Post by Darkpidgeot on Feb 23, 2008 21:09:54 GMT -4
Lost in Nature, Found in Darkness, United by Light under the Universe.
There are things in life people can’t control. One of them is fate. The fate of people was determined before they were born. Whether they will live a long life or they will die at an early age. Whether they will succeed and be famous or they will lose everything they have and fail. Fate can be changed though. If one knows of their fate, with hard work and a little luck, different paths open for them to walk on. Of course you might not believe me, your opinion is your own and mine are mine. All people had suffered from fate somehow; some people have known to appreciate it while others hated it. It is fate that can change ones life so much that they don’t even know who they are or which side they are on. Some people suffer from that change, few have benefited from it, but I don’t think anyone suffered it worse then I have nor gained more. My name is John, and this is my story.
It was about mid-morning in the Terragion forest. I had awoken from my sleep from under an oak tree. A light fog was rolling in from the mountains in the north. The only sounds that could be heard were the light trickle of a stream nearby and the songs of birds I couldn’t identify. I got up and stretched a bit, to get the sleepiness out. I was wearing yellow colored robes with the rusty brown color of dried blood stained on them. Around my waist was a sword, an inch in width and about two and a half feet in length with a topaz in the hilt. There were symbols that were carved into the blade which said “To one to bring life” in an old language. Around my neck was an amulet, carved with similar symbols like the ones on the sword except they said “To one to bring hope.” I had another sword strapped across my back, wrapped in a half burnt piece of cloth, leaving only the handle sticking out. The second weapon had a half an inch wide blade and about two feet in length with a dark red ruby on the hilt with symbols I wasn’t able to read, a little bit but the way the runes were written were different. Now let me tell you about myself, just to clear up why I am like this.
I am a warrior of Anima or Nature by common terms, defender of all that is good (to me that is.), assisting and protecting others from evil…or at least I was before “it” happened. I’m sure that you’re still confused so let’s just go back to the beginning, which I’ll explain to the best of my abilities.
I was raised in a small village, not really but that’s what it looked like on the outside. On the inside, it was like your average city, without the tall buildings. The only thing that stood higher then anything else was a kind of mansion in the center of town. (Actually it was more like a town hall, doubling as a dwelling for the high ranked.) That was my house; I was the youngest child of two of the most well respected officers in this town, my parents. My mother was the rank of a Hunter, leading all range weaponry soldiers. My father was a General, leading the infantry into war. My sister Azure had chosen to be a Priest and led the clerics to tend the wounded in battle.
People often wondered what I was going to be. I never really had a choice since I was chosen to be a Seeker. Seekers are only a chosen few that excel in all classes and are given the permission to take the test of Anima. The test of Anima is a one on one battle with the guardian of Anima, completing the challenge will give them the powers of Anima magic. The basic four elements that make up Anima are Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire, while their Dark magic counterparts are Spirit, Poison, Blood, and Power respectively. A third branch, Light is more or less a neutral element so people often call Anima magic Light. Its sub-elements being Wisdom, Freedom, Life, and Courage.
There were few that never really took combat training seriously, reason being that they wanted to pursue something different. I took my training very seriously; it was kind of expected of me since I was a child of great warriors so I managed to pass through all my classes with relative ease. Mostly it was with actual weapons, all sorts to test proficiency and preference. There were a few magic tests; most of them were just to improve mental focus and control.
It was a normal day in our town; the young children were playing around, pretending to be waving swords around, slashing imaginary enemies, one was even rolling around the ground, pretending to be wounded but he was still giggling. I could hear the steady pound of the blacksmith making weapons. A few of the older kids were either walking to the school to take a normal job or to the fields to practice fighting. Many kids of both genders like to pursue the life as a soldier, I think they think it’s to make a better life for the future, but not every child wants to be like that so they settle in town jobs, blacksmithing, alchemy, and other jobs that can keep a town with a standing army active.
It was the day that I was to become a Seeker; only three others were chosen to be Seekers with me. Expectations for becoming one are a bit too high for a lot of people. The leader of the town, also the head priest, was going to accompany us along with a few soldiers. One could never be too careful these days with the clouds of war still above us, a clash between the three Primes that has been going on for who knows how long. We marched out of the town, into a heavily wooded forest, not the Terrigion forest though. It was in an ancient language, translating roughly to ‘Forest of Destiny.’
