Weird. [Panna Please]

[Annerito Uwak]

Timestamp: Fall 1st 510 AV

The day’s light had begun to wane as the sun dipped below the horizon. Annerito had been wandering the woods for sometime now. He didn’t have any particular reason to do so, as with almost everything else he did. He had no real drive or focus. He simply acted and reacted. There were times when he did plan something out, if only to watch someone walk into whatever elaborate trap he had laid, but such events came once in a blue moon. He continued to wander throughout the forest, picking up the occasional piece of unusually dry wood for kindling. He really had no idea how long he was going to be staying out in the wilderness. Originally he had thought it would only be for a couple of hours but that went straight to hell, as many of the few things he does plan tend to do. His robe was covered with a fine layer of dirt and grime from the day’s excursions. But this was norm for Annerito. He often spent his time wandering around the city of Ravok doing nothing in particular and simply picking up grime and dirt from whatever activity he decided to indulge himself in. Speaking of Ravok, he probably should have headed back a few hours ago. It wasn’t as if he was far away to make the trip incredibly long, a few hours at most. He weighed his options for the briefest of moments. It was either stay in the woods till tomorrow and get eaten in his sleep or head back to the city where his small home awaited him and all he had to worry about was a drunken burglar who he could probably incinerate rather easily. He only took him a few moments to decide. He would stay in the forest! It wasn’t as if he slept much anyway. There was also the fact that he is a bit off his rocker to say the least. He continued to blunder through the forest with kindling in hand. The sun began to sink further and further below the horizon giving way to a thick cloak of darkness that devoured the landscape. This posed a serious problem. The darkness had made him blind for all intents and purposes making it nearly impossible for him to go on with his fool hardy exploration. So he would have to make camp for the night. Camp for Annerito consisted of a fire and a rousing game of mumbling to himself! He dropped the kindling he was carrying where he stood. He obviously wasn't a picky person when it came to such matters. The tiniest amount of Res leaked out from him, it was a mist like material with tinges of black and red, and then poof! It was lit aflame forming a miniscule and diminutive fireball that served its purpose of setting the wood and dry grass that he had gathered earlier. Annerito sat, watching the flames dance and leap, as he waited for dawn to come.

[Panna Cotta]

As the evening blanketed the sky, the stars began to dot out across the darkness. The nights were slowly beginning to get colder, summer had ended. Annerito Uwak, a fire reimancer in his own rightful glory, set camp in the middle of nowhere. The Syliras Wildlands, though meek and tame by Falyndar's standards, was his home for the night. It was, perhaps, a choice he shouldn't have made. But then again, who is one to go against what has been fated or planned?

So he stayed, a very unwise decision because there were far more dangerous creatures that lurked deep in the wild lands. Did it matter? Perhaps to him it did not. He was probably strong enough to fend off any wild animal, skilled enough to make it through a combat alive. But, as the old stories say, it is when we feel that we are most safe that things turn out to be perilous.

The evening breezes resonated, bringing him the sound of an organic forest - rustling leaves, scurrying animals, whistling winds. But these were not of any importance to Annerito Uwak, if only because he was able to pick up the weeping sobs that reverberated around him. Faint at first, until it started whipping his ears. How uncomfortable and annoying. But then again, what creature would cry so early in the night? A ghost, perhaps? Or maybe he was going mad?

The sound grew louder and louder.

"Help."

"Help me."

"Help me, please."

It was the softest, most gentle voice Annerito has ever heard. The depressed timbre ignited his curiosity. Who was crying and who was asking for help? He was presented a choice to make, and the decision - though he was unaware of it - could change his life.

