Lilith
Shaman
Never forget who you are, for surely the world will not
Posts: 169
|
Post by Lilith on Jun 2, 2011 18:18:04 GMT -6
Arum Lily staggered into an inn. She had forgotten how weak these mortal skins were. She had pushed this one to the limit. She had walked, night and day, on many paths, both well worn and seldom trodden. She stopped only when she was about to fall over, and even then, she slept for only a bit, or drank only what was needed.
She had only just gotten to Lycia. It was a hard road, but from here on out, the well-settled league of marquess-ruled states would pass beneath her feet with all speed.
Lily walked up to the innkeep's desk and threw some of the coins the mortal loved to collect in front of him. "A bed, and two meals." she leaned on the desk, putting her veined face in his. "It is enough, right?" she asked, knowing it was not.
The innkeep, having never seen anyone who looked like this girl, nodded his head and dropped a key in Lily's open hand. He showed her to a seat at the bar and backed away, assuring the strange girl that her food would be out shortly.
Those few people who were in the bar moved away from where Lily sat. She smiled at them as they did so, and willed her eyes to shine with a bit of magic. When her food came, she ate it with no use of any mortal customs or tools, wondering why such folk made so many traditions around that which they needed to live.
Lily went to her room and cleaned up a bit. Just because she did not abide by humans customs did not mean that she did not want to look the part. Looking in the mirror before her, she thinned the flow of magic around Lilith's body. Her veins sunk back in to her body, and her eyes became green once more. The only thing that she could not change was her hair.
Lily looked over at the bed, knowing that sleep would give her no rest. There were mortals to corrupt, people to slay, after all. Not to mention that when she slept, she entered the mind-prison of the body's owner. Thinking on the matter a bit more, Lily decided she had a few things to discuss with her gracious hostess.
|
|
Lilith
Shaman
Never forget who you are, for surely the world will not
Posts: 169
|
Post by Lilith on Jun 13, 2011 16:30:09 GMT -6
The moment Arum Lily materialized in the dream world, she was bowled over by some assailant. It seemed like Lilith had known that she would come to see her soon, and prepared for an attack. The demoness threw the girl off of her and asserted her mind over the world. The forest faded, and dark stone walls and barred windows sprung up around them. Chains jumped, lifelike, on to Lilith's arms and pulled her up form the floor.
"There. That's more like it. I do like seeing you so... uncomfortable." the spirit smiled and drew her arms and legs in, sitting on the bare floor. "Now, I would like to talk about some things with you. Mainly-"
"Shut up, foul beast!" Lilith cried. "You may have chained me, but you cannot stop me from speaking! This is my mind, and even though you have used your will to make it my prison, I will not be silenced! You beast, you horrible thing! Did you never once live in peace? Have you even known the kiss of the wind, or the warmth of the sun in whatever hell dimension you hail from?!" Lilith threw insults at the woman before, bu this once riled her up. Arum jumped forward and clamped her hand over Lilith's mouth.
"Fool. You know nothing. You humans, you think this earth was always yours." Arum took her hand away, but Lilith stayed silent. The demon's eyes burned with both hatred and anger, but somewhere, there was a touch of loss, and perhaps even some regret. "I... I was not always as I am. My... We, my people, lived in Elibe long before yours. Even before the dragons, though when they came, they left us alone. We were few, but powerful. We lived with the earth, taking what we needed, but no more. We did not tare at the earth's skin, mining for gold or planting plants that did not naturally grow in such places."
Arum's form morphed. She grew about a foot, and her skin turned a light, pleasant shade of blue. Her hair grew long and black, reaching the small of her white-robes back. Two small horns curled by her temples, but they did not look like they were made for war. A wreath of flowers adorned her brow, and thus, the true Arum was standing in front of Lilith.
"This was what I looked like. I was one of the most beautiful of my tribe, and the humans that met me worshiped me as a goddess of beauty. Before they grew. The human taint grew to such large numbers, they forced my people out of our forests, away from our mountains, and placed us in the desert. We all gathered, our hatred over our loss was great. We delved deep into our magic, and weaved a dark spell to punish mankind. But... It backfired. It turned us all into wisps, to spirits of the ether... And it warped our minds. All we know now is that last emotion we had as we wove our spell. Hatred. So next time you call me a beast, little girl, and tell me I know nothing of the good things of your world," Arum stepped loser to Lilith, putting a finger in her face. "Your soul will be forfeit."
|
|
Lilith
Shaman
Never forget who you are, for surely the world will not
Posts: 169
|
Post by Lilith on Jun 23, 2011 16:35:48 GMT -6
Lilith slid back down the wall once Arum let her go. She sighed, wishing that she could have control over her own dream world. "Why don't you just leave? You have defeated me... I am nothing now. You've won. Leave me alone, take my soul, just... Make it stop."
