He beat a fist into his palm. The raven stumbled backward, clearly terrified. He opened his beak, but no sound came out. "Planning to rob us, were you?" said one of the other eagles, a warrior. "Where there's one, there's more," said another, pulling a monstrosity of a sword from his sash. Then the eagle-in-training spoke from behind them. "He doesn't look that bad--" "You stay ou'a this," said the wing soldier who had first spoken. "This one's for us." He snapped his claws, and the warriors and wing soldiers formed a circle about the raven. Then the nasal, sneering one stepped through the circle. "Got none o' your theivin' friends to save yeh, raven," he said with obvious relish, leaning in. The raven turned to look outside the circle, locking eyes with the eagle-in-training who stood there. He must have found her very beautiful, as I would have, had I been capable of feeling right then. And, looking into her lovely eyes, his beak formed the words, "Help me." The wing soldier standing over him burst out laughing. "As if," he spat, and pulled a long, rusty blade with no handle from a sheath on his back. Then, holding the raven's limbs to the floor, he raised the rusty blade above a leg and brought it down. The raven's eyes bulged, and he screeched loud enough to crumble stone. "Why are you doing that?" asked the eagle-in-training loudly, shock and horror creeping over her face. "He wasn't doing anything!" "'E needs t'be taught a lesson, Eris darlin'!" the wing soldier grunted, his eyes seeming to glow green. As the raven continued to screech, I wished I could close my eyes and block out the terrible sight. Long after I felt I would be sick three times over, the wing soldier put away his blade, then smirked horribly. "You think you're gonna escape now, eh?" The raven wheezed, shaking his head very slightly. It looked as if whatever the eagle would do next might kill him. "Don't do anything more, please," said Eris, stepping forward.
The wing soldier leered at her. "Don't you get any closer!" he warned, then turned back to the raven, looking at his remaining leg. The raven's eyes began to glaze over as he succumbed to the pain. Then a new screech could be heard, from above: Razar. He had dived down from the window, wings spread, claws outstretched. The instant he came into the circle of eagles, several blades were swung at him. Twisting in flight to pass between them all, he shrieked, "What have you done?!" and reached a hand towards the raven on the floor--only to have the monstrously large sword come down, rendering it forever useless. Something snapped in both Razar and Eris then, and they flung themselves onto the larger, nastier eagles, using their beaks and claws to savage effect. Then Razar got a hold of the sword that had taken his hand and began jabbing and delivering smacks with the flat of the blade. Eris used the haft of an axe to knock the eagles away. There was no doubt about it now: all of the older eagles' eyes were glowing a pale, haunting shade of green. It was an odd sight, one that isn't easily forgotten; and yet Razar, Eris, and the half-dead raven seemed not to have noticed. And it was these glaring eyes that the horrible, sneering wing soldier turned back on the raven. Before he could do anything, however, Razar happened to glance over, and he gave a start. "Rizzo, fly!" he called. "Your legs don't affect your flying!" This wasn't entirely true, as I knew from experience; a missing limb could dramatically affect steering and landing. Nevertheless, the young raven scooted backwards, away from the wing soldier, and spread his wings, gasping and cringing as he lifted off the floor. The pain must have been excruciating, but he kept on beating his wings. And as soon as he came up to the level of the window, something very strange happened down below, but he saw it not.
-last edited on Jan 13, 2023 17:14:14 GMT by The J
Post by The J on Jan 13, 2023 17:13:30 GMT
The air rippled as does a haze in the heat, and the eagle warriors and wing soldiers froze, their green eyes pulsing. Eris's eyes were conveniently closed, and Razar's face had been averted. Then-- A dreadful hiss issued from the eagles' throats, and they dissolved into the rippling air. The instant following, Razar spread his wings and disappeared through the window after the other raven, leaving Eris wide-eyed and badly shaken as the air returned to normal. Then the scene shifted again, to Razar and the raven fleeing the castle. "Ah! This lot's a mess!" said Razar, looking down at the place where his hand had once been. "Won't heal anytime soon...ouch!" He stuffed the wrist under his other arm, then glanced quickly over his shoulder. "Rizzo...Rizzo?" The now one-legged raven was a wreck: wide-eyed, his feathers seeming almost gray. But he turned his head to acknowledge Razar all the same. "The...the eagles might be following us," said the latter. "So...double back, then head for the village?" Rizzo, unable to bear the thought of more flying than necessary, moaned and beat his wings harder, letting his three limbs dangle; meanwhile, Razar looped back towards the castle, flying low. Last of all, I saw the shadow of a cloaked lion cast onto a stone wall, and heard his voice. "Tell me, child, do you wish to forget?" "N-no." It was Eris who responded. "How would you do it, anyway?" "That I can't tell you. But you would retain a sense of yourself. You could go on with your life as if nothing happened..." "No. I--I need to remember this. I don't want combat training to--to turn me into a monster--" "I see. Now why don't you wake up...?"
