[Wilderness] Divine anguish (Talhar and Dusk)

by **Maius** on April 20th, 2010, 10:59 pm

Time stamp: last day of winter 509 AV

It was a beautiful day. The sun was out stretching its legs after the long hibernation of winter and life burgeoned in response. It was far too a lovely day to be working, but Eric de Bedoux was doing just that. All things considered he did not mind it since this was a special run to the city of Zeltiva. The harvest was fruitfull this year. He had plenty left over that he planned to sell to travelers that came through their isolated farming village. Word had reached the village that the granaries of Zeltiva had run dry again. He foresaw a large pouch of money jingling at his side on the return trip. Adding to his good humour was the fact that his wife and son had insisted on accompanying him this year. He normally made this trip alone but he was grateful for the companionship.

The clack of the ox cart wheel on cobble stone gave way to a soft crunch on dirt as the family entered the woods. There was a small forest between the village and Zeltiva. A dirt road cut through the middle of the wood that cut the travel time between the village and city by almost a full day. Ancient trees stood grouped together seemingly supporting each other. This did unfortunately cut down visibility in the forest yet the village had not lost a single member travelling through the forest to either monsters or bandits.

The chattering of birds and the chirping of insects died almost on cue as Eric and his family passed the first line of trees. The farmer shifted uneasily in his seat. He had never experienced this unnatural quite before. A faint mist filled his peripheral vision. The forest looked more oppressive as the fog rolled in, slow and steady. Marie turned her head towards Eric, she had sensed his growing tension. Eric glanced at her. A big smile cracked his features. Marie looked at Eric for a brief few seconds before she nodded. A quick look back assured her that her son was still sound a sleep.

Eric pushed his fears deep down. There were no beasts in this forest and what bandit would trouble a farmer with a wagon of hay. Silently he resolved to take the round around the forest on his way back, but for now they would carry on. He reached under his seat and patted the thick cudgel tied securely. He was far from helpless. They continued for another 20 minutes before the silence was shattered.

"Stand and deliver!" came the deep cry. In the road stood six men arranged in a lazy half circle. Eric heart began to leap in his chest. These men looked like they meant business. Patchwork leather armour was the general motif and each of them had more weapons than they could possibly use. One even had a hook where his hand should have been. The ox cart came to shuddering halt. Eric stood upright and scanned his surroundings. The trees seemed to close in on them. His heart started to beat faster. "Gentle man surely there is no need for this, surely you can see we are but simple farming folk, not some bored rich noble." "Hahahaha!!! Did you hear that Scar, this berk thinks we be gentle." a small rat faced man on the far left piped up. The comment was obviously addressed to the bandit in the middle, but it drew a round of chuckles from all the bandits. "Shut up Spikes." the samed deep voice commanded. The leader of the rag tag band never took his eyes from the couple in front of him. "If they can't pay we will take something else....." The leader's face became lewd and disgusting. He proceeded to slowly look Marie up and down, taking in her entire form.

Eric felt as is his heart would burst from his chest. He was mildly surprised that the entire forest did not echoe with the same loud beat. Rage erupted from his throat and yanked the cudgel from under his seat and leaped forward. Clearing the oxen he landed in front of the group. "Run Marie, run!!!!!!!!" Eric shouted over his shoulder then he dashed forward cudgel raised high. The bandit leader easily sidestepped the clumsy blow and then Eric only knew blackness.

"Wakey, wakey." Like bear waking from its hibernation Eric slowly came around. "Oi, will you wake up!!" The farmer opened his eyes and the first thing he felt was pain. His body felt like a parade had used it as a doorstop. He tried to move but move but restraints dug into his wrists. Biting the inside of his mouth to focus himself Eric looked into the most ugly face he had ever seen. The full weight of the situation came crashing down on him. He frantically searched the area around him to see what happened. His wife was laying next to the ox cart. There were pieces of her missing. A large pool of blood stained the ground beneath her. He saw the rise and fall of her chest. 'No, no, no, no please be dead, please be dead my flower' he thought to himself. He could smell the copper tang of her blood. It overpowered every scent near him. Suddenly the screams of his sons filled the air. Like a grisly symphony the grunts of pleasure came in counter beat. "Scar wanted to keep ye for last, but me, I have some mercy." spoke the ugly man in front of him again, drawing his attention back to the hideous man in front of him. Eric glared at the man with such loathing that the ugly bandit could not help but shiver sub consciously. Two daggers flashed in the gloom of the forest.

