Varha
Troubador
Posts: 61
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Post by Varha on Aug 24, 2011 19:17:35 GMT -7
Tribal Wolf and the Geasa of Light
In a world filled with turmoil, there are only two ways out. First, die a hero Second, live long enough to see yourself become a villain.
In a small village off the coast of Nogard is a boy This boy is the only hope the world has of surviving
An animal wolf, the boy, all interconnected with Elven prophecy.
What will happen? Who will win? Are they really the ones who fulfill the prophecy?
<Formerly Known as "TRIBAL WOLF AND THE GUARDIAN OF FIRE">
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Varha
Troubador
Posts: 61
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Post by Varha on Aug 24, 2011 19:19:02 GMT -7
Part 1
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Varha
Troubador
Posts: 61
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Post by Varha on Aug 24, 2011 19:20:15 GMT -7
Prologue
A feeling of anticipation hung in the air so thick and ripe you could taste it. The sky was dark and littered with dark gray storm clouds. A dim light filtered down onto the flat plains; plants long dead or dying clumped together as if for support. A light rain fell to the earth in soft waves giving the water necessary for life. An old stone structure sat in the middle of the plain, large and imposing its battlements rose high above the safety of the wall reaching into the sky. Old decaying walls surrounded the fortress; covered with moss, dirt, and grime they gave off the feeling of age, of being ancient. Men were lined on the walls, their armor glistening slightly in the rain. Though each mans armor differed lightly, all had the same general look. Steel breastplates protected their fronts, buckling up to the shoulder straps. Chainmail shirts covered the arms, extending to the varied gauntlets and gloves. Steel leggings were worn by many of the men even though many wore a chainmail substitute, but all had a round oval shape. Bronze helmets protected the heads, tiny slits breaking out of the smooth surface for eyes. Most of the men leaned on wooden haft spears or cured wooden longbows because of their heavy exhaustion from their watch of danger. Down in the courtyard sounds of sharpening, forging, and sparring glared over the eerie silence producing ominous clangs and echoes. Spider webbed cracks spread across the forlorn cobblestone ground, giving an uneven surface. A soft whistling pervaded the air, a long drawn out sound more disconcerting than any of the other noises. A drill instructor went through weapons stances and forms with some of the new recruits and younger inexperienced men, although the number was relatively small compared to some of the other groups. A young boy stood on the wall for the watch; he had medium length black hair and a thick stocky build. His eyes struggled to stay open as if they were being pulled down by a heavy weight stronger than he could bear. His armor was dull and scuffed, like he had been in a fight and hadn’t yet cleaned or polished it off. He pushed a lock of hair out of his eyes and behind his ear and yawned loudly. The boy picked at a spot on the shaft of his spear. I hate being up here, he thought. This job is horrible for someone like me. It doesn’t help that I was up late last night. He yawned again; I need to get some sleep before I go crazy with boredom. Wait a minute, I think I… “Hey,” his voice carried over to some of the other men near him. “Is it just me or is that odd whistling sound louder than before?” One of the men sat still for a minute, “Yeah,” his voice was deep and gruff. “That it is.” Another man stepped forward, “Right down ‘n bad if you get me mean’n. Bad luck is sure t’ be brewin’ with a noise like that aroun’.” The boy stared, “That isn’t true, just silly superstition from an age long past. You’re just a silly old man with silly old traditions.” The man looked at him with a glare, “Them’s are words that’ll bring down th’ devils onto us boy. You better be careful of what ya say next.” “Is that a threat?” The boy stood straighter and looked him right on. “I could go for a fight right now, old man.” The man gripped his spear more tightly than before, “Think y’ can take me on, boy? Because I can have y’ gutted like a pig before y’ can say yer mother.” “What about my mother?” A red flush rose up his face. “Oh,” He laughed, “You didn’t know? Me an’ yer mum ‘ave been havin’ a great time lately, why jus’ las’ night we were…” The boy lunged at him screaming in rage. “I’ll kill you, you bastard!” The man readied his spear, “Y’ can try boy.” He drawled out the last word with a snarl. They met with a soft clash, the sound of wood on wood resounding throughout the courtyard. All other noises stopped, everyone looked at the fight. Those surrounding the two started chanting, “Fight, fight, fight,” A small crowd gathered around to watch, they had been holed up for three months with no action, a fight would provide great much needed entertainment. Soon most of the people outside were watching. The man lunged at the boy swinging in a downward arc. He tried to dodge but he wasn’t fast enough, the spear lodged itself in the boys left shoulder blade. He screamed in pain. “Y’ ‘ad enough yet, boy?” The man pulled the spear until it was free from the flesh. The boy stood up slowly, using his knees to balance him and give him support. “Not, yet.” They lunged again and the boy swung down at knee level, the man easily jumped over the attack and landed gingerly on his feet. He lashed back quickly with an upwards strike and hit the boy in the groin. The boy fell like a sack of potatoes, blood pooling onto the stones. “I told y’ not ter fight me.” A man pushed his way to the front of the crowd and walked up to the scene of the fight. He yelled in a deep booming voice, “What is going on here.” He looked down at the boy who was writhing in pain. He looked back up. “Are you responsible for this, soldier?” The man grinned, “No sir, jus’ sittin’ ‘ere mindin’ my own business an’ he comes an’ lunges at me. Barely fas’ enough t’ save me self sir. After tha’ ‘twas all reflex, sir.” He looked to a soldier standing nearby, “Is this true?” He looked at him and squirmed, “Yes sir. That’s exactly how it went…” “Alright then, you.” He pointed to a man in the crowd, “Clean this mess up, and because of this man’s behavior,” he gestured at the man who had injured the boy, “half rations for all in his squadron.” Loud groans filled the air from many people throughout the crowd, that little stunt wasn’t going to sit well with the hungry soldiers. The soldiers were underfed and underpaid as it was, adding smaller rations would likely result in a death sentence for the one responsible. A loud explosion filled the air, throwing light into the sky, illuminating the ground. A large army was marching towards the fortress. Thousands were marching in line, many raising battle standards into the sky. Realizing they had been seen, they roared death cries, cries of bloodlust, and cries of anger. The armor of the attackers was much lighter than the defenders. Instead of steel breastplates most wore studded leather jerkins. Very few wore chainmail, most instead wearing simple cloth. At their front rode three men on majestic war horses. All three men were holding staffs into the sky, lightning bolts racing forth from their tips. They had lightning element affinities from their bonded. The man who had disciplined the soldiers began to quickly yell out orders. “You there, sound the alarm. You,” he pointed to someone else, “You and your battalion form water teams, we’re going to need them; rest of you, form defensive positions!” He grabbed the longbow off the boys back, “Going to need this more than you do.” Men formed lines upon the walls, a loud blare of a trumpet sounded through the stronghold. “There’s our signal. Fire!” Waves of arrows rained down onto the invading army. Very few fell because most raised their arms and caught the projectiles on wooden shields strapped to the left arm. Flying above their heads was a single dragon, blacker than night with a large wingspan it inspired fear into the bravest of men. On its back was a rider, the rider was clad with fine silver and gold. Within the ranks of the army were large ballistae, catapults, and siege towers. Soon dozens of large boulders were flung over the ranks into the fortress, devastating man earth and stone alike. The man in charge gulped, “Men, do n-not wor-worry. We will somehow g-get through th-this.” He turned and dashed down the stairs, leaving bewildered and astonished men behind. “Guess he’s the smart one.” The man who was in the fight stepped forth. “I’m not smart though. I’m goin’ to fight ‘til my las’ breath.” Men stared at him, “Guess you didn’t know I had it in me, but I do.” He turned to the crowd of men behind him, “So, who among you are goin’ to fight and protect today? Who is goin’ to stay and fight?” There were a few murmurs and muttered conversations, and then half the men dashed down the stairs. “Well then, I guess we ‘ave to make do with only us then.” He knocked an arrow on his longbow. “Yer all ready?” A few of the men nodded in acknowledgement. “GO!” Another torrent of arrows unleashed upon the advancing army, but with the same effect. Alright, that didn’t work. Let’s try this then. “You, run up with three others an’ man the trebuchet. Launch anythin’ an’ everythin’ we have at ‘em!” Three men ran off up the stairs to one of the higher battlements. He continued firing arrows until his quiver and those of all around him were empty. “What now?” The man thought for a moment. “We need t’ do somethin’ productive. Anyone ‘ave any ideas?” An older graying man rushed over. “I have an idea,” he whispered quickly into the man’s ear, spittle flying in the air. The man’s face lit up, “That might work.” He clasped the older man on the shoulder and sent him off. He reached down near his feet and grabbed a bottle of cheap ale. He ripped some cloth off the boy below him, he was dead now, and stuffed it into the cap. He grabbed a torch nearby and lit the cloth. He tossed the bottle and it crashed a few feet in front of the army. The army halted its approach and a few men rushed forward. They got a surprise in store for them. A flame leapt from the ground and spread across the plain. Multiple tar pits leapt ablaze and men started screaming in pain. The idea had worked. “Yes!” The defenders yelled in triumph. A large ball of water appeared in the hands of one of the three men in the front of the army, the ball washed over the flames extinguishing every last one. Did they just… A man came running from above, “Hey! The trebuchets broken! What are we going to do?” What can we do?! He scrambled for anything that could help them, but he couldn’t think of anything; and that was when he knew they were doomed.
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Varha
Troubador
Posts: 61
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Post by Varha on Aug 24, 2011 19:21:49 GMT -7
Chapter 1
"Legend foretells the coming of the Chosen One, who will bond with the animal marked with the Sacred Seal, then they will defeat the Guardians of Fire, Water, and Light, and the location of the Fortress of Evil will be known, then the Chosen One will challenge the King of Darkness, if evil prevails, darkness will cover the earth, if good triumphs, balance will be restored to the planet.”
