Disrupted Peace

[Lillian Gray]

Disrupted Peace
A one x one between Lillian Gray and HollowEastWord

Life is simple for our female role. Abandoned as a child by her mother, she has never known what other humans looked like. The girl found hope in her new home. A grove where golems come to life. They protect her, this place is their sanctuary after all, and she's long been a part of it. The girl is barely in her teens, not a child, but not a full adult, when other men come to claim the secrets of the sanctuary for their own. You, a male role, are on this expedition. The secrets of the golems or hero to the girl, her fate is in your hands.
​

 

[Lillian Gray]

Elliot Abraham​

Spoiler

Age: 25
Height: 5'10
Eye Color: Green
Hair Color: Dark Blonde

Personality: Analytically inclined at a first glance. Prefers reason over most emotional reactions, does his best to keep a collected look about him. Has a soft spot for children, and is a teacher at heart, showing them what he knows when he can.

Bio/History: As a child, Elliot was a bit of an oddball. He preferred spending time alone studying things he found instead of going out and playing with other children. As he grew, it was clear the man was a bright individual. He quickly passed his way through teaching and joined with a research crew in the main city.

Not a lot is known about the man's family. He keeps mostly to himself when on an expedition, his interests are deep in the books and work instead of on another's life. There are exceptions though. He's not a cold hearted introvert. No. Elliot manages to make friends and is good on his word. Once he's made a friend, he puts in the effort not to lose them.

 

[HollowEastWord]

Maaya

Age: 16

Height: 5'7

Eye Color: Brown

Appearance:

Personality: Maaya is a very curious character who is filled with wonder and easily carried away by her imagination. Maaya can be pressured easily and is very emotional.

Bio/History: Maaya was abandoned by her mother when she was only three years of age, therefore she never really knew much about her or what she did to deserve being abandoned. Maaya was found, a small crying bundle, by Golems. the Golems raised and protected her like one of their own. She has never met or seen another human before, the golems would always say that they are dangerous, but Maaya wouldn't believe it. Maaya sometimes has dreams about her mother and that would make her wonder, was it luck that her mother put her here, or did her mother in fact know about the golems.

 

[Lillian Gray]

The caravan dragged on for the second week outside the safety of the walls which barricaded the city. Only fifteen men were allowed on the trip, a small expedition by consideration, but by no means a small task. Elliot Abraham was one of the men, honored to be invited to join them for such a marvelous study. A golem had been sighted only months prior, and after some careful deliberation, it was decided the crew investigate.

"Hey, Abraham!" Marcus Jones, the lead researcher, yelled back at the man, who snapped his head up with a dazed look on his face. He'd been busy reading a book and had completely forgotten about the people around him.

As usual.

"Hm?" His brows pressed together in a new thought, but Marcus called him back to attention.

"Get your head out of that book, we're settin' up camp." Marcus was old now, couldn't hardly walk without some sort of age, but damn he was an impressive and skilled individual. In his life, he'd discovered thirty separate ruins, all which benefited the knowledge of the societies which studied the ancients. The next closest? A man named Greggor Taft, over a hundred years ago. His hair was gray and thin, lanky he stood from the cart and tossed a bag at Elliot. "Start settin' up, Abraham."

"Yessir." Elliot chuckled.

In only another day, two tops, he'd lay his eyes on yet another set of ruins, but this time, there was the prospect of a real, working golem. He ached for time to pass.​

 

[HollowEastWord]

Stretching her arms above her, she let out a long sigh. She lied back on the lush grass watching the sky melt into shades of pink, orange and yellow before bringing the thick curtain of black that was night. Maaya loved doing this, being alone with her thoughts, not that she didn't like her company, she just felt like there was more to this world.

Ever since she could remember, she had to stay here and be safe. The golems that raised her taught her many things and yet she wanted to know more.

Maaya would constantly have dreams and flashes of a dark haired woman, with a kind smile. That was how she knew that there were others just like her, and knew she had to have some connection.

Maaya was brought out of her thoughts when she realized what time it was. She sighed to herself and said goodbye to the moon as she started walking down the small hill she was lying on.

"I wish I could have stayed longer" she said preparing herself for a good night sleep and a bunch of worried golems.

 

[Lillian Gray]

"We got one!" The voices of the researches mingled with the stony cries of the massive golem. At least, to the men on the ground it was huge. Standing at least thirty feet tall, the men had him down on the ground, restrained with thick ropes. It thrashed and cried beneath the grip of the material, but they had a good hold on it now, despite their small numbers.

Elliot stood next to Marcus, awestruck to behold such an amazing creature. His hands couldn't draw the details fast enough. There were markings all over its body, moss grew even on some spots on his back, as if wearing out with time. Shoulder pads of another stone type? He drew, and noted and plotted everything he could until the lead researcher stopped him.

"It's trying to talk." Marcus gasped.

The golem screeched at them in a tongue no one knew. Man and stone never coexisted, the language wasn't something a single one of them were likely to understand in spoken tongue. Written down, perhaps there was something to refer to, but not one of them could related.

