It was very cold.
Is something Rasteva might have said or thought if they had any nerve endings. To be fair it certainly LOOKED cold. The Daemon had entered the strange Portal leading from the white expanse and found themselves standing on an ice floe in the midst of howling wind and snow, sure indicators that is was in fact cold.
But that was besides the point.
Rasteva peered over the edge of the ice floe and beheld only dark waters rushing past their field of view. Water was a problem for the Daemon as their chosen form wasn’t particularly buoyant, and even for all their knowledge they had not a single clue how to swim. The armored figure took a moment to pause and consider their options for a moment. Turning back through the Gateway seemed the most viable option, but the Daemon had not long ago established that finding another any time soon may be out of the question. Much less did they know if what lie on the other side was hospitable at all should they come across another Portal. On the other hand, Rasteva knew that crossing the field of ice would be difficult if not impossible for them. Most of the ice did not look capable of supporting the large Daemon’s weight, and Creation only knew how deep the black waters ran. Gripping Raumspalter tightly in one hand, Rasteva lowered their bulk as close to the surface of the ice as they could and carefully sidled closer to the edge of the ice floe. Easing their Glaive over the edge, the Daemon began to slowly ease the massive weapon into the dark waters. Foot after foot of the pole weapon disappeared beneath the surface, and Rasteva was nearly elbow deep in the water before the Rasteva decided to halt Glaive’s descent halted altogether. The armored figure balanced themselves at the edge of the ice floe rather precariously as they hauled Raumspalter out of the waters, the gears already turning in their mind.
The water was deep, this much was certain, but Rasteva had the advantage of being much taller than most beings. Raumspalter’s blade stretched a few feet over the Daemon’s head and even still it could not reach the bottom of the waters. All the same Rasteva did not consider the water too deep, The shore could be seen not far off from where they were situated and as the metal figure had no lungs they had no reason to worry over the need for air. Provided that they could keep moving in the right direction, the Daemon surmised that they could walk to shore in a reasonable amount of time. The waters could however pose other dangers to the Daemon and they still worried about the strong currents beneath the waves and potentially hungry beasts lurking beneath the waves. Rasteva continued to stare at the waters as they collected their resolve. The dark waters were certainly threatening, but they assured themselves that it was not a challenge beyond their own capabilities. Nodding firmly, the Daemon slid their legs over the edge of ice and tried to slip into the water as carefully as they could.
Of course it did not go as gracefully as they wanted.
When nearly a ton of metal shifts to the edge of an already precariously balanced platform, there was really only so much nonsense it would allow before giving up and allowing physics to take over completely. And so it was with a great deal of fanfare, and an even greater deal of embarrassment that Rasteva was bucked off the rocking ice floe and into the dark waters it below. The Daemon did not sink gracefully at all, and rather like a meteor hurled from space. Touching down on the seabed heavily, a cloud of dirt erupted on the bottom and obscured the Daemon from view for a great while. Rasteva took this time to regret every decision they had made thus far, it wasn’t as if the murky waters provided any other entertainment after all.
Once they had surmised that enough time was spent wallowing in their own pity, the Daemon began their slow march forward. The going was a bt difficult, as the muck of the seabed sucked at the Daemon’s metal boots with each step, and they prepared themselves for an excruciatingly long walk to the shore. Glancing upwards the Daemon could see beams of light filtering through the cracks in the ice. So long as they moved diligently in the direction the assumed the shore was, Rasteva did not foresee anything worse happening to them than what they had already endured thus far.
Rasteva was a Daemon of many talents, and not a single one of them included being able to see into the future.
The darkness of the waters did not provide much in the way of scenery. A rock here, some kelp there, and mud as far as one could see. The Daemon could not even recall seeing fish of any sort and began to wonder if they might come across any at all. It seemed that they did not have to wait long, for no sooner did the thought cross their mind did a small silver fish zip by the Daemon’s visor. It was not alone for another was close on its tail. Rasteva would have taken a moment to muse over the sight but they never got the chance because they were soon gifted with more fish to look at then they had actually wished for. An entire school of fish rushed past the Daemon, many of them parting round them to make way for the metal figure’s bulk. Rasteva watched the school’s passing with some interest, practically entranced by the sight.
This enjoyment was immediately cut short as one of the fish decided that this exact moment would be a good a time as any to get itself stuck in the visor of Rasteva’s helm.
