08-22-2013, 04:57 AM
Character Name: Ganondorf
Character Source: The Legend of Zelda (specifically Ocarina of Time)
Character History: Ganondorf's history follows the Legend of Zelda and Ocarina of Time story, with some variances and additions which will be explored below.
Centuries before the events of The Ocarina of Time, the Gerudo were the ancestral servants of the Hylian Royal Family, working alongside the Sheikah who acted as the Royal Guard. Though relegated to sweeping floors, dressing the nobles, and other menial tasks, the Gerudo were happy to perform these services. To them, the honor of serving those with the blood of the Goddess Hylia flowing in their veins was all the recompense they required; The nobles were also quite fond of the Gerudo in turn, often granting them benefits far beyond those of a normal servant after they become too old or infirm to work.
This time was not meant to last, however. A grave prophecy was given to the King, one foretelling of the line of Hylia faltering and a new King arising from the ranks of the Gerudo. This King of the Gerudo would usher in a new age of darkness for Hyrule. Unfortunately for the Gerudo, the Sheikah prophet who foretold this neglected to mention that this was only part of the prophecy. This dark future would only come to be if the Gerudo were ever separated from the Royal family. The Sheikah, jealous of the bond shared by the Gerudo and the Royal line, used this prophecy as a means to usurp the Gerudo's place in the castle. For, while generations of Gerudo, their whole race in fact, lived within the castle and enjoyed the luxuries and privileges of this life, the Sheikah were brought in from their home town of Kakariko and returned their when their usefulness was at its end.
Fearful of this prophecy, the future of his bloodline, and the fate of Hyrule, the King gathered the Seven Sages from among the people of Hyrule in order to prevent this future. All of the Sages, save one, fell for the Sheikah ruse and only the Gerudo Sage argued against it, claiming that her people had always served the Royal family and always would. Her pleas, while heartfelt, could not dissuade the King and while he would not order the Gerudo to be put to death, feeling fondness for them and knowing they've yet to do any wrong, he exiled them from the castle and from Hyrule. They would wander the desert for eternity, never again to know the lush life of the castle or even the convenience of readily available water and food. But even this was not enough to sooth the jealousy of the Sheikah or the fear of the King. The remaining six Sages he ordered to place a curse upon the Gerudo people; A curse which would doom them to extinction. Using their powerful magicks, combined with the power inherent in the Royal bloodline, the remaining Sages took away the Gerudos' ability to sire sons, a slow but inevitable way to genocide a people.
Without the seventh Sage, the Gerudo Sage, the curse was flawed, however. A single son every hundred years to the Gerudo. The curse was enough to satisfy the King, as even his bloodline was unable to live a hundred years and still sire a child. Feeling relief at having averted the dark fate of the future and guilt at having banished and cursed the Gerudo, the King left the exile up to the Hylian Knights and the Sheikah to implement. The Gerudo were gathered and herded over the Hylian River, before the bridge was destroyed, trapping their people on the far side of the canyon. Initially, the desert exile was hard on the lifelong servants, and the harsh environment and deadly creatures exacted a toll of death from them. As the years passed, the remnant of those who had survived began to learn to how the thrive in the desert. They learned how to move silenty, how to hide from sight, how to creep up unnoticed, and how to fight. And these skills would serve them well when they finally became aware of the curse.
The people of Hyrule thought the Gerudo dead by this point, and were surprised when men began to go missing. Rumors began to crop up that the Gerudo had come back from the grave for their revenge. But when some of the men would return they told a different tale. They spoke of being captured in the middle of the night, robbed blind, and used for breeding before being set out naked in the desert. Very few of these breeders made it home to tell the tale, and fewer came back sane or more than nearly dead. The King considered sending forces to the desert to wipe out the Gerudo, but their superior knowledge of the wastes and his feelings towards them stayed his hand. He merely sent an envoy asking that his people be returned alive once the Gerudo were finished with them and that the Gerudo as a whole never stray from the desert.
