Static (Chapter Five)
Thursday, July 21st, 2016 01:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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mindcrackloveChapter list: http://tanadin.dreamwidth.org/382.html
Map of the continent: http://tanadin.deviantart.com/art/Static-m
Chapter Five
Ashwatch, Minecraftia. March 27, year 788. Time instance 483Z.
Vengeance drummed his fingers gently on his arm as he stood within the trees, Ujhin by his side and night falling around them. Just like last time. Thousands of Skullblades gathered around the lake with the three clanlords on top of the slight rise.
Some things never change. Vengeance shivered as the sun sank below the horizon and the Skullblades drew their blades in sync, adopting a striking and familiar pose with the blades stuck into the ground and both hands clasped on the hilt. And others are simply timeless.
His thoughts silenced as the deafening silence permeated Ashwatch entirely, louder than anything that Vengeance had ever heard. Even Mira, who loomed over the Skullblade clanlords like a shadow of death, didn’t strike Vengeance as out of place or odd. Her eyes seemed to be dimmer but more alive than usual, gleaming with joy and excitement. Just like the Skullblades themselves, she remained completely still, back straight as she sat, barely daring to breathe.
Time crawled by as the Bloodshadow rose over the horizon, its red form easily pulling itself up through the sky towards the moon. The constant wind of Ashwatch picked up, pulling at cloaks and hair alike, gently rustling the trees softly as to not break the silence. The valley seemed to breath, to come alive, as the Bloodshadow approached the moon, its light making the waters of the lake gleam brightly as they shimmered with magical energy.
It seemed like mere minutes had passed by the time that the Bloodshadow reached the edge of the moon, devouring its silvery glow with bloody light and casting the valley in red. A quiet hum rose from the Skullblade’s throats, sounding for all the world like an encouragement. Mira’s hum was lower and rumbled in quiet undertones, following along and barely containing her excitement.
As the last wisps of silver were obscured, the sky flashed red, streaks of bloodred light illuminating the night before vanishing as the Bloodshadow froze in its position over the moon, the night dark and red and alive. The island in the center of the lake shimmered into existence, its single egg rocking wildly and threatening to fall over as the young dragon within struggled to escape. The humming of the Skullblades increased in volume and Mira’s wings spread ever so slightly.
Movement caught Vengeance’s eye and what appeared to be the shadow of a small dragon melted into the egg. It was immediately followed by a loud crack as the egg splintered open, allowing the young valk’vanor to fall free onto the ground. It hesitantly got to its feet and looked around at the surrounding Skullblades, squeaking softly and taking a few wobbly steps forward. Its eyes glowed a warm brown, very different from Mira’s silvery blue.
The Skullblades hummed louder as the hatchling carefully stepped onto the water, solid shadows moving to support it as it walked with confidence towards the shore.
It’s coming towards us, Vengeance realized. Once again, it wants someone near us.
The red light of the Bloodshadow slowly dimmed as the valk’vanor drew closer and closer to the shore. The Skullblades near Vengeance and Ujhin seemed to be shaking slightly as the valk’vanor stepped onto the shore nearest to them, stumbling slightly to catch its balance and squeaking once more as it suddenly raced forward, bumping directly into Eclipse’s leg and reaching up to nuzzle her hand.
Eclipse slowly knelt by the young dragon’s side, rubbing its head and grinning as the reality of the situation hit her.
With a final rise in volume, the Skullblades ceased humming as the last traces of the Bloodshadow faded from the sky, allowing the valley to be bathed in silver light once more. The island shimmered and disappeared, but all eyes were now on Eclipse and the young valk’vanor.
Mira practically bounded over and the younger valk’vanor shrieked quietly in fear, practically leaping into Eclipse’s arms and trying to hide.
“It’s okay,” Eclipse whispered, carefully putting it down. “It’s your sister. See? It’s Mira.”
Mira helpfully lowered herself to the ground and flattened herself out as much as she could to try and look smaller, turning her head so that one of her eyes was facing the baby. It squeaked quietly and looked at her curiously for a moment before going back to Eclipse. It seemed content to ignore everyone else but, as Vengeance and Ujhin stepped out from the trees, its head snapped around to look directly at them.
Ujhin froze but Vengeance just stared back. The baby tilted its head slightly before shaking itself and proceeding to ignore them.
“You will never witness such an event again.” Rend’s voice caught Vengeance’s attention and he turned, an eyebrow raised. “Such events only happen every few centuries. That only two hundred years have passed, and that two valk’vanor are alive at a time...Vallor’roth must have plans.”
“You know, it’s funny, I was told I’d never see this again last time.” Vengeance knew he shouldn’t mention it, but he couldn’t resist. He struggled not to laugh at the expression that appeared on Rend’s face.
