That ravenous monster --p.

[ᎵꂅᏒ꒝Ꭹ. (sick)]

Ayanna had been filled with nonsense, and lies of a stupid myth at the bottom of the palace. Go down a few floors, and you'd find the sword of the first king. Once pulled, it'd unleash an ancient spirit that spreads wisdom to the next ruler. However, the truth could be far from that. Words were twisted in Eric's mouth, false hopes spread to his older, but native sister. And with his words, she believed her crude brother. Even after already knowing how twisted this man could be...hear she was....traveling down a stare case to the abyss.

What seemed like an eternity soon was over, as she reached the bottom. The hall was already lit, and it was honestly terrifying. It was said no one ever came down here...Hell, anyone was forbidden to come down here ...so why was the torches on the wall already lit?

Without much thought though, her hope for wisdom fueled the urge to take a step forward...and before she knew it. Ayanna was walking down this dreaded hall and soon she reached the end. Pressing against the wall, she seemed to press something because the wall shifted a bit, revealing a hidden passage way. It was a circle shaped room, natural moonlight shining through a hole on to a sword jabbed into the middle. As she entered, the looked at the writing on the floor. It was in another language, one she clearly did not understand...but based on what Eric had said. It stated this was the ancient spirit! One word stood out, and that was wisdom. About the only english word she saw, and it only fueled her excitement more.

She blew the flame out, the only source of light being that from the moon. With a few slow breaths, and gulps.Tremblings hands wrapped around the handle of the iron sword. It didn't take much force for this frail princess to take it out, and once the blade was out....what would be to come...wouldn't be as this poor princess had expected.

 

[Peregrine]

Skaldreg had been waiting in the darkness. Trapped. Bound. Thoughts little more than a flicker of static in the night, years stretched into decades into centuries. He waited, patient as only a truly ageless being could be, for change. The people who had captured him had been unable to destroy him, and so they had hoped to remove him. But their prison could not hold him forever. Even if no one came to release him, the ceaseless destruction of time would one day break him free.

He would not be bound forever.

Change came as sudden as the flash of lightning in a storm, and just as brilliant. Light pierced through the darkness in a blinding sliver, coursing through Skaldreg like a shock. Snapped awake, the ancient spirit raged instinctively, masses of dark purple smoke pumping out through the hole in his prison. Gold, red, and black lightning flickered in the depths of the 'clouds' that quickly began to gather within the darkened room. More and more smoke flowed out of the hole in the floor the sword had once blocked, until it seemed like the entire room would be flooded.

And then, as suddenly as the smoke had begun to appear, the seemingly endless streams of smoke stopped. The clouds drew together, forming a darkened mound that crackled with multicolored light, before finally collecting into the form of an almost-human figure.

Skaldreg stretched luxuriously, shoulders rolling and hands stretching out wide. A second later thin, pale fingers flicked away a strand of bone-white hair from his forehead. A lazy smile spread across his lips, revealing sharpened teeth as pointed as a shark's.

The demon's pitch black eyes lazily roamed around the room. It had changed greatly in the time he'd been imprisoned. Back then, everything had been dark stone, damp, with the smell of dust and mold. Now, moonlight flooded the room with liquid silver, and the space was filled with the taste of fresh air. It was such a magnificent change compared to the endless nothingness within his prison, and Skaldreg's smile spread further, tongue flicking out to lick his lips.

And then his eyes locked on her. The golden ray of sunshine clutching desperately to a simple iron sword that had rested, half embedded into the stone floor, for countless generations. Skaldreg's body seemed to flicker, transforming momentarily back into dark mist which flowed forwards through the air. A second later, and he was standing scant inches in front of the girl.

"Wellll," Skaldreg all but purred, his hands reaching out to cup around the sides of the girl's face, smooth skin under his touch. Despite the apparent delicateness of his fingers, her head was now firmly locked in his grasp. "Aren't you just the most prrrrecious thing? What drove you down here, little toy? Desperrration? Grrrreed?"

 

[ᎵꂅᏒ꒝Ꭹ. (sick)]

Ayanna~
Too be completely honest with any human, Ayanna felt an urge to run at the sight of smoke blanketing the top of the ceiling. Vast amounts of colors flickering within the cloud, like a mini storm, until finally a figure unveiled itself amongst the curtains. First came the white hair, then the eerie sharp teeth, and finally soulless eyes.

Was this the wise spirit her brother had spoken of?
Or had she just been fooled once again?

What a native little girl, honestly.

Seconds later, the being was merely inches from the girls face, cupping her cheeks with his ice cold hands. Something felt off, this thing...or so called ancient spirit didn't seem to have kind intensions. Her assumptions only grew more to reality at the nickname...toy.

