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 Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 2:35 pm
Elenath was startled out of her reverie of exploration, she was currently observing a tapestry in which showed a great battle between the Fey and Vampires. Turning abruptly, her heel spinning, she looked straight into two dark orbs. It was a Panther elf. "Elenath Rusc." She was stunned, an elf was here, in the middle of no where in this godforsaken large school.
"Why are you here? What's a Panther doing here though? I've seen you around in classes, always with Headmistress Gelir Draug though. I've decided that I should explore, and a dimly lit hallway led me here so..." Elenath coyly stated, her eyes narrowed.
The door the Elf was peering from was strategically opened so Elenath would not be able to see inside.
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Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 6:17 pm
"b*****d!" She screamed as she rose her sword once more in defiance, her anger and rage pushing her forward as she charged the man again, "I'LL ******** KILL YOU!"
The man only sneered and smirked as her unfocused slash went wide when he side stepped. He gracefully turned his body to the side before letting his opponent's own momentum jut her forward...where the tip of his own blade awaited.
"G-Gauk!" The woman's gasp was suddenly cut short when blood filled her throat and spilled from her mouth. Her eyes were wide as the delayed pain of a burning hot sword tip pierced her flesh and slide through her stomach enroute to the other side.
The man flashed a toothy grin as he slide the blade in deeper still, each sharp and jagged inch of the serrated blade slide through, tearing, ripping, and jutting into each precious organ and bit of flesh as it made its way to the hilt of the woman's front. Her hot blood pouring over the blade and the hand attached...the crimson fall of life draining from the woman began to coat the ground like a rain puddle as it compounded with her other open injuries.
The woman was gasping from breath, her lungs trying desperately to grab what oxygen they could as the capillaries filled with fluid and blood. Her vision becoming unfocused as the terrible pain made her want to scream, but only blood filled her voice as spasms wracked her body. Her strength leaving her fast with each frantic beat of her heart that made the blood flow that much faster to the ground below. She would have fallen to her knees had not the man grasping the hilt of the blade within her grabbed her tenderly around the midsection and held her close to him.
Blood stained both of their forms now...most of it coming from the man's many victims and the woman now bleeding to death in his arms. He half held, half dragged, her gently and slowly to the edge of the over one hundred story roof top and the first signs of rain began to fall.
Each cooling drop mixed in with the pooling blood and made it run like a river down the sides of the tower...almost as if the tower itself were bleeding.
Her vision was near complete blackness, her senses almost dulled completely as the pain was washed away with the loss of feeling in her lower half. Her hearing was muffled, her sense of being flittering with each desperate breath, and her strength completely gone. This was a mistake...all of it was a trap...and they fell for it...all of them...and why? Why? Because the one who set that trap was one of their own...a trusted friend, and ally, a comrade...He who swore to protect and defend his people and his unit...that lying son of a b***h...he betrayed them all! He slaughtered them, all of them, right before her eyes in cold, calculated, blood! That monster...that MONSTER!
Her mind was frantically racing, trying so hard to grasp what was happening and why...but there wasn't enough blood and oxygen left to process the thoughts. Speaking...someone was speaking...She opened her eyes as best as she could, that monster looking back at her...his lips were moving, but she couldn't hear him...wait...one word...she could understand one word...
"...Pray..."
Then the warmth of his body was gone, the blade wretched from her body, and suddenly she was weightless. She briefly felt the coldness of wind rushing across her skin, but she couldn't imagine why. She couldn't focus on anything...everything was moving to fast. Wait...the moon. The moon was so large and hanging so low in the sky tonight...it was red, a full red moon casting a blood like glow upon the murder...the slaughter below. Yet for some reason as she continued to fall away from it...it was beautiful.
Red was the color or passion, of life, and of love. Her mother had loved the color red. Her rose garden at home, that smelled so sweet and fragrant was filled with red blossoms among the lush green leaves. Red was the color of the shield upon her Family Crest...the red symbolized the unyielding passion and devotion her family had towards it's sovereigns of old. The red was the blood that coated the shield with warriors who both defended and were slain to uphold its masters during war. Love...red was the color of love. But why? Red was the color of blood, or murder...yet of life and passion as well...so why love? Had she ever known love? Would she ever? ...Did it matter now?
Her thoughts were jumbled and rambling as the weightlessness and blood loss caused her body to fully relax. There was no pain now, and soon there would be no more suffering...no more memories...no more secrets...no more...life.
Wait...life...! No! She had to protect life, she had to defy death! The other had died, they all had died and left her alone because she failed them! She would not die, not until HE, that MAN, THAT TRAITOR has died! She had to live on, she had to return to her home and warn them all of the betrayal, the plot to assassinate the royal court of Parvanthious, the plot to turn the city's armies against her and slaughter everyone! She was still alive and she knew of the plans...she had the duty, no, responsibility to warn them all!
