#when five have yet to fall - prepost

[stolencrownsofplenty]

The harsh point of their dagger, the traitorous razor glints with the lightest twist of the Lamb fixing it in their grip, lingers closely to the feline’s chin.  They glare back, eyes squinting with the tense furrow brow.  Their weapon’s gaze stares naturally down upon Beleth, always familiarly absent in its stare without a flicker of emotion akin to death; unlike its wielding vessel that’d oppose its foreseeable urge to feast upon mortal flesh.  In the dark, one could make out up close the distance between the pair of them was little to near none, one could see the distinct flare of their carrot colored nose.  The prince looks the other down, as if studying their bleeding features could prolong them from what they were destined to perform in their minuscule role.

They shoot out a sharp huff of warm air towards their fiend’s face.  “Make any more sudden movements, I will show you all the same hurt from those who drives our world’s suffering.  I shall only inflict what you’ve brought… Tenfold.”  The ewe warns.  “Yet death would be too much of a kindness, it seems.”  They pause then with the lightest tilt of their head.

Their knife moves to a side of the cat’s cheek, the flat chills of the metal’s side press into Beleth’s fur only to tilt it to the left for a daring instant.  Blood trickles down, dripping upon their cold blade.  “.. Do you have a name, son?”  They do not offer the other a gentle smile, being they were much past the light politeness of their twisted reputation for it to ever really fool this youth.  “I’d be a fool to only realize you’re out here hunting.  You fight with abandonment, but still yet to be refined in your skill of the blade.”

Meanwhile Beleth knew nothing of The Lambs struggle beyond his very own observations, nor did he mean to offend them, somehow but he liked their spirit, it's almost close to his! Although- "I don't need you to repeat what I already know-!"

Wait they dodged...? Then how about this! The wanderer could have dodged himself or attempted to follow up with another attack, yet with that one pummeled strike the feline fell down to the ground alongside his weapon.

She'd most likely agree with the other sheep if she could read thoughts. Hmph. A disgrace this child was indeed.

Hey, shut it! The last thing he needed was her spewing mountains of curses at him. Beleth was trying his absolute best, even if it was a bit wrong for him to hesitate back there mayhaps, he just didn't want to...

Of course it was wrong, look where it got him: The boy turned up to the lamb, smirk still on his face despite the fact he was likely bleeding from his head. "Now what, sheep...?" Well, he knew what was coming next most likely: a blade to the head, that is if they really had the courage to go through with it.

Do go on, death was never something he feared, in fact he would overjoyed all the same.

[stolencrownsofplenty]

Verses

When Five to One Becomes Everything (Post game, MAIN VERSE; will not be tagged) - All that's been described in their bio, you will find the Lamb holding ownership over all the five crowns they had claimed after the defeat of the bishops (Narinder's being taken after his usurp, the bishops after being dragged out of purgatory). Their rule goes as fair as stretching over the entire Old Faith island, taking claim over the five biomes that once belong to the bishops, and they are doing active changes to make sure along with their influence that the island is being fixed for the better. The Bishops had left the island in disarray even before their fated downfall, and the Emperor is doing what they can to fix the main fives' fatal mistakes. Has also made a deal with the fresh four crowns in letting the godly tools give them some mortal instincts again in exchange for letting the inky creatures think for themselves in the shadows. Will need to eat and sleep occasional due to this deal, but has been given back the ability to reproduce with other different species of creatures; and currently has a giant family made of lamb hybrids that's being made to help repopulate their sheep species as whole.

When Five Have Yet to Fall (Prepost game) - Precanon where Narinder is still their Deathly master, their memories are still fresh over their execution, and they've only just defeated Leshy in their conquest of revenge to take the bishops down for their own gain. Their cult is super small and has yet to grow to a vast colony, but completely manageable for the infant vessel that swore to take those down that have wronged them and the mortals that had been hurt in their rage to take the Lamb down. They've yet to lose most of their features and most of their eyesight, with only holding the Red Crown as their only source of power and tool for destruction. More soft spoken than their future counterpart and less experienced when it comes to taking another life in their cult, yet will only kill those that have wronged them (via heretics) in order to protect their original flock. The Lamb is more likely to make mistakes in this verse too while only being recognized as a Prince.

