A Desperate Race (any1 welcome)

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Maskannai

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Original poster
Pale, bloody fingers hanging limply over the edge of a cot in a dark stone room. The only sound, a muffled voice from somewhere far off giving unknown instructions in short, angry sentences. The owner of the limp hand stirs briefly and lets out a soft moan, then goes silent again, the silence that only comes when one is near death. The darkness goes quiet again and nothing is heard but the soft splash of a drop of blood.


Maskannai sits up, pulled from sleep by the horrors haunting her dreams. The elven woman has not slept well in a month, the same dream of a tortured soul lost in the depths of some darkness somewhere. She doesn't know where that somewhere might be, or who the nearly dead stranger is, she just knows that they are in desperate need of help. She also doesn't know what she can do about it, herself only a blacksmith living in a small elven village far from the heart of her people's kingdom.

"If only I knew what I could do," she whispers to herself. She swings herself to the side and puts her feet on the cold wooden floor. Leaning forward she puts her head down in her hands and tries to think in the early hours of the approaching dawn. After several hours of hard thought she decides that she must travel to the palace and report her dreams to the King. Only then will she find some revelation that will make the nightmares cease.

Once the sun is up she readies her horse, an old beast meant for hauling, but he will do for the three day ride that will take her to the palace. She saddles him and takes what provisions she needs, stopping by her friends house so that someone will know where she is headed and why. He doesn't think she should take this course of action, but his words do not sway her. As she mounts her horse the morning sunlight shines down on her white blonde hair and fair olive skin. Her forest green eyes say a farewell to her friend, then she gallops off into the forest.

Three days alter she arrives at the capital, her horse and herself both weary from the ride. She stables him and finds lodging at a decent inn, then heads to the palace to see if she can get an audience with the King. She soon discovers that the wait to see the King, no matter the emergency, is going to take several days. She is frustrated, but does not allow it to hinder her resolve. She puts her name down on the waiting list, then retires back to the inn where she will wait until the King is available to see her. That night another nightmare comes to her, but this time it is different than before.

In the darkness the pale figure groans in pain, then screams as he is tortured. No matter what tortures he is put through he never speaks. He is strapped, naked to a table of some kind, laying face down as his back is whipped, healed, and then whipped again, the cruel barbs laced with a slow, yet painful poison. His blonde hair covers most of his face, but in the dream one eye shines with strength that is slowly failing and a single tear runs down his cheek and becomes lost in the tangle of his hair.

Once the sun is up that morning Maskannai makes her way down to the common room, more determined than ever to speak with the King. She has a deep gut feeling that if this stranger is not found and rescued soon that something horrible will happen to the elven kingdom. She sits down at a side table and breakfast is brought to her by a young boy wearing an apron. He can tell that she did not sleep well, and can see in her eyes that she does not want to be disturbed, so he serves her food to her and then leaves her alone. There are other figures in the common room besides elves since the capital city sees all kinds of travellers going many places. She is so absorbed in analyzing her last nightmare that she does not realize that anyone might be watching her.
 
Troy Brutz, Knight, Loyal retainer to the king and veteran of many battles defending the kingdom, sat alone in his room. Against the pale moon light his face looked worn and old beyond his years. He cast quick, panicked glances around the room. He was alone, but felt as if he was being watched. Not by any living creature, but instead by the hundreds of men that had fallen victim to his blade on the battle field. Night is when they came to haunt him, to terrorize his dreams and to break his spirits. No matter how many ales he drank to numb the feeling, they always came back…every night. Sometimes it would just be quick flashes in his mind, those he could block out, but other times, like tonight, it was as if they were in his room with him, right behind him waiting for him to die so they could fight him in the after life.

