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+---- Thread: A short story (/showthread.php?tid=274)
A short story - Gizmo - 07-24-2014
Sect 1: Redemption
A large crash echoed off the walls of a very busy kitchen. Following this was a very short creature tumbling through the doorway and it seemed to be a large amount of distress. He stood to his feet, calmly collected his nerves, picked up his hat and dusted it off with his hand, and placed it back on his head. With his composure brought back to an internal peave, he turned around to see the destruction that had just occurred.
Peering at the corner of the room he noticed what awaited his next moments in life. The corner of the stone building had been torn out, and the stone architecture remained floating in the air, held up by strands of magic illuminating the distance from the rocks and the ground. He decided it would be best to turn back around completing a full rotation. What awaited behind him was some very normal looking humanoids about five to six feet tall, normal complexion, all holding various assortments of dishes. They were all trembling in their locations throughout the kitchen, and into the next room.
The short man grabbed the brim of his hat and gave a tilt forward as a sign of gratitude. After leaning back to a normal standing position he said in a soft tone, “You may want to get down.” The short man then took off down the hallways of this home toward the other entrance.
The rocks that had been floating began to fly in different directions throughout the room and pummel all they came in contact with. This collision kicked dust and dirt into the air. After a few seconds the violence stopped, and the short man was no where to be seen. Standing in the newly formed dust cloud in the now broken corner of the room, was a tall man roughly six and a half feet from the ground to his head, wearing what was the normal guard attire for this humble town. He bore the bronze eagle crest of the nation of the chest plate of his dark red armor.
In a loud voice he proclaimed, “There!” and he raised his hand violently and pointed to the open door on the other side of the home.
All the occupants quickly removed themselves from the path of the guards as they charged through the house and out the door. All the while shouting, screaming, and over all in panic at what had just happened. They watched as four men in armored clothing stormed through the kitchen and through the living quarters adjacent to the room. Followed by a rather slow man wearing a dark blue robe and carrying a stick with some sort of rare gem attached to the end.
The short man quickly looked for his next entrance and found one not but a few feet down from the gateway he just exited. He quickly, well what was quick for his short legs, ran to the door and jumped to reach the handle. He grasped it and twisted as hard as he could, conveniently for him it was unlocked, but his feet stood a few inches off the ground. He threw his body forward with whatever inertia he could generate while keeping the handle turned, and the door cracked open just slightly enough for him to drop to the ground and enter the structure.
He stumbled into the room and quickly shut the door once clearing the frame. After taking a few brief moments of perception throughout the dark room which had only the little light coming from the dusty windows, he decided the house was uninhabited, which was good news for him in his current situation. He quickly ran, which felt quick to his tiny legs, across the room and turned his view back to the door he entered.
He closed his eyes and stretched his arms out in front of him. He began to chant some words under his breath and move his hands in a circular motion in front of his body, weaving them in and out. He could feel the fabric of reality began to get heavy and shift as another field of energy collided within it. Great power was being generated through his body, and he could feel energy pulsing in his bones. He could feel heat began to beat at his chest and a few small flickers against his hands.
The door knob turn followed by a small squeak of the door.
The small man opened his eyes and squinted to see through the new red light which he held in his hands. Which was made even more difficult with the distortion of the fabric of reality around him. A smile came across his face. He outstretched his arms and and released the orb of fire he had wove into existence. There was a bright flash of light as it disappeared, followed by a great gush of bright flames pouring down on top of the man who stepped through the door. Instantly he was ignited and began to cry out in pain. The flaming creature began to run around violently, and at moments blocked the entrance for the next guardsman to enter, before falling over and rolling on the ground in an attempt to put out the heat.
This gave the short man enough time to begin his next conjuration. By the time his next assailant stepped into the door way with his weapon drawn ready to strike, he already had sparks of electricity violently jumping around in his hands. He shot forth his hands and released this power he had been withholding. Blinding white sparks converting into solid beams of electricity shot forth from his location and struck his opponent in the chest, sending him backward, which would have been quite far had there not been a building blocking his path.
