Lucion
08-26-2006, 04:26 PM
(( Yeah ok, took me a couple of hours to write this... uh, I'm not sure how you'll all take it but I decided just to try it for the hell of it. Yes its long, I know, sorry... I type fast so its easy to get lost in it.))
The search for Ardanis
Chap. 1
The wind blowing through the trees held the sound of life within them as the leaves rustled like spring rain. He had walked up this path many times to his home but it never felt more satisfying as it did now. The thoughts of his wife and child greeting him urged him to move his feet quicker but as much as he tried he seemed to move at the same awkward pace. As he came around the grassy bend he could see the wooden fence outline the entirety of his land and home and now he seemed to move with great ease, knowing that just up the path his family waited. As he got closer to his home though his vision had begun to blur and slowly he began to realize that he had very little time to see his family, he pushed himself to get through the door of his home but when he reached it the weight of the door seemed impossible to move. He screamed in frustration and beat at the door but the weight of reality began to quickly crash down on him and in an instant Lucion was torn from his dream and tried to sit upright but a firm hand placed on his right shoulder held him down.
“Please be at ease, Lord.” Said the calm voice of his long trusted retainer “You were shouting…” she had meant to continue but at the look on Lucion’s face she decided otherwise.
“Why are you here?” Lucion asked in a flat tone and continued “Did I not specify that I was to be undisturbed until I rose?”
“You did my Lord.” Replied the retainer with no hint of uncertainty in her voice and quickly added “But Ardanis was said to have been spotted on the field of battle.”
That name alone began to stir a maelstrom of hate within is core. His undead hand clenched into a fist and he sat straight up and slid off the stone slab in which he slept upon. Without being told his retainer moved to gather his battle garments and left him standing alone with his thoughts for a moment.
Finally, I shall have my revenge upon you Ardanis. Every moment I live this miserable undeath you shall repay me in kind with the screams of torment. If it had not been for you I would never have had to suffer in this miserable broken kingdom.
Lucion was brought out of his thoughts as he felt his retainer strap his girdle in place and dressed it with his weapons. “I assume the war council is already waiting for me?” he seemed to state more than ask.
“No my Lord, my orders were to immediately direct you to the battle field upon your awakening. Ardanis has put much pressure on the weak backs of the Horde that were sent to us to defend the Arathi Highlands.” She replied with much distaste for the mere mention of the pact made between the Forsaken warriors and those of the collective Horde of Thrall.
“Very well…” was all Lucion said as they both exited his sleeping quarters and continued to make their way up to the broken ruins of the once powerful city of Lordaeron.
As they mounted up on their war horses and rode off at an unimaginable pace due to the grace of the dark magic’s placed upon the cursed steeds, they had little to worry of fatigue. Lucion was left alone with his thoughts the entire ride to dwell over and over the last day of his life.
Chap. 2
Lucion charged through the break of trees but had made only the slightest of sounds and quickly scanned the opening and found no sign of open resistance and threw up his hand in signal. A solemn second face strode out of the trees and gave him a court nod and gave a whistle that even in these dark times had melody to it. The gift of the High Elvin blood shines through even now he thought to himself.
Quickly the sounds of many refugees of the Lordaeron Kingdom could be heard moving through the brush. Most of them were women and children with looks of utter terror across their faces. All of the men, he knew, had gone off to fight the Orc threat that was placed upon the kingdom but of late a plague had quickly spread across the land which had turn man against his own kin. No doubt the work of those blasted Orcs he thought and continued to move forward into the next area.
As he broke into the next clearing a whistle in the air caught his attention and he let out a shrill whistle in reply to the warning command he knew to belong to their sister kingdom of Stormwind. He could see movement in the brush across the clearing and knew immediately it had been the scouts of Stormwind that had just moments ago held his life in their hands, knowing well the standardized training for all scouts in their ranged weaponry training were similar to his own.
“A force of this size could be mistaken as an act of war, what is the meaning of this?” asked a stern commanding voice obviously belonging to one of the officer ranks.
“If women and children are to be recognized as a force then Stormwind has much to fear…” replied Lucion in annoyance at the waste of time.