Arum Lily turned around, smiling at her victim. She took the human's form once more, and held out her hand to Lilith. The chains melted away and they were once more in Lilith's woods. "Why, Lilith, my pet, why would I do that? It would deprive me of such pleasant talks with you, not to mention the sight of your precious misery. It is true, I have killed some of my hosts in the past, but only when they proved to be no more fun.
"Now listen, pet, I have a bit of a deal for you. You let me have your body until I find a better one, a stronger one, no offense, and I will reward you greatly. I'll leave you your body for you, and take you under my wing. I'll teach you how to be strong and courageous. I will make you immortal." Arum smiled kindly, putting her hand on Lilith's.
Lilith stayed silent, but her eyes reflected her silent, internal battles. She could be free, and even better, strong. And eternally young, she could live forever... A face surfaced in her thoughts, a kind, green-haired man. Aaron. He was coming for her. He... He valued her over whatever he was doing where he had been. Seeing his image in her mind, she knew what she would choose, She would rather spend a day in Aaron's arms than an eternity following Arum.
"Never. I will not take your offer. Get out of my mind!" Lilith threw a ball of darkness at Arum, but she missed.
"Fine. Think about it in your little prison. It's almost day. Farewell, my stubborn little pet." With a sinister smile, Arum vanished from Lilith's mind.
|
|
Lilith
Shaman
Never forget who you are, for surely the world will not
Posts: 169
|
Post by Lilith on Jun 25, 2011 21:14:16 GMT -6
Arum Lily awoke, feeling chipper and bright after her conversation with her host. She walked down to the bar and bought a quick breakfast. She ate silently, not acknowledging the fact that many people were staring at her.
Arum left the inn and made her way to the road. She noticed some people walking in the opposite direction of herself, and stopped them. "Why hello, fellow travelers. Would either of you know how to get to Worde from here?" she asked them
The travelers looked at her and backed away. "We don't want to get mixed up with one who looks so... Sinister." one of them, a female, replied.
"Aha. Then I fear I may have to beat the info out of you... Or at least just kill you for the fun of it!" Arum Lily laughed and pulled out her flux tome. She drew a symbol in the air and summoned a bone-crushing gravity field around the male of the pair. He gasped as his body was squeezed, then, with a sickening crack, he crumbled and made no more noise.
"Now, for you. Perhaps a---AHH!" Arum's head was wracked with a splitting pain. She wordlessly cast a spell to hold the girl in place, then fell out of the world.
Lilith's hair turned pale, her eyes green, and her skin cleared. She broke through the demon's hold, if only for a moment. "Run!" she gasped at the girl, releasing her from the spell. "Go to southern Etruria, find a green-haired mage, and tell him the beast is in Worde. Tell him that I still am here, and I will not be so easily taken next time. Run, now, before she comes back!" The girl took off, and just as she was getting over the next hill, Lilith gasped and was reclaimed.
Arum cursed both girls, but decided it was best not to chase down the one who got away. She had no idea what Lilith had told her. Though Lilith could see what Arum did with her body, she was not the true owner of it, and therefore could not she what was happening when Lilith was in control.
Arum walked on, planning her next laugh.
|
|
Lilith
Shaman
Never forget who you are, for surely the world will not
Posts: 169
|
Post by Lilith on Jun 29, 2011 19:26:29 GMT -6
The mists of the dream world enveloped Lilith and Arum Lily. Arum had traveled another two days without sleep, but had to sleep, so she choose a nice, bushy tree to sleep in.
"So, thought about what I have offered you a bit more, my pet?" Arum asked Lilith, taking her own form.
"I have," Lilith answered her, "I still do not accept. Nor will I ever. Why don't you go find some weaker-minded, more greedy person to enchant? Leave me alone."
"But my dear, sweet Lilith, my precious, what is the fun in that? yes, the fun is in breaking a person's spirit. I can already feel yours crumbling. Now, what holds you here? What makes you fight, why do you want to control your arts?" Arum paused for a moment, pacing. "I know you better than anyone, my sweet. You want to master the darkest arts so you may prove to your family that not all who use it are monsters..." she paused again, this time to laugh. "Priceless. Why don't we pay them a a visit, then? Show them how far you have come?" She laughed again.
"No! Stay away from them! If you've not noticed, I have been fighting you! Stay away, just... No..." Lilith collapsed and started to cry.
"Well then, my work is done, And on comes morning! Until next time, my pet! Ahahaha!"
|
|
Lilith
Shaman
Never forget who you are, for surely the world will not
Posts: 169
|
Post by Lilith on Jul 4, 2011 16:28:46 GMT -6
Arum Lily woke in a warm bed, the sun beating warmly on her face. She got up, dressed, and flipped a coin at the frightened man she had tied up last night. "Thanks for the drinks, hun," she said as she walked out of his house.
A soft breeze fluttered her scarf, as though the wind was steering her towards her goal. She was just upon Worde, so close to having a word with Lilith's family. The poor little shaman's ways had always been shunned by her kin, but no one abhorred the magic she used as much as her brother, Luke. Oh, the games she would play with him. Her body tingled with delight as she thought of the things she would do. A wide smile was spread over her veined face as she jauntily passed through the town's gate, waving merrily at the guards.
|
|
Lilith
Shaman
Never forget who you are, for surely the world will not
Posts: 169
|
Post by Lilith on Jul 15, 2011 18:15:16 GMT -6
A hooded woman entered a neat, well-tended shop. She looked at the oddments and trinkets on the shelves, rummaged through a bin of books, then walked up to the counter. The keeper, a blonde boy with a stern face, asked, "Welcome... Found anything you like?"
The young woman lifted her hood, revealing equally blonde hair, bright green eyes, and a cheerful smirk. "Well, there are a few things in here that catch my eye, but it is you I am here to see, little brother."
The boy's face lit up upon seeing his sister, but fell back to it's normal look once she addressed him. "How many times must I protest to you calling me little brother? Two minutes does not make you very much older than me. You haven't changed at all, have you, Lilith?"
Arum Lily smiled and said, "Oh, silly little brother, I have changed much more than you could ever dream of. But, there's time for stories later. Where's mother and father? I wish to see them. We should close the shop and have a nice dinner. I have been very excited about coming back to see all of you!"
Luke ran out back and got their parents. After a slightly tearful reunion, Arum and Luke closed the shop while their parents made dinner. Inside, Lilith was screaming.
|
|
Lilith
Shaman
Never forget who you are, for surely the world will not
Posts: 169
|
Post by Lilith on Jul 20, 2011 19:28:45 GMT -6
The door closed, and Arum locked it with a deft motion. She walked over to Lilith's family. There were smiles all around, including Arum. Once they had finished dinner, Arum stood up, motioning at her family to stay seated.
"Thank you for the dinner and kind words. You are my family, you see, and I want to show you how far in my studies I have come!"
"Listen, darling, you should rest a bit. Your clothes are all ripped, and you... well, You smell like you need a bath or two." her mother chided her.
"Ya!" Luke said. "Besides, none of us want to see your dark magic anyway. You spooked us last time, when you hardly knew any. Who knows what you might do now?" he added, somewhat sarcastically.
Arum smiled even brighter. So wide and bright were her eyes that their pupils seemed to grow. Then her hair first became streaked with purple, and the color slowly got thicker. Veins surfaced on her pale skin, and Arum showed her true form to those who thought she was someone else.
"Your pitiful daughter learned much. So much in such a small amount of time that she could hardly control it. So she asked for my help. She invited me in, thinking I was some mentor. Oh, how she loves punishment. Even now, she doesn't. Well, how about this one Lilith?"
Arum summoned dark chains from the ground, holding the three humans in place. She walked over to Luke and summoned a ball of dark energy. "Tell me, Luke, how often did you call her 'witch'? How often did you make her feel weak, hungering for the power to hurt you? Well, she would never act on it... But I am perfectly happy to. Tell me how this feels, Lukie-pie." She compressed the ball and shoved it into Luke's mouth. She Held his mouth closed as the ball wedged itself in his windpipe. She laughed as, a few silent minutes later, Luke slumped over and stopped fighting.
Arum looked over at Lilith's parents. "Mama, who bore me, Mama's goin' to see the angels... Ahahaha-"
Arum stopped laughing as a sword burst through her abdomen.
|
|
Lilith
Shaman
Never forget who you are, for surely the world will not
Posts: 169
|
Post by Lilith on Jul 20, 2011 21:26:03 GMT -6
The myrmidon, probably in her early twenties, pulled her sword out of the cursed one. She knew the blow would not kill her, that was not her goal. As the girl gasped for air, she slipped an amulet around her neck. The demon screamed and turned around.
"You! I know that garb... Who?" the false Lilith screamed
"I am Eve, of the order of Daigon. I presume you know the Order?" the woman answered.
"Ha! Those stuffy old monks who oppose the power my people have become? Who call us demons? I see they've branched out." Arum said between groans.
"I am one of their demon hunters, a physical force to their magical one. I have been given strict orders that i will not reveal to you, demon. Now, say goodbye. The amulet is doing it's work." Eve sheathed her sword.
"Oh, I can feel it... here is my goodbye!" Arum lashed out with magic, nearly draining the girl's body to fuel the spell. Dark tentacles shot from her hands, spearing Lilith's parents. Arum felt the darkness overtake her, felt sleep coming on.
Eve could do nothing but watch. The extra magic that was released caused the house to become unstable. All she could do was grab Lilith and get out. As the house crumbled, she was heading towards a temple on the outskirts of Worde.
|
|
Lilith
Shaman
Never forget who you are, for surely the world will not
Posts: 169
|
Post by Lilith on Jul 25, 2011 18:46:56 GMT -6
Lilith woke with a start. She leaned over the side of the bed she was in and became violently ill, the acts of Arum washing over her mind. She lay back in bed, her mind racing. She lived through Arum's latest bit of 'fun' over and over again, noticing something new every time. The fear in her brother's eyes, how unaware her parent's were of the danger they were in, and the sudden pain them must have felt when They were run through.
"Sing for me." a voice, one Arum's memories in her recognized as Eve's, said.
"I don't know.... what?" Lilith stuttered.
"Sing. A song. I do not care if you are tone deaf, or cannot hit a single note, but I need to hear you sing. I was born with a gift, one of the reasons the Order choose me to fight for them. I have no magical power, but I am able to read people's emotions when they sing. It will let me know if Arum has taken you over and is not masquerading in your skin. Sing." Eve explained.
"I am no songbird, but if you insist... I used to hide myself in the dark. used to feel inspired by the dark, I used to be afraid of the dark, now a can't stand the light.
I used to be afraid of cluttered noises, now I am scared to death of silence take thi-"
"Thank you, that will do," Eve said, cutting her off, "you are human. Lilith, I assume. Rest... I will clean up your accident. You have been through much. Rest, and I will return."
|
|
Lilith
Shaman
Never forget who you are, for surely the world will not
Posts: 169
|
Post by Lilith on Jul 28, 2011 18:55:49 GMT -6
Lilith lay in bed, the night's darkness all around her. She could not sleep, for the pain in her abdomen was to great. She stared at the ceiling, wishing she could be anywhere but here, be anyone but her. She was still playing her family's last moments in her head. Suddenly, a light filled the room. She should have known that it wasn't real, that her fever was causing her to hallucinate, but she still reached out for the figure before her; her twin.
"You see what happens when you mess with magic best left alone?" he said. He paced around the room, thinking. "But... You didn't know, did you? I'm sorry if I sound like I hate you, I just... I was afraid for you, you know? I had always read about how many dark mages lost themselves to their art... I didn't want that to happen to you. A whole lot of good my worry has done. Well, I should go. You really might want to get your wound cleaned... Bye."
Lilith got up and wandered around her room, banging into the stone walls and wooden tables in a fevered delusion. The noise she made attracted Eve, who ran over, alarmed. Lilith feinted in Eve's arms, leaving the myrmidon to investigate her stomach.
|
|
Lilith
Shaman
Never forget who you are, for surely the world will not
Posts: 169
|
Post by Lilith on Aug 4, 2011 12:07:23 GMT -6
Lilith awoke some time later. From her hunger, she guessed it had been a while since her nightmare. She look to her bedside to find a carved staff with a note attached to it
Lilith, use this if you want to try and stand. Take it slow, your stitches are still a little swollen. -Eve
Lilith sat up and examined the staff. It was made from an oak bough, carved with organic lines and shapes running up and across its length. If she looked long enough, the lines took different, natural forms, such as a tree, or a small stream. She placed the end of the staff on the ground and shifted her weight on to it. She groaned as her stomach pained her, but was able to get up.
She shuffled across the room, careful not to but too much weight on her right side, where her wound was. She wondered where Eve went, and left her room in search of her.
|
|
Lilith
Shaman
Never forget who you are, for surely the world will not
Posts: 169
|
Post by Lilith on Aug 23, 2011 15:27:25 GMT -6
Lilith heard voices down the hall. Se recognized one as Eve's but she did not know who the other's belonged to. It was, however, male, and sounded very agitated. "I know know have claimed sanctuary, but this abbey has been abandoned for years! I am not sure if it is till covered by the church's sanctuary doctrine."
"I have here a document signed by the head of a religious order, stated that I have right to call any consecrated building, habituated or not, as political asylum or any other kind of sanctuary my charge and I may need." Eve handed the man the paper.
After a pause, the man replied, "alright, you win. I am going to station two of my men at ever exit, and if I see that... witch step a toe out of this building, I will take her to the Marquess's dungeons to await trial for the murder of her parents and brother." there was a shuffle of armor, a clink of mail, and then a sigh from Eve. Her light footfalls made their way down the corridor, and after turning a corner, she came face to cafe with Lilith.
"Lilith! You need to lay down. You... you heard that, didn't you? I'm sorry you had to i"
"No. I killed them. Arum may have used my body, but it was my hand, my... magic that did it. I should be persecuted." Lilith interrupted Eve.
"You are a victim, Lil. And... You should go wait in the room down the hall and to the right. You look like you could use a good wash." Eve put hand hand on Lilith's shoulder and lead her to a small room with a line of baths. Eve told her to start up a fire in one of the pits under a bath while she got water.
|
|
Lilith
Shaman
Never forget who you are, for surely the world will not
Posts: 169
|
Post by Lilith on Sept 5, 2011 19:57:51 GMT -6
Lilith sat by the tub, poking at the red coals under it with a stick. Eve had gotten her water, and was now sitting behind her, combing out her hair.
"You needn't do that, Eve. I can handling my own washing myself, injured as I am." she ask flatly
"I know I do not need to help you, but I find myself wanting to. Perhaps i feel guilty for injuring you. Or maybe it is because you have such nice hair. You cut it roughly, though, and it is growing back in a funny way. I thin I will fix it once you are washed, if I may." Eve responded.
Lilith sighed, but smiled as she said, "That sounds like a wonderful idea. Though I must protest to your guilt. You did nothing wrong. If you had not stabbed me, Arum surely would have destroyed half of Worde by now."
"Perhaps," Eve said, getting up. "I think the water should be warm enough for now, I will take my leave of you. Yell for me when you are done, and I will come with shears."
When Eve left, Lilith stripped of her clothes and got in to the tub. The water was a good temperature, she she quenched the coals to avoid getting burned. As she washed the grim of Arum's travels off of her limbs, she thought bout what she would do in the coming weeks. She knew that Arum was still inside and that there was only one person who could dispel her spirit. Where he was however, was something else entirely. Once the deed was done,there was the problem of getting past the guards. Or should she just turn herself in? She did, after all, kill her family.
Her mind strayed to thoughts of magic. She could feel the magic running through her body, waiting or a chance to be cast. She hated . This was the magic Arum Lily used to destroy her life. She never wanted to set free again.
|
|
Lilith
Shaman
Never forget who you are, for surely the world will not
Posts: 169
|
Post by Lilith on Sept 12, 2011 20:57:13 GMT -6
Lilith donned a change of clothes, a black cloak just like the one she had before. After Wrapping her scarf around her neck, she looked over to a stool in the corner of the room. ON it sat her Flux tome, pulsating softly in the dim light. She walked over to it, and it's aura flared, as though it knew a dark magician was near. Something inside of her stirred, urging her to open the book and cast as many spells as her body would allow. Arum.
Lilith gritted her teeth and fought the urge. She grabbed the tome and threw it across the room, towards the tub. She walked over to where it landed and kicked it in to the still-re embers of the heating fire. The book seemed to squirm as the fire came back to life and lick at it's edges. Lilith could have sworn that she heard it shriek once the flames really started to get at it.
The door opened, and Eve came in. Alarm spread across her face as she saw the smoke-filled room. "Lilith! What happened? Are you ok?" she rushed to Lilith's side, anxious to make sure if she was alright.
"T'was an accident... My magic tome, it fell into the fire under the tub... I couldn't get t it in time." Lilith lied.
"It eases my mind to know that you are unharmed, Lilith. You should be more careful. I could have sword I set the tome away from all of the tubs.. No matter. I should fix your hair soon, so that you may get back to resting." Eve held up a pair of scissors and smiled.
Lilith smiled back, feeling better now that the dark tome was no more. She sat down and fanned out her hair, drifting in to a waking dream as Eve started cutting.
|
|