Wisthe woke up, squinting against the morning light filtering in through the drawn curtains. He slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Standing up, Wisthe walks over to the table to splash water in his face, to fully wake himself. His home was small, no more than 15 paces in length and 20 in width. It had a small table, no more than a board balancing precariously on four legs; beside it, a small simple chair. The walls were of lumber, fitted and stuck together to create sturdy walls. There was one window, near the door. Near the table was a small hearth and fireplace, to cook with and keep warm during the summer. Wisthe lived on his own in the outer edge of the village. Kelec Village was small, on the southern continent of Nogard; not well known for anything. He heard a meow, and picked up Rei, his pepper spotted cat. “Hello girl, how are you today?” She let out a small purr, as if in answer to his query. “You hungry?” She meowed, “Alright let me get you something.” Wisthe walked over to the table and tossed some of yesterday’s fish to her. “Eat up.” Rei eagerly tore at the fish. He smiled fondly at the feline; he’d had her since she was a kitten, for 3 years now. She was the only thing living with him in his home, always had been. Shortly after he was born his father had left his mother and him. His mother had raised him, doing odd jobs around town and performing when she could to provide for them. Even with all her hard work their life was hard; as soon as he was able he helped his mother in any way possible, he even began to learn to play the flute and viol. With all of his mother’s hard work she began to get sick. Towards the end of her life he found out that she had sickness of the lungs and wasn’t able to afford going to a healer because she needed to use the money to pay for food for the both of them. By the time he had gotten a healer to her she had been beyond help, it was too late. She died just a few days later. After her death he had moved to a smaller home and gotten Rei; he had been there ever since. Wisthe grabbed a small loaf of bread and took a bite. While chewing he grabbed a pair of pants and clumsily jumped into them. He buckled the belt and swallowed the bread with a large dry gulp. He grabbed his boots which were next to the door and pulled them on. Rei came up and sidled against his leg, “Hey girl. I’m sorry but I’ve got to go; you’ll need to entertain yourself today.” He opened the door and she pranced out of his sight. He sighed, Guess I need to go then. He walked out the door onto the road, the road was packed dirt. The sun shone down brightly on his face, he squinted until his eyes adjusted. Rei lay stretching in the shade nearby, he was jealous. Wish I could rest right now, unfortunately I need to go to the inn for some work. He turned right and went down the brown dirt lane; the lane was empty, no one was on it at the moment. Strolling down the empty road was disconcerting, but not so much as to make him want to go back home. It was most likely his nerves fighting against him. Small houses and huts spread out on either side of him, one of the many streets in his small town. Odd trees littered the landscape, for the few who were willing to water and care for them. A few children roamed the streets, thought it was unusual at this hour. A lone dog lay on a porch, head in its paws, asleep with drool dripping down its mouth. Wisthe grappled with the idea of what he was planning to go and do. He arrived at the blacksmiths shop and walked in. Large bars of iron and bronze lay on the ground with half pieces of various items next to them. He walked to the front and stopped at the counter. He yelled out, “Anyone here?” A small man appeared from under the counter holding a small horseshoe. He spoke, “Can I help you?” Wisthe nodded, “I need to buy a few good knives Jame.” Jame stared for a moment. “What for?” “About two for hunting, one for leather, and one for defense.” “Mighty large order there Wisthe, you planning on going somewhere?” “Yeah, I’m packing up and heading to Coarl.” “Going for an animal partner? I heard that Gedell went for one as well.” Wisthe nodded, “M-hmm, he went just two months ago. Him going is one of the many reasons why I’m planning on leaving.” Jame reached down and grabbed a few boxes and put them on the counter. “Here is our selection of knives. The ones on your left are the hunting knives. The box in the middle holds the knives made for leatherwork. And this box,” he motioned to the smallest box on the right, “holds defensive and offensive knives.” Wisthe dug through choosing a few knives out of the box on the left and center. Jame put those to the side and watched as he looked closely at the last box of blades. He slowly picked out two knives right away. He pulled them out and laid them side by side; they were both sheathed in simple leather with simple steel hilts. He pulled them out of their sheaths and set them down. Both knives were curved with one side sharpened and the other flat. The only difference between the two was the color. The knife on the left was silver; the one on the right was an emerald green. Wisthe lifted up the green knife, “What about this one?” Jame quickly grabbed the knife. “Sorry, but this one’s not for sale. During the forging process foreign chemicals got into the mix and changed the color. The blade is weaker than the other; I can’t sell it to you in good conscious. You can be sure that’s the last time I have a shoe fitting on the same day as anything else.” He thought for a moment. “I know it’s not as strong, but can you sell it to me anyways? I just feel that it fits me just right.” Jame put his hands together for a moment, clasped tightly. “Well,” he said finally. “I can give it to you at a cheaper price because of the color, but I really must insist on the other.” “Thanks for the thought, but I would like the green knife.” Jame sighed, “Alright then, I guess if I can’t stop you then you can have it.” He grabbed the sheath and placed it over the knife with deft smoothness. He grabbed all the knives and set them in a pile in front of Wisthe. “That will be 17 gold pieces.” Wisthe grimaced as he pulled out his purse, “What I pay for necessities.” He turned around and headed to the door. Jame called out behind him, “Just be happy you got the cheapest knife there.” Wisthe smiled, “I am, thanks!” He waved awkwardly with his load and walked out the door. After getting outside Wisthe leaned against the wall and dropped his small pack to the ground. He opened it up and dropped the contents of his arms into the bag. He picked it up and gingerly set it on his shoulder. He walked down the street again, this time at a leisurely pace. He walked for a few moments before turning left at the first intersection. He rounded the corner and immediately walked into the first building he got to. Inside were shelves upon shelves of food and general everyday use items. Wisthe walked to the counter of the mercantile and set his arms on the counter. A young girl sat on a stool reading a small leather-bound book. She looked up as he came in. “Oh Wisthe, I’m so glad you came!” she jumped up and gave him a hug over the counter. Wisthe gulped, “Me too, Jessica.” “Oh Wisthe, I told you to call me Jess.” “Alright, Jess then.” “So what are you here for?” She giggled softly, letting him go from her embrace. Wisthe relaxed slightly, “I need some traveling supplies, I’m goin’ to be gone for a while and I need provisions to last for a month or so.” Jess cried out, “Your going?! Wisthe you can’t leave!” Wisthe tried to calm her down, “I’m not leaving forever, I just want to go to Coarl for a while, that’s all.” “Why?” she sniffled a bit. “Same reason as Gedell.” “That’s a lie and you know it. My brother went for reasons completely different than yours.” “Fine whatever, can you get me the items?” She whirled her head around, “Fine.” She stalked into the back room. Looks like I just carved a heap of trouble I didn’t need. She’s always like this; don’t know why I even bother. Wisthe eased his pack onto the counter. Jess came from the back with an armful of wrapped bundles. She wordlessly dumped them into his pack. “One mark.” He handed it over quietly. Jess put the money in a pouch at her belt and immersed herself back in her book. This trip is going to cause me all kinds of trouble. He turned around and walked out of the building. He walked silently to the end of the street at the edge of town. Large fields stretched far across the landscape. He entered the building there and walked to a man standing in the center of the room. The man turned when Wisthe coughed. “Hey Wisthe, didn’t think I’d see ya’ so soon.” He clasped Wisthe on the shoulders. “Yeah, finally decided that it’s time.” Wisthe moved out from under the large hairy arm. “So what do you have in stock?” “In stock? Not the right choice of words, nevertheless…” He looked thoughtfully into empty space for a few seconds. “Well, I have a nice calm mare you might like, strong, sturdy, and at a reasonable price.” Wisthe breathed out, “Alright let’s see her.” He followed the man into the back door, the door led out to the pasture and fields. Dozens of horses were randomly grazing across the enclosure. The man walked over to a brown mare contently munching on a clump of grass. “Alright, here she is.” Wisthe walked up and inspected the horse. He wasn’t an expert on horses but he knew a few things. The mare had strong legs, came up to his midriff, and looked healthy. He looked up, “She looks like she’ll do fine.” “Okay, I’ll go tally up the price.” He walked into the building. Wisthe followed with a bad feeling in the pit of his wallet. This is really going to cost me. “Alright, with feed, tackle, saddle, it will come out to 16 Vullans.” Wisthe sighed and dumped the contents of his wallet onto the counter. He counted out the money, which was almost all his wallet, and pushed it to him. “Everything seems to be in order; I’ll go and get her ready.” He left, leaving Wisthe standing alone in the middle of the room. Minutes passed by slowly as he stood there twiddling his thumbs and looking at random items in the room. The man entered the room again and walked up to Wisthe. “Y’ need anything else?” Wisthe thought for a moment. “No, I think that’s it.” “Alright then, she’s saddled and tied on the side of the pasture, you can go and get her.” “Thanks.” Wisthe walked out the door and turned to the pasture. There she was, she was tied to a fence post a few feet away. He walked over and rubbed her neck. “Hey girl, how you doin’?” She snorted and shook her head, but let him keep his hand on her neck. “We need a name for you, don’t we? Well…” He thought for a moment. “Ah! I know what to call you; Fei.” She turned her head and stared at him with her large eyes. “Fei, after my cat’s sire.” She rolled her head as if she understood he had named her after a male cat. He untied her and walked her out of the grassy pasture. Wisthe and Fei walked for a few minutes down the semi-empty street. A few more people were about than earlier but it still wasn’t that many. He got to his small home and tied Fei to the side. He unpacked her saddlebags and relieved her of the weight of the saddle. He carried them inside and set them next to the door with a quick and heavy drop. Rei sat on the foot of his bed, she raised her head as she sensed him come closed. He reached down to scratch in between her ears and she rose readily accepting the scratching motions. Wisthe kept scratching for a few seconds before stopping and falling down onto his bed. He still needed to make some last minute arrangements, but he was almost done. He yawned and closed his eyes; he had stayed up late last night thinking about his near future so he was exhausted. Tomorrow he would be able to leave and get out of the town. I will finally be able to go and make something of myself and not be tied down anywhere. These thoughts pervaded his dreams that afternoon.
Wisthe opened his eyes and yawned. He looked over to the side table and grabbed the rest of the loaf of bread, he was starving. He stood up, barely keeping his balance. He walked to his door and opened it, bright rays of sunlight assaulted his vision; he had slept through the afternoon and night and partway into this morning. He heard the neigh of a horse and looked over. Fei stood tied to the house where he had left her. He walked over, “Hey girl, how you doin’?” he patted her neck. She ignored him coldly, not even acknowledging his presence. He gave her a cursory glance, limited as his knowledge was, to see if she was alright; and went back inside. The door slammed shut behind him. He grabbed a new set of clothes and changed into them with a quiet acceptance. Rei pranced by him stealthily watching him for a moment, and then returned to her plate of leftover fish from the day before. He pulled on his boots and stood up walking to the table and grabbing his bags. Wisthe hefted the heavy bags and set them on h is shoulder. He staggered over to the door and pushed it open with his foot. He set them down and grabbed the saddle from behind the door. Putting the saddle onto Fei turned out a difficult feat. Every time he had it in the right spot she shifted so he had to try all over again. Eventually he was able to place the saddle in the right spot and tighten the tangle of buckles and straps. When that was finished he grabbed the packs and put them on Fei. He tied them on securely and made sure nothing poked or prodded into her back. After that was all done he went back into the house. All the familiar sights brought back nostalgic memories. He grabbed Rei off his bed and locked the door shut behind him as he left. He went and untied Fei and clumsily mounted her. After getting situated and finding a good spot for Rei, he turned the direction he was heading. Black thunderclouds were storming farther along in that direction. “Alright,” Wisthe said. “I guess it’s time to go.” He flicked the reigns and started off, away from his life as he knew it.
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Varha
Troubador
Posts: 61
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Post by Varha on Aug 24, 2011 19:22:27 GMT -7
Chapter 2
“Darkness grows, seeds are planted, the new winters snowy passage. One will rise; one will fall, when the hero has done all and all.”
Gedell walked carefully through the crowded streets. Hundreds of people were making their way across this street alone, not even counting the other streets. He had long black hair that trailed down to his waist, many people thought it weird and odd but he found it reassuring and comfortable. His hair was tied into a long ponytail with braids running down its length. He dodged an old man pushing a cart with just barely room to spare. The sun was high in the sky, but the day was not hot because of the man storm clouds hanging overhead. A light drizzle fell from the sky, the warm rain feeling uncomfortable in his current attire. He wore leather boots and a simple work tunic of faded earth tones. Even with the crowded street he quickly got to his destination. He ducked inside with a gasp and leaned against the damp wall for a small moment before entering the doorway. Inside was a large room devoid of furniture. At the end of the room sat a large desk with two women sitting behind it. One looked up as he walked in and stared disdainfully at his damp clothes. “Sir,” her voice was high and very nasal. “If you wish to come in you need to dry yourself off first.” She pointed to a small pile of neatly folded towels on a rack next to the door. “Thanks.” He grabbed a towel and dried off his head with large rubbing motions. After drying his hair and face he wiped down his boots and tunic. After he was reasonably dry he walked up to the desk. “I’m dry now, now let me in.” She scrutinized his clothes, “Name?” “Gedell.” “Alright Gedell, you can go on in.” “Thanks.” He turned and walked in the door on the right. As the door opened a wonderful sight broke into his vision. A large room, two stories tall and ridiculously wide stretched off in both directions. There were thousands upon thousands of books of every shape size and color. Dozens of men and women were reading upon soft cushioned couches. He relished the sight for a second before making his way to the bookshelf directly in front of him. Gedell reached up and grabbed a random book of the shelf, ‘Ancient Legends’. Well, since I need to read something while waiting for Ross I might as well read this. He thought. He sat down and read for a while. About four or five hours later he closed the book and stretched, arching his back to ease the cramps and pains of staying still so long. Just as he was about to stand up, Ross walked in. He strode with a long gait over to him. He sat in the chair opposite with a large flop. “Are you ready?” He sniffled a little, probably a cold. “Yes, I’m ready, more ready than I’ve ever been in my whole life!” Gedell stood up with a springy jump. “Alright, do you know what you need to do?” “I think so.” “Just remember what I taught you and you’ll be fine.” He stood up and led him out of the large room and out of the building. They walked down the street for what seemed an eternity until they got to the stables. They walked in and grabbed their horses. They saddled them and grabbed a pack or two sitting against the wall for them. They mounted and rode out of the stables. Ross grunted, “We are headed to the edge of the Black Wastes, correct boy?” Gedell nodded slowly, then realizing he probably hadn’t seen he quickly added “Yes.” “Okay, they would be,” he looked thoughtfully at the sky for a moment mumbling under his breath, “this way.” He pointed to the northwest. “That’s the direction we need to go.” They tromped off, no farewell from anyone or anything arrived before they left, it was a silent leaving. Occasionally when the person was important enough or rich enough they had a farewell but not him, his family had to stay in the village because his brother was sick. Gedell and Ross trotted along wordlessly for hours on end. They stopped for lunch and to rest to the horses. They sat down and ate bread and cheese, the only fresh food they would be able to have before going to trail rations and jerky. They boiled the jerky to soften it up and to make a stew. Ross ladled out the stew and they ate. Ross took a sip of his stew and set it down. “Gedell.” Gedell stopped in the middle of putting a spoonful into his mouth. “Yeah?” “I need to know that you remember the forms and incantations I taught you. Do you remember them?” “Yes. First I find the one that I wish to test, then I use the spell of seeing to know if whether or not their worthy and able. Then I ask it if it wishes to bond, if the answer is yes I can go on and use the incantation of binding. After that I use the mind-bind to lock us together. If all that is completed successfully I can move on to the final step: using the spell of power to bind us for all life and eternity to share and hold each other’s powers whatsoever they may be.” He stopped talking and took a quick bite. “Correct. Do you remember everything in its entirety?” He watched Gedell with a creepy look. “Yes, I’ve got them down to perfection.” “Alright, then we can go.” “What? But we haven’t even eaten yet!” Ross threw his bowl to Gedell and he caught it while dropping his own stew. His stew fell onto his lap and started to burn. He yelled with surprise; worst part was that Ross’ bowl was empty. Where did he find time to eat that? He stood up and wiped the ingredients of the stew off of him and then walked over to the horses. He put the bowls away while Ross cleaned up the stew. They were off just a few minutes later. Towards sundown they pulled to a stop. Ross looked around at their surroundings carefully. ”This marks the beginning of the Black Wastes; whatever you might see from now on you may test.” Gedell a burst of energy as the words were said, he could finally get a partner! They unsaddled and tied the horses up. An owl hooted in a tree next to them. He grabbed a few branches that had fallen to the ground and threw them in a pile. He lit them carefully and shielded the still growing fire from the slight wind blowing from the east. Ross came over and held two hares in his hands. “These are what we are going to have for dinner tonight, you want to cook?” “Sure.” Gedell grabbed both of the hares and was about to start skinning the first one with a knife out of his pocket when he heard a loud screech cut through the air like a knife through butter. A dark shadow darted out of the air and at him. He jumped back in surprise and dropped the hare’s. The shadow dropped to the ground, picked up one of the hare’s, then flew up into the tree. Gedell looked up at it and realized it was an eagle, and not just any eagle; it was a Blacking Scarred Bird. The Blacking Scarred Birds were extremely rare and had high potent magical energy. Gedell stood up slowly and carefully and motioned Ross to stay still and quiet. He searched his mind for the correct spell, when he found it he mentally prepared himself. With a torrent of adrenaline, he began the sealing process.