Eric threw his head back to scream yet there was no air left in his lungs. The agony in chest subsided. The bandit spoke true. One dagger had buried itself securely in his left lung. The other had found his heart. Blowing out his last breath Eric de Bedoux slumped over dead, the rope tying him to the tree keeping him from falling face first into the dirt.

The universe contracted around him and expanded contracted and expanded. Eric felt his mind being pulled into a thousand directions at once and nowhere in particular. He felt life itself coming within him like a river flowing away. He desperately tried to keep it but it was futile. Light filled his vision and disappeared. Just when he felt sanity about to leave him everything snapped back into sharp relief. He was within a small room. There was nothing else except a rickety table and two chairs. Seated in one of the chairs was an old man. His form was difficult to describe since it shifted slightly, maddeningly beyond perception. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no ….” Eric frantically sobbed. “I am dead, aren't I.” The old man nodded sagely as he gestured to the empty chair. The enormity of the situation crashed over Eric. His Marie and his Thomas needed help and there was nothing he could do. He did not deserve this. He always helped the people of his village. He never caused anything unnecessary pain. 'Why????' was the only thought that spun like a tornado through his mind.

It is often said that events that shape the world occur in a preplanned fashion. Yet as is often the case such events are born from simple actions.

Deep down in the pit of his being something changed. His feelings spiralled through his entire being coming to rest on top of this dead thing. When he could no longer feel anything the thing in the pit of his being ignited. It consumed his feelings like a raging inferno. It was a fire storm the gave off no heat, no warmth, instead it howled like the deepest winter gale sucking everything into its icy center.

“NO you bastard. NO MORE!. I no longer follow the destiny YOU laid out for me. A destiny that included the death of my wife and son for the simple crime of being born.” These words exploded from Eric as the old man once again gestured towards the empty chair. Eric fell within himself, focusing on the icy inferno within. He knew that this was the way back. This thing inside him could take him back. “We WILL meet again old man and next time I will dictate your destiny and then we will see how you like it” Eric allowed the thing inside him to pull him back, back to Mizahar.

The room dissolved as his hatred and will forced him back.

In the forest outside Nyka the animals and insects sensing that the evil of man has spent itself cautiously emerged only to go scurrying back to their holes when an pearl white ethereal whirlwind appeared next the abandoned ox cart and three corpses. The whirlwind intensified then exploded outwards. The expanding ethereal shock wave did not bend a single blade of grass or rustle a single leaf. When the spiritual forces dissipated a translucent figure stood next to the ox cart. The figure was tall but not distinct in any way shape or form. It looked vaguely like a man with no face and hair whatsoever.

Eric hurriedly looked around. He had to save Marie and Thomas. His eyes came to rest on Marie's corpse. Thomas' broken naked corpse was chucked across Marie's violated nude form in a rough cross like they were yesterday's garbage. The silent corpses mocked him quietly. You were to late to save us. Eric let loose one grief stricken sob. All the feelings of grief fed the icy inferno inside him.

He looked towards the trees where his own corpse was still tied to the trees. “Eric de Bedoux died today on the last day of winter, 509. I am Maius and I make my own destiny.” He howled towards the sky.

A single thought crossed his mind. His eyes snapped towards the trees. With a cry of pure anguish he ran deeper into the forest. Those bastards were no doubt close, bandits were lazy that way.

'VENGENCE!!!'

by **Talhar** on April 20th, 2010, 11:35 pm

It was the last day of winter and the first day Talhar explored outside Zeltiva, it hasn't been long since he arrived in Sylira. It were merely a few months ago that he arrived in Zeltiva on an old, wavebroken ship. As he remembered the trip he couldn't help the compulsory actions that followed every single time, the shaking of his head and the contorting of his facial expression. The weather brought dry heat and fatigue but Talhar was in too high spirits to let it affect him. He had slaved his feet for about 5 hours today, and it has been 1 and a half days since he had left Zeltiva in order to do some hunting, mainly for food and alternatively for fun and to try and get his skills not too rusty. He decided to give his feet a break and took a seat against a rock, the road he sat on was filled with gravel and certainly not comfy to sit on so he only rested a little while, little time had gone by as he stood up again, for some reason he couldn't sit still for too long.

