Originally posted by d Galloway
I would have to be more brutal than usual.
Is that possible?!
The halls of the Retreat were twisting and vast, and decorated with more blood then I had spilled during my entire unlife. A few bodies still lay about, and I saw the nature of the wounds. Some were hacked apart, but the blows were wild and random; someone had done this while in a wild rage. Others seemed to have exploded from the inside-out; considering Nupraptor’s mental powers, that was not a surprise.
A large gathering room awaited me at the end of the halls. The carnage in the hallways was nothing compared to the horrors that were found inside. Bodies were sadistically heaped onto each other, the floor was blocked by the spilled blood, and even the ceiling was covered with hanging corpses. Only one person remained alive; a young serving girl, her teeth stained with blood and her clothes torn to shreds.
“What has happened to Nupraptor?” I asked. “Why has he murdered his servants?”
“He is mad,” said the girl. She had obviously gone mad; she made me seem sane. “After Lady Ariel’s murder, he attacked his loyal servants and pilgrims. He spread our blood throughout the Retreat, then sewed his eyes and mouth shut to block out the world. Of course, he can still read minds…he still sees all…he can never be healed! We must all die!”
“Very well,” I said. I grabbed her neck and drained her blood. It was my first act of mercy in a long time.
The next room was similar to the previous, only it had a large picture of a giant brain placed on the ground tiles. Four alcoves were nearby, each with a tile covered with a strange rune. Curious, I approached the first and stepped on the tile.
Suddenly, I found myself in a large room. As I took my first step, monstrosities poured from all corners. There were twisted men, slime-like monsters, skeletons, zombies, and every other kind of monster imaginable, as well as a few that described description. I raised my sword and struck at the enemies, fighting them off as best I could. After what felt like an eternity, I suceeded in destroying all of them, and quickly drank the blood of the human attackers. I then stepped on another rune tile, and found myself back in the brain room.
I stepped on the next rune, and entered a nearly pitch-black room. Even my developed eyes were not powerful enough to pierce the darkness; the only light was centered in a small piece of ground. I walked in the light, but it suddenly faded, and another row of tiles were lit. As I continued, the lights continued to dissapear and reappear; a trick of Nupraptor’s, most certainly. Finally, I reached another rune tile, and returned to the brain room.
The third rune tile sent me to a room filled with spikes. They were constantly rising and lowering, but I quickly noticed a pattern. Carefully, I stepped across the spikes, making certain not to accidenly impale myself. Finally, I reached the end, and stepped on the rune tile.
The final rune tile sent me to a large hallway, which branched into several smaller hallways. The entire area seemed to be a maze; Nupraptor, however, had no knowledge of how to make a convincing maze, so I was able to find the exit quickly. I stepped on the rune tile and returned to the main room. A set of double doors at the farest end were now open, leading into another hall.
I continued through the halls, until I reached the front of the Retreat; the skull. The two eye holes were actually windows; nearly all of Nosgoth was visible from this point. I looked through the left eye, and saw the great plains and forests of Nosgoth; I had seen enough of it for one lifetime already. The right eye, however, showed a scorched, barren land, with flaming fissures erupting from the ground. As if Nosgoth needed help in making its corruption apparent…
I continued through another door, to a large throne room. Strangely, it was completely empty; Nupraptor was not here. However, at the end was a large, black teleporter. Preparing myself for battle, I stepped onto the teleporter.
I was instantly transporter to a small room. Two twisted monstrosities stood in front of me. The first looked like a knight, wielding a long halberd. His armor seemed ancient, and bore a symbol long faded by time. The most noteworthy feature, however, was the nature of the body; namely, there was none. The pieces of armor seemed to be floating in the air.
The second was bizzare beyond belief. It was a green-skinned man, with a large exposed brain. Its purple robes were long faded and torn, and a mess of purple slime covered its entire body. However, when I saw the eyes and mouth, I noticed they were sewn shut. It was Nupraptor…and he was a bigger monster than I was.
“So, Malek,” said Nupraptor, via some kind of mental telepathy, “have you come to fail the Circle once more? Leave, Paladin!” The knight silently faded away, and Nupraptor returned to me. “Come, Kain. Come share my pain…” He then vanished. Enraged, I kicked down the next set of doors.
The room was enormous, and almost completely filled with spikes. Only the very middle of the room was safe to walk on, with Nupraptor waiting on the other side. Suddenly, several large boulders appeared out of nowhere, and rolled towards me. I quickly jumped over, but the ground I was to land on suddenly flipped open, revealing another set of spikes. I grabbed the edge and threw myself to the side.