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Varha
Troubador
Posts: 61
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Post by Varha on Aug 24, 2011 19:23:04 GMT -7
Chapter 3
“Summer comes when winter passes, all is done by the classes. What goes comes around, memory fogs like a cloud. Red by White, Green for bloom, all this happens before the world is doomed.”
Wisthe trotted along the road, puffs of dust rising behind him as he rode. He whistled softly a tune he remembered from his childhood. The terrain around the road was brush and crab grass. In all directions not a tree was to be seen; neither mountain nor canyon either. Lunch had just passed, and even though he had just ate he was still hungry, but fortunately I will soon arrive at Coarl, then I will be able to get a decent meal. In the distance he could see a large city, Coarl. Either smoke or clouds were in the sky that morning, and he couldn’t think of a reason for it either. I just hope that Gedell is alright, he is supposed to be there. Wisthe put all of the thoughts about the city and his friend out of his mind and continued down the road. Hours passed, and he arrived at the outpost just outside the city. It was a short building made of wood and a stone base. It was a story tall, with no windows and only one door. A handful of horses were hitched to the side and two of them looked like trained warhorses. Along the two tall frightening beasts were one normal grey horse and two small almost pony size horses of pure white. He stared at them in wonder; he had never seen two horses with that white of a coat before. Guess it goes to show you that a few people really care about horses. He stopped next to the building and tied Fei up a bit away from the other horses. He walked up to the door and stopped a moment before putting his hand on the handle. He could hear voices inside. He put his ear up to the door and started to listen. “…should just block it off, it would benefit all of us, and the townspeople as well.” That was a loud gruff voice. A soft voice started to speak; the voice was feminine and filled him with a sense of wonder. “You are mistaken, that will not go over well at all; if we push them to hard to fast they may see it as a sign as another attack, we can’t let them receive the wrong impression at this point.” She went silent. The other voice spoke up, “Arindölê, I don’t think that will work out as well as you think. If we don’t push now, then they we regain their strength and won’t let us make the changes required to save them.” “Yet my opinion is the one that matters, not yours Ross.” Wisthe froze when he realized he recognized the name; it was the name of Gedell’s teacher! He strained his ears harder so he wouldn’t miss a thing. He heard the feminine voice, Arindölê, speak. “You haven’t lived as long as I have. When you live to be as old as me you learn a few things.” Wisthe felt a sneeze start climbing out his nose. Please no, if I sneeze they might hear! The sneeze reached the edge of his nose and darted forth with him unable to stop it. “I ju…” the voice stopped abruptly. “There’s someone out there.” He heard the shuffling of chairs and he began to panic. What could he do? What would happen if they found him here?! Wisthe turned around and heard the door open behind him. A large hand grasped the back of his shirt and hauled him backwards onto the ground. He dizzily shook his head and opened his eyes. A man with sharp black eyes looked down at him. He tried to jump up but the man, the one called Ross, pushed him back down with a shove. “What were you doing you little bastard?!” A look of anger was prominent in his eyes. Wisthe struggled, and the man pushed him back down. “What were you doing?!” He yelled loudly. Wisthe gave up and looked into the man’s eyes. “I heard some people talking in the building, I was curious so I-I decided to listen in…” His last sentence trailed off into a soft incomprehensible murmur. “So who do you work for?” That was the woman, Arindölê. Wisthe looked over at her. She was very tall with long flowing silver hair, not gray for gray was a word that described age; she looked no older than thirty. She wore a long dress that fell to the ground, it was made of fine silk died a forest green. Along the entire surface were designs of flowers and plants that looked so real he felt he could reach out and touch the plants and be able to feel plant tissue. He looked at her sharp eyes and saw they were silver as well, and then he noticed something different. When noticing the eyes he noticed something else, her ears. Her ears were long and pointed; she was an Elf. He stared at her beautiful face and the question she had asked faded out of his mind. Arindölê asked the question again, “Who do you work for?” Her voice was soft and firm. “Work for, what do you mean?” he kept his eyes locked on her face. She stared at him for a moment. “He might be telling the truth.” Ross stared at her blankly, “And why do you say that? For all we know he could be working for them.” The last word was a snarl. She looked closer, “It’s his eyes, his eyes show me his soul, and his soul holds no malice or ill content against us.” She gestured softly and commandingly, “Let him up.” Ross grumbled but let him rise to his feet. Wisthe dusted the front and back of his pants with his pants and rubbed his back. Arindölê motioned him to come inside; he followed her without a thought. She sat at a table, and he sat across from her. “So, who are you?” Her question was demanding yet he never thought of not answering. “I’m Wisthe; I’ve been traveling for a few weeks to get here.” “Why are you here?” “I came to receive training from the bonded; I wish to become one myself.” Here face began to look troubled, “You don’t have any idea about what’s happened here, do you?” He shook his head. “The town is destroyed.” Her bold simple statement shook him. “What do you mean destroyed?” “Exactly what I said, Coarl is destroyed.” She grabbed a goblet in front of her and took a swallow. “Last night an army arrived outside the gates. It was sent here by him to begin the annihilation of mankind. The city was decimated and only a handful survived.” Wisthe’s head shook with shock, How could a whole city be destroyed? He grabbed the gauntlet in front of him and grabbed a bag from one of his pockets. He opened the top and poured the contents of the wine skin into the goblet. As soon as Arindölê saw the liquid she jumped out of her chair. He heard Ross draw a sword as well as curse loudly. Arindölê spoke loudly. ”Fool, do you know what you have done?” Her voice held within it an undercurrent of fear. She backed away even farther from him. “Wine is one of the earthly substances that acts as a gateway and beacon to the Eternal Dark. He could feel his own fear rising within him. “Th-the Eternal Da…” Before he could finish an enormous presence filled the room. He stopped midsentence, unable to twitch a muscle. An absolute silence clouded his hearing, not a sound came to him. Not the wind, not the animals, nothing. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Arindölê clutching a large staff carved with runes in her hands. She shifted slightly, staring at the cup. A small mist was rising from the cup and forming into a large and formidable shape. Instantaneously the mist solidified into a hulk of black armor wielding a gigantic battleaxe. The monster was at least 7’ feet tall; the battleaxe it wielding was as long as he was tall. A fear unlike any other ripped his consciousness into microscopic pieces. Arindölê pointed her staff at the creature and yelled, “<fire>” The creature burst on fire, but started walking towards Wisthe. Ross jumped in front of the beast and a shield appeared in his hand. He pointed and shouted words that he couldn’t hear. The creature was knocked back, falling to the floor in a heap. Arindölê and Ross fell upon the beast in a cannibalistic fury. Within minutes the creature was just pieces of smoking metal on the floor. Arindölê shook her head so her hair would fall behind her back; she was covered in blood. Ross limped over to her, his left arm gone. Wisthe finally felt his will return and he whispered softly. “What was that thing?” Arindölê looked over at him briefly, “Your fault.” He felt anger, “My fault?” She stared daggers at him and he shrunk in on himself. “It’s yo…” She stopped suddenly. “What is it?” She ignored him, and helped Ross limp slowly to the door. “Get out.” He turned where she was staring and saw mist filing the entire room; from wall to wall and floor to ceiling, the mist was everywhere. He stood up and backed out of the building, when he got outside he turned. He saw Arindölê and Ross mounting two of the horses. Wisthe ran over and quickly mounted Fei. He squeezed her sides and she dashed off. Arindölê and Ross slowly pulled ahead of him; he followed for no other reason than he didn’t know where else to go. Fei started galloping faster, as if recognizing their need for speed. Wisthe risked a quick look behind him and immediately wished he hadn’t looked. Hundreds of creatures were following them, those like the suits of armor, gigantic dogs with fangs larger than his arm, and all manner of beasts. He continued galloping, long into the night.
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Varha
Troubador
Posts: 61
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Post by Varha on Aug 24, 2011 19:23:29 GMT -7
Chapter 4
“For many millennia, it was believed that the bond between man and Dragon was singular and unattainable by any other species. But recently, it has been discovered that a bond can be made by a person with magical affinity to any living being, man or beast; but only so long as both parties are willing and able to cast the required spell.”
Gedell raised him arm slowly, calling out loudly with his mind, Come. A sharp feminine voice answered, I come; you safe? He thought loudly, Yes. A loud screech came from overhead and a large black eagle landed on his arm. “How was the hunt?” She sounded pleased. It went well, I caught many mice. “That’s good. Do you think Ross will ever return? He’s been gone so much longer than he said he would that I’m beginning to think he will never come.” She started preening her feathers. I do not know bonded; perhaps he will, or not. “Either way, we’re almost out of supplies so we cannot stay here.” Gedell picked a leaf out of her feathers. Where shall we go, if we can’t stay here then where? He thought for a moment. “Ross said that once a pair bonded was strong enough they could see private tutorship at Coarl. Maybe we should start there.” That will work. “Only problem is I don’t remember which way the town is; I am completely turned around in this forest.” I could fly up above and see what I can see, and then I can come down and relay the information to you. “That’s a great idea; I’ll wait for you here.” I will be gone only a moment bonded. She leaped off his arm and darted high into the sky. Gedell sat down on a stone and drew shapes in the dirt with a long stick he found lying nearby. A few minutes later he heard Yari’s mental gasp. He stood up and looked skyward, watching for her. When she became visible in the sky he held his arm up and she landed on it. “So, what happened?” She briefly ruffled her feathers. While flying above I saw the direction the large place you call Coarl is located. Yet it was not to be; when I saw it I saw something else. A large army was leaving the city with many slaves and captives. They had left the city ruinous wreck behind them. There were many fires and the wood homes were falling to the ground. There was no one left alive that I was able to see. We can no longer go back. For a moment the news didn’t sink in, and then it struck him full on. “So Coarl is…destroyed?” Yes. He put his hands in his head and sat still for a minute. “So,” he raised his head. “There weren’t any survivors, none at all?” There were three I saw galloping away from the city in a hurried gallop upon horses. There were two men and an Elven woman, one of the men was injured. She went silent for a moment as if thinking. The man that was injured was the man you would call Ross. Gedell’s shoulders dropped immensely, “Will he survive?” I am sorry, I do not know. “Can you send me a mental image of him?” I can, but it will have the other two humans in it. “That’s alright.” Within a split second a vision of the large plain outside of Coarl dominated his vision. Racing across the plain on a black warhorse was Ross; he was bleeding heavily on his left leg. Alongside him was an Elven woman with silver hair. He was about to tell Yari to end the memory when he saw something that shocked him. On a brown mare was Wisthe, he was riding hard a little behind the other two. He pulled out of the vision with a shake of his head. “I know the other man, it was Wisthe.” You know him? “Yes, I do. He was, what’s the word, my friend. But we were more than friends; we were so close we could have been brothers. He must have come to find a partner as well and got caught up in this mess.” So what are we going to do bonded? She turned her head at looked at him with her eyes. Gedell cleared his throat, “They were riding away from the city in the direction directly opposite of us. Even with horses we would be hard pressed to catch up with them; and since we don’t have any, we’ll just have to try and find a city nearby here.” Yari transferred her idea to him. Bonded, while I was flying to look for Coarl, I saw an Elven outpost. We could go there if you so wish. I believe they would accept us for the moment if we tell them about the city. Gedell stood still for a moment in absolute silence. He finally spoke, “Alright, I guess that would work. Which way should we go?” Yari pointed her head north, That way bonded. He stood and turned, “Alright, I guess we are going to see the Elves.” He lifted his foot, and was on his way.
