The World of Layonara  Forums

Show Posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.


Messages - LordCove

Pages: 1 2 3 [4]
61
Poetic License / Characters of Layo #5
« on: October 22, 2007, 01:37:43 pm »
" Wait! Wait!"
The begging cry fell on deaf ears.... and suddenly Sall was tossed through the air like a rag doll, landing heavily on the thick wooden table in the centre of the kitchen, wisps of flame licking his coat and chasing behind him. Reflexively he rolled off the second he landed and dived behind it, snatching a large frying pan from the top of the oven and holding it protectively infront of him.... peering fearfully at the doorway and the dark corridor he had fled from.
A white faced Belinarian monkey, which had been sat rather lazily atop a cabinet, suddenly began screeching incessently and scarpered to the bread bin, opening it up with his little furry hands and hiding himself inside it, snapping it shut behind him, leaving Sall to his face.
His heart thudding in his chest, his breath coming in painful gasps, he peered slowly over the top of the table....

She strode forward into the light of the kitchen, as though the darkness itself had merged to give her form. With her hood drawn over her head and her protective spells unconsciously summoned in her anger, she appeared a slim pillar of darkness in the dim light that filtered through the windows.
She had an aura about her, rage filled and furious. It shook the walls and cuboards gently, sending cutlery and plates shaking from their holdings and clattering to the floor.
Her hands and delicate fingers twitched, fire and lightning dancing from tip to tip in anticipation. He sensed more than saw her eyes turn to him under the hood, and with a sinking feeling in his stomach, watched her raise a hand and point in his direction.
She barely even spoke.... but suddenly all the air in the room seemed to be drawn into her, and with a shrill whistle, a dozen shimmering balls of light flung from her hands and flew unerringly towards Sall.

The table took the most of the brunt as he ducked behind it and slid himself over into the corner of the kitchen, frying pan in hand. The table exploded into a burst of splinters, table legs and flower arrangements, showering the kitchen. But two balls of light remained, and hovered over the now vapourised table. A brief moment to seemingly get their bearings, and they headed for Sall cowering in the corner.
He leapt to his feet, and frying pan in hand, proceeded to bat the balls should they get too close. One was a perfect hit, and the glowing ball went flying to the other side of the room, exploding near the shadowed mages face.... though not even causing her to flinch a bit.
The second however... his timing was off. And rather than rebounding off the frying pan, it exploded on it, jarring the frying pan from his hand and twisting his wrist.
" Argghh! Stop stop stop! Pleeease stop!" he wailed, and began launching pots and pan and cups and plates in her general direction, keeping low beside the sink. But a wall of flame leapt from the ground around her.... either incinerating anything which got too close, or simply diverting its path and having it smash harmlessly off the wall beside her.

" Look... Im.... Im sorry.... I'll never mention it again. I... I must have been stupid! Crazy!"
A bowl of tomatoes went whizzing through the air, only to splatter on the wall several feet away from her. A bolt of lightning leapt from her fingers in response and scorched the tiled floor not inches from Salls foot.... and... with a sudden gasp of panic.... he leapt to his feet and tried to flee to the bathroom.
But he was too late... and way too slow. In mid stride.... the dark woman whispered a few words.... and suddenly Sall found himself stunned, paralysed to the spot.... only his panic stricken eyes moving in confusion.
" Mpppff... Mpfffh..... Mppfffhhhhh!" he mumbled, and slowly, unable to maintain his balance, he fell backwards onto a chair which magically slid up behind him to catch him.
A small, satisfied " heh" came from the dark mage.... as she strode slowly, enticingly over to Sall's frozen form.... lightning and flame still dancing suggestively from her fingertips.
She traced a finger up his arm and over his shoulder's as she circled him slowly in his chair, like a hawk circling and toying with its prey before the kill.

"Yes.... you "will" never mention it again. You "were" stupid! And you "are" crazy.... Sallaron Tempest." she sneered, running her hands through his hair, tugging slightly on several strands of curls haning over his forehead.
" Now... " she turned gracefully to face him, and placed her knee inbetween his legs on the chair where he sat, leaning over him in an almost seductive and longing way, though making it plainly obvious just how fast and sharpy her knee would go up if he didn't answer the way she liked.
" Where are you not going?"
His eyes focused on her knee... like it was a daggar pointed at his throat. He struggled to speak until she clicked her fingers, and felt himself able to move again.
" The Arms!" he blurted, " The Arms.... Im... Im not going... never!... never going!"
" Mmmhmm" she poked his chest firmly. " And why not?"
" Because... because I.... I shouldnt be drinking... I.. I make a fool of myself... and.... I shouln't be going to .... Singles nights."
" And... why not?" she leant even closer now, breath on his cheek, whispering in his ear.
" Because... because Im....not... single?" he answered this with a fair amount of uncertainty, chewing his lip and praying it was the smart answer.

