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~` Illusions `~

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CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

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~` Chapter Seven `~

Silence held the forest in its unwavering grasp, unwilling to release it. The day had gone by slowly, and Jacob knew they were making good progress. After finding the small path near the edge of the wood, they had set out in a fervor; their mission was almost half completed.

Small streaks of sunlight fell onto the path, breaking the darkness that seemed to hold onto the trees for an eternity. Shadows still crept along their feet, as if following them for some unknown reason; Landon had noticed this, but paid no mind to it, thinking of it all as but a sad coincidence. There, though, in a forest built of lies and agony, nothing could be trusted.

“Not much farther now, right?” Jacob asked without taking his eyes off the path.

Landon nodded and grabbed a canteen from his belt, drowning his thirst in the life-giving liquid. When he opened his eyes, he saw Jacob staring at him; the canteen was empty.

Jacob looked on at his companion, dumbfounded. He didn't know how much further it was until they passed over the river, but he did know that his need for water in the heat of the day would not be quenched until they did. Noting the fact that they were completely lacking it now, he was driven even harder to proceed.

“Sorry about that, mate,” the elderly man replied shamefully. “I didn't realize it."

"It's fine,” Jacob replied in a somber tone.

Landon knew that they needed to reach Veskile quickly, so he lifted the map from his bag. Standing in one specific ray of light, he began to look over the frail parchment. The map had long since been pushed into a wrinkled mess, and, with Landon’s terrible eyesight, it didn't help things in the long run.

“How much farther?”

Landon studied the map for a few moments further and replied, “This path should take us directly over the bridge and into the city. I have no idea how much farther, but this is the way to go it seems.”

“Very well,” his younger companion murmured quietly.

03-Jan-2009 20:33:28 - Last edited on 03-Jan-2009 20:38:24 by CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

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Soft sounds of animals fell upon them from every direction, forcing both to concentrate even harder on staying near the path. Because of the canopy growing thicker the deeper they went in, the light, too, had began to fade into a dimmer shade. Soon, only a little slipped through the barrier.

“We must be quiet now," Jacob said in a low voice. “We know not what lurks in the depths of these woods; let us hurry to the end of the path.”

Landon gave a grunt of approval before holding onto his backpack’s supports tightly. He knew that helping out his back with the weight would do much for him, and he also contemplated the fact that they could not stop by any means; they were pushed forward by both the mission and their own undying need for survival.

--

Anthoni’s eyes were slow to open, and a hazy fog covered them when they did. He did not know what had caused him to seep into such an unconscious state, but he realized that whoever did it must have had powers beyond his own imagination. Drifting away from his thoughts, though, Anthoni rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes. The back of his head was pounding with an intense beat, which roared every time he breathed, but he could not rest. ‘I cannot,’ he thought to himself. ‘I cannot lay here and let my people suffer; they’re counting on me.’

In a last attempt to fight the second wave of sleep, he thrust his torso into a seated position and leaned heavily over, laboring to breath. Reasoning to himself, he noted that he must have been out for a good number of hours, and that Maxwell must be around here, too. ‘But where… where is here?’ he asked himself thoughtfully, gazing around in the dark abyss he found himself in.

03-Jan-2009 20:33:46 - Last edited on 04-Jan-2009 05:58:29 by CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

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Nothing broke the shadows that surrounded him, and he discovered that he would have to rely on his secondary senses to get around. Feeling at his waist, he noticed his sword was still there, so the man who attacked them must not have been after money; for his sword was worth quite a bit. His shield, however, was not there. ‘Hm,’ he pondered, thinking back to the events that had preceded this. ‘I believe I had fallen on my shield. But then, where is it?’

Anthoni’s hands broke free of his sword’s hilt and began to rummage around on the ground, searching for anything he could find. The cold stone he was greeted with revealed that he was in a makeshift dungeon, so the one who had attacked them apparently had been ready for this, or had done this before. Crude markings were also scratched into the otherwise smooth ground, but he did not think of it as important and continued to search for his defense.

“Ugh…” a voice moaned from a few yards away.

Coming to full attention, Anthoni stopped all motion and waited for the voice to speak out again. He thought it to be Maxwell, but he needed to be absolutely sure before he began conversation. If it ended up being a different prisoner, then he wanted to keep as secretive as possible.

A low shuffling emitted from the voice’s direction. “Anthoni?” it finally asked.

