[color=blue][center][h1]Celebration of Hate[/h1][/center][/color] [hr] The glow of the large bonfire blazed like a beacon in the dark forest. Smoke billowed up at the bright moon above, as if to caress the pale light with wispy hands. Lost forever in the Blackness between. It was there they celebrated the winter solstice. Adorned with furs, bright colors, headdresses, animal skulls and more, the tribe celebrated. There was laughter as much as there was silent contemplation to the gods and spirits. And dancing. So much dancing. “Come on Yalka! Dance with me!” Rorik smiled ear to ear, pulling on her deerskin sleeves. Yalka rolled her icy eyes, she hated dancing. It wasn’t that she wasn’t good at it, she just… Tripped over her own feet. "You know I don't like dancing!" She retorted with a grin. Rorik did have a cute smile, maybe it wouldn't hurt? "Oh come on you." He laughed, pulling her into the circle. The beating of the drums quickened and the two stopped in front of the other, before moving with the rhythm of the drums in a circle around and around each other. Chanting began with whoops and hollering. Both smiled as their bodies touched at the height of the beat. Eyes focused, the temptation palpable as she glanced at his lips ever so often. Their heads moved closer, his breath warm. Her heart began to best fast as their lips tou- There was a scream. The mad drumming stopped. The singing ceased and the laughter was silenced. All eyes turned to where the screaming had come from. Yalka pulled away from Rorik to see… Rudia. It was Rudia, backing away from the edge of the clearing in haste. Her black hair was disheveled and her furs ripped in several places, as if she had run through a bramble. Yalka followed her gaze from where she stood, the silence becoming deafening as she stared into the dark forest. She didn’t have to wait long, she could feel her heart begin to beat even faster, her palms becoming sweaty as a feeling of intense dread overcame her. She wanted to run from that feeling. Far, far away. Rorik grabbed her arm, his touch reassuring as he too looked into the forest. And there, emerging from the black into the flickering light was a creature she had never seen before. It was no troll, and not a man. It was too tall to be a man and it had wings like a bird. Giant wings. It came to a stop, never lifting its haze from Rudia as she turned to run back into a group of hunters. She hid behind them, her soft sobs the only sound beside the flame crackling. Many began to whisper that it was a spirit. She had never seen one before but the stories of those that had, had never mentioned they were so tall. In fact, they were small. Like tiny humans with wings. Chief Valgro made his way closer, behind him trailed a handful of hunters and a few brought elder Rans with them. They stopped a good ways away from it. Seeing Rans however, Yalka pushed forward but Rorik caught her again. "Let me go." She hissed. "No, Yalka. Let them handle it. Rans would not want you there and you know it. He would want his granddaughter safe." Rorik held onto her arm tightly and she fell back, pressing herself to him as she watched with wide eyes. Rorik was right of course but she couldn't shake that feeling of dread. They seemed to be talking to it and it was talking back, though she could not hear what they were saying. Rans stepped forward, leaning heavily on his stick with one hand and raising his other as he spoke. Whatever he said, seemed to be working. As the spirit began to back away. As it turned to leave however, it paused and spun around. This time, several men buckled as the spirit's gaze fell upon them and a few ran. Valgro stepped forward, brandishing his spear as the Spirit came forward again. Yalka's heart beat faster but Valgro struck the creature hard enough for sparks to fly. It paused and time seemed to slow down. Before she knew it, a large weapon struck Valgro in the head, exploding it into a fine mist and before anyone could react, the spirit swung again, striking Rans down. Yalka screamed and broke free from Rorik, running as fast as she could to her grandfather. The tribe exploded into a frenzy of action after that. Woman and children screamed, men yelled to run and fight and the spir- No, the daemon struck down two more hunters as she neared. It turned to her but simply laughed as it beat its wings, flying into the air and over her. The gust flung her down but she quickly rebounded, clambering to her feet as she stumbled over to Rans. She