Salamander

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

Beak

Guest
Original poster
C2Kry4f.jpg
art by Cody Foreman
In a dream, you are drowning.

Your body floats suspended in warm murky water. Dim sunlight glimmers above; and below, weedy tendrils reach hungrily out of darkness. The water presses against your ears, fills your nostrils, burns your throat. You're sinking.

A bright yellow point of light flickers through the water. It zigzags through the green murk, leaving a serpentine trail of gleaming gold dust in its wake. It pauses in front of your face, just long enough to stare with a curious beady eye -- and then the golden salamander zooms off again, to the surface and the open air.

Somehow -- through your own power or by the grip of another -- you break the surface and take in a lungful of sweet air. The breeze is sharply cool on your wet skin. The sunlight filters down through rustling trees, from behind the silhouette of a mossy mountain. The midday sky is full of stars. You've emerged at the center of a rippling pond quietly guarded by weeping trees and the darker cliffs behind them.

A frog creaks. Birds titter and warble all around you. A deer pauses mid-drink and freezes, watching you warily through reflective eyes.

A thin shimmer of gold dust floats like a current in the air, swayed and turned by the breeze. It drifts endlessly overhead, weaves among the branches, skirts the lichen on the mountain, dips behind the rock.

The shining salamander slips away under the root of a gnarled tree.​
 
Erik broke the surface of the water in a choking fit, splashing frantically. He took a massive gulp of air and swiveled his head all around to take in the surroundings, or more particularly the shore. He swam to shore, still in a panic and crawled up the wet mud out of the water.

He took a moment catching his breath, then stood up,getting his hair out of his eyes.

Where the hell am I?! he thought, taking in the gigantic tree that was beside the pond he came out of. He stared at it slackjawed, moving on to the mountains, and the sky. Noting the time of day it seemed.

"This is not San Francisco." He said to no one in particular. If it was he did not recognize the area at all. Those mountains were not the ones in the City.

Erik sat down and put his head in his hands, trying to remember the last thing he was doing before...this. But nothing came to mind. He remembered waking up in the morning, ate breakfast, drove to school. He had just finished his Research and Statistics class for the day before...before what?

"My backpack," he said suddenly looking back up, "Where is my backpack?"

Erik stood up and looked at the pond. He had textbooks in there AND his laptop in there! He cupped his head in his hands again and groaned.

That was such an expensive laptop...and my research paper...all my notes were in there too.

He sighed heavily and looked up at the sky. There were stars. Stars in the middle of the day. He pinched himself. Again a little bit harder.

Ok, clearly this is a lucid dream. Pinching does not work in those right? So he closed his eyes instead and concentrated. Wake up. Wake up! WAKE UP!

Still here. He lamented. He was suddenly really exhausted and sat back down. Laying on the grass he pulled out his phone and wallet and inspected those. He had turned off his phone for class, so even if it was soaked, it wouldn't be damaged as long as it dried. His wallet was also soaked. His license, an atm card, some other miscellaneous cards, and about fifteen dollars in cash were still there.

Then he noticed it. A blue spot in the branch of the big tree. His backpack. Dry and seemingly unharmed. Erik did not even have a response that could relay his exasperation.

Its only 25 feet above the ground, He thought sarcastically, and I am not a damn squirrel.
 
Awakening from a sea of dreams, Intro to a new world~

Cold like the winds just after a storm at sea, that was the sudden feeling that consumed Callum's body. At first he was afraid, terrified to open his eyes for finding himself drowning in the depths of the only thing that had provided him any true comfort. it would be a completely ironic and worthy death for him. A smile played on his features and he started to embrace the cold that surrounded him, a liquid chilling warmth that held him afloat as if his body was being offered to Gods of infinite seas.

Finally Callum opened his eyes in time for a brilliant strike of Golden light to flash right past him. in the next second though he was waking again, as Callum jolted up and almost immediately gasped for fresh air, only to have his lungs filled of salt ridden from the water that had contained it. Callum choked on his own breath and then, again he awakened this time in a field shrouded in the mysteries of trees that were falling over as the likliness to raid, Their branches were sorrowful as weeping willows, but they were not so mundane as that. Callum looked about with almost pale red eyes, but anything his eyes told him only confused him more.

"What in the hell?"

He questioned and pushed up from the ground, but until now he hadn't realized that his black sash, and the roguish clothes that he wore were weighed down from being soaked. "A dream?" he asked himself but didn't spare a thought anymore to it. Callum started with his upper throwing off his cloaks and robes to reveal nothing but scarred and almost abnormally pale lean flesh. He had many different painting etched across his skin, next came his lower garments, shoes and all, until he'd stripped all of his wet clothes save for the Sash that covered his left eye. Callum had every reason in the world that he never removed the sash, even now when it was dripping wet.

"Alright, now that Im exposed to nature and all its wonders... where the hell is this place... I didn't think I'd drink that much last night.."

His mental questioning was only disturbed when he heard the rustle of the brush not too far from him. Callum reached for his blade then for the first time since he'd awakened, but found nothing... "Oh shit... don't tell me I bet that damn thing off again, I swear by all the seas mercy if Sweaty petey bummed that off me again!" Callum scanned the ground and luckily found one of his poisoned daggers was laying on the ground where he had originally lay. He swept in and grabbed it up, though the poison had long since been diluted by the water... Even so Callum took the dagger in hand and started towards the origin of the noise.
 
