The disease that wiped the earth of mankind has returned, and it's starting to change its hosts somehow. Reports of unearthly powers are arising all over Toren while more and more become infected.
updates
< 11 JULY 2017 > The staff auditions and OTMs are officially OVER. I'd like to welcome our two new staffers - Lutheus and Crowenth! There will be some new events soon, as well as a big announcement - so watch this space.
< 20 JUNE 2017 > ATTENTION! Staff auditions are up and running. Please click here if you are interested in helping me run Clash.
< 06 JUNE 2017 > It hasn't been too long since we've opened - but we've already got a fresh new look. If you find any bugs in our new skin, please let me know so that I can fix it. Old members might have to update their avatar links and profile info! x
< 07 MAY 2017 > CLASH has officially been reopened and is ready for action! The plot, rules and canons have been revised - read more about it here.
Like a dark cloud the beast wafted into the desolate area. Dry ground crunching like gravel beneath his hooves. The weather was kinder now, as they moved into spring, but one could still catch the icy chill of winter in the air. Did I say that it was beautiful? I was wrong. Off to his left a small lizard like thing scurried into hiding, afraid of the dark shape that now imposed upon his space. Jester came to a halt, almost irritated that the thing had run from him. There was no consideration, no excuse muttered through pursed lips. Only a ruthless glare at the rock that the lizard now hid beneath. Was he so terrible that things should be inclined to run from him? Suppose so. Everybody is a book of blood; wherever we're opened, we're red. In a shocking betrayal to his new self, he turned away and let the other being live. Perhaps he decided it wasn't worth his time. Or maybe, just maybe, it was mercy.
He moved towards the water now. It was murky and still, and it reminded him of death. It simply existed there - decayed and lonely. Feeling almost at home, he came right up to the edge of the darkness, peering across its vast expanse. Further out the ragged shape of a fallen tree peeked out from the depths. As if transfixed, Jester kept his eyes on the tree, not quite yet realizing that something was off about the way it was shaped, the way it seemed weightless. As if commanded by an unknown force, he raised one powerful leg and slammed his hoof forward into the shallows. Then again, pawing at the slick gut beneath the liquid - raising the dirt and frothing life into the lake. Out in the distance, the log blinked twice, and then slid beneath the surface, a flick of it's tail barely visible as the young croc shot itself forward towards the commotion. Here is a list of terrible things, the jaws of sharks, a vultures wings.
Jester stood still for a while, his mind making various calculations as he watched for any sign of movement on the surface. Like daggers his ears perked forward as his muscles quivered in anticipation. Nearing the shallows, the crocodile lurched itself forwards - out of the water. For a few terrible seconds it's strange body was almost airborne, jaws wide open for the kill. Jester reared up on his hind legs, almost not enough though, for he felt the sickly breath of the reptile brush past his skin. But then it was down below him, and he brought himself down on it's head with all the force he had in him. There was a dull sound. A small indication that he had won. The rabid bite of the dogs of war, the voice of one who went before. He stepped back as the reptile thrashed the last bits of life out of itself. "I though you to be a worthy opponent. As it seems, I was incorrect." His voice crackled like fire from misuse. Solemnly, he shook his head.
( no light, no light in your bright blue eyes ) I NEVER KNEW DAYLIGHT COULD BE SO VIOLENT
Cayo didn't know what exactly had brought him here, but here he was walking in a place so desolate and depressing that it rivaled a complete wasteland. The red fox was eager to find his way out, but for now with no escape in sight, all he could do was just keep walking in a straight-ish line while subsisting on hissing lizards and the occasional snake for sustenance. And damn, the critters here were feisty.
After a couple sunrises spent in the southern end of Toren, Cayo eventually stumbled upon the lake of Tenebris, a place that gave him the creeps like no other. The water was dark and still, and he swore that he saw a glimpse of a crocodile's nose and eye ridges just above the water's surface toward the middle of the lake while he was taking a quick drink. Suffice it to say that Cayo stayed well away from the shore after that, as even he knew better than to mess with that kind of animal's indiscriminate hunger.
That's why he was extremely curious and even a little worried when he saw a large dark brown horse stride confidently toward the lake's shallows. Cayo had been a good bit farther back, seeking shade and shelter underneath the scraggly limbs of a near-dead shrub. At first, Cayo thought the stallion was only going to drink and then leave, but he made the red fox furrow his brow in both concern and confusion when he only struck at the water with his hoof, as if playing with it or something.
Did this guy know about the crocodiles or what? Cayo rose to his paws, wondering if he should rush over there to warn him before one of those beasts rose up and dragged him under. He had hesitated just a second too long, though. When the crocodile attacked, Cayo flinched, and he even averted his gaze to the dry and dusty ground, not really keen on seeing some poor ignorant horse getting torn to pieces. After hearing a couple loud splashes and thumps, Cayo assumed it was probably all over. And despite not really wanting to be an insensitive, gawking spectator when it came to tragedy like this, his curiosity was regardless still hard to ignore.
He glanced back up toward where the horse had been, and he was surprised to see the stallion still standing. His gaze traveled down to his hooves, and he startled when he realized that holy hell, this guy killed a crocodile! Cayo was extremely impressed. He whistled in disbelief, his dark blue eyes wide. This stallion was beyond bad-ass.
After seeing such a scary thing, most other foxes would have probably decided to stay very clear of this mysterious and murderous horse, but Cayo was not like most foxes. He needed to meet this guy, if only to get a first-hand testimonial from someone who could look large predators in the face and turn them into the prey. It didn't cross his mind that the stallion might react negatively to him approaching him, although he certainly figured that since he was obviously no threat, there would be no reason for the guy to make the red fox his next victim.
