Silver Nights - Chapter 2
Silver Nights - Chapter 2
-=Dragon Blood=-
Venzyriel watched from the window as Gelorah trained his swordplay on the dummies she had prepared in the courtyard. She had to admit, his strikes were fast, strong, and his movements were smoothly connected to each strike he delivered. He was still using Mormick's sword, even though he could have used a bigger one. He was wearing the chainmail armor he had gotten from Mormick back when he faced the Red Crows. For a 16-year old, he was truly remarkably strong, and handsome. He looked much older than he really was, like an adult already. His bright hair had paled a little by now, and he had a clean beard growing on his chin. But then again, he had dragon blood running through his veins, and even though it hadn't been completely awakened yet, he could still surpass the abilities of that of a regular human, and it made him mature at an increased pace. He had grown so much in the last 5 years, since his preliminary awakening. Watching him training brought back memories to Venzyriel, and she began to think back to the time when she taught him the use of his elemental powers, and assigned him his first task. Those were truly interesting times. For both of them.
Gelorah looked at Venzyriel, curiously, as he had no idea what he would learn today. "What is it, Venzyriel? I have a feeling you don't want me to just hit them with my sword?"
"Ah, you have already proven to be very talented with a sword, so today we are going to train something a little more... exotic. You're 12 already, so you should be able to handle it."
"Whatever you wish for! I am more than ready!"
She truly did admire his enthusiasm. How well he would perform the arts of controlling lighting, however, she did not dare to guess. "Gelorah, my disciple... today... I will teach you about our mutual ability... to control & create lightning."
Gelorah looked surprised. He did know Venzyriel could handle lightning, since she was a silver dragon, but he had no idea he would be able to do it. He hadn't even thought about such possibility.
- "Are you saying I can shoot lighting from my hands? Or "spit" it like you?"
Venzyriel chuckled.
"Well... more or less so. You will learn a lot more than that, my dear disciple. So, shall we begin?"
"I'm as ready as I can be!"
First, they tried something very simple, just to be able to produce lightning in the first place. Basic control over lightning was very important, since lightning was such a wild, raw & unpredictable element. It was rather hard to master. Venzyriel reduced her form into her bipedal one, so that she could offer Gelorah better guidance, and opened his hand, creating a ball of lightning to float slightly above it. It switched colors from blue to purple, and it looked quite beautiful. "You need to learn basic control first... You will train this very basic form until you master it. This will allow you to concentrate on something more complex once you do not need to put much of an effort into creating the lightning itself. Lightning, out of all the elements, might just require the most concentration to be used efficiently. It is powerful when controlled... but..." Venzyriel loosened his control over the ball of lightning, and with a rather loud shriek, the ball exploded, sending sparks all around her, and making Gelorah jump in the air. "Fear not, as lightning cannot hurt you, or me. But letting it out of your control reduces it into a nothing more than a few flashes that do you no good at all, except perhaps make you and people around you jump in the air. Now... open your hand, and try to concentrate. Try to "emerge" power trough the palm of your hand."
While Gelorah thought this was all pretty confusing, he opened his hand, fixed his eyes on his palm, and tried to think of ways to create lightning from it. At first, it was no good, as nothing happened. Venzyriel was, however, very patient, and she knew this would require time. To her great surprise, however, she saw as sparks flew out of Gelorahs hand, and soon he had a very small stream of lightning jumping around the palm of his hand. It grew stronger, until Gelorah couldn't improve it's power any longer. But he could keep the lightning coming out. "Very good... very good! As you can see, it's all just a matter of will! Try to keep that lightning coming from out hand..."
"I'm trying... but... it's getting more difficult! It's like I'm losing the power to do so!" So, after a minute or two, the lightning started to disappear, until it vanished completely.
"I'm sorry... I just... couldn't concentrate any longer, my head was getting thic-"
"No, no, you did great, my disciple! I wouldn't have expected you to perform so well for your first day! You need a little time to rest your mind, and you can do it again! To improve your will, for the next months, try to improve the duration you can hold lightning in your hand. Focus on this sole objective. It is very important that you can have a fair amount of power to harness once we move on to more complex skills."
And so Gelorah did. For the next three months, he gave his soul to train his concentration, and sooner or later, he could keep producing lightning for hours, and with immense power, as well. He really didn't even need to concentrate that much to keep the lightning pouring from his hands. Finally, she prepared him for the next step.
- "You have mastered your first task magnificently! But... So far, it has been nothing but raw, uncontrolled electricity running in your hand. You must learn how to use it in different tasks. And for the very beginning, we shall try how well you can shape it. Cast some lightning for me."
Gelorah opened his arm, and soon he had lightning pouring from it. "Now... shape it into a ball. Think of "compressing" the lightning into shape."
Gelorah pushed his mind to force the lightning to shape as a ball, and slowly, yet steadily, he was able to produce a ball of lightning. But it didn't look very stable. "Venzyriel, I-" At that moment, the ball exploded in his hand with a violent flash, and it sent sparks flying around, setting one of the hay dummies in the courtyard on fire. Gelorah, who had not expected such a violent reaction to happen so sudden, tripped off on his back, as Venzyriel laughed in amusement for the show Gelorah had provided her. " It's quite hard, is it not? You must not lose your concentration for one split-second, or the lightning will escape your control immediately. Now... try it again."
