 wolven [Profile] 2012/11/29 - 13:5:41
Once more... I have proven that I am absolutely useless at drawing backgrounds!!! Huzzah!
Yah.. um, this would be the next bit of chapter 2. soz it took so long. I've had other things to do... sorta.
I finally remembered to put in Cane's brand on his shoulder. Anyone see the spade? no? well, its sposed to be the mark of a gravedigger in Ignitia, and hence the mark of an Illegitimate.
Now before I go ahead and post the chapter I wanna make it absolutely clear that the word 'bastard' in context simply refers to one begotten outside of wedlock (also referred to as an Illegitimate) and is not used as an insult or as a use of foul language on any part of the characters. thank you and I hope you all enjoy it, plus I would also like some C&C on the Picture and on the rest of the chapter itself! :-]
brownwolfcub [Profile] 2012/11/29 - 14:0:42
I love the anatomy! Those arms *.*
wolven [Profile] 2012/11/29 - 14:16:23
Chapter 2
Continued...
In the underbelly of Blackreach’s shadowy existence lay Riverhead, cloaked in a thick blanket of snow that lay uneven with the nature of the ground, and the hills were clouds in their own right, the trees pointed spears with an icy varnish that sparkled like diamond in the sunlight. Riverhead was a small town, with only ten buildings. Most were devoted to families raising children, but one particular building was larger than the others. With a wall and moat befitting a miniature castle, within was the Village elder’s longhouse, which stood upon a hill to the northeast of the town. In its courtyard, the elder’s sons were busy sparring, fighting and in one’s case; reading. The town itself was more of a crossing really. It was a single road through, with a road joint from the east to the town’s centre through which all the merchants came. Oddly enough, the village tavern was situated on this very corner. The southern entry was largely unused. Houses lined the sides of the road, and to the left closest the river was a large mill, which was suspended by beams, through the water. The mill was always rife with the scent of pines and other evergreens. The road to the north led towards the Black-Sky pass, through the crater. It was a long, twisting road that people rarely used unless absolutely necessary, for strange things were said to happen inside the boundaries of the crater, particularly around the titan-mount; Blackreach. Cane entered through the southern entrance to the town.
With Yeersha by his side, the duo scoured the reaches of the town looking for the elusive, master-of-mischief hound; Molag. The dog was doubtless the most cunning creature Cane had ever had to reckon with, and such encounters were becoming far too frequent. It took every last ounce of theatricality and ingenuity in him to catch the dog and more so to bring it to heel. What was more, the dog was clever, in that it had an irritating habit of remembering all of Cane’s attempts to catch it, and so was always on the lookout. Yeersha’s father on the other hand just had to use a little whistle and the dog cowered before admitting defeat.
As they were nearing the top of the village, Cane looked at the Tavern and beyond, towards another stretch of forest, with intermittent fields. Glaedr was snoring by the tavern, bubbles of liquid fire dripping onto the ground, creating strange gold ashes as they burned the dropped foliage. The stench was awful though.
“Maybe Oriel can help.” Yeersha suggested, “After all, he’s a rider, he could locate him for us.”
“No chance, he’ll be drowning himself in there with mead, best just leave the old Hermit to his business.” Cane said, with a cheeky feeling arising inside himself.
“And no need.” Cane said, gazing towards the top of the town. There, staring at them in a strange, mocking poise, stood Molag, his tongue lolling from his mouth as he panted, and his lips curled upwards into a kind of grin, and his tail was wagging.
A stand-off ensued between the dog and Cane. They simply stood there, glaring at each other like two warriors readying for battle.
“Cane… What are you doing?” Yeersha asked, tones of worry running through her voice.
“Keeping him occupied. Walk slowly away, but detour through the forest and come up behind him.” Cane said, not even blinking as the standoff continued. Yeersha disappeared, and reappeared moments later in a kind of crouch a few feet away from Molag who was oblivious to their combined ruse.