After a few minutes of walking, a light fog rolled in, one of the Seeker trainees seemed scared but the Head Priest just shook his head to the trainee and continued on.
The fog was created by the ancient magicks that had been in the ground accessed via by saying the right words in a certain area. This area was a sort of teleporter, not really but one could assume you would be teleported. It allowed the travelers to end up almost anywhere with the restriction that the area was another source of the magick and that you knew exactly where it was. (If you didn’t, getting lost wouldn’t be the worst that could happen to you.) I learned later that where we were going was a parallel dimension.
The group of trainees was interesting, consisting of me, two males and a female. The female carried a staff and light robes with Anima symbols on them. One male was carrying a large shield with a spike on it with heavy armor. It’s not often you see shield bearers fighting. The other had a mix between metal armor and studded leather. A great axe was strapped to his back. (Remember, Seekers are to be proficient in nigh everything, we just picked what we specialized in.) I myself wore only a piece of chain mail under a set of Anima robes. The first sword I described at the beginning was sheathed and tied to my waist. We soon came to a clearing; in the middle of it was a large temple. This temple was called the Temple of the Universal Element, and for an obvious reason, held the elements that make up the Universe: Anima, Dark, Light, and their break offs.
One half of the temple was bright new, like it just made. The other half was old and desecrated like it had been here for thousands of years (Don’t ask where the neutral side is, it is there, just not there). We walked up to the door and walked inside. It was my first time in the temple, same as the other Seeker trainees. I got a good look around the room I was in. On the ground, was the entire seal of the Universe, as well as a mural painting on the ceiling of the same thing. On my left was a bright colored door and on my right was a dark colored door. Each door led to a room that would branch out into the basic elements. The floor, wall, and ceiling of the room were more or less the same shiny gray color, only breaking when a door or painting was there.
In front of me, farthest from the entrance in the center, there was a multicolored paneled walled; it stood out from the rest of the room. I went up to that panel and touched it, feeling a faint ripple of power from the panel. Up close, I could see the silhouette of another door that was next to the multicolored panel but it seemed to be moving around all over the room. The leader called to us and we walked through the Anima door. The room of Anima was cheerful and colorful, almost calming. Murals of the elements were all over the walls. On either side of the wall, were the basic element doors, represented by the color door and by the symbol on top. In the center, a swirl of green and yellow colored paneled wall became a door, as we got closer to it.
The leader pointed to one of the Seeker trainees, the shield wielder, and nodded to him, explaining what to do when he passed the challenge. He gulped since he was chosen first to go into the door and take the test. Stepping forward, he opened the door and walked through. After the door had closed, it became part of the wall again, signaling that the challenge was underway.
We all waited in the Anima room, the trainees and I feeling more and more nervous as time went by, unknown of how much time had passed. Soon the panel returned to a door, we waited anxiously but no one stepped out. For failing the challenge, the punishment was death. No one was allowed to leave as soon as the challenge had started. So it’s everything or nothing beyond that door.
One by one, the trainees went through the door and never came back. I was the last one left and I drew a deep breath. The leader sighed and nodded for me to go through. I often wonder to this day how he copes with the losses of such strong young people. I walked up to the door, somehow feeling as if the door was pushing me back with some energy, also I felt something inside me stir as I drew closer to the door. I ignored the feeling and opened the door and stepped through.
I felt my spirit leaving my body for a moment before I stepped into a room, and it was no ordinary room, actually it didn’t look like a room at all. All around me was a vast emptiness of color. Every color imaginable was floating around me as far as I could see. I looked down and also saw an endless pit of color but I wasn’t falling, there was definitely a floor beneath me. Perhaps there was an end to this room; the walls could be transparent like the floor. Behind me, I saw the door, slowly fading away. If I wanted to leave, now was the chance. I stayed and watched the door disappear to nothingness.
Turning forward again, I could hear a sound, someone singing? From the mass of colors, a white aura had formed, quite easy to see despite the variety of colors in the room. The aura gave the impression of a female spirit but this was the Guardian of Anima. Drawing my sword, I watched the mysterious figure for a moment, waiting.
