EZ_Ullric
08-17-00, 06:07 AM
(Note: The following contains some rather graphic images involving violence, nudity, and gore. It portrays a darker side of EQ many might not find pleasent.)
It was still dark as the bulky man rose. A thought chimed in his head, the gravelly voice of his father, "Early to bed, early to rise will make a man stupid and blind in the eyes." He shrugged of the man like he had done so many times and stepped to where his pack lay. A bit of shuffling and his battle gear was stowed, replaced by soft black leather, more suiting to his mood, and task at hand.
As the barbarian rose, still adjusting the hood of his cloak, his vision shifted downward, to the small, almost frail form of the lithe wood elf. He smiled, his hard features softening for a moment, as he remembered how willingly she had left her safety in his hands. He had stayed awake long after her breathing had evened under the influence of a peaceful sleep.
With a regretful sigh, he stepped over the druid's prone form and out of the small hut in Fironia Vie. He looked around as the door swung shut behind him, the city remained shrouded in darkness.
"Ullric."
He spun, a thin blade appearing in his hand and just as quickly disappearing, for fear the guards might spot him and claim him a threat. It appeared a weapon would not be needed anyway. Standing under a torch was the source of the soft voice, a sight that made him gasp in surprise. A young half elf woman, dressed in leathers identicle in cut and shade to his own. "Eliana," the rogue whispered in reply.
She stepped forward, an attempt to close the distance between the two that was only prevented by the larger man's involuntary step back. Another step forward and another step back, until he was pressed against the wood of the house he just left. Finally she stood directly before him, so close she had to look up to see his face. Her full lips quirked into a smile, "You've grown."
He nodded dumbly, his numb lips struggling around words foreign to his ears, "But..but you..you're.."
"Dead?" she finished for him, "Ullric, you will find that many things in this world are not as they seem."
Ullric swallowed thickly, "What do you want?"
The half elf licked her lips, her violet eyes gleaming, "To remind you, that you are mine, now and forever." With that she turned, her cloak swirling about her, and stepped briskly into the shadows.
The barbarian was suddenly spurred into action by her movements, stepping after her, "Eliana! Wait!" His throat tightened up as he struggled to speak so many things at once, his love for her, how he missed her, so much.
The now vague shape in the shadows stopped, and turned around. As it stepped back into the light, it seemed to grow, and it was no longer the beautiful young woman, but an ancient and battleworn barbarian, his hair silvery white, though he still carried himself like a man ready to do battle. He wore armor rusted over, the entire surface a dull orange except where pitted holes wore through, and there rivulets of crimson blood ran down the surface of it, dripping off the soldier to soak into the ground.
Ullric stopped short, but managed to hold his ground against the fearsome man. "Wulfgar."
The man nodded, placing the tip of his mighty two handed sword in the ground before him and resting his hands on the hilt, "Son."
Ullric swallowed hard, "What do you want, Wulfgar?"
The man's face split into a fearsome grin, his teeth were sharp, pointed, "You're soul." With a rending noise, the old man began to change. His lower body distorted and blackened as a bulbous shadow grew behind him. Then he was no longer a man, but a hideous half spider, similar to the drachnids of this region. He brought his blade up in one hand, and Ullric felt only fear. He turned and fled back into the door he had so recently exited from.
But the room was no longer what it had been. It was instead a massive hall, built of stone and iron. In the middle of the room was a large oak table, and what was upon it made the rogue's stomach lurch and his chest tighten. The young druid he had vowed to protect lay across the table, now stripped to nothing and gruesomely eviscerated. A drachnid Eliana stood beside her, feasting wantonly on the beautiful wood elf's innards.
He stood frozen, watching as the spider-beast looked up. Then he noticed the naked woman stir and draw in a shuddering breath, followed by a weak moan. A flash of hope filled Ullric, followed by another bolt of agony as he realized that though she was alive, she was suffering. His knees felt weak, and again he turned to flee.
Yet before his first step was taken, a lance of fiery pain short through his chest (again). He blinked and looked down at the blade, embedded firmly in his flesh. His gaze followed the gleaming edge of the weapon up to its wielder, his father. The world spun, and soon he was looking up, at the two monstrous creatures above him. Eliana shook her head slowly, a mocking grin on her lips as blood dripped from them and down her chin, "You could not protect me, little Ullric, how can you protect her?" With that, Wulfgar brought the blade down, and the world flashed black.
Ullric's eyes snapped open. It was dark out, and the only sound filling the room was his shallow breath. He slowly turned his head, in the dim half light of dawn, he could make out the shapely form of the druid, resting peacefully.