Grabbing at the slippery creature with metal claws, the Daemon attempted to wrest the struggling fish out of their helm. Rasteva’s irritation was growing by the second, but as with all things that too would pass.
Only to become replaced with an immediate sense of dread.
As they finally managed to pry the poor fish out of their helm, Rasteva became very aware of a dark shadow slowly passing over them. Gazing up frantically the Daemon was gifted with the knowledge of WHAT exactly the school of fish was fleeing from. From nose to fluke the beast was well over twenty feet long, its pale belly contrasting sharply against the relative darkness of the waters. High pitched clicks and whistles emanated from the creature’s bulk as it passed over Rasteva, and the Daemon had enough foresight to still their movements completely.
Naturally it did not travel alone.
The armored figure remained stock still as more of the beasts swam past, all clicking and squealing shrilly. For a moment the Daemon swore that they could feel the sounds rattling around in their armor. It was a rather intrusive sensation, and they felt as if they were being closely examined even though the group of sea beasts ignored them completely. Or most of them did, one drifted uncomfortably close to the Daemon and it took a great deal of willpower to not draw Raumspalter. This one significantly smaller than its kin, not much longer than Rasteva was tall. Its whistles increased in pitch as it drew closer to the hapless Daemon and nudged them with its nose in apparent curiosity. Panic gripped Rasteva for the first time in eons, and the Daemon could do nothing but allow the beast to prod at them lest it alert the rest of its kin to their presence.The smaller creature continued to click loudly, seemingly pleased to have found a new plaything and nudged at Rasteva a bit harder. The Daemon cursed internally as they toppled over onto the seabed, wondering what they had done to deserve such mistreatment. And yet they continued to remain still, terrified that any movement would send the creature into panic. Metal would more than likely be unpalatable to the beast, but that would not keep it from tearing the Daemon apart in its jaws should it feel threatened.
Though as the creature’s mistreatment of them continued, Rasteva began to entertain the thought of just ending it all.
Finally, and mercifully the small beast grew bored with Rasteva, its new toy not nearly stimulating enough to keep its attention. Whistling loudly it floated off on the tail of its kin, not wanting to be left behind. Rasteva lay there on the seabed for a long while, indignation furiously coursing through their physical form. Never in all their millennia of existence had they EVER thought they wind up as some ugly fish beast’s plaything. And yet here they were, sitting at the bottom of some unknown ocean in some unknown universe where its God was surely high above laughing at the Daemon’s misfortune.
And so it was at that moment that Rasteva decided with a terrifying level of finality, to wage war on every whale in existence.
But that would have to wait for the time being.
Using Raumspalter as a crutch, the Daemon hauled themselves to their feet. They were uninjured, or at least whatever it was that passed for uninjured for a walking suit of armor. They could feel no new dents in their form, and all of their body parts were accounted for. Aside from their wounded pride, the Daemon was whole and unharmed. And that was of greater importance than even Rasteva’s own ego. So long as they existed, all was well.Though Omni had stated death to be only a temporary inconvinience, the Daemon knew that hinged solely on the God’s mood. There was not a single doubt in the metal figure’s metaphorical mind that Omni would cast them and anyone else into oblivion should he deem them unworthy. But that was a concern for when Rasteva’s existence came to its permanent end. For now their sole focus was getting to shore. Once there, they would begin their next course of action.
All things came with time, and Rasteva had much to spare as they slogged blindly through the darkened waters.
A lone Gull waddled across the surface of the ice, going about whatever it is that Gulls considered business. That normally amounted to nothing more than flying, hunting for fish, and making an unseemly amount of noise. But this particular Gull felt that it deserved a rest after a full day of doing every one of the above mentioned activities.
Truly an upstanding model of Gull Society.
Choosing a spot on the ice, the Gull settled itself down comfortably on the surface. The small bird let out a chirping sound of contentment, its friends and family circling overhead as they had not yet grown tired of fishing and squawking. As far as birds went, this could be considered the perfect end to a perfect day. And it truly would have been as such had a metal helm not decided to burst through the ice not even a foot from where the bird was resting.
Screeching madly, the Gull flapped off in equal parts indignation and fear. Some things were not meant to be it seemed, even something as simple as a spot on the ice.
