(DF) Shadowed Past (Full Version)

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Shadow Ravena -> (DF) Shadowed Past (4/7/2011 16:34:04)

Note: This is set roughly three hundred years before DragonFable starts. Some artistic license has been taken with the canon.

Comments and criticism can go here: Library of Shadow's Mind Discussion


Introduction

I stand on the highest platform of Oaklore and gaze out at the surrounding woods and skyline. I gaze the skyline, tinged with red from the coming dawn. A sky bathed with blood, and which heralds the shedding of blood.

My blood.

I suppose the mortals will be happy. I gave a harsh laugh. Once I would have counted myself with them. But then again, I was a mortal as well, I could die just as easily as any. But I understood people's assumption that I was something not human, but something to be feared as a monster. They were right to fear, for I certainly didn't resemble anything from the land of the living.

From ebony skin to midnight hair with indigo tinge, and the yellow eyes of a cat, I looked anything but human. That wasn't even accounting for a few other differences... but they were more earthly in origin. The one thing that set me apart from all I knew, that made even other oddities of this world take a step back unconsciously. The one thing that no one could understand.

The one thing that ruined my life forever.

A blessing or a curse, I could not tell which. Maybe both, maybe neither. Maybe I deserved it, maybe I was just (un)lucky. Maybe I deserved what happened. Maybe I really did need to pay with my life's blood for that terrible day. Maybe nothing I ever did or could do would ever remove that stain on my soul.

But I would never stop trying.

I was given a task to, in the eyes of the law, redeem myself. A task that was impossible, idiotic. But at least it was something to strive towards. It was something to live for. It was a reason to keep going, when life gave me every reason to stop. It was what kept me from being what everyone saw me as.

A Monster.

A monster, a demon, a freak that should have never come to exist. Maybe they are right, maybe I should never have existed, that things would be better that way. But I did exist, as as long as I did, I would try and make up for the unforgivable sin. Not that I ever could, but maybe my soul would be just a bit lighter for it. Maybe I could go out bring light, not darkness, to this world. Darkness seemed to follow me though, darkness and destruction to all in my path. It was why I chose the name I did, to signify the darkness within.

Shadow.

For from the Shadows I came, and to them I would ultimately return. Shadows cover me, and every action I ever do. But more than that... I lived a Shadow of a life. But what is to be expected, giving what I had done? Everything I had done up to this point couldn't forgive that.

I thought back to that day, my eyes clouded over with memories. That day, and all the days past it, all that I had done, all that had happened to me. A life marked with sorrow, pain, a life that dreamt of a redemption that would never come. A life marked with shadows.

A Shadowed Past.



Shadow Ravena -> RE: (DF) Shadowed Past (4/7/2011 23:10:09)

Chapter One: A Horrendous Beginning

I never was accepted in my hometown of Avolea, I was just a stray who blew in on the wind. I never knew my parents, and neither did anyone else for that matter. As such, I was an orphan in a poverty stricken town with no extra comfort for strays. Especially not for one such as myself. With midnight hair, amber eyes and skin a whitish grey, I neither looked nor acted very human. It helped not in the slightest that I was a witch- and stronger and heartier than a average human. Honestly, I think them wrong on the last statement. I had to steal food and survive in Doomwood with no weapon, which made me strong in a way pure natural ability never could have. Regardless, I was feared and hated around the poor village by everyone, and constantly chased away with rural weapons and harsh words. Everyone hated me, except a very special little girl.

At first I did not know this angel's name, but after awhile I overheard it. Lily, Princess Lily to be precise, was my closest and only friend. Every summer she came out to her father's estate to escape the capital, to get clear air. Lily was very fair, with snowy skin and silvery blonde hair, and a petite figure. Because she was so frail, her being in the capital during the sweltering summer was deemed unhealthy, so out here she came. I met her when trying to get some food from the estate- they were rich, surely they could spare some? When Lily met me and took pity on me. Over time, we grew to be great friends, playing together when she could escape her nurses in the fringe of Doomwood forest. She would help me when she could, but even when she couldn't, just being around someone so sweet and innocent was comfort enough. I was a few years older than Lily, so I swore to protect her from all harm here in my neck of the woods, and did so for years. Until one day...

I was fourteen that fateful day, and Lily and I were playing a game in the woods. Suddenly, I heard a screech that pierced the air, cutting through me to the bone. "Oh God, Lily!" Racing through the woods, I found her limp body, and saw an emerald snake slip away. She was far beyond what my little healing magic could perform, so I picked her up, and raced back to the village. She was light, and adrenaline fueled me. As I raced through the narrow streets, a crowd started to follow behind me. I reached the estate entrance on the far right side of the village, and ran into some servants and Lily's nursemaid. She turned pale when she saw the body, and trembling, scooped it up and took it inside. Shaking at the realization that my only friend was dead, by my actions, I turned away from the door and saw the crowd that had followed me.

They were angry, with more vicious and primal looks then I have seen on any animal. They had some rural weapons, but the man in the front had a sword- probably an antique. He stepped forward menacingly.
"Demon girl, what did you do to our fair Lily?"
"Killed her, what else?" a voice in the crowd cried.
"She's a witch, she probably used her as some sort of sacrifice!" said another. This angered me- first of, I hated being called a witch, second, I would never use black magic like that!
"I didn't! She died of a snakebite!"
"Sure lassie, but where did the snake come from?" An older member queried.
"She probably summoned it! For a demon like her, it would be easy."

They went on and on with this, each word cutting to the bone and piercing my soul. The swordsman also approached nearer and nearer, and finally was a few feet away. With the crowd's approval, he raised his sword over his head, his intent clear and demeanor one of a man killing a monster. As the sword started to swing down, I instinctively raised my hand up and a bolt of dark energy shot of from it, hitting the man and sending him flying ten feet back. He did not move, and his posture seemed impossible for a man to make. I fell to my knees, partially out of what I had done, and partially because I could feel some power building inside me, a force I could not control. The crowd, breaking out of it's trance, menacingly moved forward. I screamed at them to go away before it was too late, but they did not heed my warning. As the head of the group was in a position to strike my head off, a change came over me.

The power within seemed to spill out of me, tainting and staining my very being. My skin turned ebony, my hair took a tinge of indigo, my eyes yellowed and reformed to be like a cat's. It seemed that every part of me was engulfed with this dark power, and that didn't even drain its might. As the knife of the villager came towards my head, the energy exploded out of me, widening and growing stronger every second, sweeping over the whole village for miles around. The black wave obliterated all before it, leaving no trace that anything once existed there. The force was terrible to behold, and the exertion of causing it knocked me out.



I woke up in a dungeon, with a faint recollection of being found by some soldiers and brought here. It was a cold, dank place, with no light and little air. From the sounds around me, and what I could see of one soldier's armor, I was in the dungeon of SwordHaven Castle. I did not have time to think of more before the soldier I spotted saw me awake.
"Good, you finally woke up. The King wants to see you."

He and another soldier escorted me through the castle, making sure I did not try to run. I was no fool, they would kill me if I did. From their expressions of barely concealed hate, I could tell they wanted any excuse to kill me. We walked along dark and gloomy halls before reaching a slighter better lighted and built hallways. These led to some rooms that oddly were pretty empty, except a few servants that busied about silently. We finally reached a large hall, and at its end was a grand door that I assumed led to the throne room. There, my fate lay, for better or probable worse.

The guards took me through the massive door and it closed ominously behind us. The hall was very dark, lined with pillar with suits of armor and banners in between them. At the end of the room, cloaked in shadows, sat the King, Eledin the Fair. He was properly named, for everything from his skin to his hair was fair in color, and he himself was tall and lean. There were rumors that he wasn't fully human, for he was much too beautiful and much too old for a mere man. And even besides that, he was known for being fair in all ruling, if not particularly kind.

As I walked towards him, I felt like I was being watched. Not just by the man of the throne, but by a far more menacing force. About ten feet in front of the dais, the guards forced me to kneel, and watched me to make sure I didn't try anything.

"This is the prisoner you requested sire, the only one they found at the edge of the destroyed village."
"Very good. Now to find out what happened there. Prisoner, do you know anything about the destroyed village?"
"Yes sire."
"And what do you know?"
"It was my fault sire."
"As I suspected. And what of Princess Lily's death beforehand?"
"How do you know about that sire?" I said, genuinely shocked.
"A villager that alerted my men said they saw you carrying the dead body through the village. Now, what do you know of her death?"
"She died of a snakebite in the forest."
"And why should I believe you? You have every reason to cover up the truth."
"You shouldn't, for as you said I have every reason to lie. But," I said, turning my face towards him for the first time, "I am telling the truth."
He studied me for a few, then consulted someone hid in the shadows behind the throne. His face showed an agony that almost surprised me, until I remembered that Lily was his cherished daughter. That would make this decision even harder, but Eledin was a just king, and would do what was fair, not what he wished. At last, after a few nerve-wracking minutes, he turned towards me.
"I believe you. Your face shows honesty, not deceit. But you must still be punished for your crime. Do you have anything to say in defense of yourself?"
"No sire." There was no point in saying it was an accident, that was unbelievable.
He thought for a few minutes that seemed to stretch on for hours, before saying, "You should be killed for your crimes, but since you are still young, you can spend the rest of your natural life in the dungeon instead. Guards, take her away." The guards then forced me to stand and escorted me back to the dungeon. On the way back, I couldn't help thinking that I had gotten better than I deserved. The time in the dungeon would be agonizing, but as long as I lived I had hope that one day I could redeem myself in the eyes of the law.

Even if I would never be redeemed in the eyes of those who were lost.



Shadow Ravena -> RE: (DF) Shadowed Past (12/26/2011 23:14:13)

Chapter Two: A Battle to Remember

The guards led me back to the dungeon, to a different cell this time. It was much nicer- it was dry, with a straw bed and wooden stool with a bucket on it, and a barred window at the top of the cell that was level with the ground. I assumed I got better lodging simply because I was staying here for a long, long, LONG time. I went over to the stool and sat down, with the cell door closing behind me with an ominous clang.

I spent most of my time there laying on the bed, looking out the window and listening to the people scurrying about outside, as well as the other prisoner's talk. We were allowed to speak to each other as long as we weren't planning anything or insulting the King and his guards. I stayed silent mostly, but one of the other prisoner's overheard a guard tell my story, and soon they all knew. Not surprisingly, they all either hated me or respected me- I'm not sure which one was worse. Those that hated me did so because they though I had killed the beloved princess- not so much because of the town, which I found somewhat odd. Those that respected me- well, they were other that should have been executed for their crimes. When not listening to the prisoner's babble, I practiced my magic and fighting skills as best as possible in closed quarters and under guard. The guards mainly ignored it- without a weapon, no one was getting out of the cells, they were too well built. Even fire magic didn't bother them- I suspected the doors were fire-proofed. The only thing they were worried about was my dark energy, which they told me to not use.

The dark energy I had figured was some sort of energy, as it was loose as energy and gave the same glow, and had the same magical feel. But it could also become solid, although great concentration was needed on my part, which was unusual for normal energy magic. It actually reminded me of mana, but instead of magic based it was energy based. I figured it was my life-energy, which was why it had changed me and why I grew weaker when using it in a way magic never caused. I did wonder why it was a dark purple-black color- you would assume life-energy would be a lighter color- but then again, it may reflect the user, and I was dark inside and out. Or maybe it had to do with my origins... whatever the case, it was not something I would figure out in here. While pondering during the nighttime, I practiced with this strange power. After awhile, I discovered that it could form sharp weapons, though these weakened me greatly and only lasted for a few minutes- which could change as I grew stronger, I suppose. In any case, if I could cut the bars to my window, I would be out of there.

I did not want to leave in such a fashion, but I desired my freedom, which I could never earn cooped up here. I waited and trained until a day would come that I would be able to escape. But as the Lords would have it, that was unnecessary.

One day a few weeks after I entered SwordHaven, I heard a commotion outside the castle. Standing on the straw so as to see out the window, I could see people running about as though something was wrong. Indeed it was, for a necromancer was invading SwordHaven with an army five thousand strong. Normally this was no problem- except that nearly every knight was out on some other mission. True, some Paladins were meeting here, but they didn't make up for the forces gone. This was very good timing- a little too good. I had a few hours to think this over as the soldiers got ready for the invasion.



The sun was setting, and it rays stained the sky a ominous red. It looked as though the blood of a thousand celestial soldiers was poured out on the cloud cover, striking fear in all that saw it, lest it be a warning of what was to come. I sat in my cell gazing at the sky, and praying that the losses today would not be severe. As dusk fell, and stars started to light the area, the dull throbbing of thousands of feet filled the air. It wasn't too long long after when the first clings and clashing of sword on shield and sword on bone filled the night air. Wishing desperately that I could help the outnumbered men, I simply sat waiting for a winner to be decided. Or I would of, if not for a key rattling in the keyhole.

The door swung open of hinges rusted with age, and in the light of a torch, I saw just who was visiting me.
"Princess Rowan!"
"Shush, and answer me this. Do you wish to help defeat this invading force?" True to her name, Rowan was tall and stocky, with tanned skin and brown eyes. She was always a no-nonsense, authoritative girl, right now more than ever.
Mystified at the odd question, I replied, "Very much so. Lore is my home, and I hate to see it be overrun, especially by such as that kind!"'
She nodded. "I assumed as much. Come with me." She started walking off, taking a different passage then the one I came in on, and once we were clear of any person she started jogging along the hall. Keeping pace, I asked, "Why would you ask me for help? Especially after what happened..."
"You were Lily's friend right?" she asked softly, not looking at me.
"Right, but how did you know?"
"She told me about you and all the fun she had playing in Doomwood. She said you were a fighter, and sometimes fantasized at being the hero of Lore," she clipped back at me.
I blushed at this- that was a pet fancy of mine that was as ridiculous as it sounded. "Its only a wish," I muttered.
"One you may get to see out. The men out there are doing fine against the undead, but the necromancer needs to be taken out before they are overwhelmed. No one seems to be doing this, and they would ignore a girl like me. So, since you're a fighter, I thought you could track down this necromancer."
A desperate hope- or was it a childish one? Rowan couldn't be much older than I was, maybe that's why she thought I stood a chance. In any case, I had to give it a shot. "I'll do my best, Princess."
"Good."
We ran in silence for a bit, then finally came to a narrow hallway that seemed to lead to a storeroom. It did, and from it Rowan pulled out a staff and handed it to me.
"Here, you'll need a weapon. Being a mage, I assume this will suit?"
"Very much so, thank you." It didn't look very impressive, just simple dark wood with a slight polish. But I could feel the magical energy in it, so it would suit me well. Besides, I was used to not using a staff at all!
"Good then. Here is a way out of the castle, " she said, while opening a door I didn't even see! The door stood inside the castle wall. It was pretty cleverly concealed, I assumed with magic as well. "You won't be able to come back through here, so once you leave there is no turning back. Are you ready?"
Ready to be killed? Nevertheless, there was no turning back now, we had come too far. "Ready," I said, as I stepped out of the castle and the door slammed behind me. Turning around, I could see a well-built castle wall, but no door. Either a very good mason did this, or it was magic. I opted for the latter. Turning towards the fighting, I could see they were still managing to keep the undead out of the city, but from the looks of it not for long. Grasping my staff firmly in hand, I raced into the fighting.



