Open Chronicles The Shift

[Talus]

"I know." Talus said in simple answer as he grabbed her shoulder and gently nudged her forward onto the path.

Though he had few friends, most of them described him as a rather empty being. Personality was not exactly something that the Proctors were all that worried about when he was being brought up. Most considered it better if a Dreadlord didn't have one.

He supposed he'd succeeded in that way.

"We're in the Falwood." He said quietly as they walked down the path. "You don't think you're the only monster here?"

There was amusement to his tone.

 

[Silver Romani]

Silver pulled her shoulder away from him as he nudged her.. “And yet you don’t care. I get it..” her eyes rolled and she shook her head. He was damned infuriating.

”Can’t I at least walk with Raksha? I have better conversations with her.”

Her brow furrowed at the amusement in his tone as he spoke of monsters.. “At least you find you amusing...But no, I’m in the company of a Dreadlord and those are worse..” She added spitefully under her breath but loud enough for him to hear her. “And I’m not a monster.”

 

[Talus]

Talus ignored quite literally everything she said before her last words. "And yet you killed nine men."

Long ago he admitted to himself that he was something of a monster.

Many people thought of Dreadlords in such a way. That they were aimless killing machines that simply served as dogs for the Anirian State. He couldn't fault anyone for that viewpoint, hell, he half held it himself. Talus had no illusions about what he was.

"Just walk." He told her as an odd quake shook through the earth.

 

[Silver Romani]

She felt the tremor in the ground and looked down at her bare feet before looking back up at him with a scowl, and she continued to walk, but his words ate away at her and she couldn't bite her tongue any longer.

Silver stopped "I didn't kill them. The wolf did. I had no control over it and you know it. How many men have you killed, Talus? I've killed ten, in my entire life - and nine of those I didn't mean to-" she frowned, angry tears welling in her eyes as she stared at him. "But because it's your job to kill soldiers - you don't need to answer for it. Because it's your job you are not a monster, you're simply doing what is right. Well it's not fucking right and you need to wake up." .. She'd been trying to get to him but she was letting him get to her instead. She'd tried all possible tactics up until now aside making a run for it, and now she was just frustrated.

 

[Talus]

Talus scoffed.

"You presume too much." He half turned to face her before continuing on. "I know what I am."

By now the Anirian Guardsmen were looking rather uncomfortable with this whole situation. They didn't like this talk of monsters. "I'm no less a monster than you, perhaps even more so."

He had certainly killed more men, more women, even children than her.

"In the Empire they'd hang me for my crimes, in Elbion I'd be tossed into a cell, and in Fal'Addas they would burn me for my crimes." That was a fact, one that he had escaped more than once in his short life. "The difference is I've accepted what I've done, and when it comes time for me to face punishment, I will take it head on."

He glared at her, then continued to walk.

 

[Silver Romani]

Silver listened to him silently .. he had a knack for making her feel tiny, like she really hadn’t seen as much of this world as she had. He spoke of himself as a monster and she frowned, listening to all of the cities who’d see him punished for his actions and her head tilted. So he had escaped far worse situations, how could he blame her for wanting to do the same.

“I have accepted my affliction but how can I hold any blame for actions that I did not choose and crimes that I did not want to commit? You have made choices so stop being a fucking hypocrite and calling me a monster when you’re the one who chooses to kill people when I do not.” Her temperature was rising now and her cheeks were a flushed red. “If you would face it head on then you would march yourself to those who would pass judgement on you and accept it. Fact is you ran from it.” She growled. “And yet I am still without choice but to do as you say and walk to my death.” she stopped again, glaring right back at him.

 

[Talus]

"I MADE NO CHOICE!" His voice boomed out in the forest, resounding and echoing through the trees.

"I was raised from the age of four to kill, by people who had been killing for centuries. If I leave, I will be hunted to the ends of the earth, by the very people I would call my brothers." Talus was stopped dead now, staring at her. "The only people who know what I've been through."

His voice shook slightly.

It was not like he had ever really wanted to be a killer. He had never asked for this life, but it was his life all the same. He could not run. He could not refuse. Not without death or a life of misery on the door. Was it cowardice that kept it going? Knowing that he could not escape without the consequence of death.

"Whether you can see it or not, we're not that different." He scowled. "The only difference is, I won our fight and you lost."

"Now shuttup." The Dreadlord said as he turned and began to walk away, the ground quietly shaking once more.

 

[Silver Romani]

Silver visibly flinched as he bellowed at her, trying her best to keep her scowl her prominent expression but at that moment she couldn’t hide her more timorous side and she dropped her gaze. Raksha’s front hooves slammed into the ground as she took offence to the volume of Talus’ voice and the trembling ground, and Silver hushed her as she nickered in fright at the Dreadlord. Silver had to make the choice as to whether to continue to press the man’s buttons or not. Could he handle two days walk with her? Or would he flip entirely and take her head off and safe them all the trouble?..

