acclue lockheart
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Don't let the innocent face fool you.[Mo0:3]
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Post by acclue lockheart on Feb 6, 2008 22:15:07 GMT -5
So, with college quickly approaching, I'm going to be spending a lot of time trying to get free money so I don't have to pay back a load of cash in four years. So by that, the official plan now seems to be that I'll update on a MWF schedule (WOOT! I'm organized!) and I'll be spending LOTS more of my free time in a word processor And that's just fine with me ------------------------------------- Chapter VI: Symbiosis Time heals all wounds, even imaginary ones. The first two days were spent almost entirely on travel, the ground between my hometown and the mountains was about a week's travel distance in the event of constant walking, but we knew that would be impossible. By the end of the second day, my hysteria had been reduced to a mild discomfort when the subject was brought up. And it occasionally did become part of the conversation. We all got along well in those few days. I tried to teach Ami Mantle, but she refused to listen. She said she would never need it once the humans went away. I guess she didn't foresee that we would be with Clad and Ayaka for very long. I didn't see Hoshi trying to mutilate herself again, and I was really watching for it. I didn't want to see her get hurt because of something that happened so long ago. I suppose I felt a duty to her to keep her safe in my own way. I definitely felt safer on the trip now that I had my spellbook back. I was actually hoping that someone would try something so I could use my knowledge of magic against someone at least once before I died. Call it a whim for violence that every little boy has at times. My recent jump out of my shell and into an extremely slow descent to insanity left me more than a bit confused with these new aggressive thoughts and tendencies. The shadow had definitely gotten what it wanted out of me, but I think he didn't intend me to go so far. The first night, I slept soundly through the entire night for the first time since I got beaten by Clad in Port Phoenix, and the second night, I was delighted to return to it again. Had I actually succeeded in becoming the dominant being over a Shadow Demon? Whatever was going on, the images still flashed through my mind every few hours, and on occasion, I caused some distress among the group when I felt the pain again. I dropped in and out of depression at these times and was beginning to accept my fate. The shadow was still there, just weakened. My change in appearance. My visions. The mere presence within me. I knew I wasn't rid of it, and it was only a matter of time before I was back to being the servant, and it knew not to underestimate me now. The third day came and I remembered falling asleep in the midst of my vision. I expected to awake circled around a campfire with the others either fast asleep, on watch, or impatiently waiting for me to wake up. Instead, I opened my eyes to a new kind of place. Before I opened my eyes, I relaxed my whole body. The bed beneath me felt so comfortable in comparison to the ground. I'd almost forgotten how nice they were after that week back home. Wait... bed? Why was I in a bed? I let my eyelids unfold and looked up at a young human woman in a slightly stained white gown. She was looking right down at me. “Ahh!” I jumped up onto my feet and tried to back myself up, only to trip over the the soft surface and land on the floor. Not to be stopped by a two foot fall, I stumbled to my feet again and backed up against the wall. “<Whoa, slow down little guy, I- oh wait... freaking languages... uhh...” she tried to think for a moment before making a pitiful attempt to speak Kurs “I machine floating harmony blanket-” I think she was just spouting out random words she may have happened to hear in our language just that day, and that really broke the panic of waking up to an unfamiliar person in a strange place. As funny as it was to watch this woman butcher Kurs when I knew a great amount of their language anyway, I had to stop her. “<You are not making any sense! What do you want?!>” I shouted. “<Oh! You speak Mantle! I am sorry... err, what did I say in your language?>” “<I think you wanted to know how to make blankets float or something, I do not know! What do you want?!>” “<Calm down, I am just here to collect the sheets.>” and she began to do just that. Now I was confused. “<Why are you freaking out so much, I was just looking. You just look... a little strange for a Fox Demon.>” “<I am possessed. Where are Hoshi and Ami and->” “<Your friends left maybe twenty minutes ago, said to save the room for them.>” she folded up the sheets into a handful and began to leave “<Do not be so scared, no one will hurt you here. Go find your mother.