ON ANGELIC
If I must say something, I would at least have to say that this place is beautiful. The Church's inner sanctum is truly beautiful. The candles at the alter cast a golden aura that seems to float across the walls. The paintings on the walls all have red and neutral brown tones, making one feel safer here than anywhere in the whole of Rune Midgard. At least, that is it's aesthetic appearance. I love the warm, almost over powering feeling of being here. Maybe that is why I don't mind so much. Being the next heir to a long, grand line of revered Priests does not leave much time for childhood. At the young age of six and a half, I was told that I was to abandon my dreams of being a Royal Knight for King Tristan II.
Maybe it is for the better, I could believe, as I have never been very inclined towards physical activity. My body is very thin, and I have arms and legs that one could possibly see on an emaciated Morroc peasant. My shaggy blonde hair sits atop my obviously sun-hidden face, as I am as pale as freshly fallen winter snow. My parents always reminded me of this, and from the time I was very little, I have spent almost all my time in the Church, training to be a Priest. I took my Acolyte test two season-cycles ago, when I was eleven. Around the time my parents were killed.
"Lute", calls Terrensia, the head Priestess of the Royal Church of Prontera, "please come over here and tell me what you can decipher from this". She is an older women, with waist-length purple hair tied back in red bow. I stand up from where I was kneeling, supposedly praying. I was only praying for the first ten minutes of the hour. "Come and read a passage of the Ri-Lhen. I want to see if your reading abilities have improved". The Ri-Lhen. The holy book of all of Rune Midgard. It is written in a language called "Merhit". All the Priests and most Acolytes can read very large amounts of it, effortlessly. I am still struggling.
"Okay. I promise I will try harder this time", I respond back, mostly meaning it. As I walk toward her, she runs her hand along the side of the beautiful alter. It rubs off a small wisp of week-old dust that begins to fold and fall through the air like snow. I notice small things such as this when I am nervous.
"Alright Lute, see if you can understand the meaning of this passage", she says with a friendly smile that, somewhere deep in the pit of my mind, makes me feel a bit better. She presses her finger to the passage so, that it crooks against the ancient page. I stare blankly at the page for what seems like a full sun-cycle. Then, I begin to read. "Shuri ten futmar. Uruman denbah hakritin ket kurot zuoret. Methish Tenur shorohi marutenbet gan bu ha tert", I read. Well, not exactly read, per say. The words don't mean anything. You see, when someone, well versed in the ways of the Priesthood, reads these words aloud, that person begins to see a picture form in their mind's eye. It begins to shape and become more clear, the better your understanding of the art, known as Merhit Script, has become. The pictures I see are still very faint. Foggy almost, as if in a dream. I could almost see the image this time, though. I feel I am getting closer.
"And...what does this Script have to say for you?" she asks, clearing looking at me in concern, "what is the image that you see?" she adds. "I saw a man, in robes, with something else behind him. Something big, and moving", I offer to her. "You are definitely getting better. You still have a long way to go, but you are getting better. This skill is extremely important to your role in the Church! To all of our roles! This art is the foundation for all of our spells. If you cannot see in your spirit the change in this world that your spell could make, it simply will not come to be. This is a gift from God that we have received, and received it with open arms we have. Well, we will try again tommorow. Go get ready for supper for now."
After my parents died, I began to live with Feress, a friend of the family. She is now seventeen season-cycles old, and a lower-ranked Priestess of the Royal Church. We both live in her small house behind the tool shop. The Church cannot afford much for the junior members of the Church, but as she has developed incredible power for her age, they saw fit to begin supporting her. The house is only made up of three rooms, but it is home.
"Wake up...Wake up Lute...time to go to the Church...". As I open my eyes, I almost see my mother sitting on my bed, gently nudging me awake. As my mind clears and thoughts solidify, I realize it is only Feress, making me get up for my daily Church duties. I can see that she has her shoulder length blue hair up today, and her blue eyes are sparkling with that unique glitter. "C'mon sleepy head! If you are late one more time this month, Terrensia is going to scold you!" she exclaims as she yanks my patchwork quilt off of me. "Ugh...wh..what time is it?", I ask, half of me not wanting to know the response. "It's already three arches to full sun! Get up and get dresses or we are going to be late!" she announces. "Oh...just need a little more sleep", I claim. "Well too bad, I have my skill test today, and it's very important", she shoots back.