fell to her knees beside the old man, who's torso and furs were covered in blood. He was not breathing. "No no NO!" She screamed, face twisted into anger as she looked to find her quarrel. It fought several hunters, bashing them down one at a time, letting their spears hit over and over. It roared madly but it would soon cry out in pain! Yalka grabbed a spear and ran at the thing. She dodged and weaved through panicking tribesmen and by the time she had arrived where the daemon was, the hunters around him were dead. And more alarming was that it's helmet as well as its weapon lay on the ground beside it. Yet it was no longer even fighting but going through the feast pots. Now it was her chance, while it was distracted. She hated her spear, yelled a war cry and watched as it turned to face her. A face pale as snow and distant as the far ices looked at her with disdain. She flung the spear anyways and her aim was true. It plunged itself into it's exposed throat with a sickening gurgle. The daemon flung its head back, leaning over about to topple. She knew it. But her heart stopped as it wrapped a hand around the wooden shaft and wrenched the spear free. Orange blood gushed from the wound and before her very eyes, the fatal wound closed shut. The daemon frowned as it dropped the spear. It tilted its head to the side before looking around her before settling on her gaze. "Look around, little human. You are alone." It said. She did just that and it was true. All around her was corpses. Not one living person in sight. Where was Rorik? Was he dead? "Your aim was true, I'll give you that. Perhaps it deserves a reward?" The daemon smiled, revealing pearly teeth. She tried to run but her knees buckled and she felt woozy. She looked up at the creature as it approached, wanting to scream for help but her voice caught in her throat and her world faded to black. [hr] She tasted blood. Rubbing her hand to her nose, she looked down to see a fine trail of crimson. She spit, a gush of pink and red spittle fell across the white snow. Grimacing, a flare of anger welled up inside. She eyed daggers at the smug face of Dale and let out a howl of fury as she swung like a mad man at him. Dale dodged the first few swings but got backhanded by a third and reeled back, giving her an opening to tackle him to the ground. There they rolled about, boys, girls, and their older peers nagging them on, within the forming circle. Each was trying to get the upper hand over one another. To pin them and let put a flurry of blows. Dale was stronger then she was but he was also slower and not as quick. His only advantage was that she was tall and he could wrap his hands around her arms easily. All was looking dire as Dale got on top of her and raised his fists to bring down a blow, but she sprung up her upper torso and headbutted him. There was a loud smack and her ears began ringing but it worked. It stunned Dale just enough to where she was able to push him backwards and get on top. She began to wail on him and that was when she felt another blow on her face. As she toppled off, she had just enough time to see it was Dale's friends. She instinctively wrapped herself into a ball, protecting her head as they punched and kicked her. It felt like minutes passed before a voice scattered everyone. "Kia!" The voice was deep and gruff. "Get up Kia, they're gone." Rorik nudged her. She opened her eyes and gazed up at the old man. His look of disapproval made her want to curl back up and diseaper but she got up onto her feet feeling sore and looking like a mess. She lowered her head as Rorik began to speak. "What happened this time?" She felt her hands ball into fists once more. "Dale he- He insulted me." "And you thought it wise to fight the chieftain's son? Again?" Rorik raised his voice. "How many times do I have to tell you Kia! Do. Not. FIGHT!" She raised her own voice now and looked at him with anger in her eyes. "I'm not going to let him-" "Let him what?" Rorik interrupted. "Let him insult you? Let him poke fun? You're bigger then this Kia! I expected more from y-" "HE CALLED MY MOTHER THE DAEMON'S WHORE!" She screamed, shaking in rage just at the mere memory. Rorik looked as if he had been struck by a terrible blow and he deflated with a long sigh. "I wanted to hurt him, Rorik. I wanted him to feel my pain. Is that so wrong? Rorik looked her over, his eyes showing the same look of disapproval. One she had grown familiar with. She frowned. "Let's go home." He said, not waiting