the Rift


I'm no intruder, honest [Open]

Ricciardo Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#1

R I C C I A R D O
The Sandman.


The plain, flame kissed pelt of Ricciardo stepped into the pale light of sunrise. The glare from the sun resided was he moved in closer, his orbs taking in the terra firma beyond him. A harsh breeze tossed his sea salt curled silks to and fro, as he investigated. To his left, a spring that bubbled with the sound of fresh, cool water was like music to his ears, whilst the frondescence and herbage was invitingly lush and healthy. In the far distance, the rumble of heavy water crashing against rocks caught his attention. Salt water! A shiver of satisfaction shook his fairly burly physique to the core as he was washed over with the memories of his homeland. With the hope of being within easy reach of the salt water and sands, he stepped into the territory further in the hope of coming across a friendly creature. All he desired was to be given the chance to be accepted into the herd that resided here. He had heard from d'Artagnan that it bore nothing but the likes of himself, horned equines. This suited Ricciardo, as the sorrel brute descended from such a herd, except they were all similar to himself - flames.

Daggers itching for life, he scanned the scenery with his sand-coloured pools, searching. Deciding that it was safer to stay within the borders of the territory so as not to give the misapprehension he was intruding on the lands. "Someone must be here, anyone." He muttered quietly to himself, unaware of anyone watching the sir.


Ulrik the Engineer Posts: 235
Deceased atk: 5.5 | def: 9.0 | dam: 6.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.1 hh :: 11 HP: 69.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Kirchoff :: Common Hellhound :: Superspeed Tamme
#2

         ULRIK         

You better learn to keep your face under the dark

Wake up and feel the blood escape your heart



The scent of another filled his nostrils, and it was foreign. His darkly intelligent bronze eyes stared into the darkness of the forest as his cloven hooves pushed him forward. He had all the features of a classical unicorn with none of the grace. The muscles beneath his black hide rippled thickly, and the bronze markings that climbed his shoulders attested to his dark nature. In the immediate distance was a chestnut colored brute, but he was thankfully horned.

Even with his speech, Ulrik did not have complete faith in their leader's hatred of the hornless. He would not be punished for running off some disgusting rat from this glorious land just because his king wanted to keep 'peaceful ties'. Complete nonsense. A metallic wolf strode at his heels, red, mechanical eyes glowing soullessly. It whirred to a stop, staring up vacantly at its master, nothing but pistons and circuit boards.

With a wild, strange manner, he flicked his leonine tail around his fetlocks and approached the stranger, hearing his words. With a wicked smirk, the stallion chuckled. "Both," he replied in a dark, rough tone. "Why, you interested in joining this place? Tired of seeing the hornless and feathered dogs take over the rest of this land?" The wolf at his side growled menacingly.


Credits

Ricciardo Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#3

R I C C I A R D O
The Sandman.



An alarming, fairly gruff voice echoed into the clearing as the frondescence bounced back the words of the steed that was edging his way towards him. Quite the appearence, his charcoal appearence adorned with a bronze tribal marking that matched the colouring of his beard and ends of his tail silks. The twisted, knotted charcoal horn gave the stranger the appearence of an intimidating figure, but Ricciardo was nonetheless relieved to have met someone that wasn't immediately ripping into his flesh at first sight.

He dipped his averagely handsome crown into a gesture of respect and almost fright of what this brute could be capable of doing. A certain danger lurked within the bronze pools of the steed, and this was something he did not wish to cross yet without knowing anything about him. Listening to the words intently, he did not realise what was standing by his side. It was a creature that resembled that of a wolf, but it seemed to bear no soul. This was nothing that the flame-kissed sir had ever laid sight on before, the shining body was almost not of this land, and it scared Ricciardo to the core. It wasn't natural.