I pull myself out of my bed, a task that seems to getting harder and harder these days, as I have been taking a copy of the Ri-Lhen home these past few weeks and studying under candle light until I almost pass out. If Feress was to find out about this, she would then tell Terrensia, and she would then demote me to a lower ranked class of children one and a half season cycles younger than I. I could not take something that humiliating and show my face in Prontera again!
After adorning my robe and Rosary, I join Feress in the kitchen, a small room in which I could most likely lay down and touch both sides of the room. But, it does have a wood burning stove and oven, enough to make it functional. And there was enough room left over for a small, two-person table. My face lights up as I see my favorite breakfast dish lying upon it. Scrambled Picky eggs and Savage Babe sausage. "Feress, I could have made my own breakfast this morning! You didn't have to", I assert. "Well, it's an important day for the both of us, we both have tests today", she states. "I know about my Heal test, but what test do you have today", I ask. "Don't tell me you already forgot! I've got my Magnus Exorcismus test today", she exclaims. "Oh yeah! I'm sorry, I almost forgot. I know you told me about it a month or so ago".
"Longer ago than that! I've been looking forward to this for a very long time", she adds. We continue to talk a little while finishing breakfast.
As we walk across the inner court, I see children playing in front of the weapon shop. Some have there noses pressed to the glass, seemingly trying to push their noses through to the inner weapon display. A newly forged Basterd Sword is sitting evenly on a polished wooden display stand. As I walk a few strides, I see the rising sun's reflection on the finely tempered steel, like a sunrise's glittery echo on a still pound. Some of the children are not paying any attention at all to the remarkable blade, but rather, running after each other with sticks. Half of them are also wearing PecoPeco eggshells on their heads to represent helmets. One boy is running swiftly after another, and taps him on his back with the stick, then shouts, "I got you Baphomet, you're dead". The other child shoots back, "Foolish swordsman! You will never kill the almighty Baphomet".
Without even noticing, I stop dead in my tracks, and am simply staring at the children in wonder. They can be whatever they want to be, without anyone forcing them to walk a path that they would soon rather avoid. They have parents that encourage them, and help them along the way to achieve the stars, the two moons of Rune Midgard, and beyond. They have...parents. I can begin to feel small, nearly insignificant tears begin to emerge from the corners of my eyes. They send a hot, burning sensation that is not entirely unpleasant.
I am startled out of my imagination with Feress yelling, "What are you doing? It must be past two arches till full sun! Get with it and come on". "Sorry. I must have been daydreaming. I'm coming", I answer back. I wipe away the small droplets of tears in one swift motion, secretly blended into an attempt to wipe away sweat.
And I needed to wipe away that sweat. It is extremely hot in this season, the Season of Heat. It is late in the season, almost time to begin preparing for the Season of Cool, but the temperature has not let up. On the contrary, it is a remarkable day outside. There are no clouds in the sky to be seen, and the trees and shrubbery that line the walkways to the Church are more green than green. They almost look unreal.
I look a little beyond the bushes and see Terrensia standing on the steps leading to the Church. She immediately begins walking towards us with a perturbed look on her face. "I was beginning to worry about you two! Lute, I would expect this tardiness from you, but you too Feress?"
I begin to open my mouth to say that I over slept, but before I could form the words, Feress cuts me off. "I'm sorry m'lady, it was my fault. I over slept today. Lute had to wake me up."
"Somehow I doubt that", she retorts. "Feress, don't ever lie to me again, even if it is to protect someone, and Lute, please see me privately after the tests. Anyway, lets begin the tests now, shall we?"
Feress immediately gets a displeased look upon her face. "But m'lady, can we not be allowed any time to warm up? We have not had any practice at all today", she exclaims. "Would undead attacking the city give you time to warm up? Would a friend dying before your eyes give you time to warm up? Answer me this", Terrensia pronounces. "Very true. I'm sorry to have doubted you m'lady," Feress replies.
"Well, why don't we begin with the senior student? Feress, I'm looking forward to seeing your Magnus Exorcismus in action", Terrensia says. "I'll do my best m'lady. I've never actually used it in action", Feress responds. "I have all my faith in you dear. Now Lute, please go and stand on the steps of the Church. Feress step away from the Church with me".
