Forums » Fantasy Roleplay » Will of Fire [1x1 - Closed]

(OoC Greetings! This RP is between myself & CelestinaGrey. The original proposed premises an be found here. )

Of all the myraid of ways a man could have his day interrupted, a sudden summons away from his homestead had to be one of the more migraine-inducing.

That's all a certain nobleman bear to think as he suddenly found himself whisked away in a puff of ritualistic magic. Sorcerers, wizards, magicians, witches... Didn't these infernal shapers of the fabric of reality understand how busy an important figure of society was? Did they even give any consideration that maybe he had been right in the midst of arranging a chain of trades, which just so happened to included the most influential merchant kings on the continent?

Apparently not. Cosmically dragged away from his estate that helped fuel the economy of the small city nearby, Lord Azarkot of House Wilhelm was livid by the time he arrived a scant few seconds later before his newest 'host' (sometimes that term fit perfectly, other times he just used it to avoid the other word that made him want to turn green at the gills).

Considerably lean and gaunt, he had the build of a wizard himself and the showing age of a man just sliding past his prime, with brown hair streaked in grey and the first signs of wrinkles. He held himself well though, being a nobleman and all, dressed in silken finery of golds, reds, and black and preened from head to toe. Unfortunately for whoever had summoned Azarkot, what they were met with first was an insanely hateful glare and a spark in his blue eyes that told the world he was struggling very hard not to restrain a fiery rage. The sudden trip hadn't put a hair out of place, but ooooh man was he in a bad mood now.

The look on Apheris' face was quite the opposite of the man who now stood before her. One moment she was sending an offering to the gods, something she had not been able to do for a while, begging for directions. And the next moment, there was an angry man before her! It was something that certainly took the woman with glowing eyes by surprise.
"Ah shemata.." she exclaimed softly in her home tongue. "Who are you?" He must be one sent by the gods. Someone to guide her back to her kingdom! Help had been given! Sure, he seemed to be pretty surly and grumpy help, but it was still help! She was so very excited. Help had finally come, she could finally be able to travel with confidence! She got to her feet, since she had been kneeling for the offering ritual, and couldn't help but smile. "My prayers have been answered at last."

The blue-eyed noble glared at the woman before him with a fierceness that even an angry drunk would be proud of. He knew very well she would be unfamiliar to him, what with there being countless magic users on the prowl, but there was something unsettling; he didn't recognize her style of dress or her language, knowing too well that the first words to leave Apheris' lips were not Common.

Clenching his hands into fists of further irritation, the nobleman struggled to keep down the urge to cast a spell out of spite. "Who am I?" he snarled in disbelief. "Oh by the gods' silken small clothes... You called upon a creature from the other realm to do your bidding and you don't even know who you invoked!?" the man ranted at her as he felt he certainly deserved to do!

Apheris jumped slightly when the man started yelling at her. Well, that wasn't expected. Immediately the princess went into business-mode, a stern look coming onto her face. "Excuse me, but I am not privy to the names of the helpers of my gods. I asked the gods for help, and you are who they sent. That does not mean that I immediately have all the knowledge they possess about those who aid them in their work." She stood tall now, chin leveled calmly.
"I called to the gods for a guide, and a guide I was given. If you do not want to give me your name, then do not be so brash about the fact that I do not know it. After all, I am a mortal, not a god." Though, obviously she wasn't completely mortal. Her glowing eyes definitely weren't normal for a human.

"... A guide?" The lord continued staring at her, but slowly the rage was subsiding and letting confusion and indignation take hold. "A helper? Ha...ha...aha...ahahaha!" Azarkot allowed himself the moment to laugh, partially out of further disbelief and partially because he really was that amused! "Either this is a cruel joke by Those in Power, or you truly are that naive. Hm! Very well, if that really is the case, allow me to properly introduce myself to both yourself and your imbecilic deities.."

With an insulting, self-righteous smirk and a bit of straightening of his posture, the nobleman settled the spidery fingers of one hand against his chest (which yes, he did puff out a little bit). "I am Lord Azarkotelausypha the Infernal Lover, the False Fortuitous, the Damned Second Son of Baloraeu..." His tone slowly changed from haughty to angry again. "...I am not, however, your gods-be-damned tour guide!!"

