Children of Madness (RP Story)
Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2011 10:55 pm
((Could I be happier with this? Yeah. But I don't mind it, considering I wrote it relatively late. The latter part is a true event, we really did go hunt down Taerar and kill him. Completely spontaneous and unexpected, was fun as hell. I tried to do the classes as best as I could remember them.))
Azunara winced as the lightning gave another loud crash. The rain poured from the dark sky, and she couldn’t see the moon through the clouds. She gave a shudder, a Lunar Festival without the moon? She waited by the window carved in the tree, occasionally peering through it. A spell regulated the temperature or kept the weather out, but her parents hadn’t taught it to her yet. She could see, just through the wet and murk, her lone purple flower that she had grown herself. It was like a little flowery beacon of hope.
Another cry of thunder, and the large cat by the door lifted its head and snarled. Azunara turned to the mistsaber, saying a few words under her breath to try and calm it, curling up next to it. “Tae? Do you think Mom and Dad will be home soon?” She asked, and the mistsaber gave a soft rumble of uncertainty. Taeryn had no idea when his mistress would return.
---
The dragon gave a loud cry, flaring its wings and breathing a noxious cloud of gas from its maw. “Someone, cleanse that damn poison!” A voice called over the loud noise, and night elves scrambled to do the order. Several druids hid in the back, healing their allies, standing with their archer and priest companions. Tackling the dragon was a variety of warriors and rogues; bears and cats. And accompanying the troops were dead bodies, numerous elves who had inhaled and succumbed to the poison, or had been forced to sleep and were conquered by the Nightmare.
Taerar, the Corrupted Lieuetenant, gave a savage cry, shouting, “Children of Madness- I release you upon this world!” He cast a spell on himself, and claws and blades and spells were rendered useless. It seemed like the battle was over, when emerging from the Nightmare tainted portal were several replicas, if albeit smaller ones, of the Lieutenant himself. The night elves looked at each other, then the dragons, which all exhaled their own venomous clouds, and they felt despair.
---
More thunder and Azunara uncurled herself from Taeryn’s side, moving back to the window and letting out a low, fearful whimper. Where were her parents? She was scared now, really, really, really scared. Taeryn pushed himself to his feet and peered out the window, into the pouring rain, then turned to nuzzle the young elf, growling comfortingly. “Tae. They’re going to beat that mean dragon, right? And then all will be safe and we can go back to celebrating the Lunar Festival. Did you know it’s almost my birthday?” She asked, a tinge of excitement entering her voice.
---
The shades gave a piercing cry as they struck the elves, tearing apart the sleeping and poisoned. “Lira!” A voice called, and a bear stood defensively before a feline, ignoring the chaos. “Lira, you must run. Return to Azu, keep her safe. Please, for me. We will hold it off as long as we can.” The bear grumbled, but the feline turned to her mate and snarled defiantly, “Kieryon, no! You can’t go and leave us, we need you.” She said softly, and as she did so, a Shade gave a cry and fell to the ground, fading to smoke. The other two wailed, and hit harder, exhaling acid to the elves in front of them, which fell into a writhing, burning heap. “Run, please.” Kieryon said, desperation in his voice. “Go, while you still can. She needs us, she needs you. She can’t lose both parents tonight.”
Lira growled weakly, knowing she had little choice but to flee. “I can’t…I can’t leave you to die.” Another Shade went down, but the last of the elves struggled to survive. “I love you, Lira. You and Azu. Don’t ever forget it.” The bear nuzzled the feline, and it turned into a hard shove as he pushed his mate away, screaming for her to run. Taerar’s spell was starting to fade, if she didn’t run now, she would lose her chance.
The cat changed her form into a lither cheetah and sprinted away, running through the rain, mud splattering her hide. Kieryon turned back to the last dragon and gave a final screeching roar, as the Shade fell and Taerar freed himself.
He lashed his tail, sending numerous survivors and bodies flying through the air, and the dragon turned his attention towards the annoying pest of a bear. He snarled, reaching to crush the gnat.
Kieryon stood firm, slashing at the dragon, and the dragon tore at his hide faster than his priests could heal him. He felt his bones shatter, and watched his mate flee. And as he lay broken and dying, he could feel his heart being torn to pieces.
---
Lira finally returned to the house, panting and shaking and giving a keen of distress. “Kieryon!” She bawled, and her mistsaber was by her side rapidly, trailed by a young and frightened Azunara. “What’s…what’s going on?” She asked. “Where’s Daddy?” There was an echoing, piercing roar in the woods as Ysera’s Lieutenant returned to the Nightmare he came, the last of the force that tried to kill him laid dead by his claws. Lira looked at her daughter, shaking and saying quietly, “He’ll be home soon, Azunara. Soon. Soon, soon, soon he’ll be back. And the moon will come again for us. And he will be back. I promise. He can’t die, he couldn’t have died.” She rambled, her sorrow planting seeds of madness. And Azunara looked up at the rain streaked sky, and she couldn’t help but wonder why the Moon had left them.
