10-12-2003, 23:58
If you are still reading this series, then hopefully you are happy with it. If you are just joining us, the link to the last chapter is here (http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=102376&highlight=). Each chapter contains a link to the previous one. Thank you for reading this. This is the next chapter in the Blue Moon series.
Tomiel headed toward the smoke. Either someone had started a forest fire, or there were people up ahead. Hoping desperately for the latter, he ran as fast as he could in that direction. The smell of meat met his nose. It had to people. Only a freak accident could have pushed a wild animal into that fire. Freak accidents weren't common.
Now he heard voices. PEOPLE! He could hardly believe it. This was more than he could imagine. Maybe they would know someplace he could go. Or maybe he could stay with them. He was twenty-eight, he was useful. Surely they could be of some help in his predicament. These were the only other people in the forest, he was sure of it. What choice did he have?
A sharp zing snapped him to attention. Looking to his right, he saw an arrow sticking out of the tree next to him. Looking forward, he saw the man holding the bow. "Who goes there? What business do you have here?"
Tomiel stepped closer to allow his face to be seen. "I am Tomiel Undomar. I was chased out by the Minions. I'm hiding in the forest. I mean no harm."
"How can we be sure of that? How do we know you're not a Minion in disguise?"
"If I was a Minion, would you have found me so easily?" The group of people conversed together.
"Alright, come over here. If you're carrying any weapons, hold them out so we can see them, and leave them on the stump you walk past when you enter the fire ring." Tomiel walked forward and entered the area. He didn't have any weapons, so he disregarded the other commands. Knowing it would be rude to sit without permission, he stood waiting for their discretion. "I see you've been here for awhile," the archer said, indicating Tomiel's tattered clothes. "Well, sit down. If you're unarmed you are a friend here." Tomiel did as he was asked.
Across from him sat the archer, his bow by his side. To the other man's right sat a young man idly prodding the ground with the end of a short sword. An extremely young girl, scarcely more than fourteen by Tomiel's reckoning, sat nearby the swordsman, while an older man with a silver beard sat to the left of the archer. All four were looking at him intently.
"So, how did you get chased out by the Minions? They're cruel, but they don't just arbitrarily go after people."
"I was accused of being part of the rebellion, which I'm not. But now that they have destroyed my home, I may just change my mind. What about you? You guys must have a reason for being in the forest."
The archer, who also seemed to be the leader, spoke first. "I'm here for the same reason as you. Except I actually was part of the rebels. So were the other two men here. Tobias, the one with the sword, picked a fight with the wrong guy. Damon, the silver haired one, is an ex-Prophet. He was giving us inside information, but got caught. The girl, Elisia, was just caught in the crossfire, like you. She was accused, but not really part of it. We took her with us because we couldn't let her get killed. My name is Alexi. I've been coming into the forest since I was six. I know my way around. I've never been to the other side, but I know the way there. That's where we're headed. I guess you're welcome to come along if you want. Be useful if you were armed though...lots of nasty things here." He looked around for a stout stick, but failing to find any, he reached for a dagger on his side. He offered it to Tomiel, but the other refused it.
"I'm no good with knives. However, I can use a weapon." He got up and retrieved a long straight branch. "I was trained in staff combat. Not the deadliest art, but effective enough." He proceeded with a dazzling demonstration that left the four companions speechless. Sitting down with his new toy, Tomiel smiled somewhat smugly at their reactions.
"I think you'll fit right in," said the old man Damon. He was smiling broadly at the newcomer. The enlarged group shared stories, ate, and generally bonded. The sun started to set in the sky, and the five travelers decided to call it a day. They headed to their sleeping spots and settled in for the night.
Alexi came to wake Tomiel before the sun was up. "We have to move now. There have been animals about lately; the Minions can read animals' minds. We don't want to be found." Tomiel solemnly agreed. He rose, dusted himself off, and grabbed his staff. The rest of the group, already assembled, set off in the direction they would need to go. The early morning air was crisp and somewhat chilled. Alexi carried a lantern, but it did little to light the way. Tomiel tripped constantly as he couldn't see obstructions until they were almost under his feet.
The wind blew from behind them. It was a warm breeze, which Tomiel welcomed heartily. The others, however, were less enthusiastic. An owl hooted from a distance. Alexi's bow was drawn in an instant. A squirrel chittered. Tobias brandished his sword. Taking the hint, Tomiel grabbed his staff firmly in his hands. Damon escorted the girl behind a bush, and put his hands together waiting to cast a spell. Tomiel wasn't exactly certain what had caused the panic, but he had to trust them. By the looks of things, they had been here longer than he.
