The Journey (unfinished)

[Khaz-Modaan]

Let me know what you think, guys:


Pain… As always, the portal that tears me away from reality seems to drop me to the ground with little to no ceremony, leaving me bewildered, catching my bearings. I find myself looking out over the horizon, over the waters that I have grown to love these past years. How strange that in this place, even death isn’t so bad…

My reverie is broken by something falling on me! After I get the sand out of my mouth, and this mass of... whatever… off of me, I stand up to dust myself off. As I brush the mud and dirt off of my clothes, a familiar voice chimes. “Hi, bossâ€￾ my vassal grins. “Nice weather we’re having.â€￾ I’ve got to learn to stop sleeping near the lifestone… I can tell by the armor he’s wearing (or, to be more accurate, the armor he’s not wearing) that he’s run into a spot of trouble. “How many times, Dark Krystal?â€￾ I say. “Only my third,â€￾ he responds, “I’m having a hard time with these things you call “tuskersâ€￾ – I can’t seem to hit them.â€￾ Sigh – some of them never learn.

“DK,â€￾ I say as he pulls himself together, “your proficiency is in crossbows – why are you using a dagger?!â€￾ He shrugs. Of course he doesn’t know. My compassion kicks in approximately at this time, and I start to wonder exactly how much trouble he’s gotten himself into…

“Where exactly did you run into these tuskers, DK? I’m assuming you need my help, and I’ll need to protect us appropriately if we’re to make any headway.â€￾ He responds, “It was in this place called the Singularity Bore – it shouldn’t be too hard to a mage of your standing.â€￾ Great. My pulse raises about 25 bpm, as the words “hollow minionsâ€￾ slither into my mind. I’ve had run-ins with these creatures before, and I still have the bruises to prove it. No matter what I’m wearing or how I’m protected, they always leave their mark…

“How far into this dungeon, that you weren’t supposed to go in to, did you go?â€￾ I ask, afraid to find out. “Only a couple of jumps down, past a few ramps,â€￾ came the reply. I’m already calling up the magic that being 80th level affords me, hoping against hope that it will offer us some protection, even if it is only against the lesser evils of that place. As I am proficient in all schools of magic to the master level, I am able to raise both of our skills by an incredible amount. We’ll need every ounce of strength for the journey ahead…

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It just so happens that I have attuned myself to the very place my vassal was talking about, as there is a portal within the dungeon that has proved to be very beneficial, from time to time. It leads to somewhere desolate, a place that is sparse in its Isparian population, focusing more along the lines of the greater enemies of our land. There were trophies to be had in that place, things to be won, but that is another story altogether…

“We’re almost ready to head out,â€￾ I say to my vassal. “This needs to be done the correct way, the fast way. You remember the last time we had an altercation with these hollow minions…â€￾ A reflective “Yes, boss,â€￾ and a final check on Dark Krystal’s part to ensure he had what he needed were my response. He nods once, signaling that he is ready to begin. As the last of the protections are cast, anticipation suddenly flares! “I’ll finally be able to have my revenge on the ones who hurt me so, the last time,â€￾ I mutter. All of a sudden, I’m not worried about what might happen to myself, or even my vassal so much as what will happen to those… those Things! I call to mind the words of a spell which will allow us to travel there, feeding my energy into the magic that I so love. A portal rips into being, and the ever-present hum fills the energy-laden air. Time to go…

Making the ride through Portalspace pleasant has never been my forte’, but I’ve found that certain herbs I carry help to ease the travel. I hand some to my vassal, who grimaces, but takes them stoically. He has ridden in my portals before, you see…

Red. Not just the regular, everyday red of my armor, but an unnatural one; a foreboding one. This is what hits our senses when we land in the clearing – you can almost taste it, and even then you can tell that there’s something wrong with this. It’s… too quiet, too empty. One can normally hear the chatter of the Tuskers above, and the menacing hum of Hollow Minions below. I don’t like it. As we head down, I get prepared to blast anything that moves, while DK locks a deadly into place at the same time. He seems more serious now, more concentrated; something must have actually unnerved him. “The walls are tingling, bossss,â€￾ comes a subdued whisper from right and behind me. I start a caustic retort “Of course they are, haven’t you ever..â€￾ I stop. Dark Krystal turns and looks at me, “What was th…â€￾ His eyes are no longer on me, but above and to my right…

I see him take aim, and this is my cue to start the show. Just as I realize what I need to do, my head is slammed into the wall! “Ow…â€￾ I say as I slump down, facing the minion. Dark is railing away with is bow, and an audible hiss escapes from… somewhere on this thing. It actually appears to be enjoying this, feeding on the pain! Sick. I shake my head, trying to bring some semblance of order back into my being.

“You’re so dead…â€￾ I mutter as it lurches past me, towards DK. I see Dark get slammed hard in the midriff, but he’s a tenacious one. I know that hurt, but this kid learned melee defense early on (from fighting with his brothers, no doubt). My eyes flare as I see my vassal take another, and another. He’s stumbling back now, won’t this blasted spell cast any faster?!? Dark is on his knee now, protecting himself from the raining blows this thing is inflicting on him. “Boss, help me!â€￾ he screams.

The minion must have some sort of sixth sense, because at that moment it turned! All it got to see in its’ last seconds was a flash of purple, followed by a huge ball of ice, which was headed straight for its’ face. I imagine the monster must have tried to scream, but it was cut off so sharply that we never heard it. As it falls to the floor, I walk over to my vassal’s side, mindful to step all over the minion’s remains – they make a satisfying “Crunch, crunch…â€￾ As DK heals his wounds, I whisper to him “Hey, at least it wasn’t your ex…â€￾ This brings a smile to his face, and we’re soon ready to head deeper on…

[Pyreal Girl]

Wow thats wonderful Khaz...can't wait for that to be finished.

Good luck with it babe...

PG

[Neuslayer]

WOW!!! I love it!!! Can't wait to read the rest. Keep it coming

[Sassy]

Khaz, great story! Keep it coming!