Post by Esiphas on Apr 10, 2010 17:06:10 GMT
this is a story i wrote up, its a fantasy story and let me know what you think. Ta.
Hunt for Serinian
CHAPTER 1
Cordiathax sat by the campfire, gazing into the flames. Normally, he would dream of the wood screaming in agony as it burned. But tonight, his century old body was too tired for such pleasures. His mind, sharp as ever knew that his body was slow and old. His old injury, “half tentacle” as he has come to know it, still burned with pain from the night that Celestial fire-eater had cut it off. Even his Viper was old; its reactions were too slow to really do anything. The only thing Cordiathax had to thank his age for was the knowledge of necromancy that it had brought with it.
Without realising, Cordiathax sighed. Almost instantly, every other occupant of the campfire gathering looked at him and he gazed back at them. First his eyes met Garroths only eye. The Terragoyle was still as rough and horrid as ever, but Cordiathax knew better than to speak. If he did, Garroth would be on him in seconds, and punching his life out.
Next, Salizia met Cordiathaxes gaze. She was stern and sharp-featured, with a cruel and malicious gleam in her snake-like eyes. Whilst this was unnerving, the longer he looked at her, the more pleasant she became. Cordiathax blinked. He knew that was actually her magic, deceiving him into thinking she was nicer than she was.
Lastly, Teari was sharpening his spears with each other, not looking at them, but at Cordiathax. He missed the blade, and squealed as his cold, lizard like blood spilled over the handle. Salizia mock frowned, then handed him a bandage. Due to her snake-like ancestries, she sympathised with all lizards, Nagaborne being no exception.
Cordiathax decided that he should tell them. Standing, he addressed the group. “Gentlemen, m’lady”, he said, deciding that formal address would be best to use, “tonight is our last night as a group. I am leaving you, tomorrow morning. I am afraid that age has finally caught up with me. So I ask that you spend tonight reflecting on fond memories, rather than mourning my decision.”
Cordiathax was about to retire to his tent, to rest for the night, when suddenly a Dracopent half-blood appeared from a hole in the ground. He had a lethal looking sword, and a backpack, but Cordiathax knew it was here only to deliver a message. Taking the scroll from him, Cordiathax read, “Deathraven guild. You are hereby appointed the task of hunting down the celestial Serinian. Signed- guild master Blackhorn.” Cordiathax handed the scroll to Salizia. “No, I will not be joining you for this mission.” He limped to his tent, and began to sleep.
CHAPTER 2
Cordiathax awoke to find his viper asleep on his chest. Pushing it aside, he dressed and walked outside. The others were already up, so he sat and had breakfast with them. Salizia spoke to him afterwards. “Please Cordiathax, stay with the group. We need you, you know.” Her soft voice and pleading words softened his stone cold heart, but then he snapped out of it. That was just her magic working again. “I’m sorry Salizia, but I cannot stay. My bones are old and my body is tired and weak.” With that he turned, gathered up his possessions and left.
Garroth padded over to Salizia’s side, and squatted like a dog there. “He really go bye bye huh?” Garroth turned his head questioningly sideways. Salizia frowned, patted Garroths head. “Yes, he’s gone.” Then she turned, walked off and began gathering her kit.
CHAPTER 3
Salizia wasn’t aware she was being followed. On her way to the celestial plane, she had picked up a trio of unwanted followers. Upon arrival, she had picked up seven more. Garroth, who was flying quite high, happily looked at his team, unsuspecting the group was being followed. Teari wasn’t bothered. He had seen them, he didn’t fear them and he didn’t bother mentioning it.
The Koldbold hunting group looked upon the group with interest. There were only three of them, and nine of the Koldbolds, as well as the Koldbolds’ secret weapon. The Koldbold leader decided that he would kill one of the group, just to prove how strong he was. He raised his crossbow, aimed at the tall slender one, and pulled the trigger.
Salizia heard the crossbow bolt seconds before it struck. Instead of piercing her heart as it should have, she ducked quickly enough for it to pierce her shoulder blade. Turning to face her attacker, another bolt hit her left breast and the sleeping poisons in the metal dulled her mind and put her to sleep.
