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faile35 — Coils of Fate Page43

Published: 2011-08-19 03:02:28 +0000 UTC; Views: 17591; Favourites: 59; Downloads: 653
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Description If you're following this series in order, click here next . For more information on the entire series, read the "'Demon's Due' Defined" journal entry here. [link]

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Pressing against the bars, The Scholar surveys the space beyond her cage. She shrinks immediately back from the three walking corpses, standing and swaying like trees in a Winter storm, their faces stretched and twisted in old, painful death. Though their eyes are gone, Elina can feel their gaze upon her, and uncontrollable shivers race down her spine and clench her hands in a white-knuckled grip on the bars. The single gremlin now hops across the flagstones, drawing her necklace and Key of Opening along behind it, weaving in and around the corpses' legs as if they were tree trunks.

Beyond the three horrors and the cavorting, chittering form of her diminutive captor, Elina eyes the single Runemote circling about the room. The floating bit of sorcery-given-life illuminates a bizarre chamber littered with a host of corpses--Wormloat Gremlins and jackrats, all. Square columns support the room's ceiling in the center, and scattered rock and piles of dirt hide the far wall to her right.

It is a scene drawn from the worst nightmarish images in her books of arcane lore, and the Scholar feels a sense of absolute dread and darkness reaching up from the cold of the flagstones. She is suddenly certain that she is not the first person to be locked in this cage, and that only terror awaits her if she cannot find a way out, and quickly. And with that thought comes sudden alarm and wonder, as she mutters under her breath, "What happened to Luther?"

***********************************************

And, just so people can keep things straight on the timeline ( [link] ), we've now transitioned to about 3:20 pm.

Elina's stock model has already been correctly identified as Emily of ~Feathered-pics and ~whitefeather , who has provided me with awesome material to work with. Make sure to compliment her, if you approve of the results.

As far as publication of this storyline goes, things are moving, and if you want to know how, you should watch the journal updates posted by ~collared-by-faile . She also has a Facebook account set up where she'll be posting status updates for what we're working on. It's mostly just to catalog for ourselves what we're doing, but if you'd like to follow along, send a friend request to her [link] . If, while you're there you want to play FrontierVille with her, just send a neighbor request. She's nerdy like that.

Enjoy!
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Comments: 55

faile35 In reply to ??? [2011-09-22 05:04:21 +0000 UTC]

Luther has a scene coming up in which some important, cool stuff will show up. A lot of Drea before that, though.

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YesImDeadpool [2011-08-19 23:32:21 +0000 UTC]

I hate that little gremlin.

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faile35 In reply to YesImDeadpool [2011-08-22 15:48:28 +0000 UTC]

I think she does, too.

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YesImDeadpool In reply to faile35 [2011-08-22 22:53:30 +0000 UTC]

Somebody stomp on that little bastard!

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Yggi11 [2011-08-19 21:12:35 +0000 UTC]

"Um, you know what? Keep the key. I like it in here."

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faile35 In reply to Yggi11 [2011-08-22 15:48:14 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, funny as it seems, I think that thought would definitely cross her mind.

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loraxxx [2011-08-19 16:05:18 +0000 UTC]

awesome!

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faile35 In reply to loraxxx [2011-08-22 15:47:30 +0000 UTC]

Thank you!

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asere [2011-08-19 14:53:30 +0000 UTC]

I absolutely love your work! How do you get so much done so fast? I could understand if you were a crappy line artists like me, but the stuff you put out is so elaborate and detailed and amazing!!

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faile35 In reply to asere [2011-08-19 15:36:55 +0000 UTC]

Thank you! I really mustn't take all the credit; I have a small contingent of artistically-trained slave-gremlins who do all the busy work in line and shading for me, and then there's the occasional sacrifice the great Time-Eater, the Demon God of Art. Actually, after doing so many of these, I am getting pretty quick about it in utilizing shortcuts and planning the process as efficiently as possible. But I still do commit almost a full-time job's worth of work to this each week. I'm glad you approve.

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asere In reply to faile35 [2011-08-20 16:44:21 +0000 UTC]

Simply amazing! I wish I had some slave-gremlins though... They could clean the cat box for me lol

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Shento [2011-08-19 13:46:38 +0000 UTC]

Well that is certinely unexpected ...
Ok not really.
C'mon you didnt think she was just going to somehow snag her key and simply walk away ? Ohh no no noo!
There is sooo much in store for little sorceress..sooo much more me thinks.

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faile35 In reply to Shento [2011-08-19 15:37:42 +0000 UTC]

Yes, she does have quite the ordeal in store, while for now she's just being stored for that ordeal...

