the doors to their gateway opened, a different world greeted them at the other side. Red, comfortable for the first time since she sought him out in the Combat Assessment Zone, had been quick to walk away from the gateway. Alistair, following behind slowly, took his time to take in the scene. Lavish were the materials he saw in the immediate vicinity. From the marbled floors which brought about slightly irritating squeaky noise from the contact his combat boots, to the wide arches in which Red glided under. Her stride, as wide as any person in their home. There was a purity to this chamber, or was it a building? Still processing everything, Alistair was overwhelmed by the sheer light that reflected around the lavish, white floors and walls. The lights, taken from natural phosphorescent materials, made the bright nights lights of Luimira look... corrupt in comparison. The chill was gone, replaced by the gentle touch of summer. Not used to being away from Luimira, the jacket he wore was even starting to become an inconvenience. Peeling the layer off of his body, carrying it with a single hand, a plain black short sleeve t-shirt remained. They were... no longer in Luimira. No longer in Nocturne. They were... away. Away from old ties. Away from everything that reminded them of the heartaches the two experienced.
His head tilted, and for the first time since he arrived, he felt at ease. Under the night's gaze, Alistair took solace in knowing that even here, he could be reminded of Luimira. As he glanced at Red momentarily, the only thing that comforted him was knowing that she could've glanced up into the night sky and see what Alistair saw. How many times had she stood under this night sky, her mind wandering to the location she called home for so long? Though she called it home, it was evident that she belonged here. In this room, the woman radiated a light almost as pure as the light around her. Before his eyes, her form shifted. The binds that held her hair vanished; her hair fell gracefully down past her shoulders. Long, sleek; no longer in the always combat ready ponytail. As if cascading down, her form continued to change. Her simple clothing vanishing, replaced by brilliant silk. Before him, he saw another form of perfection. One of many that the woman donned. Whether she wore lavish materials, a tank top and shorts, or nothing at all, she was flawless.
With a world of beauty around him, Alistair's eyes were fixed on the woman before him. She spoke words Alistair couldn't hope to understand, opening magnificent doors leading to a single chamber. Simple in its design, though as glorious as the seemingly never ending halls they stood in now. For the second time, her lips parted, and Alistair had briefly expected unknown words to pour out of her lips. The words that escaped her mouth suggested that the two of them still had a choice in whether or not to be together. "For too long have I slept without your presence. I have driven myself mad trying to forget everything we were to each other..." What ever her offer was, he declined it, closing the distance between the two of them quickly. As he approached her, he rolled his shoulders back and a wave of flames illuminated his body, cascading down from his neck, burning the black undershirt clean off his body. Proudly bearing his exposed torso as, finally, the gap between them had been but a memory. "Only if I am convinced that you no longer want this will I go away. Do you want me to go away?"
Taking one last glance around, everything here... he no longer had anything like this back at Luimira. "I am no longer king. I can't promise you anything but the man standing before you. I came into my reign with nothing... coming out? I the only thing I came out with was the shame of my kingdom. Whatever this place is... you have everything here. A man with nothing cannot compare."
Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 12:18 am
ʀᴇᴄᴏɢɴɪᴢᴇ ɪ ᴅᴇᴘʀɪᴠᴇ ᴛʜɪs ғᴇᴀʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴇᴍʙʀᴀᴄᴇ ɪᴛ
The idea once frightened him. Fear is more than a wasted emotion. It’s the penultimate set of blinders. If you can’t face the truth of your reality, you can’t be a part of it, can’t control it. Why... you may as well throw in the towel and yield to the whims of anyone with a stronger will. Falling to your knees for anyone, anything. Maybe she did want to scream at him, violently, hard, to stop whoring his heart out, to stop trying to be what they all wanted him to be. To stop chopping off healthy handsome parts of himself for them, real true love does not demand that you be anything other than what you are. In all of his flaws and intricate glory, she takes him in with eyes wide, dark brows arching. The way she feels about him is like a heartbeat - soft and persistent, underlying everything.
He once looked at her and called her weak, but it wasn't she that was afraid, it had been him. Breath caught, watching those long, hard muscles ripple back. A vivid memory flashes in her mind, she knows how his shoulders look, bunched, when he’s on top of her. Gliding with feral ease he moves closer, in that way that barely displaces air. A velvet shadow in the darkness. He is the night. He always has been. His eyes were sparking cyan and he was breathing hard, but not from exertion. She knew him. He could run for hours. Lips wet, parted as her sanguine hues looked up at him. The lust she felt when standing so close to him was almost unbearable. A part of her wanted to lean into him, wanted to pull his head down and kiss him. Another wanted to strip, and shove him back, ride him hard. She doesn't though, in the wake of him and all the color he brings forth, his words wash over her. Scarlet locks shaking, first left then right slowly before a single word rolls off the tip of her tongue. "No." 'Stay,' is produced with the thought.