An armored knight mounted on a strong brown horse rode out towards Lucion with a slight grin on his face. “Well met, I am Ardanis… and the women of the Lorderon kingdom look no different from their men but aside from that what business have you?” asked the mounted knight with a slight smirk.
“I am Lucion and the leading officer of this unit, we were to investigate possible enemy movement in the nearby villages and found ourselves cut off from our main unit. I ask the aid of Stormwind to watch over its sisters people in this dire time so that my men and I can tend to our matters at home.” Answered Lucion in a firm voice hoping to resolve this matter quickly to report back to his commanding officer, the stern look on the knights face told him otherwise.
Lucion was suddenly broken out of his thoughts as the cries of battle could be heard in the distance and he looked over at his retainer to see the wicked smile spread across her ivory face. The small unit of warriors behind them seemed to moan with excitement as they knew that blood would be shed soon. Soon, he thought to himself, he would extract his revenge from Ardanis.
Chap. 3
Lucion and his unit road up into the farmlands of Arathi and upon passing one in particular he spotted the Horde Faction banner placed crudely into the earth. He knew this to be the sign of the lead unit’s placement. Yet when he rode upon it he only saw humanoid corpses strewn across an obvious field of battle. At first he assumed that he and his unit were too late and Ardanis’ unit had already wiped out the defending unit. It wasn’t until he heard a voice call out to him.
“They be up dere mon.” came the voice of a single troll sitting casually on the fence post with his knees brought up to his ears. He had pointed up into the cliff side where flares of light could be seen and the sound of steel clashing could be heard.
At first glance most would have thought them mad but Lucion had grown a mild admiration for the wicked magic’s of the troll race. The dark blue troll seemed harmless enough dressed only in a loin cloth and humble staff with a skull mounting its top but Lucion knew well the markings of a Shaman. The tattoos covered the entirety of the Trolls body; from head to toe they were carved across its body.
“Humans!” shouted out Lucion’s retainer as a small unit of five human warriors bravely charged the greater force.
“Bahaha! Go mon, dees fools be mine.” Cackled the troll with apparent glee spread across his features.
“Lets move…” said Lucion firmly as he pushed his mount forward and his entire unit moved with him heading in the direction
Half way up the steep cliff one of Lucion’s warriors looked back upon the carnage the Troll was unleashing upon the humans. Pillars of fire and ice rose and exploded from the earth and the sounds of agony could be heard.
Lucion and his unit rode up on the flank of a small Orc unit paired with two giant Tauren warriors. Although few their massive size and strength made up for their lack of numbers. He could see the mixed Alliance combating the Horde force and searched through its ranks for the one he sought. He observed a Dwarf firing his musket along side Elvin archers. Humans fending off the brutal size of Orcs and suddenly his retainer placed her hand on his left shoulder and pointed with her other gauntleted hand.
“There he is my Lord, the one you seek!” she spoke into his ear with guttural glee.
Lucion laid his eyes upon the man she had pointed out to him and his eyes sharpened and before he knew it he was dismounted and charging into the fray with murderous intent. His enchanted weapons activated by his rage burst into flame and due to his small size went mostly unseen until his dagger and sword was to be felt rending flesh.
“Death itself has come for you Ardanis!!” roared out Lucion as he leapt before the plated clad warrior who simply took a step back startled by the image before him. It was only a moment’s hesitation and Lucion brought down his sword hand meaning to cleave the very arm away from the Knight.
“Cursed creature, allow me to end your torment with the taste of my steel!” cried out the knight as he blocked the blow with his shield and brought forward his helm into Lucion’s unsuspecting face.
Lucion stumbled back his head rattling from the blunt force but had sense enough to avoid a crippling blow brought towards him from the knight. The two parried and struck at each other, neither gaining much ground on each other. An arrow struck Lucion in the chest and made only a wet thump as it hit him. He ignored the mild pain but grinned as he saw a furious torrent of rage sweep past him with a ghoulish howl he knew to belong to his retainer and wished the archer his best as he knew his retainer would not be stopped.
“Damned children of Lordaeron! Your madness is your own!” screamed the knight as he struck at Lucion over and over in his rage.
