Description

Name: Renevari Rihnei. Rihnei is not actually a name, but rather, a derogatory title, roughly approximating to three different words at once: abomination, bastard, and slave. For understandable reasons, then, usually goes by the nickname "Ren."
Gender: Female
Age: 18
Home World: Diaboli
Race: Half Angel, Half Demon.

Appearance: Standing at five feet, eight inches, Ren is neither tremendously tall nor overly short, presenting instead an average height and a fairly unimposing build. Her shoulders are narrow and rolled back, her limbs long, yet lean and limber, and her physique slender and curving. with a narrow waist and flat stomach to match a slightly arching back and very mature, well-developed and rounded figure. Yet despite her womanly exterior, traces of muscle are plainly visible beneath her outward appearance of weakness. Instead of seeming large and formidable, she appears compact, with a thin yet firm build to her that gives her a certain air of strength that belies her outer fragility. Ren's skin is pale and soft, relatively unblemished, yet marred in several places by scars of many different shapes, natures, and origins. The large part of these are on her back, making it fairly obvious that she's been whipped before, probably several times, and very viciously at that. But, despite the existence of these scars, many of them are largely invisible, having healed almost perfectly despite the serious nature of the half-blood's many past wounds, standing as a painful testament to her tremendous capacity for recovery even in the face of agonizing injuries.

Ren's face is somewhat childish in appearance, yet bears a continuous expression that could best be compared to that of a world weary veteran. Her round, rosy cheeks are never drawn back in a smile, her soft pink lips always pursed in a frown, hiding the white teeth that lie behind them. Her nose, chin, and ears are all petite, as though designed not to draw attention away from the most prominent feature of her face: her deep crimson eyes, the icy, untrusting gaze of which is so piercing as to almost exert a tangible force upon those her eyes meet. While normally a dark, blood red in hue, when she utilizes her powers, her eyes glow a brilliant shade of scarlet. At the same time, sharply curving but largely straight lines of a matching hue form all across her upper body, covering her torso, arms, and cheeks in a bizarre, glowing grid, while chain-like patterns of the same color wrap themselves tightly around each of her legs.

The young half-blood's hair is a metallic, silvery hue, betraying her angelic ancestry. Her tresses are long and straight, clipped just above her eyes, but otherwise largely allowed to flow free as they please. Two tails of hair frame her face, one on either side, running from above her ears all the way down to her shoulders. In the back, meanwhile, her locks run almost to her waist, forming a glistening cascade of silvery white clear down her back.

Unlike normal Angels, whose wings are a permanent fixture on their bodies, Ren's wings only appear when she summons them into being, as they are a manifestation of her powers rather than a normal, functioning appendage. Equally unusual is the fact that Ren actually can summon up to six wings rather than just two - four in an X-shape on her back, and two smaller ones sprouting from the back of her head. It's probable that these secondary and tertiary sets of wings take the places of the tail and horns her Demonic blood would otherwise give her, respectively. Her wings are, instead of the usual white, colored a jet black, and, although they seem no different in their construction from normal, biological wings, their feathers are actually made of an ultra-dense and tough metal which she can control at will, making them weightless. Instead of a fleshy membrane at the center of her wings, she actually just has these weightless feathers forming a layer around a core of pure energy, another manifestation of her abilities. See powers for more details.

Ren's standard attire consists of several garments. Firstly, there is the basic outfit she wears, a one-piece, tight-fitting sleeveless thigh-length dress of a thin, clingy black material meant not to hinder its wearer in flight. A very simple garment, it is decorated only by three intersecting bands of gold-colored fabric that serve as trim, and by a red neckband that keeps the otherwise loose collar firmly fastened. Over this, however, Ren wears some of her more iconic garb, donning a short-but-puffy-sleeved halter jacket of navy leather, trimmed white, while over the short skirt of her dress, she adds a longer, ankle-length half-skirt of the same deep blue hue as her jacket, but with the same gold-colored bands and trim as her dress. Completing this ensemble with a pair of black thigh-highs (I know in the pictures she only has one, but she actually wears two) and metal-reinforced boots of black leather, as well as a pair of fingerless gloves of the same sturdy material and trimmed with golden markings, she strikes a highly distinctive image while at the same time maintaining a balanced level of modesty and practicality.

Personality: Cold, quiet, composed, and distant, Ren rarely interacts with other people of her own choosing. Bitter, cynical, desperate, and paranoid, the young half-breed always sees the worst in others, constantly living in fear of betrayal by those close to her, and feeling that everyone around her just views her as a freak to be disposed of the moment she lets her guard down. Similarly, she sees only the worst in herself, feeling as though she's just a burden to other people, and worrying that there isn't a place for her at all in the world. And so, because of all these factors, she runs away from other people, avoiding them if at all possible, and, if she must interact with them, hiding her true feelings as best she can. She seldom speaks in the presence of others, and when she does, it is usually only in single words, conveying little to no feeling save spite, dislike, or irritation. She speaks bluntly, rudely, and sarcastically, always trying her hardest to push other people away from herself by assuming a demeanor of experienced cynicism. But, although her general aloof demeanor makes it seem as though she thinks herself above other people, this is largely a pretense meant to hide the truth. Namely, that she doesn't feel superior to her peers. Rather, she's terrified of them. And so, like a caged but broken beast snarling at its captors as they prod and mock it, she pretends to be as fierce and as independent as she can, simply trying to hide the fact that she's got nowhere left to run and is mortally terrified of everyone she meets.

As she is almost entirely unfamiliar with unsolicited kindness, Ren's antisocial attitude has one weak spot: namely, when people are nice to her. She's not used to being treated with respect and politeness, and so doesn't exactly know how to handle someone who's willing to be kind to her. On the one hand, she fears that it's just a ruse to earn her trust, only to backstab her in the end. On the other hand, she's desperately lonely, even if she doesn't admit it to anyone, not even herself. Because of this, she wants to trust in people, no matter how scared she is of them, leading to a conflict of interests that leaves her feeling uncertain, and alone. Ultimately, she'll likely accept - to herself - repeated kindnesses as genuine, but to others, will do her best to act like nothing in her attitude has changed at all. She's not good at saying thank you, and so will often resort to incredibly roundabout means to repay a kindness shown her. Even the smallest act of generosity seems nothing short of miraculous to her, causing her to in turn feel obligated to return the favor despite her fears. So, not wanting to expose herself to betrayal by doing so directly, she instead will try her best to assist the one she feels she owes in any way she can, all the while denying any real feelings of gratitude if confronted on the issue. Consequently, she acts very harsh and cold, and yet, in truth, she's actually a very kind, if easily scared person, just trying to hide her fragile heart so it can't be broken again. It is this truth that is her darkest secret, one she fears will ultimately be used against her if it is discovered, driving her need to become stronger, more independent, and, consequently, more alone.

Biography: It was not uncommon during the many wars between Angels and Demons for one side to take members of the other prisoner, and to use them as the victors saw fit. And, although it was highly frowned upon in both societies due to mutual racial prejudice, some of the less scrupulous "masters" of the captives would often use their new slaves as concubines, whether they were willing or not. Normally, even these slaves would eventually be killed as their masters tired of them, but in a very, very few rare cases, these slaves would bear the unwanted offspring sown in them by their masters. Ren was just one such hated and abominable half-breed child.

She inherited her name from her mother, who was too disgusted by the half-demon girl she had unwillingly delivered to give her a unique noun of her own, and who had very little need of her own name, as she was killed shortly after giving birth. The father, disappointed by the permanent alterations that child bearing had dealt to his once beautiful concubine's body, disposed of her just a few years after her child was born.