~~~Screeeeeeech!!~~~

An Owl outside Troy's Window jarred him from his thoughts, he shifted his gaze outside, where from his north tower room, he could see down on the courtyard. At times like this everything seemed to be clarified. Every blade of grass stood out like a painted picture. Troy guessed it was about an hour before Dawn, he could not sleep..that was for sure. He stood up, wearing only a white cloth tied around his waist. His chiseled body, riddled with long scars and thick muscle, shone pale blue in the bright light of the full moon. His shoulder length dark brown hair was draped around his neck and loose strands fell upon his chest. He stood a second longer staring out the window, as if hypnotized by his own thoughts. Then he went to the oil lamp next to the bed and lit it. Suddenly, and certainly, everything was alight again. His piercing hazel eyes caught the light, making them look green. He was strong again. Often times it was like this; In the dark he was haunted by his dreams, but in the light he was strong, fierce, confident; He was a Knight and loyal defender to the Kingdom.

Troy splashed water from the washbasin located in the center of his room. He was lucky to have such nice quarters, but he had earned them. It wasn't long ago that he was sleeping in the barracks with the rest of the army. He finished washing up and got dressed. Today he wore simple clothes, leather pants and a white cloth shirt. As the un roes to the east, Troy headed down the stairs to the main court yard, from there he would eat breakfast. Another normal day. Although Troy was glad that the kingdom was not at war, at the same time his inner beast lusted for the deathly fog of war. He was a conflicted knight.

His first stop before breakfast was to the royal chamber, he always liked to keep up to date on current events and happenings of the Kingdom before breakfast. On his way down he noticed an elven girl with Blond hair so fine it was white, making her way to the chambers. Troy thought nothing of it when he saw her leave minutes later, but something about her held his attention. He had the strangest feeling that this girl somehow held the answers to his tortured soul, and his vicious flashbacks to his bloody past on the killing field. For a moment he felt as if she shared similar dreams, but quickly dismissed it. After all, a royal Knight of the Kingdom, Troy had little time for magics and strangeness of the sort…..but still he watched her. He went inside the Chambers and saw that she had signed in to talk with the king, but Troy Knew that could take a long time. He decided to help.

He approached her during her meal and said

"Excuse me miss, but I can help you see the King sooner if you wish." As he looked at her he felt the feeling that somehow his tortured past was tied to her. He was now determined to find out more about her.
 
The young Michael, an elf-man, tall as he was was, could not for the life of him, get comfortable on the small cot in the Dragon's Tooth Inn. It was simply to short and skinny. And sleep was the thing he needed most. He knew his sister, Maskannai, was somewhere near. He had to speak with her soon. The message he had was too important. What frustrated him, was that even though he could discern her presence in the city, he could not locate her position, nor could he use the telepathic skills they both possessed. He decided to use spell-speak to get some rest.

The next morning, Michael now well rested, but a bit groggy, ate a simple breakfast of beef stew at the Inn's Common Room. He suddenly caught the sensation from the air that Maskannai had been here. He stood, payed for his room and board, and left, following the trail. As he walked, he mused on his relationship with Maskannai. She was several years older than he, but he cared deeply for her. They had played together in the great forests, and had fought side by side. He was worried, though. His sister was being searched for by a cadre of Uruc, a vicious, strange warrior race, created by a strange Magician, now dead at the hands of his creation. This was the message he had for her.

On a whim, he entered the palace, registering as a tourist. He could feel his sister's presence, but a new presence joined her. It was a knight, and the strange thing was, his aura was not a bad one. So, he placed himself in Maskannai's line of sight, and waited.
 
Maskannai was deeply in her own thoughts that she did not notice the human knight in front of her until he had spoken. She kept her outward calm and did not actually flinch, though within her heart had sped up and she could feel her own blood pounding softly in her ears. She drew in a slow, deep breath and released it before meeting the eyes of the stranger before her. As she looked up at him, since he was standing and she was still sitting, she couldn't help but wonder why a human knight was so calmly offering her his assistance to see her own king, but stranger things could happen of course.

"I appreciate your offer of assistance, good sir knight. I know that my wait to get in to see the king may take some time, but in his lofty position there are many such whom seek for his assistance and I would not want to inconvenience any other who is before myself," she replied, speaking politely, as is the way of her people. Her silvery blonde hair is presently pulled back away from her face and bound tightly in an intricate braid. Her forest green eyes flash as she speaks, exuding confidence.

