| Welcome to our home, a world in which anything can happen. From sprawling deserts and vast forests to massive volcanoes and luscious hot springs, Soare and the Scattered Isles are beautiful places just waiting to be explored. For the brave and the bold or the cautious and the wary, creatures of all kinds roam the earth, looking for adventure or for a place to call their own. Species of all kinds - the well-known and the unknown - thrive here, though not always in harmony. Elenlond is an original medieval fantasy RPG with a world that's as broad as it is unique. Calling on characters of all kinds, the sky's the limit in a world where boundaries are blurred and the imagination runs rampant. Restrictions are limited and members are encouraged to embrace their creativity, to see where they can go and what they can do. It's no longer just text on a page - it becomes real. Enter Our World |
| The Shadow That Lurks Outside | |
|---|---|
| Topic Started: Apr 5 2011, 10:19 AM (451 Views) | |
| Percival Goode | Apr 5 2011, 10:19 AM Post #1 |
![]()
|
A late evening had fallen over the city of Madrid, with a low sun barely in glimpse of the horizon, casting the forest to the end of dusk. In the darkness, the trees loomed as monstrous hands, reaching for the coming moon and stars, and the nearest hapless innocent who should wander into their grasp. With the clouds still clear in the dimming light, one such creature wandered from its home obliviously into the waiting trees. Padding along, curious, it had slipped not-yet-noticed from its keeper, to investigate the sounds and smells of the wondrous outside. Nostrils twitching, whiskers swaying, ears swivelling forth and back- it explored the cow-trimmed grasses, sniffed ants that passed its toes, and made half-hearted swats at crickets who sang atop stones. As the forest drew nearer, it only darted more swiftly inside. Little was it aware of the danger that lurked within the line of trees- of what beast waited in the shadows, teeth bared for blood. Some time after, as darkness pronounced its reign, the critter's keeper came looking after. Slipping from the doorway herself, she made her way across the yard and toward the woods, calling her missing companion's name. A path snaked through the forest where the animal had wandered, and in the faint moonlight she could just barely make out the imprints of tiny paws in the worn, moist soil. Following the trail, and desperately calling, the child finally stopped upon spotting a shadow on the side- the figure of a man leaned against a tree, something held within his arms. He rose from his slouch to stand before her, one eye showing clear in its unearthly glow. In that dim light, an almost-friendly smile could be seen on the stranger's face. Everything about it spoke of good-will, and proclaimed the man a friend, but an underlying feeling whispered of something disturbed within the smile. Being around him was not safe. But she, young and naive, could not read the feeling, only stared up at the strange man as he moved towards her, and graciously held out the thing that he held in his arms. "Is this yours?" In the bare light, she could make out the golden fur, striped half like the hay bales in autumn and half like the tiger lilies in spring. With a delighted squeal, she lunged forward to reclaim her precious infant. As she held the body close, however, and nuzzled her cheek against its back, something did not feel right about the creature. Once lively and squirming, often crying in ever-sweet mews, it lay still within her arms and soundless, like a doll. Curious and worried, she held her beloved baby to the light- only to find it eyeless, and bleeding. Her face aghast in horror, she hadn't the time to shriek before a blade had pierced her neck; stabbing just above her collarbone and stopping all chance to breathe. With the same dark smile, he bowed to collect his victim, not even caring as the kitten fell from the young girl's hands to lie in a lifeless heap upon the cold ground. He danced around once with the body- a twirl as he swayed her within his arms. The forgotten pet's fragile head was crushed beneath his heel before he started off deeper into the forest, a cheery tune humming between each breath. |
| (OFFLINE) PROFILE | QUOTE GO TO TOP |
| Sun | May 10 2011, 04:08 PM Post #2 |
![]()
|