The Koldbold leader cursed when the bolt failed to kill the slender adventurer. He hadn’t anticipated a female, so his carefully aimed shot hadn’t gone far enough in to actually kill her. The small lizard thing, evidently a Nagaborne, turned and drew his axe. Whilst the Koldbold leader met eyes with the small one, he didn’t even notice the large stone shape that plummeted out of the air; Garroth had seen the Koldbolds, and turned to stone above the leader.
Plummeting to ground, he killed the leader instantly, crushing his skull into the crystal sands. Garroth then drew his sword to face the other Koldbolds. Suddenly, the blue sands reflected a shape looming above Garroth, who turned just in time to see a large furry creature raise its club and smack Garroth in the side of the head.
Teari gulped as the other Koldbolds and the newly revealed Beareater turned to face him. His mind thought “bother”, his mouth swore in Draconian, and his body decided it would save the hunters the trouble of knocking him out and collapsed into the sands.
CHAPTER 4
Cordiathax had a new staff. It was a beautiful thing, the knarled wood appeared to have screaming faces on it, whilst the holding area was sculpted to fit his four fingered hand, and was coated in wolf fur. Cordiathax was wandering through the town, quite happy with his new staff, when the scroll arrived. It was dusty barkpaper, full of holes and written in Terran, the language of rock monsters. Evidently, seeing as no-one knew he could read Terran apart from one person, it was from Garroth. It read-
“Cordiathax. You have to help us. On our way to the celestial plane, to hunt down the celestial Serinian, a group of Koldbolds and a Beareater attacked us, and we have been captured and locked away in a bound cage. If you could rescue us, we would be very obliged. Especially me.”
Cordiathax sighed. They really did need him after all. They couldn’t even manage a group of Koldbolds. The Beareater would have been a problem, but Koldbolds? That was wrong. Koldbolds were too small to be a threat. Still, he might as well. The celestial Serinian they were hunting may well even be the one who had injured him so many years before.
CHAPTER 5
Sareij Touchstone was a Mage of many powers. His primary powers were those of teleportation, then natural gifts. But it was for his primary skill that Cordiathax approached Sareij today. Knocking on the door, Cordiathax waited, and couldn’t help noticing the tapestry hanging on Sareij castle. It depicted the downfall of the old king of the necromancers, when he fell into his own weapon’s terrible power.
When Sareij answered the door, he at first recoiled in horror. Cordiathax said, “Relax Sareij, it’s only me.” Sareij relaxed a bit at this, but still maintained his distance. Evidently, he hadn’t forgotten his debt to Cordiathax. “I need a favour Sareij,” said Cordiathax. “My old comrades have been captured by a warband, and I need one of your teleportation stones to reach them.” Cordiathax pulled a bag of gold pieces out of his robes. “This will be paid for.” Sareij reluctantly reached into his own robes and pulled out a small blue stone, which he placed in Cordiathax’s open palm. Thanking him, Cordiathax pocketed the stone, and then said, “Also, you owe your life to me. Will you face this band alongside me? Or are your abilities too useful to lose?” Sareij laughed, and said, “Of course I won’t fight with you! You think I will die just because you want me too?” His facial expression suddenly changed as he saw Cordiathax’s tentacles writhing. “Don’t you dare you squid-faced freak! Don’t you da-!” the remainder of sareij’s sentence was lost as Cordiathax’s tentacles gripped his head, and with the skill and practice of a century of doing so, Cordiathax pulled the man’s brain out of his head without the loss of a drop of blood, and devoured it right before the dying man’s eyes.
CHAPTER 6
The Koldbold leader was very pleased with herself. After the recent death of her predecessor, she had been elevated to warband chief, and now the other Koldbolds feared her, rather than bullied her. Not only that, but the humans she was preparing to meet were going to pay a hefty sum of gold for the people they had captured. And finally, the plane-shifter’s stone had been found in one of the captive’s pockets. Suddenly, the Beareater who had been positioned beside the door grunted, and the chief sat bolt upright. The humans were here.
Cordiathax stepped over the Beareater’s body. The thing had only had time to grunt before the scythe Cordiathax had prized for so many years lopped off its head. Stepping inside the cave, Cordiathax picked up the head and began to chant a morbid, monotonous spell. Once done, the head shed its flesh and the skull grew new limbs, and then coated itself with a grey spectral skin, becoming a Ghast in mere seconds. Then setting it loose inside the chamber, Cordiathax stepped inside and joined in the combat himself. Very quickly, the fight ended, with nine dead Koldbolds littering the floor. Crossing the small chamber, Cordiathax rusted the lock on the door, and burst it apart. “You can’t even fight a gang of Koldbolds without me can you?” said Cordiathax, addressing the group. Suddenly, Garroth leapt on him, and said, “You came, you came! Yay!” Cordiathax stood up again, and smiled. “Yes, I returned. I decided you might merit help.”
