Prologue
Beyond the Volcanoes of Corallik, the wet mud and ash road
finally broke at the edge of the barren plateau. A bottomless cavity stopped
the four travelers from continuing their journey on horseback. The tired horses
gave a temperamental whinny as the sheets of rain cascaded down from the dark
skies; black clouds were momentarily ripped white by bright slashes of lightning.
One of the weary riders, a colossal man with blue eyes, dismounted and looked
through the storm. Beyond the precipice was a large and ominous tower, a spiraled
structure of twisted metal stretched outward in a hazy gleam of grey metal. Standing above the tower was a hooded figure
no taller than a young boy. His grey beard, however, gave away his age. In his
eyes was stillness, a red stillness that both welcomed and despised the wanderers’
approach.
“He’s waiting, just as we thought.” The dismounted rider held
the reigns to his horse, a heavy broadsword was slung over a blue tunic
covering his back. Out of the four, he was the largest. A smooth jaw trickled
rainwater as he spoke. “Pray he does not prove difficult.”
“He will,” said another rider as she strung a longbow and
notched an arrow with a bulbous yellow head. She pulled the string back with
sharp confidence. The arrow shot forth and hissed through the rain, aiming at
the man on the tower. The arrowhead exploded a meter before impact in a
multitude of exquisite bands of golden light. The luminescence morphed and
molded into humanoid figures resembling skeletons armed with curved daggers.
They flew swiftly towards the bearded man. Twisting his mouth upwards, the old
man gave a smile. With both arms outstretched, he blinked his red eyes and the
world seemed to stop.
The skeletons stayed themselves midflight and lost their
glow. Raindrops were a million tiny jewels held by invisible string. An arch of
lightning was extended halfway across the sky. The man pushed the bones aside
like flower petals in a pond and floated down from the twisted tower, his dark
robe relaxed in the stiff wind and rain. When he was over the pit that had
stopped the four wanderers, he blinked away.
“Stand together,” the last traveler said. Out of the four,
the one bringing up the rear did not ride a horse. He was a lanky man around
the age of forty. His spine was hunched and he wore leather leggings and a
green leather vest. Two thick bands of soaking black hair outlined his gruff
face and covered his shoulders. He sat down and crossed his legs underneath
himself. He placed a finger into the ground and his eyes flashed emerald. The remaining
three stood with their backs together. With a loud snap, thin metal rods rose
from the earth and surrounded the companions. A thick string of lightning descended
and licked one of the rods and dispersed the current throughout. Thunder boomed
overhead and the bearded man reappeared in front of the wanderer dressed in
blue. The lightning rods separated them.
With a thin laugh, the bearded man locked his red eyes on
blue ones. “Green cannot save you forever,” he said. He touched one of the rods
and the volts brought him to his knees. “I…I can see that all have gotten
stronger. The Volcanoes of Corallik was my last line of defense. How did you
defeat Essen? Why do you seek me?” He lifted himself from the wet earth.
“You do not know why we seek you?” said the traveler upon a
horse wearing a dark orange robe. An orange crystal was loose around his neck.
“I know you can feel it. I also know that your sacraments have increased.” His
right hand grabbed the medallion and he looked into it. His eyes began to glow
the same orange color as the crystal. “We must complete the Hex before she
dies.”
- Terry
- Terry
No comments:
Post a Comment