Battle for Uber: The Tale of Wiki (857 hits)
Category: Quotes & StoriesRating: 2 on 12 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Id (View user info) at 2005-02-09 18:49:27 EST
This is but a side story to the universe created by Potatomanjack79 (PMJ)
http://www.ubersite.com/m/53914
It is not intended to replace the project that he has taken upon himself, but rather to compliment it. It is my hope to enhance the obvious hours of work PMJ has spent with this world of Uber.
For background info, read the link provided.
I'd like to do more with the "lower ranking" characters PMJ has created, so let's just see how this goes.
Enjoy.
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The beauty of the starlit sky was matched by that of the Youth's eyes, who now was gazing at it so intently. His focus was absolute, his face locked upon the black void. Orbs of pale blue looking upon orbs of star white. A face of utter amazement were these eyes embedded within, small, thin mouth wide as the man took in the ageless majesty spread out before him. Perhaps he realized now, for the first time in his 21 years, just what grace had been suspended above him, casting its spell even as he, no, mankind entire, had gone about ignorant to it all.
Or rather, he would have realized this, had he been alive.
He lay upon a bed of white snow, on his back, arms and legs sprawled out in a very leisurely fashion. Around were strewn bits of broken wood and metal, empty chests and torn bags. Several other stargazers laid along side him, each taking in the night sky with equally intent eyes, each suddenly with an eternity with which to bear witness to the eternal pageantry of the cosmos. An overturned carriage, so recently the center of life for these humans, was now so suddenly nothing more then a broken apparatus of hewn wood and bended steel.
The jewels and gold they had given their short lives to protect had been pillaged, the horses they had shared their numerous nights under the ever-ignored night sky scattered into the wilds of the forest. But for the dead Youth, something far more precious than gems had been taken. Clutched in his lifeless hand there was held a silver locket, worth enough to purchase a small house within the territories of the Maelstrom Empire. But the real wealth was contained within: a faded drawing of a lovely young woman upon red parchment, whose color was now so prevalent amid the splash and streaks of blood strewn amid the wreckage of the small trade caravan, like paint amid the campus of snow.
The highwaymen who had lawn waste to the Youth and his compatriots had stolen his bride, his lover, his Melian.
Now there came change in the air, a chill descending upon they who could not have felt it. Now there came the soft footfalls of the maiden approaching the carnage. Now had come Wiki, Second Sorceress of the Solemn, Maiden of the Dead.
As she approached, her gaze fell to a single rose that grew nearby. Its bright petals, in defiance of the oppressing shades of white that encircled and entrapped it, had blossomed. Wiki's eyes, made of the starlight itself did they seem, studied the tiny flower for many moments. She kneeled down suddenly as if to pounce upon fast prey, sending her black hair into a wave of flowing glory, each strand catching hold of the light emitting from the sky and bending it into a multitude of silver beams, giving the audience of dead eyes a brief showing of cosmic radiance made manifest in the world of Uber.
Wiki took the flower, plucking it from its stem, and held it within her pale hands. For pale was the color of her skin, her body an image of fine porcelain given life, enshrouded by a cloak of lavender. She beheld the flower, and then turned to the wreckage of humanity beside it.
"So much energy, so much toil, all for a moment of time to show your splendor to no one, to struggle amid a sea of cold, dead snow. Be at peace, brave rose." She spoke, yet did not. Her mouth moved not, rather the mouths of dead men gave voice to her words, a unison of guttural sounds and slashed throats.
For the dead had risen.
Men slain but an hour ago climbed to their feet, fresh snow falling off their bloodied and torn clothes. Weapons were collected, deposited in an empty chest, bits of leather left by the bandits taken, and whatever metal remained on the carriage ripped off with unnatural strength. All this was done in silence, the dead caravan guardsmen tending to assignments given to them by Wiki's silent command. All except the Youth. He stared at the men, at himself, with horror, his hand still clenching the locket, his cold, stopped heart still yearning for Melian. Wiki saw this, and approached.
"Who....who are you!?" stammered the youth, still in terror of his dead companions but now overwhelmed by the presence of this clandestine stranger.
One of the dead turned to the youth, his eyes glowing with the same light that emitted from Wiki's, though with a much reduced intensity. Indeed, all of those who had risen possessed the same glow in their eyes, including the Youth, betraying the link of sorceress and the newly revived dead.
"I am Wiki" answered the man, giving sound to the Solemn's soundless voice. "and you are dead." The Youth began to slide into a curled ball of sobbing former-humanity, to which Wiki's voicebox replied, "be at peace, young one. For now you are free of your pain. You no longer need toil under the blazing sun, placing life and limb into the service of ungrateful clients, protecting their foolish stones and glittering gold nuggets, ferrying their greed along with them. No longer will hunger haunt you and sickness stalk you, for death has already claimed its toll."
The Youth ceased crying, but still looked uncertain. The rest of the dead had finished their tasks, and had gather around Wiki, awaiting her next command. The blood that used to give them life was leaving their bodies, flowing from their wounds. Some that had lost much blood in the melee that had taken their lives were already clean, their wounds beginning to close and mend. Their skin had lost color, their hair had turned white. Ever greater did they come to resemble the ancient Solemn, their new lord and lady.
