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"Oh he's always like that! Don't mind him. He gets so flustered around pretty girls. Once, he even told me that talking to pretty ladies made his feet sweat!" Nelo nodded vigorously with an evil look in her eye. It was obvious this little bit of information she gave Kitara was not something she was supposed to know... let alone repeat if she did...
That was Nelo though... Before Nelo could continue revealing all of Anthony's secrets, both fireplaces and every candle in the library suddenly went out with a strange hush. The silhouettes of their smokey ghosts were illuminated by the glowing glass window as they floated up to the shadowy ceiling. But, even the window looked dimmer than it had been only moments ago. The library seemed to be filled with a thick tangible silence. Nelo grew quiet instantly and Rowan looked very serious and disturbed. Something was happening. Or rather, someone was coming... |
Hollow could tell that she was moving, but wasnt sure what was happening. She was so dizzy. Every now and then she would let out a little moan of agony. She was sweating and shaky from all the convulsing her stomach had done. 'stupid curse' She thought before she landed on something comfortable.
She started to feel a little better. She stoped shaking and she layed calmed down. She started to relax once she started falling in to sleep. Sleep was so peaceful. It brought so much releif. She wasnt thinking about making deals or getting rich. She was just playing around an empty feild in a simple dress. Life so simple was just so good to her. Hollow fell into her dreams. |
CHAPTER TWO--------- DARK TIDINGS ON THE TIDE
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Kitara was about to make some comment about being pretty when the fires all suddenly flickered out, leaving a sudden cold and darkness. Even more disturbing than that were the serious faces of Nelo and Rowan. She stepped closer to them, her fur raising all along her body in apprehension. "What is it..." she whispered in the tiniest of whispers, staring at the smoke that rose like phantoms from the fireplaces.
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"We're about to have some unwelcomed company" Rowan said in a tone that made her voice sound quite deep and terrifying. This was the voice of a person who had seen and experienced their fair share of combat. Rowan's simple gown began to billow a little bit as she slowly paced towards one clear pane of glass disguised amongst the rest of the colors.
Nelo followed, silent, and strangely obedient and serious. The strange aura that surrounded her seemed disturbed again. What was more unnerving was her eyes had gone completely white, and her pixie wings had changed to a dark tinge of violet and black shades. Even her hair seemed darker than before. She had another dangerous spell boiling and churning within her little frame, ready to blast out the whole window if she had to. Could this innocent and smiling little girl have been engaged in battle before as well? The thought was not a pleasant one. But who was here? What had them on the edge of their toes and nerves ready to strike out at any moment? |
Kitara gulped nervously, gripping her wand and only weapon tightly in her hands. Now she really desperately wished Rowan had taught her so much more because Kitara had the feeling that her limited experience and magical knowledge would not be enough for what was coming. And what was? She was too nervous to go towards the window as the others did so she just stood in the middle of the room, waiting in fear, thinking perhaps she should leave and find somewhere less scary.
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Olivia and Benvolio awoke to find themselves on the white sands of some beach far far from their home. The waves lapped pleasantly at the shore, some crashing on the nearby rocks and cliffs Ben raised himself up and shook vigorously, trying to rid himself of the irritating sand. Olivia simply stared out at the sea... she had never been out of the manor. The sheer size of it all... frightening. She felt so exposed.
The teddy, having forgotten his discomfort had taken to hunting little crabs, crunching them in his teeth with some delight. A dream, thought Olivia, this must be a dream. How queer. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the obviously mentally created sensation of saltwater against her fragile bodice. Her dress was out of sorts, the wet sand clumped upon some of the frillier parts. She took a few moments to dust herself off, while Benvolio called to her to look at some sort of shell he'd found. She ignored him, as he cleaved it in half. She shivered. This was not a dream. Just where were they? |
Kara stood on top of one of the ebon towers looking out at the sea shore. She looked completely different now, and her face was etched with a hardness only the most war-bitten warriors could wear. She no longer wore the wavering silver gray gown. Instead, it had been replaced with thick rough black leather pants. Long, thigh-high leather boots reinforced with thick steel bands all the way up to their tops now hugged both her legs tightly as she ground her heel into the cold black stones... thinking.