Gelorah created yet another ball, with much effort put in it, and after a short while, it also exploded. "Keep trying, my disciple. The first ones are always the hardest." Gelorah created a ball of lightning after another, and Venzyriel noted how each time, his control lasted longer, and he didn't take as long to create a new one. In no time, he had full control over the shape, and he could maintain it. " I am impressed, my disciple! Very impressed!" Gelorah was amazed & grateful at the same time, as he moved the ball around his hand, switched the place of the ball from one hand to another, and could even make it move for a short distance. "Ah... you are getting creative! That's one of the best things in lightning... it's energy, mostly... so it has endless possibilities on how you can use it. Now... throw that ball on the burning dummy. Before you do, however, concentrate as much as you can on compressing the ball, so it won't explode the second it leaves your grasp, and then, finally, as you throw it, release your concentration on it." Gelorah focused, and then threw the ball forward to the dummy. The ball flew smoothly at the dummy, and with a violent, flashy explosion, the dummy was shred to piles of burning hay flying around. Gelorah truly loved this new ability! "As you can see, compressed lightning is quite powerful once it releases it's contents! Now that you have learned the basic shape of a ball... spend more time honing it, and trying out different shapes & forms. It's really up to you what you can produce, and how to use them... Let your imagination loose! " So, for the next 2 years, Gelorah was doing nothing but training in the courtyard, no matter if it rained or if it was scorching hot. He could soon utilize his new powers in very creative ways. He could throw balls, spears or disks of lightning, or just shoot a stream or lightning with his fingertips. He could wrap himself in a "coat" of lightning, and then release it with a rather impressive shockwave. He could even summon a small thunderstorm, though it was still rather weak, but nevertheless potent. What Venzyriel really found remarkable, however, was his crafty way of using lightning to produce himself a shield. It wasn't a round shield, it was indeed in the form of a large kite-like-shaped shield, and how he could keep it's form while still focusing on using the sword on his right hand, was truly remarkable. Gelorah had mastered the arts of lightning as far as his currently active heritage allowed, and the way he could use it made it seem he had always been able to do such things. He was very gifted. In fact, so gifted, he had surpassed Venzyriels expectations on how soon he would be ready for his first.. task.
Venzyriel had been gathering information from the nearby towns & villages, and she had finally found a task suited well for her young discipline. A band of leftover soldiers from the War Of Earthym had grouped together, forming a group of raiders, that called themselves the "Red Crows" . What made them more dangerous was their more higher discipline & the fact they used tactics against their pray & enemies. And they were well hidden. But Venzyriel knew where they were hiding. The group had been terrorizing the traders between Ishimur & the other towns located more west of Earthym. It wasn't uncommon for raiders to attack the caravans, but a few hired bodyguards usually solved those problems. In this case, it wasn't enough, especially since the Red Crows had better equipment than your regular raider, and even a few select siege weapons & horses. At first, they were not using uncalled violence, but later on they had grown more & more unpredictable, even resorting into kidnapping & murder. Since the Earthym Order still lacked a solid foothold in the Western Earthym, thanks to the still continuing hostilities towards them, and the generally unstable atmosphere, local barracks did not either have the resources or the motivation to deal with the problem. They were short on men, and they didn't intend to lose any more. So, the Red Crows were more or less able to pillage unchallenged. Venzyriel could have annihilated the group in an instant, but she had planned to use them for something more useful to her. Instead, she had offered protection to Ishimur against the Red Crows, and by doing so, gained their respect & gratitude. Now, she spread the word that the Red Crows days are numbered, thanks to a little faction that protects the weak, unlike Earthym Orders army. Being frustrated & scared by the constant attacks of the Red Crows and the incompetence of the Earthym Order's soldiers, people spread the word quickly, hoping for a solution for their distress. And that is where Gelorah would step in, just like Venzyriel had planned. Should he succeed, no, WHEN he succeeds, Ishimur would be loyal to her.
Gelorah was finishing his morning routine: Breakfast (that usually was made out of vegetables, bread & water), training (both with sword and his control over lightning), and of course, washing up. He was drying himself up, when Venzyriel spoke to him from behind the door. "Gelorah. I have an important task for you. It is urgent. Take your sword with you. " Gelorah did not need to know why. He obeyed. He quickly dressed in a blue tunic and dark-brown pants and placed the sword on his belt. He left his room and walked outside. Venzyriel was waiting for him outside. " We are going to visit Mormick back in Ishimur. And we must make haste. " Venzyriel started to transform back to her real dragon form, and as Gelorah was used to it by now, and immune to the lightning outbreak that occurred whenever Venzyriel switched forms, he didn't even need to cover his eyes. " Are we not walking, Venzyriel?" Gelorah asked.
"No. We are flying." Venzyriel seemed to had a serious expression on her.
"Flying, Venzyriel?"
"Quite so. Climb on my back, disciple."
Venzyriel lowered herself for Gelorah, who, after hesitating a while, climbed on her back. The spines coming out from her back made it slightly difficult. "Ummm, Venzyriel... Are you sure about this?"
- "Worry not, my young disciple. You cannot fall off, even if you tried to."
And Venzyriel was speaking the truth. She had locked Gelorah on her back by creating a negative charge on part of her back Gelorah was on, connecting to his naturally positive charge, locking him tightly on. "Ishimur awaits us. Are you ready?" Gelorah nodded. "Yes." Venzyriel nodded back, lift her body on her feet again, and took a few steps back, before rushing forward for a brief amount of time, then leaping in the air and opening her wings. Her strong flaps lifted them in the sky very quickly, and she started flying towards Ishimur. Gelorah was excited, not only was he able to fly with (or more accurately, on) Venzyriel, but this task seemed quite urgent. As Gelorah looked into the horizon ahead, he could clearly see the outskirts of Ishimur. "I'm going to land now. Landing in a middle of a town with my current form might intimidate people." Gelorah had no doubts about that. Venzyriel landed smoothly in a small clearing in the woods near Ishimur, landing softly on the ground without making much noise. She released Gelorah, who jumped off from her back and flexed his muscles. Venzyriel transformed back to her human form, and started walking towards Ishimur, with Gelorah following her. Venzyriel turned her head to speak to Gelorah as they walked, and she did have a serious face. "I have informed Mormick of our arrival. He has prepared something for you to aid you, and most importantly, to protect you on your task."
Gelorah and Venzyriel walked through the gates to Ishimur, and Gelorah saw it hadn't changed much. Mormick's house still stood at it's regular place, and this time, Venzyriel knocked on the door. "Come in, Mi'lady, Young Master". It was Mormick's voice. Upon entering the house, Gelorah did see some changes made to it. Some of the walls had been remodeled, replaced with newer wood. Mormick's sword collection still hang on the walls, short of the sword that Gelorah was carrying. Mormick, himself, was sitting on his usual spot: Near the fireplace, smoking his pipe. "Greetings to you, Mormick. "
"As to you too, Mi'lady. " Mormick did not turn to face his guests.
"I assume you have it ready?
"Of course. As you requested. It's not much... but better than nothing."
"Then I owe you my gratitude. Again."
"It's my pleasure, Mi'lady. And now..." Mormick turned around. To Gelorah's surprise, Mormick's left eye had turned gray. Fears about him being completely blinded, however, vanished the moment Mormick fixed his eyes on Gelorah. "Oh my... you have grown much. I can barely recognize you. "
"It's because... I went through some changes. " Gelorah replied. His voice was quite masculine for his age.
