Post by -Axael- on Mar 12, 2006 14:54:48 GMT -5
Across the seas in a forgotten land, the once silent country Re'Tal was under siege. No one knew how it all began or why, war just seemed to appear overnight. The hearts of the inhabitants grew increasingly cold and ruthless with each passing moment and extinction seemed inevitable. Even nature seemed strained. The once bountiful land had started to decline as crops and livestock slowly withered and died for some unknown reason.
"Kill them all!!"
A small army charged forward at the small village of Ankohl, intent on removing it from the face of the planet. This was not to be so however, as the village leader was a very powerful magical who had fought many battles in a far away country but had come to settle there to avoid the chaos of war that had broken out elsewhere. He lifted his staff to the sky, standing on the highest rooftop in the village and uttered the words needed to end the enemy's advance.
"What a waste. Strip away the ground with glistening blades. Thunder!"
In an instant, the gentle white clouds overhead filled with hate and malice. Their rage turned them almost black and their anger poured out upon the armored battalion below. The magnificent and terrible display was a testament to the horrors of war as shining columns of lightning raced across the open fields, increasing the total body count by a few dozens.
Though saddened by the act, it was necessary in order to protect the innocents in the village from being slaughtered like animals. This simple farming village had been targeted just like all others for eradication.
"We've arrived Keleos, and we got it."
The mage nodded to the boy and glided down from the roof to meet his apprentice.
"Well done Randy, there is hope now. Both of you, follow me to the square."
With a smile on his face, the middle aged man walked casually towards the center of the town and stopped at the fountain. He turned and waited for the two to catch up before speaking.
"Now then. Show it to me."
Randy turned and motioned his head towards a tall hooded figure a few steps away. From under the black covering, a large paw emerged holding a blue orb. Without hesitation, he handed the sphere over to the old man and stepped back without saying a word.
"Yes! This is it!" Keleos screamed excitedly. "Wait here, I'll call for you soon."
The old mage turned and walked towards a house that was located just a few steps away from the fountain then stopped suddenly.
"If all is what I think it is, I'll have a favor to ask of you two." he called out before disappearing into the small shack.
"What do you think he wants?" Randy asked, turning to his companion.
"How should I know, I'm no mage. I just wanna get something to eat, I'm starving!"
The two waited patiently in the open until a crash was heard inside the house.
"What the hell!?" Randy exclaimed. "Lets check it out!"
The two raced to the door and slowly pushed it open to see a white plain inside. Everything was covered with snow and ice, and the magician was nowhere to be seen.
"What was that guy doing in here?" Randy asked curiously as the two proceeded inside cautiously.
A few feet away from the boys, a mound of snow shuffled then collapsed to reveal the old man almost completely frozen.
"WHAA!!" Randy screamed in surprise. "Are you alright?"
The two helped the man to his feet and took him outside to warm up by the fountain. Once there he told them a chilling tale about the information received from the Ice goddess Shiva. There was an imbalance of magic in a faraway land that had spread throughout the world and now threatened their peaceful country. This unfortunate occurrence was the cause of the recent upsurge of violence as this matter dug deep into the very core of all life on their world.
"Someone must go to correct this imbalance, and that someone is you Randy!"
"ME!?"
Randy almost jumped from his skin after hearing this verdict. It was true that he was the student of this man and had learned some amount of magic in a short time but this seemed to be a quest for a more experienced, much older person.
"If you do not to this, our entire world may fall before whatever evil is behind it."
Randy frowned at the thought. He was no hero. He couldn't save the world. He could hardly even escape whenever the two committed any acts of thievery. This was going to be no fun at all.
"Don't be so dramatic," Randy said casually. "I'll do it in the morning."
That night, the two slept on the floor one last time inside the elder's house. Half-way through the night, a chill spread through the hut, felt only by the shrouded one.
Yellow eyes cut through the darkness as the giant rose to his feet and stepped over his friend, making his way outside. The sight he saw was that of a young girl, obviously not of their village skating on the frozen water in the fountain. The odd creature looked over at the intimidating beast with an annoyed look and pouted.
"Its not polite to stare you know. Introduce yourself"
"I'd ask you to do the same," escaped the mouth of the unfriendly titan. "Who are you and why are you in our fountain?"
The girl just chuckled and stepped off the fountain, ice forming around her feet as she touched the ground. She turned her head towards the cloaked observer and lifted her right arm to the sky; soon small sparkling lights were seen swirling around her small palm which then descended and pointed at him.
"Say goodnight my troublesome friend. Diamond Dust!"
His eyes widened as a terrible gust of air flew past him. Reacting quickly, he jumped back and flipped in the air then landed and unsheathed his dagger. Looking up at the spot he once stood, he saw multiple shards of ice the size of horses sticking out of the ground. Even stranger than that, was the fact that she had done this effortlessly and silently; the ground hadn't even vibrated from the impact. A strange girl indeed.
With a feeling of fear now starting to creep through his heart, he rose to his feet and sheathed his weapon in defeat. He lifted his eyes from the earth and stared at the face of a surprised child who stared back in shock.