Despite my near-fatal fall, I smiled. “So this is the mentalist Nupraptor?” I asked. “This broken, pathetic little man?”
“Surrender, Kain!” said Nupraptor. “You will not destory me so easily! You will join me in eternal suffering!”
“So you will not surrender without a battle,” I said. “Very well, old fool! If it is death you seek, I will not deny you!”
(to be continued)
Grrr cliffhanger!!
I really liked this, especially the line about Kain being ‘merciful.’
Nupraptor’s eyeless face stared at me, filled with complete and total hate. I held my sword steadily, carefully approaching the mentalist. Strangely, he did not move, or attempt to stir as I approached; he merely stood there, watching me.
Finally, I striked. I brought my sword down hard on his neck, but as I did so, his entire body vanished. Angrily, I turned, and saw him standing on the other side. If his mouth still worked, he would have most likely been grinning.
I ran towards him, blinded by rage, not realizing how Nupraptor had tricked me before. Once again, strange boulders appeared, and I jumped, sprang over an opened trap, and slashed again, but Nupraptor once again vanished, and appeared on the other side.
“You cannot win, Kain.” I heard Nupraptor’s voice in my head yet again. “Your mind is weak, your thoughts petty and meaningless. You cannot even begin to comprehend my power.”
I looked around, desperate to find some way to destroy the mentalist. Then I spied it: a spiked iron mace, lying in the spikes. I quickly dashed over, dodging the spikes and boulders, scooped down, and grabbed the mace’s handle.
Nupraptor continued to stare at me from his corner. I knew it was useless to attack him, but this time, I had a plan. I quickly threw a flail at him, and like always, he dissapeared. However, he foolishly appeared a few steps away from me.
Before he could react, I brought the mace down on his head hard. Blood and slime gushed from all over, as the mentalist collapsed, silently screaming. His exposed brain was indeed his weakness; he couldn’t stand any damage to it. Still, there was no time to think of such thoughts.
I tucked the mace into my belt and unsheathed my sword. As the mentalist looked up, his sightless eyes beging for compassion, I brought my sword down on his neck. His lopsided head hit the ground, rolled a short distance, and stopped. The slime surrounding his body melted into a puddle, and his headless body crumpled upon itself.
Feeling rather joyous at my impending salvation, I grabbed Nupraptor’s severed head. “Alas, poor Nupraptor,” I said. “I knew him well…well, not really.” I then saw a bridge had appeared on the other end of the room. As I crossed, I clearly made out the outside of the Retreat.
I decided to use my bat form now. I began to concentrate, but quickly felt my body begin to tear itself apart. Soon, I was not one, but several conciousnesses, staring out over all of Nosgoth. I still felt strained and stretched, but I flew to the Pillars, where my form quickly returned, equipment and all.
Ariel was waiting for me; she knew about Nupraptor already. “The poor fool,” she said. “His blindness caused this disaster. Place his head before the Pillar of the Mind.” I walked to the corresponding pillar and set Nupraptor’s severed head before it. The instant it touched the ground, it dissintegrated, and the pillar became a pristine white.
“This would normally be the end,” said Ariel, “but it is too late. The circle is too corrupt to survive. You must destroy all the other members before balance can be restored.” I silently cursed Ariel, but still listened intently.
“Before you can even begin to defeat the other guardians,” continued Ariel, “you must face their guardian, Malek, Guardian of Conflict. Centuries ago, Malek failed the Circle, and nearly all the members were killed. For his failure, his soul was placed within his golden armor, and ever since, he has never failed a member of the Circle.”
“Except you,” I said.
“Nupraptor, it seems, was right,” said Ariel. “My murderer was indeed another guardian, which is why Malek did nothing; he would never harm another guardian, under any circumstances. Now, go to Malek’s Bastion, in the mountains to the north.”
(to be continued)
Wonderful writing, Gallo, I especially liked Nupraptor’s gory end.
Little notes: In the “striked” should be “struck” (second paragraph). I also find it interesting that the quote from Hamlet is so often misquoted “I knew him well…” rather than “I knew him, Horatio…”
Very nice indeed, I’m hooked.
Demigod, AngelOfTheLion, thank you for validating my existance. I love you guys…but in a purely platonic kind of way, not in any way that could get me ostrocized from society and/or arrested.
Worry not Gallo, we all love you as well. I’ve just been horribly busy this week, but I’m watching ya’ll… >_>
Chapter 5: Malek’s Bastion
Once again, I used my bat form, this time to return to Vasserbunde. The feeling of unease was still there, but had lessened greatly. The town, however, was still the same: silent, empty, and cowering.
