Page 2 of 11 FirstFirst 1234 ... LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 105

Thread: [M/IC] War of the Hidden (Numbers and Naming)

  1. #11
    Mistborn
    Namingtoohard's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    3,797
    Mentioned
    20 Post(s)
    Rep Power
    498

    Default

    Shivali did not so much as turn her head as she listened to her companion speak, remaining seated as she continued to focus on her posture and breathing. The woman did not seem all that bothered by the suggestion that the nanobodies she had seen earlier in that night would attack her - mostly because of earlier that day. They had recognised her as a potential ally then, and heeded the wishes of their master despite the fact the two of their races were technically at war with one-another. She might not have possessed any great deal of knowledge on the matter, but that seemed somewhat indicative that she would be safe, if Christina truly wished it. Such was her mindset as she tried to settle, breathing deeply as tried to slip into her meditative trance.

    "Goodnight, princess" the Tehnu woman would answer as the other bade her goodnight, voice soft. A small smile wrinkled her features briefly, before the warrior-servant would turn herself back to the matter at hand. Her eyelids slowly fluttered closed as she continued to focus on her breathing, taking deep breaths at a slow yet consistent rate. Inch by inch, she slipped into the meditative trance that she had mentioned just a few moments ago. She could feel her consciousness beginning to slip and falter, whilst strength seemed to drain from her limbs, sapped away by the relaxation techniques she was currently employing. Like this the girl could neither see nor move without breaking out of her meditative state, but such was only to be expected. On the upside, she would be able to maintain her vigil all night, staying alert for signs of an attack whilst using virtually no energy.

    Having lowered herself into her trance, Shivali would remain there for the larger part of the night. The earlier parts of the evening seemed to pass by extremely quickly, largely due to the reduced level of consciousness that went hand-in-hand with the state into which she had lowered herself. A handful of hours later, though, a soft clamouring would draw the Tehnu's attention. The unseen source of the noise slowly drew closer, the sound getting ever-so-slightly louder as the source came closer down the road. Deciding that it was worth investigating the source of the disturbance, Shivali would quickly set about drawing herself out of her trance again, so that she could move about and fight once more, if it truly proved necessary.

    Rising to her feet, the woman would creep towards the edge of their little grove, peering out through the outer trees and back towards the road. Shivali would linger there for a few moments, before she caught size of the noises' source. As she watched, a column of armed soldiers marched past their little hiding place, travelling past their campsite before disappearing further down the road. Now the Tehnu woman knew the source of the disturbance - the strange clanging had been the sound of their weapons and armour as they marched along in full combat dress. She would maintain her watch for several moments, to make sure that they had not been discovered, before retreating back into the grove good and proper. There, the Tehnu woman would settle back down to meditate once more, content that the danger had passed.

    Still, several questions prodded at the edges of her mind. Were the group proper humans, or simply Nekorians that had disguised themselves in the general way of their people? Had the group been some sort of proper patrol, or a hunting party that had just stumbled past them without noticing? Pursuit seemed likely, given the events of earlier that day. Regardless, it seemed pointless to worry about such things at the moment. She couldn't make accurate deductions without more information, and the danger seemed to have passed. For the time being, the girl simply sank back into her meditative state, content to resume her watch, and just discuss it with Christina tomorrow.

  2. #12
    Leader of the Kitsune
    Numbers's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Aincrad
    Favourite Roleplay Genres
    Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction
    Age
    28
    Posts
    1,820
    Mentioned
    7 Post(s)
    Rep Power
    88

    Default

    In her sleep, she quickly went into a deeper sleep in order to communicate with the bodies flowing around her. At first, her dreams consisted of memories from her childhood. Then a white flash appeared in her mind as everything was replaced with an environment completely made of white. No sky, ground, or anything, just whiteness. She opened her eyes, but she was now where she went to sleep. She was in this white world. The only other thing there was the dragon that her bodies had taken the form of.

    She smiled and looked at them. "Why, hello again my old friend." The dragon snorted before responding. "Hello, your majesty." She continued to smile, walking over to them, putting a hand on the dragons head while resting her head on it as well. "What is it that you ask of me now?" She asked with no intention of beating around the bush. The dragon snorted again but let her rest against itself. "You know why we are here. Are you sure we should trust her? She is an enemy of your people, someone we are war with. What is to stop her from just taking you against your will?" She simply smiled at his question.

