His entrance had been like all the others this day. A few shouts of hatred, some of respect, and one from his apprentice, beckoning Vistilantus to meet with him in the Coven House. With a slight nod his shadow dragon lept towards the sky and moments later he blessed Arcadain with his presence.
He had been beckoned to look at an ancient scroll which Arcadain had found. After an odd look from Arcadain he turned his attention to the scroll on the table and began skimming through it. Not a moment after he reached the end of the scroll did two demons leap from the shadows and grab his arms. With a smirk he turned his head towards his apprentice.
"You can't be serious child. What is the meaning of this?"
But Arcadain gave no response, and pulled a white pearl ring from his pouch and walked swiftly towards Vistilantus. But, Vistilantus was always prepared for such situations, and with a whispered word the demons fell into dust. But alas, Vistilantus had trained Arcadain only too well, and a third demon lept from the shadows and pinned Vistilantus to the ground.
Quickly he placed the ring on Vistilantus' finger and stood back...waiting...
"Gwindle" he thought, but he peered around and she wasn't there. Standing only a few feet away was a cloaked elf, with a curious and somewhat hesitant look on his face. Memories came slowly seeping back into his mind.
"You...you were my apprentice...?". He fumbled through the words. What was he doing with an apprentice? And where was Gwindle? He fingered the pearl engagement ring on his finger. She had to be around somewhere.
"Yes, was your apprentice. My apprenticeship under you is now complete."
Slowly a painful memory pushed it's way foward.
"Gwindle...she's dead?" and as he spoke the words more memories came flooding forth, uncontrollable, unstoppable. A floodgate of emotional pain had just broken and he was standing in it's way, about to feel the impact.
"I've killed..." "What of their familes?" "I've wronged you too Cynthor?"
What seemed like hundreds of people started shouting at him. Accusing shouts, telling him of his wrongs, he couldn't be forgived. They hated him, but what had he done? He killed innocents? How many? Why?
He tried apologizing for them, for what he had done...and then the impact hit. Hundreds, no, Thousands of tortured souls screaming in unison. Their hate, their pain all filling his head at once. The pain, it was unbearable. He looked at his hands only to be struck by the impact once again. They were decayed...he was dead...
Blood spilled from his scalp as he tried claw out the memories. The anguish was was unbearable as all the souls slaughtered by his hand sought their revenge upon his mind. He shouted out for mercy to anyone that would listen. One answered his call. Fjorgynn...
He asked Arcadain for one last favor, to take him to Fjorgynn, so the pain may stop, so he may die. Arcadain nodded, and carried the emotionally crippled Vistilantus to Fjorgynn.
They arrived at recall where Arcadain let Vistilantus slide from his dragon and unto the ground in front of Fjorgynn. A crooked smile crossed Fjorgynn's lips as he looked down at Vistilantus. Vistilantus, the man who had caused him so much pain, heartache. No, killing him now would be too merciful...Vistilantus had to pay.
Vistilantus removed his demon horned helm and looked up to Fjorgynn.
"Do it, please. It's unbearable...the pain..please"
Fjorgynn lowered his axe and asked. "How's it feel? The pain? The suffering? Suffer some more." he finished as he watched Vistilantus writhe in agony.
Vistilantus looked up at Fjorgynn. "Please, kill me" he said through eyes raw with dried tears. Fjorgynn replied with a smirk and a look of enjoyment.
With what strength he could manage he pulled his daemon's blood dagger from it's sheath and steadied it, but before he could do anything Fjorgynn plucked it easily from his hands, along with another dagger he had sheathed.
"No, not yet" Fjorgynn mused as he watched.
"PLEEEASE!!! Just let me die!" Vistilantus begged. He weakly reached for Fjorgynn's hand. "Please...I'm sorry" he wept. Fjorgynn simply patted Vistilantus on the head and watched further.
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Cynthor stepped from the crowd that had gathered. He had seen enough and decided sitting by and watching this man writhe in such pain was crueler then killing him. Slowly he pulled an arrow from his quiver, cocked it, and with a tear down his cheek, let if fly, watching is it hit Vistilantus squarly in the chest and sending him sprawling few feet.
Vistilantus looked down at the arrow. The physical pain was trivial compared to the pain he was already feeling, but still it only worsened his state. He looked up to Cynthor, a weak smile across his face.
"More, I need more" Vistilantus pleaded. "Don't stop... I of all people know I don't deserve to live."
Cynthor exclaimed "Damn ye Visti, fer making me do this, damn ye fer all ye did, and may ye rest in peace fer who ye really are!" as he nocked and fired two more arrows into the lich.
