Rising From The Ashes (Mot)

World: Mot
City: Outskirts of Junktown
Year: Unknown



Charlotte was terrified beyond belief. She had absolutely no idea where she was nor did she have any idea when she was. Despite her experiences, her education, she knew that she’d never be able to view things the same ever again. Somehow a brand of magic she’d never known or heard of had whisked her away from all that had been familiar.

Perhaps this was to be her penance?

Regardless, Charlotte had been taken away from all she knew or understood and now was left to rot in a world that was dilapidated and dying. Life was cruel, that much was clear now. For a time she’d been led to believe that her fate understood her, had wanted the best for her since it had taken her away from her betrothed. But now? Now she questioned.

Shivering, Charlotte just remained on the dirty ground curled up into a ball. Her blue eyes were sore and red from her weeping. She was going to die here. Alone. She would starve. She would freeze to death. Looking up into the dark sky, she bit down on her lower lip. Despair. That was all she could feel now. And given the state of her surroundings, it would be the last thing she’d ever feel. Of that… she was certain.

Meanwhile, as Charlotte wept at the thought of being alone in a place where it didn't seem anyone lived, she had no idea that something in the distance was watching her. It was human, or had been at one time. Its skin was ashen, the color of the moon the girl had known so well before being sent away via a magic she'd never comprehend. As she laid there, curled up and shaking, she didn't notice the thing edging closer, lumbering, watching. Its milky eyes though difficult to read showed one thing. Hunger. Hunger for blood. For death.

Ezekial couldn't help but feel that his surroundings were astoundingly surreal. This was a post-apocalyptic world, one the snake/human hybrid, known as a Yuan-Ti in his own terms, rarely had heard of, moreover ever had the chance to study. The beings of this planet astounded him greatly. Ezekial's eyes roamed about the wrecked landscape, pupils trying to pinpoint any sign of life; infected or not. Something unusual for him; he had his magnum in his left hand, an enchantment already prepared in his mind for his weapon if it was required. His aim was not strife here, but study.

But the world also gave off this psychotic, enraged aura, the kind that reached out and caressed the darker side of the Yuan-Ti's soul. The side infected in it's own way with a defect from birth; his incurable, absolute insanity. One could not call him a mad scientist; no, but he would have his fits at times. They were never pretty, but he lived through them. He saw them almost as a way to research the deepest recesses of his own mind.

And of all the things he had ever studied or contemplated, he himself was the only thing he was absolutely unable to comprehend.

His mind was like a maze. This way and that, thoughts twisted and turned; morphed, changed, ended without warning. The aura of this world only provoked this further. He gripped his firearm just a tad tighter, scaly fingers curling around the handle and his index finger snuggling the trigger. Ezekial stopped in his tracks rather abruptly, drawing in a scenting of the air. Festering meat, blood... life. Human life. He pivoted on his heel into that direction the aroma seemed to originate from.

Finally... a survivor. Maybe they're native. It would be rather beneficial, then. I suppose if they were just a traveler, it would be nice, too; just to talk. Though in a world such as this, I'm not sure how much of a talk it would be. If at all.

Ezekial stopped from his viewpoint on a small ledge, forged from bent and ravaged metal that he could've sworn looked like some sort of wrecked bus. Then he saw her. A human female, weeping. He instantly grew somber, hopping down from his position to come to her aid. He halted, noticing a second prescence. He saw the infected, and caught his breath. While a closer examination would be quite useful, and practical, may I say, he decided against it, for the female's sake.
"Begone with you!" he cried to the infected, firing off his magnum. With it, came a last moment enchantment, sending a ball of flame out with the impact. Deciding the aforementioned diseased was 'dead', he came to her side.
"My dear, are you all right?" he asked in a somber, sympathetic tone that he actually hadn't used in quite some amount of years. He rested a scaly hand on her shoulder, giving a small, warm smile.

