EZ_Berdusk
05-31-00, 07:03 PM
Story I wrote for my final work in an english class I took this semester. It's not along the lines of EQ, but it is fantasy. And frankly, it was a lot better than all the other stories I reviewed in that class. Typical attempts at tear-jerking through cliches, to the point that two pairs of stories in the class of 10 or so I was in were very similar to each other, but I digress. Here's the story.
“Heretic”
        A light wind carried a leaf up into the air, and brought with it the sharp smell of smoke and damp earth. Two riders on horseback crested the hill to look over a still smoldering village, with a mound of charred skeletons piled into the main square. The younger of the two men stopped his horse and frowned as he took it all in, but his grizzled companion gave a snort and pushed his horse on into the village.
        “Third one this week,” commented the old man.
        “You don’t think this was his work do you?”
        “Oh, so now the lad wants an opinion? If ya must know, I’m not sure yet.”
        “Look, I’ve apologized about that-” the youth started.
        “Right. Well, if you’ll look, first off all th’ bones have been gathered up into th’ center. Not that uncommon, but I’ve not seen raiders either get th’ whole village together or burn all th’ corpses in one place after in years.” The old man knelt to inspect the dirt around the mound.
        “But still, something like this might happen without him involved…”
        “Not when there’s also a circle o’ blood, an not when there’s plenty bones an I can’t see many skulls as to claim ‘em as theirs.” He held up a handful of red earth.
        “So I suppose you’ll be wanting to investigate this then,” the young man sighed.
        “That’s right ya imp! Now go’n set up camp. Outside o’ the village, mind ye. I’ll be pokin around th’ houses, come back ‘ere when yer done.”
        The sun sank low in the sky as night crept upon the ruins. A small pot was set over the fire, watched intently by the young man. The old man was searching through his books and writing in a journal.
        “You really think those rumors about him are true?”
        “There’s always rumors, an there’s always more rumors about those in power, boy. Which one do ye mean?”
        “About him being a necromancer and all… and maybe the one that he’s a god.”
        “Necromancy’d be right. Ye’ve seen it yourself there in th’ village. How else do ye explain what they did to the corpses? Only one who draws power from th’ dead would even have the willpower to go through doing something like that.”
        “I don’t want to believe it, but those odd things make it hard to ignore.”
        “Furthermore, no man’s a god. People can believe what they like, an belief can change the world, but there are limits.”
        “Belief can change the world, huh?”
        “Ye’d better believe it.”
        “Don’t worry about that, old man…” The youth chuckled.
        “I mean it. Take this fer an example. There’s a group been worshippin the elder gods… trying to break his power, an they’ve been somewhat successful.”
        “Really? What do you mean?
        “Bandits would’ve taken anything o’ worth. Like this ring here, an like this holy symbol. O’ course, these weren’t bandits. An this holy symbol’s been broken, see? Only someone afraid of change would do that. But then, if the group keeps bein stupid an not hidin their tracks… It’ll all be fer nothin.”
        “So that’s what’s being going on in each of these villages!”
        “Slow to catch on, eh? In almost every place we’ve inspected there’s been a group o’ these ‘heretics’ that worship the elder gods instead o’ him.”
        “Old man, if what you say is true, then besides the confirmation of what we already know, that he’s got an extreme amount of power, then it is possible to overthrow him? And with just the belief in a set of gods?”
        “If ye’d seen half the things I have, ye’d know it to be true, ya rogue. An it’s more involved than that. Now serve up some o’ that stew, it’s startin to smell real good.”
        Dawn slowly pushed back the enveloping darkness, and the old man was already awake, sipping on a foul smelling liquid. The young man sat up and blinked a few times.
        “Were you awake the whole night?”
        “Kept watch. Ye’d sleep through a war, wouldn’t ye?”
        “Huh? How’s that?”
        “Take a look at th’ mound o’ bones.”
        “What do you mean? It’s gone?! But… where did it go?”
        “Got up an went east. An boy, if ye saw how it went, ye’d believe all the things I’d told ye. Just be glad we’re on th’ west side o’ th’ village.”
        “It went away? Bones don’t just get up and walk away old man-”
        “Normal bones, no. Necromancer’s bone rituals’ll do that kinda thing tho. An pack up, boy. We’re headin east. There’s still more out there.”
        Another day of riding brought the two to another village. As night fell, the young man feigned sleep, and the old man snuck off into the woods, but not without being noticed. As the young man crept silently towards the village’s skeleton mound, dark shadows slowly circled the mound. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the old man for a moment, moving back to the camp. Moving as fast as he could without drawing attention to himself, the young man intercepted him before he could get back to camp.
