| Subject: All right. Let's try this one. INSIDE> (and sorry for ending it where I did, I had to get off the comp before I could type more. ;) |
Author:
Sekin Brightfall
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Date Posted: 23:12:48 10/13/04 Wed
In reply to:
Windy
's message, "Whatever you would like to tell... I'm not at all fussy... *grins*" on 23:26:44 10/12/04 Tue
Chapter 1: Iadorn
Despite the fact that winter had slowly faded to spring, the winds that whipped around the Tower were still bitterly cold. Fueled by spray from the lashing waves, they shrieked out their dirge-like song, using the tall twin spires, jutting balconies, and windowledges to shape their moan. In firm defience and mockery to the elements however, the Tower remained completely steady from wide base all the way up. Such a small thing as the wind's jealous keening did not disturb the proud Arsgoran Tower.
Up and up the pitted, scarred surface the breezes blew, past carvings almost obliterated by time and weather. Gusting and swirling, it hissed past windows firmly shuttered against its presence, with the glass rattling slightly in its frames. Higher and higher the gusts spiralled, until they found an opening in the Tower. Halfway up the North Peak, a window had been left open abd it was into that room that the wind blew.
The room was circular and doused in gloom. Two of the six candles spluttered out as the wind touched them. The embers of a dying fire in a small fire place remained unmolested, but their pitiful light hardly served to brighten the chamber.
The slight ruddy light of the various flames seemed to intensify when it came into contact with the keen, biting edge of teh warsword held in two scarred fists. The weapon was massive, fully four feet long and made from a bright steel.
If teh sword was a focus point for the orange glow, then the demon lurking up near the ceiling was just the opposite. Its body seemed to be made out of a dense black fog that didn't just dull the light, but sonsume it utterly. The demon was shaped like a twisted human, hunched and bowed over, but the resemblance ended there, in its posture and forearms. A blunt head with white narrowed eyes surveyed the wielder of the sword as ropey strings of saliva trickled down from solid canine teeth. Raised spines along teh creature's back completed the hidous image and a distinct reptilian tail lashed at the air angrily. Bunched up onto its massve haunches, the demon hissed in pure fury at the man on the ground right beneath it.
Iadorn, Mage Lord of Arsgoran Tower, paced slowly under the creature, his blade held ready in front of him. The taunting wind ruffled his long hair and caused his lose sleeves to billow slightly, but iadorn never paused in his circling.
The demon watched him, its eyes narrowing until they were just slits. Its hissing intensified in warning and its massive head turned to follow the Mage. The demon was still in shock. The pitiful man had hurt it. Had hurt it badly. Blood as dark red as to be almost black, dripped from a gash in the demon's shadowy side. Where it fell onto the ground or the furniture, it sizzled. The demon had not understood how quickly this human could move, nor how strong the cruel steel was. Only now was it becoming cautious. Only now was it becoming afraid.
Iadorn moved silently, his steps were collected and calm. The demon watched his strides and noted how his grip never loosened on the hilt of the bloodstained sword. When the human halted directly below the demon and raised gray eyes to stare directly into the creature's white ones, the demon's spikes rose in wrath.
It shrieked with unbridled fury and dropped to the floor, as lightly as a cat. Hunching down, the demon lashed out with its tail, straight at the accursed man.
With a roar of air, the war sowrd swung out to meet the demon's tail, slicing off the tip with fearsome ease. Bellowing, the demon shook blood from its tail, the dark drops sailing through the air. Another candle flickered out and the ground steamed where the blood fell.
Iadorn backed away calmly. When he spoke, his vice was as smooth as his sword blade, as cold as its metal, and as sharp as its edge. "Yield to me."
The demon halted its tail lashing and hissed again. Its once clear saliva was darkening with the blood bubbling up from its raw throat.
Iadorn's gray eyes never left the milky ones of his foe. There was a fierce determination in his voice that contradicted his clam tone. "Yield to me or I will kill you." There was nothing ruthless in his voice. The words were spoken without heat, yet the savage meaning blazed from Iadorn's eyes.
The demon's tongue tested the air like a snake's. Then, it shot back up th wall, using its monsterous claws to carry it up off the ground. Where the wall joined the ceiling, the demon crouched. Confusion and pain dulled its gaze.
"You have turned from your purpose," the Mage continued, gazing at the dark shape. "You are a Rainbringer. Not a Storm Demon." The demon shook its head, refusing to acknowladge the words. Growling, it scampered across the ceiling in a blink of the eye and surged down the opposite wall, coming up behind Iadorn. With a quick swipe, it lashed at the Mage with six wicked talons.
Iadorn ducked and whirled jsut as the demon struck. He brought up his sword and halted the demon's swing by causing its claws to latch onto the blade and not his throat. Leaning forwards over his sword, Iadorn's face almsot touched the demon's. "Can't you remember how good it felt to Sing? To bring down the rains with your voice and fly through them until your scales glistened with water?"
The demon hissed and snapped half-heartedly.
Iadorn flinched just a little as a scalding drop of blood landed on his hand. "Remember sprinkling the morning dew over the land? remember how bright the drops were?"
The demon unhooked its claws from the sword. It whined.
"Remember riding the playful winds or swiiming in the fog-clad rivers? Remember the clouds that hid you?"
It whined again, a high-pitched longing cry. Pain and need were in its call and its heavy claws scraped gouges on the floor in helplessness.
Iadorn lowered his sword. "you became greedy Rainbringer. You wanted to contorl the wnds and the rains utterly. But they turned on you. Where you wanted them to help drought, they flooded the land. Slowly, you began to like the destruction. You became what you are now."
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