(You should be linking to your character profile at the very least. Please fix, thanks. -DA)

When the mist faded away, he found himself in what he assumed to be an abandoned village. Fires festered along the horizon, no life was visible, nor was any sign of hospitable habitats. He looked back the way he came, wondering what had just happened. Had he been jettisoned again, like what had happened the first time, or had he been illusioned into thinking the Twilight was real? He held his head, and his gun close. This new place didn't seem very friendly. It definitely seemed more hostile than the lands of Twilight, so he'd need to watch his back. That's when he heard it. Footsteps, behind him, about a few feet away and moving fast. He turned to face his attacker, surpirsed at the appearance. Ghostly white skin, and horrifying eyes. Fortunately for the infected person, the death was short, and near painless.

(Is this 'he' Delshyk'???? You never mention a name nor linked to a profile, so no... idea... Please fix, thanks. -DA)

Charlotte couldn’t help it. She was beyond terrified and all she could see around her was death and despair. Wondering what she could do to remedy the situation she was now in, she curled up into a tight ball and wept. As she cried, her thoughts drifted onto whether or not anyone actually lived in such a ghastly place. Clearly something had gone very wrong wherever it happened to be she was.

Choking on her sobs, Charlotte began to mumble to herself. Her whimpers were soft through her cries. “I’m so sorry, father. I was ungrateful and selfish… I should’ve listened, I…”

In Charlotte’s heart, she knew she’d done nothing wrong by her family. Her needs had been simple. She’d just wanted true love and happiness. Had it been wrong of her to want such things in life? Though she didn’t want to believe it, she couldn’t deny that the fates had sent her to such a brutal place. Was she to stay here for all time? To repent for any and all she’d done and gone through in her short life?

Just then, Charlotte heard a scuffling sound. Immediately, she sat up, her pale eyes going wide. In the distance stood what appeared to be a man only…

My god, what is he???

Charlotte felt her blood turn to ice as it curdled within her veins. There before her she saw a man who appeared to have scales. A snake? A dragon? She couldn’t be certain, but whatever it was it appeared to be the devil’s work.

“More dark magic?” Charlotte shrieked. Her body was shaking, her teeth chattering. She honestly didn’t know what to make of anything anymore.

Scrambling backwards, trying to get up to run away, the strange devil man pulled out something metallic. Had it been forged by a smithy? At that, he brought thing up and pointed it at something making it make a loud sound and recoil. Frantic, she ran her fingers through her long, dark tresses, her eyes searching for whatever it was he’d seen. When she finally caught sight of whatever it had been, her heart literally stopped. There, in the distance, was a human only altered. Its skin, its hair all the color of the moon.

“Don’t hurt me. Leave me alone…” Charlotte begged as her tears streaked her cheeks.

The strange devil man began to speak, but Charlotte didn’t waste any time. She was terrified, seeing strange things she was certain she wasn’t supposed to see. At that, she finally stood up and began to run. Not too far away stood some dilapidated looking towers. Castles? Maybe she could find sanctuary there. Maybe she could find another like herself. But something deep inside her told her not to get her hopes up. She wasn’t in England any longer. She was no longer nobility. Now she was demons’ prey.

Ezekial simply blinked. "Scared of... me?" I'm the most harmless! ...okay, don't kid yourself. You did just blow up an infected being with magic. And... judging from her reaction, she's never seen a Yuan-Ti before. Well, if I let her just run off... she's sure to get mobbed. He groaned in self-conflict, holstering his pistol before breaking into a brisk jog, tryin to catch up to her without alarming the girl again. He wanted to stay quiet, so a full sprint wouldn't exactly work.

"Hey! Wait up, I'm not going to hurt you!" he called. A dumb move; there were probably infected around somewhere that could hear him. But quite honestly, he was so lusty for any sort of conversement at the moment that he couldn't care less. It wasn't that he felt invincible like some hormonal teenager; no, he had grown a sense of great vulnerability over the years. Though his kind's lifespan was much, much longer than most, he still was just as mortal.

