OK. Here it is. I'm going to be reading through it again myself, but.... yeah. burning_eyes
Forgive me if I messed up on it anywhere. sweatdrop
But. That is that.
Enjoy, haha! xd
Evreck looked from the Lleu to the forest, and then back to Lleu. He drew his longsword then nodded his agreement. He drew a dagger from one of his numerous hiding spots and turned it over in his hand. With a smirk the Shade said, "Alright, let's go then....race you there"
((I guess this is rather short...but I couldn't think of what else there was for me to do sweatdrop )) biggrin
(( eh, it's ok. sorry bout that. sweatdrop I do that sometimes, lol. ))
Lleu nodded, then, vanished in a flash that Evreck could not see, for a straight line of shadow stretched from where he stood to their destination... all light was deflected...
Mordred paused, cursing silently. He had already begun removing the spells upon her... she could talk, though she didn't know it, though the imobilization spell was still in effect... a word would change that. So close... so hideously close... He cast a glance at the imobilized soul, then toward the body before him. If I put her in, then she may escape while i'm distracted... However...
He never had a chance to finish that thought; Lleu appeared before him... The clearing lost all light as Lleu blocked every bit of illumination, aside from what he drew into himself.
(( haha, just found it, sorry, I had a hard time getting on the last day or two. sweatdrop ))
((sorry...been distracted by some hilarious comics...blame Rose xd ))
With less than a thought and sparse effort, Evreck traveled through the shadows in half a second. He came up right at the end of the darkness, still concealed from human eyes. He had his sword drawn and a dagger ready, but didn't really know what to do. He looked around quick to see Lleu, a strange man that made the hair on his neck stand up, and a helpless woman lying on the grass. What should I do...charge?... ((hehe..sorry...short again..but I got nothing.....))
(( Understood. All is forgive.... IF... you link me. >:} lol. ^^ ))
(( ok then. *blames rose* lol. xd I don't mind the sortness. It happens. mine was short too, when you think about the fact that I only wrote 2-3 lines per character. >>;; ))
Mordred's eyes flashed as he turned his gaze toward the newcomers. For a second he started, his face drained of color... "Arth-I thought... you're dead..." He mumbled, taking a step back, before realizing his mistake. The dark made no difference to him... he did not see with true eyes... "No... Diedre's brat..." he growled. "and some pathetic shade..." For a moment his thoughts turned inward. He calculated the success various courses of action would likely produce before turning his gaze back upon them. They must be dealt with... The shade would yeild little life-force, but he strongly suspected that lleu would make for a decent yield....
kill the shade, incapacitate the kid... that's what must be done... Mordred grinned as he stood before them, Wraith's body to his right, her soul in solid form to his left... It was a special trait of wraith's that, when she found herself without a body, she could still take a physical form... "I see... So, have you decided to return to your mother and me? I always did want a son... though our grandfather spoiled any hope of your mother and me bearing any... yet... with some work, I suppose you could do..." he grinned. "Or would you rather just keep me as your uncle?" I thought she said he's self-destruct! No matter. As always, I am more than able to clean up after my sister's sloppiness...
Lleu said nothing. << Evreck... can you get her out of here? Something tells me this one is beyond either of us... even if he doesn't speak truth...>> You have no idea how much I hope it's just an empty taunt... More family stuff... great... just what sort of wasp-nest was I spawned from? No matter... I've left that behind... I'm not part of that anymore... Thought Lleu, though aloud, he responded "No thank you. Now, if you'll kindly release my half-sister and go back to the pit from which you and that witch have crawled, I would like to be on my way... Or would you rather die again?" Lleu made ready to teleport, hoping to take him from behind before Mordred realized he moved...
Wraith saw nothing, but heard speech after a void of nothingness mysteriously consumed the sky she had been forced to stare at... she could not blink, yet without a body, it did not strain her eyes. Still, the change was a welcome one... though a disturbing change as well... Diedre's brat? Son? uncle? half-sister? What have I fallen into, some bizarre sci-fi soap opera?
Not sure of how to communicate with thoughts, Evreck simply thought as 'loud' as he could, I'll take her back to the cottage. I'll wait for a count of 10. If you're not back, I will return. Evreck sheathed his sword and dagger quickly and then dropped down to his knees beside the girl and gently picked her up in his arms. Without the slightest hesitation he looked up straight at the other-worldly being, staring daggers at it. He spat in it's direction and said, "I'll be back for you later. I don't like you stinkin' up these woods."
With less than a thought Evreck and who he assumed must be Wraith we back at the beginning of the trail of darkness. Walking closer to his own cottage he gently laid Wraith down on the grass. Suddenly aware of her impeccably still form he decided it prudent to make sure she was alright. "Are you feeling quite alright?"
((sorry, been gone lately. Friend went off to college in another state, so we had to give him a send off. Here's the link Go to archives and read from page 1))
wraith did not yet know that she could speak. Consequently, the words she had intended to only think materialized as sound without her meaning for them to. "All right? Well, how would anyone expect me to feel after being snatched by some thug, dragged before that witch, only to have my mind laid bare... oh, and of course, she had to go over everything in detail, especially the most sensitive things. And next thing you know, she;s messed with my identity, I'm skewered like so much beef in a cooking pot, only to have my soul called forth from my body by the same idiot who snatched me. Oh, and must I mention being caught by that walking piece of rotting meat who was about to drain my lifeforce?" she was, understandably, intensely irritated, yet she realized, with something of a shock, that she spoke aloud. a few moments of rather awkward silence ensued.
