The All Consuming Shadow

[susitsu 871]

As I sat on the bed thinking, I could feel that dark storm of power and hunger within me, clawing away, I had reawakened it and she was witness to it. I sat silent in the hospital room, watching over her carefully, though silent due to my thoughts, feeling that ever lasting lifelust welling up inside of me. And Lothiriel was witness to me...consuming life, she even helped, offered...She was...becoming like me. Entering this empty darkness. I couldn't have that, but I had to protect her.

I continued in silence to sit there as she was tended to, but I wondered, am I really the right person to watch over her? Maybe me being near her is what's causing any misfortune to befall her, and what's pulling her into this darkness. I felt that low rumble within me, that want, I glanced at various people in the room, all my friends, but I wanted to spill their blood...to drain their life, it was almost instinct driving me forward to do it.

I shouldn't be near them when like this, and the fact Lothiriel had dried blood on her was also drawing out to me, the smell of it, it made my mouth salivate, I wanted to enjoy it. I couldn't, I couldn't...she's all that truly matters to me. Yet Ive corrupted her into this darkness. Should I really be near her like this? When this hunger is calling out to me, to even consume her life. The shadows were dancing across my mind, I could feel my will weakening, they finished tending to her wound. I shuddered a bit where I sat, ignoring any comments that came to me, no, not ignoring...I couldn't even hear them.

I silently followed her out, what would be seen as my usual protecting her, it was...she just smelt so good, her blood...I couldn't think straight, this darkness was overtaking me, it had happened once before. I had almost killed friends then. And here I was, instinct held me as I was ready to simply pounce her and bite into her throat. I shuddered some as I resisted these urges, memories flashed into my mind.

...I sat there watching the mass of guards encircle me, complete idiots as usual, there complete paranoia anyone in a mask is undead. Heh, it's just so entertaining watching the incompetent fools act irrationally. I stood there, arms crossed, smirking under my mask as they drew weapons, waiting for them to try something, rolling my eyes as they demanded the mask be removed. I got ready to fight and escape the situation after playing with the idiots, waiting for the first move to counter, when some girl with red hair shoved through the crowd trying to get to me.

Was she insane, just running into a bunch of armed guards like this? She grabbed my arm and yanked me right out, giggling and such, asking questions about clowns. I was genuinely confused, wondering if she had escaped some cage somewhere for being to dangerous to be out in society. She dragged me right away from some guards into a large manor nearby in Al'Khazar she just so happened to have the key to. I wondered why some insane giggling girl would have access to such a high value place, I began wondering if this was a well done act, and began questioning her a bit about having possession of the key.

She dragged me down to the basement to talk away from listening ears, in time from conversing, I got her to admit her intelligence, and I must admit, I was very interested. After much talking regarding our 'professions' so to speak, we ended up striking a deal of some sort. Information for information, favors for favors, a Balance. From there it all become more and more interesting, this girl, something funny about her, but I haven't found this much of a time passer since The Black Hand, so she's valuable. I'll think about trying to ensure her survival.

I quickened my pace, the instinct to hunt driving more into me, I had my eyes on her, I wanted to taste her flesh. More memories forced their way into my mind.

I was sitting at the Hallow Peach Inn at The Whispering Isle talking with her over casual things, nothing important this day, though I really had nothing else to do other than follow her around. With only slight boredom present, I stared out towards the King's Road, watching people pass here and there, some familiar, some not, but I felt no reasoning to greet any of them, I was really just waiting for something useful to come of this conversation.

It then started raining. Rain always...triggered something in me. As I stared out at the rain, I slowly took off one of my gloves and extended my hand into it, without really thinking I said "You know, the rain always reminds me I'm alive. It's always been the only thing that has." She giggled a bit in response to this, smiling some, I looked towards her wondering why, I asked a bit and she said she won't tell.

I had stopped in my tracks as the memory crossed my mind. I eyed around, still in a bloodlust, looking for her, but she was gone. She just seemed like such the perfect target, all the power he would gain from consuming her life, he shook his head slightly, trying to find her, the thought of her taste...he stopped, shaking his head more, he then smacked himself across his face, gaining some sense back, he realized what he was doing.

He shuddered a bit, resisting the feeling, he was terrified he even thought of consuming Lothiriel. He immediately ran. He ran looking in the direction of any exit he could find, he didn't know what to think. Just to run. He ran out of Solace and went for the best direction he could think of to vanish. The icy lands of the Realm of Hanseti. He ran.

OOC: For any who haven't heard, my computer's hard drive is fried, so this is my explanation for vanishing. Anyone who feels like it can post an rp response to this also, maybe someone in Solace seeing me looking almost like a wolf hunting, or just a friend wondering where I vanished to for several months now. Hope everyone enjoyed reading this.