“You...you…”
“I saw Mira hatch. It was pretty much exactly like this, except then followed directly by ten doomsday monsters breaking out of hell and running around ruining everything.”
Rend stared.
Vengeance snorted. “I’m fucking with you, dude. Do I look like a two hundred and thirty year old man to you?”
“No, I suppose not…” Rend shook it off and went to congratulate his niece, who seemed a little shocked but very, very happy as she held the valk’vanor close. The baby and Mira were both humming softly.
“I have a sister,” Mira rumbled quietly as Vengeance approached. Ujhin stayed back to look at the younger valk’vanor, intrigued. “I never thought I’d meet another valk’vanor.”
Vengeance patted her neck. “Well, now you have. You just have to wait a few years before she’s good for much.”
Mira snorted. “I was lots of help on your quest to defeat the Hostiles.”
“Do you even remember any of that?”
“Some. Shred told me the rest.” Mira sighed and put her head back on the ground.
“I know. I miss her too.” Vengeance sat down next to her and leaned on her side. “I miss them all.” He looked at Ujhin momentarily before looking away.
Mira’s wrong. He’s gone. Ujhin’s not him.
~~~
The next morning, Vengeance was awoken by a Skullblade shaking him.
“Whaaaat?”
“Sh. Watcher of Stars wants to see you.”
“Who the fuck.”
“The Ashenhorn’s most powerful seer. Bring Ujhin.” Rend slipped out of the tent. Vengeance groaned and sat up.
“Fucker,” he mumbled before getting up and leaving. Ujhin was already standing and waiting for him- he didn’t need to sleep and thus spent most of the time that Vengeance was asleep sitting outside. “Why’d you let him in?”
Ujhin looked at him like he was nuts. “You want me to tell a Skullblade where they can and cannot go? That sounds like a terrible idea.”
“I thought you couldn’t remember shit all about the world.”
“So did I.” Ujhin shrugged slightly. “Should we go see this Watcher person?”
“I suppose we don’t have a choice.” Vengeance sighed and followed Ujhin, who had apparently gotten directions from Rend. “I hate dealing with seers. Bad things always happen to me when I deal with seers. Like I lose horses. Or friends. Or get scars.”
“Should I even ask?”
“It’s probably safer if you don’t.”
They walked for several minutes until reaching the seer’s house, and Vengeance was immediately suspicious when he saw Eclipse and the young valk’vanor there as well, plus Mira looming behind the house. If we get sent on another quest I’m going to fucking scream. Don’t you dare.
A Skullblade with four ribs sat on the ground and looked up when they approached. He smiled slightly and waved them over. “Welcome, welcome. Please, sit down. I am Watcher of Stars. An hour ago, Vallor’roth spoke to me-”
“Here we go,” Vengeance mumbled.
“-and delivered to me a prophecy that could shape the future of this world.
Vengeance resisted the urge to scream in frustration. “Are you fucking kidding me. A prophecy. Another fucking prophecy. Hasn’t it OCCURRED to anyone that I am sick and fucking tired of having my destiny laid out on the table in a vague and cryptic manner?”
Watcher looked at him uncomprehendingly for a moment before clearing this throat. “Despite your hatred of prophecies, it exists, and you are involved. Listen:
“When all that live become infected,
When all infected fades away,
Those touched once by fate and watched by night
Will go east to cure the plague.
Seven cross seas but one crosses life
From darkness she rises, from darkness they walk
He of pain and he of strife,
She of spring and she of naught,
Dragon and death, night of rebirth
Together, they raise the Dragon Unknown.
End the end, change the fate,
All that was darkness, to light.”
Watcher paused for a moment, looking around at them momentarily before speaking once more. “The five of you are all involved: Vengeance, Ujhin, Eclipse, the young valk’vanor, and your hidden friend, Mira.”
Mira made a quiet surprised sound before an entirely different voice spoke up, demanding, “How did you know I was here?”
That sounds...familiar? Vengeance’s head snapped around to the space in the tree nearest to Mira as it shimmered faintly and a form slowly became visible. No, it can’t be. It’s not…
“I’m not a seer for nothing,” Watcher said mildly. “Why don’t you come down and introduce yourself?”
She sighed and carefully jumped down from the tree, landing easily and standing up. She was tall and had short brown hair and blazing purple eyes. She wore an outfit made of varying colors of gray and black clearly made for comfort and not protection. She looked to be somewhere in her late twenties or early thirties, but Vengeance ignored this in favor of storming right up to her and looking her dead in the eyes before she could introduce herself.
“Where have you been?” he demanded.
She blinked a few times. “Excuse me?”
“Nessy, you piece of shit! I thought I was the only one left until I ran into fucking Baltbee in the mountains about a week ago, and-”
“By the Creators! Tarsen?!”
“Who else would it be?!”
