Finnius Posted December 23, 2004 Author Report Posted December 23, 2004 Gavin’s mind raced furiously against the shock which threatened to overcome his limbs. His eyes darted around the corners of the rooms, looking for any sign of Hryn. Finding none, Gavin struggled towards the crazed, leaning door. He heard the soft thump of boots turning the corner at the top of the stairs. “Not that way, boy! Turn around!” The harsh whisper snapped Gavin out back to reality, and he spun on his heel. The tip of Hryn’s hand beckoned from outside the open window. Gavin took a few shaky steps towards it, peering out. Hryn grabbed his former student and pulled him bodily out onto the narrow ledge, pressing him face-first against the wall. “Now stay silent, and follow me.” Hryn began edging sideways along the sheer stone outcropping, his hands finding grip easily on the slick stone. Gavin teetered dangerously with every inched step, but he managed to stay upright. Several feet down, Hryn stopped and looked over at Gavin, who was looking down at the long drop to the streets of Hammerfall below. “Boy!” Hryn’s harsh whisper cut through the pattering rain like an ice-breaker through the Frozen Sea. Gavin startled, tottered nearly off the edge, and swung himself forward towards the wall. “What?” “Pay attention. Remember when I said we had three more floors above Fexus’ office?” “Yes.” “It looks like we won’t be taking the stairs.” Gavin stared dumbfounded at Hryn for a moment, his jaw dropping incredulously. “Really? Because I hadn’t figured that out yet. I thought we were going to waltz back in there, fight off a legion or so of guards, and storm the top of the Keep.” “Don’t get mouthy, boy.” Hryn rolled his neck back to stare upwards, then wedged his fingers into impossibly small grooves in the granite, pulling himself up the wall slowly. Gavin shook his head and sighed, then followed, trying not to look down. ------------------- A driving grey mist fanned out before Loryn’s face, separating into two distinct halves. She found herself suspended halfway between, floating amidst rolling clouds of slate. She turned her head downwards and saw a spiraling vortex of steel, rimmed with darting spurts of lightning. She tilted her head upwards and saw a blazing point of light, the golden core at the center of life calling out to her. She tore her eyes away from it and looked to her side, and was somewhat disappointed to find Gerod Loghis there. The black-eyed dead man floated disinterestedly, with a somewhat annoyed look on his face. “Gerod?” He turned his head, taking notice of Loryn with a wide, cracking yawn. “Finally awake, I see.” “I… guess? Gerod, where are we?” “The span between worlds, Dessina. What’s the last thing you remember?” “I remember going into the Tomb of Althis with you… being attacked by the ghosts.” “Yes, and what else?” “A chamber beneath the Tomb… with a wall that shifted and-“ Loryn stopped, shivering. “I remember. What happened?” “Balphinus decided it wanted us to go away, Dessina. Tell me what the wall was showing you before it sucked us in.” “It showed me… Gavin and Hryn. The last thing I saw was the two of them going into a room.” “How very interesting. What else do you remember?” “Gavin… Gavin looked at me before the wall went blank. He looked at me and smiled.” Loghis stretched, popping his neck, and then scratched the back of his head. “The Althane boy never ceases to amaze. I very much wish we’d been able to recruit him before that bastard dog of a despot, Fexus.” “I don’t think Fexus did recruit him, Gerod… Gavin isn’t the type to let himself be manipulated that easily.” “Really? Because if you think any of Fexus’ manipulations are the kind you’d see coming, I’ve got some lovely waterfront property to sell you.” Loryn raised an eyebrow, then shook her head and sighed. “So what do we do now?” Loghis shrugged and lay back, lacing his fingers behind his head. “We wait, Dessina. Wherever Balphinus wants us to go, I suspect we won’t be long getting there. Honestly, I’m a bit surprised we haven’t arrived already.” Gerod shifted and turned towards Loryn. “Unless it’s not sending us anywhere in particular…” “What?” “It’s fully within the realm of possibility that Balphinus is simply taking us out of the picture, as it were. Suspending us here between the realm of the living and the dead until it finds a use for us.” Loghis shrugged and yawned. “Though I wouldn’t worry too much about that, if I were you.” Loryn opened her mouth to protest, then thought better of it and attempted to lean back, as Gerod had done. Instead, she flipped around, spinning uncontrollably for a moment until she finally righted herself, with a wobble. Loghis laughed pointedly, holding his sides. “Don’t worry, Dessina… it just takes a bit of practice.” Loghis’ smirk shrank a bit, though it never fully left his face. Loryn glared at him. “Why do I get the feeling that this isn’t your first time being torn out of the real world?” This time it was Loghis’ eyebrow which rose. “The real world, Dessina? This is the real world. More so than the one in which we normally… well, not quite live, but you get the idea.” Loghis gestured grandly, the effect only slightly lessened by the fact that he was still reclining. “This is how it all begins, and how it will all end. Above us, the sunny, golden glow of creation and life. Below,” Gerod continued disinterestedly. “The eternal meat-grinder.” Loghis shrugged and closed his black eyes. Loryn, for her part, decided that further conversation would be pointless, and stared forward blankly, into the grey space between life and death. ------------------- Fexus paced across the top cliffs of the Falls. He had expected Hryn to make his appearance earlier, and with more noise. That the Fixer would come was destined… having set himself the course of killing Fexus, Hryn would not stop. Could not, in fact. The Lord of Hammerfall had ingrained that into his most trusted agent for a very specific reason, though he now regretted doing so. Still, just because Hryn would never relent didn’t mean everything was hopeless. After all, Fexus had programmed Hryn with more than just tireless stamina, blinding reflexes, and a mind to make any scholar jealous. He’d also made him loyal. And if one thing could fail, so could another. And so Fexus paced, twirling his medallion absently. The rain still fell heavily, not touching him, but it now filled him with a sense of dread and melancholy. Everything ended. Even Fexus and his time in Hammerfall. Fexus’ mind drifted back to the first time he’d entered the city. The cheers of adulation, though they hadn’t been meant for him. The sunlight, streaming and bouncing off the granite buildings, making rainbows over the great Falls. Fexus had never liked so much light… he preferred the subdued elegance of candles, or the brief brilliance of lightning. Still, he reflected… it had been quite nice, for a time. The Lord of Hammerfall sighed deeply and turned to the ledge behind him, the one which overlooked the city of Hammerfall. A hand appeared over it, pulling a body along behind it. Hryn had arrived.
Finnius Posted January 3, 2005 Author Report Posted January 3, 2005 There was silence, at first. The rain which had pelted Gavin and Hryn on the long, slippery ascent stopped as suddenly as held breath. The clouds above rolled on dangerously, but not a peep of thunder dared escape. Across from the former Fixer, the Lord of Hammerfall stood easily, a tiny bemused smile across his lips. Gavin, with the dark hair and darker eyes, gained his footing behind Hryn just as Fexus broke the silence with a single word. “Hryn.” With that, and with a tense exhalation from above, the rain slammed down once more. Thunder cracked fit to split the ears of the citizens unlucky enough to be in the streets of Hammerfall. Hryn’s eyes darkened momentarily, and he responded with a few words of his own. “Bastard. Let’s not bandy words, Fexus. We both know why I’m here.” Fexus nodded briefly, and then motioned to the pendant which he was twirling in his right hand. “What you’ve always wanted… Mallon Hloran’s soul on a string.” Hryn nodded. “Give it to me and I’ll let you kill yourself, with a bit of dignity.” Fexus shook his head and laughed. “Do you really think it’s that easy, Hryn? Even if you get his soul back, he’s dead. You killed him with your own hands, remember?” Hryn nodded, weary resignation showing on his face. “I know, bastard. But I’ve come to realize a few things recently.” “Such as?” This time it was Hryn shook his head, but with a solemn closing of his eyes, not a harsh laugh. He kept his eyes closed, and raised his head to meet Fexus’ gaze. “I told you I wouldn’t trade words with you. Make your choice. Either way, you die.” Fexus’ hand stopped spinning the inlaid disc, and he let it drop to his chest. “Then let’s get it over with, Fixer. Show me what I’ve made of you… I’m really quite eager to see if you’re everything I tell others you are.” Hryn’s eyes snapped open. In them, the ruby glow of Natayu burned fiercely. The clouds above swirled dangerously, a funnel of iron grey depressing above the top cliffs of Hammer Keep. Hryn’s mouth moved, a calm voice like low thunder rolling out of it. “I’ll only say this once more; stand down.” Fexus took a surprised step backwards, then steadied himself. The corner of his eye twitched, and a delighted chuckle escaped his lips. “I said come, dog!” Hryn let out a low, guttural sound, and let his cloak fall to the granite with a sound like the splintering of ice in the Frozen Sea. ------------------- Above