Though his voice was soft, his words were too precise. Tension shaped his mouth, and she knew every nuance of that mouth. There is no purr, or coyness, or seduction. There is a question that needs an answer. Bare bones. That’s what he’s after. That’s what he offers.
Hands take to his, cupping his only to hold them to her throat. It's warm, pulsing with every pump of adrenaline. Leaning closer, into and against them, she breathes the words: "This is what trust looks like." Color runs across her cheeks in a hazy heat, eyes unwavering in their arctic gaze. "I’m here, Alistair. Stay with me."
With a single word, every muscle within Alistair's boy immediately tensed up. Every nerve in his had been set aflame. 'Stay.' Hands still upon her neck, Alistair felt every beat of her heart, with the organ speeding up with his touch. As hot as an open flame and cold as a Luimirian night, Alistair's touch would confuse the girl's sense of touch. Her nerves growing numb as a chill ran down her spine, followed quickly by an intense heat. The sensation would begin to travel down as Alistair ran his hands down her neck, seeking to remove one of the barriers which kept their bodies apart. His hands sought to peel the robe from her body. His hands inside the robe, escaped to her back, bringing him closer and closer to the slender figure before him, the trims of the robe following his hands until there was nothing left to support it. Falling at her feet, the robe could do nothing more to stop the two of them. As brilliant as it had looked on Red, it looked even more so at her feet.
Like a goddess, Red stood before him more captivating than she had ever been. For all he had known her in her previous form, this form was... different. Every shape and contour remained the same, his exploring hands confirmed that much. Yet, there were new mysteries. How her heartbeat felt when pressed against his own chest, feeling it go on hyperdrive with every kiss he planted on her lips. Red may have somehow kept herself far away from him for months on end, but she struggled as Alistair had, this moment being proof of that. Hands reaching her lower back, he pulled her tight against his own body, his head resting gently upon hers, his breaths growing shorter and shorter as he refrained himself from treating her like the other girls. No, the woman before him was perhaps the only figure in all of Axiom that could drive the man crazy enough to leave a country in the midst of a rebellion to go off with her. And yet, regret never showed. In this moment... he would spend every minute here if Red was here with him.
In a fluid motion, his hands quickly ran down the mounds beneath her lower back, finding a spot on her thighs just beneath them. His hands squeezed as he lifted her body, allowing her legs to wrap around his waist like a python (LDR, <3). For the first time since they arrived, no words would be shared as Alistair pressed his lips onto hers, muzzling the two of them. Words were never their thing. In a single glance, the two of them could share more words than they had ever spoken. With each fleeting moment, his legs moved the two of them past the door way, bringing them to a corner of the room where a surface could allow the man to seat the woman around his waist. As his lips parted from hers, Alistair pulled her closer to the edge of the surface, a living cliff hanger, and spread her legs apart as he lowered his body, kneeling on the ground, his head between her legs. For years, Alistair had gone without feeding. The need had gone away with his first werewolf transformation. With every passing moment, the cravings came back, and before he stopped himself, flashing his sharpened canines, his head inched closer and closer to the epicenter. With so very few countable centimeters away, his head stopped.
The next thing the woman would feel would be adrenaline as his fangs sunk clean into her thigh, piercing her femoral artery, allowing blood to rush into his mouth. With every slow mouthful, his senses heightened, his his desire multiplied exponentially. With power in blood, Alistair could read Red like a map, and yet he still did not yet understand what she was. In his mind, as always, she registered as unknown. In a matter of seconds, his fangs escaped, and the site of the bite looked all but healed, like he was never there. Yet, a faint mark had been left, a memory that would forever cling to her, like she to him. Intoxicated by her blood, Alistair rose as he undid the fastenings of his belt, his loose fitting pants dropping at his feet as he kicked it aside. Remaining only in his boxers, with strength like Re had not seen before, Alistair picked her body up yet again with ease. Had she glanced at him, Red would see Alistair's bright azure orbs surrounded by a black pit. His sclera, black as night as his vampiric side showed more than ever before in front of her. By simply turning, Alistair had found the bed. Shanty, clearly not meant to support two beings such as them in the midst of certain activities.