for her reply. Kia watched him limp off and looked down at her trembling hands, bits of frost had begun to form. She took a raspy breath and closed her eyes, tightening her hands. Letting the warmth back in, she opened her eyes and knew the frost was gone. She then hurried after Rorik, wincing in pain as she did. [hr] The next day came and she woke up feeling even worse. Her entire body hurt from the beating, but it couldn't stop her. It wouldn't. She got up out of bed, put her platinum hair into a tight bun and wrapped herself in her furs. She needed to get to the hot springs and wash up before Rorik made a fuss about hunting. She crept past his sleeping form and made her way out into the brisk early morning. Not even the sun was out yet but she hoisted her pack on her back and grabbed her spear. By the time she made it to the hot spring caves, the morning sun was peaking out over the tall evergreens. It would be a sunny day, with little warmth. She thanked the gods when she entered the empty hot springs and quickly pulled her clothes off before dipping into the hot water with a sigh. She splashed her dainty face and ran in her fingers through her hair, and scrubbed grime and dried blood from the rest of her skinny body. She thought about the days past events and couldn't help but furrow her brow just thinking about what Dale said. He and the others were a bunch of trollkin always, being mean to her. She knew why they did it. She only had to look into the water to see just how different she looked. Not entirely human… Just another freak. Worse… Tainted by the Daemon's blood. She shivered just thinking about it. She hit the water with a fist and sank back in angry contemplation. As she did, the water rippled across the hot springs, and, for a brief moment, she saw something behind her. Turning around rapidly, there was nothing, but, a soft haze came over her mind, almost as if the spring’s steam had entered in. [color=DAA250]”Child of a Daemon, Bastard Spawn, Freak, Different, I do wonder if mortals do tire of using the same words over and over again.”[/color] A voice rang out in her head, it was calm, yet filled with joy, and she could not quite identify its gender. Kia stood up in haste, nearly falling over as she looked around the room. "Who's there!" She shouted in anger, covering herself with her hands. Their words stung and only added to her mounting anger. [color=DAA250]”Have no fear my dear,”[/color] The voice rang out once more, [color=DAA250]”I am, a friend, someone who wishes you no harm, in fact, I have come to help you.”[/color] "Who comes to help by calling names and being too cowardly to show themselves!" She yelled, narrowing her eyes as she looked around again. A soft chuckle emanated from around her [color=DAA250]”You mistake me dear, I mean not to mock you, but those who see if fit to utilize the same old insults again and again, I do grow bored of it after a while, as for showing myself, well, I guess I can give it a shot.”[/color] Suddenly, the steam began to gather and coalesce, forming a strange figure, faceless and lanky, pointed legs with no feet, and a single hole where an eye should go. [color=DAA250]”That better?”[/color] She gasped and fell backwards in the water. She emerged shortly after sputtering and breathing hard. The figure was still there and only then did she realize who was talking to her. "You are a god?" She asked. Another chuckle [color=DAA250]”Yes, I am, and you my dear, have drawn my attention, as your life is, well, very close to my work, and I figured I could not just allow an actor as special as yourself to go unnoticed, and so,”[/color] The figure stretched its arms out wide, gesturing towards the spring they were in [color=DAA250]”Here I am, a friend, to offer you some help.”[/color] She blushed. "You want to help me?" She asked. [color=DAA250]”Why of course![/color] The god loudly proclaimed [color=DAA250]”You have so much potential as an actor in this Great Play! A tragic backstory! A motivation to fight those who have oppressed her! I couldn’t have come up with something better myself.”[/color] The figure stood, drawing closer to her [color=DAA250]”So tell me dear, what is it you desire most?”[/color] "My mother." She blurted out. "I-I desire my mother, oh God." She followed, a wild look in her eyes. The god was, for a brief moment, silent, then, it spoke, its voice quieter this time [color=DAA250]”You desire your mother? I, see.”