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Timeless Tortures |
I'm slowly updating my new story into this journal. I would like feedback and comments on how well it is and what you like or hate about it. |
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~Vampyre Halfling Swift~
Community Member
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Posted: Sat Oct 07, 2006 @ 02:08am
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Chapter 4: A Short Reunion
Sarin spent the next half hour explaining the events of the past evening while they walked to Evion’s house. He explained all about his mother, his father’s reaction, Rio and his newfound powers on the way there. Evion’s eyes were wide when he brought up his injuries healing and feverishly checked his body to see if he was okay. As Sarin finally pulled her off of him again, Shiari was already lost in thought. “That’s a rather peculiar story… Do you know how your mother received that sort of fate?”
Sarin shook his head in response. “No… I feel like this Rio guy has something to do with it, but I can’t place how…” Sarin looked down at the ground in confusion, trying to piece everything together, but couldn’t think. His head was still buzzing with riddles about Rio’s sayings. What does that mean: I belong to him?
“Hey Sarin, you going to be okay?” Evion’s voice floated in, slowly bringing him back to reality.
“Hm? Huh… oh, yeah! Yeah… I’m… all right,” he said. It was a lie. Although his wounds had healed, the pain still seared throughout his veins, pulsing and throbbing so much it felt like each artery would burst. “I just… I’m kind of tired… All the excitement from today wore me out. Sorry.” Evion looked at him suspiciously, but chose not to continue pestering him to which he was very grateful.
A long silence followed her inspection, but as buildings started to pass and they could recognize civilization, Shiari spoke once more. “Come follow me. I have a place we could stay for the night.” He directed his attention to Sarin. “In the morning, we’ll head to Evion’s house and get supplies before the man comes back.” The other two nodded and tailed Shiari to an apartment close to the center of town. In the distance, they could see a great stone statue of the goddess Sephene. Sephene was holding a staff in her left hand, a sword in her right. The head of the staff took the shape of a crescent moon, a small orb revolving around it. The sword was strange, rhythmic figure with two blades coming from the hilt and crossing each other. She held her sword up to the sky, pointed to the east as if directing the sun, and stomping her staff into the ground.
Sarin gazed for some time before he was awakened once more by Shiari. “This way,” he instructed, and began walking up a few flights of stairs before opening a door at the far end of the hallway. “This would be where I stay most of the time, so you may find me here.” Sarin walked in and fell down on a couch, trying to regain his strength. Evion walked in and seemed to have reclaimed her lost attitude.
“Come on Sarin, it couldn’t hurt that badly,” she mocked. She sat down on the couch beside him and bounced, causing Sarin to lift in the air and hit the couch attain. “Geez, you’re such a baby. I never expected that out of you.”
Sarin looked back at her, amazed at her words. “You’ve got to be kidding me! I was just attacked by some psychotic man obsessed with the fact of what my mother and I are! On top of that, I am now homeless! You’ve really got some nerve!” Sarin yelled, glaring at her menacingly.
“Oh, do you think so?” she snapped, even louder than her opponent, “Well if you learned to suck it up like an actual man and quit complaining, I might not have to say it!”
“Learn to- You try taking injuries like mine, have someone come to abduct you, and get thrown out by your own parents, then tell me your reply! You’ll see it’s not so easy to keep it together!”
“For one thing, your father threw you out! Secondly, what injuries? You claimed to be fine a while ago, what’s wrong with you now? I don’t see anything! Stop exaggerating and knock it off!”
“Both of you just shut up and quit arguing so much!” Shiari yelled, which had gotten their attention quickly. They were shocked considering that Shiari rarely ever yelled, let alone to stop Evion’s and Sarin’s bickering. “Evion, you need to stop bringing down Sarin. He’s already been through enough as it is.” He turned his glare toward the one he was defending and went on, “Sarin, she has a point. Complaining won’t get you anywhere. If you had a problem, just tell and we’ll offer support. Now both of you knock it off or I’ll force you to make up.” Both of them were wide-eyed and in awe, nodding their heads in panic. Shiari smiled and said, “Now then, our plan for tomorrow is to reach Evion’s house, retrieve supplies, and find a place for Sarin, agreed?”
Sarin smiled and simply said, “Thanks…”
“What do you think we’re here for?” Evion said. “It’s not like we’d just leave you! Learn to count on others!” Shiari smiled back and nodded in agreement.
“Yes, yes, we’re all here for you. Now go to sleep. Tomorrow we’re moving out, and there’s not much time before the watchers catch on.”
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Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 @ 08:08am
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Chapter 3: A Desperate Struggle
Sarin ran as quickly as he possibly could; he was ready to pierce through Rio’s stomach. Rio was too fast for him, this Sarin knew, but he could provide resistance and give Evion a chance to look for Kaya.