    "You are what keeps her from simply kidnapping me. I have faith in your strength. You have shown me your power to destroy and create and I know that you will protect me because of it. You are right though, she is my enemy, but I know you remember as well. They are our enemies by the choice of our people. As soon as we met them, we killed their people, without even giving a chance for peace due to fear. Peace is something we can never expect to come either if someone with power doesn't step up." The dragon was silent for a moment before thinking. "Does it have to be you who has to risk their life?" She smiled again before looking at its eyes. "My father wants to destroy the world in order to rule it. I am the only child, the only one who can take over. If I broker peace with our enemy, I gain a powerful ally who could help to defeat my father who controls most of our military currently. I agree that meeting them right now is not the best bet. For now, we shall travel with our new friend, get to know her more and let her get to know us. Once we gather our allies on the other continent, we can return to these lands, find someplace to build a base, and start the revolution. Building a base will be very helpful with her people as allies." The dragon thought some more. "Okay, I will allow her to live for now. But if she becomes a threat I will kill her." Alessia smiled. "Deal." She said before closing her eyes again. As she opened them, she awoke from her dreams.

    It was the morning now and she sat up. She looked at the area around her. The usual black circle of death was around her. As she continued to look around she found her new friend. She did a quick stretch from her spot before speaking up. "I see you decided to not kill me in my sleep. That is a good thing." She said with a smile.
    made by the lovely karma

  3. #13
    Mistborn
    Namingtoohard's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    3,797
    Mentioned
    20 Post(s)
    Rep Power
    498

    Default

    Even when the sun began to rise, the Tehnu would not stir from the trance in which she had placed herself. With her eyes closed and her hands resting on her knees, Shivali remained virtually motionless, with only the steady rise and fall of her chest to betray the fact that she was currently still alive. The first rays of morning light did not deter her, and the woman continued to maintain her vigil. It was only at the unmistakeable sound of Christina stirring that informed Shivali it was now time to awaken, and she would begin the methodical process of awakening herself and returning her body to full functionality once more. The act would take her several moments, but when she could finally move again, the woman would slowly rise to her feet.

    "I'm not entirely sure I could manage it, even if I had wished to do so" she replied matter-of-factly, seemingly unbothered by the admission of her uncertainty on the matter. Frankly, she believed anyone who thought they could best the monstrosity she had witnessed the previous day would simply be lying to themselves. Regardless, she took a few moments to progress through a few routine stretches as the two of them exchanged words, trying to work out the stiffness that had accumulated in her muscles over the long period of disuse they had just undergone.

    "But yes, a good morning to you too. I trust that you are feeling much better now?" she questioned rather simply, throwing a rather blatant glance towards the circle of scarred and dead earth where her companion had spent the night. It seemed a shame, to damage the ecosystem as such, but the girl supposed that it was inevitable. Better to have her companion back at full strength, just in case they did stumble into another situation that required them to fight.

    "In any case, it may interest you to know that a battalion of soldiers passed along the road last night. I could not tell if they were humans or disguised Nekorians at such a distance, but it seems somewhat likely that they were sent out after us, if they were forcing a march so late at night. You would probably know better than I, however, given your familiarity with the way your father does things" she remarked idly, turning her gaze back towards her new companion as she folded both of her arms across her chest.

  4. #14
    Leader of the Kitsune
    Numbers's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Aincrad
    Favourite Roleplay Genres
    Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction
    Age
    28
    Posts
    1,820
    Mentioned
    7 Post(s)
    Rep Power
    88

    Default

    Christina cocked her head to the side, listening to Shivali talk about the patrol. "Hmmm." She said crossing her arms. "Father is being careful. No, those are normal human soldiers that belong to my kingdom. However, he knows that with constant patrols through our lands it will force me to be careful as well. It requires me to consume a little more energy than normal in order to hide my tail and ears. Not enough energy in the short run to really affect anything, however, in the long run, it can easily cost me a day or two." Christina put her hand to her mouth for a moment.