In many ways she could not believe quite what was happening. Scant days ago she had discovered that the small little world she thought existed was nothing but... Well, nothing. Even though it had her Master, whom in her eyes still was superior to everyone else (which was a belief that was only growing stronger) it still meant very little. What was but a man (even him) and a small group of girls when the world was so... Huge? Did her clan mean anything? And what he had said had been right. He had got the scale wrong, or rather she had perceived his words wrong, but the world was just as violent as he said, if much, much bigger. It scared her, to think she had to live out a year in this before she went back. But, she had asked what the rest of the world was like, many times, she had probed his theories further, occasionally asked how two things which seemed to contradict each other worked. She had wanted to be here, even if she did not know it until he told her. He told her she would explore the world alone an then return. But still, she was nervous. When she got back, however, she would be ready to learn all his secrets, she would be ready to take over leadership when he eventually faded away. She looked forwards to being back there. Still, she never thought the wider world would be so... Savage. As yet she had been too scared to really enter the city, and had hung back in the trees, watching, trying to understand it all and failing. She had just been sitting in a branch, her mind wondering, comprehending, when she saw a woman pass beneath her. From her viewpoint, where she was almost invisible at least whilst remaining still, she saw it all. She gasped as she saw the knife, her own eyes had adjusted to the dark by this point well enough to make it out. People killed so easily here, it seemed. "Is everyone this brutal? This violent?" she asked out loud, and immediately regretted it, her hand came to her mouth and she hugged closer to the high branch she had been on, the bark digging into her chest and stomach through the thin fabric she wore. Calloused hands gripped her tightly as she buried her tattooed face into the tree likewise, hoping to hide, but thought better of it, deciding to keep him in view. Her face came back up, green eyes fixing on him. She hoped that he couldn't see her. She was good at hiding, in the tree's at least, and she was high up, maybe he wouldn't think to look this high. What would she do if he did, what if he did spot her, what would she do? She could draw her bow but... She let out a small yelp, and looked down. There it was, faintly in the darkness resting at the base of the tree. Her head jerked back round to face the killer. That turned out to be a bigger mistake, as she did so the flower she had behind her ear, white and pink fell from place. She saw it to late, her hand reached out to grab it. Everything seemed to be slow motion, her fingers just reached it and then... And then it slipped right through them. Slowly, gently it floated all the way to the ground. Sghe was silent, she felt numb. What did she do now? There was only one thing she could do. Only one thing to do now she felt that her hiding place was well and truly revealed. "Please don't hurt me" she squeaked. |
| (OFFLINE) PROFILE | QUOTE GO TO TOP |
| Percival Goode | May 13 2011, 10:17 PM Post #3 |
![]()
|
Dance and stride were one in gait as the madman swaggered away from the scene with the victim in his grasp. His body tilted at unsteady angles, in sway like a drunkard fighting stupor not to meet the floor, but for all his staggering was only careless of where he placed his feet. He twirled as he felt like it, stumbled backward, and haphazardly side-stepped as his balance failed him and prevailed again. For as long as he didn't fall, he didn't care how much his feet got tangled, and even if he had finally fallen back, his mood was unlikely to be soured by such a petty pain. Nothing could overpower his happiness, for it was a dance of simple joy. All the while, his vocals thrummed with a tune as unstable as he; in one moment loud and the next quiet, from as deep as an owl's coo to as high as a songbird's trill. Yet for all its up-down nature, he was not off-key nor remotely unpleasant to be heard- assuming any could hear him, at a time when he would most wish to be alone. At moments in his dance he sang, though not a word came from him, merely vocalized notes as his foolish dance made humming forced and more difficult. His senseless sounds were freer sung aloud than restrained by a muffled hum. Then all at once, his song and dance was ended, quieted on one last whispered note. He paused and looked around him, casual and indifferent. It were not as though he seemed to feel like his position was perhaps a bad one to be caught in- as if he were not there, with a dead child in his arms. He stood still, looking around him, gleaming eye curious for the source of sound that his pointed ears were certain they had not been mistaken in hearing. It was a short moment as he grew closer to giving up when a flower fell from above him and alighted softly upon the silent angel's cheek. The sulfuric gaze transfixed on it briefly, and then shot upwards with a blink. "Aha!" A grin met the woman perched above him, yet again as if he were oblivious to his situation- that he had not been caught in the midst of a crime. He shifted the weight in his arms so that he could grab the flower, pulling it from the girl's face to twirl between his fingers, the pedals twirling in a blur. Maneuvering the girl so that she rested against his chest, supported mostly by one arm, he held the flower up towards the unexpected visitor. The look on his face was nothing short of genial. "Lose this?" As she made no move to immediately come down to claim it- and who in their right mind would?