"....sorry... I... didn't think you would be able to hear all that... seems he must have severed some of the spell...."
Evreck stared for a moment. When all that she had said caught up to him, he chuckled. Then he started laughing harder. And harder. Till he was laughing like he hadn't for a very long time. After a few moments he quieted and turned back to Wraith.
" Well it would seem that your observation about whatever spell to which you refer is fairly accurate, give that tirade. But what I really wanted to know was if you had any life-threatening injuries. If you don't, then I'm headed back to where Lleu's at, to lay low that 'walking piece of rotting meat', as you put it.
This one's related to Lleu.....never would've guessed...
"Well, that depends. If I'm in my body? then no, I'm fine. If not? eh, y ou'll have to go check to be sure. Hey, before you go, I have a request. If some elf or half-demon comes along and decides to use me as a novelty talking hatrack, would you mind retrieving me and setting him straight? It's rather hard to look after one's own interests when I'm stuck by a spell like this." she stated dryly with a wry smirk. Someone with a sense of humor. interesting... most people would have given me a blank stare or started trying to make me "feel better"... Which, at the moment, would hardly be practical or productive. "Oh yes, and do be careful... direct contact with that thing would be a very very bad idea..."
Lleu fed light energy from the surrounding forest through his arm, which, inexplicably, he could not remove from Mordred's shoulder. The moment he attempted to lay a hand on the mage he found himself stuck fast... and drained fast as well. It was all he could do to keep mordred drinking light energy and not those directly associated with his soul... This is bad... I can't keep it up much longer, he's getting stronger by the moment, but I can't move, and if I hold off, I die... He broke into a cold sweat. He very much wished to avoid dying... but he could think of nothing to do that would not end in Mordred gaining too much strength and his own death... Evreck my friend, please, for everyone's sake, return soon...
Mordred laughed softly. He needed no words... He had already won. It was only a matter of time... either he would absorb Lleu's soul and all associated energies... or he would absorb as much light as Lleu could pump into him, and then, add Lleu's lifeforce anyway... In either case, he would get what he wanted... this trememndous dose of extra energy was simply icing on the cake...
Evreck turned back towards the path of darkness leading to Lleu. "Okay then, I'm gonna go back and send a sword through that ugly monstrosity's throat. Don't go anywhere" With a chuckle, the shade moved through the shadow back to where he had left Lleu.
As soon as he came back to the scene, Evreck realized the struggle Lleu was locked into. Dark! He's being drained or enspelled some how. I know a good way to fix that! The shadow moved with unearthly speed towards the rotting creation, sword high and head down.
((sorry for the..uh..smallness of the post. It is 2 a.m. after all, and I've been spending the last 2 hours replying to PMs from..you.))
(( yes... debates usually do that to me too. xd haha. *bites tounge* grr. >.< gah. how can I not say sorry? I say it eternally. gonk ))
Mordred's curses rang loud and thick as he dodged, leaving Lleu in Evreck's path. If I'm lucky, the fool will take down his comrade... If I'm not... Then perhaps this is a fight better left for circumstances more... to my advantage... which will need preparation...
Lleu gasped and staggered, struggling for balance. The disorientation prevented him from realizing that the shade headed his way, sword drawn...
Mordred made for Wraith's body... if he must flee, he would not flee without something to show for it... and he had a sneaky suspicion that it would make the perfect bait...
Running at full speed straight towards a point in space leaves one with few last minute decisions on directional changes. So, eternally cautious Evreck didn't risk smacking into Lleu simply to slay the other, rotting, man. He dived and rolled off to the right as he came up right before Lleu, avoiding smashing into his friend, but bringing the shade farther away from the cursed creature that was moving now towards what looked like the same girl he had already saved. Wha...what in the name of Shar is going on here.....
As Evreck regained his footing he realized that he would be hard pressed to get to the body first, so he did the only thing he could think of. He drew a throwing dagger from his belt, and in doing so layered it thick with shadows, and sent it whirling through the air straight at the back of the aberration.
Lleu shook his head, still soaking in light to recuperate from the drain which had left him almost at the point of passing out... He half-noticed the Shade's maneuver, but, at the moment, could do little to help him... He would recover in a moment, but that took energy, which must be replaced... "Watch out... Don't directly... don't.... touch him..." he managed to mumble. The shade likely observed as much, but it never hurt to be doubly sure when something like his lifeforce was on the line...
A howl of rage pierced the air as the daggar struck, neatly slicing off one finger and partially severing another on the hand that was now pinned by the blade to his side... A string of curses trailed off as the abhorrent undead Mordred retrieved half his index finger... He felt no pain... yet a severed finger would not be easy to repair... not when the flesh and bone was already dead... once cut of from him and the unholy magics that kept him animated and, to a point, whole, it would take more than the energy he gained from Lleu to reattach... "For that... you shall suffer, shade..." He said quietly, with an eerie, evil calm, turning his undead, empty eyes upon the shade. With that mordred seemed to fade from view and existance. He could attack wraith another day... but this must be seen to now...