[Traiton 28]

Looks concerned Where has Lucas gone? I guess we must wait.. Oh no.. Keziah might be a lot more concerned Yells loudly to her

[ACanadianCraft (Nate) 682]

*leans on a tree, hanging his head after scouring Solace for a good two hours.

Well bugger. Not seen him for years, meet up with him a few weeks ago, and he's gone. Again. Everytime I have a question, the person with the answers disapeers. My luck.

*Looks up at the people stareing at him, realising he's been talking to himself.

[susitsu 871]

((Deciding to add more out of boredom.))

I tried to keep my head straight as I began to take the long way into Hanseti, to find the low point of the mountain's circling it and climb from there. I had to avoid anyone I could...this feel, it was tearing at me, I had to consume it felt like. During the long trip, more thoughts came to mind. More memories of the past.

"Can she get any stupider? I mean really...this of all things to do? My goodness, she's far to nice to people." Shen thought to himself as she went off, looking back sadly, following the Undead named Latsi, the one he had been studying for a while, he was an interesting one to Shen, going from the Ascended to the Undead like that. He felt something at the back of his mind, what was it? Something of emotion, something he lacked heavily. Was it worry? "I shouldn't care, it's her own idiotic actions that got herself into this, she can get herself out."

He turned and walked off, following the path towards Al'Khazar, he needed to buy some food and was on his way to Crimson Vale to speak with Juvens about future plans on the place. He strangely slowed pace, the thoughts bothering him, he thought to himself once more "This is her own mess to deal with, not yours." He shook his head some and continued onward. When he got to Crimson Vale as usual building was continuing and it seemed Balin was visiting. This was another Undead Shen was very interested in, he was smart, cunning, and seemed to heavily enjoy knowledge, something that had earned Shen's respect.

Though the thoughts kept nagging at him. He kept questioning why the hell he should care. He went to his home in Crimson Vale to think. He didn't get why these thoughts were even coming to mind. He then decided to rationalize it, if he helped her out in this, she would owe him favors, though strangely enough he felt the need to...let her free from her current debt to him-

He scaled the mountain carefully, trying to avoid any missteps and fall, though he kept losing his concentration, the memories kept coming to mind. As he stepped up higher, thinking, he lost his footing. He fell very suddenly and quickly, landing about 10 feet below on his back. He lost his breath on the landing, it being slammed out of him, he struggled to regain it for a long moment before finally getting steady breathing going. His back hurt, but he ignored the pain. As he stood up using his arms, they felt weak too. He found his advance further up the mountain much more difficult, memories continuing to come to mind.

He didn't get it. He in time found a way to get her free for periods of time, under the watch of Balin that is, but questions came to his own mind as Balin questioned him too, he asked him "Shen, what is that girl to you?" He responded simply saying "Only entertainment", but he knew he was lying to both Balin and himself. The question kept coming back to him, what was she to him?

He had finally gotten over and down the mountain, he was in the Amenian Estate near the farms, he glanced around a bit seeing the House of Thyone. He knew they would get in his way if they saw the state he was in, a hunger in his eyes, weak of breath, freezing. He kept out of sight of their windows using the trees as cover and went to his manor up on the nearby mountain. He went inside and collapsed on the floor, lying there for a long moment to regain his strength as he thought more of the past, more of how this came to be.

"Rilath's getting married huh? Heh, funny, can't believe he went down this path. So strange, though I feel like I owe him for tricking him into robbing the Black Hand. I suppose I'll pay him a friendly visit." Shen thought to himself as he read the letter about his soon to be marriage, he began walking to Laurelin.

After having rested enough, Lucas stood up, he got the supplies he needed, and left the manor without closing the door behind him, leaving it wide open with the key in the door handle. As he went to climb the mountain once more to leave New Sorovitz and head right into wild lands, Rilath almost seemed to appear beside him. As he climbed, Rilath didn't climb after, but seemed to appear at different spots every time he looked around, standing beside the path as he walked up, leaning against a flat part of the mountain as Lucas climbed.

Rilath said to him as he went onward "I see how much this is affecting you, Lucas, or Shen, whichever name you want to be called now. I'm sorry I couldn't stop this from happening, Ive been resting for so long I didn't realize I was dreaming of memories that were dominating your mind till a small while ago." Lucas stared at him for a moment before looking down a bit, his eyes still showing the obvious hunger. He continued on silently as Rilath kept alongside him.

