Nightmarish Wood (Headless Horseman/Open)

[deshitana5]

The world of the Princess of Heart known as Snow White was a strange world that seemed to have two distinct faces--one of beauty, joy, and carefreeness and the other of horror, fear, and dread. Whether this two sidedness was the true nature of the world, a trick of the residents’ minds, or perhaps a symbolism of the Evil Queen that ruled from the castle and the gentle Snow White that was protected by the seven dwarves, was up for debate. What was true of the place was that the day time hours were much better than the dark hours and that the Woods that resided in this area were far more friendly when you could actually see what you were walking into.

Unfortunately for one Light, it landed right in the middle of the old woods that rested under the cloak of a starless night. The moon was a sliver that poked out occasionally from the thick grey clouds that drifted over head. As the Light landed, it scattered the shadows in the woods before it vanished leaving behind a white haired young man with his eyes closed standing on the path. As the light faded away and the shadows closed in once more, the young man’s aquamarine colored eyes would open and scan the area. Under the small bit of moonlight there was enough gloom in the area to make out trees in the area. Some were skeletal and bare while others were thick and full of leaves. A cool breeze blew through the air rustling the leaves as it pushed the dead ones along the ground in gentle swirls. There were the sounds of creatures here—the chirps of crickets, the croaking of frogs, the scuttling of small brush animals hurrying home for the night. Above there was a loud rustling and thwump sound that caused the young keyblader master to look upward just in time to catch a large owl taking to the air. The bird's hooting echoing through the area before falling into silence as the bird moved further and further away.

The white hair keyblader smiled slightly. This new place wasn’t so bad. It was a bit on the quiet side for sure, but at least here he did not sense the Heartless or any other Dark being in the area so that was good and it seemed like this world’s Heart had not been tampered with either. Neutral grounds. Good. He had nothing to worry about here then. He could relax a bit.

Glad for the break, Riku listened to the sounds of the woods as the gentle breeze blew. For one moment, the keyblader simply enjoy the place's peacefulness as he closed his eyes and let the wind play with his hair. The wind almost reminded him of home, but it lack the warmth of the islands and the salt in the air, but it was pleasant nonetheless. It made him wonder how the islands were doing and in turn, how his friends were holding up. He hadn’t seen his friends in a while and while he was sure that they were okay out there, he would not be content until he could see this truth for himself; however, for now he’d simply have to hold onto faith and be patient. One day, they’d be together again and maybe the next time around, they wouldn’t have to leave again to face a threat. Maybe they could all rest in peace, but in order for that to happen Xehanort and this larger war had to be dealt with and brought to an end first.

Right,[/color] Riku thought as he refocused on the situation at hand. This new world was once more not the destination he chosen by will. For whatever reason, his Light had brought him here and since he wouldn’t be able to leave anytime soon, the keyblader decided that exploring was the best thing to do. Besides, he would’ve explored even if he did bring himself here. He was naturally curious about other worlds and unafraid to be a new unknown area. He liked the challenge of figuring things out and discovering new things along the way, so being in the middle of these strange woods did not bother the young man at all. Looking around, he decided on a path that he thought would perhaps lead him out and then took his first step out on to what was to be the longest path he ever took.

At first the path was calm, the few twist and turns were disorienting, but nothing that the boy could not handle. He continued moving, ducking under low hanging branches and wiping away the occasional spiderweb that got in the way. The natural sounds of the area kept the boy company and calm; however, the more he walked the stranger the landscape became as the clouds above blotted out the moon and the trees in the forest became more sinister looking. Instinctively, Riku stopped on the path he was taking not daring to go any further forward. No, it was much wiser to go back on the more normal path he had been walking on than to go the way he was headed. He took a step back and turned slightly to begin his back tracking only to find the way behind was just as bad if not worse than the way forward. Deep shadows clung to the trees and he could’ve sworn that eyes watching him from those shadows. Not liking where this was going, Riku turned to face the path ahead of him once more.

Guess the only choice I have is to go forward[/color] he thought as he resumed walking again feeling like he was being led into a trap, but had no way of escaping. Everywhere he looked, a sinister face leered at him or a strange shadow watched him from behind a tree. The sounds in the area were a mixture of owls hooting, growls, and the occasional howl to add onto the atmosphere that was becoming more and more unsettling by the minute. Despite how uneasy Riku was feeling, he kept going against fear knowing that the only way out was to get past whatever this was.

He kept moving being careful of low hanging branches as the wind began to grow colder and moan. The leaves whispered and one branch in the shape of a hook really did take a swipe at him! Startled by the unexpected move, he hopped back to avoid the swinging tree only to have to fight to untangle himself from another branch in shape of a hand that had it thought fun to nab his hair, but instead of panicking like some would, Riku became agitated with the ordeal. He freed himself from one tree only to almost trip over the roots of another.

