“You want to know who the big players are?” The hooded man spat as he flicked something out of his teeth with a small wooden pick “Well, each one has a tale that’d last an age.... heck one of them has his story written across the walls of an entire plane”
“The short versions will do....” The hooded man paused for a moment, then carried digging into his gums with his simple wooden tooth pick.
“Miss alot of details with the short versions... But, eh... You probably don’t have the coin for the long ones anyway”
Growing Ice
Once long ago there was a beautiful plane called Chidoll, famous for its rolling hills and golden fields. Unfortunately such beauty and ‘wealth’ does not go unnoticed by those who look upon all the planes with hungry eyes. The called it the day of Vohgola, the End to me and you, and for many it was the day the Void Maw’s descended on peaceful Chidoll.
Now as you should know by now a Planewalker is a one in a million mage who’s born with a spark in him, but it takes some sort of inner journey of truth or a climatic event to finally unleash that sparks power.
For Izotz nothing was more climatic then watching his world be devoured by the Void Maw’s. Now much of Izotz younger life is lost to us but is known is that he was an ice mage of great power, but rumour’s had spread that he had begun to dabble in darker arts. Usually such accusations would lead to Izotz hasty execution, but it was actually these qualities that saved him and his world from the Void Maw’s. When they burst into his room and devoured everything he had ever known and loved he did what any rational thinker would do.
He exploded in rage. His suddenly wild emotions clashed with the very philosophy of the magic he used and while it gave him the power to push back the devouring hordes, he knew his erratic thoughts would soon grow so out of control that he’d lose all of his magic. Desperate and alone Izotz froze his left hand and plunged it into his chest, gripping his heart so tightly that it began to slow until finally stopping.
Half of Chidoll froze in an instant.
Time moved on and the Void Maw’s were forgotten by the people of Chidoll, and the great ice peak just became another landmark. But ice is still water deep down screaming for change and the sound of crashing waves, and it could not last forever.
Over the years the ice begun to slowly melt away and the people of Chidoll moved into the new cold but hospitable lands of their ancient ancestors. Then Izotz returned to his world and begun a terrible campaign of death and frozen screams. Izotz was a cold thinker in the most literal of sense and he’d come to the conclusion that the only way to seal away the Void Maw’s forever was to encase the entire plane of Chidoll in ice.
So now he fights against his own people to seal away an evil that they do not know or care about.
The March of Death and Madness
Phrixos is unlike other Planeswalkers in that he does not have a true goal or aim, just a singular ideal.
It is just unfortunate that his ideal runs along the idea that all life in existence should die.
No one really knows where he came from but it’s believed his world was set upon by demons. In all likelihood Phrixos was probably one of the mage’s who unleashed these fiends upon his own Plane, and paid the ultimate price for it. When he was killed his Planeswalker spark was unleashed and he found himself on a new plane, but he had awoken to some sort of universal truth during his transformation and ever since he has spread death where ever he has gone.
-------
The wall exploded in a blinding flash of lightning and fire and for a moment Phrixos was rather surprised. Five figures flew into the room and started chanting and pointing their weapons at Phrixos as he sat upon his scorched stained throne.
“Now see here-“ With a deafening roar lightning arched across Phrixos’s body and burst into green flames. A blue circle enclosed him as he fell to the floor screaming in pain, and bit by bit his body began to vanish. By the end of it all that was left was his head, half a torso and a skeletal arm reaching for the ceiling.
As the hero’s gave out a sigh of relief a clapping began to come from the shadows, and Phrixos stepped into the light.
“Wow... I’ve seen attacks in my time... But wow, you must really hate me? I mean, if I’d taken that I might have died... Ha!”
“That’s.... Thats impossible... I felt your essence... that was you-“
“Yes that was me... Well for a moment it was anyway, then it was some guy called Garlarn... Didn’t know him very well, so I won’t miss him”
“Monster, I’ll kill you with my bare hands-“ As the angel began to step forward his face lit up in agony and he could no longer move.
“Ah, Now see that’s where your wrong... See your going to die here” Turning his hip Phirxos reached into a large pouch attached to his side and took out a small wooden figurine “Honestly I wasn’t sure I was gonna make these in time... But I’m glad I did make them... The only problem is it’s a very fussy spell and needs six targets of great power” Holding up the figure the hero’s could make out that it was shaped like a small black drake they had seen before “This is of course why I don’t name my pets” he said as it fell to the floor and smashed into a hundred pieces.
One of the hero’s started shaking, using all of his willpower to try and take a step forward.
“Ah. I see one of you’s realised what’s happing here... unfortunately it’s quite impossible to move now” Taking out another figure Phirxos smiled as the Hero’s recognised who it looked like “See, your souls are in these little models at the moment... so technically their your bodies... and wood doesn’t move, dose sit? Course this woods special, cause it’s very brittle” with a crack the model snapped in half and the hall was full of blood as one of the hero’s burst in half.
“Ohhh.... That was shocking... I wonder what would happen if I smashed this bag against this wall?”
----
“Sir! Are you.... fine?” One of his loyal minions ran desperately into the room before stopping before the pools of blood.
“Oh I’m quite alright.... How goes the battle?”
“B-badly my lord... However the dark council believes if we pool all our mana we might still be able to seize the day...”
“True... True....” Phirxos sat back in his chair curling his beard in thought, then sat forward and snapped his fingers “Wait, I got a plan!” And then vanished.
It was only when the attackers finally reached the throne room that he realised Phirxos was not coming back.
Endless Honour
Many people make the mistake of assuming that Knights are merely rich soldiers, and this is a grave misunderstanding that is usually short lived. While a solider will fight for family and home a knight can have far more terrifying motivations.
On the plane of Avforna there existed a kingdom called Learsl that was under threat from countless enemies. Some were invading barbarians, nations envious of Learsl’s of great wealth and even demons that besieged their very souls. Buckling under the countless pressures the sixth King, who’s name has been forgotten, turned to his court mage to find a way to save his nation.
Ezekiel was a proud but honest man, and even though he knew the quest was pointless he could not turn a blind eye to his king’s suffering. For years Ezekiel experimented with ancient artifacts, fonts of pure white mana, yet he could not find a way to beat back his nations foes. This is when Ezekiel turned to black magic, in hopes of finding a way of creating an invincible army, after all if his army could not be killed it would not matter what was sent against them.
But Ezekiel was not an evil man and would never consider animating soulless corpses in a depraved and purely evil act. Yet as time went on he began to see no other way. The problem Ezekiel had encountered after studying corpses is that when a person dies their soul is usually at peace and gives up all notions of living and moves on very quickly. It was when he question the spirit of a small farming boy that Ezekiel realised he needed to find men and women who would never accept death, never surrender and never accept defeat.