Suddenly, Salizia spoke from behind Cordiathax. “Look what I got boys.” She grinned her wicked grin, and held aloft the plane-shifter’s stone. Cordiathax stepped towards her, touched the stone and their surroundings suddenly changed into a world of fire and lava rocks, like the inside of a giant volcano. “Welcome, Cordiathax, Salizia, Garroth and Teari. Welcome to your graves.”
CHAPTER 7
Cordiathax looked towards the voice, which was apparently coming from nowhere. Suddenly, a pillar of fire erupted from the ground, and a small man made of fire weilding a glowing hammer formed out of the flames. Speaking telepathically, the creature spoke. “It looks like we meet again Cordiathax. Last time we met I cut off part of your face. Maybe this time I will finish you. I am Serinian, and your final foe.” And then Serinian charged.
Garroth was the first to respond to the sudden charge. He leapt over Serinian, and punched him in the back with his spiked gauntlet. This knocked the fire-eater into Salizia, who leapt over him, stood on his chest, and then stabbed him between the ribs. Smashing her foot with his hammer, Serinian stood up and pulled the dagger out of his torso. Suddenly, Teari jumped over Serinian, and lobbed his spears into the celestial’s eyes. Landing, Teari drew his club, and fought repeatedly - smashing his opponent before being knocked aside by a wild hammer swing.
Cordiathax was the last to attack, leaping in, and cutting Serinians chest with his scythe. Suddenly Cordiathax realised that this foe was beyond his power alone. The way he was fighting was unnatural, even without sight.
He would fight him alone, without the others.
So Cordiathax grabbed the celestial in a grapple, gripped the plane-shifter’s stone and teleported himself and his flaming foe into a world of water; landing in an ocean. As Cordiathax saw his foe dissolving in the waters, he let himself sink. He knew his final task was done. And he felt at peace at last.
Hunt for Serinian
CHAPTER 1
Cordiathax sat by the campfire, gazing into the flames. Normally, he would dream of the wood screaming in agony as it burned. But tonight, his century old body was too tired for such pleasures. His mind, sharp as ever knew that his body was slow and old. His old injury, “half tentacle” as he has come to know it, still burned with pain from the night that Celestial fire-eater had cut it off. Even his Viper was old; its reactions were too slow to really do anything. The only thing Cordiathax had to thank his age for was the knowledge of necromancy that it had brought with it.
Without realising, Cordiathax sighed. Almost instantly, every other occupant of the campfire gathering looked at him and he gazed back at them. First his eyes met Garroths only eye. The Terragoyle was still as rough and horrid as ever, but Cordiathax knew better than to speak. If he did, Garroth would be on him in seconds, and punching his life out.
Next, Salizia met Cordiathaxes gaze. She was stern and sharp-featured, with a cruel and malicious gleam in her snake-like eyes. Whilst this was unnerving, the longer he looked at her, the more pleasant she became. Cordiathax blinked. He knew that was actually her magic, deceiving him into thinking she was nicer than she was.
Lastly, Teari was sharpening his spears with each other, not looking at them, but at Cordiathax. He missed the blade, and squealed as his cold, lizard like blood spilled over the handle. Salizia mock frowned, then handed him a bandage. Due to her snake-like ancestries, she sympathised with all lizards, Nagaborne being no exception.
Cordiathax decided that he should tell them. Standing, he addressed the group. “Gentlemen, m’lady”, he said, deciding that formal address would be best to use, “tonight is our last night as a group. I am leaving you, tomorrow morning. I am afraid that age has finally caught up with me. So I ask that you spend tonight reflecting on fond memories, rather than mourning my decision.”
Cordiathax was about to retire to his tent, to rest for the night, when suddenly a Dracopent half-blood appeared from a hole in the ground. He had a lethal looking sword, and a backpack, but Cordiathax knew it was here only to deliver a message. Taking the scroll from him, Cordiathax read, “Deathraven guild. You are hereby appointed the task of hunting down the celestial Serinian. Signed- guild master Blackhorn.” Cordiathax handed the scroll to Salizia. “No, I will not be joining you for this mission.” He limped to his tent, and began to sleep.
