02-28-2011, 09:46 AM
Spoiler:
The Next Day
Darkness. It was so very dark; no light at all, really. Save for a pulsing violet artifact of unknown origin to my right in the corner. Where am I? I pondered to myself, then stopped. I. Who am I? I questioned myself, a tidbit of fear creeping up from inside. Taking another look around, I could tell I was at an odd angle to the floor, my weight being supported by an object of some sort. I most definitely wasn't standing. Nor was I lying. I was elevated as well, though not to a frightening extent. I craned my neck to peer over towards the unknown object again. What is it? A torture device? Some sort of magical concoction conjured up to kill me again? Bah! Not I! Not Edgar Barl-- I blinked a few times at the revelation, leaning back down against the hard surface beneath me.
"Edgar Barlton." I said aloud, testing the name with my new tongue. Splendid. A name. I thought.
I had to calm down. I had to focus; remember. What had happ-- the woman! I bolted upright, my spine giving a light pop in protest. The short miss. Patched me up, she did. Mhm. Who was she? Why, more importantly, who was she to me? I was determined to find out. Drawing myself from my current position was no easy task. With my bones so weak and brittle, I couldn't simply leap off and not expect to crumble to the floor in a heap of knit-together flesh, now could I? No. No, I had to think about this. Getting down was easy enough. I was not bound ( I discovered after testing the fact, waving my newly patched appendages about ) nor was I too weak to slide myself from the object holding me. Actually walking, however, was another story all together. How could I trust this woman with the mending of my wounds? Mending? No, no. Creating is a better term. She found a pile of damn bones. Mending, bah. Yes, I could trust her efforts. After all, why would someone do this for me simply to see me fall flat upon my rotten face?
Leaning forward, I extended my hands down as far towards my feet as they would go. After just passing my knees, my spine assured me that that was enough. I clasped the edges of the object holding me as I slowly slid down the slope until my feet kicked over a small object. I froze for an instant; listening. Hard. Wooden. Perhaps a stool. Yes, yes. A work stool. I was on a table. After another revelation, I slid further down until my feet touched the floor, or what seemed to be the floor anyhow. Who could know for certain? I twisted my body around, keeping my claws firmly grasping the table as I stood there, knees shaking terribly.
Splendid. I thought to myself after an unknown amount of time had passed; testing my balance. After satisfied, I rid myself of the table's support, standing on my own for the first time in what seemed centuries. Pathetic. Learning to walk like a newborn. Shaking my head, I managed to stumble about in the dark looking for anything to rid me of this infectious nothingness. Taking a survey of the room from my new vantage point, I noticed a seam of light running vertically up what I thought could only be a wall. Door. Aha! Enriched with a will to bask in the knowledge of the light beyond, I stumbled forwards, arms flailing madly about as I kept my balance in this odd body.
In minutes, I had crossed the room and was standing in front of the door. I set both claws upon the surface, pushing weakly against the bulk. Nothing. After a few more attempts, I gave a growl, dropping my shoulder and ramming myself against the door as hard as I could.
Light. Bright, bright light.
Well, not so bright. Compared to the room I had just exited it seemed overwhelming. I put a hand up to shield my empty eye sockets as I adjusted to the brightness. I was on the ground. A dirty ground. As I peered about I saw many robed people, cloaked by hoods drawn up over their shadowed faces. They walked about mindlessly, speaking in hushed tones to each other. Some wandered off in different directions, gesturing to a page in a book and beckoning their comrades to follow. Others simply stood, peering lifelessly at a wall as if they were waiting for it to do something. Anything.
I remember being here.