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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2015 6:24:57 GMT
It was late at night, and the world was silent.
Nobody in their right mind would be in the middle of a giant forest at this time. No, everyone would be sleeping in their beds, inside their homes, safe within their towns or cities. Save for the poor fools who might be stuck outside - traveling through the night, perhaps, or just a vagabond.
Then there was Quinn Faustus.
Rather than staying at Kilwick, the emperor had set out that evening, and now here they were at the redwood forest. This was where they belonged, here amongst the shadows in the most literal sense. Branches blocked out the moonlight, so it was very dim to start with… but here, at the center of the trail, it looked as if the darkness had come alive in order to bunch together in the vague form of a human. Quinn was entirely at peace and enjoying themself, but this whole scene probably would've looked terrifying to any passerby.
Good thing there was nobody else around. Right? ( Sora Cantamen) |
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Post by Sora Cantamen on Dec 5, 2015 6:35:38 GMT
It had been a while since Sora had last been in the redwood forest. Thanks to years prior of traversing it, she knew what it was like and what dangers presided in it from firsthand experience. As a result, whenever she went, she always arrived prepared and on her guard, and this time was no exception. She would only seek out a dungeon, note its location, and perhaps venture around for a bit. She wouldn't be so stupid as to take it on now alone.
With a flick of her fingers, a shaft of dim moonlight in the branches shifted and bent into a floating, glowing ball. It levitated above her cupped hand, lighting the way more brightly than it had before. Carefully, moving painstakingly, Sora walked into the forest. She looked continually around, ready to draw her bow or knife at a moment's notice.
"Lumen," she murmured, and the rest of the dim moonlight in the branches brightened instantly, with the ball of light in her hand disappearing to join it. It was enough for her to make out something that looked like a human's outline in the shadows. Her eyes widened. It wasn't often she ran into someone during her nighttime expeditions.
"Who are you?" It came out as louder and sharper than she'd intended to. She reached for her bow, quickly drawing and pulling an arrow back against the bowstring. She wasn't taking chances, whoever this was. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2015 6:55:21 GMT
It was with no small amount of annoyance that Quinn noted the presence of another human. Someone with a light source, no less - the natural darkness nearby had started to vanish, and though the magical shadow wisps had mostly remained, this was quite a disruption to the emperor's personal relaxation time. They did not appreciate being interrupted and potentially threatened on top of that.
With a flick of one wrist, the shadowy blob concealing them began to grow. Dark tendrils snaked across the ground like overflowing liquid nitrogen. They battled against the light in an attempt to reach the Belsay princess' feet - encroaching upon her space as a warning to back off.
Quinn, for their part, had used this as a distraction to vanish behind a redwood tree, leaving the shadow form behind. They had no intention of dealing with arrow wounds tonight. |
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Post by Sora Cantamen on Dec 5, 2015 7:08:49 GMT
It didn't take long for the other person to respond. With an attack, no less. Or defense, considering that she had been the one to draw her weapon first. But in this kind of place, at this time of night, Sora didn't think she was unjustified for doing so.
To her annoyance, the shadows themselves seemed to be fighting back--enough proof that whoever she'd threatened had control over them. They snapped at her feet, causing the light to flicker, and she flicked her wrists, fingers pointed downwards, to direct the now brighter moonlight to eradicate them.
Just as quickly as she was finished, however, Sora lost sight of the silhouette when she looked up. Her eyes narrowed. Was this some kind of game? Had they just left?
She carefully lowered her bow to waist level as she began to walk, though she didn't let go of the arrow. "I suppose you're still here," she said coolly. "If you have no intention of harming me, show yourself and speak." |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2015 7:25:11 GMT
Like any forest-dweller worth their salt, Quinn had swiftly and silently made it to the fork of the redwood's trunk… which was a good twenty feet off the ground, at least. A thin cloak of darkness had clung to them even now. It was enough to hide their actual appearance, but not much more - almost like a skintight suit which was stretched over their actual clothes. Quinn had always worn shadows more comfortably than most fabrics.
Of course this stranger seemed not to want to leave them alone. Sticking one hand around the tree trunk so Sora could see it, Emperor Faustus signed a very aggressive 'hello' and then promptly flipped the princess off.
Maybe she'd get the hint and leave. With Quinn's luck, probably not.
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Post by Sora Cantamen on Dec 5, 2015 7:49:50 GMT
The light was already starting to fade, enough for Sora to start having trouble maintaining its brightness. In between the on-and-off flickering, she made out the silhouette again around a tree. But this time, it was only of a hand. And it signed...hello? Sora's sign language was rather rusty. Then it flipped her off.
Well, Sora thought dryly, that was a lot better than attacking her. Physically, anyway.
The shadow control reminded her of what she'd heard about the emperor of Setunoir, someone by the name of Faustus. Apparently they could hide in the darkness and not be seen for days, weeks, years if they wished it. For a brief second, she wondered--but no, it couldn't be. What would the emperor being doing here, of all places?
Still, she couldn't shake off the nagging feeling once it hit.