He, too, was disgusted by the unnatural child, and yet, out of a morbid curiosity, decided to leave her alive for the time being, turning her over to the other slaves to raise. But, from a young age, her red eyes made her an outcast even amidst her own caste, who treated her with the same level of hatred and contempt as her father and master. And so, she grew up alone, barely managing to survive through a horrific childhood filled with abuse and neglect. Many times, she nearly starved, as she was too scared to leave the relative safety of her quarters to feed herself. Many others, she was nearly beaten to death, either by contemptuous demons or by the angels in whose midst she was forced to live. The insult of "Rihnei" rang in her ears almost from the day she came into the world, and eventually, it became the only title by which she was addressed. Bit by bit, all of these factors drove her into cynicism, and despair.

Fighting and working were the only things she knew how to do. Her demonic blood meant that she was well capable of holding her own against the Angels who frequently bullied her, at the very least, as she surpassed them both in speed and strength, and her light frame and numerous wings made her just as nimble in the air as they were, although she could not remain aloft for nearly as long. Because of these factors, she soon found herself retaliating against her tormentors, slowly turning the tables upon those of whom she was so afraid. And, bit by bit, she came to realize that if she just surpassed everyone around her in strength, she might be able to overcome her fears. And so, she trusted no one. She simply fought, beating down anyone who threatened her, until eventually she was alone, the others who had made her life a living hell finally giving up and leaving her in peace.

Then, she turned her attention to her demonic masters, and the hellish punishments they inflicted upon her. Many times, she attempted escape, never once giving up on this strategy, even when she was recaptured and punished severely for her disobedience. And yet, she could never lay hands on the Demons, even those of her own age, who would frequently beat or torment the one they viewed as an abomination for fun, should they run across her. All Ren could do was take flight and run away, hoping they didn't catch her. It was during this time, however, that she made a discovery. Her wings were not of flesh and bone like those of normal Angels. Rather, they were made of an unknown and powerful material, of the element of earth mingled with starfire. And that same wondrous, celestial power burned within their cold, metallic shells.

Ren had discovered magic, and in a form that nobody, neither Angels nor Demons, had ever used before. Training herself in self-control in secret, bit by bit she found out how to fuel the power to which she was connected with her anger, her despair, her fear, and her hate, turning everything that crippled her into her strength. Using her loathing for the world and all its inhabitants, then, she at last did what she had longed to do for so many years: she escaped. Using her full power, she took her inexperienced guards by surprise, killing several and beating those she didn't within an inch of their lives, then taking flight and soaring from the city.

For several years after that, she began to wander, always striving to grow stronger, and either fleeing from or attacking anyone she saw, no matter what race they were. Roaming the wilderness, she did what it took to survive, always one step ahead of those who hoped to slay the abomination who had become infamous in both the Angelic and Demonic countries, this legendary "Rihnei." Ren couldn't have cared less, however. She wanted but one thing: to survive. And so her life continued up until the present, through countless battles and panicked retreats, through defeats, pain, hunger, cold, and triumph. That is, until one day, when something unexpected happened, and Ren found herself meeting for the first time others somewhat like herself, people who were neither Angels nor Demons. But could she really trust these mysterious foreigners...? Only time would tell.

Abilities: Ren has a great number of special abilities. Able to summon wings with which to fly, and to dismiss them to attain tremendous mobility on the ground, she is incredibly quick. Furthermore, her Demonic blood gives her a very respectable level of strength that belies her thin build, and her regenerative capacity is similarly powerful. On the other hand, although she's able to roughly match the aerial speed and maneuverability of Angels thanks to her sheer number of wings, she can only match Demons with either assistance from her wings, or from self-reinforcement magic. Additionally, her body is rather fragile when not augmented by her powers, and her unusual ancestry has given her several issues with her immune system, causing her to become ill quite often. Thus, her main abilities, instead of being physical, revolve around her unique and bizarre magic, which utilizes two elements that no other Angel or Demon has been able to synthesize or to manipulate. On the flip side, however, she cannot control the classical elements, as her unnatural nature renders her connection to the world different from that of a full blooded Angel or Demon.

1: Primordium. The metal her wings are made out of is nigh indestructible, and yet tremendously light. The true origin of this unknown material is, in fact, the stars themselves. Metal infused with starfire in turn creates this durable and magically resistant compound, which Ren can summon at will in the form of her wings, and control telekinetically, even altering the properties and the shape of the metal as she sees fit. However, as it comes from her feathers, she only has a limited amount to work with. Once she runs out of feathers, she can no longer use Primordium, at least not until her wings regenerate.

2: Starfire, or Aether. The Aether is the essence of stars themselves, forming an intensely powerful field of pure scarlet energy that she can shape at will, channeling the power through her body to vastly increase her physical abilities, or simply releasing the energy itself in the form of lasers or explosions. This energy can also be focused on wounds to heal them, even injuries sustained by other people rather than herself. However, this, too, has its limits. Namely, she can only draw on Aether from two sources. Firstly, she can absorb direct sunlight, converting it into energy for her own use. However, this process is somewhat slow, and inefficient, rendering her abilities rather weak when not using her wings. Naturally, the second method is by using the Aether that forms the core of her own wings. The Primordium feathers normally suppress the power of the Aether inside her. However, by breaking her wings apart, she can draw on the energy within, giving her a tremendous boost to power with each wing she breaks down. This overflow of power from within her body is actually what causes her eyes and body to glow scarlet, as well as having another, more dangerous effect: namely, if all of her wings are broken, all of the Aether inside her will seep out, rendering her powerless for quite some time, with the immediate side effect of causing her to fall unconscious. Because of this, she lacks control, either being unable to use enough power, or breaking a wing and then being forced to release too much. Consequently, although dangerous, she is inefficient, rendering her ineffective in a battle of endurance or attrition.

Weapon: Using her ability to control Primordium, she generally shapes weapons from this material. Her weapon of choice is a large, thick falchion made of one of her wings, including all of the Aether inside. This weapon takes on a feather-like texture, with crimson lines criss-crossing its blade. Pictured here.

Extra: Ren absolutely hates being touched, and will often react violently, especially if surprised.

Ren's Theme - Deep Sea Girl - Hatsune Miku

More may be added later.

So begins...

Renevari "Ren" Rihnei's Story

Seen 10 Times • Page 1 of 1

Setting

Chapter 1 - Broken Balance

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Renevari "Ren" Rihnei

Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#2013-03-29 23:36:43, as written by Tsukiakari

They were gaining. The six-winged girl needn't have looked behind her to discern that. Already, she could hear the sounds of her pursuers rushing through the forest after her, growing louder with each step. But, even had she been deaf, she wouldn't have been unaware of this fact. The hunters who now pursued her were the swiftest beings alive, the Demonic rangers who made their lives' purpose to hunt down dangerous, swift, and evasive game. She, as the Rihnei, was just their latest and greatest target.

The twang of a bowstring resounded through the air that rushed past her as she ran, prompting her to abruptly stretch one of her wings, momentarily opening a gap between its feathers to release a pulse of power from within. A scarlet curtain erupted behind her, solidifying into a blinding screen of starlight that disintegrated the incoming arrow instantly, then swiftly collapsed into the fleeing girl's back once more as her wing again disappeared, along with all five of her other extra appendages. They would be of no use to her in this place, in any case. The tree canopy was far too thick at this location, making escape through flight impossible. Besides, the enemies were sure to have at least one air mage with them, poised and ready to yank her down should she attempt to flee in such a manner.