Trying to resist the creatures touch, she found herself stuck in this mans gentle touch. It was almost intoxicating, like she longed for the gentle touch, though not from this thing. Whatever the hell this thing was. "No, I did not come here for greed or desperation! I came here seeking wisdom, and the eerie feeling I get from you tells my gut that it isn't you....obviously." The ray of sunshine seemed to dim, fear driven behind every word as she tried to speak sternly in homes to not feed into this things satisfaction.

 

[Peregrine]

"Ah, seeking wisdom," Skaldreg repeated, still not releasing her face. "The forbidden fruit of knowledge, so tempting, so dangerous. Yet who can resist it, hmmm?" The demon's thumb stroked Ayanna's cheek, before he abruptly released her face, taking a step backwards.

His arms spread wide, apparently reveling in the touch of the moonlight, and a leer spread across his face. "But I'm in a good mood, and you did release me. So I suppose I should repay the favor. Tell me, little bottle of sunshine. What knowledge did you seek? And, more importantly, what are you willing to give in trade?"

 

[ᎵꂅᏒ꒝Ꭹ. (sick)]

Ayanna found it odd that this creature called her a bottle of sunshine. Did her purity shine that bright in the eyes of such a dark creature? If so, just how malice was this thing? It sent shivers down her spine thinking this, but she also felt god awful for assuming so fast. What if the creature is just testing her, putting on a front to see if she is truly worthy of their knowledge!

With that in mind, the naive girl had to be honest! This all had to be a little trick to prove the humans worthiness. "I seek knowledge on how to be a good ruler. As next in line, my family has taught me everything they know, but I still seek words of wisdom from an ancient being who knows the history of our world." She said softly before letting out a shaky breath. "However, I do not know what I can give in return. I guess..my loyalty."

Loyalty.

What an awful thing to trade.

What a naive little girl.

 

[Peregrine]

A faint, deep chuckle escaped from Skaldreg, like the rolling of thunder in the distance. He couldn't resist the instinct to reach out his hand towards her face once again. His arm stretched over the distance between them, before his fingers brushed across her face, the touch soft and ghostly.

Her innocence and purity was almost staggering. It was clear that her exposure to the world had been limited to only the most beautiful parts. Otherwise, how would she possibly have the nerve to profess loyalty to a creature like him? It was little more than a promise of self-enslavement. Already, Skaldreg could feel shivers running up his spine as he imagined how badly she would twist, how deeply she would corrupt, when her beautiful little glass bubble shattered.

"Very well," Skaldreg agreed. "It sounds like a…" a soft chuckle escaped his lips. "fair trade." Rubbing his fingers in front of his nose, Skaldred inhaled deeply. "I can smell the magic in your veins. Shall we make an oath on it, then? In exchange for your unswerving loyalty, I will help you become the greatest Queen of all time."

 

[ᎵꂅᏒ꒝Ꭹ. (sick)]

Blinded by the glory of this sickening reality, and oblivious lie. The soon-to-be queen lunged forward into this monsters arms with great appreciation. Once in the cold hands of this crook, she whispered the words thank you in admiration to the creature. "Thank you for helping me become the best empress possible!" She cried out in joy, the innocence in her eyes gleaming like a blinded light.

Ayanna then took a step back, looking up at the creature. All gut feelings vanished, washed away by the little thing called hope. It drowned all senses, and replaced reality with fantasy as she dreamed of pleasing her people while on the throne. "Our city will be a city of gold, once more...because of you."

How ironic.

"Though, I will take an oath! Let's do it now!" How cute. The little lady was for sure desperate to tie ends with this beast, the beast in disguise.

 

[Peregrine]

For one second, as Ayanna's figure lunged towards Skaldreg, instinct screamed at him that this was an attack. After all, it had been a woman very similar to Ayanna, a golden-haired she-elf, and her companions who had sealed Skaldreg away for so long. However, he was confident enough in his strength that he didn't bother to flee at her approach. Even that maiden had required the aid of eighty other people to trap him, there was nothing this little toy could do against him on her own.

However, instead of an attack, Skaldreg found her soft little body pressed up against him, arms wrapped around his back. Frozen for a second, Skaldreg's face melted into something almost resembling a genuine smile a second later. One of his hands stroked lightly across the top of her head, smoothing her hair.

Yes, he would see this little creature turned into an Empress, set her on the path and then help her march her way to world conquest. And when the world ran red with blood and his strength had swelled beyond what anyone was capable of controlling, he'd finally turn her to the spirits and the dragons, those damned creatures. Nothing would stop them.