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Varha
Troubador
Posts: 61
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Post by Varha on Aug 24, 2011 19:23:58 GMT -7
Chapter 5
“The Dragons of old, the race of legend, and the grand fighters, all were lost. The Dragons were released from service, and eventually leaved the land; few remain in the world of Nogard, home of the Dragon King. Now all that remains is a small band of raiders, carrying with them an egg, an egg that could save Nogard, or sentence it to its doom.”
Jade ran down the hall as fast as she could, she could not be late. Her long hair down her back in long auburn curls. Her tall figure boy her seem boyish at times, but she was never mistaken for a man. On both sides of her passed large statues of dragons and prominent riders sitting on pedestals set into the wall. In front of her an intersection appeared. She immediately took a right and fell after running hard into something. She heard some swearing and she looked up. Sitting in front of her rubbing his head was Ater. Ater looked up at her and shakily got to his feet. His voice was deep and gruff. “Sorry, are you okay?” He reached his hand down to help her to her feet. Jasmine got up on her own, dismissing his hand with a wave of hers. “I’m fine.” She got up and pulled her hair out of her face to keep her from seeming disheveled. “And where are you off to in such a big hurry young lady?” “I don’t think it’s any of your business, sir.” She put a twist on the last word. “Ahh, so it’s one of those kinds of situations huh? Have fun with that.” He gave her a nod, winked at her, and resumed walking down the hall. That couldn’t have been more embarrassing. Jasmine stood up and immediately sped up to a run down the hall. Left, right, right, forward. She mentally kept a list of directions in her head so she wouldn’t have to think about it when she arrived at the turn. This went on for some minutes until she stopped at a large door at the end of a dead end hallway. She took a calming breath and stepped forward. She pushed the large doors open with a shove, barely able to make them move enough to let her through. She slipped in the small opening and closed the door with a push; they closed loudly behind her. In front of her was a large cavern at least a mile across. The walls were glowing an iridescent green; it was the moss that did it. When the moss was moist it released a chain of chemicals that produced the light; and since this cave was constantly moist because of the river above it was always glowing. Even with the moist air it was still swelteringly hot because of the hot springs nearby. I never thought that it would be this hot this time of year. I feel like I’m going to burn like wood. She slowly stepped forward; looking around for the person she knew was there. Someone tapped her shoulder and she jumped. A boy’s voice greeted her. “Sorry Jade, I didn’t mean to scare you.” She turned around and saw that it was just Malin. “You scared me to death, why couldn’t you greet me from the front like a normal person?” He rubbed his hands together, “Sorry, couldn’t help myself.” Jade rolled her eyes, Yeah I bet you couldn’t. Malin was not completely right in the head. He had been living in the hold on Dragon Haven since he was born and he had always been like this. He was a twisted sick soul, who delighted in the cruel and perverse. Everyone who had ever bothered to become close to him had lived to regret for one reason or another. So now everyone kept their distance so that they wouldn’t be his next victim. Jade smiled pleasantly; “It’s alright…” She stopped. “Why are you here?” “The council sent me.” He stood up straight, “They want me to tell you that you may proceed in about…five minutes.” “Five minutes huh? Alright, thanks.” She started tapping her foot rhythmically on the ground. Malin stood by her leaning back and forth, clasping his hands behind his back. Jade looked over at him sourly. “What are you still doing here, shouldn’t you be doing something?” He smiled at her, the smile sent shivers down her spine. “I don’t have anything to do. Plus, I like you, so I figured I’d stay with you for a while.” “I’d prefer you didn’t, and you’re not even allowed any farther.” “True, but I can wait here.” She shook her head. “You need to go.” “I don’t wa-“ “GO!” Jade yelled, feeling anger redden her face and cheeks. Malin’s face looked hurt, he turned and ran away. I had to do it; everyone knows what he does to girls. She looked forward and started walking down through the cave. The green light radiating from the walls heightened her fear and anticipation. Stray rocks and boulders were littered across the ground; even now they were still there though it had been centuries since the cleanup had started. She started whistling quietly to relieve the tension and to help calm her nerves. The light brightened up ahead, and the heat was getting more and more unbearable. She stepped through the small opening in front of her and stepped out onto a brightly lit room filled with sand. In the center of the room was a pool filled with hot water which was fed from underground hot springs. No ceiling was present; it had been carved away for easy access for the dragons. Standing near the edge of the spring were two elders. One was a middle aged woman with graying blonde hair; the other was a bald man a bit on the heavy side. They were both wearing blood red robes that fell to the ground; the insignia of the dragon bonded was stitched into the front and back. The two turned when she entered. The woman spoke, “Welcome Jade, daughter of the honorable Nequam. May you find peace and happiness here whenever you wish solitude.” Jade curtsied slightly, “Thank you.” The man spoke next. “Are you ready for the trial of water?” “Yes.” “Then step forth to the pool.” Jade walked up to the pool and undressed until she was bare to her skin. The woman began to speak. “Enter the pools water and immerse yourself. If ye are worthy an egg will rise from the bed of the water to hatch for you.” Jade stepped into the water. It instantly burned her, hotter than a fire. She bit her lip and grimaced against the pain. It’s just pain, mind over matter. She was up to her waist, and it scalded her every inch of flesh until she felt that it was all burned away. When she got to her neck she quickly dunked her head under the water. She screamed, all air escaping from her lungs and mouth. Jade jumped up and raised her head above the water. She opened her eyes hesitantly, and gasped at what she saw. A small black egg was floating incredibly fast to the surface. Once it reached the surface it started floating to her; she grabbed it hastily. She ran out of the pool as fast as she could. Once she was out she looked down at her arms and legs, they were bright red; her whole body was going to ache later. The female trainer walked up and gave her a towel to dry herself off with. She quickly dried off and wrapped the towel around the egg to keep it warm. She was handed a dark blue robe, she donned it while awkwardly holding the egg and the trainer stepped back. The male trainer walked up to her, “You have succeeded; congratulations.” He handed her a scroll. “Within is the incantations spells and necessary knowledge to bind the hatchling to you.” Jade took it with her free hand. “Thank you very much.” She walked over to a shady spot near the pool and sat down laying the egg near her. She opened the scroll and started quickly scanning it. Partway through the egg rocked slightly. She looked up quickly and laid the scroll on the ground so that she could read it without holding it. A large crack appeared in the egg and she helped pry open the crack. A small snout poked out of the egg. It fell onto the sand with a small choking squeak, its ungainly ugly body showing little of its eventual grace and beauty. Its wings were plastered its black body, the scales shining faintly. Jade looked it in the eyes and it started slowly walking on all fours towards her. She caught it when it got close and she looked down at the scroll. She started speaking and instinctively channeling her will and mind into the little creature while radiating love and safety. When the spell was done she rose cradling the dragonet protectively and started following the trainers. Malin watched from a small crevice, he would get his revenge, he would get her, she couldn’t do this to him. I will have you one day Jade! With tears in his eyes he turned around, grasping a leather bound book, and ran down the hall.
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Varha
Troubador
Posts: 61
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Post by Varha on Aug 24, 2011 19:24:27 GMT -7
Chapter 6
“When water trembles, Fire will rise; when Fire dies, Water triumphs. When they combine, they are ultimate.”
Wisthe fell to the ground and groaned loudly. They had ridden for hours on end, not even stopping for rest. Only when Ross had started to lose consciousness from blood loss had they stopped. The sun was low in the sky, the moon just starting to rise above the horizon. They had stopped next to the edge of the forest near a stand of dead fir trees. He massaged his legs and thighs to try and ease the aches and pains out. He could hear Arindölê ruffling through her saddlebags looking for one thing or another. “…you thinking?” He shook his head. “What?” Arindölê repeated the question. “What were you thinking? You could have gotten us killed!” Wisthe squirmed uncomfortably, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know…” His voice trailed off to a whisper. “Didn’t know!? That doesn’t excuse the fact that because of you Ross is now injured!” “I’m sorry.” He couldn’t think of anything better to say, even though he wished he could say something that would absolve him of all guilt. “Start building camp, I’ll be busy fixing the mess you’ve made of him.” She was most likely talking about Ross. “Yeah, alright.” He stood up wincing and walked to the forest line. He walked around methodically picking up dead twigs and branches; all the while thinking like mad. What have I done? I didn’t to hurt him, but I guess I will have to live with it. What if the blame is put on me, will I be arrested and put in jail or dungeon somewhere? But why were they talking with the door shut, on a day like that the door should have been open. And what was wrong with the city? Why were there plumes of smoke? He picked up another branch. After he had gathered a reasonably sized pile of firewood Wisthe went back to where Arindölê and Ross were. Arindölê had set up two tents, one was his, and the other was presumably either hers or Ross’. She was sitting on a cushion made out of a blanket folded up and set onto a cleared swath of ground. She was reading out of a small pocket sized book. She looked up as he approached. Arindölê’s words were strict and curt. “Start a fire, and then start boiling some water.” Wisthe quietly obeyed her instructions. He grabbed a small pewter kettle set on the ground and he filled it with water out of his water skin. He slowly built up a little fire at set the kettle on top using a metal brace to keep it from actually touching the burning wood. He went over and sat next to Arindölê, she shifted over away from him; it would have been funny if he hadn’t been in such a sour mood. Arindölê went to the kettle and dropped in a pouch of spices; she went over and grabbed three cups out of Wisthe’s pack. “Hey!” She looked at him and he shut up. She walked back over and stuck her finger in the kettle and licked the finger. She nodded in satisfaction and filled the three cups. In one of the cups she dropped some extra spices or herbs. She handed Wisthe his cup and started slowly and carefully pouring the cup with extra spice in it into Ross’ mouth through a small opening left by his lips. She sat down in her first spot and drank delicately from her cup. They sat in silence. Wisthe finally built up the nerve to speak. “What book were you reading?” She turned her head towards him and simply said “Ancient Legends” “So it’s full of ancient legends?” “Yes and no; it’s actually a collection of legends, myths, and prophecies.” “Interesting.” “Humans wouldn’t find it so, even though it was written by one of your kind. And it is not called Ancient Legends, which is a name bestowed by a duke a century ago. Its true name, which was given by the Elves, is Hölindōr’s Message.” “Hölindōr?” “Goddess of life and love, worshiped only by the Elves now; although a thousand years ago she was worshipped universally.” She took a large sip from her cup. Wisthe drained his cup in one large gulp, it was tea. He gagged and spit to the side. Arindölê looked at him with a raised eyebrow that said more than any question could. “I don’t like tea.” Even though she wasn’t convinced by the answer she let it be. Although now that he was done he noticed that the aftertaste was quite delicious, even to him. “So what were those things that were chasing us? Where did they come from?” She set down her cup and turned her body towards him, her face took on a deadly serious tone. “That is not a short story that can be told in its fullness in one night, although I believe you deserve an explanation; if only to keep you from summoning them again. They are the Eternal Dark, infinite and immortal. They are without number, and every one stronger than most humans that do not possess magic. They come in all shapes and forms as you saw for yourself, fortunately for us they cannot travel far from their place of summoning otherwise we would be dead.” She cleared her throat, “They were able to appear because of the ale you had on your person. There is a chemical in fermented alcohols that they can use to create a portal; they can then travel to them and from them.” “Why did they come?” His curiosity was piqued. “Someone sent them, the Emperor of Darkness; even though he is known by many other names I will not utter them here. He was once an Elf of high status; he was the firstborn son of the brother of the king. His being an Elf has given him long life, so has his dark bindings and absorbing and a pair of bonded.” “You mean he killed people who bonded to different creatures?” He couldn’t believe it. “Yes he did, though no longer. Eight hundred and fifty nine years ago three mages banded together and studied spells forbidden by the Emperor of Darkness. They then snuck into his palace and challenged him; they wounded him and sealed away his powers. Then they were able to perform a spell that transferred his palace to an island so far away he could not make it back here without his powers. So now he uses the Eternal Dark as his minions to do his bidding to attack and destroy men and Elves alike. If he is able to destroy enough of both his powers will return.” Wisthe absorbed the new information. “But why would killing us give him his powers?” “For two reasons, four if you want to get technical. First is that the descendants of the three mages are what are keeping his bonds in place, if he kills them he breaks free. Second, the chosen one, one that is loosely related to him possesses the power to destroy him utterly.” “That makes sense. Who are the descendants; does anyone know who they are?” “No, their identities have been lost in time.” “So do you know who his relative is?” “The Chosen One? No, their identity is unknown as well.” “Chosen One?” Wisthe coughed. “One chosen by time and destiny itself to destroy evil. When he is made known many things will happen in a space of a few days. He will bond with one marked with the sacred seal and will be branded with the royal crest.” “How come I have never heard any of this before?” “It has been discredited by your higher institutions of learning.” She sighed, “The only human city that had it was Coarl, now only the Elves possess it.” She stood up, “Now, since I have enlightened your sense of knowledge you get Ross to the tent and clean up.” “Wait what?” he grumbled as she went into her tent. He thought without restraint. I guess I had that one coming. He grabbed Ross underneath the arms and dragged him to the tent designated for their use. He pushed him inside and covered him with blankets and made sure no sticks or branches were sticking into his side. He unlaced his boots and threw them into the corner. Pulling the cord he let the flaps fall shut and he tied them together. He lay down and stared up at the ceiling of the tent, tracing the intricate curves and weavings of the rough canvas. He had been given a lot to think about today, along with a myriad of bruises and cuts to go along with it. He closed his eyes, and let sleep overtake him.