Still, she had a way out. If she could just keep ahead of them for a little while longer, she knew of a small cave in the side of a granite cliff. If she entered there, she could bring down the entrance behind her, and then, supporting it with her Primordium and Aether magic, could keep her enemies from entering after her. It would be easy, then, to escape through a small passage in the back of the cavern, emerging on top of the cliff, a place from which she'd be able to take flight, as it would be beyond the range of her pursuers' magic. However, before she could carry out any of that strategy, she'd need to get ahead of her enemies, something which was easier said than done.

A loud, triumphant bellow from behind her snapped her to attention. Shooting a glance back, her ruby eyes instantly met with those of a powerfully built Demon who, lunging out ahead of his group, made his move, sweeping at her legs with a wickedly curving poleaxe. With all her strength, Ren leaped forward, only barely escaping the whistling blade as it cut through just behind her. This safety was short lived, however, for, as she recovered her balance, the enemies came upon her, the man with the ax lunging forward with its pointed head, aiming to drive it clear through her gut and bring her down, while another of his companions leaped out of the foliage from the left, rushing in with a sword to finish the job. Ren reacted instantly, sidestepping towards the second of these two, and beginning to pivot to face them. At the same time, she extended her left hand, allowing the ax to pass beneath it as she took hold of the very end of the haft, using the lunging Demon's own strength to pull him forward and off balance. He gave a startled cry as the ax was suddenly snatched from his grasp, only for this exclamation to turn to one of pain as Ren brought her new weapon to bear, using the full force of her rotation to sweep out the metal-braced haft of the weapon, striking the man with the sword in the temple and sending him toppling upon his disarmed comrade. The two of them collapsed to the side of the road, but neither of them reached the ground, for, in the next instant, Ren had reversed the momentum of her strike, bringing up the blade of the ax right into the gut of its original wielder. With a mighty blow, she cleaved through his waist, bisecting him and embedding the polearm in the chest of his comrade. Letting go of the weapon, then, she cast both it and the man in whose body it was now buried right into the path of the oncoming Demons, taking several more of her pursuers by surprise and leaving them flat on their backs as, with the returning motion of her finisher, she spun back around and took off once more, her coat fluttering in the passing air as she rushed like a speeding bullet through the woods, ducking left, then veering right to slip between the thick branches, putting more ground between herself and her still-recovering pursuers. But, even with this advantage, she had little time to waste. They'd be after her in another second, and in a few more, they'd be right on her heels once again. And yet, no matter how quick they were, the Demons had already lost their chance to claim their prey this day, for rising sharply out of the forest before her, she could already see the towering vastness of the granite cliff. In an instant, she had veered off from her course, rushing towards the single crack in its surface, the location of which she already knew by heart. The Demons behind her cried out in anger and dismay as their prey vanished into the rocks, her wings spreading behind her as, with a flash, one of the two adorning her head shattered into feathers and light, driving itself into the edges of the entrance and then scattering into the rock. A flash of scarlet radiance lit up the crack, and then, with a groan and crumbling of heavy rock, the entrance disappeared amidst a cloud of dust.

Ren stopped in the dimness of the cave, lit only by the red light leaking from her broken wing. The young half-breed dropped to the ground, gasping for breath as she felt her strength leaving her. The enemy... her hunters were growing much more daring. Even despite how many lives she'd taken already, the foes chasing her were only growing in numbers. Already, she could hear them gathering around the cave entrance, barking out orders and beginning to bring their magic to bear to clear the breach. How long? How long would it take them to reach her? How long would she have to keep running? How long would she be able to survive? Even with her reinforcement abilities, they'd still caught up to her so quickly. Even if she left this region entirely, there would always be nearby cities and towns from which parties would sally forth to hunt her down. Was there no place for her to exist in this world?

"Damn it..." Ren cursed under her breath, shakily rising to her feet and making her way as quickly as she could for the passage on the other end of the cavern. Even with her enemies' magic, it would take several minutes for them to break in. All she had to do was escape before then. And so she fled. No matter how tired her body, she kept on running. No matter how long the chase, she kept on running. She had to. There was simply no other option. Fight, run, and kill... these were all things that had to be done in order for her to survive. And above all else, she wanted to live on. And so, she ran, never once looking back at the enemies she left behind her. She ran until she saw sunlight, and then she kept on running. She ran into the open air of the top of the cliff, and then, she spread her wings, and took flight, not stopping until the forest was a mere line on the horizon. And even then she kept on going, continuing her aimless escape until night had long since fallen. Only then did she stop, folding her exhausted wings and coming to rest in a pathetically small grotto in the midst of a rocky plain. Throwing herself down on the ground, the young monster cared not for the hardness of her bed. She merely shut her eyes, and passed instantly into sleep, the last strength that had kept her going for so long finally spent. And yet, even as she allowed unconsciousness to finally take her, she still could not escape, for the enemies who had hounded her footsteps in the waking world now chased her all the way into the land of her dreams, and she found herself running once more, always running, until the day came and she knew she would find herself running again. As she weakly tossed and turned, the girl mumbled curses under her breath, spitting out her loathing for the world and all that existed in it. For in that world... there was no place in which she could exist, and no existence that could ever change that fact...

Setting

Chapter 1 - Broken Balance

Characters Present

Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#2013-04-02 20:55:43, as written by Tsukiakari

(I hope this is alright. Pants seemed to be leaving it up to us to determine where he appeared, but, if he doesn't want to show up here, then I'll just void this entire post, so just tell me if it's not alright.)

Pale hair fluttered gently in the wind as the small figure rose from where she had lain, her scarlet eyes blinking several times as they adjusted slowly to the light of the dawn. Already, the morning light was spreading across the rocky hillside, illuminating the darkness of the tiny crevasse in which she had spent the night. Slipping out of the grotto, the girl emerged into the open, stretching several times out of habit. For a moment, as the dawn's rays struck her, a flash of red appeared across her body, countless lines imprinting themselves upon her white skin before their scarlet faded into her, and the light that had shone upon her was consumed. Summoning her wings, Ren spread them, glancing over her shoulder and sizing them up as best she could. It seemed that all six of her wings had fully regenerated while she slept, but the energy within them, the power that had seeped out of her when she'd been forced to break apart her wing, hadn't been fully restored yet, it seemed. Well, it was to be expected. She'd been forced to expend a great deal of both energy and effort to escape from her pursuers on the previous day. If she was lucky, she'd be able to recover before they caught up to her, but she had a feeling that wasn't going to happen. By this point, her hunters were very likely already close by. Or, more accurately, they were already here. She could feel their presence in the sunlight. But, this time, it wasn't just Demons. Although the Rangers who had come after her on the previous day would arrive at the rocky plateau soon, she could also sense another group coming from the opposite direction. Judging by their altitude, they could only be Angels. So, it seemed simply flying away wouldn't be an option this time, either. But, on the other hand, if she could just conceal herself adequately, she might not have to run at all. Searching about herself, Ren quickly retreated back into the grotto, peering out from amidst her rocky shelter, unseen amidst the shadows. She had hidden herself not a moment too soon, for in the next instant, she spotted several dark shapes cresting the edge of the plateau, beginning to spread out as they began combing the area for their prey. But, as expected, before the Demon Rangers could even get halfway to her, a faint flapping of wings was heard. Right on schedule, the Angels had arrived. The Demons ceased their search, crying out as they spotted the incoming aerial phalanx, who in turn immediately assembled into formation, drawing their weapons as they realized that they'd run across an enemy party. The battle would surely begin at any moment. And, once they'd all finished killing each other, it would be easy for Ren to either finish off the survivors, or escape unseen.

