Application: Elric of Melnibone (the Elric Saga)

[blood_and_souls]

A strangely-dressed albino pushed his long, milk-white hair back from his face, staring about the room with wide, cat-like eyes of deep crimson. His eldritch features marked him as one of the line of ancient Melnibone, which he was soon to learn would mean very little here. The muscles in his lithe body tensed in expectation as he surveyed the room

Comments

[ra_tilt_chimera]

Zel raised an eyebrow. And I thought I was depressed. "Your sword fights for itself, against your will?"

[blood_and_souls]

Although Zel looked odd, his question sounded sane enough. Elric presumed that he was likely another multiversal voyager. The albino must have been pleased with this question, as he nodded solemnly and spoke in a dry, hollow voice, laced with (well-practice) anguish. "My sword serves my will as well, but, it extracts a heavy price. At times, it serves its own whims. It has a bad habit of killing my friends."

[ra_tilt_chimera]

"Why not get rid of it and find a more... obedient sword?" Elric's appearance reminded Zelgadiss far too much of Halcyform the White, though there was at least a decent chance that Elric wouldn't try to steal people's life force to resurrect his beloved. One hoped, anyway.

[blood_and_souls]

"I have tried, but, it always returns, as it is my fate to wield it." He speaks with a deep melancholy, glowering moodily at the sheathed blade. "And I am forced to rely upon it- it sustains me, and I in turn sustain it, upon the souls of our enemies. But sometimes it has a mind of its own, and always seems to choose those that I love the most."

[ra_tilt_chimera]

Zel shot the weapon a dark look of his own. "The first time I've ever heard of a parasitic sword. But there are ways to destroy even the most powerful artifact - especially in places where the magic of so many different worlds meets."

[blood_and_souls]

Zel's comment naturally caught Elric's interest. "Do you think there is? It would be fortunate if such were true. . . of course, I have heard this sword exists in many worlds, so, to destroy it would probably destroy only the aspect of it that resides here." He wondered if this might be why the sword seemed unusually weak.

He considered a bit further, and sighed. "I suppose it is a selfish hope, to be rid of this thing. For it is the only artifact fit to face the growing blight of Chaos upon my own plane. Even as I serve it, I seek to defy it. Without Stormbringer, there would be no way to do so."

[ra_tilt_chimera]

"Ah." The chimera inclined his head. "Zelgadiss Graywords. It's, er, a pleasure to meet you, Elric of Melniboné."

[blood_and_souls]

Elric bowed politely to Zelgadis. "Likewise, it is my pleasure to meet you, Zelgadiss Graywords. Are you a native of this world, or are you also drawn here for some nebulous purpose?"

[ra_tilt_chimera]

Zel smiled wryly. "My purpose in coming here was quite clear, actually. This is a school of magic. I'm not native to this world, but I did come here of my own will, though those who do seem to be getting rarer."

[blood_and_souls]

"I admit it is odd to find myself pulled to a school of magic. Although, I seem to remember incidents like these as little more than vague dreams, later, so perhaps it is not. I do not know. A school is a place of learning, however, and perhaps it holds knowledge that I require." Being tossed about by the whim of a multiverse he didn't really understand had become a common part of his life. He often resented it, but, had learned to just accomplish whatever needed to be done- he'd almost invariably forget most of it later.

[ra_tilt_chimera]

"Perhaps." After all, that was why Zel had come here himself. "I suppose we ought to find you a House - that's what a Sorting's for, after all."

[blood_and_souls]

"It seems like a great deal of work in order to assign someone a place to lodge? If I could just camp somewhere, I would not be a burden on anyone. I do not want any accidents to happen." He sounded apologetic, and not at all threatening. Elric had natural misgivings about the idea of staying in close quarters with many other people, considering his sword did have an independent streak. The magic that affected Hogwarts seemed to be weakening it, and forcing it to keep its energy in reserve, but he didn't feel very comfortable taking a chance.

[ra_tilt_chimera]

"It's perfectly safe - it's impossible to actually kill someone on the castle grounds, and the Hospital Wing seems to be able to cope with nearly everything else."

Zel looked thoughtful. "Judging by your general demeanor I'd say you fit best in Gryffindor; that's the House for courage and heroism." His expression darkened for a moment. "It seems to attract those of us who've met fates we'd prefer we hadn't as well."

[blood_and_souls]

"If is a place where others who are caught up in the games of fate, it is likely an appropriate choice. So I thank you for the recommendation, sir. Do you know how it is that someone cannot be killed here?"

This notion didn't assuage his misgivings much. Taking lives was only a small part of what the sword did- the greater damage was that it stole souls, as well. It enjoyed both parts, however, and Elric wondered if this was why it was behaving oddly.

[ra_tilt_chimera]

"There's a ward of some kind over the school that prevents it. I think they must have put it in place when they began taking students from other worlds and some of them proved... less than stable." Considering that as far as Zel knew there were at least three students who were fiends from hell - literally - this was quite justified.

[blood_and_souls]

At least reality seemed stable enough here, unlike on the Chaos-dominated planes he had visited. "I hope that this enchantment has kept the peace in this strange place. It is odd, but I suppose my world would be odd from this one's perspective. Have you found this a helpful place?"