With that said, I run full pace towards the steps of the Church, grabbing a pillar and swinging myself around to quickly turn and view what is about to unfold. Terrensia opens up a satchel that is buckled around her waist and pulls out a piece of a branch. She holds it up toward the sky, and with deliberate motion, snaps it so it actually does not break, but rather splinters out. Immediately, I feel a cold gust of wind, almost as cold as a searing wind current in the depths of the Season of Ice. As the cold wind runs its path to either side of my body, snow begins to actually spring forth from the broken branch. A small tornado of snow begins to blow around Terrensia and then melts and falls to the ground as water about two arms lengths away. A black, oily looking substance begins to drip out of the branch and proceeds to pool at her feet. When the oil pool reaches a diameter of about one and a half arms lengths wide, Terrensia then drops the branch. In a flash of light, Terrensia disappears, leaving nothing but the floating, glittery outline of angels dancing on the wind of which she just occupying. Then in a similar flash of light, she rematerializes next to me on the stoop of the Church.
"This is going to be good. She can do, I know it", Terrensia exclaims with a tense, excited look on her face. All I can do is stand, motionless, thoughtless, without saying a sound. Several seconds. Nothing. I begin to wonder if there may have been something wrong with the branch. Suddenly, a large creature springs out of the tar pool. It spring out with force, jumping at least a quarter of it's height into the air, than landing with a thunderous thud that seems to the shake the ground. "Oh my! It's an Orc Zombie! This will be a good test of her faith", Terrensia says excitedly. And it was. It looks putrid, with pieces of flesh falling from it's form. Blood is pouring out of it's nose, eyes, and mouth. It's chipped and mangled horn helmet seem to match it's rotting loincloth. It begins to stumble towards Feress.
I almost begin to run towards Feress, to try to help her any way I can. I must have lurched forward, as Terrensia grabs me by the arm. "This is her test. She must do it alone", she explains.
I can see the fear beginning to grip Feress' face. Her expression begins to harden and turn pale. But, with swift and deliberate motion, she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a Rosary. I can tell, even with the distance separating us, that it has a woven length of white twine wrapped around it. She holds it straight out from her body with her right hand. Her head drops down, and I can tell that she is saying something. I know without thinking. She is speaking Merhit.
The twine suddenly begins to get a faint glow emanating from it. It begins to increase in brightness until it begins to actually shine. Then, it begins to move and undulate around the Rosary as if it where a snake crawling up a stake in the ground. The Orc Zombie begins to draw very near to her, now only two arms lengths away. It begins to drool blood as it begins to reach for her. I can hear a low moaning sound, almost a growl. At the same time, the twine starts to grow in size and, as it does so, it speeds it's motion until it moves around the Cross at a blinding speed.
Then, as the white light begins to grow to a blinding pitch, Feress throws the Rosary at the ground. It explodes in an utterly blinding blast, just as the Orc Zombie lays it's hands on her shoulders. The explosion starts to twist and stretch into a giant Cross on the ground. As it stretches across the ground, beams of Heavenly white light begin to shine from the lines of the cross. As this occurs, I can faintly see shimmering feathers floating Heaven bound in the light.
The Orc Zombie suddenly lets out a yell, slips backwards and vaporizes. "Very good, very good Feress! Wonderful! You kept maintained your calm and pulled off the spell amazingly! I am very proud of you", Terrensia says excitedly.
I immediately run towards Feress and give her a giant hug. "I was so worried! I thought you were going to freeze up! But you did great", I offer. She begins to blush a bit and kind of tilts her head to the side. "Well, I just did everything you said m'lady".
"No. You were very good, and I mean it! Why can't you just except the fact that you have a gift and admit it", Terrensia asks with a large smile on her face.
I am very happy for Feress, believe me I am. But, with her stellar performance, I only feel that mine will now be an even bigger disappointment. Terrensia reaches her hand out, holding it directly in front of Feress' lapel on her robe. A flash of white light makes a small shimmering patch appear on her lapel. "You have earned this skill point, I can tell you that much", Terrensia rewards. "Okay, Lute, now for your test!"