Obviously not.
With a rough shove, she sent both him and the chair topping backwards to the floor.
" Because.... Mr. Tempest! I really dont want to have to kill you and leave Trouble fatherless.... just because his dad cant handle a drink.... control his flirting.... or keep from passing out in other peoples rooms!! Thats why!!"
He flinched on the floor, nodding eagerly in agreement with her and shimmying up against the kitchen counter.
" Now.... get this place tidied up!" she threw a hand around the room, indicating the mess, " and don't even THINK of going anywhere till I get back!"
She wagged a finger at him menacingly, then went back into the corridor, emerging a moment later with a small boy. Trouble seemed oblivious to the chaos that had ensued recently, and seemed more pre-occupied trying to snatch at the glowing lights of the protective spells circling his head.
Sall quickly clambered to his feet, pressing his back against the kitchen sink and nodding vigioursly.
" Sure... sure love.... of course." he mumbled, gulping loudly. The breadbin next to him suddenly opened, and the white faced monkey peered out from inside warily. Sall turned, looked at the monkey, then looked to Tegan, shrugging hopelessly, apologetically.
"And get that THING out my breadbin!"
She sighed, exasperrated, whispered a quick word and snapped her fingers as she glared at him. A bright flash illuminated the room, and she turned and stormed out the house, carrying their son in her arms.
Sall sighed miserably, sniffing, curling his nose as he looked about the room for the source of the burning smell. Screech the monkey, slowly and cautiously crept from the bread bin and climbed sypathetically onto his shoulders.
Leaning over near Salls face, the little monkey began patting out the smoke slowly rising from Sall's now singed and burnt eyebrows with its little hand.
The following users thanked this post: Stephen_Zuckerman, mumbles, Eorendil, Masterjack, Hellblazer

62
Poetic License / Characters of Layo #4
« on: October 11, 2007, 08:58:03 pm »


Sall struggled and tugged at his coat, trying to release it from the womans gasp.... but despite her small size and frail appearance, her grip was incredibly strong. Infact, she hardly seemed to notice he struggled, and clasping tightly the ends of the thin belt that ran around his coat, she skipped cheerfully along, dragging him deeper and deeper into the trees.
" Look woman... I dont even know you! Get the hell off me!" he cried, struggling even more fiercely.
" Ohh poof!" she giggled, her smile wide and innocent, her black scruffy hair bobbed at the back bouncing to and fro, with an unusual look in her eyes that Sall simply couldn't place.
" Your my daddy of course.... dont worry.... the hit on your head did that. I'll take you home.... and you'll remember everything and make me wonderful presents and cook me cherry and chocolate pies all day long." she laughed, skipping merrily and tugging him along.

They had left the path a good while ago, and Sall was still at a loss as to what happened. This woman just came out the woods, bursting from some bushes covered in small branches and leaves clinging to her tattered clothes, huffing and puffing as though exhausted. She screamed at him a moment, something unintelligable, then grabbed his coat and began dragging him in the trees. Normally, he would have drew his sword and cut himself free if he had to, or just took a deep breath and knocked her unconscious, despite his hatred of such things.... but there was something about this one that held him back.
She was scruffy, dirty, her boots and clothes in tatters with strange, slime like smears across them, and she smelt like a sewer. But she had no weapons, there was no look of malice in her eyes or face... more like.... total innocence or something... Sall couldn't place it. And she genuinely seemed to believe he was her dad!