The images in my mind faded away, and the terrible dark whisper swirled in to take its place. At last feeling caught up to me, and I vomited onto the closet floor I couldn't see. Had I been standing up, I would have fallen.
"E--Ewar?" I whispered, then felt a hand on my shoulder. "What is wrong with you?" I heard Ewar hiss. "They'll--" Then the closet door opened, and a flash of light as bright as day, but not half as comforting, silhouetted a tall figure in the doorway. It had no visible face, arms, or legs, but a head rose up from a pitch-black cloak, which rippled slightly at the floor as if submerged in a pond. My throat went dry. My heart slowed. The whispering filled my mind, almost deafening in a way.... Something slid beneath my shoulder again, and the moment the house went black again, I instinctively grabbed it. That was when I fell backward and spun through emptiness, my form breaking down painfully as my already weakened and fragile mind withdrew.... A moment or an eternity later, I opened my eyes to find a churning gray sky high above. Trees all around. Thorns in my head. I instantly dropped what I was holding and plucked them out, sitting up. Waves of nausea washed over me. "Welcome back," said Loradus, who stood with Ewar before me. "You were out for a long time. As was your eagle friend, who only just awoke." I looked up at Ewar, pleased to find that his eyes were not red (or green). Forcing myself not to relive the difficult things I had seen (yet), I looked around at the trees and realized something was wrong. These trees had no leaves whatsoever, their bone-white limbs poking the eerily gray sky. A mist hung just above the blackened ground. "Lor--Lo--" The name caught in my throat; it seemed I was unable to say it respectfully. Loradus, however, met my eyes; I felt his presence enter my mind. Continue. I did so, but out loud: speaking in the silence (or not) of my mind was still unnerving. "Where--where are we?" Loradus slanted his eye, and I wondered, for a moment, if the patch over the other was merely concealing a normal eye, as mine had.
"We are currently standing in a small forest north of raven territory," he said. But I was uncertain still. "In--in Chima?" Loradus nodded. I felt dizzy and shaken, rather how Ewar looked. Why was everything...dead? Loradus took a step back, into the mist. "Loradus," Ewar called, "who did you send to get us?" The lion tilted his head. "Send?" he said, but I got the impression that he knew exactly what Ewar meant. Apparently Ewar did too, for he asked, "Well, what were those shadow things?" Loradus remained motionless in the mist. One of the pale, leafless trees creaked. "That I can't tell you." "Why is everything--" I began, but Loradus cut me off. "This is the end of the second war, and I have won." My eyebrows came together. So this was Chima after he had finished with it. I flashed a glance at Ewar to find him glancing back. Quite suddenly, something flew from the ground to Loradus's hand, and he quietly tucked it away in his cloak. I looked at him suspiciously, then at the ground. Had he just taken the object I'd stumbled upon in the closet, whatever it was? "What--" I said, but Loradus cut me off again. "I'll return shortly, and you need not wait for me." Ewar stepped back as well, eyeing the indistinct form of Loradus through the mist. "You're--?" "What is it, Your Majesty?" Ewar recoiled as though he had been struck and fell silent. "W--wait!" I said as Loradus began to turn away. "I saw things--about myself--" He spat onto the ground. "I imagine you did. And, whether you believe it or not, it all happened." He made a strange movement, and the next thing I knew there was an arrow quivering in the tree beside my head. My heart thumped. And when I looked again, Loradus had disappeared into the dead forest.