[/color] They were silent for a few more moments. [color=DAA250]”I may be able to aid you in that, not directly, that is not my, department persay, but I think I can give you something that’ll help in your future quest.”[/color] "Yes. Please! Anything. I'll do anything! I'll hunt down the Daemon and make him suffer for what he did to her if I have to. I just want her back." She sniffed. [color=DAA250]”Very well my dear, now, hold still.”[/color] Suddenly, the once intense heat of the springs vanished, replaced by a frigid cold, the figure of the god reached out one of its lanky arms towards her, lightly tapping her upon her forehead. A shiver of cold shot down her spine, settling itself within her. It remained that way for a few brief moments, before the heat returned. [color=DAA250]”That, should do it, your inherent powers of ice brought to the forefront, and made, far better if I do say so myself, it’ll take practice, but, I have high hopes for you my dear.”[/color] She stared at her hands, a look of shock crossed her face. "Ice? Oh no. Oh no no. I can't… They'll hate me even more. They'll-They'll… What will Rorik think?" She cried out. [color=DAA250]”Worry not my dear,”[/color] The god placed one of its arms upon her shoulder, and stared at her with their singular ‘eye’ [color=DAA250]”What they think, is of no consequence of you, they hate you, because you are better than them, they are nothing more than useless pieces in the Great Play, but you? You my dear have so much potential, let not their words pierce your heart, instead, use them to harden your resolve, they may sling their useless insults towards you, but you, you shall always have the eyes of the gods upon you, and you shall go on to do far more than they or their descendents ever shall”[/color] His words helped her a bit and she nodded. They would always hate her for what she was, that she knew. Could that change? She did not think so. But Rorik… How would he react? "What is your name, oh God?" She asked, changing the subject. [color=DAA250]”You, may refer to me as Yamat, if you ever require aid, merely pray towards me, and I shall see what I can do.”[/color] "Yes… I will remember that, Yamat. Thank you, for your help." She said in a small voice. [color=DAA250]”Of course my dear.”[/color] They spoke, and she could almost sense a hint of kindness within. Then, the steam and the haze dissipated, leaving her once more alone within the Hot Springs. Kia settled back into the pool, unsure of what to think. It would be a long time before she would leave. [hider=Summary] Boop. Malri arrives at a human village, from a human POV. There’s a heated exchange between a group and him, that the POV character doesn’t see. Malri then kills some people, and the POV character, (dunno why I keep saying POV character, her name is Yalka.) So Yalka attacks Malri after everyone else has run away or died, and she would have killed him if not for those pesky healing bands. Her fate is left ambiguous. We jump ahead several years and we find out Kia is the bastard of Malri and it is implied, Yalka. She beats down on a human guy after he insulted her mother, and then gets scolded by her Not!dad, figured, Rorik. The next day she goes to a hot spring and gets cleaned up, and Yamat pervs on her but also gives her some powers. Yippe. [/hider] [hider=MP] Yamat Start: 2mp/4dp Grant titles to Kia: 2mp and 2dp spent [b]The North’s Heart IV:[/b] 2 free from Desolation, 2dp-The ice magic utilized by this hero is enhanced by the freezing cold of the northern wastes themself. Any Ice magic utilized by this induces a freezing cold that will quickly damage life within the surrounding area that are not already adapted to such cold. When the magic is utilized in an area in succession, it will begin to transform the area into a desolate freezing wasteland where plant and animal life will quickly begin to die. -2MP for title, [b]Polar Freeze II[/b] - This hero is capable of manipulating the mana currents to hold complete sway over ice. These ice based spells are many leagues better then what any mortal could produce on their own. Such sorceries are without limit and extremely deadly, but still lacks finer control and mastery. As this title grows in strength, control can be obtained and mastery completed. Yamat End: 0mp/2dp [/hider] [Hider=prestige] Malri Starting = 10 +5 = 15 Pale Goddess' Regalia Starting = 10 +5 = 15 God's Spite Starting = 10 +5 =15 The Twin Bands Starting = 5 +5 = 10 Translator Starting = 5 +5 = 10 Sunstone Starting = 5 +5 = 10 Kia Starting = 0 +5 = 5 [/hider]