>” Why is it that everyone thought Hoshi was my mother? We weren't even the same species. It didn't really concern me at the time though, I was still trying to comprehend exactly what had just happened. I decided to follow the woman out of the room, and I saw her going down a short hallway of doors. Following closely behind this apparent friend, I found myself at a foyer in front of an open doorway leading outside. At the desk stood a middle-aged human man, speaking to an adult Cat Demon with white fur and wearing some worn cloth armor and a cloak behind her. Cat and Dog Demons were known to be a little different from the rest of us. Mostly it was just that they actually had fur all over their bodies like their respective animals, most other demon species lacked fur, and simply grew a lot of hair to respect their animal roots. Cats specifically were a very secretive bunch. They usually never revealed themselves even amongst other demons. I had never actually seen a Cat Demon before that day, and I only ever had books to describe them. I made the mistake of staring. The cat quickly picked up on me, looked and I nervously looked away, straight into a wall. Realizing that staring at an empty wall was even more suspicious than actually looking at her, I glanced back and saw her leaving with the hood of her cloak up. She would have looked human beneath the garment if I didn't already know her identity. “<Who is this kid, Lauren?>” the man at the counter said. “<That Wolf Demon's kid from this morning, remember?>” the human I met in my room earlier said, passing through into another corridor "<Actually... she is just a friend...>" I watched the man's surprisesd expression with delight as I spoke Mantle to him, but kept myself in check as I continued "<My sister and I were orphaned when humans attacked our village... My shadow thinks that we are the last of our kind...>" "<Oh, uhh, I am... sorry to hear that. You will not get hurt here though, Fer is a peaceful zone.>" the man smiled "<All the humans here will just see you as a kid, nothing else.>" "<Wow... really...>" I had heard of humans and demons living together before, even been near them before with Hoshi and my father, but I had never stayed long, and I'd expected a lot of hostility between us, not symbiosis. "<I need to go.>" I passed the counter and right out the door. The outside of the inn revealed just how indifferent we were to the humans. The dirt road running between the many buildings that littered the area were lined with all sorts of people, human and otherwise. They walked right by each other without concerning themselves, they occasionally stopped to talk to others if one happened to know the other's tongue. A group of children around my age and of differing species ran by, chasing a ball down the street and around a corner. They were oblivious to the fact that the demons would remain children for many years after the humans were fully grown. It was an amazing sight to see for someone who'd seen nothing in humans but hate for our kind his whole life. Maybe that's why we ended up here. To see what humans were really like. Not an angry group devoted to hating my kind, but just another people trying to live their lives in relative normality. I had never realized until then that I had my own prejudice for humans based only on groups that had some kind of hatred for us because we were a little more primitive than them. I guess I was too quick to judge all humans like that too... ---------------------------------- Next Chapter: Winding Down Acclue's about to learn a lot about humans in this town, and I'm gonna have some fun with the next chapter
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acclue lockheart
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Don't let the innocent face fool you.[Mo0:3]
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Post by acclue lockheart on Feb 13, 2008 23:25:28 GMT -5
Okay, I didn't forsee this chapter taking this long... and I'm kinda out of time... so here's the first part of this extremely long chapter, I'll get the rest of it up soon. I said I'd update d***it, and whether it's done or not I'm updating! I really should've started writing sooner... and why does this stupid spell checker think "forsee" and "should've" aren't words? also "friday"... that's just retarded... ------------------------------------------------------ Chapter VII: Winding Down I started down the road, entranced by my seeming invisibility. It was true that most of the populace was human, but I could freely walk right by them without so much as a second glance from most of them. It was amazing. If it weren't for the danger of my imminent demise, I might have asked to stay in that place just for that. And now I was more worried than impressed. Why were we here? My end could happen any minute now and we were stopping in a town for no immediately evident reason. I frantically ran between all the buildings, searching for anyone I knew. I kept Hoshi's presence in my head, but it was hard, even for a demon, to pick a single being out of such a large group. I saw numerous Wolf Demons on my way through, but none of them Hoshi. I thought I saw Ayaka once, but it was just someone who looked like her from behind, and I just ended up embaressed. In an attempt to hurry my way away from that particular person, I turned to see if they were still watching and slammed head on into someone, falling back onto the ground. It was a Wolf Demon boy, just a little older than me it seemed. He stared right at me with a cnfused look on his face as we both fell back off our feet and sat facing eachother. I stared back, locked in a silent stare. He finally stood and said "I-I'm sorry." and ran off down the street. That was weird. "You gotta watch where you're going." I turned to see Ami standng over me "This place is so weird, you never know what you'll run into." I pushed myself up off the ground and stood by her "What are we doing here Ami?" "We're getting a guide. Ayaka only knows that there's a psychic up there. She doesn't know her way up there." "But... But how long do we need to stay?!" I complained "I don't know how long I've