[DF] A Hymn for the Dark (Full Version)

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Mareth -> [DF] A Hymn for the Dark (11/15/2013 22:51:20)

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Prologue
"Magic, as we know it, consists of 7 elements. Four Elements, bound to the physical body, and Three, bound to the Spiritual body.

Physical Magic

Fire: The Strongest of the four physical elements. Fire is derived from the blood of it's wielder. It Represents the Fear and underlying rage within a person. Fire destroys all in it's wake, burning to ash all that are caught within it's grasp, searing and torching the land at it's wake. Fire is carried on to the sub-elements of Destruction, such as 'Energy'.

Rock: Rock is derived from the literal muscle that makes up the human body. It Represents the Strength of the human body. Rock magic pulsates from the world, terraforming valleys in it's wake, causing massive quakes and bursts of energy. All other magic relies on the pulsating of Rock's terraforming to gather the energy to be cast. Rock is carried on in the sub-elements of anything that is created by man, such as 'Metal'.

Water: Water is derived from the mind of its caster and can only be mastered by a caster of a high degree. It represents the ebb and flo of the world as well as the life it holsters. Water magic creates streams of quick razor-like splashes to tear at its enemies, unlike the first two, however, Water is more than just a danger, and can be used to heal and Nourish the injured, making it a fancy among healers and Clerics. Water is carried on in the sub-elements of anything pertaining to liquid, such as 'Ice'.

Wind: Wind is derived from the breathe of it's caster. Wind Represents the Serenity and the eternal revolution of time. Wind magic has a variety of uses, ranging from shooting full blasts of air into an opponent, to clearing a fog-ridden field, to even giving it's caster the ability to fly. Wind is carried on in the sub elements that rely on the earth, such as 'Nature'.
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Spiritual Magic

Light: Light Magic is derived from the Love within one's soul, usually cancelling out any form of Dark Magic which may exist within. Light Magic can be embodied into a physical form, creating Crystalline structures, and weapons, or it can be used in it's elemental form creating exuberantly shimmering rays, empowering weapons, or lighting up the dark. Light Magic, along with Water Magic is also used to banish Sickness within a person, making it most popular among High Priests and Druids. Light Magic is carried on as the sub-element of the Great Holy Element, 'Good'. Being so, a person able to use Light Magic is not necessarily always a 'Good' Person, by Moral Standards.

Dark: Dark Magic is derived from Fear within one's soul, usually cancelling out any form of Light magic which may exist within. Dark Magic can be embodied into a physical form, Creating Crystalline structures, or be spout as a grotesque mass of tentacles. Dark Magic can also be used in it's elemental form creating Powerful Beams of Energy, empowering weapons or transmuting Shadows. Dark Magic is used mostly for Destruction, and has very little healing potential, besides being able to partially bring the dead back to life. Dark Magic is carried on as the sub-Element of the Great Shadow Element, 'Evil'. Being so, a person able to use Dark Magic is not necessarily always an 'Evil' person, by Moral Standards.

'The Seventh Element': Not much is known about the Seventh Element, as not many people who are able to use it survive. They say that One-in-One-Billion sorcerers will ever be able to even understand the Seventh Element, and only One-in-One-Hundred of those are able to survive the initial experience of learning this magic, and the rest die after attempting to cast it. Traces of 'The Seventh Element' can be found in the sub-Elements of 'Void'.

**Note: Spiritual Magic, unlike all forms of it's Physical counterpart, cannot be learned by just anyone. Spiritual Magic can only be learned by a select few depending on the lifeforms, "Soul-Type".

Soul-Type 'A': A Light Soul, usually belonging to a 'Good' person, by moral standards. With 'Soul-Type A', a person can learn any form of Physical Magic, along with the Spiritual- 'Light' Magic.

Soul-Type 'B': A Dark Soul, usually belonging to an 'Evil' person, by moral standards. With 'Soul-Type B', a person can learn any form of Physical Magic, along with the Spiritual- 'Dark' Magic

Soul-Type 'AB': An Unearthly soul, This Soul-Type is incredibly rare. There is no Stereotype of person, by moral standards, who would have this Soul-Type. With 'Soul-Type AB', a person can learn any form of Physical Magic, as well as Both the Spiritual- 'Light' and 'Dark' Magics.

Soul-Type 'O': A Hallow soul, This Soul-Type, while less rare than 'Soul-Type AB', is still quite rare. This soul usually belongs to Monks or any others who follow the way of peace. A Person with 'Soul-Type O' cannot learn Physical Magic, but can learn any of the Three Spiritual Magics.

Soul-Type 'X': An Artificial Soul, This Soul-Type is not natural. This Soul-Type has never been found naturally in the world and has only ever been found to exist within Three people. A Person with 'Soul-Type X' can learn any Physical Magic, and Either 'Light' or 'Dark' magic, along with the Hellish 'Seventh Elemental' Magic."

"Magic does not have a single use. A skilled enough person can create uses for Magic, uses that defy these standards set."
-The Blue Mage, Warlic

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The old text snapped shut in his hands as he finished rereading that damned text for what had seemed like the thousandth time. Screams of terror and fear continued to ring from outside the tower, The Guardians had already dispatched and it seemed like it was time for him to go as well. To be honest, he was more concerned with the Moonlight than whatever petty thievery was going on outside. The Silver light penetrating in through the panes of glass. He reached his hand toward the starlit sky only to be met by the window pane. He let out a deep sigh and began his long walk out into the fray.