In his furry Lucion’s body was struck many times and realized that the battle was swaying in the knight’s favor. In half a moment Lucion threw down his dagger and thrust out his blinding powder directly into the knights eyes. The knight screamed out in rage and suddenly Lucion’s legs went out from under him.
“Diry lil scabby bastard, I’ll be bringing you down me self!” shouted the Dwarf who had struck him.
Just then a throwing axe clipped the dwarfs shoulders and the dwarf simply grunted.
“I see you want some o’ me too eh? I got it for ye!!” screamed the dwarf charging headlong into the Orc unit forgetting the rogue and his damaged leg.
Lucion tried to stand on his feet but the damage to his left leg by the dwarfs hammer had been great. He saw that Ardanis had taken off his helm and had his face buried in his hands. With hate being his driving force Lucion limped forward and threw his weight into Ardanis tackling his center and taking both of them over the ledge. They both flew over the cliffs edge and crashed down on a smaller ledge a dozen feet below. Both stunned from the fall Lucion fared mildly better and began to land blows on Ardanis’ face with his fists. He suddenly noticed a large rock and reached over it and clutched it in both hands and brought it over his head. He looked down to see Ardanis’ with fury in his eyes and then suddenly felt a sharp pain pierce his side. Lucion looked down and saw Ardanis twist the small dagger in Lucion and with pain and fury Lucion brought down the rock on Ardanis’ face. A wet crunch was all that was heard and Lucion repeated the motion several times before finally falling over to his side and accepting the full extent of the pain brought upon him. He felt neither pleasure nor grief, he had expected to feel some form of peace from knowing that he had killed Ardanis before dieing himself but there was nothing to put his soul at ease. Only the fading sounds of battle and the blur of his vision as he succumbed to his wounds.
Chap. 4
Lucion’s head began to spin and he felt as if he was merely an observer of his own actions. He was back in the forest clearing with the refuges of the Lordearon kingdom and he was again speaking with the knight Ardanis but this time it was different than before. Lucion and Ardanis spoke briefly of the recent rumors spreading of the dead rising and attacking innocent people in the dead of night as the band of refuges passed from the Lorderon force over to that of Stormwind. Lucion spoke of his plans to move his small unit through the enemy lines as so far seen they showed no sign of clear intelligence and that the unit seemed to have had enough supplies to make it back on their own as long as they were not hindered by the refuges. They thanked each other for the aid and information and quickly moved out in opposite directions both having grave news to report to their superiors.
“You’ve my word that your people will be seen to safety, I will await your return through this pass if you are unable to break through the enemy lines. Stormwind will not abandon its allies.” Echoed the voice of Ardanis in his head and the vision blurred from his mind and all he could feel was pain in his body.
“He lives… quickly carry him…” came a voice from a great distance and then he fell back into his visions.
Lucion was again back with his small Lordearon unit and they were running through the trees. He wasn’t sure why he knew but he knew they had come upon a large band of plagued villagers who began to consume each other and were now pursuing him. They had to escape, he had to warn the others, and he had to live.
“No more you fool!! Any more and you’ll damage his mind and he will be of no use to anyone!” came a booming voice and he knew not from where but only that his body felt as if it were in the heart of a flame.
He was alone now, his unit was gone, and they had turned in on themselves after the escape. He had seen his friends consume each other in a revel of pain and gore. He too felt ill, his insides felt like they were melting away and his wounds felt like they were dipped in ice. It was ok though, he would be home soon, and he recognized the area. He had made it.
The wind was in the trees again, he was smiling, and his home was just around the bend. He limped up the path and reached the door, he pushed against it but it would not open. He screamed and cried in frustration and fell against the door, he laid there a moment before he heard the latch move and the door fell open with the weight of his body. He smiled as his child looked down upon him with a worried face and he was happy that he would at least have seen that before falling victim to whatever curse had been set upon him.
In bed now; his family had brought him in and had done their best to tend to his wounds. He would gain back his strength and then he would take them to the capital city where it would be safe. He couldn’t understand why his insides still burned so much and the hunger was never satisfied.