" Just a little more daddy.... I think I saw my brother's ahead... they'll be happy to see you too. Oooo.... then we can have a campfire... and all sit around and sing songs and..."
He began ignoring her, sensing a prickling on his neck.
Up ahead he saw it, a shadow move.... and he stopped in his tracks, refusing to let her tug him an inch closer. The sudden stop made her frown, and she looked up at him with obvious dissapointment.
" What is it dadd...aaeeee!" she suddenly let out a shrill scream, as a crossbow bolt whizzed through the air and grazed her arm, thudding into a tree close by.
" !" he swore, pushing the woman to the floor and hiding quickly behind a tree. Two other whizz sounds followed, and two other bolts struck into the trees around him. In a flash his swords were out, and he stood over the woman angrily, seeming ready to knock her unconscious.
But.... she wept and cried, holding her bleeding arm and looking at Sall pathetically through tear streaked eyes, wailing like a child.
She certainly didn't look like she had expected this. And if this was her attempt to lead him into an ambush... her tactics were.... well... far too pathetic to be believable.
With a soft curse, he edged around the huge tree trunk and spotted the attackers. A dwarf and a halfling... hidden in the brush, or trying to but doing a terrible job if it. Mercenaries likely... waiting by the road for someone to wander by. They didn't have much of any kind of armour, looked fairly tattered and rough.... and now they'd missed their targets on the first few shots... they seemed a little dubious about continuing the whole thing, arguing in hushed whispers with each other.
Suddenly Sall was gone. The wind whispered in the trees, branches creaked and groaned, and occassional bird song filtered down... and of course, the woman continued her screaming and wailing.
She didn't even notice he was missing... neither did the two mercenaries.... until Sall was stood behind them.

A few hacking and slashing sounds followed, a long groan of pain... and Sall walked slowly back to the wailing woman, wiping blood off his sword with the edge of his coat.
" Now... " he said, pointing one of his swords at her, " you wanna tell me who the hell you are?"
She stopped wailing, sniffling a moment, glancing behind him and noting the two mercenaries were dead with wide, puffy eyes. But, stifled as it were, it didn't stop, and with another wail of tears, she wrapped her arms around his legs, hugging them tightly.
" Oh daddy! I was so afraid! Why.... why do people try to... to keep us apart?! Pe-people are so.... mean!"
His legs crushed together so tightly he almost fell over, Sall had to keep hold of the trees beside him to keep his balance.
" All I want is to be happy! But noooo... " she screws up her face angrily, wiping her nose with a dirty sleeve, " they kicked me out of Hempstead... they kicked me out of the Arms.... they even said I couldn't stay in the Sewers! And I so loved that rat....."
She sighs miserably, sniffling, now wiping her nose on his trouser leg.
" Woman! I dont even care! I aint your bloody daddy! And I dont care where you stay! I mean... what are you... craz...!" he stops suddenly, biting his tongue, realisation dawning on him

The sudden silence causes her to look up, and that same look of oblivious innocence sparkles in her glazed eyes. She looks at him curiously at the outburst. For a brief moment, her eyes flutter repeatedly and turn white. Then suddenly, she looks up at him adoringly, practically climbing up his clothes to look into his eyes, a bright, mischeivous glint in them.
" Take off your shirt." she says, twiddling with some buttons on his coat.
Sall blinks.
" Er.... what?"
She takes a step back, looking him up and down with obvious, unhidden approval. Taking a deep breath, she suddenly begins yelling at the top of her voice, shrill and piercing, until no more breath remains in her lungs.
" I do! I do! I do I do I doooooo!"
Sall falters and flusters, stepping back and bumping into a tree behind him, his face almost comical in his confusion and bewilderment.
" What the hell you doing woman?!?"
She takes a deep breath, sighing, and a bright smile plays on her lips. She skips over to him and grasps his hand, tugging the bewildered man along with her through the woods, who now seems at a complete loss to stop her.
" There.... " she says, pulling him along... " All married now."



// I love my job. Heh. 1 more to come.


The following users thanked this post: Stephen_Zuckerman, LynnJuniper, Black Raven