Her pointed ears stand out sharply as the most obvious identifier of her race and her slanted eyes bear the same mark of her elvish heritage. She is a pure blooded elf and a very skilled blacksmith. Though still new at her trade she has already forged many great weapons that will become known in legend and song in years to come. She carries one such blade at her side, a scimitar she has named Dae-Rist, which translated means shadow cleaver. The name of the blade is etched into the metal along the sharp edge. On her other hip is curled a whip, her favored weapon. The whip itself is fashioned from thick loops of inter-connecting leather and at the tip of its fifteen foot length is a small scythe like dagger, hooked and cruel looking.

She stood from her seat as a strange familiar sensation brushed against her mind like the soft trailing of fingers. Her eyes widened when she saw the figure of her younger brother Michael silhouetted against the days light that was shining from behind him. He was standing about twenty or so feet behind the knight with whom she had just started conversing. She had not known that her younger brother was in the capital city, which is called Kemen-Annon, which means earth gate in the elven tongue.

"By what name do you call yourself, sir knight?" she asked out of sudden curiousity. "My name is Maskannai Donnodel," she added, getting asudden feeling that this particular knight would be of some import in the near future.

((ooc: this is eventually going to end up being a rescue/adventure. the elven language i am referencing is called quenya, which is the dialect that was developed by tolkien))
 
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line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> Slowly, one of the many entrances to the common room opened. Through the door stepped through a hunched over cloaked figure. The cloak was colored black with a gray symbol on the back. It looked like the outline of stars inside of a circle cut into four parts with a crescent moon opening upward. Each step of the figure came with a metallic sound, like sleeves of metal would interlock. Once through the doorway, the figure straightened and its true height could be measured. It stood just over eight feet tall and had a bulky body beneath the cloak. Ambient light lit up a face that could only belong to someone of the demon race. Ruff scaly green and brown skin with red eyes and pupil that reflected any light that struck them.

Those who were familiar with the demonic clans should recognize the symbol on its back. This demon was of the Vuldrik clan. This clan had never clashed with humans, elves, or any of the other humanoid sentient race. There was once a fight with the dragons, however that was a personal matter between a single member and nothing came of it. The reason they haven't gone to war with anyone is because of their level of intelligence and their particular trait. They are shape shifters. However, they are not to be considered simple doppelgangers who can only quickly copy someone's appearance. Their transformation takes time but with it comes a true change in their bodies. In other words, a male doppelganger that turns into a woman, isn't able to give birth, a Vuldrik can. This has let them see things from other races eyes speak with them on equal terms.

This one was called Zike (Z'ke) and was here for personal reasons. While it looks like a male, the nature of a Vuldrik means Zike could be either if it wanted, thus referring to Zike as 'it' is more accurate. However, since the body Zike has right now is male in appearance, calling it a he is fine. Zike reached back to close the door, exposing his arm for a moment. Most of it was covered in black cloth, yet the hand was clear. Large fingers that had the same appearance as his face with inch long, claw like nails. Again Zike began to walk, each step making the same metallic noise. He didn't approach the tables, but instead walked along the wall until he reached the corner of the room and turned. Zike them leaned against it so that he could face the entire room. From his location, there wasn't enough light to eliminate his face, so all that could be seen was a large cloaked figure in the corner.

It was clear that his presence was… disturbing to say the least. He'd been there for a few days now, always entering around the same time every day and walking over to that corner to stare at people. Then, when night came and the room emptied, he would leave the same way he'd came. However today something was a little different. Only for a minute had he gazed upon the room and its occupants, but now he was only looking at one spot. It was where a male human knight and female elf seemed to be conversing. When the elf woman stood up, Zike followed her gaze to a young male elf. His eyes returned to the two and there they stayed.</m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac>
 
Troy realized he may have overstepped his boundaries a bit, after all why would a human Knight be showing so much interest in helping an eleven girl see her own king? But nonetheless, Troy felt inclined to help. He looked around for a moment, briefly getting the feeling that he was being watched and saw a man standing not far away, this man was also an elf. For the moment he disregarded the man and focused his attention on the girl again.

