Lore: The Seer of Lies

Post by **Emora Deen** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 11:45 pm

There were two guards at the entrance to the cave. One was a sleep and the other almost there. It was late at night and they had been guarding the woman for a while and both were rather sleepy.

The one guard kept having to catch his balance as he faded in and out while the other was sitting on the ground leaning against the cold mountain wall.

On the inside Tenele sat with her back against the wall and her hands on either side of her head, chained to the wall. Her arms dangled limply and her head hung to the side, pressing against her shoulder. She was bloody, bruised, and broken. A broken arm, a broken leg, fractured ribs and numberous other bones. She would be unable to walk on her own. If it were up to Tenele to save herself then it wouldn't happen. Her once shimmering silver hair was now a dull color and knotted. Her clothes were ripped and shreded, far from decent now. She pale, feverish, sickly.

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 8:21 am

Vlad gathered himself and stood up, sizing up the guards. He concentrated and teleported just behind the left guard. Leaning against the cave mouth for support, his shot his claws through the back of the man's neck. He collapsed to the floor, wasting blood on the ground, but Vlad couldn't have him just yet. He launched at the other guard, who had made it half way through an alarm cry, and pinned him to the ground with a strong hand that clamped like a vice. He crushed the guard's neck, then drove his fangs fiercely into his throat, drinking him dry in seconds. The thrumming burn in his veins cooled and faded.

He considered going for the second body, but there was a possibility there were more guards inside the cave, and Shea could recover and arrive any second. He stood and ran inside toward the soft glow of torchlight, and stopped short. He saw Tenele. His eyes glowed softly as he proceeded towards her. He crouched directly before her, studying her soft, bloodied face that didn't seem to register him there in front of her. This was more like Shea's work. This he could believe was real. "Tenele," he said quietly, snaking his long claws into her left manacle and ripping it in half. Her arm fell limp beside her.

Post by **Emora Deen** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 9:56 am

She dreamed someone had said her name. A voice so familiar, a voice so far away. She longed to hear his voice again, to feel safe in his arms. However, at this point in her stay she longed for something different. She longed for thing that should never be wanted and that was death.

The sudden movement statled Tenele. She didn't even care to see who was before her, she already knew. They had come to take her to Lothos. She wouldn't go, not without a fight. She didn't care if her arm was broken, the arm that was free lashed out at the person before her. Slapping limp and lifless against him as her lower body struggled to get away. "No..." she whimpered weekly. "No!"

She pushed against him with her broken arm, trying to ignore the emense pain. It was becoming easier to ignore pain. Tenele had always had a terribly low tolerance for pain. At first the tortures were unbearable and the only thing that kept her from telling them everything was the fact she knew nothing. She hadn't been in Ighten long enough to find out any information about any plans the Queen might have had. Then, over time the torture grew into nothing but a routine of pain. Still her body ached and throbbed and she was terrified of what other horrors laid in wait for her.

She opened her eyes wide, as if suddenly remembering why she was fighting. She pulled her good leg back, preparing to kick him away. She stopped, her foot stomping into the earth with the force of trying to divert her attack.

Her bloody and bruised face stared at the vampire in utter shock. No, this couldn't be real. It was the fever. The cold. The hunger. She glanced down at her free broken arm and then back at the man before her. Weakly she reached out with that harmed arm and those dirty fingers. She touched his cool cheek, barely feeling his skin under the numbing pain.

Suddenly she began to breath ragged, hard, and very quickly. She was on the verge of tears and couldn't control her breathing. Tears of relief streamed down her cheeks and she panted, gasping for air. Her broken arm fell limply at her sides, however now she had something that was beyond pain. Over welming, uncontrolable... releif.

"V-vlad..."

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 1:12 pm

Vlad sat very still and waited for her to become aware of him, his glowing red eyes looking intently at her. It was impossible to look away. She wasn't dead. She was here, in front of him. He touched her cheek, a return to her gesture. Her feverish skin burned against his cool fingers. "No one will hurt you again," he said firmly. It was odd, how the anger wasn't making it to his voice. Instead it was sort of deep and calm, tamed by the urge to reassure her. He ripped through her other shackle like paper and sent it clanging to the stone floor.

He looked over her wounds, fighting back shock and anger. One of her legs was bent wrong; he was going to have to carry her out. She didn't look like she should be moved at all. "I have to carry you back," he warned, stroking hair caked with blood and sweat out of her face. The words came out like an apology.