Ra1WKon.png

newcreate.php


Mentioned ;; @PersonaWolf and @Wolfsin
Her mind stirred, her vision drifting in a lazy circle, an ugly mass of swirling green and yellow in her eyes. Low, booming ambiance was in her ears as thin, spiny tendrils darkening around her vision gradually drifted away and to her face. They were fingers, long spiny fingers of all the shadows of the men who planned to take advantage of her. Calmly she lifted a numb hand, drifting and a tickling sensation at the top of her blurry hand as bits of residue and what else danced around it. Her vision focused, watching her sleepy hand cut through the growing limbs, dark. They swayed peacefully, as if never denied and opened her line of sight wider, strings of their wanting hands latching onto her then sliding away. That was her hair.

She felt bloodless and light, everything so heavy but so calm. Like this is where she needed to be. Her mind drifted soggily, as if it was weighed down by the density of the water. She might just be in her Lord's watering hole, she always swam there when not tending to her own needs or his needs. But the assumption was quickly shot down by the fact the water was just too fucking filthy to be called anything of royalty.

That was when she finally noticed it. The faint chilliness lain so perversely close to her body, plugging her nose, latching unevenly against her eyes, twirling in her hair and existing under her clothes... No, she already knew she was swimming, or more drowning or dozing off towards death. She noticed she couldn't breathe. Amy felt blood jump into her ears, immediately pounding as if she has been drowning already, her lungs frozen at the sudden lose of air. She was so at peace the other second ago, she wanted to stay there. Her arms flailed, bubbles raising up from her mouth in sloppy, trembled patterns and raising to surface quicker than she was. She rolled her legs and feet, asleep and stiff and painful to even twitch a muscle with.

She couldn't raise up quick enough, her nose searching for purchase and making her choke and gargle brokenly against the lucid force. She recognized her fingers swiping against nothing, her hair swallowing up her vision. She had nothing to fall back against on, all around her was more water and no ground, no wall, no leverage to push herself up. She leaned forward, heart threatening to fall out from her numbed body, quickly losing the will as she floated dangerously slow to the surface. Amy found herself frenzied and desperate, body convulsing and fighting to live as her fingers grazed the surface so lightly she hadn't registered it.

She lost her sight not too long later.

It was just a few minutes later, but to the woman, it felt like forever. Amy laid against the warm grass, blades pressed tightly to her cheek. Stirring to life. Vines of darken tresses clung to her face and fell on it sloppily, her eyelashes heavy under the thin layer of water of it. Blink once, twice, clearing her sight. Amy lifted her head weakly, suddenly doubling over as coldness rose in her throat. She hunched over, shoulder tighten as she heaved into her vibrating hand, feeling lukewarm liquid rush from her body, expelling all of it, all of it. She gasped sharply for air, whimpering just a little from the exertion, chest heaving dramatically.

She coughed, rasping a few times, tongue poking out between her blueish lips. Her body was so worn down by the cold. Each other cough expelled some water from her stomach, her eyes shutting tightly. Oh god, she hated it, all her senses were overloaded and chilly. Too chilly. The broken rays of sunlight fell against her, calming her as she willed herself to lift her upper half, hands clawing for purchase against the ground and lifting her waist and ass out the water and leaning against sweet, sweet land.

She pushed the last ounce of her regenerating strength and lifted her knees onto the ground along with it, sinking her thighs besides her calves and holding the ground shakily. Amy lifted a pale hand, it humming with static as she combed her hair back, her bangs falling wetly against her forehead once again. She closed her eyes then opened it, the familiar warmth in her cheeks. Her face was flushed with a healthy red, the red of the living.

She caught a wet piece of algae in her hair, examining it shortly and smacking her gritty lips in distaste.
"Fucking repulsive." The woman murmured vehemently before flicking it away from her. She had no energy still and just sat there, examining her surroundings. Her thumbs found her top, pulling it up against her slick breasts as she watched the dust of gold fly around her. Very beautiful, but she's not a nature girl, she's loves being warm and safe. This isn't warm and safe.


She ran her hands down her face, not even attempting to stand yet. Fruitless, her legs felt like two floppily dicks- Amy shot a feet away from the figure not too far from her rolling once before laying on her left hip and side, hand reaching for her sword usually strapped onto her person. She didn't feel it. Her light eyes shot down to confirm it was not there, or even anywhere. She silently hoped to herself as she eyed the sighing figure that it wasn't in the water. It was murky and disgusted and left shit in her hair and mouth.

She gained more space between then, wary and vulnerable. He wasn't familiar, and wore very strange clothing, nothing she's ever seen before. He had some strange things in his wrinkly hands that she didn't want to find out about, but if he was any threat then she would have all the time to jump up and flee, she was far away enough. Amy was tempted to be curious, coughing into her slick hand once more and pushing her hair back stiffly.

How did she get here? And when? Had some envious child thrown her into this pond when she slept? No, she would have woken up the moment someone was touching her, unless she was drugged or... She could be dreaming. The answer was valid for a moment, before she recognized that the dirty water sinking into her every pores, sloshing in her shoes, the algae in her hair laying wetly on her fingers, the intensity of vomiting and feeling the foreign liquid rush from her insides and spill from her her fingers and palm... This was no dream. So why was she here?
She turned her head away, hearing murmuring over the brush immediately.


