Dreaded Kingdom

[Thaelasan]

(( Proninja, if you're being honest, and that's truly why you did that, then holy I love you.

I mean I hope you're not just making yourself look good. That's true roleplay right there.

Still, I think it's time for me to roleplay as well. ))

 

Castor grunted.

"No, Xavier." he finally said, after a long moment of thought. "No. I just thought of something. I think that health would be better for Cassandra, due to her nature powers. I think skill would be Thain or Tybalt, but Tybalt should do the sand door..."

He frowned.

"Anyway, I know I should do the test of dexterity. My teleports would work in there. Layel is right - she should do the test of magic. As for you, the test of courage would probably be best. Your sword is based off of courage, right?"

[Clown_of_God]

((I'm just having a dilemma of 1) somehow integrating my character into the group without relapsing her personality and 2) figuring out which door to choose. Either the Door of Sight or the Door of Accuracy is what I've been nitpicking between.))

[Dragonhatchling]

((Lycra: By pm's I meant to everyone who doesn't rather regularly post... and hasn't been around for a while.

 

I could send them all one if Thael wants. I don't mind.))

[Thaelasan]

(( I'd appreciate it.

Also, Zakku, I've said this multiple times, as long as you integrate your character into the story as you always have, as well-written as possible, I wouldn't give a damn.

HOWEVER, I have an idea... A cheap deus ex machinima, but here. ))

 

Malfaul suddenly reappeared, furious.

"You're not all here to play my game?!" he said, slightly enraged. "You WILL play, all of you, whether you wish to or not."

He held out his hand, as if he was wiping away a stain, and revealed a young, familiar girl.

"Dear girl.." he said condescendingly. "Did you really think you could hide from me in the shadows in this place? You may be able to fool my shades but my eyes cannot be tricked."

He held out his hand, opening each door in turn. As each opened, a monochrome landscape was visible through the portal. For instance, the test of dexterity held within it a large town, black and white. People who were almost ghosts seemed to move within it, trapped in an eternal limbo of simply.. existing.

The test of sight, however, was completely bright. Light beamed from it and stopped for a moment, then reappeared.

"That would be my pet." Malfaul grinned. "He is one of the only shades gifted with actual eyes. Of course, they were a pain in the arse to forge for him but they have proven worthwhile.."

He pointed his blade at the door, staring at the girl with displeasure.

"Now, enough hide and seek. Your trial awaits.." he laughed, and disappeared back into the shadows.

[lycrawaterz14]

Tybalt idly twirled the daggers. He decided he liked them. "Well... Sounds like someone with a bow and arrow is to do the shooty one, and I'm to complete the time one. You know, if Malfoul had spent less time constructing all of this, maybe he would have freaking come back before now." He grumbled. "Sounds like he liked being out of the loop and a little dead."

[KittyKat]

((Yeah, I always try to not mix character knowledge with player knowledge (DnD term), for example, punching a guy who sucks the life out of you in another RP I was in.))

 

Cortes looked bleakly down to his sword, he realised that Castor was right, and embarrassment was flowing to his cheeks,

 

"Yeah, sure, I meant that" He spoke with a sly grin.

 

He then turned to face the test of Fear

[Thaelasan]

(( See, this is why I like you now Pro. Not only are you actually playing as your character, you also took steps to amend your method of typing when I mentioned that MLIA .

If there's one thing I don't like in this world, it's people who just simply refuse assistance when they ask for it. You didn't even ask.

Now the only thing left is to help you be like the great writers of dragcave - for you to learn how to write enthralling text walls.

I don't just write text walls. I hope that's obvious. I spend time on that - I once spent three hours minimum (not absolutely sure) writing a massive post for a roleplay I didn't even create. It's because if the situation calls for it and it adds to my character, you can bet your ass I'll do it.

I make my absolute best effort to avoid any sort of grammatical errors whatsoever, even if they're minimal and I'm tired as hell. I avoid using "dead" words such as "very", "great", "awesome", and "big." Those words are both overused and unable to properly convey certain emotions to a reader and invoke a like response.

Think of it as though every single one of your posts from now on will be read by an English minor/major, because they will be. I may not be an English major but I'm working on my minor in a year. A Bio-Med major and an English minor are an "awesome" pair.