Troy listen as she told him her name then answered.

"My Name is Troy Brutz, I am a knighted warrior from a distant kingdom. Tell me, what is it that haunts you?" he sat down. At this point Troy also noticed a cloaked figure watching them, he leaned closer to Maskannai and said.

"Are you traveling alone, because I believe we are being watched."
 
Michael was more than aware of the presence of the demon, so from behind the knight, he said, "She travels with me, her brother, Micheal Donnodel. Well met, Knight Brutz. I have heard much of you."

He tried telepathy and sent his message to his sister, warning her of the impending attack. Be you careful, sister-mine. They want to destroy our kind. He well knew she might block it, but hoped she would not.
 
Maskannai acknowledged her brother's message with a nod. The knight seemed comfortable with his difficult question and something in Maskannai felt that he might be of some help to her budding quest. She sat back down in the chair she had vacated only moments before and waited for her brother to sit as well before speaking. She knew that walls can have ears and hers was npt a story for just any ears.

"My dreams trouble me knight," she replied, her voice low so only Troy and Michael could hear her.

"For many nights I have had the same vision of a tortured soul, barely alive and being held captive. Whom he is I do not know for certain. I have seen his face only once in my dreams, and that did not occur until I arrived here in the capital. I believe my dreams are a vision of someone who is reaching out to me in a plea for help," she said, her voice still low.

She knew her brother would not think she was crazy since he knew as well as she that communication through dreams was possible, though only usually done between spouses or blood relatives. Maskannai and Michael had no other blood relatives still living since their parents had both died in the last dragon war several centuries previous.
 
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mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> Zike continued to watch as the male elf joined the two others. His eyes narrowed on the knight when he leaned in to whisper something to the female elf. This body Zike had wasn't meant for enhanced hearing, so nothing could be heard from his location. However he wasn't just looking at the group of now three for nothing more then boredom. Similar to how humans have feel when the atmosphere of the room is heavy from strong thoughts or emotions, demons can 'smell' as one might call it, strong negative emotions.

Zike shifted his weight from his left leg to his right and adjusted his upper body so it was a little more comfortable. From where he was standing, he could sense something from the male human and female elf. The human's tasted like bloodlust and torment. Whereas the female elf reeked of pain, torment, fear, and despair. Yet it didn't fit her at all. Something wasn't right with what he was seeing and what he smelt. It was difficult to tell what it was from where he stood, but he wasn't about to approach the group yet. Zike's primary weakness was curiosity. However, being an unsocial sort, he had little desire to find the answer for his curiosity.
 
Michael, a bit perturbed at the watching, sent a blast of thought to the demon. "Why, Zike of the Vuldrik, do you stare? Why do you make all uncomfortable?" He sent this without looking at the demon. He did not know the intentions of the being, but he had met Zike, before, during a battle, when he had received the chest wound that always hurt. He was surprised at the look of disdain in the demon's eyes. Typical he thought to himself.

Truth be told, his main weakness, was that he was not great in the area of forethought.
 
"She travels with me." Said a voice from behind Troy

The seasoned knight turned to see another man of eleven decent. Troy nodded in his direction, relieved at once that he was not a foe. As Michael sat, Troy listened as Maskannai spoke. Her tale was of haunted dreams, of a prisoner and possibly, a plea for help. Troy listened intently to her words. Something about her really spoke to him, although he felt that his own issues were unrelated, there was really no way to know for sure. The Knight's dreams were also haunted, but Troy knew why his dreams were haunted; Years of watching people die on the battle field had a way of raping the mind and punishing the soul.

Troy noticed again the hooded figure as he leaned in close to Maskannai, Troy's hand fell instinctively on the dagger that was strapped at all times to his body. As a Knighted warrior he was always on the defense, but he did not strike. Something told him that the hooded one was not an enemy. It seemed that these four had been brought together for a reason. It was as if fate had touched them all, and now, Troy could see, that their paths would be intertwined from this point on.

