...My eyes opened gently. I squinted as if I had never seen light before. I tried to discern my surroundings, but the glare was too bright. As my eyes readjusting, I gradually became aware of the small chamber, formed out of rock. The far wall was bare except for a small porthole, the size of my head. Then I turned to look at the opposite wall, which had a door with bars across the port window. Bars. I was a prisoner.
Then the memories came flooding back. First who I was, my name. Then the fight. Our fight with the Drow. The trap they set. Nicalen dying at their hands. The laugh of the Matron, blood, my blood flowing through my fingers.
I was sobbing now. I had lost everything. My hopes, my plans, my closest friend. I began to wonder if the rest of our companions had survived. Probably not. How could they? Then I started to think about why the had resurrected me. That was an easy one, though. The Drow lived to torture. I shuddered at the thoughts of what awaited me. I thought of my sentient blade, the family treasure that had been passed down from my fathers fathers fathers father, An enormous amount of time for an elf, who stole it from a mage tower when the elven armies were still fighting Drow on the surface. Then I began to think, more in desperate hopefulness than actual expectance if they had revived Nicalen.
He had been my friend since my parents had been killed by human sentries serving some false goddess. His family took me in and supported me through my childhood. Then our village was raided by the Drow, and his parents, my family, was murdered. I took my sword and killed the two Drow that had killed his mother, while he avenged his father.
A week later, we met a small Elvin war party trying to ward off the Drow from harming any other innocents, and joined them in hopes of avenging our home. After settling down, we quickly arose to a leadership position and drove the Drow back to their holes in the ground.
Then suddenly I was awaken from my thoughts by a key being thrust into the lock. The door thrust open, and two Drow, one soldier and one mage, both male, stepped into the room. The soldier walked over calmly and kicked me square in the face. Blood dripped from my nose, and I felt a tooth fall from my mouth. He grabbed my hair and dragged me to my feet. I struggled for a moment, but subsided, knowing it would only make it worse.
"Move yer ass, stupid elf!" he replied in the common tongue, which surprised me, Drow usually didn't learn common. He pushed me to the door, and I stumbled into the corridor. I was ushered into a dark room filled with hundreds of devices of torture. They pushed me to a small wooden table and sat me down. My escorts were dismissed by the cleric who worked the room.
"I have a surprise for you." She sneered. She magically dragged a huge table covered by a white cloth. Blood from whatever was hidden was seeping through the fabric.. she pulled the cloth away, and to my horror, it was the mutilated corpse of the paladin, Sir William, who, though a human, fought and died next to me and Nicalen. I said a quick prayer to Dahlis, the Elven goddess of souls, for his eternal peace, and though an empty threat, I vowed to avenge him.
I watched, with hidden fear as the bitch Drow came closer, she began chanting some evil spell. I watched in anticipation as the sweat beaded on her forehead. She increased the pace of her chance, she neared her climax, I flinched as she reached the end of the spell. Suddenly her chanting ceased and her eyes grew wide, blood spurted from her mouth. I was splattered with mixed blood and saliva, as she fell to her knees. I looked, curiously, beyond her, and saw a huge figure, about 7 feet tall holding two bastard swords and wearing full plate mail.
I looked back to the dead Drow, and noticed a dagger the size of my forearm sticking out of the back of her neck, which was already mostly severed.
"Why are you here, elf?" he stated flatly.
"I like the scenery this time of year." I replied sarcastically.
"Well then I won't bother you." He sneered and turned to walk away.
"Alright, I'm sorry, please untie me." I said discordantly.
"You know, I don't like elves. Their to stuck up. Usually, I would let you die. Possibly even aid in the process. But I hate Drow more, and would do as much as possible to thwart them, but don't expect me to do it again, 'cause it won't happen."
He ripped the huge dagger from the Drow's back, decapitating the flaccid body in the process, and roughly cut the bindings off the chair.
"Ya hurt?" he asked, more out of curiosity than concern.
"I am fine, no need to worry," I said, "but I have a friend whose body I would like to find, if you could aid me."
"I'll aid you, but only to piss off the Drow, and for my goddess, Halinsia, who sent me on this noble quest." He made the sign of goddess, and it was then that it hit me.
