The Shielded Land: Prologue (135 hits)
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Submitted by ShimishSmortion (View user info) at 2007-10-29 12:33:59 EDT
"You've been pretty busy, haven't you old friend?" The figure asked softly from across the room.
Light from the huge fire pits positioned symmetrically around the oval, domed room splayed flickering shadows across the face of the figure buried deep in the cowl of his robes. The man beneath the robe, customarily dressed in shades darker than anything had a right to be, always gave Portis a sense of....wrongness. Perhaps it was the figures own aura of eeriness that perverted the perception of his clothing.
The figure wore no adornments except for a single talisman hanging around his neck. The thickness of his robes couldn't hide the fact that he was slender, almost gaunt. Hands, wizened like rotted apples left in the sun for days, belayed the young vibrancy in his voice. Despite a frail form, Portis knew that he possessed an awesome strength. Portis knew for he had seen many demonstrations of that strength in arms. All these little details added to the eeriness pervading the man. Especially on this night, Portis was keenly aware of every little nuance.
"I am always busy Overseer, per the requirements of my duty to you." Portis replied, observing the Overseer in his peripheral vision from the doorstep to the Throne Room of Betrayal. The Overseer was gazing at a long tapestry hanging from the top of the stone wall depicting the scene for which this room had earned its name. Whenever a flicker of fire from the fire pits cast a ray of light on the now silent figure, it seemed as if the light was swallowed up by the darkness surrounding him. Guards posted at the arched doorway to the throne room shuffled uncomfortably whenever their gaze fell on the unnerving sight of light being stolen away by the Overseers clothing.
Flags of previously fallen enemy lands ringed the entire room at even intervals, starting with the staunchest opponent the kingdom of Rahdenia had ever seen; Furylin. The flag of Furylin, several feet directly above the heads of the edgy guards, rippled ever so slightly in a light breeze, like the beating heart of the mighty kingdom that flag represented. Crenelated windows in between each of the flags only allowed for small breezes to make their way into the throne room. The flag seemed to defy the silence imposed by the now silently seething Overseer, as if to say you may have conquered us once, but we still live on to this day.
Long ago were most of the major kingdoms rendered inaccessible to each other, yet the Overseer kept Furylin's flag displayed prominently in the throne room to constantly remind himself of his once great victory. Or perhaps it was to fuel his constant desire to somehow manage to retake the lands now out of his reach. Portis could never figure out exactly which reason was the real one. He thought maybe they both were right.
There were times when the Overseer would recount the numerous assaults he personally led against the Furylin's. Speaking intimately and with great passion, as if with a lover upon lust's satisfaction, about how he would sometimes slowly and methodically torture the children caught behind his lines of infantry as his soldiers slowly advanced into the Furylin capital. He would speak as if they were good times long past of how those children's screams were meant to strike both fear and anger into the heart's of Furylin's defending forces. On the few occasions the Overseer employed this tactic, the Furyliner's would furiously try to break through the ring of infantry surrounding the children. What resulted was the slaughter of hundreds of defenders within minutes. The bodies of the defending army would pile so high that it became an arduous climb for the Furyliners just to get at the enemy infantry.
The only thing that the Overseer enjoyed more than killing the children of his enemies was forcing him self upon their women. Portis would be forced to listen to stories so sickening, that it took all of his will power in order to not vomit on the cold stone floor of the throne room. Portis was never shy about brutally ending a man's life in as efficient a way as possible when necessary, but what the Overseer would describe was on a whole different level of brutality.
What started out as the invasion of Furylin by Rahdeen forces ended up being one of the most brutal massacres in the history of Brista; all perpetuated by the insatiable thirst for blood and power by the skinny fellow in black robes, angrily moving from tapestry to tapestry, reliving all the battles depicted before him.
Other times, the Overseer would work himself into an uproar, lambasting the fates for cutting off the most powerful lands from the rest of the world. Councilmen present during one of the Overseer's now legendary moods, were killed without any provocation by the Overseer personally. Portis could never understand how the rewards for being a councilmen could outweigh the threat of being in the same room as the Overseer when he was in the throes of anger, yet there was no shortage of men eager for the position. Some men were greedy enough to risk the ire of the Overseer in exchanged for the power and wealth they received for such a high ranking station in life.
You know," the Overseer began in a soft voice, interrupting Portis from his thoughts, "I've always liked the name Throne Room of Betrayal. Our comrades long past couldn't have said it any better. It was here where one of the greatest betrayals in Brista's history took place, a betrayal so profound that to this day the implications are still felt in all walks of life." The Overseer shuffled quickly up the granite steps ringing the dais upon which his throne sat. He quickly motioned Portis forward.
"Betrayal, betrayal, betrayal, anyone who betrays someone is hated by the betrayed, and quite possibly by many others. I thought the last time someone committed an act of betrayal here, in my very home, was me, but apparently, I was quite wrong." The Overseer's voice turned deadly cold at that last part, colder than the waters of the river Demonsbath during the height of winter.
"What an unsavory thing for someone to do my liege." Portis replied absently, changing thought from previous wars to the soft caress of Lyren's finger across the blade straight scar running down his right cheek. Portis pondered the comedy of such a rare creature of beauty like Lyren in a world turned disgusting and dangerous as the one he now inhabited.