"So, you're Shoi then?" he asked the somewhat short white haired Elf girl. She responded in confirming this. Looking at her he thought she was almost adorable, like a child, something practically abnormal for him to think. They talked for a while and he grew slightly fond of her, his time knowing Lothiriel having had it's affect on his thinking. They continued meeting and grew closer with time, that of a brother and sister, the same happened for he and Rilath, like brothers. He felt something, as like all other times with 'emotion', a feel at the back of his mind. It was a positive one.

He walked through the snow, it was a clear sky for the moment, he talked calmly with both Rilath and Nax'ram who both seemed to be walking alongside him, and to his perspective, they really were right there with him, being both of them live in his head. They tried to help him through this as he continued onward, thinking more and more of his past. Some snowflakes started. Over time more and more fell.

Lucas Black, walking along King's Road in his gray and black combat robes, his white hair almost to his shoulders, had been feeling distracted all day long. His mind was elsewhere, he was thinking a lot of who he was now. He thought of his gray right eye, his past always there, he no longer associated with the Undead in any way, he tried his best to avoid them due to his past. He didn't like to have thoughts come to his mind of her. She really was always on his mind whenever he started thinking of the past at all.

He noticed a group of Orcs, some he had befriended, they as usual greeted him excitingly to his fluffy white hair with his ridiculous, though funny, nicknames of either Lulu or Young Trust. He hung about a bit, forcing smiles here and there, trying to not think so much on things. He didn't really feel like traveling around, so he stayed hanging about on the road as they all went off, him calling out "Gug'ye" as they too called the same in response.

The snowstorm started to pick up, growing heavier and heavier, Lucas was even feeling the cold now, he knew he HAD to get to cover now before he lost all his strength and was buried in snow.

Kane came around too, when a robed one approached him, it was the Undead who seemed to be watching him lately. He tried to ignore him thinking he would go away or lose interest, but he felt a sudden piercing pain in his mind. He stumbled a bit trying to resist the VERY unexpected assault on his mind, and it struck again, he lost consciousness. The Undead ordered his minion to grab me and take me into their nearby base, Kane tried to stop them, but they had closed the gates just as he was about to grab Lucas.

While he was still unconscious, Lucas was chained up. He then started to drag him down to a ritual circle, an Eye of Iblees, Lucas awoke before they got that deep underground and started struggling right away. He knocked down the Undead and slammed the minion about, though they easily got him under control due to the chains on him. They dragged him there and placed him inside, he was surrounded by fire and on Netherrack, knowing he had to fight whatever was to come with all his willpower, he readied his mind, keeping his calm.

Feeling his ability to take in air growing weaker and weaker, Lucas stumbled and fell forward in the snow, Rilath and Nax'ram both rushing to his side, calling out to him, urging him to go on.

((Will do another soon enough~ Need SOMETHING to pass my time.))

[Aryon 679]

[Wow, susitsu. You. Are. Amazing.]

[TeaLulu 1783]

As Lothiriel exists the doctor's office, limping on her staff, she smiles slightly to herself, noting Lucas following behind her. Along with Velwyn, she takes the small child William around, following a small wolf. Nearly an hour later, exhausted from the situation she glances around, seeing no trace of Lucas near her. As a frown finds its way to her face, she quickly shakes it off, forcing one of her oft-faked smiles. She mutters to herself under her breath...

"He must have gone back to Hanseti...I'll have to hurry back."

She nods to herself, patting herself down as a look of confusion comes over her face. She sighs angrily, cursing under her breath.

"My passport...Damnit. Mogroka's cub must have taken it off me..."

She lets out a frustrated sigh, brushing the hair out of her face as she heads out the gate of Salvus towards the War Uzg, unaware of Lucas' plight.

[Keziah 30]

Keziah stared at the table in front of her, her left hand clutching an uncorked bottle of wine. Drinking again. She thought she'd quit that, but with Kvothe running around Aeriel-knows-where, Lucas being particularly aloof, and the constant threat of conflict within the House, it proved to be one of the few things holding her back from the brink of insanity. She took another sip from the bottle with a shudder, glancing up at the sound of Kilopo's concerned call. She uttered a drawn out sigh before yelling in reply. "What's wrong now?"

((Very nice by the way, susitsu. I quite enjoyed the read.))

[susitsu 871]

"What was my drive for living all this time without her being it...? Was it...power?" I thought to myself, open in thought. "Power?" Rilath scoffed then continued to say "Is this really what you've always been after, Shen? Or is it that taint that's affected your mind so much talking?" Standing up, forcing himself from the snow, he looked to Rilath who was speaking to him. He looked down a little, almost in shame at the thought. He took in a deep breath, feeling a calm in his mind once more, though as he looked around, he didn't know at all where to go. The heavy snowstorm had surrounded him, his vision limited to that of almost five feet.

