//------------------------------// // Oh no, Tremor! // Story: Deer Me: Black Snow // by The Psychopath //------------------------------// The trimb jabbed at the base of the blade, making the hilt convulse and wrap around Stelimus' left foreleg while the blade bent backwards against his leg. "So that's what that flat part behind the blade was for," Stelimus noted. The trimb remained silent for just a second. "Yes. That's why," it replied awkwardly. Stelimus narrowed his gaze, but the trimb ignored it, preferring to walk towards where Effervescence was...'delicately repairing' her forest. The trimb and Effervescence returned in front of the weird tree, with Effervescence trying to awe her nephew by posing and having a gentle golden light wash over her from above. It didn't work. Stelimus looked up briefly at her without moving his head, then turned his back to her so she would leave him alone. Naturally, she became flustered. In response, she grabbed him by his upper shoulders then spun him around so he could face her directly. "So? What do you think of my gifts to you?" She fluttered her eyes slowly and delicately. "They're nice, and I'm quite interested in how those two work so well, but won't I grow out of these?" "S' flexible mahtehriel, that is. It'll stretch wit yer bodeh whoyle yeh grow oldah," Veeyol said. "Ah...I almost understood you, that time." The yusimon grinned...or smiled? Stelimus wasn't certain as he couldn't see through the thick wool of this giant creature. Effervescence stepped in front of him, cutting his view of the two smiths and putting herself on center stage. "You don't want to learn what they do or how they do it," she spoke matter-of-factly. Stelimus cocked an eyebrow. "And why not?" She chuckled sarcastically. "Because you're royalty, obviously. You must keep your appearances out of their reach and stay away from them, now come along." Stelimus turned around and looked at the two smiths with an apathetic gaze just to show that he really didn't care about what his aunt thought, and they were smart enough to understand his intentions right away. Every day was the same thing with his aunt. She would try to shower him with gifts and other things for some reason he didn't understand. Yet, she wouldn't even ask about Yolumay, let alone think about her. It became quite apparent that she had focused all her attention on her nephew now, which was a good thing...in a way. She was becoming more and more obsessed with her nephew every day, and it was starting to worry not only Stelimus, but his sister as well. Still, he adored his weapon and armor and frequently trained with them, if only to get used to their weight. His lance was surprisingly easy to wield despite its size and its wielder's strength, although that as about all one could note from it. The stag would only ever take it off when he needed to clean it when grime and muck latched onto it, or simply for hygienic purposes. What? Can't go walking around in the same underwear for seven days, so why do that with armor? Stelimus was currently busy trying to use his lance better in a bipedal stance. Strangely enough, the armor created a sort of counter-balance at the base of his tail, providing him much easier control on his hind legs despite his cervidae body not being made for such a posture. He wasn't perfectly upright, but he wasn't hunched over, either. "You're getting better with that thing," Yolumay said. She was doing much better under the care of her brother, something she couldn't come to term with. "Yeah. It's actually quite fun to use." There was a long moment of awkward silence the princess had to interrupt. "So, is she teaching you anything? That's the only reason you would have remained her for so long." Stelimus jabbed the lance-head into the ground and leaned against it. "I was supposed to learn her side of magic or whatever it was." Stelimus scratched his chin. "Unfortunately, she has been trying to gain my favor with gifts. She thinks giving plenty of gifts is going to buy someone's love. It's worse when the target is family, because you know how the person is." "Have you tried bringing it up?" "Yes, and she constantly avoids the question and changes subject. It's like trying to talk with a politician." "Huh?" "Nothing." "When is Grimliss going to get you out of here? It's been a week." Stelimus conveniently ended up getting contacted by his uncle mere seconds after Yolumay mentioned him. "Stelimus, it'll be there in a few minutes. Hang in there," Grimliss told him. The young stag grabbed his lance and wrapped it back around his foreleg. "His transport is coming. Well," he clapped his hooves together. "looks like I'll be bidding our aunty goodbye." The stag when towards the throne 'room' where his aunt was being courted by a group of males who had started to fight each other, much to her amusement. Stelimus carefully waded his way around them and climbed atop the pedestal to see his aunt eating a weirdly colored grape. It looked like a paintball. "I hate to interrupt your gladiator battle, Caligula, but I have to tell you that I'm leaving." The doe crushed a piece of her throne under one of her hooves but kept her 'delicate' and 'beauteous' expression. "What do you mean 'leave'? You have everything you need right here, and we've become best friends, haven't we?" she smiled. Stelimus pushed her foreleg off his shoulder. "No. Showering someone with gifts won't make them like you more. I do appreciate the armor and lance, however, but you did not teach me what I needed to know, so I'm taking my leave with my sister." Effervescence stood up on her throne and the atmosphere around the surrounding area started to became heavier and more poisonous. "So...you're saying that, not only are you leaving me, but you're taking her away from me too?" "Taking her away? You didn't even take care of her the first time!" The 'courting' stallions and stags stopped their fighting and were galloping away. Effervescence's energy exploded outwards, nearly destroying the entirety of the forest area that constituted her throne room. Stelimus jumped back at the last second and pulled out his spear to slice away some life energy that bolted towards him in mid-air. "YOU WON'T LEAVE! I WON'T ALLOW IT!" Effervescence bellowed. Her voice was exceptionally loud and nearly deafened Stelimus, but he hung on. He used his spirit essence to conjure up bone smog; Basically just smoke made from powdered bones. It wasn't difficult for the stag, and he took the opportunity to flee towards his sister, but his aunt ignored the distraction and gave chase. Whatever her essence was doing, it was bringing life to the forest. Literally. Roots were bursting out of the ground to try and grab Stelimus' legs while trees swooped down in an attempt to immobilize him. He used more essence to bring some of the still-dead plant life out of the ground and meld them into a wall. Looking back, it seemed to work for just a moment, but the smile on the prince's face flipped upside-down when he saw his aunt burst through the wall, making the wood splinter in all directions. "I've been killing myself to please you, Stelimus! Why would you betray me like this?!" "I'm not your pet, you crazy cat-lady! Oooh. Cat-lady. Oh, that was very clever, Gregary. Way to go. Certainly deserve first place comedian award for that one. Oh God. I BECAME ADAM SANDLER?!" The chase continued until Stelimus arrived in Yolumay's retreat, prompting him to jump in the air and spin around mid-air so he could face his aunt while he slid to a stop, weapon ready and magic prepared. Yolumay started firing crescent-shaped blades of life essence at her nephew who cut them in half with his lance, giving another point to its already amazing status. "I took care of you and gave you love when your own family would not!" Effervescence cried. "Your father doesn't care about you, nor does your mother! And your uncle is only using you!" "Yes. Logical, Mr. Data. Using me by only giving instead of receiving and protecting me." "You say that now but wait until the future, when he kills you for some contrived reason! I'll keep you here, along with your sister." She caught sight of Yolumay and started yelling at her as well. "And YOU! They loved you even less! They pushed you away! What did I give you? A chance to belong! I taught you everything possible to be loved by everyone, but you rejected me. You're just like your father and all your siblings before you! Selfish, vain, violent." Yolumay wouldn't stand for such talk and stepped forward next to her brother. "Selfish? Vain? You were only trying to turn me into you." She pointed accusingly. "I refused it, and ran away to keep my own identity. I chose my own path, one you tried to destroy, and my brother helped mend my wounds, something that no one else in the family ever tried to do. Ever." Effervescence's eyes started to well up with tears, then she glared at her nephew. "It's YOUR fault! You're the one who did this! HOW DARE YOU!" Several sharp vines burst out of the ground but were incapable either getting past Stelimus' blade or penetrate his armor. That's when Yolumay witnessed one come from her brother's right side and jet towards his neck. She jumped in front of it and immediately felt a sharp pain in her rib cage. Stelimus had no time to react to the vine, but he was horrified by what happened to his sister. "Yolumay!" He fell to her side and put her head on his hoof. She was already in poor condition before, but now? She definitely wouldn't make it. "She'll love me in death if she didn't love me in life, and so will you, Stelimus. She tried to kill you! This is another gift to you. Shouldn't you be happy and love me as well?!" Effervescence begged. The stag kept a stoic face and said nothing. Removing himself from his sister, he faced his aunt and closed his eyes. Death energies started to focus into his growing antlers. The lights around the forest began to dim and white bolts of magic started to erupt in mid-air between the two warring parties. Stelimus was blown back when a tear in space opened itself. Looking at it, the stag witnessed a giant, long, arm of bones reaching out and opening the portal more. Out of it came some sort of gigantic, clothed being. It hadn't even fully stepped out that Effervescence was already blasting it with a tremendous amount of life magic to push it back in. She was absolutely terrified of whatever that thing was, but it took every bit of effort and concentration to keep it at bay, preventing her from stopping a gigantic, undead worm from erupting out of the ground and 'eating' Stelimus and his sister before burrowing back deep underground and refilling the hole behind it. With a final effort, the doe pushed the creature back into its hole and closed the spatial tear. She fell to her knees on the ground and huffed, then she started to cry quietly and held her head low in the darkness. "You'll love me. Everyone will love me. I don't want to be alone...I want family, too."