“Oh c’mon,” he growled as he caught his balance saving himself from hitting the ground or going through the low hanging spiderwebs that were waiting for him to fall through. It took him a full five minutes to escape the insanity of the trees and finally end up on a relatively calm path. Slightly bruised and cut, Riku stopped for a moment, wiping the spiderwebs off him and knocking of the dirt and grim that had he gained thanks to his fight. He was breathing hard and fuming all at once as he performed the task. Once he was done, he gave the shaking trees behind him a cold glare thinking how amusing it must be to them to torment someone. It made his blood boil thinking this way so, calming down a bit he took a deep breath as logic finally kicked back in.

Okay, so the forest was weird and maybe it did indeed shift at night, but this was a place full of trees right? The whole attack sequence had to be a trick caused by some plant or unknown substance in the area. Surely, the trees could not move or had a mind of their own and they most definitely were not laughing at him now, right? ….Right?

He watched those shuddering trees a while longer before shaking his head and pushing those train of thoughts aside. This was no time to think about fairytales or horror stories. While it was true that each world he had visited so far in his journey was indeed, strange and magical, he wasn’t about to believe in ghosts and ghouls here. No, those sort of things belonged to a different world entirely and this place was definitely not that world. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Riku calmed himself even more as he focused once more on the path before him. At least this one was straight forward and flowed under a tunnel created by the tall rustling trees on either side of the path.

Staying alert, Riku began to walk down the new path, the light sweat on him beginning to cool and dry in the wind. The boy hadn’t been walking long before he found himself stopping as the area he was in became so cold that chill bumps were beginning to appear on his arms and his body trembled slightly to stay warm. On top of that, the area was silent and still. Not even the wind seemed to blow in this place.

What now?[/color] he thought as he scanned the area carefully both physically and with his senses. There didn’t seem to be anything in the area, and yet….

A snap came from behind causing the keyblader to turn quickly to the sound as the distinct presence of something came into the area; however, when he turned towards the presence there was nothing there. Riku frowned at this. What was going on?

“Whose there?” he called out the darkness around him, listening as his voice echoed around the place, but no one answered.

Tch! Riku gritted his teeth slightly in agitation. He had just about of enough of this place and its games. The quicker he got of these woods, the better. Determined to get out of the woods, Riku took a step forward only to find himself halting as the path seemed to stretch out further and a cold harsh wind blew towards him kicking up a large amount of dead leaves as it did so. Raising his arms and bracing himself against the wind by taking a step back, Riku took the abuse of leaves slapping against him before the area calmed and became quiet again. With his arms still raised, Riku suddenly knew without a doubt that he wasn’t alone anymore. Letting his arms drop, he began to move forward once more, keeping an eye on his surroundings. Occasionally, he’d cast his look back the way he came, always searching for the source of the presence. Whoever was with him was doing a good job at hiding, something that the keyblader did not like at all. This felt like some type of set up…an ambush waiting to happen, but who would be able to plot such a thing for him? Had he walked into the trap set for another…or had one of the pieces of Xehanort been able to trace where he would end up next and gotten to this place first and laid the trap? It seemed impossible to think those pieces were that strong, but then again the man had done a lot of things that shouldn’t have been possible such as splitting his Heart into multiple pieces and learning to hop through time itself and plan a grand scheme all to get his wish for another Keyblade War and ultimate knowledge.

The keyblader ponder his situation a bit more, but stopped when he began to get a headache. He need to stop worrying about the what if's and just get out of this place for now. He’d have plenty of time later to think on things, if he ever found his way out of this forest or survived whatever was waiting to spring on him.

[headlesshorseman]

As the night hours began in the Dwarf Woodlands and the light from the moon fell upon the young man, things had already been set in motion. Everything was calm, the night brought the animals of the night awake. The Heartless didn't appear to be around the place despite the presence of the Keybearer.

While time went by and the young man moved around, the moon was blotted by the clouds. The sinister forest rested quietly as the shadows seemed to wrap around the man. The wind whispered through the trees. The sounds from the creatures of night sounded everywhere. The young man's movement through the woods was watched.

The winds that picked up a branch and brought the young man to move, it did occur to those watching that this one was not easily afraid. Then the young man had moved, to a calm moment on the path, having fought through webs and branches. Still, the man hadn't left the sight of those watching.

Seeing the young man looked around through the shadows before calming himself, there was perhaps some movement. The shadows still moved around the young man. Even... perhaps... the young man had felt it by now. That it was as if the shadows themselves were watching him.

Still moving on, the young man seemed to have continued his way. He seemed even more alert than before. The cold wind continued to weep through the forest and the creatures of the night turned to the young man as he moved through. Sounds continued to be heard until a snap sounded throughout the forest. The young man had turned to face the direction of the sound. An eerie silence fell upon the woods as the night went silently as well.

The young man's voice sounded throughout the forest, echoing lightly as silence continued. The shadows circled around the young man. Then the young man came back in motion again, following his path as his footsteps sounded only lightly in the forest. The hooting of the owl, the chirping of the crickets, the croaking of the frog, and all the other sounds of the forest continued around him. The sounds of his steps started to echo and the sound became louder, slowly more and more. The piercing gaze continued to fall on the boy.

