Blood upon those hands (Slace)

[Anadwen]

Heavy hooves of a black horse clapped on the stone road. Daerian's hand in black gauntlets, clutched around the reins, pulled his head back, and she poked him with the spurs on her boots.

"Hold!" she hissed. Her mount stopped at her order, and let the crowd of common people pass. Daerian winged off as she looked at them - so powerless, without any sort of knowledge, without hope to ever control their own lives. She was different. She was the Mistress, and ruled far more than her actions. There was none to tell her what to do, she had no master but herself. And she was content with that. 

The morning was bright, sun shone above the roofs of houses, libraries and universities, flashing off the windows above the restless crowds on markets. People were shopping, discussing prices with merchants and squabbling about prices, but Daerian only saw a mass of dirty clothes and meat. Tools.

She sled off the saddle to take a look at a display, showing a few knives and jewelry. The small woman behind one of the stalls bowed her head to her.
"What would you wish, my lady?"
"How much do you want for this?" A brogue in the shape of a leaf appeared between Daerian's fingers, but dropped down as the seller told the price.
"Is it blessed, or what? Bathed in an angel's blood? Well, you can keep it." the elf winged off with disgust, and jumped back onto her horse's back.
"Wait! I'll give it for three quarters of that!" the woman offered her, but she only shook her silver-haired head.
"I'm not buying anything. Your standards are too high. Goodbye." she growled, and spurred her horse along.

I'd be better off buying crude iron and crafting something for myself alone, she thought. The market is just full of worthless trash as always... Nothing worth her attention. She pulled the reins to the right and ordered her mount to turn around and head towards the library.

[Slace]

The bustling of the common folk. the dull crash of the metal boots and the crunch of the dirt beneath his heels. his body well armored with a sword at his side.

He was surveying the market. Connlaoth had marvelous crafts men and Ryan was arranging for a tremendous amount of armor and weapons to be delivered to a certain location wher ehe would pay for them and take them. the shop keepers he went to always acted so grateful for his service. He had ordered thousands of items today and the money he had seemed to never run out.

He approached a a group of small children playing soldier and smiled. while nobody was payign attention he offered the boys some gold if they would go and cause some mischief for him. But right after he paiud them he caught scent of something. it was the familiar sensation of violence in ones blood. Ryan could feel it oozing from somebodies essence. and as he continued to move around he found the presence. a beautiful woman with white skin and hair. her lavender eyes shining in the sun. He smiled and looked upon her. his tongue eased from his mouth to moisten his lips. It was intoxicating. the murders in her blood were delicious.

He approached her with a smile on his face and walked up to her his soldiers accompanying him but staying hidden within the crowd. a dozen in all heavily armed. He smiled at her and grabbed hold of her horse stopping the beast. she smelled of demon kin. a half blood with incredible magical power. with teh slightest hint of elf. so she would be stronger both physically and mystically. Ryan grinned and looked into her eyes. "im sorry but i couldnt help but admire you from afar my dear maiden. Your beauty is hard to miss among these common folk. especially with such death soaking in your essence." this last sentence would have ryans peacful kind words turn into a dark sadistic tone at the end. His golden eyes staring into hers. His black armor with his crest upon it. the stylized omega symbol. it was painted blood red today and she would likely know of his identity as the warlord.


Whether she approved or not he would forcibly guide her horse away from the common bystanders. they were out of sight in a back alley now. he slamme dhis fist into the horses chest and disembowled its heart from its body killing it in an instant. wether she chose to save herself from the fall or not was not his problem. he did however wish to instigate a violent reaction. "What is somebody like you doing in somehwere like connlaoth?" he laughed ina friendly and yet menacing way. it was strange and frightening. he hungered for battle and felt that she did too. he would quench his thirst for blood.

[Anadwen]

Daerian gracefully sled off the saddle before the corpse of her horse collapsed onto the ground, and dusted her tunic off. The heavy chainmail underneath the white wool clinked as she moved and crossed her arms on her chest.

"I should be asking you that in the first place, my lord. I live here." she replied, smiling seductively. Her eyes shimmered in the reflected light of sun. She felt great power in him, much similar to hers, but ancient, older than she was. A bloodthirsty soul like her own, one which feeds on blood and war.

"Why have you decided to slay my mount all at once?" asked she, bending towards her black horse's corpse, and pressed her hands onto the hole in his chest. She could feel his strength quickly passing into her own body, she drained the last remnants of warmth, and felt the life and power growing inside her. Every spilled blood was a blessing for her, she fed on it, and every wasted life was like a flame, adding to her spirit. The horse's blood covered the tips of her fingers, hudden underneath her gauntlets of heavy iron, and disappeared into thin air.