[Annerito Uwak]

The flames flickered and danced as the chill of a fall night had set in, entrancing Annerito as they kept him company on the cold and lonely nights. He felt no urge for companionship or friendship. All he needed was the life-consuming glow that the fire exuberated. He continued to stare into them, thinking, he couldn’t recall the last time he had a genuine or friendly conversation with another intelligent creature. This didn’t bother him though. He was far to gone to actually care what happened to those around him. Sure, he would engage in the occasional conversation with someone on the street, the urge to turn him or her into a pile of ash always pressing at the forefront of his mind, but he resisted. He was no fool. Ravok was far from lawless. Hypocrites. A city dedicated to the god of chaos with laws and rules. Such a shame. If it wasn't for the hypocrisies he might have attempted to join the black sun at one point or another. A sound had interrupted his musings. It was faint but distinct. Gentle sobbing. The logical side of his mind told him to simply stay put and wait until morning to check whatever it is out. Hopefully he’d find remains and be able to have something for breakfast. The other part of his brain said get up and go do something because it was bored. Very bored. Annerito got up slowly. Taking a quick look around his surroundings. Pitch black. How wonderful. He bent down and retrieved one of the larger sticks that were lying about and proceeded to set the tip on fire. At least he wouldn’t be completely blind now. He ventured off into the forest, following the cries as they grew louder and louder. Something was making him continue on besides the simple and irrational thoughts that Annerito had given leeway for the night. This voice was almost melodic, charming him into what was sure to be a deadly game. Something wiggling about in the back of Annerito’s mind that told him to stop and go back to camp. This was a voice of true reason. A voice that hadn’t spoken up in some time. He ignored it. It had never done him much good in the first place.

[Panna Cotta]

Credit to Starskq

The origin of the voice, it should be near, right? Lured by the anguish of an unknown creature, Annerito Uwak abandoned his camp and followed the reverberating noise. It was a hypnotic sound that seemed to echo all around. He was intrigued, captivated, attracted to it. The pale moonlight shone through the forest leaves, illuminating his path and, when he finally found her - spotting light on an alabaster skinned young girl sitting dejectedly. She was leaning on a tree with her hands behind her back, her white-silver hair draped across tear stained cheeks. It was a young down trodden Konti, dressed in rags. If Uwak came closer he would see that her long, straight, sweat-drenched hair had pinkish-red highlights; the blood on her cheeks easily mistaken for a poor application of cosmetics. Gone was the youthful glow, even her pale scales looked drab and grey.

She noticed Uwak and gave him a sidelong stare. With an ungraceful movement similar to a puppet's, she stood up and faced him, head cocked down in a sullen bow. "Why did you disturb me mister?" Her voice ringed together with an otherworldly echo, "Don't you know, don't you know," she said, "that you should not - not ever - disturb the witch?"

She wailed, her small tinny voice piercing Annerito Uwak's ears. It lasted for a full minute, resounding even after she had stopped.

Annerito Uwak was now trapped in a world of illusions. Gone was the forest, and he found himself sitting on a small chair in front of a table. A lavender and violet themed tea party set was arranged on the table. The young Konti was sitting across him, looking as disheveled as ever. She willed the teapot to pour tea for three, and from the teapot, out came a hot steaming ooze-like black liquid.

It was a replay of a scene the Konti had formerly witnessed.

"I don't want to go to Mura!" The young girl shook her head, hair swinging madly, "I want to stay here with you papa!"

There was a third chair, empty, but the young Konti talked to an invisible being.

"No, you don't understand," She gripped some of her tresses with one hand, and gave it a pull. "Papa, you agree, don't you?"

To Uwak, she turned again, eyes aghast, face contorted in fear and surrender, "But, papa, you told me that I should be a good girl! What you're asking me to do is bad! Bad, papa!" She threw a hurt, reproachful look at the invisible participant.

The scene shifted, Uwak was now standing. He was, once again, a silent witness to the young Konti's memories. The young girl was kneeling in front of him, crying. "Roziella killed her, Roziella killed her..." She was sobbing uncontrollably. "Roziella was a good girl, papa. Roziella did what he told her to do. Please, papa, don't leave me. Don't you see Roziella did it for you and for him," she gave him a pleading look, "Roziella was a good girl, Papa."

She bolted up, and shook an angry fist at Uwak. "No, papa. Roziella forbids you to! Don't you see papa, he loves me more than he loves you now!"

Uwak felt a dozen punches attack him from all sides. He was thrown back by an unseen force. As he lay crippled, the young girl's face loomed over him. "Roziella is stronger than you now, papa. You've been very bad, and it displeases him so much. Roziella doesn't love you anymore." A shocked look appeared on her face, "Papa? Papa, talk to Roziella! Papa, papa!"