Loosening his support on her, Alistair allowed her body to fall back onto the bed. With ease, the man escaped his boxers, joining the goddess before him. "On that beach... I said goodbye to Danielle O'Malley. A feat that took everything I had, to allow her to go back to her human lover. For the longest time, I thought it was a mistake. Not anymore..." Every event that transpired after he kissed her for the first time would succeed in showing the girl what the world was really like. It had one so in ways Alistair failed to. Within weeks, a new figure replaced Danielle. With each passing day, she entranced Alistair more and more until he could no longer contain his desire for her. A desire that would only go away with her touch. Absent of it...well, you know. As he lowered himself onto the bed, he crawled over Red, gazing into her red irises, finally sure of what he wanted. He whispered in her ear, "You're here, right?... The real deal? Show me what I've been missing."
Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 2:26 pm
ʀᴇᴄᴏɢɴɪᴢᴇ ɪ ᴅᴇᴘʀɪᴠᴇ ᴛʜɪs ғᴇᴀʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɴ ᴇᴍʙʀᴀᴄᴇ ɪᴛ
Since the moment she laid eyes on Alistair Maric, she wanted him. She wanted him to do things to her that young and clueless Danielle was shocked and appalled. Well, truth be told, utterly fascinated to find herself thinking about it in the first place. He was what he was, and she, a simpleton to even fathom. Instead she admitted none of it to herself. How could a ugly duck lust for a wolf? Dani grew as fancy as one of the proud males, in her useless plumage. She strutted around, stealing glances at the king, denying what she felt. Assessing her tail and his killing claws and understood that if the wolf were ever to lay down with the swan - it would only be on a nest of bloody feathers. It hadn’t stopped her from wanting him. It made her grow claws, it made her change every step of the way. As she stands before him, pulled to him, she thinks of before where she was the featherless swan with claws. A lovely tail lost, in one ordeal or the other. Now she could look in the mirror and have no idea what she truly was. Maybe, she didn't care. There is only the icy demeanor masking fervor, intensity, and so much more than what meets the eye.
Down the robe goes, cascading in a single motion of a hand. He knows what she is thinking. Always. They are connected by the atoms between them that ferry messages back and forth. She feels violent, unbreakable. An elastic around him and nearly insatiable. His hand is on the side of her pallid neck, around her throat, half cupping her face. All the while her bi-colored eyes do not leave his, boring into one another. He watches every nuance, every detail of every expression, as if his existence depends on it. One motive, catering and screaming: Feed me and fill me up. She knows how he lays, taking as she was one of the ones to choose his mistresses, his frolicking of the Red Light District. He ******** with the single-minded devotion of a dying man hunting gods. Both cold and heated, easing and creating tension that only he can inflict. Running like a blade as their layers are discarded all around. His fingerprints are on her like a crime scene but it is their lips that hush all sounds, creating, manufacturing, evoking an independent element in the air around them, and if enough of them did it really well, for real, not just for the hell of it, they could change the world. Because when he’s near her, she can feel the space around them changing, charging, and it seems to set off some kind of feedback loop, where the more he touches her, the more she needed him to.
The heat of her inner thighs around his waist, a silky slickness against his stomach. He carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, in his hands, and he moved with ease. Placing her on a desk, at the cusp of it, and lowered. Her own brows furrow, exposed and watching, just what did he have in mind? The dark arc lifts with each inch trespassed until a glint flashes, realization strikes far too late. Life isn’t about censored vulgarity. The ichor isn't that of normal blood diluted by impurities; this is straight, vitality emboldened. More than adrenaline, a lifeline older than she could possibly be. He maps, but this goes further. Inception. Synapses fire, coursing with sensations too intense to be real. They are though, and she is left to gasp, tilting her head back. There is a faux-sensory montage, on his tongue, in her, now in him and back again. Right down to the hazy gaze staring at him.
He sates her need. Then feeds it. Sates, then feeds.
She stretched languidly, slid her hands up her body into her hair, and arched her back just as he crawls up to glance her ear. They aren't love. That's too soft, a person makes love in letters, and subtle glances across a room. She and him, these two are friction, feeling each other for the sake of raw pleasure. Turnabout is fair game and she is on top. Rising but she isn't alone, he does too. "I am." Salvation if only by sinking, implausibility made reality. They both know they can't stay here, even has they could grind the world away into the molecules that made it what it is, they have a war to wage. Nobody’s perfect for battling evil. It’s seductive.