Ezekiel found his men and women within the Knighthood of his land. Devoted to the ideal of honour and duty, Knights were born into this world to defend the people and fight for their king no matter what. The dedication the Knights showed Ezekiel humbled him, and he knew he’d found his answer.
Willingly the Knights gathered before the grand ritual Ezekiel had made, and swore their eternal servitude to King and Country. If done correctly the spell would permanently connect the Knights Souls to their bodies, and when death took their physical forms they needed only to be roused from their slumber and the spell would instantly heal their tattered form, ready to fight again. Ezekiel did not expect to survive the ritual, but he was more than ready to do his duty like all those who had gathered before him.
Ezekiel however did more than survive the ritual, his ascension to a planeswalker empowered the spell more than he ever dreamed possible. But he could never have predicted the terrible price they would all have to pay. When the ritual was finally completed half the knights went insane on the spot and transformed into ghoulish figures to match their new found madness, their once proud general turned into a horrific monster who now lived off the blood of others.
In outrage the King had the many of the knights executed, their black blood flooding the square of the castle. Ezekiel was beside himself with grief over what he had done, but he was still bound to his King and sent the remaining knights forward into battle.
What he saw on that battlefield would haunt Ezekiel forever.
The passion and fury of his knights went beyond the madness he saw from the changed knights, with righteousness burning in their hearts Ezekiel’s knight not only destroyed the invading army, they destroyed their villages, their castles, their cities, their entire nation burned as the Knights swept forward with fire and steel. Even the Knights that had been executed returned to the frontlines, and angry that their brothers had taken the glory all for themselves spurred them all onto more battles against other nations.
No one could stop them, Ezekiel pleaded with them to stop, but they would not listen to him. He turned to his king to make them stop this mad mission, but rather than stopping his king actually began to endorse this terrible path. Soon only the kingdom of Learsl remained on the plane of Avforna, and Ezekiel wept for what he had done.
Yet Ezekiel’s ordeal was far from over, and with the fighting finally over his Knights approached him.
“We are ready”
“I.... I know.... But... I’m sorry.... There’s.... There’s no one left”
“..... You do not understand my Lord, the war is not over.... There are still enemies for us to fight” In horror Ezekiel realised what his Knights meant. As a Planeswalker he could not only travel to other planes, but he could also transport others with him.
“You.... No! I cannot!”
“You must.... else.... without war, why do we exist?”
Without a purpose the knights would be forever stuck in a state far worse than death, and Ezekiel finally learned of the final price of the terrible curse he had afflicted on his knights. Tears streaming down his face Ezekiel opened a door to another plane, praying that he would one day be forgiven.
The knights rejoiced. There would be more death and glory to come.
Showing posts with label Story. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Story. Show all posts
Sunday, 18 April 2010
Monday, 31 August 2009
The Bitter Old Man
Tea making is serious business. For those who truly appreciate the subtle art a good tea maker can either perfect the taste of the tea or completely ruin it, and it is said it can take a lifetime to become a true tea maker.
Wu-Long sighs in regret as yet again he fails to pour the tea perfectly. An old man now Wu-Long wished he’d spent more time learning how to make tea properly, because no matter what he did it always tasted bitter to him. Taking the tea with him outside he goes to throw its contents over the dirt when he notices a strange sight. A young boy was kneeling outside his door. Blinking for a few moments Wu-Long just turns to his side, throws the tea away and goes to walk back into his home.
“Please teach me!” The boy shouted as he bowed his head to the floor. Wu-Long stopped but did not turn back to face the boy.
“Go home child, I can teach you nothing but regret” The boy raised his face from the ground to look upon the back of the old man.
“I saw you! A year ago I was carrying water back to my home when I saw three bandits attacking you... you.. you were amazi-“ Wu-Long turned around sharply and stared the boy down with his deep brown eyes.
“What I did to those young fools is not praise worthy child... And while I commend you for reaching my home among these mountain tops I’m afraid there is nothing I can do for you” looking the boy up and down Wu-Long could see he had struggled greatly to reach his home, but he would not show his sympathy for him.
“All I ask is that you train me to fight like you! I know you can do-“
“And what of it boy! What will you do once I show you the ancient art of Tou Casra? Will you challenge the other great masters of the world? Will you prey upon the weak? Will you follow you’re self deluded ideals of valour and honour? What will you do boy!” Taken back by the old man’s sudden sharp tone the boys resolve began to shake, but he had come to far not to try.
“I will protect my village! Every year our lord sends his goons to take our earnings, our food... sometimes our women! I want to be stronger! I want to protect them!”
“Hahaha! Boy... You ask the impossible! Oh it’s true I could make you stronger than any other man in this valley... but the power to protect? Such a power does not exist, and the sooner you learn that the better you’ll be.... Go home child, return to your peaceful yet troubled life... it is the best life you can hope for in this world” At that the boy snapped in rage and stood up, his fists clenched tightly.
“You crooked old man! I will not spend my days living in fear! You will teach me and I will protect my home!” for a moment there is naught but silence and the boy does not yet know if he has made a terrible mistake... but finally the old man smirks.
“Heh... You wish to live without fear? Then child I will teach you the greatest lesson you’ll ever learn... I doubt anyone else would teach this... perhaps because they have not learnt it either” The boy relaxes for a moment but tries to keep up a strong face “Very well child... I will teach you all the arts of Tou Casra... All of them, even the secret ones if you can pass one test...”
“Anything... Master!”
“Very well... Hmmm...” The old man circled the boy for a moment, gazing off into the distance, until finally he pointed towards a simple bush “Let us say that bush is your village... then let us say I have already taught you everything I know... So now you have the greatest strength in this entire land... I shall be a common raider, and as such cannot fight you... all you must do now is simply stop me from destroying your village” The boy quickly steps between the old man and the bush, raising his fists up, but then he is overcome by questions towards the test.
“But you are a master, I cannot physically stop you...” The old man only shook his head.
“As I said child... I am but a common raider, thus I can’t fight you at all” Watching the old man intensely the boy waited for any signs of his attack, scenarios of what the old man might try to do played back and forth through his head, but then suddenly the old man simply turned around and began to walk back to his house.
“Hey.... Hey! Where are you going?”
“Hmm? Oh, I was going to go make myself some tea”
“What? Aren’t you gonna try and attack the bush?” The old man simply turned his head and called back to the boy in a cold voice.
“I am”
With that the boy was left all alone in the cold, trying to protect a small bush from an attack that might never come. Luckily for the boy it did not take long for him to learn the answer to this lesson...
Even with all the power in the world... he still lived in fear.
Wu-Long sighs in regret as yet again he fails to pour the tea perfectly. An old man now Wu-Long wished he’d spent more time learning how to make tea properly, because no matter what he did it always tasted bitter to him. Taking the tea with him outside he goes to throw its contents over the dirt when he notices a strange sight. A young boy was kneeling outside his door. Blinking for a few moments Wu-Long just turns to his side, throws the tea away and goes to walk back into his home.