Mareth -> RE: [DF] A Hymn for the Dark (11/16/2013 20:51:26)

Chapter one: A Twist of Fate

He continued down the stairway, each twist of the hall seeming as though it were it's own journey. He was far too familiar with these steps, but he felt that if he were to ever stop walking, they would forget all about him. To them, he was nothing more than another pair of feet crushing them under his boots.

By the Time he reached the exit to the tower, shimmers of light began to show from the distance. It was apparent that a small fire must have broken out in the town's square, nothing a small blast of Ice couldn't handle, but there was something...different in the air tonight, something...Off. He shrugged it off, he felt things like this all the time, it was probably just another side effect.

He quickly paced around the town looking for the cause of the commotion. After maybe a good three minutes of searching he was greeted with a White blast of energy nearly scorching away the only visible half of his face. He jumped at first but then took a quick cover behind a wall. He was taken by surprise and his heart began to pound rapidly in his chest. He knew he would have to engage this person.

After a quick moment of thinking he shot up a wall of ice leading to the next building across, as he began to run past, the blast of light scorched the ice wall, causing him to tumble in surprise and fall upon his chest, quickly crawling behind the next building. "How can they see so well in such Darkness??" He asked himself in his less-than joyous tone of voice. When it suddenly hit him that he wasn't even sure where exactly his assailant was attacking him from, perhaps the vision of the fire was giving away his position, perhaps he put the wall up on the wrong side, but if that was the case why wasn't this person shooting at him now? He had to think of a way to engage this person before they had completely drained him of energy, thereafter he would be finished.

He briefly considered shooting off an Ice Spike in each direction, but what would happen if he hit an innocent? Just as he was preparing to put up another wall to test the direction of the attack, a small blade caught the corner of eye and he put up his arms across his face in protest. Luckily it caught his claw and was merely bounced back, he heard his attacker grunt in confusion, but he was quickly able to retaliate only being able to throw a rough wall of ice towards her before jumping backwards onto his feet. The wall made contact with the attacker and they were staggered backward. He was able to get a good look at the attacker during this moment, "Body-Type: Female" he muttered throwing out a few more shards of ice, of which the attacker was ready for and shattered them in a single sweep amongst the body of her large Staff-like weapon. "Heavily armored it looks like, I suppose this blade of mine won't do much good". This time she charged at him, blade aimed directly at his chest. He panicked and shot up a large spike of ice right before she hit, capturing her staff within and dragging it upward, leaving a long tear through his shirt and across his chest.

He cried out in both shock and agony, before delivering a powerful sweep with his claw to his attackers side. It hit with such force that she was knocked from her feet and onto the ground, as she lay there the light of the fire revealed a Sun hovering behind a cross embroidered onto the chest piece of her dark silver armor "One of Alteon's Dogs, maybe?" Before he had time to deliver the Coup de Grace, the attacker lifted her hand upward and fired another beam of light, hitting him directly in his right shoulder. He could tell this one wasn't nearly as strong as the previous two, but it tore the fabric of his long black coat and scorched his arm nonetheless.

He was knocked backward a few feet by the force of her magic. The attacker was able to quickly get onto her feet, before he was, and was in the process of freeing her Staff before he was even to a knee. She struggled at first, but, after noticing him coming to his feet again, quickly took both hands upon the staff, causing it to shimmer in a golden light, and quickly melted the ice encasing it.

"She's no ordinary assassin...is she?" He asked himself as he finally regained his footing. He knew that his Ice magic alone wouldn't be able to finish her off, and he wasn't comfortable using his Dark magic in a confined area like this, it was just too dangerous. He would have to try and quickly brush up on his blood magic.

The attacker stood her distance of no more than seven feet, no doubt awaiting to see his next attack. He raised his hand towards her, and as he did so, she curled hers towards herself and it began to glow a pale golden light. "She's preparing to blast me again...To bad she won't get the chance!" His dark voice cried out through the town, as it did she readied her hand out but it was quickly met with a Crimson-Colored crystal. "You filthy Necromancers..." He heard her say. "What won't you make into a weapon next!?" The anger in her voice was apparent and her Staff, which one glowed with a beautiful gold, became dark and twisted with blackness. "Dark Magic!?" he cried out in shock, as the girl rushed towards him bringing the staff down in a beautiful arc. He would have forgotten it had a blade if it had not brushed his hair as he side-stepped out of the attack.

How could she be able to use both Light AND Dark magics? That Soul-Type isn't common around the mainlands! Was she an outsider? He didn't have time to question it. As soon as she finished the first arc she followed up with another, and another, and another. He was quickly losing his breath, and was bound to lose his footing as well, He knew he would have to follow up with his Dark Magic Sooner or later, but he wanted to prolong it as much as possible. He decided he had to make a move now. The moment she brought down her blade, he reached and grabbed it just hard enough she couldn't bring it back up, he pulled his hand back towards, elbow arched slightly above his head with his palm facing towards her face, this was truthfully, the first time he had ever seen her face. Her eyes a bright yellow, and resembling those of a cat, and her hair long and black as a Raven's. Along her face a long wound from the center of her forehand down to her left ear, which passed just over her left eye. It was almost a shame he had to destroy such a thing.

A Sphere of Black energy began to form in his hand, slowly at first, but as it got bigger it began to grow faster. Fast enough that he wasn't able to stop it's wild growth and it detonated in his palm. Both he and his assailant were knocked to the ground, unconscious.