With a blast, Uwak was shot back into the wildlands, the young Konti named Roziella clutching at his cloak, pulling and shaking him like crazy. "Roziella killed Papa. But Roziella was a good girl! A good girl because she did what he asked her to!"

[Annerito Uwak]

Surprise was soon washed away by fury. He had been lured into some sort of trap. This did not bode well with him in the slightest, but he would suffer through this indignity. He would play along and bide his time. He would watch. He would be the silent captive. Annerito simply watched as the scene unfolded before him. This child’s suffering meant nothing to him. The only thoughts that creeped throughout his skull were ones of annoyance and rage. This all seemed like the dreaming of a mad woman. Talking to non-existent people. Tsk tsk. She doesn’t pull off the insane thing to well. He started to pay a slight degree of attention once the scene had shifted. He no longer sat, but this proved to be all the more interesting to Uwak. Her words were filled with regret and sadness. The plot had thickened. The slightest smile had crept across Uwak’s scarred face beneath his mask. It wasn’t simply the suffering of this girl that had perked him up. It was the fact that the girl had trapped him within this illusion only to make herself suffer. Did she think this scene would pull on Annerit’s decayed and decrepit heartstrings that had worn away long ago? It mattered little. He already had some semblance of an idea of what to do with the girl. He felt he had two options. End her in a volley of flames or enslave her somehow. The volley sounded so much more appealing. He was also lacking the proper shackles for such an action. His thoughts were cut short by a volley of spectral punches. What sorcery was this! A blunt pain had shot throughout many parts of his body. It seemed slavery wasn’t an option at all for this one. Her nonsensical words only served to further fuel Annerito’s anger, but this girls magic was…something else. Sadly, he would have to play things smart. He disliked things when he had to resort to trickery. He grabbed the konti’s hands as gently as he could possibly manage as she shook his cloak. It was a miracle he didn’t start to crush them then and there. “Hush my dear...Yes…you are a good girl. Now…why don’t you relax? Rest and sleep. It is late.” He would use this woman’s instability to his advantage. Annerito wasn’t simply some psychopath. He did have his moments despite how rare they were. As his plan began to form many more options became available. The first and the most desirable was to simply set her aflame once she fell asleep. The second was to get her to come back to Ravok with him and sell her from that point on. He needed to put bread on the table somehow and he was never one for conventional work.

[Panna Cotta]

Uwak, taking things at face value, was highly mistaken. He was fooled by the vision shown unto him, fooled by appearances. The sobbing continued, "I cannot sleep, must not sleep." His first option was impossible, for many reasons. Slowly, he realized, that meeting this Konti child was a mistake. Her eyes were glazed, she was sweaty and shivering - probably from the cold. Yet, Uwak failed to see that the Konti was covered in blood, but there was no corpse, animal, human, nor humanoid, anywhere near. Quickly, the little girl twisted her hands, and she was now holding Uwak's hands instead.

"Take me with you, anywhere, anywhere away from the witch, anywhere but this wretched place." He would slowly become aware that her lulling voice echoed too quickly, as if another person was repeating it underwater. However, he had already suggested that she go with him to Ravok faster than his survival instinct would allow. Actually, his instincts seem to have blurred away. The child agreed to his proposition, and Uwak led her back to camp.

She engaged him as soon as he got settled, "You disturbed the witch, mister...?" She asked for his name. "You have disturbed the witch, Annerito Uwak," she offered hers, "says Roziella." She dusted off her tattered rag skirt and pirouetted. She had the grace that Uwak have never seen before. Her long silvery hair sparkled as they flipped and fanned her shoulder. "Roziella has been a bad, bad girl. Very, very bad. And he was displeased. Very, very displeased." She stood in front of him, a fragile child that needed protection from the terrible things that life had offered her. Her frailty, Uwak would notice, did not go beyond her young slender body. She was very young and pretty, the kind of thing that even the hardest criminal would feel responsible to protect. At most, Uwak can pin her age to 11, maybe 12. She cautiously wiped her face with the back of her hand, and swept her fingers on her head, swishing her locks away from her face. Uwak would see was mature beyond her age. "He sent the witch." The echo returned with her tinny singsong voice. "He sent the witch to finish Roziella, but Roziella was strong! Strong enough to defeat the witch. Roziella thought he would be pleased, that he would welcome Roziella back into his arms, but Roziella is no longer his favorite, Roziella has fallen from grace." The young kid spun and wheeled around his camp singing, "The witch is dead. The witch is dead. Rejoice for the witch is dead."

