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Post by Starchilde on Jan 4, 2009 22:12:21 GMT -5
The Shiverpeak Mountains were a barren wasteland of ice and snow. Inhospitable to all save those creatures ‘fortunate’ enough to have evolved through countless years to survive in such conditions. It was remote. It was desolate. There wasn’t a thinking being in sight for leagues upon leagues in any direction – including straight down. It was where Starchilde went to be alone. Nestled somewhere in the peaks, there was a cave mouth that seemed to serve no purpose in the game. There was no boss within it, no treasure, not hint for any number of fetch quests, no ancient crone dispensing world-saving wisdom. It was simple stone tunnel that deeper into the mountains until it opened up outside again. There, just a quick slip down a few feet, was a massive, partially filled-in crater of some long-extinct volcano. Erosion from within and without had unearthed some kind natural hot spring in the caldera, filling it with almost-too-warm water. Between the heat of the spring and the surrounding craggy mountain peaks blocking the wind chill, it was warmer here than on the rest of the mountains. Drifts of snow still managed accumulate along the sloping grade that lead down from the cave to the edge of the water itself, so ‘warmer’ was really a relative term. There fresh tracks in the snow that night, leading straight from the cave opening to the side of the sprig. Right at the edge where the snow stopped and reveled the scrotched but healing earth, end of the Nirvana staff had been thrust into the ground. Of course, one would not be able tell it was The Nirvana staff, because the top half of it was covered with discarded clothing; an elaborate blouse with loose sleeves and a skirt hung from it as though it were a simple coat rack. The owner of the clothes was currently floating on her back more or less in the middle of the crater, regarding the infinity of stars above her and the single full moon above her. Her long hair spread about her like a the tail feathers of a monochrome peacock… if there was a such thing as purple-only peacock. The intricate runes that lined her legs, it turned out, didn’t just stop there. They traveled up her legs to her hips, where they split, a curly, somewhat thorny pattern arched back down to her inner thighs. The rest traced and spiraled their way up her body, circling around her breasts, up to her shoulders and down her arms to her wrists. The seemed to respond to the moonlight, glowing a faint silver. Her back was warmed by the spring, her front was still chilled by the air. The contrast, for some reason, soothed her. She could feel tension melting out of her, and sighed a sigh of deep relief. She smiled, and for once, it didn’t hurt. A song slipped free from her lips. It had no words, just melody, flowing from her, bouncing off the walls of the crater and canyon, echoing, granted volume by some trick of acoustics. It carried much after than she would have thought. She never expected it to be heard. But it was.
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Queen
Moderator
Guild Master of The Kingdom
Posts: 59
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Post by Queen on Jan 6, 2009 19:20:48 GMT -5
“Devastate!” Her blade crushed unforgiving into Stone Hermit Axemaster, biting through the dwarf’s heavy armor and obliterating him into millions of data particles. The shockwave created by the strike repelled a nearby S.H. Beastmaster, sending the already heavily injured mammoth crushing down.
Wiping her brows, Queen looked around once more, tired but alert sapphire eyes scanning the desolate snow land for yet more enemies. There were none. She breathed a sigh of relief, and wearily, sheathed Ragnarok. She’s been pushing herself too hard, even Fafnir seemed to notice as he shifted about, making a low growling sound. Her muscles ached, complaining of overuse. Her breathing came heavy and hard, the telltale sign of too many hours spent training. Even her tail, usually swaying energetically, drooped.
But how could she not go on?
Even now, she could vividly recall her surprise as she came head to head with the Guild Master of the Church of Starchilde. The bishop outranked her by nearly fifteen levels. If Starchilde had been any other class or the struggle had been anything but a one on one match, Queen would have stood no chance. The same goes for her guild. And there was no way she’s going to allow The Kingdom’s prestige and prowess be thwarted. Which meant, she first must improve herself.
