Post by shyria on Mar 1, 2008 17:51:48 GMT -5
Shyria was restless. Of course, anyone up at 2 o'clock in the morning probably would be as well. Then again, Shyria was awake at 2 o'clock searching for clues deep in the archives of one of the most sinister organizations she knew; the Eon Institute, really a front for the LIGHT organization.
She had Thadius to thank for getting her in here. Even since his mind had split from Apogee's during their fateful meeting less than a week ago he had been doing all he could to help with her mission. Despite his nature, Shyria had come to realize he was a truely good person inside, at least when it came to his feelings for her, and came to love him in return.
And yet, she couldn't help feeling confused and worried. Thadius was the first person she could really say she was in love with. Her father had not put her in any hurry to find a mate when she was still at home; indeed, her upbringing had limited her possible choices to males who's romantic attractions bordered on friendly but only "as a friend" at best and a thinly-veiled power grab at worst. She also knew her father trusted her judgement, but if Thadius' nature had put her ill-at-ease in the beginning, it was likely to happen again with him. Then there was the council; Shyria's father may be king in his own nation but even he was still subordiante to the Emperor and the Council of Dragonkind. Neither were known for their friendliness to rulers marrying outside of class, let alone species. She would have a lot to answer for once the time came to return home...
For now though, Shyria tried to put her concerns behind her. What mattered now was the demon lurking somewhere in this school; if she could uncover just how it got here, the information could also help her send it back to whence it came. Browsing through a project file marked simply "The Hollow One", Shyria came across a roster listing the names of the scientists involved on the project, with a picture next to each name for identification purposes. Her blood froze upon seeing one face in particular: a thin, pale, older man with thin hair and sunken cheeks, with eyes burning with a hunger offset by his gaunt frame. She barely noticed the name by the portrait-"Pf. Emil Diedrich-Project Leader"-and ran to find Thadius. She found him at his post by the main entry to the archive room, keeping watch for anything his shadow senses might pick up.
"I think I know how Hollow got into the school..." Shyria's tone was one of shock concealing a hint of rage. She dragged him over to a small work table and showed him the file.
"Hmm....I haven't actually seen him in the school before, but I've heard the other scientists mention his name. They seem terrified of him..." Thadius mused.
"They have good reason too" Shyria replied grimly, pulling a battered, leather-bound tome from her own bag. The title read "Sijir Kothar", which Shyria explained meant "The Demon Scrolls" in her native language. From what Thadius asscertained from brief glimpses of text and pictures while Shyria fumbled through its pages, the book was apparently set up as a massive "most wanted" list of Hell's denziens. Arriving at her intended page, Shyria turned the book over to Thad. "Reasons that would be all the more justified if they could see what he really looked like."
The image in the book made Thadius' hear-and his stomach-jump.
Against a backdrop of rotten vegetation and stagnant ooze, the animated corpse of a massive dragon ripped into its condemned victims. Putrid flesh stretched tight over whatever bones were not already fully exposed by decay, though the beast's intact digestive tract could be clearly seen, glistening with slime, slithering down its bony neck to a dungeonlike ribcage; Thadius noted with no small horror the flailing limbs issueing between the dragon's acid-pocked ribs, trying to escape. The beast's broken-toothed jaws ravenously ripped apart another victim, while a potential escapee had wound up impaled on its scythe-edged tail blade. Hellish green light danced gleefully in the dragon's dessicated eye sockets. The gruesome scene was bordered by runic text, which Shyria translated: "Kaegrokurik Typhos, the Plaugebringer, Talon of Falazure."
Thadius now realized grimly that he had in fact seen this brute before, when his mind had been pulled into Hell; he fought back memories of the stentch of bloated corpses and the sting of the acid-stained pools while Shyria spoke anew.
"Hollow is no defenseless whelp, but she still lacks the power to cross the dimensions freely; she needed a more powerful being to find the proper host for her on this side. But I never imagined the host sending a demon as powerful as Typhos to oversee the process. They must have bigger plans for Hollow than we think..."
Now that his head had stopped throbbing, Thadius couldnt help but notice an obviously angry tone in Shyria's voice.
"It sounds to me that your vendetta with this demon goes beyond the typical good-vs-evil business"
To this remark, Shyria remained silent. While Thadius had been all too eager to share his past with her, she hadn't known Thadius nearly long enough to feel comfortable doing the same.
"I....I think I should stop my research here for tonight..." she responded slowly.
Thadius could do little but nod, and the two disappeared into the shadows...
