The Dying Light

[K9Guardian]

Tuan sat bolt upright and blinked at the grey morning light spilling through the cabin windows. It took him a moment to orient himself, and then with a muttered “The heck?” he tumbled out of bed and began hurriedly throwing on clothes. He found his last clean shirt tossed in a corner, and his next-to-last pair of clean pants wadded in a drawer. The belt and boots presented some difficulty, however, and after much swearing and finagling, he pulled the belt out from under the bed and buckled it on.

“Okay, I’m not going anywhere today….” Walking to the table that occupied a corner of the one-room hovel, Tuan lifted a pen from its holder and without taking a seat began hurriedly shuffling through the books and papers that littered the tabletop in a meticulous order anyone other than Tuan would call chaos. The morning birds began their chorus in the forest outside, but the melody passed unnoticed through Tuan’s mind; he had found what he sought. Plopping down, he opened the thin leatherbound book and began to write. He kept writing even when a knock sounded at the door.

“Come in, Dionys. Just keep your mouth shut for a minute.”

A pause answered him, and Tuan wrote faster, gritting his teeth. Any moment now, the man would start knocking again. And he wouldn’t stop. He would knock and knock and knock, louder and louder and louder, and Tuan would holler at him to get in here, and Dionys would knock, and Tuan would try to ignore him, and Dionys would knock… and knock, and knock… until Tuan’s last nerve crumbled to dust and he was forced to actually get up and answer the door. And then Dionys would smile and ask to be let in, and Tuan would demand when in crap he would get any quiet, and the puffed-up loon would have the gall to inquire what he meant. And this time, THIS time, Tuan would… He heard the door open.

“Ah, hello, Tuan. Recording those dreams of yours, I see. Excellent, excellent. I trust you are in a good humor this morning?”

The shock shattered Tuan’s focus, and for a moment the page blurred in his vision. “What… ?” Slowly, he lifted his body into a sitting position and turned to stare at his teacher and colleague. “You actually… !?” The pen slipped from his fingers and his eyes widened. “What the bloody HECK happened to you?”

“Hmm, hmm. Might I ask what – “

“Dionys, you look screwed!”

The man standing just inside the door blinked absent grey eyes and looked down at himself as though just noticing his condition. Tall and broad, albeit not muscular, Dionys dressed all in white, presumably to match his hair, but today the white served only to accentuate the splashes of red that caked the old fool right down to his folded boot tops! And unless Tuan’s eyes were still in shock, Dionys seemed to be favoring one leg. A breeze rushed in through the door, bringing the scent of pine, and Dionys started, darting a glance over his shoulder. He grimaced, looking uncomfortable.

“Well, that. Yes, most fascinating… “ He moved into the room, and Tuan saw a definite limp to his walk. He even remembered to close the door! “Never have I experienced such a frightful occasion as this morning. Except,” Dionys laid a finger alongside his nose. “Perhaps for that bear attack in my youth.” He gave the cabin a vague examination. “Might I have a place to sit?”

Tuan sighed and stood. Before the other man could react, Tuan had crossed to him and bent to grab his pant leg. Ignoring his teacher’s protests, Tuan rolled the white cloth up and up, over the man’s knee, till it bared the leg nearly to the hip. If his eyes had been wide before, they felt as though they might fall out.

“Okay, teach, fess up. What is THIS?”

Dionys’ leg lay in tatters, the entire length of it torn and gouged as if it had been chewed on by some savage animal. It appeared that might have been the case; the blody holes covering the limb looked suspiciously like tooth marks. Yet that could hardly account for the blackened skin that filled in the spaces. Or the fact that the whole thing had swollen to twice its normal size.

“It really is nothing to worry about,” Dionys assured, trying to pull free of the younger man’s grip. “I do not believe it meant me harm. Doubtless I would not be standing here if it had. However – “

“It,” Tuan said in a flat voice, still staring transfixed at the too-familiar sight. “It”

Dionys cringed. “Believe me, Tuan – “

“Nope.” Tuan dropped the pants leg and turned away. He felt like swearing. Where were those infernal boots? “We are taking you to Kaur.”

((OOC))​

 

[LightofHeaven]

Haven flattened himself against the tree. He dared not breathe as he listened for even the faintest sound of his pursuer. But the only thing he heard was his heart hammering in his chest. He gripped his shortened bo staff in one hand, ready to elongate it at any moment.