In any case, a few other tips are to (though I do not do this) open up Thesaurus.com and type any words like "large", "good", or "beautiful" into them. That way you can use more powerful words, such as "grandiose", "holy", and "radiant." Such words allow the reader of your post to better imagine what you're saying.

Now recently I haven't made text walls I'm proud of, though I still love ALL things I write. I have been focused on college assignments. However, now that I'm back into the swing of things I should be able to write the text-lore that made me famous once more.

After all, Lycra, Dragonhatchling, Zakku, and a few choice others all basically met me because of my ability. I'm quite proud of it. They're all what I like to believe are close friends.

I'm sorry for the backstory but I'm trying to show you that you're THIS close to just blowing everyone away with your abilities. You're already on your way to learning. It's just AMOUNT of writing now.

Hey, if you learn it here, you'll get A's in English for most of your life and your teachers will be impressed that you know these things before you're meant to. After all, dead words and other things were going to be taught to you in college.

ONE LAST THING. Always use the proper forms of "their", "your" and ...what's the other two... oh it doesn't matter. You know what I'm talking about.

AND DON'T EVER SAY COULD OF. I didn't learn about that until my Dad mentioned it off-hand one day during this last summer. None of my college teachers (unless they had just gone over it like.. one second) and of course none of my public school professors had probably ever mentioned it. Either that, or I just didn't think about it.

Could of, should of, and would of all stem from could've, should've, and would've. We use them to mean the same meaning but saying "I could of done that" makes absolutely NO sense.

It's like saying Of I had done that instead of Have I had done that. Does that put it more into perspective?

On another note, I didn't mean for this to be so long. Whoops. I guess it's shining through again. ))

 

(( I'll edit this with a post later. I have class. :3 ))

[Dragonhatchling]

((Ok, so I sent everyone not active currently a message. I'm still waiting for a response.

 

And Thael, I met you partly because of your ability, partly because you were someone I hadn't rped with and you seemed more challenging than the one-liner people I had before... so... I went with it, and look where we ended up makes me happy. Shadow still misses being played properly however.... she seems to kill the rps though :/

))

 

Layel ignored Malfaul's words for a moment, but never really shut him out, wandering over to her door. She didn't like the looks of the monochromatic setting, nor did Venril seem to really enjoy the idea of her having to fight something. The Dark King's words echoed again, and Layel decided to look that direction for a moment. Ah she was going to have trouble. They all were. This was meant to be some really hard challenge they weren't meant to live from. But, the thoughts of Malfaul's deceiving and conniving ways kept her from entering the door.

This game couldn't really be all that simple, not for Malfaul to be the creator of it. There had to be some trick, some hidden words or trap that they were missing. He wouldn't just send them into a realm to fight his 'pets' as a test of their abilities. There always was something more to it. This castle had been meant to be a trap. Their guides were meant to be a trap- one thing she was still not entirely convinced of- and the beats of the castle were the lures. The castle always changed, it wasn't simple yet it also wasn't as complex as it could be- yet. Layel doubted they would have to wait much longer to find just how complicated this castle could be. But the challenges given to them for Malfaul's game seemed very simple. You went in, you fought or outsmarted your foe and hopefully you lived while doing so. Simple in hindsight. The fights might not be easy but the outcome and way to it were. Which wasn't characteristic of Malfaul's ways.

There was a piece left out of this puzzle somewhere. He was hiding knowledge they could use to get the upper hand, or at least not die instantaneously. Layel was going to do her best to figure that out. Hopefully she would be able to warn everyone of it if she did.

[KittyKat]

((Wow... I am so flattered right now... I am an over-achiever in school, I got 78% in my last exam that had an average of 66 and I was so distraught because the top mark was 93% and I didn't even come close to that... I'm in my... I don't know how the American classing system goes but I'm in the Australian year 10, I was planning on doing Extension 2 English (4 - unit English) and I was told simply by... every teacher that I probably wouldn't be able to do that, I've always had a talent for creative writing, I've gone back and read some of my previous "stories" that I've written and, although the grammar and spelling is horrible, most of them have genuinely advanced concepts behind them, I got... I think 14/20 for a creative writing task, I lost to a person that plagiarised the beginning of the Gundam series, I think I just sat through the entire lesson with my head on the table. What you've said to me has really re-assured me to not listen to my "teachers" opinion, I was really hoping throughout my stay in this forum to develop my creative writing skills to new levels that will prepare me for my next 2 years of education... Thank you. I will try and work on my length... no pun intended.))