First thing I noticed was that, weak as I was from a life of malnutrition and lack of exercise these last few weeks, I would not stand much of a chance against the knights that might target me. The undead were weak, and I knew their weaknesses from constantly having to kill them to survive in Doomwood. I decided to be tactical, using my magic to kill any undead while I searched for the necromancer, and staying out of the main fighting. Spotting a house with a ladder next to it, I climbed onto the roof and traveled that way to the town wall. It was there that the fighting was centered, for the undead had made it past the gates, but not much farther into the city. From my vantage point on top of a building's roof, I sniped various undead while scanning the area.

The necromancer would want to be able to see what was happening, and a position that was pretty defensible. The town wall seemed a good spot to view the action, but most of it was easy to see and not the best for defense, since you could be hemmed in on both sides. Looking across it, I noticed one area that was dark with shadows cast by a guardhouse. If a fight went badly, the necromancer could escape either down the wall or through the guardhouse itself, and since it was dark in that area it was unlikely that people would see him. That had to be where he was- or would at least give me a better vantage point to fight and spot the necromancer. In any case, I needed to get up there. Easier said then done, since the wall was tall, with no ladders or any building close to it's height I could use to get up. Pondering for a few minutes, I had an idea. If my dark energy could become solid, maybe it could be used as a levitation disk! It was risky, but worth a try. I formed a disk wide enough for me to stand on, and then levitated it up a bit. So far so good, I stepped on the disk, and after a few second of retaining my balance, flew off.

Fortunately no one spotted me against the dark sky, and after a minute I was over the roof. Since the disk was holding fine I decided to stay on it in case I needed a quick get away. As I approached the guardhouse, I could see a dark silhouette in the shadows of the wall. From the way he held his arms out and stillness, I assumed he was the necromancer. Controlling a force the size of his needed quite a bit of concentration, explaining his posture. "Well, I'll just have to break that concentration," I said as I cast a fireball at him. Amusingly, it took him a few seconds to see he was on fire, and when he did he gave a yelp and tried to bat it out. Casting an iceball right after, and then a blind spell, seemed to catch his attention as he turned towards me with a snarl. The fight had truly begun.

The necromancer first cast a darkness spell at me, which I sorta dodged. What did hit me did no damage, which made me smirk. He wasn't very strong. I cast a multi-light spell, which he countered with a dark shield. Then he summoned a few undead- how do they manage to do that anywhere?- which I quickly attacked with another fire spell, lighting it on fire. Figuring it was a bone fire, I cast an iceball at it, knocking it too pieces. The necromancer, now realizing that I wasn't a pushover, summoned multiple undead at once and actually made an effort for them to be strong, instead of concentrating on the knights below. These undead didn't go down easy, taking several spells each and a few knocks with my staff. I really need a blade on this thing.... I thought as I ducked another blow from a skeleton. They kept trying to knock me off my fly-disk, apparently noticing that I veered off whenever one tried to hit me. One tried to get behind me, but sensing its dark presence, I simply flew up and let two skeleton's crash into each other.

Unfortunately I didn't notice the third undead leaping towards me, successfully hitting me and breaking my concentration enough for the disk to vanish. On the ground now, I dodged the various blows from the undead and fired as many spells towards the necromancer as I could. Soon I developed a pattern- hit the necromancer with a energy spell that seemed to stun him for a few seconds, then kill the undead while they were weakened, then keep hitting the necromancer till he used a shield and summoned more undead. I wondered why he didn't use normal magic which I couldn't defend against as well as blows, but figured all his spells were darkness based. He did use a few stun spells, but they took longer to hit then usual spells and I dodged most of them.

After what seemed like hours, the fight seemed to start turning in the necromancers favor, as I was running low on mana and didn't have a blade or the energy to form one. The fight below seemed to be going much better, as reinforcements seemed to have arrived and the knights and Paladins were making quick work of the abandoned undead. Rowan's plan was working- even if I lost, the knights had a great enough lead that they would win now. Spotting some Paladins making their way to what I assumed was a way up here, it seemed I only need survive a few more minutes before I had some help. Unfortunately, the necromancer took full advantage of my momentary lack of attention, and I got several cutting hits from the undead, practically shredding the back of my raggedy black shirt. In pain and bleeding, I turned on the necromancer with fire in my eyes. He seemed a bit intimidated for a moment, then commended the undead to attack. Again by instinct, I raised my hand and hit them back with a dark energy blast, reducing them to a bone heap. Full-on smirking now at how effective that attack was, I slowly advanced on the necromancer, firing blast after blast that seemed to do quite a bit of damage. When I was five feet from him, he suddenly summoned what I assumed was an undead gryphon, and rode of on it towards the forest outside of SwordHaven. Firing one last blast as a farewell and a warning, I lurched over from my wounds and how much health I lost doing that. Leaning against the gatehouse wall for support, I surveyed the fight below. Without the necromancer to command them, many undead either froze or fell into a heap. Enough continued fighting to draw out the invasion for a few more minutes, but it was mostly over. I noticed a few knights use some pure show off moves- it seemed everyone noticed this was mostly done and surely won. Hearing some footsteps on the wall, I turned to face the Paladins. The head of the group told me to follow him, and then he turned and started walking back the way he came. Knowing it was useless to resist in my state, I did so.

When I was walking through the crowd of fighters at the bottom of the wall, I heard some congratulation's for chasing of the necromancer. It seemed I was noticed by those on the ground- for better or worse. Someone handed me a health potion, noticing my staggering, which I drank greedily and set the potion bottle on the ground, hoping no one would step on it. A sharp crack and a yelp later proved that wrong. Not having time to dwell on that, the Paladins and I made it to the front of the crowd, where none other than the King was! So for the second time in this city, I stood before the King, awaiting his judgement.

May the Light have Mercy.



Shadow Ravena -> RE: (DF) Shadowed Past (12/27/2011 0:56:01)

Chapter Three: A Second Chance, but at What Cost?

I stood before the King, waiting for him to speak. He seemed to be waiting as well, and suddenly there was a small pop of a teleportation spell. A man whose stare I recognized from earlier in the throne room slid up to the King's left side. Worma.

Worma, or Snaketongue as he was known, for his speak was as evil and poisonous as a snake's venom. Everyone hated him, but he was the King's most trusted adviser, so there was little that could be done. He started at me, making me worry just what interest I was to him. But the dark presence I sensed around him worried me all the more- this was the first time I had ever seen him, and even though his hood hid his, face I had a good idea what his expression was- one of a man that meant no good towards any fellow man. How he became an adviser was beyond me- only rumors circled, and they were ridicules. At least, I hoped they were. While Worma and I had a staring match, the head Paladin explained what he had seen of the fight and how the necromancer retreated. "He will not be coming back." I lost the starting contest as I looked at the King when he started to speak.

"It seems I have either a very good actress in front of me, or a nefarious lier. Why would someone who killed an entire town and a royal Princess suddenly help save the capital?"
"Sire, whatever I may have done before does not change the fact that I am a Lorien, and would die before I saw my country fall to the likes of that necromancer."
"Ironic, given the fact that you use black magic yourself." This was said by Worma, in a sharp and oily voice that made his nickname all the more appropriate.
"It isn't black magic! I'm not sure what it is, but I would never-" But I was cut off by the King.
"Enough! It does not matter what she used to stop this menace, it matters WHY she did. Girl- wait, what is your name?"
I was not surprised he didn't know it- I didn't HAVE a name. I had been called various forms of demon and monster by the townsfolk, but that wouldn't do. Lily's cherished nickname for my was "little tiger," but I did not wish to use that. Thinking, I decided to come up with my own name. "Shadow, sire."
"Shadow then," the King said, not caring at the unusualness of the name, "Why did you attack the necromancer?"
"As I said before sire, I will not stand to see my country fall to the like's of that. When I heard he was attacking, I could not sit idly by without trying to help."
"Hmm." The King seemed ponder what I said for a few minutes, while I once again fiddled uncomfortably. Finally, Worma broke the silence.
"Girl, would you like a chance to earn your freedom?"
"Yes, if the King allows it," I said, while glancing at the King.
"Look at me while I am speaking to you!" Worma barked. I snapped my gaze back to him, and waited for him to continue speaking. "Girl, do you think you could defeat more necromancer's, or was today's victory a fluke?"
Personally, I thought it was a fluke, but I wouldn't say that. "I could do this again."
"Good then. Then I purpose that this prisoner earn her freedom by defeating a hundred necromancer's and other users of darkness, and bring me their broken weapons."
Broken weapons? Why? "I will."
"I wasn't finished!" Worma said, he high tone betraying his annoyance. "That will merely be bail. To truly be free in the eyes of the law, you must also bring the broken sword of the Dark Lord himself."
A collective gasp went up, and no surprise why. No one had even battled him and one, and he kept his sword by him at all times. "I will bring you the Doom Knight's sword if it means earning my freedom. But what does the King say of this?"
The King had a vacant gaze this whole time, and he replied now in a monotone, "Yes, that will do. Fulfill what Worma has said and you shall be free."
"Then by the Light I vow I will accomplish this. If I may leave, I must go after the necromancer who attacked here."
He motioned that I was dismissed, and bowing I left the group of people, and headed to the nearest inn. As I walked off I thought, "This mission is impossible, but I vow I will fight till I die to honor my promise. I may be a thief, and a murderer, but I will not break my word, no matter what."



Not knowing where the inn was, I headed to a knight who could point me in the right direction. The knight had fancier armor then most, so I assumed he would know the city- at least more than a rank-and-file. I walked up next to him and greeted him with a hello.
He jumped slightly, then turned to face me. "Hello... Shadow. What do you want?" he asked, though without hostility.
"I was wondering where the inn was- I need some potions and a knapsack." All the inns carried these for free for Adventure's, in return for the protection they provided. They also housed hero's, but I didn't have time for a nap.
"Hmm, it would be hard to find in this dark. I will lead you there." He said, turning and walking farther into the town.
"Thank you." I was surprised at his helpfulness- most knights detested me. I glanced at him. He seemed, despite his rank, quite naive and kind. Most soldiers lost that after a week. He was interesting- shorter than most knights, but built well. His skin was tanned, probably from hours of guard work, which also bleached his hair from brown to something resembling yellow. If not for his hair, he would be one color- brown. Brown skin, hair, eyes... sheesh. And short. Its a wonder the knights didn't mistake him for an ape.

We started walking, and to fill the silence, the knight said, "That was brave what you did there, agreeing to that challenge. Do you intent to keep it?" he asked, breaking me from my thoughts.
I shook my head and answered. "Yes. I never break a vow- and I need to redeem myself of the blood on my hands."
He chuckled. "Good then. You seem better than what the rumor's say- but then, rumor's are often false."
"That they are, but I suppose I deserve it," I said, not meeting his gaze.
"Mmm. Well, here we are." He said, motioned towards the inn.
"Thank you- why, I don't know your name."
"Its Captain Issac of the Moonridge Knights. If your in the area, stop by, my knights may be able to help you with your quest."
"Thank you kindly, I will keep that in mind. I will probably follow you up on the offer- I need to defeat these necromancers, but I will not kill them, and I can't exactly go to many villages to turn them over the authorities."
"Well, I'll do what I can. But the stronger necromancer you would be better off turning over to the Paladin Order, as they has the skills necessary to deal with powerful darkness users."
"You mean if they don't kill me," I said sharply. "I think I'd be prime prey for them- I am a darkness user, after all," I point out. Issac looked off to the side, deep in thought.
"I have a friend in the Order," he said slowly. "Name's Joemi. He is mostly a trainer, but he is a captain... tell you what. I'll let him know you may need him to be a liaison, and you can turn the necromancers over to him, okay?"
I smiled and answered, "Okay, thank you! Do you know where I could find him?"
"He was here earlier, but I think he left to get back to his post at Amityville. Do you know where that is?"
"Amityville, yes. Anyways, thank you for the help," I said gratefully, waving goodbye.
"I was just doing my duty. Well, see you later," he said, then walked off towards the group of knights. I headed into the inn.

After some hassle, I got two health and mana potions and a knapsack, and headed out to where the necromancer went. He looked like he was heading for the woods, so I headed for the tree line. Once I had the general place where he entered, I looked for evidence of someone entering recently. I ignored the paths- too obvious- and scanned for broken tree limbs, overturned leaves and the like that would indicate someone running by recently (he couldn't have flown over the trees and they were to thick to fly through). Having to hunt for food too often gave me moderate tracking skills, and the darkness didn't hinder me much. Eventually, I found some crushed plants far enough away from any trails that indicated the necromancer had passed here. Carefully following the trail, I noticed that it seemed the necromancer started running as soon as he was far enough into the trees, and I ran as well, hoping to catch up to him. After about a half-hour, I heard a teleportation spell being cast a few feet to my right- it seemed the necromancer heard me running- and quickly cast a tag-along spell.

When my vision cleared, we were in Doomwood forest. The necromancer, seeing me, started running again, with me chasing him. Because of some monsters that showed up, the necromancer was seemingly herded away from where he was headed, and wasn't paying attention to where he was going. Well, that, and we were having a bit of a battle, each trying to hit each other with stun spells. I thought I heard a small cry of someone being hit by one, but didn't have time to think of it as both of us cleared the trees and entered what I assumed was the Necropolis. In the clear, I stopped running for a moment and fired a carefully aimed stun spell. This time it hit him, and while he stood stunned I jogged over and knocked him with my staff on the head, knocking him out. I tied him up with some rope I found of the field earlier and had been using to hold my staff on my back like a sword, when someone entered the clearing. I jumped up, ready to attack, when I noticed the man was a Paladin. He seemed odd for a Paladin- tall, with dark blue eyes and dark brown hair. Most Paladins were fair, the Light they used influencing their appearance. He seemed almost too dark to use the Light.

