[Flashback] Lunar Light, Pt. II

Intern Rep! : 5 Location : Almost Heaven

..Lunar Light Pt II
..Lethe, the Cryosamurai:
......Lethe say under the sprawling oak tree a short distance from the house and held the deep wooden plate he'd been been given in his hands. He wished the house had been bigger or that there had been fewer men. The dark chimney smoke pouring into the air let him know there was fire inside. He wasn't truly cold, but a chance to sit by the fire for a few more moments to break the chill the covered him would have bee welcome.

......The generosity that Gilleg showed his unexpected guests was amazing. It was one thing for the old man to have been willing to care for such a large group, but it was even more surprising that he was able to. Breakfast consisted of some fare: eggs, stringy venison chops, potato mush, thick brown gravy, and fat wedges of bread. But it was all warm and welcome.

......As it turned out, both of Teotl's scouts had taken deer in the forest and dressed them out to replace the meat the ate from the old man's larder. There was no replacing the bread, though, and Lethe guessed that the old man's wife would be busy for several days baking to replace what they'd consumed that morning.

..Wordcount: 205
..EXP Gain: 220
..PWC Gain: 220
..Other: None

Intern Rep! : 5 Location : Almost Heaven

..Lunar Light Pt II
..Lethe, the Cryosamurai:
......Lethe sopped up the last of the gravy and eggs with his remaining piece of bread and drank from his waterskin. Setting the plate to one side for the moment, he enjoyed the sensation of being full and off the horse. He pulled a blanket from his pack and wrapped it around his shoulders. Winter was coming, marching down from the harsh northlands. Soon enough, mornings would be filled with frost and cold that made a man's bones ache. Lethe kept to himself, watching the other warriors break up into small groups and talk among themselves. As they ate, the warriors also relieved the guards posted in the forest, making sure everyone was fed and rested.

......Gilleg and Teotle talked on the covered porch in front of the house. Each man seemed intent on taking the measure of the other. Teotl wore orange colored robes with silver designs worked into them. During his short life, Lethe had heard descriptions of robes belonging to organizations like this, but he'd never seen them before. The enchanted robes offered protection from spells and demonic creatures.

......Well, the best robes could, anyway.

..Wordcount: 186
..EXP Gain: 219
..PWC Gain: 219
..Other: None

Intern Rep! : 5 Location : Almost Heaven

..Lunar Light Pt II
..Lethe, the Cryosamurai:
......Lethe knew that Teotl sought to persuade the old man to give him the information he knew about the demon Taramis, the old plague bearer from legend. Although he'd been seen a number of things in his life as a soldier for the village of the moon even before he'd seen a demon first hand like his friend turned whatever (he wasn't sure what the categorize her at, truthfully) Iskra, Lethe had never seen anything as legendary as this particular demon. That was the impression he got from the demonic entity from the way Teotl spoke of it. Or him. Or her. Whatever it was. His mind played at the idea of it, what i might look like and what powers it might hold. But again and again his thoughts insisted on coming back to how they'd slay such a proprietor of the dark arts.

......"Lethe" Teotl called a few minutes later.

......Rousing from a near slumber, regretting the need to move when he'd finally gotten comfortable again the tree, Lethe glanced at the long time friend and captain. "Come with us" Teotl requested, standing and following the old man across the yard.

..Wordcount: 191
..EXP Gain: 212
..PWC Gain: 212
..Other: +1 TEXP (May 27th, for posting 5 times)

Intern Rep! : 5 Location : Almost Heaven

..Lunar Light Pt II
..Lethe, the Cryosamurai:
......Reluctantly, Lethe got to his feet and carried the plate to the porch, where it was taken by the old man's grandson. If Lethe ever became an old hermit in the forest, he decided right then that he'd have a grandson of his own to do such tasks. It seemed so useful, having a butler that was a blood relative. Wait, that surely wasn't how it was supposed to go...