I took deep breaths in a vain attempt to fully calm myself. Loradus seemed as tense as the bowstring that had just fired an arrow, which definitely wasn't a good sign. If he had won his second war, should he not have been relieved? Had it even been he who had sent black skies and shadows to fetch us? Something was wrong, to be sure. But perhaps it was best I knew not what. The dark, roiling clouds shifted. The skeletal limbs of the trees swayed and groaned, as if in pain. I shivered. "What did you see?" Ewar asked suddenly, and I gave a start. "I--I'm sorry--?" "You told Loradus you saw things--visions? I'm guessing you didn't believe what you saw." "Oh--" I looked left and right, trying to peer through the thickening mist. "Yes--I--I did have visions. Except--they were memories." I squinted around again. "This place doesn't feel safe. Shall we move along?" Ewar shrugged, looking uncomfortable and nervous. What is it, your majesty? I shook the words from my head, then attempted to pull the arrow out of the tree beside me. It took far longer than I liked, even with Ewar helping, but the arrow came free. Any weapon at all would give us the illusion of protection, if not the real thing. "So...which way?" asked Ewar quietly. Without hesitation, I pointed in the direction opposite that which Loradus had taken, and we started off. "He was right about one thing," I said at length, unable to stop myself, "or so it would seem. You are the--" "Don't," said Ewar. "Please--don't. I don't like to think about things that way." But this, I felt, was important. I persisted. "But L-Loradus does. In his eyes, it seems, being the lost ruler of Emerotopia is of great significance. And perhaps it is for that reason that he has marked you as a meddler in ti--"
Something rustled through the mist and the trees to my left, and I halted mid-step: there were no leaves to be rustling in the breeze. There was something there, just outside the edges of our vision, watching. I looked at Ewar, inclining my head towards the sound, and he nodded. Slowly, I raised the arrow, preparing to throw it as I would a spear. Then two red eyes pierced the mist, and I drew back my arm, my heart pounding against my ribs. "Don't," Ewar whispered, putting a hand on my shoulder. I lowered the arrow and followed his gaze to find another pair of red eyes. And another. And another. They completely encircled us. Then they drew closer, revealing their forms: snarling wolf Legend Beasts, each carrying a single, armed rider. I turned left and right, brandishing the arrow, trying not to cower under the red glow emanating from every direction. That was when Loradus stepped out from among the Beasts, signalling for them to stop. "Rizzo," he said, "I ask you to honestly join me. To cease your meddling, and set things right." I looked at the ground uncertainly. This could only be a trick. "What of Ewar?" Loradus turned his gaze to the eagle, eye flickering. "Ewar must die." I blinked, unable to believe this. "He--what?--no!" Loradus looked back to me. "I'm truly sorry. But I can't have it any other way." I felt Ewar press something cold into my hand then, and heard him whisper, "Northeast." Baffled, I looked around at him; but he was staring straight ahead, at Loradus. "What?" I whispered back, but he didn't respond. Loradus drew his long dagger and began to walk towards us, and I involuntarily backed away, dropping the arrow. But Ewar stood his ground, unmoving until Loradus swung the dagger. That was when he spread his wings and rolled in midair, narrowly avoiding the dagger and snatching a golden Katar from a nearby lion rider.
Loradus raised his hand again to stop the riders and their mounts from closing in further. "Why," said he to Ewar, sounding miserable, "must you make it so hard for yourself?" Ewar gave no response, and I watched in stupefied horror as he charged Loradus, holding the Katar inexpertly. What was he doing? He had said himself: 'I'm not a fighter.' So why was he now trying to best Loradus? I winced as their blades connected, the metal ringing sharply. Ewar's arms quivered from the force of the blow; but Loradus' arms were as steady as ever. They continued to slash and parry and circle each other, Ewar weakening all the time. Then realization struck me, and I thought of a better question: what was Loradus doing? He knew full well he couldn't kill Ewar, not while the enchantments of the Chi Fountain protected him. Or did he...? Perhaps there was a way around the spell...? I tightened my fists, wishing I could do something, but I was rooted to the spot-- There was something cold in my left hand. Northeast. Keeping my claws cupped about it, I slowly brought it up to my face. It was a Tear of the Chi Fountain, letting off a dim blue glow. My eyes widened. Then, lowering my hand to my side once again, I looked ahead and slightly to my right. And there, sitting astride a wolf Legend Beast, was a crimson-eyed Eris. Quickly, I looked around at the others forming the circle, but I recognized none of them. Once I saw this, my course of action was simple. Or so I thought. I was about to shatter the Tear when Ewar let out a strangled cry. I whipped my head towards the sound to find Loradus leaning over a fallen Ewar, dagger raised. Forcing my legs to move, I rushed over, shouting, "NO!" But before I even came close, Loradus spread wide the fingers of one hand and swept them through the air without looking up, and I collided with an invisible barrier which sent me tumbling backward. And when I regained my feet, I could do nothing but watch in mounting fear and rage.