Hauling their bulk out of the waters beneath the ice, Rasteva managed to clamber onto a more solid surface than what had greeted them. It had taken hours marching through the dark waters to get to shore, if the sun’s current position close to the horizon was any indication. The Daemon kept a firm grip on Raumspalter as they slowly moved to stand. The water coursing out through the gaps in the Daemon’s form was less of a concern to them, than the strands of kelp draped over their body. It also seemed that somewhere along the way Rasteva had obtained a travelling companion as another fish had somehow managed to wedge itself into the Daemon’s visor. Plucking the poor animal out of their helm, Rasteva tossed the fish aside on the ice only for it to be snatched up mere moments later by a passing Gull.
A rather poor end to the day if you were a fish.
Completely ignoring the timeless display of the circle of life, Rasteva trudged across the ice towards solid ground, water sloshing out of their body at every step. While they weren’t what could be considered tired in the traditional sense, the Daemon’s ‘swim’ had taken its toll all the same. It had been mentally taxing walking across the seabed, and the armored figure had never thought they’d be so happy to see dry land. Coming to a large boulder the Daemon moved around to the other side and leaned against it. Back pressed to the stone, Rasteva moved to sit on the cold hard ground, setting Raumspalter over their lap. In the distance past the field of snow and ice, Rasteva could see dark mountains jutting against the sky like a mass of sharpened teeth. The land looked harsh and completely inhospitable, but Rasteva knew for a fact that such things had never deterred other beings from settling in a place like this. If anyone at all made their home here, the Daemon knew that they would be a harsh people and well suited to their home.
The perfect allies really, one could afford not an ounce of weakness here.
The Daemon’s thoughts were cut short as a roar echoed across the frozen plains a long way off. Peering into the distance, Rasteva spied a large silhouette coasting through the air, one that they had come to recognize long ago. The Daemon supposed that if any creature were to make its home here among the ice and snow it would be Dragons. Rasteva continued to watch the Dragon soar against the backdrop of mountains illuminated by the setting sun. Here would be a suitable place to rest for the time being. The Daemon was sure they would not find anyone wandering the plains in the dead of night, and so resolved to begin their search come morning.
But they could at least enjoy the scenery while the light still remained.
Is something Rasteva might have said or thought if they had any nerve endings. To be fair it certainly LOOKED cold. The Daemon had entered the strange Portal leading from the white expanse and found themselves standing on an ice floe in the midst of howling wind and snow, sure indicators that is was in fact cold.
But that was besides the point.
Rasteva peered over the edge of the ice floe and beheld only dark waters rushing past their field of view. Water was a problem for the Daemon as their chosen form wasn’t particularly buoyant, and even for all their knowledge they had not a single clue how to swim. The armored figure took a moment to pause and consider their options for a moment. Turning back through the Gateway seemed the most viable option, but the Daemon had not long ago established that finding another any time soon may be out of the question. Much less did they know if what lie on the other side was hospitable at all should they come across another Portal. On the other hand, Rasteva knew that crossing the field of ice would be difficult if not impossible for them. Most of the ice did not look capable of supporting the large Daemon’s weight, and Creation only knew how deep the black waters ran. Gripping Raumspalter tightly in one hand, Rasteva lowered their bulk as close to the surface of the ice as they could and carefully sidled closer to the edge of the ice floe. Easing their Glaive over the edge, the Daemon began to slowly ease the massive weapon into the dark waters. Foot after foot of the pole weapon disappeared beneath the surface, and Rasteva was nearly elbow deep in the water before the Rasteva decided to halt Glaive’s descent halted altogether. The armored figure balanced themselves at the edge of the ice floe rather precariously as they hauled Raumspalter out of the waters, the gears already turning in their mind.
The water was deep, this much was certain, but Rasteva had the advantage of being much taller than most beings. Raumspalter’s blade stretched a few feet over the Daemon’s head and even still it could not reach the bottom of the waters. All the same Rasteva did not consider the water too deep, The shore could be seen not far off from where they were situated and as the metal figure had no lungs they had no reason to worry over the need for air. Provided that they could keep moving in the right direction, the Daemon surmised that they could walk to shore in a reasonable amount of time. The waters could however pose other dangers to the Daemon and they still worried about the strong currents beneath the waves and potentially hungry beasts lurking beneath the waves. Rasteva continued to stare at the waters as they collected their resolve. The dark waters were certainly threatening, but they assured themselves that it was not a challenge beyond their own capabilities. Nodding firmly, the Daemon slid their legs over the edge of ice and tried to slip into the water as carefully as they could.
