"The ship has artillery around at all angles, its surrounded by smaller ships that are similarly armed and the guards are rotated often. This time of year the water in the bay is cold enough to kill you if you are in it for more than a few minutes. And the surrounding dock area is also guarded and staffed by the elite of the Red Hand military." Morley and I were staring at a map of a bay, it was included in my information packet on my target, one of the more reclusive members of the Red Hand council, indeed he was thought to be a God in some circles do to his long lifespan and damn near impervious nature to assassination attempts (his life previously had been attempted twenty times).
"I'm getting the feeling you are saying this will not be as easy as I hoped."
"Do you really like your store and people that much? I mean they'll all be dead eventually, why delay the inevitable?" Morley of course offering his usual strong moral stance on things.
"Are you going to help me or not?"
"Help you what? Kill yourself? Look Trezlan I figured maybe they wanted you to pick off one of the newer dumber guys, maybe even a lesser guy, but they want you to go after THE guy, and honestly this is the kind of thing you just walk away from, thats what I plan on doing, I'll just disappear for a bit, let this whole thing blow over." So after tying him to me, he just cut the rope and off he goes. That's Morley for you, he's only there until he finds a way out, or a way to screw you over.
"Forget it I have a plan I'll get in there, get this done and be a hero to everyone who doesn't know I did it." I gathered up the maps and made a move to leave, Morley grabbed my arm.
"Don't do this you idiot, you can't win, you'll die, and as someone who doesn't like you very much, even you deserve better than to die like they'll kill you."
"Touching Morley." I brushed his arm off and made my way out of his house, it had of course started to rain.
"I will not remember you Trezlan, I hope whatever they do to you REMOVES YOUR MEMORY FROM EVERYONE!" The shout was from his door, I guess he didn't care what people thought of him (well obviously he was clearly Morley still). I should have known back then that Morley would be of no help whatsoever, I figured maybe he had some secret something or other that would save the day. Turns out he just had his ugly old self and the only secret was how he keeps from disolving every mirror in his house while being so ugly (IN YOUR UGLY FACE MORLEY!). I wasn't lying though, I did have a plan, it wasn't a great plan, or even a good one, but it was a plan and thats enough to keep me going on something stupid (sometimes not even that!). And tomorrow I'll go all about my daring plan to assault a ship in the middle of an armed harbor surrounded by warships. I'm sure you'll be amazed at my ability! Well either that or you'll laugh really hard, win win for me anyway.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
Morligations
"No." Morley had opened his door looked me in the face and that was the response. He didn't even wait for me to talk!
"At least let me come inside first." I had forced my way in because I knew Morley most likely wouldn't kill me in the street (most likely).
"Get out of my house, get out of here in general, I don't want what you are selling." Morley stayed at the door it was open into the street, at least it wasn't raining outside.
"I'm not selling anything this time! I'm giving you an opportunity to do something bigger than yourself!" I was, I mean killing a councilman is amazing thing to be apart, or it was, now they are all dead after summary execution, but back then they were something!
"I've heard this speech before, but not from you, usually someone who has a get rich quick scheme, for some reason I have a feeling you are not trying to make me money."
"Not directly, but there could be a substantial sum of money we could aquire when we finish." Looting the dead, a time honored tradition of murderers everywhere.
"I already have a substantial sum of money, or do you not notice my house?"
"Look you owe me."
"I don't even want to know where you get that particular belief from, I'm sure it will be equally as silly as your normal rationalizations."
"I need you to help me kill a councilman Morley, if I don't do it I'm pretty much dead." He stood looking at me with a dead stare (his normal, but this looked even deader than normal).
"You stupid arrogant son of a bitch!" He attacked me, the entryway to his house was kind of a small corridor and I hadn't left it, so it made it really easy for him to lunge forward and pin me to a wall his hands wrapped around me throat. He was squeezing really hard, which seemed silly for a couple magic users to be locked into physical scofflaw, but when you are mad you kind of throw caution to the wind.
"We can work this out." I squeaked out my response, I didn't want to hurt Morley, because I needed him, but it was looking like he was going to actually kill me, and that interferes with my whole currently living thing. He let go, but looked to be about to attack me again but thought better of it.