The woman spoke, her voice was heavenly in a sort, still somewhat singing as she talked to me. I couldn’t make out any words, but it was calming and I was able to relax my body a lot more. At the end of her “song”, she stared at me directly in the eye and asked, “Are you ready?”
I nodded my head and pointed my blade at her. I swear I saw her smile, something between a warm smile and a sneer. (I still remember it to this day.) I suppose there was always a little good and evil in everything, that was life after all. Anyways, after accepting my answer, she faded away into the color. Nothing happened for a few seconds but then the scenery changed. The twists of colors became the hardened black magma ground of an active volcano. Lines of red and orange cut through the black as small trails of lava flowed. Ahead, I could see the volcano, its crater flinging fiery rocks and smoke into the sky that was blue where the smoke hadn’t covered. The land around me wasn’t flat at all, mostly at an incline upwards to the volcano but sometimes crested downward. Turning all around, I saw no sign of the guardian before my concentration was interrupted by a steady roar.
I had looked back to the volcano; a winged red dragon had appeared from the mouth of the volcano. Its tail was still in the crater but the size was still quite massive, hitting around the size of a two story building. The dragon was about medium sized in comparison to other dragons. I assumed this one was around twenty years old but it could be younger since their growth is drastic in the first few month then years later. (A dragon’s size was determined by age up to a certain point.) I’ve heard of dragons that have survived for over a thousand years and had abandoned their mountain caves to the underground because they outgrew the mountain itself. If you actually think about it, dragons also hoard treasures so a small part of the mountain was a treasure trove but its still an impressive thing to see.
My knowledge of creatures pales to an actual fighter that has dealt with them before. But what I did know, coming from stories I’ve heard and books I’ve readm could probably help me survive, if not live longer before falling. I took two steps up to the mountain before I jumped back to avoid a pillar of flame that jetted from the ground, my confidence was shattered in that instance. I took a closer inspection of the ground to notice the area was dotted with geyser pits that occasionally released their pressure.
This was the Fire Guardian’s test; apparently the Anima Guardian was going to cycle through all four elements for the test. My suspicion was confirmed as several humans, entirely made of fire moved towards me. There were a few that were made of lava and their skin was hardened. They were Fire Elementals, as well as the stronger version, Magma Elementals. There are, of course, more creatures that can be created/summoned with every magic that can range from tiny minions to giant beings and, with the proper skill level/energy, the possibility to summon Guardians. Elementals are somewhere in the low-medium range since the magic gathers the element around themselves to form the being. Their stronger version is not much higher up in the medium range but they are quite strong and easy to make.
But because of their simplicity to be generated, they are easy to kill by shattering the magic that was condensed in their body. Ok, not really “easy” as you can simply just walk up to one and stab them. Elementals aren’t stupid in that sense and often have spells already on them for protection. I also have to mention that the area around us was indeed fire territory so the Elementals were on a home advantage.
There was no turning back now. A deep breath and a gush from the fire pillar in front of me later, I rushed forward, sword in my right hand behind me with the blade pointed downward. This of course was a bad idea, if you ever tried running up on an incline, you get pretty tired fast. I had my adrenaline flowing as I ran into my first Fire Elemental. The being of fire had swung at me with an arm that I easily ducked to the left. My sword followed through as it sliced through the chest of the Elemental. As the being’s energy was shattered, the flame turned to ash and became a pile on the ground. I believe I cut a bit too close to the hilt of my blade since as I was cutting through the creature; an additional line of flame surrounded it like armor, a Fire Shield I believed. (Remember, the Fire Elemental is made of flames so seeing a Fire Shield is ridiculously hard to note.)
My right hand was scalded slightly and my sword had jump in temperature to the point I almost dropped it from the heat. I quickly looked back at the ashes of the first real combat creature I defeated. (I have killed low leveled beings summoned by the instructors for training.) I didn’t relax for long as when I turned forward again, I was faced with a chunk of hot rock flying at me. I leaned to the right, avoiding it while continuing my ascent. Reckless actions could kill me or knock me down to be killed for another Fire Elemental had rushed me from the right while I was still avoiding the rock. Twisting my body so my sword flew upwards and cut through the Elemental with a sort of side flip. My left hand touched the tar covered ground, (It was surprisingly cool for some reason) before pushing up to land on my feet again and continue my way up. (Don’t ask me how I manage to do these things, I still wonder that myself.)