 

The gears in Xavier's head began to work at the scenery around him, 8 arches, all containing a different image, each leading to a trial that is only meant for one of the people in the party, the wrong decision would spell disaster for not only the person, but the entire party, but one thing striked him as curious.

 

"This is way too simple," Xavier finally evaluated, "There is obviously more challenges after this, more battles to attend and more torture to endure, I can not see any end to this, not while we are in the lair of the king that made a deal with a demon,"

 

"Wouldn't we need our own light sources to carry with us?" he then questioned, "Malfaul specifically told us we needed light to keep the 'monsters' away, I only have this torch" he moved his torch upwards to emphasise it's presence, he then pointed to the torch Layel held, "and that torch there, I would... recommend that we all should carry our own torches, if anyone has spares"

 

He paused for a moment, waiting for his words to register in his party, he let out a sigh, he looked ominously towards the door that would give him hell for the foreseeable period afterwards, he'd always had an issue with being scared, he cringed at the thought of having to endure the attack of millions of shades who all seemed to want to kill him, feeding off his fear, that. Would be an issue.

 

"There's something else that I find curious, are we not meant to stay together? And do these 'trials' not separate us from each other? I believe this is all an elaborate rouse to cause us to split the party and get ourselves killed, I just haven't figured out why..."

[Dragonhatchling]

So Xavier did think! Layel listened to him speak, smiling truly for once. She wasn't alone in her thinking. "I've been wondering the same things Xavier...." She turned to him as Venril circled around behind her, sitting on her left again. "This is too simple to be created by Malfaul himself.... all of what you said was true, though I do think he intended us to infer that once we completed the challenges, we'd be reuinited." She paused for a second, moving the torch enough so it would be their focus now.

"As for this, well, some of us might consider it a hinderence. Some other challeneges," She gestured to the light that continuially repeated a pattern. "are already filled with light in them, so if it is true-light it should also keep the 'monsters' away. Yet, it's also been stated that we're to face a specific monster and not Malfaul's other 'little pests'." Venril huffed, fire spurting from her nostrils slightly. Layel changed her thinking.

"I have also been under the impression that there is information deliberately left out of all this... Malfaul's too clever to just hand us challenges, have us fight them based on our powers and then let us keep going to get to him." She had put the torch away and was using hand gestures and arm movements to speak again. That probably seemed odd. Such a cold person on first meeting had a change of thought. "Sure, he probably thinks we'll die. But, I've been having my doubts that these challeneges are really what they say they are..." Venril chirruped; a high-pitched hatchling sound almost that should be considered more birdish than dragon. "Malfaul also said that our guides were actually demons. His demons. His creations." Layel let that sink in a moment. "So if this is true, why wouldn't he try to send us to the wrong doors on purpose? The challeneges make sense based on the powers given to us, but they also now corrospond with the guides we had found inside these weapons.... he easily can make the doors mean one thing to us while once we actually get inside, the doors mean a completely different and dangerous thing."

She stopped, figuring all of this was a bit too deep and a bit too much to handle at the moment. After all, they still had to do something about Malfaul. Venril glanced to Layel. Neither wanted to die.

 

((Asphoxi said they'll come back, but they would like a recap.

Mipuppy said they would like to quit.

 

No response so far from Monkey.))

 

((I know for a fact, ProNinja, that my writing has improved by dragonlengths since I started. Both here and in my English classes. I am still in advanced English courses and apparently am doing well. My teachers have said I am the best writer in my class and many have wondered how I improved so quickly when looking back through past years. My answer? As bad as this sounds.... I told them it was this place and all the creative writing I've done here. Being exposed to wonderful writers like Kokay (not around anymore but I figured you miiiight know them....), Thael and a slew of other missing people who make me too 'old' to be able to mention them in hopes that you would know them, has helped me realize my own style and tips to make the words do what I'd like.