"You realize now you disengenous fool of a man that I'm linked to your plan whether I wanted to help you or not, and now even if I toss you out they will come after me if you fail or succeed." He was talking through his teeth, like I didn't see his mouth move but I heard the words spit out like a pistol.
"It crossed my mind yeah." I straighted myself up, my throat felt really too small and swallowing hurt just a little.
"I hate you so much Trezlan."
"Feeling is mutual Morley, but I need you, and that makes me hate you even more."
"At least we have that going for us, ok, who do you need to kill?" And so the two necromancers who hated each other came to an agreement to murder someone powerful. It was beautiful really, in that its really awful and calling it beautiful is a mockery of the word.
"At least let me come inside first." I had forced my way in because I knew Morley most likely wouldn't kill me in the street (most likely).
"Get out of my house, get out of here in general, I don't want what you are selling." Morley stayed at the door it was open into the street, at least it wasn't raining outside.
"I'm not selling anything this time! I'm giving you an opportunity to do something bigger than yourself!" I was, I mean killing a councilman is amazing thing to be apart, or it was, now they are all dead after summary execution, but back then they were something!
"I've heard this speech before, but not from you, usually someone who has a get rich quick scheme, for some reason I have a feeling you are not trying to make me money."
"Not directly, but there could be a substantial sum of money we could aquire when we finish." Looting the dead, a time honored tradition of murderers everywhere.
"I already have a substantial sum of money, or do you not notice my house?"
"Look you owe me."
"I don't even want to know where you get that particular belief from, I'm sure it will be equally as silly as your normal rationalizations."
"I need you to help me kill a councilman Morley, if I don't do it I'm pretty much dead." He stood looking at me with a dead stare (his normal, but this looked even deader than normal).
"You stupid arrogant son of a bitch!" He attacked me, the entryway to his house was kind of a small corridor and I hadn't left it, so it made it really easy for him to lunge forward and pin me to a wall his hands wrapped around me throat. He was squeezing really hard, which seemed silly for a couple magic users to be locked into physical scofflaw, but when you are mad you kind of throw caution to the wind.
"We can work this out." I squeaked out my response, I didn't want to hurt Morley, because I needed him, but it was looking like he was going to actually kill me, and that interferes with my whole currently living thing. He let go, but looked to be about to attack me again but thought better of it.
"You realize now you disengenous fool of a man that I'm linked to your plan whether I wanted to help you or not, and now even if I toss you out they will come after me if you fail or succeed." He was talking through his teeth, like I didn't see his mouth move but I heard the words spit out like a pistol.
"It crossed my mind yeah." I straighted myself up, my throat felt really too small and swallowing hurt just a little.
"I hate you so much Trezlan."
"Feeling is mutual Morley, but I need you, and that makes me hate you even more."
"At least we have that going for us, ok, who do you need to kill?" And so the two necromancers who hated each other came to an agreement to murder someone powerful. It was beautiful really, in that its really awful and calling it beautiful is a mockery of the word.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
A Murder, A Murder of Stupidity
Ok so I won't go over my hatred of river delta politics, some day I will but that day is not today (because its my go to threat, if you know me I threaten people all the time to divulge them of this petty and long winded complaint). So I'll set the scene I was cold as all get out from having taken a bath in a running stream close to night time (not like doing it during the day is any warmer, but you know whatever), trying to stand next to my fire to warm up when I decided to look over the details of who they wanted me to kill. A councilman! A freaking Red Hand, God's upon this earth, COUNCILMAN!
So I screamed, I raged, I stubbed my toe (which caused more rage though vastly more local and immediate). I was so angry I didn't even notice I was no longer alone. Yes I'm a huge child, I got mad enough to ignore the group surrounding me. They were dressed in plain clothes, looked like a group of travelers, except for the weapons they all had out, which spoke to assassins hiding in plain sight (or farmers who really liked the quiet, I rolled the dice and figured more likely assassins). Fighting naked is hard, fighting naked without a weapon, a stubbed toe, and chilled from having a dip in an ice cold creek? Even harder.