Ezekial finally caught up, and without thinking, rested a hand on her shoulder and stopped hard, halting her with him. He spun her around, accidentally shoving her down in the process. He mentally kicked himself and offered her a hand. "I'm... sorry. My fault. You haven't seen someone like me before, have you?" His eyes met hers. "I assure you, I am not a bloodthirsty monster like the infected beings of this planet." Okay, that wasn't entirely true. He did occasionally consume raw meat, simply because he could, but he didn't thirst for it or anything of the sorts. It was just easier than cooking it. "I apologize for startling you, my dear."

Delshyk heard voices. Loud voices, not like the infected's growling. It sounded human, so he started wandering towards it. The closer he got, the more convinced he was that there were other, thinking beings here. Deftly, he jumped down from his ledge, bending his knees slightly to absorb the shock. His rifle gleamed in the light, yet there was an aura of confidence and most of all, cautiousness. He made his way over to the two people, looking the snake-man thing over, before looking to the crying girl. Then, he looked around, scanning for any other harmful beings, before nodding to himself and looking back to Ezekial.
"Great to see another survivor. Looks like your armed, so that's good. What about her?" He asked, jerking his head to the girl. Before they could answer, his sensitive ears, sensitive for a human, picked up the slight shifting of rubble, indicating something coming. He turned, only to see nothing, not even a leave blowing in the non-existant wind.

Charlotte’s instincts were on high alert and all of them told her to keep running. To run for her life! Her pale eyes fixed on the dilapidated looking towers in the distance, the one thing driving her forward. She hoped that someone lived in those would be castles. If not, she’d just keep running. Running until she couldn’t any longer, until the breath left her body and her heart stopped beating.

Whimpering, eyes tearing, Charlotte didn’t even hear the muffled shouts in the distance. She was too terrified to register anything at all. Besides, she was fixated on her goal, on reaching the strange castles that loomed in the distance. As she ran, she suddenly heard what sounded like footfalls, hard ones. Oh god, she was being followed.

“Leave me alone!” Charlotte shrieked. Another wave of adrenaline washed over her and she tried her best to run even faster. Her lungs were on fire and her legs were hurting, but still she pushed herself to keep on going.

Suddenly, Charlotte felt a strong hand grip her shoulder, pulling her backwards and causing her to almost lose her balance. Panting and gasping for air, her mind began to spin with all the possible demises that could befall her now. Just then, she was spun around, but the force in which it had been done was too much and she immediately toppled to the ground with a thud. She let out a yelp as her fragile body struck the unforgiving earth and began to cry all over again. Only this time, in pain.

Charlotte looked up at the being who, to her, appeared to be looming over her casting her within his shadow. She wanted to scream, but stifled it when she heard him speak and in a tongue she actually understood. She quirked a brow and sniffled as she tried to make sense of the current situation she found herself to be in. Just as she was about to speak, another person appeared only… he looked like one of her kind. But his attire? It was enough to make her head ache. Clutching at her head a little, she tried to blink away the reality surrounding her. Unfortunately, there was no escaping anything.

Charlotte just stared at the two for several long moments as they spoke back and forth to each other as if she wasn’t even there. It didn’t overly surprise her. After all, the men back in court where she was from were often like this. In a strange way, she found comfort in this.

“I…” Charlotte finally managed to interject. “I’m Charlotte Malkyn, of Malkyn Castle. I hail from England. But…” she stammered a bit, still terribly frightened by what was going on about her. “But this is not England. I… I have no idea where I am. Some dark magic surrounds me though I know not why.” She looked over at the snake man. “Did the devil send you to make me pay for my selfishness?” Her voice squeaked as she spoke. “I… I just wanted love. Is that wrong, demon? Is it?” Again, her pale eyes filled with tears and her body began to shiver as she tried her best to hold back the sobs. One thing she knew for sure now. In a moment she’d know whether she’d be going to hell to pay for desires or living another day in this wasteland world she now found herself in.

Delshyk sighed, pulling her off the ground to her feet. "Listen to me, and listen close. This being is not a demon. There is no dark magic. You are not paying for anything, and in this world? Asking for life might be too much." He eyed her carefully. "You need to focus little one. You, and this one," he said, nodding to Ezekial. "Right now, you're the only survivors i've found. We need to make an outpost, fortify it, and live." He looked back to the girl. "Is that understood?"