A sudden realisation of what the charcoal beast had uttered to him hit him like the force of a landslide. Yes, he was very interested in joining the herd that resided in this place that seemed so fitting for a creature looking for a new life as himself, but he couldn't quite place his daggers on the fact that he was gesturing to the winged and hornless creatures that resembled himself in an odd manner. It was of course natural for Ricciardo to wish to stay within the confines of creatures that bore the same features as himself, but to describe them as dogs was not in his manner. Nevertheless, he retorted in a polite manner in the hope of being accepted. "Yes, my name is Ricciardo. I come from the lands of salt water and sands. I do wish to join this place, if this is acceptable on the laws of the lands. I am intent on being with my own kind," he continued, careful not to overstep the mark. "May I be so bold in asking for your name, stranger?" His sand orbs let nothing slip, keeping himself reserved before knowing more about this odd, in a sense, scary creature. He hoped that his smell did not put the stranger off, as others seemed to be by his strange scent.


Ulrik the Engineer Posts: 235
Deceased atk: 5.5 | def: 9.0 | dam: 6.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.1 hh :: 11 HP: 69.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Kirchoff :: Common Hellhound :: Superspeed Tamme
#4

         ULRIK         

You better learn to keep your face under the dark

Wake up and feel the blood escape your heart



The genius smirked madly at the expression plastered across the chestnut's face. Fear was an expression that he had seen many times before, and so was that strange expression of realizing that his gifts and his machines were foreign and alien. Most found them distasteful. Ulrik didn't give a shit. Then he seemed shocked at Ulrik's rather mild but negative words against the hornless and the winged, and the stallion's features hardened. Was this another soft soul? Another who did not realize that he was one of the pure?

Ulrik's ebony ears slid back against his neck, and he bared his teeth to show his irritation with this stallion's lack of resolve. Still, he had to be more patient with his own kind. With a flash of his leonine tail around his fetlocks, the stallion covered his teeth and perked his ears once more, settling. The beast at his side stopped growling and stared vacantly ahead at nothing. He smelled like sands, and it reminded him of what a few of his comrades had called 'The Tides'.

"I am Ulrik, and our King, Mauja would have to permit you entrance," he replied in a growling tone. "I cannot see why you would be denied, however." The stallion shifted his weight to rest one of his cloven, hind hooves. This creature was no threat to Ulrik, and he observed his sandy coloration was interest. "You come from an ocean?" he asked curiously.


Credits

Ricciardo Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#5

R I C C I A R D O
The Sandman.


It seemed that this stranger seemed to enjoy the fear and superiority he felt when other creatures reacted badly to him. It crossed Ricciardo's intelligent mind that it was best to keep his kissers shut and create a barrier around his actions and feelings. Any sort of emotion that was strongly felt was evidently witnessed through their orbs, and this was something that Ricciardo aimed to put a stop to. He did not want to be the joke of this, this beast.

Stranger's actions were not unexpected, a foul creature such as himself was proving to be the monster he came across, according to the flame-kissed sir. The strange alien thing settled down once the charcoal brute had too. He still could not quite figure out what exactly that companion was, it scared him as it stared through scarlet orbs as vacant as a dead being.

As he spoke, he caught the name of the stranger through the gruff, growling tones of the beast. So, this brute was Ulrik. It was a fitting name for the likes of him, it sounded harsh and foreign to accompany the soul that must have been as dark as his colouring. "If that is the terms, I will indeed talk to Mauja." The sudden interest in where he had come from surprised Ricciardo. He stretched his crown up slightly in instinct reflexes, before bringing the handsome crown back down to it's preferred angle. "Yes, I come from the... ocean you call it? All of my herd was born and raised there on the hot sands. It was a good place," Ricciardo quickly finished his brief description of his derivatives, so as not to provoke anymore irate behaviour from the steed. "We all look alike, sharing the same pelt colours, to camouflage ourselves against the sand."

The sorrel did his upmost not to give off any emotion, any information to what he was thinking, that the brute could and probably would use against him. The sooner he was away from this creature and given a purpose, the better.