"Ah, yes, I can see that. How very handsome young man you have become! How old are you, 15, right?"
"Just so, Mormick."
"You look like a man already! Muscular, too! Has my sword served you well?"
Gelorah smiled. "I still can't thank you enough for it. It's a magnificent blade, indeed. " Mormick laughed. He hadn't changed one bit. Gelorah truly did miss that laughter. "Young master... it is truly nice to see you again.", Mormick said once he stopped laughing. "That makes two of us." Venzyriel, who had found a nice place to sit in one of Mormick's benches, interrupted: "Well... Mormick. Let's not keep him waiting..."
- "Truly. I apologize for my eagerness. I was just so excited to see him again. But yes! Here, I'll go get it."
Mormick slowly stood up from his chair, and went upstairs. Gelorah heard sounds of metal, or small pieces of metal dropping down from the upstairs. Finally, Mormick walked down the stairs. He was carrying a neatly folded piece of chainmail with 2 pieces of plate armor on top. He was struggling to carry it down, so Gelorah rushed to help him. "Thanks... I used to be stronger, but now... " Venzyriel was looking at the set of armor brought, as Mormic placed it on the table. "So, this is it?"
"Not quiet, Mi-lady. One piece is still missing. I just didn't have the strenght to take it with me yet!" Mormick disappeared upstairs again while Gelorah was examining the armor on the table. It was seemed to be 2 shoulderguards with enforced edges & leather straps to hold them in place, and the chainmail was shirt-like with long sleeves and it looked like it was long enough to offer some leg protection as well. Then Mormick came down. He had a chestplate with him, and it had a fine, yet simple, trim in it. Mormick placed it on the table. "Here. My old armor, with some changes made into it. No Earthym Order symbols left. " Venzyriel looked at the armor for a while. "Crude & simple, but seems very effective. Well... Gelorah. It is for you. Try it on. " Gelorah took his tunic off, and was nearly taking his shirt off as well, when Mormick poked him on the flank and said: "No, leave your shirt on. Makes this a lot more comfortable. " Heeding the advice of a senior retired soldier, Gelorah left his shirt on. He put the chainmail on him. Well... it wasn't as heavy as it looked. "Quite heavy, isn't it? " Mormick said as he was helping Gelorah put on the chestplate. "Truth be told, Mormick? This doesn't feel very heavy. " Mormick looked a little surprised. "Really? Then I was either weaker than I remembered, or you surely have eaten your vegetables in the morning! " Mormick fastened the straps holding the chestplate & shoulderguards, and stepped back. "Try moving a little. " So Gelorah did, and it didn't really seem to be exhausting to wear such armor. Sure, it was a lot more heavier than clothing, but Gelorah just did not feel uncomfortable wearing the armor. "What can I say?", Gelorah replied. "I like it. "
"I'm glad you do, Young Master! This armor has served me well! It never even required that much repairing, as I learned that it's far more effective to avoid being hit instead of testing your armors durability. " Gelorah was flexing himself, being quite excited. "Well... How about giving him a shield as well? After all, he might need all the protection when he goes against the Red Crows!"
"While I thank for the generous offer, Gelorah has no need for a shield... he can create his own. "
Gelorah looked at Venzryriel. "Red Crows? Against?"
Venzyriel smiled.
"Yes, Gelorah, my disciple! You have some... purging to do."
"Purging? I heard the Red Crows are a band of ex-soldiers that formed a gang of raiders... pillaging, raiding, murdering & kidnapping in the Western Earthym... " Gelorah looked at the set of armor on him, and he grabbed the sword on his belt. " ... Are you saying, Venzyriel, that I-"
"Yes. My disciple. You will end them. Tonight. "
Mormick's face turned serious. "Take heed of my words, Young Master... that armor will most likely not protect you from arrows, and you should never rely on your armor over your mobility. Avoiding a strike completely is far more better than relying on your armor to protect you."
- "I thank you for the advice, Mormick. I will do my best."
Venzyriel opened the door and stepped outside. "Come, my disciple. We are leaving." Gelorah followed behind her, and as he was about to close the door, Mormick gave him one last advice: "Don't do anything foolhardy."
Venzyriel had given Gelorah another ride on her back, and had brought him in deep woods somewhere in western Earthym. It was twilight already. "Their little outpost is located just north of here. It's a small fortress, but it shouldn't be of no problem for you to get in. The Red Crows are not great in numbers, 20 at max, and most of them should prove little challenge to you, or so I hope. They most probably have a leader... so it's your top priority to erase his existence. Nighttime will offer you the advantage... since you can see so well in dark, and they can't. I'll also send you something else for your aid once you reach the outpost... Now proceed. I will be watching you. " Gelorah flexed his arms, excited, and started walking north. He turned back at Venzyriel after walking a couple of meters. "Once I get the leader... what would you have your disciple do to the rest?"