Amy searched frantically for her sword, crawling forward and grasping into the tufts of grass before her polished finger tips tapped against cold metal. It was her sword, strewn haphazardly like someone just threw it aside. She snatched it sliding it out it's expensive sheath lightly as she turned towards the noise she picked up, a feet against the ground and on her other knee. It [the sword] was from the Prince, of course, one of the many swords she was given. Now it was time to see just how well it works.

Amy, in her focused stance, lightly hoped whoever was talking about swearing by the seas or some guy named Petey would go for the weird guy all the way over there.
KscV5Vo.png
 
Darkness... nothing but darkness. Daegon only felt the cold water crushing down on him. Until he came to completely. Trying to inhale and failing he started flailing madly, trying to get above the water. When at last he breached the waters surface he filled his lungs with air before sinking again.

His struggles went on for a while before he found shallow water where he could stand up and hastily get out of the body of water, only to walk face first into a tree. Lying on his back he could see that it was daylight, yet the stars were still shining. But the constellations were all wrong. In fact - there were none! Nevertheless he needed the hit to the head even if it hurt like hell. "By the gods. Be it my eyes that betray me or am I under some sort of sorcerers spell?" he asked to whom ever would listen but answered himself "I've no idea but I'm pretty sure my eyes are right as rain. Though this place I know not. Be it in any of the four kingdoms, I've never seen it before."

Daegon finally got up with a painful groan, using the tree as a support. The gods only knew what was going on and why Daegon was chosen to explore this vast new land. "Mayhaps I can find an in... eh... that, no that way~" he didn't know where he was going, nor which direction he was headed.

So caught up in his own thought was he that poor Daegon failed to remember his large travel bag with all the supplies a merchant would need. He even failed to see the large man dressed in black, just a few feet from him but stopped in the middle of the plain just a few meters from the water shore and turned around with a frightful look on his face. "Where the fuck is my cat?!" Daegon shouted aloud, realising that his cat wasn't on his shoulder where it usually sat when he travelled. ((Said cat is just a normal yet well trained black cat with white paws))
 
  • Like
Reactions: Beak and Wolfsin
Erik started the climb. It was a large tree, but the trunk and branches were angled enough to make it possible to climb up with a little bit of effort and upper body strength. It was still a struggle and he took it slow. Falling from this height in the wrong way would mean a broken bone. Something Erik did not really need at this time. He got leaves in his face, almost poked his eye out several times, and scratched up his hands from a few slips not so fatal slips. The whole process was made worse because of how soaked he was.

He ascended to the long branch that his backpack was hanging off of. It was about half way down the branch, but fortunately it seemed sturdy enough to hold his weight, so he linked his legs together over the branch and quickly pulled himself across. And there it was, hanging casually by the handle. The way it was placed it was as if someone had intentionally climbed up here just to hang it here.

What an asshole, Erik thought as he rotated himself right side up, mindful of the branch's slight wobble. Holding on with one arm, he used the other to push the bag further up the branch, extending his reach as far as possible without putting all of his weight on the end of the branch.

"Gotcha!" he exclaimed, pulling it off the end, and swinging it back up to him. He scooted back and sat up, opening it up and rummaging through the contents. It had everything still, phone charger, laptop with its charger, his two textbooks, a medium sized binder, a couple of snacks and his reusable water bottle.

He zipped it up and was about to make his way down when he caught some movement below him. With his view he could make them out. It was a man who was the poster child for albinism, snow white hair with the body to match, and he was naked? Erik felt his hair rise under his skin. This was did not look good. He looked around the area more in a more frantic haste, and he looked down to catch someone else who was making an effort to hide.

Is that a woman? From here he could see the slender figure in the grass below a little ways away from where he was sitting in the branch.

Ok, calm down Erik. They might just be weary. Erik tried not to think of the worse scenarios that were possible. But he was stuck in a tree.

"Where the fuck is my cat?!"

The outburst and the suddenness of it scared the shit out of Erik. He dropped his backpack suddenly, then reached out with both arms to catch it, which caused him to swing back upside down, hanging on briefly by his legs before they too slipped and he fell.

He screamed as he fell, and dropped the whole 25 feet flat on his back. The good news, he did not break anything including his backpack as that took the ride down on his chest. The bad news, he was seriously winded gasping for breath and too close to a potential threat for comfort.
 
Alexander Heron
Not A Great Swimmer


As Alexanders eyes opened she managed to make out the shifting underwater world around her. The murky water thick with algae and god knows what else made it difficult too see much but for some reason beyond her it didn't bother her. In fact she felt an odd sense of peace as she floated weightlessly in the depths of the water. It was a beautiful dream, different then any she could remembered ever having before, at least that was what she thought for awhile. It wasn't until her lungs began to burn, beginning with a dull pain but growing constantly to a roaring fire. When she began to lose feeling in her limbs and the only way to stop the horrific pain was to gulp in the warm murky water did she realize she wasn't dreaming, she was dying.

