Ashes, ashes, we all fall down. [death]

the Rift

[OPEN] Ashes, ashes, we all fall down. [death]

Ascended Helovian

Gaucho The Wildfire Posts: 1,004

Deceased atk: 8.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 8

Stallion :: Pegasus :: 17.2 :: 12 HP: 85 | Buff: PINNACLE

Mara :: Black Mamba Snake :: Paralyze & Vorsa :: Plain Zephyr :: Phoenix Odd

08-29-2016, 03:10 PM

This is what I'd have you see, and I'd have you see it very well. For while this is only an ending, and not the end, endings should still be given the attention they deserve. And so I'd have you see, and be here for this, if you would.

The sun rises like on any other day. There is nothing remarkable about today, nor about the evening that proceeded it. The Throat stands like it has on a thousand other mornings, and like it will for a thousand more. The sun sweeps over the bloody sands where stories and legends have transpired and faded away. The legacy of the Throat succeeds each of its members. There is no problem of philosophical identity here: the Throat will forever be the Throat regardless of who is at its helm, who heals its inhabitants, who guards its borders.

And that is why, as the Wildfire collapses onto the red sands, it is not wholly remarkable. For he is merely following in hoof-prints of all those who have ruled these lands before him, in that his reign must end, and he must die.

Madness as many of you likely know, has taken the Wildfire's mind. It is the one aspect of Gaucho's character not formidably protected by muscle, and so unsurprisingly is the first to fail him. And, because this is no fairy tale, the Wildfire is given no respite from his malady, even if only temporarily.

The dun experiences no moments of blissful clarity before he dies.

He has no time to reflect on the years that he has spent in Helovia, to recall the brutish stallion he had been when he had first entered the Threshold so many seasons ago, barely able to speak Helovia's common tongue and without a single victory beneath his belt. No time to offer thoughtful appreciation and thanks to those who had made his rise to glory possible: Midas and Kri, or to remember the battles they fought together. Both the victories, and the losses. To turn his blue-gray eyes upwards and give praise to the Sun God who called him Ascended, and placed the Throat under his protection time and time again.

He has no time to think of Sohalia, his first love. No time to realize what a hypocrite he had been in the days since madness had taken hold of his mind, and, if he were being truly introspective, the days before too. No time to justify his actions, to regret not searching the whole world for her when she disappeared, and not for being quicker to forgive her transgressions. No time to wish that he had told her that he loved her one more time.

No time for Ampere either, to think that he should have told her that she saved him just as many times as he saved her. That they were cut from the same cloth, and that he would have followed her to the black depths of the oceans that night in the Veins if that was what it had taken. That she made his heart race and his blood boil, and that he wouldn't have traded their tension and maddening chemistry for the complacency of a normal courtship for anything in the world, for their love defied convention.

Nor were there thoughts of his children - his impressive line of twins, with only three singletons sprinkled throughout. The final degradation of his brain left no room for thoughts of pride in their accomplishments, wishes and hopes for their futures, nor love for their individuality. He couldn't even recall their faces, despite having memorized every detail of them (despite the fact that many of them thought he hadn't noticed them at all).

The parasite in his brain, now obviously gorged on the gray matter of his mind, allowed the dun no lingering thoughts of his herd: how he had served them faithfully and with all that he had, for as long as he could. How he had been there for them through their dissent, and how he had protected them despite their occasional lack of faith in him. And how he had loved them.

No - there was none of that. For not all stories are awarded closure, and not all heroes die a hero's death. Some just die without company or fanfare. Some, like Gaucho, merely find themselves piloting a sinking ship, diverting their course away from their loved ones so that when they inevitably capsize and sink, their wake does not disturb those they care about most.

If you are still watching, you will see Gaucho's knees buckle. You will see his flaming body drop to the sands whose bloody granules dampen the sound. You will see Mara and Vorsa, Gaucho's ever faithful companions just as equally broken by the malady that will ultimately claim the Wildfire's life. You will see them where they have always been: in his antlers. You will see where their small bodies ultimately come to rest on the sands as well, pulled regrettably downwards, tethered to Gaucho's drowning mind. Perhaps it will comfort you to know that they wouldn't be anywhere else, that they are forever grateful for the lives Gaucho has given them, and that they happily give their lives to go down with this sinking ship.

Then, if you have not covered your eyes or turned away, you will see a rush of fire. A last explosion of magical energy within the Wildfire. All the power blessed to him by the Sun God, racing upwards towards the rising sigul of the deity Gaucho served with unwavering loyalty, one last time: a pillar of fire, circled by three flaming eagles.

And then, when the fire dissipates, it finally happens.

The Wildfire stops burning.

Open to all.

Anyone can take a feather from him or from Vorsa if they want :)

I've posted in the updates thread, but the following items go to:

GRUSHA
:: [ Item: Enchanted Elk Antlers | Offensive. Magically attached to head ]
:: [ Item: Trinket | Bone nose piercing. ]
:: [ Item: Dagger | Offensive. Hollow bone dagger. ]

AMPERE
:: [ Item: Enchanted Bone collar | Offensive. Worn as a thick band of leather just above the shoulders; pressing a button in the center causes bone-spikes 2 inches in length to uncoil and protrude. ]
-- all amulets.

SIKEAX (as the new leader)
:: [ Item: Dragon's Throat Key | A small, metal charm allowing access to the bridge to the Dragon's throat. ]

VINATI
:: [ Item: Trinket | Crystal fire-coloured rose. ]

TAE
:: [ Item: 4/4 Horseshoes | Defensive. 4/4 diamond horseshoes. ]