got!" "Acclue, if you really believe that, then think of this as your last few days to relax." she smiled widely. "You really don't believe me, do you?" "I believe that that shadow's messing with you." she crossed her arms "You said yourself that it messes with your head, and I wouldn't think it would stop to avoid hurting you if it meant it could get you around people." "Ami, it couldn't have known we would leave, Ayaka was the only person that knew about where we're going, and she didn't say anything until after I had the vision!" "Even I would've thought you'd do 'something' after what you saw. It was just an illusion, and this is a wasted trip. I mean, jeez, you're a little fox, why would anyone want to kill you?" "You saw the attack on the village... Some humans..." I turned around to check if any of them could hear me talking, even though it was in Kurs. I continued, whispering quietly "Some humans just don't like us..." "'Some'? Ha! Not even these humans really like us." Ami turned down the street and began walking with me in tow "They're either afraid of us or just keeping us in check." "You're conceited." I sighed "Where are we going?" "To see your wolf friend." she spoke flatly. Was she angry at Hoshi for something? She walked me into another of the human buildings and I had to take a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dim lighting of the fires they had hung from the ceiling. That light bothered me. It was enough so I could just barely see, but not enough to set off my dark vision, leaving an unsettling gap that I was used to seeing into with ease. Glancing around in a somewhat confused manner as Ami led me deeper into the little place. There were people of all sorts leaning over a counter, built far too high for me to see over, from stools that I couldn't even dream of reaching up to. They all seemed like they were in a daze. Some even looked like they were sleeping. The air presented a hazy smoke of a familiar smell that I couldn't place. "Stop smelling the air, do you wanna end up like them?" Ami motioned to the people at the ounter. I didn't know what she meant, but I complied. We stopped. I looked forward. Leaning over a table in the corner was Hoshi. Why, of all places, would she choose this disgusting place to spend her day in? "We also can't go because of her." Ami said "She's awake, but something's wrong with her... I mean besides this foul place. You know her, find out what's wrong or we might have to stay here longer." "O-okay..." I nodded. "And break out of here every once in awhile, the air's toxic or something. I gotta keep looking for Ayaka now, haven't seen her all day. Damn big town..." she stormed off muttering about being the voice of reason among the group. She was so tense. It didn't matter, I at least knew where Hoshi was, even if the place reeked of that dizzying scent. I struggled to climb up onto the significantly lower chair, compared to the counter's stools, across from Hoshi. Her eyes were glazed over and she stared blankly right through me. Tucked close under her arm was a mug of... questionable liquid... that I hadn't noticed from the floor. She appeared to have not noticed me yet. I leaned over the table to look closer into her eyes “Hoshi?” I waited for a response, but there was nothing “Are you dead?” it seems funny now, but my first assumption was that she was actually dead. I tried to stay calm, looked around for some kind of answer, then reassured myself that Ami must have already checked. I climbed up onto the table so that I could reach her and poked her in the head with my finger. Still nothing. She let off a violent twitch and made me jump back “Huh, whu- Whaz goin' on?” she stammered into a drunken slur “Hey, Acclue, where ya' been?” “Sleeping. What're you doing?” “I'm just waitin' for Denzel... getting' his stuff ready... Don' worry, we'll save some time like this!” she sounded like she hadn't slept for weeks or something. Of course, at the time, I hadn't been exposed to alcohol and didn't know what it did to people. Had I known, I'd probably try to stop her from performing even more self-destructive acts. “What's wrong with you?” “I dunno, what's wrong with you?” she fell face first onto the table and I think she just fell unconscious as her cup spilled out toward me. I jumped backward, nearly falling back onto my chair. I knelt down to the advancing liquid and breathed it in. It smelled more foul than the air. It made me feel sick “Why would anyone drink this stuff?” I looked around me again, and took a few drops of the liquid in my hands and stared at it for a few moments. I lifted it to my mouth and almost immediately spit it back out “It tastes disgusting too!” Hoshi liked that place for some reason, but I didn't trust it. I jumped to the floor and bolted out the door, looking for a source of water to clear the rancid taste from my mouth. ---------------------------------------- you'll get the rest of it either tomorrow or friday, depending on whether I have school or not... and no, I'm not sure whether that'll affect it for better or worse...
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acclue lockheart
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Don't let the innocent face fool you.[Mo0:3]
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Post by acclue lockheart on Feb 25, 2008 17:12:43 GMT -5
I told you I'd be back today on the C-Box and here I am! I'm just gonna go ahead and post this... admittedly very long chapter... I'll probably split it up later...
