07-10-2018, 08:21 AM
There were no exits, no real chance of escape, there was nothing but red eyes all around it, and all it had was a Shadow that it reflexively kept a mental hold upon. It put on an act of fear and apprehension, for as much of an act as it was. It’s not difficult when you’re suddenly and unceremoniously surrounded and cut off in such a manner as this. It was more difficult to restrain itself to keep from overplaying the act.
With little chance of retreat or reinforcement, it concluded that self-termination was the most ideal route, as its master commanded. Though, it was apprehensive about doing so, so it continued to search for a way out, until the woman spoke of requesting a meeting.
In that moment, still maintaining the “act,” it studied its surroundings and adversaries. Creatures hiding in the dark, red eyes darting about, and a woman with unusual powers and appearances leading them. It finally clicked who, no, what this woman was, and it had to suppress a smile.
Master will be pleased. Though, it might withhold the incidental nature of this meeting.
It final relaxed, dropping the act as its silver eyes grew bright, a dark aura overtaking the shapeshifter. It nodded to the woman as it stepped forward.
“The Master has already selected a location to meet you,” The Shapeshifter spoke up, drawing the woman’s attention back to it. It shifted past her in a series of black tendrils etched against the darkness with a blue auratic lining, only reforming into a cohesive mass of blackness and then again into the woman it masqueraded as once it was behind the woman. She watched this too with a curious expression, but still said nothing.
The Shapeshifter motioned for her to follow.
“There is a back way we will take to avoid attention,” it paused, peering back at the other Zerg that the woman brought before continuing.
“Don’t worry about them, they’re used to hiding in the shadows.” The woman responded with a sly smirk before following the Shapeshifter.
------
It was an awfully long walk, following this Void-steeped, silver-eyed Shapeshifter that at times appeared too cautious, and at others not cautious enough to avoid drawing attention to itself and, by extension, her. It was getting to be irritating, to be given the run-around, but Brianne’s patience was soon rewarded.
The Shapeshifter stopped at the end of the alley that led into the traffic-less road. Not even a pedestrian roamed these streets, nor beggars, vagrants, or other criminals. Most buildings here were abandoned and decrepit, and the one the Shapeshifter had led them too looked little different, simply an empty brick and stone office building that was shorter than its surrounding neighbors at only three stories, one of which was collapsed in upon itself. It would have been eerily empty to most, but Brianne saw something different with her golden eyes.
While the other structures were surely empty, the one just ahead of them was crawling; black masses shifting in the darkness around and inside of it. The whole building seemed alive, and the Void energy she felt here was far greater and denser by comparison to the measly amount that the small bulbous figure and the masquerading shapeshifter held. And its core, where it concentrated the most, was what seemed to be the source or pinnacle of that energy. Their “master”, most likely.
She nodded to the Shapeshifter to continue, minding the ties she held on the small host she had brought as escort. It would be difficult for her to say that she was intimidated or terrified of entering the lair of such creatures, though she would not deny some hesitation at first. No, she was more intrigued, even a touch excited, to see the master of such creatures in person.
Part of her was also not expecting to get this far.
As they neared the entrance, a number of the shadows stepped out, or slinked out? It was difficult to comprehend how they moved, it defied convention, morphing and leaping as they were. The smaller ones were tamer in their rejection of physics by comparison to these more base, slender humanoid ones, radiating with a deep desire to hunt prey.
They must have seen her as prey, but were held at bay by an overriding will. Yellow, unblinking eyes staring at her as she calmly walked behind the shapeshifter to the door. Behind her, the small draconian Zerglings plodded along, eyeing back the unusual black masses. One of the Hydralisks slithering beside her hissed at one as it passed, but it offered no response. It only stared back, unblinking, unwavering.
They’re strange, silent creatures. Brianne noted as she entered the building, escort in tow.
Despite the exterior that crawled with a misshapen morass of blackness and yellow eyes, the inside was nearly spotless. Cleaned thoroughly, in fact, missing any form of debris save for that which blocked entry via the stairs to the second level. Simple hanging lights shined brightly, illuminating the mid-sized corridor that served as a entryway into a series of smaller offices. It was admittedly bare, with little in the way of decoration, lacking even a rug to the wooden floor paneling. And it was warm, considerably warmer than outside, and it smelled vaguely of pine.
The shapeshifter ignored the first two doorways into darkened and unused offices, walking past the stairway and towards the third whose lights shined out of the frosted windows. It opened the door and awaited Brianne, staring back with its silver eyes.