And yet, something suddenly happened that she hadn't expected. On the edge of the plateau, she watched in surprise as the world itself seemed to be torn apart, a gaping scarlet void breaking its way into reality. Just as the two groups were about to engage one another, they stopped, noticing this sudden flash of light - likely associating it with the prey they both sought, whose Aether magic certainly did create a similar looking field of energy - and watching in amazement as a shape suddenly emerged from it. Ren's eyes widened as the Humanoid figure came into view, and its features became apparent. The young man was unlike anything the Rihnei had ever seen before, save perhaps for herself. His hair was a stark hue of white, much like her own, and yet he lacked the same gleaming red eyes as she herself possessed. His skin was far too fair to be that of a Demon, and yet, at the same time, he lacked the wings of an Angel. Was this a Rihnei, like herself? She didn't know, but somehow, she felt that this assumption was wrong. That same realization must have occurred the two groups facing off on the hillside, but, however, they didn't seem to care. Well, to be honest, neither did Ren. In any case, both groups seemed to have momentarily forgotten their animosities, for they had begun to murmur amongst themselves, gazing distrustfully at the newcomer.

Normally, Ren would have taken this opportunity to escape. She didn't know why she didn't, and yet, she remained. Perhaps it was curiosity that stayed her feet. Or, perhaps, it was fear. But, the possibility that the young half-breed failed to acknowledge was perhaps the most likely one. Namely... she wanted to see what this outsider was, if he was an outcast like herself. She felt instantly wary of this suspicious person, and yet, at the same time, she wanted to see for herself exactly what the meaning of all these unexpected events was, and what - or rather, who - exactly it was she was looking at.

Setting

Chapter 1 - Broken Balance

Characters Present

Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#2013-04-03 03:23:29, as written by FamishedPants

“…Nobody should be allowed to travel through worlds so I will be the portal creator and guardian as well!"

It was an odd experience, traveling through the crimson portal. Just… it felt like some strange force he had no power over had commandeered his body and was moving him, much like one would feel like they would feel if they were being controlled. However, he soon arrived at his exit, only to hear the sound of a woman’s voice. She sounded angry, almost. As he stepped out, he was immediately startled by a sudden burst of flames coming from the woman’s sword and unconsciously yelped in surprise before taking a step back and reentering the portal.

Again, the odd experience overtook his nerves as he traversed to a different world, unknown to him. When once more he had managed to exit the portal, he did so reluctantly, fearing that he’d be attacked by someone with a flaming weapon. By what trickery that was, he was unsure, but he knew that he didn’t want to be near it if possible. Whatever kind of trap this was, it was most certainly an odd one. He had never even heard of a trap that did whatever it was this was doing.

His nerves had returned to normal, and the weather felt noticeably cooler now. To get a bearing on where he was, he looked around and found that instead of trees surrounding him like there should have been, there were rocks and…things in the immediate area, not the solitude and trees he had remembered entering that thing from.

And they stared at him. All of them. They had wings, some had reddened skin, and the unique eyes, colored both red and some blue, glared at him with expressions that mirrored his own. These strange beings weren’t Farran, he could tell because Farrans don’t have wings, horns, claws, or anything that belongs on an animal. They have weapons and armor. They have alchemy, but they do not, under any circumstances, own a pair of wings. Working ones at that.

Wary, Vayne took a small step back and immediately almost fell to his demise. The portal had placed him just in front of a drop, and there was nowhere to escape to. Vayne, a battle-hardened alchemist, was not fearful of death, but he was not one to embrace it. If possible, he would try to survive his confrontation of these monsters, though the likelihood of that seemed low since he was assuming all of them were in cahoots with one another. He, new to this strange world, was unaware of the animosity between angels and demons. All he had to do was find somewhere to run. He figured he could at least best some of these beasts, so long as he wasn’t a fool and observed these things before throwing an attack out.

But as he scoped out a suitable path to take in his hasty departure, his eyes fell upon a grotto. Within the shade of the rocks and because he was at just the right position, he could make out the vague figure of another beast hiding within. So then this was a perfect trap after all. Of course that was a monster hiding within to prevent any attempt of concealing himself. That had to be it. And now, as he discarded that route in favor of another, he found that there was none – he was trapped at the edge with no place to go except down.

And he seemed to be one of few without wings.

(You can control the angels and demons, Tsuki~)

Setting

Chapter 1 - Broken Balance

Characters Present

Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#2013-04-04 02:48:15, as written by Tsukiakari

"...white hair..."

"...no wings...."

"...red element..."

Both the Angels and Demons momentarily stopped, slowly drawing back from one another as their attention was abruptly taken up by the new arrival. They looked warily, and yet inquisitively, at the unexpected newcomer, whose bizarre appearance clearly identified him as being neither Angel nor Demon. On the one hand, the two self-centered groups both distrusted him immediately for not being one of them. On the other, however, they did not know exactly what they should expect of the unusual lad, who had appeared so suddenly, and in violation of all of the rules they knew about magic. One could not simply make a person appear or disappear out of thin air. And yet, this boy had just done so. The twisted, unfamiliar aura around the gaping hole in the world through which he had entered only made it more obvious that whatever abilities he might have wielded, they must surely have been unlike any seen by either the Angels or the Demons.

The observer in the shadows, too, came to this same conclusion: that the boy, while not to be trusted, was certainly to be feared. Consequently, Ren was far from surprised when one of the bolder members of the Angel group stepped forth from his comrades and called out to the boy on the edge of the cliff.

"You there! Identify yourself! What form of creature are you?!" The man challenged, placing a hand on a formidable-looking sword sheathed at his side as he walked purposefully forward, his armor clanking with each step he took. The mutterings of both groups grew louder as they watched intently to see what would take place. And yet, no matter how many voices joined in, drowning each other out, one word resounded over all the others.

"Is that the Rihnei?"

"I thought the Rihnei was supposed to be female."

"What sort of power does this Rihnei wield?"

"...Rihnei..."

Ren grimaced, her eyes narrowing as their scarlet hue deepened, her hands slowly clenching into fists. She didn't trust this boy. She had no idea what to make of him, and couldn't even begin to guess what sort of powers he might have wielded. And yet, she knew one thing for sure: he couldn't have been a Rihnei like herself. Knowing that, and yet seeing the Angels and Demons before her resorting to this excuse as their first and only explanation, simply dismissing anyone who wasn't one of them as a monster and a threat... It infuriated her to no end. Even if she had no reason to trust the boy, and even if he, too, would probably disdain her existence, Ren found herself slowly resolving upon a daring - no, suicidal - course of action. It didn't matter to her that the newcomer would probably be her enemy, just as the hunters were. It didn't matter to her that she would most likely be overwhelmed by the sheer number of her foes. Ren wasn't doing this to be a hero - or so she told herself - she was doing this for the sake of her own pride, for her own will to exist. To witness in full a display of all the things she hated most about the world of Diaboli, and to watch someone who might as well have been herself in need... that was more than Ren could tolerate.