I had made it to the top of the first hill, managing to give myself a quick break. There was another hill just slightly larger then the one I was on before I started up the volcano. Below me was a minefield of flame geysers that were going on and off in a pattern but much more often then the ones behind me. There were a few bats flying around along with Magma Elementals dotting the field. The bats did look like bats; just their entire body was on fire.
It was about mid-morning in the Terragion forest. I had awoken from my sleep from under an oak tree. A light fog was rolling in from the mountains in the north. The only sounds that could be heard were the light trickle of a stream nearby and the songs of birds I couldn’t identify. I got up and stretched a bit, to get the sleepiness out. I was wearing yellow colored robes with the rusty brown color of dried blood stained on them. Around my waist was a sword, an inch in width and about two and a half feet in length with a topaz in the hilt. There were symbols that were carved into the blade which said “To one to bring life” in an old language. Around my neck was an amulet, carved with similar symbols like the ones on the sword except they said “To one to bring hope.” I had another sword strapped across my back, wrapped in a half burnt piece of cloth, leaving only the handle sticking out. The second weapon had a half an inch wide blade and about two feet in length with a dark red ruby on the hilt with symbols I wasn’t able to read, a little bit but the way the runes were written were different. Now let me tell you about myself, just to clear up why I am like this.
I am a warrior of Anima or Nature by common terms, defender of all that is good (to me that is.), assisting and protecting others from evil…or at least I was before “it” happened. I’m sure that you’re still confused so let’s just go back to the beginning, which I’ll explain to the best of my abilities.
I was raised in a small village, not really but that’s what it looked like on the outside. On the inside, it was like your average city, without the tall buildings. The only thing that stood higher then anything else was a kind of mansion in the center of town. (Actually it was more like a town hall, doubling as a dwelling for the high ranked.) That was my house; I was the youngest child of two of the most well respected officers in this town, my parents. My mother was the rank of a Hunter, leading all range weaponry soldiers. My father was a General, leading the infantry into war. My sister Azure had chosen to be a Priest and led the clerics to tend the wounded in battle.
People often wondered what I was going to be. I never really had a choice since I was chosen to be a Seeker. Seekers are only a chosen few that excel in all classes and are given the permission to take the test of Anima. The test of Anima is a one on one battle with the guardian of Anima, completing the challenge will give them the powers of Anima magic. The basic four elements that make up Anima are Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire, while their Dark magic counterparts are Spirit, Poison, Blood, and Power respectively. A third branch, Light is more or less a neutral element so people often call Anima magic Light. Its sub-elements being Wisdom, Freedom, Life, and Courage.
There were few that never really took combat training seriously, reason being that they wanted to pursue something different. I took my training very seriously; it was kind of expected of me since I was a child of great warriors so I managed to pass through all my classes with relative ease. Mostly it was with actual weapons, all sorts to test proficiency and preference. There were a few magic tests; most of them were just to improve mental focus and control.
It was a normal day in our town; the young children were playing around, pretending to be waving swords around, slashing imaginary enemies, one was even rolling around the ground, pretending to be wounded but he was still giggling. I could hear the steady pound of the blacksmith making weapons. A few of the older kids were either walking to the school to take a normal job or to the fields to practice fighting. Many kids of both genders like to pursue the life as a soldier, I think they think it’s to make a better life for the future, but not every child wants to be like that so they settle in town jobs, blacksmithing, alchemy, and other jobs that can keep a town with a standing army active.
It was the day that I was to become a Seeker; only three others were chosen to be Seekers with me. Expectations for becoming one are a bit too high for a lot of people. The leader of the town, also the head priest, was going to accompany us along with a few soldiers. One could never be too careful these days with the clouds of war still above us, a clash between the three Primes that has been going on for who knows how long. We marched out of the town, into a heavily wooded forest, not the Terrigion forest though. It was in an ancient language, translating roughly to ‘Forest of Destiny.’
After a few minutes of walking, a light fog rolled in, one of the Seeker trainees seemed scared but the Head Priest just shook his head to the trainee and continued on.