“Ah, Maxwell,” Anthoni replied with a relaxing breath. “Are you alright?”

“A pretty foul headache,” the younger man began, “but nothing too bad. Where are we?”

Anthoni hesitated before responding. “I don’t know. The last thing I remember was being hit in my back and knocking my head on my shield. Though, some figure appeared before me… his name was Tiulo. Do you know of him?”

03-Jan-2009 20:34:03 - Last edited on 03-Jan-2009 20:38:51 by CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

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“No," Maxwell replied. “What do you think he wants?”

Anthoni paused again and felt around the ground for his shield; it was imperative they had something to defend themselves with if the time came. A few moments of silence accompanied the search, but his request was granted as he felt the rounded edge come in contact with his fingers and the smooth bands wrap tightly around his forearm.

“There we go.”

“Hm?”

The soldier realized he had ignored his younger counterpart, so he replied quickly, “My shield had been missing and I was searching for it. Now, what did you ask?”

“The man - what do you think he wants?”

“Ah,” Anthoni began in a low tone. “It probably has something to do with… well, in truth, I have no idea who he is or what he wants. For a long time, I have never seen a wizard wield such a destructive spell, not to mention actually cast it in battle. It has been quite a while since magicians were banned from using their higher-leveled attacks in regulated combat, and the art has seemingly died out now.”

“He was probably one of the few that didn't want to change,” his companion suggested.

Anthoni nodded in the dark. “It is possible. However…” he said as he stood, “I think we should find a way out of here before he comes back to us. Don’t you agree?”

“Good call.”

Anthoni reached all around him and spun completely around; all he felt was the freezing air of the dungeon. “Maxwell, find a wall,” he commanded before moving straight ahead, taking short, calm steps to make his way across the darkened room.

Grasping out in a vain attempt to reach something, Anthoni felt a soft presence brush across his foot. Without reaching down, he toed the fragile substance before he came to the horrible realization of what it was: a human corpse.

03-Jan-2009 20:34:24 - Last edited on 03-Jan-2009 20:39:11 by CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

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“Maxwell!” he exclaimed in a hushed voice. “We will not be let free of this doomed abode. We must find a way out. Quicken your pace. Double your efforts."

"Yes, sir,” Maxwell agreed.

Anthoni heard his subordinate shuffle across the room with swifter movement, and he mimicked him. It was a fairly bland room, he reasoned: aside from the solitary body, it was practically empty. Ignoring the choice in décor, though, Anthoni raced forwards to try and find the room’s edge. Then, as he stumbled over a misplaced brick, it finally revealed itself to him.

The general’s face smashed into the wall, right-side first, and he crumpled beside it in a heap. In such a panic, he had forgotten one of the key rules of what to do while locked in a pitch-colored room: do not lose your calm. Remembering this and coming back to his senses, he felt the wall and pulled himself up.

“Are you alright?” Maxwell asked from across the room.

Anthoni grunted in response and moved his hand up and down the wall. It was a smooth texture, similar to the floor, but it, too, had markings all over it. The crevices were small and hardly noticeable, but, in the dark, his sense of touch had been multiplied and a small thing like that grew exponentially in size.

“Come here,” Anthoni commanded.

Silence crept over the room as Anthoni’s words echoed slightly.

“Maxwell?”

“Oh, me?”

“No one else is here, Maxwell. Stop playing games and come help me.”

The young man obliged and ran over to his leader. Still, before Anthoni could even open his mouth, the naïve soldier ran directly into the wall, just like his general had done before him. Anthoni let out a slight laugh and then continued to feel the wall from its base to its very top.

03-Jan-2009 20:34:54 - Last edited on 03-Jan-2009 20:39:26 by CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

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Maxwell quickly recovered from the blow and asked, “What do you need?” Rubbing his cheek, Maxwell’s hand suddenly was grabbed by an unseen force and pushed softly across the wall’s surface. “… Markings?” he finally inquired.

“Odd…” Anthoni thought out loud. “Why would markings cover the floors and walls over a prison?” His mind raced with several different theories until it finally came to him. “Unless…” he trailed off.

"Unless you’re not in a prison?”

Anthoni and Maxwell’s eyes both moved upwards in reaction to the newfound voice, peering into the blackness in an attempt to discover its wielder. They squinted with firm intent, but noting would come of their efforts; it was an impossible task.