Then the young man stopped his steps, but his footsteps continued to sound, louder than before and halted only a short bit later than his own steps. The presence of the watcher... was still there.

[deshitana5]

You are being ridiculous, Riku. There is absolutely nothing here to bother you so get it together and focus! His mind was scolding him as he continued to walk down the long seemingly endless path shrouded by trees and shadows. While he continued to walk forward with his senses on high alert, some part of him was nagging at him for not going off the straight path and trying to find another way through the trees. Seriously, he could do that, but then again….

His eyes took in the shadows that surrounded the trees. They seemed to breathe and move with life that did not belong to any creature he had ever met before. No. No, he wasn’t about to go in there. He was already wired enough out in the open. He didn’t want to think what would happen if he attempted to go through a more closed up space. He shook his head mentally and looked away from the trees, trying his best to focus on what was ahead instead of the shadows and what was behind. The nervous energy that was churning through him was making him agitated and angry with himself for letting this place get to him. Bring him back to the scared child he once was, jumping at anything that moved.

He had thought he had gotten over the fears that horror stories and fairy tales brought him when he was a kid and back home…thought that facing and defeating the more malicious Darkness that was Ansem had toughened him up a bit…thought he had outgrown normal fear and would be okay when faced with it; however…. These woods were proving that those thoughts were dead wrong. It seemed that the more he resisted the idea that what he was seeing and experiencing was just his imagination, the worse the place became. It was like the place was designed to break a person and drive them insane, but for what reason the keyblader didn’t know. All he knew was that he wanted to get out of this place now, the tension within him building and building until the young man thought he’d scream out loud from the pressure; however, he didn’t do this as he forced himself to be calm, breathe evenly and focus.

Whether this forest was casting illusions or not, he could not panic. If he did that, he’d only wind up more lost and probably never finding the exit again. Not a comforting thought since he was alone here. He didn’t think anyone would just wander in and find him…Oh no. No. No.

He quickly halted those train of thoughts. There was no reason to go down that path. He was still alive now and so had a chance of escaping this nightmare. Doubt and negativity would only make this ordeal worse. He couldn’t allow that to happen. No, he needed to keep his courage up and get out. If he didn’t then, who would take care of his friends and the worlds? Sora?

Sora. Heh. Nah, he couldn’t let Sora handle such big a task alone. It wasn’t that he didn’t think his best friend could handle the task, he was sure he would be able to, but the guy needed to be kept on track or else he’d end up wandering off to take a nap. He couldn’t rely on Kairi to do that job either. She’d slack off with him. No. Keeping everyone on track was his job alone. He couldn’t give that away, so easily.

The thoughts of his two best friends brought a small smile to the young man’s lips and helped ease his uneasiness just a bit. It was enough to give him calmness once more, but not enough to make him oblivious to the shifting shadows and trees, the silence…or the presence in the area…or the invisible eyes that watched him, but at least it made walking in this place a bit easier.

He kept going slightly calmer than before; however, after a few seconds of that presence following him, he began to feel uneasy cut through his calmness and happy thoughts as his ears picked up on something odd. Despite the sounds of animals and night life returning to the area and his footsteps being light, he could here a distinct echo of his footfalls. It was no joke or trick. He would step down causing the leaves to crunch and a second later the echo would come, but how was that possible? His steps shouldn’t echo at all with the sounds in the area. He turned to look behind him once more as he kept walking. Again, there was nothing. Turning to face forward again, he continued to listen to that unnerving echo that started off soft, but got louder as time passed until finally he could not take it anymore and paused in his walking as the night became silent once more.

As he stopped, he heard the echo continue. Only this time the sound was a distinct second set of footfalls. The second footfalls were heavier and stopped only a second after his own, but it was enough to alert him. The hidden thing was here and watching him. He felt it was right behind him and yet…

He turned slightly and looked over his shoulder at the empty path. There was still nothing there except the path and trees that stretched back endlessly. As he watched the path carefully, a fog began to come into the area making the chill in the air deepen. Great…more trickery and inconvenient timing from the woods. The fog began to impair his vision, but he did his best to stay brave.

“I know you are there, so you can stop following me and show yourself already,” Riku stated loud enough for whatever was here to hear and also to calm himself by dispersing his fear with the sound. He only prayed that whatever was watching him wasn't hostile.

He was used to being watched and observed by various people, so he wonder if the one watching him now would be someone he knew or someone completely different. He couldn't smell or locate whatever this thing was, so he supposed he would get his answer only if this being showed itself. If it it did not show itself and remained hidden, then escaping was going to be a rough job indeed. It was going to take all his effort to concentrate if he knew he would be keeping this unseen companion with him.....