        “What’ve you been doing out here, old man? Didn’t you say it was dangerous?”
        “Indeed it is, fer someone who don’t know what they’re doin. An I don’t think ye know what yer doin, boy.”
        “I know enough to tell that something is going on. Explain yourself now, or I’ll have to run you through, old man…” At this, the young man drew his dagger.
        “Boy, there’s more goin on here than ye’d ever know. An’ I shouldn’t have to explain myself fer yer benefit, much less-”
        A column of white light had extended from the sky to the bones while the old man was talking, and the shockwave that followed the flash of light interrupted their argument. As the light dimmed down, nothing remained of the bones but dust and the shadows had vanished.
        “Don’t tell me that was your doing old man…”
        “Simple spell, really. Expelling evil and all that. Which brings me to my next point, did you really think I hadn’t noticed your actions at each and every place we’ve been to?”
        “So then the game is up… you know who I am.”
        “Yes, yes I do. And quite frankly, I’m amazed that nobody we’ve come across figured out who you were as well. Really, before you think you can go challenging elder gods, you should at least…”
        “Your words are harsh, old man.”
        “Try and think about how much work you’re making for some of us up there. She’s had to go about cleaning up all of your little messes, and I’ve had to follow you around for what, two weeks now?”
        “ENOUGH! I’m tired of your arrogance! You know the mistakes you made before, and you’ve made them again in your feebleness. You may have the experience of age, but I’ve got the tenacity and willpower of youth. I will bring you all down eventually… you can’t stop-”
        “And what’s to say we’ve not already put in the necessary steps to stopping your childish insurrections?” The old man began a conjuration.
        “Well, for one,” the necromancer started to back up towards the circle, “You’ve forgotten to take down one of my modes of transportation old man. We will meet again.”
        With one last cackle at the old man’s expense, the necromancer sank through the bone dust into the earth, and out of sight. The old man’s attempt to stop him was a moment too late, and the glowing strands passed over the circle and wrapped themselves around a tree. Sighing, the old man sat down on a rock and wiped his brow.
        “Maybe I am getting to old for this… But that wouldn’t make letting him go about his business right. Hmph. Maybe I should have accepted the others’ assistance. No sense in delaying this any longer when he’s become more and more destructive…”
        The old man leaned back and gazed up at the stars, looking for his constellation.
“Heretic”
        A light wind carried a leaf up into the air, and brought with it the sharp smell of smoke and damp earth. Two riders on horseback crested the hill to look over a still smoldering village, with a mound of charred skeletons piled into the main square. The younger of the two men stopped his horse and frowned as he took it all in, but his grizzled companion gave a snort and pushed his horse on into the village.
        “Third one this week,” commented the old man.
        “You don’t think this was his work do you?”
        “Oh, so now the lad wants an opinion? If ya must know, I’m not sure yet.”
        “Look, I’ve apologized about that-” the youth started.
        “Right. Well, if you’ll look, first off all th’ bones have been gathered up into th’ center. Not that uncommon, but I’ve not seen raiders either get th’ whole village together or burn all th’ corpses in one place after in years.” The old man knelt to inspect the dirt around the mound.
        “But still, something like this might happen without him involved…”
        “Not when there’s also a circle o’ blood, an not when there’s plenty bones an I can’t see many skulls as to claim ‘em as theirs.” He held up a handful of red earth.
        “So I suppose you’ll be wanting to investigate this then,” the young man sighed.
        “That’s right ya imp! Now go’n set up camp. Outside o’ the village, mind ye. I’ll be pokin around th’ houses, come back ‘ere when yer done.”
        The sun sank low in the sky as night crept upon the ruins. A small pot was set over the fire, watched intently by the young man. The old man was searching through his books and writing in a journal.
        “You really think those rumors about him are true?”
        “There’s always rumors, an there’s always more rumors about those in power, boy. Which one do ye mean?”
        “About him being a necromancer and all… and maybe the one that he’s a god.”
        “Necromancy’d be right. Ye’ve seen it yourself there in th’ village. How else do ye explain what they did to the corpses? Only one who draws power from th’ dead would even have the willpower to go through doing something like that.”
        “I don’t want to believe it, but those odd things make it hard to ignore.”
        “Furthermore, no man’s a god. People can believe what they like, an belief can change the world, but there are limits.”
        “Belief can change the world, huh?”
        “Ye’d better believe it.”