Rio did not disappear this time. Instead, he merely moved to avoid the blade and smiled. “This is the limit of your strength? That is pathetic. Show me what you can really do,” he taunted, trying to aggravate Sarin. He took hold of the sword and, with careful and precise aim, threw him into the center of a nearby oak tree, causing it to crack and bend over.
Blood fell from Sarin’s left forearm and side; his arm had been stabbed and punctured by a piece of broken bark. His side was slashed by a fragment underneath it. Gasping for air, he fell to the grass below, his clothing soaked in his own blood. He used the tree to help him up, faltering at first, but finding balance after a moment. Sarin didn’t seem to care what happened to his body. Running as fast as he could with his injuries slowing him down, he took his sword in hand again and swung it at Rio.
Sarin stood, awestruck, as Rio stopped the edge of the blade with his bare hand. He wasn’t even bleeding. There wasn’t even a single cut on his bare skin. Rio twisted his sword, twisting Sarin’s arm and forcing him into submission. Sarin fell to the ground, allowing Rio the chance to hold him down. He struggled, but found it useless, and gave in. He was extremely dizzy from the loss of blood, desperately trying to stay conscious.
Rio moved his head around and stared into Sarin's eyes, smiling again. “It seems like our fun is at an end. I think it’s time you met my little pet.” Sarin scowled and slammed his head against Rio’s. Caught off guard, Rio let go, trying to contain his nosebleed. He took his chance and rolled away from Rio, wincing every time he went over his left arm. His hand tried to clench his sword, but it wasn’t there. The ancient blade was in Rio’s hand, ready and waiting to cut down anything in its path.
Sarin couldn’t stop, but he was going to die if he didn’t. He sighed deeply, recoiling slightly from the pain in his side, and then noticed just how much blood he had lost. Looking around, he saw the bloodstained growth surrounding him, all from his injuries. Sarin never thought about what could possibly happen if he went on. As he fell to his knees, time itself seemed to slow down. He realized the reasons people had neglected him. He thought back to when he was younger, how nobody would want to be around him. His father’s reaction also made sense to him now. The only people who could ever be called ‘family’ would be the few friends he had left: Evion, Kaya, Damien and Shiari.
In that instance, he felt a tight constricting in his chest. His breathing was faster, and he could actually feel the blood flowing in his veins. He felt his back aching him, like it was ripping apart. Looking behind him, Sarin had noticed two jet-black, feathery wings.
“W-What in the—,” Sarin said confused and awestruck. He winced at the pain of giant wings growing out of his back. As he gritted his teeth together, he felt fangs molding and shaping by themselves. Once they stopped their rapid growth spurt, Sarin stood, lost for words. He had almost forgotten his wound, but as he looked down, he noticed it had already begun to heal.
He turned his gaze back to Rio, but he was gone. In that same instant, Rio reappeared in front of Sarin again and lifted him off the wet grass by his shirt, but Sarin took hold of his wrist and began to crush it. Rio’s twisted smile changed to increasing pain as the bone cracked, but before he could even let go, Sarin was on the ground again and spinning him around, finally throwing him into a nearby playground. Again, Sarin stood amazed at the incredible feats he was setting. He could spar and fight before but never could he have performed that maneuver. He peered down at his hands and then back at the perplexed Rio in the pile of pipes now covering the giant sandbox.
In one thought, it made perfect sense. His mother was indeed a vampire. That was made clear to him the moment he escaped from his home.
Yet on the other hand, it was so strange. The powers, the man, even the wings seemed odd to him. It was all so impossible. And yet…
Sarin didn’t have time to ponder this though any further as Rio was standing and dusting himself off. “Yes, yes, you certainly are like your mother. She was always feisty, too, you know. You remind me so much of her when-”
“Shut up!” Sarin screamed, running quickly toward him. He couldn’t stand Rio’s voice anymore; he just wanted to tear him apart, to make him pay for attacking him and for ever knowing his mother. “You’re lying! Knock it off!”
Picking up his cruel laugh again, he evaded blow after blow of punches and kicks as if an infant were doing them. “You simply won’t accept it, will you? All right…” As Sarin punched again, Rio grabbed his wrist and tightened his hold. Sarin screamed, and as Rio let go, he realized his skin had been massively burned. In the center was a strange symbol, a cross with a sword piercing from the top. “You now belong to me. I will return soon for you. By then, perhaps you will be more amusing…” He laughed, and then disappeared again, finishing “So long, my little pet,” which gave Sarin chills.