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Chapter VII: Winding Down
I started down the road, entranced by my seeming invisibility. It was true that most of the populace was human, but I could freely walk right by them without so much as a second glance from most of them. It was amazing. If it weren't for the danger of my imminent demise, I might have asked to stay in that place just for that. And now I was more worried than impressed. Why were we here? My end could happen any minute now and we were stopping in a town for no immediately evident reason. I frantically ran between all the buildings, searching for anyone I knew. I kept Hoshi's presence in my head, but it was hard, even for a demon, to pick a single being out of such a large group. I saw numerous Wolf Demons on my way through, but none of them Hoshi. I thought I saw Ayaka once, but it was just someone who looked like her from behind, and I just ended up embaressed. In an attempt to hurry my way away from that particular person, I turned to see if they were still watching and slammed head on into someone, falling back onto the ground. It was a Wolf Demon boy, just a little older than me it seemed. He stared right at me with a cnfused look on his face as we both fell back off our feet and sat facing eachother. I stared back, locked in a silent stare. He finally stood and said "I-I'm sorry." and ran off down the street. That was weird. "You gotta watch where you're going." I turned to see Ami standng over me "This place is so weird, you never know what you'll run into." I pushed myself up off the ground and stood by her "What are we doing here Ami?" "We're getting a guide. Ayaka only knows that there's a psychic up there. She doesn't know her way up there." "But... But how long do we need to stay?!" I complained "I don't know how long I've got!" "Acclue, if you really believe that, then think of this as your last few days to relax." she smiled widely. "You really don't believe me, do you?" "I believe that that shadow's messing with you." she crossed her arms "You said yourself that it messes with your head, and I wouldn't think it would stop to avoid hurting you if it meant it could get you around people." "Ami, it couldn't have known we would leave, Ayaka was the only person that knew about where we're going, and she didn't say anything until after I had the vision!" "Even I would've thought you'd do 'something' after what you saw. It was just an illusion, and this is a wasted trip. I mean, jeez, you're a little fox, why would anyone want to kill you?" "You saw the attack on the village... Some humans..." I turned around to check if any of them could hear me talking, even though it was in Kurs. I continued, whispering quietly "Some humans just don't like us..." "'Some'? Ha! Not even these humans really like us." Ami turned down the street and began walking with me in tow "They're either afraid of us or just keeping us in check." "You're conceited." I sighed "Where are we going?" "To see your wolf friend." she spoke flatly. Was she angry at Hoshi for something? She walked me into another of the human buildings and I had to take a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dim lighting of the fires they had hung from the ceiling. That light bothered me. It was enough so I could just barely see, but not enough to set off my dark vision, leaving an unsettling gap that I was used to seeing into with ease. Glancing around in a somewhat confused manner as Ami led me deeper into the little place. There were people of all sorts leaning over a counter, built far too high for me to see over, from stools that I couldn't even dream of reaching up to. They all seemed like they were in a daze. Some even looked like they were sleeping. The air presented a hazy smoke of a familiar smell that I couldn't place. "Stop smelling the air, do you wanna end up like them?" Ami motioned to the people at the ounter. I didn't know what she meant, but I complied. We stopped. I looked forward. Leaning over a table in the corner was Hoshi. Why, of all places, would she choose this disgusting place to spend her day in? "We also can't go because of her." Ami said "She's awake, but something's wrong with her... I mean besides this foul place. You know her, find out what's wrong or we might have to stay here longer." "O-okay..." I nodded. "And break out of here every once in awhile, the air's toxic or something. I gotta keep looking for Ayaka now, haven't seen her all day. Damn big town..." she stormed off muttering about being the voice of reason among the group. She was so tense. It didn't matter, I at least knew where Hoshi was, even if the place reeked of that dizzying scent. I struggled to climb up onto the significantly lower chair, compared to the counter's stools, across from Hoshi. Her eyes were glazed over and she stared blankly right through me. Tucked close under her arm was a mug of... questionable liquid... that I hadn't noticed from the floor. She appeared to have not noticed me yet. I leaned over the table to look closer into her eyes “Hoshi?” I waited for a response, but there was nothing “Are you dead?” it seems funny now, but my first assumption was that she was actually dead. I tried to stay calm, looked around for some kind of answer, then reassured myself that Ami must have already checked. I climbed up onto the table so that I