Long were the nights where Portis lay next to Lyren, holding her soft, supple figure close to his own, running the crook of a calloused finger, up and down the curves of her back. Her long, luxurious red hair, scented sweeter then the fields of Rahdeen's rippling hills, tickling Portis' chin as her head lay against his chest, the beat of her heart pumping to the rhythm of his own...
"Does what I am saying amuse you Portis?" The Overseer questioned curtly, barely gaining an audience in Portis's thoughts. It was only then that Portis realized he was smiling, thinking about Lyren, as the Overseer droned on about how the newly discovered betrayal in his own castle was something he was greatly disappointed in.
Portis knew his time was running out, and there was nothing for it. He allowed his mind to wander once again through memories of exquisite bliss in the arms of his true beloved. Bodies entwined as one as he gave himself over completely to the passion he felt for Lyren. Lyren, in turn, giving everything of herself over to him. The very foundations of humanity shaken by the passion of Portis and his love. It wasn't simply the act of sex that so transfixed Portis, it was the attainment of perfect contentment he felt whenever he was with Lyren. Love was transcended by the depth of his feelings for Lyren, and hers his, to the point where perfect unity was formed between the lovers' very souls. Portis let out a small laugh at the wonder of discovery of his souls mate, the part of himself he never knew he missed until he discovered Lyren.
Reality crashed back around Portis as he was blasted with a concussive force of air so powerful, the guards behind him were splattered into the walls. The guards never comprehended what happened to them before life faded from their broken and mangled bodies. Portis slammed with such force into the top of the arched doorway, that several stone blocks were knocked cleanly out and sent sprawling through the passageway behind. Dazed, Portis grabbed onto the flag representing the kingdom that once rivaled his very own, hoping to break the fall he knew was coming. The flag tore quickly off it rotted supports, tumbling down along with Portis as he began his descent. Portis landed hard, face first in the gore left over by the two guard. The flagged settled atop Portis, a comfort in a newly formed world of agony that was only beginning to be fully appreciated as the seconds wore on.
"I've always found the notion that betrayal is one of the worst crimes a person can commit to be rather amusing," the Overseer began, slowly making his way down the granite steps. "Alliance, friendships, kingdoms, all formed with one important quality in mind: that it will somehow secure the station of the individuals involved. Peasants maintain a reciprocal relationship with a ruler; powerful men form alliances with each other in order to present an invincible front. Such commitments are honored for the benefit of the individual. Why then is betrayal considered such an unforgivable act?" The Overseer's voice had lowered to a whisper.
"Since it seems as if you won't be going anywhere Portis, I will enlighten you." The figure in black finished in a barely audible hiss.
Portis knew the Overseer was right about one thing, that he wouldn't be going anywhere. He attempted to roll over onto his side so he could better see his attacker, yet when he tried to move, shards of pain around his middle began to shoot up in his chest. As he gently lowered his weight once again onto his back, the Overseer was in the middle of a diatribe about the justifications of betraying ones countrymen, and how since you became countrymen in the first place in order to secure your lot in life, if a better deal came along, it should be taken up without hesitation.
As the Overseer continued speaking about deluded notions of betrayal in relation to the bonds of trust people form, speaking as well as could be expected from a madman, Portis felt a pang of sorrow that he would never see Lyren again. The only consoling thought in the crushing veil of despair settling over Portis was that he managed to thwart the Overseer's plan to regain a foothold to the rest of the world. Portis had to crane his neck in order to get a better look at the face now directly above him.
"Deer, sweet, stupid Portis," the Overseer spoke softly, almost reverently. "The pain of your surprising betrayal plagues me to no end. I forgive you. I forgive you turning your back on me, your lord and kinsmen"
The Overseer knelt down half a foot away from the top of Portis head, sweeping away a swath of blood and gore with a flourish of his hand. He leaned over slightly and placed his hands to either side of Portis' head, withered husks of the vitality they once possessed. With ever increasing pressure to the sides of his head, Portis could see filaments of the Overseer's power crackling in the air above his face. "I forgive you Portis, and that is why I will make your death only moderately painful." The Overseer said, now bent over so he could whisper into Portis' ear.
Portis gasped at the shock of pain, at the shock of his betrayal exposed. What shocked him most was the realization that he would never again hold Lyren in his arms. The knowledge of what the Overseer would do to her once he finished with him was too much for Portis to bear.
Committing himself to what must be done before the Overseer drained his life away, Portis reached up and grasped the Overseer by the throat. Portis released his own power, allowing his arm to be the vessel through which he released his birthright. Shards of power began striking out in chords, wrapping themselves around the Overseer. From brilliant blues to vibrant reds to shades darker than midnight, the entire color spectrum flashed through Portis' vision as it engulfed the Overseer.
"You dare to stand up to my power," the Overseer began, sweat dripping off his face. "For that I will make you suffer more."
The Overseer increased the power he was releasing into Portis. It was too late though. This figure of darkness, who sat on the throne of the betrayer, murderer of children, was completely shrouded in the power emanating from Portis. His time was at an end.
With the pain of his insides melting beginning to render Portis unconscious, his final thoughts were of Lyren, and her intoxicating smile. As the world exploded into darkness, Portis died with a light heart and a smile on his face.
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Submitted by kaos-king (user info) at 2007-10-29 12:36:27 EDT (#)
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-1 formatting.