No witty lines, no calls for coming together or anything, I just ran for my sword and they rushed in to fight. I could tell from meele weapons over fire arms these were most likely Red Hand assassins (because the Red Hand just never ever gave up the ideal that fire arms were beneath them). How they had found me, or knew that I was after them is probably because Ronerawth had a traitor (or intentionally leaked that I was after them, see they tell The Red Hand I'm coming that way if I succeed they tried to warn their "ally"). Either way I didn't have a lot of time to figure out their motives, I was a little busy not dying.
There were six of them, all coming in at different angles. The first one to reach me got to me just as I got my sword. He was not very competent with a blade (not that I'm that great, but I've had some training in all my years), and I was able to diarm and gut him with no problem (for a brief moment I wondered if they were just simply farmers with weapons). The others were closing the gap fast, but I'm a user of fire, that just meant they were getting close to a not so obvious trap! See the thing with using an element is that when there are other things of your element nearby you have a plus as it were. I've seen ice users shred entire forces in a rainstorm, which is to say that a group of men approaching the campfire of a fire user, not exactly a great idea.
The flames rose up and over them like a sea of death, they screamed briefly and then their charred corpses were all that remained (for those keeping track I was let out of prison for not committing murder to then directly kill 6 people, politics!). In hindsight murdering them with fire wasn't the greatest idea, because any proof of why they were there was destroyed (woops), also the smell was terrible. If you've never smelled roasting bodies, consider yourself lucky. Its a way of saying I moved on fairly fast, didn't even bother to put out my fire (thankfully I didn't hear about some huge brush fire that destroyed blah blah blah, not like I really cared, but you know all this collateral damage might come up some day).
I made my way north again (I hated having to go to Red Hand territory but it seemed like thats all I freaking did anymore, I honestly started thinking of just living up there for the inevitable need for me to return). I knew I needed the help of Morley, and I knew he was going to make me eat so much shit (hopefully not literally but you never know) for asking, but if anyone knew how to kill someone powerful and get away with it, it was Morley (aside from me, though he's mocked me before by saying that I'm not worth his time to bother killing, clearly he's probably read of my exploits, self burn!) Plus at the very least I could possibly drag him into it by value of me showing up on his door step, so you know win win.
So I screamed, I raged, I stubbed my toe (which caused more rage though vastly more local and immediate). I was so angry I didn't even notice I was no longer alone. Yes I'm a huge child, I got mad enough to ignore the group surrounding me. They were dressed in plain clothes, looked like a group of travelers, except for the weapons they all had out, which spoke to assassins hiding in plain sight (or farmers who really liked the quiet, I rolled the dice and figured more likely assassins). Fighting naked is hard, fighting naked without a weapon, a stubbed toe, and chilled from having a dip in an ice cold creek? Even harder.
No witty lines, no calls for coming together or anything, I just ran for my sword and they rushed in to fight. I could tell from meele weapons over fire arms these were most likely Red Hand assassins (because the Red Hand just never ever gave up the ideal that fire arms were beneath them). How they had found me, or knew that I was after them is probably because Ronerawth had a traitor (or intentionally leaked that I was after them, see they tell The Red Hand I'm coming that way if I succeed they tried to warn their "ally"). Either way I didn't have a lot of time to figure out their motives, I was a little busy not dying.
There were six of them, all coming in at different angles. The first one to reach me got to me just as I got my sword. He was not very competent with a blade (not that I'm that great, but I've had some training in all my years), and I was able to diarm and gut him with no problem (for a brief moment I wondered if they were just simply farmers with weapons). The others were closing the gap fast, but I'm a user of fire, that just meant they were getting close to a not so obvious trap! See the thing with using an element is that when there are other things of your element nearby you have a plus as it were. I've seen ice users shred entire forces in a rainstorm, which is to say that a group of men approaching the campfire of a fire user, not exactly a great idea.
The flames rose up and over them like a sea of death, they screamed briefly and then their charred corpses were all that remained (for those keeping track I was let out of prison for not committing murder to then directly kill 6 people, politics!). In hindsight murdering them with fire wasn't the greatest idea, because any proof of why they were there was destroyed (woops), also the smell was terrible. If you've never smelled roasting bodies, consider yourself lucky. Its a way of saying I moved on fairly fast, didn't even bother to put out my fire (thankfully I didn't hear about some huge brush fire that destroyed blah blah blah, not like I really cared, but you know all this collateral damage might come up some day).