A long, low hiss of wind came from nowhere. No branches stirred, no leaves rustled. This wasn't a breeze; Alexi's bow panged loudly. Another cold hiss rose over his head. The black cloak hung in the air above Tomiel. A purple fireball knocked it backwards. Tobias lunged with his sword and slashed the flowing garment. A gloved hand grabbed the blade and tossed it--and its wielder--aside. The staff whirred into motion as Tomiel's nimble hands twirled it menacingly. He struck a swift blow to the Minion's head, but as he did so the cloak collapsed underneath the weapon and slid between his feet. An arrow pinned it to the ground, but was ripped out when the thing took form again. Aiming for the middle of the back, Tomiel jabbed with the end of his branch and rammed the fiend from behind. This didn't make it happy. A noise like a rushing wind signified that the evil creature had swept around. Without lifting a finger, it forced Tomiel into a tree and knocked the air out of him. The zinging of the bow told him that the fight was still on. He recovered quickly and rushed back to help. Tobias had presently rejoined as well. He stabbed the side of the dread cloak and a horrible blood-curdling shriek followed. Once again thrown aside, Tobias dropped his blade on the ground and scrambled to get it. Tomiel used the Minion's distraction to his advantage. He ran forward, leapt onto the broadside of a tree, and bounced off. His staff on the ground, he kicked out his leg and struck the head of his foe. As the black robed figure shrieked his annoyance, the ground end of the staff came up into it's stomach. The cloak, which had once again collapsed, was thrust into the air. Damon sent a jet of red flame at the garment, and set it afire.
Breathing heavily, the four warriors gathered together again. They watched as the cloak floated to the ground slowly. Another roar of wind made Tomiel leap into the air. The flaming cloth took its hideous form once more and was now holding a monstrous flaming sword. It slashed downward through Damon, slicing him in half and charring the open wounds. Elisia screamed at the top of her lungs. Tobias gave a battlecry, leapt into the air, and slashed through the burning black robe. Falling to the ground once more, it shriveled away into nothing, finally restoring peace to the forest.
After burying the scorched, divided body of their fallen comrade (and taking considerable time to comfort a mortified adolescent girl), the group started off again; somber, silent, and afraid, they walked at a snail's pace to compensate for their desire to run and hide.
Thank you again for reading. I hope you enjoy the series, as I enjoy writing it. The next chapter will be Sleep With One Eye Open, Gripping Your Pillow Tight... See you there, as the Blue Moon series continues.
Tomiel headed toward the smoke. Either someone had started a forest fire, or there were people up ahead. Hoping desperately for the latter, he ran as fast as he could in that direction. The smell of meat met his nose. It had to people. Only a freak accident could have pushed a wild animal into that fire. Freak accidents weren't common.
Now he heard voices. PEOPLE! He could hardly believe it. This was more than he could imagine. Maybe they would know someplace he could go. Or maybe he could stay with them. He was twenty-eight, he was useful. Surely they could be of some help in his predicament. These were the only other people in the forest, he was sure of it. What choice did he have?
A sharp zing snapped him to attention. Looking to his right, he saw an arrow sticking out of the tree next to him. Looking forward, he saw the man holding the bow. "Who goes there? What business do you have here?"
Tomiel stepped closer to allow his face to be seen. "I am Tomiel Undomar. I was chased out by the Minions. I'm hiding in the forest. I mean no harm."
"How can we be sure of that? How do we know you're not a Minion in disguise?"
"If I was a Minion, would you have found me so easily?" The group of people conversed together.
"Alright, come over here. If you're carrying any weapons, hold them out so we can see them, and leave them on the stump you walk past when you enter the fire ring." Tomiel walked forward and entered the area. He didn't have any weapons, so he disregarded the other commands. Knowing it would be rude to sit without permission, he stood waiting for their discretion. "I see you've been here for awhile," the archer said, indicating Tomiel's tattered clothes. "Well, sit down. If you're unarmed you are a friend here." Tomiel did as he was asked.
Across from him sat the archer, his bow by his side. To the other man's right sat a young man idly prodding the ground with the end of a short sword. An extremely young girl, scarcely more than fourteen by Tomiel's reckoning, sat nearby the swordsman, while an older man with a silver beard sat to the left of the archer. All four were looking at him intently.
"So, how did you get chased out by the Minions? They're cruel, but they don't just arbitrarily go after people."
"I was accused of being part of the rebellion, which I'm not. But now that they have destroyed my home, I may just change my mind. What about you? You guys must have a reason for being in the forest."
