Through Darkest Knight

[demonofwhite]

Constance nodded and walked off to the bar. She came back a moment later with two mugs. "Here's a pint. Nine percent and dark. Sound ok?" She asked as she handed him the mug and took a swig of hers. "And for something brewed here it's not that bad..." Greedily, she took another sip.  

[Demonix13]

((I sincerely apologize for not posting in so long. I've had a ******** of schoolwork to do. Also, I'd like to get Alpheus killed off relatively soon, as I've got an idea for a new character, not to mention I'm kinda bored with him.))

"Nothing for me," the Etzale said. He went and sat down in a nice dark corner of the room to wait while Mirado and Constance drank that "stupid water" as his people called it.  

[demonofwhite]

Constance took a big swig. "Well, If I get drunk, chain me to a brick wall. Use Iron. I can't break through iron..." She shrugged and took another swig.  

[Masamune 5.0]

Mirado chugged down his mug rather quickly and stood up. He walked to the doorway and stepped outside. All the while not saying a word. He glanced down the road both ways and then up at the sky. His arm itched.

"Hm..." Mirado finally let out a sound. "The air seems heavy..."

((Sorry for not posting recently.))  

[Demonix13]

((No problem Masa. It's been kinda hectic lately around here.))

Alpheus joined the human outside.
"I know what you mean. Almost like it's about to storm."
He took a deep breath of the fresh, clean air.
"Funny though," he said conversationally, "It doesn't have that sharp edge to it that I normally feel when it's about to storm."  

[demonofwhite]

Constance poked her head out. "A curse...poison...who knows..." She had refilled her mug. "A bit odd, isn't it? I mean, you wouldn't expect a place like this to be so...i don't know...dead?" It was a statement, but there was a question in her tone, like she wasn't sure about anything.  

[Demonix13]

"It's...it's not..." The Etzale's voice broke off. He cleared his throat and tried again.
"You don't think it's...Dracquis, so you?" He lowered his voice conspiratorially.
"I mean, he couldn't possibly be here...could he?"  

[demonofwhite]

Constance furrowed her brow. "I don't think so...at least...I hope not..." She scanned the buildings. "I...think it might be...something more. It doesn't seem strange to you at all?" She gestured towards and empty square filled with carts and shops. "No one's out. People should be shopping or mingling, right?" She looked over at her companions.  

[Masamune 5.0]

"No one really knows what Dracquis is fully capable of..." Mirado murmured back uneasily. Though, this was particularly strange. The people seemed to vanish. He could have sworn he heard some stirring of life when they entered the village. Had that been an illusion? Was that illusion now starting to fall apart? Was it a trap? He was not sure. All sorts of questions formed in his mind. All went unanswered. They built up, each one adding doubt, clouding his mind.

"We... We should probably check it out." Mirado said finally.  

[demonofwhite]

Constance nodded and looked down the street. Something caught her eye. It wasn't a human, but it was alive. "Hey, look..." She whispered while pointing in the direction of the creature. "A cat..."  

[Demonix13]

Alpheus looked in the direction Constance indicated, clearly unimpressed.
"So? Don't they have cats where you come from?"
He started down the street toward the cat.  

[demonofwhite]

"Yah." She said, slightly anoied. "But cat's generally do move more than that. The thing looks stuffed..." She started to follow Alpheus. "I know cats, and this one is acting pretty strange..."  

[Schnadenfreude]

Lilith was starting to get slightly annoyed with herself. It had been nearly three hours, and she was still lost in these damned woods. Where was she, anyway? It was a bit hard to see through the darkness, even with her keen vision.

"What I wouldn't give for a tall bottle of vodka right now...", she muttered to herself.

She was dragging her scythe along the ground, knowing she shouldn't but not really caring either way. She was soaked to the hollow bones from a freak rainstorm she'd encountered earlier, hungry from lack of supplies, and generally pissed off at herself for getting lost. And to top things off, she'd ruined her favorite pair of pants after fighting off some monster who was threatening to rip her to shreds.

She wasn't feeling too sure about this adventure now...

It had been days since she'd seen anything that even resembled a town, and that was back in her own world! Why had she even wanted to come to this strange new land anyway...? Oh, that was right. She was looking for someone. She didn't particularly know who this someone was, but it was important to find him. Her father had said so, entrusting her with a map and a necklace to keep her safe.

What in the hell was he thinking?

It didn't matter now, she was here, and she wasn't turning back on her mission. And, as luck would have it, she saw a soft yellow glow in the distance. She knew that color all too well; light. And judging from the size, it was coming from a window of some sort. She let out a relieved sigh and raced toward the source.

Hm, a tavern. She hadn't seen one of those recently. She wondered whose it was. Were they full? Would they accept an outsider like her? Should she just turn back and hope that she'd find the nearest town soon?

Hell no. She was going in, whether they liked it or not.

 

[Masamune 5.0]

Everything was far too quiet. No sound was made. Not someone walking in the distance, not the wind blowing through the trees and grass. Mirado turned to Constance. Her lips moved but not a sound came forth. Yet she did not seem to notice. Mirado looked from Constance to Alpheus and back, in a state of angry panic. Darkness slowly drifted in, from all around. It encircled him, slowing enveloping everything like a black cloud. He could see nothing, hear nothing, feel nothing... The world was empty of everything save himself.

Was this Dracquis? The question had been repeatedly racing through his mind. No. The others would have surely noticed as well, wouldn't they? Mirado was sure of nothing, save for one thing. He was suffocating. His breaths were deep but brought no relief. He shook violently. He couldn't die now. He had a mission... a task he had sworn to keep. His fists clenched, his muscles tightened, even his eyes strained. A heavy unseen force pressed down on him from every angle, threatening to crush his entire body. But he endured. This force was his doing.

The darkness shattered before him, crushed by his own power and will. All the world's sound rushed back to him like a thunderclap. And then it was quiet again. He was breathing heavily, with hands on his knees. Sweat dripped from his face and fell to the ground. His right arm pained him slightly. Like a bewildered animal he looked up at Constance and Alpheus, who looked back with blank stares. They had not experienced what he had. He himself was not sure what had happened. By some feat, Mirado regained his composure and his breathing returned more or less to normal. But his right arm still felt a slight twinge of pain. At the very least one thing was certain. Dracquis was now coming this way, where he had not been before. Was something in this town drawing him near? Was it Mirado?

"This sucks..."  

[Demonix13]

Alpheus was beginning to get a bit worried.
"Mirado, you alright?" he asked, moving towards the human. He reached out and put a hand on Mirado's shoulder. He could feel the heat radiating out from Mirado, and felt the dampness of a feverish sweat.
"You don't look so good."