"Who are you?" I asked, suspicious.
"My name's Joemi. Now who, are what, are you?" he asked, equally suspicious. I didn't answer immediately, but suddenly, his face lit up. "Oh, you're Shadow, aren't you?"
I was surprised he knew my name, but then remembered what Issac said about Joemi being at the fight earlier. "Yes, that's me."
"Then you'll probably want this," he said, handing me the necromancer's staff.
"Yes, thank you," I said as I broke it over my knee. The necromancer gave a moan and fell into a deeper state of unconsciousness, which I found somewhat curious. It seemed the staff held a bit of the necromancers power- probably from, constant use. I put the pieces in my knapsack, then asked Joemi, "So you heard what Worma said?"

"That I did. It is an insane challenge- though the dark user part should be easy."
"If I was a coward and picked on those weak enough to be beaten by anyone, yes. No, I will go after those that need a beating," I said fiecely. It would be meaningless if I just stopped the average mook!
Joemi grinned. "I like to hear that. If I can help you with that, just let me know," he said, much to my surprise. He was much more helpful than I expected... then again, I guess that's why he and Issac were friends.

"Well, I do need someone to hand off powerful necromancers too," I said, quickly summarizing what Issac said.
Joemi nodded, then said, "Yes, that would be an issue. You can bring them to me, and I can contact the Paladin Order to deal with them. They often provide justice for dark users anyways," he explained.
"Thank you, that will be a great help."

"My pleasure. Just one question- where did you get my rope from?" he said, indicating towards rope binding the necromancer up.
"From the battlefield, someone had dropped it. I didn't know it was yours," I said, while handing it back towards him.
"Hmm. The problem is this is enchanted rope, using an old Paladin technique to make it longer and stronger against darkness users."
I was intrigued. "Can you show me how to do that? I promise I won't tell anyone."

He pondered this for a moment, then said, "In your quest it would be a useful technique, so I shall. Come," he said, leading me over to where he kept some items. The next hour or so Joemi showed me the enchantment, and we traded tips on battling undead. He seemed surprised that I knew much about it, but when I explained that I grew up in these woods he nodded. The rope finally worked as I wish, but had one oddity. Instead of being all white, there was a thick black strip running down it. I asked him what caused that, and he replied, "If the user has darkness apart of them, it will stain the rope dark."
"But I never use darkness magic."
"Then it may be because of your lineage. Anyways, it shouldn't affect the spell very much," he said, though almost distractedly. He was looking a bit above me, as though lost in thought.

"Good." I wondered how he would know that, then remembered Joemi's rope also had a thin black part- why was that? I studied him while trying to figure out why, then dropped my gaze lest he think I was staring. Maybe sensing my uneasiness, Joemi volunteered, "Your a quick learner, and seem to have a bit of a knack with light magic."
"Well, I had a great teacher," I said smiling.
"Too bad I can't train you to be a Paladin, but I suppose you don't want too."
"Actually, that would be very useful, since I will be fighting undead for who-knows-how-long. If you are willing to teach me, I am willing to learn," I said.
He smiled broadly. "Great!" I chuckled slightly at his face, so enthusiastic, so kind. He was an oddity. "We will begin in the morning. But for now, you must be exhausted."

My adrenaline fading, exhaustion crashed over me like an ocean wave. Ignoring how odd this ENTIRE situation was, I decided to just stay and see how things went. I nodded, and Joemi led me over to where I could sleep- a soft pile of moss- and I fell onto it, wishing him goodnight, and thanking him again. Before drifting off, I heard the sounds of Joemi moving the necromancer out from the middle of the clearing, before going to sleep himself. My fading thoughts were on all that transpired today- from being a prisoner, given a second chance, and now had someone to finally teach me to fight. Things were looking up.

I just hope I would not ruin it like so many times before.



Shadow Ravena -> RE: (DF) Shadowed Past (12/28/2011 0:45:18)

Chapter Four: A New name, a New face, a New Hope

*Swish, thud, clang!* The sounds of battle filled the air, as well as electricity of two people warring to see who would be the victor. The two seemed to be unevenly matched, but the better of the two was holding back his blows. Finally, after one last thud and a groan from the weaker, the challenge was over.

The better of the two offered out his hand to help the other up. "Nice attempt Shadow, but you need to stop lunging and therefore leaving yourself wide open."
"Easy for you to say, Joemi, I have to avoid hitting myself with the back end of this staff."
"Then why not choose a different weapon? Many of the Paladin's moves require a sword."
"Because that's how I trained myself when I was younger and two months isn't going to undo that," I replied heatedly.
"We'll see," he said, half-smiling.
"Humph," I grunted, turning away.

I walked across the Necropolis clearing to get a potion from my bag. Though Joemi used a dulled blade for our sparring match's, the sword strikes still hurt. I had many a bruise, though reportedly not as many as expected. It seemed fending for oneself with no more than a tree branch in Doomwood was good practice for actual fighting. At the very least, I wasn't as weak as normal wannabe adventurers.

Walking back to Joemi, I asked, "So what next? Getting knocked down again isn't going to stop me lunging."
"I think a general review of moves is in order, we can correct the lunging one move at a time."

I nodded, and we got started. There were many different different moves that a Paladin learned, and many more that were just improvised. The one's I used the most were: Zeal (a move that was light spell-uppercut-downstrike), Combo (light spell-spinstrike-uppercut-downstrike), Phoenix (summon a bird of light from the Light Plane to hit for you- or shield you, or blind your opponent- and then hit with an uppercut-jump back), Swords (summon many different swords of light to strike opponents- my favorite, as a mage I could force the swords to seek their targets and use it more effective than the case was with others), and Spear (transform your weapon into a spear and toss it- Joemi' favorite move). Other moves I invented and used were: Portal (a spell that opened a portal to the Light Plane and concentrated the light into an attack), Sun (a spell that summoned a ball of light to hit and blind enemies), and of course I used all the usual mage spells. Besides these moves I learned their components: Spinstrike, Uppercut, Downslash, Empower (infuse weapon with light energy), Heal spells (either light-healing or vampire style) and Resistance spells (darkness and magic resistance); many of which I used either by themselves or in combination with other moves. Besides these were just mage moves: Light, fireball, iceball, energy bolt, wind strike, power up, multi-hit, and death spell (death was really just a powerful spell), and of course my dark energy attacks. I was more mage-y than most Paladins, but at the heart I was a mage first and Paladin second, which is why I used a staff to fight. Not that Joemi agreed with this idea....

"See? Again you overreach your attack. Why not switch to a sword? Your staff can't cut anything," he said, exasperated.
"Yes it can, or my old one could," I said.
"Huh?" he asked, genuinely confused. I explained.
"You see, when I trained as a child I used a tree branch I carved into a staff. But since that wouldn't any real damage, over time I added bits of metal to the staff to form a blade on the side of it, a sword blade with one side embedded on the wood, running from the center to the top-left half of the staff. That is how I fight, and it is the best melee/magic combo I can think of."
"What about using a normal scythe?" he asked, still a bit confused.
"They are too top-heavy and awkward to handle. A sword staff works like a regular sword with a long hilt, that can also channel magic. It may not be entirely practical, but its better than any alternative I can think, and is something I am used to using."

"Hmm... if you are set on that, I won't force you to change your mind. BUT you need to add a blade to your staff now and learn the specific's of the weapon, or you will need to re-learn the moves in a different style," he said, finally conceding defeat on the staff argument.
"I am aware of that, that is why I have been pretending they are there already. But how can I add blade to this? I don't have any metal," I pointed out.
"Or experience enough in weapon craft. I think we would need to see for that- and we need to go to him anyway for your Paladin armor," he said.
Yes, I wasn't wearing any armor, just my usual black shirt and slacks. "I thought you made that armor yourself and just lugged it around with you."
Joemi gave a me a are-you-serious look and replied, "No, I commission Yvar to make the armor, usually before the trainee is done training, and then present it to them once they graduate. You are close enough to finishing that this would be an excellent way to knock out two birds with one stone." I guess that made sense- lugging the gear from his post in Amityville to the training ground here would be a pain. He already grumbled about the long walk, though only half-seriously.
"Okay then," I replied, "But where is Yvar?" I asked, curious. I had never heard of him before.
"Where else? Falconreach, the hero capital of Lore," he replied glibly.
I grinned broadly at the thought of going to such a famous place, then frowned. Seeing my expression, Joemi queried, "What is the matter?"
"The hero capital part. There are quite a few people who would like to see me dead, and quite a few hero's who would kill me just to get the gold for it."

Yes, despite the King letting me roam free while I cleared my debt- the citizens did not agree with this one bit, thus I could not enter any town or village without being chased out, a problem I had encountered numerous times when I was helping Joemi with his work. The only place I could go was Hunter's Paradise, as that was a den of robbers as well as adventurers, and no one cared about the rumors floating around about me. Indeed, the only initiation I required was to tell different stories about how I lived and hunted in Doomwood even as a small child- they seemed to like my story of defeating a Gorrilipant at age six (it was wounded, but still!)- so I became an honorary adventurer there as well. But Falconreach? No way, too big, too dangerous.

"Couldn't you use a disguise?" Joemi asked, though he looked worried too.
"And cover up black skin and cat eyes? I doubt so. Here in Doomwood where it is dark that works, but sunny Falconreach will reveal me," I replied gloomily.
"What about that cloaking spell you were working on? Could that work?"

"I guess I can try again...." I walked of to where my stuff was, and pulled out a worn spell book from my bag. I had purchased it from a rural village where it was too dark to see who I was with some money I earned during different jobs at Hunter's Paradise. In it were several spells I mostly knew, and a few that were new and useful. My favorite's were the flying spell, teleportation one (my teleportation was barely passable), an item strengthening spell, and a cloaking I had been working on. That spell wouldn't cast right, and ended up making me green or invisible and just in general messing up. I decided that instead of trying to get a 'normal' look I would just shoot for how I used to appear- granted, amber eyes, white skin and jet-black hair weren't normal, but passable at least. Concentrating hard, I started to chant the incantation. A veil of light surrounded me, and when it faded I looked down at myself. My shirt was now purple with trailing sleeves, and my pants were much more tailored than I could afford. But the best part was that my skin was back to being white, and... I looked up and asked Joemi, "Are my eyes normal looking now?"
"They are amber and human, if that's what you mean, yes. That should be suitable for Falconreach."

I nodded. "So when do we leave?"
"Right now if you wish, I had nothing else planned."
"Then lets go!" I said, jumping up and stuffing my stuff into my knapsack and positioning my staff back on my back, before swinging my knapsack over it. I used some rope to make a holder for the staff, much like a sword holder, so that I didn't have to carry it or put it in my bag. The staff was long- it came up a few inches under my shoulder- but it was something I was accustomed to doing. After setting things in order, Joemi and I set off towards Falconreach, the home of the heroes.



We don't walk the entire way, rather just to a place where we can teleport into the city's main square. Once there I am blinded by the harsh sunlight- I honestly haven't ever seen light this strong in my life outside of SwordHaven, and the dungeon dimmed the capitals bright light. It takes a few painful minutes for my used-to-near-complete-darkness eyes to adjust, though I follow Joemi as he walked to a shop with a sword sign. I assumed this was Yvar's place of work. Inside the shop it is dimmer, lit by sunlight from the window and covered in a light smoke haze from the forge. A tall, wiry man with long brown hair and green eyes greeted Joemi.
"Ah Joemi, how has the undead slaying been going?" he asked, his high voice ringing in the small shop.
"As well as usual Yvar. How does the weapon making business going?" Joemi replied, smiling and half-hugging Yvar.
"Slow, but steady. Now, what is the purpose of your visit, and who is your friend there?" Yvar asked, turning more serious.
I was going to speak, but let Joemi instead since he knew this man and did not. "That is Tigerlady, my newest trainee to be a Paladin."

Tigerlady was the name we decided would be my cover name- it was inspired off of Lily calling me 'little tiger.' I couldn't very well be called Shadow, and this at least I could remember.

"Ah, so you need Paladin armor for the girl. Well, you didn't have to drag her along for me to complete it," he said, glancing over at me.
This angered me- Yvar obviously thought I was a kid. Well, I had better fix that. "I came here because I had a weapon I needed making that required my actual presence to explain," I clipped at him.
Yvar looked a little surprised, but quickly changed gears when he reasoned I was an actual adventure, not just a tender newb. "Well Tigerlady, what is it you want made?"

I pulled out my staff and explained my idea's for a sword staff. Yvar took the staff and inspected it, then slowly nodded. "Yes, it would be possible to make. The wood won't lend itself to being altered much though, which will make this process more difficult."
"That may be due to the strengthening spells I put on it. I'll undue that then," I said, then quickly whispered the undo spell. The staff glowed for a second, then settled back to its original dark hue.
"Interesting. This is fine quality wood, very magical, and very preserving of spells placed on it. Where did you happen to find it?" he asked, slightly suspicious.
"A friend gave it to me when I started out as an adventurer," I replied. True enough, Rowan had given it to me to adventure with.
He looked at me as though he didn't believe me, then switched gears and asked. "Do you have a particular design or metal in mind for this?"
"Design yes, metal not quite. Would it be alright if I look at what sample you have?"
"I'll have Kory show you the storeroom then. Meanwhile Joemi," he said, turning to him, "we can discuss the particular's of why you are here." I ignored the last part... though it seemed Yvar was a little suspicious, which made me suspicious. Nevertheless, I ignored it when Kory showed up.

He arrived from the back and led me to where they kept the metal's they worked with. I was amazed at the amount, but I had an idea of what I wanted. I finally picked a dark metal that felt like it had magical properties, and while softer than some, it would lend itself well to being enchanted. While I was searching, Kory and I chatted about training, forging, adventuring and the like. He told me about Falconreach, the people there, the different shops, and who to go to if you needed advice or a battle companion. It passed the time quiet well, and when we exited the storeroom with a shard of the metal, Joemi and Yvar were just about done talking.
"Ah, there you are. So you found a metal, now let me see." Kory handed him the metal, which Yvar examined. "Hmm, this is better suited for scythe's then swords... but then again, this is something of a scythe I suppose. Fine. Now, what is the design you had in mind?" I pulled out a drawing I had of it which Yvar studied.