"This is remarkable!" Elliot shouted gleefully, fearlessly taking a large stride towards the golem. He placed a hand on the things head and it shouted against his touch. "Can it feel?"

Elliot gazed over the massive creatures body, unable to find a power source. So how did it work? There were so many questions to be answered.​

 

[HollowEastWord]

The sanctuary was in a panic. How?..How did this come to happen?...sure there has always been a few close encounters and near escapes, but none of them had ever been caught before.

Maaya was like a flash of light all over the place, a golem wasn't hard to spot, since it wasn't exactly small, yet Maaya looked over, under and behind everything, this couldn't be, if people found out that the golems were real, bad things could happen.

Maaya walked over to the centre of the sanctuary where the other golems were buzzing around and all taking at once. "We need to leave, and go look for him!" Maaya said getting silence among the worried golems.

"No, you must stay here" siad a golem in a slow deep voice. Other golems nodded in agreement.

"I can't just sit here and watch, we need to figure something out" Maaya said her face a mixture of emotions.

"No, to dangerous" said the same golem as before, shaking his heavy hand at Maaya. Turning to speak to the other golems.

 

[Lillian Gray]

"Day two, nothing, the golem doesn't speak our language and is unwilling to cooperate." Elliot bit the end of his pen in thought. The golem had calmed considerably since it's capture two days prior, but no communication channels had opened between the two species.

They would write things in the ground, the researchers, which provoked more of a response out of the massive creature, but he still was unwilling to give them any useful information. Not that he could anyways.

"We're going further in." One of Elliot's companions alerted him to the news. He gave him a silent nod, and nothing more. Elliot wasn't much of an explorer, but given the chance they'd find more of the golem brothers or the possibility of a temple, old ruins, anything really! The excitement riled his nerves to the point of it being bearable enough to put on a decent pair of boots and follow out into the treeline.​

 

[HollowEastWord]

Maaya was still worried, all the golems cared for her so much, and yet she could do nothing to go look for the one that disappeared. "This isn't right, I have to go look somewhere else" Maaya said to herself, planning on sneaking away. "If that's the only way, then I'll do it" Maaya said, getting up from the soft grass.

Maaya made sure that none of the other golems were watching her, *Okay Maaya, no need to be scared* she said in her mind, as she took her first step into the dense trees surrounding the sanctuary. * There's nothing out there, calm down* she chanted in her head as she tried to slow her heartbeat down. Walking in deeper.

 

[Lillian Gray]

Regret filled his stomach faster than he could replenish it with water.

His limbs ached, his feet were sore, and the humidity in the forest was enough to drive him mad. This is why Elliot preferred books to anything else. People, the outdoors, even the companionship of another scholar. Gods, he swore, if he made it out of the trees he'd shred them all to make journals. Fresh pressed, leather bound journals.

At his side was another researcher, a man named Brian, who said little other than the occasional directional point. Elliot was starting to enjoy his company. A man of few words, he knew his way through the brush as if he'd explored a thousand others like it, and he bet that was the case as he swung a machete hard to clear a path. As they walked, the scholar wrote note in his own thick journal. It was filled with thoughts and observations from other sites, none quite as interesting now that they'd discovered a real, functioning golem.

"Been out much?" Brian asked casually.

"No." Elliot responded in the same tone.

"I can tell." He laughed, and the conversation ended.

Elliot was just about to ask if they could head back when the man stopped him with an outstretched arms. He crouched low, and Elliot followed suit. Brian held a thick finger to his lips and motioned for him to stay in place. His heart raced at the thought of another discovery, dangerous or not.

"A girl." He mouthed.​

 

[HollowEastWord]

Making sure to double check everywhere she looked Maaya once more looked behind a large boulder, turning around she let out a frustrated yet sad sigh a small part of her couldn't stop blaming herself for the disappearance of the golem, they protected her after all. Deciding not to dwell on it too long and waste time Maaya turned around and ran in a different direction.

Stopping to look in a circle of some dense trees Maaya realized just how far from the sanctuary she really was, she wasn't lost she knew exactly how to read the forest and find her way back despite this she couldn't calm her heart rate down. Quickly searching the area she turned to move to another location.

Coming to a more clear part of the forest with small, dense plants covering the ground Maaya failed to notice the two figures only a short distance behind her.

 

[Lillian Gray]

Before his companion could take another step, Elliot was writing notes furiously in his book. Where they were, trying to angle the sun just right to figure out the time, he wrote it all. The color of the grass, the type of tree, just in case he ever needed to find this location he'd be set. Stumbling upon a girl in the middle of the forest near a recent golem capture? He couldn't help but wonder if she was something of a slave.

"I'll go up behind her and-" Brian started to say.

"No!" Elliot hissed. "What if she's been kidnapped or something? Don't scare the poor thing."

"Are you mad?" He hissed back, but Elliot was already moving forward without him, leaving behind Brian to hide behind trees.

