| Welcome to The Collective Isles, a play-by-post roleplaying forum in a growing multiverse. We hope you enjoy your visit! You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. While you can view posts freely and introduce yourself in the general discussion forum as a guest, you will be unable to submit a character or world application until you register as a member. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you have any questions, check out the Newcomer's Guide. Feel free to ask us anything here or in our IRC channel. If you're already a member, please log in to your account. You won't be able to participate in roleplay threads as a guest. |
| Eyes of Brimstone | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Aug 22 2012, 08:30 PM (294 Views) | |
| Saya Sil Rumore | Aug 22 2012, 08:30 PM Post #1 |
|
Redwood Hermit
|
Saya Sil Rumore pulled her long, white hair over her shoulder as she crouched behind a fallen redwood trunk. Through the disheveled foliage, she watched a group of three men standing in a circle. Ordinarily, Saya Sil would have long since sprinted into the security of the deep forest, but the men in adorned white robes patrolled the woods around her; she stood a much better chance here where the still leafy branches of this once great tree could protect her. The golden cross stamped on the back, chest, and shoulders of their robes had become a regular sight in the past few days. More and more of these people appeared in the redwood forest until she could only move under careful watch. The nights weren't so troublesome; it seemed as though the crusaders with their gold-tipped spears retired from their mysterious works a few hours after sunset. Unfortunately for Saya Sil, she stumbled upon the edge of their encampment. Pairs of the robed men came and went from this place on a regular basis, and the surrounding area was heavily monitored. She fought back the ever-present urge to crumple into a ball of tears, but it took most of her mental resources. In the forty minute period in which she'd been trapped in the cover of this fallen tree, Saya Sil somehow failed to notice the slender figure between the three crusaders. They stood over a sheridan woman like vultures. The horned woman had a head of short, red hair, but it was marred with dried blood and dirt. Her body lay flat on its stomach with her wrists bound behind her back. Now that Saya Sil had discovered the captive's existence, she understood that the rope in one of the crusaders' hands served as this woman's leash. She shuddered again at what that implied; these strange men had injured and bound a sheridan woman. Saya Sil could be next. She tightened her body into a ball and forced her eyes shut. No matter how important it was to observe these men, she simply couldn't take it anymore. Her breathing became tense and ragged. Before long, Saya Sil found herself trembling as she struggled just to keep air in her lungs. She was certain that the men would overhear and capture her, too; her wild imagination amplified her fear and pulled her into a full-blown fit. Any second, they would bind her at the wrists, stab her full of little knives, and laugh to one another as she sobbed helplessly at their feet... The sound of a distant explosion broke the air. Saya Sil's already unsettled heart raced at the sound. She covered her ears and did her best to muffle a whimper with her shoulder. Another boom sounded - this time, a little closer. Though curious, the young woman couldn't work past her fear to investigate the noise. If she died here, at least the chase would finally end. Shouting filled the nearby camp as men rushed out of their tents. It was barely audible with hands covering her ears and over her own whining, but even without words, Saya Sil could tell the men were either incredibly angry or shaking in their boots. She hoped for the latter; they deserved to feel the terror they inspired in her. She moved her hands to give her torso a stiff squeeze. Although it didn't halt her trembling, the discomfort helped take her mind off enslavement. Once more, a blasting sound rippled through the woodlands. Sparrows in a standing redwood nearby scattered. Heavy, hurried footsteps rushed past Saya Sil's hiding place on both sides. She focused as keenly as she could manage on the hoarse shouts coming from the camp, but the words blurred together like the colors of a watercolor painting. She sank her teeth into her bottom lip in frustration. "She's here!" shouted a voice louder than the rest. The screams of rage and horror swelled for a few seconds. Then the loudest noise yet filled the area. She gripped her body a little tighter as cries of agony overtook the background. The crusaders in white were most certainly terrified now, Saya Sil knew - but for some reason, that just made her want to cry more. |
![]() Please, don't come any closer. | |
![]() |
|
| Saya Sil Rumore | Aug 22 2012, 08:46 PM Post #2 |
|
Redwood Hermit
|