"That was incredible, my good fellow!" Cayo called out, vicariously experiencing a small rush of adrenaline. He emerged from his makeshift shelter beneath the shrub and came forward a few paces. He stopped short of getting too close, though, leaving a good stretch of space between the two of them so the other wouldn't be tempted to stomp on him with one of his massive hooves.
"I've never seen an herbivore go looking for a fight like that before," Cayo continued, meaning it as a compliment. "I can really respect someone like you. You've gotta tell me what you're all about, guy!"
DON'T LIE TO ME
[attr="class","nikki22"]IF YOU'RE PUTTING THE DOG TO SLEEP, THAT PET YOU JUST COULDN'T KEEP
As the body of the reptile stopped twitching, the onyx water around it's end started to calm - and ever so slowly, as if the liquid was actively pulling it, the corpse began to slip away from the shore. It was take a couple of minutes, but it appeared that the lake was claiming its kin back to a wet grave. Almost absent-mindedly Jester began to wonder where the parents on this leathery dead weight might be. Surely there were bigger monsters here. As he surveyed the area a little more, his ears picked up a slight sound - so soft he couldn't place it, but he had caught the direction. He didn't turn his head, he just listened. If something was trying to sneak up on him, they would not be successful.
That was incredible, my good fellow! The voice that peeled out of the silence almost shocked the stallion. He turned now, in utter disbelief, to face something emerging from a bush a ways from him. What on earth? A fox? Jester's nostrils flared as he planted his hooves, his muscles tensing. Something about the sentence had halted him though, he didn't launch forward in a fury of hooves. Instead, he stood still and stiff as a board, fiercely eyeballing the approaching mammal. What on earth was he doing?
I've never seen an herbivore go looking for a fight like that before. Jester had to fight back a hard 'hmph' at that, narrowing his eyes. I can really respect someone like you. You've gotta tell me what you're all about, guy! Respect? The horse regarded the fox from a distance, somewhat entertained at this point, but still wondering what on earth the game was here. Snorting, he lowered his head. "This was a juvenile... Not exactly large for its size."
He felt somewhat uncomfortable that another soul had witnessed his kill. His thoughts were conflicted on the matter. Logically he knew that taking life with no purpose was morally wrong, but he didn't seem to care. He'd come to peace with that - but others haven't. How was this canine seemingly content with what he'd seen, impressed even? Either way, he intrigued Jester. It was the first time in a while that that had happened.
Unwilling to answer too many questions, he instead posed one of his own, finally turning his body toward the fox, taking one step toward him - the body of the crocodile still slipping slowly back into the lake. "I'm curious. Are these questions worth approaching a potentially crazed killer?" He posed the question with a certain humor, the little amount that he was capable of. Amber eyes peered curiously at the newcomer as he awaited a response.
This was a juvenile.... Not exactly large for its size.
Cayo shrugged, figuring that the horse was being unnecessarily modest. He tossed a glance toward the dead crocodile, its grotesque and scaly body slowly drifting back into the creepily dark and opaque waters of the lake. He shivered a little, glad the thing was dead (although part of him was paranoid that it would suddenly snap back to life and grab him, despite the disconcerting absence of life in its round eyes). He looked back up toward the brown stallion, and he regarded him curiously, a flicker of reverence still visible in his gray-blue eyes.
"Ah, well, you gotta understand, my good fellow—to me, this beast is enormous," Cayo said, winking playfully. He wasn't afraid to make himself the butt of a good (or not so good) joke, and it was true; he was tiny compared to this guy, so he imagined that what appeared as monsters to him were like fleas to the other. It was part of why Cayo was so fascinated by him.
The stallion hadn't been facing him at first, but he suddenly turned to take a step toward him. Cayo tilted his head in response, wondering what the horse was trying to do. Was he trying to intimidate him? The red fox wasn't sure, but if that was what the other was going for, it was kind of working, he had to admit. Cayo trotted a little to the side, ready to make a quick maneuver if he needed to. He didn't feel compelled to flee, though; he felt inexplicably confident enough to believe that he would be able to escape at any moment, so long as he kept a decent amount of space between himself and those hooves. But he was small and tricky; he could slither into something and out of this horse's reach if the guy tried something funny, he was sure.
I'm curious, the stallion spoke, regarding him with a curiosity that seemed to mirror Cayo's own. Are these questions worth approaching a potentially crazed killer?
Cayo took it as an off-color joke, so he laughed. "You telling me you go around hunting crocodiles for sport?" the red fox countered, not being serious. He thought about it for a heartbeat, though, and he tilted his head yet again, now contemplating the other's demeanor. "Wouldn't surprise me," he mused innocently. "You look like the intense vigilante-type, y'know. Dancing to the beat of your own drum. Refusing to take shit from anyone.
"Where're you from?" Cayo continued, wanting to unravel what he saw as a living, breathing mystery standing right in front of him. "I'm from a forest on the mainland. Lived in a burrow for a while before deciding there was more to life than just dirt walls and annoying vixens." His account was very simplistic and left important things out, but whatever. This guy didn't need to know everything about him, and he was sure that he didn't want to know everything, either.
DON'T LIE TO ME
[attr="class","nikki22"]IF YOU'RE PUTTING THE DOG TO SLEEP, THAT PET YOU JUST COULDN'T KEEP
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AFFILIATES
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