She wasn't going to leave, but it wasn't as if she'd actually say so. Slowly, Sora stepped back and turned around. Hopefully, whoever it was wouldn't care about her going another way through the forest. She'd still do what she came for; it wasn't as if they could actually stop her. With a quick slash of her hands through the air, some moonlight bent out of the branches and split into seven small orbs that began to float around her in a circle to light the way--and to provide her a shield if the shadows struck again for whatever reason. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2015 8:26:27 GMT
Quinn had been getting hopeful when Sora didn't respond. But suddenly light was peeling off the bark nearby, burning at the darkness slightly, and the Setunoir royal reacted instinctively.
Darkness erupted from the ground around Sora, with globs of the stuff rising into the air only to launch themselves at the Belsay royal, targeting her face. Emperor Faustus wasn't sure whether they would be scorched to nothingness with the light as close it was… but they only needed it to work for a moment. Quinn slid down the side of the tree opposite Sora, probably tearing the bottoms of their shoes in the process.
They leaped around the trunk whilst surrounded by a swarm of shadows and flung a small throwing knife at the princess, hoping to catch her in the thigh or shoulder if not in the chest. It wasn't poisoned but they had no reservations about using the toxic blades if the situation called for that. |
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Post by Sora Cantamen on Dec 5, 2015 8:57:44 GMT
Not even more than two steps forward and Sora's vision was filled with black. Instinctively, she jumped back and swiped her hand forward, launching the orbs of light at the globs of shadow. They didn't immediately disintegrate, but it was enough for her to take the opportunity to muster up a bolt from the light she had and hurl it forward.
Only a fraction of a second in that movement saved her from a knife in the chest. It grazed her shoulder and she winced, whirling around. Where were they? They had to have been in the tree before--
Her hand shot out at a shaft of moonlight, ripping it from the branches. With practiced finesse, she took the bolt to press it into her still drawn arrow and drew it back as it now began to glow. She squinted into the darkness, looking for a shape. At the first sign of movement she saw, she drew the arrow back tightly enough to nearly strain the string and fired. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 6, 2015 9:30:42 GMT
Having wanted to see if they'd made a hit with the knife, Quinn did not retreat back behind the redwood for cover. They immediately regretted this decision. The emperor made an attempt to move out of the way, or at least throw off Sora's aim, but they were still rewarded with a very bright arrow in the bicep for their efforts. Wonderful.
The mass of shadows faltered but did not fall. Rather, it turned on the princess, closing the distance fast. In the midst of the darkness, Quinn slashed at their opponent with a sharp blade, favoring the arm that was not currently bleeding. They really despised arrow wounds. |
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Post by Sora Cantamen on Dec 7, 2015 8:57:18 GMT
It took a moment for Sora to see she'd made her hit, before even more darkness hit her squarely in the face. She jumped back, bow still in hand, and swung blindly with it at whoever was in the middle of it. A sting raced through her arm above the elbow at the slash of a blade, blood seeping from it, and she instinctively hissed in pain.
Quickly, sloppily, she slung back her bow and reached for the nearest source of light. It was small, but it burned in her fingers and she hurled it into the mass of blackness as hard as she could before drawing her knife. She stabbed upwards, hoping she'd hit something. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2015 13:53:31 GMT
Quinn nearly managed to get whacked in the face by Sora's bow, but fortunately they were already moving away. Another bolt of light zoomed past, much too close for their liking. Quinn made an effort to keep their power extended even as they distanced themself. Upon reaching the safety of a tree trunk, the emperor launched a second throwing knife at Sora's legs, hoping to catch her while she was trying to locate them. Only then did Quinn allow the darkness to seep back so that it was no longer blinding the princess.
They frowned at the arrow sticking out of their arm and snapped the end off. Prolonged fights weren't much fun. With any luck, Sora could be dealt with quickly - the evening was already rather ruined and Quinn really just wanted to get this projectile removed from their body. |
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Post by Sora Cantamen on Dec 11, 2015 5:40:30 GMT
Swinging around in darkness wasn't good for you, especially if it was with a knife, but Sora was too caught up in the moment to care until she noticed it was receding. She blinked the spots out of her eyes, just in time to see the knife hurling towards her. She threw herself to the side, tumbling over herself across the grass and the bow digging into her back as a result.
She stuck the knife's blade deeply into the earth, using the hilt as a lever to pull herself up before tucking it back into her belt. Exasperated, she brushed her hair back behind her ears and dusted herself off. The once pristine white of her robe was now stained with dirt, and blood was dripping onto her sleeve from the cut in her arm. Carefully, she reached again for a near source of light, but this time manipulated it to bend over her arm wound. There was a faint glow as it healed, a burning sensation accompanying it before fading entirely and leaving the skin mostly good as new.
"Alright," Sora said as calmly as she could, making her voice loud enough for her opponent--wherever they were--to hear her. "Shall we call a truce? I will leave peacefully, and we won't fight anymore. I'm sure you're as tired of this as I am. I'll be on my way, and if you have any objections, then please, seek me out tomorrow morning when I'm not tired."
She waited tentatively, wondering if it'd be too late for her to just turn and leave. But a part of her wanted to see if whoever she'd just been fighting with would reveal themself or not, though she suspected the latter. |
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