Blood of a maiden... Kennar feels a flash of apprehension. Give a woman over to the vampires, where she would most likely be killed and drained of blood. An innocent woman...
Kennar quashes that train of thought before it can take hold. Power he thinks to himself. Remember why you are here. To gain power. If that power comes at a steep price, then so be it.
Kennar glances around the empty hall. With a look at the vampire, he says "There seems to be a shortage of fair young women in these parts. Is there any other tribute your master might accept, or should I go kidnap a woman off the streets?"
Everything scares me... kitties scare me... squirrels scare me... corpses....corpses bring forth a pletora of confusing feeling which i prefer not to dwell on...:p
"If maidens were just wandering the halls, it would hardly be a treat for the master, now wouldn't it?" The woman asked, seemingly amused. "Is there an issue...?" The yolin asked.
"Just simple negotiation," Kennar says, suppressing the urge to flinch at the Yolin's sudden appearance. "Apparently her master requires blood tribute, and I rather dislike the idea of offering my own."
Everything scares me... kitties scare me... squirrels scare me... corpses....corpses bring forth a pletora of confusing feeling which i prefer not to dwell on...:p
"That's reassuring," Kennar mutters under his breath. "Though kidnapping a young woman off the streets could cause an investigation of some kind. I don't need the trouble of being hounded by the guards. Perhaps your master would take an offering of magic instead?"
Kennar withdraws a single gem from his satchel. (OOC: 1x casting of Thunderblade Charge) "If he is interested in such things, I would be willing to part with this spell for the honor of an audience."
Everything scares me... kitties scare me... squirrels scare me... corpses....corpses bring forth a pletora of confusing feeling which i prefer not to dwell on...:p
"Very well," Kennar says with resignation, placing the gem back into his satchel. "I suppose I must find a suitable offering from the streets of Estark."
Kennar looks to the Yolin as a pang of regret flashes through him. Did he truely have to sacrifice the life of another in his pursuit of power?Yes, you do. You've come too far to quit now. You must do this, or you will have failed yourself.
"Is there a quick way to the streets of Estark from here," Kennar asks the Yolin. "It appears I have an appointment to keep."
Everything scares me... kitties scare me... squirrels scare me... corpses....corpses bring forth a pletora of confusing feeling which i prefer not to dwell on...:p
"Ah, that's more effective than a door," Kennar mutters, still trying to suppress his discomfort at sacrificing an innocent young woman to speak with the master vampire.
Should begin searching somewhere secluded, away from the Houses. Wouldn't want to accidentally kidnap a mage attached to a House and end up being hunted. Thanks for that advice, Kennar thinks to himself irritably. I figured that all on my own. Well yes, of course you did, since you're arguing with yourself, his smug inner voice taunts smoothly. Stalling for time before the unsavory deed? Nobody likes a smartass, Kennar chastises himself. Not even if that smartass happens to be them.
Kennar looks for any distinctive landmarks to get a sense of direction, then glances around to see if there are any people nearby.
Everything scares me... kitties scare me... squirrels scare me... corpses....corpses bring forth a pletora of confusing feeling which i prefer not to dwell on...:p
Taking up a casual but quick pace, Kennar follows the sound of footsteps.
With a self-satisfied smirk, he decides deception is the quickest way to accomplish his task.
He puts a look of confusion on his face as he closes in on the noise of walking, occasionally looking around hopelessly as though he was lost in the city. For good measure, he even throws in a muttered curse or two whenever he looks around.
Everything scares me... kitties scare me... squirrels scare me... corpses....corpses bring forth a pletora of confusing feeling which i prefer not to dwell on...:p
"The fault is mine," Kennar says to the woman with an apologetic smile. "Had I not lost my way through the city, I wouldn't be running headlong into passersby."
Should I simply draw my sword and take her hostage? Kennar muses. No. I'll wait until she thinks me harmless. The element of surprise is a powerful weapon, after all. Wait for a reaction. Gain a small amount of trust. It will make closing the distance easier.
Everything scares me... kitties scare me... squirrels scare me... corpses....corpses bring forth a pletora of confusing feeling which i prefer not to dwell on...:p
Kennar smiles naturally. "Just meeting a friend at House Hammerheim. Unfortunately, he failed to give me accurate directions. I got lost after I entered the city, and have been wandering for over fifteen minutes trying to find my way. I guess I'm not used to all these buildings."
