Odd. Asterisks are being deleted, so now the following will be true: --action--
Legault: Writing during school now, are we?
--WHACK--
Legault: Hey, I never said I didn't approve! Class is boring!
You BETTER not be lying.
Legault: I'm not, I'm not. Anyway, let's take a look at the reviews we have.
The Story Master 125: smiles
darkstarred: No, he's not. In that particular scene, Jaffar was 10, and Nino was 5. That's why I used the "half my age" comparison there.
Kevin C: You know me, I love angsty, dramatic stuff! And thanks for doing that to Sap, he deserved it.
AmbieChan: Yeah, I love dark characters too. You really think I did Jaffar a great justice? enormous grin
Millennium Slinky: Beautifully creepy? Too pretty for words?! is ecstatic
Bethany: Hey, thanks!
elven-girl10: Glad you think so.
Itzel: Meep! hides to avoid beating I'll write the end! It'll just take me a while to reach it!
gentleness28: Don't worry, it's not a one-shot!
Well, this hasn't been updated since February... Sorry about that! I just had no inspiration!
Heath: And trying to write during a half hour of free time during English and Geometry gives inspiration, as does writing at home while listening to music from a SNES game?
Exactly.
Heath: --rolls eyes-- And so does sitting next to hyper friends, I presume.
--WHACK-- Shaddup, Heath.
Jaffar: ... Just get on with the damn story.
All: --salute-- Yes ma'am!
............................................................................ ....................................................................
Kill.
That's the instinct that I've always been taught. Well, more accurately, it's the instinct they've attempted to teach me. Uncle Legault says that I'm forever innocent.
I am from one of the most powerful magic families in Lycia, the sole survivor. Nergal and his morphs came, murdering them all when I was very young. I was only spared because Nergal himself thought I might be useful in later times.
I always thought Sonia was my mother, but I knew she hated me, never showing an ounce of affection. She always shoved me to the side in a way, disappointed with my abilities, or lack thereof. Limstella was teaching me magic, but gave up quickly due to my inability to read. It never once crossed their minds to try to teach me how.
We had a bit of contact with the black fang, so we'd see them every once in a while, their numbers having swelled slightly each time. The leader's wife had died recently, and Sonia jumped at the opportunity. She immediately began her seduction of Brendan Reed. With her gone, I was left on my own for those periods of time.
Having been dubbed as "nearly hopeless", I was never quite given enough to eat. If I could read, and had learned exactly what they told me instead of questioning the cruelty, perhaps I would have had more. But it matters not, as the past is the past. We were staying at one of the many hideouts that night, an old, abandoned castle. I was told it was empty due to repeated bandit attacks forcing previous owners to pack up and leave, but Uncle Jan later told me the truth. Nergal had driven them out with his dark magic.
I went to the kitchens, intent on begging a bit of food from whichever black fang or minor morph was there at the time. Were I lucky, it would have been a black fang member. They were more lenient back then.
Unfortunately for me, it was Denning.
He was intended to be powerful, but something had gone ever so slightly wrong during his creation. While a good sniper who would follow every command to the letter, he had absolutely no free will of his own. And he had been ordered to keep everyone out of the kitchens.
I was five at the time, so I didn't really know when to give up. I begged and protested until he became fed up that he wasn't following the orders he'd been given, so he literally picked me up and threw me out onto the kitchen steps. I could hear him locking the door behind me.
Soon after, the moon was revealed in a gap between the enormous dark clouds. It was a three-quarter moon, as I had my "mother" say; between half and completely full. Kind of like my stomach at the time.
I made my way to the courtyards. Sitting on the edge of my favorite fountain, tears began to slip down my cheeks. With the exception of two especially kind Black Fang members that I'd met once or twice, it seemed as though I wasn't worth anything. Lost in my crying, I also lost track of time until a sweet aroma hit my nose; fairly fresh bread.
Shocked, I looked up. There was a boy, maybe ten years old retreating into the shadows, dark cape billowing around his knees as the wind played with hair the color of dried blood. I shivered slightly at the image, but was grateful nonetheless. I wolfed down the bread, and stayed by the fountain for a while, watching the moon cross the sky.
The next morning, I remember looking all over for the boy, trying to find him so I could thank him, and just maybe make a friend. I didn't find him then, but I did bump into a kind brigand from the Black Fang named Jan. He was the one who became my first friend, and spent time with me whenever Brendan and Nergal's forces were in the same area.
When I next found that boy I'd been looking for, the one with tanned skin and hair the color of dried blood, it was a week after that night when he'd shown kindness. He lay on a thin pallet stuffed with straw, blood staining his clothes and the floor. I looked on in shock, not believing what I saw. Uncle Jan was playing hide and seek with me at the time, and while I was supposed to hide, I simply stood at the door. He found me like this, and gently shooed me away.