(Razer >_> Try and keep in posting order. And thats not entirely true. Ezekial practices the black/dark magics.)
Ezekial narrowed his eyes at Delshyk. "You know nothing. I could very well be a demon, and a good liar at that. Luckily for your sake, I am not either of the two." He turned to the girl. What Delshyk has neglected, he picked up with her. "It's okay dear... England, you say? With a castle. Yes. Alright, I'm going to explain this to you as best I can as you can understand."

The snake cleared his throat. "Well, why you are here may or may not be dark magic. This place, this is another world. You live in your world of origin, and unfortunately, I am not sure how to return to your world. It would take me some time to even come close to figuring such a thing out. However, do deem yourself very lucky for finding me. And him, of course. Otherwise, you would probably... ah, how to put this frankly. Be dead."

Ezekial rubbed his neck for a moment to ease a slight itch. His sharpened eyes roamed about their surroundings as he tried finding life. Finding rather a lack of it, he deemed the area currently void and safe. He turned back to the girl. "The Devil has sent you nowhere in remorse. No, the Devil has not altered your path. And love... love is not such a thing to be punished. Love is a beautiful thing, and I will help you return to your love as best I can. Is that agreed?"

The snake was fairly sympathetic for her. His travels had also brought an end to his love, though he had traveled intentionally. Since then, since that day so long ago, he had been roaming, wandering, learning, teaching. Anything and everything he could. And yet he found himself determined to aid this girl in her time of need. He reached forward and wiped a tear gathering beneath her eye away tenderly with his finger. His scales were cool to the touch.

"Dont cry, my dear. I will keep you safe until I can send you back, yes? You have my word of honor," he said, bowing slightly to her. Assuming she was royalty for living in a castle, she deserved some respect, at least.

As Charlotte looked at the demon snake man for an answer, she was suddenly wrenched up from the ground. The grip hurt and took her off guard, causing her to stumble a bit as she was forced to stand up. Immediately, her eyes snapped over to the man who’d pulled her up so harshly and without care. She studied him a moment as he spoke to her, his words callous and unsympathetic to her ears. It was strange. This man appeared to be similar to herself, though his attire was rather odd to say the least. But it was the demon who seemed to be the one with feeling, the one with compassion.

When the man finally released his hold on her arm, Charlotte rubbed it tenderly. Underneath the sleeve she knew she’d been bruised. Just then, the demon snake man spoke, his words soothing as if he genuinely cared for her wellbeing. He apologized for the other man’s behavior and he called him by the name of Delshyk. Delshyk. Yes. She definitely didn’t like him. He was cold and cruel and though their straits were dire, there was no need for him to be so mean.

Charlotte continued to listen to the scaled man as he explained what he knew of what might have occurred to her. It was scary and strange, but at least he appeared to care, to want to help her as best he could. Suddenly, he didn’t appear quite so frightening. He reassured her of her past, something she hadn’t expected. They barely knew each other, but the support was nice. It wasn’t all that often that anyone genuinely cared about her and whether or not her wants and needs were met. It was… refreshing.

Just then, the demon gently touched Charlotte’s cheek. His fingers were gentle as they brushed away her tears. It was so perplexing and left her almost speechless. His skin was smooth to the touch. Smooth and… cold. It was odd how his personality seemed to contrast so much with how cold his skin was.

Charlotte gave the demon a low curtsy as he bowed before her, pledging to keep her safe, to try and find a way to send her back home. It made her smile.

Looking up into the demon’s eyes, Charlotte spoke softly. “My name is Charlotte, sir. Might I inquire as to your own?” She hoped he’d tell her. It would be easier to think of him as a non-demon if he had a name, something tangible to hold onto. “And I thank you for your pledge. I accept.” She gave him a smile and then scowled at Delshyk. “Though, I have no love back in England, sir. I was hoping to one day find it though. It’s just…” her voice trailed a moment as memories flooded her mind. “It’s just that I wanted to find it for myself.”