Turn your back, for just a moment Kennar thinks. Long enough to draw my sword and hold it to your throat. I hope the Yolin is watching. His transportation magic would be helpful. Dragging the woman all the way back to the Yolin shrine would be... problematic. Screaming would alert the guard within moments.
Everything scares me... kitties scare me... squirrels scare me... corpses....corpses bring forth a pletora of confusing feeling which i prefer not to dwell on...:p
Everything scares me... kitties scare me... squirrels scare me... corpses....corpses bring forth a pletora of confusing feeling which i prefer not to dwell on...:p
Kennar acts without hesitation, though in his heart he knows that this moment is the edge of the abyss. Once he hurls himself over its edge, he may not be able to find his way back out.
He draws his sword in his left hand and leaps forward in one swift motion. In a flash, his right hand covers the woman's mouth. His left brings the blade to her throat.
He feels the black fire in his chest, the force he didn't quite understand yet, growing stronger. Was it the force of the black mana the Yolin had injected into him at the beginnig? Was it the natural darkness he felt, that he had been resisting since birth? Or was it all in his head, meaningless symbolism he had created as a buffer between him and the dark? Whatever it was, he had been subconsciously resisting it during this whole trial, and now it grew stronger.
His voice was hard, cold, absolute. Kennar had never heard his voice sound like that. It wasn't an unwelcomed change. In that terribly cold vice, fueled by the blackness, he whispers "Do not move. If you make a sound or try to escape, I cut your throat."
In the deep recesses of his mind, Kennar hears a subvocal noise. A quiet, sinister chuckle.
Everything scares me... kitties scare me... squirrels scare me... corpses....corpses bring forth a pletora of confusing feeling which i prefer not to dwell on...:p
The girl froze and let out only the slightest whimper of fear as she smelled her own hair begin to burn against the smoldering surface of Kennar's chest. Black wisps of flames seemed to dance excitedly from the spots that burnt any part of her. Her wrist began to burn slightly from Kennar's hand but she managed to stifle the urge to cry out in pain.
Her whole body began to quiver as she tried to follow Kennar's orders of silence and no movement. Becoming aware that her quivering was breaking his order to not move caused her panic to build up as she began to hyper ventilate. Her eyes danced from shadow to shadow looking for help that she knew would not come...
Kennar's heart beats faster than he's ever felt before. This kidnapping... it was exciting. He'd never done anything like this before. It was reckless and daring and saddening and several other words he'd never used before. Good, Kennar. Now move toward the shadow and the Yolin. Finish this and claim your power.
"Remain quiet," Kennar says calmly, the icy tone still in command of his voice. "Do not resist. Move forward slowly."
Kennar begins walking forward, toward the nearest and darkest patch of shadows he could find. He hoped the Yolin was there to bring him back to the vampires.
Almost as an afterthought, Kennar concentrates for a moment and reduces the heat coming off of his body. Perhaps the vampires would be upset with him for burning their prey, but in the excitement of the moment, he didn't care. He gathers the heat from his skin, and pulls it inside. The black fire he felt inside himself grew even larger as he fed it his skin's heat, and for a moment he almost wished the vampires were angry. A fight is what he wanted. To kill and burn and slash an- No! You are losing control. Keep calm. Your emotions are a weakness that you cannot afford right now.
His inner council being correct, Kennar forces the black flame to return to normal: Mingling with his inner red fire, not overpowering or amplifying it.
Everything scares me... kitties scare me... squirrels scare me... corpses....corpses bring forth a pletora of confusing feeling which i prefer not to dwell on...:p
"Good..." came the whisper from the yolin as he moved from within the shadow Kennar had chosen.
"Good..." came the same whisper again, the yolin studying Kennar. The yolin's focus seemed to be more on Kennar's control of the two flames inside of him than on his capture of the girl.
Then with a wicked grin the yolin spoke with malice and glee saying, "I think the vampire lord will be most pleased with this maiden."
Upon hearing the word vampire, the maiden's eyes went even wider with fear as she broke out into tears and panicked crying trying to shout past the hand that was muffling her voice.
Kennar clamps his hand down more firmly over the woman's mouth. "Silence," he whispers harshly. "I will burn you to ash if you don't stop struggling."
He retreats deeper into the shadow, hoping the Yolin would transport him back to the vampires quickly. If anyone should see the glow of his body as he kidnaps the girl, he may have to fight. After his encounter with the demon, he was in no condition to get into a brawl in the middle of Estark.