It was when her vision began to blur when a sudden golden light appeared to her. Though she was too far gone to make out what it was, she did see it hesitate just in front of her face before streaking away up toward a even brighter light. Alexander didn't remember what happened next, one moment she was on the threshold of death the next her head was breaking the surface of the water. Gulping down fresh air only to release a torrent of water that had been trapped in her lungs. Her legs frantically kicked underneath the surface, giving her enough time on the surface to gulp down a few more breaths of fresh air before she was sinking back into the murky depths once again.

Alexander was unlucky enough to be born in a landlocked state with a large body of water many miles away. Though her parents had tried to suggest her otherwise, she had never felt the need to learn how to swim. Lessened learned, hindsight was a bitch. At least that was what Alexander thought as her legs and arms flailed vigorously managing to get hear head above the water once more. Her hair clinging to her face making it hard to see anything at all, the only saving grace of her situation was the male voices she could hear from her place in the center of the pool.

Her body already weak from almost drowning couldn't keep fighting so hard to keep her above water. It was a situation Alex hated most, one were she was helpless to save herself, one where there was no time to think. Her body giving out she managed with one of her last breaths to belt out an obnoxiously loud "HEEEELLLPP!" before gulping for air as she, for the final time sank below the surface.
 
Desimus took a jarring breath as he suddenly woke. His lungs felt as cold as ice, and stiff as stone. He sucked in air greedily, fearful it would not be enough to stir his body back to life. Feeling returned to his clammy fingers and toes. A slight gust of wind chilled him to the bone and sent shivers down his spine. His head spun as if he had drowned himself the night before in a dozen bowls of wine.

Trembling he rose on shaking legs, the effort took more of him then he would openly admit. He knew not where he stood, but it was no place like Alara. The ground was blanketed in a green lush, the likes he had never seen before. The trees bore great quantities of foliage, unlike home where what little trees remained were blackened and bare. His eyes gazed upon the beauty of this world, the sight of it nearly brought him to tears. "I am dead, and this is the Garden of Amae," he whispered woefully to himself. Such a place was not made for the likes of him. The Gardens would hold no peace for him in the afterlife.

As if on instinct Desimus gripped for the pommel of his xiphos, the familiar touch of leather did little to soothe his nerves, "at least the Gods remained to me my arms and armor." They had served him well in life, yet he could only hope they would serve him equally in death. Desimus carefully wondered a bit, this land was indeed a paradise, but shadows lingered under the canopy of trees, and Desimus knew too well of shadows and the vile things that hide unseen.

Not a moment passed before the feint sounds of voices could be heard, slightly drowned out by the chirping of birds and that of nature. After some consideration Desimus' curiosity replaced caution. He would investigate these voices, perhaps others from his Legion followed him to this place? Curiosity did not replace suspicion however, and Desimus took care to remain hidden. He stalked the undergrowth of the Garden, wary not to linger long in the shadows. Desmius lay hidden behind a large shrub, peering between stems and leaves. The voices were louder now, and he could faintly make out their words. From what little could be seen, he could make out others not like himself. These fellows were garbed differently than he, and that was enough to warrant caution. He would not reveal himself yet, for now he would wait.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Forgetting about his sorry situation Daegon rushed back to the waters edge, despite his dislike of deep water he had to find his companion or face going insane. "Reitza! Reitza where are you? Daegon called out as he walked along the shore, scanning for his beloved cat.

The merchant called out a few more times before he saw something and ran to a pile of seaweed. Entangled in said pile lay his unconscious feline friend. Worry immediately made his heart drop like a stone. He dropped to his knees and took his small friend from the weeds. Luckily he could see that she was still breathing.

Not having a shred of dry clothes on him Daegon didn't really have much to save his cat from freezing but luckily he knew a thing or two. He gathered up all the seaweeds he could find and pressed them together as hard as he could, squeezing out all the water then used the dried out seaweed to absorb as much water from Reitza's fur.

Just as Daegon got up with Reitza in his arms he heard a cry for help and a frantic splashing in the water. 'nobody helped me when I was drowning' he thought as he looked at his companion but guilt quickly swallowed him whole.

"I'll be right back." he reassured the unconscious cat ad he put het down in dry grass and rushed towards the waters edge again. He couldn't swim very well either but at the very least he could help this random person. Perhaps she would one day live to buy some of his items... when his legs could no longer carry him any deeper he dove in after the stranger, letting the glimmering light that danced on the water surface guide him until he found Alexander's hand and grabbed hold of it, pulling her up with him.

It was no easy task but Daegon somehow managed to get them both up but he couldn't stay there for much longer than a breath before sinking again. When finally they reached the shore again Daegon carried the girl to the patch of grass where he laid his cat and put Alexander down next to it. "Miss, are you alright? By the gods, please don't be dead. I didn't go get soaked again to save a dead person." Daegon knew nothing of first aid or mouth to mouth but he did know something else that could help him bring this damsel back to life. He scampered round and turned over a stone.
By the gods luck shone on him. He cough a bug and took a whiff. It had a nasty stink alright! He crushed it between his fingers and waved it's juices just under the half drowned girls nose, hoping that the shocking smell would bring her back to this world...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Beak and Wolfsin
Ra1WKon.png

newcreate.php


Mentioned ;; @PersonaWolf rip, @Dragonized~Glory, @Honorific
also changed font because tnr is too tiny for comfort

Amy idly was still in her stance, soon peering up after movement was caught in her eye. The weird guy was going from some pack in a tree, it seemed to be his. She snorted under her breath, focusing on the distant murmuring. There was a surprising amount of people all gathered here, too many to be just a coincidence if anything. But she still couldn't pin point why exactly was she suddenly here and swimming in shit filled ponds.