could reach her and poked her in the head with my finger. Still nothing. She let off a violent twitch and made me jump back “Huh, whu- Whaz goin' on?” she stammered into a drunken slur “Hey, Acclue, where ya' been?” “Sleeping. What're you doing?” “I'm just waitin' for Denzel... getting' his stuff ready... Don' worry, we'll save some time like this!” she sounded like she hadn't slept for weeks or something. Of course, at the time, I hadn't been exposed to alcohol and didn't know what it did to people. Had I known, I'd probably try to stop her from performing even more self-destructive acts. “What's wrong with you?” “I dunno, what's wrong with you?” she fell face first onto the table and I think she just fell unconscious as her cup spilled out toward me. I jumped backward, nearly falling back onto my chair. I knelt down to the advancing liquid and breathed it in. It smelled more foul than the air. It made me feel sick “Why would anyone drink this stuff?” I looked around me again, and took a few drops of the liquid in my hands and stared at it for a few moments. I lifted it to my mouth and almost immediately spit it back out “It tastes disgusting too!” Hoshi liked that place for some reason, but I didn't trust it. I jumped to the floor and bolted out the door, looking for a source of water to clear the rancid taste from my mouth. Hoshi would be alright without me. That's all that ran through my head as I rushed out of town and dove head first into the first stream I saw. As I took my fill, I noticed that the ground didn't seem consistently level. It shook slightly. I stood from the stream's bank and rubbed my eyes. The ground was fine after that. Unaware of alcohol's effect, I also didn't know that demons were just about the most susceptible beings to it. Thankfully, I had barely gotten any in my system and I was left with a small throbbing in my head for a few minutes. Hoshi was drinking it in significantly higher amounts and was knocked out by about half a glass. The things that affect us are really a strange group. I climbed up from the hill that formed the stream's bank and shook the water out of my hair. My clothes were soaked and that was going to bother me for the rest of the day, but I was still too determined, at the moment, to get us moving again. I wasn't sure if she was reliable, given her state, but Hoshi had told me we were waiting for Denzel... of course the slur was so deep that it was questionable if she had even said it right. Regardless, I scoured the streets once again for Ami this time, and found her rather quickly. She had with her, of all people, Clad. They both looked extremely irritated. "Acclue! Translate!" they both demanded at about the same time in their respective languages. I had to snicker at their frustration, it was impossible for them to communicate and usually Hoshi was able to perform that duty. I hadn't had the honor yet. It turns out that Ami just wanted to ask what to do about Hoshi and whether he'd seen Ayaka. Clad was also asking at Ayaka, but that really just cancelled that whole thing out. Clad said he would bring Hoshi back to the inn in just a little while. Now, it was my turn. "Okay, where's this Denzel guy now?" "He's at the North end of town, he's still getting ready, or so he says." Ami shrugged it off. "Great, thanks." I ran from the two because I knew Ami would start complaining about abandoning them, but drunk, missing, and disbelieving members of our group wouldn't stop me from getting us going faster. I reached the edge of the town before I realized that I had run East instead of North most of the way, and I had no idea what he looked like. I turned around the North edge of town and began asking anyone I saw to help find him. Most ignored me or couldn't understand me and didn't care to stick around for me to ask again. A Wolf Demon child finally pointed me toward a covered cart mounted by two basilisks. A basilisk was a large crawling lizard with a huge bulky body. They had a long neck and a head with eerily dragon-like qualities. I had seen these beasts of burden before when we recieved our occasional wandering trader in my village. They frightened me then, and even with my new confidence, I was scared stiff at the sight of them. I approached the wagon from behind to avoid letting the creatures hear me, and attempted to climb the edge of the back step. I failed miserably. I didn't have the upper body strength to lift myself over the lip. Cursing my small body in my mind for what must've been the tenth time that day, I backed up to see if I could use anything as a ladder. "Lookin' for somethin'?" I heard a voice behind me. Turning around, I saw a man sitting up against the wall of the closest building. He wore a folded cloth over his head and long hair came down behind it. He wore a grey cloak over his whole upper body, so I couldn't see what he was wearing. Even with his features concealed, I could tell he was a demon. He smiled lazily at me "You must be that little possessed kid Hoshi was talkin' about." he sounded disinterested on the subject of my possession "So, what's up?" I was only slightly startled that he knew Hoshi "I... uhh, where's Denzel?" "You're looking at him." That did surprise me. I had formed this image in my mind, after seeing the basilisks, that Denzel would be a big, musclebound human man, not this small demon. I was relieved