"Hello?" He called to her, holding his hands in the air to signal his good intent. "Are you lost, miss?"​

 

[HollowEastWord]

Not paying attention to her surroundings, Maaya was lost admiring the forest and the sounds of water streams and birds, the whole reason why she came here temporarily forgotten.

She bent down low to look at small purple flower that littered the forest floor but froze as she heard a sound she had never heard before. She turned her to look behind her, her heart rate speeding and her the adrenaline coursing so hard she could hear it. Maaya quickly sucked in a breath and jumped to her feet getting at least 3 meter of distance between her and this creature.

Maaya was frightened, scared, confused and mesmerized all at once. It looked like her...but didn't look like her...It moved like her...but didn't move like her...was this one of the dangerous things the golems had told her about. Maaya realized that her life could be in danger her mind said run, but her body wouldn't move she felt like lead. She kept starring at the other...her body rigid and her face an expression of fear and confusion.

 

[Lillian Gray]

Elliot stopped dead in his tracks, her face was stuck on his in a look of sheer panic. He didn't dare take another step closer without identifying himself. Such was the way of the world when strangers didn't respond to simple words. She looked like she wanted to run, but, something else froze her in place. Was it the surprise? Did she feel some sort of danger for the researcher?

Curious.

The man closed his journal and stuck it in a designated loop around his belt, built specifically for him on the field, although the book never seemed to fit in place. It was always in his hands. Now was such an exception where he wanted to appear friendly at least. He lowered his hands to the ground, plucked the same purple flower she held in her hand, and examined it for a moment. It wasn't anything special, just a purple weed which inhabited the area, but, it was a flower.

He held out his hand with the flower between his fingers, smiling awkwardly.​

 

[HollowEastWord]

She jumped back slightly as the person in front of her moved, she didn't know what it was that he had but the thing that was previously in his hand was now put away and was hanging from his hip, Maaya let her eyes travel over the other, looking at what he was wearing and his strange feet, she tried not to make it to obvious tough.

Her eyes followed him all the way to the ground where he picked one of the pretty purple flowers, she looked a bit confused at his action, but jumped wide eyed he stuck his arm out towards her, she stood still for while waiting to see if it was threat, but soon she saw that he was also holding still, deciding that it was save she slowly reached out her small hand at took the flower pulling her hand back fast.

She stepped back getting some distance so that she could admire the flower.

 

[Lillian Gray]

There we go.

Elliot smiled, daring to take a step closer to the girl. At least she'd accepted his advances. He held his hands carefully in front of him so she could see him, wondering if she even could speak. If she could, she certainly hadn't revealed much. She was only quiet, scared perhaps of the foreigner on her doorstep. If this was her home, after all.

"My name is Elliot." He told her, watching her carefully for any sign of understanding. "Elliot."​

 

[HollowEastWord]

Maaya slightly shifted her feet as the person in front of her took a step closer, she had to be ready to run and lead them away from the golems and somehow warn them of the threat if it was a threat, but so far the person seemed to mean no harm.

She tilted head slightly as the other said some thing ""My name is Elliot." He voiced. She looked at him confused, she recognized the words but had no idea what it meant. The golems used many words she couldn't understand. She searched her vocabulary for a word that he might know, but she found none. She then used her own language "Who are you" she asked a little uncertain.

 

[Lillian Gray]

She spoke in a tongue unfamiliar to the researcher. Elliot paused for a second, unsure of what she could be asking. Slowly now, deliberately trying to keep his tone quiet and low in fear of what could be around them. "Elliot." He said again, gesturing to himself, repeating his name again for clarity. "Elliot is my name."

He gestured towards her once. "Who are you?"

Elliot hadn't the faintest idea they'd asked the same question. The language was hard to understand, choppy almost, he wished he understood even the smallest bit of it in order to construct a better trust or understanding, but it wasn't so.​

 

[HollowEastWord]

What he was trying to say was all unknown to her, his language was hard to decipher, the second time he spoke she tilted her head and mixed his words around in his head 'you' was the only one she could understand.

She thought back to some of the things the golems said to try and remember exactly what the word 'you' meant, so that's she could at least try and answer him.

Her face lit up as she realized the meaning, he wanted to know her name...she hesitated for a bit before softly saying "Maaya".

 

[Lillian Gray]

"Maaya?" Elliot asked, waiting for her confirmation. He gestured towards himself. "Elliot."

Brian came out from the treeline towards Elliot, waving his hands angrily. "What are you doing? Wasting time plucking flowers with the locals? Elliot, I'm going back now." His violent gestures made even Elliot nervous, afraid he'd scare the girl away on accident. They'd made progress in the short time and he wasn't about to see it wasted.

"Brian, you get back." He demanded of him, when suddenly, the air went still. The birds stopped singing, the bugs stopped chirping, and from the opposite side of the clearing came a monstrous golem. Brain bolted without so much as a scream, ducking into the trees. Elliot couldn't. Couldn't move, couldn't breathe.

They were real, they were huge, and one was standing right in front of him.​