“He should be ready… rouse him, see that he is not further damaged.” Came a dry voice and suddenly he felt palms on either side of his head and with a jolt of pain his eyes opened and he looked up into the undead eyes of a priest of shadows. In mere seconds he realized where he was and all that he was experiencing. He remembered all of it now; he had consumed his own family who had tended to him. He had been set loose and he remembered the collective thinking of the scourge.
“Ardanis is dead…” rasped Lucion and he struggled to move his limbs but they would not comply.
“Yes… you killed him.” Said the shadow priest with disinterest in what Lucion was saying, it seemed he was searching for something within him.
“No...” was all Lucion could say as his mind felt like it was being torn apart and he remembered being a part of the scourge and overtaking countless villages and the charge south. He vividly remembered overtaking Ardanis’ unit, the man had kept his word and kept a vigil watch over that pass. His honorable duty had cost him his life.
“Hmm… no, we can’t have that…” commented the Priest who had been observing his thoughts.
“Don’t… don’t take it from me…” replied Lucion, knowing that his revelations were on the brink of destruction. He knew as well as anyone the dark craft of the shadow priest and their manipulations of the mind.
“Haha… you always say that…” smiled the priest down on him and then added “but try not to forget this time that it was you that commanded it of me…”
“But why…” was the last thing Lucion said before he was sent into another torrent of pain and screamed out in agony. Only the voice of the priest within his mind could be heard.
“That is an answer only you have my Lord, you dream of your past life and suddenly Ardanis is alive again and only when he dies are you ever satisfied. I believe this is the fifth time you’ve killed him… but rest now, it will be over soon.” Came the reply of the shadow priest and Lucion suddenly realized that the pain was gone and he was at peace again.
His memories began to blur and visions of Ardanis sending him and his men back began to play in his mind. Visions of the scourge coming down upon him and his unit began to appear. The visions of his family being eaten could be heard with the sound of Ardanis laughing. Then he woke up with a sudden start back in his sleeping chambers.
“Ardanis!!” he yelled as he sat up, his chest heaving. He felt a hand placed on his shoulder and the familiar voice of his retainer.
“We will find him my lord… rest now…” was all he heard before he laid his throbbing head back down.
The search for Ardanis
Chap. 1
The wind blowing through the trees held the sound of life within them as the leaves rustled like spring rain. He had walked up this path many times to his home but it never felt more satisfying as it did now. The thoughts of his wife and child greeting him urged him to move his feet quicker but as much as he tried he seemed to move at the same awkward pace. As he came around the grassy bend he could see the wooden fence outline the entirety of his land and home and now he seemed to move with great ease, knowing that just up the path his family waited. As he got closer to his home though his vision had begun to blur and slowly he began to realize that he had very little time to see his family, he pushed himself to get through the door of his home but when he reached it the weight of the door seemed impossible to move. He screamed in frustration and beat at the door but the weight of reality began to quickly crash down on him and in an instant Lucion was torn from his dream and tried to sit upright but a firm hand placed on his right shoulder held him down.
“Please be at ease, Lord.” Said the calm voice of his long trusted retainer “You were shouting…” she had meant to continue but at the look on Lucion’s face she decided otherwise.
“Why are you here?” Lucion asked in a flat tone and continued “Did I not specify that I was to be undisturbed until I rose?”
“You did my Lord.” Replied the retainer with no hint of uncertainty in her voice and quickly added “But Ardanis was said to have been spotted on the field of battle.”
That name alone began to stir a maelstrom of hate within is core. His undead hand clenched into a fist and he sat straight up and slid off the stone slab in which he slept upon. Without being told his retainer moved to gather his battle garments and left him standing alone with his thoughts for a moment.
Finally, I shall have my revenge upon you Ardanis. Every moment I live this miserable undeath you shall repay me in kind with the screams of torment. If it had not been for you I would never have had to suffer in this miserable broken kingdom.
Lucion was brought out of his thoughts as he felt his retainer strap his girdle in place and dressed it with his weapons. “I assume the war council is already waiting for me?” he seemed to state more than ask.