If I must say something, I would at least have to say that this place is beautiful. The Church's inner sanctum is truly beautiful. The candles at the alter cast a golden aura that seems to float across the walls. The paintings on the walls all have red and neutral brown tones, making one feel safer here than anywhere in the whole of Rune Midgard. At least, that is it's aesthetic appearance. I love the warm, almost over powering feeling of being here. Maybe that is why I don't mind so much. Being the next heir to a long, grand line of revered Priests does not leave much time for childhood. At the young age of six and a half, I was told that I was to abandon my dreams of being a Royal Knight for King Tristan II.
Maybe it is for the better, I could believe, as I have never been very inclined towards physical activity. My body is very thin, and I have arms and legs that one could possibly see on an emaciated Morroc peasant. My shaggy blonde hair sits atop my obviously sun-hidden face, as I am as pale as freshly fallen winter snow. My parents always reminded me of this, and from the time I was very little, I have spent almost all my time in the Church, training to be a Priest. I took my Acolyte test two season-cycles ago, when I was eleven. Around the time my parents were killed.
"Lute", calls Terrensia, the head Priestess of the Royal Church of Prontera, "please come over here and tell me what you can decipher from this". She is an older women, with waist-length purple hair tied back in red bow. I stand up from where I was kneeling, supposedly praying. I was only praying for the first ten minutes of the hour. "Come and read a passage of the Ri-Lhen. I want to see if your reading abilities have improved". The Ri-Lhen. The holy book of all of Rune Midgard. It is written in a language called "Merhit". All the Priests and most Acolytes can read very large amounts of it, effortlessly. I am still struggling.
"Okay. I promise I will try harder this time", I respond back, mostly meaning it. As I walk toward her, she runs her hand along the side of the beautiful alter. It rubs off a small wisp of week-old dust that begins to fold and fall through the air like snow. I notice small things such as this when I am nervous.
"Alright Lute, see if you can understand the meaning of this passage", she says with a friendly smile that, somewhere deep in the pit of my mind, makes me feel a bit better. She presses her finger to the passage so, that it crooks against the ancient page. I stare blankly at the page for what seems like a full sun-cycle. Then, I begin to read. "Shuri ten futmar. Uruman denbah hakritin ket kurot zuoret. Methish Tenur shorohi marutenbet gan bu ha tert", I read. Well, not exactly read, per say. The words don't mean anything. You see, when someone, well versed in the ways of the Priesthood, reads these words aloud, that person begins to see a picture form in their mind's eye. It begins to shape and become more clear, the better your understanding of the art, known as Merhit Script, has become. The pictures I see are still very faint. Foggy almost, as if in a dream. I could almost see the image this time, though. I feel I am getting closer.
"And...what does this Script have to say for you?" she asks, clearing looking at me in concern, "what is the image that you see?" she adds. "I saw a man, in robes, with something else behind him. Something big, and moving", I offer to her. "You are definitely getting better. You still have a long way to go, but you are getting better. This skill is extremely important to your role in the Church! To all of our roles! This art is the foundation for all of our spells. If you cannot see in your spirit the change in this world that your spell could make, it simply will not come to be. This is a gift from God that we have received, and received it with open arms we have. Well, we will try again tommorow. Go get ready for supper for now."
After my parents died, I began to live with Feress, a friend of the family. She is now seventeen season-cycles old, and a lower-ranked Priestess of the Royal Church. We both live in her small house behind the tool shop. The Church cannot afford much for the junior members of the Church, but as she has developed incredible power for her age, they saw fit to begin supporting her. The house is only made up of three rooms, but it is home.
"Wake up...Wake up Lute...time to go to the Church...". As I open my eyes, I almost see my mother sitting on my bed, gently nudging me awake. As my mind clears and thoughts solidify, I realize it is only Feress, making me get up for my daily Church duties. I can see that she has her shoulder length blue hair up today, and her blue eyes are sparkling with that unique glitter. "C'mon sleepy head! If you are late one more time this month, Terrensia is going to scold you!" she exclaims as she yanks my patchwork quilt off of me. "Ugh...wh..what time is it?", I ask, half of me not wanting to know the response. "It's already three arches to full sun! Get up and get dresses or we are going to be late!" she announces. "Oh...just need a little more sleep", I claim. "Well too bad, I have my skill test today, and it's very important", she shoots back.