The barbarian closed his eyes with an uneasy sigh. He hoped her dreams were better than his.
Rogue - 40
It was still dark as the bulky man rose. A thought chimed in his head, the gravelly voice of his father, "Early to bed, early to rise will make a man stupid and blind in the eyes." He shrugged of the man like he had done so many times and stepped to where his pack lay. A bit of shuffling and his battle gear was stowed, replaced by soft black leather, more suiting to his mood, and task at hand.
As the barbarian rose, still adjusting the hood of his cloak, his vision shifted downward, to the small, almost frail form of the lithe wood elf. He smiled, his hard features softening for a moment, as he remembered how willingly she had left her safety in his hands. He had stayed awake long after her breathing had evened under the influence of a peaceful sleep.
With a regretful sigh, he stepped over the druid's prone form and out of the small hut in Fironia Vie. He looked around as the door swung shut behind him, the city remained shrouded in darkness.
"Ullric."
He spun, a thin blade appearing in his hand and just as quickly disappearing, for fear the guards might spot him and claim him a threat. It appeared a weapon would not be needed anyway. Standing under a torch was the source of the soft voice, a sight that made him gasp in surprise. A young half elf woman, dressed in leathers identicle in cut and shade to his own. "Eliana," the rogue whispered in reply.
She stepped forward, an attempt to close the distance between the two that was only prevented by the larger man's involuntary step back. Another step forward and another step back, until he was pressed against the wood of the house he just left. Finally she stood directly before him, so close she had to look up to see his face. Her full lips quirked into a smile, "You've grown."
He nodded dumbly, his numb lips struggling around words foreign to his ears, "But..but you..you're.."
"Dead?" she finished for him, "Ullric, you will find that many things in this world are not as they seem."
Ullric swallowed thickly, "What do you want?"
The half elf licked her lips, her violet eyes gleaming, "To remind you, that you are mine, now and forever." With that she turned, her cloak swirling about her, and stepped briskly into the shadows.
The barbarian was suddenly spurred into action by her movements, stepping after her, "Eliana! Wait!" His throat tightened up as he struggled to speak so many things at once, his love for her, how he missed her, so much.
The now vague shape in the shadows stopped, and turned around. As it stepped back into the light, it seemed to grow, and it was no longer the beautiful young woman, but an ancient and battleworn barbarian, his hair silvery white, though he still carried himself like a man ready to do battle. He wore armor rusted over, the entire surface a dull orange except where pitted holes wore through, and there rivulets of crimson blood ran down the surface of it, dripping off the soldier to soak into the ground.
Ullric stopped short, but managed to hold his ground against the fearsome man. "Wulfgar."
The man nodded, placing the tip of his mighty two handed sword in the ground before him and resting his hands on the hilt, "Son."
Ullric swallowed hard, "What do you want, Wulfgar?"
The man's face split into a fearsome grin, his teeth were sharp, pointed, "You're soul." With a rending noise, the old man began to change. His lower body distorted and blackened as a bulbous shadow grew behind him. Then he was no longer a man, but a hideous half spider, similar to the drachnids of this region. He brought his blade up in one hand, and Ullric felt only fear. He turned and fled back into the door he had so recently exited from.
But the room was no longer what it had been. It was instead a massive hall, built of stone and iron. In the middle of the room was a large oak table, and what was upon it made the rogue's stomach lurch and his chest tighten. The young druid he had vowed to protect lay across the table, now stripped to nothing and gruesomely eviscerated. A drachnid Eliana stood beside her, feasting wantonly on the beautiful wood elf's innards.
He stood frozen, watching as the spider-beast looked up. Then he noticed the naked woman stir and draw in a shuddering breath, followed by a weak moan. A flash of hope filled Ullric, followed by another bolt of agony as he realized that though she was alive, she was suffering. His knees felt weak, and again he turned to flee.
Yet before his first step was taken, a lance of fiery pain short through his chest (again). He blinked and looked down at the blade, embedded firmly in his flesh. His gaze followed the gleaming edge of the weapon up to its wielder, his father. The world spun, and soon he was looking up, at the two monstrous creatures above him. Eliana shook her head slowly, a mocking grin on her lips as blood dripped from them and down her chin, "You could not protect me, little Ullric, how can you protect her?" With that, Wulfgar brought the blade down, and the world flashed black.
Ullric's eyes snapped open. It was dark out, and the only sound filling the room was his shallow breath. He slowly turned his head, in the dim half light of dawn, he could make out the shapely form of the druid, resting peacefully.
The barbarian closed his eyes with an uneasy sigh. He hoped her dreams were better than his.
Rogue - 40