The song lulled Uwak to sleep. He sat himself and drifted halfway into a dream, as a voice, very unlike Roziella's, appeared in his mind. Half his consciousness was able to comprehend the words...

"Wake up, wake up Annerito Uwak. You must finish her, you must kill Roziella."

He began to see, hazily a first, a shining Konti. She appeared to him dressed in a black brocaded gown made of exquisite fabric. Violet pearls adorned her beautiful neck, covering exposed skin. Her hair was draped in fine silhouettes of black fabric, her face, though hazy, looked very lonely.

"Kill Roziella, Annerito Uwak. Kill her, or she will kill you. It will not be long before she craves human flesh... Think of something for she cannot be destroyed by..."

A kick to his groin sent Annerito Uwak bolting upright. "Don't disturb the witch, Annerito Uwak." Roziella dipped her head so close to him as she removed his mask. Her puckered mouth was half-open as she gazed her lovely green eyes onto his. Unexpectedly, she closed in on him, her tongue meeting his. One of her hands guided his hand onto her tiny breast, slipping Uwak's trembling hand under her tattered clothes. Her other free hand fumbled and found his groin. Roziella cooed, "Sorry, I won't do it again." Uwak might be the kind of man who had long since cloistered his emotions, whose mind ran its own path and calculated its own decisions, but he could not deny that he needed, he craved, he wanted the physical pleasure Roziella brought upon him. His body felt magnetized to Roziella, as if he was actually expecting her to continue.

A tiny voice came back. Soft and gentle, yet urgent, this time.

"It will not be long until she craved human flesh. She cannot be destroyed by..."

Once again, his senses brought him back from his daze. He was lying on the ground, Roziella hovering above him on fours. He was aware of the young Konti whose pale skin contrasted his burned flesh. Her hair curtained down towards him, slightly covering her naked body. She ready to serve him, ready to have him. Roziella was holding one of his hands between her legs, and the slightest finger movement made him touch a soft and moist part that many would have died for. What would he do?

"Don't disturb the witch, Uwak." She whispered, her sweet sweet voice enticing him. "Don't sleep, don't disturb her. Have Roziella instead." His body shivered, a lustful need filling his entirety.

[Annerito Uwak]

Odd. She was willing to come to Ravok. It wasn’t as if the city had the best reputation, but questioning her decisions would do him no good at this point, but he did make a mental note to watch the child very carefully. For whatever reason he hadn’t noticed that she was covered in blood. Maybe it would simply be best to kill her now. It seemed like she would be one of the harder ones to break if he managed to sell the little cretin. More trouble than she is worth. Only moments after he had gotten himself set up at camp the child had started to talk and talk. Her words made little sense to him. Who was this witch? Who this mysterious him? Why did he even care? As these thoughts went throughout his muddled mind an odd sense of sleepiness had washed over him and gently coaxed him away from the world of reality and into the dreaming world. What was that? Another voice? Is going even crazier? Annerito wasn’t sure that was possible. He opened his only half way. Things were hazy and sleep still beckoned to him. Another female. Wonderful. As if they hadn’t caused him enough trouble today. But this woman’s words appealed to Uwak. It wasn’t just nonsensical babbling and only gave him all the more reason to end the life of the annoying one. Or maybe it was simply a dream formed out of annoyance and that very loud voice in Uwak’s head that said light the little brat on fire, over and over again. Either way he liked what was being said. Ow! A kick to the groin had jolted him back to the realm of the waking. As one could imagine, he wasn’t happy about being awoken in such a rude manner. Things took an unexpected turn. His mask had been removed. In most cases he would fly into a wild rage but he was still somewhat groggy and sedated. The passionate affair continued for a few moments until a voice had interrupted, urging him to destroy her. Right…that was what he was supposed to do. His focus returned to his goal. He awoke from the haze yet again and the first thing he noticed was his hand in a very peculiar spot. Did this girl think this would tempt Uwak? If so she was sorely mistaken. If he wanted…company he could simply pay for a whore back in Ravok. Annerito felt it was time to end this game. He stayed still, not daring to move. He had a little surprise in store for her. Res leaked out of his fingertips at a slow and steady pace. He didn’t need much. Only enough to light a fire. He remembered the words of the woman from his dream. It seemed he would have to use rather unconventional methods to kill her. The flame would only serve as a distraction. The res that he had gathered in the hand that was pressed up against her delicates had burst into glorious flame! Annerito darted back as quickly as he could and hurled a fireball at her face with his other hand. “Burn, burn!” He shouted with a sickeningly gleeful laugh. He rushed over to the still burning fire, grabbing a stick and hurling it into the forest, hoping that it would set the surrounding area on fire. "I will burn you all!"