- he lowered his arm to re-accept his burden's weight. With a shrug, he moved to stand at the foot of the tree that the woman was perched in, eying her bow at its base before turning his back to it. With a sly smirk he dropped back to sit beside her weapon, letting out a yawn as he cradled the child to his chest. His lids fell over his eyes, leaving only a sliver to peer from, as he feigned an ignorant rest beneath the tree and the woman who was hiding in it. "Mm... not plannin' to harm ya, sorry to disappoint. Already a bit preoccupied wi' this lass here, but I'll make it up to ya later if ya'd like." |
| (OFFLINE) PROFILE | QUOTE GO TO TOP |
| Sun | May 22 2011, 03:00 AM Post #4 |
![]()
|
For a moment as it fell Sun almost hoped beyond all possibility that the man would not see the small flower. It turned out to be a foolish hope, as in reality she should have known, the small pink flower stood out too much against the darker backdrop of the tree. It did not take long for him to look at her. Their eyes met and the painted girl froze, scared to break the contact. As if he had done nothing wrong he merely offered her the flower back "You can keep it" she replied, trying to sound confident as opposed to afraid, and failing miserably. He did not seem to think he had done anything wrong. Evidently her Master had been more correct than she had given him credit for, the whole world was vile. She just hoped it was not too much bigger than what she had seen, she did not know if she could cope with that many people all ready to kill. Until a week ago she had believed the world to have less than a hundred people in it, now she thought it to be more like one thousand. One thousand people all like this one. A frightening thought. Master name! He looked like he planned to stay here! From the angle she was at she couldn't see him that well, but he definably seemed to have taken a seat at the base of the tree. She shifted her weight, such as it was, a little and scampered along the branches, making a small jump into the next tree, her thin hands taking a firm grip. She was lucky to be so slender, it made her able to clamber about on branches most would have to avoid. But she could not escape like this, not with her bow down there. It was one of her few memento's of home, of Master. No way was it being surrendered to one of the mad killers who dwelled outside the clan. Instead she just used her new vantage point to turn allow her to face the man as she turned and locked her legs around the branch she had chosen, the rough bark pressing into the side of her thighs through the thin fabric of her trousers. "I'd rather you didn't" she informed him in reply to his question "If you don't mind I think I will stay up here. I don't want to end up like..." she looked to the person that was in his arms "Well, like her". Her face met the eyes of the corpse, such as they were, and a shiver went down her spine. She knew of hunting, she had killed many times, but always for a reason, be it for food or to defend there was always a reason. But to kill a person? That seemed barbaric. "Who is she?" asked the supposedly elven woman with a small gulp and a glance up to the still very much alive man who was sitting by one of her treasured possessions. |
| (OFFLINE) PROFILE | QUOTE GO TO TOP |
| Percival Goode | May 22 2011, 11:07 PM Post #5 |
![]()
|
A single eye- the only one of his to still remain in its socket- cracked open as the leaves above him rustled. He peered up at the leaf cover as the humanoid figure overhead shifted from her branch and leaped away to another one. A small smirk overcame him as he noted that she'd changed trees without ever setting foot on soil, perhaps due to fear that he might get her then. Not that he felt much inclined for another prey, the one he held was enough to satisfy his unnatural hunger, so like he'd told the woman- she'd have to wait her turn. He twirled the blossom again between his fingers, a fancy taken to it as it amused his gleaming eye. With a thoughtful look, he tilted the girl's head back to gander at her countenance, brushing her hair back