(Yes, I had to do something to keep busy until my scanner starts working again. Anyways, its the big debut of everyone's "favorite" nightmare-inducing pile of dead flesh)
She had Thadius to thank for getting her in here. Even since his mind had split from Apogee's during their fateful meeting less than a week ago he had been doing all he could to help with her mission. Despite his nature, Shyria had come to realize he was a truely good person inside, at least when it came to his feelings for her, and came to love him in return.
And yet, she couldn't help feeling confused and worried. Thadius was the first person she could really say she was in love with. Her father had not put her in any hurry to find a mate when she was still at home; indeed, her upbringing had limited her possible choices to males who's romantic attractions bordered on friendly but only "as a friend" at best and a thinly-veiled power grab at worst. She also knew her father trusted her judgement, but if Thadius' nature had put her ill-at-ease in the beginning, it was likely to happen again with him. Then there was the council; Shyria's father may be king in his own nation but even he was still subordiante to the Emperor and the Council of Dragonkind. Neither were known for their friendliness to rulers marrying outside of class, let alone species. She would have a lot to answer for once the time came to return home...
For now though, Shyria tried to put her concerns behind her. What mattered now was the demon lurking somewhere in this school; if she could uncover just how it got here, the information could also help her send it back to whence it came. Browsing through a project file marked simply "The Hollow One", Shyria came across a roster listing the names of the scientists involved on the project, with a picture next to each name for identification purposes. Her blood froze upon seeing one face in particular: a thin, pale, older man with thin hair and sunken cheeks, with eyes burning with a hunger offset by his gaunt frame. She barely noticed the name by the portrait-"Pf. Emil Diedrich-Project Leader"-and ran to find Thadius. She found him at his post by the main entry to the archive room, keeping watch for anything his shadow senses might pick up.
"I think I know how Hollow got into the school..." Shyria's tone was one of shock concealing a hint of rage. She dragged him over to a small work table and showed him the file.
"Hmm....I haven't actually seen him in the school before, but I've heard the other scientists mention his name. They seem terrified of him..." Thadius mused.
"They have good reason too" Shyria replied grimly, pulling a battered, leather-bound tome from her own bag. The title read "Sijir Kothar", which Shyria explained meant "The Demon Scrolls" in her native language. From what Thadius asscertained from brief glimpses of text and pictures while Shyria fumbled through its pages, the book was apparently set up as a massive "most wanted" list of Hell's denziens. Arriving at her intended page, Shyria turned the book over to Thad. "Reasons that would be all the more justified if they could see what he really looked like."
The image in the book made Thadius' hear-and his stomach-jump.
Against a backdrop of rotten vegetation and stagnant ooze, the animated corpse of a massive dragon ripped into its condemned victims. Putrid flesh stretched tight over whatever bones were not already fully exposed by decay, though the beast's intact digestive tract could be clearly seen, glistening with slime, slithering down its bony neck to a dungeonlike ribcage; Thadius noted with no small horror the flailing limbs issueing between the dragon's acid-pocked ribs, trying to escape. The beast's broken-toothed jaws ravenously ripped apart another victim, while a potential escapee had wound up impaled on its scythe-edged tail blade. Hellish green light danced gleefully in the dragon's dessicated eye sockets. The gruesome scene was bordered by runic text, which Shyria translated: "Kaegrokurik Typhos, the Plaugebringer, Talon of Falazure."
Thadius now realized grimly that he had in fact seen this brute before, when his mind had been pulled into Hell; he fought back memories of the stentch of bloated corpses and the sting of the acid-stained pools while Shyria spoke anew.
"Hollow is no defenseless whelp, but she still lacks the power to cross the dimensions freely; she needed a more powerful being to find the proper host for her on this side. But I never imagined the host sending a demon as powerful as Typhos to oversee the process. They must have bigger plans for Hollow than we think..."
Now that his head had stopped throbbing, Thadius couldnt help but notice an obviously angry tone in Shyria's voice.
"It sounds to me that your vendetta with this demon goes beyond the typical good-vs-evil business"
To this remark, Shyria remained silent. While Thadius had been all too eager to share his past with her, she hadn't known Thadius nearly long enough to feel comfortable doing the same.
"I....I think I should stop my research here for tonight..." she responded slowly.
Thadius could do little but nod, and the two disappeared into the shadows...
(Yes, I had to do something to keep busy until my scanner starts working again. Anyways, its the big debut of everyone's "favorite" nightmare-inducing pile of dead flesh)