Post by **Emora Deen** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 7:36 pm

Tenele nodded her head weakly, pulling her broke arm close to her chest and holding it there. She really didn't like the idea of anything touching the lashing whip marks on her back, however she would rather go through more pain than stay where she was and die.

She felt as if she were lost in a dream. The nightmare was finally ending. Or was this the nightmare? Was she dreaming he was saving her and it would all come crashing down around her? No, the throbbing pain in her body made her quite aware of the fact she was very much awake.

She wanted to say something to him, though she couldn't think what. She wanted to say so many things that at the moment seemed stupid. "Lets go... now... please. Don't worry about whether you are hurting me, okay? I just want out of here before... Please, lets just go." She reached out with her good arm and her hand clutched at his shirt, gripping as if to feel if he was real. Her words seemed loud to her, though they were so faint and weak. She didn't realize how bad she really looked, though she hadn't seen a bath or mirror in ages.

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 7:45 pm

Vlad nodded, and moved next to her on the floor. He slid his right arm under her battered knees and his left arm around her back, unable to help touching her lashes as he lifted her up. She smelled like blood. It was a familiar, even comfortable scent. It was her blood. But that didn't change the fact that she was in agony, and he was hurting her more. He lifted her and stood up, turning toward the mouth of the cave. He paused for a moment and stared at the other guard's body at the mouth of the cave. It had wasted most of its blood in a large puddle on the dark soil. They had no time to waste, but he was definitely not going to get them both home with the small energy from one man. There weren't going to be pit stops on the way, and Tenele was off limits. "I need to feed before we can leave," he said, pressing to the side of the cave mouth and scanning the area for stragglers or anyone he could make a quick meal off without incurring a battle.

Post by **Emora Deen** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 9:04 pm

Tenele gasped and her good hand clutched his shirt tightly as his arm rubbed across her back and the movement of him rising to his feet caused her broken limbs and cracked bones to jolt. She clenched her teeth together, trying with all her strength not to cry out. Her head swam and she leaned against him, closing her eyes.

Her indecent garb did little to sheild her form from the cold night air, however the temperature was the least of her problems. She gave a nod to his words, unable to really answer him. Her bright green eyes looked up at him and then glanced towards a whistling sound that was coming ever closer.

It was the sound of a man who had had too much ale. He was whistling, singing a rather scandelous song about a Maiden. She remembered that voice as the one who had caused her this greif. Instead of killing her as she had hoped he had taken her to his queen for questioning. Now he was coming to claim his prize.

She smirked darkly as she thought of how he would find such a rude awakening. She hoped Vlad would rip the man's throat out... or let her do it herself.

"Oh, my Lady Maiden..." he said, swaying closer and closer towards the mouth of the cave. She could see his shadow growing from large to small as he grew closer and closer to the wall. Her heart thudded in her chest as she felt herself growing unable to remain awake. She fought it, wanting to know what would happen. "Damn guards, sleeping on the job..." He tripped over a rock and stumbled. His drunk form crashed into the ground and he slowly moved to lift himself up. He stopped to dust himself off before looking up to find his prize in Vlad's arms.

Lothos immediately froze. It was as if he had immediatly grown sober. "What do you think you are doing? She's mine. The Queen herself gave her to me."

Tenele looked up at Vlad. He must assume that since Vlad was a vampire that he was working for Shea and not Sinead. Of course that would be easy to assume since Vlad looked less than nice with his black hair and crimson eyes.

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Sat Feb 09, 2008 3:06 pm

Vlad's cold red eyes burned into the man's skull. He didn't say a word; just studied the newcomer with a frown. The man and his blood smelled like garbage, sour and rancid. The no-life king didn't much care who he was; it had been a hell of a day and this waste of oxygen was on his last nerve. "You're right, I was just delivering her," he said mirthlessly, adjusting to the situation, but he was too anxious to leave to even enjoy the trusting expression that formed on the other man's face. The no life king walked with Tenele slowly until he was in the man's elbow room, as if to transfer her into his arms.

Vlad narrowed his eyes and shifted Tenele's weight into one arm, her back cradled against his shoulder and her legs fully supported beneath the knee at his wrist. It wasn't something a human arm could do, but with Vlad it looked strangely easy and made Tenele look rather small in his arms. "Sorry," he said, and it wasn't clear if he meant sorry for moving her or for what he was about to do next.