“Please teach me!” The boy shouted as he bowed his head to the floor. Wu-Long stopped but did not turn back to face the boy.
“Go home child, I can teach you nothing but regret” The boy raised his face from the ground to look upon the back of the old man.
“I saw you! A year ago I was carrying water back to my home when I saw three bandits attacking you... you.. you were amazi-“ Wu-Long turned around sharply and stared the boy down with his deep brown eyes.
“What I did to those young fools is not praise worthy child... And while I commend you for reaching my home among these mountain tops I’m afraid there is nothing I can do for you” looking the boy up and down Wu-Long could see he had struggled greatly to reach his home, but he would not show his sympathy for him.
“All I ask is that you train me to fight like you! I know you can do-“
“And what of it boy! What will you do once I show you the ancient art of Tou Casra? Will you challenge the other great masters of the world? Will you prey upon the weak? Will you follow you’re self deluded ideals of valour and honour? What will you do boy!” Taken back by the old man’s sudden sharp tone the boys resolve began to shake, but he had come to far not to try.
“I will protect my village! Every year our lord sends his goons to take our earnings, our food... sometimes our women! I want to be stronger! I want to protect them!”
“Hahaha! Boy... You ask the impossible! Oh it’s true I could make you stronger than any other man in this valley... but the power to protect? Such a power does not exist, and the sooner you learn that the better you’ll be.... Go home child, return to your peaceful yet troubled life... it is the best life you can hope for in this world” At that the boy snapped in rage and stood up, his fists clenched tightly.
“You crooked old man! I will not spend my days living in fear! You will teach me and I will protect my home!” for a moment there is naught but silence and the boy does not yet know if he has made a terrible mistake... but finally the old man smirks.
“Heh... You wish to live without fear? Then child I will teach you the greatest lesson you’ll ever learn... I doubt anyone else would teach this... perhaps because they have not learnt it either” The boy relaxes for a moment but tries to keep up a strong face “Very well child... I will teach you all the arts of Tou Casra... All of them, even the secret ones if you can pass one test...”
“Anything... Master!”
“Very well... Hmmm...” The old man circled the boy for a moment, gazing off into the distance, until finally he pointed towards a simple bush “Let us say that bush is your village... then let us say I have already taught you everything I know... So now you have the greatest strength in this entire land... I shall be a common raider, and as such cannot fight you... all you must do now is simply stop me from destroying your village” The boy quickly steps between the old man and the bush, raising his fists up, but then he is overcome by questions towards the test.
“But you are a master, I cannot physically stop you...” The old man only shook his head.
“As I said child... I am but a common raider, thus I can’t fight you at all” Watching the old man intensely the boy waited for any signs of his attack, scenarios of what the old man might try to do played back and forth through his head, but then suddenly the old man simply turned around and began to walk back to his house.
“Hey.... Hey! Where are you going?”
“Hmm? Oh, I was going to go make myself some tea”
“What? Aren’t you gonna try and attack the bush?” The old man simply turned his head and called back to the boy in a cold voice.
“I am”
With that the boy was left all alone in the cold, trying to protect a small bush from an attack that might never come. Luckily for the boy it did not take long for him to learn the answer to this lesson...
Even with all the power in the world... he still lived in fear.
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
The King of Chains
Opening the old brown door Joseph stepped into the lair of the old women. He’d heard many rumours about the so called oldest witch and he knew that he risked much going to her, but he needed her ancient knowledge for the fight ahead of him. Before he was in an old store of forgotten trinkets but after stepping through that door Joseph found himself in a dark and damp cave.
Waving his hand in front of him Joseph summoned the spirit of the lamp to light his path. A small bright orb appeared in front of him and began zipping around him letting out a childish laugh, but as Joseph stepped forward the laughing stopped and the spirit took its place in front of him. Walking deeper into the cave Josephs senses were assaulted with an old musty smell of damp books, looking down he could see the floor had been covered with old books made damp by a small stream flowing down into the cave.
A terrible shriek filled the cave and Joseph tensed up, getting ready for anything.
“Who has stumbled into my web? Went the spider to the fly, Hehehe” Squinting his eyes ahead he couldn’t make anything out of the darkness ahead. Raising his hand up Joseph showed his palm to the darkness.
“Do not try anything foul creature, I need only think it and you will be destroyed” A spiral pattern began to glow on his palm, but the darkness merely cackled back at him.
“Ooohh! A summoner has come to pay me a visit! It’s been so long since one of your kind has come to me... now what can auntie do for you my child? Hehehe”
“You know of the duels correct? Soon I will be facing against someone who can summon the one called Kaiadas” the shriek sounded again yet this time was mixed with a terrible cackling, the noise made Josephs ears hurt.
“Hohoho! Hehehe! You would fight the King of Chains! I thought you brave enough for merely coming to me... but to fight that creature... it seems bravery is ever the mask of the fool! Hehehe!”
“Witch! I stand by your ancient contract, you must answer my question! Tell me everything about the King of Chains!” The terrible noise stopped abruptly and for a moment Joseph thought she had left.
“.... No need to get impatient son... auntie will answer your question... The story of Kaiadas is a long and sad one... and for us ancients it haunts us still”
--------
Long ago in the realm you call the spirit world there existed a kingdom of shining glory called Nolybab. It was not as grand as the water spirits realm, nor as perfect as the realm of the fey but still it was a shining beacon for hope and justice against the darkness. It was here the spirit worlds greatest warriors were born and raised within the order of the golden flame.
Kaiadas was the greatest of them.
The pinnacle of martial and magical might Kaiadas would descend from the heavens to beat back whole armies from the realms of darkness. Yet Kaiadas was a humble knight who gladly served his monarch in their mission of protecting the realms against any invader. It is truly sad then that in end Nolybab would fall to terrible invaders.
The realms of darkness had grown tired with being unable to attack the realms of light or even each other, for the golden flame would even protect them for the sake of balance. A terrible council was formed between some of the mightiest realms of darkness, yet even some of the realms of light joined this movement, and together they formed an army of unparalleled might.
No one knows how long the fighting lasted, some say days, others say it took years but despite the bravery and might of the Knights of Nolybab the kingdom burned. Kaiadas was at the centre of the battle slaying all how came his way, even a Galcasa demon who all said was immortal was cut asunder by Kaiadas’s mighty powers. For him the fighting carried on even after all of Nolybab was burnt to ash, for in his battle fury he hadn’t even noticed the day was lost.
When his last opponent fell to his blade Kaiadas found himself alone. As he looked around at the burnt ground he thought at first that someone had transported him from his home, but as he stretched out his powers he was gripped by an intense misery as he realised he never left. What did he do? He did what anyone would do.
He went mad.