It was a staff, with the left side from the middle up to the top a three-inch metal blade protruded, with either end of the blade slanting down to bite into the wood, creating a sharp point on the exposed top. The very middle of the staff was a leather handgrip wide enough for both hands to grasp. Yvar looked at it, grunted, and then said, "It is an odd, design, but doable. However, it will cost quite a but of gold.
"No problem- I have quite a bit saved up that I won't spend on anything else anyways."
"Well then, I will begin if there isn't anything else you two need," Yvar said, turning to walk into the back.
"No Yvar, that is all. Happy smelting!" Joemi called after him. He and I walked out of the store, waving goodbye to Kory before he too went into the back. Joemi told me it would take a week or so for the armor and weapon to be completed, so we may as well head back to Doomwood. However, it was getting dark, and had been a very long day, so for the night we would stay at Serenity's Inn. Serenity showed me the room where I would stay, while Joemi stopped to get some cider downstairs. I simply sat on the bed eating some dried meat I had in my pack.

*sigh* "I wish I could join in with the other's downstairs, but they will ask who I am and where I came from, and what can I say? As long as I'm just an adventurer who came in from who-knows-where, my cover is safe. But if its blown, I will lose any chance I have of a normal life, if only for a few minutes at a time."
I was not just being depressed, I really was hated universally. Too many rumor's to count floated around about me being a wicked monster, and too few believed I was good- in fact, just Joemi, Issac, and the regular's of Hunter's Paradise, if even them. Feeling restless, and not liking where my thought were going, I headed outside to explore Falconreach.

The moon had risen, and it bathed Falconreach in an ethereal glow. I wandered through the town, listening to different snip-bits of conversation as I went along. They were mostly different tales of adventure, or idle chatter about life in town, but as I passed a house with an open window I heard something that caught my attention.
"And if you don't go to sleep like a good boy, the mean child-snatcher will come and take you to be a part of her magic rituals."
I heard the sound of a child shivering, then in a quaking voice asked, "Wha, what does this creature look like?"
"Its a tall seven foot creature all black, with yellow cat eyes that pierce your soul. And no hand, just two blobs of wicked magical energy..." She went on, but I got who she meant. Of course, children never believed these stories, that's why they weren't harmed by the telling of them, and it did make them behave when they were immature. It was hard to believe that I was that infamous that I was something to scare kids with at night. With a low heart, I walked onward, finally exiting the town itself and entering the cliff above Falconreach bay.

The Guardian Tower reached high into the sky, almost seeming to touch the moon. By impulse, I flew up to the top of the left wing on my energy disk and sat on the tower, staring out into the bay. The soft sound of the waves hitting the rocks below and the wind blowing high up in the sky were very calming, as was the beautiful moon and stars. People may say what they like, but I always preferred the night and the dark, with its moon and stars given everything a silvery glow. It was a time where even the most fanciful dreams seemed real, and anything was possible. The soft shadows and pale light making reality seem soft and friendly, unlike the harsh glare of the morning sun. I sighed, and felt my spirits rise a little. Maybe someday I could earn the respect of others, maybe someday I could be accepted, not rejected as a monster. Maybe someday I could even have a friend. "Not that anyone could replace you Lily," I whispered. I thought I heard a small elfin laugh on the wind, and I smiled. Even when I had no one else, I still had my old friend, if not in body then in mind. Many a night when all seemed lost I would remember her and given new heart. She wouldn't want to see me so down, she would want me to have hope that things would turn out all right, like they always did. It may be childish, but maybe we all need a little child in us to keep us going when logic said all was lost. "I won't give up Lily, I promise. Even when things are bleak, I will never give up hope. Just never give up on me."

Though I could not hear her, I am sure she agreed. As long as I had something to live for, nothing to bring me down.



Shadow Ravena -> RE: (DF) Shadowed Past (1/4/2012 15:58:07)

Chapter Five: On My Own

It took Yulgar two weeks to complete the armor and staff, which surprised me. I know the staff was odd, but it was an off season for weapon making and Yulgar didn't have many other customers. When I asked Artix about this, he merely smiled and said Yulgar had his reasons for taking so long. I suspected that Artix knew more than he was saying, but I didn't question him further. While we waited, I went around Falconreach and the other town to gather anything else I may need for my quest. I bought another spell book, as well as a long silver cloak to replace my ratty black one. It fell all the way to my ankles, and if I stood still completely hid my form- perfect for sneaking around without being recognized. I also bought a sword belt for my staff, which I converted to fit it and to be wore on my back instead, over or under my cloak. The remaining time was used either doing odd jobs to earn money or training my spells, as I couldn't practice with any melee without a weapon. Finally a few weeks later, Artix walked over to me as I practiced my cloaking spell.

"Come on you, work!" I said, firing the spell and accidently hitting Artix. "Sorry Artix! I didn't see you there."
"No worries, just please change me back." I could see why he would say so- the spell turned his armor black and himself pale as a vampire. I used another disguise spell over the old one, and it was close enough to hold over until both spells wore off.
"What brings you within firing range?"
"You mean across the clearing?" he said grinning. "I was thinking we should head back to Falconreach, Yulgar should be done with your armor and staff by now."
"Great! Just let me gather my things." I did so, and we started the hike through Doomwood, stopping by Amityville on the way to make sure there were no problems Artix was needed for. After that, straight north to Falconreach.

We reached it this time when it was still dark out, the sun not yet rising, but still close to dawn. Artix said he was going to Serenity's for some punch, and I headed off to the bay. The moon had set, but the stars still glittered in the sky and reflected in the waters of the bay. As usual, a faint breeze had kicked up, bringing a slightly salty smell with with. I sat on the edge of the cliff overlooking the bay with my arms around my knees. I was thinking, as I often did when I had any time alone, of the things that had passed. My life was turned upside down, and I had a hard time telling up from down anymore. I was trying to adjust to this new life, and that was somewhat helped by Artix and his training me. It allowed me time to not only grow stronger, but sort out what I was going to do about my quest. It also gave me an excellent excuse to stay away from people, which I needed now especially. "Not that I was ever very social..."

*Pant, pant* I gotta run, gotta get away....
Suddenly, a rock whisked past my face and landed next to me. I instinctively ducked, and another flew over my head. Dodging and ducking, I kept running, trying to escape my pursuers. One rock managed to hit me square in the back, and I toppled over from the impact. The attackers took the chance to run up to me.
"Ya, we got her! Now she'll pay!" said the boy at the front, little older than I was. I had taken food from his family a few times, as his father was the town butcher and they could spare a few scraps. But understandably, he didn't much like me. The rest of the gang were other boys from the village, friends of his I pursue. I closed my eyes and just waited for what they would do.
A rock hit me, then another, than another. For a few minutes they pelted me, until all the good-sized rocks were used up, and the ringleader went up to me. I pretended to be unconscious as he examined me. After a minutes, I could hear his walk back, and call out to the others to get more rocks. When they were far enough away, I got up and sprinted back to the woods- my safe haven, my home. The only place no one would attack me. Sure, there were monsters aplenty, but they were much kinder and tamer than the people in town...

I sighed. They had a right to dislike me, with how much I had to steal to simply survive, but I swear they tried to kill me at least ten times. I tried to be as moral as I could, taking only scraps from people who threw out food they had to spare and then only when I was about to collapse from hunger. Though I could, I never took anything besides food and enough rags to cover my back, nothing valuable that would be missed. Though I knew it was wrong, I couldn't help it... either I stole or I die. The villagers never helped me, never tried to stop those that would murder me, never would give me a chance. I was evil from the day I was found alone in the woods, and that was that. But still... I wished I never had taken anything. Maybe then they wouldn't have tried to kill me, maybe the events that led to that day would never had happened... maybe then I wouldn't have this burden to bear, this debt to pay. Not for clothes or food but for human blood. But, I said scoffing, what could even pay for blood? Nothing. Only blood rightfully shed... and no human has the right to shed another's blood, though killing those that killed others was right, but it did not pay for shed blood. Only the blood of the one that shed the blood of others could pay for their deaths. I knew this, and I knew how my life must ultimately end, if I was ever to be clear of what I had done. But until then, I could do as much good as possible, if not to make up for what I did, then to bring some light to this dark world. A little light... "I fight for truth, justice, light, and honor. May this vow never be broken, may my light still shine... Yes, a fitting motto. That shall be my cry, my vow, my purpose. As long as I stay true to it, I have something to fight for... something to live for..."

I sat their awhile longer, simply thinking. Finally, the sun began to rise, bathing the bay in liquid gold. The sun rising meant a new day... and more people. I got up, stretched my protesting joints, and walked to find Artix. He was outside the inn watching the sunrise as well, and smiled at me when I walked up.
"Enjoy your punch?"
"Very much so, Serenity has a great brewer. Now, I think Yulgar has opened up, so lets amble on over there."

We did so, and entered the dark shop. I could hear Yulgar and Konnan working in the back, and in a few moments Yulgar walked to the front. "Ah Artix, excellent timing, I just finished up yesterday. Wait a moment while I go get the staff and armor."
He walked back to the back, and while I shuffled around waiting, I glanced at Artix. I swear that there was a mischievous glint in his eyes, and I wondered what was up. I was distracted though by Yulgar walking in carrying my staff. "Ah, there you go Shadow, just as you requested. The metal and wood are re-enforced and already enchanted to be strong, but you can add on to that as you see fit." I took the staff from him and examined it. It was even better than my drawing of it, with the dark bladed glinting in the sunlight and the dark wood shining. The wood and metal met seamlessly- typical Yulgar quality. The blades were sharp, the edge nearly invisible in the light. I played around with it a bit testing the weight and balanced, though I think I scared them both a bit. I smiled proudly, and placed the staff sword on my back via the holder I had- which was just a angled sash of leather with two metal hooks on it- one to catch and hold the upper blade, the other to keep the staff at an angle so it wouldn't knock against me. I then bowed to Yulgar, thanking him. "Just doing my job," he grunted, then went back to the storeroom and reappeared, holding a suit of armor. My jaw dropped, and I turned to Artix and asked, "Where did you get my armor design from?"

"It dropped out of your pack a few weeks back, and since this was your ideal armor style, I decided to ask Yulgar to make it instead of the normal Paladin armor. He agreed, though I think changed a few things to make it workable." I was shocked- but not at why Artix did this. He knew that as a mage I hated heavy, bulky armor, and when a few weeks back I got to try out the Paladin armor, I found I couldn't do anything in it. It was too heavy, too restricting on the arms, and overall something that I couldn't work with, much as I loved the design. After the shock wore of, I thanked Artix greatly for this, and turned and thanked Yulgar as well, who was setting the armor on the ground. He merely replied, "How about you try it on and make sure it fits right." I did so.

The armor was simpler than Paladins but still somewhat complicated. The first part was a chain mail Hauberk whose sleeves went down to my wrist, and which I put on first. Over it went a chest piece of lamellar armor, which was simply armor made up of many small squares sown together. The armor went down to my waist and up to my collarbone, like a normal chestplate. It hooked to the mail underneath it, keeping it in place. The leg pieces were the same style, but with diamonds instead of squares, which gave a bit of a feathered appearance. Realistically it didn't matter, I just liked the design. These were attached to chain mail leggings directly, with the mail covering my gaps in the leggings around the knee and ankle. My arms were bare beside the mail, as my weapon would shield blows and I needed as little weight there as possible. Lastly, I put my boots back on, and my leather gloves- which while not the strongest, worked best for me.

The whole outfit was made for speed and flexibility, not strength, as as a mage I would dodge blows rather than endure them, and I could enchant the armor to be stronger more easily than to be lighter. The armor was made of a dark silver material, and as I examined how it looked on me, I saw an illusions the light showed. Areas of the armor were reflective, and these formed into several designs. On the chest was a cross with a sun behind it, and scrolls between the arms.* There also was some smaller artsy designs which looked like runes (I wouldn't be surprised- I had scribbled some runes on the back of the drawing that I planned engraving in the armor and staff, as they were strengthening, magic power, darkness resisting, lightness and durability runes that would greatly help). Picking up my staff, I saw the same runes engraved lightly in the wood, leaving a small area where I could write something- which many did, either their motto or their name, to not only show the owner but also to personalize the weapon. I put the sword belt and staff back on my back, and turned towards Yulgar.

"Well, how is it?"
"Fits like a glove, and is magnificent as well."
"Glad you like it. It took me some time to make- I don't usually get custom armor orders."
"Speaking of which..." I walked to where my pack was and, getting my gold pouch out, asked Yulgar how much money I owed him. No surprise, it wasn't cheap, though the price sounded to low. I asked if that was really what both the armor and staff cost, and Artix cut in, saying the armor cost he payed part of since it was Paladin armor. I wouldn't hear of it- this cost more than Paladin armor, and besides that, I hadn't done the quests most trainers did to earn the armor off yet (Artix used the undead slayer badges frequently, and they were as good as money to him and other Paladins). Artix relented, and Yulgar told me the full price. It was steep, just over a hundred thousand gold pieces, and I barely had enough to pay for it. Fortunately, Hunter's Paradise had many high-gold quests, and they paid so much for prized skins (and other parts) that I did have a little left over. Money transitioned, Artix and I thanked Yulgar and left, heading back to Doomwood. I wore the armor the whole time, as I needed to get used to the extra weight of that much metal. Fortunately, my training meant it wasn't too bad, though I was a little winded when I got back to the clearing. After catching my breath and eating a bit of meat, I started training again.

The armor didn't affect my movement too much, besides making my limbs much heavier and therefore slowing me down. Not as bad as the Paladin armor, but still annoying. Many of my moves needed some changing to make up for the weight, though I assumed as I grew stronger and enchanted the armor more the weight wouldn't be an issue. As for my staff, it caused no trouble due to how I had trained beforehand, and though it nicked my armor a few times, it wasn't anything that harmed it or myself. I did wear out much faster, and when I finished my training exercises I was tired to the bone and ached like I hadn't since we started. I pulled the armor off and collapsed on my moss and drifted of into sleep.