A nightmare dressed as a daydream, she wriggles in the cortex of his mind. Down this line, into the rabbit hole, she finds her way. He couldn't get her out of his head, not when he so readily tapped into her lifestream. She has planets carved into her soul and her veins grow as plants, the sound of rain is her breathing and her will become one with this solar system, the stars trapped in her chest and the moons circling her head like a crown of light accepting her as a celestial being. She doesn't have to rock his world when she blows his mind. Spiritual surpasses the physical now. Take it straight to his black heart and leave the taste of lightning on his parted lips. Then the world becomes softly blurred, and they melt right through it as immortals. Blackout, pull the curtains down, to the cradled slumbering.
Hours passed before either of them allowed the other to rest or stop; the weather outside stormed heavily, with thunder roaring across the skies perhaps once every hour at very particular times. One could only assume that the cause of it wasn't natural. With every arc of her back, the roar grew louder, more intense. Though the eventual silence that came after was once that Alistair had not grown used to, yet. In most cases, he'd be alone by now, having sent the mistress away from his chambers. Never once had he allowed one to stay after sex, dismissing them, unwilling to allow them to be the first sight of his day. But it all seemed... different with the woman beside him. For months, Alistair had been on edge, even more so with a demon on his throne, but with the head of fiery red locks resting on his arm, the man had a brief moment of clarity. Isolated in this temple, there were no demons, there were no angels; there were no talks of battle and rebellion. For once, Alistair wasn't being negotiated into a fighting a battle. He wasn't a weapon here.
There was nothing more that he wanted than to lie here, isolated from the world in every way, but Alistair knew it could never happen. He'd thought about it, for sure. Taking himself to one of the furthest corners of the world, his time on this plane almost coming to an end. Alistair had given much to this plane, or at least to Nocturne. Brought the city back from a point of which many pointed out was a point of no return after the oaf, Srin, abandoned the seat of power, leaving it to his unstable subordinate. By himself, the thought seemed inconceivable, with another...
He must've been still under the effects of her blood; seconds of consuming it brought about hours of a seemingly controlled drunken stupor. Alistair thought about asking her exactly what she was, what she truly was. But the mystery was half of the fun. One day, she will tell him, and at that moment, he'd listen. They had a knack for pushing back and rushing into things that often led to destructive endings. Explosive, even. Red had always been more open about how she felt, with Alistair unwilling to do the same until recently. "I can see why you came here... it's... away from everything."
Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2015 3:03 pm
x x ʀ ᴇ ᴅ │ ᴍ ᴀ ɢ ɪمُغ ---------------------------
Her hair is auburn fire in the rainy grey light. Her skin is luminous. She has youthful curves and long legs. Her features are bone china fine, and a flush of color rushes across her skin. Sleeping was something that came easy to her, it is a necessary routine, and well deserved. Her eyes flicker open, yet, she enjoys the moment. Then there is him, and he takes her all the way down to ground zero and recharges her. She needs to crash as hard as she lives. Too much passion burns. Tenderness fuses. Alistair is like the ocean. He is what he is. And he’s not about to change. There’s no point in fighting the tide. It ebbs. It flows. You ride it.
"Most people spend their short time in this world less than half alive. They wander through their days in a haze of responsibility and resentment. To be alone does not mean to be lonely. It means the mind is not influenced and contaminated by society." She sits up, gazing at the man. A delighted expression falters slightly, crown tilting westward. At the corners of his eyes are fine lines that she has never noticed before, he could be disproportionate one minute and then quid pro quo the next. Red has learned to choose her words wisely, a receiver. Things go in and come out. She processes. No ego or id. Nothing but a puzzle here, and all puzzles can be solved, all codes decoded, all prisons escaped. He looks troubled, tired when she knows he shouldn't be, even after such events. Losing nearly everything he had gained, leaving only the bare essentials. All things are distilled to their essence.
Part of her wants to ask if he is alright, and she knows he isn't, but she doesn't. Instead she rises from the bed, slipping off as feet grace the floor in a smooth gait around and behind an iron panel. Water sounds hushed and she still speaks. "There’s nothing you should do. Do what you want. There’s no action you can make that doesn’t spring from how you want to feel about yourself. That doesn't make you greedy, Alistair." Stepping in and under the rush of water, steaming billowing in her wake. "Alive," she quips. "And happy about it every single day.... There are worse things than dying." All transgressions are lathered and washed away, slipping into the drain and freeing her and coating flesh in a herbal remedy that's laced with kyoto rose, mimosa petals, vanilla, and imperial amber. She steps forth again within only a few minutes of going in, dry as glowing heated palms press to the long, fiery red locks. Running through them until it falls as silk, cascading down, spilling over her shoulders.