The only witness of all this from the other realms was said to be a tiny fairy, and with its tiny heart broken by the things it saw it fled. Simple minded as a child it went to its King asking why no one sent them help, but perhaps it would have been better if the little fairy had never asked.
“It is none of our business... we protect our own borders”
Horrified at the answer the little fairy fled its kingdom and flew over all the realms with tears in its eye. What it saw burnt a dark resolve in its innocent little heart. The realms had begun open warfare with each other, even the realms of peace began to use their powers to try and extend their borders. Madness and chaos engulfed everything as notions of balance were thrown out the window, and the little fairy swore vengeance against all the realms.
------
(To be continued)
Waving his hand in front of him Joseph summoned the spirit of the lamp to light his path. A small bright orb appeared in front of him and began zipping around him letting out a childish laugh, but as Joseph stepped forward the laughing stopped and the spirit took its place in front of him. Walking deeper into the cave Josephs senses were assaulted with an old musty smell of damp books, looking down he could see the floor had been covered with old books made damp by a small stream flowing down into the cave.
A terrible shriek filled the cave and Joseph tensed up, getting ready for anything.
“Who has stumbled into my web? Went the spider to the fly, Hehehe” Squinting his eyes ahead he couldn’t make anything out of the darkness ahead. Raising his hand up Joseph showed his palm to the darkness.
“Do not try anything foul creature, I need only think it and you will be destroyed” A spiral pattern began to glow on his palm, but the darkness merely cackled back at him.
“Ooohh! A summoner has come to pay me a visit! It’s been so long since one of your kind has come to me... now what can auntie do for you my child? Hehehe”
“You know of the duels correct? Soon I will be facing against someone who can summon the one called Kaiadas” the shriek sounded again yet this time was mixed with a terrible cackling, the noise made Josephs ears hurt.
“Hohoho! Hehehe! You would fight the King of Chains! I thought you brave enough for merely coming to me... but to fight that creature... it seems bravery is ever the mask of the fool! Hehehe!”
“Witch! I stand by your ancient contract, you must answer my question! Tell me everything about the King of Chains!” The terrible noise stopped abruptly and for a moment Joseph thought she had left.
“.... No need to get impatient son... auntie will answer your question... The story of Kaiadas is a long and sad one... and for us ancients it haunts us still”
--------
Long ago in the realm you call the spirit world there existed a kingdom of shining glory called Nolybab. It was not as grand as the water spirits realm, nor as perfect as the realm of the fey but still it was a shining beacon for hope and justice against the darkness. It was here the spirit worlds greatest warriors were born and raised within the order of the golden flame.
Kaiadas was the greatest of them.
The pinnacle of martial and magical might Kaiadas would descend from the heavens to beat back whole armies from the realms of darkness. Yet Kaiadas was a humble knight who gladly served his monarch in their mission of protecting the realms against any invader. It is truly sad then that in end Nolybab would fall to terrible invaders.
The realms of darkness had grown tired with being unable to attack the realms of light or even each other, for the golden flame would even protect them for the sake of balance. A terrible council was formed between some of the mightiest realms of darkness, yet even some of the realms of light joined this movement, and together they formed an army of unparalleled might.
No one knows how long the fighting lasted, some say days, others say it took years but despite the bravery and might of the Knights of Nolybab the kingdom burned. Kaiadas was at the centre of the battle slaying all how came his way, even a Galcasa demon who all said was immortal was cut asunder by Kaiadas’s mighty powers. For him the fighting carried on even after all of Nolybab was burnt to ash, for in his battle fury he hadn’t even noticed the day was lost.
When his last opponent fell to his blade Kaiadas found himself alone. As he looked around at the burnt ground he thought at first that someone had transported him from his home, but as he stretched out his powers he was gripped by an intense misery as he realised he never left. What did he do? He did what anyone would do.
He went mad.
The only witness of all this from the other realms was said to be a tiny fairy, and with its tiny heart broken by the things it saw it fled. Simple minded as a child it went to its King asking why no one sent them help, but perhaps it would have been better if the little fairy had never asked.
“It is none of our business... we protect our own borders”
Horrified at the answer the little fairy fled its kingdom and flew over all the realms with tears in its eye. What it saw burnt a dark resolve in its innocent little heart. The realms had begun open warfare with each other, even the realms of peace began to use their powers to try and extend their borders. Madness and chaos engulfed everything as notions of balance were thrown out the window, and the little fairy swore vengeance against all the realms.
------
(To be continued)
Monday, 29 June 2009
The Weekend
The noise of the alarm run straight through Pete's head as he slowly awoke to the new day. Holding his head like a fish bowel Pete tried to subdue the growing headache getting ready to make his morning horrible. As the beeping of his alarm clock grew louder Pete tried to pick himself up out of his bed to reach it until he finally gave it a sluggish hit on its head. While silecne filled his room he could still feel and hear the beeping in his head.
It was Sunday and Pete had a hangover.
Unable to get back to sleep Pete slowly tore himself away from his bed to begin his morning routines. A cold shower would hopefully wake him up and take away the dark rings under his eyes, and while it did wake him up he instantly regretted doing it. Walking to his sink dressed in his towel Pete began using almost every tooth cleaning device known to man, his dentist had laid what could only be described as a verbal smackdown on him a few weeks ago. Cleaning himself up, brushing his short brown hair back, putting his contacts in and finally spraying himself to rid the bad smells of yesterday, all these things had become his mornings. A part of him deeply wished you didn't have to do all these things in the morning.
Getting dressed Pete went out to collect his laundry, then to meet his friend for a cup of coffee.
"Yo! Pete! Over here!" Hours later with his chores out of the way Pete looked forward to talking with his long-time friend Robert. When they first met Robert had specifically chosen this place for them to meet up and chat about random things, he said it was because there was once this hilarious story in the newspaper about this cafes tea getting spiked.
"Hey Robert..." Giving Pete a big grin Robert pointed to him.
"Heh, yeah... You really did hit the drinks hard last night didn't you?" Ordering a strong black coffee Pete sighed, he definitely was not in the mood for sweet things.
"You know you could have stopped me..."
"Nah, you seemed like you were having fun... especially when you started making out with Mary" Rubbing his temples Pete groaned out loud.
"Oh god... That did happen didn't it?" A waitress approached their table and handed Rober a cheese cake.
"Sure did... Thanks dear... Anyway, what’s the problem? You've always liked her?"
"I know I know... Its just... Its weird at the moment, ok? Besides it was hardly real... we were both off our heads" Taking a bite out of his cake Robert looked up at Pete doubtfully.
"Whatever you say man- whoa... speak of the devil" Turning around Pete saw her, Mary. Of course she was here though, she knew Pete had lunch here every Sunday and no doubt she wanted to talk "Well.... I'd better get going" Pete looked over to him with a little panic in his eyes.
"What? You can't leave me now?"
