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Post by Alex of Santo-Luce on Oct 11, 2010 23:18:49 GMT -5
They had crossed the Dark Border not ten minutes before, and Alex's hackles were already raised. Onld prejudices, going back so far he could not name their sources, shivered and rose within him like a pack of hounds ready for the hunt. He forced it back down; looked on the landscape with new eyes, or tried to, but still found it a desolate, eerie place.
Yet, even in desolation, there was a kind of creepy beauty. He shrugged his shoulders, shifting in his seat atop the strider.
They made an odd pair; one man, obviously Santo-Lucian with his blonde hair and blue eyes, while the other was seemingly of NErezzan origin, with black hair, green eyes, and pale skin.
Yet he was raised in the Kingdom of Light, and before that, an unknown place whihc had taught him to fear the dark, and behind him rose a set of white wings tucked neatly to his back.
They rode the traditional Santo-Lucian yellow-feathered strider, each bird bedecked in royal barding; these were no ordinary travelers.
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Post by alexanderthegreat on Oct 12, 2010 0:14:55 GMT -5
Alexander had gotten pretty quiet on the ride past the border. He'd never been to Nerezza himself before and he sure as hell wasn't looking forward to stepping into its boundaries. His past had been filled with incidents with Nerezza, none of them good.
As they rode along each of the more vivid memories seemed to play out in his head, starting with an attack on his castle when he was just a young boy; soldiers that had gotten inside even tried to take him hostage until his father's fox creature, Sophitia, viciously attacked them.
Alexander shivered uncomfortably, looking around he could still hear every word his father had said to him about Nerezza and the people within it.
"...they're cruel and heartless people. They're known to sacrifice their women and children first, thriving off of the young's flesh and blood...some will even cut out your heart for crazy, unethical rituals..."
The list kept going and despite Alexander knowing it couldn't have been at all true, it didn't make it any easier the further and further they got into Nerezza's country. And it wasn't like they were disguised or anything, they were clearly from a place like Santo-Luce. As if the bright striders and his own personal appearance wasn't enough there was also Foxy who walked ahead of Alexander yet, feeling his discomfort and keeping her usual careful watch out for anyone or anything that would attack her master.
And boy was she ever giving off a lot of light as she walked in the dark lands. It was a little too obvious in that sense.
"You don't suppose we have much longer to go, do you?" Alexander quietly asked Alex, knowing they weren't in the country for very long but still unable to shake the desperate want to get in there and then get out.
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Post by Alex of Santo-Luce on Oct 12, 2010 10:43:58 GMT -5
He shook his head. "We haven't come to the bridge yet, Alex... We have to cross the River, first, which is what we're following. When we reach the bridge, we'll be almost done with our journey," he said, consulting a map he had brought with him. He carefully avoided actually looking at the river, which was black, and reflected no moonlight.
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Post by alexanderthegreat on Oct 16, 2010 10:12:53 GMT -5
That wasn't the answer that Alexander wanted, yet it was the one he'd expected. He nodded in response to Alex, now starting to think that perhaps it would have just been better for him to follow along in the rumors and lies for the rest of his life that Nerezza was a horrible place and their sworn enemy until the sun stopped rising and the rivers stopped running. It was a lot more comfortable back at home, afterall.
That wouldn't do any good and he knew it. That's why he was here afterall, he didn't want to have any more enemies. He just hoped the Nerezzan queen wanted the same and didn't try to attack them. He didn't know her well enough from the old Sumata meetings, he'd never really made any attempt to talk to her at all. She was only really quiet unless when she had a simple suggestion or when she were arguing with Lilith.
They followed the river along and Alexander grew all the more fidgety. He believed that Foxy would keep a good look-out for the both of them though, and she did a fine job walking ahead hearing Alex's directions. Every now and then she'd stop and look in the water curiously, finding nothing of interest [to her] and continued along. Her fluffy tail wagged a little as the bridge eventually came into view, she knew that'd make her master happy at least.
Approaching the bridge however the golden fox suddenly stopped, ears twitching trying to pick up sounds around her. She backed a few steps closer to Alexander then, a low growl heard from her.
Alexander looked down at her, then at the bridge, and then finally at Alex as he said, "...annnnd something's coming now."
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Post by Alex of Santo-Luce on Oct 16, 2010 23:35:46 GMT -5
Alex's wings flared outward, startling his strider, which he calmed befroe dismounting.
"We should be prpared... it shouldn't be anything we can't handle. I don't believe the stories of demons mortal man cannot defeat; it's not like Nerezza is actually a portal to Hellious, after all..."
Alex seemed to be reassuring himself as he drew Brightshine, the sword glowing faintly in the absence of light.