Neon hues linger on and over his form. "At a certain point, I realized there's a huge difference between what we work for and what we live for."
There was a temple even in these monster infested lands. Nai knew little about this continent, but once she heard of this place, she decided on the spot that this would be a good place to start her journey.
There were monsters on all sides. Horrors and humanoids alike, but none of them touched Nai. They displayed sentience, self-control, and a reverence for this place. Nai did not doubt that if she so much as sat lazily and plopped her feet atop the seat in front of her, the faithful worshipers would tear her to pieces then and there. However, she showed no disrespect and they showed no threat. Her mind recalled a quote of information, <'with intellect comes power'>. Danger lurked around every corner. It was a familiar feel, the feel of Nocturne that Nai was born into and raised through.
As if looking for a fight, a wyrm moved forwards right into Nai's path. The two were set to collide, or would have but Nai avoided with a sudden step back. A halt and an retreat so quick that if this had been a congregation of civilians, it would have left many confused. However, these were monsters. Powerful ones. They saw clear as day what had happened and even the troublemaker snickered a little at the human's caution as he went on his merry way.
Nai paid no heed, but decided it would be best to continue observing from a stationary position. Cleanly, she stepped off to the side and leaned against a wall. There were others who also used the walls to support their weight. This much should not cause a ruckus, and it gave Nai a good angle to take in the view. The temple was great. It would not fall short of any other place of worship. However, it was also strange. An opinion like this was strange in and of itself. Unnecessary but it came so naturally, now that the Sloth's pressure no longer drowned such feelings, that to stop it would have cost more effort.
Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2016 9:54 pm
"" Though she normally willed it to be so, the traveler's presence wasn't as easily hidden as normal. The very moment she'd set foot in Val'Ghast, the God Kamilla had become aware of her presence through an extensive system of communications set up by her current partner, Amias Nicht. What was once a brutal, disorganized 'society' of monsters had been turned into a semi-functional organization, built for military operations in conjunction with the humans of Aramil. Spearheading the operation was the aforementioned Amias, and with his experience, the man was able to turn things around for the once doomed country. However, this was little more than a brief period of introspection, as the man in question rose from his seat, right next to Nai's particular choice of wall to rest on. It wasn't subtle, the way his eyes shifted to hers. She would know immediately that her arrival was anticipated, likely something she hadn't experienced since her last talk with Niraliel. However, the eyes that met her weren't evil, and most definitely not hostile. In fact, his cool, milky brown irises would probably fill her with a strange sense of curiosity in their lack of hostility for an intruder. Of course, it was likely quite rare that someone such as Nai interacted with a being of even greater longevity than herself, save for the gods. For what was likely the first time in quite a while, she'd encountered a mortal even more timeless than herself.
The pair had finally met; Amias and Nai, two wanderers who had somehow never managed to cross paths until this point, so many centuries later. Standing from his bench, the aged man would subtly beckon for her to follow him, saving any greetings for when they were outside the building; the citizens of Val'Ghast were still a rowdy, violent bunch, and it was a miracle in its own that he'd even convinced some of them to attend something as menial as a church service. Disrupting it now that he'd taken so long to convert them would be looking a gift horse in the mouth. And so, he strode as quietly as he could to the exit, taking special care not to disrupt anyone within the church.
When the pair had finally reached their destination outside...that was when he would turn to face her, those calm eyes giving her the least intense stare she'd likely ever seen in her life. "I can't say it's very often that I see another...humanoid creature around here. And I would start questioning you in multitudes of ways, but the current situation demands curt, acute questions and responses to save time. So I'll keep this rather brief. What brings you to Val'Ghast? Is it the war, or are you trying to escape the plague in the West? Either way...I can't say you've come into a very favorable situation." The demon would let out something of an exasperated sigh before looking in a seemingly random direction to Nai's left. Whether she knew it or not, that direction was the housing of the current, true ruler of Val'Ghast; Kamilla, the entity once known as the Techno Queen. Through some of the workings of the first and second plane, she had ascended to the level of power reserved for tier four gods. And unfortunately, this had put something of a wedge in Amias' initial plans to secure his foothold--and reign--in Val'Ghast. Instead, he'd had to settle for the next-best thing; a shaky position as her adviser, giving her knowledge of real militaristic structure, governmental policy, and in-general information about civilizations. In this last year, the pair had completely transformed Val'Ghast, moreso with Kamilla's overwhelming power than anything else.