Apheris looked at her with steely eyes as he laughed, and the glowing eyes narrowed as he called her deities imbecilic and damned. "Tch. Obviously. The gods would never send one so pitiful as a guide back to my kingdom." She brushed past him. "A man of many titles is a man with little to truly admire. Flaunt your witticisms with someone who might not see how truly pathetic you are." She gathered up what she had used for the ritual and started walking away.
However, it wasn't very easy to get rid of each other. Certainly, it was not that simple. Azarkot would find himself unable to return to his home, and Apheris had not yet noticed the strange new symbol burned into her palm, though she was beginning to notice the itch. Whether it was her deities or 'Those in Power', something had happened that had Azarkot and Apheris bound together until duties were fulfilled. And with such a clash of personalities, that was sure to be interesting...

(If the last paragraph doesn't work for you, just let me know! I just felt like we needed to think of a way to actually keep them together even though they don't like each other xD This 'binding until goal is accomplished' thing would work for that, but if you don't like it or it doesn't work, just let me know and I can edit )

"... you complete and utter idiot," Azarkot was swift to announce, aiming a very dull glare at the woman's back as she began to walk off. "You have no idea what you summoned or prayed for or however you put it, do you? Others would be swifter to melt your lips shut for such insolence if you weren't quick enough to call it off."

"Besides...all those titles were bestowed upon me by mortals like yourself. Hint, hint. I can't help it if my popularity gets around the world a few times a month." He hadn't noticed the symbol either, but nevertheless he walked after her because he was inconveniently duty-bound. Even if he had desired, there was no way the lord would be going home just like that--he'd danced this dance several times before. He unfortunately knew how this whole mess tended to work.

Apheris frowned. "Well, you obviously are not willing to aid me. I do not have much option, since you are terribly stuck on yourself. You obviously don't want to give any help to anyone." She went to brush hair back from her face and gasped softly. "What is this...?" In Apheris' defense, she had never actually summoned anything before. She had only prayed and offered sacrifice. She had no idea how the whole 'helper from the gods' thing worked.
Apheris took in a deep breath and let it out, looking around. Which way was she to go? Her kingdom could be getting farther and farther away with each step. She couldn't understand where she was, or even where exactly she was going to.

Azarkot let out a very annoyed groan and brought a hand up to rub at his eyes and then pinch the bridge of his nose. "For Gods' sakes, woman, I am a demon! An evil spirit! A damned creature invoked by magicians with their small clothes in bunches and powerful wizards to do their bidding whether I wish to or not!" he snapped at her as if that would make everything come to life in that pretty little head of hers.

"And what is what?" he snapped again, squinting at her hand as she took notice of it. Without a care for her social standing or upbringing, even if their are certain ways a nobleman must treat a lady, he stomped his way over towards Apheris to try to grab her hand and have a look for himself.

Apheris gasped when her hand was grabbed. "You dare touch me?!" She tried to pull her hand away, put even she was interested in the strange rune that was now on her palm. "Whether you wish to or not? Very well then. You will lead me back to my kingdom." She focused on him sternly. She wanted to get home, and if he was going to help her, she was going to get things straight. "Release my hand immediately. We must be on our way." She was not sure if she really wanted his help, but she would do anything to return to her home at this moment.
"What shall I call you? I am not going to name the entire list..."

The lord glared at her from over her hand with a certain iciness in his eyes. "You are damned right I do dare," he announced with a somewhat triumphant grin. He took a moment to study the rune from his own angle, keeping a firm enough grip to ensure she couldn't easily slip loose. He didn't recognize that either, and while that bothered the demon a good deal, there was a more pressing matter to suddenly attend to.

"Oh will I?" he asked of Apheris' demand. "Your gods expect me to guide you to a kingdom I probably have absolutely no knowledge of, in a land I am more than likely unfamiliar with? Hmph. And you shall address me as Lord Azarkot--and yes, you will acknowledge my title, lest I ring your wrist with an unseemly burn scar for the rest of your days."