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Shento In reply to faile35 [2011-08-21 14:20:15 +0000 UTC]

Packaged for freshness

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White-Feather [2011-08-19 11:58:53 +0000 UTC]

Hmmm, this takes me right back to high school, the cage symbolizing my feelings about the situation. And lets see, I knew that guy, and that guy and those lazy bums and.... him I don't recall, but I'm sure he was there being a annoyance too....

Seriously though, Just where is Luthor? He can't possibly be at the pub, that blew up...Oh and nice blocking on the scope of the room.

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faile35 In reply to White-Feather [2011-08-19 15:44:13 +0000 UTC]

Hey, you and I must have gone to the same place! Or maybe that was college? Or, wait, maybe it was my last teaching job! Yes, that's it--there actually were bars on the windows there in the form of large louvers that were too close together for the students to escape through, or for me to throw myself out of the second-story classroom during the "Gestapo Mathematics" that I taught (actually it turned out to be much closer to "Fragglerock Mathematics," if you get my meaning...).

Regardless, thank you. We will find out what happened to Luther towards the end of the chapter (possibly when Jervil's new army of gremlins all have Luther hair, beards, and chain mail...

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Amaniwolf [2011-08-19 11:46:23 +0000 UTC]

Ohh...this is bad, and i wonder what did happen to Luther?

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faile35 In reply to Amaniwolf [2011-08-19 15:44:33 +0000 UTC]

We'll find out after the bulk of the chapter, actually.

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reacherfan [2011-08-19 11:18:24 +0000 UTC]

I love the perspective on this photo. It's so dark and exciting. You're great

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faile35 In reply to reacherfan [2011-08-19 15:45:06 +0000 UTC]

Thank you! "Darkness" is my specialty. If I can hit "exciting," at the same time, I'll consider it a success.

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PitchBLACK-Art [2011-08-19 11:04:50 +0000 UTC]

Maybe Luther has been transformed into one of those walking corpses in the meantime

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faile35 In reply to PitchBLACK-Art [2011-08-19 15:45:49 +0000 UTC]

Or a gremlin! Or a Runemote!

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dashinvaine [2011-08-19 11:00:35 +0000 UTC]

The drawing is as accomplished as ever. The perspective and scale are perfecly done. Great creepy atmosphere and differentiation of tones within the darknesss. I would have been tempted to overdo the light from the sperm worm.

Well written description, too. 'Twisted in old, painful death' is a great line.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

faile35 In reply to dashinvaine [2011-08-19 15:46:51 +0000 UTC]

Thank you on all counts. Once in a while I can hit those phrases, but I find it is the exception, rather than the rule. I guess if people get the idea, that's what matters.

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RighteousBoyII [2011-08-19 10:59:05 +0000 UTC]

And to think no one gave those brave rat hero's proper burials. Hopefully there will be more craddlerot or maybe some enterprising pygmys on loan from a distant continent.

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faile35 In reply to RighteousBoyII [2011-08-19 15:49:05 +0000 UTC]

Yes, and we'd better hurry! We're nearing the critical point on this chapter and there aren't enough bad guys to take down either of our remaining heroines for good... Oh, wait, that's not true. Zombies, Jervil, Runemotes, and a few traps. Yeah, we're good.

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RighteousBoyII In reply to faile35 [2011-08-19 21:02:43 +0000 UTC]

Yeah but its awfully hard to anthropomorphise zombies and traps. Though I admit that the Runemotes do look awfully classy, appear to have great taste and I cant put my finger on it but something about their design just intrinsically appeals to the male ego.

I am looking forward to seeing how the surviving cast of villains work together since you've managed to fit so many of them into one panel.

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Night-Miner [2011-08-19 05:57:46 +0000 UTC]

Wow this really is proving to be a compelling and exciting section of the series

Can't wait to see what's become of Luthor or how Elina's going to fare now that these lumbering beings have emerged to aid the Gremlin.

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faile35 In reply to Night-Miner [2011-08-19 15:50:03 +0000 UTC]

Both questions will be answered by chapter's end... Thank you for the compliment! I'm glad you're enjoying it.