Softly, she jerked on Fafnir’s reins, all but crashing down on the Gold as her weariness washed over her. But those stubborn sapphires remained open as she searched around for more monsters. There was nothing moving in the frozen white, and then she caught sight of something dark, a sharp contrast against the surrounding snow land. Queen urged Fafnir to descend. Slowly, the blur of black came into focus. A cave mouth, one she’s never seen before. And unexplored areas meant new monsters.
A sharp tug on the reins sent Fafnir flying once more, and the Gold carefully made his way through the narrow stone tunnel, twisting and turning to avoid slabs of stone. As she traveled deeper and deeper into the cavern, Queen’s silver-gray ears twitched, picking up a faint melody. The tune grew increasingly louder as she traveled further into the cavern. The notes, though jumbled by echoes and the beat of Fafnir’s wings, were still heavenly without a doubt. But what player would sing so beautiful a song while deep inside a frigid mountain? It must be a boss, she thought, a siren perhaps. Her weary eyes flickered with a sudden excitement as she urged her pet faster still. Fafnir nearly crushed into the cavern wall as the tunnel came to an abrupt end, but masterful maneuvering by his watchful rider spared the two from so sad a fate. A few sharp turns and a slow descent later, Queen found herself in an unfamiliar setting. A crater of some sort lay before her, and dismounting, she walked up to its edge.
The dragon knight looked around vigilantly for any signs of a monster, hands gripped tightly around the hilt of her buster blade. Only to see…
She was stunned. Sapphires widened as she drew a shuddering breath, completely captivated by the sight before her. There, in the middle of the water below, drifted a faint silhouette, concealed by the steam of the spring. But even that fleeting image was enough to put the moon to shame. Her breath quickened, and the sound of her own heartbeats filled her acute hearing. She stared, nay, gaped at that perfect form, marveling at those faintly glowing silver markings and that long, luxuriant mane floating gently with the ripples. Indigo, the color of royalty. The image, a lone goddess floating leisurely under a brilliant full moon, seared itself into her mind. And she knew then that the picture would remain with her always.
But she could hardly think. Her eyes were glazed, and a dazed expression took hold of her visage. Her slowly swaying tail was the only movement of her body. And out of her loosened grip, Ragnarok slid out slowly. And finally, the buster sword, her trusted and constant companion, fell unnoticed unto the ground, creating a faint but audible sound as its razor-sharp edge came in contact with the stones beneath the thin layer of snow.
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Post by Starchilde on Jan 7, 2009 10:46:09 GMT -5
Clang
The song ceased instantly at the sound of something large and metallic striking ground. The echoes of it overcame the echoes of her song almost as quickly.
clang-lang-ang-ang-ng-ng
Starchilde gasped in alarm, her arms automatically reaching upward to cover her chest. Her reprieve shattered and he restful posture broken, she sank down into the warm water suddenly. Her head broke the surface an instant later as she began to thread water, as as she floated around in a circles, trying to pinpoint the source of the noise in all its echoes.
A cloud chose that exact moment to pass in front of the moon, transforming the oddly inviting silvery sepia tone of the night into something just shy of complete darkness. Between that and the rising steam, seeing further away than the length of her own arm became an exercise in futility. All she could make out was some kind human-sized figured on the shore...between her and her gear.
Starchilde backpedaled in the water, swimming with loud, panicked strokes until she reached a large boulder sticking out of the water, which she promptly hid behind.
"Am I not entitled to a moments peace?" she called out to the figure once she was out of sight, thinking it was one of her many 'followers' who had followed her here "Goddess you call me, yet it is I who rush to your beck and call. Never before have I issued a command to anyone of you, but here is one now: Leave me to lick my wounds in peace, and tell no one of this place. I fought in your precious tournament, though it pained me greatly. You owe me this!"
The moon reemerged on the other side of the cloud, and Starchilde chanced a glance from around her rock... She could see the other player now, but still the steam still obscured the details. "Or," she added in less abrasive tone, already feeling guilty for raising her voice, "if you must stay, please leave your worship at the cave-mouth, and treat me as merely a citizen of this world, the same as you."
