Part 1
“You will be mine Elf. I will taste the fear upon your soul and you will know despair.”
From the blackness came consciousness. Senses began to return. The feel of the stony ground he lay upon and the harsh, biting wind scratching at his face, the sound of carrion birds above and the smell of disease masked by a pungent perfume. As the elf sorted through these sensations other feelings began to return to his mind. The sense of sadness came to him the most. Unable to rationalise why, he slowly opened his eyes and waited calmly for his vision to clear. The sky was a mix of pinks, mauves and orange whilst green lightning flashed across the sky. The clouds moved like ink in water and formed shapes of grotesque creatures the elf could not recognise. To the fore of them, crows circling above a presumed meal was next to come into focus. Slowly sitting up he winced as pain lanced through his side. He looked down at his naked body. A lesion ran down the left hand side of his ribcage, blood covered that half of his body but none ran from the wound itself. Checking over the rest of his body he saw several cuts and scrapes and many scars.
Looking around him the elf gasped as he took in the landscape. A vast arid desert stretched out before him. Huge mountains of black stone rose from the ground in the speed it took to blink but would be gone again in a heartbeat only to be replaced by gigantic ravines cutting across the ground as if by a blade. The world was chaotic and desolate.
Many questions raced through his mind.
“Where was he? How did he get here?”
And then one question hit him like a thunderbolt.
“Who was he?”
Pain throbbed through his head as he tried to remember but nothing would come. Tears rolled down his cheeks with the effort of forcing himself to remember but still nothing .
“Hahaha!”
The elf spun around to see where the laughter had come from but could not find it’s location.
“Ah, my lovely. Do not fear. There is no need to strain yourself to pain. I will do that for you!”
A mighty crack in the air sent the elf spinning to the ground. He coughed out the dirt from his mouth and stood up searching for his assailant but finding nought but the ever changing landscape. As he scanned the area, something dark flickered in the back of his mind, like something moving just out of his line of sight. A strange, instinctive feeling of readiness began to come over the elf. He clenched his fists.
“I’m sorry my pet. I can sometimes get too excited when I have a new play thing. Can we start over? I‘m sure you have many questions that you would like answered.”
The air in front of the elf shimmered like a heat haze to reveal a creature of incredible beauty and grotesqueness. Its face was horned and angular, the pale purple skin pulled tight across it‘s bones. Its eyes where black pools which seemed to stare through the elf. The nose was just two slits in the face and beneath them was a mouth full of tiny pointed teeth which hid a tongue that forked in the middle. Its body was slender and toned and one half of the chest sported a female breast. Three arms sprouted from the beast, two of which ended in clamp like claws which looked capable of ripping apart the elf, the third arm had a more humanoid claw at it‘s end. Supporting the creature where sensual, muscular legs that ended in hooves but despite this the creature moved with grace and beauty. The elf was both enamoured and repulsed at the same time. As he studied the beast moving towards him another dark flicker entered his mind, this time calming his body and relaxing his muscles.
“Well met elf.”
The creatures voice was like a snake singing a lullaby. The creature suddenly took two quick steps forward and kicked the elf square in the chest sending him flying through the air and crashing into the ground. The elf caught his breath and slowly stood up.
“I am so sorry.” hissed the creature with a smirk on its face. “I could not resist myself. You must think me insatiably cruel, which I am, but I can also be very kind and loving in ways you cannot imagine.”
Another smirk.
The elf watched warily as the creature began to circle the elf eyeing him up and down as a cat might eye a wounded mouse.
“But I am getting ahead of myself,” continued the creature. “Let us start with introductions.”
The creature leapt forward and slapped the elf across the face, drawing blood from a small scratch on his cheek. The creature licked the blood from his hand, smiled malevolently, and resumed circling the elf. Another dark flicker and the elf felt a sense of anticipation come over him and, whilst he did not show it, he felt like a coiled spring.
“I am the ballerina of death, the courtesan of change. I am the Masque of Slannesh! Favoured demon of the Lord of Change himself!” exclaimed the demon, reaching to the heavens as he did.