Slowly, six wings spread from her back, and scarlet light began to creep in lines and patterns across her body. The soldiers of both groups froze, suddenly sensing the surging energy from behind them, and spinning to face the sudden pulse of power. Several of the Demons instinctively drew their weapons, recognizing the magic they now sensed from the prey they'd hunted the previous day. The Angels, however, weren't as familiar with their enemy, and were much less fortunate. From the shadows of the grotto surged forth a sudden storm of tiny scarlet projectiles, scattering across the entire group and slamming into both hunting parties from behind. The Demons, having prepared themselves for the attack, managed to escape largely unharmed. The Angels, on the other hand, took the brunt of the assault. Several of their number were felled, gaping, sizzling holes seared through their bodies by the starfire that had decimated their ranks without warning. Their commander, standing away from the others, only barely managed to draw his sword in time to bat aside a storm of attacks aimed straight for him. In another few moments, all of the Angels had spread their wings and taken to the air, whilst the Demons had taken cover amidst the rocks of the plateau, throwing themselves to the ground to escape the surprise attack as the crimson fire of the Aether cycled back around overhead, returning to its wielder as, her raiment and hair flowing in the air around her, and her six black wings spread wide, scarlet light pouring from her body, Ren emerged from the darkness.

"You came in search of a Rihnei?!" She cried out, smirking cruelly as red lines carved themselves across her face, rushing suddenly up her cheeks and blazing a trail of starlight over her searing crimson eyes. "Well, then, you've found your prize! Why do you tarry about down there?! Come and take me, whoever thinks himself a slayer of monsters! I will show him for the fool he truly is!"

For a moment, the two groups froze, the Angels and Demons both sizing up their revealed target, the unexpected newcomer, and each other. Then... absolute chaos took hold the plateau. Roaring out the order to attack, the commanders of both groups took the lead of their men, the Demons breaking cover and charging up the hill. The Angels, not wanting their prize to be stolen by the enemy, opened fire on the Demons, who in turn began to use their own magic to rip their winged adversaries down from the sky, who obliged by drawing their blades and attacking the enemy on the ground. Other Demons, not wanting to face the Rihnei and the Angels, instead rushed to the opposite end of the clifftop, aiming to capture and interrogate the newcomer. The Angels, however, realized their plan, and intercepted them, attacking both each other and the boy from the portal all at once. In an instant, a massive, frenzied melee gripped the plain, and everything descended into disorder and combat.

Ren didn't know why, but even as the enemy charged up the hill towards her, only to be met by a shower of starlight that drove them back, Angel and Demon alike... she found herself moving from her advantageous position, tearing a swath through the clashing enemy armies as she fought her way through the chaos towards where she had last seen the boy. Perhaps it was just the principle of it, or perhaps she found herself simply unable to turn away from an outsider like herself, and yet, even though she expected nothing to come of her actions, she refused to allow the boy to be taken by her hunters. And so, she risked life and limb, tearing her way through the battlefield and slowly advancing out onto the cliff. She only hoped she wasn't too late...

Setting

Chapter 1 - Broken Balance

Characters Present

Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#2013-04-04 03:42:10, as written by FamishedPants

Much to Vayne's surprise, the great many beasts did not descend upon him, but instead offered the odd comment. They verbally noted his lack of wings and white hair, and acted cautious towards him, as if expecting him to harm them or something. But that didn't make sense. Surely they knew who they had trapped, did they not? These people had to have known that they would have either caught a Lyuran or an Allyian within their trap, since it was placed in a forest nearby the states. Unless.....

...they didn't make the trap.

The conclusion hit him like a rock. He was sure that no alchemist could ever make something like that. Hell, he was one of the more renowned alchemists of Allyia, and he didn't even have the slightest clue as to what that thing was he had traversed through, so there was no way that it was a trap made by another alchemist. Oddly, it fit the description of magic that one would only hear about in fantasy books that were written back before he was ever conceived. It was something that was there, but had no explanation for being there. Magic.....

But his home had no magic. Nobody's did, at least not in his world. This much was as certain as he was that he had killed someone before - he had no doubts. Were there, perhaps, other worlds? Another area with another set of rules that govern its very own existence? Someplace was untainted by the greed and envy of the Farran race? As exciting as this sounded, the people of this land he seemed to have stumbled upon did not seem too friendly, what with the weapons and glares they gave to him. Maybe if they determined that he wasn't a real threat, they would just simply kill him. So then he would have to act his way out of this one.... do something that may seem odd or unreal to them. But if magic such as this portal exists, then could he do anything they couldn't?

"Is that the Rihnei?"

Something, a name likely, had caught Vayne's full attention. Was it a name of someone, or a race, or an item? What did it mean? Again, they referenced this 'Rihnei' a few times, leaving Vayne confused. However, it wasn't too long after that something bursted out of the shadows of the grotto, wielding a stern voice and a power he hadn't ever seen before. This creature looked.... different but the same as the others. She had features of both, red eyes, wings, and she called out to the beasts - all the beasts. Of course, she must have been crazy, right?

In the next few moments, chaos erupted.

Everyone broke out into conflict, swings swords and weapons at each other and killing without discrimination. It was a small war. Though he was accustomed to this sight, it saddened him deeply. Even if he were in a totally different world from his own, these beings resorted to violence just as quick as any Farran. They were probably all just as ill-mannered too. Vayne summoned his blade using the material of the gauntlet he own as he noticed the land-based beasts making their way towards him. And then everyone did. It was truly chaos, and he was in the center of it.

Instead of waiting while all manners of these creatures approached him, he took the initiative and charged straight at them. Staying with your back to a cliff leads to your demise, so re-positioning was required if he wanted to make it out of this rampage. He first met with a demon, big and tall, wielding what one would assume was a schimatar proportioned to fit his size. The massive demon brought the sword down upon Vayne, who used his own to block the strike, but took heavy recoil from the sheer strength behind the swing. Still, Vayne was quick enough to avoid the follow-up attack from him and returned a quick slash across his arm, retreating back further from him.

So not only are they massive, but they are powerful...

If he was to survive, he'd do so by avoiding most of the attacks, not parrying them, at least from the bigger ones. He figured smaller ones wouldn't have immense strength.

Again, the beast attacked as if he ignored the wound on his arm entirely, but the difference in speed (and probably experience) managed to give Vayne the upper-hand enough to retaliate with a clear horizontal stroke through his neck, decapitating the beast in a brutal manner. Though his victory against this one was absolute, that did nothing against the angels and demons advancing on him. He could manage a bit longer, but he knew that his time would be very limited against such overwhelming odds.

Setting

Chapter 1 - Broken Balance

Characters Present

Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#2013-04-04 23:38:34, as written by Tsukiakari

(Don't ask me why I made Ren always speak/think in a ridiculously antiquated manner. I guess I just felt like it. As for her overuse of dog analogies and the word 'Mongrels,' as I have just finished watching Toradora and re-watching F/SN and UBW... Do you even need to ask? XD)

"Tch!" Ren grimaced as a Demon lunged at her from the side, forcing her to dart away, ducking beneath an Angel's sweeping battleaxe and allowing the two to instead collide with each other. While they staggered from the impact, the half-breed quickly dispatched both with a concentrated, precise ray of starfire, piercing through both enemies as though with a searing blade. The two collapsed, immobilized while their bodies recovered, at the very least. Ren had neither the time nor the interest to finish them off, so she left their survival up to chance and instead turned back towards her goal. She could faintly see the white haired head of the unknown lad, but the area between them was entirely filled with a struggling mass of bodies. Several Demons and Angels were already advancing upon him, fighting each other all the while. At this rate, they'd get to him before she did.