“No my Lord, my orders were to immediately direct you to the battle field upon your awakening. Ardanis has put much pressure on the weak backs of the Horde that were sent to us to defend the Arathi Highlands.” She replied with much distaste for the mere mention of the pact made between the Forsaken warriors and those of the collective Horde of Thrall.
“Very well…” was all Lucion said as they both exited his sleeping quarters and continued to make their way up to the broken ruins of the once powerful city of Lordaeron.
As they mounted up on their war horses and rode off at an unimaginable pace due to the grace of the dark magic’s placed upon the cursed steeds, they had little to worry of fatigue. Lucion was left alone with his thoughts the entire ride to dwell over and over the last day of his life.
Chap. 2
Lucion charged through the break of trees but had made only the slightest of sounds and quickly scanned the opening and found no sign of open resistance and threw up his hand in signal. A solemn second face strode out of the trees and gave him a court nod and gave a whistle that even in these dark times had melody to it. The gift of the High Elvin blood shines through even now he thought to himself.
Quickly the sounds of many refugees of the Lordaeron Kingdom could be heard moving through the brush. Most of them were women and children with looks of utter terror across their faces. All of the men, he knew, had gone off to fight the Orc threat that was placed upon the kingdom but of late a plague had quickly spread across the land which had turn man against his own kin. No doubt the work of those blasted Orcs he thought and continued to move forward into the next area.
As he broke into the next clearing a whistle in the air caught his attention and he let out a shrill whistle in reply to the warning command he knew to belong to their sister kingdom of Stormwind. He could see movement in the brush across the clearing and knew immediately it had been the scouts of Stormwind that had just moments ago held his life in their hands, knowing well the standardized training for all scouts in their ranged weaponry training were similar to his own.
“A force of this size could be mistaken as an act of war, what is the meaning of this?” asked a stern commanding voice obviously belonging to one of the officer ranks.
“If women and children are to be recognized as a force then Stormwind has much to fear…” replied Lucion in annoyance at the waste of time.
An armored knight mounted on a strong brown horse rode out towards Lucion with a slight grin on his face. “Well met, I am Ardanis… and the women of the Lorderon kingdom look no different from their men but aside from that what business have you?” asked the mounted knight with a slight smirk.
“I am Lucion and the leading officer of this unit, we were to investigate possible enemy movement in the nearby villages and found ourselves cut off from our main unit. I ask the aid of Stormwind to watch over its sisters people in this dire time so that my men and I can tend to our matters at home.” Answered Lucion in a firm voice hoping to resolve this matter quickly to report back to his commanding officer, the stern look on the knights face told him otherwise.
Lucion was suddenly broken out of his thoughts as the cries of battle could be heard in the distance and he looked over at his retainer to see the wicked smile spread across her ivory face. The small unit of warriors behind them seemed to moan with excitement as they knew that blood would be shed soon. Soon, he thought to himself, he would extract his revenge from Ardanis.
Chap. 3
Lucion and his unit road up into the farmlands of Arathi and upon passing one in particular he spotted the Horde Faction banner placed crudely into the earth. He knew this to be the sign of the lead unit’s placement. Yet when he rode upon it he only saw humanoid corpses strewn across an obvious field of battle. At first he assumed that he and his unit were too late and Ardanis’ unit had already wiped out the defending unit. It wasn’t until he heard a voice call out to him.
“They be up dere mon.” came the voice of a single troll sitting casually on the fence post with his knees brought up to his ears. He had pointed up into the cliff side where flares of light could be seen and the sound of steel clashing could be heard.
At first glance most would have thought them mad but Lucion had grown a mild admiration for the wicked magic’s of the troll race. The dark blue troll seemed harmless enough dressed only in a loin cloth and humble staff with a skull mounting its top but Lucion knew well the markings of a Shaman. The tattoos covered the entirety of the Trolls body; from head to toe they were carved across its body.
“Humans!” shouted out Lucion’s retainer as a small unit of five human warriors bravely charged the greater force.
“Bahaha! Go mon, dees fools be mine.” Cackled the troll with apparent glee spread across his features.