"None has ever survived that," she uttered softly, "let alone avoided it completely. Are you mortal?"
"Yes I am," he responded. "I assume you aren't?"
Her expression changed slowly from shock to curiosity. Who could this man be that doesn't know an elemental when he sees one? No matter, this was the needed to travel with her.
"Your funny," she said innocently. "You are the one who will save everyone right?"
He thought for a moment then adjusted his hood over his ears and responded
"No, that would be my frien..."
Before he could even finnish his sentence, she was standing before him and taking a few steps back. A severe feeling of pain shot through his stomach and he collapsed, breathless, and faded away.
He awoke in a strange place that seemed nothing like the bountiful land he called home. Dirt and rocks were scattered across the landscape and the sky had a grey blanket stretched across it. He coughed and rose to his feet to examine the surroundings but was startled when he felt an ice cold hand rest on his shoulders.
"Are you ok?"
The fierce looking being jumped like a scared cat and scurried away from the small girl. This new environment toyed with his senses as he was feeling things he had never felt before.
"What did you do to me!?" he exclaimed in anger. "Where am I!?"
"Calm down," she said softly, "you're in Arcadia. Its the source of the problem your village is experiencing."
"Arcadia? But why am I here?"
"All will be revealed in time. For now, just head west."
She walked over to him and handed him a familiar object. The same orb the two had obtained earlier was now once again in his possession.
"With this you can call on Shiva to aid in your quest. Just repeat the words 'Wind, fade to silence and light, give us power. Shiva!' and she will appear."
"Quest!!? Is that what this is about!!? This was never to be my journey! I demand you take me back immediately!"
His harsh tone annoyed the girl somewhat and she took a step towards him as mist started to appear around her body.
"Don't be fooled by my size, I also am an ice goddess like my mother. Your words mean nothing to me and I could leave you here to die if I wanted to. If you desire to ever see your precious village again, you'll do well to obey me."
Though he didn't want to admit it, she had the upper hand. He didn't know which way home was let alone how to get back. He had no choice, he had to obey.
"Fine then. I'll head west as you say."
"Great!" she said with a smile. "I'll be going then. Farewell my brave traveler."
A bright blue light swirled around her small frame then in a burst of wind she was gone. All that remained as proof of her presence was a small ice covered area and his almost frozen-solid cloak.
"How annoying," he whispered to himself as he sent an elbow into his cape to knock the ice loose. "I hope I never see that one again."
One last look at the strange new world and he began to move in the opposite direction of the setting sun. 'For now, just head west.' This played over and over in his head as his feet dragged him further and further into the unknown. What was to be his purpose? Why was he here when it was never his choice or desire to be? Who knows. He just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible so he could go home.
"Kill them all!!"
A small army charged forward at the small village of Ankohl, intent on removing it from the face of the planet. This was not to be so however, as the village leader was a very powerful magical who had fought many battles in a far away country but had come to settle there to avoid the chaos of war that had broken out elsewhere. He lifted his staff to the sky, standing on the highest rooftop in the village and uttered the words needed to end the enemy's advance.
"What a waste. Strip away the ground with glistening blades. Thunder!"
In an instant, the gentle white clouds overhead filled with hate and malice. Their rage turned them almost black and their anger poured out upon the armored battalion below. The magnificent and terrible display was a testament to the horrors of war as shining columns of lightning raced across the open fields, increasing the total body count by a few dozens.
Though saddened by the act, it was necessary in order to protect the innocents in the village from being slaughtered like animals. This simple farming village had been targeted just like all others for eradication.
"We've arrived Keleos, and we got it."
The mage nodded to the boy and glided down from the roof to meet his apprentice.
"Well done Randy, there is hope now. Both of you, follow me to the square."
With a smile on his face, the middle aged man walked casually towards the center of the town and stopped at the fountain. He turned and waited for the two to catch up before speaking.
"Now then. Show it to me."
Randy turned and motioned his head towards a tall hooded figure a few steps away. From under the black covering, a large paw emerged holding a blue orb. Without hesitation, he handed the sphere over to the old man and stepped back without saying a word.
"Yes! This is it!" Keleos screamed excitedly. "Wait here, I'll call for you soon."
The old mage turned and walked towards a house that was located just a few steps away from the fountain then stopped suddenly.
"If all is what I think it is, I'll have a favor to ask of you two." he called out before disappearing into the small shack.
"What do you think he wants?" Randy asked, turning to his companion.
"How should I know, I'm no mage. I just wanna get something to eat, I'm starving!"
The two waited patiently in the open until a crash was heard inside the house.
"What the hell!?" Randy exclaimed. "Lets check it out!"
The two raced to the door and slowly pushed it open to see a white plain inside. Everything was covered with snow and ice, and the magician was nowhere to be seen.
"What was that guy doing in here?" Randy asked curiously as the two proceeded inside cautiously.
A few feet away from the boys, a mound of snow shuffled then collapsed to reveal the old man almost completely frozen.