CHAPTER 2
Cordiathax awoke to find his viper asleep on his chest. Pushing it aside, he dressed and walked outside. The others were already up, so he sat and had breakfast with them. Salizia spoke to him afterwards. “Please Cordiathax, stay with the group. We need you, you know.” Her soft voice and pleading words softened his stone cold heart, but then he snapped out of it. That was just her magic working again. “I’m sorry Salizia, but I cannot stay. My bones are old and my body is tired and weak.” With that he turned, gathered up his possessions and left.
Garroth padded over to Salizia’s side, and squatted like a dog there. “He really go bye bye huh?” Garroth turned his head questioningly sideways. Salizia frowned, patted Garroths head. “Yes, he’s gone.” Then she turned, walked off and began gathering her kit.
CHAPTER 3
Salizia wasn’t aware she was being followed. On her way to the celestial plane, she had picked up a trio of unwanted followers. Upon arrival, she had picked up seven more. Garroth, who was flying quite high, happily looked at his team, unsuspecting the group was being followed. Teari wasn’t bothered. He had seen them, he didn’t fear them and he didn’t bother mentioning it.
The Koldbold hunting group looked upon the group with interest. There were only three of them, and nine of the Koldbolds, as well as the Koldbolds’ secret weapon. The Koldbold leader decided that he would kill one of the group, just to prove how strong he was. He raised his crossbow, aimed at the tall slender one, and pulled the trigger.
Salizia heard the crossbow bolt seconds before it struck. Instead of piercing her heart as it should have, she ducked quickly enough for it to pierce her shoulder blade. Turning to face her attacker, another bolt hit her left breast and the sleeping poisons in the metal dulled her mind and put her to sleep.
The Koldbold leader cursed when the bolt failed to kill the slender adventurer. He hadn’t anticipated a female, so his carefully aimed shot hadn’t gone far enough in to actually kill her. The small lizard thing, evidently a Nagaborne, turned and drew his axe. Whilst the Koldbold leader met eyes with the small one, he didn’t even notice the large stone shape that plummeted out of the air; Garroth had seen the Koldbolds, and turned to stone above the leader.
Plummeting to ground, he killed the leader instantly, crushing his skull into the crystal sands. Garroth then drew his sword to face the other Koldbolds. Suddenly, the blue sands reflected a shape looming above Garroth, who turned just in time to see a large furry creature raise its club and smack Garroth in the side of the head.
Teari gulped as the other Koldbolds and the newly revealed Beareater turned to face him. His mind thought “bother”, his mouth swore in Draconian, and his body decided it would save the hunters the trouble of knocking him out and collapsed into the sands.
CHAPTER 4
Cordiathax had a new staff. It was a beautiful thing, the knarled wood appeared to have screaming faces on it, whilst the holding area was sculpted to fit his four fingered hand, and was coated in wolf fur. Cordiathax was wandering through the town, quite happy with his new staff, when the scroll arrived. It was dusty barkpaper, full of holes and written in Terran, the language of rock monsters. Evidently, seeing as no-one knew he could read Terran apart from one person, it was from Garroth. It read-
“Cordiathax. You have to help us. On our way to the celestial plane, to hunt down the celestial Serinian, a group of Koldbolds and a Beareater attacked us, and we have been captured and locked away in a bound cage. If you could rescue us, we would be very obliged. Especially me.”
Cordiathax sighed. They really did need him after all. They couldn’t even manage a group of Koldbolds. The Beareater would have been a problem, but Koldbolds? That was wrong. Koldbolds were too small to be a threat. Still, he might as well. The celestial Serinian they were hunting may well even be the one who had injured him so many years before.
CHAPTER 5
Sareij Touchstone was a Mage of many powers. His primary powers were those of teleportation, then natural gifts. But it was for his primary skill that Cordiathax approached Sareij today. Knocking on the door, Cordiathax waited, and couldn’t help noticing the tapestry hanging on Sareij castle. It depicted the downfall of the old king of the necromancers, when he fell into his own weapon’s terrible power.