"Yeah..I'm counting on it, captain corpse."
Ignoring the uncanny dissappearance of the man, Evreck went straight over to Lleu's side to ensure he was okay. He sheathed his blade and rushed over, speaking quickly. The girl is fine, at least..I thought she was..but then again, I coulda swore I was looking right at her a second ago.. But anyway, whenever you're able, we need to go back to check up on her. If you don't feel up to travel, we can just wait here though."
He shook his head. "No, I'm... well, if not well, well enough." The haggard look on Lleu's face spoke of the strain, but he smiled now. "Well, that's one more purpose for me then I suppose." he laughed, then sighed. "Though I do hope he spoke lies... If not, then dear old mum might be out for my... or, rather, our... blood..." His brow creased into a series of worry-lines as he puzzled over the walking corpse's words, then shook his head. "Oh well. Attend to the now is, I suppose, what we'd best do." lleu looked over at the body lying upon the ground. No aura. no life... just a body... Methinks that you did leave her... I can sense her in the direction you returned from, but methinks she'd be best off back in her body, don't you?" he smirked, stooping to retrieve Wraith's empty form from the ground where it remained. "healed... he healed it... Why would he heal it?" It was obvious... there was a dark mark where blood stained her clothes in the center of her chest... a fatal wound... but traces of Mordred's magic wafted like a sickening stench from the wound... "What thinkest thou, Evreck?"
Lleu shook his head, still soaking in light to recuperate from the drain which had left him almost at the point of passing out... He half-noticed the Shade's maneuver, but, at the moment, could do little to help him... He would recover in a moment, but that took energy, which must be replaced... "Watch out... Don't directly... don't.... touch him..." he managed to mumble. The shade likely observed as much, but it never hurt to be doubly sure when something like his lifeforce was on the line...
A howl of rage pierced the air as the daggar struck, neatly slicing off one finger and partially severing another on the hand that was now pinned by the blade to his side... A string of curses trailed off as the abhorrent undead Mordred retrieved half his index finger... He felt no pain... yet a severed finger would not be easy to repair... not when the flesh and bone was already dead... once cut of from him and the unholy magics that kept him animated and, to a point, whole, it would take more than the energy he gained from Lleu to reattach... "For that... you shall suffer, shade..." He said quietly, with an eerie, evil calm, turning his undead, empty eyes upon the shade. With that mordred seemed to fade from view and existance. He could attack wraith another day... but this must be seen to now...
"Yeah..I'm counting on it, captain corpse."
Ignoring the uncanny dissappearance of the man, Evreck went straight over to Lleu's side to ensure he was okay. He sheathed his blade and rushed over, speaking quickly. The girl is fine, at least..I thought she was..but then again, I coulda swore I was looking right at her a second ago.. But anyway, whenever you're able, we need to go back to check up on her. If you don't feel up to travel, we can just wait here though."
He shook his head. "No, I'm... well, if not well, well enough." The haggard look on Lleu's face spoke of the strain, but he smiled now. "Well, that's one more purpose for me then I suppose." he laughed, then sighed. "Though I do hope he spoke lies... If not, then dear old mum might be out for my... or, rather, our... blood..." His brow creased into a series of worry-lines as he puzzled over the walking corpse's words, then shook his head. "Oh well. Attend to the now is, I suppose, what we'd best do." lleu looked over at the body lying upon the ground. No aura. no life... just a body... Methinks that you did leave her... I can sense her in the direction you returned from, but methinks she'd be best off back in her body, don't you?" he smirked, stooping to retrieve Wraith's empty form from the ground where it remained. "healed... he healed it... Why would he heal it?" It was obvious... there was a dark mark where blood stained her clothes in the center of her chest... a fatal wound... but traces of Mordred's magic wafted like a sickening stench from the wound... "What thinkest thou, Evreck?"
"Ah, if they come back, we'll make them wish they hadn't or at least get away with our skins intact." The shade just then recognized what Lleu had said about Wraith not being in her body. He got a confused look on his face for a moment while he tried to figure it out.
"Wait..so, the Wraith I left by the cottage was her specter of some sort...and the Wraith over there, is a corpse? Huh..guess that explains why there's two. But, why would he heal her? " The shade looked up at the sky while he pondered the motives of the fiend. "Well, if he was healing her body, that must mean he needs her alive for something. But what that would be, I have no idea. I think it's safe to assume it's not pleasant though. For now, let's just get Wraith back to..uh..herself." Evreck laughed at the absurdity of the statement. He brought the shadows close and stepped back into the lingering darkness leading back to where the cottage.
He considered it for a moment, then nodded. The body was not booby-trapped as he feared... he had learned enough of Diedre's sort of magic to know that... With that, Lleu took up Wraith's body and followed his friend to where Wraith's spirit remained, unmoving... He set down the body and silently overlooked his half-sister... She doesn't seem particularly happy... but certainly she is not evil... he thought to himself... he sensed the spell upon her... he knew it... with a whispered word and a wave of his hand he finished what Mordred had begun and ended its power over the immobilized spirit of Wraith.