She had to live, SHE HAD TO LIVE! Her body tensed, she quickly began to mutter a spell of protection with what little she had left, her stubborn will alone powering her magic! And then-and then...!
Darkness...darkness...darkness...
~~~~
Kelbora's eyes shot open in a panic. She nearly screamed as her breath came hard and fast and her heart threatened to beat right out of her chest. She wildly searched the room with quick jerks of her head in every direction. The tower, the city...where was the city?!
Slowly as the moments passed, her mind caught up with the present and where she was. She was at an Elven Academy somewhere in the enemy's territory...wait...were they the enemy? No...wasn't that...Man wasn't he the enemy? ...The tower...the tower had burned down after she had fell...to conceal all of the black magic and murders that occurred there...the city...she didn't warn the city in time.
It was gone...it was all gone.
If she had any tears left to cry, she would have...but she was so sick of crying for it did nothing but expose her own weakness. She knew that logically...even if she had been able to stay conscious after the fall and had the strength to rush to the city, it had been a three day journey out on horseback to reach that tower...and the city was already under siege when the unit had entered the tower.
God, she couldn't let herself get so caught up in this again! Not right now...not right now!
Kelbora was furious with herself, but breathing normally again and realizing that it was all a nightmare...just memories of the nightmare she'd survived and awoken to yet another. The water was luke warm now, she must have been asleep for a while. She sorely rose herself out of the tube, water streaming out of her hair and off of her body as she exposed herself to the air. She shivered...damn it was cold.
Ringing out her floor length long hair, Kelbora stepped onto the marble floors again and walked forward until she was on a soft and furry rug. She grabbed the towels hanging on the wall and began to dry off. Once this was complete, she adorn herself in the robe left for her, grabbed the brush on the counter, and ran the bristled tool through her hair for a long while. It was a soothing and comforting habit of her's that released calming endorphins into her system naturally.
Her mother used to do it to put her to sleep...
Thrusting the thought aside with the brush, Kelbora exited the bathroom to search for her armor and clothes. She did not see them where she had tossed them onto the floor, instead she looked on the bed and found her garments washed, dried, and folded neatly on the freshly made sheets. She wasn't really a high maintenance kind of girl...but she did appreciate clean clothes. Perhaps she was to cruel to the maid earlier...she would have to apologize to the woman for that.
Kelbora dressed herself quickly and efficiently in her cleaned clothes. She strapped each strip of leather, buckled each belt, zipped each zipper, and snapped each button in place before grabbing her coat. She looked at the leather garment and hesitated. It was pleasantly warm in this place, and however more secure and comfortable she felt with a coat on, mostly to conceal her weapons, she had no weapons to hide...and therefore it would be an unnecessary burden.
Kelbora refolded the coat as the maid had and left it on the bed before heading for the door. She found it locked as she had left it, and it made her frown to know that the maid or anyone with her keys could just waltz by and open her door on a whim...but then again this was a prison, so the jailers had a right to disrupt a prisoner's privacy. Tch, how annoying.
Kelbora's boots clicked on the hard floors as she grasped the door handle, twisted the lock, and opened the heavy wood surface to the outside hall. She shut the door behind her as she began to walk down the hall leading to a staircase. She knew she should probably go meet her charge as the Queen had suggested...but she still wasn't to keen on meeting the brat just yet, so she'd wander around a bit.
She just hoped she wouldn't get in to much trouble for wondering about unsupervised. Heh, the thought made her smirk bitterly as a hand came up and pressed against the black metal collar around her neck. She really was never unsupervised...this thing assured it.
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Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 7:05 pm
Fael glared at her, "You are on the fifth floor, restricted to students. You could be expelled for being here, fox."
Acharn sat up in bed, "Let her in Fael, search her if you have to, but anything's better than being here with nothing to talk about, holed up." The young man's voice drifted to Elenath; soft, low tenor and commanding. He pulled back his long white-blonde hair with a small piece of leather. Fael looked at him in annoyance, slightly upset, if anything happened to Acharn, Gelir would have her head. Or rather, shoot her full of slightly poisonous darts until she was close to death, then saw off little parts of her and serve them to the students as Fael watched on. She shuddered noticeably. Grabbing Elenath roughly, she frisked her extremely extensively, leaving nothing unsearched, mostly to serve her own existence on this plane of being. Seeing nothing, she allowed the young girl to walk inside.
------------------------------------------
The maid walked back in, leaving a note by Gelir on the table.
'Hey, you probably are busy relaxing and don't want to hear from me so soon, however, you will begin a one week trial period starting tomorrow, where you will work with Ithil, and if you seem trustworthy, your weapons will be given to you, so that you can protect him better'
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:27 pm
'One week trial period'? What did that mean? Kelbora asked herself as she continued down the hall reading the letter with each evenly paced and casual step.