She wore a tight shoulder-cut top of the same black leather, and a shapely steel corsette that hugged her middle just beneath her breasts, which she had also bound tightly to her chest under the leather vest with long strips of linen. Just one less thing to get in her way... Her arms were armored all the way up to the base of her shoulders with large overlapping black dragon scales, and both forearms were cuffed with large steel vambraces that nearly touched both elbows. Her strange misty faerie feather-tipped wings twitched and stood at attention behind her back. The long white hair was now bound back into a very long braid that fell just above her calves. A long strand of hair grazed across her unblinking face in the small breeze. Her gray eyes were sharp and focused, and the thin white scars on her face and hands seemed to stand out more. She ground her fanged teeth together as she glared down at the white sandy beach. The air carried the stench of death and wickedry. Something evil had come to their shores... She drew both her short twin swords out of their silver sheathes hanging off either hip from a white calfskin belt. She hoped others in the castles had sensed what she felt as well...and were just as prepared to deal with it... Whoever they were, they couldn't have picked a worse place to reappear from wherever they had come. |
Olivia was still too immersed in thought to notice the heavily armored, fanciful woman looking daggers in her direction. Benvolio, however, was much more curious than his contemplative companion. Gathering up his collection of crabs, he tottered over to the angry looking woman.
"-munch munch munch- Hey lady", he said, a crab leg hanging out of the corner of his mouth. That didn't stop him from stuffing another crab into his mouth. He'd decided he liked crabs. They were like crackers, only they moved around. He chomped, enjoying the sensation of the crustacean between his long, sharp teeth. "You look like a pirate. Are you a pirate? I'm not a pirate. I'm a bear." Olivia turned, hearing Benvolio talking to someone, "hey! Who are you talking to?" |
Kara was only semi-surprised the two creatures had sensed her reappear behind them. Very little surprised her anymore, even a talking teddybear stuffing its face with wriggling shellfish.
She even smiled inspite of herself. I supposed there's no reason to act completely hostile if I haven't got a good reason yet... Although the two of them did wreek of dark magics.... Kara cleared her throat and stood up straight, delivering a formal bow, still keeping her distance a very sharp eye on the crab munching plushy. "My name is Kara." She paused and thought for a moment. She judged from Benvolio's demeanor that formalities were probably completely pointless. She grimaced at the bear.... "and I just might be a pirate, depending on who's asking." "And what... pray tell... brings you to the The Realm, oh great face-stuffing one." She said sarcastically. Despite the evil aura the pair emitted, she figured at LEAST the bear would appreciate sarcasm more than politeness. |
Kitara tiptoed her way out of the room, deciding that windows were not safe. Whatever had the others worked up was outside, so she was going to get away from the outside. She was curious, but not stupid. She crouched down on the floor in a windowless corridor and pulled her knees to her chest hiding her head against them and drawing her arms up on top of her head so she was a small ball leaning against the wall, trying not to shiver. She closer her eyes and let herself fall into her subconscious mind which seemed to be a world unto itself, just with no physical images or senses.
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A dark silhouette of a very tall figure was rolling down the hallway. Dark swirling clouds that tumbled on themselves in odd patterns billowed out in slow rolls before his every step. He looked as if someone had cut a chunk out of the night sky and molded it into the shape of a man. Only his eyes burned white in the darkness, and small traces of fire could be seen flashing like silent lightning in the folds of mist surrounding him.
Every lamp, candle, and chandelier went out as he passed by. He seemed to be drawing all light within himself. A long, gleaming broadsword hung loose, but ready in his left hand, and a smaller dagger was unsheathed in his right. He was creeping down the hall where Kitara was curled. It wasn't long before he spotted her, and he started swirling towards the timid cat figure slowly, resheathing his swords and extending his hand as if he would touch her. "Kitara?" Said a somewhat familiar, and yet completely bizarre voice out of the living shadow. The voiced cracked like coal tumbling over on itself, and even tiny sparks flew out of his mouth. When he went to bend over to touch her, enormous wings of living darkness unfolded slightly. |
"I dunno, lady", he replied, "what brings YOU to the realm? Huh? And what's a realm?"
Olivia had, by that point, crossed the short distance to the two. Having seen the woman in armor, she thought that such a time was best suited for diplomacy. She was, after all, a very fragile little creature. "Excuse me miss", said Olivia, curtsying in a very formal manner, "I do apologize for my companion. He's a little..." She looked over at the plushy. "Roar", said he. "Anyway, I'm sure whatever he said, he meant no harm. Isn't that right, little Benvolio?" "Roooooar..." Benvolio dropped his crabs and went stomping after them, quite uninterested in the pirate lady. If Olivia was being polite, it meant that it wasn't time to eat... whoever she was. And stomping crabs was much more entertaining than a boring old conversation about realm. "My name is Olivia, and we seem to be lost. We certainly didn't mean to intrude upon your land. Now, if you would just point us in the direction of the nearest mechagyro station, we will leave at once." ((Edited due to too many uses of the name Benvolio)) |
"Uhhh Mechagyro?" Kara looked thoroughly confused. Whatever world these two had come from, it certainly wasn't anything like The Realm. Quite frankly, it was clear they had never been in The Realm period, which meant they weren't really sure of themselves at the moment, which was a good thing. And... they were dolls. Not to mention one was a crab chomping teddy bear.....