Suffice it to say, the monsters of Val'Ghast had been training relentlessly with the humans of Aramil, honing their teamwork abilities, and even creating interesting combinations of sky and land. Many humans would ride in on the dragons, allowing their flying comrades to act as a sort of mobile war vehicle, as the land-based riders would find themselves moreso an opening charge to disrupt the enemy lines. Through a dedicated, thorough advisory, the joint efforts of the three rulers turned the joint coalition into what was purportedly the strongest military force in the East. "But...if you've come here to lend a hand, then I've definitely got a lot of ways you can start. If you require rest after your journey, I have comfortable housing ready, of course. It's not the greatest--at least compared to what you've experienced in more civilized parts of the world--but it works."
Energy 2700/2700 Stats 9/11 [9/14 Flying] Equipment Sword Spear Passives
• The Sight Just like their counterpart (the Nephilim) the Diabolos can read the auras about them and see things for what they are. This allows them to pinpoint an opponent's energy level(rank), along with the ability to naturally see energy.
• Electromagnetic Manipulation Even without expending energy, the Diabolos can manipulate electromagnetic fields. This allows them to levitate their own weapons and manipulate them with great speed, power and precision. Furthermore, they may sense metal and disturbances in electromagnetic fields; for example, if there is a destructive event happening even across the world, they will know it is ongoing, just not who or what is involved. They can sense earthquakes and other such things, to name a few events that would trigger this sense.
You may also compress this magnetic field within simply a large area around you; this allows you to perceive movements around you.
• Pain Inversion This is a strength and a weakness. Pain Inversion allows for a Diabolos' abilities to be stronger based on their physical health. This does not increase ability rank, but rather size, speed and precision. At full condition, you will be able to manipulate larger masses and fling them at enemies as if ballistic homing missiles. When near death, you will need great concentration to do that same thing and will be able to manipulate significantly less at once.
Nai's eyes darted to Amias when he rose but her head did not follow. For all the work this man put in to make time out of his schedule and wait for her, Nai thought very simply of him. Initially, he was His rise had, for a brief moment, incited Nai to ready herself for a fight. It was an almost imperceptible change, just a small shift in her body and a few choice muscles tensed. Then, in a flash, the signs vanished when Nai saw the eyes and body of a man that did not intend to hurt her. The caution remained, but when she saw he meant no harm, he was reclassified, Why noteworthy? There were several reasons. For one, this man was strong enough, though Nai did not know what that strength was, to anticipate her movements. For another, this man had chosen to wait for her. He wanted something from her, and she was not so dumb as to refuse someone who had found her and singled her out from a sea of hundreds. However, whether he be a threat or someone of unknown and tentative importance, she did not need more than a shift of her eyes to keep track of his movements and so a shift of her eyes was all he got in response.
Until he wordlessly motioned for the two to talk outside, Nai did not move, and when she did move to follow him it was because she somewhat understood. While they displayed self-control, it was likely monsters such as them did not take too kindly to a human like her making herself comfortable in their place of worship. It was a form of etiquette to take herself elsewhere, one that she did not feel particularly compelled to do but also not something she was going to fight if someone else, like Amias, decided it was better to follow.
Once outside, Nai waited without a word. She was silent, much like how she had been this entire encounter. There was nothing for her to say until Amias made clear his reasons for singling her out. The intensity of his stare mattered very little to the woman; its only use being that it reassured her that he was not openly hostile.
A memory arose from the depths of Nai's mind from a time not long after she received Sloth into her body. In a place of worship like the one she stood in front of now, she was gored by a man she had thought was her ally. A strange sensation, this remembering through association, but she had been experiencing many strange things as of late.
Amias said a lot but no more than others. From his lengthy way of asking "Why are you here?", Nai could pretty confidently assume a lot. She stuck out like a sore thumb: a wanderer that dared to travel to this dangerous continent without any previous alliances was apparently rare enough to warrant being singled out. However, Nai doubted that was the only reason because another thing she gathered was that Amias talked and acted as if he were some sort of authority in this country. Someone like that would certainly have better things to do than approach every single suspicious stranger to enter his country. There was also information on Val'Ghast's state of affairs, but no more than what Nai already knew from traveling to the continent and walking far enough through it to make it to this temple. The talk was informative, just like everything else Nai heard.
