And still more...
Mar. 25th, 2005 10:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dolevalanMore Zoyala stuff. Same IC disclaimer as before. Will this make sense to most of you? Probably not...
Zoyala stood in a sparse room, empty but for a table in front of her and a door beyond it. There was a deep pounding, as of enormous distant drums, which she felt more than heard. She walked around and went to open the door, when it suddenly flew open, throwing her back into the table’s unforgiving edge. She fell to the floor and looked up.
A large, snarling beast stood framed in the doorway. A flash of pain struck her and she saw an image behind the monster: a death’s head. She pulled herself up and it was on her. She fully expected a blow, but instead it reached a putrid arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. She tried to draw away, repulsed, but it was far too strong and her arms were pinned.
“Thank you dear one,” it rasped. Its voice horrified her even more than its appearance; rattling like dead leaves, guttural, it did not at all match the articulate words it managed to produce. “Thank you for the present.”
Several drops of blood stained the hem of her robes, though whether her own, the creatures, or some third party’s, she had no idea. “What are you talking about?” she managed, brain frantically searching for a spell to cast that wouldn’t kill her as well as it.
It made a choking, grating sound that she realized with disgust was meant to be a laugh. “For your mother, darling.” With a strangled cry, she thrashed, trying to pull away, but it pulled her closer yet, almost seeming to press her into itself. “I am most grateful.”
She hesitated for a moment, and had just decided to cast a fireball, incinerating them both, when the thing recoiled, hissing. It swung her out from itself, though not letting her go as it turned. A man, eyes blazing though otherwise calm, stood in the doorway, apparently unarmed. “Put her down,” the man said, very calmly and distinctly.
The creature snarled, and moved to backhand him, but the man darted out of the way. He attacked, using his body as a weapon with amazing efficiency. Surprised, the creature moved to defend itself, and eventually was forced to drop Zoyala on the table. The man had been doing well, but now that the monster’s entire attention was focused on him, the battle was turning against him.
She began casting and shot several missiles at the thing. The man took a nasty cut across the collar, though it missed crucial areas that would have meant a kill. Zoy reached for the rod and realized with a sinking feeling it was not there. The creature was tiring, but not fast enough.
Suddenly, the man got close enough to her that he could reach her without the thing stopping him. He turned, grabbed her hand and pulled Zoy under the table. The creature looked confused; it could obviously see them and with a snarl, it reached to bat the table out of the way. As it did so, the man leant towards her and whispered “It wasn’t your fault.”
The monster wavered for a moment. Then it exploded, blood and flesh spattering the room. He protectively put an arm around her as they ducked, and then crawled out first, offering her a hand.
As he pulled Zoy to her feet, she got a chance to look into his face. She knew him. She felt sure of this, deeply, in the core of her being. “Are you all right?” he said.
She nodded tentatively. “Thank you.”
He smiled, and she couldn’t help but reflect it in her own face. “I couldn’t have done it without you.” He hadn’t let go of her hand after pulling her up, and now tentatively lifted it to his lips.
A sudden knocking at the door woke her. The moment her eyes opened, she knew that the man had been no one she really knew. She had never seen him before. But the certainty had been so strong in the dream… The knocking repeated, and the memories of the dream scattered like mice at the approach of a servant’s lantern.
Zoyala stood in a sparse room, empty but for a table in front of her and a door beyond it. There was a deep pounding, as of enormous distant drums, which she felt more than heard. She walked around and went to open the door, when it suddenly flew open, throwing her back into the table’s unforgiving edge. She fell to the floor and looked up.
A large, snarling beast stood framed in the doorway. A flash of pain struck her and she saw an image behind the monster: a death’s head. She pulled herself up and it was on her. She fully expected a blow, but instead it reached a putrid arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. She tried to draw away, repulsed, but it was far too strong and her arms were pinned.
“Thank you dear one,” it rasped. Its voice horrified her even more than its appearance; rattling like dead leaves, guttural, it did not at all match the articulate words it managed to produce. “Thank you for the present.”
Several drops of blood stained the hem of her robes, though whether her own, the creatures, or some third party’s, she had no idea. “What are you talking about?” she managed, brain frantically searching for a spell to cast that wouldn’t kill her as well as it.
It made a choking, grating sound that she realized with disgust was meant to be a laugh. “For your mother, darling.” With a strangled cry, she thrashed, trying to pull away, but it pulled her closer yet, almost seeming to press her into itself. “I am most grateful.”
She hesitated for a moment, and had just decided to cast a fireball, incinerating them both, when the thing recoiled, hissing. It swung her out from itself, though not letting her go as it turned. A man, eyes blazing though otherwise calm, stood in the doorway, apparently unarmed. “Put her down,” the man said, very calmly and distinctly.
The creature snarled, and moved to backhand him, but the man darted out of the way. He attacked, using his body as a weapon with amazing efficiency. Surprised, the creature moved to defend itself, and eventually was forced to drop Zoyala on the table. The man had been doing well, but now that the monster’s entire attention was focused on him, the battle was turning against him.
She began casting and shot several missiles at the thing. The man took a nasty cut across the collar, though it missed crucial areas that would have meant a kill. Zoy reached for the rod and realized with a sinking feeling it was not there. The creature was tiring, but not fast enough.
Suddenly, the man got close enough to her that he could reach her without the thing stopping him. He turned, grabbed her hand and pulled Zoy under the table. The creature looked confused; it could obviously see them and with a snarl, it reached to bat the table out of the way. As it did so, the man leant towards her and whispered “It wasn’t your fault.”
The monster wavered for a moment. Then it exploded, blood and flesh spattering the room. He protectively put an arm around her as they ducked, and then crawled out first, offering her a hand.
As he pulled Zoy to her feet, she got a chance to look into his face. She knew him. She felt sure of this, deeply, in the core of her being. “Are you all right?” he said.
She nodded tentatively. “Thank you.”
He smiled, and she couldn’t help but reflect it in her own face. “I couldn’t have done it without you.” He hadn’t let go of her hand after pulling her up, and now tentatively lifted it to his lips.
A sudden knocking at the door woke her. The moment her eyes opened, she knew that the man had been no one she really knew. She had never seen him before. But the certainty had been so strong in the dream… The knocking repeated, and the memories of the dream scattered like mice at the approach of a servant’s lantern.
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Date: 2005-03-26 06:44 am (UTC)