Private Tales A Step Into Death

[Alistair Krixus]

The boy was better than originally believed. It might have just been the proctor's newly relaxed demeanor, but Edric did manage to cut him. However, just as quickly, the large man created space between them. A large smile was on his face. There was also a sense of pride there, but not like for a son or a student, but more like when someone looked at their prize-winning hog.

The smile disappeared quickly when the proctor noticed the grass. "Don't insult me, boy!" Just the little bit of healing that Edric had needed had taken up much of the grass in the courtyard. It would not last much longer.

"Why are you limiting yourself?" Edric could watch and see as the cut that he had managed to score on the proctor slowly stitched itself back together.

"You aren't the only one with a few tricks."

The large man went back on the offensive swinging his hammer with even greater force and speed. It was time for the training wheels to come off.

Edric

 

[Edric]

Edric couldn't keep up, and neither could his sword.

The Warhammer smashed down again and against, rushing like a tidal wave and destroying everything in it's path. Edric's blade swept upwards, the Initiate taking half a step back at the same time as he desperately tried to outrun the Proctor.

Yet the man kept coming. There was no stopping, and with each swing of the hammer the Initiate could feel his entire body beginning to crack.

He pulled upon what little life there was around them. The Grass, the trees, the vermin within the ground. Desperation sowed within him as he scrambled for more and more power. None of it was enough. None of it made him fast enough, strong enough.

Then the hammer came again.

His sword flicked up, the blade catching the edge of the maul. A loud clatter of steel rang out, and then the blade snapped in half. The hammer continued in it's path, slamming down on Edric's chest and sending a surge of air from his lungs.

Blood splattering from his lips.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

The boy was weak. Not physically, but mentally. When the proctor felt the final hit slam into Edric, he took his opportunity to teach. He took a step back and held his arms open wide, looking as if nothing in the world could hurt him.

"What will you do now, boy? I suspect I might have broken a rib or two, but you've run out of grass." Proctor snorted when he realized that grass sounded like gas. He looked around at all the dead grass. He had no idea about the vermin, but it was still the same.

"You're gonna have to get it from somewhere else...I've been told by others that I am too nice, so here is the deal. I'm going to count to ten, and if you aren't healed up by then, well...I'm going to splatter your head across the courtyard."

The proctor began to slowly count, all the while swinging his hammer about. Every movement let off a bit of heat with it, although Edric probably did not have time to think about that.

Edric

 

[Edric]

That desperation.

That horror.

It grew and grew. The punishments had always been severe, harsh. They had always cut him down. Yet it was that or death. It was pain and hurt or his head brutalized into pulp. Fingers tightened, his heart quickened, and then with a sudden wrench he pulled towards the Proctor's life force.

The feeling of it was foreign, strange, lashes bound around the sole. A thousand hands tearing and biting at the Proctor's very life as Edric desperately wrestled and grasped for the fuel that he would need to leave.

At the same time he let out a roar.

The broken sword flickered upward, his grip practically crushing the hilt as he pulled himself up from the floor and launched himself at the Dreadlord. The sharp end of the blade slashed forward, not towards the man's legs, but towards his gullet.

A bestial rage overcoming him as he tried to take the mans life.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

The proctor felt it and could only grin, but a pained grin. He could feel it, and it was as unsettling as he believed it would be. A coldness spread throughout his body as he felt the pull of something being forcefully taken from him. He at first tried to fight it but realized he was not prepared to fight something like this, in that way. It was truly a frightening gift...imagine his power when facing off with armies. It would be a sight to behold. Still, he had been brought here for a reason. It was a bad matchup for Edric.

The proctor was moving at a more normal speed now as Edric lashed out at him, moving just in time to block the initiates blow. Proctor Giovanni's skin looked greyish but the color suddenly returned to his face as an incredible heat radiated from his body.

"As I said, they brought me here to specifically play with you. Good, pull more."

Giovanni's strength and speed returned to him as he used his hammer to block the strike and swung out his right fist to punch Edric across the face.

Giovanni's unique abilities allowed him to absorb the sun's energy and convert it into strength, speed, and healing. He was actually a lot like Edric.

Edric

 

[Edric]

He didn't understand.

Never once in his life had he seen someone be okay after he'd dragged the life from them. Never once had he witnessed this. It didn't make any sense. It...it..

"Pull more."

The words flickered from the Proctor's lips, his speed returning, his muscles seeming to pulse as suddenly he lashed out once more. Panic rushed through Edric, sheer and utter terror. Desperately he grabbed at those lines of life.

He wrenched at them, tore at them.

With every ounce of his own ability he sapped the Proctor's strength, clawing and taking enough to kill an elephant. His own muscles strained, his hand coming up. Fingers clashed against the warhammer with a thud, his heart racing.

"What ar-" Before he could finish his sentence the Proctor's fist connected with his face, sending the boy practically flying through the training yard.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Proctor could only smile a warlike grin as he accepted the challenge of competing with Edric. It was a constant race of his body's ability to pull in energy, and Edric's ability to take it out. He was hoping that Edric was feeling it. A feeling of bliss that came with using your powers at max capacity. It was rare that those like themselves got a chance to go all out, but it was this bliss that created the greatest warriors. It was an addicting feeling that was hard to let go of after you experienced it.