Nai's answer to what Amias asked should please him. It was as curt and acute as he could possibly want, perhaps even more so. Nai started with just a single word, "Travel." She said the word neither flippantly nor seriously, a neutral monotone like the rest of her being. There were a lot of reasons behind her choice, at least more than just to travel. Amias wasn't wrong in guessing that the plague and war on the other continent had encouraged Nai to set foot in Val'Ghast. There was also the question of why Nai wanted to travel Val'Ghast. However, in the end, "travel" was the tipping point and the reason for Nai's choice, and that was all Amias needed to know.
However, Nai did not survive through this world by having zero interaction with others. Society demanded she be social, after all, unless she wanted to do everything by herself, which she did not. She knew how to grab on to opportunities when they arose, especially if they were presented right into her face like the one Amias just provided. Just as it would feel like she had said all she wanted after that single word, Nai said a bit more, "but I will accept... the job." She didn't yet know enough about this continent to really care where she went. Anywhere was fine, so it might as well kill two birds with one stone. She thought quickly, but as someone who neither talked much nor spoke common as her first language, speaking in a way that others understood always required thought.
Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:57 pm
"" Such an interesting woman. She spoke so few words, but Amias could see quite a lot of experience behind those eyes of hers, as bland and lacking affection as they were. "If you're alright with a...faster means of travel, I can take you to the residency right away. Otherwise, if you've rested enough, we can begin our journey to our investigation site. We do have one more person to pick up along the way. A sort of...powerhouse to ensure that things go smoothly while we're investigating. Please, follow me." With a gesture of his palm, a sort of portal would appear before them. Since Nai had seen the Hellgate in person before, she would likely be somewhat familiar with the appearance of Amias' version. Obviously, this would give away his current stance as an unholy creature, but that was something far beyond the point by now. "If you'd like to rest first, I can take us to a safe location. Otherwise, we'll go straight to our next recruit. The choice is yours." Truthfully, the man was intrigued to see just what kind of abilities this woman had. But in his haste and curiosity, he realized he'd forgotten something important; it'd been a while since he'd been in the civilized world, after all. "I just realized, I've been awfully rude. My apologies, I've forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Amias Nicht, and I'm the adviser to Kamilla and Herod, the regents of this country. Who might you be?" Though his name was rather well known on the Western side of the world, if Nai had originated in the east, his name may possibly still be new to her. To be frank, it hardly mattered at this point whether she knew him or not; their purpose had--at least for the moment--intertwined, and that put them in a state of cooperation despite any prior knowledge. For now...Amias could only wait patiently for her response.
Energy 2700/2700 Stats 9/11 [9/14 Flying] Equipment Sword Spear Passives
• The Sight Just like their counterpart (the Nephilim) the Diabolos can read the auras about them and see things for what they are. This allows them to pinpoint an opponent's energy level(rank), along with the ability to naturally see energy.
• Electromagnetic Manipulation Even without expending energy, the Diabolos can manipulate electromagnetic fields. This allows them to levitate their own weapons and manipulate them with great speed, power and precision. Furthermore, they may sense metal and disturbances in electromagnetic fields; for example, if there is a destructive event happening even across the world, they will know it is ongoing, just not who or what is involved. They can sense earthquakes and other such things, to name a few events that would trigger this sense.
You may also compress this magnetic field within simply a large area around you; this allows you to perceive movements around you.
• Pain Inversion This is a strength and a weakness. Pain Inversion allows for a Diabolos' abilities to be stronger based on their physical health. This does not increase ability rank, but rather size, speed and precision. At full condition, you will be able to manipulate larger masses and fling them at enemies as if ballistic homing missiles. When near death, you will need great concentration to do that same thing and will be able to manipulate significantly less at once.
Nai wasn't fool enough to walk straight into the midst of powerful monsters without being properly rested. She was ready for a fight when she walked into the temple. She was still ready for a fight a few minutes later. What could be more strenuous than a fight? So far, she had yet to experience any answer to that question. She had no concern for any rest.
Likewise, she showed not even the smallest hint of surprise when Amias summoned a hell gate for transportation. It wasn't that she was expecting it. She just didn't care for its importance and what it implied. Alternate travel was fine with Nai. At least this time she was even asked if she was fine with it. Really, if anything would have surprised her, it would have been someone summoning a portal she could choose to walk through instead of just popping one up right beneath her feet without asking. However, such a small detail elicited no reaction from Nai.
Introductions would have to precede any business, though. Amias started, and as Nai had suspected, he was someone of importance in these foreign lands. Not just these foreign lands. "Amias" was a name she heard plenty in the West in relation to various important events. Although, Nai still did not know why exactly he approached her. Was it really just because she was a rare human in these lands? Did he know something about her and his asking of her name was all just a ruse? Who knew? Thinking too hard about it wouldn't get her anywhere. Just considering the possibilities and being aware of them was enough to keep Nai conscious of the risks.