He had been in the middle of a good spar with his teacher, Sialan, when everything had gone wrong. They had been surrounded by a dozen of those fell creatures, the undead beasts, and they had fought to defend themselves. Haven had taken out a few of them, but many of them had ganged up on Sialan. He’d tried to help but his bo had made no contact with the flesh of the beasts, it had passed right through them as if they were only air. And he’d watched in horror as the beasts began attacking his teacher, his only friend. Sialan had fought back and was rendered helpless against the ghosts.

“Run, Haven!” he had yelled. “Find Tuan!”

And Haven had run and the ghosts had come after him. He had narrowly escaped and hidden behind this tree. Now he was lost and had no idea as to where in the HECK to go.

“Find Tuan!”

But who was Tuan? Why had Sialan told him to look for someone Haven didn’t know even existed? If Sialan knew who Tuan was, why hadn’t he ever mentioned h im to Haven?

There would be time for questions later. He had to move now before the beasts could find him.

 

[Fire Of Zion]

A loud crashing against the wall sent a few chess pieces scattering. Reine jumped, eyes wide. A faint glow of fire lit the window next to them, the flames rising outside. Leo was on his feet, running to the door with Reine close behind him.
“Hold on!” he commanded her and she obeyed as he examined the door and peeked out into the hall. Loud voices and screams came from outside as the farm was attacked by bandits. But these bandits didn't seem to be ordinary.
Leo was quick to grab two cloaks hanging beside their door. He took her hand and pulled her into the next room as soon as their cloaks were on. The fire had spread to the woven rug and it was burning quickly. Leo pointed at the other end of the room where a large window was, untouched by the heat of the pulsing, angry flames. The moonlight calmly lit the corner. Reine responded just as he pointed, almost dragging him with her as she raced to beat the fire. The temperature was rising, their cloaks drenched with sweat around the neck as they reached the end of the hall.
“What now?” Reine panted.
He stared at the window. “Remember those books you read? Those books where the characters have to escape…” She rolled her eyes and kicked the window, but only managed to crack it. “No time!” Leo shouted, grabbing her around the waist, holding her close and jumping through, plunging both of their bodies into the moonlight darkness to fell through onto the ground.
Leo dragged them to their feet, still holding Reine. Swiftly he ran, guiding her as best he could. Something pierced his leg and he fell forward, sliding into the dirt. Reine stumbled and stopped, kneeling to help him.
“Leo, they’re coming,” she whispered urgently, looking frantically at the light shining through the trees, a sure sign of the Inferno Bandits. “Leo, please!”
Pain shot up through his back. The whooping of their pursuers made him shove Reine.
“Rei, get out of here. I’ll hold them off.”
“No. I’m not leaving you,” she protested. “Never you.”
Leo growled and pushed her hard. “Get out of here!” he yelled at her, his anger driven by the fear of what might happen should the Inferno claim her. Reine finally obeyed and ran.
Leo relaxed just as her scream rang in his ears. No… they had surrounded Rei and him completely. They were doomed from the start. The darts in his body were weakening him, but he had to get to her.
His vision was blurring. All he could see were flames and shifting bodies. Reine screamed his name. He had to keep moving, keep going. Her hazy figure struggled with them, crying out to him.
“Leave him be,” a husky voice ordered as hands grabbed him. “He’s no good as a slave at this point.”
Leo was thrown down, and at that point he lost all vision.
“No, Leo, don’t leave me,” Reine continued repeating until she was nothing more than an echo in his mind.

As the sun rose, Reine knew her fate. Her captors, men in dark clothing with masks hiding their faces, were the Inferno Bandits, ruthless men known for their swift attacks and mysterious abilities. They marched her through the forest. The infamous black dogs surrounded her and she stared at them uneasily. So... their power was the darkness that walked with them now. But that was stupid! It didn't make sense.
"You are fools," she muttered, her throat dry and husky from screaming. She had given up a while ago.
The leader snorted. "That's what you think. Little do most realize... the dark creatures can be bargained with."
"They are creatures of the darkness!" Reine snapped. "They cannot be made to..."
Before she could finish, it happened. A mob of creatures attacked her captors, mercilessly sucking them dry of their being, among other things. Reine took her chance and ran, though her foot caught in a root and she fell face first into large ferns that hid her body.
She lay there, still as possible, barely breathing. The horrifying sounds of crunching splattering echoed in her mind and she bit back every scream inside her. Even when all was still and the beasts had gone, she lay there, praying, wondering, and trying to block out ever image in her mind.

 

[Fire Of Zion]

(OOC: very sorry for the length. That was my entrance and my placement. I decided I could try this CF character thing... hehe. After all, what good is being a good writer if you can't push through your weaknesses?)