Mareth -> RE: [DF] A Hymn for the Dark (11/16/2013 22:59:05)

Chapter two: The Girl from Avolea

When he awoke, he lay in a small bed in Serenity's Inn, where he usually slept. His wounds from the previous night stung with a heavy pain, even after they had been bandaged and soaked in Medicinal Herbs. This wasn't the first time Serenity had to carry him to his bed and tend to his wounds, he was renowned for protecting this bustling town, and the people revered him for such. But to be honest, he only did it so he would have a place to stay. He was no valiant, noble Hero. Not a Strong, Handsome, Knight in Shining Armor hell-bent on saving some princess, from some castle, in some evil kingdom. He was just himself. A wraggler looking for a place to stay while trying to understand what he had become.

He hoped down from his bunk with a loud thud, for being a man of such a small stature, he seemed to carry on a lot of weight. He went to the rack around the door and grabbed his newly re-sown white shirt, His Stitched-and-tattered Black overcoat, and his long crimson scarf, and put each on in respective order. As he did so, he began to wonder what had become of his assailant. He stepped out of his room as was greeted by the same friendly voice that greeted him every morning. "GoodMorning Mareth! Are you feeling alright? You shouldn't be out of bed with wounds like that!" Serenity would chime at him, just as she did every morning.

"I'm Fine Serenity." He uttered in his morose tone of voice, "May I ask you something?".
"Well of course! Anything at all!" She chirped happily.
"The Girl, from last night..." He began, "What happened to her?"
"Ohhh, She's resting in the other room, you two really did a number on each other you know."
"Yes. I know..." Mareth said shamefully, the fact that someone had managed to beat him up THAT badly, dimming what little pride he had. "I'm going to go check on her. Where did you leave my blade?"
"It's locked up!" She snapped, "There will not be ANY fighting in my Inn! I don't care what you have against each other, but I put too much time and work into this place for you to go and bang it up like you did the square!"
"...Fair enough" He shrugged it off, and walked into the other room.

"Had we really caused that much damage?" he asked himself, thinking back to the fight. He couldn't remember any actual destruction being done to the town, "Was it my failed Dark attack that caused it?" he wondered. He would be sure to investigate the remains later on in the day. He tugged on the handle to the door but to no avail "Serenity...!" he cried down the hall. She looked puzzled for a moment, and as if a sudden rush of memory hit, she reached into her desk, grabbed the keys and flung them towards Mareth, who still not exactly in his wake, was met with a face full of keys, which then descended quickly to the floor.

He blinked at them for a moment, then proceeded to pick them up. Hearing a snicker from the mixture of patrons, he turned and opened the door to the Girl's room and locked it shut behind him. He looked over, to her bed. She was still asleep, her armor lay in a chest at the foot of her bed. All she was wearing now were a ragged black shirt and slacks. If he only had his blade he could end this very quickly without that thick armor protecting her. But No. He had to understand exactly WHY she came here to kill him. WHY such a powerful Soul-Type was all the way down here in the mainlands. He would just have to wait until she woke up and force the answers out of her.

A few hours passed, before finally the Girl awoke, her eyes had barely opened When a shard of Ice flew just above her head landing in the wall above her. "'Morning Sunshine" Mareth added in a slightly different accent than before. She looked confused at first, but then slightly angry. She tried to move but as she did her wounds got the greater of her and she collapsed back in the bed.

"Nice try." Mareth Snapped, back into his regular Melancholy tone "But my claw here did a good bit of work on you". She reached to her side and after laying a hand on it cried out in pain. "Don't worry, it'll stop hurting after a while, just rest some." he assured. "But for now, I have a few questions to ask of you."
"It's not like it isn't anything you don't already know." She replied coldly. Her voice was soft, yet grungy at the same time, it was light and happy, yet cold and alone.
"First off, what's your name?" Mareth asked, trying to sound as polite as he possibly could
"My name? I don't have one. Everyone just refers to me as TigerLady." She responded, turning to not face him
"Everyone calls you 'Tigerlady'?" He almost asks himself. "Well, what do you call yourself then?"
She sat quite for a minute before uttering "Shadow."
"Ah, Shadow is it then? I like that. has a certain ring to it." he said playfully trying to keep the mood light.
"Then Tell me 'Shadow', Why are you trying to kill me? What have I EVER done wrong to you?"
"You're a Damned Necromancer!" She turned to look at him and attempted to lift herself up again, before losing strength.
"Im a WHAT!?" he shouted in reply
"A Necromancer! And if I ever want to earn my Freedom I have to kill ALL of you!" She looked almost hurt at this point, but was still staying strong

Mareth was generally confused at this point, not knowing what to say he just stared at her for a minute.
"And now you're just going to kill me aren't you?" She asked quietly.
"Of course not you buffoon." He said softly, but with a noticeable tone of anger "I'm not what you think I am."
"Don't lie to me!" She growled "I could feel your energy from miles away."
"No. I'm not a Necromancer. I'm just Different." He responded
"You're...'Different'?" She asked, confused.
"Yes, that I am. But don't fret with me. Tell me, what did you mean by 'earning your freedom'?"

She proceeded to tell him, of the town where she was left as a child. The town of Avolea. She told him, of her Half-Demon heritage, and of how she was treated by townsmen. She told him, of her only friend as a child, an unbeknownst daughter of King Alteon, who was killed by a Snake-Bite, and how the Townsmen blamed her for the death of the child. She told him, how in her rage, she accidentally destroyed the town of Avolea, and how by releasing the dark power, changed her physical appearance which she only kept looking normal through the help of Illusion Magic. She told him, how she was dragged off by Alteons men into the Prison's of Sword Haven, and was supposed to live out her life in there. And she told him, of how the Necromancers attacked, and how she broke free, and how if she wanted to earn her Freedom, Alteon had commanded that she Kill the 100 Necromancers plaguing the land, and ultimately Sepulchure to truly, earn her freedom. But Mostly, she told him how she hated the Dark magic, and how she just wanted to be free. And He genuinely felt bad for her.



