Main Menu
Search
Wiki Search
|
News » For the Sake of a Soul: XXX
No Friends Away from Shore
Terdeskollit could not be more pleased. Events were going as well as could be expected. He might have begun knowing little of those with whom he was dealing, but had been studying the group. A proud feeling of superiority came over the God as he again felt in control.
The heroes face the challenges of the deity determined to achieve their victory.
No Friends Away from Shore
Terdeskollit could not be more pleased. Events were going as well as could be expected. He might have begun knowing little of those with whom he was dealing, but had been studying the group. A proud feeling of superiority came over the God as he again felt in control.
Ferrigote screamed more because of the intensity of his emotions than due to the rising wind. "I am not going below deck! Terish, I need you to help me stay on course! We are going to ride this out!"
There were powerful exclamations stating the contrary. The words did not just come from the youthful appearing hero and the holy dark skinned man, but Straekin and Thaunya were both active on deck and rushed to call the muscular fighter a fool. Ferrigote was not backing down however, and strongly stated his reasoning.
"Terdeskollit can do this over and over! I am not going to waste my life on this adventure! I will face this storm and I will come out of it closer to my destination!"
Straekin screamed in return, "You're an immortal, Ferrigote!" She then grimaced as she realized the implication of what the bearded armored man was saying, and that it did sound like something Terdeskollit would do. "Okay, what do you think your chances are?"
The bearded fighter had not exactly worried about that question, but with it stated he looked at the darkening sky with an appraising eye. "Kid, have we lost an adventure yet?"
There was not a happy expression on the silk and leather attired hero as he turned to look at his lover while answering his friend. "No, Gote, and neither one of us expects this adventure to ruin our reputation."
"Damn straight! Get us some rope!" The armored man did not direct his command at anyone. "I will admit that this will not be easy."
Terdeskollit smiled as he felt the rush of strong conflicting emotions. The anger and defiance from the bearded muscular hero provided a strong entrée. The fear from Straekin as she considered the possibility of losing ones that she truly loved was a delicious drink. There was fear in the minds of others as well adding spice to the psychic meal. Terish was the only bland one present. He set himself for the future with a dejected countenance of needing to somehow provide a sensible foundation for his friend. Terdeskollit thus ignored the one who once belonged to him, and feasted on what the aliens to his world provided.
Dathol helped the two heroes tie the ropes in what they hoped would be sufficient aid for their needs. A short length was secured to the floor with the other end ending in a loop. The purpose of this was to keep the wheel from spinning too far from a desired position. Ferrigote and Terish both had a hammock set to provide safe netting, although knowing that if they would move from its protection there was a tether line tied to the belt of each.
Straekin tested each item of security the two men had. She then kissed them both before heading down to the hold. The empress made certain that everyone but her lover and his friend were secure beneath the deck before she closed the door.
Realizing that he was alone with his friend, Ferrigote finally felt able to ask, "What are our chances, kid?"
Terish was expecting that question. It always seemed to come in a pause before things got too serious, but after certain drastic decisions had been made. With barely a sigh, the youthful appearing hero decided upon a proper response.
"Have you ever done this before?"
You know, now that he thought about it, "Not exactly. The ships I have been on in the past normally have a captain that knows what to do." Ferrigote was not going to lose hope however, "How tough can this be? We get wet and simply make certain that a reasonable heading is maintained. As long as we end up closer to our destination than we started, I will be happy."
A peal of thunder and a strike of lightning proclaimed that things were definitely going to get worse. It did not happen as either man expected. With another bolt of charged light descending, the sky became completely black, and each man felt a claws rip into their skin.
The heroes understood that they had not been hit by lightning, but that with the darkness gaunts were able to become physical threats. The initial swipes from the creatures did catch the two heroes off guard, but they were not ones to succumb to most attacks. As the rain started to come down, swords started moving to prevent more than water dripping from them.
Lightning did occasionally flash and disrupt the substantial presence of the gaunts. Each man used those precious partial seconds to assure that their footing on the deck was still secure. They did not fear the combat, but the water flowed over the polished floor in an even layer that made anything less than a firm flat footing open to being lifted. As the wind increased in fury, the fear of being swept over the railing became more of a concern than the monsters.
As the energy from the winds finally worked on the waters enough to cause the smooth surface to ripple, the ship started to no longer be a stable foundation. Those below deck started to become worried as they felt the ship tilt. They were uncertain about events outside, and certainly allowed the possibility that a monster from the depth could have been sent by its divine creator to attack.
Terdeskollit reveled in the situation created. Ferrigote and Terish were actually putting their energy into the battle. The fighter's concern for directing the vessel, both of the men concerned with removing the threat of the monsters of darkness, both of the men having to fight wind and rain, all added up to major concentration and focus as the two felt themselves forced to operate at the peak of their form. Neither of the men were displaying strong emotions, but they were quite enjoyable to watch.
