The streets of old Salisbury city were always a marvel to walk down on a quiet day. If you kept your eyes on ground level, it came across like any other city high street, modern shops lined either side, fast food, jewellers, all as normal. Right up until you looked one story up, and saw all the buildings true ages, some were a hundred years old, some were five hundred, and there were even those that were so old they had seen seven centuries pass by and still survived. With a single walk youd seen centuries of architecture, and at the center of it all the mighty and majestic cathedral, standing proud and tall... and just a little to the right. No matter how many times they tried, the damn thing never did stay straight.
John smiled as he walked, remembering the day he had helped lay that first foundation stone, and how the architects had complained that the place was a damn swamp. Lucky for them they had had a magician on staff, they hadnt known it of course, but still lucky. The cathedral still baffled John, 8 centuries on and he still couldnt get it to sit straight. But what was life without a few mysteries, and when your life was measured in eons, well, that was a commodity that was rare indeed.
He strolled to his usual haunt, a pub that had been there since the days when Shakespeare had been passing through, cheeky bugger never did pay him back for all those drinks.
Waving to the barmaid, who had his first pint already poured since he was so often in here she knew him on sight by now, he picked up the drink and made his way to the back room, taking out a new book he had bought on the way in, something fantasy related this time, he always loved a laugh at how wrong the mortals got it.
Normally a few hours would pass this way, a nice cold pint and a good book, and that was perfect for an old war horse such as John. Oh he may have looked fairly young, barely out of his thirties, perfectly kept black hair with a streak of early grey running down it and a neatly kept beard framing a warm perfectly light tanned face, but his eye were blue like the ocean and looking at them gave the impression they were just as old as those deepest waters.
Chuckling not a third of the way into his book, he felt the presence of another sat across from him at his table, looking up found him eye to eye with a stunning blode woman, built like an amazonian athlete but with skin as perfect and pale as fresh cream, her emerald eyes burned back at him, the smirk on her ruby lips promising many things, but John wasnt sure any of them were to be enjoyed by the prey she caught.
"May i help you lass?"
The smirk widened into a grin that threatend to spill into mania, she placed a slender hand onto the wooden table top her nails a dark shade of crimson, something akin to electric shot up John's spine.
"Do i know you?"
"I doubt it. But i know you, John. Or should i call you... the Corpse Throne King..."
He voice was filled with mirth as she spoke, but it was anything but joyus to hear. He placed the book down, set aside his pint and really took a look at this women before him. Her body was too perfect, her auburn hair too full and straight, it was like she had stepped out of a photoshops canvass.
"That is a very old and very dangerous name lass. What do you want?"
"I want my mama and papa back. But id settle for you"
And with that her hand lashed out like a vipers strike, purple electricity danced across her fingers and shot towards him.
It wasnt even a fair fight.
The energy crackled and writhed against John's face before he opened his maw and swallowed it whole. The womans eyes widened but only for a second as she regained her composure to launch another attack, she hadnt even noticed the small cut she had gained when lifting her hand from the table, the droplets of ruby blood that had formed that now began to gush forth in a torrent.
Her attempt to strike again died almost as quickly as she sank back into her chair, suddenly exhausted, panting as if she had just run the London marathon three times in one day. The corner of the wooden table on John's side molded upwards into the shap of a goblet and the blood that was pooling on the tabletop began to tun towards and up into the cup to fill it.
"Bravery and stupidity seem to be indistinguishable in the young it seems" john drawled as he drumed the fingers of one hand on the wooden top as he drained her of her blood and magical essence.
"If you had said any other name, i may have shown mercy, i may have mearly left you as you are now."
Picking up the goblet he looked over at the now sunken and sickly pale features of the women, then drank deep her life energy, one gulp, two and with a third done. He placed the goblet down between them, his eyes closed as he savoured the flavour of her essence and power, it had been so long after all.
"But you can to me with a name made from dead men. And so, you must pay a price. You wanted your mama and papa? You will see them soon"
His eyes opened, his blue ocean deep gaze replaced with burning hot X mark irises, the ring around them sparking purple electricity connecting each pont of the X, containing a blue the colour of fresh born lightning bolts. His gaze met her and the impact was immediate, she wasnt even able to scream as throigh his gaze he trapped her mind in a loop of such horrific sights and realities her mind was a broken mess of pain and terror in a matter of moments.