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Post by alexanderthegreat on Oct 17, 2010 0:10:21 GMT -5
Alexander shook his head, dismounting his own strider and keeping behind Foxy as he said, "I don't like this. I don't like any of this at all..."
His own staff was drawn just in case and he cautiously stepped forward, trying to keep an eye out for anything that was coming to attack them. It was hard, he wasn't used to...anything so dark. It was hard to see, he could barely see the local flora blowing in the wind it was unnerving.
Foxy stepped forward and onto the bridge, her growls getting louder as she scanned the area--something appeared to be immediately on the other side of the bridge in the brush ahead.
Upon hearing the growls from the glowing fox, the bush hissed savagely at her.
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Post by Alex of Santo-Luce on Oct 17, 2010 19:07:56 GMT -5
"It's in the bush," Alex muttered. "Great. I can't see and it's in cover, too!"
And that's when something burst into his head, and he closed his eyes, concentrated, reached....
....and Brightshine's blade began to glow, lighting the area.
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Post by alexanderthegreat on Oct 19, 2010 21:35:44 GMT -5
The light from Alex's sword seemed to greatly aggravate the predator in the bushes; hissing was heard again before a large (lol kitty-cat-like) beast leaped from between the branches and directed its attack straight at Alex.
Foxy was on it right away herself, giving chase the moment the creature showed itself. It was almost bigger than herself but it wouldn't matter in the least to her--she was not even half a second following it and going in for her own attack while it dove at Alex.
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Post by Alex of Santo-Luce on Oct 20, 2010 14:29:50 GMT -5
Alex leaped in front of his king, taking the cat's bite but slashing at it all the same, fending it off with his brightly-glowing sword.
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Post by alexanderthegreat on Oct 21, 2010 21:46:04 GMT -5
The beast tore viciously at [Captain] Alex yet, trying to get through the blade even just to get at the man. Foxy dove on the creature and bit and clawed away at its backside; it'd caused it to back off for a moment's time to whirl around, shaking itself violently to try to knock off its attacker and do battle with it, having now forgotten for a time that Alex was still there.
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Post by Alex of Santo-Luce on Oct 23, 2010 22:43:44 GMT -5
Alex took advantage of that momentary lapse to plunge Brightshine deep into the beast, killing it (ir at least trying). He pulled his sword out, standing.... then fell to one knee, all four wings flared for balance, as a fire seemed to erupt in everyone of the creature's bite marks and sctratches.
"What.... what is this?" he asked, feeling it eat into him, wincing in pain. "Some kind of poison?"
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Post by alexanderthegreat on Oct 24, 2010 12:17:26 GMT -5
The beast, mighty as it was still fell to the ground and jolted in pain. As it attempted to get up Foxy took the initiative to tear at the creature's neck--if there was any hope in it living after Alex stabbed into it (and he did quite a good number on it) at all then there definitely wasn't when Foxy was finished. Alexander flinched and looked away, not appreciating the bloody scene in front of him.
He'd taken a step towards Alex as he saw the man hit the ground, reaching a hand out to him and saying, "D...D, are you okay? It can't be poison, I don't know how to fix that!"
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Post by Alex of Santo-Luce on Oct 28, 2010 17:54:57 GMT -5
"It.... it feels like someone lit a fire in me. ALl of the wounds are burning up..."
Weakness seemed to enter his muscles. He felt like he didn't even have the strength to stand; he held onto Brightshine as if his life depended on it... and maybe, just maybe, it did.
"Alex.... I think it really is poison..."
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Post by alexanderthegreat on Oct 31, 2010 22:48:14 GMT -5
Alexander's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He couldn't be serious, not a poison. He never knew the other man to be a liar of course so there was no sense in denying it any further, his captain was needing medical attention immediately.
"Wait...no, I can't..." he sputtered, looking around frantically for anything to come to him as an obvious solution. Alexander looked to Foxy who sat calmly, tilting her head to the side and staring straight at her master.
Alexander bit his lip and knelt down to Alex, running a hand gently through his hair and muttering along a few lines that almost sounded like a lot of gibberish. A warm glow washed over the wounded captain's body promptly after Alexander finished, disappearing and taking with it what Alexander hoped was most of the wounds and poison.
"How are you feeling? Did that help?" he asked worriedly. He had never really had to treat any person's ailments before and even then he wasn't a doctor, he was a heavy user of light magic but that didn't speak well for his knowledge of diseases and poisons.
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Post by Alex of Santo-Luce on Nov 20, 2010 15:37:43 GMT -5
It burned out most of the fire, but he still felt light-headed; he knew it wasn't a complete fix, more like a temporary solution, but he smiled at Alex so he wouldn't worry him. Once they got to the village shown on the map, they could take him to a doctor.
"Much better," he said, attempting to stand and - barely - managing.
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