I pull myself out of my bed, a task that seems to getting harder and harder these days, as I have been taking a copy of the Ri-Lhen home these past few weeks and studying under candle light until I almost pass out. If Feress was to find out about this, she would then tell Terrensia, and she would then demote me to a lower ranked class of children one and a half season cycles younger than I. I could not take something that humiliating and show my face in Prontera again!
After adorning my robe and Rosary, I join Feress in the kitchen, a small room in which I could most likely lay down and touch both sides of the room. But, it does have a wood burning stove and oven, enough to make it functional. And there was enough room left over for a small, two-person table. My face lights up as I see my favorite breakfast dish lying upon it. Scrambled Picky eggs and Savage Babe sausage. "Feress, I could have made my own breakfast this morning! You didn't have to", I assert. "Well, it's an important day for the both of us, we both have tests today", she states. "I know about my Heal test, but what test do you have today", I ask. "Don't tell me you already forgot! I've got my Magnus Exorcismus test today", she exclaims. "Oh yeah! I'm sorry, I almost forgot. I know you told me about it a month or so ago".
"Longer ago than that! I've been looking forward to this for a very long time", she adds. We continue to talk a little while finishing breakfast.
As we walk across the inner court, I see children playing in front of the weapon shop. Some have there noses pressed to the glass, seemingly trying to push their noses through to the inner weapon display. A newly forged Basterd Sword is sitting evenly on a polished wooden display stand. As I walk a few strides, I see the rising sun's reflection on the finely tempered steel, like a sunrise's glittery echo on a still pound. Some of the children are not paying any attention at all to the remarkable blade, but rather, running after each other with sticks. Half of them are also wearing PecoPeco eggshells on their heads to represent helmets. One boy is running swiftly after another, and taps him on his back with the stick, then shouts, "I got you Baphomet, you're dead". The other child shoots back, "Foolish swordsman! You will never kill the almighty Baphomet".
Without even noticing, I stop dead in my tracks, and am simply staring at the children in wonder. They can be whatever they want to be, without anyone forcing them to walk a path that they would soon rather avoid. They have parents that encourage them, and help them along the way to achieve the stars, the two moons of Rune Midgard, and beyond. They have...parents. I can begin to feel small, nearly insignificant tears begin to emerge from the corners of my eyes. They send a hot, burning sensation that is not entirely unpleasant.
I am startled out of my imagination with Feress yelling, "What are you doing? It must be past two arches till full sun! Get with it and come on". "Sorry. I must have been daydreaming. I'm coming", I answer back. I wipe away the small droplets of tears in one swift motion, secretly blended into an attempt to wipe away sweat.
And I needed to wipe away that sweat. It is extremely hot in this season, the Season of Heat. It is late in the season, almost time to begin preparing for the Season of Cool, but the temperature has not let up. On the contrary, it is a remarkable day outside. There are no clouds in the sky to be seen, and the trees and shrubbery that line the walkways to the Church are more green than green. They almost look unreal.
I look a little beyond the bushes and see Terrensia standing on the steps leading to the Church. She immediately begins walking towards us with a perturbed look on her face. "I was beginning to worry about you two! Lute, I would expect this tardiness from you, but you too Feress?"
I begin to open my mouth to say that I over slept, but before I could form the words, Feress cuts me off. "I'm sorry m'lady, it was my fault. I over slept today. Lute had to wake me up."
"Somehow I doubt that", she retorts. "Feress, don't ever lie to me again, even if it is to protect someone, and Lute, please see me privately after the tests. Anyway, lets begin the tests now, shall we?"
Feress immediately gets a displeased look upon her face. "But m'lady, can we not be allowed any time to warm up? We have not had any practice at all today", she exclaims. "Would undead attacking the city give you time to warm up? Would a friend dying before your eyes give you time to warm up? Answer me this", Terrensia pronounces. "Very true. I'm sorry to have doubted you m'lady," Feress replies.
"Well, why don't we begin with the senior student? Feress, I'm looking forward to seeing your Magnus Exorcismus in action", Terrensia says. "I'll do my best m'lady. I've never actually used it in action", Feress responds. "I have all my faith in you dear. Now Lute, please go and stand on the steps of the Church. Feress step away from the Church with me".