He had barely stood up before he heard a frightened howl, Talhar had no idea what it could have been, but it resembled a sound he had heard once before, only once, in his life. The howl of alarm, a howl that feared for its life. It didn't take long for long, soulshredding and marrowfreezing shrieks to fill the air. Talhar was frozen stiff, the howl had made him suddenly very aware of his surroundings and to be honest, frightened. He had taken out a javelin from his quiver and held it firmly in his lefthand. He slid his right hand over the middle part of his Vantha spear and started running, for there was no time to spare...not for the person or people shrieking like that.

He got over himself and started running but the shrieks came from very far and they grew weaker by the second, he started to fear he was going to be too late. Suddenly the shrieking stopped, Talhar nearly stabbed himself with his own javelin for letting a thought of relief enter his mind for a fraction of a second. The shrieking had made the last minute, or was it an hour, of his life the most hellish he had ever faced. Even so he kept running and running, his legs, knees and feet were crying out in pain but he couldn't stop, he couldn't stop sprinting with all his might. Even if his legs had fallen off he would've still ran to help that poor soul. But the shrieking had stopped, which could only mean one thing. But Talhar refused to believe it and kept running the air out of his lungs.

He was relatively close now, there was a turn in the road in the distance, that led into the forest, it couldn't be much farther now. His arms were swinging from front to back at high speed as he ran with the javelin and spear in his hands and the quiver filled with the remaining javelins on his back. He had tossed the backpack long ago, no time for material worries, not on a time like this. Out of nowhere and taking the last of Talhar's soul and hope another shriek filled the air and ears of those close enough. This time it was definitely much closer and was clearly a young lad's voice. Which made Talhar's heart sink even lower. What possible faith could have befallen upon these people.

He had passed the bend in the road and entered the forest, what he saw was beyond grotesque and vile, it was the single most disgusting thing Talhar had faced in his life. Three humans laid dead before him, two of them naked and heavily mutilated, displayed as a perverted cross of sadistic wretchedness. The third corpse tied to a three. There was no doubth in Talhar's mind, the beings that caused these deaths were no humans, no, they were demons.

Perhaps because Talhar believed so strongly in his thoughts that he was little more than momentarily stunned when a translucent faceless outline of what seemed to be a man appeared next to the corpses. The ghost, as that was what Talhar had defined the being as in his head, was clearly enraged as he howled at the heavens: " Eric de Bedoux died today on the last day of summer, 510. I am Maius and I make my own destiny. " Afterwards he ran into the forest screaming " VENGEANCEEE!!!! " ... Talhar was in disbelief for a few seconds 'till he realized where he was, in an enraged outburst for the sake of those departed here he sprinted with all his might after the ghost, believing he was the cause of their demise.

by **Dusk** on April 21st, 2010, 11:38 pm

The group of bandits had moved out quickly once they were done with their sport. There had been some arguing from Scar when he discovered that Gild had killed the farmer - there were six of them, after all, and the child had been useless after the first two had had their fill. The woman had provided better sport, but there was only so much to be done once they started really bleeding. But what was done was done, and they'd taken what little valuables the family had, then killed the ox and butchered great chunks of meat from it. These were wrapped in the torn remnants of the family's clothing and then they left with all haste, knowing it was better to get away quickly lest someone come looking for them.

Even as fast as Talhar had run, the bandits had a good half-bell's lead, and were more familiar with these woods than the newcomers. But they had left none alive, and thought no one following them, so they headed back to their camp.

by **Maius** on April 22nd, 2010, 1:06 am

Trees flowed past a strange pearl white shifting shape that was moving deeper into the forest. The shape was approximately human in form but lacked any of the distinguishing characteristics that marks humanity or any of the other races. It's face was just a blank empty space. There was no eyes, ears or mouth. Forest animals instinctively avoided the shape's passage as if they sensed that this was no natural creature.