Just as Troy noticed that the elf, Michael, was communicating somehow with the hooded one, A scream was heard just outside the commons room. It was followed by several yells and cries of war. It seemed that the Castle was under attack, but by who? Troy stood, looking from one to the other.

"I think we had better get out of here, I don't think it will be safe for us much longer." With that he turned to leave, anywhere but here. Possibly they could escape to the woods on the outskirts of town. If they had to fight their way out, then so be it.

Another gut wrenching scream was heard and Troy saw some armed men entering the commons room, fresh blood dripping from their weapons told him that they were the ones invading the castle. Their armor also dripped with blood and Troy was dazed for a moment. His mind briefly reliving a past memory of battle. He shook it off, knowing that now was not the time for flashbacks.

Troy turned to the others again "Lets Move!"
 
Maskannai too had noticed the hooded figure watching them from across the room. She hadn't sensed anything malevolent coming from the creature, despite its sinister appearance. Because of this fact she hadn't paid it much attention beyond noticing it. She was more consumed in her tale than the strange creature. She felt her heart flutter as a scream came from outside the inn.

"Perhaps you are right knight. The common room of an inn is not the safest of places for delicate conversation," she replied, but was interrupted from further thought as another scream tore through the air.

"I will not run from any who wish to take the lives of those I care for or my people," she added as four armed men entered the inns common room, fresh blood on their hands and armor. Maskannai stood slowly and turned towards the attackers. Her face a blank mask. She had the hilt of the whipdagger in her hand and whipped it towards two of the men before they could blink. The scythe-like dagger bit deeply into the neck of one man, then continued past and raked across the others eyes. The first man collapsed in a heap of gurgling blood, thrashing and then going still. The second man screamed in agony, dropped his sword as he fell to his knees, his hands covering his face. The whip recoiled back and she caught the end of it in her hand.
 
Michael, armed with nothing save his spells, placed a ward around the small group just before the fighting started. He filtered the earth-magic through his body, then used it to create the wards, making only a little fatigue for him. He popped off several attack-spells, but knew that his sister's attacks had done the greatest damage. To his sister and the Knight Brutz, he silently transmitted, We should leave this place. The Uruc have entered the town, and we are the most vulnerable to their attack.

He saw the demon, who now seemed to be seething, following them, but he continued to follow the group.
 
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mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> For a few seconds, Zike remained motionless after Michael's telepathic message. Then his eyes turned to the male elf. The voice used in the telepathic massage sounded very similar to the male elf so it was plain to see he was the source. Zike leaned forwards and pushed off the wall in a single motion. He moved toward the group, each step echoing with the sound of skidding metal. However, he never reached the group, with screams followed shortly by armed men entering the common room, his priorities changed. The female elf responded before anyone else, which made Zike grin. Her action was perfect for such a situation, preemptive and debilitating. Two feel so quickly, he felt like there wasn't anything for him to do.

The male elf started casting spells, which Zike basically ignored. He had a few questions for that one, but those would have to wait until all threats were eliminated. Zike walked, if such a fast pace could be called such, toward the door the soldiers were entering from. His abrupt approach caused one soldier to attack. Who wouldn't when there was an eight foot tall monster moving toward you?

The soldier swung his sword, which was held in his right hand at Zike's torso from the left. Zike's left arm rose from beneath the cloak toward the sword. When the blade hit the think arm with reptilian skin, it first dented in slightly, and then finally sliced. Yet the sword only cut an inch deep. With his right hand, Zike reached out and grabbed the soldier by the head and lifted his body off the ground. The soldier quickly pulled the blade out of Zike's arm, splattering a greenish liquid on the ground while some slowly oozed out of the wound. Suddenly, two sharp spider like legs jutted out from beneath the cloak and just above his waist. One stabbed into the soldier's stomach, the other through his heart, each all the way through the body. Just as quickly as they appeared, they retracted back beneath the cloak, only leaving a trail of blood on the ground. Zike then swung his right arm to the right, throwing the soldier's body hard against the wall about ten feet up. The soldier's body bounced off the wall and flopped to the ground. Before his arms returned to the darkness within his cloak, if one had sharp eyes, they'd notice fiber like strands spreading out and interweaving over the opening, the green liquid congealed already.