He sighed in annoyance at this, keeping his calm disposition as he always does in pressure filled situations. If he became like that again, the lust overtaking him, he could easily endanger her. He thought of this all as he tried to push through the snow in whatever direction he was facing to find cover from it. He found himself putting his hands against the side of a snow covered mountain and figured he would make his own cover from the snow using it. He raised his foot and slammed it into the snow hard, making an indention, finding his foot only compacts the snow, doesn't remove it.

He took out a shovel, he generally carries two on him, and began trying to dig out a hole. Though he was freezing a bit, he was able to dig out a while and climb inside. Digging in some more, he decided it would be best to cover up the entrance, he used snow on the inside to do so. The cold still very present, he raised his right hand and took a moment to get some concentration. After he felt his mind was at ease, he took his glove off his right hand and drew out a small fire in the air above his hand.

"Hey, idiot." Lucas Black called out to one of the Undead minions who were accompanying them in this battle, he had argued minions were unnecessary and would screw up the defense in trying to run for their life probably, but one of them didn't listen and brought a minion anyway. He responded simply to being addressed like that, most likely due to being used to it, he began explaining to the minion the plan of defense. They would hold the tower from the bottom while the Undead raised hell on the city from the top.

They kept prepared at the bottom to defend it, weapons drawn, armor on, a few tricks and traps readied. The battle began, they were defending the entrance in no time against hoards of people, Lucas smirked as his setup was working, he thought maybe the minion wouldn't screw it up, but he was mistaken. The fool literally made an opening in the back of the tower so he could flee from the fight before any of the traps were even activated.

Lucas practically froze up on the spot, unable to believe the idiocy of his actions, he quickly activated any traps present and the gate to stop the frontal attack, but people already began literally flooding in from hole the idiot made. The battle ended fairly quickly then, everyone began fleeing immediately after opening as many rifts as they could to bring down undead monsters upon the advancing army.

"Did I really do much other than fight?" Lucas asked Rilath. He reminding him that he's saved many lives, but Lucas of course responded that he saved them by fighting and killing. He felt unsure of if he should even be near Lothiriel considering his past crimes, then even Shoi came to mind, one he considered to be a sister almost. He thought of what Keziah had said to him, "If someone really cares for you, they'll take you as you are." Why did either of them care in the first place?

Thoughts continued to circle as he figured how he would go on from here, it was now the survival game, and of course a golden apple came to mind. He could just forget her. But what would he say to her before doing that? Just goodbye? Sighing he said to himself "We'll see."

((Yay for a dang time passer.))

[Swgrclan 2682]

Nax'Ram sighs, slightly irritated that Lucas had to wake him from his slumber. He spoke to Lucas in a somewhat malicious tone, "Perhaps.. you may hurt her, to make her stay away. It worked for me many times before, though I killed the individuals instead of hurting them." Nax'Ram chuckles softly from his statement, then stays silent.

[Traiton 28]

Keziah stared at the table in front of her, her left hand clutching an uncorked bottle of wine. Drinking again. She thought she'd quit that, but with Kvothe running around Aeriel-knows-where, Lucas being particularly aloof, and the constant threat of conflict within the House, it proved to be one of the few things holding her back from the brink of insanity. She took another sip from the bottle with a shudder, glancing up at the sound of Kilopo's concerned call. She uttered a drawn out sigh before yelling in reply. "What's wrong now?"

Runs upstairs to her and looks and her a bit concerned " Have you seen Lucas around? I noticed he has been gone for quite a while."

[susitsu 871]

The sun is shining, the sky is clear, and it's been a year now since Lucas got lost.

"You know, I'm thinking of moving to Alras after this...I used to love the cold, but being stuck in it like this..." Lucas says a bit before sighing and shaking his head slightly. He begins tapping his foot some in the snow then places his hand on his chin as he scans the horizon. Almost on habit, he checks his pocket where his shattered SoulStone is, hoping maybe it somehow put itself back together.

Of course it's still in pieces, he needs to visit the Cloud Sanctuary for the thing to put itself back together or take someone else'. Thinking of this he mutters lowly to himself "Who the hell would come this far out...?" He then lets his head fall forward, his long white hair coming across his face, hiding the view of it.

Scratching his head some, he looks around again, everything seemed the same. Snow covered mountains, snow engulfed trees, and snow all over the ground. Looking up to the sky he watches the clouds move for a bit and says to himself "Clouds flow to the West...but where is Hanseti even in the world!?" Sighing he scratches his head some, completely unsure of which direction he should go in.

[steelersfan1221 300]

Moved to the Great Library. It shall be sorted into appropriate category shortly.