02-17-2011, 09:53 PM
A Taste for Blood
Astus crumpled to the desk, breaths haggard. "Why am I breathing... I...?" He was undead. His body twisted to such a macabre visage of his former self, none who saw him living would now recognize him. He yearned for something. A taste lingered in his mouth, but he couldn't tell what it was. He wanted to cry out in rage, but only agony escaped his lips. "How do I... feel such pain!?" He shivered, lying there curled into a ball on the floor. He was in withdrawal.
But from what.
**
Astus looked at the orc with contempt, turning up his nose. "Bah. You are ignorant." He would close his brilliant white eyes and step from the table, leaving the stench of blood lingering. He grumbled to himself, those insolent orcs would pay someday. As all would. When the people of the world die, they would belong to him. He strode through the city, catching surprised glances and glares. Occasional gasps of fear. He smiled. They were right to fear. He stepped from the comfort of Booty Bay, walking along through the jungle, the chirping of birds and hollers of the silver-back gorillas occasionally cut the silence, and had everything been dead and silent, the place might have been remotely pleasant to be in. He heard footsteps behind him and frowned. He stopped and stretched backwards before relaxing once more; they were far enough from the town. "What." His tone was flat, the normal inflection of a question wasn't present. He turned, and the orcs drew their weapons. "You are foolish." The orcs roared something that Astus didn't really deem important enough to pay attention to, and a tomahawk went careening for his neck. With a heavy sigh he moved slightly to the left. The axe landed in his should and at first no blood poured, but it seemed that it was moving slow as molasses, ichor mixed within it. His eyes closed and his mouth moved, a whisper of a spell fleeting from his mouth. A shadow rose up near him, forming into his bone scythe. He gripped it tightly in one hand as the runes in it responded to his touch, flowing through it with the dark crimson of blood. "You... have sealed your fate, you...children. I welcome you... to agony. Come at me, and my children." He began to raise his hands as inaudible words would flow from his lips, runes beginning to draw themselves at his feet as virulent ebony light that occasionally crackled with violent violets burst from within his arms, swirling around them to glow radiantly at his clawed fingertips. Three ghouls rise from the mists, one's garments being tattered robes and a spellbook while the others wore armor with gleaming swords. He waved his hand, boiling blood rising to his hands from a small flickering rune that would suddenly spring to life with a gesture of his fingers. The reddish bulb of light in his hand would fly at one of the orcs, missing just as the three ghouls attacked him at once, sending him sprawling to the dirt, bloodied and broken.
Astus simply smiled.
He turned his head to the other as he spun, swinging his katana and cleaving two of the ghouls in half. Astus would raise his hands and the ghouls would both explode, sending him stumbling. Astus's other ghoul swiped at his head and sent him staggering back the other way. Tojiro, the orc's name, sliced at the ghoul with his weapon, and cleaved him straight in half. Astus drained the remaining vestiges of life inside of it, and laughed at the distracted orc. Why he laughed, he had no idea. He wasn't amused, really. He held out his hand, barking out a command in a dark tongue, runes in red appearing on his opened palm. He dragged the claws through the air and the orc's flesh tore at the wounding spell. Now in a bloodrage, the orc came at Astus, swinging his blade. Astus didn't even move. He simply closed his eyes and spoke a single syllable, black mist covering him head to foot for mere moments before it seemed to blow away, revealing a full set of plate-like armor, made of bone interlocking shadow. The blade glanced from the armor and the orc came back again with a swing. Astus stopped the blade with his gauntlet, though it cracked slightly. "Never disrespect a god."
Astus looked at the orc, swinging his scythe and, sending it through the man's back and into his body. The man began to bleed rivers of crimson onto the ground. And Astus shivered. His eyes were drawn to the blood. He looked away, but found it near impossible to pull away his eyes. He let the scythe stay in the orc's flesh as he lifted a hand, death energy flooding his palm as he'd deliver a touch of death to the orc. Suddenly death energy burst from him, consuming his body in the gossamer green glow. His flesh seemed to have been hit with a tsunami of decay. Astus ripped his scythe from the body, looking at the orc as he fell to the ground. Astus watched the blood flow from the figure, unable to pull himself away as the overwhelming hunger overtook him. He tried to pull away, but he could not. The flesh was too tantalizing, and... Astus wanted to devour him whole. He opened his mouth, revealing jagged teeth as he'd take a bite into the shoulder to the left of the orc's neck, tearing out flesh and sinew as he'd swallow it ravenously, lapping at the blood uncontrollably. He groaned, forcing himself from the creature as he'd look down at the horrifying scene. It disturbed even him. He saw the other orc, lying there helpless. He felt the urges taking over, his body seeming to slide without his own will towards the other dying orc. He sucked greedily on the crimson life-sustaining liquid in the body until the hunger was gone. He felt no remorse for what he had done... but he was confused. The blood hung in his mouth, sticky and metallic. He grabbed his face with his hands, muttering softly. "What... am I?" He peered through his fingers at a Draenei and Sin'dorei who had rounded the corner. He snarled at them with crazed eyes and bloodstained teeth. "Go..."
"Leave!" The two yelped, grabbing each other and heading back to the city.
Astus stared at the orcs, whom he thought dead, for the longest time. He took in a breath as if to reassure his own humanity, despite his own beliefs of godhood. "I..."
He turned, walking briskly from the scene with his eyes trained on the ground.