Granted, now people probably can say that about me... since... there seems to be some trend that previous one-liners who complained about my massive posts (when I have time- or even ones like this length) in less than a month end up with similar length posts to this and with much more detail than I ever thought they would get in two years here. Heh, I can't figure out why either

But I have to go to school though....))

Edited October 10, 2013 by Dragonhatchling

[Thaelasan]

(( I actually remember vaguely when you used to do one liners.

Also, Proninja, thank you again for writing something amazing. However, watch out for comma splices, man. You needed to put periods there.

Just trying to help. :3 ))

 

Castor rubbed his head as each person spoke of their anxieties and fears. He knew they were probably right but still...

Suddenly, as if by magic, Malfaul reappeared once more, walking into the room and pretending to check a stopwatch.

"Your bickering and whining are entertaining to watch but my shades grow... irritable." he sighed, throwing up his hands. "I give you simple rules and you attempt to overthink them. It's almost as if you don't trust me."

He then shrugged.

"I am revoking one of my rules. Surprising? One of your teammates has already fallen victim to it. Those that Xavier and Layel left behind when they decided to jump through the portal without waiting for everyone else. I do believe they were the blacksmith, that archer, and the other one? That leaves you five to complete the games yourselves. Does that mean survival of the fittest is taking play here? I don't know."

He clapped his hands again. Three of the doors vanished.

"I am removing the Test of Skill, the Test of Accuracy, and the Test of Health." he stated. "I am also removing the rule regarding the torches. It seems it was too complicated for you to obey."

He grinned.

"In any case, enjoy your challenges, dear children." he finally vanished again, his laughter echoing through the castle.

 

((

ALSO, Malfaul lied. The people don't DIE when shades capture them. Shades (though your characters don't know this) have no ability to kill unless they are in physical form. While in shadows, they are only able to feed upon the fear of the people they capture. Cassandra, Marian, and Thain are all being imprisoned somewhere in the castle. Should they return, they will have to begin in a random room of my choosing.

This only ADDS to the chaos. :3 ))

[Dragonhatchling]

((Mhmm, only two rps I did that in though... and that was because I was the only person actually doing anything :/ hated it.

 

Once I quit my one liners stopped ....but my posting skills still lacked.... but they've changed wonders over the years.))

 

Layel sighed and almost decided to try to attack Malfaul there. End it. But she knew that wouldn't work. When he left, she turned and wasted no time speaking anymore. He wanted them to do this challenge, fine. She had no quarels with it anyway and had actually intended to partake, yet wanted to know if there was some mishap not dealt with. But seeing as he was so adamant on thier participation, she saw no reason to not indulge the Dark King. Castor left them too... She commented quietly in her head, laughing a little. They all left the other three sadly. "Best of luck." She simply said to those who were left.

Layel stepped through the door with Venril at the same time and into the monocromatic landscape again. It was rather bleak and not very interesting. Only a few delapitated buildings were around what looked to be a flattened land of some sort. It looked more like a field where a few people had tried to build houses on it once lived. In the middle of that stood a shade, waiting patiently, as Layel entered the door. Oddly enough, Venril had disappeared. "Guess I go it alone for a little while...." She muttered, hoping she could summon the dragon again at some point. Well, it would at least allow her to figure out how long she had to wait to summon the Se'kal.

She walked a few more feet, ending about five feet away from the shade, and set her staff. "Ground rules or no, just a free-for-all?" She asked politely, wondering if this shade could speak. Some could, but maybe this one couldn't.

Edited October 11, 2013 by Dragonhatchling

[KittyKat]

Xavier, by this point, was very exasperated by the presence of Malfaul. It seemed he couldn't decide what to think, changing the game, changing the rules, who did he think he was getting at? He walked over to his door, the door portrayed a seemingly skeletal tree, in which the branches bent towards the ground like it was partially withering. He opened the door slowly, anticipating the sudden appearance of a shade intending to scare him. He breathed a sigh of relief as there was nothing behind the door, but was cut off by a guttural roar coming from the entrance of a seemingly natural cave in front of him, his stomach turned over as the roar became separated and changed into the chirping and howling of many voices, almost as if they sensed Xavier's presence and were praising the arrival of their feast. Xavier gulped and turned back to the group,

 

"Do I really have to go in there?" he stammered.

Edited October 11, 2013 by TestingProNinja

[Asphoxi]

(Sorry that I've been gone, real life got in the way. And homework. What's happening?)

