03-23-2018, 06:49 AM
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03-23-2018, 06:49 AM
03-23-2018, 10:11 PM
VALKYRIE She stood in the storm
The shadowy silhouette of the spires rose like a lure above the horizon to the north. Valkyrie’s eyes surveyed them with rising interest, navigating each vertical length and burrowing down into the blurred, dimmer hollows. She had never ventured beyond the invisible line between the portal and the rainforest, though often, as aimless wanderings found small elevated clearings along the way, vision of those spear-like piles stirred burning curiosity within her. What did they represent? She couldn’t help but wonder if they towered above the city of sophisticated people like a beacon of hope, a relatable population which the Rift, so far, seemed unfortunately to lack. Perhaps excluding the woman with the flaming spine (what was her name again?) and K’yarie, the vast population in this potbelly of rejects, were neanderthal, unruly - man. She couldn’t believe that that was it… So the pretentious young Shieldmaiden had parted ways with her celestial goddess in the morning to utilise the well enough lit hours of day and delve into the flat span of land beyond the river. She sought eagerly and hopefully, whatever lay beneath that strange murky skyline. Of course, the rain was yet to cease and it made the first leg of her journey quite challenging, for Valkyrie was unfamiliar with the deathly monotonous terrain - flat, dull and lifeless. She became careless with her tread, quickly disorienting, stumbling often upon unsettling, part-submerged skeletons and slipping through the soup of glistening quicksand. Queerest of all, were the fellow-travellers who passed her: intangible familiars - Sisters too, of old, as well as some infamous creatures from Loorien, all of which caused her to pause and consider. Though she tried to reach out, to swing nearer and touch them, they seemed always to sit at the same distance; nor focus their glassy eyes anywhere other than the course laid ahead. It made no sense… Valkyrie began to feel nauseous. She had been drifting helplessly, caught in the web of lies and deceit for hours when a shimmer in the distance to the right drew her tired eye. Twin ears slipped forward quickly, examining the air for sound that might prove to be more than these illusions, though nought but the hideous sucking of the sand around her hooves could be heard. Were it not for the movement of the bird beyond, melting in and out of the backdrop of forming thunderheads, the Daughter of Sunnmōre might have resisted temptation. She was sure, however, that she had seen a sort similar, before. Slowly and with uncharacteristic lethargy pressing down upon her, she turned towards the fire and continued on. and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails. |
03-25-2018, 05:17 AM
04-20-2018, 02:11 AM
VALKYRIE She stood in the storm
The warm beacon, alight on the glinting sands of this snare, was neither hallucination nor mirage and the nearer she drew, the bigger the air of relief that leaked through Valkyrie’s weary body. Repeatedly she lifted bemused eyes to examine the figure of the bird that circled yonder, so too the spires that seemed never nearer, never further way, until at last she had come to stand aside the familiar face of the horned woman which had (more or less) save the life of the irksome, dum male by the Portal. Recalling their previous meeting with a tinge of resentment, she almost smiled. The other appeared equally as welcoming as she had back then, so the stubborn young Shieldmaiden forced her mindset to shift, straightening into a more polite posture and completing the grin, which proceeded to illuminate the lovely features of her face. “You also, Kiada.” ...came the answer easily, for she would yet be wandering this field of dreams if it weren’t for the fire still dancing on the other’s back. “I’ve been alright - lost though, I was trying to find a path to those spires and I feel that a trip through the tar might have been simpler after all.” A gesture was made momentarily towards the shapes towering over the horizon. Without the stinging presence of a man to distract her, Valkyrie was able to relax into conversation. “Are you well?” She queried gently, leaning down her neck to graze a persistent itch on her knee briefly with blunt teeth. There were questions still lingering in the back of her mind and the paler pegasus was hopeful that perhaps Kiada might now settle them. After pause enough to allow the taller female to answer, she guided the chat forwards, toward the first of her interests: trials… Her heart yearned for power and her head begged for retribution. There seemed no clearer path forward than to acquire a magical profession. “Have you any time free to talk? I’ve been thinking about a few things you mentioned back with…” (he never gave them his name), “him…” and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails. |
I'm really sorry for the wait <3
05-04-2018, 02:51 AM
05-04-2018, 03:21 AM
VALKYRIE She stood in the storm