Venzyriel looked into his eyes. "Kill them. Spare no one. "
The voice echoed in Gelorah's mind. "Kill them. " Would it be easy? Taking a life, just like that. But they do deserve it, Gelorah thought. They are not worthy of mercy nor pity. This is justice that the soldiers have failed to hand to them. And Venzyriel's will. Gelorah kept walking as darkness shrouded the woods, but it didn't affect Gelorah's eyes much. He could still see very well, everything seemed to be highlighted in slight orange. As he walked past all the pines, firs and junipers, he could see some light in the distance. Shortly he was able to tell where it came from. He had found the outpost. No wonder it hadn't been located, except for Venzyriel. It didn't look quite big. A makeshift stable with 2 horses inside it, a guardtower made from wood, a storage building with a ballistae siege weapon parked in front of it, barracks with a stone base, and a larger building that also had a sturdy stone base. The roofs were made from hay, branches, wooden planks & moss. From the looks of it, the biggest building was most likely used for dining & planning for the next raid. The guardtower had a single guard with a bow in it. He was wearing a studded leather jacket, with a dagger on his belt and a quiver full of arrows on his back. Two other guards were idling near the barracks door, chatting. The other had chainmail and a sword on his belt, and the other one had a studded leather jacket and a small mace. The rest were most probably inside the barracks or in the big building. He couldn't just rush in, it would be a suicide. While he was planning his attack, it started raining. Heavily. And soon after, the sky roared as lightning stroke. And again. Gelorah was sure this was Venzyriel's doings, and it offered him the perfect condition to approach. He wasn't far off with his guess. Venzyriel was watching the situation from a safe distance, ready to intervene with the situation should Gelorah's life get into a dire danger. Visibility, except for Gelorah, was extremely poor now, and the thunder made loud shrieks in the otherwise silent night. Gelorah carefully approached the stables, hiding behind it to avoid being seen by the guard in the tower. There were 2 horses inside the stable, but the thunder (that they were obviously used to) didn't affect them. In fact, looked they they were sleeping. The guard in the tower shouted at the two other below: "Hey! Bring me something to warm me up!" The guard with the chainmail grunted. "I told you we should have built a roof to that tower, but did you listen? NO. You did not! Now shut your lousy trap and finish your shift!!" Gelorah sneaked at the base of the tower when the guards attention was focused on the other two below. He was shouting curses at them. " Shut your trap, you sonofawhore!" The two guards cursed back at him, while Gelorah was preparing a little surprise to the guard in the tower. He had created a spearlike form out of lightning, and he was hoping the other two guards wouldn't see the glow it made. Gelorah patiently waited for another lightning to strike. When that happened, he launched the spear upwards, piercing the wooden floor of the tower, hitting the guard directly from below. He didn't even have time to scream when the electricity pulsed trough his body, stopping his heart, and once he dropped down from the hole the spear had created, his corpse was left twitching on the ground with some smoke coming out of it. Gelorah heard the other two guards walking towards the tower. "What the fuck? Did lightning just hit him!? " , "I told him! A roof!! " , "Yeah, but lightning?! " Gelorah delivered his answer in a form of a small sphere of lightning that he threw on the guard with a chainmail. The guard could only shout "What the he-" when the sphere struck his chest, exploding with an great impact, sending him flying backwards and knocking the other guard off his feet. The chainmailed guard flew around 3 meters back, with electricity still pulsating trough his body, searing his flesh and internals, killing him nearly instantly. The last guard who was still alive struggled to get up, only to face a figure of a man wearing a chestplate over chainmail. Before he could shout, Gelorah grabbed his face, and electrocuted him. Aparently, he didn't use enough force as the guard screamed in agony for 5 seconds before he went silent and numb. Gelorah let go, and the guards lifeless body collapsed on the ground, smoking as his flesh was badly seared. Four other raiders rushed from the barracks, apparently they heard their comrades final scream. They could see a figure in the rain, standing in front of one of their comrades smoking body. "Get that bastard! GO!" Two of the raiders rushed
to face their enemy. Drawing their swords, the foe turned at them, his left hand was filled with something that looked like energy, or lightning. It formed a shield on his hand. "What the fuck?! Sorcery! " , "Petty tricks! That's all, kill him! We have him outnumbered! ". The other raider made his first move and tried to stab Gelorah, which Gelorah smoothly dodged to the left, and with a powerful slash, he cut the raiders hand off. It dropped to the ground with the sword clanging on the wet stones. Blood literally splattered to the wet ground as the raider screamed and fell on his back, holding the remains of his right hand, kicking the ground in pain. The other raider rasped as he tried to hit Gelorah in the back, but Gelorah made a quick turn and blocked his strike with his shield, electrocuting the raider badly enough for him to fall on his knees and dropping his sword. Gelorah did not hesitate when he made one clean swing, severing the raiders head from his shoulders, sending his head flying to the direction of Gelorah's swing, leaving a trail of blood behind. It made a rather unpleasant sound when it landed. Gelorah kicked the headless corpse on it's back, and turned his attention to the two other raiders, who were still standing farther away. The other raider took a spear that was leaning on the barracks wall, and rushed at Gelorah with it pointing straight at him. Gelorah was able to dodge the spear to the right, and he delivered a very nasty punch to the raiders face with his lightning shield, smacking the raider to the ground, holding his face that was now all burnt. The last guard standing was seriously starting to have second thoughts about this fight. Gelorah impaled the raider holding his face, and pulled his sword out in a swift move, cutting the raiders stomach open, spilling blood & guts forward to the ground. Gelorah slowly walked at the raider who was now moaning on the ground with his hand cut off. The blood loss had made him dizzy enough so he never saw the blade that impaled his head between the eyes with a loud 'crack' as it pierced the skull. Gelorah placed his foot on the corpse, and pulled the sword out, then turned his attention to the last raider aware of the situation. The raider backed down as Gelorah approached, and the raiders eyes were in turn fixed to Gelorah's shield, then on his sword dripping blood freshly drawn from the other raiders, and finally to Gelorah's eyes. They were yellowish orange, and his they were cold, emotionless. The raider realized he had already backed against the barracks walls, when he dropped his mace and whimpered. He was paralyzed, and couldn't force his legs to run. "D-don't kill me! I don't wanna die! " Gelorah walked right next to him, and grabbed his throat and lift him against the wall. Gelorah looked into the raiders eyes. Gelorah looked cold, emotionless. "I wonder if your victims told you that. Did they beg for their lives? "
