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[Arakad]

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The rough scratching sound of metal scraping across the hard bloodwood floor echos through the halls of the manor as the dark paladin paces from one end of the large house to the other "The quests laid out before me are simple enough, just visit the shrines... they don't have to be anything special just a quick travel to and from right..."

Coming to a easing halt, he turns facing the windows and the setting sun; "It's been to long since I've paid true homage, to longe since I've returned to a shrine with true intentions..." Turning to make a small pace back towards the center of the room, mumbling even more to himself "they want me to have a witness...is it safe to have a witness...who could possible have the time...this may take a week or more to accomplish at my rate..."

The black plate leggings fall to an abrupt stop as he looks out from the center of the room towards the opposite wall, the soulstones sitting along the stairwell emitting an almost haunting glow upon the old stone wall, the only stone wall above the first floor of the manor. The wall spans half the floor length wise with noticable vines and growth upon its surface... clear signs of poor up-keep. The only noticable decour placed upon the wall is a light flowered tapestry that now casts haunting shadows across its surface from the glow of the soulstones.

Stepping against the stone wall, reaching before him he parts aside the tapestry revealing a bared oak door. With simplicity and ease the man removes the locks, cracking the door open to reveal the hidden chambers; within the stone keep of the manor rested what one could call a sacrifical chamber.

The man's dark eyes scaned over the dust covered contents of the room; before him a table and bench with the scattered remants of a forgotten card reading, cocoons and experimental egg sacks of various creatures rest upon the alchemist table and dark treasure chests, beyond the table rested various arcane markings and pentagrams upon the floor, which held the inards of many holy creatures, ribs of unicorns, brains of the ki-rin, glands of a fairy and blood soaked stone leading to the sacrifical altar at the far wall. A basin of blood resting upon the altar as fresh as the day it was released from its mortal coil.

But what perplexed Arakad, to the point of mouth dropping, is what sat at the card table, leaned back into the blood soaked chair with robed legs sprawled out over the cards and arms tucked neatly...calmly behind its head. A figure robed in a robe of shadows with dark red almost glowing eyes piercing the veil, glistening white teeth giving a sinister grin from the darkness of the room. A rumble, an echo of a voice, came towards him from the figure sitting mere yards infront of him. "Hello, boy, we need to talk."


In the door way the dark paladin stood, stareing down the familiar yet unknown figure that sat calmly before him. The malestrom eyes glareing from beneath the hood of shadows as the blood tinted white teeth glistened in the nill light. "You will speak to me.. or must I rip your throat out again... oh yes you know I will, and rather would enjoy it. *the shadowed figure gave a dismisive wave of his hand towards the dust covered loveseat bench across from him. "Sit... drink... sit... and speak".

Carefully, Arakad slid into the room but refusing to sit he stood with one hand reaching for the hilt of an axe from his back, but quickly realizing, he didn't wear his axe, he didn't wield any weapons at that moment. Not even the shuriken belt. "The last thing I need is to deal with the likes of you, fiend" having no other notion than to communicate with the figure.

"That hurts, and after all that we've been through...all that I've done for you..." sliding its feet from the table, sending scattered tarrot cards billowing to the blood caked floor below. "ou know I have been locked up in this hell hole you call a mind for nearly a year now, you should be surprised I am so civil." with unnatural grace the hooded being steps from the chair now a mere foot from Arakad, from his prey. "You learn to be civil when you watch, and I have watched you...boy...and watched you make a fool of yourself."

Taking a step back, Arakad hit hard against the shut door behind him. the bars and locks firmly in place. Suddenly he came to notice the light that illuminated the small chambers grew dim as the figure approached, the blood upon the floor giving a slim yet lively look as though it withered into the stone for comfort. "I have done what I must, and I take it you would have done things diffrently? You would have made things much more ... comfortable for ... you?

"I would have made things to your 'fathers' liking, more comfortable for our kind...of course there would have been the occasional death now and then but you know how it is..."

"What I do I do so I do not become you, fiend. Bastard son of a legacy naught of mine!"

"Ah... so you finally admit of me do you? You admit of who you really are?" Bringing a skeletal hand up to the hood of its robes, the figure brushes back its cowls revealing in the dim light what could only be a skeletal head with shreds of hair stapled into the creases of the skull. What one would commonly expect to be black recesses for eyes and nose were dark red pupils and half covered flesh. What stood before Arakad, was .. Arakad. "There is one sacrifice we should make, and all will be much easier for you... much less obstacles to deal with...you know whom I speak of..." the chattering voice of the being that stood before Arakad, he now realized was echoing not within the small chamber but within his own mind, his temples expanding and in-pounding with each verbose phrase from the skeletal figment.

Having expected to recognize the face beneath the hooded robe, his eyes couldn't help but shake, the living hued glyphs beneath his skin swirling insanely beneath their flesh surface. "You are not real, and I will see to it you are never to be real. And never will any harm come to another by my hands."

"Such harsh words..." *the contorted skeletal face giving a facade of amusement yet looking as though it had just been scorned. "I only bring the best out in you, she doesn't care for you... none ever has...and soon none ever will..." With unseen speed, the figment of Arakad griped the gold sash that he wore around his chest with half rotted fingers, pulling the man closer to the skeletal face. "We will meet again, boy... and you should have stay'd with the old man...at least his ailments were greater than your own...

Gripping the figments arm with his own leather gloves, he clawed and pulled at the skeletal steel grip pulling off chunks of flesh, meat, and pouring insects from the openings yet to no avail, the hooded figure slowly seeemed to diminish into the darkness around it pulling Arakad in with him. Once the hooded figure had faded off, the dark paladin came crashing to his knees to the floor hand griping at his own sash and the emitting light of the soulstone encompasing the hall as he stared up at the flowered tapestry before him.

Slowlying raising to a stand, Arakad took a look around the surroundings once more before making his way to the stairs and down to the bedroom that ironicly is built directly below what would have been the sacrifical chambers... making his way to the desk, he sat and waited once again... quietly mumbling to himself over readings "just another sleepless night..."