She remembered little of the following few minutes after the fact. The panicked screams of men swelled to a point amid bombardment from some kind of unknown explosive. From time to time, chunks of body parts tumbled into the forest behind her fallen tree. When a severed finger covered in blood and burnt crisp at the ends rolled down the trunk and into her lap, she stuffed a hand over her mouth. That didn't prevent vomit from surging out. The yellow liquid dripped down her arm and settled on her fur coat. Saya Sil swatted the finger away with frantic motions as she battled the need to puke a second time. Patrols or no patrols, she couldn't stick around for another moment. Saya Sil stumbled out from her hiding place with her bile-covered hand held out to the side. Having gone so long without food, she knew her body was in no condition to run from a band of slavers, but the explosions rocking the forest terrified her even more than them. She didn't glance back until the horrific sounds stopped. By that point, however, she was too far away to learn anything about the force responsible. She knew enough: something deadly massacred the people who chased her from her home and captured an innocent sheridan woman. As long as it left her alone, Saya Sil would leave the situation at that. When she stopped running, she bent over and expelled the rest of the vomit. A burning sensation lingered in the back of her throat. It reminded her of the crispy skin on that severed finger - as though someone had jammed it in her mouth. She spat a mouthful of distasteful saliva on the forest floor and immediately continued walking. While this outbreak of chaos distracted the cross-bearing men from their patrols, she could distance herself from them. |
![]() Please, don't come any closer. | |
![]() |
|
| Saya Sil Rumore | Aug 22 2012, 09:24 PM Post #3 |
|
Redwood Hermit
|
With the approach of night, Saya Sil climbed into a young redwood for shelter. Sleeping in the open had become dangerous recently with so many humans about... While she preferred her bed of furs back home, she placed her security above such immediate comforts. The cicadas sounded off the sunset hour and left the world to the night's embrace. All alone in her tree, the sheridan attempted to scrape the dried vomit from her coat. If she couldn't get to a river within twenty-four hours, she would have to abandon the coat. She simply couldn't afford to fall ill while on the run. Anywhere the robed men selected for their camp was likely close to water, however, so she assumed some hope remained. A sigh escaped her narrow lips. The hazy memories of the unannounced death and destruction back at the camp crawled back into awareness then. Saya Sil imagined the sort of magical beast responsible for such carnage. It would have three heads, horns even more disfigured than her own, fangs the size of a child, and pitch black eyes. She laughed darkly under her breath at the mental picture. If such monsters existed in this world, there would be no point in hiding; even at this distance, she couldn't count herself as safe. As sleep drew near, she shifted her body into a position rigid enough to last through the night. Luckily for Saya Sil, the stars were visible from this angle. She could only view a tiny portion of the starlit skies, but it reminded her tenderly of the peephole in her window back at home. Darkness closed over the world as her eyes closed. |
![]() Please, don't come any closer. | |
![]() |
|
| Saya Sil Rumore | Aug 22 2012, 11:07 PM Post #4 |
|
Redwood Hermit
|
Saya Sil awoke coughing. When she opened her eyes, the once starry sky was filled with a layer of dark smoke. Alarmed, she grabbed hold of a higher branch and cautiously hoisted herself up. Her hand almost slipped as she pulled into a sitting position on top, but once that flash of danger passed, she could see over many of the surrounding redwoods. Saya Sil pressed her back against the sturdy trunk for comfort as she surveyed the damage. In the distance, a whole section of the forest was ablaze. The wind had only recently changed direction, blowing smoke her way that would've continued to collect in the easterly sky otherwise. She crossed her arms over her heart as she observed the rising smokestacks across the horizon. Flocks of birds escaping the forest fire passed overhead. Without question, the camp she'd slipped away from earlier was in the same direction as the raging flames. Saya Sil ruffled her hair with a hand. She couldn't possibly sleep here; even ignoring the harmful effects of the smoke, the fire itself could spread to her tree in no time. With weary remorse, she clung to the branch and cautiously dangled her foot toward the lower branch. Before she could balance herself according to the distance, her whole body turned on the axis of the branch. Saya Sil's arms loosened up at just the wrong moment, and with a shriek, she tumbled downward. A thick patch of twigs clawed at her body on the way down, almost preventing her from catching hold of the next branch. Saya Sil held on for dear life to said branch. Her heart wouldn't soon forgive the clumsy mistake. |
![]() Please, don't come any closer. | |
![]() |
|
| Saya Sil Rumore | Aug 24 2012, 08:09 PM Post #5 |
|
Redwood Hermit
|
When she finally climbed down to solid earth, Saya Sil took a deep breath to soothe her nerves and marched south away from danger's reach. At this distance, escape wasn't urgent enough to warrant a headlong sprint - and anyway, she didn't trust her balance so soon after waking. Saya Sil clutched her own shoulders as she walked alone, death at her back. When she came to a clearing in the forest, she stopped immediately. A blazing, feminine figure stood in the center of the clearing, hunched over. The curvaceous form of fire had two flickering, candle-like horns and a wispy, pointed tail. It singed the grass at its feet just by virtue of its existence. Saya Sil covered her mouth instinctively and took a few urgent steps backward. The flaming entity released a blood-curdling, ferocious scream with the sorrow and rage of a mother whose child was burned alive. Whatever sort of creature this flaming goddess gave birth to, Saya Sil preferred not to cross paths with it - or its mother. In the wake of her blazing cry, the woman of flame whirled around. |