Sighing, he fell back, his fangs and wings retreating back so that he took his original form once more. His mind was racing with hundreds of thoughts and questions from all the insane events of the night. “What in the world…was all that?” he said softly, staring into the endless abyss above him. After what seemed hours, he finally decided to try and stand. He didn’t have too much strength left to stand, but as he stood he was immediately ransacked into the ground again. Searching for the source of the collision, he saw Evion on top of him, wide-eyed and furious.
“What happened to you?” he heard her screech in his ear. “Who was that and what did he do to you? I want answers now!” Her weight on top of him plus the fact she was tugging on his shirt to make him rise and fall wasn’t helping much. There was a figure behind her he was trying to make out, but he couldn’t see because of Evion’s constant punishment.
“Glad to see you still in one piece there,” a male’s voice spoke out. “Evion would be even worse if you had died or something.” Stopping Evion from attacking Sarin, he pulled her off and extended his hand to help him up. It was there he recognized the face.
“Shiari!” Sarin cried out to his old friend, smiling. Still faltering when trying to stand, especially after Evion knocked him over (which she apologized for rather halfheartedly), he continued, “So what has she told you so far?”
Shiari was about to answer him, but was cut off by an excited and proud Evion. “I told him about your mother, father and that creepy man that came. Pretty much all that I witnessed.” She had a triumphant smirk that showed she was excited about what she did.
Nodding, Sarin said to Evion, “Thanks. I don’t know where I’d be without you.” Then he turned his gaze to Shiari with a serious expression and said, “I guess you ought to hear the whole story.”
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~Vampyre Halfling Swift~
Community Member
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~Vampyre Halfling Swift~
Community Member
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Posted: Fri Oct 06, 2006 @ 07:55am
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Chapter 2: Unexpected Invite
Out in a field, a young boy, Sarin, sat back on a bench and sighed. He was on the short side, short, brown hair that reached his shoulders, and dark skin. He wore a dark, blood red shirt with baggy pants, a loose belt hanging through a loop on his pants. On his back, he wore a long sword His eyes were mismatched: his left was ocean blue, his right an emerald green.
Sarin sighed and tried to relax and sleep. He had left his home after fighting with his father. He had just walked into the house when Sarin noticed his father yelling at his mother. Sarin had never seen his father so angry before. His father had just discovered that his wife was a vampire. When he saw the abomination walk into his home, his last nerve had been broken. He grasped his son by the throat and held him high, choking him and attempting to kill him. His mother played a key part in his survival, as she had held him from behind and bit into his neck, forcing him to drop Sarin. Sarin took this opportunity to run out the door and out into the night.
He sighed again and reopened his eyes to find a girl in front of his face. Sarin shocked to the sudden appearance, jumped and fell off the bench.
“Evion! I told you to stop sneaking up on me!” The girl laughed softly and helped him up. “Geez… what are you doing here anyway? And what are you wearing?”
Evion stood up to her full height, which still wasn’t much compared to Sarin. She had long, brilliant blue hair and eyes as bright as pure silver. She usually wore something that stood out, such as red and black. Today, she was wearing a light blue dress with a yellow trim. She had a blue ribbon holding up her hair and small hoop earrings. She looked away and blushed slightly.
“Hey, shut up! You know I would never wear this thing if I had the choice!” she snapped back. “Anyway, I needed some alone time and noticed you here. What are you doing here?”
Sarin looked down at the ground again, ashamed. “You wouldn’t understand. No one would. To find out what kind of pathetic creature you really are…”
Evion was puzzled. “Sarin, what are you talking about? This isn’t your normal attitude. Something’s happened.” She held out a hand and rested it on his shoulder, trying to comfort him, but he pushed her hand away. “Explain. If you’re this depressed, it’s something either important or bad.”
Sarin didn’t move. He even felt unworthy to stand next to her. Flashbacks of his mother attacking his father flooded into his mind, and he then feared the same fate for Evion, although he did not know the complete outcome of that match. Sarin looked back at her grimly, as if he had lost days of sleep and didn’t notice she was there. Finally, he spoke again. “What I am about to tell you… will stay between the two of us? Is that clear?” Surprised to hear him so serious, she nodded, ready for whatever news Sarin would pass on to her.
“I…am not human. Not entirely anyway. My mother… she is a vampire, my father being human. She did not tell him apparently. I had walked into my house and there he was, towering over her like a wolf to its prey. When he turned and saw me, he had already learned the truth. He took me by the neck and thrust me against the wall, allowing me to suffocate.