Mareth -> RE: [DF] A Hymn for the Dark (11/22/2013 19:10:06)

Chapter Three: The Beginning of A Long Time

Mareth couldn't help but stare in amazement for a moment, "A Half-Demon...In this land", he would think to himself. It wasn't the most unusual thing he's seen, but definitely ranks on his list.

He pushed himself off the wall he had been leaning against, and began to unlock the door. His business here was done.

"Wait a Damn Minute." Shadow called after him before he could even find the key, jumbled amidst the various others. He looked at her, and uttered a swift "What?"
"You're just going to leave me here then? Not going to kill me? Help me? You're just going to leave me in my agony~!?" She shouted at him, attempting to pick herself up from the bed once more before being overtaken by her wounds.
"I'm not going to kill you. Your reason was justified, as misjudged as you were, but now you know better." Mareth answered softly, his gentlemanly accent kicking in, but he shook it off and returned to his norm "I'll send for you a healer in a moment, The Marks left by my claw should heal in time, as regular Magic has no effect on me, or anything of my making."

She grunted a little, and he began to leave again, but she stopped him once more. "Well. I've told you my story. Tell me yours, and about that claw thing."

Mareth stopped fumbling with the keys, and turned completely to face her. He raised his left arm upward, and pulled down the Black Sleeve that had covered all but the pointed tips of what was once his arm. What stood in it's place was a sort of claw wrapped in bandages from the tip of each finger to his elbow. "THIS, is my punishment. I failed my only job, and let my people die. As far as I've learned, It's permanent". His once morose tone took on a bit of a growl at this point, "And that's all you need to know". He dropped his claw back down to his side, his sleeve immediately following over it.

Shadow was intrigued, but not Impressed. "I told you my entire tragedy, and all you're going to do is show me some 'punishment' of yours? Doesn't sound very fair if you ask me."
"Well it's all you're going to get for now, at least" Mareth replied disgruntled. He finally fingered the room key out from the parade of others and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Now, as for my Weapon?" He asked turning to Serenity.
"Ah, Yes!" She replied cheerfully, turning behind her and entering the room behind her. She returned a moment later with the blade in hand, it's Beautiful Black Sheathe polished brightly. The Sword itself was nothing special, a Thin-almost Rapier like blade attached to a Silver hilt, twisting around the very bottom of the blade and the entirety of the light Orangish-Red handle, but the Sheathe was very special to him, Along it's Black body, lay several carvings in a silvery material. The Most notable of which read 'Serenity'. The Innkeeper would constantly pester him about the origin of this name, believing he had named it after her. However, the name was much more than that. To Mareth, it stood as the shinning of the silver moon, which invoked a feeling of a deep peace inside of him, a peace he had not known for a very long time. And with each time he looked at the blade, the feeling would grow stronger, and as he stared at his reflection in the sheen of the blade, he could almost see just how much he had grown, and just how strong he could be. So, with no other name befitting it as well, he dubbed the weapon 'Serenity'.

He stood looking at the Hilt for a good minute before taking it from her, nodding as he did so.
"Take good care of it for me" She said with her usual Smile.
Mareth chuckled slightly "I'll try" he said in return. As he began to exit the building he stopped abruptly, never taking his gaze from the door "Also, be sure to send a Healer to that girl in there, I beat her up a little to hard, I suppose."
"TigerLady, you mean". The Innkeeper added cheerfully "I'll be sure to send someone her way immediately!"
"Good."

Mareth fastened his blade around his side and motioned himself the rest of the way out the door, and began to inspect the town. The fire had obviously been extinguished by now, the roofs were a bit scorched but what else was expected. The ground along where he left his walls of ice were still slightly frozen over, and the spot where they had, presumably, been standing when Mareth had begun his Dark Energy attack was covered in a black, almost scorched looking surface which spread out over a few hundred feet and even a few nearby houses. It would probably come off in time, and the townsfolk were already working on the cleanup.

He brushed past the busy people, he aimed to return to the tower as he usually did and would go back to his reading. Though he had thoroughly scanned the text dozens of times, he still believed that it held the secret to fixing what he had broken. The original author was apparently some ancient sorcerer who was a master of many different forms of magic. They say he was able to see into other planes of existence and that's how he learned so much. Nobody ever knew his real name and they only referred to him by the name he used to pen his books, Ghil. He apparently vanished after finishing the book, but since then countless legendary spell-casters and Mages have added onto it notes and sources of their own, making it the most apparent source of knowledge for magic there is. Only one copy was ever written, making it a great treasure amongst mages. Therefore, the only safe place to keep it was within the walls of a guardian tower.

Upon finally arriving to the tower, Mareth could instantly feel something was off. He rushed up the stairs, but they didn't speak to him as they usually did. He quickly opened the door and felt terror befall him. The room was filled with a smog-like air, and the lorekeeper lay unconscious over his desk. Quickly, Mareth pulled his Crimson Scarf over his mouth and nose, as to not breathe in the foul air, and threw the lorekeeper over his shoulder, rushing him down into the main hall. His comrades looked on in a panic. They attempted to question Mareth, but he ignored them and ran back into the library. "It must still be there!" He thought to himself.