Everything scares me... kitties scare me... squirrels scare me... corpses....corpses bring forth a pletora of confusing feeling which i prefer not to dwell on...:p
The yolin raises a single eyebrow questioningly as he asked, "I do so hope you weren't waiting on me to whisk you back to the catacombs?"
Not giving Kennar the time to respond the yolin let out a cackle saying, "That would defeat the point of this exercise. No, you need to realize your full potential! The full power available to you through your decisions!"
The yolin glanced to the north east where the yolin shrine lay. Looking back at Kennar the yolin said, "Make your way back to the shrine with the maiden still alive. Once there I will open the path to the vampire lord."
The yolin glanced past Kennar's shoulder listening for the footsteps of the city guard. With a wicked grin he said, "How you get to the shrine is entirely up to you. I give you free reign to use any methods you desire to reach your goal at the shrine."
The yolin started to melt into the shadows as he said, "Remember now, the only limits we have are the ones we impose on ourselves..."
With that he let out a laugh and disappeared leaving Kennar alone with the maiden in the alley and the foot steps of the guard approaching from behind. The maiden hearing this began to let out muffled screams that traveled no further than the ends of the current alleyway, a problem only if the city guard were to reach the end of either alleyway...
Kennar hears the Yolin's words, and his mind immediately begins processing.
He's giving me a clue the flamekin thinks swiftly. He emphasised the word 'desire' and reminded me that only my imagination is blocking me.
Kennar clamps his hand on the woman's mouth more firmly to silence her, then steps into the deepest shadows he could find. Here goes nothing.
Kennar reaches inside himself, deeper than he's dared since this whole Yolin ordeal had started. He finds the black flames mingling with his red power. Slowly, he begins coaxing the black flame to grow stronger.
He flashes back to the battle with the demon. His black mana... it was stuttering, barely alive, stunting his red magic and smothering it. His red mana hadn't responded as it normally did, with instant fire and wrath. Was it because his mind wasn't ready to accept the presence of black mana? Was the black mana not the cause of his sudden struggle to use even the simplest of spells?
"The only limits we have are the ones we impose on ourselves" Kennar wispers, suddenly understanding. The black mana didn't smother his red. He did. He wasn't prepared to use black mana because he didn't truely understand what it meant. Black mana wasn't the means to an end. It was the end. Black mana is power without qualms. Doubt has no place in its use. Whether he knew it or not, Kennar was doubting his decision to harness it's power.
You idiot he berates himself. Of course your magic wasn't working. You didn't even know why you wanted it in the first place. Revenge on Oreo? No, you fool. That's not why. You've always wanted power, even if you wouldn't admit it to yourself. Oreo's insanity was just the excuse you needed to realize it. Now forget about Oreo and embrace the power you've found.
Kennar again reaches into himself and finds the black flame. This time, Kennar embraces it fully. He calls to it, drawing it into himself as he would his red mana. The black flame fully engulfs the red, filling his body with black fire. The agony of his body's reaction to the change almost knocks the flamekin out, but he endures. Channeling his pain, he sends the black fire out of his body in cold waves to surround himself and his victim. He reaches for the shadows, letting his connection the the darkness consume his thoughts.
As he does, he imagines the Yolin's shrine in his mind: The shadows lurking around the entrance, the powerful pulse of the black mana calling to him, the vampires and the demons lurking below. He sends his tendrils of black mana spiraling through the shadows of the alleyway and into the shadows of the Yolin's shrine. Screaming from the pain as he makes this connection and focuses all his mind on his goal, he throws himself and the woman bodily into the darkness as the summoned blackness consumes them both.
Everything scares me... kitties scare me... squirrels scare me... corpses....corpses bring forth a pletora of confusing feeling which i prefer not to dwell on...:p
Kennar quashes that train of thought before it can take hold. Power he thinks to himself. Remember why you are here. To gain power. If that power comes at a steep price, then so be it.
Kennar glances around the empty hall. With a look at the vampire, he says "There seems to be a shortage of fair young women in these parts. Is there any other tribute your master might accept, or should I go kidnap a woman off the streets?"
{Magic: The RPG}
The creator of Maro's Magic 8-Ball!