She hummed and continued forward until she reached the door, where two more of the slender, humanoid forms coalesced and stopped her.
“Leave your entourage outside the door, though you may bring one if you need the comfort.” A voice spoke aloud from inside the office and simultaneously echoed in her mind. It was clear, aloof, and certainly refined compared to the only other one of the creatures that seemed to speak.
She didn’t glance back to her escort, however, already selecting the hydralisk to continue while the other Zerglings lowly growled and stepped aside. The guards that blocked her also stepped aside, once again permitting entry. She didn’t wait for another objection, stepping through the threshold.
The office was equally clean and simple as the lobby, though with some more decoration, two basic, cushioned brown armchairs sitting across from one another, angled towards a fireplace with a crackling flame offering warmth. On the other side was a dark wooden desk in front sitting in front of a window, flanked on either side by bookcases filled with both new and old books that have seen better days and datapads as well. The same hanging lights were overhead, offering more light, and the smell of pine was stronger here than before.
She turned towards the desk to regard the room’s single occupant, a tall elfin man with nearly shoulder-length black hair, reading a slowly scrolling datapad with a studious expression. When she entered, he turned to regard her in the same way, peering with glowing titian eyes that flared once he met her gaze.
“Finally,” He muttered, taking a couple steps towards her with datapad still in hand, “I was beginning to be concerned that you had been waylaid. After I put so much effort into this meeting, such a result would be… unpleasant.” He spoke with aloofness and refinement,
“Your waiting is over then, fortunately.” Brianne replied politely with a slight flourish, still trying to study the man. He was rather easy on the eyes, a stark contrast to the faceless black masses he controlled, but there was little mistaking that he was their master. That vibrant singularity of void energy, a tempest of negativity refined into the shape of a human, is what made him stand out to her like a beacon. And he put little effort in hiding what he was to her.
“Indeed. I trust your journey here was uneventful and lacking any unwanted attention. After all, you seem to have a strong aversion to attaining such or being followed,” He held out his free hand towards the two armchairs, soundlessly offering Brianne a seat.
She smiled and sat down, crossing her legs and watching as the man did the same across her, firelight dancing across their faces.
“I would ask for your name, but I imagine it means little to your kind. Nonetheless, I will offer mine so that your Queen of Blades will know it. You may call me Jaixe, the master of the Heartless,” He set the datapad atop a short table beside him. Jaixe studied Brianne a moment longer before continuing.
“And I am willing to listen to what you have to offer, ambassador.”
With little chance of retreat or reinforcement, it concluded that self-termination was the most ideal route, as its master commanded. Though, it was apprehensive about doing so, so it continued to search for a way out, until the woman spoke of requesting a meeting.
In that moment, still maintaining the “act,” it studied its surroundings and adversaries. Creatures hiding in the dark, red eyes darting about, and a woman with unusual powers and appearances leading them. It finally clicked who, no, what this woman was, and it had to suppress a smile.
Master will be pleased. Though, it might withhold the incidental nature of this meeting.
It final relaxed, dropping the act as its silver eyes grew bright, a dark aura overtaking the shapeshifter. It nodded to the woman as it stepped forward.
“The Master has already selected a location to meet you,” The Shapeshifter spoke up, drawing the woman’s attention back to it. It shifted past her in a series of black tendrils etched against the darkness with a blue auratic lining, only reforming into a cohesive mass of blackness and then again into the woman it masqueraded as once it was behind the woman. She watched this too with a curious expression, but still said nothing.
The Shapeshifter motioned for her to follow.
“There is a back way we will take to avoid attention,” it paused, peering back at the other Zerg that the woman brought before continuing.
“Don’t worry about them, they’re used to hiding in the shadows.” The woman responded with a sly smirk before following the Shapeshifter.
------
It was an awfully long walk, following this Void-steeped, silver-eyed Shapeshifter that at times appeared too cautious, and at others not cautious enough to avoid drawing attention to itself and, by extension, her. It was getting to be irritating, to be given the run-around, but Brianne’s patience was soon rewarded.
The Shapeshifter stopped at the end of the alley that led into the traffic-less road. Not even a pedestrian roamed these streets, nor beggars, vagrants, or other criminals. Most buildings here were abandoned and decrepit, and the one the Shapeshifter had led them too looked little different, simply an empty brick and stone office building that was shorter than its surrounding neighbors at only three stories, one of which was collapsed in upon itself. It would have been eerily empty to most, but Brianne saw something different with her golden eyes.
