Post by The Pantheon on Sept 4, 2017 0:22:03 GMT -5
It was supposed to be like a kiss, she said. It wasn't supposed to hurt, it wasn't supposed to blind her, not like this. The warmth of the sun was supposed to be a gentle, welcoming sensation that made her feel like she belonged to this world. Instead, the rays of the sun burned her skin and made her look away, hissing in resentment at the sensation of the first rays of light she'd ever experienced. What was wrong with her? She didn't remember it being painful before, and now all she wanted to do was scramble back into the ruined building that she'd stepped out of.
But she had faith in Gaia. Gaia wouldn't lie to her. Gaia had given her life.
The messy strands of mismatched locks of hair were pushed forward to protect her eyes from the sun, she didn't care much about what she looked like, she just wanted to stretch her legs again.
Dirty, clawed feet gripped the crumbled stone underneath her as she took her first step. She struggled to find her balance, and nearly fell over from the unsteady rock, but planted another foot nearby to steady herself. A plume of dust kicked up around her from her not-so-gentle steps. Her feet didn't feel small and dainty like she remembered. They felt heavy, strong, formidable for someone her size.
She felt tall. She didn't know how or why, but she had to be six feet tall. Maybe seven.
Groaning in pain, she stretched her arms left and right, flexing muscles in her arms and back that she'd never felt before. In response, her fleshy, bat-like wings flew open and shielded the sun from her.
"...I have wings?" The first words she'd spoken to herself, turning to try and see them over her shoulder. They weren't pretty. She wasn't even sure if they would support her weight, and she didn't have the energy to try.
"GAIA! Mother, your daughter needs you..." She screamed out, eyes filling with tears as she collapsed to the ground, refusing to look anywhere but at the stone and rock that made up the ground. She heard no response, and she began to weep heavily into her hands, now sharp talons.
"Mother, why? What have I done wrong? Have I not been faithful? Why have you made me a monster? If I saw my own face, would I recognize the person staring back? What life have you sentenced me to for all of my devotion?"
"Hey! Hey, are you okay?" A voice. not Gaia, but another. Looking up, the sobbing woman heard a voice, and saw a man in the distance, several dozen steps away. She narrowed her eyes, and his physique and attire became apparent, a hoplite, either lost or straying too far from his home. Wielding sword and shield, he stumbled through the cobbled stone and dust in her direction.
"Who are you, why are you here?" She slowly began to shift her position, but used her wings to hide her face. The man continued to walk, though seemingly had not laid eyes on her.
"I'm here because I've been told that knowledge far beyond even what Crete can offer can be found in these ruins. Can you..." He began to finish, before he seemingly came close enough to see the woman, crouched and eyes trained on him. He stopped moving.
A blind rage filled the woman, and she snarled, baring her sharpened teeth and bending her powerful legs. In an instant, she no longer questioned whether her wings would support her weight.
As though she had mastered the ability to fly years ago, the woman took to the skies and did a masterful spin, targeting her prey and allowing her shadow to darken the ground around him, before diving like a meteor onto his thinly armored frame. The ground crackled around from the force of her weight on top of his bronzed armor.
"AGH! NO! What are you? You are no Gorgon, you're a monster, a fiend, an abomination! You're..."
The man was not allowed to finish as the woman's hand sealed around his throat.
"My name is Raelystra." She spoke with a chilling calmness.
The man began to cough and sputter, clearly suffocating.
Raelystra sneered some at the struggling warrior beneath her. Her other clawed hand lifted into the air, and she narrowed her eyes once again. In that moment, the sun shown only on Raelystra, and she knew her purpose.
"I am a Child of Gaia."
The man's heart beat in his chest so hard that Raelystra felt it through his armor.
"...and you are a trespasser."
With a single stroke of her mighty claw, the stone around them ran red, and Raelystra knew that she was favored by Gaia.
But she had faith in Gaia. Gaia wouldn't lie to her. Gaia had given her life.
The messy strands of mismatched locks of hair were pushed forward to protect her eyes from the sun, she didn't care much about what she looked like, she just wanted to stretch her legs again.
Dirty, clawed feet gripped the crumbled stone underneath her as she took her first step. She struggled to find her balance, and nearly fell over from the unsteady rock, but planted another foot nearby to steady herself. A plume of dust kicked up around her from her not-so-gentle steps. Her feet didn't feel small and dainty like she remembered. They felt heavy, strong, formidable for someone her size.
She felt tall. She didn't know how or why, but she had to be six feet tall. Maybe seven.
Groaning in pain, she stretched her arms left and right, flexing muscles in her arms and back that she'd never felt before. In response, her fleshy, bat-like wings flew open and shielded the sun from her.
"...I have wings?" The first words she'd spoken to herself, turning to try and see them over her shoulder. They weren't pretty. She wasn't even sure if they would support her weight, and she didn't have the energy to try.
"GAIA! Mother, your daughter needs you..." She screamed out, eyes filling with tears as she collapsed to the ground, refusing to look anywhere but at the stone and rock that made up the ground. She heard no response, and she began to weep heavily into her hands, now sharp talons.
"Mother, why? What have I done wrong? Have I not been faithful? Why have you made me a monster? If I saw my own face, would I recognize the person staring back? What life have you sentenced me to for all of my devotion?"
"Hey! Hey, are you okay?" A voice. not Gaia, but another. Looking up, the sobbing woman heard a voice, and saw a man in the distance, several dozen steps away. She narrowed her eyes, and his physique and attire became apparent, a hoplite, either lost or straying too far from his home. Wielding sword and shield, he stumbled through the cobbled stone and dust in her direction.
"Who are you, why are you here?" She slowly began to shift her position, but used her wings to hide her face. The man continued to walk, though seemingly had not laid eyes on her.
"I'm here because I've been told that knowledge far beyond even what Crete can offer can be found in these ruins. Can you..." He began to finish, before he seemingly came close enough to see the woman, crouched and eyes trained on him. He stopped moving.
A blind rage filled the woman, and she snarled, baring her sharpened teeth and bending her powerful legs. In an instant, she no longer questioned whether her wings would support her weight.
As though she had mastered the ability to fly years ago, the woman took to the skies and did a masterful spin, targeting her prey and allowing her shadow to darken the ground around him, before diving like a meteor onto his thinly armored frame. The ground crackled around from the force of her weight on top of his bronzed armor.
"AGH! NO! What are you? You are no Gorgon, you're a monster, a fiend, an abomination! You're..."
The man was not allowed to finish as the woman's hand sealed around his throat.
"My name is Raelystra." She spoke with a chilling calmness.
The man began to cough and sputter, clearly suffocating.
Raelystra sneered some at the struggling warrior beneath her. Her other clawed hand lifted into the air, and she narrowed her eyes once again. In that moment, the sun shown only on Raelystra, and she knew her purpose.
"I am a Child of Gaia."
The man's heart beat in his chest so hard that Raelystra felt it through his armor.
"...and you are a trespasser."
With a single stroke of her mighty claw, the stone around them ran red, and Raelystra knew that she was favored by Gaia.