"Just simple negotiation," Kennar says, suppressing the urge to flinch at the Yolin's sudden appearance. "Apparently her master requires blood tribute, and I rather dislike the idea of offering my own."
{Magic: The RPG}
The creator of Maro's Magic 8-Ball!
Kennar withdraws a single gem from his satchel. (OOC: 1x casting of Thunderblade Charge) "If he is interested in such things, I would be willing to part with this spell for the honor of an audience."
{Magic: The RPG}
The creator of Maro's Magic 8-Ball!
Kennar looks to the Yolin as a pang of regret flashes through him. Did he truely have to sacrifice the life of another in his pursuit of power? Yes, you do. You've come too far to quit now. You must do this, or you will have failed yourself.
"Is there a quick way to the streets of Estark from here," Kennar asks the Yolin. "It appears I have an appointment to keep."
{Magic: The RPG}
The creator of Maro's Magic 8-Ball!
Should begin searching somewhere secluded, away from the Houses. Wouldn't want to accidentally kidnap a mage attached to a House and end up being hunted.
Thanks for that advice, Kennar thinks to himself irritably. I figured that all on my own.
Well yes, of course you did, since you're arguing with yourself, his smug inner voice taunts smoothly. Stalling for time before the unsavory deed?
Nobody likes a smartass, Kennar chastises himself. Not even if that smartass happens to be them.
Kennar looks for any distinctive landmarks to get a sense of direction, then glances around to see if there are any people nearby.
{Magic: The RPG}
The creator of Maro's Magic 8-Ball!
With a self-satisfied smirk, he decides deception is the quickest way to accomplish his task.
He puts a look of confusion on his face as he closes in on the noise of walking, occasionally looking around hopelessly as though he was lost in the city. For good measure, he even throws in a muttered curse or two whenever he looks around.
{Magic: The RPG}
The creator of Maro's Magic 8-Ball!
Should I simply draw my sword and take her hostage? Kennar muses. No. I'll wait until she thinks me harmless. The element of surprise is a powerful weapon, after all. Wait for a reaction. Gain a small amount of trust. It will make closing the distance easier.
{Magic: The RPG}
The creator of Maro's Magic 8-Ball!
Turn your back, for just a moment Kennar thinks. Long enough to draw my sword and hold it to your throat. I hope the Yolin is watching. His transportation magic would be helpful. Dragging the woman all the way back to the Yolin shrine would be... problematic. Screaming would alert the guard within moments.
{Magic: The RPG}
The creator of Maro's Magic 8-Ball!
Kennar watches the woman closely for any opportunity to close the distance and finish this unsavory task.
{Magic: The RPG}
The creator of Maro's Magic 8-Ball!
He draws his sword in his left hand and leaps forward in one swift motion. In a flash, his right hand covers the woman's mouth. His left brings the blade to her throat.
He feels the black fire in his chest, the force he didn't quite understand yet, growing stronger. Was it the force of the black mana the Yolin had injected into him at the beginnig? Was it the natural darkness he felt, that he had been resisting since birth? Or was it all in his head, meaningless symbolism he had created as a buffer between him and the dark? Whatever it was, he had been subconsciously resisting it during this whole trial, and now it grew stronger.
His voice was hard, cold, absolute. Kennar had never heard his voice sound like that. It wasn't an unwelcomed change. In that terribly cold vice, fueled by the blackness, he whispers "Do not move. If you make a sound or try to escape, I cut your throat."
In the deep recesses of his mind, Kennar hears a subvocal noise. A quiet, sinister chuckle.
{Magic: The RPG}
Her whole body began to quiver as she tried to follow Kennar's orders of silence and no movement. Becoming aware that her quivering was breaking his order to not move caused her panic to build up as she began to hyper ventilate. Her eyes danced from shadow to shadow looking for help that she knew would not come...
Good, Kennar. Now move toward the shadow and the Yolin. Finish this and claim your power.
"Remain quiet," Kennar says calmly, the icy tone still in command of his voice. "Do not resist. Move forward slowly."
Kennar begins walking forward, toward the nearest and darkest patch of shadows he could find. He hoped the Yolin was there to bring him back to the vampires.
Almost as an afterthought, Kennar concentrates for a moment and reduces the heat coming off of his body. Perhaps the vampires would be upset with him for burning their prey, but in the excitement of the moment, he didn't care. He gathers the heat from his skin, and pulls it inside. The black fire he felt inside himself grew even larger as he fed it his skin's heat, and for a moment he almost wished the vampires were angry. A fight is what he wanted. To kill and burn and slash an-
No! You are losing control. Keep calm. Your emotions are a weakness that you cannot afford right now.