[headlesshorseman]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=style, width: 450px; background: url(http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq134/joann1068/black-background.jpg); padding-left: 3px; padding-right: 3px; padding-top: 3px; padding-bottom: 3px; box-shadow: #000000 0px 0px 10px;] [style=border: 5px solid #303030; background: url(http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b223/MassNick2/hh.png); height: 260px; width: 430px; border-radius: 10px; margin-top: -10px; box-shadow: #000000 0px 0px 10px;] [/style] [style=font-family: times new roman; font-size: 26px; line-height: 8px; text-align: center; text-shadow: -1px 0 #000000, 0 1px #000000, 1px 0 #000000, 0 -1px #000000; ] THE DEATH BELL STARTS TO TOLL[/style] [style=font-family: times new roman; font-size: 22px; line-height: 8px; text-align: center; text-shadow: -1px 0 #000000, 0 1px #000000, 1px 0 #000000, 0 -1px #000000; ] YOU MUST PROTECT YOUR SOUL[/style] [style= width: 420px; background-color: #363636; padding-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; opacity: 0.6; line-height: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; color: #959595; box-shadow: #000000 0px 0px 10px;]▌ The show of calmness from Riku didn't bother the presence, many in this situation tried to calm their thoughts by thinking of better things. Whether it was thinking of home, friends, and family or maybe some happy places, the thoughts always departed slowly again as fear crept closer and closer. One could hold fear only at bay for a moment, perhaps even longer, but without a solid grasp of the reality they stood in, this fear could come and take ahold of a man. When the young man continued his way and did stop his tracks now and again, noticing the presence more and more. Right now, it truly seemed that the young man was getting a grasp of the situation. The wind blew over the path as the man looked back through the empty area. Nothing seemed to be there and the fog was slowly closing the way, making it even harder to see. The eerie wind caused a low whistling sound. Then the young man spoke up loud, trying to make the presence reveal itself. The voice echoed through the woods slowly and was picked up with the wind, the echoes seemed to deform as it went lower. If one listened very well, the echoes seemed to form a laughter as if the wind laughed at the man. Then sounds were heard, first much like the heavier footsteps that echoed from Riku's own, but soon followed by stronger sounds around Riku. The sounds of the animals silenced slowly as what appeared to be the sound of hooves took over from around Riku, the forest echoed the sounds all over the place. The tree branches in the trees around Riku moved wildly as the wind picked up. A strong wind blew with a hollow sound through the forest. The sounds continued until the wind dropped slowly and the heavy sounds around Riku came to a rest. There was still a presence, but nothing had appeared. The wind still blew, heavier than when Riku had turned around to speak, but lighter than when the sounds happened all around the place. [/style] [style= width: 420px; background-color: #363636; padding-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; opacity: 0.6; line-height: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; color: #000000; box-shadow: #000000 0px 0px 10px;]tag: Riku words: 350 comments: Trying out a new template. Tell me what you think of it. =P [/style] [style= background-color: #404040; font-family: courier new; font-size: 9px; text-transform: uppercase; line-height: 8px; letter-spacing: 3px; text-align: center; color: #400010; margin-top: -10px;]RUN RUN FOR YOUR LIFE - SOON THE BLADE LIFTS TO STRIKE[/style] [style=width: 400px; margin-top: -5px; text-align: center; font-size: 9px; opacity: 0.5; color: #000000; font-family: georgia;]table by KEIKEI @ BTN[/style]

[deshitana5]

((Btw, I love your template. ^^))

Riku had spoken out loud, letting the presence know he was aware it was there; however, despite this, the owner never appeared. Riku listened to the sounds of the forest as he eyes strained to finding anything in the shifting and tricky fog and shadows that might signal a person or thing coming his way. He watched the path behind him, the trees to the sides, and the path ahead. Still nothing came, but there was without a doubt something there.

The chill in the air remained, the wind began to whistle, and even the echo of his voice had changed. As he listened, the echoes became distorted as they began to fade away becoming like a low laughter instead. Riku narrowed his eyes slightly at this as he continued to listen wondering if the laughter had been real or just his imagination. It was hard to tell since the sound had become one with the wind.

It’s almost like this place is laughing at me, Riku thought in agitation as the invisible pursuer continued to taunt him and keep him on edge. Sighing lightly, he had decided to give up trying to persuade the being to come out into the open. It seemed like whatever it was preferred to stay hidden and make those it followed uncomfortable. He supposed he’d have to deal with the unpleasant company then and just accept that whatever it was would not be…

Riku’s thoughts came to a halt as the animals became silent again and the air took on an icy chill that made him shiver involuntarily, but this was not what had him on edge. When he had been walking before, a pair of heavy footsteps had tried to blend in with his, but upon stopping the footsteps revealed that they had belonged to someone else. Now a similar situation was happening, except this time he was still and the sound was very different.