I made my way north again (I hated having to go to Red Hand territory but it seemed like thats all I freaking did anymore, I honestly started thinking of just living up there for the inevitable need for me to return). I knew I needed the help of Morley, and I knew he was going to make me eat so much shit (hopefully not literally but you never know) for asking, but if anyone knew how to kill someone powerful and get away with it, it was Morley (aside from me, though he's mocked me before by saying that I'm not worth his time to bother killing, clearly he's probably read of my exploits, self burn!) Plus at the very least I could possibly drag him into it by value of me showing up on his door step, so you know win win.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
At Least It Wasn't My Fault
It had been a week, my stomach was sour from eating prison food, my bowels did not like the commnity bathroom hole I was having to go at, and my clothing was starting to stink from not being able to change it (because being polite to prisoners has never been a thing in any society I've ever seen). So prison was not treating me well. Needless to say when I was brought out of my cell to "face my accuser" I was a little angry (and lets not forget I was accused of murder, how the hell could I face my accuser? I supposedly killed him!). I got even more angry when I was brought into a room opposite members of the Ronerawth Royal Guard, I was about to walk back out when the door slammed shut behind me.
"Sit down Mr. Lorentino." Two of them, both around the same height, ornate pistols on their right hip were there only visible weapons, but I knew from experience ornate or not the pistols were very much working weaponry. They were both standing (obviously since I knew they were the same height) in the middle of the room was a large wooden chair with shackles on the arms (I was already shackled so no worry about getting reshackled), from experience I knew that kind of chair was used for extra punishment, I could see some of the stained blood on the back to reaffirm that point. The statement was not so much an invitation as a command, so I sat as ordered.
"I take it this means I did not kill anyone." Got to start with the obvious. The man who spoke (he was on my left so he'll be lefty, not that righty talked, but still they get names!) looked to his compatriot and shrugged a little.
"Not yet, but if needed you will have." Implied threat right out the gate, I could tell this was one of those conversations that go over so well.
"So what do you want from me?"
"You're help, but we also have to maintain your silence something we are aware you are not good at."
"And so if I talk about helping you I get tossed in a cell."
"Executed."
"Executed fantastic, so my next question, what can I do to help you?" When you're beat you're beat, there is nothing to do but just lay back and hope they don't kill you. This is also my strategy for sex any ladies reading this journal.
"Right to the point the Emperor has been poisoned, and will die if we can not cure him."
"I'm not a healer, nor an apothecary though I do know a good one..."
"We do not need your healing Lorentino, thats being taken care of, what we need is retribution."
"You both seem capable enough, go get your retribution." Honestly I'm not an assassin and I really wish people would stop thinking I was.
"This can't be connected to Ronerawth, and while you are sadly somehow considered a citizen in this country, you are not associated with us especially not with the Red Hand leadership." I should have known this was a Red Hand thing, most things associated with me and prison normally were.
"I'm really feeling the love here." Righty went to the door and knocked on it, two other Ronerawth royal guards showed up, one unshackled me, the other handed me a rather large knapsack.
"Everything you need is in the sack, including a map and some money to get you going, be aware if you flee we'll burn your shop down and kill all of your employees." This will make me an awful person but I honestly considered running for a few brief hours... I left the prison area, making a brief stop at my shop to inform them I was going on a journey and to swap clothes (I was under the impression I was not forbidden from doing either of those things and seeing how they didn't kill my shop workers and burn the building down, it apparently was fine). I was out of town and in a small makeshift camp near a river (to wash off naturally) before I even looked at who they wanted me to kill, and when I did I exclaimed so loud and so hard I'm sure every creature around heard it, but I cared not because I would have rather been killed than set on the task I was. What was it? Who did they want me to kill? Well maybe I'll tell you tomorrow! Or maybe I'll launch into a tirade about the trade restrictions on river deltas! You never know with this journal!