    "Not to mention, the humans will try to stop me if they see me, as well as alerting any scouts that may be hiding among them of my presence. If a scout finds me, then we will for sure see the agents later that day or the next day." She started to pace back and forth. "Hmm I do have a few counters, but all of them will require us to be in some form of city or town. We can't go back because there is no doubt, several scouts, hiding in the shadows there while the agents have made a temporary base there." An idea popped into her head. "Hmmm, I know what we can do. We won't be able to use it right away though. We'll have to wait to fully activate the disguise until we get to the next city." She walked over to a tree and put a hand on it. She closed her eyes and a faint green light started to glow from her hand.

    Shortly part of the tree started to carve itself out, forming a small wooden looking pigeon. It took her about half an hour for it to fully form and then she took her hand off taking a few quick breaths. "Ah, how pretty my dear indeed." She said with a smile, putting a hand out for the pigeon to jump onto. It was very much still wooden looking but appeared to be alive, at least in a basic sense. It slowly moved until it was sitting on top of Christina's shoulder and she pulled out a piece of paper before writing something on it. She then rolled the paper up and gave it to the bird. "Here, deliver this to Alex. Then find some nice place to rest and become one with the earth. Turn into a nice flower." There was a nod but no chirp before it took the note in its mouth and started to fly off.

    "I have a friend, his name is Alex. He's a traveling merchant. Human, but he knows my secret. I met him once upon a time when I snuck out for a week to watch the people who would eventually be under my rule. It was before my father turned me into a weapon of destruction. After we met, we would write, father thought it was ridiculous but he allowed me this one friend as long as I never ran away again. I've met him on several occasions after that as well. We can trust him, and we can trust that he will get to that city we are going to. I should know when my bird arrives simply because it's my creation, which will give me an estimate on how long it should take him to arrive at the city." She then turned around and looked at her friend, cocking her head to the side with her eyes closed and a smile on her face. "Should we start moving again? I should be fine to travel all day now that I have regained my energy." She was not bothering to hide her tail or ears, figuring that no humans were around right this moment. Her bodies were able to keep an eye as well so if her tail and ears were in danger of being seen, the bodies would automatically hide them.
    made by the lovely karma

  5. #15
    Mistborn
    Namingtoohard's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    3,797
    Mentioned
    20 Post(s)
    Rep Power
    498

    Default

    Shivali would nod in simple acceptance as her new travelling companion explained her father's methodology, and the likelihood that the patrol she had witnessed were actually searching for Christina herself. It made sense that the humans would be more abundant than the Nekorians themselves, alongside the fact that they would still not hesitate to report the missing princess should she be spotted regardless. Of course, she took most of the girl's words with a grain of salt, but she was forced to trust the princess nonetheless. She had no information otherwise, and the unexpected assistance of a girl who was struggling to maintain her own freedom would likely prove trustworthy enough.

    "Very well, then. Do whatever you must. We have nothing to lose from waiting a bit, so long as the time is spent productively" the Tehnu woman would reply, moving to retake her seat. Given the chance to relax without having to meditate, she would lower herself to the ground, leaning back against the nearest tree. She would never have been so presumptuous, but given the time constraint her friend quoted, it seemed a reasonable enough move. As she waited for the time to pass, the warrior would draw some rations out of her pack, setting about chewing on some dried jerky to sustain herself whilst she watched on. Her reaction to the process that followed was one of amazement, more than anything else...or perhaps it was a tad closer to awe?

    "That's...astonishing. It goes against everything our people would have thought possible" she confessed rather honestly, leaning in to examine the bird a little more closely. Of course, the opportunity would not last, and she would promptly watch as the wooden bird took to the sky. After it had vanished into the sky, she would turn back to her partner, before nodding alongside the simple declaration of travel.

    "Indeed. If that is all you needed, then there is no point in wasting any further time here" she offered rather simply. Just like that, the woman would shoulder her pack and immediately step clear of their grove. From there it was only a short trip back to the road, at which point she would set off in the same direction they had been travelling earlier. She would set a rather slow pace to begin with, allowing Christina to take the lead. After a few moments, she would match her speed to that of her companion. The Tehnu warrior would have easily had the endurance to run all the way to the next town should the situation call for it, but at the end of the day, she was restrained by the limits of her companion. Regardless, such a move would have been reckless after a night spent with zero sleep and only meditation, so perhaps it was for the best.

    "Well, the sooner we get there, the sooner we can try those pancakes, hm?" she would question idly, throwing a sideways glance at Christina as the two of them walked. A sly grin flickered across her features, and she cocked an eyebrow as she spoke. She took the opportunity to observe the Nekorian, under pretence of waiting for some sort of reply. It wasn't often that members of their respective kind were so close without blood being shed, and curiosity was quick to get the better of Shivali.