He closed his eyes once more, opening onto the calm ocean blue once more, the woman before him was staring ahead, her eyes locked open, long quiet exhalations coming from between her lips that if one listened carefully would be found to be the quietest of screams.
He picked up his book once more, finished his pint and left, paying his tab on the way out. The stars were shining on the ancient modern city, and its retired builder, even if the streets were a little darker this night alone.
John smiled as he walked, remembering the day he had helped lay that first foundation stone, and how the architects had complained that the place was a damn swamp. Lucky for them they had had a magician on staff, they hadnt known it of course, but still lucky. The cathedral still baffled John, 8 centuries on and he still couldnt get it to sit straight. But what was life without a few mysteries, and when your life was measured in eons, well, that was a commodity that was rare indeed.
He strolled to his usual haunt, a pub that had been there since the days when Shakespeare had been passing through, cheeky bugger never did pay him back for all those drinks.
Waving to the barmaid, who had his first pint already poured since he was so often in here she knew him on sight by now, he picked up the drink and made his way to the back room, taking out a new book he had bought on the way in, something fantasy related this time, he always loved a laugh at how wrong the mortals got it.
Normally a few hours would pass this way, a nice cold pint and a good book, and that was perfect for an old war horse such as John. Oh he may have looked fairly young, barely out of his thirties, perfectly kept black hair with a streak of early grey running down it and a neatly kept beard framing a warm perfectly light tanned face, but his eye were blue like the ocean and looking at them gave the impression they were just as old as those deepest waters.
Chuckling not a third of the way into his book, he felt the presence of another sat across from him at his table, looking up found him eye to eye with a stunning blode woman, built like an amazonian athlete but with skin as perfect and pale as fresh cream, her emerald eyes burned back at him, the smirk on her ruby lips promising many things, but John wasnt sure any of them were to be enjoyed by the prey she caught.
"May i help you lass?"
The smirk widened into a grin that threatend to spill into mania, she placed a slender hand onto the wooden table top her nails a dark shade of crimson, something akin to electric shot up John's spine.
"Do i know you?"
"I doubt it. But i know you, John. Or should i call you... the Corpse Throne King..."
He voice was filled with mirth as she spoke, but it was anything but joyus to hear. He placed the book down, set aside his pint and really took a look at this women before him. Her body was too perfect, her auburn hair too full and straight, it was like she had stepped out of a photoshops canvass.
"That is a very old and very dangerous name lass. What do you want?"
"I want my mama and papa back. But id settle for you"
And with that her hand lashed out like a vipers strike, purple electricity danced across her fingers and shot towards him.
It wasnt even a fair fight.
The energy crackled and writhed against John's face before he opened his maw and swallowed it whole. The womans eyes widened but only for a second as she regained her composure to launch another attack, she hadnt even noticed the small cut she had gained when lifting her hand from the table, the droplets of ruby blood that had formed that now began to gush forth in a torrent.
Her attempt to strike again died almost as quickly as she sank back into her chair, suddenly exhausted, panting as if she had just run the London marathon three times in one day. The corner of the wooden table on John's side molded upwards into the shap of a goblet and the blood that was pooling on the tabletop began to tun towards and up into the cup to fill it.
"Bravery and stupidity seem to be indistinguishable in the young it seems" john drawled as he drumed the fingers of one hand on the wooden top as he drained her of her blood and magical essence.
"If you had said any other name, i may have shown mercy, i may have mearly left you as you are now."
Picking up the goblet he looked over at the now sunken and sickly pale features of the women, then drank deep her life energy, one gulp, two and with a third done. He placed the goblet down between them, his eyes closed as he savoured the flavour of her essence and power, it had been so long after all.
"But you can to me with a name made from dead men. And so, you must pay a price. You wanted your mama and papa? You will see them soon"
His eyes opened, his blue ocean deep gaze replaced with burning hot X mark irises, the ring around them sparking purple electricity connecting each pont of the X, containing a blue the colour of fresh born lightning bolts. His gaze met her and the impact was immediate, she wasnt even able to scream as throigh his gaze he trapped her mind in a loop of such horrific sights and realities her mind was a broken mess of pain and terror in a matter of moments.
He closed his eyes once more, opening onto the calm ocean blue once more, the woman before him was staring ahead, her eyes locked open, long quiet exhalations coming from between her lips that if one listened carefully would be found to be the quietest of screams.
He picked up his book once more, finished his pint and left, paying his tab on the way out. The stars were shining on the ancient modern city, and its retired builder, even if the streets were a little darker this night alone.