[KittyKat]

((Ok... so short recap, We went into the citadel, Tybalt spawned a weird thing, we were teleported to an alternate room in which we were told the rules, 1. to always keep a torch and 2. to always stay together. The group were in a room filled with 3 mosaics, which depicted the castles of the 3 kings of this time with corresponding crystals within it, one prosperous, one joyful and one dreadful, Castor managed to open the portal by opening rifts between the crystals and touching them, once entering the next room, we were told that there were 9 trials, each corresponding to one person, if a person were to choose the wrong door, it would spell disaster for not only them, but the entire party, Malfaul ambolished the rule of torches for the purpose of the trials and pointed out the tendancy of the party to overthink things, the 3 people who quit were removed and their corresponding doors removed. The trials being:

 

The first door is a test of dexterity. A race against one of my greatest shades. He will not be easy to defeat. You will not be able to leave the trial until you beat him. You will have three chances to race him before he is free to kill you. Should you win, he will submit and allow you through.

The second door is the test of sight. My most acute shade will hunt you down while you search for three crystals in the trial. Once all three are found, you will be allowed to leave.

The third door is a test of courage. A hundred of my shades, horrifying and despairing, shall face you. Your fear will make them stronger.

The fourth door is a test of magic. You will face one of my most intelligent shades in a magical duel. He is... quite skilled.

The fifth door is a test of skill. You must show your greatest ability and you will not be allowed to use your magical skill. My most critical shade shall overlook your work. He will know if you shall be allowed to pass.

The sixth door is a test of time. One of my quickest shades will play a game with you.

The seventh door is a test of health. A warrior, long sealed within my kingdom, has been annoyingly facing one of my most mighty shades within for years. If he defeats the shade, you shall emerge victorious.

The final door is a test of accuracy. Targets will be spread around a difficult terrain and you must get a perfect shot upon each one.."

 

But because of the people that left "I am removing the Test of Skill, the Test of Accuracy, and the Test of Health." That is all... I'm pretty sure at least))

[Thaelasan]

(( Precisely. Once she posts we may begin. For now.. ))

 

The shade stared at Layel for a long moment within the monochrome world they were both trapped in. It appeared to be a woman and if Layel watched closely it would appear to try and resemble her. Frowning, it held out its arm.

"This fight... strong.." it whispered. "Hold back? Die... Must fight hard.."

It then released a torrent of ice upon Layel, shards as deadly as glass.

[Dragonhatchling]

((I'm not dead.... just in some pain (bees are evil... they don't like DH) and been very very very busy. More busy than usual.))

 

Layel thought she understood what the female shade meant from the fragmented words. There weren't any rules to this anymore. No limitations. Which, quite honestly, was what she was hoping for. Mostly.

The faint reselemblence of herself in the shade caught Layel off guard somewhat. It was odd for her to be looking at herself basically. She never did take much time to try and find a mirror or anything else to look at herself in, not actually caring if someone disliked a feature about her or the way she dressed. It was who she was, and she was content with that. But, fighting with herself now seemed different. Some psycological thing, she guessed, was probably the cause of the unsure feeling now slowly seeping into her being. The shade's original purpose seemed to be doing the trick. Break down the walls long forged by her and exploit any weakness that may surface. It wouldn't be too terribly hard. Layel had a soul. She cared. Those parts of her just were hidden for far too long for her to really truly remember them in great detail; creating the cold person she had been.

So Layel's mind raced to the thought that maybe that very reason was why ice had been chosen first. The shade could have easily started with something else, being as powerful a magic user as Malfaul claimed, but limited the choice to ice for the first impression. Mirroring her idea of herself too Layel figured. Probably too deep of thinking too. Probably.

 

But Layel countered, taking one slight step back to get the correct stance as she lowered the staff slightly so it was at an angle. One of the shards collided with the staff, shattering with a close resemblence to breaking glass as deadly smaller shards flew every direction. Light scattered off those. Electric light.