Just like it always it, the second day was worse, since my muscles were tired and stiff, and I had a longer training session. Artix also instructed me- mainly trying to get me to stop lunging forward with all my strikes. The length of my staff complicated things, but over time I learned to defend myself a bit better and also to not leave myself open to an attack after I struck. I also grew stronger, and the armor weight affected me less and less. After a few weeks, Artix decided to test me in a sparring match. Paladin against Paladin, with both of giving all we got. The fact that Artix had trained me didn't help my chances, as he knew every move I would use, and I probably hadn't seen all of his. Nevertheless, knowing and doing something about it were two different things. I used magic primarily, as Artix couldn't defend against that very well, and when he was stunned or winded went in for a different attack with my staff. I was careful to not do any real damage, hitting with my broad side of my blade of the wood staff, and avoiding anywhere his armor didn't cover him. Artix seem to do the same, and though we would be very bruised after this (hey, what's new), probably neither of us would have broken bones or open wounds. The match lasted a whole hour, and towards the end both of us were winded and ready to end this. I was the one who did so, with a rapid fire fire-ice combo spell and then a combo attack, with the downslash hitting Artix's shoulder. The impact made him crumple to the ground, and I waited for him to get up. He did so, but was slightly swaying. Artix then said, "You win. Any more and one of us is going to do serious damage."

I nodded, then walked back over to a tree and sat next to it, my back leaning on the trunk, and tried to catch my breath and slow my heart. Artix did the same, picking a tree a few feet away. He also was panting slightly, but I doubted he was very winded. We both could still fight, but it was too likely that one of out blows be an inch off and do catastrophic damage, and since we were miles away from any doctor, it was better safe then sorry. After a few minutes Artix started to speak.
"You know, you did pretty good out there. There isn't much left that I can teach you, if anything."
"I'm not that good a fighter..."
"No, but you just need to practice, and that you can do on your own. Besides, nothing beats actual battle experience."
"And I still have a hundred necromancers out there..." I said softly, but I think Artix heard me.
After a pause, he said, "If you need any recommendations, I know a few that are just ripe for defeating."
I smiled. "Thank you Artix, but first, I need to get good. If I must defeat a hundred, I want them to be the best and strongest. I'm not ready for that though."
"Then what will you do next?"
"Grow stronger. Fight, get experience, and when I can defeat the best, start on quest. Which mean I need to leave here." I said the last part under my breath, but Artix heard me anyways.
"You don't have to leave. You can stay here and still grow stronger."
I shook myself slightly. It was a tempting offer, but I couldn't accept. I couldn't get closer to anyone, not again. Not after what happened. It always led to ruin.... "Thanks, but no thank you. I need to do this on my own." I doubt Artix understood why, but he accepted it. After I had caught my breath, I gathered up my things, and put my cloak on. It was better that I left now, before I had second though. Artix had walked over, and I turned to him. "Thank you ever so much for all you have done for me and for training me. I owe you a great deal, and it is a debt that I shall repay."
"You don't own me anything, its been a pleasure teaching you."
"Still. Well, I better be off. Farewell." I wanted this to be quick, I hated long goodbye's. Artix also bid me goodbye, and on impulse I quickly hugged him before striding off before he could say anything, or see my eyes shining with tears. I roughly wiped them away, then set off into Doomwood, looking for somewhere I could camp out. Not a home, for I had no home.

Home was where the heart was, and my heart with with myself, and I was on my own.


* This kind of scroll



Shadow Ravena -> RE: (DF) Shadowed Past (6/3/2012 8:17:05)

Chapter Six: The Darkness Within

I wandered around Doomwood, looking for a certain pesty monster that was raiding a small village nearby. A deceptively simple task- kill the Vampiric Ghoul, bring the head back as proof, get to replenish food and sleep at the inn. A simple day-to-day job I did whenever I wasn't on a quest. I had visited nearly every village in Doomwood by now- but this small hamlet was new. It was off the maps and pretty cut off from the rest of the world. Fortunately, they hadn't heard of me- Shadow. Unfortunately, they hadn't heard of me- Tigerlady and did not trust me at first. Oh well, I got this often, but this was the first time this month. In Doomwood at least, I was getting a reputation for being a hero-bounty hunter/mercenary, and people were willing to let me work in exchange for a day at the inn or supplies. The more friendly they became, the more information I could gather about the outside world (I did not venture outside of Doomwood often, not trusting my ability to fight and maintain a disguise just yet), and most interesting to me- what the current rumor about Shadow was. Sheesh, I heard some wild ones. All taken as gospel, of course. My disappearing off the face of Lore didn't help... but I rather them still hate me, while I was disguised, then them hate me without an alter ego.

At any rate, if I didn't disguise myself I would have to steal to get supplies... something I wished to avoid. Maybe one day I could reveal myself, but I doubted that would be anytime soon. For the present, I would keep up the loner hero who is willing to quest for food and shelter look. Speaking of which...

I focused on the forest trail again, as it began to taper out. Good, that meant this area wasn't traveled by humans much, and monsters would be more likely to appear. Granted, that did mean I would have to watch my back more- there were creatures here even I didn't want to deal with- but it should nab me my prey. Leaving the trail, I started forcing my way through the thick forest.

After a bit of walking, I came upon something promising. A faded scrap of cloth lay on the ground, trampled by a large set of paws. The fabric had to have come from the village- it was not buried or ruined by the weather yet. The prints looked a few days old at max, and were leading to where I knew a few caves were. So, the creature came from the village- it was roughly behind me- and went to his home. The fabric was probably from its last victim... shuddering, I pushed on, following the prints.

After a few minutes walking, I came upon an open clearing, with a low lying cave just beyond. This must be where the creature went... if not I would simply start searching again. Levitating so as to not alert the creature to my presence, I entered the cave.

It was dank inside, and the back wall was far out of sight. I did not hear any breathing, so either the creature was deep in the cave or not here. Either way, this would be the best time to explore. Casting a illumination spell, I gazed around the cave. It was a narrow place, with barely enough room to move through. However, it seemed to go deep into the earth, so I slowly started to go in deeper.

The cave went on and on, but eventually it started to widen, and I could sense an open area up ahead. Going cautiously, I entered an somewhat large cavern at the end of the tunnel. Looking around, I knew I was correct in assuming this was the Ghoul's home. Bits and pieces of artifacts from the village were scattered on the floor, as were... their remains. These looked old, however, the newest looking at least a few days aged. The monster would be hungry by now, and out for a new victim. The village was safe for now, and the only one in range, so the creature would have to find new food. That, or come back here, very weak and very angry. I would be waiting for it either way.

Going outside the cave, I found a hiding place a bit above the cave entrance, then settled down to wait for the monster to return home. I took out a spell book to study while I waited, not knowing how the long the creature would take to come back.



Well, apparently, a few hours before dawn. After I don't know how many hours I heard a shuffling from the woods, as though arms were being dragged on the ground. Bingo. A moment later the creature entered the clearing, clearly oblivious to my presence. It was not carrying anything, so either it ate before coming back or it didn't catch anything. I was hoping for the former- if it was hungry, it would be impossible to deal with. Once it was near the center of the clearing, I activated my spell. Near instantly, an earthen wall surrounded the clearing, boxing the monster in. I needed to be sure it could not run. Bagging my spellbook and pulling out my sword-staff, I jumped down at it with a leap.

It saw me coming and dodged to the side, the lunged, trying to bite me. I batted it away with my arm, the teeth making no purchase on my armor. While it was still on the ground, it swung my sword-staff downwards, aiming for the neck. It managed to roll enough that I hit the chest, my blade biting deep in the decaying flesh. Of course, that didn't kill it. I doubted anything less than a decapitation would. The monster seemed much angrier now- no surprise- and lunged at my head, claws outstretched. I ducked, and turned to roundhouse kick it. It hit, knocking the creature backwards into a tree. Sword-staff in hand, I leaped at it, ready to finish this fight and collect my reward. I swung my sword-staff to the side for the decapitation, but something stopped me.

Well, the monster did. Still dazed by the blow, he just stared at me, the most pathetic look even in its decaying face. I... I couldn't hit it. I aimed the my blow upwards, the tree behind taking it. Pulling my weapon free, I backed off a few feet, trying to collect my nerves. This is insane, I thought, this creature has killed many! Why can't I kill it? What was holding me back?


But... I did know. It did not make any sense though.... I felt some kindred spirit to this monster, as though he were of the same flesh as I was. To kill it... felt as though I would kill a fellow human, and I couldn't do that. My moral law prevented me from slaying a fellow human. But... this was no human, it was a beast, as able to think and feel as any wild animal. And besides that, it had killed many, and would kill many more, it more than deserved death. But... I couldn't do it. It was a monster and I couldn't kill it, it was a beast and it felt like a fellow creature. Why was this? What had happened to me?

But I did not have much longer to ponder this. The creature, sensing my hesitance, recovered and leaped at me. Relying on pure instinct, I raised my hand and threw a blast of dark energy at it. The blow knocked the creature back... but barely made a dent! What was this?! How was it nearly immune to my attack... an attack I thought was element-less. I knew the stats this creature had, it was immune to only one element... darkness. No, that was impossible... maybe it was also strong against magic. I would have to use my blade.

But looking at my blade, my thoughts came back. My life attacks were one thing, a sword was another. That was instinct, a want to not die. But a blade did not offer that blindness of action. How could I do this? I could not kill it, but I could not let it kill me, and I could not run. I was torn as to what to do... but was not given the time to think.

The monster was determined to finish this fight, and attacked again. I blocked his bite with my sword-staff, its teeth making no dent in the hard wood. Swinging my sword outward, I knocked it backwards again. It simply stood up and charged me again.

The fight went on like this for who knows how long. Eventually, it was evident one of us would fall from scratch damage- we were both getting worn out. The creature seemed to have learned a little during the fight, and now found new ways of trying to jump me. This time it had climbed a tree- much to my surprise- and was scrambling around somewhere overhead. However, thanks to a windstorm with excellent timing, I could not hear it moving. Even its tell-tale odor was blown around by the wind, and my eyes could not catch its movements. I wandered slowly around the clearing, waiting for an attack, weapon in hand.

A crack of a branch! I whirled around, and without thinking swung my sword-staff out to protect myself. The blade caught the neck of the creature, slicing it and sending the monster sideways back into the trees. Trembling from the adrenaline, I walked over to it. The head was nearly severed off, the eyes glazed over in death. Turning away, I finished the job and bagged the head in a sac I brought for the quest. Without a word or thought, I turned back towards the village.


They were happy to see me, more so to see that I had slayed the creature that had plagued them. In a monotone, I related what I had seen, confirming it was indeed the loathsome beast they hunted after. I collected part of my reward- dinner- then replenished my pack with supplies. I didn't stay the night as planned, but simply dissapeared into the woods from which I came.



I wandered around Doomwood, pondering the whole fight and my strange reaction. I could not fathom what was stopping me from slaying that monster! And it was a monster, that I knew and could agree on. That wasn't it. And even if it wasn't, and similar to the fairies or sneevils and intelligent, the fact that it killed many innocent villagers for food meant it needed to die. My conscience was clean on that. What bothered me from the remaining feeling of kindred spirit to it- as though I was a monster, same as it. I still could not shake it.

My thoughts wandered more than my feet that night. But after a few hours of rambling, I began to notice a few things. The first was that I seemed to be able to sense creatures- before I heard or saw them. I just... knew they were there. This struck me as odd, and I began to focus on it. As I identified more and more monsters, my suspicions grew. Suddenly, I sensed a new creature- a darkness elemental.

Gliding silently through the woods, these creatures did not make a sound. Invisible in the darkness, many a time they had sneaked up on me and attacked. Granted, they weren't allows aggressive, but every one I saw attacked. Then again, I couldn't SEE them at all in this blackness! But this time, I knew it was coming, and I knew it was an elemental. It had to be- only one would have such a concentration of darkness. A minute later, my suspicions were confirmed, as one glided out from behind a tree and launched a dark ball at me. I countered with a dark energy attack of my own, which didn't even phase it. It attacked again, this time the blow hitting me. But...

I was not hurt at all. The pure darkness felt like a cold wind on my skin, and had all the damaging properties of a breeze. What was this? Since when was I immune to darkness?! I wasn't complaining, but still. Changing tactics, this time I through a concentrated light ball at it, obliterating the creature. As it dissipated, I felt a pang in my heart. It was though I had fought and killed a member of my own blood! I had not noticed it during the short fight... but now the feelings were overwhelming. What WAS this? Why did I feel kin to a being of pure darkness?!


But as I thought it over, it started to make sense. Somewhat. My life energy attacks appeared aligned with darkness now. Why, I did not know. As I thought to fights before, I realized it was possible they were always like that. The collateral damage the blows dealt would negate any immunity against it... but tonight the energy was static, not solid as I preferred. So apparently my life energy was darkness aligned... meaning I was darkness aligned. That would explain how I could sense the creatures of this wood before seeing them... they were all tainted by darkness. It explained why the dark ball attack had no effect on me. But it didn't explain the kindred feeling for monsters... or did it?

"And how did I get this way anyways? What has changed in the last, well, day? Any why in Heaven's name am I aligned to darkness! I am a Paladin, I have never used a dark attack in my life... and I can use Light as well as the next person. Better than some, actually. Usually the opposite element of your natural one is your weakest. But Light is my strongest. And how can I be what I fight? How can I be what I most loathe?"

Many more thoughts raced through my mind, demanding answers. But I had none. This had all happened within a day... with no signs before. This rang as off to me- why wouldn't the darkness manifest earlier? For many, they are naturally drawn to it at an early age. True, I loved Doomwood and the night, but I loathed the darkness creatures- those that were evil or those that simply were wild. I loved the Light, the Dark's enemy, and craved Light. Even at night, I needed my moon... which Doomwood was never without. But... maybe I was strong with both, paradoxically. I had never heard of that... but it WAS possible.

But that did not explain the monsters. It did not explain my random feelings. Or did it? I thought about it. "In a day, my relation to darkness manifested, after being dormant... what else has appeared so rapidly..." I knew without having to ask, but forced myself to think logically. "My energy attacks. They just showed up one day, with no prior warning... and they are darkness related... maybe this is similar? My appearance then, my almost animal like sense and reflexes... are they related to the darkness as well? Or are both caused by the same thing?"