Fjorgynn screamed and stood inbetween Cynthor and the lich.
"Did he let MY SON go when he pleaded?"
He then bent over and whispered into Vistilantus' ear. "You can scream your throat raw saying you're sorry, I care not."
Vistilantus looked up and weakly tried to grasp Fjorgynn. "Please I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry. Look at me, I am wretched, an instrument of cruelty for a twisted man, please let me die." Vistilantus whispered meakly.
In desperation he gathered what strength he could and crawled his way to the bank where he whispered something to the banker who then wheeled out one million gold and loaded it on Fjorgynn's chariot.
"Please, take that, I'm sorry, now please kill me."
Then it struck him. Why couldn't he die? He remembered now, how he could live in this state. Leoni, the immortal of death was granting him his breath. He couldn't die until she willed.
"No...it wasn't a gift...it was a trick."
Osian and Orchid both pleaded with Fjorgynn to let Vistilantus die as well. He could not fix what he had done in the past and they knew that.
Fed up with it all Vistilantus snatched his dagger back from the distraced Fjorgynn, took one hesitant look at it, then plunged it deep into his chest. Already he could feel the daemon's blood tear away at what was left of his chest as it sensed flesh.
His mind was now numb to the physical pain, but it was an odd sensation nonetheless.
Exhausted and now lacking the muscle to keep himself upright he fell over limply and fainted. The physical world metled away into blackness until he found himself standing alone in the blackness. A figure of wonderous, yet dangerous beauty stepped forth. Leoni.
"Please, I beg of you, let me die."
An odd look crossed her face for a brief instant and then was gone as fast as it had appeared. He thought perhaps it was pity, pity at what Morlend had done to him. But what did he know, perhaps it was amusement.
He wasn't quite sure what happened next but the pain was gone, the souls, the screaming was gone. He looked at the queen who simply nodded and said "Let the mage's think they did it, perhaps it will give them some pride to think they undid my work."
Then in an instant he was alone again in the darkness and everything faded...
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He stopped along the along the dirt path through the woods and leaned over a gathering a blue wild flowers. "She'll love these." he thought and quickly plucked a few. Ahh, the fresh air. He couldn't remember the last time he had taken a walk in the woods near their cottage, all he knew was how good it felt to do it again. The sun was out and cast playful shadows on the forest floor as birds chirped along to the rhythm of the leafy branches swaying in the wind.
Bah! "She's going to have my hide if I'm late again" He said with a chuckle as he quickly reached down and plucked a few more flowers then made his way back to the cottage. The spring breeze felt wonderful on his fine elven skin as he raced back through the forest. How long had it been since he had ran? felt the wind on his face? smelled the spring air? He couldn't remember. But none of that mattered. It felt wonderful to be doing it now.
He reached the cottage and stopped a few steps short of the door to catch his breath. Ahh, he could smell the roast cooking from here. Quickly he hid the flowers behind his back and strode through the door.
"Just where have you been?" said the large but curvaceous half giant woman that stood in front of the stove. She had her hands on her hips and the "don't give me any lip" look on her face. But for some reason that didn't matter either. As he looked upon her he was struck down with her beauty, as if it had been years since he had last gazed upon her face.
"Sorry love" he said as he searched his mind trying to remember where he had been, but soon gave up as he remembered the wild flowers he had hidden behind his back. With the grace of an elf he pulled the flowers from seemingly nowhere and smiled.
"Well, you had better have more then that for being gone so long" she replied.
"Of course Gwindle dear" He said as he pecked her on the cheek.
With an odd hand gesture 20 dozen roses appeared. A few on the table, one in her hair, and the rest all about the room in decorative places.
Gwindle gasped in astonishment. "Where'd you learn that?"
Vistilantus scratched his head and searched back through his foggy memory. He wasn't quite sure where, so, he did the best he could.
"We elves are born with gifts to please the women we love" He said with that cute little smirk she loved so much.
He plucked the rose from her hair and placed in her hand.
"I love you dear, and I'm sorry I've been gone so long. I promise, I won't ever leave you again" He said as he gazed into those eyes he had missed for so long.
"I love you too Vist, and you had better not leave me again" she replied with a small sniffle.
"Don't cry dear, I promise, never again will I leave you." He said as he kissed her lightly and the two embraced. As they stood there he smiled to himself as he toyed with the white pearl engagement ring on his finger. He would never leave her, he was too happy, and he would be happy, as long he could stand here and hold her for all eternity.
Alley back to the library foyer.
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