A large black dragon flew across the sky spewing large flames of orange red fire. All around him were thousands of men, elves, and Eternal Dark locked in battle. He was sitting on a large white warhorse, a large shadow next to his side. He spoke to it, and heard it speak back but couldn’t understand what it said. He turned and rushed forward, letting himself fly forward on the wind into the mesh of bodies and darkness. He slashed with his sword and killed many beings. Blood splattered on his face and he ignored it; behind came a large battalion. Men around him looked to him with admiration and wonder. They fought to protect him, even though very few were actually able to help. A thought popped into his head and he jumped off of his horse. He drew a short sword belted to his waist and he started killing more and more. This went on for hours though the sun above him didn’t move at all, which suggested that it hadn’t been that long. He looked up and saw the dragon flying unharmed. He felt a large blow to his side and saw the dragon fly down to him with a roar. A woman jumped off its back and rushed to him, as she did he saw a large Eternal Dark rush towards her, he tried to speak but no words would come. She got over to him, and he…
Wisthe woke up that morning, eyes weary and bloodshot. His dreams the night before had taken away any benefits sleep might have brought. He shook his head as he stretched his arms, those dreams were the worst he’d had in a while. Ross stirred next to him and opened his eyes and looked at him. “Who are you and what am I doing here?” his voice was strained and tired. Wisthe thought for a moment, trying to find the right words to say. “I’m Wisthe; I met with you and Arindölê yesterday. I was going to go to Coarl to get an animal partner but that plan was shot down before it could even start.” “You’re uhh…” His eyes opened wide in recognition. “You’re that brat who was eavesdropping!” “Yeah, I am.” Ross pushed himself to a sitting position. “Where are we?” “Few hours out of Coarl; you went unconscious during the ride.” Wisthe rubbed his eyes groggily trying to push the sleep out of them. He pulled the blanket off of him and stood up. He pushed his way out of the tent and stumbled into the light; Wisthe followed suit. Ross stood high with his face to the sun; he walked over to Arindölê’s tent and spoke out. “Arindölê, are you in there? “ “Come in.” Her voice was high and didn’t have any morning roughness. Wisthe started to walk in but Arindölê talked to him first, “Not you Wisthe.” The flap closed and left Wisthe standing there alone in the open. Wisthe walked to his pack and grabbed a new change of clothes. He started changing while trying to listen in on the conversation happening in the tent. Arindölê’s voice rose and fell rhythmically but too quiet for him to hear. He could easily hear Ross’ replies. “So what are we going to do with him then?” “…Proba…wi…s” “…would make sense, but are you sure?” His shadow showed through the tent, he was standing over Arindölê while she sat on the ground. “I…su...don...see any…to.” She stood up. Wisthe pulled his shirt over his head and wriggled it into place. He reached down and grabbed his pair of boots and shoved his feet into them. Ross started speaking again. “…because he wanted an animal partner. Is that what he said to you?” “…ts…ue” She walked to the door. “…to go.” Arindölê walked out of her tent, with Ross following behind. She was wearing a long green dress that fell to mid shin and had pleats in it. Floral patterns were embroidered upon every surface. The top of the dress buttoned up to the neck, with a small cutout revealing a little of her cleavage. Her hair was tied into a bun, with a bit of it falling straight down as if she wanted both bun and untied; and perhaps she did. She looked at Wisthe, “Good morning to you, may Hölindōr grant you joy on this day.” She walked over to the horses and grabbed a biscuit out of her saddlebag. “What?” Ross walked over to him, “Elven goddess, use it in everyday life in everything from hello to goodnight. Earlier you learn that the better off you’ll be.” He walked over to Arindölê’s tent and started pulling it down. “Yeah, sure.” “We’ve come to a decision.” He started folding the rods of the tent into the fabric so it would be a manageable size. “About what?” Wisthe tried to piece that together with what he had heard but he couldn’t. “We will allow you to travel with us if you wish.” Wisthe started to speak but Ross cut him off. “On one condition, you do the physical labor, with my injured leg I won’t be able to do much, if any of the work needed to make camp.” Wisthe thought it over for a split second. “Alright, I’ll do it.” He knew what he was doing. What if I’m attacked again, it would be good to have someone like him with me. “Good, then go and put away your tent and make breakfast.” He pointed to the tent he had been in earlier with him. “Alright.” Wisthe went about his task without thinking; fold, crease, collapse, etc. When he was done he took his tent and secured it in its spot in his saddlebags. After making sure it was securely tightened he walked over to where Ross was sitting. He sat down next to him and put his elbows on his knees and put his head in his hands. “So,” he said. “You were helping Gedell weren’t you?” Ross looked up with surprise. “Yes, how do you know that?” He looked at Wisthe intently. “Gedell lived in my village with me, we grew up together. When he left for Coarl it was an unexpected journey no one was expecting. As soon as he left I started saving my money and studying about it when I could. I had just finished saving up a few weeks ago so I came after him. Apparently I came too late; since the city was destroyed I lost all chance of getting a partner.” Wisthe sighed, “Guess he’s the lucky one.” Ross looked over at him, “So that’s how you know him, eh? He did speak of leaving a friend back at Kelec, never thought I would meet that person in the flesh.” He crossed his legs and pulled a pipe out of his pocket. He grabbed a flint and lit it, he sat puffing it. “So you went to Coarl for a bond?” Wisthe quickly answered enthusiastically “Yes.” “Well, what do you know about it?” “I know a lot; whenever I was able I read books and studied it. I know most of the spells and bindings needed to get a partner.” “What spells do you know?” “I know the spell of seeing, incantation of binding, and the mind bind. I was never able to learn the final one. It isn’t mentioned very often anywhere.” “As well it shouldn’t; that is done on purpose. We don’t want anyone going out and trying it on their own without proper supervision.” “Makes sense.” “Yes. You seem to know a lot, if you correctly know the first few spells I can teach you the last; it is fairly simple to learn.” “Really!? That’s great!” Wisthe’s eyes burned with a high intensity, “So what is it?” “You need to recite the spells first; begin.” Wisthe quickly recited the spells, incantations, and bindings. He took a deep breath when he was done. That took a while, he thought. Hope that was right, otherwise I learned all of it for nothing. “That was good, good enough to work. As promised I will teach you the final spell.” Ross leaned down and looked at Wisthe with his eyes staring coldly at him. “You must promise to never teach this to anyone else without permission from the council and to never use it without someone else there.” “I promise!” “Alright, here is the spell.” Ross spoke concerning the intricacies and mechanics of the spell. He then went over the words of power, and had Wisthe repeat them word for word. After all of this was done Ross stood up. “You know enough, I don’t know how you got access to the books but you know enough to pass.” “Great!” “So how did you learn all of them?” “My mother had a small library and that was one of the subjects they contained.” “Pretty in detail library.” “Yeah, she was a storyteller so she had to know bits and pieces of everything; she taught me most of what she knew before she died, that’s how I learned.” Wisthe coughed loudly, he pounded his chest until he got better. Ross started mumbling under his breath, “But how did she get those?” Wisthe asked “What?” “Nothing, nothing.” He stood up, “Ah, there’s Arindölê; Wisthe why don’t you go over and offer her your services before we leave camp.” Wisthe stood up and walked over to Arindölê, she looked at him. “Yes?” “Ross wanted me to ask if you needed any help.” “I am perfectly fine thank you very much. Only thing you could do is to secure anything near the fire, and then we’ll be ready to go.” She walked away curtly. Alright, that was weird. He walked over and quickly cleaned up the mess and put it away. Within minutes they were on their horses and trotting away. They went at a slow pace; Wisthe gazed out over the landscape with single-mindedness. They went on for about three-quarters of an hour before anything happened. Wisthe’s horse started to nervously toss its head around, refusing to go forward. “What’s the matter girl?” He patted her on the neck. Ross called back, “What’s the matter?” “Horse is spooked; I’ll catch up with you later.” “Alright.” Ross galloped to Arindölê and they crossed a fallen tree and out of sight. Immediately a large shadow jumped from the tree line and lunged at him like an arrow. His horse reared high up and tossed him from its back. Cursing he put his arm down to protect his face from the fall. He landed with a thump, the impact jarred his senses. He looked up and saw his horse lying on the ground struggling to get up. Biting and clawing away at Wisthe’s mare was a large wolf; the wolf was nearly as big as the horse and was pure muscle. Its black and white pepper spotted fur was matted with red blood. It turned when he looked and stared at him with cold black eyes. On its forehead was a distinct shape, a globe of white surrounded by two crescent moons. It pulled back its lips and snarled, blood dripping from its teeth. Wisthe racked away at his brain for anything he could do. No thoughts came to his head. What can I do? No matter what I do it will get me! Eventually he did the only thing he could do; He started to spells and incantations, he bonded the wolf, bonded it as his animal partner.
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Varha
Troubador
Posts: 61
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Post by Varha on Aug 24, 2011 19:24:57 GMT -7
Chapter 7
“When water trembles, Fire will rise; when Fire dies, Water triumphs. When they combine, they are ultimate.”
He pulled the needle out carefully; making sure that not a drop of it touched his skin. The black liquid dripped onto the wool cloth beneath it, sizzling and burning through it. At last I will get what I was promised. He smiled; this poison would do the job. The poison was called Potrin, it was highly dangerous. When it comes into contact with anything that is living or once was it burns through it like a highly acidic acid. When the poison touched wood or stone it had no effect whatsoever. Malin positioned the needle over the cup and let it drop slowly in and dry. When the king and queen next had their drink this would be in store for them. When the drink was poured it would mix with the dried Potrin and make the liquid an acid that would eat away at living flesh. So that when they drank they would be eaten alive from the inside; it was the perfect crime. He dropped the needle into the can near him and kicked it back into place. He grabbed the two goblets and put them onto a tray, he covered them with a silk covering. He walked backwards slowly, and turned around. Walking out of the room proved simple, almost as simple as planning the murder. Only problem with this plan was the extremely large and ridiculous amount the poison cost. He walked down the hall and into the banquet hall. There were dozens of people rushing about doing meaningless tasks for the upcoming dinner. The hall was long, able to feed all riders at the same time. Large fireplaces lined the walls for warmth in winter, and large chandeliers hung from the ceiling by chains. Scullery maids ran to and fro, most cleaning. There was a maid on every fireplace and three for every chandelier. Apparently they had been working for hours to prepare for the queen’s birthday. The cupbearer rushed past him into the kitchen storage room; he would clean and prepare the goblets. Unfortunately for him the poison could not be cleaned off, it would be hard to notice in the clear coat it had fallen in; it almost looked like it was already gleaming and clean. Then the bearer would serve the cups and would be blamed for the death of the king and queen, leaving him completely free of blame and guilt. He walked into the banquet hall and sat down at a table near the door. He pulled out his notebook from his pocket along with a quill and ink. He uncapped the ink, dipped the quill, and opened the notebook. The notebook was about two fingers thick, half of which had been written in. It was his notebook, where he wrote down all of his secrets, desires, and wishes. Here is where he revealed everything he had ever done and planned to do. He never let it go and always kept it on his person; he couldn’t risk someone else finding it. He set the quill to the page and started writing.
