Lake of Tears
Chapter 1
NOTE: this chapter begins with just a few no-introduction snippets to bring in all of the characters. This will all come together eventually. Trust me.
He leaned back from his picture, satisfied. It showed a mountaintop, with him on top. The sun was yellow, shining out from behind him, his arms raised in a V, hailing the sun and the sky. The dead bodies lay before him in pools of blood. Jeremy grinned, a facial expression that rarely passed across his face these days. His parents didn't care. His friends wouldn't have cared, if he had any. His tormentors certainly didn't care. He had hit bottom; he had nowhere to go but up. At this moment, he crowned himself king of his own world. King Jeremy. He liked the sound of it. He grinned again.
"his talent is not forthcoming" reported Oxford.
"So what's new", thought Jeremy. Far as he was concerned, he had no talent. So what? He didn't have anything else. His parents seemed equally uninterested. Oxford was a Centaur. He did all the things centaurs did; which is to say, he ran a school in the North Village, where Jeremy lived. Oxford had made a pet project of Jeremy. He wanted to find his talent. Oxford displayed an unhealthy interest in magic talents (unhealthy for a Centaur), and so was intrigued by Jeremy's apparent lack of one. Jeremy rather resented being treated as a test subject, but he was numb to it by now. His parents left to whatever they did that kept them so busy, while Oxford got out more divination and magicsniffing equipment.
"I have not found him yet". The demon Daxlove stared intently at the ground under the terrible gaze of demon Professor Grossclout.
"what!?" he barked, nostrils literally flaring.
"I have not found him.", replied Daxlove, possibly with a little more bravery.
"well then", began Grossclout, with ferocity so great it bordered on mirth, "FIND HIM!!!!". The last part literally blasted Daxlove in several directions, well out of that region of Hell. Daxlove wasted no time in phasing out to Xanth proper to continue her search, very much cowed (an unusual state for her).
The demon lord Furor stood in front of his throne, rather than sitting, barking out orders to the masses. Ember watched him with admiration. Spark nudged him, grinning. Ember shook himself and got back to work laying down steel bricks. Spark and Ember were demons. They could, of course, manifest a fortress, but it would disappear if they stopped concentrating, so they had to do it the mortal way. Spark transformed into an Ogre to make the job of lifting easier. Spark followed suit, and they proceeded to see who could produce the foulest stench to amuse themselves while working.
Chapter 1
NOTE: this chapter begins with just a few no-introduction snippets to bring in all of the characters. This will all come together eventually. Trust me.
He leaned back from his picture, satisfied. It showed a mountaintop, with him on top. The sun was yellow, shining out from behind him, his arms raised in a V, hailing the sun and the sky. The dead bodies lay before him in pools of blood. Jeremy grinned, a facial expression that rarely passed across his face these days. His parents didn't care. His friends wouldn't have cared, if he had any. His tormentors certainly didn't care. He had hit bottom; he had nowhere to go but up. At this moment, he crowned himself king of his own world. King Jeremy. He liked the sound of it. He grinned again.
"his talent is not forthcoming" reported Oxford.
"So what's new", thought Jeremy. Far as he was concerned, he had no talent. So what? He didn't have anything else. His parents seemed equally uninterested. Oxford was a Centaur. He did all the things centaurs did; which is to say, he ran a school in the North Village, where Jeremy lived. Oxford had made a pet project of Jeremy. He wanted to find his talent. Oxford displayed an unhealthy interest in magic talents (unhealthy for a Centaur), and so was intrigued by Jeremy's apparent lack of one. Jeremy rather resented being treated as a test subject, but he was numb to it by now. His parents left to whatever they did that kept them so busy, while Oxford got out more divination and magicsniffing equipment.
"I have not found him yet". The demon Daxlove stared intently at the ground under the terrible gaze of demon Professor Grossclout.
"what!?" he barked, nostrils literally flaring.
"I have not found him.", replied Daxlove, possibly with a little more bravery.
"well then", began Grossclout, with ferocity so great it bordered on mirth, "FIND HIM!!!!". The last part literally blasted Daxlove in several directions, well out of that region of Hell. Daxlove wasted no time in phasing out to Xanth proper to continue her search, very much cowed (an unusual state for her).
The demon lord Furor stood in front of his throne, rather than sitting, barking out orders to the masses. Ember watched him with admiration. Spark nudged him, grinning. Ember shook himself and got back to work laying down steel bricks. Spark and Ember were demons. They could, of course, manifest a fortress, but it would disappear if they stopped concentrating, so they had to do it the mortal way. Spark transformed into an Ogre to make the job of lifting easier. Spark followed suit, and they proceeded to see who could produce the foulest stench to amuse themselves while working.