"I have not yet heard of a horse committing a crime." she laughed lightly, her voice like a fresh river, flowing on the stones in deep valleys between the mountains. Her hand arose to his shoulder and grabbed him softly. "Have you?"

She could feel his hunger, burning, stronger than hers, and thirsting for a slightly different food than hers, but in their essences, they were the same. She glanced at the couple of scimitars, crossed at her back.

"I... Am waiting, my lord."

[Slace]

The death had been a fine morsel but it left him wanting more. He could barely restrain himself as he move up close to the woman. His armor surprisingly silent the light being sucked up by its black metal. He stood mere inches away from her. the heavy musk of his scent would fill her nose. It would tempt most women but she would be able to easily resist.

"I am simply wandering through searching for  supplies. It was when i noticed you that it became interesting." he met her smile with his own. her charm meant nothing to him. "your attempts to muddle my thoughts are in vain dear lady." He reached up slowly non threateningly and the metal gauntlet of his hand receded for moment as he stroked her cheek. "a body so gentle but a heart so brutal. its truly magnificent."

He pondered her question for a few moments choosing his answer. "i killed it not for a preconcieved notion of a crime i killed him because i desired to do so. no more. no less." he answered matter of factly his voice a deep velvety sound. as she placed her hand on his shoulder his still on her face. he laughed for a moment.

The demon craved blood almost as much as ryan. she was satisfied with simple death of individuals. but ryan needed more. He would feast on genocide. war, rebellion, inquisitions. He required far greater sustenance than what she fed up. He was ancient beyond compare and smiled bringing his other hand to the sword at his side. his smile warm his intentions deadly.

"you are a demon. Your soul runs red with blood. it makes me hunger. And it is quite... intoxicating." Ryan would whisper the last word gently and seductively into her ear ever so softly and draw it out. his closeness. the warmth of his body. the familiar taste of bloodshed oozing from his every inch. it was all there. the scent of his musk the sound of his voice and his obvious physical beauty. but this seduction was leading somewhere much different than what most would assume.

[Anadwen]

Daerian softly stroke his cheek and turned around him, slipping behind his back.

"I'm afraid this is not the right place to quench your thirst..." she pressed her fingers onto his mouth.
"Shh. Don't let them hear. Don't let them know." she whispered. Even despite the armour, she could feel him like a hungry flame, searing and consuming, but she was immune to that heat.
"I'm not what they think, but neither are you. Let's keep it a secret." Her voice was low, but hypnotizing, perfectly calm and silent, almost a whisper. She narrowed her eyes as her head appeared above his shoulder, and her hand picked up his chin.

"Don't you think that would be better?" Her lips twisted into a smile. She found one equal to her, and her desire to use this discovery was great, as was her curiosity. It didn't matter what or who was he, but she was bored and thirsted for blood, which she saw in him, the promise of slaughter. His charm failed to tempt her and it was not the cause of her interest, but the simple presence of another being, old and mysterious, was fascinating.

She could feel his hunger. It was present in the air around, like a red mist.

[Slace]

His heart quickened as she moved behind him. her intentions clear she would not fight this moment. but perhaps soon.

as she spoke the waves of desire pulsated off of him. a near tangible aura. he was practically ravenous at this moment. However the woman had awoken a different feeling. he was curious. she had piqued his interest. She continued to touch him obviously attempting to cloud his mind with seduction. He was not falling prey to her tricks but he would playa long for her sake. he turned around and traced his hands now bare along her body. never anything too out of place but just enough to keep up this game.

"i suppose you are right. sometimes i let my hunger get the best of me." he gave a low growl not angry or threatening. more like playful, his hands moved and grasped her own as he shifted behind her holding them close to the center of her body. He kept them together like this as they spoke whispering each word into her ear letting her feel the warmth of his breath on her skin. she was intruiging. not near as old as ryan but ancientt to the mortals. She was a creature of bloodshed and destruction but she was wise enough to restrain herself when need be. the power could be felt within her. decidedly less than that of ryans but significant.

She was mysterious and seductive. Her every word carrying the charm she displayed. but he fell for none of her tricks. "now do tell me. what it is you are looking for." he chuckled lightly each word was whispered gently the game was being played well by both its competitors. but they each had a true goal behind it.

[Anadwen]

Daerian slipped from his hands and smiled. He didn't want to fight, he wanted to play, like a cat, a deadly hunter, but too curious to kill straight away. And she was no prey.