"Sit down Mr. Lorentino." Two of them, both around the same height, ornate pistols on their right hip were there only visible weapons, but I knew from experience ornate or not the pistols were very much working weaponry. They were both standing (obviously since I knew they were the same height) in the middle of the room was a large wooden chair with shackles on the arms (I was already shackled so no worry about getting reshackled), from experience I knew that kind of chair was used for extra punishment, I could see some of the stained blood on the back to reaffirm that point. The statement was not so much an invitation as a command, so I sat as ordered.
"I take it this means I did not kill anyone." Got to start with the obvious. The man who spoke (he was on my left so he'll be lefty, not that righty talked, but still they get names!) looked to his compatriot and shrugged a little.
"Not yet, but if needed you will have." Implied threat right out the gate, I could tell this was one of those conversations that go over so well.
"So what do you want from me?"
"You're help, but we also have to maintain your silence something we are aware you are not good at."
"And so if I talk about helping you I get tossed in a cell."
"Executed."
"Executed fantastic, so my next question, what can I do to help you?" When you're beat you're beat, there is nothing to do but just lay back and hope they don't kill you. This is also my strategy for sex any ladies reading this journal.
"Right to the point the Emperor has been poisoned, and will die if we can not cure him."
"I'm not a healer, nor an apothecary though I do know a good one..."
"We do not need your healing Lorentino, thats being taken care of, what we need is retribution."
"You both seem capable enough, go get your retribution." Honestly I'm not an assassin and I really wish people would stop thinking I was.
"This can't be connected to Ronerawth, and while you are sadly somehow considered a citizen in this country, you are not associated with us especially not with the Red Hand leadership." I should have known this was a Red Hand thing, most things associated with me and prison normally were.
"I'm really feeling the love here." Righty went to the door and knocked on it, two other Ronerawth royal guards showed up, one unshackled me, the other handed me a rather large knapsack.
"Everything you need is in the sack, including a map and some money to get you going, be aware if you flee we'll burn your shop down and kill all of your employees." This will make me an awful person but I honestly considered running for a few brief hours... I left the prison area, making a brief stop at my shop to inform them I was going on a journey and to swap clothes (I was under the impression I was not forbidden from doing either of those things and seeing how they didn't kill my shop workers and burn the building down, it apparently was fine). I was out of town and in a small makeshift camp near a river (to wash off naturally) before I even looked at who they wanted me to kill, and when I did I exclaimed so loud and so hard I'm sure every creature around heard it, but I cared not because I would have rather been killed than set on the task I was. What was it? Who did they want me to kill? Well maybe I'll tell you tomorrow! Or maybe I'll launch into a tirade about the trade restrictions on river deltas! You never know with this journal!
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
The Politics of Murder
"You're under arrest." Five of them all dressed neatly with guns pointed. I'd been in back in town for a couple weeks, honestly that I got arrested shouldn't have been a surprise, that I'd gone this long without being arrested should have been a shock.
"Usually there's a charge for that." I know what little rights are accorded to people in these times.
"Murder." Shackles now, the real kind, guess they knew I was a magic user.
"I guess saying I didn't kill anyone recently wouldn't sway your decision to arrest me right?" Notice how I said recently, because lets be honest I'm a murderer unrepetent at that.
"If I were you, and I'm thankful I'm not I'd keep quiet." I'd met the captain of the guard once at a function, he seemed like a nice enough guy, Garian or something like that? At least he was offering advice though it was at the point of a partial insult. They had caught me at the shop (caught in this case being showed up armed and asked for me specifically) before I left I made sure to tell my staff to keep things running (by this point they pretty much did things without me anyway, its why you train people well, then they don't need you to hold their hand all the time/lets you sleep in). They had a horse cart waiting outside for me, I told them I could walk but they insisted. From there I was taken to the guard house, still in my shackles and tossed into a cell. At least I was by myself, even if the cell didn't offer any kind of privacy (bars in all directions not actual walls). The only furniture was a bolted down bench. I laid myself upon it and waited for whoever would come to explain my crimes.