"I can... And I have, good luck" with a wave of his hand Robert sleeked off outside of the cafe.
"I'll get you for this...."
As Mary sat down opposite of him an awkward silence descended on the pair, Pete going so far as to avoid eye contact with her.
"So....Umm... Hi"
"Hi Mary..." Again the two seemed stuck, unable to break the barrier of silence completely. The waitress came over to them and handed Pete his coffee, which he immediately took a sip out of "Gah, that's bitter...."
"You should just do normal coffee ya know, black coffee hardly works any better..."
"I guess" taking a spoon Pete began to mix a little sugar into his coffee.
"Look about yesterday... I'm sorry... Y-you know how it is at party's when you've had a bit to much to drink" Looking up at her Pete just felt like he'd been dumped, but he tried to hide his regret best as he could.
"Yeah... I understand... It was my fault too... don't worry about it"
"I am sorry... Its... Its nothing to do with you... Its just your my boss and its awkward and it never works out..."
"Of course... Just forget about it" she smiles at him a little and Pete's heart begins to ache slightly.
"Ok then... I... I guess I'll see you tomorrow" With that she walked off and Pete sighed quietly to himself.
Monday.
Pete wasn't really looking forward to work today, he never did on Mondays. The endless repetition was going to get to him one day, and his frustrations over Mary would maybe get the better of him one day. But at least he had his morning routine he supposed.
Fresh and clean Pete stepped into the middle of his room "Well, lets go to work then" and in an instant the room is enveloped in black fire. Stepping out of the flame wearing a purple leather suit, a mighty cape flowing behind him, Pete put on his trademark grin. Walking down the marble corridor of darkness his monsters cheered his name.
"Long live Lord Hextor!" striding into his throne room Hextor extended his hand outward and and summoned his staff to his side.
"Evil ro-call!" Five black pyres burst from the floor revealing his foul minions.
"Lady Lighting!"
"Galak the Dark Knight!"
"Mombrose the Beast Master!"
"And the Kradalack Brothers!"
Sitting atop his mighty obsidian throne Hextor called out in a deep booming voice "What are we gonna do today my horrific minions!"
"Were going to take over the world!"
"And what if we can't?"
"We'll watch it burn!"
Cackling madly Hextor thought up his next evil scheme, wondering at the back of his mind if Lady Lightning would ever go out with him.
It was Sunday and Pete had a hangover.
Unable to get back to sleep Pete slowly tore himself away from his bed to begin his morning routines. A cold shower would hopefully wake him up and take away the dark rings under his eyes, and while it did wake him up he instantly regretted doing it. Walking to his sink dressed in his towel Pete began using almost every tooth cleaning device known to man, his dentist had laid what could only be described as a verbal smackdown on him a few weeks ago. Cleaning himself up, brushing his short brown hair back, putting his contacts in and finally spraying himself to rid the bad smells of yesterday, all these things had become his mornings. A part of him deeply wished you didn't have to do all these things in the morning.
Getting dressed Pete went out to collect his laundry, then to meet his friend for a cup of coffee.
"Yo! Pete! Over here!" Hours later with his chores out of the way Pete looked forward to talking with his long-time friend Robert. When they first met Robert had specifically chosen this place for them to meet up and chat about random things, he said it was because there was once this hilarious story in the newspaper about this cafes tea getting spiked.
"Hey Robert..." Giving Pete a big grin Robert pointed to him.
"Heh, yeah... You really did hit the drinks hard last night didn't you?" Ordering a strong black coffee Pete sighed, he definitely was not in the mood for sweet things.
"You know you could have stopped me..."
"Nah, you seemed like you were having fun... especially when you started making out with Mary" Rubbing his temples Pete groaned out loud.
"Oh god... That did happen didn't it?" A waitress approached their table and handed Rober a cheese cake.
"Sure did... Thanks dear... Anyway, what’s the problem? You've always liked her?"
"I know I know... Its just... Its weird at the moment, ok? Besides it was hardly real... we were both off our heads" Taking a bite out of his cake Robert looked up at Pete doubtfully.
"Whatever you say man- whoa... speak of the devil" Turning around Pete saw her, Mary. Of course she was here though, she knew Pete had lunch here every Sunday and no doubt she wanted to talk "Well.... I'd better get going" Pete looked over to him with a little panic in his eyes.
"What? You can't leave me now?"
"I can... And I have, good luck" with a wave of his hand Robert sleeked off outside of the cafe.
"I'll get you for this...."
As Mary sat down opposite of him an awkward silence descended on the pair, Pete going so far as to avoid eye contact with her.
"So....Umm... Hi"
"Hi Mary..." Again the two seemed stuck, unable to break the barrier of silence completely. The waitress came over to them and handed Pete his coffee, which he immediately took a sip out of "Gah, that's bitter...."
"You should just do normal coffee ya know, black coffee hardly works any better..."
"I guess" taking a spoon Pete began to mix a little sugar into his coffee.
"Look about yesterday... I'm sorry... Y-you know how it is at party's when you've had a bit to much to drink" Looking up at her Pete just felt like he'd been dumped, but he tried to hide his regret best as he could.
"Yeah... I understand... It was my fault too... don't worry about it"
"I am sorry... Its... Its nothing to do with you... Its just your my boss and its awkward and it never works out..."
"Of course... Just forget about it" she smiles at him a little and Pete's heart begins to ache slightly.
"Ok then... I... I guess I'll see you tomorrow" With that she walked off and Pete sighed quietly to himself.
Monday.
Pete wasn't really looking forward to work today, he never did on Mondays. The endless repetition was going to get to him one day, and his frustrations over Mary would maybe get the better of him one day. But at least he had his morning routine he supposed.
Fresh and clean Pete stepped into the middle of his room "Well, lets go to work then" and in an instant the room is enveloped in black fire. Stepping out of the flame wearing a purple leather suit, a mighty cape flowing behind him, Pete put on his trademark grin. Walking down the marble corridor of darkness his monsters cheered his name.
"Long live Lord Hextor!" striding into his throne room Hextor extended his hand outward and and summoned his staff to his side.
"Evil ro-call!" Five black pyres burst from the floor revealing his foul minions.
"Lady Lighting!"
"Galak the Dark Knight!"
"Mombrose the Beast Master!"
"And the Kradalack Brothers!"
Sitting atop his mighty obsidian throne Hextor called out in a deep booming voice "What are we gonna do today my horrific minions!"
"Were going to take over the world!"
"And what if we can't?"
"We'll watch it burn!"
Cackling madly Hextor thought up his next evil scheme, wondering at the back of his mind if Lady Lightning would ever go out with him.
Thursday, 18 June 2009
Kavrose's Sky Platoon
"You know those will be the death of you sarge"
Kavrose looked back to his solders, taking his cigarette of jinka leaves out from his mouth, and gave them his usual disdainful stare "Keep talking like that and I'll throw you off this damn thing" his men laughed at that, they always did appreciate a good threat here and there.
