Cast in Darkness
By rain_hunter
Kransha smiled as she shuffled through the marketplace, occasionally knocking into someone and bending down to help pick up the various items that she had knocked to the ground. Slowly making her way over to the coffee stand, she thought back on the past two years. Kransha still retained the metallic star-like array speckling her jet black wings, a gift from a light faerie she had freed so long ago. She gained a fear, or perhaps discovered was the word; she was now terrified of fire, preferring to swim for the vague feeling of safety it granted her. Other than that, her years had been spent working, tending her neohome, and finding a shower, since she still preferred not to soak in tubs anymore. iPah, you're as bad as Threelegs,/i she chided herself, and giggled as she sipped her cappucino. Several passerbys glanced up and smiled indulgently at what seemed to be a young Shoyru in high spirits. They were partially right; she was in high spirits, and she was relatively young, as far as neopets go. But still, Kransha was not as young as they thought, it was that her short stature made it almost impossible to tell her apart from a youngling.
Blinking a grain of dust from her lapis lazuli eye, Kransha selfishly slurped the remainder of her coffee rather loudly. She then proceeded to stand, feeling a twinge of pain in her left wing and inwardly groaning. The break in her wing had gained a certain measure of cold-awareness; when it ached, it was sure to be a cold night, or perhaps a cold week. But nothing was going to stop it. . . .Kransha often wondered why she didn't ask for a different shift, and supposed that she just liked the semi-peace of the night. She sighed, and launched herself into the air.
Landing expertly before the station was no difficult task, for they had built a landing pad and padded it with pillows, upon many severe complaints of the night flyers. Walking jauntily into the looming structure with an energy she did not feel, Tammin greeted her with the same nod and wink. The green shoyru gestured with his head towards Jakumo's office, and went back to the newest issue of the Neopian Times. Kransha took that as a hint and walked somberly past the open door, and was met by the equally sober face of Jakumo.
"Hello, Kran. You can guess that something is up, obviously."
Kransha's snort was most unladylike. "If I did not, we should all be in very deep crap," she retorted, eliciting a half-smile from the skunk Zafara.
"Well, we've got a problem. Almost everything is going up in flames that has refused to serve the Rosefangs," he said, referring to the gang of tonu that regularly stole, drank, and made general nuisances of themselves.
"It could be a coincidence," Kransha offered.
"Oh, yes, certainly. And pinklets have begun a world-wide black market for fishpops." Jakumo said, voice as dry as old leaves.
"What do you propose that I should do, well?"
Jakumo sighed heavily. "That's just it. You're perfectly wonderful at getting yourself iinto/i trouble--"
"I shall take that as a compliment."
"--But not so adept at getting yourself out. Frankly, Kran, you're one of the best flyers I've seen, and I'm not in a hurry to lose you. So I'm assigning you some backup." Kransha felt her eyebrows (or what passed for such on a shoyru) shoot up. "Yes, Kran, backup. You're too young to know when not to risk yourself. Tammin will be with you." he paused a moment, glowering at the barely-visible bags underneath her eyes. "I'm giving you both the night off. Get some sleep."
Kransha recognized a dismissal when she heard one, hurridly scooted herself out, and flew off to fetch dinner. With a comfortably full stomach, she drifted off to sleep, mind clear of thoughts.p
"Hehehe! That's the one!"
Tammin and Kransha peered out from behind a rock, gazing upon the scene of mass destruction and flames. The Yani cackled with obscene glee as they held a glowing rod of orange. "Hey! Watch this!" one of the gang tapped the wand and swung it around to point at a (blessedly empty) hut. It combusted immediately, and the debris would have seriously injured one of the duo had they not been sheltered by stone. Tammin fiddled with his Wand of the Water Faerie and Kransha fidgeted, easily imagining herself burning in the flames, writhing in agony, the pain lasting for an eternity --
"Hist!" Tammin hissed, as the tonu stopped laughing and drew together. "Quickly, we must attack!" Kransha only nodded, mouth dry and mind still haunted with the flames. Though she nearly dropped it, she managed to get her Wand of the Light Faerie (a gift from the ones she freed) charged and ready. Silently they flew, unnoticed until Tammin blasted them with his Wand. The Rosefangs looked into the sky, and easily spotted her. Tammin, after he had pulled off his strike, had ducked into the nearest bushes and was gesturing frantically for her to hide as well. Yet she could not; hiding would only lead them to searching for her, and they would find Tammin. Kransha veered to the left to avoid yet another incandescent blast that singed her side, though luckily it spared her wing. She pulled up to hover, and saw to her horror that two of the mafia had peeled off to search the bushes, and, out of desperation, Kransha executed a move she could never have hoped to accomplish without the push of fear and determination behind her.