Kara felt she had officially seen it all now. She bowed politely to the doll who seemed to have good manners despite her bad aura. There as no need to upset her. "Miss, you seem to have stumbled into the wrong area.... the wrong world for that matter. While I am not sure from where you have come, I don't believe it was anything like where you stand now. This is The Realm, and I am co-leader of this region along with the three Greater Spirits: Leaowynne, Arnon, and Michael." Kara decided to look less rigid while explaining things to the little doll and crouched down closer to eye-level with her so she could be more polite and direct. "I am sorry young miss, but whatever world you knew before... is far behind you... And I am sorry if this displeases you." Kara wasn't going to offer assistance to these little things if she could help it. They were definitely not your normal wicked spirit, but wicked just the same. |
There seemed to be a shadow creeping up on Kitara's thoughts and she opened her eyes to see that the shadow really stood before her. The man was a shadow and she found that she couldn't move, just stare into that deep blackness as her her mind reeled with fear. Where were her friends? Oh why had she run away!! She gaped and stammered, trying to scream for help, but she could only manage a hoarse whisper. Her eyes widened and the whites showed in them as she watched him reach out to her in what seemed slow motion. When he was very close, she finally managed to jerk away, using cat agility to bound across the hallway, breathing hard in fear.
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"Kitara! Wait! It's me, Anthony!" The darkness that surrounded him almost seemed to bleed into the floor. The color returned to his features, and the shadows crept back into the corners of the corridor, relighting everything it had previously snuffed. The only difference was he had a notable pair of black demonic-looking wings portruding from his back that hadn't been there before. His long reddish-brown hair was pulled back into a handsome ponytail, and he wore a set of very intricate silver and black robes. If that was what Anthony looked like in his dark form.... it was almost impossible to imagine what Michael had to look like right now....
"Kitara! WAIT! I'm not going to hurt you! It's just me!" He looked at himself foolishly, wondering why he didn't have the since to approach in a form that was ANYTHING but demonic looking. He ground his palm into his forehead. "Ugh.... I'm really sorry!" He still called after her. "There was this thing outside and... well you were with Rowan and Nelo... and... oh what's the point... Come back please!" |
Olivia appeared to take all this in stride, refusing to react though her mind was racing. It was a skill she had spent much time developing.
What? That's impossible! One doesn't just suddenly vanish into another world! This woman is lying. She must be... but... here we are... and DAMN! Just when I had gotten the business in order... I won't be able to pay the miners. They'll just abandon the lot! We'll lose everything! No no... don't panic, Olivia. There may be a way out of this. She wore a somewhat sad and distraught face, "however does a thing like this happen?!? Is there a way back? If you're the ruler of this place, can't you 'spirit' us out of here?" Her last comment was somewhat sarcastic, but she hoped it sounded desperate. She looked down at her feet, trying to feel the mental construct of this spirit. Was it solid? Could she penetrate? And exactly what sort of creatures populated the land? It was obvious that they had some degree of... power... but what kind? Benvolio had run out of crabs and didn't so much feel like collecting more. And so, he went running around in circles for a little while swinging his cleaver at gnats and roaring. A wave crashed a bit closer than before, knocking him into a sand bank. He struggled to free himself, his legs kicking around in the air uselessly. |
She yawned deeply, stretching one arm above her head, then the other, then her back and legs. She did not want to open her eyes. Such dreams she'd been having. The knight's lady had provided a nourishing meal and a warm cot, hospitality as a reward for her dance and in accordance with her station. This morning she would break her fast and return to the village with stories of dancing, rumors of the nobility, descriptions of her own dreams. Or perhaps she'd save the dreams for her love alone. Visions of herself as a glowing fire creature battling a demon would not endear her to her community. One had to be careful with such dreams.