To be Crowned is to Serve Thy Death (Post Future, Bishop: Good Verse) - Taking place 2,000 years or so into the future, the Lamb has grown more into their godhood with a giant growth spurt as a result. They've yet to lose their individuality just yet to the crowns (yet their insanity still peaks with the Red Crown still holding itself dominant in their personality), and their cult has grown quite a ton since its small 300+ person headcount. Their holy regime has taken itself across the entire island and their family has grown as a result since then. Mortals live more in harmony under the Lamb's rule than they did under the Bishops' rule, yet newer generations have yet to remember the main fives' names after the ex-bishops themselves have since started mortal lives for themselves, and Gods have started to sprout again under the new imperial's rule.

The Crowns have taken to reproducing more crowns within the Lamb's body, reproducing as a near literal fungus that has taken to slowly take over the Lamb's body asexually. For surviving for so long, they wanted to give something back, the crowns wanted to see more generations of their kind again roam the island to take care of the mortals once again. Yet wanting to honor their Lamb's wishes, for the sheep to chose heirs to take after them if they were to perish, The Emperor had gone to give many of their children titles to work alongside them; gifting them a singular crown each, to those of their heirs that have deemed themselves worthy to their parent's cause. The Lamb doesn't rule as one anymore, and has grown a family to take care of their flock alongside them for eons to come. A good ending that wouldn't lead to them dying to their own suffering.

Let Their Minds be Our Immortality (Post Future, Bishop: Bad Verse) - Taking place 2,000 years or so into the future, the Lamb has been molded into their godhood and has grown into a giant that serves in reflection of their religion. Their influence has far outstretched its reach outside of the island, going world wide where they had since broke out of the First Gods banishment that had once cut the island from the rest of the world. Yet to rule the world as the only singular God, the Emperor does slowly succumbs to the five crowns' influence where its corruption does start to set into taking over the vessel's body. It comes for the worst, while the Emperor's hybrid family has then started to take up residence across the entire island, the Emperor hogs the new crowns that grow within their body for themselves; wanting to keep the power for themselves as a way to keep another mortal from going to power, and to make sure no one else makes the same mistakes the Bishops had done to hurt the Lamb and their kind. The Crowns have since grown more sentient, and have started to use their influence over their vessel as a way to reproduce more of themselves to grow more power for themselves to use, yet it comes at a cost.

For more power, corruption sets in when they can't seem to keep their vessel's corpse from rotting into their next death permanently. To work around this, and to prolong their own death until the Lamb's soul and Crowns find themselves another body to take over to continue their rule, much of those corruption is set to quickly take over all of the Lamb's inner circle, to turn them into black husks where most of their memories are gone to act as only puppets and mouthpieces for their God. The Hivemind turns more literal; wherever there is a Lamb's disciple, the Lamb sees through them and uses them to speak through them whenever they may wish. The corrupted Inner Circle are also used as weapons, for as long you bow to the Lamb their Inner Circle shall protect you from harm. The Corrupt shall keep spreading as long the Lamb lure more to join them, and in Death there is no true escape either.

Going way over budget (FNAF:SB Verse) - They're a sheep, they're a bot whom was made a bit late when everything in the pizzaplex was built in made without their latest addition in mind. This bot being the first of their kind to not only be made on a self-powered battery, with some artificial intelligence that's probably made on some third-party software, and with some synthetic fake wool to hide all of their shiny bits and gears, Emmy is the advertised on the go fable storyteller for kids to get a kick out of! But that's not the only thing they can do! They can sing, party with the band, be that bodyguard you don't have to pay, socialize with your co-workers so you don't have to, maybe even be better at your job than you, and so much more... This bot's made with the latest technology, but the lot of their parts were recycled from old failed projects that never made it to the public sadly.

