[center][h1]Cold Rage[/h1][/center] [hr] "Where is it!" Came a ferocious growl, amplified by sheer dread. The scrawny man with horns spoke in gibberish again, looking anywhere but upon his visage. Fresh blood dripped from his nose and his left eye was swollen shut, black and bruised upon his pale skin. Malri threw him to the ground, where the horned man collided with the mangled bodies of others of his kind. Crushed by the mace that was still dripping with their blood. Bows, spears and broken shields littered the snow covered ground around them as the man began to crawl backwards over the corpses. Eyes tightly shut as he pleaded in a language that fell upon ears that did not understand. Malri rummaged through another pack, letting its contents fall out onto the ground. Just flasks of water, leather and other useless items! He stomped on the contents in a fit of rage before gripping the mace tighter and walking towards the man. "WHERE IS YOUR FOOD!" He screamed at him and the man instinctively went to cover his face, yelling in that stupid language of his. It was enough to make any being angry. Malri fell to his knees, dropping the mace to his side as he used his free hands to grip the man by the shoulder and his other hands to cave his head in with one punch. Blood and viscera splattered his helmet but Malri did not stop until the nothing of the man's head remained. At least nothing that could be seen as a head. He leaned over the and shut his eyes tight as the gnawing in his stomach reminded him of why he had killed them all. They would not listen! They could not understand! And so he had butchered them for their ignorance, trying to find sustenance in the frozen land that surrounded him in all ways. He slammed a fist into the ground and cursed Neiya for his predicament. She was behind all of his suffering and the mere thought of her made him angry. Oh how he wanted to wrap his hands around her throat and squeeze. Watching the life drain from her eyes would bring him joy. With a grumbled sigh, he grabbed his weapon and stood up. He unfurled his wings and took off into the sky, leaving the carnage behind as his hunt for food continued. Without food, those inferior creatures would not have ventured far from a home. He just had to find it. [hr] He did see smoke in the distance. Far away, more like a scraggly black line in the air. It would be a time before he arrived and the cold was not helping. He had to land, teeth chattering underneath the helmet. It was cold, why was the sun not warming him? He looked up at it briefly and cursed under his breath. "So much for your great kindness!" He said aloud. "The great Oraeliara," he scoffed now, "Her sunlight can't even keep me warm. Have you forsaken me too?" He stumbled, and let put a exasperated yell before punching the snow covered ground. His fist went through a layer of snow and struck something hard, breaking several of his fingers in the process. The pain that swiftly followed turned to a profound rage and Malri lashed out at nothing in his anger. He threw his mace at a distant tree, before eventually collapsing to his knees out of sheer exhuastion. [Color=gold]"You poor thing!"[/color] a voice spoke in his head, filling him with warmth. He knew of such presences and immediately went on the defensive. "Come to mock me more, have you, Neiya?" He said angrily, "Come to rub it in my face? Well go on then!" [Color=gold]"Neiya… I'm not Neiya!"[/color] she laughed. [Color=gold]"I'm Oraeliara, duh. You said my name didn't you? Did you? I can't really remember that well. How did I get here?"[/color] There was a pause, [color=gold]"Oh yeah! You said the sun wasn't warm and that stood out to me soooooo- Boop!"[/color] a small, yellow glowing stone landed before him. [Color=gold]"That will keep you warm!"[/color] Malri hesitated. He didn't like Oraeliara. Or the accursed Oraeliari. But… But if she was going to help him… Or was she? He looked at the stone, it didn't seem like a trap. With his thumb and index finger he plucked the stone up, and a burst of warmth shot into him, breathing life into his freezing limbs. "Why would you… Help me?" He asked. [Color=gold]"Uhh… Because you needed it?"[/color] "But why? I'm a Neiyari. You should hate me for what I am." He confessed. [Color=gold]"I don't truly hate anything… Well maybe except myself."[/color] There was another awkward pause, one in which Malri could hardly believe what he was hearing. [Color=gold]"Oh! I said that outloud, didn't I?"[/color] She began to giggle, but it slowly turned to soft crying, and then silence. "Goddess?" Malri asked. [Color=gold]"Oh hello!"[/color] she said. [Color=gold]"Who are you again?"