goka
Rapscallion

Posts: 30
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Coralie
Oct 27, 2013 0:21:07 GMT
via mobile
Post by goka on Oct 27, 2013 0:21:07 GMT
I stumbled a few steps and dropped to my knees <Goka? Be strong!> even as sal spoke I could feel my self slipping away, I dropped to my knees and coughed blood onto the floor. I felt a hand grab my arm and the world went black.
I awoke in a dorm room with a medic at my side, my torso heavily bandaged, I looked down and laughed, held my hand to my side and sent a huge burst of magic into my wounds, masking my regeneration. "Vincento? What the fuck? You know how dangerous burst healing is" "Shut up Korin" the warden's name flooding into my mind "I'm skilled enough..." I collapsed from the strain of my regeneration. That night sal and I dreamed as one for the first time since...I can't remember when. As I rose in the dorm, surrounded by men I only know by proxy, yet know more than any mutual friend, I wound my arms into the sharpened tendrils I had spent years training with and drove them into the floor split them out of the weave and they tore through the floorboards and up through the beds tearing the throat of every mother fucking warden in the room, blood and memories overwhelmed me. <what's the news baby? it's not like the head honcho is going to bunk with us> "Well I've got a name and a room number, let's fuck us a captain" I shrunk down to my own body and unfolded my wings, walking up to the quarters of the attendant, I grew taller and fleshed out my curves, bleaching my skin and hair and turning my eyes palest blue. Naked I stabbed through the lock letting the door swing wide, I went to his bed and straddled him over his blanket, I leaned down and kissed him on the cheek, he rose from his sleep and looked me dead in the eyes "Who are you?" "I can be whoever you want me to be" I bent down to kiss his chest and tore a chunk out with my teeth swallowing the lump of flesh and absorbing his blood, I ran from his room, dropping a flaming tendril to the floor, to let the house burn. I needed a place to meditate on the wealth of memories I aquired tonight. <back to Sofia's house then baby> "Assemble the team, all of them. Bokuba, Kirin and Koragan and our team of five are going to ride again" <five?> "You're my right hand man matchstick, and you and I are about to tear shit up"
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Post by Timeon on Nov 8, 2013 0:53:41 GMT
Winter 2485. January. Tystead.Within two days, Coralie knew she was losing it. The latest lives she had taken were proving difficult to assimilate, far more difficult than any assimilation ever before. Why? Why were they so difficult? You need to rest. Sal warned her. Memories from the dead Wardens swirled in her mind, interfering with her perception of reality. "Dan isn't here." she hissed through her teeth. The Warden she had straddled, the captain, she had met him before, in Kutanda. His name had been Elger. One of the moments from Elger's life came back to her, reminding her that Danton Redwind was long gone. They returned to their headquarters in Arkheath, a city by the great river Chonus. There, word was waiting for them from the Sanctum. One of Danton's trainees, Tremir Fronh, had been revealed as a traitor. Danton only vaguely remembered him; a student he had been assigned some eight months ago. A bright-eyed and eager man from Samar, Dan had not suspected a thing. But the messenger waiting for him was grim and blunt, and the letter he brought back had been signed by Justiciar Mzekhar himself. He had been pulled off the Nalbin mission. The Sanctum was on lock-down. An infiltration of that sort was almost unprecedented. "I have things left to do before I return." Dan told the messenger. "No, I am afraid you are coming with me immediately. You are under suspicion, Paladin, and are the only Warden not to bear the spark of the Arbiter. We are leaving now." "They've taken Dan back to the Sanctum." He is out of reach there. You know it. They might even kill him themselves."He's mine to kill. I'll assemble them, my sworn soldiers, Bokuba, Kirin and Koragan... the five." Bokuba was just south, in Arkheath. But Kirin... Kirin is weeks away by horse... even by sea... Sal reminded her. Get a hold of yourself, woman.She was on a roof, beneath the stars. How had she gotten here? "Sal." she muttered, her breath coming out as mist in the cold night air. Then she fell, her head hitting stone. - Nightmares. So many nightmares. How many had she killed? How many hundreds of lives were scrambled in the back of her head, oozing into her subconscious, bubbling up into her waking thoughts, scratching at her in her dreams, turning her rest into agony. Eventually she came back. When she did, she saw the stars again, like the slow-moving march of a thousand white torches. I was preparing to discard you, and find a new master. Sal's voice rang in her mind. Sal's voice - not a dead man's voice, not the voice of somebody she had killed. Her mind was clear, her own again. "Sal?" Coralie rose. She was not at the spot she had fallen. She was not in Tystead. The buildings had disappeared, and had been replaced by trees. Somewhere far away, but still close, a wolf howled mournfully. You don't know where we are, do you?Koragan was looking at her, his malformed wooden arm hanging by his side. He was not alone. There was Kirin with him, and Bokuba also. How had they come here so fast? Kirin was weeks away... unless... "Matchstick." she said aloud. "How long was I lost for?" "Three months, Coralie." Sal's serpentine voice responded aloud, so that her Godslayer lieutenants could hear her. "Where are we?" she asked, rising to her feet, a headache beginning to set in. "Near the town of Jano's Pass, in the mountains between Tystead and the Free City." Kirin replied. "Koragan assembled us while you were lost in darkness. We have made camp here, waiting for you to either win or lose your internal battle." Coralie flexed her limbs. She felt weak. For three months, she had not stretched, or walked, or run. "I won." she said, finally. "Yes." Koragan's wooden arm left a trench in the ground as he walked towards her. "Mistress, we have news from the other Godslayers." The other Godslayers, she wondered? Of course - out there, her brethren continued the fight against the Dominion. These soldiers before her had belonged to Dynkar once. "What news, Koragan?" "The weapon you stole from Kutanda. They plan to use it soon. And they have a new task for you. You are to travel to the Holy City. Svasek is waiting for you there, in Butcher's Row." "No choice, this time?" "We will follow you." Koragan said. "Wherever you decide to go, mistress. Always and forever."
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goka
Rapscallion

Posts: 30
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Coralie
Nov 15, 2013 16:56:55 GMT
via mobile
Post by goka on Nov 15, 2013 16:56:55 GMT
They were a week into their journey when the arbiter died,
I felt the wave of energy rush through the trees before it hit me <brace Coralie!> shouted sal as the wave approached. I tightened my grip on the reigns of my horse as a blast of wind racked my mind, I looked over and saw Kirin grimace and flinch back, collapsing on to the ground, a surge of power blasted my veins and I felt my bones turn to steel and an old sensation run riot in my mind, this great numacide, the death of thousands by the hand of the godslayers was not right, not just. <you absorbed him, the arbiter> I felt right, emboldened, I knew justice, and this is not it. "Are you loyal my friends?" I said, almost to myself. The three looked confused. "We are my lady, to our deaths" spoke Kirin, his chest plate cracked and wrist bloody. Koragan and Bokuba looked hesitant but nodded. "I would have you turn against your brothers, but should you leave I will send you with my blessing" without a word Bokuba turned to leave. I extended a tendril and attached it to her helmet withdrawing the wood from her body, leaving her face pitted but whole, she turned to Kirin and Koragan not catching my gaze and said "It's a long ride to our true family, company would be greatly appreciated" Koragan looked to the ground "I am joining you but not to our kin, my lady I would have you remove my arm for I will not fight against you" I did so and with his remaining arm he offered me his bow "Stay alive my lady" I took it and strung it over my back and thanked him. As the two rode off I turned to Kirin, knelt on the ground, head bowed "We ride my lady, but where too?" "To atone for our sins, we ride to the last just man, to Redwind" <to kill?> <no matchstick, to save>
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Post by Timeon on Dec 5, 2013 1:07:48 GMT
April 2485. Spring. Vuolit, Havsgard.
From Jano's Pass, Coralie had ridden down the mountains into the lands of Havsgard. Kirin and Sal went with her, both saying little as they journeyed. Sal would often probe into Coralie's mind, curious, trying to disentangle the information she had gained upon the Arbiter's death. Coralie had caught a glimpse of the Arbiter's mind, though nothing more. Still, it was enough to make her see things in a light she had never before been allowed. The voices in her head were still, possibly for the first time ever. They tried to come back sometimes, yes, but never for long.
Yet as time passed Coralie began to grow suspicious - of Sal. Sal had always relished in the killing, in destruction. Coralie's desire to do some good in the world upset him. He did not challenge her, though. Maybe he was too smart for that. But it got Coralie thinking.
Will Sal betray me? Will he try to corrupt me again? How much of my madness is his fault? Who is Sal really?
Still, they journeyed on, to Lake Stilglas, and then by boat through the rivers of Havsgard. To get to the Holy City, the quickest way would be to take a boat all the way through Lake Vuosaari, and into Kutanda. Then the last stretch of land they could cover on horseback. As they travelled, Coralie witnessed the spread of the news that the Arbiter was dead. Some people were totally unaware, but slowly, more and more people that Coralie encountered were aware of it.
They passed bonfires, where men and women wept and prayed for the Arbiter's resurrection. There were parades of believers shouting at the skies in outrage, cursing and blaming the Traitor for the Arbiter's death. Passing the city of Stilgard, Coralie could smell the fear and madness in the air.
Eventually their boat came close to Lake Vuosaari, and the city of Vuolit built beside it. Vuolit had two sides to it - one half of the city was built on giant rafts, or suspended above the water on platforms and stilts. The other half of the city was a slum built on dry land beside the river and lake.
"I have been here before, milady." Kirin professed. "The Vuosaar are a rough folk. They will be even more upset about the Arbiter's death than the people we passed on our way here, I am sure."
If they get in our way, we kill them. Sal spoke through their bond.
No, Sal. You know I want to, but you also know that the Arbiter held the Dominion together for a reason. Because law and balance keep the world together. Without it, there's only the voices... and madness.
If the Arbiter could make the voices go away, then Coralie would stay true to his ideals.
Kirin was the first to step out of the boat as they beached it outside the city of Vuolit. They would need to eat and sleep, like lesser folk. It was getting late, and sleeping in a boat was not to Coralie's liking. Surely enough, Vuolit was solemn and gloomy, people pacing through the streets avoiding eye-contact. The Vuosaar and Ulvar were loud and proud, but not these past weeks. Not since the Arbiter's death.
As Coralie, Sal and Kirin walked through the dirty streets of Vuolit looking for a place to stay for the night, they heard a commotion from the city square, and shouting. Coralie followed the noise, and found a giant crowd assembled in the plaza. A wooden platform in the middle was the centre of attention. Several men stood on it, with some bodies at their feet. They were shouting to the crowds. "Your lack of respect for tradition has led to this doom! The Arbiter's death is your fault! Your collective fault!"
The crowd wailed and booed as the men denounced them from the platform.
"I don't like this." Kirin put a hand on Coralie's shoulder. "We should go."
But Coralie stayed watching. The men on the platform were grinning like madmen. "The Wardens are all dead. And it will be Lyhtrat, our beloved tree, which will burn next. We must protect Lyhtrat from the agents of the Traitor."
Coralie could predict where this was going. The men were going to start a riot, possibly for their own gain. The Dominion was slowly descending into chaos.
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goka
Rapscallion

Posts: 30
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Coralie
Dec 6, 2013 0:30:45 GMT
via mobile
Post by goka on Dec 6, 2013 0:30:45 GMT
Chaos is the real ruler of the people, laws cannot tell the people who to fall in love with, who to kill. Laws won't stop a man from driving a knife through the heart of a king. A random number selected from millions determines the man you meet tomorrow, a woman in a crowd could have never been there if she had fallen earlier that day. A thought drifts into the brain of a well meaning man, it festers, he talks to his friends implants the idea in them, growing in number and strength until a leader stands in the centre of town shouting. A simple chaotic act, biting animals, freak storms, natural death in the family and the whole thing goes to shit, nobody dies. Then we have these guys, with bodies strew around a platform, you take law away from the common man and they eat each other. Fight to the death over a scrap of bread. It's beautiful. So if such a thing of beauty gets muddied buy some asshole trying to impose his will then a quick stop to murder a man who's too big for his boots is a great thing. I know two truths: Pure randomness creates death Pure randomness creates life And each in equal measure.
That is fair
That is just
To exist we must have good and evil in equilibrium.
Remember that Goka>
"You're right matchstick"
I felt a glimmer from the arbiter, affirmation? It must be, this is what the arbiter wants, true justice. Sal knows me, wants the best for me.
We love each other.
My eyes open and look up from a pool of blood, Sal, a roaring lion stands at my side, blood pouring from his maw. I climb onto him and sit astride my flame red lion, my perfect beast. Kirin looks on from beyond the crowd, some dead, with his sword drawn but still too far away to be of any use. I grabbed a man by his collar and pulled him onto the platform and drew my hollow blade. "Imagine if you will a man walks up to a rally and agrees with a lunatic, does that make him a lunatic? Or is it everyone else that's let sanity go sailing by?" I looked at the man "Don't you agree" "Y-yes" I plunged the knife into his leg "Wrong answer, I'm going to ask again, do you agree?" "N-no" the man mumbled through his pain and tears "If you're going to lie the first time at least have some integrity" I stabbed him in the chest and threw him on the ground where he lay spluttering. "Y'see that man didn't understand, only a same man agrees with a lunatic" a woman sobbed and ran over to the man "Bring the children to me" No one moved "NOW" I roared A few men and women ran off, and came back minutes later with about twenty children, I clasped one by the neck and lifted the little girl to eye level. "Take me to the jail and bring the children" I rode on Sal's back to the jail as lead and I threw the girl in a cell, there were two adjoining cells each big enough to fit five adult men. I split the children in ten and nine and put them in the cells also, one woman ran to try and stop me, Kirin struck her down as she ran. I locked the cells and turned to the towns people "Now walk away, and we'll see what happens" <what will happen?> <they will fight, or give in, and when three week have passed I will let whomever remains or survives watch as I release the children onto one another, tell them that the other cell has been fed and watered more than you> <what will this achieve> <I'm sending a message> <and what's that Goka?> <we must all be ruthless to survive> "What of Danton m'lady" said Kirin "He doesn't matter now, does he Goka?" Sal hissed "No...of course not" Kirin looked at me then at sal and a flash of confusion and worry crossed his face, he regained his composure and walked to the front door to stand guard.