Astus crumpled to the desk, breaths haggard. "Why am I breathing... I...?" He was undead. His body twisted to such a macabre visage of his former self, none who saw him living would now recognize him. He yearned for something. A taste lingered in his mouth, but he couldn't tell what it was. He wanted to cry out in rage, but only agony escaped his lips. "How do I... feel such pain!?" He shivered, lying there curled into a ball on the floor. He was in withdrawal.
But from what.
**
**
**
Astus looked at the orc with contempt, turning up his nose. "Bah. You are ignorant." He would close his brilliant white eyes and step from the table, leaving the stench of blood lingering. He grumbled to himself, those insolent orcs would pay someday. As all would. When the people of the world die, they would belong to him. He strode through the city, catching surprised glances and glares. Occasional gasps of fear. He smiled. They were right to fear. He stepped from the comfort of Booty Bay, walking along through the jungle, the chirping of birds and hollers of the silver-back gorillas occasionally cut the silence, and had everything been dead and silent, the place might have been remotely pleasant to be in. He heard footsteps behind him and frowned. He stopped and stretched backwards before relaxing once more; they were far enough from the town. "What." His tone was flat, the normal inflection of a question wasn't present. He turned, and the orcs drew their weapons. "You are foolish." The orcs roared something that Astus didn't really deem important enough to pay attention to, and a tomahawk went careening for his neck. With a heavy sigh he moved slightly to the left. The axe landed in his should and at first no blood poured, but it seemed that it was moving slow as molasses, ichor mixed within it. His eyes closed and his mouth moved, a whisper of a spell fleeting from his mouth. A shadow rose up near him, forming into his bone scythe. He gripped it tightly in one hand as the runes in it responded to his touch, flowing through it with the dark crimson of blood. "You... have sealed your fate, you...children. I welcome you... to agony. Come at me, and my children." He began to raise his hands as inaudible words would flow from his lips, runes beginning to draw themselves at his feet as virulent ebony light that occasionally crackled with violent violets burst from within his arms, swirling around them to glow radiantly at his clawed fingertips. Three ghouls rise from the mists, one's garments being tattered robes and a spellbook while the others wore armor with gleaming swords. He waved his hand, boiling blood rising to his hands from a small flickering rune that would suddenly spring to life with a gesture of his fingers. The reddish bulb of light in his hand would fly at one of the orcs, missing just as the three ghouls attacked him at once, sending him sprawling to the dirt, bloodied and broken.
Astus simply smiled.
He turned his head to the other as he spun, swinging his katana and cleaving two of the ghouls in half. Astus would raise his hands and the ghouls would both explode, sending him stumbling. Astus's other ghoul swiped at his head and sent him staggering back the other way. Tojiro, the orc's name, sliced at the ghoul with his weapon, and cleaved him straight in half. Astus drained the remaining vestiges of life inside of it, and laughed at the distracted orc. Why he laughed, he had no idea. He wasn't amused, really. He held out his hand, barking out a command in a dark tongue, runes in red appearing on his opened palm. He dragged the claws through the air and the orc's flesh tore at the wounding spell. Now in a bloodrage, the orc came at Astus, swinging his blade. Astus didn't even move. He simply closed his eyes and spoke a single syllable, black mist covering him head to foot for mere moments before it seemed to blow away, revealing a full set of plate-like armor, made of bone interlocking shadow. The blade glanced from the armor and the orc came back again with a swing. Astus stopped the blade with his gauntlet, though it cracked slightly. "Never disrespect a god."
Astus looked at the orc, swinging his scythe and, sending it through the man's back and into his body. The man began to bleed rivers of crimson onto the ground. And Astus shivered. His eyes were drawn to the blood. He looked away, but found it near impossible to pull away his eyes. He let the scythe stay in the orc's flesh as he lifted a hand, death energy flooding his palm as he'd deliver a touch of death to the orc. Suddenly death energy burst from him, consuming his body in the gossamer green glow. His flesh seemed to have been hit with a tsunami of decay. Astus ripped his scythe from the body, looking at the orc as he fell to the ground. Astus watched the blood flow from the figure, unable to pull himself away as the overwhelming hunger overtook him. He tried to pull away, but he could not. The flesh was too tantalizing, and... Astus wanted to devour him whole. He opened his mouth, revealing jagged teeth as he'd take a bite into the shoulder to the left of the orc's neck, tearing out flesh and sinew as he'd swallow it ravenously, lapping at the blood uncontrollably. He groaned, forcing himself from the creature as he'd look down at the horrifying scene. It disturbed even him. He saw the other orc, lying there helpless. He felt the urges taking over, his body seeming to slide without his own will towards the other dying orc. He sucked greedily on the crimson life-sustaining liquid in the body until the hunger was gone. He felt no remorse for what he had done... but he was confused. The blood hung in his mouth, sticky and metallic. He grabbed his face with his hands, muttering softly. "What... am I?" He peered through his fingers at a Draenei and Sin'dorei who had rounded the corner. He snarled at them with crazed eyes and bloodstained teeth. "Go..."
"Leave!" The two yelped, grabbing each other and heading back to the city.
Astus stared at the orcs, whom he thought dead, for the longest time. He took in a breath as if to reassure his own humanity, despite his own beliefs of godhood. "I..."
He turned, walking briskly from the scene with his eyes trained on the ground.
![[Image: Ml7sNnX.gif]](http://i.imgur.com/Ml7sNnX.gif)