......Lethe followed Taramis and Gilleg into the root cellar built into the hillside, a man made burrow into the otherwise natural landscape. The old man, moving in the solemn darkness without need for much visual aid, took a lantern from the root cellar's wall inside (more so for the sake of those with him), lit it with coal he'd carried from the house, and followed a short flight of earthen stairs down into the small root cellar. Lethe hesitated by the doorway. The cloying smell of dank earth, potatoes, onions, and spices filled his nostrils. He didn't like the darkness of the cellar or the closed in feeling he got from the racks of foods canned in jars or the wine bottles. He much preferred how open and free everything outside was, and he especially didn't like being in the dark where there was no view of the moon. And now that he thought about it, for a house in the middle of nowhere along the forest, Gilleg and his family had a large larder.

......"Come on." Teotl said, following the old man to the back of the cellar. Lethe crossed the uneven floor dug from the earth and covered with small rock. The cellar's ceiling was so low his head scraped a couple times, and he kept hunkered down, cursing at his misfortune of being stuck in such a place. A huge stone surface blocked the other end of the cellar. The lantern Gillleg carried clanked against the stone as he stood next to it, and he gave the duo an even smile.

..Wordcount: 332
..EXP Gain: 358
..PWC Gain: 358
..Other: None

Intern Rep! : 5 Location : Almost Heaven

..Lunar Light Pt II
..Lethe, the Cryosamurai:
......There was something about that sideways, toothy smile that gave Lethe the chills. Maybe it was just because it was some old man, but then again it could have been something else. The fact that there was some old hermit living so deep within these woods was enough to give any man the chills. His hospitality had certainly been something Lethe wouldn't have foresaw, as most people like this tended to be extremely territorial and untrusting of outsiders. It was clear to him that Teotl had some sort of prior knowledge of or relationship with the man, though Lethe didn't know exactly what. It was most likely something to do with the village.

......Gilleg knocked on the door in three different places, the act causing a fist sizes oval to extend out. Taking a solid hold of the makeshift lever, Teotl and Gilleg both cranked it until it slid open, revealing a once sealed room. Gilleg thanked the guard captain and took several labored steps inside, beckoning his guests to follow him in. From outside, Lethe could feel an eerie chill.

..Wordcount: 180
..EXP Gain: 206
..PWC Gain: 206
..Other: None

Intern Rep! : 5 Location : Almost Heaven

..Lunar Light Pt II
..Lethe, the Cryosamurai:
......The inside of the newly opened passage looked like how something sounded out of one of the horror stories he'd been told as a child. The chamber had been dug out of the earth itself, so roots dangled from the top of the passageway, and a plethora of different types of insects scurried along the floor. For a moment Lethe wondered just how they'd gotten down here with no way to enter besides a locked door, but it didn't occur to him until later that they merely burrowed through the earthen barrier.

......"I apologize for the mess." Gilleg grinned and continued down the path, the light from his lantern bouncing back and forth as his wobbly body shook with each step. They walked a good distance until they came to stop, where a large, double human sized area of the earth had been duh out. In the area was a stone pedestal, with a thick book sitting atop it."Ah! Here we are, my friends." The old man scurried over to it and placed his hands on the book, grabbing a hold and sliding it forward. The resulting sound made it obvious that it was made of some type of metal, and not actual paper.

..Wordcount: 204
..EXP Gain: 219
..PWC Gain: 219
..Other: +1 TEXP (June 2nd, posting 5 times)

Intern Rep! : 5 Location : Almost Heaven

..Lunar Light Pt II
..Lethe, the Cryosamurai:
......Moving across the surface with an eerie delight, Gilleg stroked the metal as if he was a blind man attempting to read. As if the fact that the book was made of a light metal didn't freak Lethe out enough, now this old timer was getting his kicks touching it. Teotl had a similarly uncomfortable response to the situation, and cleared his throat loudly. Gilleg, finally realizing where he was again, gave a crooked smile and opened the books heavy pages. With a heavy thud, he turned to a specific point.