Until the time of Ganondorf's birth, little of note happened in the lands of Hyrule. The races, though not allied, were still at peace with each other. The night of Ganondorf's birth was marked with dark portents, however. The Gerudo Desert experienced a lightning storm on that night, in a land where rain was all but unknown the grounds flooded. His mother died during the birth, and he was placed into the care of his surrogate mothers, the Gerudo mystics Koume and Kotake. Growing up, Ganondorf was bullied by the young girls of the tribe, especially their ringleader Nabooru, being the only male around. Nabooru and her ground believed that the Gerudo had done just fine without a man ruling over them and were none too keen on the idea of having a King. Especially one as cowardly and weak as Ganondorf. The boy was extremely mild-natured, despite the harsh environment.
As children, in addition to being taught basic education, the Gerudo are expected to join thieving parties to gain experience. It was on one of these excursions that Ganondorf saw the lush land of Hyrule and the happy people who lived there. When he returned home, he asked his mothers why the Gerudo lived in the wastes as they did, instead of in the wetlands, where death wasn't always a single misstep away. This question was the turning point in Ganondorf's education. The mystics of the Gerudo had always held unto the story of their exile, and they passed it onto the future King. Though initially he was angry over the events, his surrogate mothers calmed him by saying the King was only looking out for the wellbeing of his people. After teaching him about the Gerudo history, Koume and Kotake started to give him an education befitting the future King.
Over the years, Nabooru's taunting and bullying only increased, and when scolded about it she claimed she was merely ensuring that the future King of the Gerudo would be strong enough to lead them. As they passed into adolescence, she turned to crueler methods, employing mock assassination attempts and other tactics that left Ganondorf constantly on guard. This led to Ganondorf's accidental slaying of Koume, his surrogate mother, and the depression and death of his other mother Kotake. Ganondorf also fell into a depression, seeking solace in the books the Gerudo Sage had taken with her when they were exiled.
Within these books, he found a solution to his sadness. He would become a master of using demonic energy, and with this sorcerous power at his fingertips he could bring them back. Ganondorf could revive his beloved surrogate mothers. This power, unfortunately, came at a price. The dark portents of his birth, the prophecy of the exile, and even prophecies of old had foretold that this day would come, and the spirit of an ancient evil had been lying in wait for Ganondorf to seek out his power. And when Ganondorf finally unlocked his own sorcerous abilities, that spirit took up home within his soul. Even worse, when the King revived his loved ones, he discovered that the dark power wasn't enough to truly bring them back. It had merely revived all the evil within their bodies and placed demons where their souls should be. And so, anger boiling within him for his own failure and for what they had become, Ganondorf began to search for another way to bring them back, unknowing of the evil beginning to grow in his own heart.
The books told of another, greater power that could grant any wish the holder desired. The Triforce. Using his new power, determination, and charisma to gather support from his people, even from Nabooru, he launched a war against the Hylian forces. Though he had originally thought to ask the King for permission to use the Triforce, the demon had stirred his old anger at the Gerudo exile up from the depths of his heart and he grew covetous of the lush lands east of their home.
The Hylian Civil War raged for years, its longevity helped by the other races' desire to remain neutral to the conflict. However, the King of Hyrule eventually forged alliances with the Zora, Gorons, and Kokiri, and struck back against Ganondorf's Gerudo. In the end, Ganondorf had to surrender and swear fealty to the King, though his desire for the Triforce and for conquest never truly left him. He merely bided his time until the King's guard would be down and he could strike. Or, that was the plan. The King, seeking both to strengthen his bond with the other rulers and to make it harder for anyone to reach the Sacred Realm, gave the keys to the Door of Time, the three Gems, to each of the other races, aside from the Gerudo. The Ocarina of Time he kept as a Royal heirloom. Ganondorf would need to gain the jewels and Ocarina from them if he was to attain his prize. After their loss in the war, Nabooru and her other cronies returned to criticizing Ganondorf and claiming he would not rule them.