Gerod Loghis, the golden glow of the land of the living was obscured by rolling grey clouds. A cold wind swept through the space between worlds, chilling him to the bone. The wind quickly intensified, burning Loghis’ eyes. Beside him, Dessina ka’Marca Natros tried in vain to shield her face. “What’s happening?” Dessina’s cry cut through the howling gale to reach Loghis. “The Chosen of Machia! This is why Balphinus removed us, Dessina! It’s taking us to him!” As suddenly as the wind had come, it was gone. Loghis touched his face, and felt the sticky warmth of his blood. Dessina pulled her arms down, and Loghis saw that the bottoms of them were scored and raw. “The Chosen of Machia has awakened… and history will shake when it remembers this day.” Dessina looked over at Loghis, whose normally pale face was covered in a thin sheen of red, forced out of his pores by the frozen wind. ------------------- Gavin slipped along the side of the cliffs, circling around Fexus. Hryn stood still for a moment, and then charged his former master, almost faster than Gavin could track. The Lord of Hammerfall sidestepped with a crack of thunder, and a thick, cracking bolt of purple shot down, catching Hryn in mid step. The Fixer lay still for a moment, and then the funnel which hung suspended above the cliffs swerved dangerously. Hryn forced himself to his knees and the clouds righted themselves. Fexus scowled and rolled his neck. Thin traces of white electricity danced around his body. Hryn’s eyes flickered softly, a red like the sun at dawn. Fexus kicked a booted toe into Hryn’s face, driving the Fixer’s neck back impossibly far. Hryn’s head snapped back down and he lunged forwards, the top of his head driving into Fexus’ stomach. They traded blows back and forth, while Gavin slipped behind the Lord of Hammerfall. As Hryn drove his fist into Fexus’ ribs, Gavin pulled back a hand, fingers extended and hard as the blade of a knife. The Lord of Hammerfall twisted, spun a backhanded blow into the boy’s face, and then whipped a foot out into Hryn’s knee, accompanied by two quick bursts of thunder. Gavin’s neck swung to the side, and Fexus spun on his heel, slammed a kick into the black-eyed boy’s sternum. A shaft of whitish-blue light poured through the boy’s chest, channeled through Fexus’ leg. Gavin gasped as the air left his lungs, and Fexus drove another storm-fueled kick into his chest. Gavin lost his footing, propelled by the fury of a hurricane. He slid across the wet cliffs, bounced once against the cold stone, and then skittered over the side. Dark, churning waters hung below him for a moment, and monolithic slabs of granite. The boy’s arms flailed helplessly as he spun downwards, searching for purchase in the void. And then he was gone, consumed by the roaring Falls and the black stones. ------------------- Loryn’s arms burned. Above and below, the space between worlds roiled violently. At her side, Loghis stood straight, stock still, and mouthed useless prayers in dead languages. Around her, drops of water and blood fought to impact whatever unprotected parts of her they could. At least the thunder had died down. For a moment, Loryn thought she would be torn apart, ground into paste by the gigantic rolling spheres. She remembered the vortex of steel at the center of the land of the dead, and hoped it would be fast. And then a voice like thunder split through the void, snapping her mind to perfect, crystal clarity. “Gavin!” ------------------- Hryn howled wordlessly, drowning out the storm above Hammer Keep. Fexus’ eyes bled, and he fell to his knees, pressing the heels of his hands to his ears to keep out the pain. The Fixer picked Fexus up by the collar, and threw an elbow into his face, followed by a knee into his ribs. Hryn threw Fexus across the cliffs, slammed him into the slick stone. The granite splintered under the impact. Before Fexus could raise his head shakily, Hryn was on him, a hand tangled in his hair and driving his head into the stone. The Lord of Hammerfall grasped hungrily skyward, and mammoth bolts of energy rained down onto the two of them. Water mingled with blood flowed from Hryn’s eyes, but he did not stop. Again and again he slammed Fexus’ head into the stone, hearing the heavy crunches as he did. Finally, the Lord of Hammerfall went limp, and Hryn’s eyes cleared of the burning red light. He stood above his former master, wiped the blood from his eyes, and threw his head back. The storm above swirled, an angry mass of flashing steel and rolling iron. ------------------- Gerod Loghis, once the head of a much feared and very powerful organization called the Dead Council, fell from the sky with an ungraceful flop. Just after him, Dessina thumped to a rest on the same cold, slick stone which he now occupied. A groan