"Where the fuck is my cat?!"

Amy watched as the weird guy who was retrieving his pack drop it, so smoothly recover it and then fall out of the tree with a screech at the outburst that even made her jump. She blinked her eyes, not sure she just saw that before throwing her head back, chest heaving as she gasped for air, laughing. She covered her mouth shortly afterwards, giggling breathlessly into her hand and slapping her knee lightly. What a loser!!

She gently stalked over on her hands and knees, sliding her sword form her sheath gently and soon crouching near his rapidly breathing body. She looked over at a place unseen where there was a frantic splash of water and a obscenely loud cry for help, her giggles quiet. There was more murmuring but she dropped it, they were far away enough for safety.

Amy placed her sword against his pack and generally his chest since that where it was just in case. She took one look at the blanched male and it caused her to explode into laugh with a high pitched 'pffft' sound, doubling over. "B...By the gods, are you alright?" She asked under her breath, soon melting into more laughter she tried to control, she had tears in her eyes. "That was quite the show, really, I haven't ever seen a squirrel act so grandly for one of their belongings." She threw her head back and laughed again, fanning herself to calm down. "Sweet Amintal, you looked so comical... So very, very comical."

"Do you, assuming you can talk and you're not bleeding out your anal cavity or something of the sort, have the faintest idea where the fuck is this place?" She inquired, shortly waving her free hand this way and that. "I really do have somewhere to be, and I can't be late running to the aid newborn monkey hybrids." A wide grin took place on her lips.


KscV5Vo.png
 
Open for All interaction~
Mentioned @Dragonized~Glory @Honorific @beautie and @PersonaWolf

Callum wasn't oblivious, there were obviously others around him, the trained ears of a bounty hunter kept him acutely aware of his surroundings. One sound stole the scene though, the splash of frantic waters, a sound he knew better than most; and so he tore from his spot, disregarding his lack of clothing, and his minuscule weapon as he barely nearly brushed past anyone hidden in the bushes and darted towards the center pond.

"Aye, who needs hel.." His question answered before he began, he noticed a brave young lad playing fish prince to a pretty strangely dressed drowning princess... " The scene was almost comical, but that thought too was stolen when he noticed the two emerge from the pond, just as a scream, and the following burst of laughter resounded the area all at once. "Well, company is finally making itself known... " he murmured under his breath and started over towards the hero and the damsel... he was fishing about a raunchy way to wake the dead... one that Callum knew well enough.

"If you don't get yourself slapped for this, I'll turn myself into the royals... " He laughed and stood just above them on the shore, one foot placed on a slightly raised stone and he watched the two of them.

Beyond the boys shoulder though, he noticed something that couldn't be mistaken.

Deep in the murky water, the slightest gleam of blackened steel could be seen with a golden hue about its edge. "Aona.." Callum said under his breath, and glanced back at the would be hero. he almost dared the boy with his eyes to intercept him. Then with a quick jolt, Callum flung himself forward in all of his nude glory, before he plunged himself back into the pond, and dived into the depths, to retrieve his precious treasure. He was elegant, almost flawless in his swimming and before long he emerged (Allow for someone else to show up while he's submerged.) Callum glanced about, his long curved blade in hand now, despite the confidence he portrayed like a coat of armor, this was the first time he'd felt safe since waking in this strange place.
 
Erik caught his breath just as could hear the woman laughing. It was a humiliating feeling as he tried to sit up, he did not like being the but of a joke. Even one he made himself.

"That was quite the show, really, I haven't ever seen a squirrel act so grandly for one of their belongings."

"Well you would be surprised what you'd do to save a thousand dollar laptop."
he replied, just noticing the sword in his face. That was really concerning, but not quite as much since she apparently decided not to run him through immediately. He looked up at her, or more accurately her breasts first then her face. She was beautiful. He may have found her bitchy impression a bit more charming if it was not directed at him though. He also did not know what or who an Amintal was nor what she meant by hybrid monkey's.

"I am fine by the way. I appreciate the concern." He said sardonically, "however if its all the same, I'd be happy to answer your questions if you would not mind putting this sword of your's away." he tentatively tapped a finger against the point. Yep, it was pretty sharp. "Or...at least putting it in some other direction that isn't my personal space."

He coughed again, realizing how much his back hurt. It was a pretty flat fall fortunately. He opened his bag to take out his water bottle. Falling from trees was a dehydrating experience. He was slightly concerned about the incident happening a ways away from him. He could pick out two voices, and he assumed the draw was because of a third person. Three more strangers with him in a strange land. But first he had to deal with a woman who seemed a tad too manic to be handling a sword.
 
Alexander Heron
Expert Ball Kicker


Alexander didn't remember what happened after she submerged back into the water. One moment she saw the suns rays dancing on the surface of the pond just inches away, the next she was gasping for breath. She could feel a dull pounding on the inside of skull, the world to much of a haze to make out anything more then the large shadow looming over her. For a moment she didn't remember anything, but as the dream that turned into a nightmare came rushing back to her so did her vision, or as much as it could without her glasses. The shadow that loomed over her turned into a man and the swirl of colors around him became a even stranger sight of a landscape she had never seen.