Years passed before he put his plan into motion. He approached each of the rulers, asking for their gem. During those years, he had beat down his anger and all he wished for was to truly revive his mothers. But each of the rulers refused him, for various reasons. And at each refusal the demon in his heart whispered to him and his anger was unleashed, cursing those who denied him and reigniting his desire to rule. Eventually, he struck out against the King of Hyrule himself, taking the castle but losing the real prize: the Ocarina of Time. Fortunately for him, a forest boy let him into the Sacred Realm anyway.
However, with conquest and anger in his heart, the Triforce split when he touched it. Without all three pieces, his wish could not be granted. Once again, his rage boiled, fueled by the darkness within him and he conquered Hyrule, crushing it in his fist easily. But he never forgot about the other two pieces of the Triforce and he concocted a plan to bring them to him. Ganondorf cursed the temples of the Sages and waited for someone to save them. Whoever did so would undoubtedly have the Triforce of Courage. But that person wouldn't be able to act alone. They would assuredly have help and guidance from the one who would hold the Triforce of Wisdom. And it would lead to them coming to face him, giving him access to the pieces he was missing.
The plan was a success, in a way. The Hero of Time and The Princess Zelda came together, after clearing his obstacles. Kidnapping her, Ganondorf knew that the forest boy from before would come to rescue her, falling right into his hands. Having conquered all, he no longer desired conquest, but only his wish to truly revive the only two people to ever treat him well. But, it wasn't to be. Holding back the darkness in his heart, he fell to Link and, rage coming anew, sought to kill him and Zeldaby collapsing the tower they were in. Even after they escaped, the Triforce wouldn't let him die, and the demon within him took this opportunity to seize control. Ganondorf became the Demon King Ganon and fought again against Link, only to fall in combat again and be sealed within the Sacred Realm. As the demon in his heart receded after the battle, Ganondorf became Gerudo once more, cursing the Sage, Zelda, and Link and promising to return one day.
Even in the timeless void of the Sacred Realm, Ganondorf felt the weight of time pass him by as he struggled to regain himself from the monster he had become in his quest for power. The best he could accomplish was to strike a balance against the demon within him. He would never be the nice boy he was as a child, but he could keep from letting the demon take control with an effort of will. And it was at the time of this balance when he heard a voice coming from within him, outside of him, everywhere, and nowhere. The voice told him that it could release Ganondorf from his prison, and set him free in its world. Its Omniverse. Faced with endless imprisonment, Ganondorf gladly accepted.
Stats:
ATK: 3
DEF: 2
SPD: 2
TEC: 3
Starting Proficiencies: Physical Strength, Ranged Proficiency, Reflector Proficiency, Homing Proficiency (3300 OM total)
Starting Powers: None.
Starting Moves:
Dark Energy Blast
A simple blast of energy directed from the palm. No more powerful and swift than a standard punch or kick, it gives Ganondorf the ability to attack a foe at range.
300 OM sounds about right. If anything it might be a little weak for a Move.
Reflective Cape
Ganondorf's cape was woven using rare metal fibers (silver, gold, and other precious metals primarily), and infused with dark magicks. While it doesn't protect against physical attacks anymore than any other piece of cloth, its special properties allow it to deflect and reflect energy attacks.
I think 300 OM should be fine for this one as well.
Writing Sample: This is an old joining roleplay of mine from Chubbs of a character named Smith.
M’Ilia. An angel sent from the stars. A beautiful vision more radiant than the sun and dearer than life. Her blue skin glistened in the soft light and her scent filled the room. She laughed, the sound of love itself, and her long head-tendrils waved slowly back and forth. As Smith took her into his arms, he knew that no matter what happened; as long as she was there he would never have a single regret. Past M’Ilia’s shoulder, their young child waddled closer enclosing their legs in her own embrace. J’sska. So like her mother, excepting that she had light brown hair instead of the tendrils. That little girl would one day have her pick of young men and then Smith would have his hands full beating them off of her. As the light shone down of the three, Jesse felt at peace.