When Sareij answered the door, he at first recoiled in horror. Cordiathax said, “Relax Sareij, it’s only me.” Sareij relaxed a bit at this, but still maintained his distance. Evidently, he hadn’t forgotten his debt to Cordiathax. “I need a favour Sareij,” said Cordiathax. “My old comrades have been captured by a warband, and I need one of your teleportation stones to reach them.” Cordiathax pulled a bag of gold pieces out of his robes. “This will be paid for.” Sareij reluctantly reached into his own robes and pulled out a small blue stone, which he placed in Cordiathax’s open palm. Thanking him, Cordiathax pocketed the stone, and then said, “Also, you owe your life to me. Will you face this band alongside me? Or are your abilities too useful to lose?” Sareij laughed, and said, “Of course I won’t fight with you! You think I will die just because you want me too?” His facial expression suddenly changed as he saw Cordiathax’s tentacles writhing. “Don’t you dare you squid-faced freak! Don’t you da-!” the remainder of sareij’s sentence was lost as Cordiathax’s tentacles gripped his head, and with the skill and practice of a century of doing so, Cordiathax pulled the man’s brain out of his head without the loss of a drop of blood, and devoured it right before the dying man’s eyes.
CHAPTER 6
The Koldbold leader was very pleased with herself. After the recent death of her predecessor, she had been elevated to warband chief, and now the other Koldbolds feared her, rather than bullied her. Not only that, but the humans she was preparing to meet were going to pay a hefty sum of gold for the people they had captured. And finally, the plane-shifter’s stone had been found in one of the captive’s pockets. Suddenly, the Beareater who had been positioned beside the door grunted, and the chief sat bolt upright. The humans were here.
Cordiathax stepped over the Beareater’s body. The thing had only had time to grunt before the scythe Cordiathax had prized for so many years lopped off its head. Stepping inside the cave, Cordiathax picked up the head and began to chant a morbid, monotonous spell. Once done, the head shed its flesh and the skull grew new limbs, and then coated itself with a grey spectral skin, becoming a Ghast in mere seconds. Then setting it loose inside the chamber, Cordiathax stepped inside and joined in the combat himself. Very quickly, the fight ended, with nine dead Koldbolds littering the floor. Crossing the small chamber, Cordiathax rusted the lock on the door, and burst it apart. “You can’t even fight a gang of Koldbolds without me can you?” said Cordiathax, addressing the group. Suddenly, Garroth leapt on him, and said, “You came, you came! Yay!” Cordiathax stood up again, and smiled. “Yes, I returned. I decided you might merit help.”
Suddenly, Salizia spoke from behind Cordiathax. “Look what I got boys.” She grinned her wicked grin, and held aloft the plane-shifter’s stone. Cordiathax stepped towards her, touched the stone and their surroundings suddenly changed into a world of fire and lava rocks, like the inside of a giant volcano. “Welcome, Cordiathax, Salizia, Garroth and Teari. Welcome to your graves.”
CHAPTER 7
Cordiathax looked towards the voice, which was apparently coming from nowhere. Suddenly, a pillar of fire erupted from the ground, and a small man made of fire weilding a glowing hammer formed out of the flames. Speaking telepathically, the creature spoke. “It looks like we meet again Cordiathax. Last time we met I cut off part of your face. Maybe this time I will finish you. I am Serinian, and your final foe.” And then Serinian charged.
Garroth was the first to respond to the sudden charge. He leapt over Serinian, and punched him in the back with his spiked gauntlet. This knocked the fire-eater into Salizia, who leapt over him, stood on his chest, and then stabbed him between the ribs. Smashing her foot with his hammer, Serinian stood up and pulled the dagger out of his torso. Suddenly, Teari jumped over Serinian, and lobbed his spears into the celestial’s eyes. Landing, Teari drew his club, and fought repeatedly - smashing his opponent before being knocked aside by a wild hammer swing.
Cordiathax was the last to attack, leaping in, and cutting Serinians chest with his scythe. Suddenly Cordiathax realised that this foe was beyond his power alone. The way he was fighting was unnatural, even without sight.
He would fight him alone, without the others.
So Cordiathax grabbed the celestial in a grapple, gripped the plane-shifter’s stone and teleported himself and his flaming foe into a world of water; landing in an ocean. As Cordiathax saw his foe dissolving in the waters, he let himself sink. He knew his final task was done. And he felt at peace at last.