She bound herself to the tonu closest to Tammin's back.
Buffeting the Tonu with powerful strokes of her wings, punching him and even ibiting/i his reddish-brown hide, she was filled with a rage such as that she had never experienced before. The Tonu roared his impotent fury, punctuated by little yelps as she scored hits on him as he flailed. A sadistic little flame of satisfaction writhed its way through Kransha, grown from the black depths of her soul.
iEven if my mouth bdoes/b taste like old shoes./i
It continued on for about fifteen minutes, because for all that she wasn't moving much in the way of distance, such strenuous activity on her wings was tiring, and Kransha was soon jerked off the Tonu's back and hung, struggling to resume her attack, in another Tonu's strong grasp. The Tonu glared sullenly down at her. After a moment of silence, he barked a laugh.
"Well! I doubt you'll be much good, boys, but we're gonna take ya' to tha' mistress anyways."
It took a moment for Kransha to realize that the obvious leader had used a plural, and sneaked a quick glance behind to see Tammin, wearing a vexed and very un-Tammin-like expression. Kransha hurridly looked forwards again and swore heatedly enough to take the skin off a skeith, wishing that the scruff of her neck would get a rest, and isoon./i For once, though, her wish was granted. They arrived at a large hut on mystery island, the mark of a sorceress in the hovering, brightly-colored balls of light outside. The feeling of entering the hut-palace was indescribable. Kransha gasped as she felt a tinglingly cold sensation crawl over her skin; breathed in the scent of lightning about to strike. A commanding, powerful voice resonated from the back of the hut, in the shadows.
"I thought I told you not to come back until you had the paintbrushes!" a dark figure swept forward, imposing. It raised one billowing sleeve and made a pointing gesture at one of the Tonu, shouting a single word. The Tonu fell to its knees, emitting muffled sounds that were horribly similar to shrieks. All the Rosefangs started babbling, and it seemed as if indignant anger radiated from the silhouette still immersed in shadow as a fire would radiate light, and it moved towards the two Shoyru. Kransha stifled a gasp.
It was the iSnow Faerie./i Everyone knew that the Snow Faerie was good -- wasn't she? At the moment, Kransha was having serious doubts about that unspoken rule. After all, who said she ihad/i to be good? iNo one, of course. Neopians are perfectly happy with the stash of neopoints and the pretty little items she gives them. I mean, who would believe that she could be stealing those items if someone turned down her quest?/i
Her pristine white face was contorted into a grimace, staring at the two with disgust. If she'd been able to, Kransha would have self-consiously rubbed her face, just to make sure that there wasn't any dirt or foodstains on it. She knew that she didn't look the best, what with bloodstains and the occasional twig caught in her fur, but something about the Snow Faerie made her feel like she was slime. The gothic figure turned away with a little sniff, trademark of a spoiled child, and held up perfect blue fingernails and examined them, though obviously watching the Shoyru covertly. Kransha had disliked her immediately; she felt that antipathy growing, and she couldn't help imagining what it would feel like to ruin those prissy, perfect sea-blue fingernails, rub some nice salmon and mustard into that pretty black hair. However, Kransha's temporary nirvana was interrupted by an icy-cold voice.
"Hmm. I isuppose/i I could give them to Sloth to -- ah -- 'play' with...but that doesn't quite seem sufficient for ruining my beautiful spell." the Snow Faerie turned, with an ugly smirk on her face, and her eyes flickered to Kransha's wings and back. "Hm, no. You're faerie touched, and that won't do. I'll have to place you under a spell." her smirk grew wider as she contrived a fate. "How about...oh! You're from the Dark Caverns, aren't you? They're such good little helpers. But --" she sneered, seeing Kransha freeze for a minute, struck dumb. "They'll go up in flames if you don't get me what I want. Is that a deal?"
The Snow Faerie reached out and forced Kransha to bob her head submissively, stirring the short Shoyru's ire. With another smirk, she released them, and showed them into a darkened room, lighting it with witch-lights and revealing Kransha's companions from her Clan -- the Ylis. The black Shoyru's eyes widened, and she thought she cried out. She started forward, but was pulled back by a chilling hand.
"Not now, dear. You'll get them when you get me a baby paintbrush."