Yeersha crept up, then jumped on Molag, who yelped, but pushed himself up after the brief pin. Yeersha grabbed onto his collar with one hand and covered his right eye with the other. At this, Cane darted forward with the leash, and attempted to wrestle the pup into it. Yeersha fell off with a thump, and Molag began running wildly, dragging Cane, who remained holding on the collar.
The dog seemed to cover leagues in seconds, and cane eventually got the leash on the dog when it stopped to breath. He jumped up and before the dog could run away, he constricted his grip on the leash, causing the dog to try and drag him, but to no avail. It turned and looked at him with it’s puppy dog eyes, stars gleaming in them as they usually do.
“Not this time mutt!” Cane said, and the dog stopped and bowed its head in annoyance, admitting defeat. As they walked down the road again, Yeersha ran up to meet them.
“We need to get him into the house before mum and dad get back.” She said with urgency, so Cane picked up his pace, and upon entry, He tied the pup to his post, and the dog snuggled down to sleep, and undoubtedly plan its next escape.
“Thank you, Cane!” She said, pulling him into a deep hug when they were outside again. Pulling out, she continued. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“Well, a hero can’t exactly say no to a damsel in distress now can he?” Cane said, referring to an old children’s story.
“No he can’t.” an unfamiliar voice stated.
Cane whipped around to see Yeersha’s mother standing with her arms folded and a wry smile across her lips. She was a little smaller than Cane, but had dazzling emerald hair like her daughter and a pair of gleaming violet eyes, and she carried her flesh in a kind of sensuous way that some she-elves could, even if she was bonded. The one thing that put Cane off her in appearance was her nose, for in her youth she had been in more than a few fist fights and had broken her nose. She also had a bit of a lisp, but that didn’t really matter. Her name was Iyrsha Wren.
“You let that damn pup out again, didn’t you?” She said, scolding Yeersha, who folded her arms and struck her pose again.
“I didn’t let him out. He just… got out… and we did get him back!” She said, in a venomous retort.
“As I saw; whilst you were flaying around in the dirt, this, brought the dog back. Not you.” Iyrsha replied, emphasising the last two words with an air of authority and indicating towards Cane as she spoke of him.
“I did my best to do what I could!” She replied, her arms stiffening by her sides, as she blew her jade hair out of her eyes in a fit of rage. Cane simply looked at himself in the reflection of a frozen puddle. His hair was a mess, and dirt seemed to catch in it like webbing. He ignored the mother-daughter squabble until Yeersha was forced inside and Iyrsha addressed him.
wolven [Profile] 2012/11/29 - 14:17:47
“Don’t mistake that for gratitude Cane. As far as I am concerned you are still of bad birth and unsuitable for my children. Yeersha should have waited for her father to come home and explain it to him, as she will have to in due course.” Iyrsha said with such sharpness in her voice that signalled her disapproval. “You did nothing either noble or honourable, only what was needed to be done.”
These kind of conversations with the children’s parents were always a downer to Cane, so he would normally respond politely, but he was feeling particularly acidic today.
“Ouch.” He said with a laugh, “and yet when trouble arises, the children come to me for help because their parents are out. What does that tell you?”
Irsha drew a dagger from her belt and held it close to Cane’s nose.
“I don’t threaten. I simply asked a question.” He said, taking on an oddly musical tone to his voice that mocked her to a foul extent.
“Then answer one for me. What will they think when they find out exactly what you are?” Cane felt stabbed. Illegitimates were outcasts from society, shunned like convicts but permitted to remain within. The answer came to him from his heart.
“They will think nothing less of me. They at least have the sense not to judge someone because of what they were born. Now tell me. What do you see before you?”
Irsha sneered with contempt.
“I see an insolent youth of bad birth who threatens me with his very presence. Were it not for your actions today, I would beat you out of my sight. Be thankful, at least for what you have got.” Irsha stalked away into her house, closing the door with a bang.
“She’ll hold that against you for life Cane. You shouldn’t have done that.”