She blinked... hearing a word, she turned to look, and found herself able to turn her head... indeed, even to sit up, again... Which she promptly did, peering at Lleu with a suspicious glance as if trying to size up just who... or what... stood before her... "So, you've decided to play the real hero now? Or is this just some other trick?" She glanced at her body and shuddered... Had she been sure she could trust him, she would have entered it... but, as it now stood, she had no reason to believe that Didre, or Lleu himself, had not somehow done something to it...
She chuckled darkly. "Well, I must admit, being in real danger for once was a bit odd. forgive me, I assure you I don't intend for it to happen again..." Wraith grimaced. Had she not been confused about who she was, she never would have paused long enough to be so ensnared.
Evreck stepped back out of the darkness a second later than Lleu got there with Wraith's body. He was surprise to see no dramatic homecoming, or sad exchange of silly flowery words. That's the way it's supposed to be with family's right? Have you forgotten already or are you just wrong.. He walked over to where the other two ...or would it be more accurate to say three...were at.
So, now that that's over...do we get to take a break? I could go for a drink....oh wait..do you two eat and drink....or do you just live on light and niceness and her on sarcasm and confusing others?
((yeah...I know....I'm getting lame with the short posts...but my writing skills are tapped out from class...plus all finesse with words is drained from trying to meet new girls people around campus.))
(( rofl Nice. xd Np, a lame post from a good writer is better from a normal post from a totally lame writer. ^^ You're fine. ))
She turned her emerald eyes upon him, narrowed with distrust as she looked him over. "Forgive me if I am what I am. Do you think I had a choice in the matter? Some of us are not so fortunate as to have escaped Diedre free of effects." She said it to Evreck, but, obviously, aimed it at lleu. Her eyes narrowed further as the suspicion fairly radiated from her form. "Though, had I not been "confusing" I would not sit before you this day." With that, she turned to Lleu.
"What that.... thing... said. Explain." She obviously had never heard of any family relation... especially to diedre's lackey... And now that Lleu had arrived, she wanted that cleared up. Now.
Lleu stuttered a moment. "I.... " She heard that then... I had hoped to wait... "I... Well..." He struggled for words... He was not, obviously, proud of how he came to be... in fact, the very thought of it, now, made him wince... "I am... Diedre's son... Diere and Renkou's son... I... was kept in a place where time ran differently... She tried to use me against you and failed..." He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "I didn't know! She had me thinking you were all monsters. I thought I was doing the right thing and avenging wrongs. She... was... is... my mother. How was I to know?" He felt an intense desire to pace... the last thing he wanted... or needed right now... was someone else condemning him... he had done enough self-condemning as it was... "Evreck... tell her... I'm not... not her tool anymore. Maybe she'll trust you." He could tell by her expression, indeed, her entire bearing, that she still had absolutely no intention of trusting him... yet...
"Yes... Evreck is it? Tell me why I should trust him. Because, frankly, I see very little reason to. For all I know you may have set a trap upon my body... you or your... mother..." she spoke as if the word left a foul taste in her mouth... she had no great love for Diedre... nor was she particularly inclined to trust anyone so obviously connected to her... "Why should I be fool enough to believe you?"
(( Also... when two of my characters are interacting... yeah. It can get hard to figure out what your character should do. XP ))
((yes...yes it can))
"What do you want me to say? I'm not the expert here. Hell, I make a point out of not trusting people. You wake up with far fewer daggers in your back that way. But as far as shiny boy goes, I don't have any problems trusting him. What is there to distrust? He's gotta be the most honorable person I've met in the last decade. The guy doesn't mean you any harm, because he doesn't mean any one any harm. He wouldn't have ever done what he did if he had known the truth about it. He acted against you because all the information he had told him you were bad and mommy was good. But he's been set straight now, and last I checked, he wanted only to save you...and maybe shut Diedre up. Hell...you don't have to believe me or Lleu, but what's your alternative? Sit on the grass...er..float kind of on the grass and wait for someone else to come along, possible with malicious intentions? You'd rather wait around, trapped outside of your body, then trust the light-drinker that your corpse is safe? Come on now...you outta be smarter than that girl."
With that release of words Evreck moved to large tree and leaned up against it, hidden in its shadow.
Wraith peered at Lleu piercingly...
Lleu grinned nervously, running a hand through his hair. "Well... he's... well, he's correct... I understand why you wouldn't believe us... but... If I meant you ill I would have done it by now.... right?" He sighed. "Forget it. Suspect me if you like, but you're safe, and I've righted my wrong. Now I have someone else to deal with." He turned to Evreck with dissapointment written upon every bit of his expression, his posture, his tone of voice...and sighed. "Let's leave... sorry for putting you in the middle of that my friend. I was foolish to hope that she'd view me as anything but what I was."
Wraith inwardly cursed emotions... She felt horrible for her actions... Blasted feelings, I was better off without them before I regained the rest of my soul... She said nothing, looked down, thought to herself... The Shade's words bore unmistakable sense... and what if Lleu spoke the truth? He didn't seem to be acting when he conrfonted the shade...
Wraith shook her head and returned to her body while Lleu's back was turned... She didn't have enough information to make a good decision...