So let's just hope you can ignore them having the purr of a lion and the bite of a gator! (They do make up for it being 6'0" lmao)

Yet A God Yet Not A Mortal Either (TADC Verse) - In here, at its most basic concept rn, The Lamb is not a legit Player nor an NPC, they are someone who intentionally hacked themselves into the digital world as a freelance hacker. The Lamb cult leader design is still prominent, but they have NPC’s code clinging to their avatar that gives them the legwork to mess around with the code like an unofficial dev. They’d be somewhere in the middle, they have the player means to interact with their environment but they’ve had to code their way into an old discarded NPC bot to get themselves some way to mess with the code as they need to.

The reason the cotl world had been discarded from Caine’s realm, it wasn’t family friendly and it was sort of a game IP he wasn’t allowed to use anymore because of some coder dispute. A crossover deal fell through and the people that made it discarded it but kept it somewhere in their servers to keep it in case they had to reuse the code for a later date that never came to be. Yet because there was a backup left to collect dust? The coders had incidentally left a backdoor unplugged that was just inviting for someone outside of the company to sneak inside. The portals for the world that go direct towards the circus are still in use, but it did take some coding to get them working again just for our hacker lamb to get through without being detected.

[stolencrownsofplenty]

The Lamb barely has the opportunity to throw a slash in when all their sword finds is empty air in the cat’s place.  Their ears fall flat against their head, displeasure being quick to flash across their brunette cheeks, but with the strong force of adrenaline with their crown still constraining to flow through startled veins, they try to keep their weapon steady in the tuxedo feline’s direction.  They could feel the hammering beat of their many hearts flutter in their chest, the still fresh reminder of their inexperience in dealing with their mortal panic.  Although they’ve long since grown familiar with the lingering rots of death and its intimate pain of dying holding no true hold over them now, where their godly benefactor shall always just stitch them back together every time they fell apart, the vessel still couldn’t shake off the pain of their many deaths being their constant torture; with being kicked back to suffer in pain in the underworld for only a few minutes time as their body went to pull itself back together once more.  Death came with a cost after all, and their soul couldn’t escape it as long their God needed them alive.

As the Wanderer went to keep his distance, the ram could hardly keep their eyes off of him, they began to sidestep around him with the silent grace of a predator sizing up their prey.  Their posture remains tight and hunched, with a hip pointed away from the other as they train their blade’s edge towards the cat’s way.  An ear twitches with the slight bare frown of their fangs, annoyance lingering upon the sheep’s furs in that instant.  Did they hear him correctly?  Was he seriously ignoring them after just threatening upon their life??

Yet it mattered very little right now, they were very much still wounded and bleeding bits of red that still clung dry to their wool uncomfortably in clumps.  An old guardian still almost twice their height had managed to get a couple cuts into them earlier before the Lamb could finish them with a flurry of ice.  The icy chills of their last casted spell still lingered upon their skin with a quiet shiver, an ill side effect they’d have to endure until their wounds should properly heal with some steaming blood slipped.  They were still figuring out the works and kinks of their reformed body, even after taking the heart of Bishop Leshy in their conquest for revenge, and they didn’t like the way it tensed every time an enemy gazed down upon them like pathetic meat.  This stranger’s taunting stare was no exception either.

They could feel their own weapon’s blade burn against the comforts of their palm, The One Who Waits being most likely angry they were showing hesitation as did their foe.  However it seems like he wasn’t going to keep his distance for very much longer.  Tightening their grasp upon their sword, they could almost feel the zealous flare of this cat’s spirit.

What a disgrace of a good warrior to be wasted in their time of need.

Their ears perk up at the swift thud of paws crunching down upon dying grass, feeling that startling awareness once more with their crown forcing their body to take in what was in front of them, as the feline starts rushing towards them.  God, did they hate having to feel like they were going to pass out from all of this.  Blood rushes to their ears, their body acts before they could properly think to deflect the cat’s ax.  Instinct wills them to attempt a backwards retreat like a clinging forgotten memory, to try and dodge the sharp whistle of the ax’s edge following the intruder’s swing.  They can still feel their strength being nothing but raw desperation, and the cat was only closing in on them quickly.  Through gritted fangs, they yell in response, “You then shall only bear the pain of Death’s teachings, boy!”  On reflex, their sword moves outward to take the next blunt swing at their side.

