A darker night

Dimitri Wladisyaw · September 6, 2007, 11:02 AM

(OOC; Split off from the Blood Atonement thread since Dim seems to be out of the main arc anyway, with Kalinda's persmission.)

Dimitri did fear this thing, she appeared as a human but somehow was unlike any he had met. Was she his goddess, was she a necromancer who had reached a new level of power, or was she something more sinister. Still mimicking her attitude seemed to be working, Dimitri normally bowed before such power and tried to gain a foothold that way, but he could be a thug when he wanted to be, unless this thing saved him he was sure he would die this night anyway.

"I am unlike other men, I am a human in body but I have a soul craving transcendance, I seek universal truth that will allow me to open the gates of Paradise and ascend the pedestal of immortality and greatness." He smiled softly at his own words, they were of course true. "

He reached a hand out and his fingers brushed hers when she asked a question, for a moment he smiled and chuckled, "Do what I cannot do every night, perhaps I cannot roam the streets and do it, but I feed, and I feed for it makes me strong, with each body I absorb the soul, and my own soul grows into a burning beacon inside me calling the gods to me." He grinned and slipped his hand fully into hers.

"The ichor of this city runs in me, my family stretches back aeons when this place was built, the people here respect me for a name, they are loyal blindly, I will not have anyone destroy my city when I could so easily become their god, their hero and their saviour. The undead shall rise again in Vortex, a new age I forsee." He smiled, "Now I ask you, join me in this, but allow me one question.....what are you?"

Kalinda · September 17, 2007, 09:28 AM

„Universal truth doesn’t exist“, she chided him. “There isn’t a single truth, nothing that will open the gates of paradise, no universal answer. There are as many truths as there are people on this plane, and every one of them is valid. As for immortality – those that have transecended are forever banished from Aetheria and forced to spend eternity in the mortal world. Each thing comes with a price. Nothing is ever free, and not being able to die does not automatically lead to greatness.”

She seemed to take a deep breath, to savour the many scents that were in the air this darkening. Death, madness, bloodshed. The world had suddenly become a different one, and the gates of Aeternia had been opened.

She smiled.

As he touched her fingers, he noticed that they were completely smooth, hard and cool as if she was but a statue that had come to life, as if there was no warm blood flowing through her veins. She allowed him to hold her hand and looked into his eyes, to judge his reaction.

“A kindred spirit then”, she concluded as he told her of his hunger, of his need to feed. “As for me, I am many things. Some would say that I’m nothing more than a half elf who possesses powers that few of her kind do. In this city nobody except the great Toherro wields the arcanic energy with greater strength. Some would say I’m a demon, a predator … yet others call me temptress. Myself, I prefer to say that I’m a gambler, somebody who cheated at the greatest game and won, who escaped Jalat’s grasp …”

Somewhere in front of them a scream of pain, of utter terror could be heard, and she laughed.

“Shall I help you bring forth this new age you speak of? Shall I help you get rid of this evil so that another power can rise?”

Dimitri Wladisyaw · September 17, 2007, 09:54 AM

Dimitri was beyond fear now, his mind was twisted by the foul magics and he was taken by this being before him. Her touch was familiar and suddenly he realised where from, his zombies felt the same, the lack of blood made the body feel strange, she felt strange and yet he found himself taking her hand with both of his and gently reeling her in until he could wrap a hand round her waist.

Blood was all over his hands, gently he raised them and ran them along her lips leaving a trail of blood, he smiled softly not entirely present in his own mind. "Mmmmm help me, will you be my partner in this? Help me please, I want your help." He put his own fingers in his mouth and suckled gently trying to align himself with the taste of the cool metallic taste on his tongue.

Kalinda · September 25, 2007, 07:22 AM

She allowed him to wrap a hand around her waist, allowed him to hold her as if she were but a young maiden who longed for her gentleman’s touch, a woman who found some comfort in the closeness. A smile played on her lips. She looked so innocent now, so harmless, but there was the coldness of her skin, reminding him that this was but an illusion, that she was none of the warm, soft women that he knew. She was as dead as the zombies of Har’oloth, as dead as Barra’s little harem even though her skin was perfect and unbroken and her mind was as sharp as a dagger.