In an instant, all that changed. Jesse was ripped away from his loved ones by hideous paws, more beast than man. Tentacles bound him foot to head and then he remembered. He screamed out to his family to run as he struggled futilely against his restraints. It was too late. The monsters had arrived and his world came crashing down to the sounds of terrified cries, horrid laughter, and the sobs of a woman and child.
“M’Ilia!”
A cold sweat soaked the sheets as Smith awoke with a start. A form beside him moved, laying a hand upon his thigh. Bright blue eyes gazed up at Jesse, a smile forming on rosebud lips. She laughed softly, nothing compared to the beauty of M’Ilia’s laugh, but beautiful in its own way.
“Did you have a nightmare, sweetie?” she giggled again, moving a lock of hair from her face, “ It’s ok, let Heather make you feel better.”
Normally, the woman’s advances would be more than welcome in Jesse’s bed, but he would have none of it tonight.
“Get out,” he said softly, staring holes into the ceiling.
“Excuse me?!” was the reply, and this time there was no sultry tone to Heather’s voice. She sat up, the sheet shifting to reveal her endowment which Jesse scarcely noticed in his state. Still staring directly ahead and trying to chase away memories, he spoke softly yet again.
“You remind me too much of my wife.”
“YOU’RE MARRIED?!”
Spots danced in Smith’s vision before he could so much reply and the sound of a door slamming reached him before they cleared. He could feel each individual finger in the print that was surely turning red on his cheek. Still, he had to wonder how the woman could have missed his ring, even in the admittedly dark lighting of the bar he had picked her up in. Raising his hand, he studied the metal circle in the near pitch-black of his bedroom. He wore it still; a reminder that he had unfinished business with his old ‘friends’ back home. It would have to wait, though. In the morning a man would arrive to take him to his first assignment since his time in the asylum. It was a bum gig, he knew. Who knew how many years of service just for the chance to return home. A slim chance at that, considering the sorts of missions they were likely to put a recent asylum resident into. But it was the best chance he had.
Running fingers through his matted and damp hair, Jesse sighed and rolled over. He needed rest for the day to come, even if he did know that sleep would not come to him that night. A peaceful night just wasn’t in the cards for him any more.
Character Source: The Legend of Zelda (specifically Ocarina of Time)
Character History: Ganondorf's history follows the Legend of Zelda and Ocarina of Time story, with some variances and additions which will be explored below.
Centuries before the events of The Ocarina of Time, the Gerudo were the ancestral servants of the Hylian Royal Family, working alongside the Sheikah who acted as the Royal Guard. Though relegated to sweeping floors, dressing the nobles, and other menial tasks, the Gerudo were happy to perform these services. To them, the honor of serving those with the blood of the Goddess Hylia flowing in their veins was all the recompense they required; The nobles were also quite fond of the Gerudo in turn, often granting them benefits far beyond those of a normal servant after they become too old or infirm to work.
This time was not meant to last, however. A grave prophecy was given to the King, one foretelling of the line of Hylia faltering and a new King arising from the ranks of the Gerudo. This King of the Gerudo would usher in a new age of darkness for Hyrule. Unfortunately for the Gerudo, the Sheikah prophet who foretold this neglected to mention that this was only part of the prophecy. This dark future would only come to be if the Gerudo were ever separated from the Royal family. The Sheikah, jealous of the bond shared by the Gerudo and the Royal line, used this prophecy as a means to usurp the Gerudo's place in the castle. For, while generations of Gerudo, their whole race in fact, lived within the castle and enjoyed the luxuries and privileges of this life, the Sheikah were brought in from their home town of Kakariko and returned their when their usefulness was at its end.
Fearful of this prophecy, the future of his bloodline, and the fate of Hyrule, the King gathered the Seven Sages from among the people of Hyrule in order to prevent this future. All of the Sages, save one, fell for the Sheikah ruse and only the Gerudo Sage argued against it, claiming that her people had always served the Royal family and always would. Her pleas, while heartfelt, could not dissuade the King and while he would not order the Gerudo to be put to death, feeling fondness for them and knowing they've yet to do any wrong, he exiled them from the castle and from Hyrule. They would wander the desert for eternity, never again to know the lush life of the castle or even the convenience of readily available water and food. But even this was not enough to sooth the jealousy of the Sheikah or the fear of the King. The remaining six Sages he ordered to place a curse upon the Gerudo people; A curse which would doom them to extinction. Using their powerful magicks, combined with the power inherent in the Royal bloodline, the remaining Sages took away the Gerudos' ability to sire sons, a slow but inevitable way to genocide a people.