As he rushed back into the room, he first checked the table where he usually sat in the corner of the room. "Not There". He turned himself to the shelves, he didn't remember putting it back, but it had to have been there. It just had to. He scanned for what seemed like hours, until the Smog began to overtake him. He pushed himself out of the room, the smog weighing over him. He just barely made it into the main hall before the overtake of the smog got the best of him and he had to take a seat on the stairwell. Immediately he was crowded by the Guardians once more. He couldn't escape their questions this time.

"I don't know what the hell happened" Mareth snapped at them "But Aquo Verum, and what looked like many other books on Dark Magic where all missing..."
"I thought something was off about that man" Replied a faint voice from behind the crowd. All turned to look, and it had seemed the lorekeeper had awoken from his unconscious state.
"What are you talking about?" Mareth asked, assuming the loreKeeper was talking about him.
"Last Night, long after you left, Another man came in asking about our books on Magic" replied the loreKeeper "I asked him what type of magic he was looking for. When he told me it was Dark Magic, All I did was ask him 'why?'" The lorekeeper lowered his face to attempt to hide his shame "He told me that he didn't have time for my questions and cast some kind of spell...Next thing I knew I was here"
"What did he look like!?" Mareth snapped
"He was tall, really tall...and he had a black shawl. He was wearing a hood so I couldn't make much of his face, and underneath it he had a set of Black and Gold armor..." The lorekeeper answered, frightened by Mareth's tone.

Mareth stared in wonder for a moment, "Maybe he was the Necromancer Shadow had sensed was here..." he thought. Mareth pulled himself up to his feet. "I don't care what he wanted those books for, but I want them back." The Guardians returned their gaze to him "Surely, you aren't going to go after this man? One who can so easily put under spell an entire library then escape without being noticed? Only a fool would believe they stood a chance against a mage like that!" One of them shouted at him.
"If you didn't notice," Mareth glanced towards the person and pointed slightly to his own Crimson Scarf "I happened to hold my own against his magic for a while."
The Guardian silenced himself in shame, as a few of the others chuckled at him.
"I know of someone who can sense Dark Mages like that." Mareth answered back and took his leave from the tower.

The townsmen had done a fairly good job of cleaning up the mess, as the always do when Falconreach is attacked and were all mostly back in their homes, besides the few regulars who tend to loiter around the town. As Mareth approached the Inn once again, he noted that Shadow was standing outside, fully decked in her armor once again, Serenity was returning her Weapon to her, and bidding her safe travels. As she turned, she saw Mareth approaching, gave him a stinging look and turned to walk the opposite direction. "Wait!" He called after her, and gave a motion for Serenity to return inside, she nodded at him with a smile and returned to her post inside. As she did Shadow turned around to face Mareth giving a sharp "What do you want?". He winced at first, but continued towards and stopped within just a few feet.

"What weighs more Shadow, Your Weapon, or Your Past?" Mareth asked in a somewhat cold tone.
She seemed surprised by this, and in her surprise she was unable to give him an answer, as Rhetorical as his question was.
"Everyone faces their own Reckoning." Mareth added on, seeing the surprise in her eyes.
"What are you talking about? Why are you here?" She snapped at him aggressively
"You can't run from your past Shadow. Believe me...I've tried. But you can redeem yourself. And I want to help you do so."
"I don't need help from someone like you." She snapped again.
"You don't understand girl. A Necromancer was here last night. He snuck past both of us, and stole something that is very dear to me" Mareth looked her dead in the eyes "And I need to get it back."
"So there was a Necromancer!" She scoffed, clenching her fist "And I let him get away...Tell me then. Why should I trust you?"
"Because I'm the only help you're going to get"
She looked at him for a minute, weighing the truth in his answer "Fine. But don't think that this means we're friends or anything. This is strictly business."
"I wouldn't have it any other way" Mareth replied, nodding at her.

And with that the two set off from the town.



Mareth -> RE: [DF] A Hymn for the Dark (11/24/2013 22:16:42)

Chapter Four: The Long Road

The fire crackled amidst the darkness surrounding the duo. Shadow held her hands towards the flame that she may warm them, while Mareth simply kept his in the arms of his coat, not wanting to get to close. Hardly a word was ever said between the duo during this long waits for night to end. It had been almost a week since they left Falconreach and their relationship hadn't improved much at all.

Their days consist of much walking, a few words being exchanged back and forth. Mostly it was about the scenery or Mareth questioning Shadow of her senses, asking how far away the Necromancer must be, she usually wouldn't respond. Whether she was ignoring him or just not paying attention was not apparent. He usually assumed it was the first option, but it didn't bother him to much, he was used to being alone, and this was essentially the same thing, just with one extra person.

The Nights weren't much different, only even less talking than before. One couldn't really comment on the scenery when it was all enshrouded in blackness. Shadow was always the first to fall asleep, as Mareth enjoyed the cold feel of the nights air, and the company of the moon altogether. Every so often he would watch as Shadow went to sleep, "I don't hate you" he would think "Not particularly fond of you...but don't hate you." On a single occasion as he went to douse the fire, he noticed the girl shivering in the cold. He sighed, and snuck up behind her covering her with his own quilt over hers, and slowly coursing the fire a ways toward her "No...I don't hate you..." he had scoffed under his breathe, a small grin taking form on his face for a quick second, before returning to his norm. The morning after, when Mareth had awoken, both quilts were already packed and Shadow had already been waiting for him to awaken. No mention of the extra quilt, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, Mareth didn't want her thinking of him as a nice guy to begin with.

As the night went on various creatures could be heard coming from the darkness. It didn't bother either of the pair, as any animal with a bit of sense would feel their energy and be immediately scared away. This night was warmer than usual, mostly due to the fire shining brighter than on most nights. Mareth had managed to find a surplus of burnable wood.