You know its sad how routine me being locked up for killing people is! I mean you would think at this point with my acts of heroism (right we'll call it that) should I happen to kill anyone it should be seen as a good thing! I mean I'm hardly ever wrong, well recently in like the last two hundred years, that first hundred was excuse the pun, murder on my morality. All of that is to say that I knew I'd probably get convicted locked up and hopefully let out so I could live on, there was the worry I could be executed, but despite Ronerawth being all "Rarrr we hate crime." They really only had a hard on for executing traitors, not just jerks like myself. So if you have to committ a murder, do it in Ronerawth, they most likely won't execute you. Well unless you killed the emperor, than they'll make sure you suffer forever. See you've learned something now haven't you!
All of that was to explain that I sat on my ass for a week eating poor prison food and being visited by my assistants to ask for advice on very minor things and they were really coming to see how I was holding up but didn't want to admit it. And at the end of the week... Well things changed, as they always do for me, and you know the drill turn the page read tomorrows entry etc etc.
"Usually there's a charge for that." I know what little rights are accorded to people in these times.
"Murder." Shackles now, the real kind, guess they knew I was a magic user.
"I guess saying I didn't kill anyone recently wouldn't sway your decision to arrest me right?" Notice how I said recently, because lets be honest I'm a murderer unrepetent at that.
"If I were you, and I'm thankful I'm not I'd keep quiet." I'd met the captain of the guard once at a function, he seemed like a nice enough guy, Garian or something like that? At least he was offering advice though it was at the point of a partial insult. They had caught me at the shop (caught in this case being showed up armed and asked for me specifically) before I left I made sure to tell my staff to keep things running (by this point they pretty much did things without me anyway, its why you train people well, then they don't need you to hold their hand all the time/lets you sleep in). They had a horse cart waiting outside for me, I told them I could walk but they insisted. From there I was taken to the guard house, still in my shackles and tossed into a cell. At least I was by myself, even if the cell didn't offer any kind of privacy (bars in all directions not actual walls). The only furniture was a bolted down bench. I laid myself upon it and waited for whoever would come to explain my crimes.
You know its sad how routine me being locked up for killing people is! I mean you would think at this point with my acts of heroism (right we'll call it that) should I happen to kill anyone it should be seen as a good thing! I mean I'm hardly ever wrong, well recently in like the last two hundred years, that first hundred was excuse the pun, murder on my morality. All of that is to say that I knew I'd probably get convicted locked up and hopefully let out so I could live on, there was the worry I could be executed, but despite Ronerawth being all "Rarrr we hate crime." They really only had a hard on for executing traitors, not just jerks like myself. So if you have to committ a murder, do it in Ronerawth, they most likely won't execute you. Well unless you killed the emperor, than they'll make sure you suffer forever. See you've learned something now haven't you!
All of that was to explain that I sat on my ass for a week eating poor prison food and being visited by my assistants to ask for advice on very minor things and they were really coming to see how I was holding up but didn't want to admit it. And at the end of the week... Well things changed, as they always do for me, and you know the drill turn the page read tomorrows entry etc etc.
Monday, January 23, 2012
You Gotta Believe
I made my way through the empty city following faint tracks in what looked like a long not really traveled area (there was so much dust it was like a real world representation of my own mind). I kept spinning around with the torch to see if anything was following me, but there was nothing. No sounds, no growls, no gurgles or plops. Just a long abandoned creepy stone city covered in sigils with tracks dragging most likely Valrym deeper in. I did see where it looked like the thrall had been called from, next to where he was cooling his heels was the dessicated corpses of other previous thralls, much like everything else in the empty city it looked like they were undisturbed for years. Have you ever been in an empty underground city formerly filled with evil creatures? No? Its really creepy. Almost as bad as having to fight your entire way in killing anything and everything in your path, at least then you know what you are getting into.
So I tromped through the tomb of a city until I reached an altar, on it was Valrym tied in usual sacrificial fashion. Standing over him was a shadow, I mean that literally, it was a shadow given form. One of its arms was twisted into a blade, most likely to sacrifice Val (or I dunno shave him, you can never tell with shadows given form). When I arrived the shadow which had a sort of face in that there were gaps where a mouth and eyes should be seemed to perk up. I couldn't tell if it was because he was waiting for me, or just happy to see someone else.
"And your champion arrives." Voice was empty like so many other creatures in the dark, it was like wind blowing leaves.
"Just kill him Trezlan, do not listen to it." Valrym offering the wise choice in a decidedly wisdomless scenario.