that my assumptions had been wrong though. "Umm, when are we leaving? I'm not sure if you're aware of my... vision, but we need to leave soon. I mean really soon!" "I'll tell you what I told them. I'll be ready tomorrow." he yawned. "You're not even doing anything!" "I'm waitin' for a guy." "I'm going to die!" "We all die someday." "I mean soon!" this man was really beginning to frustrate me "I wanna try and stop it, but if we keep wasting time, I'm gonna die!" "Yes. You are." his demeanor changed to a serious one. "Your shadow showed you a vision. It will come true." he stood up in one swift motion. I percieved this as a threat and backed up slowly "Wh-what do you mean?" "Not on a single occasion has a true psychic vision been changed. One way or another, it will come true." he fell back to the ground and a smile returned to his face "So you gotta enjoy the time you've got left, right?" I was a bit confused, and scared that this person might not be the most stable guy to take us on this journey. But I wasn't dettered. "Please, I really need to know when this'll happen! I have to reach the mountains!" "And you will, in time." he lied against the wall with his eyes closed again, not speaking another word. I was getting angry at the man, a rage inside me I'd never known had arisen. I looked down at the groun in thought and saw my shadow slowly creeping up my leg. "Okay, calm down. Calm down, I don't want to hurt him." I breathed deeply a few times and watched it return to the ground. "Okay, you know what? I'm not going to risk this anymore. I'd rather wait than accidentally kill someone over a little argument." I turned around and began to walk away "Sorry to bother your work." I added, hoping to get him to change his mind. "No problem little buddy." he waved me away and I complied relutantly. I supposed it was useless to go against the current. I was stuck here for awhile so I'd just have to deal with it. Though somewhat distracted by what Denzel said, I still wanted to learn more about how he humans lived. I had only what I'd read in books to go by, and those didn't seem too reliable so far. But first, I had to dry off. My clothes were still soaking wet from my dip in that shallow creek. In hindsight, that was a terrible idea. I'm just glad I didn't have my spellbook on me at the time, it would've been ruined. For one thing, I couldn't swim, and I still can't today! I've always hated water. Thankfully, it was shallow enough to stand in. Second of all, I hadn't brought any extra clothes with me. Demons aren't really too fond of clothing, we only really wear them to avoid reinforcing the stereotype that we're 'savages', or for their ability to hide our features. Whether I wanted to wear them or not, I needed new ones now. The signs hung near the doorways of the various shops showed their specialty but it wasn't the same as home. We had never traded anything with eachother indoors. It was an old Fox Demon superstition that I felt overly attached to when I saw the humans' methods. I saw a sign in Kurs and had to look twice just to make sure. It was a clothing store. What an unusual place for a demon to own. Peeking in through the open doorway, I was surprised to see a human woman leaning on her elbow with her hand against her head. I stepped in and said "<Uhh, hello?>" The woman looked down to me and her expression turned to excitement "Aww! And who are you lottle guy?" "Oh. You speak Kurs?" there was something odd about this woman as I came closer. "I don't know much of the human language." she laughed a little "I'm a demon like you." "What?" "Down south of the miasma line, my family and I were... well, they did some... strange things... They... removed... certain parts..." "Oh Gods..." "It's alright, I can still hear, I'd just... rather not let people see under my hair..." she sat down behind the counter "So, what can I help you with?" "Umm, I need some new... clothes..." I thought my needs were pretty obvious. "Oh, right, what happened?" "I needed a drink." I smiled. "Heh, you're funny, kid." she grinned back at me "So, what kind do you want? I have some stuff that'll let you hide. Have you seen any of the demons around here walking around with hooded clothing?” “I saw a Cat Demon this morning-” “Oh! Now that's a rare sight! It must've been Ash. She's a bit shy, so she even hides herself around here.” “Well... I think I should be hiding...” “Huh? What could you be hiding from?” “Probably the same people that attacked my village.” “Oh right, I'd heard about that. I guess it isn't too bad since you could get through.” “I was lucky. My sister even more so. I think we're the last two...” “Oh! Oh my... I'm so sorry! That's-that's just terrible!” “Our father might still be alive, but... we're just not sure where he is.” “So you came here alone then?” I shook my head “I made some friends... Had to travel up from Kayton. The humans took me all the way down there.” “Gods, you've been through a lot, haven't you?” “Don't worry about it, I just need new clothes.” “Oh! Right, right!” she stepped backwards from the counter, still looking at me, then turned toward the back room. I sighed. Something told me that it was a mistake to have told this woman my story. She stepped back in after only a moment. “Err, do you know what size you wear?” “There are sizes?” I had always just assumed there were clothes for adults