"Thanks...By the Way." Shadow let out quietly as if almost ashamed
Mareth looked at her questioningly "What?" he asked half asleep
"Thanks...For trying to keep me warm." She looks down towards her feet almost shamefully
"Don't mention it..." Mareth answered

She didn't reply but just kept staring at her feet a while before deciding to head to sleep. Mareth watched her for a little while and decided to head to bed himself after making sure she was asleep "I couldn't hate you...not after what you've been through...". He didn't extinguish the fire, it was nice not freezing to death at night for once. He lay out on the grass for a while, staring at the Night sky, and raised his clawed hand upwards as if trying to reach out and grab the moon.

"Will you ever tell me your story?" Mareth heard her say before looking through the fire towards her
"Why are you still awake girl?" He asked her, disregarding her question
"I was sleeping. And then I woke up. Not that hard to grasp, is it?" Her words piercing out towards him
Mareth chuckled at first "You're pretty clever, you know that?" he laughed "Maybe I will tell you my story one day...maybe."
Shadow sighed, apparently not satisfied with the answer "Fine. Answer me one thing, however."
"What might your question be?" He replied
"Back in Falconreach, Was that Dark Magic you were trying to use?"
"That it was." He replied after a short time "I'm not particularly skilled in using it...It's not really...my first choice in magic..."
She was quiet for a minute "I can help you learn sometime. I've all but gotten the hang of it, I suppose."
Another moment of silence befell the pair "That would be nice..." Mareth replied with a chuckle

"Now go back to sleep Girl." He smirked before turning on his side

The Next morning the pair cleaned their campsite as usual, nary speaking a word to each other. They figured things would still be the exact same as they were beforehand. The fire had burned out during the night, and Mareth loaded both the quilts into his pack and threw it over his shoulder.
"Are you ready to head out?" Mareth asked her
"Yeah, let's go." She responded

As cold as she was, her response took Mareth by surprise. Usually all he was given was a simple nod, or sometimes not even that. Often she would just begin walking off on her own, expecting him to follow behind. He gave her a small chuckle in response, and with that they began to walk once more.

The Long road ahead of them stretching out like an outward horizon.



Mareth -> RE: [DF] A Hymn for the Dark (11/29/2013 22:31:02)

Chapter Five: Nightmares

"Wait." Shadow said, suddenly coming to a halt in her tracks. Mareth would nearly have run into her had he been paying any less attention to his surroundings than what he was.
"What? What is it? A Necromancer?" He asked her, almost half-excitedly.
"Something of the sort. We should find a nearby town and ask them about anything off" She answered taking off in the direction of the energy.

They had been walking several weeks since their conversation at the campfire, and for three days they had been stuck in a thick forest. Mareth had begun to believe that they had gotten them-self lost, but he kept his faith that shadow knew where she was going, she did have a map, after all. They had begun to talk a little more, conversations had gone from being nothing more than merely the scenery, to an array of things varying from magic, to their personal lives. They were beginning to like each other a little more, but still didn't consider each other to be 'friends' just yet. Even still, Shadow had kept to her promise of teaching Mareth to better use his Dark Magic, as slow of a learner as he was to it. He wasn't accustomed to the non-traditional means of it's casting. His Ice and Blood Magic, being physical, were much simpler and required much less emotion, compared to the the Dark Spiritual magic.

Every other day or so, after the two had settled down for the day, Shadow would take it upon herself to help Mareth better use his magic. "You have to focus on your inner anger!" She would yell at him as he attempted to conjure up the Dark Essence.
"Even if you aren't angry all the time, your body still hinders some within you". She had already taught him a perfected version of the spherical blast attack that he had attempted to use during their fight, and how to rise a slight shield out of dark energy. He couldn't muster up one quite large enough to cover himself like he could with his ice magic, but twas' all a learning process, none-the-less.

With this learning of the magic, Mareth often thought of how different things would be, had he had this knowledge of Dark Magic during their initial encounter. They wouldn't be where they are today had he finished her then and there. But such thoughts are nothing more than petty.

The two continued on for some time upon what seemed to be a worn-down pathway through the thick brush which littered the forest ground. After a few moments Shadow had stumbled upon an old sign which indicated the direction of a small town by the name of 'Viridan Grove'.

"We should check here first, if a Necromancer is nearby, the townsfolk are sure to have noticed something off!" Shadow said adjusting her knapsack.
"I'm following you then" Mareth replied almost jokingly
"Good. It seems to be getting dark, however. If we don't make it their soon, we're going to have to set up a camp" She added, adjusting her knapsack once more before heading off in the direction the sign was pointed. The pair had walked until they were unable to see in the darkness. Shadow grabbed hold of Mareth's arm, and he did the same to her. They had gotten used to being covered in pitch black, and found it better to stay together than to accidentally drift away from each other.

With her free hand, Shadow created a small candle-like beam out of her light magic to show them the way just ahead, and using this light, Mareth managed to gather just enough debris and clear away enough of the brush as to not light the whole forest ablaze. With a snap of his fingers Mareth managed to make a small spark, just enough to ignite the debris. He wasn't much of a Pyromancer, but after nothing but reading books on Magic, one tends to pick up a few tricks. With the ignition of the fire, the two let go of each-other's arms and sat down next to each other. Usually they would sit opposite sides from each other, but due to poor placement next to a tree, the amount of space was very limited. They went on with their not-so-usual chatter, as usual, and Shadow pulled a piece Bread from her pack and split it in half, keeping one piece for herself and handing the other to Mareth.

