Archive Posted January 30, 2003 Report Posted January 30, 2003 Celesctia Visitor Posts: 1 (3/9/02 10:47:28 am) Reply Midnight job -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- He stood at the top of the tower stairs. A momentary flash of irony shattered his concentration. He had broken in too high, and now had to make his way down through the keep to reach his target. He quickly killed the humor. Otherwise it would be the death of him. Or worse. Alert once again, he took on his surroundings. Meld with the keep and then nothing would be amiss. To become one with your environment, but retain your identity, that was his goal. It was a difficult, not mention dangerous, balance. He did it though, and then moved with the keep, in the keep. Moonlight bred with the objects in the hall, giving birth to a brood of shadows. The keep wasn't quite far enough North for the shadows to start posing too many problems, but he was wary nonetheless. It was important to keep track of what was what, otherwise he might take a turn into a dark alcove instead of an archway, and that would land him a more trouble he was willing to think about. "I do hate night jobs this far in," he thought, "there's no knowing the consequences of a mistake." Images of the refuse that collected at the truth-stone caches, some of them human, tried to crack his concentration. He willed them away. The only truth-stones he had on him were sharp feather-like chips. Chips specially cut for throwing. These were located in two sacks, one for those that had been blooded, and one for those that were fresh. It was only the fresh ones that he would use tonight; there should be no need for help. He froze as a shadow moved at the bottom of the staircase he was descending. Let it be real, let it be real... Moonlight glinted white off of a polished helmet, and flashed in human eyes. His hands dropped to the cloth sack at his side and withdrew an un-blooded feather. One second of calculation, and the feather took flight. The guard jerked as his hands flew towards his throat, but years of training halted the desperate motion in motion. He stood there, dumbly, with his throat pierced by the feather. The guard watched two shadows follow the stairs to their base. One shadow imposed itself on the wall, while the other appeared to be real. The guard blinked as he recognized the man standing before him. "Yes Jared, it is I, Harold," the man cloaked in shadow said. He eyed Jared's throat. "'Tis a pity." Jared nodded somberly then fell backwards in death. Harold caught him carefully, and gently laid him on the ground. Harold carefully removed the now -blooded feather, and used a knife to scratch a ruin of identification on it. The feather was then placed into the sack on the hip opposite from which it had been drawn. Not a drop of blood was spilled, and Jared would remain dead. That was kind of hearting; Harold was glad it was he who took this job. Jared and he went back a long way, and he didn't trust anyone else to give him a true death. It was sickening this far North, where boundaries began to blur. Things began to forget their place. He remembered having to endure the pleading of the weeds in his garden. The worst though was the boundary of Death. He was still haunted by the finding of his father in his room waking him up, the day after his father had died. Mom had had to hit him with the truth-stone knife in the drawer. The knife had kept him down long enough to call in the necromancer to finish him. That's why he'd became a necromancer, to keep what was dead, dead.
Archive Posted January 30, 2003 Author Report Posted January 30, 2003 Zool47 Patron Saint of Aspiring Bards Posts: 239 (3/9/02 12:50:27 pm) Reply Re: Midnight job -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Very well thought out, very well told. Don't feel bad about going back and making minor edits to mispellings or misplaced words. ~Zool~
Archive Posted January 30, 2003 Author Report Posted January 30, 2003 gwaihir1 Elder of Lists and Poetry Posts: 133 (3/9/02 4:21:46 pm) Reply Re: Midnight job -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- tremendous story! ---------- I want to be page 93 of Pineapples, the Avian Crows-Nyyark
Archive Posted January 30, 2003 Author Report Posted January 30, 2003 Zephryin Initiate Posts: 13 (3/9/02 5:59:28 pm) Reply Re: Midnight job -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Originally posted by Celesctia He was still haunted of finding his father in his room waking him up, the day after his father had died. Mom had had to hit him with the truth stone knife in the drawer. The knife kept him down long enough to call the necromancer, to finish him. That’s why he became a necromancer, to keep what was dead, dead. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Delightfully creepy!
Archive Posted January 30, 2003 Author Report Posted January 30, 2003 Gyrfalcon25 Bard Posts: 296 (3/9/02 10:14:41 pm) Reply Re: Midnight job -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Gyr applauds* Ooo... I like this background. An interesting world, and as Zephyrian said... Delightfully creepy!
Archive Posted January 30, 2003 Author Report Posted January 30, 2003 Lord Seth Exodus Initiate Posts: 36 (3/11/02 10:57:57 pm) Reply Re: Midnight job -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Very well written indeed. I love the mood that is set; delightfully creepy, if I dare say so myself. Bravo! -Seth Exodus Initiate of The Pen
Recommended Posts