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RoM Book 1: Chasm

Quick find code: 49-50-58-59456141

Caydock

Caydock

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Here's the updated prologue. Thoughts?
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The pale moon crept behind a cloud, its whitewashed gleam barely falling onto the trees and rolling hills of the countryside. A pearly dove sat in one of the nearby oaks, her eyes gleaming softly in the night** cool shine. Under the cover of darkness, she warbled her sweet melody up to the star-filled, dark blue sky, which was marred only by the obscuring cloud. The dove paused her song to preen one unruly feather that had shifted from the desired position, but she was interrupted as a small cry rent the night air, shattering the peace. ******* her head to one side, the dove crooned a small note of curiosity. When silence descended upon the land again, she dismissed the disturbance and fluffed her feathers. She then lifted her orange beak and prepared to fill the world with her pleasant melody once more.
But the silence was betrayed, and it fled as a disturbing, sickening cry echoed over the hills. The dove tucked her head under her wing and trembled, her wings shaking.
A shadow was cast through the trees, and it was quickly followed by its owner. A man, his hands outstretched and a panicked expression stamped on his face, fairly flew from the woods. He brushed away a lock of blond hair that masked his vision and pumped his legs harder. His booted feet stumbled over long, gnarly roots that stretched out in tricky arrangements, seemingly trying to trip him.
In his hand he clasped a mirror which fit comfortably in his palm. It seemed to glow with a surreal light as it swung with the cadence of his legs and arms. ‘I must…go…faster…’ the thought had barely registered in his mind when his body reacted and, regardless of the fiery pain that coursed through his veins and legs, he began to move at almost double his previous speed.
Sweat ran down from his face, tracking long lines that dropped onto his brown shirt. He reached into a pocket on his pants and withdrew a small canister.

05-May-2010 04:57:27

Caydock

Caydock

Posts: 6,279 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Without breaking stride he popped the lid of the rusted canteen, took a drink, returned the canister to his belt, and wiped his mouth with the back of his calloused hand. He then stretched his left arm around his back and patted a small satchel that was tossed over his shoulder. Satisfied that it was still in place, he hurtled a small brook and continued onward.
A glow of soft light appeared over the horizon. “The sun!* The man gasped, hope filling him for the first time that night. He maintained his break-neck speed, certain that he could hold out until the sun rose.
A mass of boulders loomed ahead and the man inhaled sharply, but continued towards the rocks.
As he reached the first boulder, he leaped atop it and, using his momentum from the jump, sprung into open air. He had not realized that the boulders were atop a hill, and he now found himself plummeting down. The ground caught him, and he pitched and tumbled all the way down the grassy hill before coming to a painful stop at the bottom.
He groaned softly and dared to open his eyes. What he saw filled his heart with despair; the satchel that was previously on his back had snapped open in the fall and precious documents now lay scattered across the wet grass. As he watched, a gentle breeze caught one and carried it nearby him.
He desperately jumped to his feet and snatched the parchment. His hazel eyes darted over it as he examined its contents.
It read, ‘Chasm Tunnel’ and pictured a detailed map below.
The hairs upon the man’s back began to stand on end and he shivered. ‘I’ll leave the rest. This is all I need.’ He stuffed the page into his pants pocket and resumed his frenzied flight.
He sped across the moorland for about thirty seconds when, all at once, he collapsed. Gasping for breath, he planted his hands on the spongy grass and, with trembling arms, lifted himself back up.

05-May-2010 04:57:49

Caydock

Caydock

Posts: 6,279 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
As he rose to his feet, his legs started to shake uncontrollably. He glanced out into the depths of the wood, which were not as far off as he would have liked, and felt a clammy claw grip his heart as disbelief and terror flooded his bloodstream.
A Shadow glided into view from behind a large tree and began to float towards him. It was wreathed in darkness, clothed with despair and a gray hood fell over its brow, just barely revealing two red eyes that burned cruelty and malice.
The Shadow was moving too quickly—it did*’t have to avoid boulders or roots—and it was obvious that running was futile. The exhausted man angled his mirror towards the Shadow and a beam of light shot from the surface, radiating strongly across the clearing. The Shadow whirled, dodged the beam, and continued floating, moving at a quick yet deliberate pace. The man turned to run, knowing full well it was hopeless. The Shadow picked up its speed, and circled the man. It kicked out with a wispy foot, and knocked the man onto his back. Completely fatigued, the man gently laid his head back on the crisp, green grass. His irises glazed over, and he closed his eyes.
The Shadow raised a hand. Darkness collected on its palm and grew to a raging fire of spinning black clouds. Purple streaks occasionally ripped through the vapors like static. But just as the Shadow prepared to hurl the mass of purple, it lifted its head, its crimson eyes widening in glee.
The moon began to appear from behind the dark cloud. A sliver of light touched down fifty yards away. A fearful intake of breath seemed to escape from the land as the moon once again made its presence known to the world.
A raspy chuckle emanated from the Shadow’s hood as it stepped back from the defeated man, dissolving the purple clouds into its palm. The evil being threw his arms to the sky in sick worship of the celestial being as the light slowly crawled across the moor.

05-May-2010 04:58:10

Caydock

Caydock

Posts: 6,279 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
The man gave a soft cry as light seeped over the hills, slowly heading his way. He tried to get up, but his already weary body did*’t comply with his wishes. As the first beam of moonlight finally touched his foot, he shoved a fist into his mouth, stifling a scream.
The pastel shafts caressed his body, cleansing him with its soft glow. The man writhed on the ground, suffering pure agony as he was slowly consumed.
Panting, he grabbed two fistfuls of the grass and laid his blond head on the ground, giving in to the inevitable. His body slowly dissolved and, starting with his feet, he burst into streams of light that climbed high into the sky with a roar like thunder. The light absorbed into the moon, traveling on its path towards the heavenly body as the Shadow let loose with a rumbling laugh, filled with malevolence. Then the Shadow headed back to the woods, to live in the gloom of darkness again.
As the final lustrous rivulet departed, soaring into the air, silence fell over the land. The dove poked her head out from under her luminous wing. The moon disappeared behind another cloud and the dove burst into song, although there was no one to hear it—save, that was, for the dark form that swept through the trees.
Always creeping, ever waiting, never sleeping…
Always watching…

05-May-2010 04:58:39

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