with a middle finger whilst he held the flower by first and thumb. Her tresses tucked behind an ear, he slid the flower in before it, smiling kindly as he slid an admiring thumb across her cheek. His gaze shifted back to the girl whose lungs yet still disposed air, and with it the words that were an outright rejection to his offer. In response, he didn't seem the least bit disappointed, or even remotely displeased. Indifference rose and fell with shrugging shoulders, and he continued to admire his victim's pretty lifeless body once more, lifting up her chin to look upon the gaping wound. Running a finger across the bleeding line, he gathered a fingerful of the warm fluid and gingerly raised it to grace upon his lips. His tongue darted out to taste the copper, and to clean the crimson from his hand. In his actions seemed to be true affection, however sick of a love it was. "She's my lovely angel, come to grace me wi'er beauty." He answered, letting his eye stray from the dead one's presence to peer at the live one in the tree. "A beautiful goddess, blessin' me wi' blood. In return, I treat her a princess... is no less than she deserves, but to be loved." Another smile tugged at his lips as he regarded her, hugging the dead girl closer to his chest. He held her like a lover, or as a daughter who lay sleeping, in a warm and protective embrace. "I could love you. You've no dark thought nor use of you, have ya, dear?" His one eye brightened with a wicked gleam, and he chuckled in knowing prediction. "There'll be no lyin' to me, I'll have ya know, so don't think it. A unicorn knows pure." |
| (OFFLINE) PROFILE | QUOTE GO TO TOP |
| Sun | Jun 4 2011, 09:32 AM Post #6 |
![]()
|
This man made no sense whatsoever, decided Sun, or at least the one who called herself that now lest she reveal her true name. She was not sure though if he made no sense because he was so strange, or because she simply didn't fit in this world, and because she was so out of place his logic passed her by. He worried her, true, but he did not really seem that violent or dangerous. She allowed herself to relax around him a little. Afraid probably wasn't the right feeling to have, anyway, he was just a man sitting there, with the woman he loved. His customs shocked her, but his explanation and what he had told her made it seem as if he wasn't a violent killer, he could have had a legitimate reason. "She's an angel?" she asked, looking at the corpse with a curiosity. It was a term she had heard once or twice, but wasn't exactly familiar with. From what she had heard she always expected an angel to be more... Well, animated. "She's an angel, and that's how you show your love to her?" she didn't ask sarcastically, indeed part of her was fully ready to accept his answer as the truth, although part was still a little... Off put about him. But if this was just some custom in which two people showed their love for another, then who was she to judge? She had heard of insects where the female would devour the male, was this so different? She dropped a branch down, the leaves rustling as she moved, her hands gripping the bark tightly in their small, powerful clasp. She wanted to ask him if how he was showing his love was normal, but was afraid of the response that might bring. Instead she just looked between them a couple of times "Did she have a name, a real name that is?" she asked. It felt very personal, asking for an actual name when she would not give hers if asked, merely Sun and nothing more, but she was dead now. "Something precious and secret for you both?". She shifted around a little, changing her place within the tree. As she looked at them she felt a little silly for having misjudged the man so. When he asked her question she was not shocked, or surprised and merely responded with a "Sorry". She paused, and then decided that she would at least owe him an answer "I am already promised to someone else". Master. How she looked forward to when she saw him next, when she could rejoin the clan, and this time as a full member, as his newest bride. She was unique in spending time away, but she did have more responsibilities. Master was... He was truly something. As for quite what the man below her meant by a dark thought or use, she had no idea. She choose not to answer (conspicuously so) for fear of looking ignorant. |
| (OFFLINE) PROFILE | QUOTE GO TO TOP |
| Percival Goode | Jun 16 2011, 04:31 PM Post #7 |
![]()
|