Maius stopped running. The forest formed a small clearing at that spot with an old tree stump in the middle. It felt like he had been running for a great number of bells but it had actually been closer to quarter of a bell. He had no idea where the bastards were. 'I need to stop and take stock.' was the first thought in his mind as he cast his gaze around looking for something, anything to indicate the passage of the bandits. Their camp could be anywhere in the forest but the icy inferno inside him was as patient as a glacier. He would find them and then they would pay. 'Oh how they will pay.'

Spotting nothing that gave him any indication of the bandits he growled in frustration and moved forwards into the clearing. In a fit of pique he slammed his fist into the solitary solid tree stump. To his great shock and dismay his fist passed clean through the wood. He backed up a little bit and threw another punch the tree. Maius turned around and tried to touch a low hanging leaf. His finger passed through it and the leaf didn't even flinch. 'What am I?'. Holding up his arm for closer inspection he noticed that he could still see the forest floor. Trembling slightly he brought his hand to touch his face. The palm of his hand met no resistance. A farmer was not one to value education highly, the father taught the son and so on, yet Maius had a modicum of wit. Tales told by his father drifted to the front of his psyche. Some of them featured haunted places, where the souls of the living linger on after death, Ghosts. “I am a ghost.” he proclaimed to no one and everyone. The glacial conflagration in the pit of his soul bubbled up and filled his chest like wheat filling a sack. A near sensation of contentment.filled Maius, until another problem reared its ugly head. How would he touch the bastards. All the tales he heard told of Ghosts locked in torment because they could not affect the world.

Several loud growls like nails scrapping on glass escaped from his throat. This problem would not stop him. He had to find some way to enact his vengeance. Lightning quick he spun around and began attacking the offending tree stump. Where there is a will there is way. As he assaulted the poor tree stump something weird happened to Maius. Very peculiar feelings filled him every time his fist passed through the stump. It felt like his hand was covered in thick syrup. This coating seemed to break as his hand went through the material. A queer thought passed through his conscious. He turned around to face the leaf again. Instead of mindlessly lashing out he concentrated on the wintry fire throbbing in his chest. He directed it towards his finger along with the mental command that his finger should be hard. Hard as the leaf itself. Slowly he brought his finger up and touched the leaf again. Disappointment threatened to overwhelm him as his finger slipped into the leaf, but as his finger exited the other side the leaf twitched every so slightly in response.

Maius gave voice to a cry of joy. Granted this skill would take years to master still he now had a weapon in his arsenal. A very, very slight weapon mind you.

by **Talhar** on April 22nd, 2010, 6:11 am

As Talhar continued to give chase to the peculiar being he tripped over a thick branch laying on the floor, he hastily pulled himself together and placed the javelins back in the quiver, since they had scattered all over the leafy soil when he tripped. Armed with a spear in his hands and javelins on his back he resumed his chase.

It didn't take long for him to find the being, he hadn't bend off the linear route he was on since the start. He saw him slamming his fists through a tree stump on an open patch in the middle of the forest. Thanks to his hunting experience he could approach him silently and unnoticed. Near the open patch of grass and moss he sat crouched, watching the bizarre scenario unfold itself.

The being stopped assaulting the tree stump and started to try and poke a leaf hanging from a twig. The finger passed right through but as he had passed it the leaf gave a small tremblance of recognition. " He's learning how to materialize...He's a ghost, spectre, wraith ... whatever he is, I have to kill it. " Talhar thought, but the ghost seemed so lost, it made him wonder whether he truly killed that family or not. Talhar had to find out before he attacked.

As he stepped out of the woodworks he approached the ghost who was facing the other way. Talhar stopped at 10 feet away.