She chewed on her lower lip, trying her best to fight the urge to continue the argument, but she had always struggled with the effort of it.. “Hunted to the ends of the earth, like me, you mean? Yes I can see how that would be an inconvenience..And no.. we’re not that different..” she answered, though much quieter than she had been a moment ago. “That’s why I called you a hypocrite... but you’re more of a coward than I am, that’s something you haven’t accepted” she muttered, and started walking again.

 

[Talus]

Talus nearly reached for his sword when Silver continued to speak, but as he opened his mouth the sound of crashing thunder stopped him.

His head immediately turned to the left, and he saw as a massive tree was splintering and falling to the ground. A curse escaped him, and then he saw what was behind the falling tree.

A massive creature the size of a building crashed through the forest, black eyes and razor sharp claws extended as it roared and raced towards the party. Talus shifted slightly, pulling his sword free and half turning towards the others.

"RUN!" He shouted to the Anirian Guardsmen.

A lycan they could handle, this thing? This thing they were running from.

 

[Silver Romani]

Silver had been expecting Talus to lose his temper entirely, however the sound of the snapping tree was significantly louder than even he had been. "What is that?!" Whatever it was, it had shaken Talus, and so she began quickly moving backward, her head tilted back to stare up at the creature, her heart pounding in her chest. So this was one of the monsters he'd mentioned...

She lifted her arm to shield her face from splintering wood, doubting that Talus would care much that she was no longer bound, and she tied off the blanket around her to free her hands, making a run for Raksha as he shouted. Run..it had been her intention all along, and now he was telling her to do so, and it was the best idea he'd had.

Raksha was losing her mind, rearing up and kicking her front hooves out as she squealed, and Silver lifted her hands to try and grab hold of her reins, yelling at her to calm down. The mare allowed her to climb onto her saddle, and Silver's heels kicked at her sides and she quickly took off down the road. She could hear the monster pursue, whatever it was would not be taken down as easily as she had been, and she'd managed to kill nine of them before she fell. Raksha ground to a halt as Silver pulled back on her reins, and she huffed as Silver turned her to look back at the approaching beast.. "Fuck." she growled, and kicked her heels into the horse's sides again, galloping back to Talus and reaching a hand out to him, offering a wordless help onto the mare's back.

 

[Talus]

Talus let out a series of curses as he turned about.

The beast was huge, taller than some of the citadels in Vel Anir and bigger than anything he'd seen living. In his head he played over half a different scenarios, ways to kill it, but he knew that his sword simply wouldn't be enough.

Magic might have done it, but even that wasn't a guarantee at the end of the day.

The three Anirian Guardsmen immediately scattered, and even Silver managed to get on her horse. Talus simply stood, ready to fight, ready to kill.

Then the creature stepped forward.

Earth and forest rumbled, shaking and rumbling as though itself would be sundered. Another curse escaped Talus and he too turned. Silver and her mount returned just in time, Talus not even thinking as he reached out and grabbed her hand.

With one swift motion he swung onto the horse.

 

[Silver Romani]

Silver gripped the soldier’s arm tightly, desperately trying not to let go as he swung onto Raksha’s back behind her. She didn’t have time to turn about, the creature took another step forward mid swipe, and Silver pulled a hard right into the forest, poor Raksha taking a minor slash to her side as she turned, but it didn’t slow the mare down.

“Go, Raksha!” she pleaded. She knew the mare was fast but she wasn’t used to two riders. Silver glanced backward as the mare navigated the forest, seeing trees being uprooted and snapped as the beast lay chase. They had at least been a distraction from the foot soldiers.

The mare didn’t need much direction from Silver, she rarely did, she wove through the forest and jumped easily over fallen trees, though she wouldn’t stop unless Silver pulled back on the reins. She had no idea if they were still being followed by the beast, but she couldn’t hear the thunderous thrashing the creature had made after a while and she waited until the next clearing to slow Raksha and turn her about to a stop, peering through the trees “Did we lose it?..” she asked in a whisper as though the thing might suddenly come crashing through the trees again. But it was quiet other than the sounds of Raksha’s panting breaths.

 

[Mualiin]

It would turn out, that the roads were quite fickle to the man, as he trudged through the forest, not minding the branches as they snapped before his helm. They did little to obstruct his eyesight anyway, but the view he saw was not appealing. A far cry from the roads before, full of life. Or perhaps it was the time of the day. Night. Night, he corrected. It was getting a bit dark, after all. Nevertheless, he continued on a lone march, destination to be decided.

And his thoughts continued to wander, observing both surroundings and drifting to the secrets of his armor. He had seemingly... awakened the armament within, and it was currently slung behind his back, a massive ebony battleaxe just his size, with a blade the length of his forearm. An executioner's blade, if there ever was one.

