This page conserves the character fiction forum of the Agora forums. The posts have been left unformatted to make it easier for users to copy them here and paste them into the new forums.

Oren Itanooren12/10/08 18:25View
Missy12/10/08 22:22View
The backstory of Vulpes.Vulpes12/11/08 01:46View
Erica KesselErica Kessel12/11/08 07:52View
Missy's Story.. a Do-over and another ChapterMissy12/11/08 22:38View
UsrBinPerl12/11/08 23:48View
oren12/11/08 23:57View
Kwekwe's BackstoryKwekwe Karu12/12/08 01:02View
UsrBinPerl12/13/08 00:35View
Eternal SunsetMissy12/13/08 12:19View
Kit Ristow12/14/08 00:01View
ShyMathys12/14/08 00:27View
MasksAlissa12/14/08 00:58View
Lorae12/14/08 01:24View
UsrBinPerl12/14/08 22:07View
Missy's Story Continued..Part 3Missy12/16/08 08:43View
Missy's Story Part 4: Innocence ShatteredMissy12/16/08 18:34View
Missy's Story Part 5: Innocence AnnihilatedMissy12/18/08 17:16View
Small DangersVox12/18/08 21:36View
Saint of The Abyss: Part 1Luciferiel12/19/08 05:21View
Zero....-1Justa Zero12/19/08 17:38View
Zero....1Justa Zero12/19/08 18:26View
Óðr’s Daughter. Chapter I: A Guiding DreamAsil Karu12/20/08 02:39View
Omega To Alphaerinnic12/23/08 16:49View
Her Bloody Tears [-Past Event-]Methias12/23/08 18:09View
Lost Kitsune - A Shattered MindKiera12/25/08 18:51View
Usr's story Part IVUsrBinPerl12/27/08 20:34View
The EssexHeir Maelstrom12/29/08 04:23View
Kwekwe's shameKwekwe Karu12/30/08 18:11View
Joint Round Robin Fic Anyone...?erinnic12/30/08 19:07View
God Was On Her Lips As She Diederinnic01/02/09 23:31View
Love and Betrayal - A New Beginningkessjuliesse01/03/09 13:46View
The Diary of Cody Woodhencodywoodhen01/05/09 21:35View
Missy's Story Part 6: Innocence AbductedMissy01/07/09 06:23View
Cursed BladeYannis_Martynov01/08/09 21:27View
Story Thread: Community Round Robin Ficerinnic01/09/09 23:25View
The demon withinCanly Fargis01/11/09 16:14View
Ziau- CoLA's Very Own CasanovaZiau01/13/09 02:09View
Twisted Attentionserinnic01/21/09 20:34View
Inspiration- music and roleplayZiau01/26/09 08:01View
Compilation! Where were you when it all happened?Ziau01/28/09 09:12View
The Clock Struck MidnightMalice Ashdene01/28/09 22:31View
With Precision- a poem by Kelly Welch A.k.A Ziau Jua.Ziau01/29/09 04:36View
Alisa's dicovery of a new world (character sheet + story)Alisa Draconia01/30/09 19:17View
The Shadow Stepper- Ziau the Enshadowed.Ziau02/01/09 07:26View
Krista Lemon arrives to the streets of Lost AngelsKrista02/03/09 00:09View
Back Story Upto the Excile of Rune.RuneCrimson02/03/09 21:59View
War with the Brood, war with the Coven, and the Pack.Ziau02/07/09 04:11View
-- Halcyon's Backstory --Halcyon Nacht02/08/09 00:22View
Planer/Exonar family (aka, Erinyse, Khalan, Viridian, Cummere, Selena)Cummere Mayo02/08/09 03:53View
Kit's BackstoryKit Ristow02/10/09 18:40View
Eyes in the DarkKeyla02/11/09 09:47View
Surfacing Part ILlyr02/13/09 22:21View
Surfacing Part IILlyr02/13/09 22:35View
Tama-Chan: A Cat's Story (Tamara's background)Tamara02/17/09 07:35View
Project: A map of Post Apocalypse North AmericaTamara02/17/09 19:21View
Dreamtime RevelationsWinter02/19/09 18:08View
Reaver-the echo of the BlackwindAntiZero02/23/09 00:43View
On the Origin of SpeciesTamara02/25/09 22:38View
ConfessionKit Ristow02/26/09 01:39View
Personnel File: Pointe, Zsuzsanna C. (Inactive, Deceased)Su Pointe02/26/09 03:32View
Malice, in a Different Kind of WonderlandMalice Ashdene02/27/09 18:07View
The Dark of InspirationKit Ristow03/01/09 21:42View
Jheric: CrucifiedKayle Ashdene03/03/09 10:53View
It's my lifearsene_Braveheart03/05/09 18:18View
The Tradgedy of the HybridDigital Enigma03/29/09 07:09View
The Sin of Wrathmolly switchblade04/02/09 21:28View
Golden BoyEphran Ehrler04/15/09 06:12View
Story About A GirlAesendria04/24/09 15:34View
Climaxe by Smith and WessonSloan04/28/09 06:19View
My new project ATTENTION Russian Characters!Ziau05/01/09 06:42View
**NSFW** A Typical Tuesday Night for MissyMissy05/06/09 20:48View
Post your profile links!Cortero Landar05/07/09 10:25View
Making Logan SufferAesendria05/12/09 07:09View
Jeanne VarunJeanne Varun05/14/09 08:24View
The Vanguard's True PurposeLogan05/16/09 01:03View
Cortero's Infernal ArmorCortero Landar05/16/09 06:52View
Bookstore SurpriseAesendria05/16/09 23:16View
Post your profile links if you have in-story info in them!Cortero Landar05/18/09 10:33View
PromisesAesendria05/24/09 02:44View
Cyber Evolution Bios, Anur Seda, Cyber Reaper, and Commander of CETheassassin06/08/09 11:28View
Was any of it real?Youko_Giha06/12/09 15:28View
A shift in prioritiesLogan06/17/09 04:21View
Going homeLudvig06/17/09 19:10View
'Ren in Japanoren06/18/09 23:11View
Thelma across the boardThelemaJuliesse06/26/09 15:09View
Pre-fiction: How Kayteear got here.Kayteear07/15/09 16:43View
Story TimeCharissa07/17/09 19:03View
Pack Airship RP.Tai07/27/09 02:49View
My CharacterLilith1308/05/09 22:34View
LilithLilith1308/06/09 09:30View
The Haunter in the DarkShadow08/14/09 21:50View
The Flying HeadsKwekwe Karu08/16/09 16:52View
Why selling coffins is impossible in CoLAZiau08/23/09 04:14View
Paint it red!Ziau08/23/09 07:51View
Young Cowards.Ziau08/23/09 08:28View
Great video for RPers and people passionate about writing.Ziau09/05/09 08:55View
Dux - 264 BCDux09/10/09 18:41View
The Thing at South Gate SanitariumShadow09/15/09 22:09View
♪♫ Do you wanna RP my avatar ♪♫Kayteear09/17/09 14:45View
Jessica's MotherJessica Susser09/21/09 04:19View
Ziau Challenged me to. NSFWChasityDawes09/21/09 07:17View
The Divine Machine.................Theassassin09/21/09 22:29View
I Bleed my Blood for Myself.Ziau09/22/09 22:28View
Cronicle of a deathKayteear09/24/09 01:34View
"Please Allow Me to Introduce Myself"DavidJoshua Artful09/26/09 17:07View
Old Versus NewDigital Enigma09/27/09 20:28View
The Shadowed Order, The Eternal Order, Ordo MachinaTheassassin10/06/09 06:55View
Elamyrath's HistoryElamyrath10/10/09 00:52View
The here, the now, the dead. The Minus.TheMinus Ziskey10/10/09 12:41View
Before bed ritual.Amy Guisse10/17/09 04:13View
Alone?Ike10/18/09 15:34View
IS this High School again?Theassassin10/24/09 12:49View
Sidhe vs DrowOrlok Lectar10/29/09 04:08View
Daddy bluesarsene_Braveheart11/17/09 19:01View
Chronicles of SIEagentlyseria11/22/09 12:27View
The Lady In Black(A Drokan Exile Twisted Love Story)AntiZero11/29/09 06:36View
The growing Darkness.Leirain Koray12/01/09 11:04View
The lycanKayteear12/01/09 16:00View
City of Lost Jackman: The Untold Hollywood BlockbusterAntiZero12/02/09 07:11View
Coming home for christmas ..Kes12/10/09 22:17View
Bunneh Vs. Lich, DBZ styleKarsha Yutani12/14/09 11:59View
A FarewellRoland12/16/09 20:50View
Of Death and RebirthDigital Enigma12/21/09 20:14View
The Story of ReocoReoko Farspire02/06/10 20:47View
Homecoming......... The Story of Orpheus DarkfoldOrpheusDarkfold03/11/10 02:27View
The Story of Orpheus Part 2OrpheusDarkfold03/13/10 23:15View
Who owns who?Kayteear03/22/10 22:03View
Missing the Oceanricercar03/23/10 22:27View
Letter to the editor: Manners in LATink03/25/10 16:58View
Chasity BackstoryChasityDawes06/14/10 19:43View
Something Black and Violent...DavidJoshua Artful06/19/10 22:23View
Doctor Visiterinnic07/12/10 04:26View
Gabby Perdidevacantghost07/19/10 04:42View
PosterMessageDate
orenI was born in 1920 in Keijo Korea, now called Seoul, during the Japanese occupation by the Chosen Army, garrisoned there during the Second Sino-Japanese War. My parents named me Ri Song Hui after my great grandmother. We lived a normal life on the outskirts of the city, my father supporting us by operating a small black market operation trading in what rice could be found that wasn’t already being shipped off the feed the Japanese army fighting in Manchuria. Being a girl I would have usually been left to my own devices until I could be married off, but my father was a wise man and a patriot and believed in the Korean people. He trained our whole family in skills such as living off the land, remaining unseen, fighting with hands and feet and what weapons could be found, as well as Chinese and Japanese languages. The skills father taught me and his love of life carried me through many difficult times, but I get ahead of myself.

In 1937 the Japanese began an intense period of repression of the Korean culture. Everything from our religious practices to our names were destroyed or changed by the Japanese forces. We were forced to do everything Japanese from practicing Shinto to taking on Japanese names. It was then that I became Oren Itano. Father was horrified by the destruction of our culture and finally decided to become more active in the resistance. He moved us North in the fall of 1937 and joined up with the Dongnipgun, the Korean resistance forces, in southern China. We all did our part, since Father had already starting training us in the skill of guerilla warfare, against the Japanese forces occupying Northern Korea. Strike a supply train, disappear into the mountains, strike a Japanese patrol, disappear into the mountains, raid a village for food, and disappear into the mountains. Such was my life until 1941.

With the escalation of the war which became World War II, the Chosen Army cracked down on dissidents, wishing to secure their hold on the Korean nation least they be forced to fight on yet another front. More troops were sent north to chase the Dongnipgun out of the mountains and back into China. The Dongnipgun cabal I was with at the time, as I had long since separated from my family by the necessities of life on the run, was trapped behind a Japanese division in the winter of 1941. The Dongnipgun, cold and starving, attempted a desperate raid on the Japanese force, thinking we could liberate them of rice and blankets by stealth during the night. Our plans failed though when we were discovered removing rice from a supply tent. Our tired and starving group was quickly surrounded, the men killed and the few women in the group taken captive.

Like at least 200,000 other woman captured by the Japanese army, I was forced to serve as a jugan ianfu (comfort woman) for the Japanese soldiers. Repeatedly raped and beaten on a daily basis by 30-40 soldiers my life expectancy was short. Luckily a Japanese officer enjoyed me enough to make sure I was kept alive. He would visit me nightly, tend my wounds, and rape me until I fell asleep. I was unaware of what was going on at the time, but looking back I now realize he was a Vampire. One night, after days of battle, he came in particularly exhausted. I felt the need in him more strongly than ever before and knew something was wrong when he took me roughly, without a thought for my injuries. The officer was badly injured I discovered as I looked over his naked body, and in need of medical attention. I protested that he should let me tend his wounds, as I had developed affection for this man who healed me—Stockholm syndrome I suppose, but he refused and held me down. This time, without his healing and what I now realize in retrospect was him rolling my mind with his Vampiric powers, I stayed conscious and experienced for the first time his “kiss”. Pinning me to the rough ground the officer leaned over, moonlight glinting off his fangs, and bite my neck. I could feel my life flowing into him, obviously healing him as his thrusts increased in speed and power. I felt him shudder on top on me, like hundreds or thousands of men before him, but he did not stop feeding on me as the male part of him was satisfied. He gathered my weakened limp form into his arms and feed on me until I fell into sweet oblivion.

I awakened later that night, unsure how much later as the moon was obscured by clouds, still in his arms. I could feel my body was sticky with blood, a sensation I was used to by now with the nonstop rape and torture, but this time was different… not only did I feel the blood all over my body, but I could taste it’s metallic bite on my tongue. I reached up hesitantly, thinking he had not noticed that I was awake, and felt my neck. The skin was smooth, if sticky, with no wound to be found. I noticed now that the Japanese officer was looking at me, as though curious to my reaction at my discovery. I said nothing though, knowing from experience the men who raped me did not care to hear me speak. After awhile he must have realized I wasn’t going to say anything, so he addressed me. “You died tonight little one, at my hands. I have taken away your mortal life. I have given you a gift in return though; I have given you the gift of immortality. I will see to it that you are left alone after I leave tonight. Sleep. Tomorrow evening, when you awaken, I want you to run. No one in this camp will be able to stand in your way. Run far from here and never look back. That is my gift to you. Now sleep.”

I awakened the next evening alone in my tent, which was odd enough by it self. Few were the minutes when a sweaty soldier was not rooting on top of me. Slowly the memory of the previous evening came back to me. I looked down and examined myself, finding that I was not only cleaned, but clothed in clean, if ragged, clothing. Gathering my courage, I peered out of the tent into the camp. Soldiers moved about, their duties never done even during the night. Finally, realizing there would never be a perfect opportunity; I stepped out of the tent and walked toward the edge of the camp with my head down. Within the jugan ianfu part of the camp I was left alone, but once I left its border I tried my best to move from shadow to shadow like my father had taught me so many years ago. The soldiers were far more concerned with keeping invaders out than with keeping people in, so remaining undetected was relatively easy. Finally the edge of the camp was in sight, only a lone sentry between me and the freedom of the mountains and forests of northern Korea. At that moment, as I hesitated, unsure how to slip past him unseen, the words of the Japanese Officer/Vampire came to my mind. “No one in this camp will be able to stand in your way.” For what seemed like the 100th time that night, I pulled myself together and walked toward the soldier, my head held high. As I approached the soldier noticed me and called out “Yobitomeru!” but I ignored him. Using the skills taught by my father I struck out at him with my foot, catching him on the side of his neck. The results were devastating. I was sure half the camp would come running; the sound of his neck snapping was so loud, the flesh tearing and his head nearly coming off his body. I stared for a moment, stunned by the results of my kick, before turning and running into the forest, running until I could not longer hear or smell the camp, until it was a distant glow of cook fires on the horizon.

Part 2

I continued to run for many years, first to distance myself from the horrors of my past and eventually to find someone who could teach me about what I had become. It did not take me long to realize I was a Vampire—all Asian children were scared to sleep at knight by their loving parents with stories of ghosts and demons and Vampires. However having this knowledge did not grant me the ability to control the powers I had growing within me. In fact, at first I didn’t even know I needed blood to sustain me. In the stories I had heard of Vampires they lived by feeding off the soul energy of their victims, haunting graveyards like zombies to feed off the recently dead. I must have looked ridiculous the first few nights, delirious with hunger, staring at people that I could find alone, concentrating to “suck out their souls”. It wasn’t until I had reached an almost animalistic level of frenzy that I torn apart a rat wandering too close to me with my bare hands and tasted the blood as it splashed over me that I realized it was blood that I needed. I found 3 more animals around the village that I was camping near that night, tearing their throats out and draining them dry before I realized my thirst was barely slacked. It was then that the puzzle pieces fell into place and I realized why the Japanese officer had really been doing to me, drinking my blood. I was at first revolted by the idea, but my father had always taught me to bend like a reed, and if my current situation meant that I needed human blood to survive, so be it. I was constantly on the move in those days, developing an intense insomnia that has haunted me my entire undead life, moving from place to place even during the day, through the fog covered valleys and the shadow filled alleys of cities and villages, only sealing myself away when the sun was high in the sky. I traveled ever Northward through China until I ended up in the city of Khabarovsk in the Soviet Union. By then the Second World War was over and I was left with many choices of where to go. During my journey from Southeast Asia across China into the Manchurian peninsula I had developed a great longing to see more of the world. Khabarovsk seemed to me to be the perfect place to begin that journey as it was the most Westernized of the great coastal cities in Eastern Asia at that time and a furiously busy port.

I reached Khabarovsk in the summer of 1948, having wandered across China living like a nomad for 7 years. During that time I had lived by drinking the blood of villagers, doing my best to leave them alive but sadly not always successful. It took me years to develop the ability to know when to stop feeding and the self control to do so. During my travels I never stumbled upon anyone else like me, that was until I reached the old Manchurian town. Having once been a city controlled by the Chinese, Khabarovsk had a familiar feel to me, even though it was currently controlled by the Soviets. The large city afforded me many places to hide as well as many people to feed upon. I settled in after finding an abandoned cellar and set about learning the strange customs of the city, customs so different from those I was raised on in Korea. For the first time in years I set about interacting with people again, my pale Vampiric skin disguising my identity and my almond shaped eyes fitting in with a largely mixed population. Khabarovsk remained one of the most open Soviet cities for many years, and being only 30 miles north of the Chinese border there were many traders and merchants constantly traveling between the 2 great countries. I learned the Russian language with ease, allowing me to pass unnoticed through the population, using my heightened senses and dexterity to pick the pockets of those I encountered, using the funds to purchase new clothing to allow me to better blend in. The also eventually gave me the ability to rent a safe haven away from the dark cellar. I learned much of how the world had changed since the end of the war from these people, about how Japan had been crushed, about atomic weapons, about the expanding influence of the United States. The stories I heard filled my head with ideas of traveling to far off places and learning about the world and perhaps encountering more of my kind. I fed carefully, never leaving a body behind, never feeding near my dwelling and saved my money scrupulously to buy passage on an ocean liner. I had been in the city without incident for almost 6 months when my life as an undead would suddenly be changed forever.

After a normal night of feeding and fleecing I returned to my home to stash what I had picked up that night and to lock myself away safely for a day of studying medical texts as was my custom since I suffered so from insomnia. Sealing the windows and doors and lighting a lamp I pulled out a few books from my pack that I stolen that evening from a doctor’s office. Thinking myself secure in my world I sat down and began to read by the glow of the single lamp behind the heavily draped windows as the day marched toward twilight. I studied carefully the Russian words on the page, still not fully comfortable reading the strange Cyrillic symbols. I thought I was alone in my little rented room until an uninvited visitor coughed politely, revealing his presence. I’d like to say that I responded bravely and faced the man with dignity, but the truth was I was scared beyond comprehension and jumped up tipping my chair to the floor as I ran for the door. The visitor seemed to expect my response and flowed in front of me with the grace of the damned while telling me that I was in no danger. His words, contrary to common sense, soothed me immensely. My hands dropped to my sides as though life, or unlife as it were, had drained from them completely. I turned to face the intruder as he stepped from the shadows into the lamp’s glow. I saw before me a very tall, pale man dressed in a fine suit with a long coat draping his thin frame. His eyes glowed like red coals and once I saw them I was unable to look anywhere but into them. “Sidét” he said to me in a deep Russian voice, and I complied, picking my chair up and sitting down, never thinking to disobey the man before me. Boring into me with his glowing eyes he began to question me, asking me my name, where I was from, how long had I been in the city, what my intentions were and finally with “Do you know who I am?” I answered all of his questions with complete honesty holding nothing back until the last question to which I responded hesitantly “You are like me… you are a vampire.” He smiled at me, revealing perfect white teeth flanked by sharp fangs “You are correct Oren (for I had given him my Japanese name), I am a vampire. I am Sergei Nikolayevich Danilova childe of Nicolai Markov, ruler of this city. I was sent by Nicolai to find out why you have entered his city without formally introducing yourself.”

My mind spun with the realization that I was speaking to another like me and that beyond that there were others, possibly many others. One would not be a ruler if he had no subjects! I jumped from my seat with so much enthusiasm that Sergei took a step back from me, startled I think that I was able to act at all since he was, as I found out much later, was using his Vampiric skills to dominate me. Such was my surprise though I was able to break his hold on me. I began to babble, switching back and forth between Russian and Chinese and Korean, pelting the poor Vampire with questions so fast he could not have possibly answered even if he had been able to make sense of the hodgepodge of language I threw at him. To him I must have seemed like an unruly child, but I think this ultimately was what saved me that night. I found out much later that Sergei was supposed to kill me and leave me outside at dawn, but finding such a naïve and diminutive fledgling vampire he took pity on me. Sergei stood fast in the face of the tidal waves of questions and finally asked me if I was done when I finally ran out of things to say. I nodded, embarrassed at my actions and bowed to him repeatedly, returning to my most basic roots of social behavior. He chuckled lightly for a moment and then asked, his voice earnest “Childe, have you never met another vampire? How have you survived?” I shook my head negatively to his question, my eyes downcast “No, I have lived alone for nearly a decade, never knowing another of my kind.”