"Trezlan? Lorentino? You are no champion of the earth god, you are known to us and those like us, be gone pretender we await his followers." I guess my reputation as always proceeded me.
"Can't, here to complain about some bad beer, gave me a nasty headache." As I always say kids, better to be a jerk than well liked.
"You are not the champion you are not warranted here! We need the champion, we need the followers! When we destroyed our enemy we destroyed ourselves! Look around at the ruins of our malice!" It made sense, if gods can lose power when they are no longer believed in, couldn't also their villains? I mean if you kill the hero and all who know of him, what would become of his foe when there is no one left to torment. "The earth gods are not dead, their avatar is here, they will worship again, we will become rea..." Turns out fire works pretty good on crazy old villains of dead gods (and they say where there is shadow there shall be light, damn it I should have said that when I killed him).
"Thank you for not taking all day, he's been talking none stop since they drug me here." Valrym looked no worse for the wear, though who's to say how that works with avatars of gods?
"So now that he's dead does that mean you disappear?"
"Don't be ridiculous you idiot." Have I mentioned how thankful Val is for saving him? Yeah he's not.
"So that's two you owe me then?" I helped him out of the bindings and passed him one of my few remaining torches.
"That sword is worth more than anything I could ever owe you."
"So two then?" His pace quickened and I made sure to hurry, I don't know what had constructed the underground city, or how sturdy it was, but I wasn't about to be left down there to get collapsed and left with the buried ruins of a dead shadow entity. Valrym and I didn't speak on our way out, nor did we speak on the way back to town. I gathered my things got my horse out of boarding and made my way back home, it had been a lesson on what curiosity does to you, but I did at least find out where the sword came from. So there was that, which didn't make up for all the crap, but you know sometimes you have to take what you get.
So I tromped through the tomb of a city until I reached an altar, on it was Valrym tied in usual sacrificial fashion. Standing over him was a shadow, I mean that literally, it was a shadow given form. One of its arms was twisted into a blade, most likely to sacrifice Val (or I dunno shave him, you can never tell with shadows given form). When I arrived the shadow which had a sort of face in that there were gaps where a mouth and eyes should be seemed to perk up. I couldn't tell if it was because he was waiting for me, or just happy to see someone else.
"And your champion arrives." Voice was empty like so many other creatures in the dark, it was like wind blowing leaves.
"Just kill him Trezlan, do not listen to it." Valrym offering the wise choice in a decidedly wisdomless scenario.
"Trezlan? Lorentino? You are no champion of the earth god, you are known to us and those like us, be gone pretender we await his followers." I guess my reputation as always proceeded me.
"Can't, here to complain about some bad beer, gave me a nasty headache." As I always say kids, better to be a jerk than well liked.
"You are not the champion you are not warranted here! We need the champion, we need the followers! When we destroyed our enemy we destroyed ourselves! Look around at the ruins of our malice!" It made sense, if gods can lose power when they are no longer believed in, couldn't also their villains? I mean if you kill the hero and all who know of him, what would become of his foe when there is no one left to torment. "The earth gods are not dead, their avatar is here, they will worship again, we will become rea..." Turns out fire works pretty good on crazy old villains of dead gods (and they say where there is shadow there shall be light, damn it I should have said that when I killed him).
"Thank you for not taking all day, he's been talking none stop since they drug me here." Valrym looked no worse for the wear, though who's to say how that works with avatars of gods?
"So now that he's dead does that mean you disappear?"
"Don't be ridiculous you idiot." Have I mentioned how thankful Val is for saving him? Yeah he's not.
"So that's two you owe me then?" I helped him out of the bindings and passed him one of my few remaining torches.
"That sword is worth more than anything I could ever owe you."
"So two then?" His pace quickened and I made sure to hurry, I don't know what had constructed the underground city, or how sturdy it was, but I wasn't about to be left down there to get collapsed and left with the buried ruins of a dead shadow entity. Valrym and I didn't speak on our way out, nor did we speak on the way back to town. I gathered my things got my horse out of boarding and made my way back home, it had been a lesson on what curiosity does to you, but I did at least find out where the sword came from. So there was that, which didn't make up for all the crap, but you know sometimes you have to take what you get.
