Aug 18, 2019 5:14 pm
You knew it was a dream, a lucid colorless dream inhabited by thousands of beads of pulsating light. Each orb different in size and color, but all just circling and swirling slowly in a ballet of dull glamour. But out of the thousands you see, you notice 3 of the orbs nearby that are of the same blood shade each time their lights flicker. You felt a slight brush of wind on your forehead followed by a roaming tingling sensation. The tingling sensation lasted for a few heartbeats more before it quickly grew to that of inch long thorns. A cackle from somewhere beyond the grey draws your attention, another cackle from behind and then a sharp pain, like wicked nails digging out from your chest. You could barely breath and you fall on one knee.
You open your mouth and began to shout out a name, a name that is familiar to you, and then you shout another name but this time the name that you cried out bears with it a darker meaning in a voice that is barely even yours. The agony in your chest ends as quickly as it began when an ash colored mass, a shadow, shoots out from your mouth. The shadow then flies straight and true towards each one of blood colored orbs, consuming the first two in a flash of bright yellow light. But there is something wrong with the scene, something in it that troubles your very soul. You try to reach and save the last orb, hoping to stop it from being swallowed. But your legs fail as you took your first step and your vision ends in darkness in an ice cold embrace that washes over your body.
"Master Averton! Master Averton! Wake up, wake up!" cried someone whose voice trembles with concern. "Master Averton! Please wake up, are you feeling alright? You are bloodied sir, are you hurt?!"
Somewhere inside your head a dull throbbing feeling responds, forcing your eyes to remain shut to the noisy world. You curl your hands in an attempt to grasp the soft linen of your luxurious bedding but instead your fingers dig through soil and grass. You feel a wetness on every inch of your head and chest, something heavy, slick and cold. Your eyes crack wide open with dread but then to your relief you realize you are merely covered in some kind of fragrant vegetable soup.
Vegetable soup?
"Apologies Master Averton but me and Master Remousse were on our way back to the fort from the nearby village with the supply of rations. I was fortunate enough to be given this barrel of yummy soup... that is well... now all over you." Nicco meekly says as he pulls out a rag cloth and begins to wipe away as much soup and grime as he could.
"Enough talk you two, Master Averton we need to head back and join up with the rest of the company. Your father will not be pleased if he learns that we have found you in this manner. And by my missing beard, what were you doing out here in the first place?" thundered Remousse, his voice as thick and strict as his discipline. Long have you grown up under his arms tutelage and as such you feel that every time he speaks to you he is on the verge of another sermon, yet there is a long drawn distress in the current tone of his voice.
Out here? You wondered at the words Remousse spoke Out here! You exclaimed in your doubts. You weakly stand up and indeed saw that you are outside the protective embrace of the walls of the fort. You stand a good fifty paces outside in the middle of a thick copse of young Lemur-wood trees. Your mind now is still reeling from the truth, your loyal retainer grabs you before you fall once more. A flurry of more hands and hushed talk accompanied you back to the barracks. By the time you senses have been grounded and cleared, you are sitting on a weathered cot, sipping hot bland tea and just hoping that everything that is happening was just part of an ongoing nightmare.
"Err Master Averton?" your retainer squeaks nervously, whose presence you barely acknowledged. "I know this might not be the best time for it but you need to know that while you were...ah... out... one of guards have been found... dead."
"The second one this week."
You open your mouth and began to shout out a name, a name that is familiar to you, and then you shout another name but this time the name that you cried out bears with it a darker meaning in a voice that is barely even yours. The agony in your chest ends as quickly as it began when an ash colored mass, a shadow, shoots out from your mouth. The shadow then flies straight and true towards each one of blood colored orbs, consuming the first two in a flash of bright yellow light. But there is something wrong with the scene, something in it that troubles your very soul. You try to reach and save the last orb, hoping to stop it from being swallowed. But your legs fail as you took your first step and your vision ends in darkness in an ice cold embrace that washes over your body.
"Master Averton! Master Averton! Wake up, wake up!" cried someone whose voice trembles with concern. "Master Averton! Please wake up, are you feeling alright? You are bloodied sir, are you hurt?!"
Somewhere inside your head a dull throbbing feeling responds, forcing your eyes to remain shut to the noisy world. You curl your hands in an attempt to grasp the soft linen of your luxurious bedding but instead your fingers dig through soil and grass. You feel a wetness on every inch of your head and chest, something heavy, slick and cold. Your eyes crack wide open with dread but then to your relief you realize you are merely covered in some kind of fragrant vegetable soup.
Vegetable soup?
"Apologies Master Averton but me and Master Remousse were on our way back to the fort from the nearby village with the supply of rations. I was fortunate enough to be given this barrel of yummy soup... that is well... now all over you." Nicco meekly says as he pulls out a rag cloth and begins to wipe away as much soup and grime as he could.
"Enough talk you two, Master Averton we need to head back and join up with the rest of the company. Your father will not be pleased if he learns that we have found you in this manner. And by my missing beard, what were you doing out here in the first place?" thundered Remousse, his voice as thick and strict as his discipline. Long have you grown up under his arms tutelage and as such you feel that every time he speaks to you he is on the verge of another sermon, yet there is a long drawn distress in the current tone of his voice.
Out here? You wondered at the words Remousse spoke Out here! You exclaimed in your doubts. You weakly stand up and indeed saw that you are outside the protective embrace of the walls of the fort. You stand a good fifty paces outside in the middle of a thick copse of young Lemur-wood trees. Your mind now is still reeling from the truth, your loyal retainer grabs you before you fall once more. A flurry of more hands and hushed talk accompanied you back to the barracks. By the time you senses have been grounded and cleared, you are sitting on a weathered cot, sipping hot bland tea and just hoping that everything that is happening was just part of an ongoing nightmare.
"Err Master Averton?" your retainer squeaks nervously, whose presence you barely acknowledged. "I know this might not be the best time for it but you need to know that while you were...ah... out... one of guards have been found... dead."
"The second one this week."