As he ran his hands along her lips, she grasped them, pulled him closer. She kissed them, kissed some of the blood away and then pushed him back. Not now. Not yet. “Did I not ask you if you wanted me to be part of this?” she wanted to know. “If you want help, you shall receive it. As long as you show yourself worthy, you shall receive anything you ask … anything in this chaotic city shall be yours as long as you are with me …”

Dimitri Wladisyaw · October 2, 2007, 10:56 PM

Dimitri was a deviant in many ways but perhaps most of all sexually, men, women and anything else excited him. All races he tried, from orcs to mers to anything else he could obtain. She excited him now, he and Barra shared this fetish and he would not let go of her even if she ripped his arms asunder. He pushed himself against her and whispered, "I am with you. I need you dont you see? How can I show myself to be worthy of you and your attention?"

Kalinda · October 5, 2007, 08:20 AM

OOC: I know it's short. Next one will be better!

„I can see it“, she whispered, and her voice was as sweet as honey, as smooth as velvet. Even though she was dead, even though she had been dead forever and her flesh was as cold as stone, she felt an undeniable attraction to his kind, to the mortal world, needed them as others needed bread and water and air to breathe.

“Show that you are more than they. That’s all I ask in return for me attention. You only have to show me that you are more than a simple human …” She was close to him now, as if she could get a bit of his warmth this way, as if she could drain some of his life, as if she could feel what it was like this way.

“Show me …” she whispered.

Dimitri Wladisyaw · October 5, 2007, 09:07 PM

"I stand before you do I not." He grinned, "Look around you, they are dead and I am not, disaster befalls us and I survive. My dynasty has stretched back Aeons and I have the blood of the trolls in me, I am larger and cleverer than them all." He smiled, "And I do not fear you, I do not fear you at all." He pushed his lower body to hers and began to grind gently and sensually.

"Why do you hide? Why have such an attitude, come and join me by my side as my mentor, my lover and my resident in the Collegium. Your kind is just what I need I think." He grinned gently and continued to grind against her, his arms wrapping round her lithe form, though he was painfully aware she could rip him apart if she chose.

"I will show you, merely be by my side and watch me, what do you say?"

Kalinda · October 11, 2007, 05:02 AM

„Troll blood?“ She cocked her head to the side and regarded him. “I’ve never met a man who has troll blood running through his veins, never met one who would admit it and be proud of it. So many of the old ones are dead, have died in this war and the last, friends an enemies, Amarantha, Alaret, Laroa, Jhara’lynn, Iseril, all gone …”

She mourned those that had died, the ones she had fought and the ones she had loved, the ones who had died this brightening and all the brightenings before. She mourned the loss of those that had challenged her, had been worthy enemies. Apart from Toherro who was hiding in his underground lair, all those that had made Vortex what it was were gone … she and the dragon were the only survivors, relics of a time long gone …

That darkening brought memories back memories she had thought she had buried a long time ago. Things hadn’t always been that way. She remembered the exhilaration that spreading chaos brought. It was as if this had brought it all back …

She seemed far away for a moment, in a place he couldn’t follow her to, and then she looked back at him. As he pushed his body against hers, she looked back at him. “They are dead, and you have survived”, she confirmed. “Maybe this darkening will change things and give birth to a new Vortex, and we will rise from the ashes stronger than before …”

“I’ve never hidden. I merely pretended to be something else. Did I not support House Kitrye’veresi in recent times? Did I not give the human archmage that haunted Vortex a few eras back the power to destroy his worst enemy?”

“Lover, the last man who could have become a lover, is dead. He died far away, in one of the underground cities …” Iseril had saved her from certain death in Primus Gaudeo and brought her here. They had hunted together, and then he had died … “But I’ll stay by your side and watch you. And in time there may be more.”

Dimitri Wladisyaw · October 12, 2007, 08:41 AM

"I want what you have." There was no point in denial and she may vanish at any time, softly he spoke as though he was worried about who might hear. "I want life eternal, I am wasted in my human shell." He continuedto press himself against her, a strange moment, two entwined roses thick with briars among a blood red field, the dad were smelling now, the smell of death was a strange a pungent one and drove men wild. Dimitri's heart beat a quick pace and he felt nothing from her, even as he was pressed to her like a lover.