From what she gathered from the maid, this floor, the 5th floor, was off limits to all but the royal family, advisors, and specific honorary members in favor of the head mistress. She'd met the head mistress and decided that she probably wouldn't like anyone enough outside of her court to give a key to her quarters to.
As she continued to walk aimlessly down the hall, the letter now folded in her hand at her side, she wondered how long it would take the maid to complete her request? She had caught the maid leaving her room when she returned to retrieve her coat when the halls began to chill with the coming night. The maid had told her that she had returned to deliver a message and inform her that new Elven cloths to fit her size were being delivered to the castle for her to wear. Kelbora was not pleased with the last bit of information.
Instead, Kelbora had informed the maid that she was to fill the closet only with Vampiric dress clothes. Before the maid could protest, Kelbora had told her that the Queen had said nothing against her wearing the clothing of her race...and therefore it shouldn't be a problem. The maid was troubled and loathed to fulfill this request, but she was under orders to accommodate the lady with anything she requested within reason.
Different clothing was within reason.
Kelbora was pleased that the maid had sent servants immediately out to complete the request, and that she would have her own people's cloths to wear during her time here. At least she would be comfortable and slightly at home with familiar attire...that and it was her own way of rebelling.
As she continued down the hall, she began to pick up the sounds of voices...younger voices...two female, one male...Court members? No...they sounded to young...Guards? No there were no sounds of armor or metallic clinking that went along with guards...Family members or the children of the royal family? Most likely scenario, and it would make sense being on this floor.
She began to approach the sounds of talking without reserve. It might be interesting to meet elven younglings...after all...she'd never personally met one.
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:40 pm
The sound of foreign feet feet hitting the floor caught Fael's delicate ears. The gait of their owner unlike the maid's quick, soft steps, or Gelir's bouncy ones. Out of reflex she grabbed the young girl's arm roughly and pushed them both into the hall, shutting the door and locking it behind her quickly. Any sound of protest from either the girl or Acharn was silenced by the drawing of a double-bladed katana and a rushed protection spell on the door, allowing only herself or Gelir to open it again. "Who are you and what business have you here?" She asked, slightly angry, black hair still whipping around her in tendrils from the momentum.
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 4:00 pm
As she came down the hall, she began to happen upon the trio in the hall and inbetween the frame of another door. The moment the quick flash of movement from the tall and dark haired one produced the silver gaunt of a weapon, Kelbora immediately sprang into action.
Her hand instinctively reached for a sword at her side that wasn't there, and she silently cursed. Then she quickly shifted to a fighting stance with one foot braced behind her and the other stretched out before her, the left hand near the side of her face for defense and the other prepared to endure a blow if necessary...she also had the list of several disarming or damaging spells running through her mind. She was less then ten feet from the weapon wielding elf, and the woman's dark eyes captured the glint of preparation for a fight.
Two others, on in the hall with the sword wielder, the other within those doors. Allies? Other enemies? Innocents?
"A Vampiric High Lord with a terrible case of boredom and unease in an unfamiliar territory. And you are?" Kelbora asked, deciding that there was no reason to hide the truth of her station...tch, it would be kind of funny to see the reaction.
Weaponless or not, she was a warrior who could kill with her hands or words. That skill might very well be put to the test here.
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 4:13 pm
Fael sighed heavily, just what she needed on a day like today. "You sure are a noisy assassin, couldn't you have waited until Gelir got here so she could take care of you? I'm not in a good mood." Motioning for Elenath to stand aside she pulled her hair up and took her bolas out of her boot and onto her belt, counting the concealed weapons on her person in her head, not to mention the orbs of energy kindly donated by Gelir. Granted, she wasn't very experienced, but this moment is what she'd spent her life training for.
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 4:34 pm
Elenath was surprised by the quick search, her clothing searched thoroughly as she was practically thrown into the room, only to see a quick view of blonde hair and a small lithe body before being pushed back out by the same woman. Hearing the protection spell placed on the door and the stiffness of the girl next to her she sighed. Just what she needed. A fight already. The school year hadn't even started....
"Alright, I've been searched unethically, permitted into a room then immediately thrown out, and now we confront an.... Assassin? At least let me partake in something. I'm not a good for nothing and I am an upperclassman." Elenath's voice had risen in annoyance and anger. Then she noticed something in particular, her fox eyes keen and penetrating. "You're not an assassin. You're a prisoner aren't you? Just now you reached for a weapon that's not there. Why would an assassin be weaponless? And you would only be on this floor if you were a guardian, as I just found out so conveniently." Her eyes narrowed at Fael before moving back to the 'assassins' neck. There was a collar.
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 4:35 pm
"Heh...hehe...Hah," Kelbora began to laugh and then threw her head back as she relaxed out of her fighting stance and laughed harder, "Hahahahahahaha!"
