Saturday, September 20, 2008

Chapter 1 - Read and Review, pls.

Chapter 1

Bowing, the students kept their heads low till the aged wizard had walked out the room; the moment he was out of earshot, an uproar erupted in class; at the center of it all was an unwilling girl. Sitting down, she pouted at the textbook in front of her, wondering why the instructions on it didn't work. Disappointed and slightly angered, she packed up and walked out of class, oblivious to the whispering - she was already used to it. As she ran down the corridors, only one thought was storming through her mind, almost suffocating her in agony and worry.

"I must practice."

After all, tomorrow was a day she couldn't afford to screw up.

***

Kneeling on the ground, Saito bit on his lower lip as the whip lashed at him. Above, the cruel afternoon sun burned his back; already, he could feel sunburns developing, and the situation wasn't helped by the blood draining away through the open wounds slashed by the steel. Clenching his fists tightly, he couldn't help but gasp slightly when another lash cut in the exact spot as the wound. Fresh blood flowed coolly down his back, and collected in a pool. The ruby-colored fluid stained his boots and pant legs, promising him a load of work later on, if he even survived this. Biting his lips, he prepared for the last hit; it dug deeply into his fresh, and a solitary tear leaked from his eye, flowing down his left cheek. Five minutes after his tormentor left, the mana binds wore off, and he collapsed, his face splashing into the blood pool. Staggering to his feet, he stumbled towards the town ahead of him, trying his best to stay straight. His sight blurred, the tall outcrop fading before him. Behind, storm clouds gathered over the barren lands, casting Perion in a dark shadow.

***

"Crap!" Louise shouted, attempting to wave her wand the right way. Shutting her eyes, she attempted to visualize the mana traces in the air, and raised her wand; instead of absorbing mana, she expelled a gigantic amount of energy from her wand, blowing a small hole in a small tree; from its innards spouted thousands of ants, and she screamed. From behind her came a chanting voice. "Flames, heed my command. Flamethrower." Turning, she saw a fire mage put his hands in a charging stance, palm heels matching, both palms facing out; a flaming ball of energy appeared, floating in the air. After a couple of seconds, he opened his eyes and stepped lightly forwards; the ball flew towards the stump and set it on fire, exterminating all the ants instantly. Shocked, Louise stepped forwards and asked, "Who are you?!" The Fire Wizard just replied, "You'll know in due time." He looked young; Louise guessed no more than sixteen. She watched silently as he teleported away.

...

Fifteen minutes later, Louise was sitting in her house, staring blankly out. The image of the Wizard was still imprinted in her sight; he was black haired, and his irises were a light shade of hazel. Handsome, he was almost the dream guy that everyone thought about; the only problem was that he seemed cold instead of the warmness that everyone envisaged. Turning, she cried out internally. Tomorrow was the ritual, and she was nowhere closer to being able to perform the spell... she was incapable of performing any spell, anyway. Tears began to form in her eyes. If she didn't summon anything tomorrow...

***

Saito blinked. Everything around him was dark, and yet not complete darkness, for he could make out some shapes around the teepee. Suddenly, a lamp flared up some distance away from him; startled, he sat upright, and winced. His back felt raw, and he tried to look; he could only make out some white strips, what he assumed were bandages. Looking around, he tried to determine where he was. It was a small, cosy tent; he'd been lying on a straw mat at the far end; to his left was the tent exit. Right in the center was a small table with the lamp that had been lighted - it was burning off kerosene, emitting a light smell of... flowers? He'd only smelt it once before, when he'd been near the endless jungle of Ellinia.

Where the hell am I?

Feeling the tent wall next to him, he gasped slightly. This was made from top quality leather, harnessed from hogs out in the wild. It had a faint shade of grey to it, but it was mostly brown. "One skillful hunter, huh..." he mused. From outside the tent, a voice replied, "Yeah." The figure stepped in and looked straight at him... it was...

A girl?!

...

Saito coughed. "Um, the tea's kinda bitter, but it's antiseptic," the girl offered. He nodded and continued pouring it down his throat. He was still seated on the mat, but now facing the table, and drinking from a stone mug. The liquid inside resembled something pounded from leaves, but he couldn't be sure - he hadn't pound any before. Looking at the girl seated opposite him, he mused slightly. Kinda cute, huh? He gave her a once-over. Black, average eyes, brown hair tied into a ponytail... about half a head shorter. Slim, she looked fit enough to take on ten Iron Hogs at once, something not even a Dragon Knight could manage without getting hurt. Surprisingly, she wasn't muscular. If the both of us were to walk down the street, we'd be mistaken as twins... Before he could even continue that thought, he started. It was... rustling, wasn't it?

Dismissing it, he addressed his... savior. "Your name is...?" Her expression turned awkward for a second, before replying, "Alexis." Saito nodded, and asked another question. "Where are we?" Alexis smiled slightly, before opening the tent flap. All around them, trees grew, taller than ten times his height. "Ellinia?!" She nodded and queried, "Problem with that?" He shook his head slightly, and didn't reply - his head was throbbing too much. She carried me all the way from the Rocky Roads here? As if in reply to the unanswered question, she said, "You were kinda light for your age... assuming your age is sixteen, of course." He nodded vigorously, and was surprised - he didn't hurt anymore. So the tea does have effect...

From outside came a large crash, and he looked out. A shadow ominously fell towards the tent - the shadow of a tree.

***

The Dark Lord stood against the wall. Even though the cave wall was made of black ice, it could still reflect well; he couldn't afford to be seen. All around him came roars and grunts - Keroben was preparing his army already. One of the Cornians stepped into view, and headed towards him. "Oh shoot..." Turning slightly, he drew a star; just as the creature was going to roar, he tossed it and its throat was slit cleanly across. The moment that happened, though, the alarm rang.

From all around, Cornians appeared - they numbered thousand. What scared him wasn't that, though.

It was the gigantic Cornian in the center, carrying a ten-meter-long spear.

Posted by Denunciator at 7:48 PM