[/color] she asked. Malri squinted behind his helmet. Something wasn't quite right with this goddess. He looked over the small stone again. If she had given him such a small gift out of kindness, what more could he get out of her? "Goddess! I am… Malri. One who has been cursed by Neiya and a God of Misery. They cast me away from the homeland, as a sick joke and told me many terrible things. Please help me goddess. My hand is broken and I cannot speak the language of the locals. I don't want to be hated here, like I was in the Luminant." He lied, feigning his voice to sound weak. Oraeliara did not speak for a moment and Malri feared his rise had been seen through but then she spoke. [Color=gold]"Ugh! Neiyyaaaaaa. Why do you have to hurt people."[/color] she whined. [Color=gold]"Why are you like this Neiya? And a God of misery…?"[/color] Her voice faded as if she was lost in thought before returning with renewed vigor in her voice. [Color=gold]"Well! I don't know who that is but I know Neiya! So of course I'll help youuuuu! No one should have to suffer from her and her partners! Let's see, let's see! Oh I know!"[/color] There was a clanging sound and he felt two bands of something hard wrap around his upper arms. Almost immediately his fingers, minor cuts and bruises faded away, replaced by mended bone and tissue. Another clang sounded and a pendant with a silver chain landed before him as well. He scooped it up quickly and brought the sparkling gem closer to his face. [Color=gold]"Okay, okay, so get this Nalri. No, that's not right. What was your name again?"[/color] she asked. "Malri, Goddess." He whispered. [Color=gold]"Malri! That's right. So I gave you, like, these bands that should heal you really well and a pendant that lets you communicate with others. Isn't that great! I helped you out!"[/color] "Indeed you have, Goddess… You have my thanks." Malri stood up, flexing his wings as new feathers grew to replace those lost. He felt warm and full of vigor in the cold frozen wastes. [Color=gold]"Hey what did they curse you with, anyways? You have like, really spooky armor."[/color] she inquired. “Oh, that… That is my curse, never able to take it off.” Another lie. “And they’ve made me prone to anger. Their cruelty knows no bounds, but these gifts you’ve given, they can begin to heal my wounded soul.” [color=gold]”Well that’s too bad! I’d remove the curses if I could, but for now, you should be in good hands! Haha! I gotta go now, there’s like this- flower. It’s really big and blue.”[/color] and the presence left his head. Malri’s smirk became laughter as the sun began to set. He turned his head to the distant line of smoke and once more leapt into the sky. He soon realized that he had left his mace behind, but with the gifts Oraeliara had given him, he did not need such a crude instrument. It then appeared in his hand and Malri cursed again. [hider=Summary] We find Malri in the far northern tip of Toraan. Battered down by cold and practically starving. The post opens with Malri having murdered some Merelli. He’s extremely frustrated he can’t understand him so most are dead, save one, but he does kill the guy actually. So they all die and Malri still has no food. (He could probably eat them tbh, it wouldn’t be cannibalism, now would it?) He moves on and eventually begins to complain out loud how the sun isn’t even warm there and this prompts Oraelia to show up in his mind. He’s taken aback by her kindness, as she gives him a small stone that keeps him warm. But Malri realizes there isn’t quite something right with the goddess and takes advantage of her. He explains that Neiya and some other cruel god have cursed him and this piques Oraelia’s interest and she gives him some neat gifts. He then lies some more and Oraelia departs, having found a pretty flower to look at. Malri moves on, his hunt for food not over yet. [/hider] [hider=MP] Oraelia 5MP/5DP (Free with sunlight) Sunstone. Solar battery II - this stone retains warmth if the sun's rays kiss it each day. Acts as a battery of sorts and can keep even the most frozen warm as long as they keep it close. -1MP - Universal Translator I This pendant, when worn, allows for the capacity of understanding different languages and the ability to speak them. It does not teach the wearer how to speak different languages currently, meaning it must be worn at all times for understanding to take place. Greater levels impart bits and pieces of other languages to the wearer. The Twin Bands -5DP + 4MP - Swift Sun VII A powerful artifact, with each band adding to the whole. The first, a band of bronze, molded to fit any wearer. Its sole purpose is to heal wounds quickly, allowing grievous, life sustaining wounds to be shrugged off as its power takes route. Only physical ailments are healed, afflictions of the mind and soul are another problem entirely. Greater levels allow wounds to be healed almost instantaneously. Free(Renewal) - Genesis II The band of green copper, with its purpose being of regeneration. Using the power of renewal, the band can channel the healing properties of its twin to grow flesh anew and quickly. 0MP/0DP [/hider] [Hider=prestige] Malri Starting = 5 +5 = 10 Pale Goddess' Regalia Starting = 5 +5 = 10 God's Spite Starting = 5 +5 =10 The Twin Bands Starting = 0 +5 = 5 Translator Starting = 0 +5 = 5 Sunstone Starting = 0 +5 = 5 [/hider]