The tip of Loradus' dagger was a feather's-width from touching Ewar's chest, and Loradus was clearly struggling to push it further. Waves of blue were pulsing outward from the spot, and the air above Ewar seemed to bend. "You...will be...broken," gasped Loradus, his arm shaking. Ewar's eyes were tightly closed, his breathing ragged. The golden Katar lay just out of reach of his outstretched hand. Then the barrier shattered, and Loradus's dagger plunged down. And in that instant, ignoring the burning behind my eyes and the rise in my throat, I shattered the Tear in my fist and hurled the energy at Eris. It struck her in the middle of her face and dissolved, and in a flash of light I barely saw, her back straightened and her eyes cleared. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that those around tried to stop her, but she spread her wings and left the back of the Legend Beast. At the time, however, I hardly took any notice of this. My attention had turned completely back to Ewar. Vaguely, I wondered how it was that my insides could be rising and sinking simultaneously, for it certainly felt as though they were. Unshed tears stabbed at the backs of my eyes, and I blinked. The spell protecting Ewar had failed. Broken. Then my shock and devastation boiled into animosity as my gaze shifted to Loradus. His expression was one of strong emotion, which was strange; but stranger still was the emotion: a combination of happiness and terrible sadness. My furious mind couldn't fully take this in, but, seeing that Loradus also looked to be at the point of collapse, I snatched a night-black Katar from another lion rider and charged. Loradus only just looked up in time. Smoothly pulling the dagger free of Ewar, he twirled it and rolled backward. The point of my Katar buried itself in the blackened ground. And as I struggled to tug it free, Ewar lifted his head, focusing his misted eyes on me. Then I heard his voice inside my mind. Weak, but alive.
Rizzo. I felt all of my awareness flow into my mind, and the Katar became distant. Ewar? Loradus told me about the mirror. I know how to speak through the mind. But I don't have long.... No-- Rizzo, listen. Don't be angry with Loradus. He had good intentions. He never would've broken the spell otherwise. You need to get away with Eris right now. Take my spyglass. And Rizzo--you're right. I am the ruler of Emerotopia. But now I'm passing the title to you. Goodbye. I felt his presence come to an end--an actual end. And when my senses flooded back, I found that Ewar's head was resting on the ground again, his eyes vacant. No longer did he breathe. "Rizzo!" I came out of my daze part-way and turned towards the voice. It was Eris. She was standing nearby, opposed by neither Loradus nor the many armed riders and their mounts. I pulled the black Katar from the ground without thinking about what I was doing, and turned back to Ewar. "Can you do that?" I whispered numbly. "Pass your title onto me?" "What was that?" I whipped my head up to find Loradus looking at me, his eye narrowed. He still held the long dagger at his side. "Rizzo," Eris hissed again, and I turned. Her beak formed two words: sword and fly. I blinked. You need to get away with Eris.... Swiftly, I whirled about and bent down to snatch Ewar's spyglass from his belt, then spread my ragged wings to lift off the ground and out of the circle-- "No," said Loradus, and my wings grew as heavy as stones. "Stay right there. What did Ewar tell you that he didn't tell me?" If there was something Ewar hadn't told him, I certainly wouldn't reveal it. I would sooner have died. And it seemed as if it might come to that. Loradus advanced on me, extending an empty hand, and I felt my throat constrict. Drawing breath became close to impossible. The world became distant, and my head felt lighter than air.... Then everything rushed back, and I gasped, my wings spreading.
Eris had taken up the golden Katar Ewar had dropped and was drawing Loradus's attention away from me. I watched as I caught my breath, forgetting where I was for a moment. Then Eris called, "Rizzo, fly!" at the same time Loradus called, "Followers, attack!" and sank to the ground in apparent exhaustion. And as the wolf Beasts and their riders closed in with startling speed, I at last managed to leave the ground, flapping over the heads of the riders and landing just beyond them. Then I ran, as fast as I was able with my false leg, for I didn't trust my shuddering wings to take me far. "Wait!" said a voice from behind, and I paused. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Loradus grab at something on his back. It was his bow, it had to be. Eris was nowhere to be seen. I turned and kept running, expecting to feel an arrow pierce my back at every lurching, half-conscious step I took. All of my being was begging me to stop and wait for Eris, as Ewar would have wanted, and the backs of my eyes were burning again. Squeezing them shut momentarily, I forced myself not to think. Not yet, I told myself. I had to get away, lose my pursuers. Eventually, I found that I could run no further, and I came to a halt, leaning against a dead tree and gasping for breath again. Then, without any warning, something swooped down from the threatening gray sky and landed right next to me; I very nearly passed out. "Sorry," said Eris when she saw my fright. "I followed you from the air so I could help out if you got cornered." I shivered involuntarily, struggling to hold back my tears. "L-Loradus let you get away?" "He seemed really tired, but when I tried to attack him, he blasted me into the sky." She shrugged, a film of moisture suddenly clouding her eyes.
