[center][h1][b][u]Evette[/u][/b][/h1][/center] [i]Twenty-three years after Antiquity.[/i] [hr] Night had fallen on the walled town of Korstone. All was quiet. Until… “TROLL!” a man screamed, running toward the town with all haste. “TROLLLLLLLL!” he reached the gate and began banging his bare fists upon it, even as splinters embedded themselves into his fingers. “OPEN THE GATE!” Save for the banging of knuckles against woods, all was silent. Then at last, a guard’s voice spoke up from the other side. “How big is it?” “FUCKING MASSIVE! LET ME IN!” The gate swung open. The man backed away so the doors could swing past him, and then as soon as there was enough space he rushed inside. There were two guards on duty. One guard, an older veteran by the name of Garth, seized the man and slapped him. “Calm yourself!” he barked, as the other guard peered off in the distance. “Where is this troll?” Just then, the ground began to shake. All three men turned their heads, and the civilian began to blubber incoherently. A massive head appeared over the distant hills, followed by a body, and then a pair of thick legs. The beast was massive, easily more than fifteen meters in height. They had never seen anything like it. “Fuck…” breathed one of the guards. Garth let go on the man, pulled a horn from his belt, and blew it three times, as the man rushed deeper into the town and resumed his panicked screams. “What do we do?” Garth blew his horn three more times for good measure. “You run!” he snapped. “We can’t fight that! Go!” He shoved the guard in the direction of the town square, but continued to blow the horn. The town was already beginning to rouse themselves, but they would not be quick enough. The troll was beginning to pick up speed, and the earth shook more violently with each step. Again, Garth blew the horn three times. Once that was done, he cast it aside. But he made no move to flee. Instead he drew his sword and rushed toward the colossal beast, with weapon in hand. He could not fight it, but he could distract it. The troll saw his approach, and tried to slam its foot down to stomp on him. He darted out of the way, but the impact of the troll’s foot smashing the ground just behind him was enough to send him into the air. He lost his grip on his sword and hit the ground face first. He rolled onto his back, and saw the beast raising its foot once again. His eyes widened, and he hastily rolled out of the way. Though he managed to avoid it, the impact once again sent him into the air, and this time his shoulder bore the brunt of the fall. He yelled out in pain as he felt a bone break. Then he leapt to his feet and instinctively dove forward, once again avoiding another stomp, but he fell into a crater-sized footprint and landed on his already wounded shoulder. He howled in agony, while his vision began to blur. He closed his eyes, and waited for the troll’s final stomp. [hr] It did not come, for the troll had found something else to distract it. A bright light in the air ahead, which stung its eyes. Nightsbane unsheathed and Angelic wings outstretched, Evette soared into battle. Her golden eyes burned with zeal and her halo shone bright like a beacon. She was clad neck-to-toe in form-fitting hardened leather, with only the back exposed to allow her wings freedom of movement. She was no longer the scared girl who fled while her village burned, or sat helpless in a cave as a vampire’s prisoner. She had grown, she had trained, she had learned, and she had a singular purpose in mind: to rid the world of abominations and monsters. Tonight, that meant slaying this troll. As she came closer, the troll’s arm swung out, attempting to swat away what it perceived as a mere annoyance. She swerved out of the way, lashing out with her sword at the same time. The creature let out a pained roar, and a severed finger fell to the earth below, rapidly turning to stone. Her course carried her onward toward the beast’s torso. The troll still reeled from the unexpected loss of its finger, as well as the fact that much of its arm was now turning to stone as well. She raised her blade high and embedded it in the center of the beast’s chest, her momentum ensuring that she barely needed to thrust. Then, she allowed herself to fall, the blade sliding through the troll’s chest as gravity did all the work. Eventually she reached the creature’s mid-section, and there was no more flesh for her blade to bite into, so she began to fall freely, and rapidly beat her wings to slow her plummet. Above her, the troll let out another roar, as the wide gaping cut down its chest glew and burned with the power of the sun. The flesh around the wound rapidly turned to stone, which then began to spread throughout the rest of its body. It thrashed and flailed, beating at its chest in the hope that would somehow stop it. As its organs hardened to rock, it suddenly stiffened. Then, it began to fall sideways, its stone arm and much of its torso shattering. What fleshy portions still remained continue to petrify, until at last, the once-great beast was nothing more than a broken statue. Evette landed on the ground feet first. The impact sent a painful jolt up her body, but she was otherwise fine. She watched the creature fall and allowed herself a small, satisfied smile. Then she turned back to see that the village guard had finally assembled outside the gate, staring at the scene in awe. She approached them. One quickly knelt. A few more soon followed. Several guards went down after that, but they were more reluctant. A handful remained standing, still stunned by her casual slaying of the troll. She couldn’t help but feel gratified by the display. Praise was not why she had done it, but nonetheless, it felt good, and for a few moments she simply allowed herself to bask in their reverence. Then, finally, she spoke. “I require food and shelter. It is late, and I have been travelling long. I know it may not be the custom for you to open your gates past this time, but may I request an exception?” The humble request caught the guards by surprise. Once her words set in, they hastily rose to their feet, and moved aside to allow her access. [hr] [hider=Post Summary] A Dovregubbe tries to attack a village. A lone guard by the name of Garth runs out in an attempt to distract it long enough for the villagers to flee. Just as the troll is about to kill him, Evette appears and slays it with Nightsbane. She then requests access to the village, which is granted. [/hider] [hider=Prestige Summary] [b]Beginning:[/b] 10 +3 for 5000+ characters [b]Ending:[/b] 13 [/hider]