" H...Hey, don't be frightened, I just have some questions for you. "
" Can you talk? "

by **Dusk** on April 22nd, 2010, 4:14 pm

(you guys just keep going and I'll join in when you get back to the bandits)

by **Maius** on April 22nd, 2010, 10:14 pm

"H...Hey, don't be frightened, I just have some questions for you." once again broke the silence of the small clearing. Maius did not even notice the first words as he focussed his entire will on making the leave move. A heard of large animals could have thundered past him and he would have barely noticed. The question "Can you talk?" however snapped him back to the present. He spun around to see who had intruded on him. To an outside observer it looked as if the shape had seemingly inverted itself. About 10 feet away stood a human, a hunter by the look of him. This was no ordinary human. Eyes that danced through the spectrum gave that right away. 'A vantha? What is he doing here? We never get these types of exotic visitors back home' Maius thought. He had heard of the exotic Northerners before but had never seen one in person before. Remote farming villages were hardly tourist spots. These thoughts triggered a new wave sadness in him that threatened to overwhelm him and quench the inferno inside. He ruthlessly crushed these feelings and resumed his inspection of the man in front of him.

Maius noticed that the hunter seemed very tense. He was by no means as well versed in the arts of hunting as the man, but he had taken down a buck or two in years past when the harvest was not as good. Almost instinctively his blank face remoulded itself into the same shape he had carried before his death.

“Ai, I can speak hunter, death had taken much from me but not everything.”

His voice filled the clearing, but there was something missing from it, that spark that all living beings carried was gone and his voice sound hollow and empty. Maius cocked his head slightly to the left, suddenly intrigued by the man. 'Maybe another weapon has announced itself to me' he thought as he eyed the spear the hunter carried. The man looked like he was quite capable of inflicting some serious harm with it.

“What do you wish of me?”

by **Talhar** on April 23rd, 2010, 3:53 am

It would take nerves of steel to be able to take everything that's happening before Talhar's eyes and not flinch, nerves of steel was something Talhar could muster for the time being. But he was reaching his limit, everything seemed so ... surreal.

Talhar made himself broad and stood up straight when saying:

" What do you know of the tragedy that happend not far from here? A group of people, I assume a family, were murdered in a horrific way and I came here to hunt down the murderer. "

Talhar said " The murderer. " with a tone like a question, like he expected a response that clarified whether the ghost was the murderer or not.

by **Maius** on April 23rd, 2010, 7:07 pm

Maius rocked backed at the last statement. It was clearly framed as a question. The hunter wanted to know if he had killed his family. This man thought that he would harm Marie or Thomas. His features shifted from the face he wore in life to the face his body would have in a few days time. It now appeared rotten with a cheek bone showing.

Maius blinked a few feet back. He didn't realise it at first but he had disappeared and reappeared in his desired location. He noted this fact subconsciously to be explored at a later date. For now the hunter had his full attention. The area around him, stretching about 2 feet, with out warning experienced a drop of several degrees in temperature. Maius could feel the glacial wildfire in his chest explode. It filled his entire being. He felt the wildfire force the syrupy feeling he had before away from his form. To an outside observer this had the effect of small nearly invisible white particles appearing around him. These particles began dancing faster and faster around the ghost as the full fury of his rage manifested itself. After a few seconds it looked like Maius was standing in the middle of a snowstorm.

I DID NOT KILL MY SON!!!

I DID NOT KILL MY WIFE!

I DID NOT KILL MY MYSELF!

Maius struggled to get his temper back. He really did not intend to this hunter any harm. The storm of soulmist quieted after this outburst.

The icy cold fury in his voice faded and it once again sounded hollow and empty. No hunter, I am not THE murderer, There were six, they ambushed us. After this day is done though I will be considered a murderer.

Unbeknownst to the two Maius' outburst attracted some attention from outside the clearing.

OOC
Que Dusk

by **Dusk** on April 23rd, 2010, 7:25 pm

Neither the ghost nor the man had made any attempt at stealth, or even kept their voices down. The ghost's screaming had, in fact, been quite loud. They were also neither of them familiar with how the wilderness worked, the sounds of the forest, the scents on the wind - and so the three men who were playing sentry for the bandits had no problem sneaking up on them.

An arrow came streaming out of the woods, flying straight through Mauis' incorporeal form and burying its sharpened wooden head in Talhar's left shoulder, just as the two other men came charging out of the woods, one with a hand-axe and another with a poorly-kept and slightly rusty sword.