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#Post#: 243794--------------------------------------------------
Ducard and Detia
DIR By: Sabby
Date: August 1, 2012, 7:59 pm
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The cold, winter air was so still time seemed to stand still.
Animals had burrowed underground or fled all together to keep
warm. Leaves had dried and fallen to the ground, now buried by a
good foot of snow and ice that was still falling. A few owls
called into the night, but could not rebel against the consuming
silence snow always seemed to bring. The night sky was blanketed
by a unbroken mass of clouds that stretched for miles, the
darkness of the forest and sky playing yin to the snow's
brilliantly bright yang. It was so quiet, so serene, it could
have been a painting in a museum.
The perfection of the scene was interrupted harshly as a blazing
comet tore through the clouds, illuminating the forest. The air
seemed to snap with electricity as it dried up and the
temperature escalated. All the remaining animals hastily left,
just in time as the comet approached and the forest began to
char and burn. Trees crumbled as they were disintegrated,
falling and lighting other trees like a row of flaming dominoes.
As the comet ripped through the denser part of the forest,
leaving a blackened, smoking path, chunks of the comet seemed to
fall away, either lazily sliding off or catching on trees as it
went and falling away. Reaching an iced over pond, there was a
tremendous roar and rush of steam into the sky as the comet at
last came to rest in the water and ice, sizzling until it
finally seemed exhausted of heat.
But what emerged from the pond was not a comet in the slightest.
A young woman stalked out of the lake, shaking her long red hair
over her shoulders so it rand straight down her back, orange and
black streaks making it appear as if it were burning. Although
she should have been freezing to death, literally, steam seemed
to rise off her white, wax-like skin as she dried in seconds. As
she walked, her torso charred for a moment, leaving behind a red
dress resembling a shorter version of a Victorian queen's dress.
Following the path of destruction back toward the edge of the
forest, wondering what had sent her here in the first place.
#Post#: 243810--------------------------------------------------
Re: Ducard and Detia
DIR By: Ducard
Date: August 1, 2012, 8:32 pm
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Ducard stepped from the Aether into a white forest. Leaning
over, he picked up a handful of snow and watched it slip through
his metacarpals. Sometimes he wished he could feel the chill of
winter, the warmth of a fire, or even the pain of a blow, but
those days were so far behind him that they might as well have
been a dream. His transformation into a lich gave him the rest
of time to perfect his art, but at the cost of his humanity. He
was pretty sure he was human; he had the skeletal structure of
one at least. The wind whistled between his ribs as he stood.
The silence of Winter was being bent. The woodland creatures
would hear it in a second, but he knew what was coming. As it
entered the planet's atmosphere, Winter's silence snapped. The
forest beasts ran, trampling each other in their terror. It hit
the ground at an angle, burning and ripping the earth and the
trees that grow in it. As it crashed into a frozen lake, Ducard
observed the laceration in the planet. Bits of burning stone and
wood lay in this thing's wake. Things often burned in the paths
of demons, though. Whether they come from Hell or the heavens,
Ducard had met, killed, and summoned enough demons to know them
when he saw them.
He clacked his teeth together and turned his face towards the
steaming body of water. His phalanges tapped against his scythe
as he grasped it and pulled it from the ground. "Well," he said,
his voice a hollow bass, "let's have a look."
#Post#: 243819--------------------------------------------------
Re: Ducard and Detia
DIR By: Sabby
Date: August 1, 2012, 8:55 pm
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As Detia delicately marched through the forest, her head held
high as her ember-like eyes scanned the forest, her nose picked
up a very, very familiar scent. Death. Her eyebrows knit a
sharp, cautious wrinkle between them, and her eyes began picking
apart every inch around her. Lava sped through her veins and
adrenaline made her heart race with slight nervousness. Death
was caused by things from her home, creatures that incited fear
and pain. Being royalty she should have not worried about being
harmed by something like that, but her case was... Special. She
wasn't exactly on fantastic terms with her family, and for all
she knew they had decided to get rid of her. Swallowing rather
vocally, the demon cringed as the silence of the snow seemed to
cause her sounds and movements to echo. Exhaling in an effort to
remain calm, she watched with temporary fascination as her
breath caused a puff of steam to rise before a booming, deep
voice sounded somewhere behind her. It was looking for her.
Putting on what she hoped was something of a brave face, Detia
tossed her hair and rolled her shoulders back, grumbling as they
cracked slightly. Squinting through the snow and branches, when
she finally got a good, clear view of the creature, she heaved a
sigh of relief. It was anything that knew her from home.