Friday, January 20, 2012
I Assumed There'd Be Evil
Now I know you are probably a smart ass and wondering why I said I was bringing torches with me yesterday (if you are not a smart ass then this will be a regular explanation without indignation). Yes I can conjure fire, but maintaining conjured fire enough to keep a cave system well lit is about on par with those clowns in the park who balance an object on a thin pole (if those people have been eliminated in your time thank the gods this reference went over your head). Its just difficult and entirely unneccessary when torches are built for this exact thing.
Anyway semantics aside I had my torches lit and started to make my way into the big scary cave of doom. Which looked like a regular cave, albeit it with some weird markings outside in a language I didn't understand (though I did try and duplicate them as best I could with some paper I had available, what can I say I'm a scholar of evil). Once past the intial mouth of the cave (which looked recently unearthed, so apparently Valrym either neglected to tell me he closed the cave anyway, or nature had done it for him), it was a tight squeeze getting inside, but once inside it was fairly open and easy to navigate. I mean wide open, this cave was gigantic. I could see the remnants of battles past as Valrym had informed me of, though they looked very ancient compared to how they looked when he'd seen them last I'm sure.
Outside of the ancient rusting weapons though? Nothing. A huge empty cave thats all I saw. I was constantly expecting my torch to come across some new ancient horror only spoken of in madness tongues! Only to not find any of that at all, there was nothing in that cave except empty. I felt on edge as I ventured deeper in waiting for this darkness city I'd seen in the thralls mind, but as I delved deeper and nothing was there I started to wonder if Valrym had made up this ancient enemy or something. I mean I'd fought the creatures, so they were at least partially real, but why had they not attacked after defeating the earth gods and their people? Who kept this threat at bay? It was the question on my mind as my first torch burned itself out and I lit up another just as I came across the entrance to the city.
It was as I had seen previously a massive stone thing underground, covered in the runes I'd seen above it looked like it had been molded from the earth not constructed. I was on a cliff overlooking the structure and it was staggering. Though again I noticed nothing down there, I know it was technically "the darkness" that was my enemy, but you'd think they'd show up in the light right? So there I was decending into a city of the darkness not actually being able to see the enemies I'd set out to destroy and starting to wonder if I hadn't drunkenly dreamed the whole thing up to begin with. Or as I like to call it, tuesday.
Anyway semantics aside I had my torches lit and started to make my way into the big scary cave of doom. Which looked like a regular cave, albeit it with some weird markings outside in a language I didn't understand (though I did try and duplicate them as best I could with some paper I had available, what can I say I'm a scholar of evil). Once past the intial mouth of the cave (which looked recently unearthed, so apparently Valrym either neglected to tell me he closed the cave anyway, or nature had done it for him), it was a tight squeeze getting inside, but once inside it was fairly open and easy to navigate. I mean wide open, this cave was gigantic. I could see the remnants of battles past as Valrym had informed me of, though they looked very ancient compared to how they looked when he'd seen them last I'm sure.
Outside of the ancient rusting weapons though? Nothing. A huge empty cave thats all I saw. I was constantly expecting my torch to come across some new ancient horror only spoken of in madness tongues! Only to not find any of that at all, there was nothing in that cave except empty. I felt on edge as I ventured deeper in waiting for this darkness city I'd seen in the thralls mind, but as I delved deeper and nothing was there I started to wonder if Valrym had made up this ancient enemy or something. I mean I'd fought the creatures, so they were at least partially real, but why had they not attacked after defeating the earth gods and their people? Who kept this threat at bay? It was the question on my mind as my first torch burned itself out and I lit up another just as I came across the entrance to the city.
It was as I had seen previously a massive stone thing underground, covered in the runes I'd seen above it looked like it had been molded from the earth not constructed. I was on a cliff overlooking the structure and it was staggering. Though again I noticed nothing down there, I know it was technically "the darkness" that was my enemy, but you'd think they'd show up in the light right? So there I was decending into a city of the darkness not actually being able to see the enemies I'd set out to destroy and starting to wonder if I hadn't drunkenly dreamed the whole thing up to begin with. Or as I like to call it, tuesday.
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