Without the seventh Sage, the Gerudo Sage, the curse was flawed, however. A single son every hundred years to the Gerudo. The curse was enough to satisfy the King, as even his bloodline was unable to live a hundred years and still sire a child. Feeling relief at having averted the dark fate of the future and guilt at having banished and cursed the Gerudo, the King left the exile up to the Hylian Knights and the Sheikah to implement. The Gerudo were gathered and herded over the Hylian River, before the bridge was destroyed, trapping their people on the far side of the canyon. Initially, the desert exile was hard on the lifelong servants, and the harsh environment and deadly creatures exacted a toll of death from them. As the years passed, the remnant of those who had survived began to learn to how the thrive in the desert. They learned how to move silenty, how to hide from sight, how to creep up unnoticed, and how to fight. And these skills would serve them well when they finally became aware of the curse.
The people of Hyrule thought the Gerudo dead by this point, and were surprised when men began to go missing. Rumors began to crop up that the Gerudo had come back from the grave for their revenge. But when some of the men would return they told a different tale. They spoke of being captured in the middle of the night, robbed blind, and used for breeding before being set out naked in the desert. Very few of these breeders made it home to tell the tale, and fewer came back sane or more than nearly dead. The King considered sending forces to the desert to wipe out the Gerudo, but their superior knowledge of the wastes and his feelings towards them stayed his hand. He merely sent an envoy asking that his people be returned alive once the Gerudo were finished with them and that the Gerudo as a whole never stray from the desert.
Until the time of Ganondorf's birth, little of note happened in the lands of Hyrule. The races, though not allied, were still at peace with each other. The night of Ganondorf's birth was marked with dark portents, however. The Gerudo Desert experienced a lightning storm on that night, in a land where rain was all but unknown the grounds flooded. His mother died during the birth, and he was placed into the care of his surrogate mothers, the Gerudo mystics Koume and Kotake. Growing up, Ganondorf was bullied by the young girls of the tribe, especially their ringleader Nabooru, being the only male around. Nabooru and her ground believed that the Gerudo had done just fine without a man ruling over them and were none too keen on the idea of having a King. Especially one as cowardly and weak as Ganondorf. The boy was extremely mild-natured, despite the harsh environment.
As children, in addition to being taught basic education, the Gerudo are expected to join thieving parties to gain experience. It was on one of these excursions that Ganondorf saw the lush land of Hyrule and the happy people who lived there. When he returned home, he asked his mothers why the Gerudo lived in the wastes as they did, instead of in the wetlands, where death wasn't always a single misstep away. This question was the turning point in Ganondorf's education. The mystics of the Gerudo had always held unto the story of their exile, and they passed it onto the future King. Though initially he was angry over the events, his surrogate mothers calmed him by saying the King was only looking out for the wellbeing of his people. After teaching him about the Gerudo history, Koume and Kotake started to give him an education befitting the future King.
Over the years, Nabooru's taunting and bullying only increased, and when scolded about it she claimed she was merely ensuring that the future King of the Gerudo would be strong enough to lead them. As they passed into adolescence, she turned to crueler methods, employing mock assassination attempts and other tactics that left Ganondorf constantly on guard. This led to Ganondorf's accidental slaying of Koume, his surrogate mother, and the depression and death of his other mother Kotake. Ganondorf also fell into a depression, seeking solace in the books the Gerudo Sage had taken with her when they were exiled.