"I only want you by my side, to guide me my Mistress." He smiled, "You saved me from this, I would have gone mad had you not plucked me from the madness of this night and opened my third eye to the world. I owe you something though I cannot decide what it is, perhaps in time I shall come to know." Gently he leaned into her and pushed his blood stained lips to hers as a way of thanks, he had been told of the sentient undead once upon a time by his fathers advisors. How they craved the touch of the living and longed for life. When he pulled back he continued, "I occupy the Collegium, I will have them all beside me and begin to train necromancers, druids, golem crafters and grafters. I shall have demons move through my halls and things best left forgotten as my allies, I need you to be one of my aides in this. You can remake what once was, at least to an extent. The glorious and dark age of Vortex will rise again and the Empire shall never know."

Kalinda · October 16, 2007, 01:22 PM

„And what do I have?“ she asked. She had never told him exactly what she was, only that she had cheated Jalat, although he had seen her feed ... or thought he had. She seemed angry now, not because of the request per se – she was not one of those that mourned their existence for every second of eternity, she took pleasure and pride in what she was and what she did, she was no fool – but because he thought he deserved it, thought he was wasted in the human shell he possessed now.

“My own son who has been living with me for eras has begged me to change him and yet I only ever give him a taste of it and tell him to have patience... if you want to be like me, if you want to see what I have seen and feel what I feel, you need to give me more than fancy words, even more than that desire to become even greater than you are now ... I need actions, I don’t need stories, I want to witness ... want to know ... want to taste ...”

She stood pressed against him now, as if they were lovers even though she had said she had no desire for such a thing now. She felt his heart beating, smelled the dead that were lying all around them, heard the screams of those that were fighting, those that were dying, come from further away. It was like perfume to her, a strange, intense smell that excited her, exhilerated her, brought all those things she had kept buried for so long back to the surface. For that one moment as she felt the human’s touch, as she was aware of the dead, she felt alive.

As he mentioned the Collegium again, she said, “Then take me there. I went to the Collegium once, when it was still standing, when there were still Archmages and Masters residing there, to help a friend in need. Maybe there is something left there, even after all he time ... something worth saving ...”

Dimitri Wladisyaw · October 16, 2007, 05:38 PM

"Come then." He growled as he pushed away from her slowly a grin set in stone seemingly upon his face, his body tensed showing the fear his mouth denied. He did not turn his back on her, merely put an arm about her shoulder and played with her hair as they walked through the carnage. "I suspect what you are, no human is like me, none enjoy the feast that I partake in. But there is a beast who does, they are etched upon the walls of the Collegium and the Toherran cult caves, I know what you are." He remembered the images, of creatures feasting on the flesh of others, he had been told of them. He never expected to meet one, Barra had spoken of them and never expected to meet one. Ironic she was under his nose. He briefly snorted as he imagined the erotic thrill Barra would get to meet this one, surely a match made in Aeteria itself.

"And do not underestimate me, I will never beg you. I do not beg gods or beggars, all receive talk that is all." he grinned, "I had intended to explore the Collegium with a large group in a seasons time, but for now if you can find a few items then we shall go, if you know of something and can find it then we shall do this." He smiled and began to walk towards the Vertex where he would pick his way down to the Collegium.

Kalinda · October 19, 2007, 01:53 AM

Vortex had changed. It would never be the same after this brightening. People were dying left and right of them still. The streets were littered with corpses. That unknown mage was no longer the only one that was killing people. Things had gotten out of control. Here and there somebody tried to attack Dimitri’s companion – she seemed to be nothing more than a helpless woman - but whoever dared to come closer found himself torn apart by a multitude of spirits.

Whoever, whatever the woman was, she was a powerful necromancer. That much was clear. That much was obvious. Since all of Vortex had descended into chaos, it was safe for one of them to walk the streets, at least for the time being. When so many pepole were fighting and dying, nobody paid attention to why they died, whether it was a sword, ane elementalist’s fireball or a spirit summoned by a necromancer.