Charlotte’s pale eyes teared up a bit and, immediately, she glanced over at Delshyk. No doubt the man thought her silly and a mess. But that hardly mattered. She had this demon looking out for her now. At that, she gave him a small smile.

“Over there,” Charlotte then began, pointing toward the odd looking castles in the distance. “There are some towers over there. Castles. I was thinking that there might be people residing within. It wouldn’t hurt to find out. Would it?”

Charlotte looked at the snake man with soft, hopeful eyes, wondering what his reply would be. Now, it seemed, her fate laid in his hands.

Ezekial met her gaze as she looked up at him. Her eyes showed that she was still a tad nervous.. but no longer towards him. He smiled, that meant he was making progress. Scaring off people was the last thing he wanted or needed, seeing as he really was trying to do some research in this world. He listened as she spoke her name. Charlotte. A wonderful name.

"Charlotte... a beautiful name in it's own rights. I am Ezekial, ma'am. I am called many things by many people, but for an ease of understanding, just call me Ezekial, or any shortening of the name if you so please. And your welcome; I will make sure to keep you safe and bring you home, no matter how long it takes." The snake once again listened to her, nodding in understanding.

"There is nothing wrong with that, no. In fact, finding love for yourself is probably the noblest thing you can do. Any 'love' that someone else creates for you is never love. It's simply an object, not a feeling. You may call it love, but its not true. I will return you to England so you may continue your search. And... for future reference, good luck with that."

Ezekial could already feel slightly attached to the girl. There was no way in Hell she would come to harm without the harm first hitting him, hard. When he made a promise, he kept it. He would help her safe no matter the cost. She may think him a demon, but it didn't matter; many did. He was very glad though. "And... thank you, Charlotte, for taking the time to get to know me. It shows that you are kind and clever; for most others would have ignored listening to me and refused to believe it. You? You now understand that even though you may consider me a demon without me taking offense, I am not; nor will I ever be a bringer of sin."

The snake followed with his eyes where she was pointing, nodding softly. "...yes. In this world, just for reference, those are called 'skyscrapers', since they are so tall they 'scrape the sky'. Now, per your request, let's get a move on; shall we? Walking might take a while, so we should get a start." He nodded and smiled to her, beginning to walk towards the skyscrapers, keeping right next to her.

Delshyk knew the girl was nervous around him, but there was nothing he could do about that. He was simply here as a soldier. Soldier's didn't love, didn't have emotions. They only protected those who were in danger, and right now, they were in a lot of danger. He gave a small nod to Ezekial before falling in behind the group, his eyes scanning the ruins for any movement. As of yet, there was nothing, not even an aura signature. The place was barren for the time being, but even so, he kept his weapons ready. There was no way anything was going to catch him off guard, because if it did, it meant he needed more training. Well, it looked like he needed more training, because just as he turned around, he saw another infected. "Oh....." Before he could get the word out, it swung at him. The swing hit, knocking him off balance for a second, which was all that was needed. The "person" tackled him, making a wild attempt to bite him. Delshyk could feel the rage of it, it rolled off the being in waves.

Delshyk quickly stopped it's head with a punch, hopefully giving the little bastard a big case of whiplash. The second he gained from the stunning effect of the blow was enough to let him pull out a knife and stab the creature. A smile appeared on his lips as he kicked the pale white attacker off of him, smashing it with his foot, spitting his own blood onto the now dead thing. Wiping the little trickle away, he went back to his spot behind the group, cleaning his knife and this time, being alot more vigilant.

Charlotte smiled at Ezekial as he spoke softly and tenderly to her. She had to admit, for a demon, he was rather mannerly and moreover, very chivalrous. No one back in Malkyn Castle would ever believe her if she told them that some demons could indeed be noble and friendly. But that hardly mattered. As it was, she didn’t think she’d ever get back to England, not that she had anyone there she truly missed with all her heart. Though, she did find it sweet that Ezekial vowed to get her back home. From the tone of his voice and the look in his strange eyes, it was clear that he meant every word. Yes, he truly did seem genuine and that comforted her greatly.