Cane turned to see Oriel smiling at him. “But I for one admire you for your courage.”
“To fight back when one slaps me? A dog has such courage. She can rage until the world is ashes for all I care. It still won’t make the truth die.” Cane snapped.
“I meant no offence Cane.” Oriel said, retaining his smile.
“How the blazes are you sober?” Cane asked after a moment. Oriel held up his right palm, where a silvery oval adorned his hand.
“Magic.” He whispered.
“Ingenious. How goes your mission?”
Oriel sighed and looked towards the Crater.
“The children saw nothing. The barman was useless. The Elder was rather… uncooperative as you said he would be, but I tried him anyway. The Barmaid, Quilva- told me there were a pair of shady blokes here earlier. They bought only meat off her and were clad in black. She didn’t see their faces but she told me they are headed towards…” He pointed at Blackreach. “That!”
Cane felt instantly cold. Blackreach was by far the largest mountain he knew of and from previous talks with Oriel, he knew it to be larger than anything in Alagasia, making the ‘Beor Mountains’ look like slight hills next to it. It was also the most dangerous. Years ago the mount had been used as a hideout for the Dark elves, and so they burrowed deep down into its depths in search of wealth. They later emerged as their common form nowadays, the Orcs or as some Humans knew them: Goblins. Few were known to have survived whatever lay deep within their mountains that changed them and fewer still had survived the ensuing wars. Now they were little more than myths, but their existence could be told by the ruins within their Caves.
“What will you do?”
“Well the day is already late and my targets can’t have gone far. I shall stay another night and pursue them in the morn.”
Oriel returned his gaze to the mountain.
“It makes me nervous. In my instruction as a rider I was warned to avoid the deep places of the earth. If my targets are in there, I fear for what may happen if I follow.”
His blue eyes traced the keen edge of the mountain’s silhouette, so black and threatening as it blotted out the sun. Clouds began to creep across the sky, and Blackreach reached above them. Snow did not sit on it, in fact, snow never touched it. Odd funnels were located around the mountain, giving off poisoned air, and they gave off fumes that obscured one’s sight. The sheer heat of the mount was intense, but walk able as a valley was formed between it and it’s eastern sister, known as Glacia, after the queen who settled there hundreds of years ago. Glacia was as barren as Blackreach and no less dangerous, but it was a place of solitude, and cold, and Ice that never melted was sprinkled on top of it giving it a marble white sheen.
Oriel looked to Blackreach’s Western sister, and noted it’s odd, thorn-like curve and peak. The mountain was as red as blood, and a heat radiated off it that was subliminal and piercing.
“What do you call that one?” Oriel asked, indicating it, “It seems rather out of place with the others.”
“It is named thorn, after the ruby dragon that came here fifty years ago and forged peace between Snow elves and men… The ruled ones at least.” Cane explained, “Ignitia is not a very safe place Oriel, I trust you know that by now. Even we, the Krosnia do not know all of its secrets. If you intend to follow your targets… I suggest you try in the shade of the mountain at midnight, for only then will ‘An Dhoras Dubh’ - the Black door, open for you into the ruins.”
“All this talk of Blackness depresses me.” Oriel stated with a shiver. “I’m not sure I want to follow them now, nor does Glaedr.”
“Hmm?” Cane asked, intrigued.
“Glaedr is anxious. He says it makes his scales itch, sitting underneath that titan. It is alien to him.”
Oriel turned back to Cane.
“By the way, the village elder is looking for you. He wants to have some words with you.”
“Great.” Cane replied dismally and he turned to leave.
“Cane.” Oriel said, with a tone of concern. “Be careful m’boy!”
As Cane walked towards the keep, he felt himself being watched, and turned to see a face in the window of Iyrsha’s house peering out at him, and he thought he saw a second, smaller than the first. He dismissed the thought and walked on.
wolven [Profile] 2012/12/2 - 12:49:6
Yeah... um. That's the end of chapter 2 people. C&C would be great... Y'know... if you guys feel like giving it I mean.
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