His inner council being correct, Kennar forces the black flame to return to normal: Mingling with his inner red fire, not overpowering or amplifying it.
{Magic: The RPG}
"Good..." came the same whisper again, the yolin studying Kennar. The yolin's focus seemed to be more on Kennar's control of the two flames inside of him than on his capture of the girl.
Then with a wicked grin the yolin spoke with malice and glee saying, "I think the vampire lord will be most pleased with this maiden."
Upon hearing the word vampire, the maiden's eyes went even wider with fear as she broke out into tears and panicked crying trying to shout past the hand that was muffling her voice.
He retreats deeper into the shadow, hoping the Yolin would transport him back to the vampires quickly. If anyone should see the glow of his body as he kidnaps the girl, he may have to fight. After his encounter with the demon, he was in no condition to get into a brawl in the middle of Estark.
{Magic: The RPG}
Not giving Kennar the time to respond the yolin let out a cackle saying, "That would defeat the point of this exercise. No, you need to realize your full potential! The full power available to you through your decisions!"
The yolin glanced to the north east where the yolin shrine lay. Looking back at Kennar the yolin said, "Make your way back to the shrine with the maiden still alive. Once there I will open the path to the vampire lord."
The yolin glanced past Kennar's shoulder listening for the footsteps of the city guard. With a wicked grin he said, "How you get to the shrine is entirely up to you. I give you free reign to use any methods you desire to reach your goal at the shrine."
The yolin started to melt into the shadows as he said, "Remember now, the only limits we have are the ones we impose on ourselves..."
With that he let out a laugh and disappeared leaving Kennar alone with the maiden in the alley and the foot steps of the guard approaching from behind. The maiden hearing this began to let out muffled screams that traveled no further than the ends of the current alleyway, a problem only if the city guard were to reach the end of either alleyway...
He's giving me a clue the flamekin thinks swiftly. He emphasised the word 'desire' and reminded me that only my imagination is blocking me.
Kennar clamps his hand on the woman's mouth more firmly to silence her, then steps into the deepest shadows he could find. Here goes nothing.
Kennar reaches inside himself, deeper than he's dared since this whole Yolin ordeal had started. He finds the black flames mingling with his red power. Slowly, he begins coaxing the black flame to grow stronger.
He flashes back to the battle with the demon. His black mana... it was stuttering, barely alive, stunting his red magic and smothering it. His red mana hadn't responded as it normally did, with instant fire and wrath. Was it because his mind wasn't ready to accept the presence of black mana? Was the black mana not the cause of his sudden struggle to use even the simplest of spells?
"The only limits we have are the ones we impose on ourselves" Kennar wispers, suddenly understanding. The black mana didn't smother his red. He did. He wasn't prepared to use black mana because he didn't truely understand what it meant. Black mana wasn't the means to an end. It was the end. Black mana is power without qualms. Doubt has no place in its use. Whether he knew it or not, Kennar was doubting his decision to harness it's power.
You idiot he berates himself. Of course your magic wasn't working. You didn't even know why you wanted it in the first place. Revenge on Oreo? No, you fool. That's not why. You've always wanted power, even if you wouldn't admit it to yourself. Oreo's insanity was just the excuse you needed to realize it. Now forget about Oreo and embrace the power you've found.
Kennar again reaches into himself and finds the black flame. This time, Kennar embraces it fully. He calls to it, drawing it into himself as he would his red mana. The black flame fully engulfs the red, filling his body with black fire. The agony of his body's reaction to the change almost knocks the flamekin out, but he endures. Channeling his pain, he sends the black fire out of his body in cold waves to surround himself and his victim. He reaches for the shadows, letting his connection the the darkness consume his thoughts.
As he does, he imagines the Yolin's shrine in his mind: The shadows lurking around the entrance, the powerful pulse of the black mana calling to him, the vampires and the demons lurking below. He sends his tendrils of black mana spiraling through the shadows of the alleyway and into the shadows of the Yolin's shrine. Screaming from the pain as he makes this connection and focuses all his mind on his goal, he throws himself and the woman bodily into the darkness as the summoned blackness consumes them both.
{Magic: The RPG}