Damn these pigs! I suppose an army of fleas is an army nonetheless. With such numbers blocking the path, it seems I will not be able to break through before they carry off that fool. What kind of cocksure upstart would show himself, an outcast, before his foes with such reckless abandon? He might much more easily have simply killed himself and saved himself the trouble! The Rihnei thought angrily to herself, her eyebrow twitching slightly as she realized exactly the full hypocrisy of her complaints. Tch. Nevertheless, I have not the time to waver here. For every moment I delay, those pigs grow closer to claiming the boy. On my honor, I cannot allow such a thing to occur. And yet, how am I to breach that unsightly melee at my current level of strength? My wings are still half-spent from that troublesome encounter yesterday. Should I deploy my feathers as projectiles, I would find myself leaking what power I yet possess at an unacceptable rate. I would be rendered helpless the moment I finished dealing with these mongrels, if not before then. However, there can be no questioning the fact that I require more power. Some of my wings, at least, will have to be utilized. Then, the only viable option is quite clear to behold: I must simply use them in as efficient a manner as possible. I will face this sacrifice as best I can, and, although I will certainly lose vital strength, I can at least face that inevitability by losing the least! As these thoughts rushed through the Rihnei's mind, she extended her hands, and, steeling herself, focused her concentration on the small pair of black wings adorning her head. In a flash, these two appendages shattered outward, then pulsed downward into her waiting grasp, reforming almost instantly and expanding into the shape of a long, wicked, wing-like blade covered in countless serrated feathers. This black falchion shimmered with internal scarlet radiance as the starfire at its core raged furiously, dancing in and out of the tiny cracks between the feathers making up the blade, yet unable to escape due to the power of the Primordium surrounding it. Ren smirked, leveling this blade before her, bracing herself, and then leaping forward, jumping right back into the fury of the combat.

"Stand aside, or else fall before me, you unsightly dogs! I fear not the barking and meaningless bravado of one scrawny hound... why should a legion of such mongrels be any different!?" With this roar as her battle cry, she plowed into the wild melee, taking several of the combatants by surprise with a mighty, sweeping blow of her sword, and wounding several, to various degrees. Packed close together as they were, and already entangled in mortal combat with each other, her enemies found it difficult to either dodge or deal with the unexpected attacks of the charging half-breed, who they had thought to be occupied elsewhere. Consequently, the already chaotic mess of struggling bodies swiftly roiled into a frenzy of movement as the Angels and Demons, panicked by the sudden attack, began trying their best to scatter and get to a safe distance, several trampling over each other or otherwise entangling themselves, and causing plenty of the less fortunate ones to fall over the edge of the cliff. Ren grinned. This was her chance! As the mass of enemies parted before her, leaving the path almost entirely clear to reach the boy trying to fight his way back from the edge of the plateau, she spread her four remaining wings, and then leaped forward, plowing through the remaining enemies in her path as she raised her sword before herself. Several of the enemies she encountered managed to strike out at her, but the blows they dealt were either deflected by her large falchion, or insignificant enough to be ignored for the time being. And so, steeling herself against the pain of these glancing blows, she burst through the combat, finally coming into sight of the boy striving not to be driven back to the cliff's edge.

Several Demons, having made their way through the battle, were already surrounding the lad. And yet, wielding some sort of strange bladed gauntlet - it was doubly strange in that Ren hadn't seen its like before, and in that she most certainly hadn't seen him wielding such a weapon earlier. However, considering that her own abilities allowed her to create weapons, such as the falchion she now wielded, she supposed it wasn't exactly surprising that he might have wielded a similar power - he was holding his ground admirably, taking down one of the Demons outright and causing the others to falter for a moment. And yet, regrouping themselves, they came at him again, two of them charging at the head of the others and raising their blades to attack from both sides at once. Fortunately for the lad, they never got the chance, for at that moment, with a mighty roar, a black, gold, and crimson blur collided with one of them with overwhelming force, literally picking the man up off of his feet and causing him to tumble violently into his comrade, in turn carrying both of them over the cliff's edge. Landing in a crouch and gasping for the breath her tackle had knocked out of her, Ren spread her four remaining wings only just in time to deflect a panicked attack from one of the remaining Demons, causing the man's sword to glance off of her metal limb, instead dealing a somewhat deep, yet fortunately glancing cut across the back of her right shoulder. The Rihnei gritted her teeth, biting back a gasp at the sudden pain as the blade was turned away from its original target, her throat. In exchange for not having her head severed from her shoulders, she supposed that taking a wound of one of those was far preferable.

"Your bite is far too weak to fell a monster, DOG!" Ren snarled, rising to her feet and sweeping up her own blade as the Demon stumbled back, carried off balance by the deflection of his blow. With a terrible squelching of metal tearing through flesh, the giant falchion carved across the man's torso, sending a spurt of blood erupting into the air as the Demon fell limply to the ground. The Rihnei, meanwhile, stood tremulously, gasping for her lost breath as the scarlet grid covering her body began to pulse sporadically, the red of the starlight mingling with the crimson flowing from her wounds. She grimaced, realizing that her store of power was almost spent. There was no time. If she wanted to survive this fight, she needed to flee at once, or else be overwhelmed by numbers, fatigue, and the pain of her injuries. Rounding upon the boy, her red eyes flashing defiantly despite the tiredness already showing in them, Ren dispelled her sword, returning it to the form of her two smallest wings.

"Why do you stand idly there?! There is no time!" She roared commandingly. "Fly from this place, you fool, or else be torn to pieces by those dogs!"

(Famished, you should totally have Vayne say something like "I can't fly!" That way Ren can be all like... "That can be rectified!" And tackle him off a cliff. He's gonna be so confused by the end of all this. XD)

Setting

Chapter 1 - Broken Balance

Characters Present

Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#2013-04-05 00:27:02, as written by FamishedPants

Vayne raised his gauntlet-blade in a defensive posture, ready to take as many as these beasts down with him as Farranly possible (getitguise?). But as it turns out, they were to attack from not one side, but two, flanking him and making it extremely difficult for him to focus upon one foe since the other would surely use any chance given to strike him from the rear. Though to any other Farran, he would seem different, he was still 'Farran' in that his pride was still there. He would most certainly never attack something in such a cowardly way, for an act as despicable as that would be one of a coward, which he was anything but.

But these weren't Farrans. These were things of an unknown origin. Their culture would, in some ways, differ. It was just disappointing that they couldn't be peaceful, like he had hoped.

They drew nearer, and the white-haired man was ready to kill the one approaching from his left, if he were to get one at all. The distance between them almost completely gone, he readied his strike and......

....the action was rendered meaningless. In a blur of motion, someone else had charged straight into one, which in turn flew straight into the other, and they both had tumbled off of the cliff to their assured demise. And the cause of this miracle? It was none other than the silver-haired beautiful.....thing from before. Could he call it a woman? It wasn't that he hated her for being what she was (whatever that was), but that he didn't know anything about this place, nor what would suffice as a title. For all he knew, calling her a 'woman' would be no different than calling her a whore. At least, that's what he believed he might accidentally do, so he refrained.

A monster took a lacking swing at her throat, only to have it deflected down her shoulder by her unique wings. The cut didn't look like 'just a flesh wound' by any means, and would have probably left a big mark for years to come. Yet, she didn't give it the satisfaction of crying out in pain, but dealt with him so quickly that Vayne hadn't the chance to ask her if she was alright. But such worry was instantly dismissed as she swiftly turned around, showed her blood-red eyes and spoke, as if more worried about he than he was she. Or maybe she sounded similar to a drill sergeant with her, "Why do you stand idly there?! There is no time! Fly from this place, you fool, or else be torn to pieces by those dogs!" That sounded much like she was ordering him to do something impossible.