“Holy shit! Holy...holy shit!” Nessy grinned widely and hugged him briefly, mumbling “holy shit” over and over. She turned to Mira and looked at her accusingly. “Did you know about this?”
Mira shuffled her wings. “Perhaps.”
“Mira, you...you…!”
“You knew she was here? Why didn’t you tell me?” Vengeance demanded.
“She showed up on the day of the hatching and asked for me not to tell anyone,” Mira explained quietly.
“What is going on?” Eclipse demanded, crossing her arms.
“They were part of a group who saved the world two hundred years ago when Mira was a hatchling,” Watcher explained. “They are Tarsen Harvex and Nessy Ray.”
Ujhin stiffened at the sound of their names and his eyes widened. He shook slightly and Vengeance frowned, stepping over to him. “Ujhin? Ujhin, buddy, are you okay?”
Ujhin shuddered and seemed to shake it off, shaking his head. “No, I mean...yeah, I think so. I don’t...I don’t know what that was. Sorry.”
“It’s alright.” Vengeance patted his shoulder and turned back to Nessy. “Where have you been?”
“The Dragonlands! What about you? What was that about Baltbee?”
“With Kaepravah. And he’s got Kaltaerion in a necklace or some shit.”
“Kaltaerion in a-”
“We can discuss this later, okay? With fewer bystanders.”
Nessy reluctantly shut her mouth. “If you say so.”
Watcher cleared his throat. “You need to focus on the prophecy right now. It says that seven of you will cross the eastern sea to find a cure to the plague. It mentions raising a Dragon Unknown, which, as all Skullblades know, is another name for Vallor’roth.”
Eclipse’s sharp intake of breath caught their attention. “You don’t mean…”
“I do mean. I believe that, soon, Vallor’roth will walk amongst us as he did thousands of years ago. To aid you in your quest, I requested that Bond bring you an ancient treasure of the Ashenhorn clan. Long ago, when Vallor’roth was slain, Mezeron, Ishtillion’s oldest son, came to the three Ashenhorn clans and gave each one of his rib bones. He told us that, when our need was dire, we could take one of the ribs to the sixth level of the Nether and find the Doors of Death. If we returned the rib to him, he would allow the reclamation of a soul under Ishtillion’s jurisdiction. In short, he would allow a non-Skullblade to be returned to life. Now, I believe, is the time to use the first.”
“So, hang on, let me get this straight. We have to cross the eastern sea to cure a plague, bring a previously-dead person along as well as a half-dragon and the baby valk’vanor- not Mira- and try not to die so we can bring Vallor’roth back to life?”
“Yes.” Watcher smiled at Vengeance pleasantly. “You have it exactly right.”
He groaned and buried his face in his hands.
Vengeance was really starting to hate destiny.
-~-
Nebris sat back in his chair, peering into his orb instead of the larger one that was surrounded by most of the other Mindcrackers. After Paul had located his descendant orb, the other Mindcrackers had gone on a wild hunt for theirs and three more had turned up. Bdubs, Paul, Nebris, and Millbee all had their orbs on them, but Millbee’s was a solid red color and made no sound, likely due to Kaltaerion’s interference.
Nebris had been surprised to find his and to see Nessy flying south into Ashwatch, but had smiled upon seeing her looking happy and healthy and very excited over the hatching of the valk’vanor. She wasn’t going to miss it for the world, and had insisted that she would be fine and nothing would happen over and over to Cessarius before he was comfortable with her leaving. He had been worried safety-wise, but Nessy insisted she could take care of herself and set out on her own.
Now...Nebris smiled as he watched her interact with the others. Tarsen and Samuel were still alive- well, sort of, at least-, as was Baltbee, albeit a ways away. Four of thirty descendants were still alive.
“I didn’t expect any to still be alive,” Vechs confessed as he sat down next to Nebris. “Nevermind four of them.”
“Me neither. It’s...a nice surprise, you know? I kinda missed these guys.”
“Yeah.” Vechs smiled slightly and looked into Nebris’ orb. “I did too.”
“This is still a strange concept to me,” Iirkolav muttered. “I missed out on the whole orb thing. I was too busy either being dead or dying.”
Blame made an unhappy sound and hugged him. “No.”
“Um...yes? It did happen, Blame. You can’t pretend it didn’t.”
“I totally can and you can’t fucking stop me.” Blame grinned at him and Iirkolav rolled his eyes and hugged him in return.
“Gaaaay,” Nebris called.
Etho looked up from the corner he was in. “Yes?”
Vechs snorted in laughter while Nebris rolled his eyes.
At least things were still semi-normal and less stressful than they were last time they had orbs to peer into.
The new prophecy bothered Vechs, though. Last time a prophecy had happened, it had taken a lot of time and a lot of death to complete, and for what? Corruption being gone for two hundred years? The peace sure didn’t seem to stick.