Kiada’s thoughtful explanation made sense and Valkyrie gratefully received the other mare’s snippet of insight into this queer span of gleaming terrain. Consumed for a brief moment by the sombre sting of disappointment, the Shieldmaiden’s icy-toned eyes ventured around to steal a snippet of the family she had seen. Only the reflection of the sky remained upon that field of sea and sand. Quietly her attention turned back and something like resignation teased the smile still lingering. Though she might have loved next to seek escape from The Rift, they young Sister was yet to take possession of the prize that would win her sought favour. A silent sigh stirred the air between them. In a show of likeminded charade, Valkyrie nodded and forced back the tempest of thoughts, lingering just beneath the surface. As Kiada’s impressive composure wavered after, the paler carved an unexpected step forward, almost reaching her startled lips across to sooth the suddenness of her company’s motion; thinking better though, she recoiled, for the fire-wielder looked quickly in sequence to cringe, mild embarrassment maybe, decorating the tone of the voice that followed. The Daughter of Sunnmōre allowed the corners of her mouth to lift further and her shoulders shrugged gently. Perhaps a fly, there were many swarming above the sand, after all, had sucked into her throat… “I’d like to know how you attained your magic…” Valkyrie posed forwardly though with continued politeness, as she held Kiada, a fellow woman, with a generous amount of revere. The pink, plush of her nose drifted hither, subconsciously gesturing to the other’s spine while her eyes remained fixed. “An ability I once had, vanished when I arrived in this place,” she added unnecessarily, deviating away from the entrenched desire for power always flitting by the forefront of her mind. “I mean… It would be nice to have it back…” and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails. |
05-04-2018, 03:37 AM
05-04-2018, 04:18 AM
VALKYRIE She stood in the storm
The pastel mare’s throbbing, hungry heart sank as news of Kiada’s magical birthright touched her ears, however, the prospect of attaining such powers seemed not to be as hopeless as her splitting thoughts tried vehemently to believe. She battled back the wave of negativity and shook her pristine skull softly; a small haze of sandflies hummed in protest. As the horned woman spoke on, words eloquent and attractive, Valkyrie felt the nag of intrigue return and her posture slowly relaxed. The hoof beneath her left hock realigned itself at an angle. Drowning… she mused at one point, rather surprised. The Shieldmaiden, though once already she’d trekked to the centre of the Southern Sea, preferred water for no other reason than to bathe. There was something wild about water, untameable and cruel, and the thought of suffering as her company apparently did, brought a rack of chills down her spine. “…well that’s gratitude,” she muttered with a hint of contempt. Vision of the lumbering black and teal monster, limbs and things dangling about him like a grotesque necklace, came easily and it only served to further enhance the uncomfortable shudder within her. They both grinned, maybe easing the mood, and the other continued, divulging info on trials. At mention of him, she withheld her own comment. Men were moronic and it hardly surprised her that his interest had waned (if that was what happened, she couldn’t recall) - regardless, with any luck, stupidity would bring faster their demise… As Kiada concluded with a wink, luring forth a gentle murmur of laughter, Valkyrie nodded. “Who do I need to approach?” She asked quickly, even overly so, rooting her neat, round hooves to the substrate beneath her to prevent the eagerness from urging her suddenly forward. “And also for a sl… a pet… I would very much appreciate one like…” Khairi! “…like Khairi to accompany me through these trials” (there would be many, undoubtedly).Her eyes skated heavenward for a second, searching for the figure of the feathered predator, circling above. Of course, friendship wasn’t what she sought from a bond such as theirs, at all. Despite the savage reasoning within her, the Shieldmaiden presented before the other, fairly normal. and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails. |
05-19-2018, 12:06 AM
05-19-2018, 01:22 AM
VALKYRIE She stood in the storm
For the better part of their conversation, Valkyrie stood attentively, possessed by an overly intrigued expression—salivating internally for the knowledge spilling forth—yet as Kiada continued along innocently and obligingly, the patterned, horned girl made mention of a brother. It took all of the ghostly-hued adolescent’s willpower to not flinch visibly, repulsed, and wear the true nature of that feeling blatantly on the outside. She couldn’t help but pity the other (briefly), for the mar on what appeared otherwise to be a rather impressive individual. Through barely parted lips, the Shieldmaiden sucked in a steady breath and nodded. “I understand,” she commented softly and with a surprising injection of empathy—a double-edged sword indeed. It appeared as though everyone outside the perfection of Sunnmōre was tainted in one way or another… The smile, quietly comfortable with the amicable type of company Kiada provided—finer than many, shrewder than most—quirked subtly as she misunderstood the concluding suggestion put forward. “Oh?…” she mused openly, visibly processing the idea which she supposed had some merit. It would take a considerable amount of flogging to shape one into form. “A brother? I suppose I could make use of one, though I anticipate their variety is more a hindrance than help; a more intelligent creature would be of greater use.” —but she grinned nonetheless, envisioning the complimentary picture of this world’s creator, the mother of the Rift, pressing an affectionate palm down upon her and revealing a wholly efficient servant; a gift. Perhaps she lingered on the thought too long: silence stood between she and Kiada like a great black wall. “…and what of alliances?” she blurted hastily into the stillness. Valkyrie could only assume that there would be others like her, somewhere, with a mind to eradicate (or perhaps enslave…) the men in the Rift—and beyond. and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails. |
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