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Night-Miner In reply to faile35 [2011-08-20 03:59:03 +0000 UTC]

I can't wait You're most welcome. Oh I am

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Mistersneaky [2011-08-19 05:27:55 +0000 UTC]

Elina hesitantly looks through the bars, her eyes fearfully roaming over the dark chamber, and its twisted denizens. "It must be close to midnight... Something evil's lurking in the dark..." In the rune-light, she sees a sight that almost stops her heart...
She starts to scream...but terror takes the sound before she makes it! She starts to freeze, as horror looks her right between the eyes!
The zombies begin to jerk in spastic rhythm, arms reaching up and down in unison, twisted fingers hooked into claws. To her disbelief, Elina hears singing: "Cause this is DEEEMONNNS! DEE-MON'S DUE! No one's going to save her from what we're about to do, you know it's DEEEMONNNNS! DEE-MONS DUE! You're going to be a damsel in this Demon's! Demon's! DUUUUUUUE!"
She hears the cage slam, and realizes there's nowhere left to run. She feels the cold hand and wonders: "Will I ever see the sun? I'll close my eyes! And hope that this is just imagination!" But all the while, she hears the creature creeping up in front! "I'm out of time!"
Cause this is DEEEMONNNNS! DEE-MON's DUE! You're going to be a vessel for a sorcerer or two! Cause this is DEEEMONNN'S! DEE-MON'S DUE! You're going to get all chained up, and get naked! NAKED! TOO!

Shall I continue?

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faile35 In reply to Mistersneaky [2011-08-19 06:16:22 +0000 UTC]

Truly, truly terrifying! A wonderful addition to the bloopers in this storyline. Please continue!

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collared-by-faile In reply to Mistersneaky [2011-08-19 06:15:43 +0000 UTC]

Will you do the dance if you do?

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cordefr [2011-08-19 05:22:10 +0000 UTC]

The little gremlin called for his big brothers.... et Elina calls for Luther.
But I guess that we, the public, get a change of scene now, back to Drea ?

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faile35 In reply to cordefr [2011-08-19 06:16:53 +0000 UTC]

Indeed. The picture is half-done right now.

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Lespion1944 [2011-08-19 04:55:00 +0000 UTC]

I've been wondering about Luther myself. No doubt he is around somewhere.

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faile35 In reply to Lespion1944 [2011-08-19 15:50:54 +0000 UTC]

Maybe he just decided to pack up and head for home. Obviously his little quest down into this place wasn't really getting him anywhere, and it looked like Elina had better things to do, anyway...

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WickedPrince [2011-08-19 04:53:08 +0000 UTC]

That of course is the money question.

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faile35 In reply to WickedPrince [2011-08-19 15:51:10 +0000 UTC]

I'm with you. It shall be answered before the chapter ends.

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WickedPrince In reply to faile35 [2011-08-19 16:30:33 +0000 UTC]

Cool. Because I was entirely confounded by how our scholar and he got separated. I was wondering if I'd missed something.

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Aelindia [2011-08-19 04:05:59 +0000 UTC]

Ahhh...my first thought was "Jinkies", I'm terrible...

But a great pic, love the atmosphere, and it looks really scary.

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faile35 In reply to Aelindia [2011-08-19 15:52:01 +0000 UTC]

"Jinkies!" Yeah, the Velma comments run rampant on many of Elina's pages... Thanks!

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jindar [2011-08-19 03:54:46 +0000 UTC]

"Uh oh," *takes off her glasses and breathes a sigh of relief* "there, safe."

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faile35 In reply to jindar [2011-08-19 15:52:21 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, that cage is definitely the safest place in the room, trapped or not.

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vvvan [2011-08-19 03:43:17 +0000 UTC]

Elina: "Whoa! Escape? Who wants to escape? I've got big strong bars to protect me. I like my cramped little cell!"

"Somebody light a candle or two. I can't see a bloody thing." --Edmund Burke

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faile35 In reply to vvvan [2011-08-19 15:53:39 +0000 UTC]

Ah, yes. The perspective changes a bit when one is caged in a zoo to be viewed by the visiting lions and tigers. Lots of light on the next page, Edmund! Four of them and a glowing spear to boot.

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TCPolecat7 [2011-08-19 03:42:59 +0000 UTC]

Oh my, that looks bad. I mean, we only want her trussed up, not dead an' stuff... it may be the runemote might be what saves her (if the controller of said Runemote decides she's worth "keeping")...

- Polecat

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faile35 In reply to TCPolecat7 [2011-08-19 15:55:25 +0000 UTC]

Not to worry. Like all females in this story, she's not awaiting her own death. And she's definitely worth "keeping."

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TCPolecat7 In reply to faile35 [2011-08-19 20:40:31 +0000 UTC]

But of course. Of course the fact she's in a cage is probably part of what's keeping her safe too... most Zombies aren't too adept with locks.

- Polecat

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MadokaKawabata [2011-08-19 03:07:38 +0000 UTC]

i must say you are painting a pretty grim picture for the Scholar! excellent as always.

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