Gripping my mace, I smashed downt he blockade at the end of the town. Screams of horror erupted from within the nearby buildings, and my attention turned. This mace was strong enough to crush stone; it seemed I would crush some heads, as well.
I smashed into every house, finding it unguarded and filled with pathetic humans. I quickly satisfied my hunger, then continued north, on the long road leading to the snow-covered mountains of northern Nosgoth.
The life around me began to trickle off and fade. I had grown up in these lands; they were no place for the weak. Packs of wolves constantly roamed the terrain at night, searching for fresh blood. In fact, they were no different from myself…except I was alone.
As night fell, I rested against a cliff wall. There were few humans on the road; I found little chance to feed. My strength was quickly fading. Then, as if by some good fortune, I saw lights approaching.
A large wagon passed by, driven by two young, healthy men. Four others rode at the side, armed with heavy pikes. I ducked behind the rocks, drew my sword, and waited.
As they entered range, though, a loud howl echoed through the mountains. The riders glanced around nervously, but were quickly killed when a pack of ten wolves descended on them, tearing them apart.
I saw their blood flow onto the ground, and my anger grew. The wolves cared not for the blood; they went after the worthless meat! Finally, I could take no more. I raised my sword and charged.
The wolves turned and growled, but I quickly subdued half the pack before they could react. In fear, the others blindly attacked, but four only suceeded in tearing themselves apart. The final wolf whimpered and ran, but an Energy Bolt caused its body to completely explode.
I looked at my fresh kill, and sampled the blood. I immediately spat it back out. Human blood was all that could satisfy me; this pathetic excuse was tasteless and bland. I salvaged what little human blood I could, and continued down the road.
The next sign I came upon was welcoming: it pointed to Coorhagen, my home town. Nowhere in Nosgoth could there be fairer, nobler town. My family had presided over it for centuries, before I fled. I thought of avoiding it, but it was on the only road leading north, and I was curious to see what had happened to my home. Still, I did not falsely assume a warm welcome when I arrived.
(to be continued)
Nicely done.
Further down the road, I saw what seemed to be a body, lying face-down in the dirt. At first, I thought it was merely a victim of a robbery, but when I got close, I saw the horrifying truth. The man’s body was green and rotten, his face twisted in a look of horror and pain. Even his blood was now a sick green. His clothing was rotten, and his path was worn; he had tried to escape.
As I looked up, I saw more than I wished to. More bodies were lying on the ground, tossed over rocks, or thrown haphazardly into old carts. I now knew what had happened. We had heard of a disease ravaging a few small towns in southern Nosgoth, which caused the skin to melt off the body and the blood to become a sickly green. When the first few travellers brought it to our town, I fled to avoid its terrifying effects, only to be trapped with an even worse disease.
None of the warnings given to us were able to prepare Coorhagen for the monster…that was the Plague.
I continued down the bloodied road. The hundreds of bodies here would have brought tears to my eyes if I could still cry. The tragedy here was too much to behold. The Plague had wiped out practically my entire home. What a terrible waste…good blood gone bad.
When I finally reached Coorhagen itself, it was worse than the road. Bodies were either thrown into carts or simply left where they fell. The town was as silent as the grave. It was now certain; I was the last member of town alive…in a manner of speaking.
I went through every house I could, only to find the same carnage. However, I finally found one person: a small girl, huddling in her bed. I looked down at her, my eyes filled with hunger. She did not even look back at me; she just whimpered and cried. I saw two other bodies in here; they were most likely her parents.
I decided to go soft for the first time since Nupraptor’s Retreat. I quickly bit into the girl’s neck, and my hunger was satisfied. She didn’t even resist as I drained her. When I examined her body, she was actually smiling. I felt sick inside, so I began to leave.
As I did, though, I spied a scroll lying on the table. Once again, the accursed necromancer’s symbol was on it. I read the scroll:
“This spell will create a barrier around you, making you immune to all forms of attack. However, its affects are only temporary in nature, so action must be taken quickly in order to effectively use it.”
I decided to name it the “Repel” spell. I pocketed the scroll, kicked the girl’s body once for good measure, and returned to the carnage outside.
(to be continued)
Thought Kain was going soft there for a minute. Glad to see I was wrong.
Originally posted by AngelOfTheLion
Thought Kain was going soft there for a minute. Glad to see I was wrong.
Kain just has a few minute traces of humanity left at this point. That will change as time goes on.