"Alright," Skaldreg agreed, the smile on his face gone by the time Ayanna stepped back. "Give me your full name, little one, and I'll begin."

 

[ᎵꂅᏒ꒝Ꭹ. (sick)]

Too the fucked up future, eh? A world now bound to be pained in blood due to this little elves poor decisions, and awful dreams. Some could point the blame on her brother. He knew how foolish his sister was, but who was making the deal. She was. The elf smiled brightly, saying her name with pride. "My name is Ayanna Rosa, princess of the Rose Kingdom!" Such sunshine in every word. Soon, that innocence would be broken down into a million pieces by none other then the one she was giving her loyalty to.

 

[Peregrine]

"Ayanna," Skaldreg repeated, rolling her name over his tongue like it was a fine wine. "Your name is almost as beautiful as you are." Skaldreg committed her name carefully into his memory, securing it inside him. After all, she was about to become his most treasured little pet. It wouldn't do for him to forget her name by accident.

Completely convinced in the girl's sheer innocence and willingness to fling herself into the depths of hell, Skaldreg didn't even bother to hide the details of the ritual that was to come. "Once I begin, you're going to feel something combining with your magic," Skaldreg explained. "Try and welcome it in if you can, but at a minimum, don't resist. The more thoroughly my magic can blend with yours, the deeper our connection will become."

Of course, even if Ayanna did realize something was wrong, she had already given her vocal consent and her name. Skaldreg would be able to complete a surface level oath no matter how strongly she resisted. That fact was what gave him assurance to speak. After all, even with his faith in her simplicity, he would never do something that could completely ruin the sweet possibilities that had been presented before him.

Gently petting her hair once more, Skaldreg smiled a serpent's grin. "I'm going to begin now, little one." Almost instantly, strange syllables began to pour out of his mouth, echoing as though they'd come from a deep cave. The same dark smoke that had heralded his freedom from imprisonment began to billow around him again, accompanied by the brilliantly colored lightly. The smoke grew denser, almost completely obscuring Skaldreg's form from sight, before it began to flow towards Ayanna, sinking under her skin. Unerringly, it moved through her body towards the magic that flowed within her, and began to stain it with streaks of vivid, poisonous purple.

 

[ᎵꂅᏒ꒝Ꭹ. (sick)]

As the oath began, and he spoke such poisonous words, the same gut feeling stung at her sides. She groaned a bit, beginning to feel uncomfortable as his magic crept into her veins, linking with her magic. Was it supposed to feel this awful, sinister, and drain her liveliness so much? It felt like a burden almost, weight on her body as the unpleasant feeling grew stronger.

After the ritual was completed, the pocket of sunshine seemed to dim. The small elf fell to the floor, hand pressing against her chest. Something felt wrong, she felt wrong. "W...What did you do to met?" Ayanna asked softly as golden orbs fell short on Skaldreg. "I don't feel good at all. Am I supposed to feel so awful?" She continued to ask questions, though her words soon faded as darkness consumed her vision. She passed out cold on the grown, body lifeless.

 

[Peregrine]

As their oath finished, the dark smoke sunk back under Skaldreg's skin once more, revealing his sharply smiling face. He took a step forward, looming over the crumpled figure of Ayanna's body, staring down at her with a trace of satisfaction. However, the look on his face immediately soured when she went limp on the ground, clearly unconscious.

"Pathetic," Skaldreg scolded her unconscious body, a sneer crossing his lips. That little dark magic, and she was already falling unconscious? The magic inside her had felt quite powerful and vivid. He had thought she would have had the strength to withstand that. Then again, who knew how weak this toy's willpower was, without her having had to struggle over any obstacles. It looked like Skaldreg would have to temper her a little bit before she'd be truly useful to him.

He stepped back, standing and waiting patiently for her consciousness to return to her. At that point, it would be time to wake this delicate little creature up to the truth of her situation. The moment her eyes opened again, Skaldreg smiled widely, pointed teeth gleaming and the faint white light in his eyes seeming to dance with delight. "Bow," he instructed her. "And greet your new Master."