Ascended Helovian

Mauja the Frozen Light Posts: 1,392
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.2 :: 14 HP: 79.5 | Buff: HUNTER
Irma :: Snowy Owl :: Terrorize & Diego :: Eurasian Eagle-Owl :: Rage Neo
#6
Pale early morning sunlight sparkled off the sparse mist, each water droplet shimmering like a crystal suspended in the air. The sounds of breaking waves and sea gulls rolled in from the sea, carried by a briny gust of wind - things looked and smelled of home, of how they used to be, ought to be, but the Sun's wrathful destruction still marred the face of the forest. Mauja had no set goal in mind that morning as he drifted through his trees, once more alabaster in color after a midnight bath in the sea. Mist swirled around his legs, cloaking the movements of his hooves, dew settling on the grass and on him, too, settling on his cannons. Summer still reigned with a harsh sun that was slipping above the horizon for another day of torment, but the nights were cooler than they had been in a long time, carrying whispers of what was to come - leaves that would turn the colors of flame, crisp nights and mornings with frost. In the winter, the fog still clouded his lands, settling upon the skin and freezing. It was with wistful longing that his mind touched the turning of seasons.

Sunlight shimmered off the droplets of two bodies, one a familiar black-bronzed - the other, unknown, a stranger among the charred trees. He was the color of deep, wet sand, but when the sun struck the water clinging to his hairs he seemed more red. It was beautiful, and the wraith-like King drew to a halt, just on the outskirts of the meeting. He hadn't seen Ulrik in a while, but didn't blame the mechanic for seeking respite from the heat someplace else. As usual, the monarch's eyes were drawn to the mechanical wolf following the stallion around, a thin smile on his face. He'd not seen the thing in action yet, but wondered what it would be capable of in battle.. what other things he could build, and what they could do. Ulrik was a brutally honest stallion, something Mauja appreciated; when he himself felt lost on the sea of politics, Ulrik was always there to kick him in the head when he erred. It was a comfort, to know that the engineer would not allow him to stray - not that Mauja ever could forget the glory of his race, the passionate arrogance, but sometimes it hid itself so deep in his marble heart he wondered where it was, who he was, what the purpose of everything was. In those times, Ulrik was his moral compass, his touchstone, although if the stallion knew his value or not was a mystery to Mauja.

His gaze switched to the stranger, a stallion - strangely enough, he carried faint traces of Seiren and d'Artagnan on him, as if he'd been in their presence. He smelled of foreign things, salt and water reminiscent of the ocean, of the Threshold forest so many crossed. Had his loyal followers greeted him, but not brought him home? In the next moment, the stallion admitted to coming from an ocean, born and raised on hot sands. Mauja slid from his place among the trees, casting wary eyes around. It wouldn't surprise him if Seiren still lurked in the shadows; she was a tricky mare, everything of stealth, darkness and blood-stained glory pressed into a single graceful body. If only she could stop eying d'Artagnan like he was either a very tasty meal or a piece of trash...

"Ulrik," he said by way of greeting, nodding to the tall bronze horse. They were nearly of equal height, but Mauja had an inch or so on him. With them both being grown stallions in their prime, it was unlikely it'd ever change. Snow-pale and elegant, he turned to the stranger, something curious, warm, in his pale blue eyes. "Welcome, sand stranger. What is your business here?" A wording that could've been accusing, suspicious, but a voice that was open, inquisitive; he often did that, speaking words that without the proper inflection would be rude, perhaps even dismissive.
angels, they fell first, but I'm still here

Ulrik the Engineer Posts: 235
Deceased atk: 5.5 | def: 9.0 | dam: 6.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.1 hh :: 11 HP: 69.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Kirchoff :: Common Hellhound :: Superspeed Tamme
#7

         ULRIK         

You better learn to keep your face under the dark

Wake up and feel the blood escape your heart



Ulrik listened to the copper stallion's explanation of his coloring, though he stayed silent as his King approached. The bronze engineer nodded once in deference and continued to observe the situation with the emotionless indifference of a true scientist. At his heels, the machine seemed to stop moving all together, not even a wire shifted in the light breeze.

The stallion's black and bronze beard danced under his chin from the breeze, and he listened to the newcomer tell Mauja exactly what he had just told him moments ago. "He comes from a herd of ocean-lovers." Was it that damned Tides that everyone was all up in a huff about? Ulrik hated sand. It got everywhere and completely fucked up the circuit boards on his creations. The only good thing to come from a beach was glass, so why these creatures found it so beautiful was beyond him.