“This is my domain and YOU!” shouted the Masque, pointing a claw at the elf. “You will be my new toy and pet. I will enjoy myself with you for many, many long years whether you are willing or not. Oh, the things I can imagine doing to you. Then when you beg for death and then I will give you to the others, the uneducated and the untutored and they will tear at you and probe you in horrific ways and then you will beg for me to take you into my loving embrace thus creating a never-ending cycle of love and hate.”
As the demon had been speaking and getting more and more excited by the prospect of pain and pleasure hand in hand, the elf had quietly stood there and closed his eyes. His mind had become a cacophony of images and feelings. The elf could make no sense of them and it pained him when he tried to but through all the noise which blinded his senses one phrase shone like a candle in the night.
Talithar, son of Sulannar Swiftwind. Swordmaster of the Asur.
“Shall we begin?” asked the demon.
The elf opened his eyes and stared hard and long into those of the demon.
“No.” was his reply.
And the world faded to black.
The dance with the demon
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Elessehta of Yvresse
- Well played Sir
- Posts: 7811
- Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2010 1:46 pm
- Location: Queensland, Australia
- Contact:
Re: The dance with the demon
Defiance, I like it! Hhmm... wasn't Talithar in your other story as well?
[url=http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=34506][i]Lord Elessehta Silverbough of Ar Yvrellion, Ruler of Athel Anarhain, Prince of the Yvressi.[/i][/url]
[quote="Narrin’Tim"]These may be the last days of the Asur, but if we are to leave this world let us do it as the heroes of old, sword raised against evil![/quote]
[quote="Narrin’Tim"]These may be the last days of the Asur, but if we are to leave this world let us do it as the heroes of old, sword raised against evil![/quote]
Re: The dance with the demon
Yes he was. He will eventually be the general of my army but I wasn't feeling the last story so decided to scrap it. Already working on the next installment
Iem Peishill Koem
Re: The dance with the demon
Part 2
Whilst the world was black, Talithars mind was filled with colour and sound. His memories returning faster than he could process them. He saw his father riding from the house he grew up in on his last, and doomed, expedition. He saw his mother grieve for their loss and her death at the hands of the Druchii. The many years at the tower of Hoeth followed by battles and death came to his mind. Everything returned and brought him to this point in time, this day of blood and to the feet of this demon.
His eyes snapped open.
The demon was kneeling above him and gone was the malicious and cruel smirk that had haunted his soul, only to be replaced with a look of shock and disbelief.
Talithar acted first by slamming his fingers into the neck of the demon. The demon choked and gargled as it fell back. Talithar flipped to his feet and readied himself. He knew he was injured and unarmed and that if he didn’t take the creature quickly he would die, but he drowned out these thoughts, calmed his mind and sought out the Way of the Sword.
The demon regained his composure and rose from the ground.
“You have done well elf.” hissed the demon. “You have managed something none of your kin have before you, but just because you escaped my realm does not mean I will not gut you like a fish and feast on your heart in this world!”
“Do not tell me demon.” said Talithar. “Show me.”
The demon gave a roar and launched forward, aiming one of its pincers towards Talithars heart. This time though Talithar was ready for the attack and his hundreds of years of training came instinctively to him.
Stepping quickly to the outside of the attack he brought his right arm across the demons body and into the crook of the demons arm. Then, at the same time, grabbed the demons wrist with his left hand and pushed the demons own claw back upon itself. The attack was so swift that the demon did not have time to register its pincer piercing its chest. Talithar wasn’t done yet though.
Leaping backwards he kicked the arm as hard as he could. The pincer drove itself through the body of the demon and exploded out the back of the creature. Black blood splashed across the ground as the demon fell. With one arm disabled, Talithar knew this was the time to finish the fight.
Darting forward he leapt upon the demon and pinned the creatures other two arms with his knees.
“Now it is time for you to know fear and despair demon.” said Talithar through gritted teeth.
He began to rain blows into the face of the demon. With each punch fresh blood splattered across Talithar, but still he did not stop. His fists and arms were jolted and ached from the intensity with which he attacked, but still he did not stop.
Finally the demon began to crumble as it returned to the realm from which it came and Talithar fell back exhausted. His hands and arms shook and it took him a few minutes to regain his composure after which he took in his surroundings.
The glade was littered with dead Asur and the memory of the battle that day came back to him.