For an instant, the midday sun turned him into an angel in her eyes. As if the sky had dispatched an agent to save her from the dark dreams that had haunted her. That hopeful attitude was quickly crushed when her soaked hoodie and tight jeans that clung uncomfortably to Alexanders smaller frame gave her a much needed reality check. From the odd sense of safety and confusion she she once had, mind jumped straight to panic. Though she had been staring at him for several moments she for the first time accepted the fact that there was indeed a real life, flesh and blood human crouching over her prone form. Her balnk visage melted away into a look of horror as her eyes franticly looked him down. She turned her head just enough to take a quick look around taking note of the other people in the general vicinity before doing something any girl would do if she woke up in the same situation.

Without a word she drove her knee hard into his groin before scrambling away on all fours. Once a few feet away she looked back only to make sure her blow had connected before pushing her sore arms against the earth and launching Alexander to her feet. Though her knees felt like they were on the edge of buckling, she ran as fast as her waterlogged exhausted body would allow. Heading in the direction away from everyone else around her she made a break for the bushes not too far away. Her mind racing she hoped she could make it there and find a way to lose the man she could only assume would follow her. Yet she never got that far, for unknown to her was another larger built man hid in the shadows of the same bush she raced toward, promptly slamming right into him.


@Dragonized~Glory I am so sorry ;~;
@Sammael9216 Hopefully you do not mind!
 
Mentioned: @Honorific @Wolfsin

"There we go, thank the heavens you're not dead." Daegon whispered and let out a sigh of relief when he saw the girl was coming to.
But that relief did not last too very long as an unknown person stood over them. The merchant straightened his hand, in stead of making a fist, and kept it close to his chest, and didn't even turn his head to make eye contact.

"If you don't get yourself slapped for this, I'll turn myself into the royals... "

"And by what Kingdom may you be wanted? The four Kings and Queens are not exactly friends with each other... One may chase you and the other might defend you. So... If you intend to strike, take your best shot..." Daegon was ready to counter whatever came his way but the stranger found something else that interested him and went for that. "Bandits. Hate them buggers." Daegon said just before a force like a buffalo ramming into him hit his groin. He coughed out of sheer shock and pain as his attention was immediately yanked back to the woman scampering away.

For a brief moment Daegon felt like throwing the woman with a rock and drowning her himself but that feeling quickly faded when he jumped to his feet but almost immediately sunk back to his knees. "Should've let her drown." he growled as he picked up his semi-conscious cat and cradled her in his arms as he slowly got up to try and walk off the dizzying pain pulsing from his tenders.

Daegon took the time to look around properly, noticing now that he wasn't alone. In any normal situation his mind would shout Customers! but in this instance he didn't feel like this crowd, under this cold sun was in any mood to buy any kind of wares off of him.

"Ah, screw this. I'm leaving." Daegon huffed, turned around and started walking towards wherever his feet would sweep him off to. To his trained eye, he could see that nobody had travelled here for a very long time. Nowhere where he walked was any sign of an old trail. He stopped for a moment and looked at the mountains. He loved the mountains. They usually had fruit trees. And fruits were food! He decided to circle round the pond and avoid all of the other strangers that may potentially kill or injure him any further.
 
Flame-Wakes-in-Moonlight
Drowning Pool

Flame-Wakes-in-Moonlight awoke to total darkness and pain. His lungs burned without the precious air they desired, and his eyes stung with whatever impurities were floating in the water. He flailed his arms around him, trying to pull himself towards a surface he couldn't see. Suddenly, a light flared at far above him. Flame-Wakes-in-Moonlight felt a sensation much like falling upwards, and pulled himself up with the new current. Moments later, he was cast out of the pool, landing hard on the ground. In any other circumstance, he would have snapped to his feet and surveyed for enemies. Obviously, any water as deep as that would have to have been some sort of watering hole. Many animals must congregate there. But at the moment, he could think of nothing more than the sweet air flowing back into his chest. He heaved up a mouthful of water onto the dirt next to him, and rolled onto his belly.

Feeling his strength returning to him, Flame-Wakes-in-Moonlight brought himself to his knees, and then shakily to his feet. Thought began to return, and he finally took in where he was. He was surrounded by trees that stretched to the sky, and with trunks as wide as two men standing abreast. The canopy above blocked out the sun above him, letting only thin beams break through. One happened to land on where Flame-Wakes-in-Moonlight could only assume he'd emerged from: A small puddle about as wide as a jungle cat. He cautiously dug around in what appeared to be red-leaved bushes that grew around the trees and pulled out a fallen branch, about as long as he was tall and about half as thick as his wrist. It was astonishingly light, but Flame-Wakes-in-Moonlight assumed it was stronger than it appeared. He thanked the tree spirit for this great gift and returned to the pool. He jabbed the stick into the water, and was shocked when it barely made it two inches down before hitting the mud.