She found this reaction most amusing and ridiculous, it was as entertaining as it was annoying. But she couldn't stop laughing! Elves truly were a narrow minded race.
"Hahaha, oh no Elf, if I were here to assasinate whatever being lay beyond that door, you would be dead already without seeing so much as my shadow." Kelbora finally spoke as her laughter calmed. She crossed her arms and shifter her hip to one side as she took on a casual stance...this elf was of no threat to her. "And for your information I have had enough of your Queen's idea of being 'taken care of'." She commented fleetingly with a curious expression as she sized up the two elves.
"...Might I say you're powers of observation are rather lax for a bodyguard? For answer me this...how could a Vampiric High Lord enter the highest floor of this highly guarded facility while you hold your Queen's precious protective abilities so highly? Also take into account that your Queen nor her other guards are here flanking me for my obvious approaching techniques would have alerted concerns. Also...you should inquire more as to who has taken up residency on this floor, after all...I live here now." Then her eyes moved to the younger elf and her eyes narrowed. This girl was good and very observant...not a fighter, she was too small to be a real seasoned combatant...however, she did pick up on more then the guard. "So...who's on the other side of that door?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 4:44 pm
Fael frowned heavily, she was no fool.
"Gelir isn't one to give me excess details, she merely said she had to pick up Ithil's birthday gift. Besides that, I know all the other vampires dwelling here, so to think that one I haven't met before had made it to this floor in a state enough to be cocky, gave me every reason to assume. Not to mention the fact that I am under orders to attack anyone suspicious approaching this door."
Sheathing her katana, as if noticing the collar for the first time. "You must be Ithil's present then, and if you want to enter this room, you'll have to subject to being searched, although you would have to be awfully clever to manage to keep any weapons at this stage. Mind you, inside is a perimeter spell that allows none but Gelir to perform magic inside."
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 4:52 pm
The guard had slipped an interesting bit of information. Other Vampires lived here on these grounds? She would store that bit of knowledge away for later use...she might actually have allies here.
Kelbora frowned and tossed her her to the side towards the wall. She really didn't like being labled an object of possession...but thats what she was to these people...property.
"Weaponless or not, and magically able or not...you can't possibly believe that I wouldn't still be dangerous to whomever might lay beyond the portal of wood and steel that you protect?" Kelbora said and glanced once more at the younger elf. She said she was an upperclassman and therefore a possible noble...more information to put away for a later date. "And why would I need to go through and see beyond anyway? Is this person someone I report to or should show respect? I doubt its someone who would pose a threat to me or my own."
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 5:02 pm
Fael laughed, "Actually...it is no matter, whether you have a weapon or not. You'll never touch him. Perhaps you should meet him, and bow to your future Lord, Acharn. Perhaps you've heard the prophecies, the scandal; only son of an ancient King of your people, and of the first born daughter of the Fey King at the time? Prophesied to end the war and rule the three nations? Are you surprised his protection is so lax? Don't be, there is much more than you know.
Why shouldn't you be able to harm him, with your skills? Easy, that collar has an extra precaution, not much. Just so that if you made motion to kill Acharn, you'll die. You'll die before your blade, or spell, or fist makes contact with him. And fortunately, Gelir leaves heavy spells about his person to ensure it never connects. So, shall you enter? The second fool woman to wander where she doesn't belong?" Fael glared at Elenath.
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 5:17 pm
That caught Kelbora's attention. She turned her face now fully to the guardswoman and her eyes narrowed in suspicion while her lips were slightly parted in disbelief. The fabled "Son of Two Bloods"...the "b*****d Child of Vampire and Fey Blood"? He was still...alive?
No. There was just no way...the most hunted child in history was here at this establishment under the Wolf Queen's protection? It seemed almost...too unbelievable. And at the same time...it angered her.
"There is no way I would bow before such an abomination, whether he is who you claim he is or not." Kelbora hissed and her pupils became slits. "...That...child...is suppose to be dead, but you do not have the aura of one who is lying. That troubles me."
Did she really want to see who or what was beyond that door? A part of her did...the other did not.
"I bow before the monarchy of my nation, and no other."
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 5:36 pm
Fael smirked. "If you will not show deference, you shall not have the privilege to enter. You will probably see him in the hall from time to time, however, your chance at meeting him is gone, for now at least. Now, if you would be so kind as to leave-"
Fael's reply was cut short as Gelir could be seen coming up the hall.
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 6:01 pm
Elenath glared at both women in the halls. One called her a fool and the other claimed that she was a horrible guard. She wasn't even a guard. The name though caused her to take another look at the door. Acharn? The one who they were going to fight for, to end the war? He was here? Not twenty feet from her?
Elenath looked with new respect at Fael, who had been protecting him. His life always in danger, he was protected fiercely. Any elf intelligent enough knew that they needed Acharn to end the war. Elenath was one of these people.
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