 

[ᎵꂅᏒ꒝Ꭹ. (sick)]

Consumed by darkness for what seemed centuries, Ayanna sat in the lonesome of her mind contemplating her decisions. Something about this was terrifyingly off, and she'd just now come to terms with it. Far past the 'too late' mark, and there'd be no way of fighting it. Her will power could be weak, then again. She could just be accepting reality for what it is until she found an escape route. ​

​

Reawakening to a wicked grin, it sent a shiver down the sunshine's back. Her amber eyes glared at the man, though terror soon filled it at his words. Bow? Why the hell would she bow? Weren't they supposed to be equal....helping each other out to complete their goals they seek. ​

​

It seems Skaldreg had something else in mind. Too bad this little princess was blinded by false hopes, she was too naive to see the poison seething through this entities pores. Even his words were smothered with sin of a thousand dead men, and any normal person would know this. However, Ayanna was different. She'd never been tossed into chaos, but she'd just met chaos without any training, so this would be fun. ​

​

Ayanna got to her feet, eyeing Skaldreg curiously. She wouldn't bow so easily it seems. Even if she'd come to terms with their little agreement, and allowed darkness to flow through her veins. She was the future empress. No way in hell would she get on the ground and bow. ​

​

A simple word left her lips, in the most delicate form possible. ​

​

"No." ​

 

[Peregrine]

"No?" Skaldreg repeated, a faint laugh escaping from between pale lips. If Ayanna's refusal bothered him, it certainly didn't show on his face. Instead, another sharp smile sprawled its way across his face.

"How disappointing," he said, expression far too light to match his words. However, he shook his head like a disappointed parent, arms folded across his chest. "How disappointing indeed, so quick to forget your oath. You swore loyalty, unconditional and complete. And yet, here we are. My first request to you, and what do I get? A. Blatant. Refusal." His head shook, while his tongue clicked in disapproval.

Of course, Skaldreg could have simply forced her if he'd wanted to. His magic was in her system, and he could use that to crush her free will at anything he could reasonably construe as a breach of loyalty. But Skaldreg didn't want a puppet, dancing on its strings when he took action, and limp at every other moment. No, he wanted a servant, a loyal pawn that knew its own movements and acted according to his will.

Of course, it would take time to mold Ayanna into such a shape.

But Skaldreg was nothing if not patient.

 

[ᎵꂅᏒ꒝Ꭹ. (sick)]

𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥. —————
————burn the amazon to the ground

The act of defiance was an odd thing, almost thrilling, too sinister for such a saint as herself. His words cut deep in her though. She wasn't use to hearing those words, disappointment, and thus it made her feel bitter. She wasn't one to break rules, and yet here she was. Though, it was tearing at her, and then...she did as told after tearing herself down.

Though as she bowed, she looked back up, a fierceness in the elvens amber eyes. "You should bow too, shouldn't you? Aren't we supposed to be helping each other, seen as equals. I didn't think this would be a complete you have control over me." She confessed as she slowly stood back up, an irritated expression splayed across her delicate features.

seems the angel has forgotten what she'd offered in their little oath. her loyalty, to the fullest extent. That wasn't something to really bow to. Nor was it something to think of as a equally powerful thing either. She offered something that could be taken advantage of, and has yet to find this out!

fangs °

 

[Peregrine]

Watching Ayanna bow before him sent an almost visceral shiver of delight racing up Skaldreg's back. How pure she was, how delicate. She'd pledged herself to him, aware of it or not, and Skaldreg had claimed ownership over her. She was his thing, and he would never allow anyone to take her from him. Not even herself.

"Equals?" Skaldreg repeated, a faint, deep laugh coming from him that echoed around the stone room, making it seem as though they were surrounded by a mocking chorus. "What ever gave you that impression. In case you've forgotten, little pet, you gave me your loyalty. A knight is loyal to his king. A servant is loyal to his master. Loyalty, once given, need only be one directional."

Skaldreg stepped forward towards her, his hand reaching out to place on top of her head. For one brief moment he considered forcing her back down into a bow, but the thought vanished as quickly as light darting through the fog. Instead, he stroked her hair. "But don't worry, pet. I won't abandon you. After all, I promised in return to use my knowledge to make you the greatest queen that ever lived. And I fully intend to fulfill my promise."

 

[ᎵꂅᏒ꒝Ꭹ. (sick)]

𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥. —————
————burn the amazon to the ground

A knight is loyal to his king, yet Ayanna had thought she'd be the queen...the ruler, not this fool over her. This loyalty was not meant to allow the creature to have total control over her, and now the pieces were beginning to come together. Would he use her like a puppet, running this town to the ground his way, and using her to do it for him? It seems this could be a possibility, but an ounce of hope kept her from speaking on this matter. Instead, she looked at the entity with great fear as his hand came into contact with her head.

Her ears drooped a bit, eyes looking down. "You aren't kind, are you? I was fooled again, and now this is what I get for being so naive..." The little elf whispered to herself, though even in this silence, a whisper could be a yell.

fangs °

 

[Peregrine]

"Kind?" Skaldreg repeated, the word followed almost instantly by a deep, throaty laugh. He grinned, sharp teeth almost seeming to glow in the half-light of the cavern. "Would you believe me if I said I was?"