Of course it did not go as gracefully as they wanted.
When nearly a ton of metal shifts to the edge of an already precariously balanced platform, there was really only so much nonsense it would allow before giving up and allowing physics to take over completely. And so it was with a great deal of fanfare, and an even greater deal of embarrassment that Rasteva was bucked off the rocking ice floe and into the dark waters it below. The Daemon did not sink gracefully at all, and rather like a meteor hurled from space. Touching down on the seabed heavily, a cloud of dirt erupted on the bottom and obscured the Daemon from view for a great while. Rasteva took this time to regret every decision they had made thus far, it wasn’t as if the murky waters provided any other entertainment after all.
Once they had surmised that enough time was spent wallowing in their own pity, the Daemon began their slow march forward. The going was a bt difficult, as the muck of the seabed sucked at the Daemon’s metal boots with each step, and they prepared themselves for an excruciatingly long walk to the shore. Glancing upwards the Daemon could see beams of light filtering through the cracks in the ice. So long as they moved diligently in the direction the assumed the shore was, Rasteva did not foresee anything worse happening to them than what they had already endured thus far.
Rasteva was a Daemon of many talents, and not a single one of them included being able to see into the future.
The darkness of the waters did not provide much in the way of scenery. A rock here, some kelp there, and mud as far as one could see. The Daemon could not even recall seeing fish of any sort and began to wonder if they might come across any at all. It seemed that they did not have to wait long, for no sooner did the thought cross their mind did a small silver fish zip by the Daemon’s visor. It was not alone for another was close on its tail. Rasteva would have taken a moment to muse over the sight but they never got the chance because they were soon gifted with more fish to look at then they had actually wished for. An entire school of fish rushed past the Daemon, many of them parting round them to make way for the metal figure’s bulk. Rasteva watched the school’s passing with some interest, practically entranced by the sight.
This enjoyment was immediately cut short as one of the fish decided that this exact moment would be a good a time as any to get itself stuck in the visor of Rasteva’s helm.
Grabbing at the slippery creature with metal claws, the Daemon attempted to wrest the struggling fish out of their helm. Rasteva’s irritation was growing by the second, but as with all things that too would pass.
Only to become replaced with an immediate sense of dread.
As they finally managed to pry the poor fish out of their helm, Rasteva became very aware of a dark shadow slowly passing over them. Gazing up frantically the Daemon was gifted with the knowledge of WHAT exactly the school of fish was fleeing from. From nose to fluke the beast was well over twenty feet long, its pale belly contrasting sharply against the relative darkness of the waters. High pitched clicks and whistles emanated from the creature’s bulk as it passed over Rasteva, and the Daemon had enough foresight to still their movements completely.
Naturally it did not travel alone.
The armored figure remained stock still as more of the beasts swam past, all clicking and squealing shrilly. For a moment the Daemon swore that they could feel the sounds rattling around in their armor. It was a rather intrusive sensation, and they felt as if they were being closely examined even though the group of sea beasts ignored them completely. Or most of them did, one drifted uncomfortably close to the Daemon and it took a great deal of willpower to not draw Raumspalter. This one significantly smaller than its kin, not much longer than Rasteva was tall. Its whistles increased in pitch as it drew closer to the hapless Daemon and nudged them with its nose in apparent curiosity. Panic gripped Rasteva for the first time in eons, and the Daemon could do nothing but allow the beast to prod at them lest it alert the rest of its kin to their presence.The smaller creature continued to click loudly, seemingly pleased to have found a new plaything and nudged at Rasteva a bit harder. The Daemon cursed internally as they toppled over onto the seabed, wondering what they had done to deserve such mistreatment. And yet they continued to remain still, terrified that any movement would send the creature into panic. Metal would more than likely be unpalatable to the beast, but that would not keep it from tearing the Daemon apart in its jaws should it feel threatened.
Though as the creature’s mistreatment of them continued, Rasteva began to entertain the thought of just ending it all.