With that Starchilde slid back from behind her rock into plain sight, treading the warm water easily, her head the only visible part of her body.
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Queen
Moderator
Guild Master of The Kingdom
Posts: 59
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Post by Queen on Jan 10, 2009 19:14:01 GMT -5
And the song ceased. Like a sailor snapping out of a siren’s call, Queen found the ethereal illusion breaking apart, shuttering like mirror. Sapphires blinked rapidly, refocusing, and wings of red brushed across her cheeks. I did not just… She thought, and realization dawned on her. The blush on her face grew darker, and her tail wagged nervously. She, Queen, Guild Master of the prominent Kingdom, just spied, however accidentally, on a player who had been bathing.
She opened her mouth, but her panicking brain refused to form a coherent apology. Never had the articulate and logical Queen lost her words so. She felt like digging a hole in the ground, or better yet, hops onto Fafnir and fly immediately out of this embarrassing situation. Nature took mercy on her. A stray cloud shielded the moonlight, throwing the caldron shaped opening into near darkness.
Now hidden from sight, she had a chance to gather her thoughts and to will down the heavy tints of red upon her cheeks. At the same time, her acute hearing picked up frantic sounds of splashing water. It seemed that she had really frightened the other player.
"Am I not entitled to a moments peace?"
She looked away in shame. Pearl whites clenching down hard on her lower lip, threatening to draw blood. "I..." she murmured, her voice drowned out by Starchilde's ensuing outburst. But those words confused her greatly. Her tournament? What tournament? Her addled mind, weighted down by mortification, refused to make the connections. But when the wrod worship was mentioned, sapphires narrowed dangerously.
"I offer my sincerest apologizes; please pardon my untimely entrance." Queen finally spoke, her voice clear and contrite. "However," Her voice changed suddenly. Although hardly sharp or biting, it no longer held an conciliatory tone. "While that had certainly been one of the most beautiful songs to grace my ears, I worship no one." She said matter-of-factly, neither arrogant nor subservient.
It was not within her nature to supplicant to another. Although she had spurned her family, that haughty Rockefeller pride still courses through her veins. And while Queen would admit that the other player had a heavenly voice and a matching figure, she couldn't help but frown upon what she perceived as affected arrogance. Of course, there was no way that she could have known the whole thing to be a misunderstanding.
"And now, if you would excuse--" She started again, but was cut off short as Starchilde poked her head out from behind the rock. "You!" She exclaimed, surprise evident in her eyes as she scanned that familiar face. After all, it was the cause of her tiring excursions. "What are you doing here?"
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Post by Starchilde on Jan 12, 2009 10:34:44 GMT -5
This steam cleared just enough for the two women to see one another's face. While Queen had managed to vocalize her surprise in words, Starchilde only managed a little gasp. Now it was her turn to blush, and the reason fro it had nothing to do with her nudity, or bearing caught so unawares. How haughty she must have sounded!
Starchilde slid the rest of her body out from behind the boulder, griping the side of it with one hand to assist her own floating in the spring. "Forgive my apparent arrogance," she said a note of embarrassment in her voice. "I mistook you for a member of the Church, and did not wish to deal with them this night." She brushed a wet lock of hair from the side of her cheek to its place behind her right ear. "They're devotion to me can, on occasion, be too much for one woman to bear."
With that, she released the rock, and proceeded to swim closer to the shore where Queen stood, her stokes slow and even, disturbing as little of the water as she could. She stopped at the point where she could just feel her toes on the ground before standing. Her head and shoulders were broke the surface of the spring, the rest of her body obscured only by the distortion of water and the darkness of the evening. With the moon out again, her markings once again alight with silver.
"A moments rest from what they call love is what I am doing here, your highness," she explained. She paused, locking eyes with Queen before continuing. "And if you don't mind me saying, you look as though you may be in need of some rest yourself, Queen. Would you care to join me? This spring is quite warm and relaxing, and I never had the opportunity to thank you properly."
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