and clothes for children. I had, admittedly, only ever worn two outfits in my life. The ones I wore as an infant and the soaked ones I had worn into that store that day. “Yeah, like... Small? Smaller? Extra small?” “Ha, funny.” I tried to stay indifferent even though it was actually a pretty good joke at the time. She smiled “I'm just kidding, I'll get you something.” There was only a little shuffling in the back room for the next few minutes. She stepped out with a folded white bundle in hand, and placed it in my hands. “Try this one.” “I can try it on first?” “Of course. How else will you know if it'll fit?” she pointed to a curtained doorway on the side wall. “You can change in there if you want some privacy.” “Uhh, okay.” I walked up to the curtain, unsure how I intended to pay for the cloak when I got back. It took me a surprisingly long time to get out of my wet clothes, and even longer for me to figure out how to get into the new ones without getting them damp. Eventually, I couldn't wait anymore, and pulled the clothing on. It was a black set of clothes all the way down, contrasting my skin and blending with my hair. I pulled the cloak over my head and had some trouble figuring out how it was put on. The cloak, which was really more of a sheet with a hood on it than anything else, was pure white with a thick zig-zagging line of pale blue near the base. It covered myself down to the floor, making it very hard to use my hands, but it hid all my demonic features as long as I left my tail limp. It was a strange choice to combine with the black clothes, and really made me feel more noticible, but they were dry in the very least. It was attached around my neck by a small metal chain that fit loosely, and was actually very comfortable. I hadn't worn anything like that since I snuck into that human town with Hoshi a few weeks ago, and those weren't really clothes. I looked at myself in the mirror on the wall and noticed that I looked very different in clothing that hadn't been covered in spots of dirt and dried blood from more recent encounters. I knew that wouldn't last long. I stepped out of the dressing room with a smile on my face "So... how is it?" I asked the woman expectantly. "Looks great, kid." she smiled "So what're you up to?" "Hiding, I guess." I said, putting the hood down from my head. "Yeah, I mean, what are you actually gonna do now? Like, right now." "Oh. Well, I... didn't have anything but my clothes with me... I'm not sure what to give you for-" "You can have 'em." she shrugged "Truth be told, those are just old clothes that I cleaned up. They were mine when I was a kid. I mean, before the whole..." I nodded. The differences between a male and female demon of my age were essentially non-existent. "You don't want them?" "I don't care, they're just old clothes to me." "In that case, I think I'm gonna go look for my sister." I said, looking down at my new clothes one more time. "Thank you so much... uhh, you didn't say your name." "It's Nari." she stood back from the counter and I didn't hear her at the time, but she spoke quietly "Thanks for listening."
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acclue lockheart
Moderator
[M:-12000]
Don't let the innocent face fool you.[Mo0:3]
Posts: 597
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Post by acclue lockheart on Feb 28, 2008 4:05:06 GMT -5
I haven't gone to sleep yet, so it's still Wednesday. I'm not late d***it! ><
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Chapter VIII: The Return
I found Ami that night only after giving up and returning to our room at the inn. She was already fast asleep on the floor between two of the beds. I wasn't sure if she was too stubborn to sleep in the bed because it was a human thing, or if she simply couldn't reach up to the surface. I had always known Ami to be zealous in her pride as a demon, so the former was my first guess. I backed up out the door a few meters and made a running jump toward the bed. In a brilliant display of clumsiness, I grabbed the topof the mattress and kicked the air beneath me a few times before I lost my grip on the loose edge and fell on my back. Silently cursing my size, I realized how I might be able to reach the spot. I backed up again and put my arms apart. I pulled them together into my sign and began running as I became my fox form. I leapt up again with my paws on the top, but this time I could easily kick off of the bottom part to get up. Glad to be up on the soft surface, I just decided to lie down without changing back. I ended up sleeping like that a lot at home because it was often very cold at night and I had fur in that form. I hadn't tried it lately with the odd circumstances of sleep, but since I was already in it, I figured I would work with it. I fell asleep almost instantly. It was like being pulled into it by force... ----- My eyes opened to darkness. It was almost as shocking as my first time. I'd expected never to need to deal with it again, but I guess that was too much to hope for. I was still in my animal form. I panicked trying to change back, but something stopped me. I felt a series of sharp objects strike my face and send me reeling backwards to the floor. I held my paws over my head as the shadow's voice yelled directly into my mind "Return to your bonds this instant wretched child!" I tried to shout back "Never!" but