The raider was gasping for air. "I never *cough* killed anyone *gasp* I swear! I swear! Please! " Gelorah looked a bit longer in his eyes, his expression stayed the same: Cold, without pity. He finally replied: "You expect me to believe that? If I would let you live, you would just return to your old ways, and keep on killing & pillaging... Wouldn't you? I know you would. " The raider was now kicking the air as he was slowly suffocating. He could barely let a few words out. "No... Don't... Kill... " Gelorah squeezed tighter, and replied to the raiders suffocating moans: "Speak louder... I can't quite hear you... ", until the raiders struggling & moaning stopped. Gelorah looked at his eyes for the whole time, and didn't blink once. Then, he finally dropped the corpse on the ground. He was panting. The feeling he got from killing that man, and looking at his eyes while doing so, was unexplainable. He didn't feel good about it, exactly, but it did give him some sort of odd euphoric rush mixed with adrenaline. He didn't like to admit, but he did kind of like it. Then his focus fixed on the barracks. He blasted the door open with a compressed lightning blast, sending shards of burning wood flying forward. It was a smart move, as one raider had decided to wait for himself inside, with his crossbow ready. One of the shards pierced the raiders left eye, and it left sticking grimly from it while blood poured on his face. Gelorah rushed in with his shield on front of him, saw the raider kicking on the ground, holding his eye, yet another raider on the right with a bow, ready to shoot. Gelorah was just able to shield himself when the raider released an arrow at him, and the arrow stuck on Gelorah's shield. The raider kept firing, forcing Gelorah to block his arrows. The arrows quickly burned into ashes, but the arrowheads stayed buried on his shield. Gelorah had had enough of being cornered, so he released a strong pulse from his shield towards his attacker, making the arrowheads, that were now glowing red with heat, fly back at the raider with great speed. Most of them missed, but one hit the raider on the throat, piercing it straight open, and giving a rather unpleasant scent of burnt meat as it burned some of his throat on it's way there.. Apparently the raider was trying to scream, but was unable to do so when he slowly collapsed to the ground, holding his throat that poured blood all over the floor. He was left on the ground, wiggling from side to side, soaked in his own blood. Gelorah walked to the raider that was kicking & screaming in pain, still holding his head and the shard of wood stuck on his left eye. How pitiful, Gelorah thought, as he looked at him. He had a mace on his belt. Gelorah grabbed it, and swung it in the air for a couple of times. It was rather heavy. Then his eyes fixed on the raider squirming at his feet. Gelorah inhaled, and with a rasp, he swung the mace down on the raiders head with all his strenght. There was a loud crackling sound mixed with a sound similar of a melon being crushed. The raiders head cracked, exploded a little, even, sending blood, fragments of skull and pieces of brain flying all around the point of impact, splattering all over the floor. It made a mess on Gelorah's boots as well. He didn't want to do that again. Gelorah's attention turned to the raider who's throat was opened. He didn't seem to be struggling anymore, his body just twitched a little, as in like having it's final efforts of trying to stay alive. The floor around the raider was soaking in blood that was still pouring from his throat a little. The color was dark red... but somehow, not as dark as Gelorah had expected. Gelorah looked around the barracks a little. It was more or less a single-roomer, with bunks & makeshift beds, a few wooden stools and tables here & there. Small chests were placed near the beds, most probably for the raiders to keep their personal belongings. The tables were filled with empty bottles, placards, pitchers & coins. The place was illuminated with a few big, lit candles, and there was a small brazier in the middle, next to a stove, that was keeping the place warm. It was glowing slightly, so it wood was probably added in it not too long ago. Gelorah noted a small cage in one of the corners. It was mostly covered in rags, but he could tell there was someone inside. Gelorah walked to the cage, avoiding the pool of blood, and lifted the rags away with his sword. There was a young woman inside. But she didn't move. And he couldn't sense her breathing, either. She looked dirty, she had no clothes, and she looked violated and abused. She was probably only twenty years old. Gelorah stood there for a while, and couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl, only to suddenly feel stinging pain on his back. He bawled loudly, lunged to his right and turned around. One of the raiders had caught him off-guard, and stabbed him on the back. The raider still had another dagger on his hand, and he rushed forward and jumped on Gelorah, knocking him on the ground. The raider was on top of him, and he was trying to stab him on the chest, but Gelorah was able to put grab the raiders hand with his left hand, electrocuting it so hard the raider dropped the dagger screaming. Gelorah forced his right leg under the raiders belly, and kicked him off with force. The raider flew a meter backwards, and landed on his back, crushing a stool as he landed. Gelorah picked his sword, stood up, and lunged forward to the raider who was trying to get up. The raider had just got on his feet when Gelorah drove his sword trough his stomach, pulled it out, and drove it trough again. And again. The first strike made the raider moan loudly, and he kept on moaning every time he got impaled. Gelorah kept impaling the raider for five more times. The raider was leaning on his shoulder completely lifeless, silent, blood dripping on Gelorah's shoulderguard and chestplate from the raiders mouth & guts. Gelorah pulled his sword out, and let the raider fall to the ground. Gelorah touched his back with his left hand, and realized there was a dagger sticking out of it. He grabbed it, and the movement caused him to feel some pain on his back. The dagger didn't seem to have gone too deep, thanks to his armor, so he pulled it out, and dropped it to the floor. His back was bleeding. But not much. The pain was not that bad. So far, Gelorah counted ten dead raiders, so there was about 10 more. He peaked outside. Amazingly, there was no one in there, and Gelorah could still hear the raiders inside the main building. Gelorah considered he was a little lucky. Gelorah started walking towards the building, lifting his legs a little more to walk over the dead corpses he had left behind. He proceeded to the door, and peaked inside just a little. No one noticed him doing so. And no wonder. The raiders were drinking & eating inside. He could count eight more raiders. Mostly equipped with sword, maces, studded leather jackets & chainmails. One of the raiders had decorated shoulderguards and a decorated sword as well. Gelorah was assuming he could be the ring leader. The building was, indeed, looking like a mess hall, with 2 large kegs placed on one of the walls, and two rows of tables and stools in the middle. One of the raiders stood up, clearly drunk, and mumbled "Imma go take a weewee, so you bastards better leave mah pint alone!" He was staggering towards the door, seen off with mocks about his poor condition. Gelorah prepared himself, as the drunk opened the door. Gelorah grabbed him out, threw him on the ground, and impaled the back of the drunken raiders head with his sword, that he had empowered with some electricity running trough it. The raiders head was seared in an instant. Gelorah pulled his sword out, it was covered in burnt blood. He walked back to the door, slowly, and continued to look inside. He kinda wished they would all come to him one by one. But then he noted the other keg in the corner was filled with (hopefully) strong wine. Strong enough to be flammable? Well, whatever the case was, it seemed to have dark red wine in it, as Gelorah noted when one of the raiders filled his glass from it. Cheap wine tends to be quite strong. Gelorah started focusing energy on his left palm. He kept compressing the sphere, until it was of pure white of color. It was getting extremely unstable. Gelorah was finally satisfied with the sphere, and kicked the door in, sending it flying off from it's hinges. The raiders had just enough time to turn their focus to the bloodied figure at the door, when Gelorah threw the sphere at the keg. It pierced the keg, and exploded inside with a blast that could deafen. The overly fermented wine reacted to the blast, was sent flying all around in a fiery, beautiful inferno. It literally set everything in it's way to fire, when the burning liquid stuck on the furniture, the walls, the roof (setting it on fire as well), the floor, and most of the raiders. Chaos had literally broken in less than five seconds. Raiders who were not running around or rolling on the ground on fire, screaming, were trying to get a hold of themselves and stand back up. Unfortunately for them, before they even had a chance to get to their feet, Gelorah had already moved in, slashing & impaling them. The leader had just gotten on his feet, being all dizzy from the explosion, and he had a fair split second of time to watch as a fuzzy figure appeared right on front of him & grabbed him from his head. The leader moaned in pain, and shouted: "Who... who the fuck are you?!".