Somehow, and later Kransha would fervently swear that it was a blessing from Neo Itself, but somehow the dark Shoyru was able to sense the lie beneath the honey-coated words. And at that point, she was able to take no more.
Calm, controlled Kransha went berserk.
She flew at the Snow Faerie, swearing in every language she knew and striking with every weapon at her disposal. Hands, wings, tooth, and every magic she knew of. But none of it seemed to be working. Kransha slowed down just enough for the Snow Faerie to grin, and make a gesture towards the forms in the room, and it was an inferno in an instant. Kransha froze, her mind drowning in terror.
There was no thought, only grim, uncaring determination. Although the larger part of her wished desperately to curl up and scream in hysteria, the urge was easily pushed aside. Merely reacting, the black Shoyru dived into the flames, searching for her beloved kin, to find them gone, and realize that she had been tricked. They had not been real -- they had been an illusion. Why not? A sorceress such as the Snow Faerie would certainly have the power. And she would die here, in this flaming underworld. Kransha sighed, and accepted it as oblivion enveloped her.p
Odd. She seemed to be floating in dark water, feeling intense pain, but it was remote, as if from far away. Her mind could not stay on one thought for long, and she didn't even know her own name. All she remembered is that she was dead. Or wasn't she? They all said that answers came at death. Yet all there were were questions, horrible, unbearable questions that were not attached to her. But again, her mind wandered, seeing memories that had nothing to do with her, but with a striped, knife-carrying Shoyru from a different time. Hm. Her chest rose and fell, she could feel ithat/i sensation, no matter how detatched. As if she was absent from her own body. Suddenly the darkness turned into light, and she was no longer feeling the pain from a distance.
She was fire. She was molten rock. She was lightning struck, and life slammed itself up her nose. Kransha could smell her own flesh, and power ran along her veins. A moan -- she recognized the voice as her own, though she wished to scream. Kransha was one big hurt, and her body brought that to her foremost attention. Footsteps pattered along the ground, and several near-hysterical shrieks could be heard, shouting into a piece that buzzed with worried voices that screamed back. Minutes passed -- they felt like an eternity of nothing but pain -- p
"It wasn't that bad," lied Kransha. Wide-eyed rookies weren't quite her fetish, but young Elios was good company while she recovered from her burns.
By rain_hunter
Kransha smiled as she shuffled through the marketplace, occasionally knocking into someone and bending down to help pick up the various items that she had knocked to the ground. Slowly making her way over to the coffee stand, she thought back on the past two years. Kransha still retained the metallic star-like array speckling her jet black wings, a gift from a light faerie she had freed so long ago. She gained a fear, or perhaps discovered was the word; she was now terrified of fire, preferring to swim for the vague feeling of safety it granted her. Other than that, her years had been spent working, tending her neohome, and finding a shower, since she still preferred not to soak in tubs anymore. iPah, you're as bad as Threelegs,/i she chided herself, and giggled as she sipped her cappucino. Several passerbys glanced up and smiled indulgently at what seemed to be a young Shoyru in high spirits. They were partially right; she was in high spirits, and she was relatively young, as far as neopets go. But still, Kransha was not as young as they thought, it was that her short stature made it almost impossible to tell her apart from a youngling.
Blinking a grain of dust from her lapis lazuli eye, Kransha selfishly slurped the remainder of her coffee rather loudly. She then proceeded to stand, feeling a twinge of pain in her left wing and inwardly groaning. The break in her wing had gained a certain measure of cold-awareness; when it ached, it was sure to be a cold night, or perhaps a cold week. But nothing was going to stop it. . . .Kransha often wondered why she didn't ask for a different shift, and supposed that she just liked the semi-peace of the night. She sighed, and launched herself into the air.
Landing expertly before the station was no difficult task, for they had built a landing pad and padded it with pillows, upon many severe complaints of the night flyers. Walking jauntily into the looming structure with an energy she did not feel, Tammin greeted her with the same nod and wink. The green shoyru gestured with his head towards Jakumo's office, and went back to the newest issue of the Neopian Times. Kransha took that as a hint and walked somberly past the open door, and was met by the equally sober face of Jakumo.
"Hello, Kran. You can guess that something is up, obviously."
Kransha's snort was most unladylike. "If I did not, we should all be in very deep crap," she retorted, eliciting a half-smile from the skunk Zafara.
"Well, we've got a problem. Almost everything is going up in flames that has refused to serve the Rosefangs," he said, referring to the gang of tonu that regularly stole, drank, and made general nuisances of themselves.