[Panna Cotta]

"Idiot! Idiot!" The echo repeated in his head. His frenzy was suddenly halted, and he felt as if his djed was abruptly cut off from him. He felt his chest expand, his eyes bulged and became watery. His ears ringed and hurt so much that he fell down onto his knees.

Suddenly, he wasn't in control of his body. "You do exactly as I say, Roziella." It was his voice, so like and unlike at the same time. He felt his consciousness waning.

"No, no I won't follow you witch!" Roziella was unaffected by Uwak's fireballs. She possessed a skill that made her invulnerable to his magic. "Uwak, you're a bad, bad man."

She walked towards him, naked body glimmering in the moonlight. She fanned her hands on her side and lifted her arms into a curve. Twisting her elbows, Uwak could now see two whirling balls of water on each of Roziella's hands. "Wake up, Roziella told you not to sleep!!!" The release came a split second away before the tremendously chilling balls of frozen water hit his chest.

"She cannot killed by fire, you idiot!" The soft gentle voice was hissing at him. He couldn't see the ghost, but he could feel its presence. So, Roziella knew how to block fire and possess the one element that negates his best ability. Uwak would realize that he was in a great liability. Did Roziella know his weakness?

"You're a bad, bad man, Uwak. You tried to hurt Roziella." Her small voice was seething, she bared her teeth to him. "Roziella only wanted to please you, only wanted to be a good girl!"

"Roziella told you not to disturb the witch!" A smaller ball of ice slapped his face. Unlike the first two ones, this was hollow on the inside and broke into tiny icicles. Then came another, another and another. The barrage of balls and icicles upon his face and torso became torrential, and he found himself weaving through a dream. A flicker of light appeared before him. Hazy fog swirled in black and white.

"Die, witch, die and never return!" Uwak can hear the Konti wail again, and more crystal balls came his way. Uwak may try to evade, but the crystalline shards would find him. It did not matter, his face way beyond ruined anyway. But still, the crystalline shards found him. Or rather, found the ghost. He could see the Konti in his dreams manifest in front of him - what was it trying to do? Perhaps, if he considered it, he could actually think that the reason Roziella had attacked him was that he was possessed by the ghost. Maybe. Or was Roziella attacking him because the ghost was attaching to him, crying out vengeance?

On the other hand, his reason would dictate that the Konti, young yet mad, was only innocent as far as appearances go. Did she not crave for the sins of the flesh? And did was taking Uwak's mask a cruel transgression?

Both, it seemed, had reason to over power him. The details were shady, but he was thrown in the middle of an argument, Konti versus Konti. But he will not be used as a pawn in this battle between the living and the dead! Annerito Uwak was meant to conquer! No, he will not succumb to playing an insignificant role! He could choose an ally between the two and annihilate the other. Or, better yet, he could figure out something to take them out both. Such nuisances! He felt his anger burn within his veins, his pulse dancing to an erratic rhythm.

Burn, burn them all.

This time, for sure, it was his own voice telling him what to do.