Gelorah gave him a rather arrogant grin, and replied with a calm voice: "Gelorah, Disciple of Mistress Venzyriel." Then he started to electrocute the leader, slowly. Gelorah brought his head closer to the leaders, and spoke to him softly as he continued to electrocute him. "And now... disappear." That being said, Gelorah's expression swiftly changed from calm to enraged, and he let out everything he got from the palm of his hand. It not only electrocuted the leader of the raiders, but everything around him as well, as lightning struck out of him. He didn't even have a chance to moan, as his very body was slowly being disintegrated into fine ash from the brute, sheer force of the energy rushing trough his body. His armor glowed red from heat, and his corpse would have fallen to the ground long ago, but Gelorah was holding it up with the same hand he was still electrocuting it. The show of power lasted for several minutes, and then, at last, Gelorah let go. The remains, that were nothing more than black, burned, seared flesh on bones & glowing armor, most of which had already fallen to the ground thanks to the straps holding them being burned cut, fell to the ground, and the corpse, if you could call it that, was scattered all over the floor, smoking. Gelorah took a deep breath, and looked around him. One raider was still moaning on the floor, his guts being pierced by Gelorah earlier. As Gelorah proceeded to exit the building, he lifted his palm at the raider, and struck him with lightning. Gelorah got outside the burning mess hall. It was still raining, and he felt the cold air stroke his face. To his surprise, Venzyriel was on her bipedal form outside, right next to the guard tower Gelorah had obliterated earlier. The horses were out from the stable, with the makeshift doors that were holding them there swung ajar. Gelorah walked to her. He kneel down on one of his knees before Venzyriel, and realized how exhausted he really was. Panting, he said :"I did what you asked, Venzyriel. They are all dead. I spared no one."
"So it seems... I am sorry I had to asked you t-"
"Your word is my command, Mi'lady."
Venzyriel was a little surprised at this sudden demonstration of submission, so he stroke Gelorah's chin, and lifted it up.
"You have served me well, my beloved disciple. Shall we go home?"
"I would appreciate that, Mi'lady... I tire of this place."
Venzyriel stood back, and transformed back to her original form. The rain was beginning to ease. The thunder was also gone. Gelorah jumped on Venzyriel's back, and Venzyriel jumped off the ground, lifting herself directly up, above the trees, higher, above the clouds, and took direction to the fort once again.
Venzyriel broke from his memories, as Gelorah had just exploded yet another dummy with his lightning. She continued to look at Gelorah. She was thinking. Was Gelorah ready? She didn't want to rush it. But she had examined her discipline closely. And Gelorah was strong, willing, and obedient. She decided it was time to awaken him fully. "Gelorah! Quit your training today, and meet me at my chamber... it is urgent." Gelorah stopped slashing the dummy, took a deep breath, looked at the window Venzyriel was shouting from, and replied swiftly: "As you wish, Mi'lady. May I wash up first?"
- "No. "
Venzyriel disappeared from the window. Gelorah was a little confused, but put his sword back to his belt, swept sweat from his face, and walked back inside the fort, all the way to the inner sanctum, that Venzyriel kept as a private study (even fitting the size of a dragon). Venzyriel was waiting for him in her full dragon form. She looked a little... anxious. "What is it, Mi'lady? You look... troubled."
- "Disciple, I thank you for the concern. Why I asked you here... Is because I finally want to fully awaken your heritage."
Gelorah looked surprised, but his amazement was soon replaced with a smile. "Mi'lady, I have been waiting for this ever since you first gave me a portion of my heritage. I would be honored..."
"Then we may proceed. However.... What troubles me is not your eagerness."
"Then what is it? I am ready!"
"Mentally! Yes. You are ready & willing, mentally. But the changes you will have to endure physically are... overwhelming, painful, even. I am not sure how painful. I also do not know if your body can endure it."
Gelorah took a step forward, and squeezed his fist. "For you, I will endure it!"
Venzyriel looked upon him. She was uncertain. But it would happen today. Venzyriel pointed at a circle drawn on the floor with her snout. The circle was covered in blue, slightly glowing runes that Gelorah could not interpret. "Walk to the middle of the circlet, there, and I will begin... but before you do, take your clothes off. The changes you are about to experience would merely shred them to pieces.", Venzyriel said and grabbed a dagger from a nearby table. Gelorah walked slowly near the circlet, looked back at Venzyriel, who wasn't looking at him. So, he took his clothes off, then stepped inside the circle, and stopped at the middle of it. He did feel a little ashamed abut being naked, but anxiety of the situation replaced such feelings. Venzyriel looked at the dagger on her claw. It was shiny, polished & pointy. Then she turned back to Gelorah, and stretched her arm to him. "Take this dagger... and cut your palm with it." Gelorah's expression was rather surprised. "Cut... myself with it?"
- "I'm... afraid so, Gelorah. This awakening ritual needs blood of yours in it. Not much, but blood nevertheless. Cut yourself on the palm."
Gelorah took the dagger from Venzyriel's claw. For a second there, he thought Venzyriel's arm was shaking. Gelorah examined the dagger for a while, and suddenly, without a second of hesitation, cut his left palm in a quick movement, that even made some blood fly from the tip of the dagger to the floor. Venzyriel then stepped forward, and offered her left arm to Gelorah. "Now... cut me with it."
"What?!"
"You heard me, Gelorah! Cut me!"
"Why? I need your blood as well? Why? I don't wa-"
"Yes, we need my blood as well! This ritual might awaken your true self, but it also more or less binds us together a little. You need pure dragon blood for the awakening to fully work. And... I... I cannot..." Venzyriel looked ashamed, and scared. Gelorah grabbed her claw with his left arm that was dripping blood on the floor. "You cannot hurt yourself?" Venzyriel looked away.
"No. I can't. I just can't. I... hate pain. I am afraid of it. So I need you to do it."
Gelorah stroke her claw gently with his left hand. Her claw was shaking a little.
"I promise I will be gentle. I promise."
"Please... quickly."