"I want..." She turned her back to him, glancing over her shoulder, "...To play a game." She leaped into the air and begun running through the streets. If he could catch her, she would talk, but right now, he would have to show her that his curiosity is strong enough.

She ran lightly, as if swimming in the air, although her heavy armour was clinking with every fleet step she made. Common folk made way for her without saying a word, and those who didn't were carelessly pushed aside. She didn't pay attention to them - they either step away, or suffer the consequences, just as always. The ground flashed beneath her feet, jumping over the stones of roads, occasionally glancing behind. She knew he would follow, anyone would follow.

Anyone would follow, and that was the doom of so many before. She played a bloody game, but this time, it was different. She wasn't hungry, she was curious.

And she hasn't been for a long time.

[Slace]

As she moved away from him ryan suspected she wanted to play more. A game of cat and mouse as it were.

As she spoke his suspicion was confirmed. Her speed and agility was astonoshing but not unexpected. He laughed heartily as the game began. his pace began slowly but rapidly picked up as he went.

He too long deep strides covering the ground in rapid pace. despite his heavy armoring he  would quickly climb and jump among the high ground of the walls and rooftops. The citizens before him would not even realize what was going on. they had an incredible ability to ignore what went on around them. His acrobatic maneuvers would be impossible for less men. He flipped and landed right in front of her and layed a gentle poke upon her fore-head.

She was right in that he would follow. anybody would. but ryan knew that he would be safe as she desired the same thing he did. she was intruiged by meeting another one like her.

He smiled curiosity having long since left him but returned now in great strength,

[Anadwen]

Daerian pinched his cheek. "You're fast... But I'm the fastest!" she chuckled, and swiftly turning on her heel, she begun running again. She threw herself into the air and jumped off a display of a market stand, landing on one of the roofs. There was hardly anyone to match her speed...

She felt the heat in her body grow as she begun to change. The wings on her back ripped her tunic, sharp claws broke through the gauntlets, and all of a sudden, she felt as light as the air itself. Energy flooded her, and she launched herself into the air, spreading her wings, flying where none could see her. The braids in which her hair was neatly twisted on the sides of her head were now loose, waving around her face.

The wind ruffled the feathers on her wings, and she flew higher in the cold air. None could match her, not even the wild birds of prey. Her arms arose to her head, and she begun twisting in the air, turning around and around as she flew forth. The veil of her own power covered her, and there was no one whose eyes could see her.

Those villagers don't look at the sky, anyway. But he would.

[Slace]

Ryan gave another low growl and burst off running after her. jumping off of a wall and flipp ing over to a nearby roof top. She was incredibly fast. But ryan could easily keep up. He continued his acrobatic manevuers and with each one his armor would begin to tear and shatter piece by piece until at last he was left wearing nothing but the breeches he wore in northern climates.

He saw her in the sky as she new he would and he roared the ever so slightest burst of power flowing around him as he blasted upwards his hair blowing in the wind the air racing across his chest. It was exhilerating. He rose above the range of vision for the commoners to see her and laughed again. The freedom of flight. one of the few abilities he could do freely.

The cold air whipped around his body but he seemed unfazed by it. the birds could not approach him fast enough.  She was there. He burst forward again his speed rising. a tremendous crack of sound struck out across the sky as he slammed forth and grabbed onto her. he cradled her like he would if he were to carry her across the threshold. the birds had been destroyed during the sonic burst. But ryan did not care. the clouds around them would mislead the connlaothians into thinking it was thunder. But he had caught her. "I win."

[Anadwen]

Daerian spread her wings, slowly sliding from his arms. "Alright, you won!" she cried out, shouting over the loud wind. Her hair was flowing behind her like a river, carried by the strong winds, and she felt in her wings and through the holes in her armour, caressing her. It was strong, but soft to her, as hard as iron in her fully unleashed form. Her eyes glowed crimson like blood, and her teeth appeared unnaturally sharp, its tips sticking out from beneath her upper lip. She grinned.

"What do you want then? Tell me. I greed for knowledge. What are you?"

She needed to know. Dark clouds rushed towards the land from the north, carried by the wind, bringing the promise of a fierce storm, and covered the sun. The wind became freezing cold, blowing everything aside, but she remained still, unaffected by the force that bent to her will.

"I want answers! What are you?" she cried out. Thunder roared in the air, and lightning flashed afar. She appeared hungry, vicious and fierce, a wild fury that cannot be tamed, a storm in herself. Her eyes reflected the lighting in their blood-red irises.