He had heard that this 'Tides' had been friendly to all races too. Of all the stupid things... "You do not happen to come from the 'Tides' do you?" Ulrik asked the stranger, narrowing his bronze eyes as if he could bore an honest answer straight from his brain. With a violent flick of his leonine tail, Ulrik glanced at his king, speaking under his breath. "He's soft, Mauja," he grunted. "Put perhaps not lost."

Ulrik gave the new stallion a final once-over before he turned his gaze to the forest. He would stay at Mauja's side, interested to see if the stallion would allow him in or tell him to get lost.


Credits

Ricciardo Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#8

R I C C I A R D O
The Sandman.



Whilst facing the bronze charcoal pelt of Ulrik, Ricciardo smelt the prescence of another creature. Though it was a faded scent, similar to that of the lands of the Edge, it was clear to make out. Soon appeared the figure of a broad, burly and elegant brute. His Caucasian pelt dripped in spots of charcoal, draped over the build of a Friesian. His silks were bleached, too, long and flowing whilst his horn was long and azure. His pools were also azure, that let nothing slip past that concerned emotions. The alabaster brute walked closer, and as the flame-kissed beast stood there, he noticed that there was an informal familiarity shared between Ulrik and this stranger. He guessed it was a close friend, yet somehow sensed that this bleached brute was perhaps superior. That, or the height of him that was slightly larger than Ulrik caused him to look superior.

Ricciardo watched carefully as he rounded in closer, and he turned to face the sorrel. His orbs were friendly enough, and the tone of his voice as he asked him questions was also friendly. He went about replying politely, being cautious as to not offend. "I am wishing to join the herd of the Edge, if this is possible." Ricciardo continued to justify this briefly, "I desire a herd of horned creatures, such as myself and my kin." He dipped his average crown in respect before bringing it back up for his sanded orbs to gaze back at the bleached brute.

Ulrik did not seem to utter much whilst the brute that he suspected was indeed the Mauja approached. The strange, vacant, souless wolf that stood by the charcoal brute's side seemed to freeze, having no real sense of awareness, nor emotion. It scared Ricciardo to the core what sort of black magic or creativity came up with such a creature. As for Ulrik, he ultimately thought exactly the same. What a foul creature...

He stood silent whilst the bronzed charcoal beast briefly described Ricciardo. The disgusted look seemed to increase as he asked Ricciardo a question that took him back slightly - the Tides? The name rung a bell, for it was linked to his old herd. As he narrowed his bronze eyes at the Sandman, he saw his silks flick in an irate manner and calling him soft to the alabaster brute. How dare you! An anger boiled deep within the flame-kissed steed; soft? It was an insult. But he kept his emotions to himself, trying his best to hide the bloodlust that lurked within him. He simply decided to answer the questions that had been put towards him by the foul creature, attempting to let it go through one ear and out the other. "The Tides? Oh yes, they do mean something to me. A minority of my herd bore ancestors or indeed came from the Tides, that is all I know." As Ulrik gave him a last once over, his gaze thankfully turned to the frondescence of the forest.

A determination rose through Ricciardo; he would get into the Edge. He was not going to be turned down, and he was certainly not going to be soft.


Ascended Helovian

Mauja the Frozen Light Posts: 1,392
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.2 :: 14 HP: 79.5 | Buff: HUNTER
Irma :: Snowy Owl :: Terrorize & Diego :: Eurasian Eagle-Owl :: Rage Neo
#9
Ulrik's greeting of him was as cheery as one could expect, but it gave Mauja a sense of being welcome all the same - recognized, familiarity, though one could hardly call the engineer an emotional beast. But, in this case, it meant that everything was as it ought to be. The bronze eyes held nothing of the dark, flashing suspicions they'd held at the meeting Ulrik had called, and it gave the King a sort of satisfaction to know that since then, he'd mostly trodden down the right paths. It didn't come as a surprise that the sand beast wanted to join the Edge - better that, than simply wanting to be a tourist and see the lands for himself... like some others. It was not fine to just waltz into his home and pretend you owned the place. It was, after bloody fucking all, his home. Where he and his herd lived - not a freaking circus! Ocean-lovers, Ulrik said, and Mauja grunted something unintelligible in response. He liked the ocean, it was soothing for the sun-warm skin to swim in, but he preferred it frozen over, bitter winds pushing snow around and cold, dark skies. If he came from an ocean, did he come from a warm one, or from an ice sea?