Gelorah looked at the silvery scaled claw in front of him. He didn't want to cut her claw. But it had to be done. And he would need to use enough force to pierce her scales. Gelorah placed the tip of the dagger on Venzyriel's shaking claw, and slashed it with a powerful stroke. Venzyriel pulled her claw instantly away, and wailed a little. There was blood coming from her claw. Very little, as the cut was barely recognizable. Her blood was bright red. Venzyriel looked at her claw, then back at Gelorah, who had thrown the dagger away. Gelorah looked sorry and regretful. "I'm so sorry if I hurt you, Venzyriel. I didn't want you to suffer because of me." Venzyriel offered her claw to Gelorah. "What kind of dragon am I if I cannot endure a little pain, like you?" Gelorah looked into her bright, yellow eyes, and grabbed her claw with his left hand. "I will endure all the pain so you don't have to, Mi'lady." Venzyriel smiled, and sent a pulse of lightning from her claw trough Gelorah. It made the circle glow in a strong blue light. "Now... Gelorah. Prepare yourself. This will be... quite a hardship." Gelorah closed his eyes, and Venzyriel pulled her claw out. The blood on Gelorah's palm, both his, and Venzyriel's, was sucked in the cut. At that moment, he felt it. It felt like a strong tide of power that rushed through his palm to every part of his body. That's where the good feeling ended. He felt a sudden surge of pain rushing through his spine, to the edges of his toes, and he dropped to his knees that instant. It felt like his very spine was being pulled out, but he tried his best not to scream. He groaned loudly, as the pulses continued to ravage his body. He was squeezing his fists hard, and when he thought he had endured to worst of it, he realized it was just beginning. Suddenly, it felt like his face was being torn apart, his skull being crushed, reformed, then crushed again. At this point, he gave in to the pain and screamed loudly. Venzyriel was watching from a distance. She did not like watching this one bit. It made her feel very bad. Even though the glow of the transformation was blocking most of the view, it did not stop her from hearing the pain Gelorah was going through. Gelorah was staggering on his knees, then leaned back, screaming, and holding his head. Two horns forcefully pushed their way trough (or more precisely, from) his skull, and at the same moment, his face was extending in a rather painful fashion. Blood poured a little from the fresh cuts made to the outer layer of his flesh, and he dropped to his arms. He could briefly move his tongue around. It was long, and his mouth was full of sharp fangs. Then his spine pulsated with unspeakable pain. It felt like it was being torn away, and he screamed as loud as he could as a row of spiky spines violently burst from his back, sending blood flying. At this point, Venzyriel turned her head away. Her stomach turned just by hearing Gelorah scream. From what Gelorah could make out from all the pain, was that the spines kept on coming even though they were already created a row on his back. He had a tail! He couldn't believe it, but he had no time to be amazed by it. Another strong pulse ravaged yet again trough his body, and his groans & screams were replaced with loud roars, growls and hisses. Every muscle on his body seemed to ache from every single angle possible, and he dropped to his back, kicking the ground, bending his back to a curve. He could feel it. Under all the pain, he could feel it. He was growing. His hands were growing sharp talons as well as his legs, and his muscles & overall structure was enlarging. The pain finally stopped for a brief second or two, and he was left gasping on the cold floor. But then, the pain returned, and it focus on his upper back, stronger than before. Gelorah roared, rolled on the ground, clawing his back in pain. Something was trying to come out. He rolled on his stomach on the floor, kicking and clawing all around. Then he felt it. It felt like two spears had just been plunged through his back, only from inside out. The roar he gave from that echoed the halls, and his hands were clawing deep through the stone floor with his freshly grown, razor sharp talons. The pain seemed to last forever, as if something kept coming out. Then, finally, the pain stopped completely, and was replaced with a euphoric, stunning & overwhelming feeling. It felt so good. Gelorah was gasping for air, and Venzyriel finally looked back. The old Gelorah she knew was no more. Inside the smoking circle, covered in blood around it, was lying her newly formed disciple. Gelorah lifted himself to his right elbow, still breathing very irregularly. He looked at his left hand. It was larger than before. He had firm muscles, and him his skin was replaced with very fine scales, so small it was hard to tell a difference from real skin, except from the color, that was silver. He still had 5 fingers, but his fingernails were replaced with sharp, quite dark talons. His breathing sounded a little more like growling, so he lifted his arm to touch his head. He was surprised to realize he had a snout. He opened his mouth. He had sharp row of fangs on each side, with a pair of slightly longer fangs at the end of his head. On the top of his snout, there was a fine row of dark, hard scales all the way back to his forehead. He still seemed to have hair. It was felt silky. Gelorah grabbed onto something on his head. It was a horn. He now had two of those, pointing back and they had a small semi-horizontal curve in them. His ears had fins in them, and he had 3 pairs of smaller spines on his "cheeks" on both sides of his head. Gelorah lifted himself to his knees, and realized when he was staring on the ground, that he saw a tip of a tail in front of him. It had spines going trough it to the base of the leathery spade that remarkably, had a rather large amethyst in the middle in a gold socket. The spade itself had 3 spiky curves in it, and was of dark color with a few white markings on it. At the moment, the tail moved, and he realized he felt that. It was his own tail. He stretched to look on his back, revealing his strongly built, athletic body at it's max to Venzyriel, who was still watching in silence. Unable to speak, or being quiet intentionally? Gelorah saw a pair of wings on his back. Bat-like, with a claw at the end of their primary joint connecting his wings to his back. He swung the wings a couple of times, but it was a rather crude attempt. Gelorah's breathing had become regulate again, and it didn't seem to have that growling voice it had before. So, he lifted himself up, and stood up, examining his new body. His front wasn't covered in sliver scales like the rest, instead, it had a dark color, stretching from his throat, going towards his groin, and extending all the way to the end of his tail. His legs now only had 4 toes of sorts, with talons in the end, but they were significantly larger to support his new figure. He stretched his body. He felt better than ever before. Venzyriel felt slightly uncomfortable looking at her new discipline (admitting to herself that he looked very handsome), who was completely naked, and who still shared some human features on his body. Venzyriel finally opened her mouth to speak. "Are you alright, Gelorah?"
Gelorah snapped out from his dreamlike sensation, and looked back at Venzyriel. "Mi'lady..." He replied with a extremely soothing, deep masculine yet pure voice, that didn't show any signs of his earlier growling or roaring. "I feel... great." Funny to him, he didn't seem to be using his lips or tongue as much to form his speech, it seemed to come more from out of his throat. "This feeling, it is overwhelming. I feel much more... stronger, powerful, complete!"