<who's Danton Sal?> <no one baby, no one>
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Post by Timeon on Jan 5, 2014 17:53:17 GMT
"There is silence in the library. And all the pages are ash."
How many faces had she worn? It was impossible to tell. How many lands had she crossed? The crowds of Vuolit had beheld her spectacle, and then she had vanished beneath the light of the setting sun beside Sal and Kirin. Did the power of the Arbiter and his death still call her towards the Sanctum? She was no longer so sure.
Some nights she was still in Dynkar's box.
Had she ever truly escaped?
Sometimes she would wake up in darkness, laughing, unsure if she was in the real world or inside that damned box.
Kirin would press a hand to her forehead then, and speak soothing words. In some ways, he would tell her, she was still only a child.
The days passed, and she watched as streams of people trickled into boats, and rowed or sailed towards their beloved tree, Lyhtrat, in the middle of Lake Vuosaar. It was said that the great tree Eitrat, host to the spirit of the Archon, the North Wind, had begun dropping new fruits in great quantities. A new order of Wardens were being raised in the north, to restore order to the Dominion. But they were mostly Ulvar, and the Vuosaar had turned to their own tree, Lyhtrat, for its fruits, so that they could form Wardens of their own.
And in the west, the Maiden's knights had begun to march south, towards the Holy City, to bring their own form of peace to it. in the east, Nalbin prepared to declare independence, it was said, and its cities were blockaded as a result.
The Dominion was descending into chaos, and the Godslayers were behind it. But Coralie had spurned them too. She had spurned them all. And still her faces changed, and the dreams came, and the voices laughed. And some nights, she dreamed she was in the box.
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goka
Rapscallion

Posts: 30
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Coralie
Jan 18, 2014 0:17:34 GMT
via mobile
Post by goka on Jan 18, 2014 0:17:34 GMT
I sat up from my stupor and noticed sal asleep, a ginger wolf, how long had it been since I had not felt his consciousness on mine, like I was stepping out of a cage, I reached into my pack and found my pipe, I packed the tobacco in and lit my finger to ignite the bowl, I drew in the sweet smoke, it had been such a long time, sal hated it...Sal never let me, but never asked me, he didn't need to, he just, told me. Decided I shouldn't. Made me.
Had he been? Nothing else surely... I looked at my hands, they were draining of blood, dripping onto the floor, I staggered outside and shielded my face from the sunrise, I was surrounded by desert and the temperature was starting to rise but the sand was cool underfoot, I wanted it over, I could remember everything I had done but not doing it, it didn't have to be like this, there was so much evil in the world and I had caused most of it, I sent a few tendrils and picked up Sal, brought him to me, and started to turn my body to wood, layering steel underneath I engulfed myself and Sal, extending branches outwards creating a large dead wood tree pushing roots far into the sand. I started to push thin tendrils into the wolf I once loved, or thought I loved. Was told I loved. Deeper, slowly as not to wake it, this would end it all, forced it into the wolf's brain. I filled the cavity surrounding the wolf, crushing the fucking beast. I vomited hard as my lover left me and I forgot everything, only myself remained and I hated it, the wood pressed against my face pushed the puke up my nose and down my throat. I couldn't breath and I started to panic, what I had feared had not come to pass, the wood and steel did not recede and the new great tree stood as high as a palace and as wide as two houses, not a leaf in sight. I found peace in making a mark, a scar in the landscape, a monument to the power of a spirit's manipulation. It won't stop him, but it'll stop me.
The last few seconds before I drowned in my own sick were the most peaceful I'd had in a thousand years, I thought of all the unfinished business I had, the Godslayers, Kirin, Danton Redwind, and I knew the world would go on, and be a better place with out the influence of a mad librarian and her salamander.
And I was happy.
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