---
The two paladins gave simultaneous nods, as they slowly stalked up the stairs towards where Taerar lurked. He growled, giving a challenging cry, “Peace is but a fleeting dream! Let the NIGHTMARE reign!” A bear followed after the paladins, leaped towards Taerar and weaving between his claws. In the back, a hunter peppered the dragon with arrows and a druid, taking the aspects of a tree, called upon nature to heal her allies.
It had been many years since the Lieutenant had slain her father, years of time where she and her friends had grown stronger. Azunara snarled, leaping into the fray and tearing at the corrupted creature. It lashed its tail, threatening to send her flying, but she leaped out of the way. One paladin struggled to cope with the poison, waiting for other druid to cure it, while the bear was forced into a temporary sleep.
Taerar growled, calling for his Shades and placing himself in a protective spell. Dragging themselves together, the companions struck the Shades, splitting apart and taking them out separately. Azunara and the bear druid worked on one, while the two paladins distracted the other two, the hunter still firing his projectiles. The first Shade fell, and Azunara weaved out of a poison cloud, growling as she watched a cloud of sleep make its way to the ranged, and the pair fell to the ground in the temporary sleep.
But the Shades pulled away, and Taerar freed himself of his spell, furious. He fought bravely, but their strength matched his, surpassing it as they didn’t die and he grew weaker. Finally, the Corrupted dragon fell to the ground, looking up at them, his vision clearing. “Thank you…for freeing me.” He said quietly, closing his eyes. Azunara peered at the dragon that had been the cause of so much suffering, her father’s death, her mother’s insanity. She remembered days after she had returned home, and wouldn’t do anything to take care of her, or teach her anything more, or brew any more potions. She had been forced to journey to Shadowglen, the closest place trainers had been for her.
“That’s it.” One paladin spoke, and Azunara nodded numbly. “Yeah.” She pried a scale from the corpse, as the others checked its hoard. It still smoked and misted, curling into toxic green spirals before fading to nothing. “That’s for you, Dad.” Azunara said quietly. She gave a quiet whistle and her mother’s faithful mistsaber padded over to her side, inspecting the scale. Azunara shifted to elf form, placing it in his saddlebags and ruffling his fur. And then she joined the others.
Azunara winced as the lightning gave another loud crash. The rain poured from the dark sky, and she couldn’t see the moon through the clouds. She gave a shudder, a Lunar Festival without the moon? She waited by the window carved in the tree, occasionally peering through it. A spell regulated the temperature or kept the weather out, but her parents hadn’t taught it to her yet. She could see, just through the wet and murk, her lone purple flower that she had grown herself. It was like a little flowery beacon of hope.
Another cry of thunder, and the large cat by the door lifted its head and snarled. Azunara turned to the mistsaber, saying a few words under her breath to try and calm it, curling up next to it. “Tae? Do you think Mom and Dad will be home soon?” She asked, and the mistsaber gave a soft rumble of uncertainty. Taeryn had no idea when his mistress would return.
---
The dragon gave a loud cry, flaring its wings and breathing a noxious cloud of gas from its maw. “Someone, cleanse that damn poison!” A voice called over the loud noise, and night elves scrambled to do the order. Several druids hid in the back, healing their allies, standing with their archer and priest companions. Tackling the dragon was a variety of warriors and rogues; bears and cats. And accompanying the troops were dead bodies, numerous elves who had inhaled and succumbed to the poison, or had been forced to sleep and were conquered by the Nightmare.
Taerar, the Corrupted Lieuetenant, gave a savage cry, shouting, “Children of Madness- I release you upon this world!” He cast a spell on himself, and claws and blades and spells were rendered useless. It seemed like the battle was over, when emerging from the Nightmare tainted portal were several replicas, if albeit smaller ones, of the Lieutenant himself. The night elves looked at each other, then the dragons, which all exhaled their own venomous clouds, and they felt despair.
---
More thunder and Azunara uncurled herself from Taeryn’s side, moving back to the window and letting out a low, fearful whimper. Where were her parents? She was scared now, really, really, really scared. Taeryn pushed himself to his feet and peered out the window, into the pouring rain, then turned to nuzzle the young elf, growling comfortingly. “Tae. They’re going to beat that mean dragon, right? And then all will be safe and we can go back to celebrating the Lunar Festival. Did you know it’s almost my birthday?” She asked, a tinge of excitement entering her voice.