The latter thought was seeming more and more likely to be true. I still did not know what caused my transformation, my dark powers... maybe they were dark in origin. Thinking again of the monsters, I said, "Maybe... maybe they weren't even human in origin." But how to verify this? The only way to I guess was ask my parents- but they were dead. I think. I had never met them- I was abandoned in the woods as a young child, then found by an old woman in the village. She was condemned as a witch as well and forced out, leaving me at eight alone in the world. But the lady- Everlyn- she never told me if she knew anything about me or my parents. Whenever I asked, she shushed me and changed subjects. I suppose that was suspicious, but I always assumed it was because it wasn't fit for a child's ears. Which was possible- but that assumed she knew something. Or suspected something. But this was meaningless....

The more I thought on the subject, something started to stand out though. Our village was the only one for many miles, and few trails can even close to its borders. How did a young child... one that could barely talk properly... end up in the middle of the forest, and the parents not found? Traders could be found... and if I came from the village they would know who I belonged to. And I couldn't have been there very long, for pity's sake, it's Doomwood! I would have been killed. But they found me without a scratch. What had happened then? DID they knew who my parents were... and hate me for it? Fear me for it? They had always feared me, I never knew why. That is one reason they tried to drive me out- not that I had anywhere to go. I had many guesses as to their fear... but now, it seemed possible my origins had to do with it. MAYBE. It was a guess, a stab in the dark... and the only idea I had. Of course, I could not ASK any of them! And I do not know what happened to Everlyn after she fled. Even if I found her it was a long shot... a very long shot. I needed some proof. But how?


Well, this would be tricky. Lineage tracing was hard and expensive and faulty. I could ask no know that I could think of. Maybe I should go for something easier... seeing if I was truly darkness aligned, and if so, in what way. And while several could do it, the easiest (though most expensive) person to ask... was Warlic. But he was far from the reaches of Doomwood... true I knew where he was thanks to a cheap map.... and his reputation did preceded him even here, from what the villagers say... but dare I ask him?

But honestly, what other choice did I have if I wanted the truth?



Shadow Ravena -> RE: (DF) Shadowed Past (8/8/2012 18:56:01)

In this chapter I mention many things that are not part of DF canon- but don't contradict it either. As such, I take artistic license in this and following chapters.

Chapter Seven: Truth Reveled and Mysteries Uncovered.

I quickly glanced around the bustling city of Falconreach, trying to spot the Inn. This city was not huge... but much bigger than I was accustomed to. Being blinded by the sun didn't help much. Thanks to a minor explosion from part of the city- I assumed cysero's shop- I was able to find my way to the city square and the Inn. Ducking in, I checking the map on the wall against the one in my hand. Besides the scaling, they seemed to match. "Good, I won't get lost. Looks like a day or so travel by air... maps are so deceptive in distance though. Just look at Doomwood, it seems so close.... Well better head out."

Grabbing some supplies before I left the Inn, I strode out of the city. Once I was in the woods, I took out my spellbook. "Alright, flying spell, flying spell... no, not bird transform spell, not anti-gravity, not... why is flying fish spell here?!" This was a new spellbook, and I was not used to the order. Or the amount of random spells- it was one of those 'everything but the sink' spellbooks. "Ah, levitation spell, perfect!" While I liked my energy disk that I could ride on- it had a tendancy of running out unexpectedly. Not good when high in the air. Then again, the spell might... lets hope this works right!

I carefully read the spell, making sure I didn't miss something. I had practiced this several times- but not on myself. "No time like the present..." I muttered. Stowing the book and my cape, I began to mutter the incantation, eyes closed in concentration. After a few moments, I could feel myself lift up, but did not look around until the incantation ended. Opening my eyes, I gazed about. It worked! I was in the air! Granted, just ten or so feet- but floating none the less. Twisting my body around, I found I could change direction... but momentum was lacking. Guess the spell didn't allow true flight... improvement time!

Using a bit of my energy, I formed rings around my shoulders and wrists, and on my legs, then moved them forward. As expected, I moved as well. After a bit of experimenting, I found that flying 'on my stomach' worked the most effectively, and allowed me to look at the ground. I kept my arms and hands together in a straight line for the most part, only moving them when I needed to change direction. Like that, I got a general bearing from the sun, and headed off to where Warlic's tent was.


As I flew, I thought about what I would tell him and ask him to do. I wanted to know primarily why and if I was aligned to Darkness. But did I really want to know? Or was it best that I stay in the dark about it? What if I was aligned to Darkness, what then? I was a Paladin for pity's sake, trained to slay creatures of Darkness! How could I slay what I was myself? Could I perhaps just go after only creatures that caused harm? That might work I suppose... but still I would be killing my brethren. Could I really bring myself to do that?

And what if I was a monster, not human like I thought? I never felt like I was really human... I never fit in with anyone. Lily was my only friend... the only person who would speak to me. But that was out of pity... and I felt like Everlyn took care of me out of pity as well. Or wanted to study me... she was a mage, and my skills with magic were better than they should have been for my age... especially with darkness spells. A long ago memory, mostly forgotten, rose to mind...



It was a cloudy day of winter in Doomwood. The snow was sparse among the thick trees, and I was practicing a new spell. I had begged for quite a bit for Everlyn to allow me to practice it... but she finally gave in. She did not teach me per say, but let me study her books. This book she hid from me for as long as I could remember... but I finally found it. What a book! Some spells looked very advanced... my mana pool was too small to even cast them! But a few were beginner. All the spells were focused around darkness... whether illusion, cloaking or darkening spells, or mind manipulation spells, like making people see thing that weren't there or controlling their minds, or even reading their thoughts! It was a manipulation spell I was attempting... not on humans mind you, I was nowhere near advanced enough nor wished to control another (though secretly I wanted to use it the next time the village boys threw rocks at me. See how they like it!). I expected no trouble with this spell... so many of the others (at my level) in the book were easy for me. For now, I was waiting for a monster to practice it on. They all seemed to be hiding... when suddenly, a skeleton shambled into the clearing. He was like many in Doomwood, abandoned by the necromancer that raised him and just wandering around aimlessly. Perfect. I quickly scanned the spell book again, then began the incantation. I had to close my eyes to concentrate, and when I looked at my new minion I was surprised. He was surrounded in an aura- common with these spells, unless the user was experienced, as it was just the casters magic surrounding the creature. What surprised me was not the presence of the aura, but rather the coloring- it was a mixture of gold and indigo, swirling around. Normally magic was one color, for one elemental alignment... the users strength. And even more surprising... I could hear, in a way, the undead's thoughts, or lack there of. It sounded like screaming mostly... but under it there was some words. Listening closely, I could almost make out a request... "let me see my family... please, free me..." I gulped, trying to remain steady. The spell was not suppose to let me read its mind... what happened? But the poor thing seemed to be in agony over being forced to remain here... maybe some undead enjoy, but he certainly didn't. Looking away, i fired a fire ice combo at him, killing him. But before he re-died, I thought I could hear a 'thank you' from him...

When I later told Everlyn, she turned very pale. Worried, I asked if I did wrong in slaying the undead... but she replied, shakily, that that was not it, that i had done right in that regard. I asked what had frightened her so, but she did not reply. She only said I could not practice any spell out of that book again, nay, any darkness spell again... I protested, but she refused to budge.

And to this day I have not used darkness spells. Even after she left, I abided by that now forgotten rule of her's... and now that I am older, I can kinda see why she prevented me from learning them. I had an unusual knack for those spells... and if I mastered them, what would I have done? I was too young for real self-control, to not abuse any power I might have. And controlling others is heady stuff...

But my aura, why was it gold and indigo, light and dark? Did I have a gift in both realms of magic? But they are utter opposites, it was very rare that one would be aligned to both. Why was I? Or was I?

Guessed I knew what I was asking Warlic now! But... oh great, how much could I tell him? I certainly couldn't use my real name... my reputation far outpaced me. And my past... being from Avolea was a dead give away, as I am the sole surviver of there... I guess I better play this by ear and hope for the best.



Early the next day, I finally flew into the clearing Warlic's tent stood in. I was nervous... and hopeful as well. It made for an odd stomach let me tell you! Recasting my disguise spell, I took a deep breath and walked up to the blue mage, who was as usual outside his tent.

"Hello, my name is Warlic."
"Hello, my name is Tigerlady. Pleasure to meet you," I said, giving my customary half-bow.
"And you. What brings you here?"
"I was wondering if you could help with an inquiry of mine..."
Warlic chuckled. "A magical one I presume. What do you wish to know?"
"This may sound odd... but I was wondering if there was a way I could find out what element I was naturally aligned to," I asked timidly.
"Not the most unusual request... nor the most difficult to discover. Come this way," he said, walking off and motioning for me to follow.


We went over to a smaller clearing surrounded mostly by trees, where some training dummies for mages stood. They seemed to be enchanted with different elements... but I couldn't tell exactly how. There was eight of them in total- though the remains of other dummies could be see scattered about, as well as traces of spells cast here- burned trees, frozen bushes, etc. I had a feeling what I was going to be asked to do...

"This is a clearing where I occasionally practice spells- or test others. Now, what I want you to do is stand on the platform-" he said, pointing to a small platform in the center of the clearing, with the dummies in front of it- "and fire the basic elemental spells, in order, at the dummies. Can you do that?"

"Shouldn't be a problem. When do I start?" I said, as I walked over and drew out my weapon.

"No weapon for this, and right now."

I nodded and began. The spells were simple- the first thing you learned as a mage. Some, like a darkness or water ball, were not taught to beginners immediately, but were still very simple. I believe they were left out so more useful spells could be learned first... but I knew more than a novice mage. Concentrating, I fired the spells at the different dummies- fire, earth, light, energy, darkness, wind, water then ice, following the elemental wheel. The spells did not seem very effective... barely shook the dummies. Curiously, the light and darkness ones did seem more affected... but I think it was my imagination. Concentrating on the magic embedded in them, I figured they were charged with the same element, thus making the same type spells ineffective. Finished, I looked over at Warlic.

"Now what?"

"Again," he said simply.

Shrugging, I started up again. This time the dummies shook violently, even started to splinter a bit. It didn't take a genius to figure they were charged with what would be the weakest elements now. Again the light and darkness dummies reacted differently... this time, the spells seemed to not hit them as hard as the others. What was this?

Warlic seemed puzzled as well. When I looked over at him he seemed to be deep in thought. After a minute of just standing and staring at him, I coughed slightly. "Um, I'm done now..."

That seemed to break him out of his trance. "Hmm? Very good. Tigerlady, was it?" I nodded, a bit worried now. Warlic shot me a glance like he didn't believe me... then cleared his throat. "Yes, could you come back to my tent?" Nodding, I followed him back.


When we returned, I was properly worried now. Did I slip up somewhere? Or was I just being paranoid? Or was my paranoia making him suspicious? Argh! I should never have come.

But I was distracted for a moment when Warlic spoke up. "Its curious. You seem to have an unusual knack for both Light and Darkness spells... and while having two elements is not highly uncommon, two conflicting ones is unusual. And yet you do, and seem proficient at both types."

"Why is that unusual?"

"Because the elements cannot coexist within one person. They fight and eventually destory each other. A master mage can use both, but they are never a dominate mastery together Yet you can use both at equal strength, and pardon me, are no master of magic."

"True..." but what is your point? I wondered.

He seemed to read my mind. "The point is, there is more going on then meets the eye. But to determine what it is, I wish you to speak frankly. And that means," he said, while shooting a sharp glance at me, "No more hiding who you are." I instinctively flinched at that remark. "I could tell when you arrived that you had a disguise spell on- you did not cloak the magical trace well. I cannot help you unless I know the facts- starting with your real name and appearance."

I sighed and removed the spell. As expected I surprised Warlic, though he had the courtesy to not make it obvious. After studying me for a moment, he realized who I was.

"So your the infamous Shadow." I was surprised how frank he sounded- like it was not unusual I was here.

"Yes. And it seems my bad reputation well proceeds me," I said, looking slightly away.

"How much of it is true?"

I shrugged. "What have you heard? There are many tales floating around- I hear a new one every week."

"I have heard many contradicting ones- but the most common is a story about how you destroyed a village, Avolea, was it?"

I sighed. "That one is true. I did not mean to though... but I will pay the price for it."

"The King's challenge, yes I've heard. But tell me, how did you manage such a feat?"

"I don't know. After Lily died... and the villagers confronted me... they were going to kill me. Some dark power took control of me... and burst out, wiping away the entire village." I said looking at the ground.

"Dark power? Do you mean your magic?" Warlic asked.

"No... I suspect it is my life-energy, but I cannot be certain. Its this stuff," I said, while forming a ball of it in my hands and floating it up a bit. Warlic studied it, his brow furrowed. After a minute, he started to speak slowly.

"It does indeed seem like your life force... however I have not heard of a human being able to manipulate theirs..." I looked aside at that part- I did not know if I was truly human. "You are a human, correct?"

"I have no idea honestly... I look like one, but I never knew my parents... and..."

"And what?" Warlic asked.


I delved into the story- about the fight with the monster, and my odd feeling of kinship... of not being able to hurt the Darkness elemental with my energy attacks... and that that was the reason I came in the first place.

Warlic was silent for a bit after I finished talking... he just stared off into space while I waited, twisting the end of my chain-shirt. After an agonizing wait, he spoke. "Curious. I could use a spell to see if you were human or not... but it is complicated and would take some time to prepare. However, the failed energy attack is easier to solve. It would require me taking a bit of your life force to analyze though."

"Okay then... go ahead if you please."

"First, I must find a book... wait here please."

With that he walked off into his tent. It seemed like an eternity before he returned... but it was probably just a few minutes. Setting his book down of a table, Warlic motioned me over.

"Now, the spell will made your life force visible- then take a portion of it so it can be better analyzed. I will need you to stand still while the spell progresses- which means no talking. Now, are you ready to begin?"

"Ready if you are," I said, a bit nervous.