The fog was created by the ancient magicks that had been in the ground accessed via by saying the right words in a certain area. This area was a sort of teleporter, not really but one could assume you would be teleported. It allowed the travelers to end up almost anywhere with the restriction that the area was another source of the magick and that you knew exactly where it was. (If you didn’t, getting lost wouldn’t be the worst that could happen to you.) I learned later that where we were going was a parallel dimension.
The group of trainees was interesting, consisting of me, two males and a female. The female carried a staff and light robes with Anima symbols on them. One male was carrying a large shield with a spike on it with heavy armor. It’s not often you see shield bearers fighting. The other had a mix between metal armor and studded leather. A great axe was strapped to his back. (Remember, Seekers are to be proficient in nigh everything, we just picked what we specialized in.) I myself wore only a piece of chain mail under a set of Anima robes. The first sword I described at the beginning was sheathed and tied to my waist. We soon came to a clearing; in the middle of it was a large temple. This temple was called the Temple of the Universal Element, and for an obvious reason, held the elements that make up the Universe: Anima, Dark, Light, and their break offs.
One half of the temple was bright new, like it just made. The other half was old and desecrated like it had been here for thousands of years (Don’t ask where the neutral side is, it is there, just not there). We walked up to the door and walked inside. It was my first time in the temple, same as the other Seeker trainees. I got a good look around the room I was in. On the ground, was the entire seal of the Universe, as well as a mural painting on the ceiling of the same thing. On my left was a bright colored door and on my right was a dark colored door. Each door led to a room that would branch out into the basic elements. The floor, wall, and ceiling of the room were more or less the same shiny gray color, only breaking when a door or painting was there.
In front of me, farthest from the entrance in the center, there was a multicolored paneled walled; it stood out from the rest of the room. I went up to that panel and touched it, feeling a faint ripple of power from the panel. Up close, I could see the silhouette of another door that was next to the multicolored panel but it seemed to be moving around all over the room. The leader called to us and we walked through the Anima door. The room of Anima was cheerful and colorful, almost calming. Murals of the elements were all over the walls. On either side of the wall, were the basic element doors, represented by the color door and by the symbol on top. In the center, a swirl of green and yellow colored paneled wall became a door, as we got closer to it.
The leader pointed to one of the Seeker trainees, the shield wielder, and nodded to him, explaining what to do when he passed the challenge. He gulped since he was chosen first to go into the door and take the test. Stepping forward, he opened the door and walked through. After the door had closed, it became part of the wall again, signaling that the challenge was underway.
We all waited in the Anima room, the trainees and I feeling more and more nervous as time went by, unknown of how much time had passed. Soon the panel returned to a door, we waited anxiously but no one stepped out. For failing the challenge, the punishment was death. No one was allowed to leave as soon as the challenge had started. So it’s everything or nothing beyond that door.
One by one, the trainees went through the door and never came back. I was the last one left and I drew a deep breath. The leader sighed and nodded for me to go through. I often wonder to this day how he copes with the losses of such strong young people. I walked up to the door, somehow feeling as if the door was pushing me back with some energy, also I felt something inside me stir as I drew closer to the door. I ignored the feeling and opened the door and stepped through.
I felt my spirit leaving my body for a moment before I stepped into a room, and it was no ordinary room, actually it didn’t look like a room at all. All around me was a vast emptiness of color. Every color imaginable was floating around me as far as I could see. I looked down and also saw an endless pit of color but I wasn’t falling, there was definitely a floor beneath me. Perhaps there was an end to this room; the walls could be transparent like the floor. Behind me, I saw the door, slowly fading away. If I wanted to leave, now was the chance. I stayed and watched the door disappear to nothingness.
Turning forward again, I could hear a sound, someone singing? From the mass of colors, a white aura had formed, quite easy to see despite the variety of colors in the room. The aura gave the impression of a female spirit but this was the Guardian of Anima. Drawing my sword, I watched the mysterious figure for a moment, waiting.
The woman spoke, her voice was heavenly in a sort, still somewhat singing as she talked to me. I couldn’t make out any words, but it was calming and I was able to relax my body a lot more. At the end of her “song”, she stared at me directly in the eye and asked, “Are you ready?”