---
The shades gave a piercing cry as they struck the elves, tearing apart the sleeping and poisoned. “Lira!” A voice called, and a bear stood defensively before a feline, ignoring the chaos. “Lira, you must run. Return to Azu, keep her safe. Please, for me. We will hold it off as long as we can.” The bear grumbled, but the feline turned to her mate and snarled defiantly, “Kieryon, no! You can’t go and leave us, we need you.” She said softly, and as she did so, a Shade gave a cry and fell to the ground, fading to smoke. The other two wailed, and hit harder, exhaling acid to the elves in front of them, which fell into a writhing, burning heap. “Run, please.” Kieryon said, desperation in his voice. “Go, while you still can. She needs us, she needs you. She can’t lose both parents tonight.”
Lira growled weakly, knowing she had little choice but to flee. “I can’t…I can’t leave you to die.” Another Shade went down, but the last of the elves struggled to survive. “I love you, Lira. You and Azu. Don’t ever forget it.” The bear nuzzled the feline, and it turned into a hard shove as he pushed his mate away, screaming for her to run. Taerar’s spell was starting to fade, if she didn’t run now, she would lose her chance.
The cat changed her form into a lither cheetah and sprinted away, running through the rain, mud splattering her hide. Kieryon turned back to the last dragon and gave a final screeching roar, as the Shade fell and Taerar freed himself.
He lashed his tail, sending numerous survivors and bodies flying through the air, and the dragon turned his attention towards the annoying pest of a bear. He snarled, reaching to crush the gnat.
Kieryon stood firm, slashing at the dragon, and the dragon tore at his hide faster than his priests could heal him. He felt his bones shatter, and watched his mate flee. And as he lay broken and dying, he could feel his heart being torn to pieces.
---
Lira finally returned to the house, panting and shaking and giving a keen of distress. “Kieryon!” She bawled, and her mistsaber was by her side rapidly, trailed by a young and frightened Azunara. “What’s…what’s going on?” She asked. “Where’s Daddy?” There was an echoing, piercing roar in the woods as Ysera’s Lieutenant returned to the Nightmare he came, the last of the force that tried to kill him laid dead by his claws. Lira looked at her daughter, shaking and saying quietly, “He’ll be home soon, Azunara. Soon. Soon, soon, soon he’ll be back. And the moon will come again for us. And he will be back. I promise. He can’t die, he couldn’t have died.” She rambled, her sorrow planting seeds of madness. And Azunara looked up at the rain streaked sky, and she couldn’t help but wonder why the Moon had left them.
---
The two paladins gave simultaneous nods, as they slowly stalked up the stairs towards where Taerar lurked. He growled, giving a challenging cry, “Peace is but a fleeting dream! Let the NIGHTMARE reign!” A bear followed after the paladins, leaped towards Taerar and weaving between his claws. In the back, a hunter peppered the dragon with arrows and a druid, taking the aspects of a tree, called upon nature to heal her allies.
It had been many years since the Lieutenant had slain her father, years of time where she and her friends had grown stronger. Azunara snarled, leaping into the fray and tearing at the corrupted creature. It lashed its tail, threatening to send her flying, but she leaped out of the way. One paladin struggled to cope with the poison, waiting for other druid to cure it, while the bear was forced into a temporary sleep.
Taerar growled, calling for his Shades and placing himself in a protective spell. Dragging themselves together, the companions struck the Shades, splitting apart and taking them out separately. Azunara and the bear druid worked on one, while the two paladins distracted the other two, the hunter still firing his projectiles. The first Shade fell, and Azunara weaved out of a poison cloud, growling as she watched a cloud of sleep make its way to the ranged, and the pair fell to the ground in the temporary sleep.
But the Shades pulled away, and Taerar freed himself of his spell, furious. He fought bravely, but their strength matched his, surpassing it as they didn’t die and he grew weaker. Finally, the Corrupted dragon fell to the ground, looking up at them, his vision clearing. “Thank you…for freeing me.” He said quietly, closing his eyes. Azunara peered at the dragon that had been the cause of so much suffering, her father’s death, her mother’s insanity. She remembered days after she had returned home, and wouldn’t do anything to take care of her, or teach her anything more, or brew any more potions. She had been forced to journey to Shadowglen, the closest place trainers had been for her.
“That’s it.” One paladin spoke, and Azunara nodded numbly. “Yeah.” She pried a scale from the corpse, as the others checked its hoard. It still smoked and misted, curling into toxic green spirals before fading to nothing. “That’s for you, Dad.” Azunara said quietly. She gave a quiet whistle and her mother’s faithful mistsaber padded over to her side, inspecting the scale. Azunara shifted to elf form, placing it in his saddlebags and ruffling his fur. And then she joined the others.
Kinda neat to see a little into your druid's past. 