Turning back to the front of the ship Kavrose could only find a cruel beauty in the clouds as they flew by him. He'd watched the same scene hundreds of times yet this time it felt so different, so unique in a world of clouds. Breathing in the bitter smoke from his cigarette seemed to be the only thing that kept him from bursting into bloody poems.
Looking to his left he could see the other platoons riding in their own Sky Killers, back home the brass liked to call them Swan Skimmers but the solders knew what they really were. Spears of the sky launched from the military sky ship the Yenhan the Sky Killers cut their way through the clouds at astounding speeds, if not for the platoons mage holding a shield around the ship they'd all be torn to pieces.
Bursting through a cloud Kavrose could finally make out his target, the terrible Diomos. Already it had reached the front line and torn one of his sides frigates clean in half with blue fire.
Right on time.
Tossing his cigarette over the side he yells out to his men "Alright, gear up and get ready you dogs, breaks over"they chuckle at him and he knows why, they've been ready for this their whole lives.
Tightening his suit Kavrose looked back at the Diomos and felt awed by its horrible size. Shaped like a long jagged rock the Diomos seemed like a small moon rather then one of the many ships tearing up the sky's, if it didn't go down then the losses his side would take would be terrible. He would never let that happen, his men would never let that happen.
As the Sky Killer quickly began to approach its target Kavrose could make out the blue crystals covering the Diomos's exterior, they really were alot bigger then he had imagined, he could already hear the whirl of blue fire coming towards them. If it wasn't trying to kill him he would have thought the site of it splitting past their shield to be quite dazzling.
"Ohp, there goes the red tigers" Looking out of the corner of his eye Kavrose could see one of the other Sky Killers burst into flame and fall apart into the abyss. He only hopped that his platoons mage could handle the stress. Moments later the ship lost its blue hue and the Sky Killer was passed the worst of it.
"Its jumping time boys" Stepping backwards into his space Kavrose placed his feet in little grooves and bent his knees, shifting his weight carefully like he'd done a hundred times before. The men behind him were all in place, stupidly grinning like usual.
There is a snapping noise and now their in the air. Past the shield Kavrose could finally feel the wind pushing against his face fiercely, stretching his limbs out as far as he can he lets the feeling of total freedom wash over him. But Kavrose has a mission, and he has trained much for this day. Pulling out his lancaar he shoots the beam tipped rope seemingly at thin air.
With the sound of tiny thuds his platoon grapple themselves onto the Diomos's shield and climb their way up it. Using the tip of their Lancaar's they form up around their mage and wait until his incantations are finished. One of the men laughs and calls out to the others "Hey guys, Gerheld fell off!"the rest of them laugh and exchange some quick banter about silly old Gerheld, whilst Kavrose just rolls his eyes.
Nearby a beam of blue fire shoots out from the Diomos and one of the other platoons resting on the shield are instantly incinerated. The men pause for a moment before one of them brakes the silence "Huh... Wasn't that Yurell's platoon?... Hey does that mean I have the highest score now? Haha!" The men laugh again and Kavros feels like their in awfully good spirits today.
Below them a green triangle covered in runes begins to grow around the invisible shield and the men begin to tense up. What look like cracks in the sky below them begin to appear within the triangle until finally the center of it shatters creating a small opening. Almost immediately some of the men take out their specialised lancaars and clamp it around the hole in the shield, and with a loud crash it shoots a line all the way to the Diomos.
Crowding around the gap the men one by one use their metal gauntlets on their left hand to grip the line and abseil down it. The defenders manning the outside ports of the Diomos had begun to shoot at them from their defences, Kavros momentarily considers this to be rude but not unexpected.
Part 2-
Going down the line himself Kavrose sees some of his men go limp fall off as tiny blue spheres tear through them, and for a brief moment he expects to be hit himself any second. The shot never comes however and he lets go of the line and uses his momentum to land in one of the many ports of the Deimos. All around him a bloody combat of swords has begun as his men try and secure the landing for the platoon, wasting no time Kavrose unsheathes his own and leaps into the fray.
As soon as the mage finally makes his way down Kavrose yells a command at his troops to push forward. Taking up an arrow formation with the mage at the center Kavrose's men make a bloody push to one of the many doors of the Deimos. Sparing a short thought for the few men he'll leave behind to hold off the defenders Kavrose joins the formation and enters the Deimos.
His men had been lucky so far but now it came to the hard part of their mission and Kavrose was no looking forward to it. On most sky ships the interior corridors were small and suffocating so that they didn't require many defenders to block an attackers path, and the Deimos was no different. Kavrose was muling over the worst possible outcomes when one his men shouted the one thing he didn't want to hear.
"Mage!"
With no where to hide or run away to the solders only choice was to push forward, even as an ark of red lighting skipped along the walls toward them. In a matter of seconds all his men at the front began to spasm and fall to the floor as red began to cover over them, but luck was still on Kavrose side. As his men fell over the platoons mage hopped over them and pointed his hand down the hallway and a thin green blade of light shot down the corridor and cut the defenders in front of them apart.
Not wasting this opportunity Kavrose yelled a war cry out and lead the rest of his men into the defenders. Piling into them with swords and punches the defenders faltered and began to flee, opening the way to the platoons goal.
Down the seeminly endless corridors of the Deimos Kavrose platoon found themselves reaching the back of the terrible ship until finally they came across the door they were looking for. Bursting through the door Kavrose had a good look at the final room and found it to be everything he had expected. Directly in front of him were a line of defenders with their guns, terrible inventions that attached to the ship in order to use its power as a small weapon, and behind them the spinning blue core for one of the Deimos's mighty engines.
With a flash of blue fire and the sound of metal on flesh the fight was brutally short, but Kavrose's men had won. Limping to the control panel for the engine Kavrose calmly shuts it down and the low humming of the engine begins to dissipate.
Releasing a sigh he turns back to his men and smiles "Huh... Looks like there are about ten of you... that's a good eighth of what we started with... I'm surprised we did so well"
"You know it.... boss" One of his men had that same stupid grin on, even as he was puking up blood.
"Hows the mage?"
"Got shot through the shoulder sir, but he says hes got at least one more good spell in him"
"Good... Have the men pick up the guns then... may as well make use of them while were here"
Forming his men up so they were aiming at the door Kavrose felt relieved. He and the other boys had prepared for this moment there entire lives, and suddenly all the sleepless break braking nights of training were worth it. So long as about half the platoons reached their own engines then the Deimos would slowly begin to descend, taking it out of the fight for a good five years. In that time his side might even take one of their colony ships, and his family's would be safe for a little longer.
Happy that his life as a solider in the endless war meant something Kavrose took out a cigarette from his pouch and offered it to the man next to him.