Finally, and mercifully the small beast grew bored with Rasteva, its new toy not nearly stimulating enough to keep its attention. Whistling loudly it floated off on the tail of its kin, not wanting to be left behind. Rasteva lay there on the seabed for a long while, indignation furiously coursing through their physical form. Never in all their millennia of existence had they EVER thought they wind up as some ugly fish beast’s plaything. And yet here they were, sitting at the bottom of some unknown ocean in some unknown universe where its God was surely high above laughing at the Daemon’s misfortune.
And so it was at that moment that Rasteva decided with a terrifying level of finality, to wage war on every whale in existence.
But that would have to wait for the time being.
Using Raumspalter as a crutch, the Daemon hauled themselves to their feet. They were uninjured, or at least whatever it was that passed for uninjured for a walking suit of armor. They could feel no new dents in their form, and all of their body parts were accounted for. Aside from their wounded pride, the Daemon was whole and unharmed. And that was of greater importance than even Rasteva’s own ego. So long as they existed, all was well.Though Omni had stated death to be only a temporary inconvinience, the Daemon knew that hinged solely on the God’s mood. There was not a single doubt in the metal figure’s metaphorical mind that Omni would cast them and anyone else into oblivion should he deem them unworthy. But that was a concern for when Rasteva’s existence came to its permanent end. For now their sole focus was getting to shore. Once there, they would begin their next course of action.
All things came with time, and Rasteva had much to spare as they slogged blindly through the darkened waters.
A lone Gull waddled across the surface of the ice, going about whatever it is that Gulls considered business. That normally amounted to nothing more than flying, hunting for fish, and making an unseemly amount of noise. But this particular Gull felt that it deserved a rest after a full day of doing every one of the above mentioned activities.
Truly an upstanding model of Gull Society.
Choosing a spot on the ice, the Gull settled itself down comfortably on the surface. The small bird let out a chirping sound of contentment, its friends and family circling overhead as they had not yet grown tired of fishing and squawking. As far as birds went, this could be considered the perfect end to a perfect day. And it truly would have been as such had a metal helm not decided to burst through the ice not even a foot from where the bird was resting.
Screeching madly, the Gull flapped off in equal parts indignation and fear. Some things were not meant to be it seemed, even something as simple as a spot on the ice.
Hauling their bulk out of the waters beneath the ice, Rasteva managed to clamber onto a more solid surface than what had greeted them. It had taken hours marching through the dark waters to get to shore, if the sun’s current position close to the horizon was any indication. The Daemon kept a firm grip on Raumspalter as they slowly moved to stand. The water coursing out through the gaps in the Daemon’s form was less of a concern to them, than the strands of kelp draped over their body. It also seemed that somewhere along the way Rasteva had obtained a travelling companion as another fish had somehow managed to wedge itself into the Daemon’s visor. Plucking the poor animal out of their helm, Rasteva tossed the fish aside on the ice only for it to be snatched up mere moments later by a passing Gull.
A rather poor end to the day if you were a fish.
Completely ignoring the timeless display of the circle of life, Rasteva trudged across the ice towards solid ground, water sloshing out of their body at every step. While they weren’t what could be considered tired in the traditional sense, the Daemon’s ‘swim’ had taken its toll all the same. It had been mentally taxing walking across the seabed, and the armored figure had never thought they’d be so happy to see dry land. Coming to a large boulder the Daemon moved around to the other side and leaned against it. Back pressed to the stone, Rasteva moved to sit on the cold hard ground, setting Raumspalter over their lap. In the distance past the field of snow and ice, Rasteva could see dark mountains jutting against the sky like a mass of sharpened teeth. The land looked harsh and completely inhospitable, but Rasteva knew for a fact that such things had never deterred other beings from settling in a place like this. If anyone at all made their home here, the Daemon knew that they would be a harsh people and well suited to their home.
The perfect allies really, one could afford not an ounce of weakness here.
The Daemon’s thoughts were cut short as a roar echoed across the frozen plains a long way off. Peering into the distance, Rasteva spied a large silhouette coasting through the air, one that they had come to recognize long ago. The Daemon supposed that if any creature were to make its home here among the ice and snow it would be Dragons. Rasteva continued to watch the Dragon soar against the backdrop of mountains illuminated by the setting sun. Here would be a suitable place to rest for the time being. The Daemon was sure they would not find anyone wandering the plains in the dead of night, and so resolved to begin their search come morning.
But they could at least enjoy the scenery while the light still remained.
Everybody makes mistakes. Mine was bothering to get out of bed this morning.