Chip Off The Old Block

[Elani Zambrano]

It seemed the hallway went on forever. The dimmest of lights hung above her head as she continued to run down the corridor. Footsteps were fast approaching to her hear. She could not outrun them no matter what she did.

Raaaaaaaagh.

Whatever was behind her, screeched furiously. Sweat beaded from her pores and down her pale flesh. She was nearly out of breath when a clawed hand grabbed onto her shoulder.

Then..darkness.

Elani had jolted from her bed in a sweat, panting heavily.

"Just..another dream.." she muttered. They were progressively becoming worse as time went on. She tried ignoring this night terrors, but it was difficult for her. She tried everything she could to make them go away, but nothing worked. All she could do was keep it secret. Even from her father.

Speaking of which, it was about time for Elani to meet with him upon his request.

Elani rose from her bed, ripping the silk sheets from her slender, nude form and walked to her refresher. As she freshened up with a shower, the servants made her bed and readied her clothes.

She stepped from through the door to her refresher, followed by steam and wrapped in a towel. Her servants unfolded her clothes and laid them on the bed for her. With a wave of her hand, she dismissed them. She dropped her towel to the ground and clothed herself.

Elani's bedroom door slides open as she walks through it. She turned down the corridor and began walking to the foyer, where she would meet with her father. Her steel-tipped heels clicked with each step on the hard floors as she made her way to her father.

Elani stopped once she was in the foyer and stood there, awaiting her father. Shame on him for making her wait.

[member="Darth Vornskr"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

A fierce gust swirled around the mountain fortress of Vain Hallow high in the Iron Mountains bordering the providence of Canthar and the capital city of the same name, causing the banners and flags adorning the castle's battlements to flutter in the wind. The rippling fabric of the flags displayed a stylized image of the mountain's native predators, the sun eagle, on a backdrop of ebony with two scarlet crosses, one that spanned the entire length and width of the fabric while the other was affixed into the upper left corner. The banners strewn across the battlements only featured the stylized sun eagle. The Emperor of Panatha watched the flags flutter as if locked in an hypnotic spell that he could not break, but he eventually pulled himself away from his chamber's balcony with a deep grumble and an exhale of air through his nostrils.

The Emperor turned and skulked back into the gloom of his chambers dressed in nothing but a tight pair of leather undergarments, but that was soon to change as he began to dress himself with the set of clothes his servants had previously set out for him some time ago. Kaine Zambrano wore a thick black tunic with a silver trim, several silver buttons running alongside the fabric, and a pendant of the Panathan Empire fastened to his left breast of his tunic. On both of his hands he wore stylish black leather gloves that rid up to his upper forearms covering the arms of his tunic, and had combat spikes on each knuckle of the glove. A maroon leather belt was fastened tightly across his waist by a silver belt buckle that displayed the crest of his family. His groin, hips, and legs were covered by a pair of dark gray military trousers typical of a military commander of the Old Empire, and was tucked into his pair of shin-high leather combat boots. A black cloak with a scarlet underside was fastened to each shoulder and billowed behind him menacingly.

His hair was as it had always been, long and flowing past his shoulders while his beard and mustache had been left to grow more and more over the course of these past few days, and his eyes seemed heavy and tired as they cast their gaze across his well-furnished, yet void of life, chamber. With a single hand he plucked his ornate crown from atop the mantle upon which it sat, and gently moved it into place atop his brow. With his ensemble now complete, he departed his chamber with a flutter of his cloak and made his way down to the foyer several levels below. He wasn't surprised to see that his daughter had already beaten him to the foyer, and with a forced smile and a gentle wave of his hand he greeted his cannibalistic daughter.

"Good morning, Elani."

[member="Elani Zambrano"]

 

[Elani Zambrano]

Elani eyed her father up and down as he greeted her this morning. She forced a smile onto her pale face as she replied to the wave with a nod.

"Father. Good morning." she replied. "What is it you've summoned me for today?" she asked, wanting to get to business immediately.

[member="Darth Vornskr"]

 

[Darth Carnifex]

Kaine forced his own smile, a grim rictus of a sneer that split across his dark and hallowed face. With a snap of his fingers, a servant carrying a covered tray approached the Emperor of Panatha from behind, and bowed low as he held out the tray. With one swift motion Kaine removed the covering to reveal a fresh-off-the-press BTI-838 sniper rifle with an 8x optical zoom scope and bipod already attached to the weapon. Not far away from it was the fully loaded magazine filled with 7.62mm basic slugs courtesy of Blas-Tech Industries. Kaine reached for the weapon, and held it up before Elani's view.

"Do you know what this is?"

[member="Elani Zambrano"]