  6. #16
    Leader of the Kitsune
    Numbers's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Aincrad
    Favourite Roleplay Genres
    Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction
    Age
    28
    Posts
    1,820
    Mentioned
    7 Post(s)
    Rep Power
    88

    Default

    Her ears twitched and her tail flicked excitedly. "Yes! Pancakes! I must have some before we leave the city to go to the next one. I'll have to have them all the time because supposedly there are many different ways of eating these so-called pancakes! It really is amazing, to think that in the absence of high-quality noble food, they just make new food, and then make all kinds of different ways of eating the same food! Did you know there is actually a type of food that you eat with your hands, instead of using any form of silverware? How do they keep the food from getting on them? I must find out."

    She continued to think about different kinds of food for a moment when a new thought crossed her mind. "Why are you traveling with me? Our people are at war. I can understand not wanting to fight right now, but surely you have to respond to a superior or master of some kind back home. Won't they send soldiers to come look for you if you never report back to them? I can't imagine they would think good things about you if they saw you traveling with me. Though, I guess my bodies would detect them before they see me, making it so they only see you traveling with a little human girl." She said with a purrr of amusement as she closed her eyes with it.

    With her eyes closed, she continued walking, with almost no difference in her ability to walk she also stretched her arms out above her. As she stretched she made a small meow sort of sound before resting her arms in a crossed pattern behind her head. She opened her eyes now as she continued walking with her head leaning slightly back on the arms behind it.
    made by the lovely karma

  7. #17
    Mistborn
    Namingtoohard's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    3,797
    Mentioned
    20 Post(s)
    Rep Power
    498

    Default

    Shivali would listen to her companion's ramblings on the topics of pancakes and food in good humour, and a soft chuckle slipped from her lips at the mention of people eating using their hands, instead of cutlery. Of course, the entire line of conversation seemed to bring into perspective the oddity that seemed to be Christina's experiences with the world thus far. The way she seemed to be so well-informed on complex topics such as politics and military compositions, but so excitable and naïve in regards to much more mundane things was relatively strange, but spoke volumes about what her upbringing must have been like. A curious little bit of insight for the newly acquainted pair. When her partner questioned her motives, however, the Tehnu woman would give a bit of a casual shrug.

    "I am of sufficient rank to have some moderate level of freedom. I only have one direct superior, and my master is more than happy to allow me this much. She will expect me to report back to her eventually, but I will cross that bridge when I come to it" the Tehnu warrior would offer, a wry smile flickering across her features at the thought. "Even if she does grow impatient, they would only risk Tehnu soldiers as a last resort. A lone messenger is much more likely" she would answer. Of course, such was only a partial truth; it did not reveal the fact that she had been sent out on a specific mission to find the princess. Shivali did not yet feel the need to share that particular detail with Christina yet, however.

    "Many of my kind might always dislike any sort of association with your kind, be it because of some blood feud, or simply the old traditions. Not all of us are so judgemental and narrow-minded as that, however. Myane has always been one of the more rational members of the Lotus, and I trust that she will agree with my judgement and actions, if it comes to that" she would offer, sounding genuinely nonplussed by the idea of being brought under scrutiny for travelling with the Nekorian. Regardless, the Tehnu woman would briefly roll her neck and shoulders as the two of them walked, trying to work out a bit of residual soreness, before finally continuing.

    "You seem confident enough that the vast majority of your people will be able to adapt to the changes that your ideals will bring, if not openly welcome them. I trust that mine will prove capable of the same"

  8. #18
    Leader of the Kitsune
    Numbers's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Aincrad
    Favourite Roleplay Genres
    Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction
    Age
    28
    Posts
    1,820
    Mentioned
    7 Post(s)
    Rep Power
    88

    Default

    "My people are sheep, guided by a man who wishes to see the world burn. My sheep are ignorant, they think we fight a war because if we don't your people will wipe us off the map. The human population, as you know, no nothing of us. My people are forced to hide who they are every day, to deny one's existence takes a bigger tole on the kingdom than my father wants to admit. People resist and are either executed or exiled if they're too powerful. My people live long, at least, those of us who hail from the pure blood. Those who mix with the humans, their children have younger life spans. Still longer than a human, but much shorter than that of a pureblood. My goal is to let my sheep be free once again. To let our existence be known. The humans I have met, they inform me that the stories of my people, what we once were, have all but disappeared to the most ancient tomes that the humans have created. They see us as creatures of magic. I long for the day though that you can walk through a city in any kingdom, and see not just humans, but those of other races. Both of my race and your race, easily intermingling with each other, forming friendships, partnerships, romance, and who knows what else." She said in a more serious tone than her more relaxed tone before.