While the other structures were surely empty, the one just ahead of them was crawling; black masses shifting in the darkness around and inside of it. The whole building seemed alive, and the Void energy she felt here was far greater and denser by comparison to the measly amount that the small bulbous figure and the masquerading shapeshifter held. And its core, where it concentrated the most, was what seemed to be the source or pinnacle of that energy. Their “master”, most likely.
She nodded to the Shapeshifter to continue, minding the ties she held on the small host she had brought as escort. It would be difficult for her to say that she was intimidated or terrified of entering the lair of such creatures, though she would not deny some hesitation at first. No, she was more intrigued, even a touch excited, to see the master of such creatures in person.
Part of her was also not expecting to get this far.
As they neared the entrance, a number of the shadows stepped out, or slinked out? It was difficult to comprehend how they moved, it defied convention, morphing and leaping as they were. The smaller ones were tamer in their rejection of physics by comparison to these more base, slender humanoid ones, radiating with a deep desire to hunt prey.
They must have seen her as prey, but were held at bay by an overriding will. Yellow, unblinking eyes staring at her as she calmly walked behind the shapeshifter to the door. Behind her, the small draconian Zerglings plodded along, eyeing back the unusual black masses. One of the Hydralisks slithering beside her hissed at one as it passed, but it offered no response. It only stared back, unblinking, unwavering.
They’re strange, silent creatures. Brianne noted as she entered the building, escort in tow.
Despite the exterior that crawled with a misshapen morass of blackness and yellow eyes, the inside was nearly spotless. Cleaned thoroughly, in fact, missing any form of debris save for that which blocked entry via the stairs to the second level. Simple hanging lights shined brightly, illuminating the mid-sized corridor that served as a entryway into a series of smaller offices. It was admittedly bare, with little in the way of decoration, lacking even a rug to the wooden floor paneling. And it was warm, considerably warmer than outside, and it smelled vaguely of pine.
The shapeshifter ignored the first two doorways into darkened and unused offices, walking past the stairway and towards the third whose lights shined out of the frosted windows. It opened the door and awaited Brianne, staring back with its silver eyes.
She hummed and continued forward until she reached the door, where two more of the slender, humanoid forms coalesced and stopped her.
“Leave your entourage outside the door, though you may bring one if you need the comfort.” A voice spoke aloud from inside the office and simultaneously echoed in her mind. It was clear, aloof, and certainly refined compared to the only other one of the creatures that seemed to speak.
She didn’t glance back to her escort, however, already selecting the hydralisk to continue while the other Zerglings lowly growled and stepped aside. The guards that blocked her also stepped aside, once again permitting entry. She didn’t wait for another objection, stepping through the threshold.
The office was equally clean and simple as the lobby, though with some more decoration, two basic, cushioned brown armchairs sitting across from one another, angled towards a fireplace with a crackling flame offering warmth. On the other side was a dark wooden desk in front sitting in front of a window, flanked on either side by bookcases filled with both new and old books that have seen better days and datapads as well. The same hanging lights were overhead, offering more light, and the smell of pine was stronger here than before.
She turned towards the desk to regard the room’s single occupant, a tall elfin man with nearly shoulder-length black hair, reading a slowly scrolling datapad with a studious expression. When she entered, he turned to regard her in the same way, peering with glowing titian eyes that flared once he met her gaze.
“Finally,” He muttered, taking a couple steps towards her with datapad still in hand, “I was beginning to be concerned that you had been waylaid. After I put so much effort into this meeting, such a result would be… unpleasant.” He spoke with aloofness and refinement,
“Your waiting is over then, fortunately.” Brianne replied politely with a slight flourish, still trying to study the man. He was rather easy on the eyes, a stark contrast to the faceless black masses he controlled, but there was little mistaking that he was their master. That vibrant singularity of void energy, a tempest of negativity refined into the shape of a human, is what made him stand out to her like a beacon. And he put little effort in hiding what he was to her.
“Indeed. I trust your journey here was uneventful and lacking any unwanted attention. After all, you seem to have a strong aversion to attaining such or being followed,” He held out his free hand towards the two armchairs, soundlessly offering Brianne a seat.
She smiled and sat down, crossing her legs and watching as the man did the same across her, firelight dancing across their faces.
“I would ask for your name, but I imagine it means little to your kind. Nonetheless, I will offer mine so that your Queen of Blades will know it. You may call me Jaixe, the master of the Heartless,” He set the datapad atop a short table beside him. Jaixe studied Brianne a moment longer before continuing.
“And I am willing to listen to what you have to offer, ambassador.”