"Et'urga moirae?" In the name of the gods? He stepped away from the puddle, afraid it would reach out and grab his soul, or whatever mystic puddles do. Flame-Wakes-in-Moonlight finally stopped to look carefully at his surroundings, and thought to himself: Where am I?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Celica's eyes sprung open as she awoke with the sting of water in her nose and mouth. The first thing she saw was the light breaking through a surface and a small, colorful salamander... Frantically flailing her limbs, the blonde got her head into the air and coughed loudly into the forest. As she finished her coughing fit and her lungs quit stinging, Celica turned her head around, tryting to comprehend why she was in a deep, dark forest of all places.

"What the hell is this pla-- eww! Disgusting!" she cut herself off, realizing how she was swimming in muddy water. Hastily getting onto land, she looked down at herself; her dress was soaked, her gauntlets were filled with water, and her hair-! Her hair was tangled and covered in mud, like the rest of her body. "My hair is RUINED!" Celica shouted to the sky as she began punching a tree conviently placed near herself, her gauntlets making dents in its hard wood. The princess had always had a pet peeve for her hair being hideous, and as of now, she cared about nothing else other than that.

A small hole had already formed in the tree from the girl's excessive punching, the sounds reverberating through the woods. "Never... touch... my... hair!" she shouted through her teeth between each jab, imagining the tree was some random guy who happened to be who brought her to this place. Her punches sped up and gained more power, and soon enough, there was a hole reaching the tree's middle. Exhausted, Celica fell to her knees and, with heavy breaths, mumbled, "It's gonna take days to fix this mess..."
 
Ra1WKon.png

newcreate.php


Mentioned ;; @PersonaWolf, @Salt Lord

Amy's face contorted with confusion. What the hell was a laptop? Dollars? She's never heard of the terms before. "You talk rather strangely..." She caught his glances and wasn't at all embarrassed or insulted, if anything, she lifted her shoulders higher proudly at her assets. "And you look like no one I've ever seen before. You hold very strange things on your person and I'm very interested."

"Ah, you're welcome." She said back, not caring for his sarcasm. She didn't know him, so she didn't really care. She watched blankly at him tap the tip of her sword ask her to kindly put her weapon away. She gave him a look like he had grown another head. What a ridiculous reasoning. "It's not like the sword is at your throat and you cannot speak, Monkey. If you go around unguarded you're bound to get sliced in half no doubt~ Can never be to careful, and if anything, I'm surprised you haven't fell prey to someone just yet."

Her eyes followed his bottled water, soon sliding her sword back into the sheath on her shapely hip. Her attention drifted away from him. "What is that? What a strange contraption. Perhaps you're some type of inventor? Or some witch." Amy inquired, taking the water bottle from his hand like he wasn't just holding it. She turned it upside down, then right side up. Shaking it shortly and feeling over the grooves and edges. "I've never seen anything like it..." She faintly complimented, eyes twinkling with curiosity.

"What is your name, Monkey? I'm taking quite a liking to you and your toy so I need a name." Amy demanded, looking down at him. She had her thumb and index finger against the cap, pulling on it. "Also, how do you open this?" She grunted, tugging at it. "What tremendous security, maybe you're some type of... Technological soldier?"


Her moment of childlike innocent was interrupted by some feminine screaming about hair, she immediately had her sword out again, just not against him. Too many noises to be safe...

KscV5Vo.png
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: 2 people


Abygail Upton

Wandering.... that's all Aby has achieved since her awakening. Wandering in a circle of pond scum, mud and sniffles. She was still disoriented after her near drowning ordeal, still consumed with the last few moments she could recall of her actions before all the lights she partially saw before her eyes darkened into a watery grave site in this unknown place. She couldn't hear the echoing sounds of silence in the Austin library she sat in. The sounds of traffic outside the window she sat near was no longer serenading her as her fingers brushed across her Braille book she studied for another essay due at the end of the week. Those sounds were replaced by...nature's melody? Touch felt...gritty, wet and cold. And don't get her started on the smell! The lush aroma of beautiful leather-bound books and well-preserved papers were snatched away with the potent odor of moss, fish, and... Is that bear dung?

Abygail had no clue where she was or how she arrived there. All she could remember was packing up her things to head to her apartment, feeling somewhat worn out and nauseous for skipping lunch that afternoon. 10:30 pm rolled around far too fast for her, and her need for dinner was far from being on time. She stood up...she knew that...and bend over to fill her messenger bag, only to have a wild case of vertigo and...and? That's it! Her helpless eyes turned to night until the brightest of gold shimmered before her closed lids. Just then, she took a breath as if to yawn herself away, only to suck in half the stagnant pond water into her lungs. The fight was on then, one she felt she might not have won on her own. Something... something pulled her out, but again...all she can recall about her struggle to breath was the yellow glow.

She laid at the edge of the pond for possibly a whole three minutes before her body finally registered the need to breath, forcing water from where it shouldn't to replace with air. All the blurred shadows and colors she was accustomed to, those that represented the life of a college girl living in the big city was gone. Everything she's known, or has trained and practiced to recognized was gone, again replaced by the sway of trees and bushes, the smells of poppy and forget-me-nots, and...and the sounds of voices mumbling or screaming out in the breeze around her. At first, Aby figured she was just dreaming, having fallen asleep in the library once more. It wasn't uncommon for her to do so. The staff was so use to it happening, they added a task to insure to wake her up before closing the place down. Mrs. Clarkway, the head librarian, always walked her out, sometimes driving her home to save on taxi fair. She was hoping that she would do so again, inviting her over for dinner with her husband and two young children. Visiting them always made her feel wanted, needed, and loved. Her family lived so far away from Texas, it literally drove her mad at times...