Short and simple as always, Nai gave only her name, classification according to the widely accepted class system, and status, "Nai. Assassin. Rested." in introduction. There was also a very slight tilt of the head in maybe some sort of greeting before it returned to its original position. It wasn't like she held any famous titles, after all, nor did she hold any alliances beyond favors and acquaintances. Just knowing how to address her and the general type of fighting to expect from her would be enough for just about any mission. The addition of her status following the basic information was to answer the earlier question of whether or not she was ready to start on the job immediately. If her employer required more information, then she would consider saying a few more words to answer his queries.
As her introduction implied, she was rested and ready to go. However, she did not move from where she stood. There was a portal wide open right in front of her, but no signal that it was ready to step through. She would first wait for the go-ahead before risking any mishaps.
Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2016 10:48 am
"" Interesting, but also so strange. Nai's mannerisms were odd, her way of speaking was odd...but most of all, her energy was odd. As a creature possessing The Sight, Amias was able to see her energy for what it was, its qualities. And yet, in all his time of living on Axiom, he'd never seen an energy quite like hers. Interestingly enough...it was very close to the same quality of refined energy he'd expect from a god. This was something he'd have to keep in the back of his head for now, and hope that no conflict between them came to a head. "Well, Nai...we'll be on our way then. Our final companion is a touted marksman by the name of Aurelia. She'll be assisting us with recon operations while we're investigating the caves. In order to make the process go a little more smoothly, please take one of these." Procuring an object from seemingly nowhere--a particular talent of his--Amias would hand Nai what looked to be a wireless earpiece. They were powered by a minute amount of energy from the user, and so long as everyone was on the same channel, they could communicate from a considerable distance. Definitely within the limits for this operation. Taking a moment to explain this to Nai, Amias would then begin to step through the portal, beckoning for her to do the same. They were off to Amaranthine, where his other contact was already waiting.
Energy 2700/2700 Stats 9/11 [9/14 Flying] Equipment Sword Spear Passives
• The Sight Just like their counterpart (the Nephilim) the Diabolos can read the auras about them and see things for what they are. This allows them to pinpoint an opponent's energy level(rank), along with the ability to naturally see energy.
• Electromagnetic Manipulation Even without expending energy, the Diabolos can manipulate electromagnetic fields. This allows them to levitate their own weapons and manipulate them with great speed, power and precision. Furthermore, they may sense metal and disturbances in electromagnetic fields; for example, if there is a destructive event happening even across the world, they will know it is ongoing, just not who or what is involved. They can sense earthquakes and other such things, to name a few events that would trigger this sense.
You may also compress this magnetic field within simply a large area around you; this allows you to perceive movements around you.
• Pain Inversion This is a strength and a weakness. Pain Inversion allows for a Diabolos' abilities to be stronger based on their physical health. This does not increase ability rank, but rather size, speed and precision. At full condition, you will be able to manipulate larger masses and fling them at enemies as if ballistic homing missiles. When near death, you will need great concentration to do that same thing and will be able to manipulate significantly less at once.
First Amias. Now Aurelia. These were names heard throughout the continent. Their period of proliferation had since passed, but even now Nai heard it every now and then. She couldn't be bothered to remember exactly why these two were important, but she knew it was because they had accomplished something that required great strength. Both did something on the level of the gods above and below. Then again, perhaps she should have expected that anyone willingly here was of or close to that level.
Gauging the level of the players aside, Nai obediently took the earpiece offered to her after she heard Amias's explanation of the device. Her movements held neither grace nor strained motions. Without thought, she moved in the way that expended the least energy and time. She took a moment to delicately twirl the earpiece between the fingers of one hand. Not for show, of course. She was just trying to see how it was supposed to be put on and this was easier than figuring out how to ask. One twirl was enough for Nai, and she smoothly fit the communicator to her right ear. There was any annoying but, as Amias had warned her, minuscule drain on her energy to power the device. It felt like a waste of energy, this constant drain, but Nai knew it was necessary. However, none of that dislike was expressed in her face. Her expression was as blank as always.
Finally, it was time to leave. Following after Amias, Nai quietly stepped through the portal, her eyes darting rapidly to observe her passage. Fast travel wasn't a new experience for her, but who knew what differences this type held over the two she regularly used. she gathered a summary of everything that had just been said, No response from the summon. Of course he would be unresponsive. Doubly of course that it would happen right before a mission that provided the perfect conditions for his use.