Certainly interesting to look at though. Kind of like a zombie
way past expiration date, she mused with a smirk. Walking out to
the clearing, she raised a hand, wiggling her fingers as she
called out, "Hey. You looked really dead, but how are you
anyway? And who are you?"
#Post#: 243824--------------------------------------------------
Re: Ducard and Detia
DIR By: Ducard
Date: August 1, 2012, 9:27 pm
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Ducard's snapped to the side. This was very strange. He hadn't
been surprised by anything in a very long time. His eyeless
sockets took in her form; another oddity. This was a demon, he
knew that for a fact. She wasn't hiding inside of a human, or
even hiding at all, but still she had a human body. The air
around her warped with warmth; an obvious sign of a fire demon.
She held her head high, but then again, most demons were rather
full of themselves. He turned his skeletal form to face hers,
his cloak dragging across the foot-deep snow. He might have been
annoyed by that if he could feel how cold and wet it would be.
Still, she had addressed him, and the universe is based around
equivalent exchange. He clacked his teeth; a habit he had
developed along the road. "My name is Ducard, and I am well.
Thank you for your concern, young demon of flame. Tell me, are
you familiar with this world?" He raised an arm, a slow,
sweeping gesture to the forest. In his age, Ducard had become a
tad dramatic. "The deep wood is tranquil and beautiful in its
shimmering nightgown, but my calling requires an audience. Would
you so kindly point me in the direction of the nearest city? I'm
sure I could make it worth my lady's time."
#Post#: 243830--------------------------------------------------
Re: Ducard and Detia
DIR By: Sabby
Date: August 1, 2012, 9:53 pm
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Raising her eyebrows, Detia shrugged. "Honestly? No idea. But I
came from that direction," she pointed as she spoke, indicating
the direction she had fallen from, "and there was a city I went
over not really far from here." She turned her gaze back on
Ducard, her piercing eyes picking apart every detail. "So... Not
that I care, not that it's my business even but should I be
worried for the good people of Wherever-The-Hell-We're-Headed
that someone that looks like the Grim Reaper's brother wants to
get them together in a large group?" Detia down at her fingers
and she clicked her nails together in rhythm with his teeth,
wondering if he'd notice she was sort of copying him. Sure, it
wasn't exactly one of her more attractive habits, but everyone
had a flaw.
At his questioning look, she realized he was probably confused
about her human form, as demons usually looked similar to what
they represented. Exaggerating a huff, she threw her nose in the
air, a smile almost escaping during her act. "Ex-cuuuuuse me!
Would you rather go into town being trailed by a ball of fire?
Didn't think so!" A laugh slipped past her lips, and covered it
with a cough, nodding. "I am being so serious right now." In the
back of her mind, she knew being this aloof with a stranger was
dangerous, but he seemed hardly concerned with her. Who knew
what was going to happen to the crowd he was after?
#Post#: 244444--------------------------------------------------
Re: Ducard and Detia
DIR By: Ducard
Date: August 3, 2012, 10:46 am
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If Ducard could smile, he would be beaming at the thought of
that city. He had so many questions, but doubted that this demon
could answer him. What kind of world was this? There were so
many possibilities; something he still loved about being
immortal. No matter how old you are, and how many things you've
seen, the multiverse is older yet with one more surprise in
store for you. He wondered what kind of architecture this world
most prominently used, what beliefs they held about life and
death, what the people would look like. Ducard clacked his teeth
before he spoke. "Then, my fair lady, what do you desire in
return? Souls? In my experience, demons never seem to have
enough souls. But, for helping one such as my self as graciously
as you have, the reward must be great; I insist you take your
time in choosing your boon."
Ducard would excuse the demon's attitude towards him. They never
really know where they fall in the pecking order until they rise
to the top or disappear from it entirely. In any case, she was
useful to him. "If you'd like to join me in my work, I'd be
happy to have an ally of your obviously immense power." He
extended his arm in the direction of the city, snow falling from
the pauldron as it shifted to allow the motion. "Lead on, my
lady, and I shall follow."
#Post#: 247454--------------------------------------------------
Re: Ducard and Detia
DIR By: Sabby
Date: August 6, 2012, 10:48 am
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Because this.... Thing... Lacked skin and facial muscles, Detia
simply stood and watched as he seemingly stared into space for a
few minutes. When he finally spoke, offering souls, Detia's lips
parted in surprise and she shook her head vigorously.
Disregarding his suggestion to take her time thinking, she
immediately refused. "No no no. That won't be necessary. I don't
make deals, I'm not that kinda person- Er, demon. I don't like
people enough to do that." She chuckled quietly, before casting
her gaze down the road toward the city. Her fiery hair whipped
around her in a sudden, strong breeze, and she waited to speak
until it settled down.