"Oh sorry sir... I don't smoke... Its bad for ya" Lighting the cigarette and taking in its bitter taste Kavrose scowls at the man.
"God, I hope they kill you first"
Kavrose looked back to his solders, taking his cigarette of jinka leaves out from his mouth, and gave them his usual disdainful stare "Keep talking like that and I'll throw you off this damn thing" his men laughed at that, they always did appreciate a good threat here and there.
Turning back to the front of the ship Kavrose could only find a cruel beauty in the clouds as they flew by him. He'd watched the same scene hundreds of times yet this time it felt so different, so unique in a world of clouds. Breathing in the bitter smoke from his cigarette seemed to be the only thing that kept him from bursting into bloody poems.
Looking to his left he could see the other platoons riding in their own Sky Killers, back home the brass liked to call them Swan Skimmers but the solders knew what they really were. Spears of the sky launched from the military sky ship the Yenhan the Sky Killers cut their way through the clouds at astounding speeds, if not for the platoons mage holding a shield around the ship they'd all be torn to pieces.
Bursting through a cloud Kavrose could finally make out his target, the terrible Diomos. Already it had reached the front line and torn one of his sides frigates clean in half with blue fire.
Right on time.
Tossing his cigarette over the side he yells out to his men "Alright, gear up and get ready you dogs, breaks over"they chuckle at him and he knows why, they've been ready for this their whole lives.
Tightening his suit Kavrose looked back at the Diomos and felt awed by its horrible size. Shaped like a long jagged rock the Diomos seemed like a small moon rather then one of the many ships tearing up the sky's, if it didn't go down then the losses his side would take would be terrible. He would never let that happen, his men would never let that happen.
As the Sky Killer quickly began to approach its target Kavrose could make out the blue crystals covering the Diomos's exterior, they really were alot bigger then he had imagined, he could already hear the whirl of blue fire coming towards them. If it wasn't trying to kill him he would have thought the site of it splitting past their shield to be quite dazzling.
"Ohp, there goes the red tigers" Looking out of the corner of his eye Kavrose could see one of the other Sky Killers burst into flame and fall apart into the abyss. He only hopped that his platoons mage could handle the stress. Moments later the ship lost its blue hue and the Sky Killer was passed the worst of it.
"Its jumping time boys" Stepping backwards into his space Kavrose placed his feet in little grooves and bent his knees, shifting his weight carefully like he'd done a hundred times before. The men behind him were all in place, stupidly grinning like usual.
There is a snapping noise and now their in the air. Past the shield Kavrose could finally feel the wind pushing against his face fiercely, stretching his limbs out as far as he can he lets the feeling of total freedom wash over him. But Kavrose has a mission, and he has trained much for this day. Pulling out his lancaar he shoots the beam tipped rope seemingly at thin air.
With the sound of tiny thuds his platoon grapple themselves onto the Diomos's shield and climb their way up it. Using the tip of their Lancaar's they form up around their mage and wait until his incantations are finished. One of the men laughs and calls out to the others "Hey guys, Gerheld fell off!"the rest of them laugh and exchange some quick banter about silly old Gerheld, whilst Kavrose just rolls his eyes.
Nearby a beam of blue fire shoots out from the Diomos and one of the other platoons resting on the shield are instantly incinerated. The men pause for a moment before one of them brakes the silence "Huh... Wasn't that Yurell's platoon?... Hey does that mean I have the highest score now? Haha!" The men laugh again and Kavros feels like their in awfully good spirits today.
Below them a green triangle covered in runes begins to grow around the invisible shield and the men begin to tense up. What look like cracks in the sky below them begin to appear within the triangle until finally the center of it shatters creating a small opening. Almost immediately some of the men take out their specialised lancaars and clamp it around the hole in the shield, and with a loud crash it shoots a line all the way to the Diomos.
Crowding around the gap the men one by one use their metal gauntlets on their left hand to grip the line and abseil down it. The defenders manning the outside ports of the Diomos had begun to shoot at them from their defences, Kavros momentarily considers this to be rude but not unexpected.
Part 2-
Going down the line himself Kavrose sees some of his men go limp fall off as tiny blue spheres tear through them, and for a brief moment he expects to be hit himself any second. The shot never comes however and he lets go of the line and uses his momentum to land in one of the many ports of the Deimos. All around him a bloody combat of swords has begun as his men try and secure the landing for the platoon, wasting no time Kavrose unsheathes his own and leaps into the fray.
As soon as the mage finally makes his way down Kavrose yells a command at his troops to push forward. Taking up an arrow formation with the mage at the center Kavrose's men make a bloody push to one of the many doors of the Deimos. Sparing a short thought for the few men he'll leave behind to hold off the defenders Kavrose joins the formation and enters the Deimos.
His men had been lucky so far but now it came to the hard part of their mission and Kavrose was no looking forward to it. On most sky ships the interior corridors were small and suffocating so that they didn't require many defenders to block an attackers path, and the Deimos was no different. Kavrose was muling over the worst possible outcomes when one his men shouted the one thing he didn't want to hear.
"Mage!"
With no where to hide or run away to the solders only choice was to push forward, even as an ark of red lighting skipped along the walls toward them. In a matter of seconds all his men at the front began to spasm and fall to the floor as red began to cover over them, but luck was still on Kavrose side. As his men fell over the platoons mage hopped over them and pointed his hand down the hallway and a thin green blade of light shot down the corridor and cut the defenders in front of them apart.
Not wasting this opportunity Kavrose yelled a war cry out and lead the rest of his men into the defenders. Piling into them with swords and punches the defenders faltered and began to flee, opening the way to the platoons goal.
Down the seeminly endless corridors of the Deimos Kavrose platoon found themselves reaching the back of the terrible ship until finally they came across the door they were looking for. Bursting through the door Kavrose had a good look at the final room and found it to be everything he had expected. Directly in front of him were a line of defenders with their guns, terrible inventions that attached to the ship in order to use its power as a small weapon, and behind them the spinning blue core for one of the Deimos's mighty engines.
With a flash of blue fire and the sound of metal on flesh the fight was brutally short, but Kavrose's men had won. Limping to the control panel for the engine Kavrose calmly shuts it down and the low humming of the engine begins to dissipate.
Releasing a sigh he turns back to his men and smiles "Huh... Looks like there are about ten of you... that's a good eighth of what we started with... I'm surprised we did so well"
"You know it.... boss" One of his men had that same stupid grin on, even as he was puking up blood.
"Hows the mage?"
"Got shot through the shoulder sir, but he says hes got at least one more good spell in him"
"Good... Have the men pick up the guns then... may as well make use of them while were here"
Forming his men up so they were aiming at the door Kavrose felt relieved. He and the other boys had prepared for this moment there entire lives, and suddenly all the sleepless break braking nights of training were worth it. So long as about half the platoons reached their own engines then the Deimos would slowly begin to descend, taking it out of the fight for a good five years. In that time his side might even take one of their colony ships, and his family's would be safe for a little longer.