Warlic started up with the spell. It seemed to make the area around us darker, while I lighted up a bit. When the first part of the incantation was over, the aura around me was dazzling... and confusing. Like the skeleton from eons ago, it was a mix of indigo and gold. The indigo made up the base, and the gold seemed to race over it like an energy spell. The gold seemed to be much less prominent than the indigo... and if they stood for Darkness and Light, did that mean that the Darkness in me was stronger than the Light? Or maybe it was taking it over. The colors seemed to be... fighting... in a way. Very odd. But after a minute, they faded away. Some of it gathered into a sphere, which floated toward where Warlic was standing. It looked like he was muttering another spell- at any rate, the sphere seemed affected, the colors on it flashing faster than before, before the whole sphere exploded! The shards turned into wisps and floated away, though curiously the light ones seemed reluctantly to leave, giving off a bright shine before vanishing back into my body.

"You can move now if you like," said Warlic, noticing I was still standing like a statue.

"Thanks. What did you learn?"

"Give me a moment please..."

"Right, sorry..." I waited for him to say something, but it seemed he almost forgot I was there. I hopped from one foot to the other for an agonizing time of two minutes, before the Blue Mage spoke.

"As you suspected. You are indeed aligned to both the realms of Light and Darkness- and your magic and life force show that. They both are made charged with the two elements- which is why your spells of those natures are so strong."

"But my energy attacks are just darkness... no light there. Is that not my life energy?"

"It is. And that brings up something troubling... it seems the Darkness part of you is not stable. It is indeed stronger than the Light side, but it could end up collapsing upon itself, so to speak."

"What would happen then?"

"To put it mildly... what happened in Avolea would be in comparison nothing."

I gulped. "Then was Avolea a result of an... imbalance?"

"Perhaps. The power needed a release... I suspect your anger gave it one, and an controlled explosion happened."

"Controlled?"

"It didn't kill you, did it? Nevertheless, the power must be stabilized for fear of disaster."

"How do we do that?"

"Hmm... it seems the Darkness within you has been... caged somehow. I suspect that is in part making it unbalanced. I would need to release what power has been locked away if they are to balance out."

"But would I be able to control it then?"

Warlic looked a bit worried when he answered, "I do not know. But it must be done. You cannot master your power if it is locked away- no matter how much you fear it," he said gently.

I looked away. "It was that Darkness that made me look like this," I said, motioning towards my face. "It is Darkness that ruined my life, and Darkness that I now hunt. And what if it takes me over completely, and quenches what little Light I have remaining?"

"The latter you need not worry about. The Light in you is strong, but it is controlled as well. As such, it seems weak... when in reality it simple needs not fight for dominance. It is only the imbalance in the Darkness that makes it seem less in your life force."

"That makes sense I guess..."

"So will you allow me to perform the spell, risks though there are?"

I sighed. "I don't have much of a choice do I? Yes."

"Then follow me," Warlic said, as he walked further back into the tent. Much to my surprise, we soon came out in a stone tower!

"Whats this?" I asked, motioning towards the now stone walls.

"This is my tower. The tent is merely a portal between there and here."

"Ah..." I said, as we continued walked. Eventually, we came upon a room. Warlic walked into it, and I followed.

The room was filled with books and supplies- a mage's dream study. Warlic walked around the room gathering stuff and looking through books, while I stood in the doorway. After a few confusing- for me, who had no clue what he was doing- minutes, he turned to face me. "Now, this spell is a complicated one, and I cannot be sure of the results. Whatever happens, remember you did ask me to do this." I nodded. Basically, I couldn't hate him if something unexpected happens. Fair enough. I was more worried about another Avolea... while I doubt that would kill Warlic, it could do damage to his tower. Then again, it was probably magic-proofed. Then again, this wasn't magic per say...

My rambling thoughts were interrupted by Warlic, who started to set up the spell, and motioned me to stand in the middle of the room. After a minute, he was finished, and stood a bit to the right of me. Closing his eyes, he began the incantation.

Almost immediately I could feel the spell affecting me. I could feel the darkness inside me screaming for a release... and I fell to my knees in effort to contain it. The power found its outlet though... my flesh. Searing pain coursed through me, too much for me to even cry out. The Darkness was trying to consume me! It created a physical layer over my skin, constricting... it was almost like the Darkness had a mind of its own... it wanted to control... No! I would not let it!
Against the pain I fought, fought to keep my sanity, fought for control. It was like fighting myself, mentally. In my minds eye I could see a creature... a darker version of myself... with black form and fire red eyes... it lunged, attack! I fought back... but I could only use my darkness attacks... how could darkness defeat darkness? I struggled not to lose focus or pass out from the pain...If it weren't for my passive healing spells I swear the Darkness would have killed me... what could I do?
'The light within you... use it...' I felt like I could hear Warlic speaking, though it may have just been my imagination. 'It is stronger than the Darkness... but you must call on it...'
I closed my eyes and concentrated. But all I could think of was darkness and pain and misery, the sum of my short life. How could I focus on the Light when I knew so little of it?
'Come on little tiger, you can do it! Mentally, my head snapped up. Lily? Was that her? Or just my mind...? ...it didn't matter. I focused on Lily, all she had ever done for my, her sweetness, her Light. She, of all people, was the kindest to me... she showed me what Light was!
Back to the mental fight. As I concentrated, a blade of pure light materialized in my hands, a broadsword made of gold. I swung it at the dark being once, twice! The third strike, a downward slash, dematerialized it with a howl of rage. I had won!

The pain and exhaustion from the fight nearly killed me... when I could feel a healing light spread over me. It healed and soothed my poor mind, and gave me a bit of my energy back. The Light left its own transformation mark on me- my ears lengthened to that of an elf. When it was finally all over I struggled to stand up, panting for breath. I nearly fell backwards, but I regained my balance and turned to face Warlic. He seemed a tad out of breath himself- I think the spell was hard on him as well. We looked at each other, and he studied me for a moment.

"I was correct, the Light in you is very strong. You should be able to more easily control now, and the Darkness. Just be sure," he said seriously, "to not let your anger consume you... or you may never come back." I nodded jerkily, my tiredness only allowing me to half-hear his words. Warlic noticed and quickly led me back to his tent.


"Well, I do believe all your questions are answered," he said, "so we are done here. I will work on the human test spell, though..." he seemed to drift off into thought for a second, then snapped back to reality, "I do have a suspicion on what you are. It will take some time for me to gather everything I need though."

"I'll be back then." I said half-groggily. "I suppose I need to pay you now, then get on my way."

We negotiated out a price, then I left, with simply a request to not tell anyone who I was. Warlic agreed, and said he would send a letter to Falconreach when he was ready for me again. After which I started walking towards Doomwood once again.



I suppose we were in shock about what had happened... I know I was. I somewhat expected the answers I got... but they just raised new questions. This power, where did I get it? Humans do NOT have that much power! Or pointy ears. Or eyes shaped like a cats and yellow. Or skin that didn't even reflect light, but absorbed it. Or the ability to manipulate life energy...

I guess I wasn't human then. Then what was I? Some monster? Or a humanoid? And my parents... who, or what, were they? The villagers... they knew, but never told me. And now cannot. Besides Everlyn... and I had no clue where she was.

And this power of mine. How was I to control it? I could feel it pulsing inside me, begging to be let out... but I must not let it. I would not have another innocent die at my hands... but how to prevent it. "I must be careful... I must not let myself lose control... but that's impossible. Not twenty-four seven. Maybe... it would be best if I stayed away, in the shadows..." But the quest. I still had to gather a hundred Darkness users weapons... funny, as I was one myself I suppose. And Sepulchure's blade... I would need help with that. Or at least information... and of course I needed food, and that meant gold...

"Apart but not apart. I will stay around humans as much as needed... for their safety. But never truly apart... I can never let someone close to me, or who knows what will happen... then again what else did I expect?"

And I must find out about myself, my powers, my nature... my future was writing itself it seemed. For now, it was a path of shadows... and a path that led, as all of mine seem to do, back to Doomwood.



Shadow Ravena -> RE: (DF) Shadowed Past (11/17/2013 10:47:46)

Chapter Eight: An Old Nightmare Returns

"No, don't go!" I shout weakly, but they do not care. They walk away from me, into the forest beyond, the dark woods full of evil and mist. I beg them to stay, to not leave me here, alone... but they walk on, oblivious. I cry out, "Don't you even care? I'm your daughter!" They pause. One, the taller figure of inky black, walks on towards the woods. But the other, small and white, pauses at my woods. She turns to face me... I can see white hair and skin, one amber eye, one long ear...

The mist swirls around them, pieced in many places by darkness. The darkness forms into a hand, reaches out, grabs my hand. I try to cry, but I cannot move. The darkness invades my mind... it engulfs it, hiding all in an inky black, so even my thoughts are imprisoned. I hear faintly, a sound of concern... the hand moves away. Now the mist shows a small ray of light, which softly touches my head... quietly moves in... it wraps around the darkness, holding it still...I fall to my knees, trembling and in great mental pain. It feels like a beast is clawing at my skull, trying to break it... but the soft light, it comforts me... the beast fears it, and backs away... sulking, but still growling. The mist clears, and the figures turn towards me...

I jolt away, and widely look around. No one is there. No woods great my eyes, only the planks that make up my little hut. I sit up and rub my eyes. "It was all a dream..." I mutter. But a dream I couldn't get out of my head. "That's the third time this week," I say as I get dressed. "I still can't figure out what it means..."

I had pondered the dream for a few weeks now, as it came every few nights. But nothing made sense. The two figures, who were they? If I had to guess, they were my parents... but why then did the walk off? Why couldn't I see them in my dream? Something seemed wrong. If it was a memory, why could I not access it while awake? I wracked my brain endlessly but nothing ever came. And why did it always end there, as the figures turned towards me? I've had repeating dreams before, but never did they end the exact same. Was my mind trying to tell me something?

I sighed and got back to eating my breakfast. This was all pointless, these questions. Nothing ever came of it. I suppose it would help if I knew a little tiny bit about my parents, but alas, I didn't. Warlic still hadn't responded- he mailed me two weeks ago to say that one ingredient needed, a rare flower, wasn't in season yet and wouldn't be for a few weeks. I suppose now it would be blooming, so he should mail me soon. But I was getting incredibly impatient. "I can't find anything out until I at least know where to start looking!" I said exasperated. "I can't very well ask anyone at Avolea, and I don't know who would even KNOW my parents!"

Maybe I obsessed over this too far. Maybe it didn't matter. But...

I had so many questions. Most importantly... "Am I really just a monster?" I said softly. A monster... that deserves to be killed? I already killed many people... if I were just a beast, shouldn't I just die? How could I slay monsters... and live myself?

"I need to find out... to decide what I will do, I need to know... just who, or what, am I?"

I sighed again. "Nothing to do, nothing to do, but more training..." I mutter. I got up and walked outside, where I had set up training dummies. Rather than ignore my darkness power, I had determined to master it, and practiced daily on the dummies. I also practiced my Paladin moves, but only when I got exasperated. Which was often.

"Okay, let's TRY to keep this from blowing up this time," I growl. I formed a darkness energy ball in my hand and threw it at the dummy. It should absorb into the figure, shaking but not destroying it. However...

"Argh! Stop blowing up!" I shouted. The ball, when it hit the dummy, exploded into shards which then each exploded, creating a nice field of destruction. The dummy was enchanted against it, but if that was a human, he would be dead.

"I need to be able to use this WITHOUT killing someone," I mutter. I tried again, and again, but like every other day the ball merely exploded. Giving up, I changed to a different attack. The energy ball could be solid or pure energy, and a solid one would hit like a brick. Useful... if it would work. I formed a disk of the energy and threw it at a different dummy. This time, instead of exploding, it ricocheted off the dummy and flew back at my head. I ducked, and it then proceeded to bounce off several trees, my house, another dummy, before finally disintegrating.

"Okay. Why is an attack that SHOULD hit and dissolve into the victim bouncing around like Twig with too much ice-cream?!" I couldn't figure it out. EVERY attack I did acted differently than it was suppose to, usually to disastrous results.

And it was just my energy attacks as well. My normal magic worked fine, even the very few darkness spells I had learned. Granted, I needed a live target to truly test them... a dummy can't be controlled. I did find it amusing how all darkness spells basically did the same thing: control the target, raise them from the dead, or fried their brain into jello. The difference in spells was simply how this was accomplished and how many targets were affected.

There were also the traditional magic attacks in darkness flavor, but I didn't count those. Spikes, disks and balls of dark energy littered every spell-book, but in truth they didn't differ much from any other element. I knew the basics for any element, but my proficiency was still in light and darkness. A master I was not, but I wasn't trying to be one.

I tried different energy moves for a few hours, before screaming in frustration and giving up. If I kept going, something would be destroyed. Even my staff, which I tried to power with the energy, was nearly destroyed from all the back-fires. My hut and the dummies were starting to look ragged as well.

"I give. Normal training for the rest of the day," I said bitterly, and then walked back to the hut to get lunch.


After a Gorrillaphant steak and some milk, I went back outside and did some Paladin training this time. But my thoughts kept on nagging at me. "I already know all of this, I passed my training. This is just a waste of time..." I thought, mechanically going through all the usual attack moves. "Why don't I just go and kill monsters? I can easily just using Light magic..."

But I was reminded, like every time I thought like this, of the pain I felt killing the Darkness elemental. Since then I'd tried to take out other monsters, zombies, skeletons and the like, but I couldn't bring myself to. I always faltered, and ran away. "I don't even know if I am a monster!" I thought angrily, shredding a tree with with staff. "Why does it matter so much to me! Those monsters are killing humans and endangering everyone in these woods- that is reason enough!"

I threw my staff, like a spear, into a tree and stormed off, talking loudly. "I am a Paladin! Trained to defend the innocent from all that is dark and evil! How-" But I was interrupted by my own thoughts.

"How can I kill monsters, but allow myself to live?"

I sighed and plopped down. I whispered to myself, "If I really am a monster, and with all the people I've killed, how can I in good faith kill 'monsters' and let myself stay alive? What makes me so different from them?"

"I need to find out who, and what, I am," I said, determination written across my face. "And I will NOT wait any longer! I am wasting time just sitting here!" I jumped up, and strode over to where my staff was embedded in a tree and yanked it out.

I strode off into the woods, ignoring the nagging voice asking me where exactly I planned on going. I would figure it out as I walked.

I walked and walked, for hours it seemed. Indeed, the woods got steadily darker around me, and the night moon rose. It was always nighttime here, but there were two moons- a daytime and a nighttime one. You would have to live here to really notice... I only did because the night moon shed less light than its sister.