A loud noise interrupted his thoughts, and just as he reached a clearing of the woods, did a mare and a woman trot into view. They seemed... frightened, running from something. It could not have been himself, as he was only walking. Or could such things trigger such reactions? He was curious. So he stood still, a hulking shadow as tall as a half-giant, vermillion/violet eyes locked on the woman and her mount.

He made no move to arm himself - he was making sure his presence itself was no cause for alarm.

"Running from something?"

He would also confirm it vocally, though unknown to him, his visage was a major factor in him becoming an unwitting entity to run away from, even if he were not the source of the danger.

 

[Talus]

Talus dropped himself from the side of the horse, landing on the ground with a clatter of his armor as his feet hit the road.

The beast, whatever that thing had been, seemed ot have been left behind in the woods. His Guardsmen would be scattered all around now, and there was no telling where the hell they were. Whats worse, now standing in front of them was a man...thing of metal and armor.

Talus recognized it as a person, though hidden beneath enough plate to make that questionable.

At least it wasn't another denizen of the Falwood. "Not anymore."

He said quietly, squatting down on the ground for a second of rest. He could still feel his heart thundering in his chest. Men he could kill.

Monsters? That had never been his job.

 

[Silver Romani]

Raksha shook out her black mane and trotted on the spot as Talus relieved her of the extra weight, though the horse was not the only one who was anxious. Silver stared back through the trees, her chest rising and falling quickly as she tried desperately to catch her breath. She'd been about to speak when another voice spoke out and her attention snapped toward the armoured figure, increasing her heart rate further. Why on earth anyone would wander this forest alone at night she couldn't fathom. She pulled in a breath, trying to catch the speaker's scent, but she could barely smell anything through the dried blood that she was still covered in, and the fresh blood of her horse's wound..

Silver glanced down at the dripping blood from the mare's side and cursed under her breath, her reluctance to get down from her back overpowered by her need to make sure she was alright. As Talus answered the man, Silver looked between them and slid down from the horse, took her reins, and took her a few steps back from both of them. She really wasn't having the best day.

She hushed the horse and pressed an affectionate kiss against her nose in thanks, she owed Raksha her life twice over this week alone. All Silver wore was a blanket, tied in a knot around her chest, and it was all she could use to stem the mare's bleeding. She tore a shred of the fabric and pressed it to where the beast had clawed her side open, and offered whispered soothings as she protested at the touch.

"Always running.." she answered the man now with a glance at the stranger. "Please, ser, if you intend on making this night any worse than it already is I'd beg you to reconsider." - she was frightened, angry and running out of patience, and her words shook.

She looked to Talus again.. "I trust you know now that I won't be going with you to Vel Cirak." she told him, assuming he still held that intention for her. Her wrists were still red from ropes but her wounds had healed, she'd been getting ready to run, but the beast had given her the push she'd needed, and it had separated them from Talus' last remaining men.

 

[Mualiin]

"Apologies then... for my appearance. This armor's grip on myself is implacable, despite my attempts."

They were finished running, from something. Which was not himself. That worked in his favor.

"Then perhaps I can be of service - I appear to be lost in these woods, and would like to find travel to a nearby settlement or an outpost - "

Then he registered a harsh impact to his left, followed by a bloodied and pained roar. Presumably whatever had been chasing them had rediscovered its motivation. Claws and maw crimson with fresh blood, this... creature bellowed out a challenge to the armored warrior, seeking a meal and a fight, it seemed. But unfortunately, it seemed to have misjudged its own strength.

Mualiin was ummoved. Not even damaged in the slightest. Or this was a sign of his armor's awakened state. Enhanced capabilities, perhaps? He would test it out here. With one hand keeping those snapping jaws at bay, he reached for the axe on his back. Grasping it near the head of the blade, he unslung it and jabbed at the beast's underbelly in one motion, forcing it back.

But unfettered by the attack, the beast lunged with swift speed, actually managing to knock the armored warrior back a few feet. But therein lay its fatal mistake.

Mualiin's new weapon came with gimmicks. Tricks he would discover and test out at his own leisure, but for now he needed only one function of the weapon.

Schink!

To shape itself into whatever implement he chose, in this case, a scythe's head.

The axeblade had flipped open into a harvester's scythe, its blade now base deep in the beast's side. He had driven in to where he presumed the internal organs would be, in a hopeful killing blow. And to his expectations, the beast gurgled and choked on its own blood before collapsing dead in a heap.

Slinging his weapon back where it belonged, Mualiin then turned to the (hopefully agreeable) compatriots.

"If that was what was chasing you all, I presume it will trouble you no longer. Now, if I may be led towards the nearest settlement? I have no intention of harm beyond what is directed towards me, and perhaps you people, if you mean none to me."

He hoped beyond hope they would not give him verbal directions. It was what led him to wander about in this area in the first place.

"No verbal directions, please. I am terrible at following them."

Just to be sure.