"WHAA!!" Randy screamed in surprise. "Are you alright?"
The two helped the man to his feet and took him outside to warm up by the fountain. Once there he told them a chilling tale about the information received from the Ice goddess Shiva. There was an imbalance of magic in a faraway land that had spread throughout the world and now threatened their peaceful country. This unfortunate occurrence was the cause of the recent upsurge of violence as this matter dug deep into the very core of all life on their world.
"Someone must go to correct this imbalance, and that someone is you Randy!"
"ME!?"
Randy almost jumped from his skin after hearing this verdict. It was true that he was the student of this man and had learned some amount of magic in a short time but this seemed to be a quest for a more experienced, much older person.
"If you do not to this, our entire world may fall before whatever evil is behind it."
Randy frowned at the thought. He was no hero. He couldn't save the world. He could hardly even escape whenever the two committed any acts of thievery. This was going to be no fun at all.
"Don't be so dramatic," Randy said casually. "I'll do it in the morning."
That night, the two slept on the floor one last time inside the elder's house. Half-way through the night, a chill spread through the hut, felt only by the shrouded one.
Yellow eyes cut through the darkness as the giant rose to his feet and stepped over his friend, making his way outside. The sight he saw was that of a young girl, obviously not of their village skating on the frozen water in the fountain. The odd creature looked over at the intimidating beast with an annoyed look and pouted.
"Its not polite to stare you know. Introduce yourself"
"I'd ask you to do the same," escaped the mouth of the unfriendly titan. "Who are you and why are you in our fountain?"
The girl just chuckled and stepped off the fountain, ice forming around her feet as she touched the ground. She turned her head towards the cloaked observer and lifted her right arm to the sky; soon small sparkling lights were seen swirling around her small palm which then descended and pointed at him.
"Say goodnight my troublesome friend. Diamond Dust!"
His eyes widened as a terrible gust of air flew past him. Reacting quickly, he jumped back and flipped in the air then landed and unsheathed his dagger. Looking up at the spot he once stood, he saw multiple shards of ice the size of horses sticking out of the ground. Even stranger than that, was the fact that she had done this effortlessly and silently; the ground hadn't even vibrated from the impact. A strange girl indeed.
With a feeling of fear now starting to creep through his heart, he rose to his feet and sheathed his weapon in defeat. He lifted his eyes from the earth and stared at the face of a surprised child who stared back in shock.
"None has ever survived that," she uttered softly, "let alone avoided it completely. Are you mortal?"
"Yes I am," he responded. "I assume you aren't?"
Her expression changed slowly from shock to curiosity. Who could this man be that doesn't know an elemental when he sees one? No matter, this was the needed to travel with her.
"Your funny," she said innocently. "You are the one who will save everyone right?"
He thought for a moment then adjusted his hood over his ears and responded
"No, that would be my frien..."
Before he could even finnish his sentence, she was standing before him and taking a few steps back. A severe feeling of pain shot through his stomach and he collapsed, breathless, and faded away.
He awoke in a strange place that seemed nothing like the bountiful land he called home. Dirt and rocks were scattered across the landscape and the sky had a grey blanket stretched across it. He coughed and rose to his feet to examine the surroundings but was startled when he felt an ice cold hand rest on his shoulders.
"Are you ok?"
The fierce looking being jumped like a scared cat and scurried away from the small girl. This new environment toyed with his senses as he was feeling things he had never felt before.
"What did you do to me!?" he exclaimed in anger. "Where am I!?"
"Calm down," she said softly, "you're in Arcadia. Its the source of the problem your village is experiencing."
"Arcadia? But why am I here?"
"All will be revealed in time. For now, just head west."
She walked over to him and handed him a familiar object. The same orb the two had obtained earlier was now once again in his possession.
"With this you can call on Shiva to aid in your quest. Just repeat the words 'Wind, fade to silence and light, give us power. Shiva!' and she will appear."
"Quest!!? Is that what this is about!!? This was never to be my journey! I demand you take me back immediately!"
His harsh tone annoyed the girl somewhat and she took a step towards him as mist started to appear around her body.
"Don't be fooled by my size, I also am an ice goddess like my mother. Your words mean nothing to me and I could leave you here to die if I wanted to. If you desire to ever see your precious village again, you'll do well to obey me."
Though he didn't want to admit it, she had the upper hand. He didn't know which way home was let alone how to get back. He had no choice, he had to obey.
"Fine then. I'll head west as you say."
"Great!" she said with a smile. "I'll be going then. Farewell my brave traveler."
A bright blue light swirled around her small frame then in a burst of wind she was gone. All that remained as proof of her presence was a small ice covered area and his almost frozen-solid cloak.
"How annoying," he whispered to himself as he sent an elbow into his cape to knock the ice loose. "I hope I never see that one again."
One last look at the strange new world and he began to move in the opposite direction of the setting sun. 'For now, just head west.' This played over and over in his head as his feet dragged him further and further into the unknown. What was to be his purpose? Why was he here when it was never his choice or desire to be? Who knows. He just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible so he could go home.