“I thank you, kind sir,” Charlotte replied, her voice soft as she addressed Ezekial. She gave him a low curtsy, her eyes averted to the ground to show both her respect for him and her gratitude toward his kindness.

Standing up, Charlotte began to follow Ezekial as he headed toward the dilapidated looking castles… skyscrapers, that’s what he’d called them. As she followed the demon man, she noticed Delshyk bringing up the rear of their small party. From the look of it, he seemed to be a serious sort. Not one to show sympathy or compassion to those in need of it. It reminded her of many of the men that defended their homeland. They’d always frightened her. Their cold exteriors made her shiver as she wondered if there was a shred of humanity buried somewhere deep within that unforgiving armor they oftentimes wore.

Looking away from Delshyk, Charlotte focused on Ezekial who led their rag-tag army. Though his appearance still made her nervous, after speaking with him, he did seem to be less frightening. It was funny to her that something so simple as a tiny conversation could alter so drastically one’s point of view. She supposed the age old saying was true. Friar Thomas had told her many times when young to never judge anything by its outward appearance. Never did she realize just how true that statement was.

Suddenly, Charlotte heard some scuffling, as if a nearby skirmish had broken out. Turning around, her pale eyes caught sight of Delshyk fighting with one of those white-colored beings. Infected? Was that what they’d said? Infected with what exactly, she wanted to know. This most certainly wasn’t the plague. No. Whatever it was, it was far worse. As she watched the man fight the snarling humanoid, she moved closed to Ezekial. She trusted him despite his terrifying exterior. He’d vowed to protect her, words she didn’t take lightly. Frightened, she let out a shriek and covered her eyes not wanting to see the final stages of their battle.

Ezekial let a small smile take ahold of his expression as he made quote the courteous gesture towards him, showing respect in gestures he knew to be fairly dated. So medieval ages it truly was. This meant large adjustments for the girls is she stuck with him; but he was sure she could handle the modern world.

No, no. Worlds.

The snake rested a strong yet gentle hand on her shoulder while Delshyk finished off the infected. After he was done, and said zombie-like creature was long gone, he rubbed Charlotte's shoulder gingerly. "It's alright, the creature is gone now." Feeling a need to explain, he did just that, holding her hand now as they walked along. He assumed it would make her feel safe.

"This world is post-apocalyptic, meaning some large force of chaos has wrecked this world. It is fairly recognizable, as you can see, as a dead world. A place long gone. The creature you saw just there is more akin to a demon than I; in general terms, it is a living corpse. A zombie. A mindless, aggressive shell of someone who once was. It is a sad thing when I find myself studying worlds such as this; cultures demolished like dust in the wind. Yet, there are many more worlds that contain so many wonderful things..." He cleared his throat. "Things I will explain along our travels to your homeworld."

Assuming Delshyk could keep his own arse. safe, he did not pay a majority of attention to him. He instead focused more upon Charlotte. He would have to start explaining things that would most likely take course after her time. So, he began explaining as they neared the buildings some of the marvels of the 1700's and the colonial times.

His gear jingled softly with each step, and he chuckled as he realized this girl wasn't going to like him very much. Oh well. Everything happened for a reason. Once they found something.... human, he'd try and find a way back to that Twilight place, and hopefully back home. He sighed as he checked to make sure his weapon was loaded, the clicking of the chambers sounding somewhat ominous and forebodeing. Scratching his head, he wondered vaguely on who or what they'd find by or in those sky scrapers. From the way the girl acted, and how Ezekial was explaining history to her, he guessed she was from history, quite possibly around the time of kings and queens. He smirked, flipping a knife up into the air repeatedly as they walked. It served a purpose though besides alleviating his boredom. It provided an extra range to his aura sensing abilities, even though it seemed these creatures had no aura's. It reminded him of the zombie games he played as a kid.