rumbled up from his chest, and he cracked one eye open hesitantly. He was on a smooth stone balcony, carved from a cliff of pure granite. The roaring of water came from his right, and Loghis lifted his head to see the most distinctive feature of Hammerfall. A heavy rain was just slowing, the last few drops falling to the stone with heavy thuds. In front of Gerod Loghis, a man wrapped in dark leather stood over the limp form of Fexus, a man whom Loghis had worked with extensively in the past. Gerod couldn’t tell if Fexus was dead, or just unconscious, and didn’t really care either way. The man was looking upwards, at the sky, and so Loghis glanced in the same direction. Above him, silent and eerie, was a flickering, rolling storm. Lightning flashed occasionally, but no thunder followed. Dessina gurgled her return to consciousness, and the man turned quickly. His eyes flared with a dull, ruby light for a moment, and then returned to a more normal hue. Hryn, dog of Fexus… who had apparently had a falling out with his master since his last meeting with Loghis. The dead man stood shakily, wiping the blood off his face. “Gerod Loghis.” Hryn’s voice was soft and threatening, steel wrapped in finest silk. “I killed you.” Loghis shook his head and shrugged. “Does it really surprise you that I’m still alive?” “You’re not alive, though… you weren’t when I killed you, and you aren’t now.” Loghis smiled nervously. “Yes, well… be that as it may.” He motioned to Fexus’ prone form. “I see no reason for the two of us to continue trying to kill one another.” “Except for the fact that you’re responsible for all of this.” Loghis tittered nervously. “All of what?” Hryn took a step forward, and Loghis took a step back. “Everything… my indenturing to Fexus, Gavin’s death, even the destruction of Cold Port. It was all you… how could I have been so blind?” Loghis’ eyes darted to the edges of the cliffs, then back to Hryn. He swallowed nervously. “What do you want to hear? That I told Fexus how to erase Mallon’s memory? That I gave him the idea to use the Hloran bloodline to access Natayu? That all along, I was pulling his strings without him even knowing it?” Loghis shook his head. “The first two, I’ll admit to… and killing Gavin, yes, that was my idea. But you have no idea why, Hryn.” A flash of red lightning, a crack of thunder, and Hryn stood nose to nose with Gerod Loghis. “Then why don’t you tell me.” The dead man stumbled back a step, nearly losing his footing on the slick stone. “The Chosen of Machia, Hryn… the one person in all the world who can access the Third Court.” Loghis’ eyes shifted once more to the prone Lord of Hammerfall. “Fexus thought it was Gavin… he wanted the boy brought to him, wanted to use his blood the same way he used the Hloran’s. Hryn, if Fexus had gained control of Machia, the damage he could have done…” Hryn cut Loghis off with a stinging slap across the face. The dead man went down, holding his jaw, and shot a fierce look up at the Fixer. “And so you killed him? You decided to bring Gavin into the fold, to keep Fexus from his prize?” Hryn knelt, a hand shooting out to catch Loghis by the throat. “You and your games… you and Fexus both.” Hryn his hand, shot his fingers toward Loghis’ face. The white haired man screamed in terror, and Hryn stopped just in front of his eyes. Loghis drew in deep, gasping breaths, and stared at Hryn’s fingers. Hryn pulled his hand back, and the storm dipped dangerously, a flare of dark cloud jetting out over each of Hryn’s shoulders. Like wings of pure shadow. “Don’t you get it? He was wrong! Gavin was never the Chosen, Hryn… it was you…” Gerod’s eyes widened and he went limp. “It was you.” Hryn scowled and tossed Loghis aside, into the still form of Fexus. Loghis felt the Lord of Hammerfall’s chest rising slowly. So he was still alive… Hryn shook his head. “I’m not the Chosen of anything, corpse. I’m just a man who wants what he’s owed.” Hryn walked slowly to Fexus’ body, stooped, and tore the pendant from his chest. He held it up for a moment, looking at it as if he wasn’t sure it was real or not. And then he slipped it over his head, retying it behind his neck. “I may not be able to return him to life, or atone for what I’ve done; but the least I can do is keep Mallon’s soul safe.” Hryn stood, looking up at the sky once more. The storm still raged silently above. Loghis watched as the Fixer stood, staring at the blackness, and silently wept for the past. ~The End~ ~For now~
