roseleaf320
Creative!
|
Something about this beast is wrong.
As Marrow sprints across the arena, xe tracks its body in the side of xyr vision. It is still— almost impossibly so— the quills on its back raised like a hissing cat. The hunter pauses xyr breath, pulling xyr cape in to stop its flap.The beast is like a deer standing frozen after hearing a noise, deciding whether to run.
But when the beast makes its decision, the deer becomes… something else. Marrow catches the moment its eyes lock on xyr form, and it is like something dead has snapped to life, bones jerking into movement with impossible speed. Xe finds xyr own eyes snapping to the creature, abandoning the silver gleam in the sands. Its head follows the hunter’s movement with perfect smoothness, pulled by an invisible string, its pupils wide.
The hunter has only enough time to feel the liquid-hot instinct rising in xyr stomach-- to name it fear-- before the beast charges.
Electricity crackles under its visceral shriek as it runs, two limbs bounding faster than Marrow could ever hope to match. The hunter stays low to the ground and shoves Light’s gift in the berry pouch at xyr collarbone, barely missed by the beast’s earlier tear. Not yet. Each star in Night’s sky was intentional, painted tales and thoughts for the living to see. The Light’s glass surface makes it clear: Marrow has one chance to place xyrs, and it must count.
Xyr prey raises a claw as it tears towards xem, its curve almost dark in Marrow’s view, backlit by the sun’s gaze. Marrow digs the fingers of xyr right hand into the sands and pushes forwards, gritting xyr teeth as the tear on xyr shoulder stings in protest. The claw sweeps over xyr head, its movement fluttering the ends of the Paragon’s hair as xe slides under the beast’s body. Let’s see if this slows it down. Xe reaches to xyr side for a dagger, hoping to catch the beast’s ankle and bring it to a hobble. But the twist sends a surge of pain through xyr waist, its path curling across xyr stomach and up xyr side to trace the broken root beneath. Marrow lets out a yelp and skids from beneath xyr prey, xyr fingers never even making it to the dagger’s hilt. How far did your damned roots spread? Marrow curses, knowing xe may as well be yelling at a boulder.
Too far, Marrow answers for Ulvenne. How much of you is even human, and how much has turned to root?
Marrow plants a foot, spins to face xyr prey again-- and nearly chokes as the beast’s tail smashes into xyr back. Spine-root shatters as the tail's sharp tip slashes clean through it. Pain, flaming hot, courses up Marrow’s neck and down xyr tailbone, a swarm of fire ants bursting from a log as it’s peeled open. Dead wood digs into skin, deeper, deeper, and Marrow shrieks as xe is flung like a toy across the sands. Fragile. Fallible. Not enough. Xe didn’t even get a knife out of its rotten sheath. Xyr body skids to a halt in the sands, and perhaps the beast will kill xem now, as it should. Marrow closes xyr eyes and sobs in agony, for the pain and for xyr failure, for the dark, empty loneliness where Ulvenne should be. Spine and liver root fill xem like parasites, huge masses that should belong but don’t, eating and eating. They are swaths of void in Marrow’s body where xyr heartbeat just dies. Heart and neck will follow soon, the scent of their rot already consuming Marrow’s senses, withering like blighted ferns. Marrow wails, and it is as if the Earth itself wails with xem, mourning its loss. Marrow has ruined everything. Kill Ulvenne? What was xe thinking? The People of Ulve would die without him, and now Marrow gets to be first, alone and shattered by the very thing that used to caress xem, because xe has betrayed him.
“And so has favor been withdrawn from Drakesthai Morian, Paragon of Earth."
What?
The scent of rot fades, and Marrow realizes it was not from xyr roots but from Earth itself, withdrawing. Leaving its Chosen, while Night remained. With Marrow.
Darkness’ Chosen blinks away mud-stained tears to find Earth’s amidst the battlefield. The man with more metal than Ulve’s entire forest. He teeters, barely standing, against Radiance. Marrow recognizes the crimson that floods from his stomach, its glint ugly and dark in the sunlight as it rushes to take its place on the sands. And in Radiance’s hand-- barely visible through Marrow’s earthy tears and covered in that same crimson that glints ugly in the light-- is the hunter’s dagger.
He had driven Marrow’s dagger, moonsilver and goldbirch, into Earth’s Favoured-- and Earth had recoiled.
Light’s Favoured needed xyr gift. And it worked.
Marrow brings a hand to xyr Night-painted face, smudging xyr tears aside. The gift of Light, the single star of Marrow’s Night, feels warm in xyr pocket.
It’s about time xe lit it.
Xyr crossbow lies heavy in the sand, only a few paces away. Perhaps luck had brought xem towards it. But as sunlight ripples off the sands, Marrow can almost feel the roots of the forest beneath xem, controlling every little shift. In Ulve, it was never just luck.
Marrow drags xyr body slowly toward the weapon, desperately hoping the beast will not notice xem. Each pull sends waves of agony across xyr broken roots, forcing Marrow to hold down a retch. As silently as xe can, the hunter reaches into the pocket by xyr collar.
The beast sees Marrow. Its eyes lock, just as before, an unsettling, unmoving pinpoint aim. It barrels towards xem like a rockslide; but this time, Marrow is faster.
Just a single spark.
A fraction of their power.
That’s all the hunter needs to light a blaze.
A flick of xyr wrist sends Light’s gift flying from its pouch into the air. Fingers lock around xyr crossbow and heft it towards the gift as xyr freed hand grasps frantically at a dagger. The beast’s hot breath fills the hunter’s nose with the stench of lightning. But instead of flinching, Marrow does the first thing xe teaches velvets not to. Marrow closes xyr eyes.
Glass shatters into broken, discordant notes. Dark’s Paragon watches xyr own thin veins backlit through xyr eyelids as the world fills with light. Xe reaches xyr arm out blindly, goldbirch and fingers like a single limb, and slashes down with the fierceness of a cornered animal. And as the Night’s Chosen attacks, shoulder and spine burning, xe holds xyr breath for xyr star’s verdict.
What could I do with just a little bit of god power?
Anything.
Flesh parts under the hunter’s blade, the scream of Energy’s beast rumbling under its skin before it reaches xyr ears. Marrow’s eyes open to a burst of bright red, blood streaming down the beast’s thigh onto Marrow’s fingers. Triumph surges through xem and xe twists, pulls, and rips the knife from the beast. Humans are fallible, but in this moment, Marrow is not human, xe is Night’s Favoured, Ulvenne’s beloved, Light’s gifted, and a killer. The Paragon feels it surging through xem, numbing xyr wounds, heightening xyr senses. It raises Marrow’s injured arm, dagger pointed towards xyr prey’s exposed throat. As a searing burn drills through xyr shoulderblade, it keeps xyr grip solid, xyr footing stable, and turns the worst of the pain into a numb prickling buzz. The Paragon lowers xyr arm and turns xyr head towards this new assailant. And when xe sees Radiance, battered and lying prone on the sands, the power pulls xyr first thoughts from hatred to laughter.
What, was I taking your god’s glory away from you?
“Can’t let me get the kill myself, Radiance?” Xe calls, voice lilting like an injured bird. Xe can barely even hear xemself over the beast as it howls-- I’ll cut your vocal cords, next, fiend-- and the buzzing that blazes in xyr ears from within.
God-power. Marrow doesn’t need the Lords to kill Ulvenne, or the cursed wolves that plague xyr clan. Xe just needs enough power to do it xemself.
|
Printable Version
Icon Legend
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread
