The Unicorn Falls [[Rp Retelling]]

[ChainedDragons 1374]

 

 

The Unicorn Falls

[[Remember all rp in this post happened and should not be meta'd - enjoy]]

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Five years prior, the night of Karl Othaman’s funeral…

 

“Listen well, soldier.” A voice growled into Sergey’s ear. “You might survive this. You might live another day. But know this, there will be no more peaceful nights, there will be no more joy for you and your kin.” He rasps. “Look upon the pyre and know that whatever body burns inside has met a kinder fate than you.”

 

Sergey screamed in agony as his face was held tightly, necrotic energy eating at his flesh and scarring him. Little did he know how true these words uttered would become in the coming years…

 

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The present, outside of Haense…

 

Sergey gripped the horse's reins tightly as he rode out of the city of Haense, shivering for a moment with the snow fall. She always had something to say. He snaps the reins again, urging the black steed to move faster as he traced the river's edge. 

 

Always. 

Something. 

Hurtful. 

To say.

 

Sergey felt the enamel of his teeth grind as he pushed onward, not caring for the pines snapping against his back as he traversed between the trees on the path. 

 

Run like you always do.
Run.

Run.

RUN.

 

The Othaman’s mount carried him past the logging mill and onward towards quiet grounds where celebration would normally take place. He remembered having to wipe spit from his face here… The black horse moved to a steady trot, walking across the dirt and wood bridge as frost billowed from its nose. 

 

You ruin everything - You mess everything up - I can’t count a single bitch who wants you here - Just sew your mouth shut - Run - The noose is a coward's way out. 

Words. Words are the ultimate source of pain though no one will ever admit it. Sergey gripped himself tightly with one arm, a feeble attempt of comfort. Thorim had been gone for months.. He missed the orcs' embrace.

 

His horse comes to a stop, snorting and pawing the snow underhoof. Something had spooked it. He looked up and froze, his eye singling out a dark figure slowly approaching on horseback as flurries fell around him. What..was he seeing? It was late. No one should be out at this hour. Not even him.

 

The figure slowly advanced, a haunting voice breaking the silence. “Time is ticking Sergey…”

 

Sergey tugs on the horse's reins, forcing it to pull backward away from the figure. He was clearly unnerved. His brow furrows as his hand moves to grip the hilt of his sword. “Away with vy.”

 

Nal’fera emerges from the shadows of snow laden trees, hissing a reply. “I can feel you’re at the end of your line.” The darkstalker walked closer, its skeletal horse moving them together. 

 

“Ea said away!” Sergey snaps, drawing his sword. It must be a darkspawn - there was no other explanation. His nerves screamed to run. Run like you always do. 

 

“Such a sad poor man.” The darkstalker’s voice droned. “Have you ever made your family proud? How many times have they shunned you away? How many times have they been disappointed in you Sergey? How does it feel to fail when you see your own family suffer? And felt like you’re hopeless…” Nal’fera inches forward, a dark abyssal aura beginning to emit from their person. 

 

All color drained from Sergey’s face as he heard these questions. His body began to grow numb, his sword arm trembling lightly. “How…how do vy-” Was he being punished? Was that it? Sergey’s one human eye sparkled with a growing fear. 

 

The dark knight hops off their horse, any nature within their surroundings beginning to wilt and wither away. Losing their lively green colors. “Such a sad sight. I almost felt pity. You’re just like me when I was alive. Hopeless. Useless.” The darkspawn inched even closer on foot, their horse resting by their side. “Not until I was given such a great gift.”

 

“Ea am nothing like vy!” Sergey spat bitterly, his voice wavering as he pointed the sword at the undead. “Ea have sacrificed so much to prove my worth- m-my labors will bear fruit in time.. As Goddan intended.”

 

A soft chuckle leaves the darkspawn as she challenges Sergey. “You’re Goddan doesn’t exist Sergey. They’re all dead. The fruits of your labor will be thrown away like rotten trash. How do you think I feel when I saved people, yet they didn’t bother to save me? Hm? You’re nothing but a replaceable asset to them.” The closer she got the stronger the abyssal aura became, growing stronger with each bit of plant life claimed. Tiny creatures began to scurry in the snow.

 

Sergey watched the ground around him succumb to darkness as his horse began to shift around on its own, quickly growing frightened by the approaching evil. “N-nyie.. That’s niet true! Ea have worth! Ea..Ea have…” His arm begins to falter before he is suddenly thrown off his horse. The horse ran off screaming into the night, abandoning its master to the darkspawn to save itself. 

 

Nal’fera lets out a menacing laugh. “Even your horse has abandoned you.” She took off her helm and for a split moment, Sergey saw a visage of a young woman with blue eyes. The visage was quickly replaced with a dark skeleton decorated with carvings. “Join us, be part of our family. You’ll achieve greater things. Your efforts will be rewarded.” The knight was nearly three feet from him, her cape of the black sun billowing in the windy snow. 

 

“Rewarded? REWARDED? Damnation is niet a reward! It is a punishment!” Sergey tries to get up but finds his body working against him, keeping him paralyzed in the snow. It was as if his worst thoughts, his worst moments and interactions had taken physical form to taunt him. 

 

“Damnation? Your family shunned you away. Look at you. Hideous with all your prosthetics. I’m surprised your family kept you rather than leave you in a ditch. They’ll not miss you. We can offer much more. Immortality.” The darkspawn clenches a fist before her, confident in her words.

 

Tears rolled down from Sergey’s one good eye. The more the darkspawn spoke the more dark thoughts began to creep in, smothering what little good had brought Sergey happiness. His memories of Reinhard.. Malna.. Wilmer… Thorim.. All of them were being smothered by the oppressive darkness before him. “Stop…please.. Stop…” He bows his head, soft sobs shaking from his form. 

 

Nal’fera fell silent, the wind whistling around them before she would raise her hand. An offering hand. “Sergey. You shall cry no longer.” 

 

There was a muffled shout from beyond the trees.. “Sergey! Are you around? Sofiya said you came down-” Malna?

 

Sergey looks towards the sound of the faint voice though his eye lingered on the offered hand. Would he even be missed? Would anyone care?

 

“Sergey.. Take my hand.”

 

Malna rounds the trees, clouds of frost forming around her head from her breath. “Ser-....” She turned and upon seeing the pair came to a stop. The elf immediately went to go for her halberd.

 

“Join us. A cause for a better future. Pull them to the depths of hell who wronged you.” 

 

“What the **** are you doing!?” Malna shouts, moving forward quickly with weapon in hand. 

 

“Oh.”  Nal’fera turns in recognition. “It’s the clown.”

 

Malna was pissed. “You get away from my friend or I will be shipping your head back to that bastard dwarf, Thorim!” She growled, gripping the halberd so hard her knuckles turned white. She glanced back at Sergey, trying to look him over from a distance. 

 

There’s no one for you. Sofiya doesn’t truly care. Nor do the rest. Thorim… Thorim.. Where were you? Sergey spares a glance towards Malna, his face red and broken. He had been crying. His sword lay aside in the snow. “... will it stop hurting?” He whispers. 

 

“Of course dear. It will stop hurting. No more pain.” She replies soothingly, side eyeing the woman. 

 

Malna looked stunned before her face contorted to anger in its purest form. She darted forward, baring her teeth. “Get away from him… you get away!”

 

The broken spirit reluctantly reaches out his hand to the open palm. “Ea am sorry Malna.. Ea can’t.. T-take… anymore of this.. Sofiya was right. Ea am weak..”

 

The knight unsheathed a giant greatsword, glaring at the woman. “Sergey is mine.”

 

Malna’s eyes shift to Sergey as he speaks, her jaw dropping. “Ne.. ne ne ne ne you are ne weak..” Her gaze returned to the undead as she took the risk to bring her weapon up, going to slam the pointed top towards the eyehole of the ghoul. 

 

The eye hole of the helm was stabbed but nothing was injured, only earning a dark laugh from the darkstalker. “Hehe..HAHAHA! What were you expecting to poke my eyes out? I have no organs FOOL!”

 

“P-please…just..go..” He pulls the necklace from his throat,  hands trembling. Sergey returns the beloved gift once bestowed upon him. “Ea am niet deserving of this. Please…just go.. Thorim, of the brotherhood, that Ea love him. This..last kindness..please..” Sergey pleaded.

 

The hand of the darkspawn grows a darker aura, daring for Malna to touch them again. “Would you want to come out of this losing a couple of fingers? Hm? I am giving you  mercy, you filthy pruzzal.” The word spoken in black tongue made it feel for Malna and Sergey as if maggots were writhing under their skin and crawling out of their ears. 

 

Sergey shuddered, gripping his arms as the dark tongue was uttered. But Malna did not back down. She stood her ground, squeezing an eye shut through the discomfort as she kept her weapon in place. 

 

Nal’fera sneers. “You leave me no choice.” The knight expected the halberd to pierced their eye socket, perhaps chipping it along with her skull and armor as she pulled herself back. “I’ll have to capture her as well I’m afraid.” She pulled back an arm to throw a punch at Malna’s face. 

 

Not wanting one of the few true friends he had to fall to this evil thing, Sergey carefully maneuvered behind Malna, holding up the hilt of his sword. “Ea am sorry Malna…” He hit the pommel on the back of her head to knock her unconscious.

 

Malna hadn’t expected Sergey to hit her. Certainly not be attacked in both directions. She managed to block the hit to her face only to feel the strike against the back of her head. The last few words she could make out as she crumpled into the snow was Sergey; 

“Nyie- please.. Leave her be..  Just me.” 

She was unable to get up, disoriented and groggy. Her vision grew hazy as she blinked. 

 

“I’m sorry Sergey. Orders from the masters. But I’ll be sure to send the message to your fellow brethren.”

 

Sergey stood protectively over Malna’s body, staring the undead in the face. He would not budge. “Please…just this one mercy…”

 

Nal’fera’s face expressed nothing. Silence hung over them like a fog before the darkspawn replied with a chuff. “Hmf.. fine. Let us go.”

 

Sergey looked back down at Malna, regret resting on his brow. Fumbling for his journal he pulls it from his pocket, setting it beside her in the snow. “Ea am sorry…” He utters before turning to the undead mount. 

 

Malna weakly reached out a hand to the Othaman only for it to fall in the snow as darkness took her, the message she wanted to convey never leaving her mouth.

 

Sergey climbs onto the mount, looking back as Nal’fera spurred them forward. He now had to accept one fact. 

 

He had fallen to darkness.

 

Thank you

@Nalfera@KillerMaid@cherrybudFor helping me edit and/or edit this to make this piece possible
I appreciate your guidance and support <3

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[KalashnikovaAvto 65]

"The pain will go away dear, you should feel no pain anymore. Embrace your new family" 

[KillerMaid 636]

Malna Loa'chil sat in the clinic in Haense, head bandages from the hit as the man's armor had cut her partially.

 

".........." 

 

She sat there for what seemed like an eternity. She sat there, replaying the events in her head. She should have fought more, she should have convinced Sergey, and she should have done more- That was going through her mind. She stood, still clutching the items he left so hard her hands hurt. She couldn't save him, but she could give him mercy, he would not die slowly.

 

"... Third times a charm"