"You're a paladin."
His eyes filled with fury. "Of course! What part of that surprises you, Elvin freak!"
"You're just so...well...not lawful and stoic. That's how every paladin I've ever seen has been. I thought that was their code of honor...."
He lifted his swords, as if to cut me down, but caught himself, and lowered his eyes in shame. "I have lost my honor," he said through his rage "and I am here to regain it."
"I see. Well you saved me, so can I help you?"
"Just don't die in these shit hole caves." With that he turned and walked away.
I shook my head at the unusual attitude, and wasn't surprised he had lost his honor, if a human has such a thing anyway. Then I remembered my own predicament.
Being as quiet as possible, I crept out into the corridor and walked slowly through the tunnels. I was about to head to the exit, but then I remembered my sword and Nicalen. The sword was of good alignment, and a family heirloom what's more. And the only thing I had left of my own family. And as for Nicalen, I couldn't let his body be desecrated by the dark elf scum. I decided to do a search, but I needed a weapon. I walked silently down the corridor as quickly as I could, but my fears were without merit, as I encountered nothing. Eventually, I came back to the audience chamber. It was still stained with blood. The memories of the battle haunted me, as I walked through the hall. Then a flash caught my eye. Fearing an attack, I turned. I approached cautiously, keeping to the shadows, and stalked the reflective object.
When I finally recognized what it was, my spirits flew through the roof of my head. My sword! I rushed over to it and picked it up from the ground. Instantly my mind was filled with an axtra awarnes that was always brought on when I held the sentient blade. Such a beutiful weapon. The handle was made from the heart of a treant, the tree-like guardians of all the forests of the planet. The blade curved elegantly, glowing with magical runes which would shine even brighter when evil was near. And then I saw something that filled my heart with recognition, then sadness, then fear. One of Nicalen swords, shoved cleanly into the floor of the audience hall. No dark elf could ever touch his family blade, as well as any other creature, for that matter. Then it wouldremain in this place as a memorial to the brave creatures who fought in this battle, I thought to myself.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming from one of the entrances. I quickly hid myself among the corpses of my former friends. I expected Drow, but what I saw filled me with joy. Necalen was walking into the room, bastard sword in hand glowing like a candle.
Then the memories came flooding back. First who I was, my name. Then the fight. Our fight with the Drow. The trap they set. Nicalen dying at their hands. The laugh of the Matron, blood, my blood flowing through my fingers.
I was sobbing now. I had lost everything. My hopes, my plans, my closest friend. I began to wonder if the rest of our companions had survived. Probably not. How could they? Then I started to think about why the had resurrected me. That was an easy one, though. The Drow lived to torture. I shuddered at the thoughts of what awaited me. I thought of my sentient blade, the family treasure that had been passed down from my fathers fathers fathers father, An enormous amount of time for an elf, who stole it from a mage tower when the elven armies were still fighting Drow on the surface. Then I began to think, more in desperate hopefulness than actual expectance if they had revived Nicalen.
He had been my friend since my parents had been killed by human sentries serving some false goddess. His family took me in and supported me through my childhood. Then our village was raided by the Drow, and his parents, my family, was murdered. I took my sword and killed the two Drow that had killed his mother, while he avenged his father.
A week later, we met a small Elvin war party trying to ward off the Drow from harming any other innocents, and joined them in hopes of avenging our home. After settling down, we quickly arose to a leadership position and drove the Drow back to their holes in the ground.
Then suddenly I was awaken from my thoughts by a key being thrust into the lock. The door thrust open, and two Drow, one soldier and one mage, both male, stepped into the room. The soldier walked over calmly and kicked me square in the face. Blood dripped from my nose, and I felt a tooth fall from my mouth. He grabbed my hair and dragged me to my feet. I struggled for a moment, but subsided, knowing it would only make it worse.
"Move yer ass, stupid elf!" he replied in the common tongue, which surprised me, Drow usually didn't learn common. He pushed me to the door, and I stumbled into the corridor. I was ushered into a dark room filled with hundreds of devices of torture. They pushed me to a small wooden table and sat me down. My escorts were dismissed by the cleric who worked the room.