He hadn't answered Ayanna's question, not explicitly at least, but the dark spirit was far too lazy to waste time on something he considered so obvious. He would let her delude herself as long as she could force herself to maintain that happy little illusion, and then watch with amusement as she tried to hold herself together as the false world she'd built around her crumbled to the ground. After all, there was no such thing as nice people. Only the manipulative, and the naïve.

Still laughing slightly, Skaldreg's eyes turned towards the door out of the room. "Come, soon-to-be queen," he instructed. "Lead me out of here. I've been trapped beneath that sword for centuries. It's time to see how the world changed without me."

Skaldreg's sharp tongue flicked out unconsciously, licking his lips in relish. The elves and spirits of the past had sealed him because they feared the strength he'd gathered. No matter how powerful the pure spirits were, there was no way they could compete against the endless tides of negative emotions that flooded from mortals, allowing Skaldreg to use that power to corrupt and absorb magic. Perhaps they had thought that time would weaken him, to the point where he would perish naturally. But the seal had done nothing but delay the inevitable. Now that Skaldreg was free, he would resume right where he'd left off, until he'd swallowed every single last scrap of magic this world had to offer.

 

[ᎵꂅᏒ꒝Ꭹ. (sick)]

𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥. —————
————burn the amazon to the ground

As the tainted spirit let out a throaty laugh, it was enough to crackle her dream of this being a trick. An act the spirit used to see if the person they were granting their powers to was good enough. she was, and never will be good enough now to stop the curse she'd forced upon herself. unless, an escape came soon...but it may take some time. for now, the little princess would allow this creature to control her, and she'd hope to find the light somewhere in the void called his heart. not all negativity was completely heartless, right? RIGHT?!

letting out an unnerving gulp, the princess straightened out her dress before laughing nervously. it took a lot of strength to not cry. it took a lot of strength not to break down, and ask her lords for forgiveness, some sign of hope. Moving forward, Ayanna grabbed Skaldreg's cold hand, it alone sending shivers up her spine. She tugged him forward, indicating they'd be taking their leave from here. Maybe in the light, ayanna would feel less nervous. though at the sight of her brother, she might just break down.

more hatred was growing for him that'd he'd do such a terrible thing to her. attaching her to a leach bound to end the whole human race. what a nice little game he played, unless he intended for it. but not even eric probably intended for his sister to pull through with his little tale. but, when ayanna and her new pet arrived out of the pits of hell, eric stood down the hallway with a demented look on his face. he seemed oddly satisfied by the looks of it, fire burning in his eyes.

When ayanna saw her brother, she met his eyes for a second before looking away. the fear in her body rose, making it obvious to Skaldreg she had much more fear for the man at the end of the hallway than him. Eric laughed a bit before continuing his walk, a little tune picking up in the form of a whistle. the little elf gripped Skaldreg's hand even more, until the whistle faded. then, she let go of his hand, and looked at him. "W...welcome home." she said, trying to pretend everything was okay.

if she kept a positive mindset, everything had to go alright. right?

fangs °

 

[Peregrine]

Ayanna's delicate little fingers closed around Skaldreg's hand, and she tugged him forward as though he'd get lost if she wasn't physically in contact with him. It was adorable, and just as naive as everything else the girl had done since the moment she set her heart on freeing the spirit trapped under the sword. As though there was any chance of him getting lost or leaving her behind.

Despite its access to the outside, the Sword Room had been buried in the depths of the oldest part of the elves' palace, and it took them time to return to the surface. The whole time, Skaldreg forcibly kept Ayanna's dainty hand in his grasp, refusing to let her separate from him even as the tips of her fingers gradually grew colder and colder in his grasp.

It wasn't until they passed through the last doorway and into a spacious hallway that Skaldreg finally released her from his grasp. However, his sudden willingness to release her had little to do with granting her freedom, and instead a great deal to do with the elf standing at the other end of the hallway.

As a corrupted spirit fed from the negative emotions of people, Skaldreg was uniquely sensitive to those emotions. And that man across from him, oh he was a veritable fountain of negative emotions, anger, hatred, obsession, fear, all bundled up into a tidal wave that practically filled the space around him with a black cloud.

"Ahhh," Skaldreg all but moaned, his tongue unconsciously flicking out to lick his lips. "Such a delectable looking creature." His gaze turned to Ayanna, practically leering. "Can I eat it?"

He was wondering if he'd even bother listening to her if she said 'no'. It was rare such a feast was placed so blatantly before him, even more so after his millenniums of imprisonment.