It had meant to be a routine patrol of the waystones in Nagarythe but the company had been ambushed by a host of demons. How they had come to materialise on Ulthuan, without aid, had been a mystery but they had to be stopped. The young mage Thalis had quickly drawn up battle lines but to no avail. Demons of Nurgle had overrun the spears and Talithar and his sword brethern had battled long and hard to defeat them. Then, once the sword masters where tired and wounded from battle, the Masque had attack killing all that stood in it’s way, including Thalis. How, or why, Talithar survived was a mystery too, but survive he must. A warning had to be issued and the council warned.
Suddenly, he crumpled to his knees. His wounds and the fight had weakened him greatly and he knew that if he did not find aid soon he would die here. With blurring vision he quickly searched around and found some fresh water and the pommel of his broken sword. Doffing his armour, he cleaned the wound at his side and then used a piece of his robes as a bandage. The bleeding had not stopped but it would have to do.
On shaking legs he began to make for the tree line and hopefully safety. As he reached the first tree his strength gave way and he collapsed against it, sinking to the ground. He looked back across the battle field and his heart filled with sorrow and remorse. Tears welled up in his eyes at the thought of so many of his friends and comrades that lay dead without anyone to know or give them a proper burial. It broke his heart.
As Talithars vision began to fade he sent a prayer to Loec to save the souls of the Asur. To make sure that no others would have to endure what he did. He would gladly give his life so that the prayer was answered.
“I shall consider your proposal.” came a whisper in Talithars mind.
Talithar managed to open his eyes a fraction to see whence the voice came from. Instead he saw six shadowy figures emerge from the tree line and move in his direction. He tried to raise his broken sword in defence but his arm would not move.
“No need for that brother.” said the first of the figures as it came closer. “We are here to help. I am Palin‘Tanith and these are my shadow warriors”
Talithar could not make out the features of the elf just many scars across his face and a head of silver hair.
“Here, drink this.”
Talithar gladly let the elf pour the liquid down his throat and struggled not to choke.
“That should keep you alive till we can get you to Anna’lis.”
Talithar felt some strength return to his body as Palin turned to the other elves.
“Quickly,” he said. “Make a stretcher and scout around for anything we can use.”
After a few moments Talithar was being gently lifted onto a rough stretcher of cloaks and branches.
“We must hurry.” said Palin as the troop began to make its way back towards the tree line.
From a hill top not far from the battle field, three hooded and cloaked figures watched as Talithar was carried off by the shadow warriors.
“A success?” asked one of the figures.
“Not a failure.” replied another.
“Just the beginning.” said the third.
Whilst the world was black, Talithars mind was filled with colour and sound. His memories returning faster than he could process them. He saw his father riding from the house he grew up in on his last, and doomed, expedition. He saw his mother grieve for their loss and her death at the hands of the Druchii. The many years at the tower of Hoeth followed by battles and death came to his mind. Everything returned and brought him to this point in time, this day of blood and to the feet of this demon.
His eyes snapped open.
The demon was kneeling above him and gone was the malicious and cruel smirk that had haunted his soul, only to be replaced with a look of shock and disbelief.
Talithar acted first by slamming his fingers into the neck of the demon. The demon choked and gargled as it fell back. Talithar flipped to his feet and readied himself. He knew he was injured and unarmed and that if he didn’t take the creature quickly he would die, but he drowned out these thoughts, calmed his mind and sought out the Way of the Sword.
The demon regained his composure and rose from the ground.
“You have done well elf.” hissed the demon. “You have managed something none of your kin have before you, but just because you escaped my realm does not mean I will not gut you like a fish and feast on your heart in this world!”
“Do not tell me demon.” said Talithar. “Show me.”
The demon gave a roar and launched forward, aiming one of its pincers towards Talithars heart. This time though Talithar was ready for the attack and his hundreds of years of training came instinctively to him.
Stepping quickly to the outside of the attack he brought his right arm across the demons body and into the crook of the demons arm. Then, at the same time, grabbed the demons wrist with his left hand and pushed the demons own claw back upon itself. The attack was so swift that the demon did not have time to register its pincer piercing its chest. Talithar wasn’t done yet though.
Leaping backwards he kicked the arm as hard as he could. The pincer drove itself through the body of the demon and exploded out the back of the creature. Black blood splashed across the ground as the demon fell. With one arm disabled, Talithar knew this was the time to finish the fight.
Darting forward he leapt upon the demon and pinned the creatures other two arms with his knees.
“Now it is time for you to know fear and despair demon.” said Talithar through gritted teeth.
He began to rain blows into the face of the demon. With each punch fresh blood splattered across Talithar, but still he did not stop. His fists and arms were jolted and ached from the intensity with which he attacked, but still he did not stop.
Finally the demon began to crumble as it returned to the realm from which it came and Talithar fell back exhausted. His hands and arms shook and it took him a few minutes to regain his composure after which he took in his surroundings.
The glade was littered with dead Asur and the memory of the battle that day came back to him.
It had meant to be a routine patrol of the waystones in Nagarythe but the company had been ambushed by a host of demons. How they had come to materialise on Ulthuan, without aid, had been a mystery but they had to be stopped. The young mage Thalis had quickly drawn up battle lines but to no avail. Demons of Nurgle had overrun the spears and Talithar and his sword brethern had battled long and hard to defeat them. Then, once the sword masters where tired and wounded from battle, the Masque had attack killing all that stood in it’s way, including Thalis. How, or why, Talithar survived was a mystery too, but survive he must. A warning had to be issued and the council warned.
Suddenly, he crumpled to his knees. His wounds and the fight had weakened him greatly and he knew that if he did not find aid soon he would die here. With blurring vision he quickly searched around and found some fresh water and the pommel of his broken sword. Doffing his armour, he cleaned the wound at his side and then used a piece of his robes as a bandage. The bleeding had not stopped but it would have to do.
On shaking legs he began to make for the tree line and hopefully safety. As he reached the first tree his strength gave way and he collapsed against it, sinking to the ground. He looked back across the battle field and his heart filled with sorrow and remorse. Tears welled up in his eyes at the thought of so many of his friends and comrades that lay dead without anyone to know or give them a proper burial. It broke his heart.
As Talithars vision began to fade he sent a prayer to Loec to save the souls of the Asur. To make sure that no others would have to endure what he did. He would gladly give his life so that the prayer was answered.
“I shall consider your proposal.” came a whisper in Talithars mind.
Talithar managed to open his eyes a fraction to see whence the voice came from. Instead he saw six shadowy figures emerge from the tree line and move in his direction. He tried to raise his broken sword in defence but his arm would not move.
“No need for that brother.” said the first of the figures as it came closer. “We are here to help. I am Palin‘Tanith and these are my shadow warriors”
Talithar could not make out the features of the elf just many scars across his face and a head of silver hair.
“Here, drink this.”
Talithar gladly let the elf pour the liquid down his throat and struggled not to choke.
“That should keep you alive till we can get you to Anna’lis.”
Talithar felt some strength return to his body as Palin turned to the other elves.
“Quickly,” he said. “Make a stretcher and scout around for anything we can use.”
After a few moments Talithar was being gently lifted onto a rough stretcher of cloaks and branches.
“We must hurry.” said Palin as the troop began to make its way back towards the tree line.
From a hill top not far from the battle field, three hooded and cloaked figures watched as Talithar was carried off by the shadow warriors.
“A success?” asked one of the figures.
“Not a failure.” replied another.
“Just the beginning.” said the third.
Last edited by sulannar on Sun Jun 03, 2012 12:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Iem Peishill Koem
-
Elessehta of Yvresse
- Well played Sir
- Posts: 7811
- Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2010 1:46 pm
- Location: Queensland, Australia
- Contact:
Re: The dance with the demon
You are using names from Headshot's stories =P
[url=http://www.ulthuan.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=34506][i]Lord Elessehta Silverbough of Ar Yvrellion, Ruler of Athel Anarhain, Prince of the Yvressi.[/i][/url]
[quote="Narrin’Tim"]These may be the last days of the Asur, but if we are to leave this world let us do it as the heroes of old, sword raised against evil![/quote]
[quote="Narrin’Tim"]These may be the last days of the Asur, but if we are to leave this world let us do it as the heroes of old, sword raised against evil![/quote]
Re: The dance with the demon
I know. Bit of a tip of the hat to him. Don't worry I'm not going to use them for long
Iem Peishill Koem
Re: The dance with the demon
I like this, looking forward to see where the story will go from here. 