 

[LightofHeaven]

OOC: Monsters!! :: feigns terror :::

 

[LightofHeaven]

He looked to his left where there stood a number of close grown trees several feet away from him. Beyond that, Haven could see nothing but the green underbrush. To his right was a large pine tree and a tall oak whose bases were cluttered with bushes. In front of him, the forest stood calm and quiet, yet threatening.

Haven considered his options as carefully as he could. The forest did not seem to suit him. There could be more of those dreadful beasts lurking behind the trees, waiting for him to draw near enough to grab, to tear, to rip his heart from his chest. No. he thought. Certainly not an option. The same thought warned him of the bushes and the trees.

What, then, could he do? He couldn’t wait here forever, he had to do something soon.

“Find Tuan!”

He took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling the morning air as quietly as he could, and slowly turned his body around to face the tree that had hidden behind. He carefully moved his head just far enough to see around the rough surface of the large trunk.

He nearly pulled his head back be hind the tree at what he saw, but remained still. What he had thought to be coming at him were two undead beasts hurrying towards what looked like ferns. But there was something lying in the ditch. Something –

Haven bolted from behind the tree and began to run after the beasts, letting his weapon become a full-sized bo as he ran. There was someone in the ferns! There was SOMEONE lying in the ferns, barely visible, a human, and the beasts were gaining on the body. Dead or alive, Haven would not allow it!

“Hey, ugly!” he yelled, still running.

Both beasts spun around, but before they could react Haven set one end of his staff on the ground and launched himself into a pole vault, bringing his foot front of him to land a powerful kick to one beasts’ stomach, sending him flying backwards. Landing on one knee, Haven brought the staff around to sweep the feet of the second beast out from under him just as a claw slashed across his cheek.

Ignoring the pain, Haven sprinted toward the body. He’d half-expected to make any contact with these ugly undead things. But he had and now they were on his tail. He sped up.

“Get up! Hurry!” he bellowed.

 

[Fire Of Zion]

The beasts were flung off of her. One had his gruesome claws around her ankle one moment, and was kicked in the face the next, sending her flying as well.

"Get up! Hurry!" her savior bellowed.

Adrenaline kicked in and she took off running after him. She stepped in something and looked down to see the ribcage of a body. She shuddered and felt whatever was in her stomach fighting to come up. But she pressed on, following the man away from the beasts.

"Where are we going?" she panted, fighting to keep up with him. She had been marching all night, and had almost no energy. If it wasn't for the adrenaline, she was sure she would pass out.

 

[XoxOjo]

Xanja was having the dream again. Her mother's death was replayed in her sleep often.

Come on, Xanja. Her mother was saying. The forest is nothing to fear. There is nothing inside but trees and squirrels. Here, take my hand and we will enter together. A much younger Xanja held back.Mama, I had that feeling again. Then the creature came flying out of the trees.

Xanja woke with a start, drenched in sweat, at the sound of frantic pounding upon her door. She groggily arose from her bed, searching for her cloak. Who would pay me a visit in the middle of the night? Someone must be hurt. This thought jolted her awake, and when she had found her cloak, she hurridly ran to her door.

She opened the door to reveal her neighbor, Drayken. His clothes were drenched in blood, gashes tore across his handsome face. His eyes were full of fear as he stared up at her, gasping for breath. "They are here" And with this, he fell at her feet, lifeless.

Xanja stuffed her fist in her mouth, suppressing a scream. She retreated back into her house and grabbed her pack off of the table. She grasped the only weapons she owned, two Sai, and put on her boots. She opened her door, closed her eyes to the sight of her best friend's lifeless body, and ran down to her stable. Her mare, Rhendolin, was in her stall. Xanja jumped upon her back, and they flew down the dirt road in front of the house.

Xanja knew what she must do.

 

[LightofHeaven]

Haven glanced back at the “someone” who was now running after him. It was a girl. She seemed to be struggling to keep up with him. He stopped, just long enough to grab her arm.

“Those trees.” He said, pointing ahead with his bo. “Hide in there! I’ll buy you time.”

With that, he released her and turned to face their pursuers. He held his bo tightly in both hands, ready to attack. He remembered what Sialan had taught him about undead things.

“You cannot kill them. Chop them in two and the two halves continue to move. Immobilize them. Break their bones.”

The beasts were close enough now. He stepped to the side and spun, bringing his bo around as hard as he could on the first beasts’ legs. Crack! The beast crumpled to the ground, legs apparently broken.