But, with the little time they could think to keep the other alive despite this reckless endangerment, they could feel the crown’s discomfort as it shifts into a brief slither up to their other hand, raising their free hand high to take a smack down fist of their handle dagger whacking hard onto the feline’s head with a conk.  “And Death burdens your pain as shall I!”  They exclaim.

Huh...? Jumping back, The Wanderers hood fell off as he did, revealing the strangely colored white and black cat underneath. This was unlike anything he had anything he had seen before. Even just holding their blades together for a moment took a fraction of his strength. No. "Fiesty, aren't you?" He retorted with a smirk strewn across his face. This was better than he thought.

Even so, the feline didn't back down, he held his ax out towards The Lamb whilst still keeping his distance. He was clearly experienced, more so than most the caprine had come across at least.

But that sword too.. They didn't have that before, did they? Where did it- Wait...

Nor was he stupid. He could tell this sheep had been trembling as much as he had. Maybe that's why he- "You hesitate." She just had to chime in, didn't she? Now really wasn't the time for this.

This isn't like him though. Usually, he'd never think twice in a situation like this. He just... "I don't think we should-"

Nonsense. "You see it, don't you?"

"Yes..." Was he talking to himself? Yes, yes he was. He didn't actually say any of that out loud, did he? Anyhow-

Steadying both himself and his grip on his weapon, the wanderers faintly red eyes stared back at this ewe with the same gaze mixed in with his own passion.

Respect? Please. "Oh I do..." His ax followed his stance... "Just not for the likes of you!" Before he dashed at the Lamb once more, this time aiming for their lower area instead of their head. A bold move. Maybe a bit too bold. Because even with his supposed "experience" he left himself wide open.

[stolencrownsofplenty]

In the cat’s swift effort to make his killing quick, to subdue the creature who would’ve become his next meal, it would seem he’d be too hasty to catch the other by surprise.  Under the cloak of darkness, where in the night very few mortals would roam about to hunt for the scarce chest of food, not many of the very heretic would’ve realized they had been in pursuit by their silent predatory.  Felines always moved in silent tailing, where nature often seemed to shift with them to their advantage.  Very few would’ve been able to catch the quiet shudder of the Wanderer’s hiding place, where the papery leafs shivered at being shoved apart.  Darkness will always be a hunter’s strength, but in hiding prey had only but sounds to awaken the memory of pain in their heart.

In darkness, their ears perk up to the swish of metal slicing through air.  Their bell rings out their incoming tension.  The next, where blood would already go to spill from their wounds…

CLANG!!  

Orange sparks are sent flying when the mighty sharpness of the cat’s ax clashes against the opposing force of the taller stranger’s dark blade.  The color of scarlet red cloak takes form as the first to draw another’s eyes in, then the swirls of autumn flashes behind the crimson gaze of the familiar stare with the red eyed blade.  The Lamb’s hands shake with their struggling hold on their blight sword, the silent tremble in their arms showing the wounded strength they’ve been clinging to after their previous battles to stay alive, with keeping the cat from slicing into their already scarred form.  Through a grimace, through the shadows of their curly orange bangs, two eyes clear as gold stare down upon the other with a fiery young gaze.  The ewe bares their teeth, a lowsome growl thunders out from the depth of their chest.

Their hooves dug into the ground, having been pushed some by the other’s sudden charge.  “I will make you regret for missing!”  The ram hisses out.  “Do you have no respect for the likes of death?”

Starter for @stolencrownsofplenty

It was a quiet morning with barely a sound to be heard as a certain wanderer made his way through Darkwoods shadows.

This never got old, didn't it? Running away like this. Really though, what choice did Beleth have? He knew very well by now he couldn't stay somewhere forever. (As if he actually had anywhere to go for the matter...)

But still... "Those blasphemous..."

It'd be best if he kept his frustrated grumbles to himself. For now he had to focus.

That was until someone or something else draped in red caught his eye. Another one of those vile heretics? No, they couldn't be, not with the way they were dressed. A monster?

Either way, it didn't matter. They would felled all the same.

Breaking the silence, the feline jumped out of the bushes and dashed towards the stranger, ax in hand.

But of course... "Missed..."