She seemed to be entirely unaffected by the madness. While Dimitri could feel the urge to kill in the back of his mind, her face was calm. She looked like she was walking through a meadow full of flowers on a sunny summer day, happy, carefree …

The guards that had previously watched the Vertex and those that were travelling into the undercity were dead. Their throats had been slit, and they were lying in a pool of blood, a man and a woman, much too young to die. The woman still held a knife in her hand. Had they done it themselves, killed themselves, succumbed to the insanity?

The merchants that had erected their stalls around the entrance to Har’oloth had likewise died or fled the scene in a desperate attempt to save their lives. Only a girl, a young blonde human, sat huddled in a corner, her merchandise – torches and candles for those that desired to travel the darkness – was lying in front of her, forgotten. She had covered her ears with her hands and shook back and forth … hers was a different kind of madness …

Dimitri Wladisyaw · October 19, 2007, 06:27 AM

Dimitri wanted to squeeze that hand around her neck, if he knew he could kill her he would do. After all it was his desire at this moment to kill anyone, though in her presence it was slowly abating, slowly removing itself from his psyche. The glorious killing of before was gone, now it was a small footprint etched upon his mind.

Then he saw her, the petite blond girl. Death was not a crime here, "If you will not copulate with me, then I reserve the right to that one, one of my subjects." he spat the last words and moved over to her grasping a handful of hair to hopefully pull her to her feet. He was slightly worried, she had lost her senses and who knew what she would do. But his intention was to drag her to the Collegium and have his way with her later. It would be a shame to kill her offhandedly, it would be far better to do his business and then do it, more more civilized. His mouth curled into its everpresent grin, "Shall we continue, you dont mind me bringing this along I hope?"

Kalinda · October 22, 2007, 08:08 AM

„I won’t“, she said. She wouldn’t be with him in such a way, at least not now, although she was entirely capable of feeling passion just like any other woman. It was a favour, a gift. She wanted to tempt him, to keep him yearning for it, to beg. She reached out for him, kissed him, and after she withdrew there was blood on his lip.

She’d decided that he’d be of some use to her for now, that being with the man who seemed to own the Collegium now would be of some use to her. Maybe he could be taught ... he alreay seemed to have some understanding now ...

“But there are other things to be shared for now”, she continued and stepped away from him again to look a the pitiful girl that was kneeling at their feet, not even aware of their presence. “ You may feed with me if you like, feel what I feel, to what I do. You may kill with me, blood that is shared, no matter if it’s the one of a victim or your own, is an intimacy just as great as that what you want so much.”

“Take the girl.” His anger, his discontent didn’t affect her. She was above such sentiments. While his kind got emotional so fast, while they were affected by instincts and primitive desires, she’d stopped caring a long time ago.

The girl didn’t react as he pulled at her hair. She just wrapped her arms around her body and whispered, “Don’t kill me. Oh please don’t kill me ...” although it wasn’t clear whether she was speaking to Dimitri or somebody who wasn’t there.

“Bring her along. She might be of some use”, the lady said. “Take me to the Collegium now ...”

Dimitri Wladisyaw · October 22, 2007, 12:20 PM

Dimitri hoisted the girl up into his arms so he carried her. In her foetal position she was heavy but he would manage. Poor wretched thing was gone in the mind, her body would serve a purpose still. He would need to grab a torch of sorts on the way, the trip down to the world below was dark and while she would be able to see Dimitri would likely not be so lucky.

"I wonder if the city below is as affected as up here." He moved down the Vertex and would continue heading down, layer by layer like heading down through the layers of Aeternia, a gleefull smile as the darkness became more powerful. As he moved down he spoke, "I want to give you a home in my Collegium, I ask no favours of you, you can do as you wish. Give me boons or guidance if you will it, I imagine you are past caring with the things I care about." He smiled, "I am attempting to amass my forces, perhaps you could help with that or direct me to things of power in the caverns below the Collegium?"

Once they reached the Collegium he would stand back and motion for her to go forward, "After you my Lady, go where you will and I shall but follow." By now he was hungry in many ways and was running his hands over his cargo, she would be fine for later he hoped.