I nodded my head and pointed my blade at her. I swear I saw her smile, something between a warm smile and a sneer. (I still remember it to this day.) I suppose there was always a little good and evil in everything, that was life after all. Anyways, after accepting my answer, she faded away into the color. Nothing happened for a few seconds but then the scenery changed. The twists of colors became the hardened black magma ground of an active volcano. Lines of red and orange cut through the black as small trails of lava flowed. Ahead, I could see the volcano, its crater flinging fiery rocks and smoke into the sky that was blue where the smoke hadn’t covered. The land around me wasn’t flat at all, mostly at an incline upwards to the volcano but sometimes crested downward. Turning all around, I saw no sign of the guardian before my concentration was interrupted by a steady roar.
I had looked back to the volcano; a winged red dragon had appeared from the mouth of the volcano. Its tail was still in the crater but the size was still quite massive, hitting around the size of a two story building. The dragon was about medium sized in comparison to other dragons. I assumed this one was around twenty years old but it could be younger since their growth is drastic in the first few month then years later. (A dragon’s size was determined by age up to a certain point.) I’ve heard of dragons that have survived for over a thousand years and had abandoned their mountain caves to the underground because they outgrew the mountain itself. If you actually think about it, dragons also hoard treasures so a small part of the mountain was a treasure trove but its still an impressive thing to see.
My knowledge of creatures pales to an actual fighter that has dealt with them before. But what I did know, coming from stories I’ve heard and books I’ve readm could probably help me survive, if not live longer before falling. I took two steps up to the mountain before I jumped back to avoid a pillar of flame that jetted from the ground, my confidence was shattered in that instance. I took a closer inspection of the ground to notice the area was dotted with geyser pits that occasionally released their pressure.
This was the Fire Guardian’s test; apparently the Anima Guardian was going to cycle through all four elements for the test. My suspicion was confirmed as several humans, entirely made of fire moved towards me. There were a few that were made of lava and their skin was hardened. They were Fire Elementals, as well as the stronger version, Magma Elementals. There are, of course, more creatures that can be created/summoned with every magic that can range from tiny minions to giant beings and, with the proper skill level/energy, the possibility to summon Guardians. Elementals are somewhere in the low-medium range since the magic gathers the element around themselves to form the being. Their stronger version is not much higher up in the medium range but they are quite strong and easy to make.
But because of their simplicity to be generated, they are easy to kill by shattering the magic that was condensed in their body. Ok, not really “easy” as you can simply just walk up to one and stab them. Elementals aren’t stupid in that sense and often have spells already on them for protection. I also have to mention that the area around us was indeed fire territory so the Elementals were on a home advantage.
There was no turning back now. A deep breath and a gush from the fire pillar in front of me later, I rushed forward, sword in my right hand behind me with the blade pointed downward. This of course was a bad idea, if you ever tried running up on an incline, you get pretty tired fast. I had my adrenaline flowing as I ran into my first Fire Elemental. The being of fire had swung at me with an arm that I easily ducked to the left. My sword followed through as it sliced through the chest of the Elemental. As the being’s energy was shattered, the flame turned to ash and became a pile on the ground. I believe I cut a bit too close to the hilt of my blade since as I was cutting through the creature; an additional line of flame surrounded it like armor, a Fire Shield I believed. (Remember, the Fire Elemental is made of flames so seeing a Fire Shield is ridiculously hard to note.)
My right hand was scalded slightly and my sword had jump in temperature to the point I almost dropped it from the heat. I quickly looked back at the ashes of the first real combat creature I defeated. (I have killed low leveled beings summoned by the instructors for training.) I didn’t relax for long as when I turned forward again, I was faced with a chunk of hot rock flying at me. I leaned to the right, avoiding it while continuing my ascent. Reckless actions could kill me or knock me down to be killed for another Fire Elemental had rushed me from the right while I was still avoiding the rock. Twisting my body so my sword flew upwards and cut through the Elemental with a sort of side flip. My left hand touched the tar covered ground, (It was surprisingly cool for some reason) before pushing up to land on my feet again and continue my way up. (Don’t ask me how I manage to do these things, I still wonder that myself.)
I had made it to the top of the first hill, managing to give myself a quick break. There was another hill just slightly larger then the one I was on before I started up the volcano. Below me was a minefield of flame geysers that were going on and off in a pattern but much more often then the ones behind me. There were a few bats flying around along with Magma Elementals dotting the field. The bats did look like bats; just their entire body was on fire.
T.B.C