Food had become hard to cross in this forest, while in the plains they had usually been able to hunt a little game, or find a few low-lying trees of which they would rob their freshest fruits. But this forest seemed to lack any source of a meal in general. Requiring Mareth and Shadow to split off a portion of the rations Shadow had kept in her knapsack.

"I do hope that they'll be able to put us up in a room we arrive" Mareth said half coherently
"I would neither doubt it, or expect it." Shadow added in a low tone of voice
"What makes you say that?" Mareth asked her looking at her with an almost-confused expression
"Not every town is as nice as that Falconreach of yours, you know. Not everyone will be as kind as that Innkeeper and give away free rooms, because we look hurt." She added, seeming almost hurt by her own words
Mareth didn't say anything at first, but then with a pat on her back answered "Falconreach isn't my town, to be honest. I was just staying there, until I could learn how to reverse my curse."
"Your curse? I thought you said it was a punishment?" Shadow asked, looking back at him with a similar confused look
"The same thing pretty much. I was cursed AS punishment for my crimes." He answered
"You've still never told me of your crimes. Or anything about you. I don't even know why I'm still trusting you." Shadow snapped at him, returning her gaze to the fire
"Maybe one day I will..." he answered softly, patting her back again
"That's what you said last time." Shadow answered coldly.

Mareth chuckled at her, but didn't give an answer. They sat in silence for the rest of the night, before Shadow finally decided it was time she go to sleep. Soon afterwards Mareth followed. Terrible dreams cursed the two into the night, horrible visions, wraiths, eternal blackness, many horrible things, causing each to wake up once or twice out of sheer terror. When the dawn broke, neither of the pair seemed to have had much rest from the night before, but had decided that it was still best to get up and keep heading towards the town.
After just over two miles of walking the large, Moss-covered Arch overhanging the entrance to the town became visible in the distance.

"Here it is" Shadow sighed, the exhaust of the previous night's terrors had begun taking their toll on her.
Mareth looked on, lugging slightly farther behind and mirrored her sigh "Good...I'm rather exhausted. Maybe we'll ask around after we take a rest..."
"My Mission comes before anything else" She snapped at him
"Yes, but we're both obviously overwhelmed with exhaustion, if it WERE a Necromancer at work here, we wouldn't be able to handle ourselves against him like this!" Mareth snapped back, his weariness turning into bitterness
"I never said we were going to take whatever this was ON today! We just need to ask about it!" Shadow snapped right back

Mareth thought for a moment before consenting to her decision, he wasn't sure why he was angry, and neither was she, it had to have been more than just exhaustion come over them. Neither one could place anything on it, but for whatever reason, a strong feeling of heaviness was upon them.

They nudged it off as nothing and made their way into the town. The people there seemed gloomy and morose, and the town looked as though it hadn't been taken care of in months. All of the townsfolk just slugged around, dragging their arms and slouching. Large bags had formed under their eyes.

"What's wrong with these people?" Shadow questioned out loud
Mareth eyed around at the people studying them for a short moment before giving his answer "Perhaps, they're deprived of sleep?"
"An Entire town? That's Ridiculous!" She scoffed "Though actually, maybe it's something of the likes. Perhaps they're succumbing to the same hellish nightmares we were faced with?"
"Maybe..." Mareth murmured in reply "I suppose though, the only surefire way to find out is to ask somebody"
"That's true I guess. Let's find an Inn or Shelter, anywhere we can set up for a few days, and we'll start our research there." Shadow answered beaming a small grin
Mareth chuckled "I'm right behind you then!"

They searched the city for only a few minutes before coming to an Inn. The walls had been covered in an overgrown viney-moss substance, and the windows were tarnished with a coat of dirt and grime. This place seemed fairly uninviting, but with the condition of the town in general, there wasn't much of a difference.

Mareth approached the door first and slowly pushed it open and extended an arm out over it to allow Shadow through before him "Ladies First" chuckling as she passed by
"Hello?" She cried out into the dreary place, waiting a moment before crying out again, this time extending it out a bit
"I'm coming! I'm coming!" A harsh voice cried out from the next room over. A girl, about 30 years of age, slugged her way into the room "What is it you want..?" She asked, seemingly half asleep
Shadow took a look at the girl studying from head to toe "A room. We would like a room." She said bluntly
"Really?" The Innkeeper asked "You REALLY want to get a room here?"
"Yes. Actually, two would be preffered." Shadow said almost snapping at her
"Whatever you want then." The Innkeeper rebutted looking down at a notepad "Okay, for the two rooms, it will cost you 40 gold per night then."
"Seems fair" Shadow said reaching into her knapsack. Before she could pull the gold from her pouch, Mareth had already placed 120 pieces onto the counter infront of them.
"This one's on me" He said in a half-laugh
"Okay, so Three nights then?" The Innkeeper asked
"Correct" Shadow and Mareth replied in Unison.
The Innkeeper looked down, scribbled something down on her notepad, and returned her gaze to the pair "Names?"
"I'm Mareth" Mareth answered
"And just put me down as Tigerlady" Shadow added immediately after
"Done and done." The woman said jotting the names down on the notepad "Don't expect a good nights rest though." She said putting the notepad underneath the desk

Mareth and Shadow both bore a similar look of shock on their face as they turned to each other. The same thought crossing through their minds.