The archer, who also seemed to be the leader, spoke first. "I'm here for the same reason as you. Except I actually was part of the rebels. So were the other two men here. Tobias, the one with the sword, picked a fight with the wrong guy. Damon, the silver haired one, is an ex-Prophet. He was giving us inside information, but got caught. The girl, Elisia, was just caught in the crossfire, like you. She was accused, but not really part of it. We took her with us because we couldn't let her get killed. My name is Alexi. I've been coming into the forest since I was six. I know my way around. I've never been to the other side, but I know the way there. That's where we're headed. I guess you're welcome to come along if you want. Be useful if you were armed though...lots of nasty things here." He looked around for a stout stick, but failing to find any, he reached for a dagger on his side. He offered it to Tomiel, but the other refused it.
"I'm no good with knives. However, I can use a weapon." He got up and retrieved a long straight branch. "I was trained in staff combat. Not the deadliest art, but effective enough." He proceeded with a dazzling demonstration that left the four companions speechless. Sitting down with his new toy, Tomiel smiled somewhat smugly at their reactions.
"I think you'll fit right in," said the old man Damon. He was smiling broadly at the newcomer. The enlarged group shared stories, ate, and generally bonded. The sun started to set in the sky, and the five travelers decided to call it a day. They headed to their sleeping spots and settled in for the night.
Alexi came to wake Tomiel before the sun was up. "We have to move now. There have been animals about lately; the Minions can read animals' minds. We don't want to be found." Tomiel solemnly agreed. He rose, dusted himself off, and grabbed his staff. The rest of the group, already assembled, set off in the direction they would need to go. The early morning air was crisp and somewhat chilled. Alexi carried a lantern, but it did little to light the way. Tomiel tripped constantly as he couldn't see obstructions until they were almost under his feet.
The wind blew from behind them. It was a warm breeze, which Tomiel welcomed heartily. The others, however, were less enthusiastic. An owl hooted from a distance. Alexi's bow was drawn in an instant. A squirrel chittered. Tobias brandished his sword. Taking the hint, Tomiel grabbed his staff firmly in his hands. Damon escorted the girl behind a bush, and put his hands together waiting to cast a spell. Tomiel wasn't exactly certain what had caused the panic, but he had to trust them. By the looks of things, they had been here longer than he.
A long, low hiss of wind came from nowhere. No branches stirred, no leaves rustled. This wasn't a breeze; Alexi's bow panged loudly. Another cold hiss rose over his head. The black cloak hung in the air above Tomiel. A purple fireball knocked it backwards. Tobias lunged with his sword and slashed the flowing garment. A gloved hand grabbed the blade and tossed it--and its wielder--aside. The staff whirred into motion as Tomiel's nimble hands twirled it menacingly. He struck a swift blow to the Minion's head, but as he did so the cloak collapsed underneath the weapon and slid between his feet. An arrow pinned it to the ground, but was ripped out when the thing took form again. Aiming for the middle of the back, Tomiel jabbed with the end of his branch and rammed the fiend from behind. This didn't make it happy. A noise like a rushing wind signified that the evil creature had swept around. Without lifting a finger, it forced Tomiel into a tree and knocked the air out of him. The zinging of the bow told him that the fight was still on. He recovered quickly and rushed back to help. Tobias had presently rejoined as well. He stabbed the side of the dread cloak and a horrible blood-curdling shriek followed. Once again thrown aside, Tobias dropped his blade on the ground and scrambled to get it. Tomiel used the Minion's distraction to his advantage. He ran forward, leapt onto the broadside of a tree, and bounced off. His staff on the ground, he kicked out his leg and struck the head of his foe. As the black robed figure shrieked his annoyance, the ground end of the staff came up into it's stomach. The cloak, which had once again collapsed, was thrust into the air. Damon sent a jet of red flame at the garment, and set it afire.
Breathing heavily, the four warriors gathered together again. They watched as the cloak floated to the ground slowly. Another roar of wind made Tomiel leap into the air. The flaming cloth took its hideous form once more and was now holding a monstrous flaming sword. It slashed downward through Damon, slicing him in half and charring the open wounds. Elisia screamed at the top of her lungs. Tobias gave a battlecry, leapt into the air, and slashed through the burning black robe. Falling to the ground once more, it shriveled away into nothing, finally restoring peace to the forest.
After burying the scorched, divided body of their fallen comrade (and taking considerable time to comfort a mortified adolescent girl), the group started off again; somber, silent, and afraid, they walked at a snail's pace to compensate for their desire to run and hide.
Thank you again for reading. I hope you enjoy the series, as I enjoy writing it. The next chapter will be Sleep With One Eye Open, Gripping Your Pillow Tight... See you there, as the Blue Moon series continues.