Fly? She wanted him to just fly? She knew nothing about him, this much confirmed that. Vayne shook his head. "What are you talking about? I don't have wings! I can't fly!"

Setting

Chapter 1 - Broken Balance

Characters Present

Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#2013-04-05 04:38:48, as written by Tsukiakari

Ren was not overly phased by the boy's objection. The answer he had given, after all, was one she'd been expecting. The boy quite clearly lacked natural wings, and, as he was almost certainly not a Rihnei, she doubted that he would be able to summon a set, either. However, despite those doubts, she found the revelation that he was incapable of flight to be, nevertheless, quite troublesome. She hadn't wanted to do this. And yet, she also found herself unable to simply leave him there to die at the hands of the skirmishing parties on the top of the plateau. She'd have to carry him, then, she realized, which would in turn mean allowing him to touch her. That, in turn, would give him the perfect chance to dispose of her the moment they touched down. In any case, even had she not feared that she was just being used, there was still the principle of the thing. She didn't allow anyone to lay hands on her. It just wasn't something she tolerated. She hated being touched. It reminded her of what things had been like when people had been able to poke, prod, strike, or restrain her whenever they felt like it. Those days were gone, and she did not intend to go back to the way things were then. Not ever again would she allow herself to be treated like an animal, touched and toyed with as her tormentors saw fit. She would rather never touch anything again, if it meant that she herself could no longer be grasped.

And yet, there was no other choice. And so, grimacing, she turned to the boy, braced herself, and then, flooding her body with all the power she had left, prepared to take off. In an instant, the scarlet grid covering her body flared brightly to life, surrounding her in a glistening aura of radiant power as she prepared for the strain she was about to put herself through. Spreading both her wings and her arms, she ignored the sounds of charging footfalls rushing towards them. They'd be gone from this place soon enough, in any case.

"Silence yourself! That problem can be rectified!" Ren shouted. With those words as her only warning, she wasted no time in kicking off, and, with a mighty beat of her wings, tackling the lad in much the same way as she had pushed the two Demons over the edge of the cliff. The only difference was that now, she was actively holding her victim, clinging with all her strength onto him so as not to risk dropping him and dashing him to pieces on the rocks below. "Save your breath! It'll be in short enough supply while we're falling!" She shouted in his ear as the two of them flew over the edge of the cliff. With those words, she sucked in as much air as she could, and then folded her wings. Actively using her control over the celestial power flooding through her own body, and the metal in her wings, she propelled herself downward with tremendous speed. The Demons rushing after them reached the edge of the cliff, hoping to catch hold of them with magic and pull them back up, only to find them falling swiftly out of range, and out of sight. This was good, since it meant they'd surely escaped from the battle. But, on the other hand, there was now the small problem that they were falling at a truly ridiculous speed, crossing about half of the distance to the ground within a matter of seconds. There was no time to steady their descent and ease out into flight. No, Ren realized. The only option she had was to...

"Hold on," She directed as she charged power throughout her body, at the same time detaching the wings on her head, affixing their mass to the larger wings on her back to broaden their span. At the same time, she deployed every last ounce of the power within their cores to encircle the boy, forming an arcane protective screen that would prevent his bones from being crushed by the strain. Unfortunately for her, however, as she herself was just working with her natural endurance and the small store of power within her body itself - she couldn't risk breaking any more of her wings, or else she wouldn't be able to level out in time -she had a feeling that her own experience would be much less harmless and far more painful. But, there was no choice. And so, bracing against the full force of gravity... she spread her wings, and willed the metal grafted into her back to pull her up, controlling her own body indirectly as though she was her own marionette. The air screamed around them as she felt a wave of agony building up within her back and then exploding throughout her entire body as she struggled against gravity, an overwhelming pressure crushing into her chest even as her wings felt as though they were being simultaneously ripped out of their sockets and plucked. Torn free by the force of the air against which they strove, countless feathers began to scatter one by one as her wings slowly began to crumble, unable to sustain themselves against the overwhelming force applied to them as Ren's concentration began to buckle, fatigue and pain forcing her thoughts out of focus. Her vision seemed to blur and twist as a sudden feeling of lightheadedness came over her, stars clouding her vision and blurring out the ground below. And yet, despite all these things, she continued to spread her wings, beating them downward with all her might as their descent swiftly slowed. Her bottom wings shattered into black feathers, and yet, exerting the full force of her will, Ren gathered up as much of the power within them, and the wings themselves, and fused them forcibly to her remaining pair. Red light flickered around her and began to die out as her strength failed her. The shield encasing the boy, as well as the starlight reinforcing her own body, both slowly faded into mere sparks which soon vanished, trailing out behind them as they fell like the tail of a crimson comet. The grid-like patterns covering Ren's body disappeared, leaving her tired and fragile before the force of the buffeting winds. And yet, that wind seemed far less potent than it had before, for they were no longer falling, but rather gliding on the air beneath the Rihnei's two remaining wings, slowly floating down towards the ground below.

The Nephilim gasped for breath, struggling to keep her red eyes open, pained as they were by the dust and the air that had buffeted them during her rapid descent. And yet, despite the unbearable pain of both her wounds - which had been little helped by the force of the wind - and the strain she had undergone, Ren did not cry out, merely gritting her teeth and bearing it as best she could. She had long since learned never to scream or cry, even in the face of horrendous agony. It only showed you for the weakling you were, and gave others satisfaction in knowing their superiority over you. Above all else, she wouldn't show that fragility, no matter what. And so, she remained silent, simply enduring and persevering as best she could.

At last, after what had seemed to her like an eternity - although it had more likely been a matter of seconds - Ren found the ground at last directly beneath her. And so, folding her remaining two wings even as the large part of their feathers fell uselessly from them, she lowered her tired, battered legs, planting her feet on the hard earth and then immediately beginning to half run, half stumble forward. Hampered by the weight of the boy, however, she found herself almost instantly overbalanced. Releasing the boy, she staggered forward on her own, struggling to retain her footing until at last her legs simply gave way, and she found herself falling limply forward, collapsing to the ground. The earth rushed up to meet her, and then, with a jarring impact, her tired body fell to the ground, left without strength as the last of her feathers and the final sparks of her celestial fire faded into nonexistence, too weak to remain corporeal any longer. She gasped for breath, feeling all too keenly the scarlet claret slowly flowing out from her wounds, staining both her garments and the dirt beneath her in a monochrome of unsightly red. It didn't matter. Those wounds would heal by themselves. Right now... right, she had to stand back up, didn't she? If she simply lay here, then the boy would probably realize that she was helpless. He could kill her as he saw fit, then, or at the very least cripple her, leaving her as a decoy to occupy the hunters, should they follow, while he made his escape. She had to bluff, to pretend that she was still just as strong as ever, even if she was, in fact, only barely able to stand. And so, she rose. She didn't know nor care how she did it. She simply did. Lurching with agonized slowness to her feet, she took several moments to find her balance, very nearly falling back on her face again before she finally managed to retain her footing, although, given how she constantly tilted to one side or the other, and the trembling of her tired, straining legs, one had to wonder how long this position would last. Coughing several times to clear her throat - a motion which very nearly knocked her back over - she gasped for breath, having had the large part of the air knocked out of her by the descent. Sizing up the boy, Ren grimaced, unconsciously raising a hand to clutch her wounded shoulder, which was currently screaming in protest from the strain it had undergone in supporting the additional weight of the boy's body. Almost immediately, however, she drew back with hand with a stifled, sharp intake of breath, the contact with her wound having only sent sharp lances of pain rushing down the entire side of her body. Glancing down at her palm, she grimaced. Even if it had only been an instant, her hand bore a prominent coating of warm red blood. That blade... how deeply had it cut her...? To be bleeding so profusely... While most of her wounds did indeed bleed a great deal due to her flawed body, this was even worse than usual. That must have been the reason why she felt weak. She supposed that it was inevitable that she pass out from blood loss long before her wound actually finished closing itself. That... she couldn't allow that. She had to heal herself. Quickly, she had to gather some of the Aether in her body to close the cut...! But, to her dismay, she found none of the strength that should have availed her. Her reserves were entirely spent, leaving her on the brink of incapacity even without taking the gashes across her body into account.