"You," echoed the host of the dead, now speaking as one, "are rare. Memory is lost to the dead, save a select few. For the energy of the Nether that which empowers the living dead is the raw soulstuff of all creatures that have left this mortal coil. Few are those that can remember who they were in life. You, for whatever reasoning you like, are one of those few. And with this memory comes powers beyond those that they," Wiki pointed to the host assembled behind her, though still not moving her lips, still not leaving the gaze of the Youth, "will eventual gain."
Then did the wind rise suddenly, then did the lights of the sky become blocked out as Wiki's eyes blazed with an intensity no human had ever beheld. Then did the portal to Wiki's home appear. The dead walked slowly into it, weapons and scrap in tow, disappearing into the void. The Youth hesitated, now looking upon the locket, mourning for his Melian. Wiki saw this and did speak.
"Your place now is within The Army of the Dead. For soon the war shall commence, and your new strength is needed to preserve the land, to serve the needs of the Solemn." All this the Youth said, literally speaking to himself with Wiki's words. The Youth knew not of the Solemn, the Elder, of the brewing conflict that would soon consume Uber. All that he knew was that Melian was in danger.
Wiki did not speak, merely shook her head, her hair once more transforming the night into a single moment of starlit glory. But her orders from the Ruling Council of Solemn and Elder were clear: Build an army as only Wiki could. The ranks were already beginning to form, as death and destruction had become more frequent. Humans of the Maelstrom Empire, mutants of the Oozing Horde, and yes, even the malefic demons of Hell's swarm were equals under the command of the Maiden of the Dead.
And it was clear to Wiki, Second Sorceress of the Solemn, that there was only one way to get the Youth, whose memory eventually would make him a power and leader of the dead, to join ranks.
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The rouges were well satisfied with their latest catch. A band of vagabond outlaws, hunted by the warriors of the Empire, rarely had opportunity to slake their lust of the flesh. In Melian, their appetite was soon to satiated. The beautiful maiden stood naked in the cold night air, bound to a tree near their fire, tears glistening in the heat. The leader of the highwaymen, now drunk from the pillaged ale of the caravan, now advancing to take his claim from her bosom.
Then did the wind rise suddenly, then did air chill, then did the fire go out. And then did The Army of the Dead rise from the woods, the Youth at the head, pale blue eyes blazing with a light never before seen by humans. A light never to be seen by any living humans, that is.
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Wiki stood upon a high cliff, within the confines of her own little space, within the endless confines of the Nether, surveying her work. The Army of the Dead was still only a small force of about 500 or so, lined up neatly in ordered ranks. Demon stood shoulder to shoulder with human, human stood shoulder to foot to arm to third head (or whatever the case was) with a former member of the Oozing Horde. Further out from the soldiers were small workshops, with "recruited" craftsmen creating weapons and armor for the numerous forms of Wiki's troops. Piles of scrap metal and weapons lay near by, scavenged from scenes of violence and recent raids.
The highwaymen stood at the front, freshly taken from the mortal world, their dead eyes faintly glowing with a small portion of Wiki's power. All except their leader. The Youth had torn his body asunder, and thereby making his flesh unusable for the mighty Solemn's purposes. As for the Youth himself, his stood by Wiki, along with Melian, her white hair and pale skin complemented by the new strength death had granted her.
For they were to lead Wiki's Army of the Dead into the Battle for Uber.
User Reviews
Submitted by Id (user info) at 2005-02-13 19:02:23 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by zakalwe (user info) at 2005-02-13 18:14:33 (#)
Ranking: 2
Did the Youth kill Melian while freeing her from the highwaymen? You'd think he'd want to keep her alive.
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Yeah, that is weak spot of the story, isn't it? I had toyed around with a scene were Melian and the Youth have a little debate about remaining together in death or her to continue to live life, wether she would become just a mindless servant or something more like the Youth, etc. But the story was allready long enough (I try to keep these things to 5 pages of Word). Plus it might serve as material for something else down the road....who knows.
Submitted by thecaes (user info) at 2005-02-13 18:22:18 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
This is my favourite one so far. I really, REALLY liked what you did with Wiki, with all the dead people working for her and speaking for her and stuff. Really nice imagery, too.
Bra-friggin'-vo.
Submitted by zakalwe (user info) at 2005-02-13 18:14:33 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Did the Youth kill Melian while freeing her from the highwaymen? You'd think he'd want to keep her alive.
Submitted by munkeypants (user info) at 2005-02-10 12:42:52 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Merlina (user info) at 2005-02-10 04:19:39 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
yes! excellent
Submitted by Mister_Fahrenheit (user info) at 2005-02-09 21:39:09 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2005-02-09 20:12:38 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Dead People = Automatic +2
The post itself deserves +3, and yeah, where the hell is the full on battle?
Submitted by DonkeyOnTheEdge (user info) at 2005-02-09 19:28:26 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by electrictoothsyndrome (user info) at 2005-02-09 19:22:51 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Haven't readthis yet, but I have been waiting for this series to do something too. It was such a great idea...potentially epic.
Will read at some point, hopefully sooner than later.
Submitted by WiKi (user info) at 2005-02-09 19:14:45 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Love it.
I'll read it again tomorrow, when the initial shock has worn off.
What shock? Read my comment on shitfuck's latest.
Gah.
+2 because you're about to become my favorite poster.
Submitted by Degreeless_Capibara (user info) at 2005-02-09 18:55:54 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
goddamnit, did pmj just abandon it?
Submitted by Degreeless_Capibara (user info) at 2005-02-09 18:55:39 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Thank God someone finally did something with this.