[Annerito Uwak]

He was cold. He disliked being cold. This girl had been unaffected by his fire and then even went as far as to throw water and ice at him! Rage began to seethe up from the very depths of Uwak’s being. Heat had always been his friend…an all consuming friend, but it had failed to serve him this day. Such a sad thing. He would have to rely on that other thing…but he could cause so much chaos with it. It was a…far substitute. This nigh he would not burn the world to a crisp. This night he would crush it under his might! He would grind down those who opposed him into tiny bits of nothing not even fit to dirty his feet. The maniacal glee had returned. Res poured out from his fingertips and began to solidify into hard earthy mounds. Oh! But this wasn’t enough! Not for this little bitch. He would grate her bones into dust…and the ghost…well he didn’t know how to deal with ghost just yet. He’d have to look into that at some point, or he would simply ignore her. While she had made him a pawn she hadn’t directly hurt him…yet. He hurled the fist two mounds of earth at the konti, he didn’t care where they hit her. He just wanted her to suffer. He knew they would do damage. They were at the very least large enough to cause a fracture, maybe a broken bone. But that wasn’t good enough! This child needed to feel pain! Res continued to flow out of him. The whispers were back! Oh the lovely whispers! He had quieted them so long ago but they returned now in his time of need. They egged him on. He listened with overzealous obedience. An unusually large mound of earth had formed from Annerito’s res. “I will end this now…” The gleeful and homicidal tones had fled from his and were replaced with a cold and steely resolve. He grew tired of this night. He wanted rest. The only way to ensure this was to end this girl. This time he had a specific target on her body. The mound was large enough to do more than break bones; it could kill with lethal efficiency and brutality. He hurled it at the child’s form, aiming for her upper body. A part of him hoped it would only break her neck. Paralyze her. He had always wanted to take up torture. Most of his victims never lived passed his initial encounter. He had a feeling this girl would be one of the few exceptions. That delighted and unnerved Uwak.

[Panna Cotta]

Dirt appeared near his hands and they rolled up into a ball. Annerito Uwak, fueled by his rage, could hear the voice - his voice! - inside his head.

Kill them both. Use any means necessary. The earth compressed. Kill the girl. And compressed. Kill the ghost. And compressed. Kill them both. He had two balls at his disposal, both slightly bigger than a man's wrist, both capable of knocking out the Konti girl. Kill her! The voice commanded him, and Annerito Uwak hurled the first sphere of rock blindly.

A spray of fluid met his first ball, cutting its trajectory midway, enveloping the sphere with ice. The impact caused the frozen sphere to wobble in the air before falling down. In retaliation, Uwak received two ice orbs, one after the other, on his face. Quickly, he threw the second ball, successfully evaded by the young girl with the smart use of an ice parry. A icy-shield in front of the girl, solidifying into a mass.

Kill her. He talked to himself. Kill her. He willed another sphere. No, you can't kill her using the one you used before. This time it had to be bigger. Put yourself into it. Earth solidified. Make it bigger. Make this hit count. He aimed a vital point of her body. Make sure she dies!

The young Konti was obviously exhausted from barraging the ghost with her ice orbs. The wily ghost knew how to use her abilities to her advantage. She was exhausting Roziella, weakening the young girl, and angering Uwak, causing him to fight her batter. Yes, she will win!

The big earth sphere Uwak summoned flew a straight line towards the Konti's head. But it was blocked by her ice shield, both pieces crashing against each other. As Uwak saw his orb shatter into pieces, he felt the whispers grow stronger and stronger. Wilder and wilder, it commanded him, compelling him to obey. Not enough, you must make a bigger orb, a bigger orb to kill her. He must make a bigger sphere. Bigger. He must make a bigger sphere of earth. Bigger. He must make a bigger sphere of earth and engulf it in flames. His opponent was exhausted now, he could attack her and she will be defenseless. Bigger, big enough to crush her flat. He needed to crush her. As big as a boulder, big enough to crush her flat.

Behind him, the ghost was manifesting itself, poised to strike at the unsuspecting human. She would conquer his body, and she will live again!

The disturbance was nothing but a flash of light from behind him. It was noticeable, and if Uwak was paying attention, he was given one last chance to choose his target.

Will it be the backstabbing ghost manifesting itself behind him, vulnerable to his attack? Or will it be the young lusty Konti, weakened from summoning too much ice orbs? The voice in his head did not care whose death he would choose, its intent was one and only one thing: Kill her.