"And why might that be?" Shadow asked pressing both her hands onto the desk.
"Nobody around these parts has had a well rest in just under a year" The Woman replied with a growl
Shadow and Mareth stood in silence a moment "How peculiar" Shadow added as if she had no concern for the matter
"Yeah, it all happened when this strange researcher showed up one day, wanting to investigate the ruins in the east. 'said he was looking for some sort of magic machine or something...We've sent people up there after him, but none of them returned, and we eventually just gave up trying." the Innkeeper seemed to slump downwards into a chair at the saying of this "But don't let our 'Small-world problems' concern you. Your rooms are on the second floor." She added and lay her head down on the desk

"Thank you then, Miss" Mareth said as he headed toward the stairway, Shadow following behind him.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" She whispered to him
"Dark Energy, Nightmares?" He laughed "It HAS to be a Necromancer!!"



Mareth -> RE: [DF] A Hymn for the Dark (12/7/2013 21:04:23)

Chapter Six: As the First Leaf Falls

"Now.." Shadow added, leaning against the door of the room she had been assigned, Mareth doing the same respectively. "We can not be 100-Percent sure of this person being a Necromancer. What if he is nothing more than a cultist? Or just some Dark Mage?"
"I suppose you do have a good point" Mareth replied supporting his index finger and thumb along his chin-line "Either way, I believe we should check it out. If they are a Necromancer, we shouldn't take any chances"
"That's true as well. We'll check it out in the morning." Shadow added again, turning to enter her room
"Speaking of which" Mareth chimed in before she could leave the scene "How many of these Necromancers have you slain?" he asked inquisitively
She stopped and without even turning back to face him answered "80 or so, add or subtract maybe 3."

Mareth's eyes widened at her response "She's much stronger than she would let off to be" he thought to himself. Necromancers, as tedious as they are to deal with, are still incredibly powerful mages, and can not be easily defeated, especially not by a girl all in her lonesome. Shadow proceeded into her room without another word, and after a moment of silence, Mareth followed the same. As Night approached, each of the pair was weary of going to sleep, but were quickly succumbed to the call of the dreamworld. And just as the night before, wicked visions corrupted their minds, Dark tendrils attacking them as they became powerless to defend themselves, terrible and gruesome sights presented before their sights, and so much more were enveloped within their minds. Both Mareth and Shadow woke up in a shot of terror, broken out in a horrible sweat with hearts racing. Shadow lay in her bed a while longer to collect her thoughts, but Mareth pulled himself outward and managed himself towards the nearest mirror.

He looked down from it at first, as if not wanting to see his own face, he looked up to see his Sky-Blue eyes still as they were, his long White hair covering the right half of his face in the front, and leading it's way towards his mid waist down the back, and the Crimson scarf still wrapped around his neck. He had to make sure his appearance wasn't out of the norm after being assaulted by the wicked visions. He rubbed his hand down his face, and proceeded to gather his long black coat.

Within two hours Shadow had met Mareth waiting for her in the main room, the innkeeper jotting something down in her notepad.
"Shall we be off then?" Shadow asked wiping at the dark circles that had formed under her eyes over the past two nights
"We will set off whenever you are ready" He yawned in reply
Shadow nodded at him and turned her attention to the Innkeeper "You said something about ruins yesterday? Did you not?"
"Yes." The woman behind the desk answered with an irritated grunt
"And where might they be then?" Mareth asked, finishing Shadow's question
"To the east like I told you!" The Woman snapped disgruntled. The Heavy feeling in the air once again taking it's presence over them
Mareth squinted his eyes in anger before shaking the feeling off "What is that?" he muttered to himself, fanning at the air

The Innkeeper shook her head and blinked a few times before the heaviness would desist "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout" She added "It's about a mile out of town, just follow the road. Why? Are you two planning on heading there?" The woman asked in a confused daze
"Something like that" Shadow replied
"We just want to take a look" Mareth chuckled in addition
The Innkeeper let out a sigh "Whatever. Just don't say I didn't warn you about that place."
"I'm sure we can handle ourselves just fine" Mareth said almost immediately before rising from the chair he had taken his seat in "Let's go" he added motioning for Shadow to follow behind him as he exited the building

Shadow followed him out and the two managed their way through the town until coming to the Eastern-most entrance. This gate didn't look near as worn down as the one in which the pair entered the first time around. This one, while still slightly overrun with moss, was bent downwards, and covered in a blackened rust, almost as if it had been burnt over many times. It almost looked as if some heavy object was weighing it down. Wary enough, the two passed through the gate and followed the path, which had been also overrun with moss, until they came upon the temple.

Almost immediately both Mareth and Shadow were met with the foul smell of rotting meat. Both choked for a minute before adjusting to the scent. Mareth pulled the scarf over his mouth and nose as he had done in the Guardian tower before. "This is the smell of decay, surely" Mareth said focusing his eyes on the temple. It was a beautiful place, or would have been if not also overgrown with moss, and dying/dead plants. It was made completely of marble in the structure of a sort of pyramid, but with multiple flat levels ascending towards the top. Two large Pillars jut out from the ground in the front of the temple. All of which was within a large clearing in the middle of the forest, with a small, nearly dried out lake to the side of the building. "I'm almost certain that Necromancy is being performed here" Shadow said, coughing once more as to adjust to the horrible smell.

"Well, we won't know anything for sure until we check it out" Mareth replied taking a few steps toward the temple. Almost immediately Shadow noticed movement from the outer-most edge of the clearing "Mareth! Wait!" She said in a mixture of a shout and a whisper "Take a look at the forest".

Mareth stopped in his steps and sent his gaze around the corners of the woods. Within such, he could make out decayed figures of animals, people, and many other things which no longer seemed to have a definite classification. "Get your weapon ready" He whispered back to Shadow as he drew Serenity from it's Sheathe.

*Sorry for shortness atm, Will add more later! Having a really busy weekend! v.v*



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