In a moment, Wraith, body, soul and all, faded into nothingness and vanished... or so it seemed... She fully intended to see for herself just who Lleu was when he thought she wasn't there... And she had the perfect set of abilities to do just that...
Lleu turned to look just as she faded... and his remaining hopes were dashed. He turned back to Evreck. "Well my friend, what now? That went... better than it might have... but worse than I had hoped." The young light-wielder looked like death warmed over... between his suicide attempt the day before and the life-force drain today, his body had taken quite a hit... not to mention his emotions.. What he rather obviously needed was rest, but, characteristic of Lleu, he never for a moment noticed his own state.
Wraith in her fully matter-less form stood behind, watching like a hawk all that befell... Lleu had looked right at her... and not noticed a thing. So he can't see me... good...
(( Hopefully that'll make it easier. ^^;; Wraith will be spying on you... Evreck, if you want, can see her. >:} That would make for an interesting twist. ^^ ))
Evreck's eyes paused for just a second before passing past the place where Wraith had stood and resting on Lleu. He looked at his haggard companion. He's been sucked half dry. Now would be a good time for another rest I'm thinking. The shade walked swiftly over to where Lleu was standing. He pulled his cloak hood down low as he neared the light-being, but found he felt little energy coming off of him.
Come on, don't be so down, you're gonna make me depressed. You did good. You saved her right? So what else needs to be done? If she's gonna hang onto a grudge, which women are known to do, then you'll just have to wait till she drops it. It'll happen in time. But for now, we need to take a break I think. You look not so sparkly as you should. Maybe we outta go back to the cottage, or make camp here...your call, I don't care either way.
Lleu sighed. "I doubt she will... Hang it all, but I had hoped..." Lleu trailed of into a sigh, then paused to consider the rest of Evreck's words. "Yes, rest would be... good... I'll try to cheer up... For your sake..." Even if not for mine... What went wrong? I suppose... like Evreck said... that others aren't inclined to trust... how odd. Distrust was still a concept very foriegn to Lleu... he trusted those who were not enemies wholly and without reservation... and to him, since she obviously didn't trust his words... he must still, in her eyes at least, be an enemy...
"Well... if she believes me to be an enemy... so be it. She's safe... and we've both evaded that... whatever it was... with our hides intact... so I shoulld be content with that I suppose..."
Wraith watched silently from behind, making no sound, casting no shadow, and giving no indication that she was there... She needed more observations to be wholly sure that he could not see her, and that this was not all an act... so she remained hidden, simply listening and observing...
Evreck put his hand on Lleu's shoulder, felt only a slight tinge of pain, and turned him towards the cottage and away from where Wraith had been. As he turned he looked back he looked right at where he suspected Wraith to be. The magical energies swirling in one spot was undoubtedly the girl, but he said nothing. Instead the shade just winked, and turned is gaze back to the cottage.
"Come on, lets find something to drink. I'm feeling fairly thirsty myself." He paused and looked at Lleu, "You drink...like water, or beer, or milk or something, right?"
If Wraith could look more alarmed, then the ground was made of sliver… a shiver ran down her spine. He saw me…. What is he up to? No one had ever seen Wraith when she was invisible… never… not in 4,500 years of wandering… then again, she had a body… perhaps that made the difference? It doesn’t matter why… he saw me… she was at a loss as to what to do… But he has said nothing… I must be wary, I’m vulnerable now… Vulnerability was something still very very very new to Wraith… and she didn’t particularly like it. Hang it all, I’ve never had to be careful in my life. Why must I have to start now?
Lleu nodded. “Well… I’m not sure really… What would you suggest beginning with? I’ve always… well… taken whatever she directed me toward to be honest…” Lleu sighed, clenching his fists… he felt so… open, so vulnerable, so unprotected without his mother’s presence… or, rather, control… upon him… “This… will take some getting used to… How do ordinary mortals know what to consume? Or where to go? Or what to do next for that matter? It must be confusing to be so… directionless…” Lleu shook his head… “Had I not you to show me, I’d be even more lost yet… ” then he paused, turning to Evreck. No light came from him; he had stopped reflecting it, knowing that it hurt his friend… he had not the energy or the will to manipulate it at the moment anyway… at least, not beyond directing it away from Evreck… “Where do you get your direction? You must have one. Who commands you? Or… well, I suppose that’s not right… rather… I don’t know. You must understand my meaning. How do you decide what to do? Where to go? What to eat? Direction. Who gives you your direction?”
What...could he really be this lost? Evreck shot Lleu a surprised look.
"What? You want to know why I do what I do when I do it?" The shade laughed lightly and shook his head. "Wow. You don't know? I just do what I want. I do what I want to, when I want to. That's the way the world works. For most people anyway. My actions are hindered and altered by something. My principals and beliefs, nothing else. I decide what to do based on my beliefs. Chiefly justice and honor, though I think my definitions for each are probably different than yours."
Evreck took a step forward then turned back to look at Lleu.
"You know, you get to choose now. You don't have to listen to anyone. I mean, you can if you want, I guess, but you're a free man. Well, for as long as you can stay away from women that is." The shade smirked, with a strangely sad look in his eyes.