This sound was the distinct clip-clop, clip-clop of a horse walking about the area, but the sound was all wrong. It was amplified, heavy, and all around. As Riku stood on the path tense and trying to figure out which way the sound was really coming from, the wind in the area picked up causing the trees, fog, and shadows within the area to dance and sway viciously. It was as if the whole forest was announcing whatever was hidden. The motion and sounds rose to a peak as the sounds of hooves hitting the ground continued to fill the area and echo about. The presence he had addressed was stronger now and getting closer as if it was about to show up and then—

The wind died down to a steady cold blow that whipped his hair about. The presence was still heavy in the area, but once more no form of any kind had appeared. Riku stayed where he was a moment longer his heart racing despite trying to control the fear and tension these woods and the hidden presence were causing him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breathe before releasing it slowly.

Okay. Okay. So whatever the presence was seemed to be working as one with the woods that already had him on edge, so he could assume that this presence was either a part of the woods, the woods themselves, or if by chance it was someone not from this world then someone that simply liked to play tricks and games. Alright. That was fine, but quite frankly he was beginning to tire of this game. It played too much on his emotions and made him feel like a child once more. It made him feel vulnerable and weak. He didn’t like it, but the presence would not go away and no amount of addressing it was going to make it come out.

“Right,” he muttered in low tones to the woods before opening his eyes and focusing once more. Squaring his shoulders and pushing down fear once more, Riku began to walk once more through the coldness, wind, and fog deciding that if the owner of the presence wanted to play games and remain hidden, then the only option to get it to stop was to simply not play at all. Doing his best to at least pretend to ignore the presence, Riku resumed looking for his exit out as he moved forward once more.

[headlesshorseman]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=style, width: 450px; background: url(http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq134/joann1068/black-background.jpg); padding-left: 3px; padding-right: 3px; padding-top: 3px; padding-bottom: 3px; box-shadow: #000000 0px 0px 10px;] [style=border: 5px solid #303030; background: url(http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b223/MassNick2/hh.png); height: 260px; width: 430px; border-radius: 10px; margin-top: -10px; box-shadow: #000000 0px 0px 10px;] [/style] [style=font-family: times new roman; font-size: 26px; line-height: 8px; text-align: center; text-shadow: -1px 0 #000000, 0 1px #000000, 1px 0 #000000, 0 -1px #000000; ] THE DEATH BELL STARTS TO TOLL[/style] [style=font-family: times new roman; font-size: 22px; line-height: 8px; text-align: center; text-shadow: -1px 0 #000000, 0 1px #000000, 1px 0 #000000, 0 -1px #000000; ] YOU MUST PROTECT YOUR SOUL[/style] [style= width: 420px; background-color: #363636; padding-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; opacity: 0.6; line-height: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; color: #959595; box-shadow: #000000 0px 0px 10px;]▌ A silence fell in the area as the sound died down. When the boy closed his eyes, the animals started to slowly pick up on sound again, but silently as the wind still blew with an icy chill through the area. The wind stilled some of the sounds, silencing them. The wind passed through the trees and past Riku as he remained still on the path. Then when Riku had opened his eyes and continued to walk along the path, the wind continued to blow and his footsteps sounded over the wind in a heavier tone than normal. The steps that tried to blend in with the boy's own, but in a more hollow tone. The wind slowly and steadily picked up as the young man continued his way. When one listened well to the wind, it sounded somehow like a low laughter that blended in with the wind's own sounds through the trees. The wind silenced all the sound further, but the steps still sounded as if it steadily increased with the wind, but then they faded away as the wind blew with a fierce chill through the trees. Steadily the steps sounded somewhere below the wind, but increasing in speed and sounding with echoes that blew into Riku's back. The wind then picked up fiercely, blowing into the young man's back as the sounds came closer and closer. The laugh in the wind picked up as well. It was as if the presence was now almost behind Riku. This was followed by a large gust, the sound of steps ended as a whoosh sounded right behind the young man and right after this the laughter ended. The wind continued to blow heavily, but the steps and laughter was gone. Then the steps sounded again, but to the side as the sound of steel shined through the wind. The sound was weak, but the sound of laughter filled the place. To Riku's side beside the trees was a black horse neighing. Atop the horse was a black clothed rider without a head holding a pumpkin in his left hand and a sword in his right. The horse jumped towards Riku, but rushed to pass him by so that the young man was to the horse's right and the rider slashed down from the horse, aiming to behead the young man in his first strike. [/style] [style= width: 420px; background-color: #363636; padding-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; opacity: 0.6; line-height: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; color: #000000; box-shadow: #000000 0px 0px 10px;]tag: Riku words: 397 comments: I actually had to grab a dictionary for this post to look up certain words like what the cry of a horse in English is. Apparently it's neighing... never knew... Hope everything is correct. @.@;; I had a hard time to figure out how to think on how to make the Headless Horseman appear, first thought to have him running with the wind. Then wanted to make him appear behind Riku when he turned around, but that would require me waiting another post and I can't be sure that Riku would turn around and you end your post with him still standing there, and I can't exactly go powerplay, so yeah... This was what I came down to in the end, hope it doesn't look awkward or stupid... [/style] [style= background-color: #404040; font-family: courier new; font-size: 9px; text-transform: uppercase; line-height: 8px; letter-spacing: 3px; text-align: center; color: #400010; margin-top: -10px;]RUN RUN FOR YOUR LIFE - SOON THE BLADE LIFTS TO STRIKE[/style] [style=width: 400px; margin-top: -5px; text-align: center; font-size: 9px; opacity: 0.5; color: #000000; font-family: georgia;]table by KEIKEI @ BTN[/style]

[deshitana5]

((You have nothing to worry about. It’s a wonderful post as usual, Yazoo. ^^ Bah! Muse left me at the end. >.<))

The silence that had filled the area was slowly broken by the low hoots of owls and the few insects that were brave enough to make themselves known in the otherwise tense situation; however, they did nothing to calm the white haired keyblader nor did the sound do anything to banish the chill and fog that had collected in the area. Regardless of the chill bumps and light shivers the coldness was causing to run up and down his body or the uneasiness that had settled within the keyblader, Riku forced himself to continue to walk. To focus on his task at hand and not be bothered by the hidden source of the presence that resided within the woods.

Just how big is this place?[/color] Riku wondered as his eyes scanned the endless path before him and the crowded trees that swayed, creaked and moaned in the icy wind that had made itself home in the woods. He continued to walk along the path, listening to his footfalls crunch against the leaves and grass under his shoes and the muffled sound of the animals in the area. At first, his steps were the only disturbance out of the ordinary there and then…then those other steps came once more from behind. The ones that tried ever so hard to blend in with his and failed.

It took a lot of will power not to run away from the sound and even more will power not to turn around. He kept telling himself that this was someone’s idea of a joke and unfortunately for himself the weather in this area had decided to play up the scare factor the invisible trickster was already stirring up. As he walked, the wind began to pick up again and that strange laughter started up again as the animals fell silent once more. Unconsciously, Riku’s pace began to quicken just as the sounds of those footsteps began to get louder and louder from behind and then just as it reached its peak once more the sound vanished, leaving only a chilling wind blowing the fog and trees of the area; however, unlike before Riku did not stop to turn around or even scan the area as every instinct within him told him that whatever he did he could not stop.

Something was wrong. Very wrong with this whole situation, but Riku could not put his foot down on what it was. He didn’t stop to ponder the mystery either. All he knew was that he needed to get away from whatever was in the area, so he did not break his stride as he moved through the biting wind and fog, fighting down panic. The more he moved forward the worse things became.

The footsteps and laughter returned with a vengeance becoming louder and quicker as the wind shoved against him as if it was trying to push and hurry him along and for once the keyblader did not resist. He began to run and heard the footsteps running to catch up with him. The laughter increased and the wind became angry as the keyblader kept moving not daring to look back as he felt the presence right at his back! On instinct, he dove and rolled to the side hearing the distinct whooshing sound of something cutting through the air as a heavy gust of wind rushed passed as the keyblader stayed in motion with the momentum of his roll. He came to a stop in a kneeling position a few paces away from where he once was, breathing heavily in the coldness as his eyes scanned everywhere for the attacker and his ears strained to pick up any sounds that might reveal the thing’s location.

However, the laughter and footfalls were gone now, leaving only the heavy and cold wind behind. Getting to his feet, Riku felt anger boil within him. Enough was enough.

“Alright, you have my attention now, so what is it you want? Show yourself already!” Riku growled over the howling wind, not hiding the fact that he was way beyond ticked off at this point. He was through being scared or tormented by these woods and whoever or whatever was following him. He just wanted out of these woods and to be through with this nonsense already, but before he left he’d find his tormentor and give him/her/it a piece of his mind for playing this trick on him.

The wind carried his words easily enough, but again he only got silence for a while and then…the clip-clop of horse hooves came again followed by the sound of a weapon being drawn; however those sounds were faint and almost complete drowned out by the wind and the sound of that strange laughter that filled up the area once more. Riku tensed even more as his fists balled up in agitation.

Just who or what on earth was this thing th—his thoughts came to a halt as he heard the neighing of a horse off to his side.

Finally, the source reveals itself,[/color] he thought expecting to find his hidden follower there; however, his tormentor was not exactly what he had been expecting.

As his aquamarine eyes found the black horse among the trees and fog, Riku took note of the rider on the saddle dressed in all black with a bellowing tattered cloak on its back. A normal forbidding look; however, instead of going off on the source of the presence now revealed, Riku found the words he wanted to say drying up and his anger turning into confusion at what he was seeing.

Yes... He saw a body, but the head…where was the head?

Riku frowned at this as he scanned the figure up and down taking note of the pumpkin head in his left hand and the sword in the other. This…this was a joke right? Sure, he had seen various things in his life and even had run into the undead at one point, but everyone of those things had a head of some sort... so how was it this guy didn’t have a head and was still moving about? Was he hiding his head within the clothing and high collared shirt...or...Or was that pumpkin head really his head? Erm...not a comforting.

Riku shook himself mentally to knock back the panic once more as he
narrowed his eyes at this turn of events. What was this? Another one of the woods' tricks or something else? The white haired keyblader observed the horseman for only a second as the thoughts went through his head and then his observation and question session were interrupted as the horse leaped forward and came charging towards him. forcing the keyblader to react quickly to what was happening.

His eyes widened as he saw the horse get closer and the rider raise its sword before bring it down in a heavy swing, aiming the blow directly at his head!

Instinct took over as Riku summoned his keyblade, took a step back, and ducked under the blow raising his blade to block and protect the rest of himself from the swing. There was a loud clang! as the blades met and then parted as the rider went past, the strength and force of the blow enough to cause Riku to stumble back a little.

Swinging his blade to the side and regaining his balance, he glared at the horseman moving off down the path not caring anymore that the creature didn't have a head. The person or whatever it was had attacked and tried to kill him, so now it would have to pay the price for the offense.

So you wanna to play, huh? Okay then,[/color] Riku thought before hopping into the air a bit and letting a bit of his dark energy gather in him before unleashing Dark Firaga on his retreating attacker using his free hand to make the attack......

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Cooldown:[/u]

~Dark Firaga: Despite its name this is not fire, but actually Darkness. I can fire off a wave of six of these balls of darkness at a time to deal light (1-2), moderate (3-4), or heavy (5-6) damage if the target I am aiming for is hit. Cooldown: 2 posts.

[headlesshorseman]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=style, width: 450px; background: url(http://i441.photobucket.com/albums/qq134/joann1068/black-background.jpg); padding-left: 3px; padding-right: 3px; padding-top: 3px; padding-bottom: 3px; box-shadow: #000000 0px 0px 10px;] [style=border: 5px solid #303030; background: url(http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b223/MassNick2/hh.png); height: 260px; width: 430px; border-radius: 10px; margin-top: -10px; box-shadow: #000000 0px 0px 10px;] [/style] [style=font-family: times new roman; font-size: 26px; line-height: 8px; text-align: center; text-shadow: -1px 0 #000000, 0 1px #000000, 1px 0 #000000, 0 -1px #000000; ] THE DEATH BELL STARTS TO TOLL[/style] [style=font-family: times new roman; font-size: 22px; line-height: 8px; text-align: center; text-shadow: -1px 0 #000000, 0 1px #000000, 1px 0 #000000, 0 -1px #000000; ] YOU MUST PROTECT YOUR SOUL[/style] [style= width: 420px; background-color: #363636; padding-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; opacity: 0.6; line-height: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; color: #959595; box-shadow: #000000 0px 0px 10px;]▌ The eerie wind blew from the side of the rider and his target. A cold chilling wind in the night. And when the rider had found his prey, there had never been a weapon seen on the target. As his horse rushed through the woods towards the young man and his sword came down towards the man's head when a flash of light happened and the clash of steel ringed before being carried away by the wind. The rider didn't look back as the horse rushed onward. At least, his body remained seated, his hands holding the sword and the pumpkin and there was no turn as if he didn't bother to see what had happened. The rider knew his attack had failed and the young man had a trick of his own. Energy moved through the forest, dark energies that weren't his own and the horse neighed as it suddenly moved sideward. The horseman rode through the thick trees as he attempted to avoid the wave of Darkness that came at him in the form of orbs. Using the woods to his advantage, the sound of wood cracking sounded behind him. The balls slamming into them as the rider rode into the fog. The wind carried the laughter again, neither the remaining balls of Darkness nor the horseman were seen as they vanished into the fog. The sounds of the horse's running steps sounded with the wind and echoed throughout the forest. The sounds kept echoing and made it seem as if the horseman could be anywhere. If Riku was checking around him, he wouldn't be able to see anyone through the fog and the sounds kept going all over the place. Then from the thick forest, the rider could be seen through the fog, riding atop his horse straight towards Riku. His pumpkin head had vanished and the horseman was now guiding his horse, but his sword still at the ready. He used the thick forest still for any attacks that might come. This time again he hurried towards Riku, but if he was able to get near the young man, he suddenly pulled on the reins and turned the horse towards Riku as the horse kicked towards him. If Riku was to dodge backwards, the horse would come down and run onwards to attempt trampling Riku under the hooves. If Riku dodged sidewards at any time, the rider would swing his sword down again if it was to the right and still within arm's reach. In any case, the rider planned to get the horse running again and rush into the thick forest again. [/style] [style= width: 420px; background-color: #363636; padding-top: 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 10px; text-align: justify; opacity: 0.6; line-height: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; color: #000000; box-shadow: #000000 0px 0px 10px;]tag: Riku words: 437 comments: Currently I got sort of wondering how to work a melee fighter against a magic user. I've left some of the Dark Firaga attack unanswered as the Horseman vanished into the fog again. =P Also... I thought your attack meant that you sent a wave of six balls of Darkness, right? Was sort of unsure there. [/style] [style= background-color: #404040; font-family: courier new; font-size: 9px; text-transform: uppercase; line-height: 8px; letter-spacing: 3px; text-align: center; color: #400010; margin-top: -10px;]RUN RUN FOR YOUR LIFE - SOON THE BLADE LIFTS TO STRIKE[/style] [style=width: 400px; margin-top: -5px; text-align: center; font-size: 9px; opacity: 0.5; color: #000000; font-family: georgia;]table by KEIKEI @ BTN[/style]