“My mother did not approve of this, and she jumped on his back and drank his blood.” Sarin looked down at his hands and noticed he had dry blood covering them, as well as most of his arms and body. Evion sat on the bench he was lying on a few minutes ago and was trying to decipher the speech bit by bit. “I know it is very difficult to believe, or even to understand. I have trouble myself. However, it is all true. I witnessed the truth a few hours ago. I wouldn’t be surprised if my father already called the police and the watch.”
Evion stood up, a new look of determination on her face. “Then we need to leave. We’ll pack what we need and ditch this place. We can go to my house, since you’re always welcome there, and get supplies. If you need anything of yours, we’ll sneak in and get it.” She seemed to have planned methods and procedures while Sarin was speaking, but he listened anyway. By the time Evion had finished, he was still not impressed.
“There’s no way we can pull this off for long. This will be global. Word will spread that there’s a ‘Halfling’ roaming around and killing off innocents.” Sarin sat on the dew stained grass and thought, but didn’t have much time as yet another man came to join their conversation.
“Hello children. What is it we’re doing in the dead of night all alone? A romantic evening, maybe?”
Sarin and Evion exchanged confused expressions. An awkward moment passed before Evion broke the silence. “Um, who exactly are you again?”
The man chuckled and went on, “Dear me, I’ve forgotten my manners. My name is Rio. And the two of you are?” Rio asked, giving them a malevolent look.
Obvious to anyone, this man could not be trusted, the pair knew this from the start. What they needed to know was what he wanted. “I’m called Sarin,” he said simply. “This here is my childhood friend, Evion.” She nodded in agreement. “Alright, now that the formalities are out of the way, what is it you want with us?” His hand crept behind him to the hilt of his sword. It wasn’t exactly hidden, but it was easy to access in case he needed it. Evion was without a weapon, but she was pretty good hand to hand, so it didn’t matter much to her.
Rio noticed them tense up and smiled softly. “Children, why are you so worried? Do I scare you that much? Or do you simply want to cause trouble?” He smiled again and disappeared into thin air. “Do you not understand what powers you are dealing with?” Sarin had somehow followed Rio’s movements and watched him reappear behind Evion. She was so startled that when she turned around and saw him, she fell backward into Sarin’s arms. “So you are able to keep up with me… Very interesting indeed… You may be another…”
Evion leveled herself and pointed at Rio. “All right, just what is going on here? Who are you really and what do you want? What do you mean ‘another?’ Another what?”
Rio ignored her. He looked through her and analyzed Sarin’s figure. “Tell me boy… Who… is your mother?” A tone of interest arose in his voice as he questioned Sarin. “Your mother… could not be… Sheena…?” His voice trailed away and he began muttering to himself.
Sarin couldn’t take the suspense. His mother was linked to this situation, and that could only spell trouble for him. Without thinking of consequences, he drew his sword from its sheath and charged at Rio. Evion tried to stop him, but Rio had come back to reality and had disappeared then reappeared behind Evion, a dagger held close to her throat. “This girl… would you like to see what she’s made of? I could easily show you… Aren’t you a little… curious?” Evion was wide-eyed, trying to pull his arm away, but it was held firm and would not budge. Sarin could not think. All of this was happening too fast for him to keep up. He slowed down and thought for a moment, going over scenarios in his mind, trying to find one that worked. “I could offer a way for her to survive…but her fate lies in your hands. What will you do?”
Sarin’s hands shook violently from both anger and fear. He dropped his sword and his head fell, losing all hope. “Let her go. In exchange, you may do what you will with me.” Evion was about to protest, but Sarin had foreseen this and continued, “Evion, please understand. There is nothing left for me here. There is a future for you. How you shape it is up to you, but I won’t let you toss it aside.” Tears began to fill her eyes, a very rare occasion.
“How touching. I will let her go so you may say your farewells, but you made a deal that I will make sure you keep.” Rio released her and shoved her towards Sarin. She turned and leered at him before looking back at Sarin.
“Sarin, please, you don’t need to do this. It isn’t right. You can just—“
“Go and find Kaya. Explain all that has happened tonight to her,” he whispered as he removed something small, round and grey from his pocket. “Here, also take this. This object is drawn to the necklace I’m wearing. If I’m nearby, it will react.”
Evion looked saddened that they’d be separated again, especially since they hardly saw each other anyway, but she understood her mission and nodded. She ran off with one final glance back at the two men that remained. “Well, the poor girl can’t watch you suffer. What a shame. Oh well, I have another pet I’m sure you’d love to play with. You will meet him soon enough.”
Sarin’s eyes seemed to have lost their fury. He didn’t know what to do or what might happen to him if he was taken, but losing his life couldn’t be any worse than what Rio would do to him. Retrieving his sword from its resting place, he charged the strange man, preparing for the worst.
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