![]() Please, don't come any closer. | |
![]() |
|
| Saya Sil Rumore | Aug 24 2012, 08:22 PM Post #6 |
|
Redwood Hermit
|
Her eyes blazed blue against the moonlit clearing. Sparks of airborne flame escaped on each side as these eyes fixed on Saya Sil, who could only freeze in place. The woman's facial features were limited save for a pair of elegant cheekbones and a smoothed surface like a nose. Of course, as Saya Sil stood paralyzed several yards in the distance, the details were beyond her recognition. She broke the apparent spell of immobility and turned tail toward the smoking forest. A moment later, Saya Sil halted again. Running into a forest fire was a gamble with fate at best; she couldn't so easily forfeit her life, even to escape an immediate threat. Instead, she dove into the cover of the forest encircling the clearing. If she gained enough distance, the flaming being would never catch her. And yet, the form of crisp blue and yellow fire appeared in her path as though materializing out of thin air. Saya Sil tumbled onto her elbows and knees as her legs gave way to fright. The force of dropping in mid-sprint sent her sprawling forward in a loose roll. She lay helpless at the formless woman's feet and once again captured by raw fear. Her heart hammered itself into a corner as she gaped up at the impossibly fast creature, awaiting immolation. Instead, the flame woman lowered herself onto her knees and extended a burning hand. This and her sizzling, blue eyes were released from the flames as easily as though discarding a mantle. The bare flesh of five ordinary fingers reached out to Saya Sil, and when their eyes connected, she lost herself in the grooved, yellow patterns between the woman's long, flaming eyelashes. |
![]() Please, don't come any closer. | |
![]() |
|
| Saya Sil Rumore | Aug 24 2012, 08:51 PM Post #7 |
|
Redwood Hermit
|
Ignition. The woman's hand reverted to its fiery form in an instant as a feather-tipped arrow jabbed into her shoulder from behind. A wrathful screech broke the unusual calm in the nighttime woodlands, and the flame goddess spun away from Saya Sil to face her assailant: a pudgy man in a familiar, white robe decorated in golden crosses. In his hand, he gripped the slender body of an old hunting bow. The explosion of the flaming woman's fist through the man's chest sent internal matter spraying over the redwoods behind him. Saya Sil's eyes widened as all the moisture on the surface began to spill outward. Her jaw hung open as she crawled backward with her arms, dragging her hind across the rough, grassy forest floor. The sound of the man's corpse dropping was barely audible over the crackling of the woman's flaming body. Before she could turn to face Saya Sil once more, the sound of shouts nearby reached both of their ears. The flaming woman cast a silent glance her way for a moment that seemed to last a burning eternity. Then, without a word, she tore into the woods like a phantom of the netherworld. The furious voices responding to the explosive noise lay directly in her path. Weeds and fallen foliage beneath her feet smoldered with every gliding step. Saya Sil didn't let this scarce opportunity escape; she rolled onto her stomach and launched herself into a renewed sprint with haste. Where she fled didn't matter, so long as the brimstone-eyed murderer could not follow her trail. She sank her teeth into her lower lip to fight back the urge to scream. Unlike the flaming woman, however, hers would be filled with terror. |
![]() Please, don't come any closer. | |
![]() |
|
| Saya Sil Rumore | Aug 24 2012, 09:22 PM Post #8 |
|
Redwood Hermit
|
Later, under the shadow of a crooked redwood, Saya Sil collapsed to the ground. From the moment she encountered the human crusaders onward, her life had been a constant chase. Her frail body simply couldn't keep up with the ongoing demand of fright and flight. If given the choice, she might have hesitated between continuing this arduous struggle for life and accepting a quick, less painful death. Her dirt-stained hair dangled across her eyes as she wept softly to herself amid the diverse grasses of the Red Woodlands. Saya Sil shivered against the earth as she closed her eyes. The image of that woman's eyes burning pale blue refused to leave her mind. She still heard faint reflections of the brief sound the flaming being's victim made as she blasted out his innards with nothing but her hand - a startled groan lasting no more than a second. These images of torment accompanied Saya Sil into her dreams as golden flecks appeared on the eastern horizon, ensuring that what little remained of her night's rest would be fitful, if not futile. |
![]() Please, don't come any closer. | |
![]() |
|
| Legend Blueshard | Aug 24 2012, 09:32 PM Post #9 |
|
Miner
|
Event Complete Saya Sil advanced to level 2. |
![]() On the cusp between worlds I wait, Beckoning the storm to end all storms. | |
![]() |
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| « Previous Topic · Red Woodlands · Next Topic » |
| Track Topic · E-mail Topic |
7:30 PM Jul 10
|
Hosted for free by ZetaBoards · Privacy Policy







7:30 PM Jul 10