Unbeknownst to him, I returned later that night, and saw that he'd bandaged the boy's torso, where the wounds seemed to be worst. His hair was damp with sweat, plastered to his forehead. He shook with uneven breaths, clearly in pain. Though only five, I knew something was very wrong, so I slept in a corner of the room that night.
Limstella discovered me there at dawn the next day. She hauled me out and locked me in my room for two days. Thankfully, uncle Jan snuck me food from time to time.
Uncle Legault picked the lock, which is why I was only stuck in there for two days. It had a magic seal on it, though, so two lightning bolts arched out towards his face, creating the two scars that now cross his left eye.
After that, Sonia assumed that I had managed to break out of there myself, and allowed me to tag along with her to various places. I watched her cast spells against other people, those who discovered our many lairs. After hearing the casting chants so many times, I learned them by heart. In only three years, I knew how to cast fire, but had never done so myself. I snuck into the spell book library later that night, intent on trying it myself.
Not being able to read, I walked up and down the rows with my lantern until I saw a book resembling that which I had seen Sonia use. I slipped outside using one of the secret exits I had discovered while playing hide and seek. Finding a large clearing with only a dead maple tree in the center, I held the book under my arm and began chanting. I crossed my arm over my body and whipped it out to point at the tree as I had seen "mother" do so many times. I had only expected a small fire to be lit on one of the branches, and go out quickly.
What I never anticipated was my power.
The tree erupted in flames, which soon spread to the grass below and leapt to other nearby branches. I wanted to run, but my legs were frozen as I watched the flames dance, in awe of what I had done. Even when I was surrounded by the fire, I didn't feel the heat, nor did I feel the pain as tendrils of flame licked at my legs.
A shout behind me broke the peace, and I dropped the book as I ran, yet still didn't feel any pain. I crashed into Limstella, who was casting Fimbulvetr to quench the flames. She simply looked at me, expressionless, and then took me back to the hideout in silence. I think she believed it was Sonia who had created that blaze in an attempt to kill me, as I heard the two of them talking in hushed tones outside my door while I was attempting to sleep.
This is how my life began, as a mere tagalong, deemed useless.
I would later become one of the most powerful magic users in Elibe.
............................................................................ ....................................................................
Big Bertha Bessie: Moooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. (Not bad! That music Kate sent you really helped you write this)
Yes, it REALLY helped.
Jaffar: ...
Legault: I don't even WANT to know why your newest muse is a huge cow.
BBB: --sits on Legault-- /
Heath: Review! It makes blade happy, and encourages new chapters faster!
Legault: Writing during school now, are we?
--WHACK--
Legault: Hey, I never said I didn't approve! Class is boring!
You BETTER not be lying.
Legault: I'm not, I'm not. Anyway, let's take a look at the reviews we have.
The Story Master 125: smiles
darkstarred: No, he's not. In that particular scene, Jaffar was 10, and Nino was 5. That's why I used the "half my age" comparison there.
Kevin C: You know me, I love angsty, dramatic stuff! And thanks for doing that to Sap, he deserved it.
AmbieChan: Yeah, I love dark characters too. You really think I did Jaffar a great justice? enormous grin
Millennium Slinky: Beautifully creepy? Too pretty for words?! is ecstatic
Bethany: Hey, thanks!
elven-girl10: Glad you think so.
Itzel: Meep! hides to avoid beating I'll write the end! It'll just take me a while to reach it!
gentleness28: Don't worry, it's not a one-shot!
Well, this hasn't been updated since February... Sorry about that! I just had no inspiration!
Heath: And trying to write during a half hour of free time during English and Geometry gives inspiration, as does writing at home while listening to music from a SNES game?
Exactly.
Heath: --rolls eyes-- And so does sitting next to hyper friends, I presume.
--WHACK-- Shaddup, Heath.
Jaffar: ... Just get on with the damn story.
All: --salute-- Yes ma'am!
............................................................................ ....................................................................
Kill.
That's the instinct that I've always been taught. Well, more accurately, it's the instinct they've attempted to teach me. Uncle Legault says that I'm forever innocent.
I am from one of the most powerful magic families in Lycia, the sole survivor. Nergal and his morphs came, murdering them all when I was very young. I was only spared because Nergal himself thought I might be useful in later times.
I always thought Sonia was my mother, but I knew she hated me, never showing an ounce of affection. She always shoved me to the side in a way, disappointed with my abilities, or lack thereof. Limstella was teaching me magic, but gave up quickly due to my inability to read. It never once crossed their minds to try to teach me how.
We had a bit of contact with the black fang, so we'd see them every once in a while, their numbers having swelled slightly each time. The leader's wife had died recently, and Sonia jumped at the opportunity. She immediately began her seduction of Brendan Reed. With her gone, I was left on my own for those periods of time.