 
Troy, armed only with a dagger, held back for a moment as Maskannai went to work. She was a vicious and relentless fighter.

Troy's hand jumped to his forehead. Someone was trying to access his mind with their own. Someone, an outside force was attempting to make mental contact with the Knight. Troy blocked it out for the most part, but the small amount that got through was enough to send a chill down his spine and throw him into a violent flashback. Troy was called back to a vicious battle that took place nearly five years ago.

~The air was foggy and thick that morning five years ago. Already before dawn both Armies had suffered terrible losses. In the middle of the field Men lay dying and hewn. Groups of men, from both sides lay hopelessly wounded in the direct path of the now regrouping armies. The tell tale Screams of dying men on their last breaths echoed through the surrounding hills. Troy, who's face was smeared with blood and dripping with sweat, stood with his sword in hand. On either side of him his fellow warriors reformed a line and prepared for the next charge. Across the field the invading northern army did the same. Crys of war exploded into the cold foggy morning. Shaking hands griped weapons that were covered in bright red blood. As it was, the other Highest ranking soldiers in Troy's army were dead, making him the most experienced of the remaining few. He looked over to the northerners, They were triple the size in men after the initial strike. seeing that his men were badly shaken by this he took it upon him self to help ease their fears. Summoning up all his courage he stood tall, but his insides felt as if they were made of jello………..~~~

Without warning Troy was thrown back into the commons room, he looked to Michael.

"Your Telepathy, it gives me a headache." He left it at that not wanting to let on that he was having terrible flashbacks. For whatever reason, Michael's attempt to contact Troy with his mind had thrown him into a flashback, but Troy got the hint. It was time to leave this place. He noticed that The male elf had also cast a protective spell. Then the hooded figure, who Troy Noticed was defiantly on their side, walked over to the door that the soldiers were entering from. Troy's eyes shot open in amazement as the hooded figure seemed to grow spider like legs, he quickly killed off the rest of the enemy, but Troy had a feeling that more would be coming.

He addressed his new comrades "If they weren't after us before they are now, we should go regroup somewhere"
 
"I agree with that line of thought," Maskannai said in response to both her brother's and Troy's suggestions that they should now make a hasty exit since the main threat had been extinguished. She coiled the whipdagger in one deft flick of her wrist, whiped the dagger end clean and then placed it back at her hip.

"There is a small secluded grove of trees just outside the city where we can regroup safely," she added, picturing the small grove in her mind and sending the image to Michael. He would know of it as well since they had played there as children,, fantastical games where they were the rulers of their own kingdom, and none but themselves exsisted in the world. They had fought many battles there as children and had grown much there as well.

"I can show the way, but if we get separated make sure you do not lose myself or Michael Troy," she finished after Michael had nodded his agreement that he did know of what grove she was referring. She made her was quickly through the crowd that had gathered around the four dead Uruc bodies and out the front door boldly, taking little notice of the strange demon that had killed one of their enemies as she passed him. From there she led the group of three down the paved walkways and out of the city. It took about fifteen minutes of swift travel before they reached the grove, a small secluded place well off the main road. The trees were a special kind with silvery leaves that brushed the ground from long branches. They were ancestral trees and it was one of Maskannai's favorite places to sit and think.

"I do not believe we will be able to ask the King about my dreams, but I know that the elf reaching out to me in my dreams needs help, so I will do what I can to find him and save him. If you are with me then I thank you. You do not, however, have to come if you do not feel the need," she said once they were alone and Michael had cast spells of warding around the grove.
 
On my brothers death bed (and the years leading up to it) all he put into my tiny mind was that…our father would be avenged. He believed even as he was dying that he would rise out of his sick bed and he would make our father, that watched over us from the afterlife, proud. I was seven. The following years after my brothers death, my mother slowly lost herself in grief.
She died. I was nine.

I was scared when I made my way to the palace. I don't know how I got that far safely, the palace was so far for my tiny legs. The whole way on foot, town after town. But I made it.