‘I got very close today, so close I could have reached out and touched her. I don’t know why I didn’t, maybe it was the atmosphere. Whatever the reason my feelings for her just grew stronger. My love has escalated even more than it was earlier. Some people would call what I did today peeping, I call it research. I loved almost every moment of it, except for two in particular. How could she brush me off like that? Just like everyone else does? Oh the pain I felt when she told me to go, I couldn’t bear it, it hurt me so badly I had to leave, crying. How could she get an egg and not me? I deserve it! When the egg rose to the surface for her I wanted to scream! I deserved is more than she did! Why didn’t it rise when I went? And why did she get a cool looking black one?! I am so jealous. But I have a plan, the plan is ingenious and I was surprised I came up with it myself. I am going to get a dragon, one way or another. I am going to kill them, kill them both. Hurt everyone just like they hurt me; hurt them so hard that they wished they would have treated me better! When the king and queen die, I will have the opening required to steal an egg. An egg I can force to bond with me, then I’ll have my own dragon, then Jade will finally recognize me, then she’ll finally be mine. And when my dragon is grown, I can become the king! No one will stop me, no one! Then Jade will be mine, then she will have no choice but to acknowledge me! May this day mark my glorious rise to triumph and power, may history remember this as the day Malin of Dragonhaven became ruler of heaven, hell, and earth itself!’
Malin set the quill down with a sigh and shook his hand to get the cramp out. Reaching into the pouch he grabbed a pinch and dashed it onto the page so he could close the book and not smear the ink. He put the stopper in the ink, put the pen and ink away, stowed away his notebook, and stood up slowly. He brushed against a serving maid and apologized with quick sorry. He strode out of the hall and walked down until he reached his room; all the while thinking quickly. I’ll get her someday, someday… He opened his door and closed it securely behind him. He locked the deadlock and placed the chain, he checked every space quickly in his room to make sure no one was hiding, and when satisfied no one was, he sat down on a small chair. The room was small, only enough room for a bed, a chest for clothes, and a small writing desk. He pulled the chest over with his hand. He lifted it up and felt underneath until he heard an audible click. He set it down and pulled the bottom out like a drawer, it was a false bottom. He placed his notebook in there and pushed it shut, hearing it shift to a locked position. He pushed the chest back and leaned back in the chair, onto the back two legs. He set his feet onto the writing desk, making sure not to push the small pile of papers off. Now all I have to do is wait, wait until the feast begins. He sat in thought until he heard a large bell ring throughout the walls. He stood up and stretched slightly, it was time to go. He walked over and opened the chest, retrieving it and placing it in his pocket. He put the chest back in its spot against the wall. Malin unlocked the bolt and chain and opened the door slowly. He slipped through the small opening and closed the door behind him. He walked away from his room and to the banquet hall, a crowd slowly converging into the corridor. By the time he reached the doorway to the hall there were so many people he felt he was going to explode. Why can’t the bastards take another path? Their bothering me! He entered the hall and took in his surroundings quickly; he might have been in awe, but his plan kept him from feeling anything. Light created from magic lit the chandeliers, illuminating the hall almost as good as daylight. Giant fires roared in most, if not all, of the fireplaces and there were meats of every kind roasting and sizzling above all of them. There were hundreds of people crowding long tables set close together. They were reveling and laughing, many of them were drunk. At the end of the hall on a raised table sat the king, the queen, and the senior rank leaders’ representative of their respective ranks. The king and his wife were just receiving their first plates of food, and were currently having their goblets filled. Malin grinned in delight; they were going to drink the poisoned goblets! He followed the crowd to a table and sat down. He automatically had his cup filled and a plate of food set in front of him. The meat was sizzling in fat and grease, and he pushed it away in disgust. A few people gave him odd looks, he wasn’t supposed to be here he was too low a rank, but they all kept silent; they all knew better than to mess with him. He looked up and avidly watched the king raise his voice. The king stood up and motioned everyone to be quiet. His voice boomed over the tables, “Well, you all know why we’re here; today is my wife’s, the queen’s, birthday. I propose a toast, to the queen!” Everyone raised their glasses and yelled, “The queen!” There were glasses clinking and everyone downed their drinks; including the king and queen. Malin started laughing maniacally. The few people still sober looked at him before going back to their drinks; they probably thought he was drunk. He grabbed an apple from off the table and took a big bite, the juices running down his chin. Today is a great day; and the plan worked. They are all fools to fall for such a simple act. There was a commotion and the entire hall went silent. He looked up and saw that the king and queen had dark red color on their faces. They fell to the table and started gurgling and trying to speak. All that came out of their mouths was blood. They tried to get back up but they fell to the floor; and stayed silent, forever. A woman screamed and everyone rushed up to try and help their king and queen. Malin laughed, It worked, and no one suspects a thing. He stood up and left the hall behind him. Today is the day that I become God!
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Varha
Troubador
Posts: 61
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Post by Varha on Aug 24, 2011 19:25:23 GMT -7
Chapter 8
“Elven kind did spread across the planet power rising and knowledge growing, until one of their own came forth and used their power against them.”
Yari picked up her food and slid it down her gullet, not even bothering to rip the meat with her beak. Gedell watched in fascination, he still couldn’t believe she ate like that. And you never will bonded; it is something you humans never do. She finished gulping the food. “Yeah, yeah. I’m jealous you can read my thoughts but I can’t read yours.” You just need practice; it doesn’t come naturally to humans. She looked at him with what could have been a smile, if she were able to that is. “I’ll get it eventually, don’t you worry about that.” He ripped the meat of the stick he had been cooking it on and shoved it in his mouth. I’m sure you will. You done eating yet? She swiveled her head to look at him, then started preening her feathers. “Soon, we humans can’t eat as fast as you can; we prefer to enjoy our food before devouring it.” He took another large bite and swallowed, the hot grease dripping down his chin and onto the ground beneath him. “You should know that by now.” Oh, I am learning bonded; I am learning. She finished preening and looked back at Gedell. “Okay, ready.” He stood up, dropping the excess meat to the ground for the creatures of the forest to find later. He picked his pack from off the ground and strung it across his shoulders. “Yari, ready to go?” As always, yes. She flapped her wings and landed on his shoulder, where he had extra thick padding so her talons wouldn’t pierce the skin. Gedell started walking down the path, the sun high in the sky. The woods were dark and the trees were failing. A dark somber mood fell over him, contrasting his light mood while eating earlier. He walked quickly and silently across the forest floor, trying to be as quiet as possible. He glanced furtively at every sound and scurry; he didn’t know why, but he felt a sense of foreboding in the air. He pushed through a particularly thick patch of bushes and came into a large clearing. A large black tree was growing in the center, surrounded by nothing but dirt. He stopped and stared, he could feel Yari’s uneasiness as well. He approached carefully, nothing appeared out of the branches to attack him, it was safe. “Odd tree.” Yes, but that’s not all; I think someone is here. Someone’s here? “That can’t be good.” He stepped towards the tree and placed his hand upon the trunk. Immediately he felt the cold steel of a blade against his neck. A light voice spoke, but it held authority. “What are you doing here?” The voice sounded almost venomous, although it was clearer than a bell. “Speak or I will kill you!” Gedell projected his thoughts. Yari, who or what is it? The person pushed him hard against the tree, keeping the knife at his throat. “Don’t contact her, or we will kill her as well.” He knew?! How could he hear me project my thoughts? Gedell coughed slightly, “I was traveling.” “Why?” “I was at Coarl and needed to escape the slaughter, so I came here with my bonded.” The person was quiet. “I guess it is true, your bird says what you are saying is true.” “You talked to her?!” He was surprised. “Simple, you humans know nothing of nature.” You humans? Gedell thought. He felt the steel remove itself from his neck. He turned around slowly and looked at his attacker. He was immediately astonished; before him stood an Elf! The Elf was tall and muscular; he, or he thought so, was about as tall as he was. He was garbed in green and brown from head to toe, embroidered with natural forms and shapes. His hair fell down to his waist in long golden strands, not a hair was out of place. Strapped onto his back was a short bow, along with dozens of arrows. “You’re an Elf!” “And you humans state the obvious. Why are you entering the sacred Grove of Death?” “Grove of Death, do you mean this grove here?” “Yes.” “I didn’t know it was sacred, sorry.” Gedell averted his eyes. The Elf looked over at Yari and was silent. “You speak the truth; tell me what happened.” Gedell went to open his mouth but the Elf silenced him. “Not here, follow me.” The elf walked into the dense foliage and forced Gedell to follow or risk offending him. They stopped half a dozen paces in, the Elf turned around and looked at him. “You’re name?” “Gedell of Kelec Village.” “I am Yexes born of the ancient city of Virinia; may Hölindôr the Nature Mother grant you great fortune.” He bowed low, putting his arm against his chest. “Forgive my rude greeting but I did not know you meant no harm.” Gedell stood awkwardly, “Yeah, its fine; no problem.” “And my apologies to you, Yari.” He knows your name? Gedell asked. Yari replied, He asked me so I told him; it’s that simple. “Gedell, are you headed in anywhere particular?” “No, not really; I’m just heading away from Coarl.” He shrugged. “Then follow me, I will take you to our city near here. We can discuss matters more deeply once we are there.” He gestured, and swiftly walked away. Gedell followed as fast as he could, he was running at a full sprint and he still wasn’t able to catch up to the Elf. Yari flew ahead of him when he got lost, and the Elf stopped often to let him catch up. By the time the trees started clearing Gedell’s clothes were soaked through completely with sweat, his face was flushed and he was breathing heavily through his mouth. Yexes the Elf stood with his arms crossed waiting patiently, he didn’t seem like he was tired at all; he probably wasn’t. “Humans while going so fast in life can go so slow; you need to tone your body.” “Yeah,” gasp. “Thanks a lot. Why do you go so fast?” He took another deep breath. “Fast? You were going slow young human; even our young can run swifter than you can.” He made it a statement, but it still sounded like an insult, albeit a disguised one. “We’re here.” “Here, where is here?!” Gedell waved his arms in the air, pointing to trees and bushes. “All I see is nature, nature, and even more nature!” “Then you do not see close enough young one. Look not upon the surface but beneath.” “What do you mean by that?!” “I meant what I said and what I said I meant. You need only to look beneath.” “Beneath what?!” Gedell yelled. “Do not use your minds eye, but your heart.” “SHUT UP!” “As you wish.” Bonded, do you not see? “See what?” See what is around you. She landed on his shoulder. Gedell projected his thoughts as a sarcastic yell, You’re doing it too? Great! Bonded, her thoughts were soft and comforting. Look through my eyes. Yari projected her vision into his head and Gedell recoiled in recognition. What had been forest moments before now became a large town filled with bustling people moving silently and unseen through the trees. His vision returned back to normal and he shook his head, clearing his eyes and thoughts. “Yexes, I-I’m sorry.” “I understand young one.” He gestured to his side. “This way.” He led Gedell through the small path that constituted the roads in this village. They walked in silence until they reached a small wooden hut, only a few feet by a few feet. “Are we going in there? It seems kind of small.” “See not on the surface.” “So you tell me.” Yexes opened the door and Gedell felt his mouth drop in astonishment. Large halls filled with trees and statues stretched down along his sight. He looked at Yexes, “But how?” “The same as the rest of our town, through careful planning and manipulation over many, many years.” He spread his arms to either side, “Welcome to the hall of the sages.” A large smile spread across his face.”Do you enjoy what you see?” Gedell nodded, “Yes, yes…” Interesting, isn’t it bonded? Gedell answered her, Yes. I cannot believe the Elves can do this so easily when humans can’t. Yexes answered him. “It makes sense. We Elves live much longer than you humans. By the time a human begins to think of his future posterity he is too old to do anything about it.” “Yeah, I guess so.” “Now follow me.” “How far are we going? How much longer are we going to walk?” He groaned. “Worry not young one, we are almost there. For today I am taking you someplace special; I am taking you to the head of the Sage Resistance.” He motioned, and led the way; led the way to the future, and destiny.