Having been dubbed as "nearly hopeless", I was never quite given enough to eat. If I could read, and had learned exactly what they told me instead of questioning the cruelty, perhaps I would have had more. But it matters not, as the past is the past. We were staying at one of the many hideouts that night, an old, abandoned castle. I was told it was empty due to repeated bandit attacks forcing previous owners to pack up and leave, but Uncle Jan later told me the truth. Nergal had driven them out with his dark magic.
I went to the kitchens, intent on begging a bit of food from whichever black fang or minor morph was there at the time. Were I lucky, it would have been a black fang member. They were more lenient back then.
Unfortunately for me, it was Denning.
He was intended to be powerful, but something had gone ever so slightly wrong during his creation. While a good sniper who would follow every command to the letter, he had absolutely no free will of his own. And he had been ordered to keep everyone out of the kitchens.
I was five at the time, so I didn't really know when to give up. I begged and protested until he became fed up that he wasn't following the orders he'd been given, so he literally picked me up and threw me out onto the kitchen steps. I could hear him locking the door behind me.
Soon after, the moon was revealed in a gap between the enormous dark clouds. It was a three-quarter moon, as I had my "mother" say; between half and completely full. Kind of like my stomach at the time.
I made my way to the courtyards. Sitting on the edge of my favorite fountain, tears began to slip down my cheeks. With the exception of two especially kind Black Fang members that I'd met once or twice, it seemed as though I wasn't worth anything. Lost in my crying, I also lost track of time until a sweet aroma hit my nose; fairly fresh bread.
Shocked, I looked up. There was a boy, maybe ten years old retreating into the shadows, dark cape billowing around his knees as the wind played with hair the color of dried blood. I shivered slightly at the image, but was grateful nonetheless. I wolfed down the bread, and stayed by the fountain for a while, watching the moon cross the sky.
The next morning, I remember looking all over for the boy, trying to find him so I could thank him, and just maybe make a friend. I didn't find him then, but I did bump into a kind brigand from the Black Fang named Jan. He was the one who became my first friend, and spent time with me whenever Brendan and Nergal's forces were in the same area.
When I next found that boy I'd been looking for, the one with tanned skin and hair the color of dried blood, it was a week after that night when he'd shown kindness. He lay on a thin pallet stuffed with straw, blood staining his clothes and the floor. I looked on in shock, not believing what I saw. Uncle Jan was playing hide and seek with me at the time, and while I was supposed to hide, I simply stood at the door. He found me like this, and gently shooed me away.
Unbeknownst to him, I returned later that night, and saw that he'd bandaged the boy's torso, where the wounds seemed to be worst. His hair was damp with sweat, plastered to his forehead. He shook with uneven breaths, clearly in pain. Though only five, I knew something was very wrong, so I slept in a corner of the room that night.
Limstella discovered me there at dawn the next day. She hauled me out and locked me in my room for two days. Thankfully, uncle Jan snuck me food from time to time.
Uncle Legault picked the lock, which is why I was only stuck in there for two days. It had a magic seal on it, though, so two lightning bolts arched out towards his face, creating the two scars that now cross his left eye.
After that, Sonia assumed that I had managed to break out of there myself, and allowed me to tag along with her to various places. I watched her cast spells against other people, those who discovered our many lairs. After hearing the casting chants so many times, I learned them by heart. In only three years, I knew how to cast fire, but had never done so myself. I snuck into the spell book library later that night, intent on trying it myself.
Not being able to read, I walked up and down the rows with my lantern until I saw a book resembling that which I had seen Sonia use. I slipped outside using one of the secret exits I had discovered while playing hide and seek. Finding a large clearing with only a dead maple tree in the center, I held the book under my arm and began chanting. I crossed my arm over my body and whipped it out to point at the tree as I had seen "mother" do so many times. I had only expected a small fire to be lit on one of the branches, and go out quickly.
What I never anticipated was my power.
The tree erupted in flames, which soon spread to the grass below and leapt to other nearby branches. I wanted to run, but my legs were frozen as I watched the flames dance, in awe of what I had done. Even when I was surrounded by the fire, I didn't feel the heat, nor did I feel the pain as tendrils of flame licked at my legs.
A shout behind me broke the peace, and I dropped the book as I ran, yet still didn't feel any pain. I crashed into Limstella, who was casting Fimbulvetr to quench the flames. She simply looked at me, expressionless, and then took me back to the hideout in silence. I think she believed it was Sonia who had created that blaze in an attempt to kill me, as I heard the two of them talking in hushed tones outside my door while I was attempting to sleep.
This is how my life began, as a mere tagalong, deemed useless.
I would later become one of the most powerful magic users in Elibe.
............................................................................ ....................................................................
Big Bertha Bessie: Moooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. (Not bad! That music Kate sent you really helped you write this)
Yes, it REALLY helped.
Jaffar: ...
Legault: I don't even WANT to know why your newest muse is a huge cow.
BBB: --sits on Legault-- /
Heath: Review! It makes blade happy, and encourages new chapters faster!