    "My father believes though that as soon as the humans know we exist, it will bring about our downfall as it did last time. But I know the truth. The humans are different now, and we Nekorians must once again adapt our lifestyle if we wish to survive in this world. If another kingdom fears us and wishes to fight us, so be it. We won't run this time, we will fight to the very last drop of blood, and if my kingdom faces extinction, even then, I will not use this power my father wants me to use."
    made by the lovely karma

  9. #19
    Mistborn
    Namingtoohard's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    3,797
    Mentioned
    20 Post(s)
    Rep Power
    498

    Default

    Despite the seriousness of the moment, Shivali was unable to help but grin wryly at the thought of the Nekorians being described as sheep, along with the idea of them all suddenly declaring themselves openly to humankind. Regardless, the world she described certainly seemed a much more agreeable place. Most of the Tehnu did not wish to intermingle with human society that heavily - their homeland would always remain in the mountains to the east - but Shivali would like them all to have the choice, if nothing else. Besides, such a calm and peaceful world would provide more opportunities than this one currently presented.

    "Now I do imagine that would be a rather interesting conversation. I can only hope that the humans take to it as well as you seem to believe" the Tehnu would offer, giving something along the lines of a dismissive shrug. It seemed rather unlikely that the entirety of the human race would welcome the knowledge that their society had been infiltrated so heavily, but such things were difficult to judge in advance. Regardless, the knowledge that Christina outright refused to use her abilities seemed somewhat encouraging, even if it was impossible to discern the truth of the matter. Shivali couldn't help but wonder just how well such an ideal would hold up under real scrutiny. Being able to say it and actually put it into practice might very well prove two entirely different things, after all.

    "So, what do you actually expect to gain by meeting with this Alex friend of yours? Surely you don't expect it to be all that difficult managing to get around the next town, even if your father has a relatively high number of soldiers based there" she would finally question as the day wore on, marked by the slow passage of the sun through the sky. Hopefully it wouldn't be too much longer, with any luck.

  10. #20
    Leader of the Kitsune
    Numbers's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Aincrad
    Favourite Roleplay Genres
    Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction
    Age
    28
    Posts
    1,820
    Mentioned
    7 Post(s)
    Rep Power
    88

    Default

    "If the humans choose to fight us instead of accepting that we exist then we are prepared. After all, we are a state who has been preparing for world domination. So we certainly have the supplies to fight many defensive wars at the same time. I have no doubt that the humans of my kingdom will accept us. Our kingdom has been at peace and filled with prosperity. At least on the human side of that. As for Alex..." She thought for a moment on how much to share.

    "The longer it goes without me being found, the closer I am to getting off the continent. My father will only get more and more desperate to capture me before then. So the longer I go free the more power he will exert. I don't expect any problems at this first city, but its possible in the future that other cities will start screening all visitors as they hunt for me. Alex is my plan for that eventual action. As a merchant, he is screened more often but is screened more lightly. For example, it is not uncommon for a merchant to bring their family along since they rarely are at home. With his assistance, we, well... I... will be able to blend in better. The humans no what I look like so I will need a cloke to cover my face. A cloaked traveler with only one other person is suspicious and would likely get screened quite heavily. A traveling merchant with his wife, as well as with his horribly scarred daughter though... Well, I imagine that will get screened much more lightly. More so since he is a merchant as well." Christina was quite aware of the time slowly moving. It would be nightfall soon enough. They were making great time, probably because Christina was full of energy again and able to move. It wouldn't take them a week like she thought. At their current pace they would have to spend tonight and the next night in the woods, and reach the city by around lunchtime. She purred at the thought of food. Her bodies kept her nourished when they needed to, but she always much rather have actual food than just the energy that was given to her.
    made by the lovely karma

Page 2 of 11 FirstFirst 1234 ... LastLast

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •