video | un: deathweaver

[respired]

[ Koltira's in the sunny courtyard, standing beneath one of the trees. Shadows and light play across his face, throwing the cold, icy glow of his eyes into stark relief. He's wearing greaves and boots, but only a plain, black tunic otherwise (and the skull-shaped ring that serves as his communicator). Byfrost, as ever, simmers darkly on his back.

He doesn't speak right away, as though he's suddenly lost his nerve. Truth be told, he's not sure how to begin this. The middle part is clear, and the end bit, too, but ... he exhales. ]

My name is Koltira Deathweaver, if you did not know it before. I have hurt a number of you directly, and in so doing, hurt others indirectly. Some of us have spoken, though not all. I will try now to explain myself.



[ He leans back against the tree, uncomfortable. ]

My second name is not a family name. It is an epithet, forced upon me as undeath itself was forced upon me.

[ He gestures to his eyes; his sallow, bluish, cracked skin. ]

I earned [ this word he spits, disgusted by it ] the epithet during long years of enslavement to a will that subsumed my own. The Lich King ordered my death; he remade me into one of his knights. And though I broke free, and though my brothers and sisters rose up against our former master, his mark on us remains.

[ He taps his foot on the grass. ]

We call it the endless hunger. It is a curse--of blood, of flesh, of whatever unholy foundation holds our wretched bodies together. Hunger is perhaps the best way for you to understand it, though it is not for any typical food. We were made to be machines for war. We were made to cause suffering. If we fail in this, we suffer ourselves.

The pain is ever present, albeit manageable. For a time. But if we--if I--do not give in to the hunger's demands, the pain grows. Worsens. It becomes wracking, all-encompassing.

[ He holds up his hand, curling his fingers slowly into a fist. ]

Imagine starving to death, and yet being unable to die. Your body is past its breaking point, but it does not break, because it cannot.

[ His nails dig into the palm of his hand. Black blood trickles down his wrist. ]

Instead, you break. As we do. If I ignore the hunger for too long, I descend into madness. A blood-seeking hysteria. Such was the state in which some of you found me.

I do not tell you this as an excuse. Only as an explanation. I deeply regret what I have done, and I am sorry. You need not forgive me. I do not expect such. If you would rather I keep my distance, I will honor this wish.

[ He pauses. ]

I wish I could end this by telling you that it will never happen again. But that would be a lie. It will. I cannot cure this curse. I can promise only this: when I feel the madness taking hold, I will give due warning. You will be able to spare yourselves, and you will know that if you see me--you must run.

Comments

[ackingcraycray]

Then how are you alive? Even zombies eat brains.

[respired]

[ Admittedly, he's eaten a brain or two in his time. Among other internal organs. ]

Death knights are undead, but we are not zombies. We retain our intelligence.

[ackingcraycray]

[That's gross dude]

Obviously! You're talking to me and operating magical jewelry things!

I wonder what a normal zombie's post would look like?

[respired]

[ Girl u have no idea. ]

Ghouls are typically unable to speak in coherent sentences. A garbled groaning is the best they can manage.

[ackingcraycray]

Haha, I remember that much! The only zombie with smarts I knew was Soos and that was because he just got bit right in front of me! The rest were all mold and bones.

I guess it would look like one of those shaky camera movies with a horrible moaning soundtrack.

[respired]

[ Hold the phone!! ]

You've battled the undead?

[ackingcraycray]

You bet I did!

[respired]

[ Pardon him, but ... ]

How?

[ackingcraycray]

Well you can try and womp 'em in the head with something but that takes a really long time when there's a lot of them. I got two that way though!

But it turns out that zombies can't handle a perfect three part harmony, so I got Dipper and Grunkle Stan to sing karaoke with me on our roof, and the zombies' heads all exploded!

It was disgusting! And amazing!

[respired]

I know how to deal with the dead, I meant how did you --

[ Because you're a bubbly child, Mabel, and he's kind of a dick. But ... ]

Three ... part ... harmony?

[defenceless]

He might live off of magic, and things of that sort... He's hardly the first recruit to do so.

[ackingcraycray]

Oh, okay. So it's all sorcery keeping him alive?

Or maybe he's hungry and he doesn't know it, and that's why he gets so stabby!

[respired]

I do not live off of anything.

[ WHY ARE THESE YOUNG LADIES TALKING ABOUT HIM LIKE HE ISN'T HERE! ]

[ackingcraycray]

Do you sleep then?

[respired]

No.

[ackingcraycray]

Are you invincible?

[respired]

No.

i'm so sorry it's just going to go on like this

[ackingcraycray]

What's it like to not need anything?

lmao i'm enjoying it I'M SORRY HE'S SO TACITURN

[respired]

I don't give it much thought.

[defenceless]

Not quite sorcery. [it's a lot more simple than that, but it's a long story.]

I heard he devours defenseless teenage girls who can cast spells. —Frightening, no?

[respired]

Rin.

[defenceless]

... Relax. I'm not serious.

[there's a long pause.]

You didn't actually eat me. Well, it's not like you ate my arm or anything.

[respired]

[ He sighs. He hadn't eaten her flesh, that's true (not that he was above such depravity as a slave), but he'd taken her magic. He knew enough of her to know that it was just about the same. ]

I suppose it was nearly as bad.

[defenceless]

[that is good but that is one of the things you should never tell her, koltira—physically nomnomming on her]

Please, I wasn't dead at the end of it. And you already apologized.

[now, she's fluffing up a little.]

Look, I'm not trying to give you a hard time.

[you could have fooled anyone, rin.]

[respired]

[ Hey, he was a mindless automaton at the time! ]

No? What are you trying to do?

[ He sounds more weary than annoyed. It took a lot for him to say what he said, and though he braced himself for any kind of comment, these conversations have been largely exhausting. ]