“Who are you?”

“Didn't you ask me this before, Anthoni?”

Anthoni’s eyes widened in the dark and he hesitated. ‘How does he know my name?’ he asked himself, feeling the hilt of his blade cautiously.

“Ah, you wonder how I know?” the voice asked. “Well, it’s quite simple, really. I, as you may have discovered, am a mage of unseen ability; I have no boundaries, no limits. You two were going to die in that forest had it not been for me, but, of course, you would not have followed me had I merely asked you.”

“Why do you assume that? And you still haven’t told me how you know my name!”

Maxwell stood off to the side now, not willing to be involved in the matter.

“I have developed skills far beyond your comprehension, my young soldier. You cannot possibly understand what texts I have studied to hone these abilities. And, as for my assumption, you are a leader of the rebellion - a rebellion that was going to ‘destroy’ the king of this land. Yet, you have no troops. A leader without anyone to follow his lead. Quite a empty life you must live, indeed. Still, onto the main point. I was banished from your lands long ago, and, still, here I am. You surely have heard my name before, have you not?"

"No one speaks of wizards; you should know this.”

03-Jan-2009 20:35:47 - Last edited on 03-Jan-2009 20:40:00 by CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

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“Ah, yes: the blasted king tried to rid you of me years ago, but now I’m back and ready for more. Anyway, you would not have followed had you known who I was. Could have lied to you, as many do, but what’s the point? I’d have had to tell you eventually, and, so, I brought you here instead. Kidnapping, saving, etcetera - whatever you wish to call it, really.”

Anthoni wrinkled his brow as he thought of what was being said. “So… you attacked us and beat us in unconsciousness to… save us?"

"Yes, I suppose so.”

“Well,” the general began, “I guess it was for the best. We’re here now, what do you want us to do?”

“Since you asked so nicely,” the voice replied, “I’ll tell you.”

In a flash of silver and white, Anthoni and Maxwell felt their bodies being pushed upwards by an incredible force below. Their minds raced with adrenaline as they thought of what was happening, but they knew they could not stop it; they did not resist. When the current finally did stop, though, they were amazed at what they saw before them.

--

Korinth Hidal quickly scampered down the long flight of stairs that led into the courtyard and moved into the town square. Her home was near the eastern exit, so she would stop there and make ready for the journey to Veskile. She had to reach the pair of Jacob and Landon before they left the city to return; she decided it was best to move forward without any distraction.

After her talk with Rezod, images of magic and beasts of lore flooded her mind. Never before had she dreamed of such mystical beings, for everyone she had known, everyone that had taught her, had told her that they were but a myth and that no such thing existed in the world. She couldn’t believe it; the knowledge that her life together for so long was wrong.

03-Jan-2009 20:35:55 - Last edited on 03-Jan-2009 20:40:21 by CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

CaptChekaka

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‘This information, though,’ she thought. ‘This information about Tiulo disturbs me. What’s he doing? And why was the only book with data relevant to the power missing pages… and, furthermore, why did he have to be the one that wrote it? This could prove interesting,’ she decided, walking into her home.

Korinth only stayed a few moments, changing into a fresh set of clothes and then packing away another set into a small bag. She set aside an assortment of food for the trip and decided to bring along the map she kept in her study. Tying her hair into a pony-tail, she tossed the bag onto her back and moved out of her house and into the street.

It was a fairly quiet day: only a few merchants were out with their carts, the banks were fairly empty, and, overall, the city held a dreary appearance. Korinth hated her town and had always wanted to explore another region; this was her chance.

Passing by the gates of Revenske in a similar fashion of Jacob and Landon, she set out along the road. Slowly, at first, but then quickening her pace as she breathed in the fresh country air. ‘I’m free,’ she thought. 'It feels so… awesome. The knowledge doesn’t matter; the world is at peace, for me. It’s just so… serene… unbelievable. I never knew…’ she trailed off as her mind fell into a series of dreams and fantasies.

In the field by which she walked, though, a hunter’s arrow pierced the side of a rabbit and sent it tumbling to the ground. Its peaceful demeanor had been crushed by the sharpened tip, and its dreams were burned away by one hunter’s desire.

-- End of Chapter Seven --

03-Jan-2009 20:36:10 - Last edited on 03-Jan-2009 20:40:51 by CaptChekaka

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