Happy that his life as a solider in the endless war meant something Kavrose took out a cigarette from his pouch and offered it to the man next to him.
"Oh sorry sir... I don't smoke... Its bad for ya" Lighting the cigarette and taking in its bitter taste Kavrose scowls at the man.
"God, I hope they kill you first"
Thursday, 11 June 2009
In The Land of Eriatilos
Once upon a time there were four lands created by four brothers. There was Edaps the hardest working of the four, Dnomaid the richest, Bulc the strongest and finally the compassionate Traeh. The lands were created in their images and times were good, but the four brothers agreed that something critical was missing from their lands.
One day Traeh came to his brothers after a night of deep thought and said unto them "To make our lands complete and perfect we must populate them with people from all corners of the world" almost immediately his brothers agreed, all understanding the crushing loneliness they all felt. However they could not agree how to gather these people.
Bulc stepped forward and said "We should hold a tournament directed by Traeh, each of us taking a side and seeing who can win over the most people"
Edaps frowned and disagreed with his brothers competitive idea "Instead I say we should try to sort out these people by examining them all trough the ritual of Llec Eerf"
Dnomaid scoffed at his brothers idea and said smugly "No, rather we should open the borders of Eriatilos and let people come from anywhere through the Redips gates"
They argued deep into the night until finally Traeh stepped in and brought forward his own idea "No my brothers I think we should do this in the old ways of Eriatilos and send for an outsider" The brothers muttered to one another but knew that Traeh's decision was the wisest, and so they sent for an outsider.
Soon a sage from distant lands arrived before them and Traeh gave him his quest "You are to go out into the world Sage Reyalp and bring back as many people that fit our philosophies as you can. Be warned Reyalp, you will only be armed with only your wits and the outside world can be cruel and cunning, and many people only follow those stronger then them" Even so the Sage accepted his quest, touched deeply by the silent suffering of the four brothers.
Entering wild lands coverd in lush green fields the Sage Reyalp came across small gatherings of different people, but no matter how hard he tried he could not convince any of them to come with him. As hope for the success of his quest already fading the sage recalled Traeh's words of how people only follow those stronger... with that thought in mind the Sage left for other lands seeking those who could help him gather these people together.
The trip was long and hard but not fruitless, during his travels he met a large man by the name of Thgie that had already gathered a group of people under his wing. The Sage spoke to him often of the lands of Eriatilos and how it was a paradise to behold but Thgie looked unsure and said "You say this place is grand yet it seems to me that no one lives there, making it a hollow Eden... If others begin to populate this land then perhaps then I shall accompany you there" With that the Sage left him and carryied on his quest to find those willing to leave their homes for a better future.
It was in one of the citys of this land of green that the Sage Reyalp encountered a poor man llieing in the street. He gave his question to the man and he replied "Any hope for a richer life then this is worth taking, I shall go with you to this paradise" smiling to himself th Sage continued his journey to find others to travel to the land of Eriatilos.
Leaving the city the Sage was confronted by a most peculiar site, new cities had begun to spring up over night populated by all sorts of people. It wasn't long before he met with the man Thgie again and asked what had happened.
"While news of your land has spread Sage others have begun to spread their own rumors, proclaiming their new cities as paradises, and while I am unsure of them for now they seem tempting places to flock to" The Sage could not believe what was happening, what he had caused to happen. If he did not do something soon then any chance of getting these poor people to glorious lands of Eriatilos would fail.
But as the Sage confronted those who had mislead these people into forming cruel mockery's of cities he could already tell that he was too late. His rumors had saved a few souls, but at the price of all of them.
------------
Thus ends our tale of woe dear reader, and the moral of this story?
No one ever wins at Solitaire.
One day Traeh came to his brothers after a night of deep thought and said unto them "To make our lands complete and perfect we must populate them with people from all corners of the world" almost immediately his brothers agreed, all understanding the crushing loneliness they all felt. However they could not agree how to gather these people.
Bulc stepped forward and said "We should hold a tournament directed by Traeh, each of us taking a side and seeing who can win over the most people"
Edaps frowned and disagreed with his brothers competitive idea "Instead I say we should try to sort out these people by examining them all trough the ritual of Llec Eerf"
Dnomaid scoffed at his brothers idea and said smugly "No, rather we should open the borders of Eriatilos and let people come from anywhere through the Redips gates"
They argued deep into the night until finally Traeh stepped in and brought forward his own idea "No my brothers I think we should do this in the old ways of Eriatilos and send for an outsider" The brothers muttered to one another but knew that Traeh's decision was the wisest, and so they sent for an outsider.
Soon a sage from distant lands arrived before them and Traeh gave him his quest "You are to go out into the world Sage Reyalp and bring back as many people that fit our philosophies as you can. Be warned Reyalp, you will only be armed with only your wits and the outside world can be cruel and cunning, and many people only follow those stronger then them" Even so the Sage accepted his quest, touched deeply by the silent suffering of the four brothers.
Entering wild lands coverd in lush green fields the Sage Reyalp came across small gatherings of different people, but no matter how hard he tried he could not convince any of them to come with him. As hope for the success of his quest already fading the sage recalled Traeh's words of how people only follow those stronger... with that thought in mind the Sage left for other lands seeking those who could help him gather these people together.
The trip was long and hard but not fruitless, during his travels he met a large man by the name of Thgie that had already gathered a group of people under his wing. The Sage spoke to him often of the lands of Eriatilos and how it was a paradise to behold but Thgie looked unsure and said "You say this place is grand yet it seems to me that no one lives there, making it a hollow Eden... If others begin to populate this land then perhaps then I shall accompany you there" With that the Sage left him and carryied on his quest to find those willing to leave their homes for a better future.
It was in one of the citys of this land of green that the Sage Reyalp encountered a poor man llieing in the street. He gave his question to the man and he replied "Any hope for a richer life then this is worth taking, I shall go with you to this paradise" smiling to himself th Sage continued his journey to find others to travel to the land of Eriatilos.
Leaving the city the Sage was confronted by a most peculiar site, new cities had begun to spring up over night populated by all sorts of people. It wasn't long before he met with the man Thgie again and asked what had happened.
"While news of your land has spread Sage others have begun to spread their own rumors, proclaiming their new cities as paradises, and while I am unsure of them for now they seem tempting places to flock to" The Sage could not believe what was happening, what he had caused to happen. If he did not do something soon then any chance of getting these poor people to glorious lands of Eriatilos would fail.
But as the Sage confronted those who had mislead these people into forming cruel mockery's of cities he could already tell that he was too late. His rumors had saved a few souls, but at the price of all of them.
------------
Thus ends our tale of woe dear reader, and the moral of this story?
No one ever wins at Solitaire.
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