A World of Danger: Part One

[Irid al'Menie]

*ooc: i don't know if i didn't make it clear enough, but Flyer was the fastest, way faster then Runner...*

[Mathron]

Dain walked back into the clearing just as the wolves ran off. Steward was nowhere to be seen, and a strange body lay on the ground.

"Hmph!" he drew his axe, scowling. "Just when I think my job is done..."

He trails off and gives a sigh. "By rock and stone, this ain't a good situation!" He glances down at the ground, looking over the body, and is prepared to take chase when he hears the sound of hoofbeats echoing through the wood. He was a dwarf, and a strong and old one, but he couldn't keep up with a horse's speed...

He turned back towards the castle. "The wolves will have to save the old one, and I think his fight may be his own to deal with. For now, I must finish my appointed task." The castle was busy with its own problems, and his companions were already causing a distraction through the back door - and while the front was still manned by dozens of orcs, the heavier forces would be dealing with the invasion on the lower level. The castle didn't need to fall, after all - Dain's job was only to keep Vardor occupied, while other events occured...


---


Sandor crept low across the ground, slinking over the broiling black plains before Angband, and looking up at the towering dark mountains. His teeth were bared in a vicious grin, and he felt madness stirring within him. A few coherent thoughts drifted across his mind...

Why am I here? What drives me back to this place?

He narrows his eyes, and shakes the thoughts aside. He has business within, even if he does not know what. And soon, he might understand exactly what is going on...


---


Two orcs patrolled the corridors of Angband, adorned in gleaming black plate, and secure in their master's power. They entered one of the hallways, and one of the orcs proved unusually smart - noticing that one of the torches, normally lit, was dark. His intelligence cost him his life.

As the orcs drew close to the darkened area, two shadows leapt out at them. The orcs were among Melkor's finest, skilled with their blades and armed and armored with the finest equipment. They had less than a second to respond before dropping to the ground, dead. Few orcs, no matter how trained, could stand long against an high elven lady and a maia, even a fallen one.

Malagar and Elenia dragged the bodies into the shadows, and then, silently, continued onwards. Working their way through the dark undertunnels of Angband, and heading for the gatehouse.

[Lief Erikson]

*Sorry, Irid. A minor detail, but if you want me to change it, I will.*

"I looked after you as best I could, don't you think one of my status always would? Can you expect so much of me? What choice did I have? Could I better serve you in chains then out in the open, plotting your escape?"

"Your plotting didn't get you very far, Orpholin," Shelina snapped back.

"The castle the company is trying to break into now is one of the most dangerous and difficult to penetrate that there is."

"It doesn't matter! It doesn't matter . . . now. Those are past events, but they have shaped where we both stand. From where I stand I cannot . . . will not, I mean, change."

"Will you be happy continuing your life in this manner, Shelina?" Steward glanced over at her head, his eyes peircing. "In a constant state of fear and pain, wondering if the next hour will be your last?"

"So now that you've found I'm free you decide to become my mentor again?" Shelina scoffed, giving the reins of her pony another slap for speed. "We're almost there now, Orpholin."

The ponies pranced into a clearing, and that was where the horror was waiting for them. Black with edges of blue, the Nightrider had dismounted from its massive flying bat and was walking toward them. A hole seared in reality, through it was infinite darkness, a dark and cold void.

Both Shelina and Orpholin were paralyzed with horror at the sight of the creature, but Orpholin's mind frantically considered options. There was the net he'd been considering, but he didn't want to try that unless as a last resort. The dark power beckoned him, but if he used it to destroy this . . . this thing, he would be truly lost. He would join Vardor after that. But wouldn't he be joining Vardor anyway, by force if he didn't?

The net was a way he'd invented of sifting out the dark magic but being able to use the raw effect. It was dangerous and untested.

"You will join us."

The voice froze his bones, but the creature had stopped ten paces from him. "Dismount."

He found himself dismounting, but he realized he had at least some control of his body now. Now, he had no choice. He dug into his magical power, tapping the raw strength of it and forming a net to sift the darkness which filled it. The sifting began . . . agonizingly slowly. But the rate was increasing. If he had a few more seconds . . .

The Nightrider reached out its hand and touched him, and then his world exploded around him.

[Irid al'Menie]

*well, it's ok. i'll change it (in my mind ). Next post is from the point of view of Runner. Just for the record: wolves don't use I, if they're still part of a pack. They always think in 1st person plural or the 3rd person singular*

Running, have to keep running. We can't lose the two-legger. He has been good to us. We can't be too late now.