And that was when I began to weep, openly and bitterly. The tears that had been kept in for so long poured forth, running off the end of my beak and dampening the ground. Katar and spyglass slid from my grasp, and I put my face in my hands. So it was that I couldn't see the first drops of rain as they fell; and as they did, Eris stepped forward to embrace me, and we wept into each other's wings.
The downpour became truly intense when we decided to move on, the leafless limbs of the trees offering little protection. Still there was no sign of Loradus. "You're certain he isn't following us?" I asked, looking over my shoulder (again). "Pretty sure," returned Eris. "Rizzo--did Ewar tell you something Loradus can't know?" "I--" Something caught in my throat, giving me time to consider this. "The ruler of Emerotopia," I said at length. "Would--would he or she be called ruler of Chima today?" Eris raised an eyebrow. "I don't know; why?" I suddenly realized that she knew nothing of Ewar being the ruler, and I fell silent. We continued through the dead forest, now soaked to the skin. After several suspicious noises from beyond our sphere of vision, we drew out our blades black and gold and held them always at the ready, never letting their tips waver. I couldn't help but think that the sheets of rain made it a simple matter for enemies to hide. "You do know where we're going, right?" asked Eris after some time. I decided not to answer. All I knew about our position was that we were somewhere north of raven territory, and not far enough from Loradus. Of course, he could have Traveled anywhere the instant we fled; but I would not rest easily until the dead forest was behind us.
Editor's note: Well, it's at this point that the archive site stopped having screenshots of the pages in their entirety, for whatever reason; only the first 9 posts of page 70 are there, with posts 10-15 nowhere in sight. There was at least 1 other story post on page 70 that was luckily quoted by a reader on page 71, but as for the other 4 missing posts on page 70, I can only hope that they were discussion posts, and not story posts. For instances like these, I'll now put a "?" at the top of the post to denote that there may be missing portions of the story between that at the post that preceded it.
We are, however, approaching the "end" of this story; and by that I mean the extent of the story that's available on the archive site, which is definitely not the entirety of it, unfortunately. I'm giving this heads-up in advance, so that anyone reading this later down the line won't feel the jarring confusion of an abrupt stop to the story.
-?- Editor's note: Okay, so there are definitely story posts missing here. From what I gather, Eris and Rizzo, at some point, encountered an eagle named Emilius, and a party of eight ravens including Rawzom. They all came into a building, where Rizzo recalled Ewar. I'll continue doing my best to post as much of this story on here as possible.
Eris's eyes began to glisten with tears once again as she guessed the truth. "Ewar?" I rested my hand on the spyglass at my belt, and my own eyes stung. "Yes. He passed the title of ruler to me with his final thought." "Just a moment," said Emilius. "Not the same Ewar who wanted to borrow star-maps for a journal of his?" A needle of guilt poked at my insides as I realized I had forgotten to take his book along with the spyglass. "The very same," I said weakly, bowing my head. I heard Emilius hum rather sadly. And when I lifted my head again, I noticed that two of the ravens had vanished. The remaining six were huddled together, muttering suspiciously. Then another stepped away from the group and out of the light. "What are you doing?" I asked, my voice unsteady. Rawzom turned to face me. "That lion--what did you call him? Loradus?" I blinked blearily. "Well, since he's opposed to the ruler of Emerotopia, and you are the ruler of Emerotopia, some of us have decided to depart. We--ah--don't want to be associated with an enemy of this lion, you see." I didn't quite see, but I didn't care to tell him, either. Instead I watched numbly as the ravens swaggered off one by one, as they had come. Soon only two were left: Rawzom himself, and a raven who looked rather like him, with red feathers rimming his eyes and the crown of his head. This raven elbowed Rawzom. "Oh, yes," said Rawzom. "This is Radom. For reasons I'll never know, he wanted me to introduce him." "This is the ruler of Emerotopia," said Radom the raven, looking me up and down. "The one he's after...." "That's right, Radom!" said Rawzom loudly, pushing him away. "Well, Rizzo...can't be too careful...goodbye!" And then he, too, disappeared into the surrounding shadows, dragging Radom along behind him.
Editor's note: Luckily, page 71, unlike its predecessor, is visible in its entirety on the archive (I counted a full 15 posts), so there won't be any more missing story segments for a while. After that, though, it's only pages 72-73 that are left.
Only the first two posts of page 74 look to have been screenshotted, neither of which are story posts. Of pages 75-84 there is no sign whatsoever, and page 85 is entirely discussion posts talking about the (clearly completed) story in past tense.
Again, just giving this warning in advance to soften the blow.