“Lets move…” said Lucion firmly as he pushed his mount forward and his entire unit moved with him heading in the direction
Half way up the steep cliff one of Lucion’s warriors looked back upon the carnage the Troll was unleashing upon the humans. Pillars of fire and ice rose and exploded from the earth and the sounds of agony could be heard.
Lucion and his unit rode up on the flank of a small Orc unit paired with two giant Tauren warriors. Although few their massive size and strength made up for their lack of numbers. He could see the mixed Alliance combating the Horde force and searched through its ranks for the one he sought. He observed a Dwarf firing his musket along side Elvin archers. Humans fending off the brutal size of Orcs and suddenly his retainer placed her hand on his left shoulder and pointed with her other gauntleted hand.
“There he is my Lord, the one you seek!” she spoke into his ear with guttural glee.
Lucion laid his eyes upon the man she had pointed out to him and his eyes sharpened and before he knew it he was dismounted and charging into the fray with murderous intent. His enchanted weapons activated by his rage burst into flame and due to his small size went mostly unseen until his dagger and sword was to be felt rending flesh.
“Death itself has come for you Ardanis!!” roared out Lucion as he leapt before the plated clad warrior who simply took a step back startled by the image before him. It was only a moment’s hesitation and Lucion brought down his sword hand meaning to cleave the very arm away from the Knight.
“Cursed creature, allow me to end your torment with the taste of my steel!” cried out the knight as he blocked the blow with his shield and brought forward his helm into Lucion’s unsuspecting face.
Lucion stumbled back his head rattling from the blunt force but had sense enough to avoid a crippling blow brought towards him from the knight. The two parried and struck at each other, neither gaining much ground on each other. An arrow struck Lucion in the chest and made only a wet thump as it hit him. He ignored the mild pain but grinned as he saw a furious torrent of rage sweep past him with a ghoulish howl he knew to belong to his retainer and wished the archer his best as he knew his retainer would not be stopped.
“Damned children of Lordaeron! Your madness is your own!” screamed the knight as he struck at Lucion over and over in his rage.
In his furry Lucion’s body was struck many times and realized that the battle was swaying in the knight’s favor. In half a moment Lucion threw down his dagger and thrust out his blinding powder directly into the knights eyes. The knight screamed out in rage and suddenly Lucion’s legs went out from under him.
“Diry lil scabby bastard, I’ll be bringing you down me self!” shouted the Dwarf who had struck him.
Just then a throwing axe clipped the dwarfs shoulders and the dwarf simply grunted.
“I see you want some o’ me too eh? I got it for ye!!” screamed the dwarf charging headlong into the Orc unit forgetting the rogue and his damaged leg.
Lucion tried to stand on his feet but the damage to his left leg by the dwarfs hammer had been great. He saw that Ardanis had taken off his helm and had his face buried in his hands. With hate being his driving force Lucion limped forward and threw his weight into Ardanis tackling his center and taking both of them over the ledge. They both flew over the cliffs edge and crashed down on a smaller ledge a dozen feet below. Both stunned from the fall Lucion fared mildly better and began to land blows on Ardanis’ face with his fists. He suddenly noticed a large rock and reached over it and clutched it in both hands and brought it over his head. He looked down to see Ardanis’ with fury in his eyes and then suddenly felt a sharp pain pierce his side. Lucion looked down and saw Ardanis twist the small dagger in Lucion and with pain and fury Lucion brought down the rock on Ardanis’ face. A wet crunch was all that was heard and Lucion repeated the motion several times before finally falling over to his side and accepting the full extent of the pain brought upon him. He felt neither pleasure nor grief, he had expected to feel some form of peace from knowing that he had killed Ardanis before dieing himself but there was nothing to put his soul at ease. Only the fading sounds of battle and the blur of his vision as he succumbed to his wounds.
Chap. 4
Lucion’s head began to spin and he felt as if he was merely an observer of his own actions. He was back in the forest clearing with the refuges of the Lordearon kingdom and he was again speaking with the knight Ardanis but this time it was different than before. Lucion and Ardanis spoke briefly of the recent rumors spreading of the dead rising and attacking innocent people in the dead of night as the band of refuges passed from the Lorderon force over to that of Stormwind. Lucion spoke of his plans to move his small unit through the enemy lines as so far seen they showed no sign of clear intelligence and that the unit seemed to have had enough supplies to make it back on their own as long as they were not hindered by the refuges. They thanked each other for the aid and information and quickly moved out in opposite directions both having grave news to report to their superiors.