The wolf came to the glade where Shelina, Steward/Orpholin and the Nightrider were standing. He saw the old man lying on the ground with the Nightrider bowed over him. If a member of the pack is in danger, none of the wolves run intill that member is in safety, and for the wolf, Steward was a member of the pack. He sprinted, and knocked over the black rider, breaking his contact with the old man, but touching the Nightrider himself. He felt coldness spread whereever he touched him, but he didn't let go. His teeth sank in a place where he suspected to be the throat. He called to Flyer:

Save her. Save them all. Make sure the man doesn't get touched by No-Heart. And tell them this wolf died fighting for a member of the pack. Stay... Alive...
his heart stopped beating.

------------------------------

In the castle, Irid froze during the battle. She had been close to Runner, and now she was with him during his last moments. When he died, she started to fight twice as fierce as before, because the orcs she was battling here, served the same master as the one she now thought of as No-Heart, the Nightrider. It were only these servants that had caused the death of many of her beloved friends, no matter in what form the servants could come. They could be orcs, or humans, or something that didn't really live like No-Heart.
The orcs fell down one by one, every one that would have the guts to come too near would die. She hoped that her friends would not come too close, because she didn't know if she could stop her sword in time.

[Irid al'Menie]

*ooc: i hope you did mean it was stewards' world that exploded, and not the Nighriders world. I just saw you could interprete it both ways. depends on weather the Nightrider his hand reached out fast enough so that the net wasn't finished. sorry if i mis-interpreted it*

[Mathron]

Tal's blade burst through the chest of the last orc, and Angor and Irid were viciously tearing apart the last of the trolls. Erenfor looked about, almost amazed, at how thoroughly the defense had been defeated.

"We don't have long," he said, "and though we won this battle, many more will be on their way. Quickly now, follow me!"

[Lief Erikson]

"How could you?" Shelina shouted accusingly at the Nightrider as she crouched over Orpholin. "The order wasn't to kill him!"

"He is not dead," it said in a flat, emotionless voice.

"He's hurt . . . what did you do to him?" She stood up, shaking with wrath. "How dare you . . . !"

"Vardor will see to his needs when we arrive. You were chosen for this mission because of your personal attachment to Orpholin. He saved you from the village when you were attacked by orcs and stayed with you through the forests and wilds. You developed a strong personal attachment to him as a girl, and he to you. You learned his ways. This knowledge has helped us in our search for him greatly, but you mustn't let that personal attachment get in our way now. If you do, I will kill you."

No emotion in that last statement. The creature, the demon was just stating a fact!

Shelina glanced down at the pale body of the wolf lying at the beast's feat. Never had she seen any kill a wolf in such a way. It simply had strangled the thing! Wrung its neck, ignoring the slashes and bites it recieved for its trouble, and its body showed no marks now either.

Shelina shivered, and glanced down at Orpholin. His eyelids fluttered and she closed her eyes for a moment, steeling herself. All that had happened so far in her life since she had been forced away from him was pain. Everything. But now, even after his abandoning her, she couldn't betray him to this creature and force him to become a being like Vardor. To make him go through everything she had and worse. All her determination that following through with this mission would simply be an act of revenge was falling apart. She didn't, and she couldn't hate this man. The Nightrider on the other hand . . . to her surprise, she found that hating it was easier than falling down into bed.

And so she walked past it as it bent down towards Orpholin, walked towards its enormous beast which perched on the grass nearby. She knew how to stop the Nightrider, even if she couldn't kill it.

Drawing her dagger, she stabbed it through the throat of the monstrous bat.

[Mathron]

OOC: Lief, since you are the one sortof 'controlling' Vardor and his castle, I'll need you to do some of the hinting at exactly how good his defenses are, and how the party is proceeding. Unless, of course, you don't mind me putting that in, but I don't want to effectively mess with one of your characters without your permission.


IC:

As Dain came in sight of the gates, he began to run, in a feigned half limping stride. Breathing heavily, he collapsed against the gates, and called up in a weak voice, "Message for lord Vardor - enemies approach!"

[Tessar]

I dont know what to do.

I want to make a post but I dont want to screw it up for everyone else.

[Mathron]

Just try and not manipulate other characters much - so have your character fighting an enemy, or encountering a trap, etc.