"What do you want with all those people anyway? Not here to
judge, don't really care, just mildly curious." Slowly shifting
her eyes over to Ducard, she waited a minute before shrugging
her shoulders. "Well in any case, we might as well get going."
Her stride was more casual now, and she kept her head down
slightly, taking only a few steps before looking back. "Coming?"
#Post#: 247611--------------------------------------------------
Re: Ducard and Detia
DIR By: Ducard
Date: August 6, 2012, 1:29 pm
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Ducard matched the demon's pace as they set off for the city,
his mind a whirl. There were few reasons a demon would refuse
souls. Maybe she thought it was a trap. Maybe she had discovered
something more satisfying than souls. She wanted something, that
was for sure. That wasn't a demon thing, either. Everyone wants
something. Normally, demons want souls, humans want wealth and
animals want food. Demonic wealth is souls though, or so he
understood. Every demon he'd ever seen; Nefarox, Kothoped,
Griselbrand, Azazel, Mephistopheles, Lilith, they all wanted
souls. Even the base, unnamed demons wanted souls. Unless this
demon was more like Nefarox and Griselbrand than the others...
In any case, he would know what she desired soon enough. For
now, it seemed to be information. She had asked twice about his
plans for their destination.
Ducard clacked his teeth. "My workings for this city, and indeed
this world, are the same as they have been for every other city
and every other world for eons. Their dead, their cadavers and
skeletons and spirits will join me. And, in time, widowers will
join their wives. Orphans will join their parents. Families,
friends and lovers united again, forever, under my name." He
looked to the demon walking beside him. He didn't expect her to
have any problem with Ducard's actions, but then again, he
didn't expect her to turn down souls either.
#Post#: 249551--------------------------------------------------
Re: Ducard and Detia
DIR By: Sabby
Date: August 8, 2012, 10:43 am
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"So... You collect people?" A grin took it's time creeping over
Detia's lips and she laughed, softly at first, continuing until
she could barely walk. Eventually clearing her throat and
choking back the laughter, she shook her head. "I thought that
was my job. Well I guess maybe you don't send people to Hell, so
I suppose we're a bit different." He seemed still so jumpy, as
if she had a secret plan just because she hadn't wanted souls.
That was slightly annoying, although understandable because she
was, after all, a demon. But she had learned through many, many
mistakes that trusting anyone could be a huge mistake. So she
wouldn't exactly be jumping at the chance for someone to just do
her job for her. They were an odd pair to be traveling together,
definitely. But maybe that was a good thing? Detia pondered over
these things in her head while she walked alongside him.
Looking around occasionally when she wasn't sucked into her own
thoughts, she wondered where they were. There were no cars, the
road was dirt, and the only buildings for miles were small,
primitive houses, save for a slightly cliched silhouette of a
castle in the distance. Medieval times? How fascinating! Detia's
heart fluttered in excitement, this was her absolute favorite
place to visit. A small 'squee' was emitted from her, and her
face turned red, but her excitement was not diminished. "This.
Is. AWESOME," she muttered, absorbing everything around her now
with intense curiosity. She paid no mind to Ducard, if he looked
down on her for her love of history, well, that was his problem.
#Post#: 249857--------------------------------------------------
Re: Ducard and Detia
DIR By: Ducard
Date: August 8, 2012, 4:53 pm
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Judging by the hovels they'd seen along the side of the dirt
road, Ducard could safely assume that this wasn't the most
highly advanced civilization, at least in technology. With a
castle on the horizon, he sped his pace a bit. Castles held
people, and people buried their dead all in one place. Truly,
Ducard would be doing the creatures of this realm a service.
They were always so upset when other beings of flesh died. If
all of them were dead, not only would they all be together, they
wouldn't have anything to be sad about! Sure, they might not see
it that way at first, but they'd come around. But what was this
about collecting people? Ducard clacked his teeth. "Collecting
them? I suppose one could see my work as a method of collection.
As Death collects the living; brings them into his stagnant,
unfeeling arms, I rescue them from his power and allow them to
exist with those they love, free from despair, indefinitely. I
only demand in return that they heed my call should I give it."
The demon let out a cry of delight and excitement at the castle.
She must be as eager to begin his work as he was. Ducard
laughed, a sound like a twilight wind through forests long dead.
He clacked his teeth before he continued. "I wouldn't say I'm
Death's brother. In fact, I would say that I am Death's
antithesis; a bringer of eternal life. My good deeds, however,
are entirely coincidental. My art must be perfect. My art must
be flawless. Soon, it shall be."
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