This is now.

The air couldn't come into my lungs fast enough, I was excited. I knew I didn't care if I died as long as I finished my task. The other people around him didn't bother me, I knew he didn't know these people. My brother…my father would be made proud today. Strangely enough it was my birthday today, it fit. I was eleven and I knew that the gods would give me luck on this day. My hand would strike where it needed to. Long, dirtied hair fell out from under a too small cap…It made me sneeze. "Gods toes..." I cursed ever so softly freezing and hoping I wasn't heard. I waited, each moment the beating of my own heart getting louder in my ears. Crouching down lower I sighed inwardly, watching the man from a distance. …Maybe the gods had other ideas. Maybe The Knight known as Troy would live another day.


I was tired of waiting.

((gah sorry about my post I'm in a hurry...also note that i didnt give a gender..........on purpose))
 
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He certainly didn't have any affiliation with them, yet he felt compelled to follow. Something bizarre was happening and Zike was always the curious sort. There was also the male elf who knew his name. That one needed a talking to. So he tagged along with the other three, always keeping his distance though. After weaving around the city and finally reaching what appeared to be a secluded grove.

Zike had noticed that just as the fight began, the Knight's smell had changed abruptly. Zike was starting to put together that this human male had probably seem combat before, that was the most likely explanation for a suddenly shift in scent at the sight of death. Zike stood off from the rest, collecting his thoughts and trying to decide what to do next, when the female elf began to explain her intent. While determining an answer, he was to busy to notice another persons presence. When his drifted to the male elf, he put off the decision for his personal inquiry.

Zike, moving quickly with large strides, approached the male elf. Bearing over the elf, Zike finally spoke. His voice was raspy and almost sounded like it was coming from deep in the throat and not from the voice box. "Elf… " His head tiled slight to the left as he leaned toward the male elf. "How… do you… know my… Name?" The way he spoke was almost forced, like it wasn't the language his body was meant to speak.</m:defjc></m:rmargin></m:lmargin></m:dispdef></m:smallfrac>
 
As Michael was asked the question, he realized he did not know why he knew Zike, he just did. He somehow was able to identify the demon and know him quite well indeed. This was not the first instance of this kind of "knowing", and he told the demon this, as well as stating that the demon would easier speak through the telepathy. He bowed, and said with his mind, "My apologies if I have angered you. I will do so no longer."

To Troy he said vocally, "I am sorry, but for some reason telepathy is much easier than speaking, because I can often stutter. Please forgive me."

He continued to look at the demon, and asked Zike more politely his intentions.
 
Troy's eyes fell on the bodies of the dead; Men slain by his new allys. It was a bloody mess, but nothing he hadn't seen before. At this point in his life the flashbacks were becoming frequent and more intense than ever. He only hoped that there would be peace for him someday.

Troy nodded absently at Maskannai as she told him to follow and stay close. He was too busy staring at something that had caught his eye. At first it was a feeling, kind of like the way you might feel if you know you are being watched. Troy looked around and then his own eyes fell onto another pair of eyes that stood just a few feet from the ground. The eyes of a child, but these eyes were not the kind, adorable ones that most children have. They were filled with hate and revenge, with anger and malice. Troy had a feeling that if he did not act soon he was going to find out just how much those eyes hated him.

He made a sudden move for the child, grabbing it around the waist with one hand and pinning the arms down with another. After closer inspection he could see that it was indeed a Female. 'This crazy 10 year old bitch was going to try and kill me' Troy thought to himself as he Tied a tight gag around her mouth and face and another around her hands. For now he would let her live, but honestly he had no time for some Crazy girl hellbent on killing him, her actions would dictate how long she lived.

With the toddler in tote, Troy ran with the others, finally making it to the secluded area. He set the small girl down and ripped the gag from her mouth.

"We made it." He said to the others "And I found this little hellion along the way." He turned to the girl who he assumed was trying to kill him "What the hell is your story, speak child or loose your life this day." Troy pulled out his dagger just to let her know he meant business.