        “Don’t worry about that, old man…” The youth chuckled.
        “I mean it. Take this fer an example. There’s a group been worshippin the elder gods… trying to break his power, an they’ve been somewhat successful.”
        “Really? What do you mean?
        “Bandits would’ve taken anything o’ worth. Like this ring here, an like this holy symbol. O’ course, these weren’t bandits. An this holy symbol’s been broken, see? Only someone afraid of change would do that. But then, if the group keeps bein stupid an not hidin their tracks… It’ll all be fer nothin.”
        “So that’s what’s being going on in each of these villages!”
        “Slow to catch on, eh? In almost every place we’ve inspected there’s been a group o’ these ‘heretics’ that worship the elder gods instead o’ him.”
        “Old man, if what you say is true, then besides the confirmation of what we already know, that he’s got an extreme amount of power, then it is possible to overthrow him? And with just the belief in a set of gods?”
        “If ye’d seen half the things I have, ye’d know it to be true, ya rogue. An it’s more involved than that. Now serve up some o’ that stew, it’s startin to smell real good.”
        Dawn slowly pushed back the enveloping darkness, and the old man was already awake, sipping on a foul smelling liquid. The young man sat up and blinked a few times.
        “Were you awake the whole night?”
        “Kept watch. Ye’d sleep through a war, wouldn’t ye?”
        “Huh? How’s that?”
        “Take a look at th’ mound o’ bones.”
        “What do you mean? It’s gone?! But… where did it go?”
        “Got up an went east. An boy, if ye saw how it went, ye’d believe all the things I’d told ye. Just be glad we’re on th’ west side o’ th’ village.”
        “It went away? Bones don’t just get up and walk away old man-”
        “Normal bones, no. Necromancer’s bone rituals’ll do that kinda thing tho. An pack up, boy. We’re headin east. There’s still more out there.”
        Another day of riding brought the two to another village. As night fell, the young man feigned sleep, and the old man snuck off into the woods, but not without being noticed. As the young man crept silently towards the village’s skeleton mound, dark shadows slowly circled the mound. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the old man for a moment, moving back to the camp. Moving as fast as he could without drawing attention to himself, the young man intercepted him before he could get back to camp.
        “What’ve you been doing out here, old man? Didn’t you say it was dangerous?”
        “Indeed it is, fer someone who don’t know what they’re doin. An I don’t think ye know what yer doin, boy.”
        “I know enough to tell that something is going on. Explain yourself now, or I’ll have to run you through, old man…” At this, the young man drew his dagger.
        “Boy, there’s more goin on here than ye’d ever know. An’ I shouldn’t have to explain myself fer yer benefit, much less-”
        A column of white light had extended from the sky to the bones while the old man was talking, and the shockwave that followed the flash of light interrupted their argument. As the light dimmed down, nothing remained of the bones but dust and the shadows had vanished.
        “Don’t tell me that was your doing old man…”
        “Simple spell, really. Expelling evil and all that. Which brings me to my next point, did you really think I hadn’t noticed your actions at each and every place we’ve been to?”
        “So then the game is up… you know who I am.”
        “Yes, yes I do. And quite frankly, I’m amazed that nobody we’ve come across figured out who you were as well. Really, before you think you can go challenging elder gods, you should at least…”
        “Your words are harsh, old man.”
        “Try and think about how much work you’re making for some of us up there. She’s had to go about cleaning up all of your little messes, and I’ve had to follow you around for what, two weeks now?”
        “ENOUGH! I’m tired of your arrogance! You know the mistakes you made before, and you’ve made them again in your feebleness. You may have the experience of age, but I’ve got the tenacity and willpower of youth. I will bring you all down eventually… you can’t stop-”
        “And what’s to say we’ve not already put in the necessary steps to stopping your childish insurrections?” The old man began a conjuration.
        “Well, for one,” the necromancer started to back up towards the circle, “You’ve forgotten to take down one of my modes of transportation old man. We will meet again.”
        With one last cackle at the old man’s expense, the necromancer sank through the bone dust into the earth, and out of sight. The old man’s attempt to stop him was a moment too late, and the glowing strands passed over the circle and wrapped themselves around a tree. Sighing, the old man sat down on a rock and wiped his brow.
        “Maybe I am getting to old for this… But that wouldn’t make letting him go about his business right. Hmph. Maybe I should have accepted the others’ assistance. No sense in delaying this any longer when he’s become more and more destructive…”
        The old man leaned back and gazed up at the stars, looking for his constellation.