The man was reaching out, as if to accept Tenele from him. Vlad sneered without pleasure and shot his free hand forward, clutching the man's shirt front and tugging him face to face as if to kiss him. He arched his neck downward and plunged his teeth with an angry hiss into the flesh of the man's throat. His blood tasted bitter from alchohol and Vlad was surprised to find that it took effort not to draw away from the vile flavor. It wasn't something he was normally picky about, but this man was here for Tenele. That made Vlad want to waste the man's blood on the ground, slowly and painfully.

The man's body jerked, as if not quite sure what was happening, and then struggled wildly against the iron grip of Vlad's fangs. The wrestling movement didn't even shake the vampire. He clamped harder and destroyed the man's windpipe until he fell limp in the vampire's grip, blood spraying up on Vlad's face and shoulders. Vlad knew that it probably sprayed onto Tenele's face too, and that he was drinking this man's sour blood inches away from her watching eyes. For whatever reason, asserting his monster to her at this moment bothered him. At least he wasn't enjoying it. There was no glow to his eyes, no hunger to his drags at the man's neck.

He closed his eyes and drank the man like medicine, passionless and efficient. When he was done, he dropped the empty husk to the ground like so much meat and smeared the back of his hand across his bloodied lips in disgust. That was, without question, the worst meal he'd ever had. But for now, blood was blood, and he could finally port them out of here. He still doubted he could get them back to Lowight, but he couldn't risk another moment here, where Shea knew to find him.

Post by **Emora Deen** » Sat Feb 09, 2008 3:13 pm

Tenele watched, actually delighted with how Vlad treated the man. After all that beast was the reason she had been tortured. She watched with the strangest expression of tired appriciation as his body thudded to the floor. Then with her good arm she turned in Vlad's strong arms and wrapped her arm around his neck, hugging herself to him as if to say a silent thank you.

* * *

"He's with the girl, when you get to them kill them both. No toying, no playing, swift and clean. I will not risk them escaping. If they do..." Shea grabbed the No Life King by the throat. "Then you will pay dearly."

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Sat Feb 09, 2008 3:26 pm

Vlad glanced twice at Tenele, not fully understanding her gesture, but he saw no horror in her eyes. Something told him there was more to the man he'd just drained than he'd assumed, but there would be time to discuss it later. He held her as tight as he could without injuring her further and set his mind to his teleport. They disappeared from the cave mouth and re-formed some 3 or 4 miles away.

With a carry-on, this was about the limit of Vlad's range. Teleportation was a skill originally engineered for his own body alone. With a bit of creativity, he'd learned to expand the ability for another living thing, but it required a steep increase in concentration and power. Power carried a distinctive presence to those familiar with it. The power would leave a trail behind them; a scent that he knew Shea and some of her more talented help would be able to track, like dogs to a scent. He took a few seconds to regain his focus and made the next jump. It left his heart thudding fiercely, but he hesitated only a few seconds before jumping again. The recoil wasn't going to get any easier.

When they'd made it about 15 miles, Vlad allowed a moment to check on Tenele. Porting was a strain on a human body; he wanted to make sure he didn't kill her trying to get her home. Her body felt scalding against his cold chest. "How are you holding up?" he asked her, sounding a bit breathless himself without meaning to.

Post by **Emora Deen** » Sat Feb 09, 2008 3:36 pm

Tenele looked up at him with weary and tired eyes. "Cold..." she told him softly, unable to really form any other words than that at the moment. Her fever made her boiling hot, but she felt as if she were made of ice and shivered uncontrolably. Winter had set in and it had stopped snowing, the air was icy and Tenele was sick. Her stomach groaned. "Hungry..."

She let her hand slide down his chest and grip onto his shirt, holding tightly too him. It was almost as if she wasn't completely aware of the fact she had been rescued. She glanced up at him with weary eyes and with a sigh she rested them. For a moment she said nothing, the smell of smoke growing ever more evident, signaling that a town was close by. She opened her eyes once more to look up at his handsome form. "Thank you... for... coming after me."