"I have a surprise for you." She sneered. She magically dragged a huge table covered by a white cloth. Blood from whatever was hidden was seeping through the fabric.. she pulled the cloth away, and to my horror, it was the mutilated corpse of the paladin, Sir William, who, though a human, fought and died next to me and Nicalen. I said a quick prayer to Dahlis, the Elven goddess of souls, for his eternal peace, and though an empty threat, I vowed to avenge him.
I watched, with hidden fear as the bitch Drow came closer, she began chanting some evil spell. I watched in anticipation as the sweat beaded on her forehead. She increased the pace of her chance, she neared her climax, I flinched as she reached the end of the spell. Suddenly her chanting ceased and her eyes grew wide, blood spurted from her mouth. I was splattered with mixed blood and saliva, as she fell to her knees. I looked, curiously, beyond her, and saw a huge figure, about 7 feet tall holding two bastard swords and wearing full plate mail.
I looked back to the dead Drow, and noticed a dagger the size of my forearm sticking out of the back of her neck, which was already mostly severed.
"Why are you here, elf?" he stated flatly.
"I like the scenery this time of year." I replied sarcastically.
"Well then I won't bother you." He sneered and turned to walk away.
"Alright, I'm sorry, please untie me." I said discordantly.
"You know, I don't like elves. Their to stuck up. Usually, I would let you die. Possibly even aid in the process. But I hate Drow more, and would do as much as possible to thwart them, but don't expect me to do it again, 'cause it won't happen."
He ripped the huge dagger from the Drow's back, decapitating the flaccid body in the process, and roughly cut the bindings off the chair.
"Ya hurt?" he asked, more out of curiosity than concern.
"I am fine, no need to worry," I said, "but I have a friend whose body I would like to find, if you could aid me."
"I'll aid you, but only to piss off the Drow, and for my goddess, Halinsia, who sent me on this noble quest." He made the sign of goddess, and it was then that it hit me.
"You're a paladin."
His eyes filled with fury. "Of course! What part of that surprises you, Elvin freak!"
"You're just so...well...not lawful and stoic. That's how every paladin I've ever seen has been. I thought that was their code of honor...."
He lifted his swords, as if to cut me down, but caught himself, and lowered his eyes in shame. "I have lost my honor," he said through his rage "and I am here to regain it."
"I see. Well you saved me, so can I help you?"
"Just don't die in these shit hole caves." With that he turned and walked away.
I shook my head at the unusual attitude, and wasn't surprised he had lost his honor, if a human has such a thing anyway. Then I remembered my own predicament.
Being as quiet as possible, I crept out into the corridor and walked slowly through the tunnels. I was about to head to the exit, but then I remembered my sword and Nicalen. The sword was of good alignment, and a family heirloom what's more. And the only thing I had left of my own family. And as for Nicalen, I couldn't let his body be desecrated by the dark elf scum. I decided to do a search, but I needed a weapon. I walked silently down the corridor as quickly as I could, but my fears were without merit, as I encountered nothing. Eventually, I came back to the audience chamber. It was still stained with blood. The memories of the battle haunted me, as I walked through the hall. Then a flash caught my eye. Fearing an attack, I turned. I approached cautiously, keeping to the shadows, and stalked the reflective object.
When I finally recognized what it was, my spirits flew through the roof of my head. My sword! I rushed over to it and picked it up from the ground. Instantly my mind was filled with an axtra awarnes that was always brought on when I held the sentient blade. Such a beutiful weapon. The handle was made from the heart of a treant, the tree-like guardians of all the forests of the planet. The blade curved elegantly, glowing with magical runes which would shine even brighter when evil was near. And then I saw something that filled my heart with recognition, then sadness, then fear. One of Nicalen swords, shoved cleanly into the floor of the audience hall. No dark elf could ever touch his family blade, as well as any other creature, for that matter. Then it wouldremain in this place as a memorial to the brave creatures who fought in this battle, I thought to myself.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming from one of the entrances. I quickly hid myself among the corpses of my former friends. I expected Drow, but what I saw filled me with joy. Necalen was walking into the room, bastard sword in hand glowing like a candle.