Finnius Posted October 19, 2007 Author Report Posted October 19, 2007 Epilogue: A New World Hammerfall stretched out to the east of the Frozen Sea, grasping inland. The long rain which had marked Fexus’ rule had finally broken, and the people of the city poked their heads out into the streets to take a fleeting look up at the sun. A very few of them dared to voice what they all knew had come to pass. Fexus, Lord of Hammerfall, was Lord no longer. Even fewer dared to imagine how this had happened. The stories which bled onto the streets of the city were many and varied, and entirely incorrect. In the courts of Hammer Keep, politicians died by the score. With the disappearance of Fexus, a silent revolution swept through the governance of the city. The citizens, as ever, paid little mind so long as the new lords of Hammerfall taxed them less than the old ones. ------------------- Underneath Althis’ Tomb, a shifting mass of rock spit out three forms. Two slumped to the floor, bound and gagged. The third strode into the center of the room, where a great black sphere pulsed its cold heartbeat against the walls. Hryn stretched out a hand to touch the icy cold of Balphinus. Immediately, its rolling, thunderous voice echoed in his head. Hostmask recognized. Hryn, Servant of Fexus, what is your wish? “First, scratch the servant of Fexus bit. Just Hryn, thank you.” Stony silence, and a quick blue flash which Hryn took as assent. He cleared his throat and glanced at the two men slumped on the floor. Fexus was still unconscious, and would remain so as long as Hryn wished. He’d almost left his former master behind, in the merciful care of the Fixers. Loghis’ black eyes burned back at Hryn, deep black pools of loathing. The dead man had developed a deep and abiding dislike of Hryn in the last few days. Hryn turned back to Balphinus. “Secondly, I need you to find another member of the access list. Gavin Althane.” The cold blue light, a tiny glow in the center of the black orb to begin with, flickered and died. After several tense moments, it reappeared. Gavin Althane is no longer on the access list. Hryn turned to Loghis, knelt down, and stripped off his gag. “I thought you said that Balphinus would be able to find him.” Loghis shrugged noncommittally. “If he were still alive, it would. If he’s no longer on the list, and nobody removed him, then he’s dead… well, more dead.” Hryn’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “I don’t believe you.” “You don’t have to. I can prove it, oh Mighty Fixer.” Hryn raised an eyebrow. “Upstairs,” Loghis said with a jerk of his head. “There’s a chamber that leads down here from the Tomb of Holy Althis. In it, you’ll find the souls of the departed Chosen. Gavin will be among them. Go see for yourself.” Hryn shoved Loghis’ gag back in place and began his way up the stairs. ------------------- The chamber was dark, but Hryn’s eyes took precious little time to adjust. At first, he was stunned by the sheer number of shadowy, wraithlike figures. They flowed over, around, and through each other, never stopping. Like hungry sharks, or caged lions. A moment after Hryn stepped into the room they all paused, and in eerie unison, turned towards him. There was wind, and it reminded Hryn of the trip he’d taken between worlds. A frozen wind, which ripped at you and drew tiny beads of blood from your skin. The wraiths swarmed over him, drinking in his heat, hungrily clawing at him with cold, twice-dead hands. As soon as it had started, it was over, and Hryn lay shivering on the floor. The ghosts which a mere moment ago had eagerly tried to rob him of his life now stood in a ring around him, looking puzzled and ashamed. Hryn thought he saw a figure walking through them, striding confidently towards the gap in the ring of specters. He thought the figure was tall, noted its flowing hair, shining even in the darkness, and then passed out; the low murmuring of the ghosts echoing in his ears. ------------------- The ruins of Cold Port winked into existence between rolling spheres of grey. As the dust and wind settled, a lone man strode toward the center of the once proud city between high piles of already rotting wood. The clouds above Cold Port were a bleak mirror of the ones between the lands of the living and the dead. The man paused outside the charred rubble that marked the shell of the Lonely Sailor. He bowed his head shallowly, and then continued on. The center of the city of Cold Port, the two-story stone building which had housed the Court, still stood despite heavy damage. Few had survived the storm which had torn the city to splinters not two weeks ago, and those few toiled outside this one building, clearing the doorway. They worked with the grim resolve of the dead, without food or sleep or water. When the man mounted the marble steps, they stopped for a moment, just long enough to turn to him and bow their heads. None met his black, shimmering eyes. The man walked between them, pushed open the great stone doors, and closed them behind himself as he entered his new home.
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