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Sat Feb 09, 2008 4:15 pm

Vlad peered down at her, studying her tired features. He wondered if she'd even been fed during her time at Darkwood. He looked toward the scent of oven fire in the distance, though he couldn't make anything out through all the trees. They were in Ighten at least, just barely this side of the Border. Still close enough for the cold air from the treacherous mountains to woft through the forest. "Okay. Food first," he said. He narrowed his eyes and ported in the direction of the fire, appearing at the edge of a small village. There was surprisingly few people out on the streets; apparently news of Arken's recent military activity had reached this place. That was bad; it would mean the locals would be on the alert, suspicious of any newcomers. Vlad walked slowly down what appeared to be one of the center streets. Untended carts and baskets left sitting around the curbs made him suspect this was normally a bazaar-like area, but for now it was abandoned. The vampire looked up the rows of shuttered windows, searching for signs of life.

Post by **Emora Deen** » Sat Feb 09, 2008 4:23 pm

Tenele glanced around, careful not to move her body too much. No one was around and she thought that was really strange. Shouldn't there be people walking the streets?

Up a head it was as if a hunched figure cloaked in a black cloak had appeared in the center of the road. The figure was hobbling towards them with the help of a cane. Tenele tilted her head to the side to watch the figure curiously, her hand once again tightening around Vlad's shirt. Something didn't seem right. Didn't feel right.

The figure grew closer and closer and the blackness under the hood was so dense that she couldn't make out any features. Then when the figure was just before them it stopped and said nothing. It was so still. So deathly still.

Then suddenly the figure rose up to stand straight, standing nearly seven feet tall. He through the hood of his cloak back and tossed the cane aside. His eyes were a dark crimson and his fangs were pearly white. Then, suddenly the sound of heavy feet moving across the rooftops could be heard and a few others landed in a close knit circle around them.

They began to walk in a circle, admiring there prey for the moment. Watching carefully. Like animals focusing on the one that could be taken down easiest, licking there lips in anticipation. Her sent was filling the air and it would be easy to find now that they had gotten a taste of it.

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Sat Feb 09, 2008 4:31 pm

Vlad froze in that disturbing way vampires could, like he was made of stone and not flesh. He could sense them crowding around them, and he could smell the power rising off them like cologne. These creatures were not weak, and their power echoed the flavor of his own. It wasn't that he thought they were stronger; he very much doubted that. But they didn't have a defenseless girl to defend.

"I never would have believed Shea had this many pet dogs," he sneered to the one standing directly in front of him, the one who'd emerged first. He remained perfectly still, examining the stranger as he approached. "And what are you, then? Vampires?" he said the word like a master talked about a slave.

Post by **Emora Deen** » Sat Feb 09, 2008 6:54 pm

The creature's head cocked to the side in a jerking fashion so far that if he had been human Tenele thought his head would have gone roling to the ground. It looked almost completely horizontal and his grin only grew all the more ragged, bearing all the teeth he had in his head. His red eyes flashed down at her before returning to the vampire that held her.

"Vlad... Put me down..." she wanted him to at least be able to defend himself. Maybe it was the trama of what had happened to her, but suddenly she wanted nothing more than to try and defend herself. She didn't want to die cowaring in the arms of someone else. She wanted to die on her feet, like a warrior. Or on her knees, since her legs would not hold her.

In the morning light as the sun crested over the horizon the full extent of the damage that had been done to Tenele's form could better be seen. Still clothed in the rag that was left of her skirt and the shard of fabric left from her top it was easy to see the cuts and bruises that intricately decorated her thin form. Bruised imprints of fingers that had pressed so harshly into her flesh. Her body littered with gashes and burns. Her face bruised. Her once beautiful silver hair now was dull and had turned knotted from clots of blood that had ended up tangling her hair.

She glanced down at her own form, aware of her indecency... and she could careless. All she wanted at the moment was not a shower, not food, not water, not safety. She wanted her sword. She wanted to fight. She wanted... to die.

The creature's eyes returned to her yet again and they bored into her. They continued to circle, leaving their leader standing right before Vlad. Still the No Life King had said not a word.

"Well, the way I see it..." she said, sighing as she looked up at Vlad. She gave him a gentle smile, one that she had given him many times before. "You could bite me and turn me into a vampire. That would at least give me a fighting chance." She laughed, knowing that Vlad would NEVER do that. Despite how little he liked humans, or even half-humans... he had expressed once before that her humanity intrigued him... and he did not wish to pass the curse of his kind to her.

"Or... you could put me down and fight for yourself." Her eyes were heavy. "Be smart Vlad... Save yourself. Put me down and let me die on my feet. Give me the cane and let me die fighting."

The vampire grinned. "Warrior blood is so much sweeter than that of a sickly coward."