Damn... it... I have to... stay awake! If I fall now... I am as good as dead... I have to... keep my eyes open...! Damn... it... all...

Setting

Chapter 1 - Broken Balance

Characters Present

Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#2013-04-07 01:13:51, as written by FamishedPants

The only preparation for what was to come that she had given him was the creation of a crimson aura around her before she spread her odd wings and did somewhat startle Vayne, who was unused to such things. Of course, he stood still in the face of her strange look, and the look of fear did not make itself shown until after she had spoken and abruptly grabbed him.

"Silence yourself! That problem can be rectified!" she suddenly yelled, gripping him as she tackled him heavily, even knocking the wind from his lungs and shouting something else as she dived off the edge of the cliff and probably reached Terminal Velocity within a mere second. It was now that Vayne learned two things; One, was that he was terribly fearful of heights, and the other was that this woman was insane. So very insane. He wasn't sure if it was because he didn't have the air in the lungs to do so, or because hew as so terrified, but he didn't yell during the whole crazy free-fall they had going on. It most certainly did not feel like she had wings; it felt like they were falling to their demise. Vayne closed his eyes so tight he thought he might break them or something. There was so much bearing pressure on him that if he didn't have his eyes open when this started, he might have thought he was being crushed instead of falling. Back in Farra, they had no planes or any such thing, so he was not expecting any of this at all. It scared, hurt and confused him all in one instant, and only made this trip more harmful to him than it should have been.

In truth, it didn't take a minute to slow down, but Vayne would disagree, since it felt like he had been there for hours, days even. But the ride did seem to calm down and when he managed to take a glance for the first time since he closed his eyes, he noticed they were a helluva lot closer to the ground than before, but also descending in a much kinder pace too. As they hit the ground, the woman still held him for a moment in a bit of a stumbled sprint, but then let go. As soon as she did, he noticed that he had absolute lack of strength in his lower limbs, and they couldn't support him. Fear, or maybe an after-effect of flight for all he knew. But before he could worry about standing himself to his feet, another very painful urge churned about in his stomach before he was forced to point his mouth straight towards the ground and watch his last meal surge forward. And it took him about a minute before the process of heaving was finished. Vayne definitely wasn't meant to fly, this told him.

Luckily, he hadn't gotten any of that on himself, for he wasn't sure when he'd get to bathe anytime soon. Well, those were his thoughts until he looked down on himself and realized he was still bloodied from the prior battle he was involved in. His shirt had at once been of bluish coloring, but was now a darker crimson, a color which seemed to be the them of today. Blood red. The young, tired, confused, unsure man pushed himself up off of the dirt ground and looked towards the girl who, in his expert opinion, looked like shit. He instantly spotted the look of great fatigue on her, and obviously saw the wounds that poured blood from her. Even if she wasn't Farran, she had to have been hurt something fierce. "I believe you not to be such an immediate threat if you haven't attempted to kill me just yet." he outright stated his stance on her. He wasn't one for prettying up words anyways. "So I would hope that this means you don't plan to kill me. Or maybe you hope to later? Either way, you aren't going to do much in your condition." he pointed out. If she was trying to hide how truly injured she was, it wasn't going to work on him. He could spot injury from a mile away, and years of doing this only refined this skill to help him accurately judge how bad a wound really was. "It's a longshot but..." he muttered under his breath, knowing that the plants here looked much different from his home, so they probably didn't have the same plant-life as he did. "...Is there any Dee-root around here? I might be able to stop the bleeding if there is."

Setting

Chapter 1 - Broken Balance

Characters Present

Tag Characters » Add to Arc »

0.00 INK

#2013-04-07 22:15:54, as written by Tsukiakari

Ren's eyes narrowed, and she took a step back as the boy rose, sizing her up with an unreadable, cocksure expression that she most certainly didn't like the looks of. It was the face of one who has seen through another, a countenance of smug superiority that seemed to the Rihnei that it was hanging her own helplessness over her. His words only cemented Renevari's suspicions as he spoke bluntly, calmly, and yet, in her opinion, threateningly. It wasn't that he sounded like he was mocking her. Rather, it was because he was speaking so calmly and matter-of-factly that it seemed like he had to be implying something. And, given his words, it wasn't too hard to guess what that implication might be.

"I believe you not to be such an immediate threat if you haven't attempted to kill me just yet, so I would hope that this means you don't plan to kill me. Or maybe you hope to later? Either way, you aren't going to do much in your condition," The boy said casually. Ren grimaced, giving a quiet "tch" as she spat her breath from her bloody lips. "So what?" She asked hoarsely, giving a mirthless smirk. "I take it... that you don't have any such difficulties... then." She gave voice to her words as clearly as she could, but nevertheless found herself gasping for breath rather quickly, breaking her speech apart as she struggled to keep taking in air. "So what do you intend to do...? Slay me so that I do not... hinder your escape... and use my body... to keep those dogs off your trail?" Although her words seemed bold enough, the way she clenched her teeth and glared with impotent disgust and hate as she spoke seemed to imply that there was a hidden fear behind her words. Although she was trying her best to seem brave, not wanting to let any sort of weakness slip through, she couldn't entirely conceal the fact that she now seemed to be cornered, exhausted, wounded, and powerless to help herself in the presence of an unknown individual with unknown powers, unknown skills, and unknown intentions.

Tch. I knew it. This boy is no different from those hounds from which I just escaped. Showing myself, an outcast, before a potential enemy with such reckless abandon... I might much more easily have committed suicide and saved myself the trouble of dying slowly here, Ren thought wryly. However, to her surprise, the next words that came out of the boy's mouth were not a threat, but rather...

"It's a longshot but... Is there any Dee-root around here? I might be able to stop the bleeding if there is." The Nephilim's scarlet eyes widened in surprise. This boy... what? He was offering to stop here and heal her even though his enemies were still so close behind him? Was he insane? No, no, wait. This was far too good to be true. There was no way somebody would risk themselves to save an unnatural person, least of all one they didn't even know. Well, except her, but she liked to think of herself as being different from other beings. In any case, she couldn't trust this boy. If she accepted his offer, then it would show her lack of confidence in her own remaining strength, and it would provide him with the perfect opportunity to do whatever he wanted with her. She couldn't risk that.

"H-how do you expect me to know the answer to that?!" She asked angrily, still glaring at the boy and watching his every move, made even more suspicious than before by his seemingly generous offer.

Trust no one. Rely on no one. If you risk yourself by believing in others, it will only hurt you in the end. That is, was, and will always be this world's only truth.

Seen 10 Times • Page 1 of 1