[Mathron]

OOC: I'm still alive! I've made it through finals, and though my computer still has denied me internet access, I have found other methods of getting online! Yet... this RPG seems to have hit a lull! Are you guys still around? I left a few things hanging, but I can continue the posting if that will get everyone else to start up. Are people still here?

[Tessar]

Im still here!

[Irid al'Menie]

I'm here but without any inspiration...

[Selwythe]

The Nightrider swivelled around and stared coldly at Shelina, its eyes suddenly round and luminous in the growing darkness. It glanced slowly at the carcass of its mount before slowly advancing on Shelina.

"You fail our Lord, Shelina, you fail the Test" it began. "His wrath I will unleash with my pleasure."

It stretched out its hand and reached for her as she watched, paralyzed to the ground in the gripping spell of the Nightrider. It reached for her head.

Its hand recoiled in horror, a dart firmly embedded in it. Shelina, free from the spell, reacted from instinct and stabbed upwards with her dagger as the vile beast staggered back and drove forward its fist, sending her flying sideways and onto the forest floor in a sickening thud. Its roar filled the forest as it trudged beside its fallen opponent and raised its fist when a dark figure pounced from the trees on the blind side of it, wielding a broad green-tinted sword, flamed in the stealthy disguise of night.

[Mathron]

The door slowly opened, and three orcs dragged the dwarf inside - weapons aimed on him the entire time. He was tossed into a corner, groaning, and then they said, in rough common, "I know of no dwarfs who serve Vardor!"

Dain coughed at him, "O' course not - I'm a spy! You aren't suppose to recognize spies!"

The orc captain called over his men, a dozen heavuly armed orcs, and crossed his arms beneath his tusks. "Think I'm stupid, do you, dwarf? Maybe you are a spy, maybe not - but you smell of elf!"

Dain dropped a hand into his coat, and tossed a small black pebble on the floor. A loud bang echoes through the room, and smoke began to fill the chamber. In almost no pause, he drew his blade, and drove forward, slicing into the captain, and then turning his axe on the orcs who stumbled through the smoke filled chamber. One orc, farther from the rest, managed to pull a bell cord before getting cut down.

---

Far beneath, Tal and the others were hard pressed, when sounding loud alarms rang out through the halls. Their foes glanced back in surprise - long enough for the heroes to regain the upper hand, and take out the orcs.

"We don't have long," Tal said, "Before more arrive. Quickly, lets find the slaves!"

[Lief Erikson]

The Nightrider pulled the dart out of its hand and dropped it to the ground, turning towards its new opponent. "Then not all of you are at the castle," it said in a flat voice, it's shadow shifting as it stepped towards it enemy. Blue fire whipped and crackled from its hands, flashing out at the intruder.

Arcon dodged to the side as the flame struck the place where he'd been standing a moment before, burning the turf to ash.

"You'll find it quite hard to kill me with weapons of that sort," the Nightrider stated as it raised its hand again. "Quite hard indeed."

The flame flashed out, vaporizing bushes and plants as it glared out at Arcon with a blinding flash.






Orpholin raised a hand slowly and strained, pulling his body upwards. His mind was still running in crazed circles, but he was restablishing the net. With it, perhaps he could do something.

Shelina lay sprawled on the floor several paces away, near the body of the dead bat.

Tears leaked from Orpholin's eyes at the sight. No, this should not have happened. This should never have ended that way. Rage at Vardor, at the cruelty of the enemy almost made him reach for the magic without the net. But no, that would make matters worse. He had to leave this place, this earth. A boat could take him somewhere. Where didn't matter. Just out of Beleriand.

She'd died for him.

The net regained its strength and the dark magic was sucked out, leaving in his hands the raw power.





El'nela crept along the dungeon floor, the other slaves behind her. Some of the insane ones cackled to themselves; they'd be bad for keeping this cover. But she'd been disappointed. So few of the insane ones had still had the wits to help in this struggle, but at least some had. She should be grateful for the numbers she had.

She thrust open the door and leapt out, stabbing with her dagger at the orc outside. It glanced off an armored arm . . .

Oooff!

She sprawled on the floor, blackness flitting in her vision. An angry snarl sounded and a scream. A dying elf fell to the floor near her, blood coming from both back and stomach. He'd been stabbed through.

The clash of blades momentarily sounded and she saw one of the orcs falling to the ground, two armed elves on top of it stabbing between the armored plates with knives as it desperately tried to claw them off.