Lleu really was that lost... He may look like a strong, confident young man of about 16 years of age... but, at the moment, he was more like a lost puppy... The color visibly drained from his face at Evreck's words... "You... you mean... you're alone?" His brow knit into a thousand creases of confusion. "What you want? But that's... How...." Lleu struggled keep himself under control as his mind tried to grasp such a concept... "I don't... I don't understand... do you mean to say that you... decide wholly on your own then?" the concept was wholly strange to Lleu... and, due to diedre's influence, intensely frightening... To be without his mother had always been the one thing he feared most in the world... now that she was gone, he had found in Evreck someone to follow... but... to follow himself? the very thought shook him to the core... then he realized what Evreck had pegged on to the end... and his expression... Women? Like my mother... who controlled me... then... "then... then do all women control us, like my mother? Then why did we save wraith? Unless we trust that she won't use her feminine abilities against us?" He was genuinely confused... and pathetically earnest... he truly had come to this conclusion... Diedre had violently blocked anything and everything that might make him hard to control... he knew absolutely nothing of women... the only two he now remembered even seeing were his mother and Wraith... He might be a teenage boy, but he had never as of yet had an opportunity to realize what Evreck meant... Until now, anything and everything relating to the subject had been systematically blocked, stripped and removed from his mind and heart with no exceptions... After all, girls were a dangerous thing... if he fell prey to affection or lust, it would spell the end of his usefulness... Diedre wouldn't have that...
Evreck Laughed for a minute before recognizing the concern on Lleu's face. By Mask's shadows, he really is serious. Gods, the poor guy hasn't a clue. I wonder if that's the way I seemed before... Evreck snapped back from is contemplations and looked at Lleu, trying to keep a straight face and not laugh at the confused young man. Despite his years of discipline and training, he didn't hide it very well that he found the conversation quite amusing.
I'm not completely alone. I mean, I do take other people's advice into consideration, occasionally....okay rarely, but it happens. All I meant is that you get to make the final decisions now. You can listen to others if you wish, but there's no longer a obligation on your part to do anything. Hell, if you wanted to you could decide to kill me right now. You could choose to start flying around in the air in circles, screaming the words "Purple apples float on feathers on Fridays," no one's gonna try to stop you. Well, I might, but only if you get on my nerves.
The shade poorly concealed another laugh as a cough before continuing. "And don't worry about what I said about women. I was just kidding, sort of. Not all of them are out to control you or change you, just the one's that claim to be in love with you Sparky." The wicked shadow man turned as he started laughing with far more mirth than what anyone would normally see in him. He walked towards the cottage and his room, halfway hoping he hadn't scared Lleu away from women altogether.
Stare into the shadows and there you will find me.
He took it all in with a fair bit of rather obvious skepticism and more than a bit of discomfort, but nodded... though he still wasn't sure why Evreck seemed to think he'd engage in such behavior. "so.... avoid... love then? whatever that is? As you wish, I shall." lleu nodded determinedly. if they love you it means they have gained control... I must be very sure never to let any have this "love" thing over me... that would be very bad indeed... It made perfect sense... after all, his mother had always claimed to love him. The shade's mirth did more to dispell his fear than a thousand words, for at least itmeant that he was wrong... and in this case, he would rather have been wrong...
Just the ones that love you, eh? thought wraith with a sigh as her mind wandered back to her youth in a moment of nogistalgia... She had never dealt with them, for her lack of emotions had always made it easier to keep hidden within her mind what was best left burried... but her emotions were missing no longer...
The memory that surfaced was of her last ride she had before that fateful event... but was followed by what she remembered next... and by the time she realized, it was too late. "No, no no no no no..." she gasped as memories returned. "Confound these emotions..." For a brief moment, she fought with her mind before the memory overtook her... she was awake, terribly wide awake, in the dark... thick liquid permeated her garments as her cramped form crouched, immobile, within the alter... through the oppening in the lid she heard voices... someone calling her name... a struggle... something slammed against the stone wall of her prison; the blood of her bodyguards sloshed... for a brief moment, hope flared... then... the sickening, inevitable sound... ....Wraith gasped, fighting to keep other memories from streaming in through the gap in her mental defenses that had oppened up... the rasping sound... warm blood once more flowing in... the remaining air would soon be banished.... fear... despair...... "No..." she gasped, momentarily back in that place once more... and it grew worse from there... though blessedly no so terribly clear... She didn't bother fighting it... she focused, rather, on retaining sanity... and keeping out the memories that would follow if she couldn't keep them at bay... "emotions...memories....people.... should have.... died then..." she murmured, unaware that she was speaking, being watched... unaware of anything but the illusion in which her own mind had trapped her for this brief bit of time... Wherever she was.... it was very dark... the very darkness seemed to be a thing in and of itself... "Why won't it let me die..." she mumbled as her crumpled form remained on the forest floor, crouched as if warding off some terrible thing...
Lleu heard a sound and looked back to see the form of his half-sister billow into existance as she fell to the ground a few feet behind him, clutching her head... he turned and stood, dumbfounded. "w...wraith?" The light-wielder looked to Evreck, clearly bewildered beyond thought of action as he stood there looking like a fool... he would clearly be of no help... "what... what do I do?" he looked pathetically spooked, as if he would flee at the first sudden noise... He had utterly no idea what was happening, and even less idea of how to deal with it.