Which is why Aby hasn't truly freaked out about this mysterious location... She knew it was a dream. She knew she was going mad! Texas has outdone itself this time, forcing her out of her right mind and into this...this...

"How did I get here? Where is this place anyways?" She spoke to herself as she continued to carefully chart her steps. Her partially dry messenger bag hung off her left shoulder; the strap slightly twisted up with some of her long, stringy auburn hair on that side. She has no clue how that happened, and wasn't going to take time to figure out how to unlatch it. Her white blouse she covered with her blue cardigan, crossing it over her chest for she knew just what the water has revealed. Her multicolored chevron maxi shirt felt heavy and plastered against her short legs, and her shoes... Oh yes, she has no idea where they've gone. Her $80 Gion sandals were a birthday present from her mom... She so hated losing them, but it was useless for her to search for them. Her partially dead eyesight could barely clue her in on exactly where she was going as is!

With her walking cane sweeping before her path, Aby continued to trudge on, following the only logical senses she understood. The voices she heard were a blend of male and female, ranging in tone, accent, and maturity. They all spoke English, but a few times she heard another language or a word that was unknown. Regardless, they all sounded a bit frazzled, frightened, hurt, confused - but not dangerous. She wondered if, by chance, they've gone through a similar experience as she had. It wouldn't hurt to ask, right? Besides, the only way she was going to figure out where she was, and how she got there, was to question everyone there.

Just as she felt she was moving closer, she heard the gurgling cries of another person drowning, and someone helping them out. So, I wasn't the only one with such a fate. Good thing someone helped me too, or... Stopping her stride, still hidden within the bushes, Abygail wondered more and more about her predicament. At first, she figured she was a victim of her own poor luck and weak mind. Being so accident prone all her life, adding a kidnapping and another drowning to her list seemed logical. But now, to hear that another fell into the same waters didn't make any sense to her. It wasn't just her as the victim here. There were others... But, were they involuntarily there as she was, or are they the ones who took her there in the first place?

Now, she began to panic, wishing she knew how to defend herself. She might be walking into danger, coming face to face with her kidnappers...the ones who tried to drown her! Not knowing what to do, or if she should say anything at the moment, Aby remains behind the bushes, listening closer to what was happening. She had to figure out if they were friendly, or if she should search for help elsewhere. There's no telling when she could barely see their faces. There's a lot one can tell about a person through their voice, but one has to take in the bigger picture within their features to truly believe what they've heard.
 
Last edited:
Desimus strained his eyes to better see the few people collected around the pool ahead of him. His vision wasn't terrible, but then it wasn't perfect either. A terrible accident in his youth left one of his eyes scarred. The eye remained with him, but a grey film covered his pupil leaving vision in that eye murky and blurred. He wouldn't complain though, one good eye served him well enough. Desimus was oblivious to the girl making a mad dash straight for him. The shrub he so tactfully placed himself behind, only offered small windows to peek through, and he dared not brush the leaves aside for a better view.

One moment Desimus was crouched behind a shrub, the next he was flat on his back peering up into the blue sky. "Fortune pisses on me!" he swore. A flash of red marked his face as his anger flared. Looking down, he peered into a mop of hair, well-groomed and sweet smelling. A woman? He pondered. No... A little girl, he concluded once he got a better look at her. For one: her frame was too slender, her breast not near large enough, and her eyes masked behind glass. Desimus heaved her off him with a rough shove.

As he rose a memory returned to him, stories of vile creatures that stalk the Otherworld, preying on souls. Often these creatures would take the form of mortals, easier to lure others into letting their guard down. Not this mortal, Desimus warned himself. He placed his hand on the pommel of his blade and jerked it from its sheath. Polished steel glinted against the light of the sun as he pointed his blade at the girl. “Speak creature, be you a soul or a siren in disguise?” Desimus demanded. “I will not fall for your tricks,” Desimus warned her. He closed his one good eye and allowed his scarred eye to peer at the girl. He had heard stories of heroes having to face Otherworld creatures with mirror shields, wool stuffed in their ears, or even having to fight blindfolded. He had no mirror shield to hide behind, but he wagered if he could not fully see her, perhaps her spells might not affect him.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Through the Looking-Glass
To one who welcomes the escapism of dreams, the more tangible the more blissful. The struggle against drowning and emergence was a religious experience for Seventy. Never before had he felt the raw desire to survive, to live. Before, dreams of death were the sweetest of deliverances. It was an awakening.

Seventy drank in his surroundings. The nature was so serene and beautiful that it filled his soul with peace and joy. The frog, the birds and the deer were as extensions of his self — one symbiotic life force. The gold dust entranced him, turned his head round in an arc along the axis of the endless sky.

And then he saw it. The shining salamander slipped away under the root of a gnarled tree. He wanted nothing more than to follow and capture it. He pursued.

Seventy tore through the pool and scrambled onto the small island at its centre. He shoveled away handfuls of earth to expose a large hole under the knotted root. Without a second thought, Seventy launched himself down into the hole, further away from his reality, into the abyss of dreams.
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: 2 people
Status
Not open for further replies.