Ulrik grumbled more, and Mauja's sharp eyes lingered on the stranger's face, drinking in his appearance. At being called soft, it seemed like something passed through him - it was too well curbed to show, but his eyes seemed to grow more guarded. Mauja's own eyes narrowed slightly as he listened to the response about these 'Tides', whom he knew not much at all of. d'Artagnan and Descaro had mentioned something about it such a place, but only in passing. "Your name?" he asked, not unkindly. It would be useful to know the name of his newest herd member. And then, he tilted his head slightly to the side. If Ulrik thought him soft but not lost, he could still be saved - salvaged. "I think we can put some steel in his spine," he replied in the same hushed voice, eyes still never leaving the sand stranger, still watching with their sharp intensity. If what he had seen earlier was a hint of anger, he wondered if this would provoke another sign of it - or perhaps even an outburst, or the reason for it. "Don't you think so?" Something amused played in his gaze, as if the entire world was just a game - as if he was never serious. Perhaps he wouldn't suffer from a dose of sincerity and caution. Of course they could put steel in his spine. Ulrik was the perfect mentor, rough and rugged as he was, and if it didn't work in the metaphorical sense... Well, Ulrik would probably put literal steel in someone's spine. Expectantly he watched the stranger, another string of words slipping from his pale muzzle.

"Or is the steel already there, merely bundled up to keep it from rattling around?"

Do you play the game as I do?
angels, they fell first, but I'm still here

Ulrik the Engineer Posts: 235
Deceased atk: 5.5 | def: 9.0 | dam: 6.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.1 hh :: 11 HP: 69.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Kirchoff :: Common Hellhound :: Superspeed Tamme
#10

         ULRIK         

You better learn to keep your face under the dark

Wake up and feel the blood escape your heart



Ulrik was highly amused that the stranger stallion took such offense to his words, and the bronze and charcoal unicorn chuckled out a harsh snort. The engineer was not often amused. Then he mentioned how the Tides seemed to be a part of his past, and the amused snort turned into a scowl. Maybe the ancient ancestors were not the modern idiots that a few of these herd mates spoke of. "Distant ancestors, I hope," he grunted.

Ulrik raised a dark brow as his king said that they could put steel in his spine, and the grin that crossed the mechanic's lips was dark and wicked. "With pleasure..." he replied, swishing his leonine tail around his fetlocks again. The engineer studied the stallion again, narrowing his broze eyes. "The fire is there, but I am not sure about steel."

With a short grunt, Ulrik lifted his neck very high, his two, twisted horns raising to the sky. Then, he pushed his shoulder blades back, a loud crack emanating from his neck. "Aahh..." he grunted.

The engineer looked at the newcomer, snorting once. "Why do you want to live among your own kind?" he asked. "What is it about the feathered and hornless that does not appeal to you?"



Credits

Ricciardo Posts: N/A
Unregistered
:: :: ::
#11

R I C C I A R D O
The Sandman.



The Sandman could not deny that he was almost jealous of the way that these two had superiority over so much, including himself. It was perhaps just a given talent to certain beasts, including these two. He first looked at Mauja, the alabaster brute standing up high and giving off a sense of authority that was not to be messed with without causing some sort of injury to himself. He could tell that the orbs of the brute were scouring his ordinary flame-kissed mass for potential. It made him feel rather proud that he was at least being considered, for he gathered that being a part of the Edge herd meant power and knowledge. Ricciardo loved knowledge, and wherever he could find it was the place that he wished to be.

