"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
05-12-2018, 07:06 PM (This post was last modified: 05-15-2018, 07:20 PM by Astarael.)
Her legs had carried her far across the land of Beqanna. She'd searched far and wide to no avail. Entering into Sylva she had a good idea of what to expect. She'd heard tell of a ruthless group of horses unafraid to take the risks necessary to achieve their goals. She admired them and had slowly felt herself drift closer towards the autumnal land.
Draped in wintery frost, she stepped purposefully deeper into Sylva. Eagerly she glanced about herself, drinking in the sights and sounds. Despite the chill, there was a strange warmth that blew upon the breeze. For a moment her mind drifted back to Ischia and her family. With her father sat upon the throne it wasnt hard to imagine how life there might have changed. No doubt Galilee had been raised up as the queen and it would be her children who would be revered as the king's freeborn. All others were bastards - she among them. The idea left a bitter taste in her mouth and had been the main reason why she knew she had to leave. Even as a filly she'd never quite felt like she'd belonged there. Although she knew he'd meant well, it was difficult to forget the hole that's been left.
There was a new purpose for her, one that drove her closer towards the red nosed king. Modicum Morty's reputation had been whispered across the land. His ruthless leadership was one that she'd grown to admire. If her loyalties belonged anywhere, she was determined to swear them to him. And, who knows, perhaps as a daughter of Brennen's she would be all the more valuable to him.
I'm every nightmare you've ever had, I'm your worst dream come true.
A new breeze is felt blowing across Beqanna.
It is warm from adrenaline and metallic from the blood. It is him and his corrupt band of fiends. He is content with what is going on around him - chaos bubbles and builds like a volcano ready to erupt. No matter what happened to him, he’d always have one fact to keep him warm at night.
Chaos could force its way into even the most peaceful of times. Wasn’t it lovely?
Her smell is distinctive - sandy beaches and salty sea. Ischia, he knows it well. What was an Ischian doing on his turf? He was keen to figure it out...they knew to keep themselves away, so there must be some reason why she’s here.
Mortem emerges in all his ebony glory. Red nose glimmering, eyes daunting. “What brings you to the forest today?”
05-14-2018, 10:33 AM (This post was last modified: 05-14-2018, 10:40 AM by Andromeda.)
The forest pulses in time to her heartbeat, her glowing red aura stretching out before her sending those who crossed her path fleeing in terror. Her newly acquired talents sent a thrill of excitement through her as she felt her aura reaching out to touch all living things. She sensed his presence long before he made himself known to her. The pulsating pain of her new horns as they poked sharply from her cranium served as a mere distraction and her small baby wings flinched in anticipation.
The glowing of his nose draws her eyes, the hot red of it attracting the fullness of her attention. Materializing before her, his icy gaze traces the length of her. His question fills her mind before the words fall past the velvet of his lips. The truth of her origins was already known to him and she smiled coolly.
“Like you, I suspect I was drawn to it,” she purred melodically. Her next words were delivered with a slight hiss. "I am no longer a child of Ischia."
Her loyalties had shifted, though, to whom they belonged she was not fully assured. Morticum Mortem was more deserving than any others, though she found that she quite enjoyed her freedom. To come and go as she pleased had been a delight. The ruby nosed king would have to prove himself worthy of her allegiance.
She reached her aura towards him, the hot tendrils of fear caressing his body like the touch of a lover. Young though she was, she knew that he would be drawn to her magic and she was interested to see how far he was willing to go to secure her place in his new Sylva.
I'm every nightmare you've ever had, I'm your worst dream come true.
Her powers are intriguing to him - enticing almost. The glowing red aura around her is hauntingly beautiful, just like the dark of her skin and the beginnings of horns and wings. His eye raises curiously.
She might be surprised to know that her fear induction does not do much in the way of phasing him. Adrenaline pulses in his ears, and his heart begins to thump rapidly in his chest, but he doesn’t feel afraid. That must be a perk of not feeling anything.
“Demon Queen,” He mutters quietly to her when she speaks to him. “Ischia couldn’t handle your power. They’d try to contain it. Come with me and you can run free.” He knows he needs her in his ranks. He approaches her, icy eyes staring into the depths of her cursed soul, beckoning her to follow him.
The eight protruding points on her head itched as she considered the small statured stallion with her glowing green eyes. He wanted her. She flapped the small leather of her growing wings experimentally unsurprised that he seemed unaffected by the glowing red aura that surrounded her. Demon Queen, he had called her. The name pricked her ears and a sickly-sweet smile creased the soft velvet of her lips. He’d offered her freedom, but wasn’t that what she already had? Thus far her loyalties remained purely to herself, offering them to Modicum Mortem was a courtesy, not a necessity.
“Freedom is of little interest to me, fiend,” she hissed as she began to circle him, drinking in his appearance. He was frightfully average beside the glowing orb upon the point of his nose. Freezing at his front her eyes narrowed. “I crave something more. I crave power.”
Power seemed in over abundance of late. New kings rose to power while old ones slithered deeper into their holes. Their weakness disgusted her, and she refused to swear fealty to another thin-skinned mortal. Attaining a consolation prize was of little interest to her and, as her gaze bored into the black of his face the smirk upon her face grew tighter.
OOC: @[Modicum Mortem] sorry for posting in my ooc account earlier. I was too lazy to fix it. lol
I'm every nightmare you've ever had, I'm your worst dream come true.
It is not often that he finds himself becoming the prey, rather than being the predator. As she circles him, he is stark - ready for any advance she may attempt but still standing proud, with neck arches and ears forward.