"Mmhmm..." The killer smirked and nodded, his fingers still making gentle passes upon the dead girl's cheek. But of course she was an angel, for what creature could be more stunning or more radiant? She was a blessing to his bloodlust. Even had she not been an angel before, he was certain that he had made her one. Her untainted spirit was sure to have made a quick flight to heaven once he'd pierced her with his blade. It was everything she deserved to be; an angel princess loved to death. Yet, when the odd one in the trees asked for his angel's name, he paused. His head tilted up to see her, the glow of his one eye vanishing for seconds as he met her question with an off-guard blink. A name? He knew nothing of her, much less her name... should he have asked for it? He'd never been the type to really care what a victim was called, only that to him they were simply 'angel'. His angel. Giving a calling to a nameless saint seemed so... he wasn't sure. He hadn't thought about it. His eyes strayed down to peer again at the girl in his lap. "I think a name mi' ruin it." Indeed, it just wasn't as fun if you actually knew the person. Again she was rejecting his offer to take her life as well. That was no surprise, as it was rarely that anyone ever told him "Sure! Take my life from me!" Actually, it was more like never, because he usually didn't ask, and even if he had, they were usually never given an actual choice. If he wanted a fix, he'd take it, regardless of what the other person wanted. Call him selfish. He was. "Hah... promises make no difference to me." Thinking, somehow despite the rush, he hugged the dead one closer. The motion seemed almost protective, as if he worried that someone might take her away. "This one mi' have had another in mind... someone dear. But now it don't matter, 'cause she's mine, and I'll have 'er 'til her precious blood cools. Then... anyone can have 'er. What's left." He chuckled and nuzzled his face into her cheek, enjoying the feel of her blood-stained hair against his face and her soft skin. The wound lured him downward, and he placed gentle kisses at her neck, his tongue darting out to lap at the trails of blood as they trickled down her neck. Oh how he loved her now, his sweet angel. If only she'd stay warm- then what heaven she would be! But alas... all that he deserved was hell. |
| (OFFLINE) PROFILE | QUOTE GO TO TOP |
| Sun | Jul 2 2011, 01:59 PM Post #8 |
![]()
|
"Okay" Sun agreed, although she was not entirely sure that she understood "Is that something people do a lot? Not let people know their names? It sounds very strange to me. I liked were I come from, everyone knows everyone name. Apart from Master's" she mused a little and leaned forwards, trying to get a closer look. Something seemed odd about him, really. Was it him, or was it everyone here, she was not used to people yet, they seemed very different to elves, and that was all she knew. She swore she saw something change in a way, a glint of something. She leaned forwards more, and dropped down a little, her legs curled tight around a branch, and one arm holding onto another. It took her a moment, but she recognized what it was. That glint had been from his eye. Why did he have one eye? That seemed odd. She decided to ask, as tactfully as she could "Why is one of your eyes missing?" she pushed herself back up as she finished, and dropped down a branch, taking a seat there. This was closer, but she began to feel like she could trust this man, he seemed nice. The idea that the woman might have valued someone else washed over her and made no effect. After all, wasn't it natural that people would operate as a group? In her clan all of them were with Master. It had been quite a shock to see that in the world at large the gender's were more or less balanced, numerically. But the idea of sharing her, the woman being someone else's before, Percy's now and then somebody else's after, that made perfect sense. "Do you have an order you and other people work in, or do you just all share on a whim? Master always used to give us turns. I am guessing whoever is after you won't mind her being dead?" her head tilted, her voice was full of curiosity. After all, to her she had found a normal person to tell her about the world. |
| (OFFLINE) PROFILE | QUOTE GO TO TOP |
| Percival Goode | Jul 26 2011, 11:52 AM Post #9 |
![]()
|