Suddenly Sergei was all business. “Gather your things Oren, the night is swiftly passing and we must be off. This day you will spend in the company of your own kind.”

I gathered a few possessions, including my bag of money that I had been saving and a fine katana that I had liberated from a Japanese officer in a bar a few years ago in occupied China, and my cherished medical books, and followed him, leaving all else behind. I followed Sergei out into the inky blackness that blanketed the city right before dawn and ran with him through the city streets toward I had no idea what.

Part 3
I awoke the next evening in a luxurious coffin lined with fine silks and generously padded. I had never slept in a coffin before and I must admit I had never felt safer and more secure in all my years as a Vampire. The previous evening swirled through my mind like a grayscale kaleidoscope. I knew Sergei had led me to one of the more opulent districts of the city and I was sure I could find my way back to my hovel if necessary, but laying in perfect darkness surrounded by marble and silk made the previous evening seem like the distant past. Finally I decided that I should rise for the evening and began to push the heavy lid aside. I found that it was lighter than I expected and did not realize why until I had the lid half off and saw that there were several young men surrounding the coffin assisting me moving the heavy slab. I would find out later that these were Revenant retainers of the household, men and women who had served Prince Markov for hundreds of years in exchange for powers greater than a mortal, but laughable in comparison to those of a true vampire. They helped me from my coffin and presented me with a fine array of clothing options, all in my size, culled from the extensive wardrobes of the household. I selected a beautiful Chinese silk dress as I questioned the Revenants fruitlessly, hoping to make a good impression upon the other vampires that I was sure to meet this evening. I had seen no one the previous night save Sergei as we barely made it into the fortress like house as the first blazing light of day crested the horizon. I put on the dress, the finest thing I had worn since my childhood, and followed the servants out of the room, prepared as best I could be for what awaited me.

They lead me through winding hallways past rooms filled with fine furniture and paintings to a small library where they instructed me to wait. I sat and looked around the room admiring the finery for a few minutes until Sergei arrived to collect me. Dressed in a gentleman’s riding clothes he was quite a dashing and imposing figure. He asked me to come with him; he was going to introduce me to his Sire, the Prince of Khabarovsk and all of Russia East of Irkutsk. With great trepidation I followed him. I was aware, on a visceral level, that I was about to meet a powerful Vampire. Being naïve of vampire hierarchy I could only imagine the power that someone with the title of Prince held, but something in Sergei’s manner let me know I was about to be in the presence of greatness. I followed with small steps; hands folded, eyes downcast, attempting to look as respectful as I could until we arrived at a set of ornately carved heavy oaken doors. Pushing the doors open Sergei led me into what could only be described as a throne room; complete with hanging tapestries, a raised dais, and a shining throne of teak and gold inlay. Sitting on the throne was a razor thin Caucasian man who appeared to be in his 30’s, that is until one looked into his eyes. His eves were swirling pools of black and red, like nightmares from my childhood. Beckoning me forward he spoke into my mind “Come childe”. I stepped forward with jerky steps like a marionette whose strings were manipulated by an amateur puppeteer to stand at the foot of the dais were his gaze fell upon me like liquid flame. I wanted to writhe as he studied me wordlessly, his eyes upon me felt like bright sunlight burning through my skin flaying my brain. I nearly collapsed before he looked away, left shaking and frightened more than I even had been in my life. I fell to my knees unaware of Sergei suddenly at my side.

“Father please, she is just a childe!”

Silence…

“No Father, let me teach her.”

Silence…
“As you command.”
Sergei lifted me to my feet and all but carried me from the room without another word. “What’s going on?” I asked him, but he remained silent, a frown etched across his face. I was growing more worried as he led me through the house, realizing he had taken me to the bedroom with the coffin where I had slept the night before. Pushing me toward the coffin he told me to get in, his voice taking on that odd edge that compelled me to obey. I climbed into the coffin as commanded and waited, unable to move as I heard him rummaging around. The sounds stopped and he appeared over the coffin looking down at me, his eyes blazing but his face a sad mask. “I’m sorry” he said, lifting his hands above his head, an object in his grasp.

Darkness…
Part 4
Light…
Painful light…
My eyes fluttered open as my damaged mind tried to comprehend what was going on. The pain in my chest was unbearable, a ragged wound were a wooden stake had once been. I had no concept of what torpor was at that time, I only knew that I my last memory was of Sergei driving a sharp stake into my chest before the darkness descended. As my flesh healed, albeit far slower than normal due to the length of time that had passed since blood had crossed my lips, I pulled myself out of the open coffin. Reacquainting myself with my surroundings I discovered I was in the same room Sergei had brought me too, but now the room was filthy and decayed, as though it has been exposed to the elements. On the floor beside was the stake that had been driven into me, black with long dried blood. My mind reeled. Imagine blinking, but when you opened your eyes the world had aged almost a century. I stumbled from the room, pausing only long enough to snatch a deformed rat that scurried across my path to feed upon. I eventually made my way through the desolate stone halls to find and exit into a world far different than the ones I had once lived in. I still don’t know today who opened the stone coffin and removed the stake from my chest, eventually allowing me to awaken from torpor like a coma patient. I’d like to think it was my Sire, romantically searching for me and finally giving me life again as he had done so long before, but that is probably just that, a romantics dream.
Khabarovsk was a wasteland-- your stereotypical post-apocalyptic wasteland. I had only been protected from the war that had obviously raged across this land by the heavy stone walls of the Prince’s former home. I searched the city in vain for a human to feed upon, but only found charred corpses, existing on the blood of deformed animals. This must be what Hiroshima and Nagasaki looked like I thought as I scoured the city.
I made my way down the coast and finally encountered a group of humans crouching in cliffs like beasts after many days. Their minds were gone, but their blood was warm and rich. I killed them all. I think they were better off for it.
After 3 months of wandering, by my calculations, I found an old Chinese hermit in an ancient stone citadel by the Yangtze. The wizened hermit, who never revealed his name, told me the year was 2040. The world had nearly destroyed itself with war. The heavens had opened and Angels walked among mortals, as had the gates of hell, releasing hellish demons. Civilization no longer existed to the best of his knowledge, but he had heard stories from wanders that in America there were still groups of people in the remnants of their great cities. I killed him. I drank his blood. I think he was better off for it. I found an old medical kit in his stone tower with surgeon’s tools. I made it mine.
I wandered further along the banks of the river until I reached the East China Sea in Shanghai. I found no one there either, but I did see shadows flitting between the buildings out of the corners of my eyes. On the shore I sat and rested, contemplating my future. I knew I was immortal, but what was immortality alone? Staring into the sea I saw movement. So unexpected was it I sat and stared as the shape of a tanker ship grew in shape relief against the grey ocean. I of course did not recognize that it was a tanker; such massive ships did not exist when I had last sat by the port of Khabarovsk. The ship pulled into the mouth of the Yangtze and small boats were lowered from the side, crewed by what appeared to my eyes to be humans. Steeling my nerve, I made my way to the banks of the river, determined to signal them. I soon found it was unnecessary, the boats were heading straight for me. Dark men in modern tactical armor armed with well tended weapons drew up to the shore where I stood. I made no move to run away, even when they scrambled over the rocks, guns trained on me, and knocked me unconscious.
Part 5
The ocean roiled beneath the ship as we made our way across the vast ocean. The men who had taken me were pirates, sailing the perimeter of the Pacific Rim scavenging anything of use they could find. They used me like the Japanese had used me, but I didn’t mind. My body healed the injuries they inflicted upon me and they never seemed to notice when one of their numbers would go missing, assuming he had jumped and drowned himself to escape the harsh reality of the world we now lived in. The Chinese coast drifted by, then Korea. Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Cook Island, Easter Island, Peru, the Baja Peninsula. They all blended together in a vast stretch of burnt desolation. Los Angeles. The City of Lost Angels. Civilization. People. Life. Home.
12/10/08 18:25
Aeron DarkfoldWow! This story ROOOCKS! Nice work Oren!12/10/08 19:51
oren/me blinks "Thanks"12/10/08 19:58
erinnic....this is impressive to say the least. i really felt drawn in, and it would be impossible not to respect the research you did to make this all ring true.
i really liked [i]I was at first revolted by the idea, but my father had always taught me to bend like a reed...[/i]. and the repeated ...[i]better off for it[/i]...lines the most.
12/11/08 07:11
orenThanks Erin. The better off for it comment, I kinda liked it too, lol12/11/08 18:16
Ashura AnsarYouv put alot of effort into this, it shows, i hope your proud of your work and your character as i think i can safely say your somewhat of a gem to of put this much time and effort into your character ~claps~08/23/09 00:47
orenawe, thanks!08/23/09 02:01
AviCatya ya wait till you find out how nice she is :P

*runs*

-av
08/23/09 02:44
ShadowNo one can run from Oren! She's just too cute to run away from! Awww, yea, just lookit that lil blue eyed kitten in that siggy :p08/23/09 02:54
Erica KesselThat kitten freaks me out08/23/09 03:37
oren/me shrugs "Run if you want, but I will find you eventually."08/23/09 04:48
KayteearOren likes to scare people by IM :P

Nice story, but...
...You still have to finish the story of 'Ren in Japan :rolleyes:

hehehe
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edited for spelling[/i][/size]
08/24/09 20:29
oren[quote=Kayteear]Oren likes to scare people by IM :P

Nice story, but...
...You still have to finish the story of 'Ren in Japan :rolleyes:

hehehe
[size=10][i]
edited for spelling[/i][/size][/quote]
yeah, i have a lot to do if I can get motivated to write. i still havent written the story of her becoming a nekopire, which is pretty much just describing what happened in a 2 month rp, or how she became a robot. i have enough material for a short novel at this point, but i'm just too busy. :S I need a secretary that I can dictate to while doing other stuff, lol
08/24/09 20:35
Jessica Susser*volunteers... but only if she can be one of those sexy secretaries that winds up bent over desks and whatnot*
Ahem anyway, yeah, great story Ren ^^ I haven't read it since I saw it on the Coven forums
08/24/09 21:07
Shadow[quote=oren][quote=Kayteear]Oren likes to scare people by IM :P

Nice story, but...
...You still have to finish the story of 'Ren in Japan :rolleyes:

hehehe
[size=10][i]
edited for spelling[/i][/size][/quote]
yeah, i have a lot to do if I can get motivated to write. i still havent written the story of her becoming a nekopire, which is pretty much just describing what happened in a 2 month rp, or how she became a robot. [b][u]i have enough material for a short novel at this point[/u][/b], but i'm just too busy. :S I need a secretary that I can dictate to while doing other stuff, lol[/quote]
Including her obsession over a certain tentacled monster that often hunted her, only to have her turn around and try to bat at those tentacles like she were playing with a giant ball of yarn! ;)

[i]/me points at the siggy pic![/i] ;)
08/24/09 21:17
oren[quote=Jessica Susser]*volunteers... but only if she can be one of those sexy secretaries that winds up bent over desks and whatnot*
Ahem anyway, yeah, great story Ren ^^ I haven't read it since I saw it on the Coven forums[/quote]
Um, yes, absolutely yes, in fact FUCK YEAH! Be at my house at 9AM tomorrow. Before you come over watch Maggie Gyllenhaal in "Secretary" so you'll know what to expect from me and how I expect you to behave. (My all time favorite movie, btw)


[quote=Shadow]Including her obsession over a certain tentacled monster that often hunted her, only to have her turn around and try to bat at those tentacles like she were playing with a giant ball of yarn!

/me points at the siggy pic![/quote]
The story of Ren in CoLA could never be written without at least a chapter devoted to the Shadow.
08/24/09 22:24
ZiauWas a good read, held my attention. Was relieving to see pieces of culture placed into another character so tightly. As a writer, obviously speaking to another writer, I think they only CONSTRUCTIVE criticism I have are these to things, and please Oren, don't take them as anything other than praise.

+Proofread, proofread, proofread. Unless you meant a few little things to slide through the cracks, a writer must ALWAYS read what they write, and even then, slower than usual.

+Finally, don't be afraid to describe. There is never an over the top for description, lemme explain. When the Prince was explained on his throne, his gaze, and how the scene came down on Oren, it was vivid. I could feel myself in the room, I imagined what you were imagining, such is the job of a writer. BUT, when you were explaining other things, such as the soldiers raping Oren, this is not me being a pervert, but I felt like you were shy to explain, and didn't use much description other than the bland placement of "rape". Synonyms, they are your friend, even puns in place of synonyms, never be afraid to explain until your fingers ache of it.

NOW! Things you did WONDERFUL, were that you were accurate, true to your character, a character which you are obviously in LOVE with. That is something that shines true with RPers, please, don't stop. If there is any neutral advice I could give is write more, share more, and always TRY to put into effect new ideas.
08/26/09 23:18
Chunja_HaedongOren, this is very good, and very interesting to me. I'll send you a notecard in world with some relevant parts of my character's backstory.10/09/09 07:44
ZiauAW like they deleted my Kanye picture, win troll is win.10/09/09 23:51
orenI figured you deleted it.10/10/09 00:25
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