She picked herself up slowly, dizziness and nausea filling her again momentarily, causing her to stagger. But she'd only been hit, and there was much more to do. Picking a weapon up from the floor, she jumped up on the back of the second orc and began to stab.

[Tessar]

Tessar was lost.

very simply lost.

he had been folowing the others but had some how lost them and so now he had no idea where he or they were.

[Selwythe]

*Died already?!*

Arcon dodged sideways and picked himself up, his cloak burst into flames. Loosing a wild battle-cry, he ran forward, resembling an inferno as he leaped, narrowly dodging another burst of fire, and slashed with all his might at the Nightrider. The creature felt naught a feeling and twisted around, driving Arcon flying with a backhand swing of its hard arm.

The monster turned around in triumph but its victory bellow died in its throat. It crumbled onto its knees in horror as Orpholin stood shakily before it, entrancing it well into his will with his spell.

Arcon stood up again, his vision glazed over by a layer of red. He drew forth his sword once more and jumped onto the back of the Nightrider, driving his sword deep into its back.

"I wield not the weapon of commons but the bloodlust of revenge!"

[Lief Erikson]

A flash of blue light irrupted between Steward and the Nightrider, and the Nightrider was released. Twisting, it backhanded and missed. Twisting sharply again, it seized him by the arm and struck, its fist a blaze of blue flame.

Arcon dodged, in the same movement drawing the blade from the Nightrider and staggering back. But it was like a void, an emptiness, a shadow. Not any monster, but something more precise, and cold. Oh, how cold it was. His arm was numbing from its grip, but it was not the hardness of the hand that caused this.

Arcon twisted with his blade and slashed the Nightrider across the face. The creature stepped back, noiselessly, but obviously only on reflex, and Arcon slashed again, this time at the hand that held him.

The creature kept its hold, regardless of the cuts given it by Arcon's sword and stabbed out with its other hand at Arcon's chest.

Its fingers were claws, burrowing in. Agonizing fire filled Arcon's veins and the world began to shut out.

He was on the leafy forest floor, the Nightrider on top, and killing him. A last movement, one only goal. Arcon brought the sword around and down.

There was a shriek and the agony diminished.






Orpholin was stunned by the backlash as his spell was viciously torn apart, physically thrusting him backwards. Momentarily he was stunned and lay there, gasping for breath.

He only had the raw power, it was so hard to form anything keen, sharp or cunning with it. Perhaps next time he should simply throw fistfuls of fire into it and hope that that had some effect.

He glanced around, his neck hurting and saw the Nightrider locked in combat with Arcon.

Trembling, Orpholin reestablished the net and began to draw in the magic.

Then Arcon was down. It had begun and ended so fast! The Nightrider was oblivious to the hurts given it by Arcon's sword, its features had already been instinguishable so it hardly seemed harmed.

It was reaching one hand . . . into Arcon!

Orpholin was so startled he nearly lost the magic, but managed to keep his hold on it. The barbarity!

Then, incredibly, Arcon brought his sword around and down in a move toward the hand which pierced him.

A shriek rent the air and the Nightrider stumbled backwards, flailing with its hands. A shriek from a Nightrider! Rare it was that they showed that much emotion, but Orpholin could see why. Arcon's blade had severed three of its fingers. Not that that would stop it.

He was right, it was already turning on its opponent, this time simply to kill, and kill quickly.

Something streaked out of the woods at lightning speed. It cleared the distance between itself and the Nightrider and in one incredible movement, leapt off the ground, soared through the air and landed on its back and shoulders.

The wolf had the Nightrider's head between its jaws, and the Nightrider was struggling again, wildly as it had trouble reaching the opponent. Its hands went up over its head and began to burn.

Then Orpholin struck. And the Nightrider disappeared in the blast of fire which seared it. It was no more. "Should have killed me first," he muttered.

The Nightrider was gone. The wolf lay on the ground nearby, getting up, singed but otherwise unharmed. Arcon had five gouges in his chest but appeared to be coming around, however he obviously needed some serious medical attention.

And Shelina . . . Blessed Shelina, she was recovering! She was already picking herself up, gazing about blankly.

A smile spread across Orpholin's face and he ran up to her, throwing his arms about her neck and beginning to laugh, a laugh that she joined.

"I've found you, my child," he said, tears leaking down his tanned, careworn face. "At last I've found you."

[Tessar]

:sniff sniff: :teerful smile: that was so beautiful..... :sob:

more like mushy
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