[deshitana5]

((Lol. Okay. And yes. That is correct. It is a wave six rapidly fired balls of darkness. They act just like they do in the games. As for melee vs magic user this will be interesting indeed. ^^))

It was one thing to face off demons that were stationary, but facing off demons that were not stationary was another matter entirely. As Riku blocked the attack of the headless demon’s first swing and retaliated with his own attack, he found himself becoming even more agitated as the rider rushed by and continued off into the fog and woods at a full gallop atop its horse. Riku somewhat saw, but mostly heard the dark balls of energy whack into trees or snap branches as they tried to make their mark.

"Tch! Missed," he grumbled as he began to run on the path to keep track of the rider. For someone without a head the creature adapted well to the situation and used the trees as cover from the attack.

It was a smart move and one that bit grounded keyblader in more than one way. On one hand, the trees were a good shield for the rider, but they were also blinders too. The thick trees made it almost impossible for him to keep an eye on the creature as he moved forcing him to travel off of the path and a little ways into the trees to try and keep the retreating thing on horseback in sight; however, he could not keep up and the fog made it impossible for him to go further into the thick tangle of trees without becoming truly lost.

So as the wind continued to blow heavily in the area, biting at the keyblader’s exposed skin, aquamarine eyes searched the trees from under his shifting bangs to find his attacker again. His sense of hearing was useless as from all around the sounds of laughter and the horse’s hooves assaulted his ears. The fog, wind, and creaking trees did nothing to help this issue out. In fact, they made it worse.

On edge, Riku looked hear and there for his attacker forcing himself to concentrate on out of place auras as he fought back agitation and panic. He needed to stay calm or else this could end up ugly. The last thing he wanted was for this thing to catch him off guard and….

Yeah. Let’s shut that train of thoughts down and just concentrate here. Where is that thing, anyway? Why is it so hard to sense….? Huh?!

Riku caught the biting odor of Darkness a second before he saw the Horseman now without his pumpkin head steering his horse directly for him. About time he spotted, the figure he only had time to make up his mind which way to move as the black horse came upon him rearing up and trying to hoof him to death. On instinct, he dove to the side to get away from both the hooves and the trample attempt that would surely follow. As he dove, he felt the sting of the Horseman’s blade as it cut a little into his back as he tried to get to safety.

A light “oof" escaped Riku as hit the ground hard in a belly flop from his dive, a small amount of wind being knocked out of him, but not enough to keep him down. When he hit the ground he was scrambling to his feet a second later as he looked around to find his target again. It didn't take long for his aquamarine eyes to locate the figure in black within the fog clocked woods as his target hadn’t gotten far, which was unfortunate for the creature. For you see, Riku figured if he could just catch up with the figure, he could make his own attack on it and potentially knock it off its horse. Ground the creature so it couldn’t run all over the place and appear from this angle or that…and fortunately, he knew just the trick to accomplish this goal.

With a plan in mind, Riku began to run, following the trail of his attacker that was getting further and further away. As he moved, light energy began to flow out of him before surrounding him in an aura that clung to him like a second skin. With flowmotion activated, Riku pushed himself off of the ground and towards a tree. As he reached the tree, he pushed off of it and moved towards the next tree hopping with his enhanced speed. As he did this, the figure up ahead would begin to get larger as he began to catch up. He wasn’t going to lose the creature unless it did something unexpected.
__________________________________________________________

~Cooldown~[/u]:

~Dark Firaga: Despite its name this is not fire, but actually Darkness. I can fire off a wave of six of these balls of darkness at a time to deal light (1-2), moderate (3-4), or heavy (5-6) damage if the target I am aiming for is hit. Cooldown: 1 post.

~ Flowmotion:[/u] I am naturally agile and acrobatic able to perform flips and jumps that the average person could not pull off. Along with this, I naturally adapt to my surroundings and use whatever is around me to my advantage whether it be the enemy or an object. With that being said, Flowmotion is an enhancement to the abilities I already have. A white aura will surround me allowing me to move at twice my speed and perform moves that without the energy flowing through me I could not do. Using the momentum gained from speed, I can hit harder and even toss large enemies into walls or other objects for more damage. Flowmotion is light energy that remains in me for 1 post after being activated before wearing off; however within this short time frame a lot can be done. Cooldown kicks in after time is up.