Yes, the younger woman could have easily chosen fire to counter the ice. Just as easily as her opponent could have chosen any element or attack style to start with. But Layel chose lightning. It was both a dangerous manuver and one she felt may surprise the shade. She worked simultaniously to harness the small amounts of enegry coming from the movement of the ice crystals, zapping a few that got too close for comfort and using their energy from the spell cast to create them to fuel her counter spell. It was supposed to work and suspend most of the ice crystals in the air, acting as if some wall created a floating and impenetrable space. It mostly worked; the crystals caught were suspened and surrounded by a faintly bluish electric vibe. The sight created a wonder of small mini color flashes too as the light produced from the excess energy bounced off the ice at different angles.

But Layel wasn't out of danger, nor did she plan to be completely out of it. What was left of the ice charged at her person, to which Layel used the staff to deflect some of them and her spells to zap the other shards that got closer and were not within the path to hit. The lightning off of those arced, racing toward the shade and the area where the ice had come from. It could be considered a bluff, or a full out attack. Layel wanted to see how well this mimicing shade reacted to circumstances.

[Thaelasan]

The shade almost seemed to grin as the shards became conductive. As the electricity sparked, she held out a hand, absorbing the static like a lightning rod. Then she shot it back, straight at Layel.

"A counter-spell." she whispered. "You will have to try harder than that."

She was beginning to look more human, almost absurdly so. Her body was becoming more structured and no longer did she resemble Layel. She had taken on a form of her own, one that was actually quite attractive if any men had been there to see it. A dress began to form around her new body, her staff becoming tangible.

 

---

 

Castor stepped within his door, anxious and a little excited. As soon as he entered, the door shut behind him, leaving nothing but empty space. He stared ahead, keeping his head clear.

Suddenly, in front of him, almost spontaneously, a shade appeared. The apparition seemed to be appraising him, almost like a predator. It stepped closer, curious.

"I'm here for the race." Castor stated bluntly. The shade seemed to ignore him, stepping closer until it was face to face with him.

"I have never seen a human before, in this place." the shade whispered, hissing. "Your light is strong. I am sad."

Castor backed up a bit, confused. The shade grabbed his arm, not forcefully, just enough to stop Castor from falling over.

"We are not evil." the shade said. "You know this. You know we are not cruel."

"....yes." Castor finally had the courage to say. Yet, as he stared into the creature's face, he couldn't help but think twice about it. The creature had serpentine eyes and a mouth full of fangs. It would have looked slightly humanoid if not for the fact it had no legs.

"I am sad." it repeated. "Master demands I fight you. I don't want to fight. I don't want to race."

Castor was completely flabbergasted now.

"Then don't do it." he said, shrugging.

The shade laughed.

"It is all I know how to do." it whispered, chuckling. "Serve. That is one of the creeds. Serve the master. Serve the lord. He leads us. He helps us. He will give us bodies. He will give us life."

"I hate to tell you this," Castor said sheepishly. "But.. you can't.. have life."

The shade's eyes narrowed.

"You say we cannot live. Why not?" the shade hissed, slightly angry.

"Because.. you're not supposed to live." Castor was ashamed to say it. "You were never supposed to exist. Oh I wish I could say otherwise. I wish I could help you."

"Why can't we exist?" the shade was mere inches from his face. "You exist! Master exists! You have souls, you have forms! Why can't we have forms! Why can't we LIVE?"

"Because ... I don't know." Castor finally admitted. "Maybe you can. Maybe you have the ability. Malfaul won't help you though."

"Master promised." the shade said.

"Your master is a liar and a murderer." Castor stated flatly. "He has killed people for the sake of the massacre."

"...But.. but he is master." the shade seemed hurt. "We must serve master."

"You don't have to." Castor said, placing a hand on the shade's ...shoulder? "You don't have to do it."

"But.." the shade slumped. "I must race you."

"You don't have to."

"I must." the shade admitted, sighing. "To the end of the road. We go."

The shade prepared itself, standing at the line where they would begin.

"Where's the end of the road?" Castor asked as he moved to stand beside him.

"Walk the road until you find it." the shade whispered.

 

----

 

Soon, the two of them were racing across the landscape. Castor was appearing in and out of existence, landing just inches ahead of the Shade. The shade was teleporting as well, almost the same distance. At some points, they were neck and neck. At others, they were a meter away.

The race began.