"It could be a coincidence," Kransha offered.
"Oh, yes, certainly. And pinklets have begun a world-wide black market for fishpops." Jakumo said, voice as dry as old leaves.
"What do you propose that I should do, well?"
Jakumo sighed heavily. "That's just it. You're perfectly wonderful at getting yourself iinto/i trouble--"
"I shall take that as a compliment."
"--But not so adept at getting yourself out. Frankly, Kran, you're one of the best flyers I've seen, and I'm not in a hurry to lose you. So I'm assigning you some backup." Kransha felt her eyebrows (or what passed for such on a shoyru) shoot up. "Yes, Kran, backup. You're too young to know when not to risk yourself. Tammin will be with you." he paused a moment, glowering at the barely-visible bags underneath her eyes. "I'm giving you both the night off. Get some sleep."
Kransha recognized a dismissal when she heard one, hurridly scooted herself out, and flew off to fetch dinner. With a comfortably full stomach, she drifted off to sleep, mind clear of thoughts.p
"Hehehe! That's the one!"
Tammin and Kransha peered out from behind a rock, gazing upon the scene of mass destruction and flames. The Yani cackled with obscene glee as they held a glowing rod of orange. "Hey! Watch this!" one of the gang tapped the wand and swung it around to point at a (blessedly empty) hut. It combusted immediately, and the debris would have seriously injured one of the duo had they not been sheltered by stone. Tammin fiddled with his Wand of the Water Faerie and Kransha fidgeted, easily imagining herself burning in the flames, writhing in agony, the pain lasting for an eternity --
"Hist!" Tammin hissed, as the tonu stopped laughing and drew together. "Quickly, we must attack!" Kransha only nodded, mouth dry and mind still haunted with the flames. Though she nearly dropped it, she managed to get her Wand of the Light Faerie (a gift from the ones she freed) charged and ready. Silently they flew, unnoticed until Tammin blasted them with his Wand. The Rosefangs looked into the sky, and easily spotted her. Tammin, after he had pulled off his strike, had ducked into the nearest bushes and was gesturing frantically for her to hide as well. Yet she could not; hiding would only lead them to searching for her, and they would find Tammin. Kransha veered to the left to avoid yet another incandescent blast that singed her side, though luckily it spared her wing. She pulled up to hover, and saw to her horror that two of the mafia had peeled off to search the bushes, and, out of desperation, Kransha executed a move she could never have hoped to accomplish without the push of fear and determination behind her.
She bound herself to the tonu closest to Tammin's back.
Buffeting the Tonu with powerful strokes of her wings, punching him and even ibiting/i his reddish-brown hide, she was filled with a rage such as that she had never experienced before. The Tonu roared his impotent fury, punctuated by little yelps as she scored hits on him as he flailed. A sadistic little flame of satisfaction writhed its way through Kransha, grown from the black depths of her soul.
iEven if my mouth bdoes/b taste like old shoes./i
It continued on for about fifteen minutes, because for all that she wasn't moving much in the way of distance, such strenuous activity on her wings was tiring, and Kransha was soon jerked off the Tonu's back and hung, struggling to resume her attack, in another Tonu's strong grasp. The Tonu glared sullenly down at her. After a moment of silence, he barked a laugh.
"Well! I doubt you'll be much good, boys, but we're gonna take ya' to tha' mistress anyways."
It took a moment for Kransha to realize that the obvious leader had used a plural, and sneaked a quick glance behind to see Tammin, wearing a vexed and very un-Tammin-like expression. Kransha hurridly looked forwards again and swore heatedly enough to take the skin off a skeith, wishing that the scruff of her neck would get a rest, and isoon./i For once, though, her wish was granted. They arrived at a large hut on mystery island, the mark of a sorceress in the hovering, brightly-colored balls of light outside. The feeling of entering the hut-palace was indescribable. Kransha gasped as she felt a tinglingly cold sensation crawl over her skin; breathed in the scent of lightning about to strike. A commanding, powerful voice resonated from the back of the hut, in the shadows.
"I thought I told you not to come back until you had the paintbrushes!" a dark figure swept forward, imposing. It raised one billowing sleeve and made a pointing gesture at one of the Tonu, shouting a single word. The Tonu fell to its knees, emitting muffled sounds that were horribly similar to shrieks. All the Rosefangs started babbling, and it seemed as if indignant anger radiated from the silhouette still immersed in shadow as a fire would radiate light, and it moved towards the two Shoyru. Kransha stifled a gasp.