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Varha
Troubador
Posts: 61
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Post by Varha on Aug 24, 2011 19:25:51 GMT -7
Part 2
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Varha
Troubador
Posts: 61
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Post by Varha on Aug 24, 2011 19:26:18 GMT -7
Chapter 9
“The age of man is fallen, the day of foreign power will leave the land, when the one prophesied comes forth, and then shall there be much rejoicing among the people, yet a span of hands worth of men shall tremble in anguish.”
Jaryd wiped down his sword with the soft cloth rhythmically, letting its shiny metallic surface calm him into a stupor. Even with all of the loud noises around him he was calm and controlled the complete opposite of the world he was immersed in. He was wearing dirty work clothes that looked more like rags than anything else; his hair was greasy and unruly, and he looked as if he hadn’t washed in weeks. He was sitting on a small wooden chair out on a field of dead grass. Hundreds of tents spread in every direction, some large and some small, but all were durable. Thousands of people scurried about their duties and chores; maids cleaning, cooks cooking, and soldiers practicing forms. He sighed and slid his sword into its sheath, letting the warm leather hold the weapon at his shoulder. He stood and dropped the rag to the ground, wiping his hands on the front of his pants. He pushed the stool to the edge of a tent and walked down the small isle created by the closeness of the tents. Smells from humans and animals alike mixed together to create a disgusting aroma that permeated the air assaulting the nostrils. The latrine passed by on his left, strong smells wafting on the warm breeze. A group of washing woman walked past him and he waved, smiling. They pointed at him and laughed as they passed by him. He started whistling softly, a tune he had learned in the early parts of his marriage back when Robin had been alive. He stopped whistling as strong emotions and memories threatened to overwhelm him. Even though she had been gone these twenty long years he still missed her deeply. He would never forget the last words he ever said to her.
Jaryd opened his eyes, letting the peace and quiet of the moment wash over him. Robin lay on his arm, she looked up at him and smiled. She gave him a quick kiss. “How are you doing Jaryd?” She smiled, the smile sending warm shivers up his spine, warming his heart. “Very well, thanks to you.” He smiled back at her. “Oh, you tease!” She swatted him with a playful slap to the shoulder. “Are you ready to go today? We don’t have very much time to get ready.” The smile slipped off her face, a small frown encroaching. Oh god, but how beautiful she looked. “I can’t help it; we’re in trouble if we don’t. It’s natural for me to think about today of all days.” “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.” Jaryd slipped out of bed, standing up with a slight bounce in his step. He grabbed his shirt off the ground and started pulling it on, the rough fabric dragging against his skin. Robin looked up at him with her large eyes, “Do you have to get up so early? Stay in bed.” “Sorry dear, but I can’t; I need to get our things ready.” “Fine,” She sat up and pushed herself off the side of the bed. “Let’s get this over with.” They started grabbing anything and everything they could get their hands on and piling it neatly to the side of the table. Soon they had a large pile of random items; they sorted them and started shoving them into the bottom of leather and cloth bags. Within minutes everything from their whole life was stored in five packs. Jaryd wiped his forehead, “Finally done” “Tired by that? You’ve gotten lazy.” “You know that’s a lie.” “Whatever you say.” She smiled devilishly and he felt his heart beat faster in his chest. They leaned in close, and started sharing a kiss. A loud knock on the door stopped what could have been their last romantic moment. The door was kicked open and four large men armed to the bone strode in. The one in the front of them, the one with the largest muscles he noted, walked up to them. The man cleared his throat, “You didn’t leave by the allotted time, all your possessions are now property of the emperor.” Jaryd walked up to him, “What do you mean; we were told we did not need to leave until midday. There has to be some kind of mistake here.” “Are you speaking back to me vermin?” He put his hand threateningly on the hilt of his sword. “No, I’m just saying we have been promised more time than what you’ve given us.” “The man stalked up to his face and drew his knife. “You want to say that again?” “We have more time, we are entitled to it.” The man kneed him in the gut, he doubled over gasping loudly. The other men came over and pulled him up, he was kicked and punched. Robin screamed, “NO!” The leader looked over at her, and started his way across the room. Jaryd felt his heart stop. “No, leave her alone!” He felt them kick him again, and he felt his consciousness begin to fade. Robin, no… He closed his eyes, and left his old life forever on with that one thought.
Jaryd blinked, trying to stop the tears from forming, he had vowed he would not make himself relive that day; looks like he had failed at that again. He stepped to the side and walked into a tent with a long golden flag of a hand giving the flag of peace to another; he let the flap close behind him. Seven or so men and women stood gathered around a table, talking quickly and silently while pointing at spots on a large map. They turned when he came in and then went back to their silent discussion, not even caring that he had entered. A slim young woman walked over to him and offered him a cup of wine, he waved her away and she retreated back behind a cloth screen; she was most likely a slave owned by one of the high ranking officers. He wiped his brow and stood tapping his foot for a while. When an old man with graying hair looked over at him he straightened. “Hey, Jaryd, come on over!” He smiled and beckoned him forward. Jaryd went over to the table and glared at the map. It was representative of the southern continent of Nogard. Apparently they were planning their next strike against the emperor. “What do we have here?” The old man spoke, “We have evidence that the Elves would be willing to help us against the emperor. Two days before Coarl fell to the enemy army, an Elf was seen boarding at the Silver Fox in the richer part of town. We looked into it and were able to get her name. Arindölê, she is a high ranking official, an ambassador, and has royal blood. If we could find her, we might be able to have her help us convince the Elves to help us in the attack against him.” The old man took a deep breath after his short speech. “Which Elves?” A woman with long blonde hair answered him, “That’s the problem. Unfortunately the only ones that are currently fighting the emperor are the Fallen Elves.” “That means if we ask for their help the High Elves and most of the others won’t be willing to help us.” Jaryd realized why they had been deliberating so heatedly that they had ignored him for almost half an hour. “We’d ask for the Dark Elves help, but they are currently under attack by the offworlders; they wouldn’t be able to help us even if they wanted to.” Jaryd thought for a moment, What can we do? Could we…No, that isn’t… It might work. “I have an idea; the Wood Elves are more amenable to listening to reason. Perhaps we could convince them to join with us and the Fallen Elves just for a single battle against the Emperor, with our combined forces we just might be able to beat him back just long enough for our mages to get in and destroy him for good.” The others deliberated amongst themselves. The old man spoke, “It has merit, but who would be able to convince them to go through with this plan? And who could say we can even get all of us over to the island? Our mages might not have enough power. Unless the Elves bring their own mages this plan is nigh on impossible.” “That is true, but it’s a risk that we have to take.” The woman spoke, “That’s all well and good but who would go?” Jaryd cleared his throat with a cough. “I’ll go; I’m a low enough rank that the army can get by without me but high enough that the Elves would listen to my suggestions.” “You can’t go, what if you are attacked?!” “Again, that’s a risk I need to take.” He ran his fingers through his hair nervously. He might not show it but he was so nervous he was almost shaking. “We would need to send an honor guard with you; it’s just too dangerous to have you go on your own.” The old man proffered. “That would work; perhaps thirty?” The woman had a look of horror, “Only thirty? That’s suicide!” “Yes it is; but any more and it takes away from the army and is too large to be effective.” They all looked at each other and sighed. “Fine,” The old man said. “You can do it.” “That’s good, who will be going with me? Which squad can I take?” The woman, he now realized in her early thirties, waved the young slave girl over. The girl ran off and left the tent in a hurry. The woman looked at him, “Jane will take care of it.” Jane? Jaryd thought, something is going on there. “Alright.” The old man grabbed a goblet and drained it, “Alright then, I guess it’s settled. Tomorrow you leave; tomorrow you leave to the Elves.” At the end of that Jaryd felt as if his future had just been sealed, for better or for worse. He was now, utterly, and completely committed.
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Varha
Troubador
Posts: 61
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Post by Varha on Aug 24, 2011 19:26:41 GMT -7
Chapter 10
“One chooses to take fall, to go down for the all. He will rise when weak ones slanted, all this done in a passage. When the world is in peril, he will be the herald.”
Wisthe felt his strength ebb out of him, most likely an after effect of the binding spell. The wolf lay incapacitated at his side, along with Fei and Rei. The horse was twitching, blood and entrails leaking from her belly. The cat was hiding behind him, hissing at the wolf. He still couldn’t believe what he had done just minutes before. Immediately after starting the spell the wolf had lunged at him, he screamed and stopped the spell. The second the wolf had made contact it had fallen to the ground and Wisthe had blacked out; he couldn’t remember anything after that until he was on the ground hours later. He rubbed his head, trying to get rid of the large headache that was pounding inside his skull. After rubbing his temples, he stood up slowly, trying to make sure he didn’t fall back to the ground. Rei stood behind him still, hissing as loud as she had earlier. The wolf stirred and he felt himself jerk in shock; its lip pulled back to reveal sharp slick teeth. Fei gave a kick and stopped moving, she was dead. Wisthe cautiously moved over to the wolf, making sure not to make any loud noises. The wolf didn’t stir again, staying still and silent; although it was still unnerving to see in that context. He prodded the wolf in the stomach, it twitched towards him, a small growl escaping its mouth. He froze in fear, but stayed still and stared at the wolf. Now that he was close enough to examine it more closely he could tell much more about it. Its muscles were large and menacing, covering its entire body. The fur was smooth and shining in the light, clean and pure. It was large, almost as large as Fei; standing an entire three feet tall it was enormous, enough to intimidate anyone and anything. The pounding of hooves burst his bubble and he looked down the lane. Arindölê and Ross were galloping towards him full speed. They slid to a stop in front of him, drawing sword and bow, pointing it at the beast lying at his feet. Ross ran up to him, “Are you alright? What happened?” Arindölê walked towards him with a little more grace, but only just barely. She kept her eyes locked on the wolf, her face an unreadable mask that he couldn’t penetrate to see what she felt or what she saw when she looked down at the hulking beast. She looked up at him and repeated Ross’ question. “What happened here?” Wisthe spoke softly at first, his volume growing louder as he went along. “Well, I was trying to calm Fei down, when she reared and I fell off her. That wolf launched itself at her at started ripping her apart, so I started using the binding spell, not the full one of course, but just partial use, so I could knock it out. It worked but when I did a large beam of light shot into the sky and I blacked out, I woke up just moments ago.” Ross’ face began to look worried, “Let me see your palm!” Wisthe offered his palms up and Ross inspected them with utmost care, going over every bump and crevice on his hands. He began to grow more worried; he rushed over to the wolf and looked it over carefully. He came back and looked at Wisthe’s hands again; a frown came onto his face. He pointed down to the left palm and said, “Do you know what this is?” Wisthe looked down and saw a large black mark on his left palm, like a tattoo, it seemingly roiled and coiled across his hand. “No…” He stared in wonder at his hand. “What happened?” Ross’ voice was grave, “When you said you didn’t complete the spell of binding, I think something went wrong. For some reason, you, and the wolf, are bonded together; you are now one and the same, never to be separated.” Wisthe felt his heart start to race, “What? That can’t be true!” Ross’ face went grave, “I’m sorry but it’s true, it cannot be undone by anything less than death. And that is something that neither of you could survive.” Arindölê walked up to Wisthe, “Let me see the mark on your hand.” He wordlessly held up his hand, letting her analyze it all she wanted. Her face went white, “Have you ever heard of the ‘Genesis Angel’?” “No…” He had never heard anything even close to that. She leaned in closer to him, “They are the one destined to fight the Emperor, they are the ones that will come forth and strike him from his throne of power in the south-east. It is unknown when they will appear or in what shape or form but we do know the details of his coming. It was long foretold that they would bond with an animal marked with the Sacred Seal and that it would bond with one set forth by destiny itself.” She pointed to the wolf lying on the ground. “That wolf has the Sacred Seal on its forehead.” Wisthe struggled to put the pieces together, “Wait, are you saying I am the…Genesis Angel?” “Not necessarily, I am only saying that the wolf at your feet has the characteristics of the Elven prophecy foretold centuries ago.” She shrugged, “Everything fits perfectly, there’s no doubt in my mind that you are Genesis. Although many would not believe without checking the original records first, for many though my word alone is enough to convince them about your authenticity.” “Wait…” Wisthe shook his head. “Convince who?” “The Elves.” “Why would we need to convince the Elves that I’m the Genesis…Angel?” “Because,” She sighed loudly, “if you don’t you’ll never be able to free the world from the Emperor of Darkness and his minions.” “Why would I do that?” “Why? Because you must!” A slight blush began to creep up on her cheeks. “And what will happen if I don’t? Huh?” “When the hero is through, if all is finished, the outcomes are few; winning he will save or doom, all ending on a full moon. He will kill or he will save, impacting the rest of humanities days. If he chooses one, all will prosper. If he chooses the other, all will suffer.” Her voice trailed off into silence. “What does that mean?” Ross put forth, his question reminding them he was still there. “If the hero does not win, or if he chooses wrong the world will be destroyed. And if he chooses right the Emperor will be defeated and the world set back to right.” Wisthe cautiously asked, “And what is the choice?” Arindölê shook her head. “No one knows, not even the great oracle of the High Elves knows. I am afraid that is something the Genesis Angel will need to discover on their own.” “If you think I’m the Genesis…whatever, why do you keep saying them and their?” “Because the hero is not one but two.” “What do you mean, like two heads on one body?” “No. ‘When the hero and partner are joined, after bearing forth the fruit of the loins, one will vanish, leaving the other alone in utter darkness. When they are reunited, they will become a single perfect being, and he shall be called the Genesis Angel. When the Angel comes, the day prophesied will be at hand, determining the fate of Elf and Man.’” Wisthe sighed, “Another riddle?” “No, an ancient legend from the book of the histories of the chronicles; within are contained all religious beliefs, words, books, and history; along with that of the race of men and Elves.” “Yeah, that makes a ton more sense.” Wisthe said sarcastically. He received a vicious glare from Arindölê for the comment. “Sorry.” “Mock not what ye do not understand; humans need to listen and heed their elders and superiors more closely than shown in the past. You in particular, Wisthe, need to learn from past mistakes made by others so you don’t repeat them. That is a basic lesson learned by all Elves at an early age, even those that are not fully developed know that better than most humans.” Wisthe sneezed loudly, “Excuse me…So what should I do then, since you seem to be the ultimate authority on all of this ancient religious crap?” “Go to the capitol of the High Elves, they will know what to do.” “This is the second time you’ve said High Elves, is there more than one kind of Elf?” “Of course, same way there are different kinds of humans. There are the High Elves, the pure and undiminished magical Elves. Second are the Woodland Elves, they live with nature and living beings. Next are the Dark Elves, they are like humans in every way but have black skin and look like Elves. Another are the Sky Elves, they are Elves that have developed the ability to fly. Lastly are the fallen Elves, they are Elves that have bred with other creatures such as humans, dwarves, Duni, etc. until they are no longer completely human.” “Okay, guess that answers my first question. So how do we get to these High Elves?” Arindölê pointed northward, “We head north until we hit the northern continent. Just below the Shösha desert is the capitol; we will go there.” “Near Shösha? That’s a long way to go.” “Yes, but it is a risk we must make if we are to save the races of Nogard.” She looked down at the wolf. “But first we need to do something about that first. Wake it up.” “What?!” Wisthe backed away from it. “If we don’t we won’t get anywhere, now wake it up!” “Fine.” Wisthe opened his mind and gingerly placed his hands on the wolf’s fur. He felt a slight shock as he touched it, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. The wolf stirred and opened its eyes. He could hear five distinct words in a deep voice inside his head. Hello, my name is Kona.