Within these books, he found a solution to his sadness. He would become a master of using demonic energy, and with this sorcerous power at his fingertips he could bring them back. Ganondorf could revive his beloved surrogate mothers. This power, unfortunately, came at a price. The dark portents of his birth, the prophecy of the exile, and even prophecies of old had foretold that this day would come, and the spirit of an ancient evil had been lying in wait for Ganondorf to seek out his power. And when Ganondorf finally unlocked his own sorcerous abilities, that spirit took up home within his soul. Even worse, when the King revived his loved ones, he discovered that the dark power wasn't enough to truly bring them back. It had merely revived all the evil within their bodies and placed demons where their souls should be. And so, anger boiling within him for his own failure and for what they had become, Ganondorf began to search for another way to bring them back, unknowing of the evil beginning to grow in his own heart.
The books told of another, greater power that could grant any wish the holder desired. The Triforce. Using his new power, determination, and charisma to gather support from his people, even from Nabooru, he launched a war against the Hylian forces. Though he had originally thought to ask the King for permission to use the Triforce, the demon had stirred his old anger at the Gerudo exile up from the depths of his heart and he grew covetous of the lush lands east of their home.
The Hylian Civil War raged for years, its longevity helped by the other races' desire to remain neutral to the conflict. However, the King of Hyrule eventually forged alliances with the Zora, Gorons, and Kokiri, and struck back against Ganondorf's Gerudo. In the end, Ganondorf had to surrender and swear fealty to the King, though his desire for the Triforce and for conquest never truly left him. He merely bided his time until the King's guard would be down and he could strike. Or, that was the plan. The King, seeking both to strengthen his bond with the other rulers and to make it harder for anyone to reach the Sacred Realm, gave the keys to the Door of Time, the three Gems, to each of the other races, aside from the Gerudo. The Ocarina of Time he kept as a Royal heirloom. Ganondorf would need to gain the jewels and Ocarina from them if he was to attain his prize. After their loss in the war, Nabooru and her other cronies returned to criticizing Ganondorf and claiming he would not rule them.
Years passed before he put his plan into motion. He approached each of the rulers, asking for their gem. During those years, he had beat down his anger and all he wished for was to truly revive his mothers. But each of the rulers refused him, for various reasons. And at each refusal the demon in his heart whispered to him and his anger was unleashed, cursing those who denied him and reigniting his desire to rule. Eventually, he struck out against the King of Hyrule himself, taking the castle but losing the real prize: the Ocarina of Time. Fortunately for him, a forest boy let him into the Sacred Realm anyway.
However, with conquest and anger in his heart, the Triforce split when he touched it. Without all three pieces, his wish could not be granted. Once again, his rage boiled, fueled by the darkness within him and he conquered Hyrule, crushing it in his fist easily. But he never forgot about the other two pieces of the Triforce and he concocted a plan to bring them to him. Ganondorf cursed the temples of the Sages and waited for someone to save them. Whoever did so would undoubtedly have the Triforce of Courage. But that person wouldn't be able to act alone. They would assuredly have help and guidance from the one who would hold the Triforce of Wisdom. And it would lead to them coming to face him, giving him access to the pieces he was missing.
The plan was a success, in a way. The Hero of Time and The Princess Zelda came together, after clearing his obstacles. Kidnapping her, Ganondorf knew that the forest boy from before would come to rescue her, falling right into his hands. Having conquered all, he no longer desired conquest, but only his wish to truly revive the only two people to ever treat him well. But, it wasn't to be. Holding back the darkness in his heart, he fell to Link and, rage coming anew, sought to kill him and Zeldaby collapsing the tower they were in. Even after they escaped, the Triforce wouldn't let him die, and the demon within him took this opportunity to seize control. Ganondorf became the Demon King Ganon and fought again against Link, only to fall in combat again and be sealed within the Sacred Realm. As the demon in his heart receded after the battle, Ganondorf became Gerudo once more, cursing the Sage, Zelda, and Link and promising to return one day.