The second beast lunged, grabbing Haven, knocking him to the ground. His bo rolled a few feet out of reach. The beast raised it’s claws to tear into him, but Haven managed to catch it around the wrists just inches from his face. He rolled, throwing the beast off him. Rolling to his feet, he looked over his shoulder and noticed the first beast crawling away. He ran after it, launched himself into the air, and brought his foot down on the beast’s arm. Crack!

That would do for this one. He turned back to retrieve his bo, but, to his horror, saw that the other beast had snatched it up and was coming at him. He ducked just in time, his bow h istling overhead. Haven countered with a leg sweep, knocking the beast onto it’s face. nhe grabbed his bo and brought it down hard on the beast’s spine. Crack! It lay there, paralyzed.

Haven breathed heavily, shortening his bo. The battle was over . . . for now.

 

[Fire Of Zion]

Once the stranger had let go of her, Reine flew into the trees he had pointed, hugging one desperately for balance. Her head was spinning, her arms and legs aching. Thinking she would be fine, she let go of the tree trunk, teetered for a moment, and then fell to her knees, clutching her stomach. With a hand against the tree, she looked at the scene before her.

The battle had been a blur. With her head throbbing, it was difficult enough to concentrate on any one thing. The strange man whirled and moved in front of her, but she could not see him clearly. The monsters themselves made her think back to the bodies and the ribcage she had stepped in as they ran earlier.

All at once, images and smells came rushing back and Reine could not hold down anything anymore. She lost what little control she had and spewed into the brush. She softly moaned and leaned her whole body against the tree, her eyes close.

The battle had ended and she squinted at the man.

"Forgive me," she muttered as she clung to the tree, forcing herself to stand. "I wish I could have been of more help. We must get away from here quickly, before more arrive."

 

[K9Guardian]

The mountain air blew cool and crisp, rustling the branches of the pines. Nettles blanketed the stony slope, crunching under the boots of the two men as they made their way down the gentle incline. Here and there, cabins could be seen in the distance, obscured by the forest. The men did not hear the song of the birds; so deep were they in their argument.

"You bloody well mean to tell me," Tuan growled in a dangerous tone, even as he supported his aged teacher on his injured side. "that you took part in a delegation to -- what was it? -- negotiate a truce with the Fell Things? Are you going senile on me, Dionys? You know better, you of them all!"

"Tuan, please... " Dionys' voice was placating. He leaned on the younger man's shoulder; it seemed he finally felt the effects of his condition. "I made every effort to deter the Convention from that course of action. However, many of its members are quite young and willful. I am afraid they did not heed my words." A blood-caked white head swung back and forth in rue. "My, that stubborn Raymus -- "

"Of course they would listen to Raymus!" A nearby rabbit bolted, and the birds fell silent. Tuan kicked himself inwardly and lowered his voice. No need to bring the whole settlement running to see who was killing whom. "The man tells the people what they WANT to hear. Doesn't mean YOU had to go along, old man! We know the truth."

Dionys sighed, looking truly old. "I know, Tuan. But they do not."

"There's something you're not telling me." Tuan looked straight ahead, continuing to walk. "You say you were in Keyes Settlement last night. That's down in the hills. What brought you all this way with a chewed-up leg?"

Dionys didn't reply. Tuan let it go. He knew. They walked on in silence, neither looking at the other. The path forked, and they turned right. Ahead, a cabin could be seen, smoke drifting from its chimney.

"You must help them, Tuan." Dionys kept his eyes averted; he understood what e was asking. "It will destroy them if you do not."

"They'll have to do without me," Tuan said flatly. "Raymus can lead them. They love him, not me."

"The Settlements will not hold for long with the Convention divided. You cannot leave the people to die."

"The sun sets, the candles burn out. I left all this behind me, teach. I'm not going back."

By this time they had reached the steps leading to the cabin's well-kept porch. Dionys pulled away and turned to face Tuan. Far from absent now, his eyes pierced the youger man's with all the knifelike sharpness of the mind behind them. His voice was soft. "Not even for her?"

Tuan's eyes looked back, brown stones. "Not even for her."

 

[LightofHeaven]

“Keep your voice down.” Haven said, turning from the fallen beasts. He could hear the exhaustion in her voice. “Stay there. Rest awhile.”

It was not a wise choice, perhaps, but Haven would not leave the things just lying there in the dirt. He put his shortened bo in his belt and set to work. Grabbing the broken leg of the first beast and the unmoving arm of the other, he dragged them away.

What was a girl doing out here alone? As far as he knew, she was weaponless. Why had she been lying in the ferns? Had something happened? Perhaps the beasts had been chasing her for quite a while, considering her present condition. Maybe he’d find out. Maybe, that was, if they could survive long enough to find shelter.