[Slace]

As she exclaimed loudly ryan grinned like the madman he was. Light flowed from his eyes and body. it was bright and powerful. he spun into the air and laughed boisterously. His body was too perfect to be human. not a single blemish upon his skin save strange tattoos. These depicted images that were impossible to look upon. they were horrifying and terrible to see the symbols for no logical reason. they stretched across his torso and arms shifting in an out across his skin moving of their own volition.

Her question made ryans head snap towards her and with another flash of speed he floated right in front of her again. He screamed with joy as power rocked out of his body infusing the storm around them with energy. his excess power burnt into the air around them. lightning flashed around them ice crystalized upon his skkin and  shattered jsut as quickly. He reached forward and pulled her by the hand up high above the cloud cover. here where the sun shine brightest he would give his answers.

"I am many things. but the one you are looking for is a spheran. i am of a race of beings who lived long before this world itself. the very planet we stand upon was not yet born when i was already an adult." Ryan held out his hand and the light of the sun danced along the clouds forming into images peoples of untold shape and size. cities of unimaginable complexity and art. "we were gods of cause, of change, of events, gods of destiny. i am the god of events such as storms and war and murder. plague and stampede and birth and death, i am the god of violence." he turned towards her and roared like a beast.

His power was growing stronger by the moment. "I am a divine warlord. I raise vast civilizations and topple the mightiest of empires. I am life and death. creation and destruction. I wield the power of the entire universe at my disposal." He relaxed himself and turned back towards her. "and that. my dear lady, demoness. that is what i am. but i am so much more as well. so much you have to learn about the universe. so much to tell."

[Anadwen]

"Anyone can say things like that." Daerian winged off, not eager to believe him, and crossed her arms on her chest. "You're powerful, that's clear to me. But I don't believe you." Trust no one. People lie. Demons lie, too. And there are no gods.

"How can I know you aren't simply boasting? I can feel that you are a divine being of great might... But there are no gods." She spread her wings and flew around him in wide circles. "There is nothing  like gods. Only villagers believe in that..." She let the wind carry her higher, where air was thin and one was running out of breath.

"There is only power. There are no gods." she cried out. "I'm not that young not to know that."

It was impossible for something like a god to exist... She never believed in any greater force, no destiny, no higher being. The wind brought her high above the clouds, and she grasped for air to breathe, which was scarce and thin up there, but she kept still.

"What do you want here, then?"

[Slace]

"nothing like gods you say? a god is not all powerful. gods are simply another level of being. much like demons and angels surpass the mortals gods surpass them. even we are not omnipotent." Ryan buzzed around the sky positively giddy with excitement. "and to prove i am not boasting. i shall do something only a god could do. i shall do something that even the greatest of mages has deemed impossible." and then everything stopped. the only two things moving in the entire world were her and ryan. Time had been stopped. "Time will move no further for anyone but us. this means you can do nothing to effect anything else. time is frozen in a single moment. the clouds cannot be peirced the wind will not blow people cannot be moved. everything is frozen for as far as you look." And just as soon as it had happened. The world was unfrozen.

He grinned at her and smiled. "what is a god if not a being who is simply more powerful than the mortals and the spirits?" Ryans entire body burned. every cell was screaming in agony but he showed none of it. He approached her again. "if you ask anything of me i wil do it to prove my point. i am a god among this world.

His patience was growing thinner with the demon woman. while interesting her skepticism was aggravating. Ryan was a god and disliked it being denied from him. She asked him a question then and he knew the answer instantly. it was second nature to him and the simplest thing.

"what i want here is simple. i want War. bloodshed. murder. genocide. attrocity. i want violence and bruatlity. i want a war to end all wars. to leave not even smoldering ashes to remember the battlefied by. a war so tremendous it will destroy the combatatants the battle field, the civilian the carrion birds who harvest the corpses even. i want the very world to shake at the memory of this war for it to scar and change the inhabitants of this realm forever. and to do it again and again and again until there is noting left to wage war against. and then i shall move on to the next one. and the next. and so on and so forth, ad infinatum."

his grin threatened to break his face in half. "more importantly. what is it you desire little demoness?"

[Anadwen]

"I need no other proof." replied Daerian - not in belief, but simply wishing for him to stop boasting about his abilities. She has seen enough shows of his power. She didn't believe, she never believed, but she recognized power when she saw it.