[Dragonhatchling]

Layel noticed the form change, but it wasn't her main concern. She absorbed the static shot back at her with the conductive wall of ice shards, glad now that it was working more properly than before. The ones hit shattered with the shock, creating more light. "I figured we could also have some different lighting to the matter too...." She responded to the shade's comment with some light to it. Maybe it would help the odd landscape of dilapitated building shreds and clearing of field.

 

"Y'know..." Layel stopped the thought, unsure if she should comment on it. The ability to change forms always amused her, but that could potentially be considered a weakness for this shade. Idle talk then perhaps. "Just out of curiousity.... how many people or things have come here? I can't imagine I'd be the only one to ever do so... though it wouldn't necessarily be surprising." She sparked a little fire on the ground, creating what looked to be a small snake out of it. That was merely for show and the thought that maybe this test of magical skill could be won other ways than just flat out firing spell after spell off. That obviously was being delfected back at her.

 

The snake slithered toward the womanized shade, aiming to catch the dress on fire. It was minimal, though maybe enough of a sad distraction for the shade to consider answering the question. Layel really was curious. The small group couldn't possibly be the only ones to ever get this far- could they?

[Thaelasan]

The Shade sighed, slapping the snake away with the butt of her staff. However, she seemed perturbed.

"People? Others?" she asked. "No one has ever asked that question. No one else cares about those who came before, only themselves."

She frowned. "Master said that the ones we were fighting were prideful and selfish. In most cases, they were. They only wished to fight for their own survival and not for that of others. Humans are spiteful creatures by nature. That's what master said."

She came towards Layel. As soon as she was within distance, she placed a darkened hand upon the young girl's face, staring into her eyes.

"There is much in your history." the shade whispered. "You have many conflicts within you that hold you back. Many memories. Many regrets. You chose magic not for magic but for personal gain. You do not know your true strength. You can attain it."

She held out her staff, gesturing.

"I give you a choice. You may fight me and unfortunately fail." she said, now looking completely human. "Or face your own regrets. Should you win, I will release you."

 

---

 

Castor followed his shade closely, the two of them now halfway to the end point.

[KittyKat]

((Ok, so just a question Thael, do you want me to let you dictate what occurs or is it ok for me to say? And also, because Thain doesn't "exist" anymore, is my sword invincible?))

 

As Xavier slowly walked into the cave, his senses were bombarded with things that shook his being to the core, pitch black darkness surrounded his torch, the smell of dank, dark fungus that had been left for millennia made him choke if he breathed in too quickly, rotting corpses were seen along the pathway, the dripping of water was like a ticking clock, he could hear the mutter and chirps of what ever was in there, the air felt thick, as if Malfaul himself held Xavier in his embrace and he couldn't distract his mind from the fact that he was definitely descending into the cave. Xavier shuddered, thinking about the possibility of what laid within the cave, monsters beyond his comprehension were all he could think of, he tried to put it to the back of his mind, but he couldn't help but notice that his sword had shrunken to the form of a short sword, he exhaled heavily and watched the mist from his mouth flow into a stream of resentment, Why did I step forward? Why couldn't I have just stayed back and accepted my title of "The King of the diminishing knights"? Why, why, "WHY?" he finally shouted, alerting whatever was in the cave, the shout was met by another battery of chitters and shrieks.

 

He came upon an opening, the cave changed from a narrow passageway to a large dome, Xavier's eyes darted between the entrances carved into the exterior of the cave, the entire place emanated with a green glow due to the heavy infestation of moss, the air was noticeably thicker in this room, he could taste the moss in his mouth at this point, he held his torch further back and held his sword forward, he heard the heavy breathing of... whatever was out there, everywhere he looked, it seemed the shadows were avoiding his glance, but wherever he looked it was perfectly still.

[Thaelasan]

(( Improving, but you're still using comma splices. :I ))

 

From all around Xavier, he would hear the eternal chant of "Take.. Fester... Live...", playing to some drumbeat unknown. Eyes appeared from the shadows and suddenly began to take form, each form a fear from Xavier's past, insignificant and large.

Then, it began to take shape. The eyes began to merge, every fear coming together and swirling in a large, hulking mass. Screams of terror and the sound of the souls of the damned coalesced into an abomination of a shade, body covered in multiple horrors and terrors. The sounds began to become a tempest as clouds began to take shape in the sky. Lightning and thunder boomed, the only light available being the lightning's few crackles. With every lightning blast, the flickering visibility of the shade showed that it was simply a massive beast crafted purely from fear itself.