Traveling out in the open, lights at night were proven a hindrance. Lighting a torch or conjuring visual radiation might have kept the creatures of darkness from becoming substantial, but it awakened the spider like auskranids. While the gaunts were strong opponents, they were not as numerous as the small sharp footed creatures so were seen as a lesser threat. Terish's knowledge of the omniverse and his heightened extra-planar senses operated well in spite being surrounded by black, so the group had trudged through each night feeling safe and advancing towards their goal in spite of not being able to see.
There were no auskranids in the hold of the ship, but shadows were constantly watched for unwanted movement. The architecture was not one conducive to fighting against large powerful monsters, but it did provide a multitude of barriers to the rays of light giving all a reason to fear the presence of gaunts waiting for an opportunity. The numerous voids in the walls, floors, and ceilings might have made fleeing a very viable option, and those used to the surroundings might have been able to perform a wonderful dance of death with their opponent, but it did not give those below deck a feeling of security. The oil lamps set in sconces around the walls were lit, and certain items were magicked to provide even more light. Such illumination did not mean that the group did not believe themselves safe from monsters, but only that they were safe from gaunts.
Truthfully, most of the group feared ghosts. Dathol and Straekin attempted to bolster the spirits of their comrades by assuring them that shadow was the only parallel plane in this reality presently containing living creatures malicious or otherwise. Terdeskollit had destroyed all life. There were no demons, angels, or other denizen of a higher or lower plane. There was agreement that the deity could recreate such entities at any time, but it was also stated that almost all present had weapons that could battle such monsters.
Ferrigote turned in his spot attempting to detect the next monster. The flash of lightning did not help the man, because the light never revealed the opponents. Gaunts were such complete beings of shadow that they simply did not exist when an area was illuminated. Luckily, the monsters did become substantial in complete darkness. While that meant that their powerfully clawed hands could inflict damage, it also caused the creatures to make noise as they moved, stink, and otherwise announce their presence.
The muscular fighter sensed a pause in the conflict, although understood that such did not allow him a chance to rest. "Terish," the bearded man felt water fill his mouth as he screamed to his companion, but blew it out as he yelled, "are we going in the right direction?"
"No, turn the wheel twice to the right!"
Ferrigote heard Terish's feet splash as he moved near the wheel. The armored fighter was glad that his friend was also free from the gaunts, because some monsters had managed to inflict damage as he earlier worked at correcting their course. The youthful appearing hero was a wonderful person to have guarding your back, but if he was pressed by opponents then one had to appreciate that those monsters were not fighting you as well. It actually surprised Ferrigote that he was able to fight the wheel and only allow it to move two spokes without having a monster rush him or his friend, but he first performed the action before attempting again to speak.
"Are we safe?"
Terish moved to the wheel so he would not have to scream, although he still needed to speak strongly. "No, the gaunts are being directed upon us. I feel certain that more are coming."
Okay, but the fighter needed some good news. "We are getting closer to Dirchein?"
Even with the noise of the storm around them, Ferrigote heard his friend laugh before saying, "Are you ready for a fight?"
The bearded armored man had been in this situation before. Terish was his most dangerous when an objective was set before him. Even when the youthful companion had his mind ravaged by knowledge beyond the scope of most creatures, it was able to perceive of duties and goals. Raedell, the first centaur to carry Terish, would be pushed to her physical limits as her burden forced her to dash to some location where some cause or item that was considered of worth would be found. Ferrigote had seen death as he followed his friend down a final corridor or through one more door only to face another challenge. Somehow they had always survived. The two were presently challenging a God, but the muscular fighter was not going to back down.
"Just remember, that lady of gold is mine."
"We both have plenty of gold, and we both have women. However, I like the lady I have. I won't attempt to keep Dirchein for myself. I will gladly point to your battered comatose body and tell her to love it."
Damn, water filled his mouth when he laughed, but Ferrigote still managed to spew, "I am game for whatever plan you have, Terish. Do your worse."
Terdeskollit savored the emotions that poured from those within the hold of the craft. He did not need to create any monsters for those below deck. Their own thoughts remembered or conceived of enough threats to keep their minds radiating strong thoughts of various types. The two on deck were actually less satisfying as they gained experience with their surroundings. Terish and Ferrigote had determined which styles of movement achieved the best results under the circumstances, so had become rather boring to watch. The God thus had not been focusing on them, but enjoying the bounty of psychic energy from their companions.
The deity roared as the ship suddenly passed through an interdimensional rift. Anger welled up inside Terdeskollit as he sensed that Terish had sought an avenue of escape from their troubles. Determined not to allow the group to flee, the God conceived of all manner of tortures as he worked at following.
Well, I believe that I need to pause things here. The next chapter is titled, "Plans of the Mighty."
Posted by TerishD on Saturday, June 28, 2003 (05:23:23) (918 reads)
[ Administration ]
|
|
Related Links
Article Rating
Average Score: 0
Votes: 0
Please take a second and vote for this article:
Options
Last Posts
Last 10 Forum Messages
Total Hits
We have received 21282839page views since April 2003
|
Search
Chat_Room
News