Evreck didn't have long to contemplate Lleu's series of misunderstandings as he too heard Wraith's fall and spun too see what had happened. Equally perplexed as Lleu, when he turned to the boy he didn't offer any advise but reacted on his own. He did as he always did and pulled deep the shadows around him as he made a connection with the darkness closest Wraith and willed himself to move the distance in one step. He strode the rest of the gap and knelt down next to her, shadows bleeding from his skin to keep off the sunlight. He moved to pick her up despite any protest or struggles. He walked back to Lleu swiftly with Wraith in his arms, speaking quickly and a bit sternly.
"What's the deal with this one Lleu? How many times must we save her? Come on, we'll go back to my room and figure out what in the name of the shadow has gotten into her." He walked past Lleu and towards the cottage, jumping from shadow to shadow as often as he could, eager to figure out the solution so the problem might go away.
Lleu followed, intensely aggitated. He had a thousand questions, but seemed unable to voice them... all but one... "Will... she be ok?" Lleu absorbed light to give Evreck aid as he followed close behind.
Memories... Wraith was trapped in memories. Her eyes shot open, seeing nothing, then slammed shut as her painfully tense form began to shake... She ranged from wraith form to the physical, transforming Evreck, unthinkingly, as well, indeed, everything nearbye as she convulsively exhibited her powers... spirits flashed into view in physical form before vanishing as she returned it to their natural state..."No... Never. Let me die... Then I shall-" She gasped, wincing, not at any true pain, but what she relived within the prison of her own mind... quietly she muttered. She seemed to be arguing with someone... or something... as her breath came in ragged wheezes... "I... when the world... ends... I... freedom... I... wait... I will not... be... yours..." eventually, the speech trailed off as she seemed to recede into herself, not quite awake, not quite asleep, but if she was aware, it was of a different reality than the one Evreck and Lleu existed in, resisting a demon that neither Evreck nor Lleu could see...
Nearbye, Mordred watched... So there again are the ones who my sister says I should take? he thought with a ghastly grin. drink her lifeforce... devour her soul... and I shall live again... live forever... She shall be mine... her and that brat Diedre spawned... And the shade as well... Rage and hatred flashed across his once beautiful face as he faded away to report to the witch. Wraith's mind had been laid bare before Diedre... she would know what this was... as well as how to use it to their own advantage... And he now knew to where they walked. He would make his move soon enough... and when he did, they would all pay... Wraith, Lleu, and the one who stole his pray from him... Evreck... They would not escape...
He did his best to ignore the odd changes coursing through the girl and himself. He walked as fast as he could to the cottage, listening in on Wraith's mumbling as he went. Evreck started to understand what was going on with the unconscious rambling women. He was no stranger to ailments of the mind after all. He turned to Lleu as they all reached the door to his room with a blank, if somewhat hard stare.
"She'll be fine, just give it some time."
He reached for the door knob, finding his hand unable to grasp it for a moment as he was no longer a material object. He waited for a second longer and ripped the door open as soon as his hand was physical again and able to hold onto the door knob. He walked into the near pitch dark room, beckoning Lleu to follow behind, calming quite a bit in the darkness. He moved across the room and set Wraith carefully on the couch, hoping that she wouldn't just fall through it. He turned around quickly and looked at Lleu, motioning for him to come in again.
"Hurry up and come in. Close the door and lock it behind you. Whatever is happening to your ever distressed friend needs to happen in here, with the door closed. No need to complicate things further with an unwelcome guest."
Lleu prompty obeyed all that Evreck said; everything that was, aside from stepping inside. He first paused to soak up energy enough to sustain him for a few hours at least before closing the door, ushering in utter, total and complete darkness. he said nothing, simply watching, silent. If there was a way to aid his half-sister Evreck would tell him. Aside from that, it seemed that the most prudent thing he could do would be to give them space. If he couldn't help, at least he wouldn't get in the way...
Wraith began to settle down somewhat, reduced to a mild, consistant shaking. She was, luckily, solid when she hit the couch, though both girl and furniture were not so for long. Yet instead of fully one or the other they faded to a sort of half-silid state, not quite one, not quite the other as the sounds coming through her clenched teeth faded from words to little more than sounds... meaningful, yet not definite... her eyes were still closed as the relived memory continued to play... every so often she would mumble something as if in response to someone, but litte more... she may not have been under the influence of the being that had held her in sway for so long, yet for all intents and purposes, for, now, she relived the solstice struggle within the cage of her own mind... yet, thankfully, a sort of half-numbness had set in... Wraith had long since learned to endure the solstice.. had she not, her sanity would have faded long before... She simply stopped thinking... stopped breathing... pretended she did not exist...
...after some time the wraithiness faded as couch and the wraith returnd to their physical forms while she fell into a deep, if fitful, sleep... Though mostly wraithy, such an ordeal in a physcal, living form took a great deal out of her... before she returned to life, there was no body to deal with, no physical effects... now, she had both.
He motioned for Lleu to come closer, slightly annoyed by his lack of help. He looked at Wraith's relative calmness before looking back at Lleu with a frustrated frown.