DO YOU FEEL YOUR HEARTBEAT? the beast roared within Xavier's mind, multiple voices chanting. DO YOU HEAR THE VOICES TELLING YOU TO RUN?

It stepped towards him now, each step bringing with it the sounds of earthquakes. The distant screams of the afraid and panicked still pierced the air as though they were daggers.

YES. RUN FROM YOUR FEAR. I WILL CHASE YOU. the shade bellowed, thousands of mouths opening upon its body. TURN FROM YOUR FEAR. I WILL SURROUND YOU. HIDE FROM YOUR FEAR. I WILL FIND YOU. I WILL ALWAYS BE THERE, IN EVERY SHADOW, IN EVERY HEARTBEAT, IN EVERY CREVICE OF YOUR MORTAL MIND.

Finally it stood before him. It held out its hand, and a large sword, corrupt and serrated, forged itself in his hand. Black smoke poured from it, almost ethereal.

TODAY, YOUR FEAR SHALL BE YOUR END.

[Dragonhatchling]

Layel almost took a step back when the shade stepped closer to her, but, out of respect, she stood her ground. It wouldn't seem right otherwise. The words this shade used were making her confused somewhat now. Master must mean Malfaul, though the bit about personal gain she hadn't considered. Not completely. For a long while her intentions had simply meant to be those of helping people, like she used to as a child, but time had corrupted those original ideals. Time had hardened her soul too, and oblitherated nearly any trust she may have had in any human- save for a few close friends that she had left behind.

The shade was right, there, that she had many regrets. Many bad memories. Not necessarily fears- she never thought of them that way- but certainly subjects she wished to avoid. Her gaze had locked with the shade's eyes, though it fell once the being mentioned her history. It was true, yet it didn't always mean it would stay that way.

 

Layel looked back up once the shade stepped away, annoucing her offer to the young woman magician. She thought about it for a moment, determination setting back in her eyes. The light that hadn't given flame for quite some time. "Not all humans are out for their own being... some truly do put themselves after others." She stated, straightening a little. "I know if I fight you I would loose. I knew that when I came into this world... but I didn't come for gain, or any other selfish thing that might crop up. Even though I'm facing something I shouldn't rightly win from, I came because I had come back to help those who needed me- whether or not they wanted my precense around..." She paused, realizing this probably wasn't needed; but she continued. "I came back from my travels to begin with in order to do so... I could have easily left and never looked back- but I didn't... and I stepped through that portal, accepting your master's challenge, in order to help my friends as much as I possibly could... knowing full well that I would likely die doing so- yet, with the hope that it would be enough to get everyone else safe and free from harm." She stopped, relaxing her staff now and putting it upright. "I'll accept your offer to face my fears as I also didn't wish to harm you- if that's even truly possible. I'm probably the only one you've met who doesn't believe you deserve your fate to serve Malfaul... but I know what that feels like; at least partly along those lines." Her gaze didn't waver from the shade's eyes this time, though admitting that she knew mostly of where the shade's life was coming from was hard for her. Life hadn't been very kind to Layel in her travels, and she knew that hiding it away was never going to truly help her. Admitting this was going to be the start of what she now believed to be something else entirely.

The ordeal of her fears was going to be relived. But maybe, now, she could correct the wrongs made and finally put those souls and feelings to a more proper rest. Maybe she could even help this shade some, like she used to do her best at trying when she was a child. Rekindle the flame that had laid dormant for so long.

[Thaelasan]

The shade revealed a doorway, parting the mists surrounding them in order to do so. Within, Layel would see many of her past regrets and fears taking shape but also her joys and pleasures. Her entire life expanded before her, every memory and every thought given life in a panorama of existence.

"Enter this door." the shade said. She did not say it in a commanding way, simply as a matter of fact.

"Within you shall meet what has plagued you the most, be it a depressing or joyful moment. Fight your inner demons and find the truth beyond yourself. Only when you have found inner peace will you ever be able to master the magical arts you have tried to control."

She stood by the portal, solemn.

[lycrawaterz14]

(Soooo... I forgot which test I had.)