"I share your desires, though. At least some of them. I don't wish for a neverending war to destroy the world itself... But I myself hunger for bloodshed and battles. It is a greater desire than any sense of humanity inside myself... I want battle. I want blood, I want to bathe in it, and drown the world in crimson. I want it to remain, remain for eternity, bleeding for my pleasure, and I want to watch and laugh... I want it to burn and shatter, I want a battlefield!" her voice grew louder with every word she said, until she was screaming and wailing louder than the wind. "I want a blood-drenched ashen field! Nothing less!"

She folded her wings and begun descending, spiraling into the clouds. The wind was fast, turning on her face and around her body, burning with the mere thoughts of her awaken desire. She hungered for blood, she needed it.

[Slace]

Ryan began to cackle like a hyena. Their desires rung true together. It was harmonious. a miracle for ryan a nightmare for the world. He would battle this woman himself. her bones would shatter to dust her flesh would burn before his flames and her mind would be broken before his terror. He made another crack of sound as he rocketed downwards after her.

"come then. you wish for blood and ash. you wish for battle. fight me!" Ryan would barrel towards her attempting to crash into her back and slam them both down into the ground with a glorious impact. should his strike succeed he would drag her face first through the streets with the momentum. He was being brutal and unrelenting. He lifted up his hand and out shot bolts of flame and lightning seeking to char and destroy her flesh with their mystical power.

He unsheathed his sword the last remnant of his original combat attire and the blade was cloaked in a blinding golden aura. He dashed forward with another bout of blinding speed. the obvious display of magic would attract the mordecai soon. Their approaching presence would continue to fuel ryan. He used the sword and slice a deep gash into his own chest using the blood and drawing a circle of runes on the ground. With it the people around him would be taken by the rage. their very essence driven to madness. they would start a riot among themselves tearing each other limb from limb and becoming yet another source of power for the war god.

His sadistic grin was fully bared his sharp teeth glinting in the light. blood dripping from his own cut and the wounds inflicted from impact. He roared in challenge daring his enemy to fight back.

[Anadwen]

Daerian gracefully landed on the ground, clouds of dust arising around her feet, still waving her great wings in the air. She smacked her head against her hands.

"Not fight you, you fool!" she groaned. "There's not enough blood in you to feed me. Off course I don't want to fight you." The veil of illusion still covered her from the sight of ordinary mortals, and she slowly changed back to her peaceful form. Her eyes turned back into purple, wings and claws disappeared and fangs shrunk back into their normal size, until she stood there as an almost ordinary woman. The only thing that was different were her ripped clothes. The illusion disappeared and she turned her back to him, running off into the streets.

She lost the desire to explore him - he was powerful, but driven by madness that didn't care about security or safety. And she felt no need to be discovered by the mordecai - as a warlord, she had enough blood and money ready to feed herself and remain content, though hidden.

[Slace]

ryans magic faded as he laughed. the mordecai arrived to find what appeared to be nothing. the damage gone. the peoples back to normal and ryan standing directly next to her. "you think i care nothing about security or safety. one does not become as powerful or succesful as me without learning a few tricks to stay hidden." the mordecai asked where the mages had gone and ryan caught their attention with waving his arms. "they went south. they have innocents hostage. hurry!!" the mordecai were gone in a flash and ryan turned towards her again. "you misunderstand.  it is not that i care nothing of safety or security. it is that i can have them without any sort of risk. think about it. I am a warlord. i have obviously lived to be ancient and powerful. i would know how to survive."

He gestured around to the seemingly ignorant people. "none of them remember a damned thing. because technically. the moment never happened. my people feed on events. violence is my fuel. but in an emergency we can make it so an event is completely devoured. the skirmish we had right here never happened." Ryan smiled and pulled her close to him to whisper something in his ear. "i needed to break your blood driven madness. If you truly want bloodshed then join me. Think about it. no danger to oppose you. never ending enemies to battle. blood and pain to feast on for all of your life."

Then without a word they were somewhere else. standing far above in the sky the whole of connlaoth visible. "i can offer you all the battle you could ever desire. scorched earth as far as the eye can see. rivers shall run red with blood. Connlaoth is the home of a civil war. it has not broken out into full conflict yet but when it does it shall feed me a great deal. i intend to use it to spark another war. i shall invade adela. home of the dragon riders. truthfully. i came here today. specifically today seeing supplies. but always i am looking for those like you. people who desire bloodshed as greatly as i do. i gather them and we wage battles not even  the most brutal of poets could imagine." he looked into her eyes. "join me. there will be bloodshed in untold amounts. the very earth shall be stained by the death of our enemies."