I crave power... She hisses to him, and his eyebrow raises. She was capable of it, that much was clear. But was she worthy of being royalty, was she worthy of standing with him on the throne?
“Power means nothing unless it can be proved,” He mutters to her, words cold. “You may have the capabilities, but can you prove them?” He turns his head to stare at her. “Demon Queen, show me you have the gull to murder an innocent horse...and you can be my Witch.”
She couldn’t be fooled. Despite his cold demeanor, it is obvious- he craves her.
Modicum Mortem
@[Astarael] it’s okay lmfao. He wants her so bad xD
The forest pulsed red as she awaits his reply, the silence between them stretching longer as her aura continues to trace along the lines of his body. His gaze upon her never falters as she slinks closer to him and his stance remained firm, his neck arched proudly with his ears trained on the remnants of her voice. Eyebrows heightened she imagined the cogs of his mind turn as he considered her thirst for power.
Standing unmoving before him she tilted her head to the side, pointing the green of her gaze firmly upon him. Her body throbbed with red hot pain as she felt the wings upon her back grow another inch. A top her head, the eight horns she now donned pushed up farther towards the sky, curling themselves as they settled into their new place upon her crown.
The king’s voice broke the silence and her eyes narrowed as she considered his words an insult. He spoke of murder as though she would find such an act a difficult task. His lack of faith was almost laughable, but she kept her chuckles buried beneath a stern gaze. Perhaps more insulting was that he insisted on pretending that the advantage belonged him. Her sickly smile never faltered as she reminded herself of the truth. He had everything to lose, but much to gain.
Abruptly she pulled herself away from him, pointing the front of her demonic form towards the path that she knew would take her out of Sylva. Tiredly she exhaled, allowing the force of her disappointment to pummel into him.
“And here I thought that you were different,” she said with a weary glance over her shoulder. Slowly her gaze intensified as she drank in the sight of his tiny kingliness. “I did not come here under the guise of becoming another one of your play things, Modicum Mortem.”
@[Modicum Mortem] She's playing hard to get... lol
I'm every nightmare you've ever had, I'm your worst dream come true.
As she turns to leave, red hot anger pulsates throughout the small frame of his body. He was different - unlike those other kings, he did not fear chaos. He thrives on it. He thrives on turning Beqanna into a living pit of despair, of turning peace on its head. Who was she to think she knew him?
He catches up to her, legs pulling him until he is planted firmly in front of her figure. “Then what did you come here for, Demon Queen?” He growls, pushing the bulk of his chest up against hers, attempting to back her into the heart of his forest once more. “The others can’t handle your curse -” He drinks in the curve of her growing wings, the spines growing on her head. “ - And unlike them I’m not afraid. Not of you, not of anyone.” His heart is racing as he stands in her aura. The longer he lingers, the faster it beats, sending a sharp pain throughout his left shoulder. “I’ve faced death one before, I’ve held his hand, lingered within the darkness. You think I care about playthings?” The pain is excruciating now, Mortem takes short, rapid breaths. He will not leave until she understands just who he is. “I care about power. I care about loyalty. And I care about death, Demon Queen. I can give you all of this.” He is looking into her eyes now, nostrils flared, taking in What air he could muster as his heart pounds inside his skull.
Modicum Mortem
@[Astarael] alright so she literally gives him a heart attack. Taking this liberty because her fear aura is strong and Morty’s heart was already racing so as he comes closer it grows stronger. Let me know if anything needs changed. He wants her oh yeahhhh
05-15-2018, 11:34 AM (This post was last modified: 05-15-2018, 11:39 AM by Astarael.)
Her threatened departure angered and she smiled with wicked delight. Halting her steps she watched from the peripherals of her vision as he rushed to block her path. Though she towered over the black king she surrendered beneath the force of him as he pushed towards the center of Sylva. She did not frighten him, though the sound of his heart pounding within his chest rose to kiss the tips of her loves.
Demanding words spewed from his maw as the pounder grew louder still. His mind may not have felt the effects of her aura, but his body did. Patiently she listened to his speech, allowing the red glow to continue its pressing as it searching for a chink in his armor. He spoke of things she already knew and continued to act as if she should be surprised or intimidated by him. Instead she laughed, a singularly harsh bark. As he stood struggling to catch his breath her smile melted into a snarl as she sent the full force of her red glow towards him. Twisting and pulling she felt his heart strain against the terror his mind refused to process. He was hers then, she knew. All she had to do was squeeze.
"If murder is what you require then you shall have it," she growled. The sound was deep, reverberating around them as she stepped threateningly closer still. "Say the word and your life shall be mine to have."
Holding the force of her aura against him she lightened the load only enough for him reply. "Give me what I want and my loyalty shall be yours."
Demon Queen. Yes, she smiled wicket, her eyes flowing brighter. She quite liked the sound of that.
OOC: I took some liberties as well, I hope that's ok. @[Modicum Mortem]
I'm every nightmare you've ever had, I'm your worst dream come true.
He is face to face with the devil herself, and he knows it. The aura is crushing him, the weight of it growing hotter and harder to bare. He does not fear death, so when she tells him to give her what she wants, he smiles wickedly.
Maybe it was what he wanted to.
“Show me what you’re made of, my demon queen.” The clown king beckons, allowing her aura to fully embrace him. The beating of his heart is so rapid now, it is skipping constantly. Thump, pause, thump, pause over and over. She is worthy, he feels he’s finally found her.