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Varha
Troubador
Posts: 61
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Post by Varha on Aug 24, 2011 19:27:07 GMT -7
Chapter 11
“Dragons flourished and grew in number throughout the centuries. When just twenty years ago offworlders came and decimated the Draconic race, now the numbers are only a fraction of what they once were. Because of the low number the teaching styles, living arrangements, and every aspect of normal life has been changed; but whether for better or worse is yet to be seen.”
Jade scrubbed hard, trying to keep from groaning of exasperation. Atra stretched, silently accepting the scrub down. She rubbed hard on an especially tough spot of rough flakes and Atra shivered in pleasure, his long body twitching. Jade set down the scrub and sat down until only her head was above the water. “This is a lot harder than it looks.” Atra’s voice was deep and comforting. But it keeps me clean, and it feels exquisitely fine. “You just like being in the bath with me.” I like being with you at any time; and human bodies do not fascinate me. “Yeah, yeah.” Jade dunked her head and came back up, running her hands through her hair to get rid of all the tangled mess. Your hair seems too much work; you should just have scales like us Dragons. He made it a statement, a matter of fact. It would make your life so much easier. ”Sorry but no; we humans don’t think the same way you do, we do things completely different.” As I can see. “Uh-huh.” She grabbed scented soap and started scrubbing her hair with ferocity, getting the dirt and grime out of every strand possible. You finished bonded? “Not yet.” She dunked her head under again and got everything out of it. She rose to the surface and pulled her hair away from her face letting fall to the side and behind her ears. “There, now I’m done.” She stood up and walked to the edge of the pool. She grabbed a towel and started drying off her hair. Atra got up and shook like a dog or cat, all the moisture flying off his body. Much of the water flew onto Jade, she groaned. “Why’d you do that? Now I’m all wet!” Sorry, I did not mean it bonded. “I know.” She grabbed another towel and started drying off her body. Once sufficiently dry she grabbed her undergarments and pulled them on with an ease. She heard a scratch behind her and she turned. She saw someone behind one of the tall boxes full of dirty clothes. She screamed loudly, and clutched her towel to her body, blocking her nakedness. Atra leaped forward and blocked her, and roared at the man. The man fell back into the light and she saw his face; Malin. Atra used his front claw and trapped Malin to the ground, he struggled until he realized there was no way out, and then he went still, watching her. “What are you doing here?!” She screamed, her voice reverberating off the walls. “What do you think?” He asked arrogantly. “You pervert!” “Not my fault.” He stated. “Not your fault?!What the hell do you mean by that?!” “You don’t need to know.” “I deserve to know!” Atra pushed Malin further into the ground, he winced. “If it’s any interest to you I was watching Atra.” “Like hell you were!” She yelled, anger radiating from her every pore. “And how do you know that?” He said smugly, a smile on his face. What shall I do bonded? Atra asked. “Get rid of him, I don’t want to see him.” Alright. Atra lifted Malin off the ground and walked him over to the entrance. He tensed his wings and took off into the sky, Malin hanging from his claws. He came back minutes later. Dropped him off a bit away, we’ll be done before he can even get to a road. “Thanks,” Jade pulled on her shirt and pants. “I don’t know what I would do without you.” You’d have him all over you. “What do you mean by that?” He’s watched you before. “What?!” I thought you knew. “Ah! I hate him, why does he make it his personal mission to torment me?!” She threw the towel to the ground. He likes you, I can see it. “Likes me? Only in the perverted way!” Maybe, but what he feels is genuine to him; he just doesn’t know haw to show it. That is why he has been outcast, because he doesn’t know how to express what’s inside him and his heart. “I don’t care, what he does is still a crime against nature.” Jade pulled her hair into a ponytail and tied it with a silk ribbon she had bought just a few days before. Of course bonded. His voice was comforting, like a fathers voice. “What would I do without you?” You would cease to be you. “That’s probably true.” She pulled on some boots, tying the laces after. “Let’s get going.” Hop on. Jade went over to Atra and climbed onto his back, she nestled into the hollow in his back, situating herself so that she wouldn’t fall during flight. “Alright, let’s go.” Atra jumped with his hind legs and extended his wings. His wings snapped open and he started flapping with large, slow, powerful strokes that had enough force behind it to crush a building. They rose upwards slowly at first, then gradually getting faster. They rose through the opening and into the fresh open sky. Large white clouds peppered the sky, the sun high and hot in the sky. Jade clutched one of the neck spikes in front of her tightly. No matter how long she practiced she would never feel safe without a saddle. Even though bareback riding was a required skill, she was never going to like doing it no matter how good she was at it. They flew for minutes on end towards a large tower standing on a flat plateau inaccessible by anything but a dragon or some other sort of flying creature. It was that way because of unfortunate ‘accidents’ in the past, after that they had decided to put the Dragonriders headquarters where only Dragonriders and those trusted could go. Atra glided downwards towards a large flat packed space next to the tower where dragons were resting. He pulled his wings back and landed with a smack, his hind legs digging into the dirt. He slid to a stop and Jade shakily got off his back. “You need to work on your landings, they freak me out. Every time you land I think I’m going to fly off.” She landed on the ground, bending her legs to absorb the impact. I will wait here for you bonded. Atra walked off to the other dragons, strutting like a cat. Jade smiled and walked to the tower. It was a tall black structure; all angles and spikes it was an imposing structure, used to frighten those who weren’t supposed to be there or those there for a less than pleasant purpose. She walked to the large double doors; they were a hundred hand spans tall and were made of solid oak inlaid with gold and topaz. She walked to the left door and opened a small door set into it, just 3 feet wide by six feet tall. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. She could immediately sense that something was wrong. Most of the torches and magic lamps were dark, casting eerie shadows over the large entry hall. A large staircase rose before her, its magnificent banisters rising high with adornment and carvings. All along the walls were statues, paintings, and other precious items of great value. But instead of bringing her comfort, as they normally did, today they only brought a sense of unease. She crept silently down the darkened hallway, putting her feet onto the first step. She walked up the staircase, her hand trailing behind her out of habit. She reached the top and she headed to where everyone would be during this time of the day. Today was the queen’s birthday; there was a large banquet, which was where she was headed. Instead of the noise of merriment and laughter, she only heard the quiet of silence. Something was wrong. Jade began relaying what she was seeing to Atra, giving him the benefit of her hearing as well. He watched and broadcasted unease and worry, she completely agreed. She got to the banquet hall and peered inside with a quick glance. She screamed loudly and fell to the ground with a sob of disbelief. In the room before her was a large massacre. Hundreds of guests and honored riders lay slumped over their plates and goblets, knives and other weapons sticking out of many of them. She fought down the urge to vomit, but she couldn’t stop herself. She vomited until she felt she couldn’t any more, she wiped her mouth and stood up. She walked into the hall slowly, looking to see if it was some sort of elaborate joke. She walked to the closest body on the table to her right. It was a younger woman with long black hair, she was wearing a low cut revealing dress of fine fabric; she was most likely a visiting duchess or duke’s daughter. She pushed the woman’s head up and jumped back immediately, the woman’s eyes were glazed over, a knife sticking out of her throat. Jade heard a warning from Atra. Look out, someone is coming! She turned around as she heard a small crash. She heard laughter and a group of men and women waltzed into the room. At their head was Malin, a look of utter joy on his face; and in his arms, a small red dragonet. He saw her and smiled. “Nice of you to join us, have some food, it’s delightful.” “What happened here?” “Guys, think we should tell her?” He didn’t wait for an answer. “Decided to take over, don’t worry, you are safe. And with all of the riders not with me dead, we now have an abundance of dragons just waiting for new riders chosen by us.” He gestured to the small crowd behind him. “Why?!” Jade screamed loudly, tears streaming down her face. “Why do you think, we want power.” “That’s why you killed all of them? You aren’t just a pervert, you’re pure evil!” “I guess you’re right about that.” He shrugged, “But now you are trapped.” “No…No…No!” She turned and ran away from them, heading to a small door set near the front of the room. She ran, ran as fast as she could, her tears falling to the ground behind her. She ran out the door and down the hallways and corridors until she got to the entrance. She burst outside with a sob and ran over to Atra. She hugged him with as much strength as she could muster. Are you alright? She kept sobbing, and then wiped her eyes clear of tears. “We need to get out of here, it’s not safe anymore. They’ve taken over, taken over and killed anyone in their way.” Get on, we can go. I have relayed everything you saw to the other dragons, they won’t be found unprepared. He kneeled down to allow her to mount. Jade jumped on and Atra rose up and spread his wings as far as they would go. He beat down with large strokes, rising off the ground and into the air. She looked down at the ground, the dragons were roaring, most likely out of mourning and sorrow. It wretched her heart to her their cries, it must be a thousand times worse for them. She saw Malin walk out of the tower, a creepy grin spreading over his face. He yelled out, “Don’t think you can escape! I’ll find you eventually jade, and when I do you will be powerless to stop me!” He smiled as he watched. Jade raised her hand and flipped him off, giving him the finger. He kept smiling his knowing smile that seemed to peer into the deepest depths of her soul. He kept smiling, and she looked away from him. Atra turned away from them and darted away. Even though she couldn’t see, she could feel Malin’s gaze on her back. He will get even; he will do what he can. She thought with a grim outlook. She flew away, crying tears of pain and sorrow. She flew, and she was on the run, on the run for her life.
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