it just came out as a loud barking sound. It was clear he didn't want to let me speak. "You think yourself superior to me?!" it shouted "I hold your very life in my hands! You are nothing to me! I may kill you whenever I wish!" He allowed me to change back then said "What is it that you so readily fight against me for! Your life is soon forfeit!" I was struck again "You have seen the image! Your life was short and meaningless! What in all the Gods' names do you fight for?!" "I will not die!" I yelled. I felt the sharp object stop as it touched my face. It backed up slowly. I pushed myself up from the ground and stood breathing a few heavy breaths before I could speak again. "Screw prophecies! I'm not gonna let anyone kill me! I'm going to find that psychic and figure out how to stop it." I slowed down near the end as I calmed more. I felt myself turn back to a fox again, silenced once more by my animal body. "You are a foolish, misguided child." it sounded much more calm now "But you have changed. Only amonth ago, you cringed at the sight of your own shadow. I expected you to become stronger, but not so soon." I was caught off guard by his words. I really didn't think he was capable of complimenting me in any way before that, even one so backhanded. "I... underestimated you." it spoke grimly "But we both know that without me in control, you have no hope to survive this assailant's arrow. You know I can fight back in a way which you cannot." It was true. Even with my spellbook in my normal form, I paled in comparison to the shadow's power. "Return to the shackles. In exchange for my control... you earn a chance to live." As if the darkness around me was covering it before, the open collar tied to the invisible ground appeared exactly as I left it a few days ago. I felt myself able to speak again as my demon form was returned to me. I looked at the collar reluctantly. I stepped forward to the thing with my eyes looking cautiously for the shadow among the darkness. I picked it up by the chain and looked around expectantly for a second. I rested the end of it on the back of my neck, and noticed once again that it was heavier than I remembered it. I grabbed both broken ends of it and ran the idea through my mind once more, coming to my senses. I ran out from under the metal collar, shouting “No! You can't make me do that again! I can't!” “Return to me, my control, you insolent child!” it shouted louder than before “You seem to forget the circumstances of your situation! I am willing to leave you for dead if it means I can take control of the other!” “Leave Ami out of this!” I yelled “I know you can't afford to get rid of me! I'm one of the last two left!” “There are more than two! Your senses fail you so drastically that you could not notice?!” this was quickly turning into a shouting fight between us, and I felt myself losing. An image began to appear in front of me. It was the caravan driver, Denzel. “You could not tell... Odd...” “He's a...” “A Fox Demon.” it said “That is correct.” “That's still only three!” I tried to hide my worry. “No. That is a race.” it sounded like it felt it had won, and I knew he had at that point “You see, even without you, there will be a male and a female of differing heritage. And with the control of the older one, I am sure that the race may be repopulated when the young one comes of age.” I couldn't help but be disgusted by this sudden upturn. He was literally speaking of forcing my sister and some stranger to breed! I couldn't think of anything to say, and I was a bit ashamed to realize that it was actually a good plan. “You... You're going to... bastard...” I whispered quietly. “This WILL come to pass!” it demanded “But I will allow you to live, for the time being at least, IF you allow me control in return.” I was defeated. There was no way I could even hope to give it any reason to stay in me. This was a generous offer of the shadow, but I wasn't sure if it was true generosity or if there was something I was missing, something it still needed me for. Regardless, the risk was too high. I couldn't hold out anymore. I turned around and picked up the collar again. I placed it just as I had before over the back of my neck. I hesitated. I was savoring my very last moment of freedom. I knew that I would never get the chance to be free of this thing again for the rest of my life. It was a disturbing thought, even though it would actually be a return to normality from the last few days. I had quickly learned to suppress the psychic power, and honestly thought I was in control for good. I was wrong. “You stall.” it sounded slightly irritated, but patient for my next move “What does waiting earn you?” “Sorry.” I'm not sure why I apologized, but I didn't feel like explaining normal feelings to this being. I instantly snapped the pieces of the collar back together without another word, and in a flash of brilliant white light that revealed nothing in the darkness, the pieces made one whole again. I sat down and sighed as I noticed my skin and hair changing back to their normal colors. I was a slave again. Who knew how long I would be in this form? The shadow would surely want to make up for the days of murder he had lost with my takeover. As the light cleared, I heard a small and muffled laugh coming from the darkness.
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