He leaned back, turning the words of the prophecy over and over in his head, not understanding it any more than he had when Watcher had spoken it. He supposed that was the nature of prophecies, but it didn’t make him feel any better. He drummed his fingers on his arms and shut his eyes. Would they really bring someone back from the dead? Who? What about Vallor’roth? Questions spun around in his head and he had no answers.
He felt someone tap his arm and he opened his eyes, smiling slightly as he realized that it was Aureylian. “Hey.”
“Hey.” She shifted to hug him. “Stop stressing out about this, okay? I can’t take you doing what you did last time.”
Vechs shivered. “I won’t. I won’t go that far again. Don’t worry.”
“Promise?”
Vechs smiled. "Promise."
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Date: Thursday, July 21st, 2016 06:49 pm (UTC)Ujhin froze but Vengeance just stared back. The baby tilted its head slightly before shaking itself and proceeding to ignore them.
See that? The new valk'vanor looking at Ujhin with brown eyes and then both freezing for a moment? If that is not recognition between a reincarnated Shred and Samuel then I won't eat cookies for a month.
“You know, it’s funny, I was told I’d never see this again last time.” Vengeance knew he shouldn’t mention it, but he couldn’t resist. He struggled not to laugh at the expression that appeared on Rend’s face.
“You...you…”
“I saw Mira hatch. It was pretty much exactly like this, except then followed directly by ten doomsday monsters breaking out of hell and running around ruining everything.”
Rend stared.
Vengeance snorted. “I’m fucking with you, dude. Do I look like a two hundred and thirty year old man to you?”
How do you think Rend would react if he knew that Vengeance wasn't actually joking? XP
Vengeance resisted the urge to scream in frustration. “Are you fucking kidding me. A prophecy. Another fucking prophecy. Hasn’t it OCCURRED to anyone that I am sick and fucking tired of having my destiny laid out on the table in a vague and cryptic manner?”
Poor Tarsen XD
“Where have you been?” he demanded.
She blinked a few times. “Excuse me?”
“Nessy, you piece of shit! I thought I was the only one left until I ran into fucking Baltbee in the mountains about a week ago, and-”
“By the Creators! Tarsen?!”
“Who else would it be?!”
“Holy shit! Holy...holy shit!” Nessy grinned widely and hugged him briefly, mumbling “holy shit” over and over. She turned to Mira and looked at her accusingly. “Did you know about this?”
HOLY SHIT! NESSY! :D
Should have guessed she'd still be around being half dragon and all that.
So they've got to go resurrect Vallor'roth and bring a dead person back? Are they going to unzombify Ujhin into Samuel?
VERY excited that Eclipse is the new Caretaker and part of this new quest.
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Date: Thursday, July 21st, 2016 07:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Thursday, July 21st, 2016 11:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Monday, September 12th, 2016 09:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Monday, September 12th, 2016 10:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Thursday, July 21st, 2016 08:55 pm (UTC)-Observing Anon
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Date: Thursday, July 21st, 2016 10:04 pm (UTC)G.C. (::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)
I'm crying
Date: Friday, July 22nd, 2016 03:46 am (UTC)Etho looked up from the corner he was in. “Yes?”"
lmao
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Date: Friday, July 22nd, 2016 11:11 am (UTC)-Observing Anon
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Date: Friday, July 22nd, 2016 01:40 pm (UTC)I like this:
She sighed and carefully jumped down from the tree, landing easily and standing up. She was tall and had short brown hair and blazing purple eyes. She wore an outfit made of varying colors of gray and black clearly made for comfort and not protection. She looked to be somewhere in her late twenties or early thirties, but Vengeance ignored this in favor of storming right up to her and looking her dead in the eyes before she could introduce herself.
“Where have you been?” he demanded.
She blinked a few times. “Excuse me?”
“Nessy, you piece of shit! I thought I was the only one left until I ran into fucking Baltbee in the mountains about a week ago, and-”
“By the Creators! Tarsen?!”
“Who else would it be?!”
“Holy shit! Holy...holy shit!” Nessy grinned widely and hugged him briefly, mumbling “holy shit” over and over.
Also this:
“Gaaaay,” Nebris called.
Etho looked up from the corner he was in. “Yes?”
-the lurkiest lurker
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Date: Friday, July 22nd, 2016 04:07 pm (UTC)Also Blame has seen both of them! He just wasn't present for it. Norazdomu kindly streamed it for him. XD
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Date: Saturday, July 23rd, 2016 01:03 pm (UTC)Oh, yeah, I forgot that. I'm guessing Blame doesn't feel particularly privileged that he got to see it either time.
-the lurkiest lurker
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Date: Saturday, July 23rd, 2016 07:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: Saturday, July 23rd, 2016 10:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: Saturday, September 10th, 2016 03:30 pm (UTC)