......"As you can see, this book is quite special. Nobody knows where it came from; I certainly don't. I found it just a few years after my awakening within this forest, along with a few friends at the time. These words ... well, you can try your best to read them but I certainly can't, and nobody I've ever encountered could either." Gilleg shook his head in disappointment. The realization the the old man had brought them here to see something they couldn't read was slightly annoying to Lethe. Was there a point to this? "But! There are pictures a plenty here, and they tell a story if viewed in unison. Not exactly clear, mind you, due to not being able to actually read it, but it gives a clear visual of a demonic entity."

......Gilleg motioned towards the metal page, where a surprisingly detailed visual of a demon was etched into it's surface. "I have seen this demon with my very own eyes, and it is certainly what you're looking for."

[/color]..EXP Gain: 288
..PWC Gain: 288
..Other: +1 TEXP (June 4th, posting 5 times)

Intern Rep! : 5 Location : Almost Heaven

..Lunar Light Pt II
..Lethe, the Cryosamurai:
......The prospect that this old, feeble old man had once seen this demon with his own two eyes was certainly an interesting prospect to mull over. There weren't many situations in which Lethe could see this old man coming into contact with an entity containing such power where he'd walk away unscathed. Normally he would have simply taken the old man at his word, but considering the circumstances he was beckoned to question the man on the situation. "If you've seen this demon, then how did you survive? "Lethe spoke up, moving around and taking a closer look at the book.

"You don't appear to be any sort of warrior. Why didn't he simply kill you and be done with it?" It was a valid question in Lethe's mind, since these demons were apparently evil creatures that wanted nothing but people's blood. He also had a hard time fathoming how this book here was made. If it had been made of paper pages it would have been nothing to bat an eye at ... but pages made of thin metal? That was truly amazing.

[/color]..EXP Gain: 200
..PWC Gain: 200
..Other: +1 TEXP (June 5th, posting in 2 threads)

Intern Rep! : 5 Location : Almost Heaven

..Lunar Light Pt II
..Lethe, the Cryosamurai:
......Had he been a betting man he would've anticipated an offensive reaction from Gilleg. That is, Gilleg would have been offended by such a question, one that in essence was questioning the validity of the old man's story. Such things were usually not taken likely by the people of this world, as one's honor was at times the only thing one had. It was a great insult to insinuate that someone was a liar, and in many ways the young samurai took a great risk in bringing such a claim against Gilleg.

Teotl had given Lethe a scornful look in response to his question, his expression more of a 'what are you thinking' than anything else. He quickly spoke up, anticipating the same response Lethe was, "That is not to say we don't believe you, kind sage. It's just that ... yes, it is an extraordinary story. Perhaps you could give us more information on this demon you speak of?"

Flashing the same toothy grin he'd flashed so many times up to this point, Gilleg simply chuckled. "Of course, of course. I don't blame your suspension."

[/color]..EXP Gain: 206
..PWC Gain: 206
..Other: None

Intern Rep! : 5 Location : Almost Heaven

..Lunar Light Pt II
..Lethe, the Cryosamurai:
......"In fact I welcome it. What kind of ... sage, as you say, would I be if I had no way to confirm my stories? Why, I'd be nothing more than a crazy old man!" Gilleg gave an uncomfortable laugh at the notion. Lethe didn't have the heart to tell him that no matter how true the man's story was, Lethe really did see him as nothing more than a crazy old man. After all, what kind of person would willfully live out in a remote place like this, surrounded by such evil, with one's family around? It was actually unfathomable to Lethe that someone would choose to live this way, and he was sure that regardless this old timer had a few screws loose.

"I witnessed the power of this demon with my own eyes just two seasons ago. It was a brutal power, this thing has. It kills with complete and total efficiency, without mercy or remorse." Gilleg flipped the book open again, landing on another page. "As you can see here, it controls the element of ice. Ice is a deathy element, wouldn't you agree? The cold, harsh winters of this region over the past few years are the complete doing of this demon. It's presence is well enough known to everyone around here."

[/color]..EXP Gain: 231
..PWC Gain: 231
..Other: +1 TEXP (June 5th, posted 5 times)

» [Flashback] Lunar Light, Pt. I
» Light's Lunch
» [Flashback] Inner Demons
» [Flashback] Circle of the Moon
» The Trail to Jun'Jo [Closed, Flashback]