“Radashan!” A booming voice shouted from the other side of the wall. “We know it is you! Quite resisting and accept arrest!”
“Give me what I came for and I will save your town from it's destruction!” The short man replied., while looking around the room for his exit. The only way out of his current room he found, was a staircase to the second level of the building, which rested next to the body of his flaming, and now unconscious, foe. He set his feet into motion.
“The Lord of our land holds that item! I do not have the permission to give it to you! Accept arrest and you will be taken to him!” The guard captain announced, in a final attempt to sway Radashan to binding.
After a few silent moments following Radashan's choice of no response, the side of the wall was ripped out and the stones once again floated in the air. But by this time, Radashan had already made it to the top of the steps. He looked around quickly, running from wall to wall, looking through the sleeping quarters he had stumbled into, for his location of exit. He quickly found his only way out was through the window that rested behind the old unclothed bed.
I guess this calls for that leap of faith I have heard so much about, Radashan thought as he set himself across the room from the piece of furniture. Foot steps echoed throughout the building as the guards began their accent toward his location. He took off, running full force to the window. With all his might, he leaped toward the mattress in hope that it would somehow spring board him further than he could leap with his own strength.
His dark brown hand crafted boots collided with the soft material, dug deep, and then were shot upward. This motion threw his whole body forward and propelled him from the surface. Grabbing his black pointed hat, which was nearly as tall as he was, he leaned in his shoulder and twisted his body to not take the full force of the window to his face. Before closing his eyes, Radashan caught a glimpse of the red armor of the guards coming up the steps. This was a pleasing, but brief, thought which was followed by the sharp pain and loud noise of the window being decimated.
For a single moment Radashan felt weightless, but this soon disappeared as he got the all too familiar feeling of falling. Not one of his favorite emotions he was subject too. He knew what awaited him and the end of his descent; in a single act of hopelessness he reached forth is right hands and set his faith in grasping something to decrease his momentum.
And he felt it. The familiar feeling of wood was grasped in his hands. There he was, dangling from the balcony of the adjacent building by one hand and grasping his beloved hat in the other. Radashan let out a sigh of relief, but began to climb quickly, for his pursuit had not ended just yet. With all he could force into his arms, he rapidly pulled himself onto the balcony and took off into the building.
What awaited him brought a stunned look to his face. It was a beautiful female standing what he guessed was five and a half feet tall. Long brown hair flowed to the middle of her back. He could see the ears sticking out a good ways from her head. Beautiful sounds were bouncing off the walls of the room as she cleaned dishes in her cooking area. She looked up and saw him, and a quick startled look crossed her face in response.
“Oh, Hello. My name is Radashan.” The short man stated, hoping to relief some of her tension.
“Radashan you say? My name is Muriel,” the beautiful woman answered in a tone that sounded sincere. “What brings you into my home?”
“I seek a place of refuge. And if you can provide that for me, I will spare you and your family from destruction.”
“That is sweet of you, but it is just me. And what destruction is this?”
“I come seeking a very rare relic that was stolen from my people long ago. This item has caused many wars to be fought, many lives to be lost, and many men to be corrupted with its power. I wish to destroy it.”
“And how does that involve the destruction of Haven'Ale?”
“It is the Lord of Haven'Ale is the one who holds this item. And he has been subject to it for far too long, and he is sending his minions to stop me from freeing him of it's curse.”
“I see, come with me.”
Radashan followed the female through a few door ways and she led him to a decently sized trunk that rested at the foot of her bed. “You have to be kidding me.” He stated once seeing his resting place.
“Do you want to be safe or not?” She insisted as she took the orange colored blankets off the obsidian engraved trunk and began to remove her clothing from within.
“I guess it is a nice chest at least.”
Radashan took off his hat and stepped in. He smiled a little as he realized his short stature left enough room for his hat in the coffer as well, without it being wrinkled. After long consideration he came to a conclusion, staying here may not be too bad. After all, he did have a heart for Elvaan females.