"Alright light-boy, you got some explaining to do. Why is your recently saved sibling suddenly stuck in her own thoughts? She's acting like she's being beaten or murdered, but she's not aware of her surroundings. She's either deep in memories, trapped in an illusion, or you vastly under exaggerated just how much help she needs. I don't have a shadow of an idea of what to do..."
He turned back to look at Wraith, his eyes seeing better in the black depths than in the light. As he stood there pondering what was going on, he started playing with the dark, absentmindedly making the darkness shift and swirl, grow and ebb in different parts of the room. He turned back to look at Lleu with a slight smirk that seemed more like a sneer.
So, you gonna come over here and help your poor distressed sister or are you just gonna hope she wakes up with no problem and thanks you for standing there, not even trying to comfort her?
He threw up his hands. "How should I know? I've only seen the girl twice before. In any case, you heard her. She wants no comfort from me." he replied in frustration. he was deeply worried about wraith, but she still scared him. All the same, he came. Lleu sighed. Now that she wasn't playing that trick with the matter around her and acting as if she were in the throes of some deathly illness, his scattered wits began to recollect and he calmed down. "Forgive me my friend... I do thank you..." he said quietly, peering at this foreign being who was somehow the only honest family he knew. "If I knew..." he shook his head. "She is as much a mystery to me as anything else in these strange solid lands..."
No longer trapped in memories, Wraith dreamed silently of a time in her life that had long since past... the time when she first walked, breathing, upon the earth... and as her dreams turned to such times, an odd thing happened... she smirked almost... happily... a thing as far out of character for wraith as wanton, willing destruction and cruelty for its own sake by the naive yet chivalrous Lleu... Wraith may smirk, smile wryly or laugh in amusement... but happiness was neither part of her being nor something she bothered to seek... at least, not anymore... Content, yes. But happy? She would laugh aloud at the thought...
When you are lost in the darkness and unable to see
He shrugged off the words as he did with most everything not urgent or of an emergency nature. He looked back at Wraith and noticed he relative calmness. He shook his head, perplexed by the erratic state she had been in earlier. He looked at Lleu, seeing through the darkness like he must see in a brightly lit day. He smirked and gestured back at Wraith with one thumb.
"Don't worry about it. She seems to be calming down. Just, maybe stay next to her until she wakes up. Just drag a chair over here or something. I know you don't really know her, but you got more to do with her than I do bright eyes."
He turned suddenly, walking across the room to the odd fireplace. He threw a few of the near black logs onto the fire and crouched down to light it with skilled hands. The small fire glowed a deep purple, giving off warmth and a subtle, nearly imperceptible light. He stood and looked at Lleu again, the mere traces of light that seemed a part of the man just as obvious to the shade as a blood smear on a snowy field.
"Just, try to get comfortable while we wait. Not much to do until she wakes, and it seems like she might be asleep, or something close at least.
Lleu sighed, then nodded. he couldn't very well argue with that logic. Pulling up a chair he took a seat, peering quizzically down at the sleeping wraith.Sister... I wonder what that means? Chances are she'll glare at me and dissolve off into nothing again when she wakes. he thought with an irritated grimace. Can't say I blame her thought... Lleu sighed. "So much I don't know... so very much... curse that witch..." Poor Lleu mumbled with a bit of a grumble and yet another sigh.
Wraith stirred after some time, blinked, then groaned. The utter lack of any light source was a mercy to her aching head, yet not enough of one. She mumbled something about wishing the wrath of Anu, Bel, Ea, and Ishtar to reign upon whatever horse threw her...
"Neti! Ninki! Fetch me some water. And light some lamps! It's as dark as the mines of Buzur." she called authoritatively. Silence. Wraith muttered "Where are those thrice-cursed servants?" and forcefully, authoritatively sat up.
Lleu leaned over instinctively just as wraith sat up. For his concern he received a a rather smashed up mouth. It didn't seem enough to loosen his front teeth, no, she somehow ensured that they were driven quite nicely into the soft tissue within his mouth. Yet his tongue, mercifully, escaped with nothing worse than the 'minor' pain of a light clipping by means of his molars all along the right side. A loud, if muffled, cry of pain arose as his hand flew to his now heavily bleeding mouth, followed by incoherent mutterings of pain, though it soon faded into the painful hiss of breath through ruined teeth and mangled lips. He was, for the moment, a bit to preoccupied, not to mention astonished, to do much else.
Wraith lost what color was left in her face. Very quietly she spoke. "So that is how it is then?..." A quiet, calm, yet spectacularly intense anger, and, indeed, defiance settles upon her features, yet not violent... no... worse than violent... she was utterly, startlingly calm. "You will get no ransom of my father. Do what you will of me." She had heard Lleu's voice and assumed what she... the early wraith... or, rather, Rae-Ish... had thought was the worst case scenario. Abduction.
Wraith laughed. "May the wrath of the Gods reign upon you and your kin." She was the daughter of the king of one of the greatest of the Sumerian city-states, but more than that... supposedly the daughter of Ishtar... she would show these swine her mettle... or so she thought. yet... Lady Ishtar, if there was ever a time to show that I am truly your daughter, now would be that time... she thought... for the moment she was so caught up in ancient memories that the ordinary wraith had wholly faded from her conscious mind... Yet it was not wholly Diedre's doing...
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