Mauja asked for his name, he instinctly replied. "I am Ricciardo, a Sandman." The talk of putting steel in his spine seemed to be an innuendo for something that Ulrik and Mauja dangerously shared in. He took heed of what they were whispering through their orbs to each other, keen to know the inside joke sometime in the future. For now he simply took it as hardening him up for whatever the herd was planning to do, or what the two fierce brutes wanted Ricciardo to do. He could sense the mocking tone that Ulrik sounded out from his charcoal kissers, the bronze tinted fur catching his orbs. He could not hold back a sharp retort that was teeming of anger and pride for his own capabilities, "Fire. Steel. It makes no difference to me, I am adaptable." He cast an equally fiery look to match the tone of his voice and shot it straight Ulrik through his sand coloured pools. He was growing tired of being mocked in own prescence. He guessed from the amusement that was evident it was all part of the plan. But self control was wearing thin as the meeting wore on.

He still pondered what was meant by the Tides. He had little recollection of what had been shared by the creatures that came from there that had taken refuge in his former herd, but he imagined it was something that would get him into the Edge.

Stamping down a tan dagger onto the terrain that was hard and dry from the constant heat of the sun, he too rose up to his full height, his flame-kissed pelt glowing in the rays. He thought carefully, choosing to tell the honest truth. "Quite simple really, I'm more comfortable with my own kind. The hornless and winged are not like us, could there be a larger difference?" Ricciardo regained his emotionless poise whilst waiting for a reply from either of the two beasts, hoping to keep his temper under wraps. He doubted it.

Ascended Helovian

Mauja the Frozen Light Posts: 1,392
Outcast atk: 6.5 | def: 10.5 | dam: 7.5
Stallion :: Unicorn :: 17.2 :: 14 HP: 79.5 | Buff: HUNTER
Irma :: Snowy Owl :: Terrorize & Diego :: Eurasian Eagle-Owl :: Rage Neo
#12
Ricciardo. It was, in many ways, a name as foreign as the sand-colored stallion who bore it. He'd never heard a name of quite those qualities. Ulrik's name was rough and hard, and Mauja doubted even Lotus could whisper it softly. His own name was treacherously deceiving, sounding like the blanket of newly fallen snow - soft, hiding the sharp crust beneath. Ricciardo was an elegant name, yet it was hard to force strength into it when pronouncing it. Ulrik gave his verdict, a slightly feral grin gracing Mauja's face in response. The engineer was right about that; fire seemed to burn aplenty and fiercely in the sandman, but only control would harden the flames into steel. Fire, however, was a great start. It meant that something was there, and quiet approval glittered along the rims of his blue eyes. He would have to tread carefully, so as to not upset this Ricciardo, but keep him eager to prove himself and his steel. They were already on the right path, as he growled about adaptability. The King nodded thoughtfully where he stood, flicking an ear as Ulrik stretched. On the whole, it was mildly disconcerting to watch him pull himself up like that, his already large frame seeming even larger, and the noise accompanying the motion was, to his ears, unhealthy.

"Yet some claim that we are the same," he snorted out, his disdain for those who thoughts so obvious. He blamed it all on Ulrik's presence - it'd been so long, too long, since his tongue had moved so freely and his mind had so lovingly, wholeheartedly, caressed the ideals upon which his life was founded. "Clearly, they have no eyes to see with." You just had to look at a unicorn to see that it was different - it had no wings, and a horn. The day when he'd seen an equine with a horn hadn't yet come, and probably never will. He did know of a few shameful wing-and-horn combinations running rampant, but he blamed their parents more than the foals themselves. Still, it made his heart shrivel up inside to see them. Mauja's head tilted to the side, gaze boring into the red stallion. "Are you simply comfortable with your own kind, brother, or uncomfortable with them?" The question was murmured, but not be ignored - his eyes spoke that he would have an answer, that silence would not be accepted.

To him, the question posed were not simply two sides of the same coin, but two different coins entirely. Some, he knew, simply preferred socializing with their own species without actively disliking the others. Some, like himself and Ulrik and the majority of the Edge, were outright uncomfortable around the others (or well, ought to be; Mauja was busy gallivanting around with them until the day of the unicorn's rise would come). Still, being comfortable with your own kind and seeking their company rather than the company of a mixed herd was a good start. Few unicorns could spend a longer amount of time around Ulrik without getting racist themselves, and that was just the way Mauja liked it.

He hoped that Ricciardo would not be a disappointment.
angels, they fell first, but I'm still here


Forum Jump:


RPGfix Equi-venture