The plague-ridden corpses blocked my passage, forcing me to take the routes through the buildings. Not a single soul moved now; that girl may have very well been the last survivor of my once noble town. Cursing the misfortune of this event, I sat in one of the buildings and pondered about what had happened.
However, my thoughts were distracted when a sickening scratching sound emerged from nearby. I readied my sword, and the scratching drew ever closer. Suddenly, a trap door crashed open, and loathsome creatures, nothing more than animated human skeletons, climbed out.
I struck at the creatures, smashing their skulls and breaking their bodies, but they continued to march towards me. In desperation, I ran to a back room and slammed the door shut. The creatures pounded against it, trying to smash it open. My eyes darted around the room, and I saw a way out: another trap door. In desperation, I threw it open and jumped inside.
My eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, and I saw what was hidden inside: a strange suit of armor. As I examined it, I realized that it was made completely out of human bone. The solution to my problem came quickly.
As I put the armor on, the sound of wood splintering echoed from above; the skeletons had broken through the door. As I slipped the final piece of armor on, they smashed through the trap door and jumped down. However, they did not approach me; they simply looked around blindly, then stood still. Their lack of intelligence caused them to mistake me for another skeleton.
I made my way past them and left out the back door of the building. Before I continued through Coorhagen, though, i made sure the building burned behind me. Like I thought, it helped ease my pain.
(to be continued)
Wonderful writing as usual, I’m not sure why but I really loved the last line. It’s just typical Kain, I guess. The only thing I really picked up on was that you used the phrase ‘in desperation’ twice in quick succession, but that’s really not that major.
This is looking pretty good. Amy Henning would be pleased to hear that someone actually bothered writing a decent Blood Omen fic. I admit I’ve seen a few good ones on ff.net, but several others were rather lacking. Keep up the good work.
I admit I’ve seen a few good ones on ff.net, but several others were rather lacking.
Rather lacking? Most of the ones I’ve seen on there are so bad it’s frightening.
As I wound my way through my old hometown, the carnage seemed to lessen. In fact, when I was within twenty yards of the other side, I found no corpses at all. I was both elated and saddened to see this. It seemed that my humanity was still there somewhere.
However, a good deal of rubble blocked the town exit. I entered a nearby home, hoping to find some way out. What I found, however, was another pile of corpses; these however, seemed to have committed suicide, rather than die from disease. A staircase led into another underground area. I never realized how many of these peasents had mulitple levels in their homes. I wished I had been harsher in life; they did not deserve such luxuries.
I went into the basement, desperate to satisfy my curiosity. More bodies were to be found, and these, too, seemed to have committed suicide. I had stumbled upon the results of a sick, twisted ritual. Another waste of blood.
The only usable item I found was another old scroll. Once again, it bore the necromancer’s symbol. It read:
“This spell will exploit the petty differences and hatreds humans have for each other, turning them from mere dislike to all-out hatred. They will turn onto each other temporarily, leaving you to feed off of them.”
I decided to call this the “Inspire Hate” spell. I smiled at the thought of what the last surviving human victim of this spell would think, as he saw his neighbor’s blood on his own hands. It was fascinating to me.
Satisfied, I left the basement and made my way out of a back window. I was now out of Coorhagen. My once glorious home was now quiet, forever silenced by the plague. I felt some sorrow, but then realized that I had greater concerns. I had to destroy the Circle and regain my humanity.
I continued north, and the green shrubbery gave way to blankets of white snow. At first, I feared the water content in the snow would be dangerous, but it did not burn me in the least. It seemed my armor was able to protect against the little amounts of water to be found in the snow.
I finally reached the northernmost end of the trail; there was no other place to move to. I looked over the edge, and through the dense mist and fog, I saw my target. In the distance, a towering mountain loomed, surrounded at all sided by deep water and fog. Its center was thin and slender, while the base and plateau were enormous. However, the most important sight was the large fortress sitting on the plateau. This was no doubt Malek’s Bastion, his isolated home.
With no other way of reaching it, I transformed into my bat form and flew to the fortress. I landed in front of the icy gates, as piercing winds blew from all directions at once. Two guards stood in front of the iced-over main gate, themselves frozen solid for centuries. Feeling malicious, I smashed their frozen corpses, shattering them. Sadly, there was no blood.
Sighing, I kicked the frost-covered gates open, sending ice and metal flying everywhere. The formidable fortress stood in front of me, cold and lifeless. I readied my sword, and prepared to face my foe inside.
(to be continued)
I loved it. Great description, and IMO, the characterisation was perfect.
Very nice, looking forward to more.