“You’ve my word that your people will be seen to safety, I will await your return through this pass if you are unable to break through the enemy lines. Stormwind will not abandon its allies.” Echoed the voice of Ardanis in his head and the vision blurred from his mind and all he could feel was pain in his body.
“He lives… quickly carry him…” came a voice from a great distance and then he fell back into his visions.
Lucion was again back with his small Lordearon unit and they were running through the trees. He wasn’t sure why he knew but he knew they had come upon a large band of plagued villagers who began to consume each other and were now pursuing him. They had to escape, he had to warn the others, and he had to live.
“No more you fool!! Any more and you’ll damage his mind and he will be of no use to anyone!” came a booming voice and he knew not from where but only that his body felt as if it were in the heart of a flame.
He was alone now, his unit was gone, and they had turned in on themselves after the escape. He had seen his friends consume each other in a revel of pain and gore. He too felt ill, his insides felt like they were melting away and his wounds felt like they were dipped in ice. It was ok though, he would be home soon, and he recognized the area. He had made it.
The wind was in the trees again, he was smiling, and his home was just around the bend. He limped up the path and reached the door, he pushed against it but it would not open. He screamed and cried in frustration and fell against the door, he laid there a moment before he heard the latch move and the door fell open with the weight of his body. He smiled as his child looked down upon him with a worried face and he was happy that he would at least have seen that before falling victim to whatever curse had been set upon him.
In bed now; his family had brought him in and had done their best to tend to his wounds. He would gain back his strength and then he would take them to the capital city where it would be safe. He couldn’t understand why his insides still burned so much and the hunger was never satisfied.
“He should be ready… rouse him, see that he is not further damaged.” Came a dry voice and suddenly he felt palms on either side of his head and with a jolt of pain his eyes opened and he looked up into the undead eyes of a priest of shadows. In mere seconds he realized where he was and all that he was experiencing. He remembered all of it now; he had consumed his own family who had tended to him. He had been set loose and he remembered the collective thinking of the scourge.
“Ardanis is dead…” rasped Lucion and he struggled to move his limbs but they would not comply.
“Yes… you killed him.” Said the shadow priest with disinterest in what Lucion was saying, it seemed he was searching for something within him.
“No...” was all Lucion could say as his mind felt like it was being torn apart and he remembered being a part of the scourge and overtaking countless villages and the charge south. He vividly remembered overtaking Ardanis’ unit, the man had kept his word and kept a vigil watch over that pass. His honorable duty had cost him his life.
“Hmm… no, we can’t have that…” commented the Priest who had been observing his thoughts.
“Don’t… don’t take it from me…” replied Lucion, knowing that his revelations were on the brink of destruction. He knew as well as anyone the dark craft of the shadow priest and their manipulations of the mind.
“Haha… you always say that…” smiled the priest down on him and then added “but try not to forget this time that it was you that commanded it of me…”
“But why…” was the last thing Lucion said before he was sent into another torrent of pain and screamed out in agony. Only the voice of the priest within his mind could be heard.
“That is an answer only you have my Lord, you dream of your past life and suddenly Ardanis is alive again and only when he dies are you ever satisfied. I believe this is the fifth time you’ve killed him… but rest now, it will be over soon.” Came the reply of the shadow priest and Lucion suddenly realized that the pain was gone and he was at peace again.
His memories began to blur and visions of Ardanis sending him and his men back began to play in his mind. Visions of the scourge coming down upon him and his unit began to appear. The visions of his family being eaten could be heard with the sound of Ardanis laughing. Then he woke up with a sudden start back in his sleeping chambers.
“Ardanis!!” he yelled as he sat up, his chest heaving. He felt a hand placed on his shoulder and the familiar voice of his retainer.
“We will find him my lord… rest now…” was all he heard before he laid his throbbing head back down.