With that said, I run full pace towards the steps of the Church, grabbing a pillar and swinging myself around to quickly turn and view what is about to unfold. Terrensia opens up a satchel that is buckled around her waist and pulls out a piece of a branch. She holds it up toward the sky, and with deliberate motion, snaps it so it actually does not break, but rather splinters out. Immediately, I feel a cold gust of wind, almost as cold as a searing wind current in the depths of the Season of Ice. As the cold wind runs its path to either side of my body, snow begins to actually spring forth from the broken branch. A small tornado of snow begins to blow around Terrensia and then melts and falls to the ground as water about two arms lengths away. A black, oily looking substance begins to drip out of the branch and proceeds to pool at her feet. When the oil pool reaches a diameter of about one and a half arms lengths wide, Terrensia then drops the branch. In a flash of light, Terrensia disappears, leaving nothing but the floating, glittery outline of angels dancing on the wind of which she just occupying. Then in a similar flash of light, she rematerializes next to me on the stoop of the Church.
"This is going to be good. She can do, I know it", Terrensia exclaims with a tense, excited look on her face. All I can do is stand, motionless, thoughtless, without saying a sound. Several seconds. Nothing. I begin to wonder if there may have been something wrong with the branch. Suddenly, a large creature springs out of the tar pool. It spring out with force, jumping at least a quarter of it's height into the air, than landing with a thunderous thud that seems to the shake the ground. "Oh my! It's an Orc Zombie! This will be a good test of her faith", Terrensia says excitedly. And it was. It looks putrid, with pieces of flesh falling from it's form. Blood is pouring out of it's nose, eyes, and mouth. It's chipped and mangled horn helmet seem to match it's rotting loincloth. It begins to stumble towards Feress.
I almost begin to run towards Feress, to try to help her any way I can. I must have lurched forward, as Terrensia grabs me by the arm. "This is her test. She must do it alone", she explains.
I can see the fear beginning to grip Feress' face. Her expression begins to harden and turn pale. But, with swift and deliberate motion, she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a Rosary. I can tell, even with the distance separating us, that it has a woven length of white twine wrapped around it. She holds it straight out from her body with her right hand. Her head drops down, and I can tell that she is saying something. I know without thinking. She is speaking Merhit.
The twine suddenly begins to get a faint glow emanating from it. It begins to increase in brightness until it begins to actually shine. Then, it begins to move and undulate around the Rosary as if it where a snake crawling up a stake in the ground. The Orc Zombie begins to draw very near to her, now only two arms lengths away. It begins to drool blood as it begins to reach for her. I can hear a low moaning sound, almost a growl. At the same time, the twine starts to grow in size and, as it does so, it speeds it's motion until it moves around the Cross at a blinding speed.
Then, as the white light begins to grow to a blinding pitch, Feress throws the Rosary at the ground. It explodes in an utterly blinding blast, just as the Orc Zombie lays it's hands on her shoulders. The explosion starts to twist and stretch into a giant Cross on the ground. As it stretches across the ground, beams of Heavenly white light begin to shine from the lines of the cross. As this occurs, I can faintly see shimmering feathers floating Heaven bound in the light.
The Orc Zombie suddenly lets out a yell, slips backwards and vaporizes. "Very good, very good Feress! Wonderful! You kept maintained your calm and pulled off the spell amazingly! I am very proud of you", Terrensia says excitedly.
I immediately run towards Feress and give her a giant hug. "I was so worried! I thought you were going to freeze up! But you did great", I offer. She begins to blush a bit and kind of tilts her head to the side. "Well, I just did everything you said m'lady".
"No. You were very good, and I mean it! Why can't you just except the fact that you have a gift and admit it", Terrensia asks with a large smile on her face.
I am very happy for Feress, believe me I am. But, with her stellar performance, I only feel that mine will now be an even bigger disappointment. Terrensia reaches her hand out, holding it directly in front of Feress' lapel on her robe. A flash of white light makes a small shimmering patch appear on her lapel. "You have earned this skill point, I can tell you that much", Terrensia rewards. "Okay, Lute, now for your test!"