He dragged the beasts away from the place where the girl was, just out of sight. He lay them down side by side, he grabbed a couple of fallen branches and began to quickly rub them together. He was going to cremate them. better to rest in ashes than to live immobile. The fire was soon lit and he let the burning branches fall onto te beasts. But he couldn’t, wouldn’t, stay to watch them burn.

“Rest peacefully.” He whispered, and began to retrace his steps back towards the where he’d left the girl

 

[Fire Of Zion]

Gratefully, Reine rested against the tree, carefully breathing in and out, in and out, in measured, careful breaths. Once she had stopped trembling, she dared to open her eyes and slowly take in her surroundings as she waited for the spinning to stop. Luckily, it soon did.

Her dress was ripped down her side, as well as missing half her left sleeve; it would need stitching. That would be no problem, as soon as she... found somewhere. Her face was smudged with dirt and dried blood, as well as places on her clothing.

By the time he came back to her, Reine was standing on her own. She wondered where he had gone, since she hadn't notice him leave. Having caught her breath, she smiled gratefully at him.

"Do you have any water?" she asked softly. Her dry throat did not permit her to speak much louder.

 

[swordkitty]

Kitrys swore softly as she felt water lapping around her. 'Is this a dream?' she wondered vaguely, before wincing as cold liquid rippled against the cuts on her back. 'No. Not a dream. But where am I?' She forced herself to open her eyes, her pupils shrinking immediately at the sudden exposure of light. She winced and squinted, letting her eyes adjust to the stream of sunlight. 'Where is this?'

She slowly opened her eyes, blinking repeatedly as she looked around. She could see trees, lots of trees, and some bushes. A couple birds fluttered in the air, but there seemed to be no life otherwise. Kitrys blinked, slowly raising her arm and realizing it was bleeding. Why was it bleeding? No, scratch that -- Why was she floating down a river with cuts and bruises everywhere? She pondered her questions thoughtfully, noting that her sword was strapped to her limp left arm. Perhaps a battle? She closed her eyes and wondered if she was going to die. It didn't really sound like a bad idea.

She continued to float peacefully, unaware that her blood was staining the water a deep red.

 

[LightofHeaven]

He shook his head. He’d had no time to pack anything, especially not water. The girl was in no good condition. Her clothes were torn, her face was covered in dirt, and she needed water. Now that he thought about it, he thought about going back to Sialan’s cabin, where he’d lived all his life, to get water, to get food, but he couldn’t. The beasts were likely to be there, e xpecting him to return. And Sialan . . . was he dead? Haven didn’t want to think about it.

“We must find shelter before nightfall.” He said.

 

[Fire Of Zion]

Shelter sounded like a good first step. Reine nodded in agreement and took a few steps toward him.

Still, now that she could think, questions without answers swam through her mind as she looked at him. Who was he? Did he mean her harm, after going through the trouble of saving her? Did he even mean to save her? What was he doing out in the forest alone? That final question, of course, could be asked of her.

Reine reached out and touched his arm, her hand wrapping around it for support. She looked into his eyes as she asked, "Do you mind if I...?"

 

[LightofHeaven]

He looked down at the hand that held his arm. Beautiful hand, if not for the dirt and blood that coated it. She was touching him, and she was also looking at him.

“Huh?” he asked, looking back at her.

 

[Fire Of Zion]

"Only if you do not mind. Could I hold onto you?" she asked him, and then smile a little. "I'll be better when I find water or something. Until then, I might need a little support."

Reine looked away momentarily to see the beasts bodies were gone. So that must have been what he was doing. She looked at him again, a glow of respect in her eyes. "Thank you. I appreciate your help. I am called Reine, by the way."

 

[LightofHeaven]

“If it suits you, yes.” Haven answered, allowing her to grip his arm. “Let us hurry. We will have time for questions later.”

He began to move along the path, pulling Reine whom clung to his arm. He was glad to be moving again. He wanted to get away from here, aw ay from the forest, away from the trees and bushes that seemed to hold a threat behind them. Away from the place that was no longer safe, the place he called home.

“Find Tuan!”

 

[XoxOjo]

As Xanja rode off down the dusty road, her thoughts reverted back to the small slip of paper tucked inside her pack. It contained only one word, a word that had confused and tortured her since her father had given it to her on his deathbed.

Tuan

As her father lay dying from the snake venom spreading through his veins, he told her one last thing before he died. Find him. He had whispered urgently while pushing the small slip of paper into her palm. When they return, find him. He will know what to do.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Rhendolin stopped at a small river to drink. The water was an unnatural deep red color.