63
Poetic License / Characters of Layonara #3
« on: March 28, 2007, 01:13:17 pm »
The ranger cursed, dragging himself across the ground and propping himself against a tree, gasping for breath. He winced as he
covered the vicious slashes across his ribs, forcing his cloak against the wound to stem the flow of blood. The wolf whined and
whimpered only a few feet away from his, the arrow stuck firmly in its back, bleeding freely as it pawed at the muddy ground trying to
drag itself away.
The rush of battle, the thrill of the fight, the sound of your heart pulsing in your ears all fell from the ranger like the leaves from the trees.
All that remained was the whisper of the wind through the trees, the chatter of a few birds, the whimpering of the wolf and his own
harsh, ragged breathing. The forest hushed and stilled....as though watching the events between man and beast with great curiosity.
He glanced down at his cloak....it was soaked and black from the blood. His blood.
He cursed again, knowing full well it was a deep wound, and as the realisation hit him, he felt himself growing dizzy and weak, bile
rising from his stomach tasting sickly sweet. He'd lost a lot of blood....and would continue to. Likely he would lose consciousness soon,
and the question would raise its ugly head....would he wake up?
Resigned to his own fate, he regarded the wolf a moment still scrabbling away, and a look of pity crossed his face.
He had never meant to startle the beast. He had spotted it earlier in the undergrowth and tried to detour around it, recognising it was
half starved and would likely have attacked anything it saw as it scavenged relentlessly for food. He had been trying to cross these
woods for two days now, and had managed to avoid slaying anything he didn't need to.....until now.
And now is scraped and clawed at the dirt feebly, the arrow embedded deep, its grey fur now black and sticky as it slowly bled to death
before him. He leant forward and dragged his bow towards him from where it had dropped, cursing as the stretching sent waves of
pain rushing over him. Every movement an agony, he reached behind him, pulled an arrow from his quiver, and knocked it with shaky
hands, aiming at the beast.
It stopped its struggle a moment....and turned to look directly at him, its bright eyes seeming to bore into his soul, accepting its
end....almost welcoming it.
He held his aim....his arms shook from maintaining the hold....the strain drained him....and with a ragged, miserable sigh.... he dropped
the bow to the floor and fell back against the tree, defeated.
He couldn't do it....even now, when it would be preferable to end it rather than let the beast suffer....he couldn't do it.
Ripping his hood off, he rested his head against the firm trunk of the tree and closed his eyes.....waiting for darkness to over take him.

Then the feeling came....it drifted in just as it seemed he would sleep forever....and like a cold bucket of water to the face....he sat up
and opened his eyes,looking about alertly.
She stood at the threshold of a grove of trees, silent and still. It took him a moment to notice her, her clothes blended into the lush green
background perfectly and his eyes blurred over a little. She regarded him cooly, not a flicker of surprise or interest on her face and
strode over to him casually, not a twig snapping beneath her feet as she came, as though she glided.
She wore simple leathers, dyed green and browns that kept her camouflaged, hinting at her thing and agile figure. She was obviously
elven, the slight almond eyes, the delicate curves of her face, the tips of her ears piercing her short, black hair. She stopped a few feet
away from him, looked to the injured wolf, then to the bow on the floor, and finally back to the ranger.
Her face was marble, not a hint of emotion showed on her face, and it seemed for a moment as though she may have simply continued
walking and left the two for dead.
" Why did you not finish the wolf? Your bow is there....." she spoke softly, tonelessly, pointing to the bow.
Dizziness assailed him. He propped himself up further on the tree, and again, the movement sent painful shocks through his system
which seemed to clear his head. He kept his hand to his wound. It was warm and sticky, but the blood had slowed.
" Because....I.....couldn't...." he gasped, shifting his weight painfully on the tree.
She raised an eyebrow a moment and looked back to the bow at his feet. It was right in front of him, within easy reach, and an arrow
lay atop it, seeming to have been knocked already. She regarded him curiously a moment, then knelt down beside him, placing a hand
on his.
The smell of jasmine filled his lungs, strong and sweet. Her hair fell over her face as she bowed her head, clutching his hand tightly and
murmuring strange words. He gasped in surprise as the pain began subsiding, the dizziness receded, and he felt strength returning to
him.
Her hand clenched his tighter and pulled it away from the wound, pulling his cloak with it. Blood caked his leathers and skin, but she
poked the wound firmly, with little concern for his suffering, and nodded slightly.
" You will live" she said, getting gracefully to her feet and stepping back a little.
He glanced down at the wound. His skin was pink and health, albeit covered in blood, and the deep cuts from the wolfs claws were
gone. He looked up at her in surprise and forced a weak smile.
" My....thanks miss....I.....owe you one." he spoke, his breathing slowing and becoming more steady.
She nodded slowly again and strode over calmy to the injured wolf. Panic flooded through him and he rushed to his feet, wincing at the
pain he expected to feel, even though the wound was fully healed.
" Miss wait....it's injured.....dying...." he spoke hurriedly, fearing the beast may fear her and attack. But the words died on his tongue.
Seeing her approach, the wolf whimpered pathetically and began scrabbling its way towards her, it's tail wagging slightly. She knelt
before it, patting its head, letting it lick her hand a moment, before looking carefully at the arrow which stuck from its back.
Softly, ever so softly, she whispered words to it, covered its eye gently with her hand, and in one quick motion, yanked the arrow from
its back. The beast shuddered and spasmed, yelping loudly in pain, but remaining by her. Blood began pouring from the wound, but
again, she placed her hand over it and began whispering words, her head bowed.