I walked, not knowing exactly where I was headed. In the back of my head, I knew I was heading somewhere intentionally, but I didn't want to realize where, or analyze why I was going there. So I just walked, not thinking, only moving.

Eventually, I broke out of the forest and into a clearing. I blinked at the stronger light, and looked around. Then all of a sudden, my thoughts crashed over me, as I looked at the strange, blackened clearing before my eyes.

"Avolea. I'm back at Avolea. Oh, why did I return? I never wanted to see this place, see what happened..."

I walked slowly through the clearing, gazing around in horror. I never saw Avolea destroyed, I was still unconscious when the soldiers dragged me away. I had heard stories, of course, about the wreckage. They always told of Avolea decimated, houses blown apart, bodies scattered around in little pieces. Or the town just a charred remain, the people only bones half-consumed by flame. Or everything flattened, just inches tall now, for miles around.

The truth was far, far worse. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. It was like the town never existed. As far as I could see, the ground stretched on, bare of everything, even debris. I couldn't even see the treeline in the distance, just the flat, blackened earth. And the ground! It was pitch black, darker than the sky above, darker even than charred earth. Almost as though it wasn't even there. Every now and again, a lightning flash of black energy would race over it, but otherwise, the earth was as dead as the town. I stopped, unable to take in what had happened. "Houses decimated, people dead, the weeds of a long-abandoned place... anything would be better than this.I did this? Erased the town, like it never existed? How could I... how could I so utterly destroy this place?"

"What kind of monster am I?" I whispered, terrified. And this was only a fraction of what I could do? If I wanted... I could.. "I could destroy all of Lore... render all life on this planet like it never existed... Oh, by the Light, what am I?"

I shook violently, scared beyond belief. I knew the town was bad. But this... it might as well have never existed. And I could do it again, by accident...! Without even try-

But, as I realized, it wasn't an accident. Avolea never was an accident, not fully, not completely. Some part of me, some dark part I tried to control, tried to suppress... it wanted to kill everything, wipe away even the memory of the horrible place. All the anger, all the rage, all the hurt the village caused me... it fed the beast, made it strong. I could feel it now, clawing away at my mind, trying to convince me to cut loose, do it again. Destroy all the filthy humans who cause me such pain... all the villagers, all the townsfolk, who see me and run away, who see me and throw stones, hurl insults, accusations, screams at me day and night. Who want me dead. They deserve it, the voice says, just kill them.

No, no! I reply. I will not! "I will not! I will not let you win. Yes, they're horrible, they're base, they're cruel. But I will not kill them..."

Why not? The voice cackles. You already have! Just do it again! You're already blood-stained girl, you can't change that. Why even bother anymore?

"Yes, why... why do I bother... I know I cannot... but..."

Why did I though? I was not good by any persons definition. I grew up a thief, I had no qualms lying if it meant keeping my skin on. I was prone to violence, especially if I was endangered. I have killed... I have killed countless monsters, animals... and people. Why do I bother trying to keep more blood of my hands, darkness off my heart?

But, I remembered something. Something I had said, long ago... or at least, it seemed so long ago now... "I fight for truth, justice, light and honor... my vow to myself, my vow to the world... if I do nothing else, I will keep my vow, I will keep my word... though no one may care, or even acknowledge my decision... I will fight on anyways!"

I stood up straight, and shook myself slightly. The voice in my head wouldn't go away, but my strong will could silence it, at least for a little while. For now... "I still need to find out who I am, if I am to go forward. At least while I'm here, I can see if they're any clues."

I walked around the area, looking for anything that had survived the blast. But the longer I walked, the more my heart sank. There was nothing here... nothing anywhere. Only charred earth. But, as I reached the trees on the other side, I thought I spotted something, just inside the trees. I quickly walked over, trying to make out what it was. A...hut? Huh?

Just inside the trees, on the outskirts of the town, was an old hut, run down and nearly completely rotten. Why had it escaped the blast? I walked to it, but just as I reached the doorway, I was thrown back by a magic blast. "What in the world? A magic shield over the door?"

This was odd. The town detested all magic, so why would one hut be magicked? Unless... "Is this... Everlyn's house? I thought it was destroyed with her..."

I walked around the hut, wondering how I had manged to miss it. On the left side, though, I found the remnants of an old spell. From what I could tell, a spell crystal was help up and protected by a statue, a simple one of a light elemental. Curious... it seems Everlyn had a illusion spell cast here, hiding her hut from view. "The blast must have taken out the unprotected statue... but left the hut intact because of the shield spell. Makes sense, the blast seems to taper out here anyways..."

I walked up to the doorway, this time chanting the remove magic spell. The shield was resilient, but eventually gave way. I walked into the old hut.

Much to my disappointment, there was almost nothing in it. Only an old bed, table, and bookshelf. All Everlyn's spell materials, potion ingredients, and books were gone. Even the little rugs and wall paintings had been removed. "She must have taken everything with her when she was driven out of town..."

I walked farther in, listening to the creaky floorboards. *Creak, creak, clunk.* Clunk? Huh? Why was this floorboard different?

I squatted down and looked at the offending board. It looked the same as all the others... but as I looked closer, I could see, "An eye? What? Its a little eye, carved into the board..."

And not just any eye, but a cat's eye, very similar to my own. I wonder... I tried prying up the floorboard, which came off suddenly, sending me tumbling backwards. Getting back up, I peered into the floor. Instead of a gaping hole, I saw instead a little box, as wide and long as the board itself was. The box was dark, and looked to be made of obsidian. On the top was again the eye, fashioned out of gold.

I took the box out and examined it. As boxes go, it was quite lightweight, as though it was empty. I put it down, and opened the box. Inside was one book, very thin, but made of the paper spellbooks usually were. On the cover was a note. "To my little apprentice, for the day you finally confront your past. -Everlyn."

I opened up the book and started to read it.


"Salutations,
Today was an odd day. I was out collecting potion materials like usual, when the townspeople began to shriek, on and off, quite randomly. I hurried back, but found nothing to be amiss. The people would go into an odd trance, let out a shriek, and return to normal. Oddly, they did not remember this occurring at all. Only I seemed to notice...

Salutation,
The shrieking has continued all week, but now, more disturbing signs have emerged as well. The townspeople will, in their trances, walk off into the woods, and wake up miles from home. I've rescued many a lost soul, and save more. The townspeople are still oblivious, but seem to sense that something is amiss. They are very edgy now, and curt to everyone, even myself. Normally, a town mage and healer is respected and loved, but now they looked at my coldly.

Salutations,
The town is in chaos. The people are in a constant trance state, and because they would all wander out, I've had to seal the town with a barrier. No one can leave, not even myself. I worry immensly about this situation. I have tried every spell I know, but it has no effect. I have determined that some dark wizard must be experimenting with the townspeople, for they are under a deep spell I cannot repel. My weakness always was dark magic... for now, all I can do is try to keep everyone alive.

Salutations,
The people are now still, but still in a trance. They seem slightly cognitive though, and will ask for food or water when they see me. Worryingly, the will also growl when I approach and leave. I do not understand their hostility, for I have only tried to help them. The wizard has not shown his face, but now I wonder if more than one element is in play. This spell seems to be a simple mind manipulation, very simple dark magic. But it is much too powerful. It seemed all dark magic is powerful now, and every light spell weaker than normal. I have tried to purify the roads in town, but the spell now fails, while it worked before. Is there something out there enhancing all darkness magic?

Salutations,
We have finally received help. The Paladin Order noticed our plight, or rather out absence from trading. They sent a few men to investigate. I explained what I knew, and they rode off. A few days later, a much larger group came back. They said that a dark wizard was hiding out around here, and while they knew about him, he until now had been harmless. They rode off to find and catch the man, with a few staying behind. Though, I overheard something else from the remaining Paladins. Apparently, the realms of Light and Darkness was out of balance, but no one could understand why. The darkness realm was weaker, from an objective perspective. But all darkness infused items, creatures or spells in Doomwood were magnified in strength. They were wondering if some creature from the Realm had come to our world, and thus threw out the balance. Some things were never meant to walk the face of Lore... and to survive, the creature would have to drain much energy from the Darkness Realm. A curious theory...

Salutations,
The Paladins have returned, wizard in tow. I actually recognized him, I had seen him in the forest before while gathering plants. He explain he was experimenting with the mind manipulation spell, but it went far out of his control. He just meant it to affect one person, and them only for a few days. He didn't know why everyone was affected, nor why he couldn't end it, nor why the townspeople acted strangely. The Paladins hauled him off to spend a little time in prison, to remind him not to experiment with humans. He would be fine, and hopefully would learn a lesson. But before they left, I talked with the leader of the ground, and asked him about the darkness creature suspicions. He said they were fairly certain some dark creature was living close by, but its trail was covered up, oddly, by illusion magic. Only that could hide a creature of pure Darkness from the Paladins. Light magic helping dark? And odd occurrence to be sure.

Salutations,
I have found the creature. Much by accident, though. At night I went to pick a certain plant visible only in moonlight, when I saw him. He was tall, taller than a man, with pitch black body, glowing amber eyes, and large black wings. I knew from my studies what he must be: a Demon from the Darkness Realm. This one looked a bit different from the usual elemental spirit- probably because it lived in this realm too long. Elementals need their own element to feed on, or else they become corrupted. The more powerful they are, the more effected they become. Changes in temperament, appearance, even abilities were possible. This creature seemed quite solid, as though it had stayed in this realm for a long time now, and quite corrupted as a result. Though I could barely make out a face, I could see it was in pain... it was being drained of too much dark energy with no way of replenishing it. Even Doomwood was not dark enough for a demon, it seems.

He was standing under some trees, trying to stay out of the Moonlight. I could see him flinch whenever it touched his skin, though he didn't say a word. Usually moonlight is harmless to darkness creatures... he must be very weak already. I wondered as to why he was out in the first place, just standing there. He didn't seem to want to do anything with me, for he only glanced my way and then away again. But suddenly, we both heard soft footsteps coming from within the trees. Suddenly, a petite woman walked out, and went over to the demon. She was slight, with silver hair and porcelain skin, and dressed in all white. I could not tell if she was a human, or some other humanoid. But even a meager mage like myself could feel the Light magic coming off her like inner sunbeams. Why would someone of the Light visit one of the Dark?

I watched the two, fascinated. They smiled at each other, a smile both tender and slightly afraid. I could see, easily, that being in each others presence was enough to hurt the other- the light burned the demon, and the darkness oppressed the girl. But regardless, they smiled at each other, and talked softly, though in a language unknown to myself, if to any living man. They ignored my presence for awhile, but gradually, they drew away from each other, and the girl walked towards me. She walked up to me, and placed her hands on my head. Before I could pull away, I heard her whisper a spell, knocking me out. But also, a request: "Please take care of her..."

Salutations,
It has been a month since I last wrote. Since then, the darkness demon has left, for the Light and Darkness magics are back to normal. I have not seen either him nor the girl since that night... though I often think of them. The townspeople have recovered from the spell... though not in full. The prolonged exposure to darkness and magic has altered them. The ill effects of their aggression and fear have remained, and I fear it will never leave them. If only that spell was never cast! The darkness would not have penetrated their mind like this otherwise. And their rightful anger at being controlled has only poisoned all of their hearts...

Now, I cannot walk through the busy town. No one comes to see me in my lonely hut, nor asked my assistance. They say nothing to me, but their looks tell all. I fear they blame me for what happened, for though the Paladins explained what happened to them, they still glare at me if I ever preform a spell. They dare not speak to me, I think, which is a small blessing.

But today, something highly curious has happened. The presence of darkness has returned today, though I do not know why. Tonight I shall venture forth into the woods, and see if I can find the demon and the girl again.

Salutations,
I did not find them, but I did find someone! A small girl, no older than seven, walking around the forest! She was small, with pale skin, dark hair, and... amber eyes? I was shocked to see her eyes, so similar to that demon's... was she, perhaps, his daughter? But the mother- the girl, perhaps? I did not know. Nor did she. Her mind seemed empty... or blocked. I thought I could feel the trace of a spell cast on her mind. But as I probed her mind with a spell, I did find something, something that greatly troubled me. She had much darkness within her, too much for her to be human. But the darkness... it seemed almost alive, and much more powerful than the girl's will. I could feel a block holding it back... but I shudder to think what this girl could do if she had full access to her power. Used well, she could become a powerful mage, a hero even. But used irresponsibly, or for evil... a creature like her would be hard to stop, and would cause much destruction. She seemed so innocent though! She smiled at me and was as bubbly as any child. Indeed, she seemed to have a heart of Light, wanting to only help. When she saw my wound on my arm, an old incurable thing, she immediately tried to heal it. I was surprised she knew any magic, and when I asked her, she said she didn't know how she knew the spell.

I took her in, of course. Even if she was a monster, she was still a little girl, and needed protection and training. But the town! Could there be a worse time for her to come, or the townspeople to turn against me? But I had no other option. I could hardly leave her in Doomwood to die! We shall see how this progresses. I shall have to be careful, though, very careful...


I closed the book for a moment. Everlyn... I never knew any of this about her, or the townspeople. Why did she hide it from me? Though, I suppose, I was too young to understand when she left... when the town drove her away... and they, of course, never explained. I wish they had! It would have made so much sense... why they hated me... daughter of a demon, who had plagued the town... though utterly by accident... "Sounds familiar," I muttered. "I plagued them too, though I never meant to. Like father like daughter, I guess."

I was positive that the two figures must have been my parents, for why else would a girl like me be wandering around Doomwood? And it would explain my amnesia. I never understood why my childhood was gone, I always thought that Everlyn had blocked it off for reasons unknown. I guess not... but why did they? And why did they leave? And most importantly... where are they know?

I flipped through the book to see if there were any more clues, but found none. The very last page described how Everlyn had a fight with a townsman... ah, I remember that. He wanted an invisibility potion, though wouldn't say why. Everlyn was suspicious, and refused to give him one... he reported it to the town... and they ran her out. I think they meant to kill her, and me... but Everlyn escaped beforehand, and I ran into Doomwood... never to return.

I put the book back in the box, and the box in my pack. Time to leave. It would be dawn soon, and I needed to get home and sleep.

I used the home teleport, and though I landed badly on the roof, I made it back quickly. I didn't even bother to move, just rolled over and fell fast asleep.



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