Venzyriel was examining Gelorah, and noted his hair had changed to light blue, and that he still had a beard on the end of his lower jaw. But again, Venzyriel felt a little awkward looking at Gelorah who was still completely naked, and coughed. "My disciple... May I remind you that you are still completely naked?" Gelorah looked back at Venzyriel, his expression changed to a little more surprised, and he looked down. Yes, he was still naked! Somewhat spontaneously, he was able to cover most of his body with his wings. To his surprise, he realized he was blushing. And sweating. Guess he wasn't completely turned into a reptilian, in the end. "I...! I am... I am sorry! I was too excited!" Venzyriel chuckled, approached Gelorah, and gently stroke his lover jaw with her right claw. "Think nothing of it, Gelorah. Now, finally... You have been awakened. As a part of the ritual, your body took part of my blood within, so... we now share a little connection. I can sense you, and you can sense me. It's hard to describe. You probably won't even notice. But now... about your clothing..." Venzyriel grabbed Gelorah's clothes, and threw them to him. Gelorah realized that they didn't fit him anymore, including the chainmail, so he merely tore his pants and tied them around him to cover the most. He looked at his belt. It still had Mormick's sword sheathed on it. He unsheathed it, and swung it in the air a couple of times. It felt as light as a feather. In fact, too light. He couldn't really feel it anymore. Venzyriel had walked to the remaining double doors on her study, that were always locked by a huge, complex metal lock, and lifter her claw on the lock. The lock started making sounds of metal moving, and the doors were unlocked. Gelorah looked curiously at the doors, and sheathed Mormick's sword and placed it on the floor. He stood beside Venzyriel, and looked at her in a curious way. "Mi'lady... May I see what's inside?"
- "Yes. You may. In fact, there is something there I have been saving for this moment. Go right in. You cannot miss it."
Gelorah walked to the heavy doors, and grabbed the iron handles. He was amazed how easily he could swing the doors open, they must have weighed quite a lot. It was dark in the large hall he entered. But that was of no problem to him. What he saw got him completely dumbstruck. Piles after another, piles of gold, jewelry, artifacts, gems, all your storybook treasures filled the hall. Venzyriel entered the hall as well, and saw Gelorah's expression. "This is my collection... I am a collector soul, after all. For five centuries I have collected these all. I know exactly where I've gotten every single item. What it does, what was it's purpose. How valuable it is. They are very dear to me. " Gelorah looked around, some of the items seemed to have no value, cheap-looking statuettes, bookcases, old scrolls, dirty rags... "Not everything looks as valuable as they really, really are. And some of these items just have emotional value to me. The books, on the other hand, are rare. Some of them are one-of-a-kind. As for the books behind us, they are also quite valuable, but not nearly as precious as these here. But I need books. For I am also a collector of knowledge. But... enough of my explanations. What I want you to have... is on that rack there." Venzyriel pointed out to a small swords rack, that had an extraordinary looking sword neatly placed on it. Gelorah walked to the rack, and looked at the sword. It was beautifully crafted. It had a long hilt, with sockets of amethysts in the end. The handguard was curved like two large, wide fangs, and it was gilded. From the hilt, a gilded support went a little further down the blade, with a great amethyst placed in the middle. From there, the wide blade got separated into two blades, both being identically made. They had razor sharp cutting edges on the outside, leaving the middle safe to touch. The end of the blades were extending slightly outside, then smoothly getting thinner and thinner, leaving a perfectly sharpened tip to the end. The metal was quite dark, blue, even. The blades were roughly as long as that of a regular long sword."It's called 'The Queen's Tear'. I know it doesn't look like a tear but... there's a small story behind it." Gelorah looked back at Venzyriel. "Tell me. It is truly beautiful." Venzyriel took a long breath, and began.
- "While accurate knowledge of the blade's origins are more or less shrouded, for certain, I know it belonged to a queen of a certain country in the Southern Earthym. The country is now part of Earthym Order, like nearly any other country in all of Earthym. It happened long before the War Of Earthym, when the Queen was ruling the country. She was a warrior queen, and she had a remarkably well forged sword. A sword that imbued energy... lightning as well. From what I could gather from the records of that time, over one and a half century ago, she was a kind ruler. However, she gave so much power and freedom to the people, that the nobles learned to hate her. So, they ordered an assassination. While it might be exaggerated greatly over the years, it was told that fifty assassins attacked her her sleep. Somehow, she managed to get to her sword, and slay forty of the attackers, before being killed by a blade struck on her back when she was sleeping. So yes, the story claims she fought them with a dagger on her back, and that she took no other injuries during the whole time, but... People tell she finally fell on her knees from the blood loss, slowly dying. She shed a tear for she knew what would happen to her beloved people when the corrupted & selfish nobles got into power after her tear. She died, and her corpse was paraded trough the city by the nobles who had claimed the throne. Her body was left to rot in the middle of the streets. However, two weeks later, a single peasant had went to the palace, stolen the sword that was now being displayed in the throne room, grabbed the queens body, and given her a proper burial at a nearby woods, and kept the sword hidden for himself. What makes this story so sad is that at least most of it is true. That country, even though under the control of Earthym Order, continues to be a corrupt, foul place. I was able to study old books when I visited there, a trip I would not like to make again, and I was able to discover a very remarkable diary. It was the diary of a peasant, who had a knack for writing stories. But... One of the entries described clearly how he stole the sword, and buried the queen. And most importantly: Where he stashed the blade. He had written that hid the sword in a different place because he was afraid the nobles would search for the queens body and finally find the fresh grave. That, or he wanted to sell it later. I do not know. But... I found it after a while... it was in the sewers. I'd rather not discuss the details. It was in a rather good shape, as twilight steel tends to be nearly indestructible. And... here I have it. I was saving it for one hundred and fifty years, just waiting for my disciple. You." Gelorah had listened to Venzyriel carefully, then looked back to the sword. His sword. "May I?" Venzyriel nodded. Gelorah took a strong grip from the hilt, and lifted the sword. It didn't feel heavy. It felt pleasantly light. He swung it in the air a couple of times, and the amethyst in it started glowing. "I think it noticed your powers... After so many years, it's still as powerful as it was back at the hands of the queen." There was a neat bridge of lightning moving between the two blades. "How does my disciple like his new sword?" Gelorah looked at Venzyriel, and gave her a warm smile. "Your disciple, mistress, loves it. Where would you like me to use it?"