The Ranger stood and watched in awe, keeping a distance from the wolf. He regarded the woman curiously, solemnly, wondering if he
had ever seen a sight so beautiful. This elven lady of the woods, who healed the sick and spoke to the animals. Now he was aware of
it, he could sense something about her....something around her. It watched her, guided her, protected her, and he shrank before it,
suddenly feeling small in her presence.
" Who....who are you?" he asked.
She petted the wolf a moment, then rose to her feet and turned to face him, her face blank and emotionless, her eyes wide and
innocent.
" Iam Valaria la'Elis, Priestess of the Longstrider." she spoke slowly.
Unsure why, never having been a devout follower of Folian, feeling only that it was right to do so, he felt himself bow reverently to her.
She regarded him a moment at this and nodded slowly, then pointed eastward through the trees.
" The way through the woods is that way. Follow it for a day and you will find the lake and the road to Pranzt."
He looked in the direction she pointed, quickly noting landmarks and the suns position to be sure, then turned back to her. But she was
already walking away, moving gracefully from one tree to the next, touching each gently as she passed them, the wolf trotting along
beside her in full health.
He sighed a moment and shook his head. Reaching down, he grabbed his bow and replaced the arrow back in the quiver. His eyes
turned eastwards again, noting the sun slowly sinking from the sky and the grey clouds gathering on the far horizon.
"Why were you here?"
He spun around suddenly, a little alarmed, to find her standing by the tree again, the wolf obediently stood next to her, regarding him
with a fair amount of hatred. Again, she looked emotionlessly at him, as though he should have expected this.
" I'm not sure miss. I er....guess my feet just brought me here. They have a habit of doing that." he chuckles slightly at this.
She looked at him for a long moment, then nodded slowly, almost curiously.
" You are an adventurer yes? You travel much?"
He pulled a small canteen from his belt and took a long quaff, nodding to her mid drink, hasping as the cool liquids calmed his parched
throat, then splashed some on his leathers where the blood still caked.
" I certainly try miss. I aint no frontlining beserker or anything though. I travel from here to there....again, where ever my feet take me."
He began rubbing his cloak against the leathers, trying to get the blood out and smiling politely. She raised an eyebrow slightly and
looked at him strangely, almost as though she recognised him from somewhere. The expression held a moment, as though she were
considering something, then she nodded slowly again, her mind made up.
" I will be leaving these woods one day, and will need a guide to explore further. Since you say you...owe me....could I count on you?"
He smiled warmly again, snapping the cloak off from around his neck and stuffing it into his pack which lay strewn on the floor.
" You certainly could miss....and it would be a pleasure to help and guide. I can't guarantee we wont get lost from time to time....my feet
seem to have a knack for that too. But..." he chuckles, shrugging slightly " I always seem to find my way home in the end."
A thin, chilly breeze suddenly gushed through the woods, shaking the trees awake and blowing leaves to dance about the air infront of
the the two. The sky darkened ever so slightly, but enough for the two of them to glance up at it together.
" So....you travel far....even though you may not know the way and may stray?" she asked, a small hint of curiousness and surprise
creeping in her voice.
" I do miss....bit of exploring. Path's cant take you every where there is to see.....and the world is so much bigger than a road."
He smiled warmly again, looking intently at her, noting she must live close by, as she carried no pack, no tools or weapons hung on her
belt. For a moment, he wondered whether she was really alone out here after all, and glanced about the trees.
" And who are you...that I should ask for?" she asked softly, stepping back a little whilst he seemed to get himself ready to leave.
Readjusting his pack on his back and securing the bow to his shoulder, he turned to her and nods politely, a slight gleam in his eyes.
" Just call me Sall....."
The following users thanked this post: Masterjack, gilshem ironstone

64
Poetic License / Characters of Layonara #2
« on: March 17, 2007, 05:54:23 am »
*points down*
The following users thanked this post: Stephen_Zuckerman

Pages: 1 2 3 [4]