Even in the timeless void of the Sacred Realm, Ganondorf felt the weight of time pass him by as he struggled to regain himself from the monster he had become in his quest for power. The best he could accomplish was to strike a balance against the demon within him. He would never be the nice boy he was as a child, but he could keep from letting the demon take control with an effort of will. And it was at the time of this balance when he heard a voice coming from within him, outside of him, everywhere, and nowhere. The voice told him that it could release Ganondorf from his prison, and set him free in its world. Its Omniverse. Faced with endless imprisonment, Ganondorf gladly accepted.
Stats:
ATK: 3
DEF: 2
SPD: 2
TEC: 3
Starting Proficiencies: Physical Strength, Ranged Proficiency, Reflector Proficiency, Homing Proficiency (3300 OM total)
Starting Powers: None.
Starting Moves:
Dark Energy Blast
A simple blast of energy directed from the palm. No more powerful and swift than a standard punch or kick, it gives Ganondorf the ability to attack a foe at range.
300 OM sounds about right. If anything it might be a little weak for a Move.
Reflective Cape
Ganondorf's cape was woven using rare metal fibers (silver, gold, and other precious metals primarily), and infused with dark magicks. While it doesn't protect against physical attacks anymore than any other piece of cloth, its special properties allow it to deflect and reflect energy attacks.
I think 300 OM should be fine for this one as well.
Writing Sample: This is an old joining roleplay of mine from Chubbs of a character named Smith.
M’Ilia. An angel sent from the stars. A beautiful vision more radiant than the sun and dearer than life. Her blue skin glistened in the soft light and her scent filled the room. She laughed, the sound of love itself, and her long head-tendrils waved slowly back and forth. As Smith took her into his arms, he knew that no matter what happened; as long as she was there he would never have a single regret. Past M’Ilia’s shoulder, their young child waddled closer enclosing their legs in her own embrace. J’sska. So like her mother, excepting that she had light brown hair instead of the tendrils. That little girl would one day have her pick of young men and then Smith would have his hands full beating them off of her. As the light shone down of the three, Jesse felt at peace.
In an instant, all that changed. Jesse was ripped away from his loved ones by hideous paws, more beast than man. Tentacles bound him foot to head and then he remembered. He screamed out to his family to run as he struggled futilely against his restraints. It was too late. The monsters had arrived and his world came crashing down to the sounds of terrified cries, horrid laughter, and the sobs of a woman and child.
“M’Ilia!”
A cold sweat soaked the sheets as Smith awoke with a start. A form beside him moved, laying a hand upon his thigh. Bright blue eyes gazed up at Jesse, a smile forming on rosebud lips. She laughed softly, nothing compared to the beauty of M’Ilia’s laugh, but beautiful in its own way.
“Did you have a nightmare, sweetie?” she giggled again, moving a lock of hair from her face, “ It’s ok, let Heather make you feel better.”
Normally, the woman’s advances would be more than welcome in Jesse’s bed, but he would have none of it tonight.
“Get out,” he said softly, staring holes into the ceiling.
“Excuse me?!” was the reply, and this time there was no sultry tone to Heather’s voice. She sat up, the sheet shifting to reveal her endowment which Jesse scarcely noticed in his state. Still staring directly ahead and trying to chase away memories, he spoke softly yet again.
“You remind me too much of my wife.”
“YOU’RE MARRIED?!”
Spots danced in Smith’s vision before he could so much reply and the sound of a door slamming reached him before they cleared. He could feel each individual finger in the print that was surely turning red on his cheek. Still, he had to wonder how the woman could have missed his ring, even in the admittedly dark lighting of the bar he had picked her up in. Raising his hand, he studied the metal circle in the near pitch-black of his bedroom. He wore it still; a reminder that he had unfinished business with his old ‘friends’ back home. It would have to wait, though. In the morning a man would arrive to take him to his first assignment since his time in the asylum. It was a bum gig, he knew. Who knew how many years of service just for the chance to return home. A slim chance at that, considering the sorts of missions they were likely to put a recent asylum resident into. But it was the best chance he had.
Running fingers through his matted and damp hair, Jesse sighed and rolled over. He needed rest for the day to come, even if he did know that sleep would not come to him that night. A peaceful night just wasn’t in the cards for him any more.