Yawning again, then emitting a small sneeze, she finally opened her eyes. Everything was moving in a warm, red, and terribly strange world. Ugh. Where was she? Aideen sat up clutching her head in her hands. She was in a grand, deep hearth. She was burning but not burned. So she'd mistaken the dream for the reality after all. It was not a reality she wanted to face. Still, she had little choice but to try. It was not until she'd half emerged from her hearth, however, that she noticed her complete lack of clothing. At this point she quickly retreated back into the concealing safety of the flames. Her back to the far wall, knees folded discreetly in front of her breasts, she watched the outside world and struggled to fight the tears that threatened. |
Kitara's knees went weak with relief as the shadows slunk away, leaving a familiar person in front of her. Her legs gave and she sunk to the floor, looking up at Anthony with a mix of fear and relief. "Y-you?" she stuttered. "Oh, Anthony, you looked really scary there for a second! What is going on out there?!"
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Kara looked down at this little doll, trying her best to size up the situation. Had she possessed the ability to send her back to her own world, she would have done so in a heartbeat. But, The Realm played by its own set of rules even she had to abide. She could not send her back...
What a weird little thing! Kind of reminds me of my son, Anthony... She sighed in her mind as she watched the little bear try to free itself. She wasn't really sure what to do. Kara had powers that rivaled, and sometimes even excelled that of a Greater Spirit. The Realm had melded with her veins in a way that even the most powerful could not really explain. It would be extremely difficult for these dolls to attack her and succeed, especially in their present state of affairs. Kara's countless millennia spent fighting in The Realm had made her more than a match even for some of the Lesser Gods, and she would not be swayed easily. She was generally patient and kind however, and usually very slow to anger. "I am very sorry little one... But I do not possess the knowledge or the skills to send you back from whence you came..." she apologized sincerely. The wreeking and wretched aura from these creatures was even making her dizzy... She had to get them out of the land at least... or maybe even dispose of them herself before they figured out where they were and what they were really capable of doing in this place. |
"I'm very sorry..." Anthony said. "There are some strange creatures that just appeared in our midst. And when you've seen as many horendous things like we have then... well... you learn to prepare yourself for the worst. Many of our friends and family have died. Some of them have even disappeared. We take no chances."
He explained all this with a touch of pain in his voice and sorrow on his face. He hated telling Kitara such grim things... She was still so new and innocent yet. But, nobody in The Realm could afford to be naive for long... not even one as sweet as Kitara. Even Nelo had been victimized by the dark circumstances The Realm had cast on them all. And his mother... There were no words for the things that had been done to his mother... He held his hand out to Kitara to help her up, just so she would know for certain it was him. "Come with me." He requested. "We'll go to the kitchen and make you some hot chocolate with some rich milk and a little sugar. That should calm your nerves a bit, and you'll be hidden from all these... activities." |
Kitara's eyes swam at Anthony's word. He looked so sad for a second she just wanted to hug him...but she wasn't sure how he'd react to such a thing. He didn't strike her as the hugging type. So she just took his hand and let herself be pulled to her feet.
"Alright...I think I understand. This isn't a very nice world at all I'm beginning to think..." |
Hollow woke up slowly. Her eyes were swollen and her mouth was dry. She was just glad she didnt have a head ache like usual. She looked around at where she was. The bed was so nice and... Thalian? Why was Thalian there? Hollow started to think he was a stalker. She just got away from this house. She noticed the broken door. "Ug." Hollow threw the covers off of herself and put her feet on the floor only to get a splinter in it.
"FFFFFFFFFFFUUUUU....." Hollow tried not to wake Thalian. She took the Splinter out and limped to the hallway. She was about to go downstairs when she remembered the people she had put into the room. Hollow walked to the back rooms to see if they were okay... not that she cared or anything. |
"This world can be very beautiful and pleasant. And there ARE very good people here. Unfortunately though, being one of the good guys can make life a lot harder when you're always surrounded by warring greedy spirits who want The Realm all to themselves..." he grimaced.
"I mean, WE live here and we're not bad people." He stopped and gave Kitara a very serious look for once. "And you ARe one of us now. And that means I won't let anything bad happen to you ever, even if it means death. That is the code we live by. We live for each other; we fight for each other; and we die for each other. It has kept us alive so far, and it will keep you alive too. Do not be afraid, Kitara..." he stared very hard at Kitara through is deep auburn eyes. He sounded very very grown when he said these things; a far cry from the shy boy he had acted like only hours before. But then again, wars change everything... |
Kitara looked at Anthony silently. "Yes, you are very good people, but all this war makes everything seem so bad! Why must people be greedy like that and mess up good lives?!" She shook her head. The woes of the world didn't make much sense to her even if she knew they existed. She didn't want to see her friends hurt or sad looking. "I'll try not to be afraid...but I can't really guarantee that I won't be...." Her tail curled about her legs in a pathetic, unhappy look.
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