What a peculiar thing, this one was. She asked such senseless questions, as if she did not know at all what horror he had committed before her- that the dead child was a murder and not an accepted act of love. Even as he fawned over his precious goddess, his gaze continued to flicker up to the woman in the tree. The body in his lap was growing cooler, and his elated mood was gradually easing along with it. He might just replace her with this other one after all... what was the hurt in basking in a second immediate high? "You're... missin' a few somethin's short of bright, huh?" he mused, pulling the dead girl to his chest so she sat with her back against him, her head nestled under his chin. She was like a big doll to him, the way he kept toying with her, he might have been just a sick demented child himself, grown too old to enjoy normal playthings. But he had found his attraction and infatuation with blood, and there was no cure for that lust- or at least, he had not bothered to look for one, and no one else had ever tried. He hummed and rocked the lifeless girl a little, pondering how to reply to this woman whose common sense seemed so severely lacking- did she have no knowledge of the world at all? "Is missin' 'cause someone took it. Right outta my skull. Wi' their fingers," he explained calmly, a hand parting from his angel to gesture over the vacant eye. "Was m'punishment fer not doin' what I was asked to. I like t'do my own thin'." Disobedience, independence, and ignorance were practically staples of the mercenary's behavior. Bloody Goode came cheaply, but his services were, at best, a risk. He was not known particularly for his compliance, and only his willingness to kill made his contract worth the time. If given the opportunity, he would overdo his work, or otherwise find a distraction that would take his attention away from the instructed target- purity did have a lure in that way, as he was experiencing now. Both from the dead child- what glee she was to hold- and from the clueless woman, whose guard seemed to be relaxing the more that they conversed. Could he wait for her to touch the ground or would he have to pursue her up there? "No, I'm sure whoe'er comes after me t'find this mess will be most displeased. Probably her family... they tend not to like too well my handiwork... there'll be no more after that." Casually, he plucked the flower from the dead girl's hair and held it to his nose, sniffing its sweet aroma. It was not nearly as pleasant as the thick smell of warm blood- however, that was growing cold. He held it away from his face then, peering back up at her, twirling the stem idly between his fingers. "Y'should know, I guess, that 'm not the normal sort. I'mma deviant. An abnormal. A fiend and wretch. I'll show you... if you'll come down." |
| (OFFLINE) PROFILE | QUOTE GO TO TOP |
| Sun | Sep 2 2011, 02:48 PM Post #10 |
![]()
|
"A few something?" Sun asked, her head tilting as far as it could to the left, the tattoo's on her face falling slightly as if gravity could affect them. "Maybe. I don't really know. All this is so new to me. And yet it all seems strangely familiar, in a way. Does that make me like that?" she asked and straightened her head, leaning forwards on her branch, the ink on her face rearranging itself back into its old pattern, although it was a little subtler, the points were slightly subdued. "It does mean I don't know if I should believe you or not. Why would somebody just take your eyes. It seems an odd thing to do. Although perhaps they were right. Obedience is very important, if you were meant to do something then you really should have." she nodded a little and swung around so both legs hung over the side of the branch, as oppose to straddling it. Even before he asked, whilst he was explaining about her family (did he mean her clan? If so why was she away from them. Sun was apart, but she had special reasons) she had pushed herself off the edge of the branch, dropping down a couple, grabbing onto a thinner branch swinging back and forth and hurling herself to the next tree where she could jump down the last short distance in two hops and a leap to the floor where she landed gracefully, her back almost facing Percival, although she was at a bit of an angle. She turned to face him, and her tattoo had changed again, into something of an homage to his, sort of. At least it now appeared she had an eye patch, even if a pupil peered out from the middle of it and her face was markedly different. Although her thin eyebrows had been added to by the markings so they matched the man's more closely also. "As long as you promise to be very nice to be when you do it" Sun demanded as sternly as she could. Which to her sounded strong and forceful, and any especially timid mice would probably have agreed with her. Beyond that, she did not sound especially worrying. She was at least now closer to her bow than she had been. "But... I don't want you to do that to me either. I don't think Master would like me much if I was dead. Or me. I guess her clan and mine are more similar than I thought... But yours must be different, if they all do that" she pointed to the girl. She felt a little worry creep into her heart, and was not sure she should be here. But this was surely exactly what Master wanted her to do? |
| (OFFLINE) PROFILE | QUOTE GO TO TOP |
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| « Previous Topic · Roleplays · Next Topic » |

