It was the iSnow Faerie./i Everyone knew that the Snow Faerie was good -- wasn't she? At the moment, Kransha was having serious doubts about that unspoken rule. After all, who said she ihad/i to be good? iNo one, of course. Neopians are perfectly happy with the stash of neopoints and the pretty little items she gives them. I mean, who would believe that she could be stealing those items if someone turned down her quest?/i
Her pristine white face was contorted into a grimace, staring at the two with disgust. If she'd been able to, Kransha would have self-consiously rubbed her face, just to make sure that there wasn't any dirt or foodstains on it. She knew that she didn't look the best, what with bloodstains and the occasional twig caught in her fur, but something about the Snow Faerie made her feel like she was slime. The gothic figure turned away with a little sniff, trademark of a spoiled child, and held up perfect blue fingernails and examined them, though obviously watching the Shoyru covertly. Kransha had disliked her immediately; she felt that antipathy growing, and she couldn't help imagining what it would feel like to ruin those prissy, perfect sea-blue fingernails, rub some nice salmon and mustard into that pretty black hair. However, Kransha's temporary nirvana was interrupted by an icy-cold voice.
"Hmm. I isuppose/i I could give them to Sloth to -- ah -- 'play' with...but that doesn't quite seem sufficient for ruining my beautiful spell." the Snow Faerie turned, with an ugly smirk on her face, and her eyes flickered to Kransha's wings and back. "Hm, no. You're faerie touched, and that won't do. I'll have to place you under a spell." her smirk grew wider as she contrived a fate. "How about...oh! You're from the Dark Caverns, aren't you? They're such good little helpers. But --" she sneered, seeing Kransha freeze for a minute, struck dumb. "They'll go up in flames if you don't get me what I want. Is that a deal?"
The Snow Faerie reached out and forced Kransha to bob her head submissively, stirring the short Shoyru's ire. With another smirk, she released them, and showed them into a darkened room, lighting it with witch-lights and revealing Kransha's companions from her Clan -- the Ylis. The black Shoyru's eyes widened, and she thought she cried out. She started forward, but was pulled back by a chilling hand.
"Not now, dear. You'll get them when you get me a baby paintbrush."
Somehow, and later Kransha would fervently swear that it was a blessing from Neo Itself, but somehow the dark Shoyru was able to sense the lie beneath the honey-coated words. And at that point, she was able to take no more.
Calm, controlled Kransha went berserk.
She flew at the Snow Faerie, swearing in every language she knew and striking with every weapon at her disposal. Hands, wings, tooth, and every magic she knew of. But none of it seemed to be working. Kransha slowed down just enough for the Snow Faerie to grin, and make a gesture towards the forms in the room, and it was an inferno in an instant. Kransha froze, her mind drowning in terror.
There was no thought, only grim, uncaring determination. Although the larger part of her wished desperately to curl up and scream in hysteria, the urge was easily pushed aside. Merely reacting, the black Shoyru dived into the flames, searching for her beloved kin, to find them gone, and realize that she had been tricked. They had not been real -- they had been an illusion. Why not? A sorceress such as the Snow Faerie would certainly have the power. And she would die here, in this flaming underworld. Kransha sighed, and accepted it as oblivion enveloped her.p
Odd. She seemed to be floating in dark water, feeling intense pain, but it was remote, as if from far away. Her mind could not stay on one thought for long, and she didn't even know her own name. All she remembered is that she was dead. Or wasn't she? They all said that answers came at death. Yet all there were were questions, horrible, unbearable questions that were not attached to her. But again, her mind wandered, seeing memories that had nothing to do with her, but with a striped, knife-carrying Shoyru from a different time. Hm. Her chest rose and fell, she could feel ithat/i sensation, no matter how detatched. As if she was absent from her own body. Suddenly the darkness turned into light, and she was no longer feeling the pain from a distance.
She was fire. She was molten rock. She was lightning struck, and life slammed itself up her nose. Kransha could smell her own flesh, and power ran along her veins. A moan -- she recognized the voice as her own, though she wished to scream. Kransha was one big hurt, and her body brought that to her foremost attention. Footsteps pattered along the ground, and several near-hysterical shrieks could be heard, shouting into a piece that buzzed with worried voices that screamed back. Minutes passed -- they felt like an eternity of nothing but pain -- p
"It wasn't that bad," lied Kransha. Wide-eyed rookies weren't quite her fetish, but young Elios was good company while she recovered from her burns.