That being said, the boy was still far too young to compete with him. That much was proven from the punch...maybe he had gone too far, but the boy should be back up in no time.

"How does it feel? It's addicting, right? This feeling of power. It's what makes us different...Get up, boy! Show me what you can really do."

Veins snaked across Giovanni's body as his entire body flexed with energy. Every breath he took came with a hot gust of wind.

Edric

 

[Edric]

Invisible hands kept reaching, kept taking.

Every trickle of power that the Proctor took flew into Edric. It was a constant stream of power, of life. Cracked ribs knit themselves together. Broken flesh repaired itself, bruised organs seemed to fully flex as what he took flowed into the Reserve.

He had never felt such strength, such power. Had never managed to take so much from a single being.

Slowly the Initiate pulled himself up from the ground. Fingers clutching at the earth as he drew himself to his feet. "What...what the hell?"

Edric slowly breathed.

"You-You should be dead." He had taken more than one life from the Proctor, more than half a dozen now.

Fingers still clutched the broken blade, grasping onto the shattered sword as though it were some buoy that would rescue him from this torture.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

The Proctor broke into a deep laugh at the boy's last comment. Oh, if he only knew. There was a reason Giovanni was called 'The Undying', 'The Bright One', 'The Juggernaut'. All of these titles he had earned by crushing lives beneath his feet.

"I could say the same for you boy, but unfortunately, you can not get rid of me that easy."

Satisfied that the boy was put back together, he began to move towards Edric while hefting his hammer into the air. He took it slow choosing to see how the young initiate would react.

"I wonder...Do you get full? I imagine that you must feel pretty good right now. That's if your powers work the way I was told they work...Don't be shy. Stretch a little."

Edric

 

[Edric]

There had never been a moment in his life where he'd felt full.

He had never once been allowed to use his full power. Never once had the opportunity to take as much as the power within him desired. The reserve in his gullet, that battery which drove him had never been full. He wasn't sure if it could be.

As the Proctor walked towards him, as he taunted and goaded Edric looked up at him. His lips thinned, he couldn't help the fear at the core of him. The tired and scared child that he was.

Yet there was something else; Anticipation.

A slow breath filled his lungs, and then suddenly Giovanni would feel a pull like never before. Instead of a wrenching grasp, it was a steady drag. Power flooded into Edric, strength as he had never felt before. It flowed into him like a tidal wave.

Wounds began to heal, injuries faded, and as he pulled himself up from the ground Edric almost seemed to vibrate. His entire body was flooded with strength. "You..."

Talking was hard, almost impossible.

"You have no idea what I can do." The words were bitten off, quick, and then he became a blur as he darted forward.

The broken edge of the sword flickered upward, but it wasn't that which was the threat. No.

It was the power that Edric had stolen, that strength which he now used to fuel an attack unseen. A spear formed behind The Proctor's back, a weapon forged of misery, anger, and hate. Fueled by the very magic that Edric had stolen. Crafted not by his will, but an innate need to end this.

The spear launched itself forward as Edric lashed out with the blade, stabbing down at the Proctor.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Proctor Giovanni felt the pull, and it sent shivers down his spine. This was a feeling he had only experienced a few times on the battlefield. It was that feeling of facing down death in the eyes. It was enough to make any normal soldier freeze up in fear. It was incredible. This boy's power would make him into a monster in the future. The thought made Giovanni grin.

The strong pull had siphoned a large portion of his own power, enough to make him move slower. He might have been able to move in time to meet the blade. However, it was actually his own fear and battle instincts that may have saved the proctor's life.

He reacted quicker on instinct. Before he even completely understood what he was doing, a large roar escaped his lips. Giovanni sucked in a great deal of energy in one burst. Rather than use it for strength, speed, or healing, the proctor released all of his stored energy into one super-heated wave that radiated from his own body.

He had only used this ability twice, and it was enough to more than likely destroy this courtyard. He would have to apologize to the higher-ups later, but they would not do much to him. He was too valuable.

The move left the proctor emptied and tired. His body strained under the pressure and most of his skin was a dark red like he was suffering from severe sunburn. Giovanni had not even meant to do this, but his instincts had forced him to act. This boy had forced this out of him.

Edric

 

[Edric]

The spear shattered.

Edric screamed.

Fire raced over his flesh, burned his skin, scorched his muscles. It was a pain like any other. Not worse than what the other Proctor's had given him, but sudden, instant. It raced over his flesh, peeled away at him like nothing.

The power that the Proctor released sent Edric sprawling to the floor.

A groan escaped him as he was thrown to the floor, his entire body ravaged. It would have killed anyone else. Would have seen them as little more than ash and a little bit of bone. Yet the Initiate lay on the floor, his body barely grasping at what little life remained in the reserve.

His lips parted, blackened and burnt.

A dry gasp escaped him.

Fingers curled, grasping, reaching desperately.

He knew death was coming. Knew that it was so close, and yet he barely clung to what little life he had left.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

The proctor looked around the destroyed courtyard with a bit of surprise before looking over at the charred body that was Edric. He let out a deep chuckle before moving over to him with a groan. He dragged his hammer over to the boy, but just put it next to Edric's head.

Giovanni's body was smoking from the sudden exertion of energy, but he took in a deep breath and some of the redness on his skin did seem to lighten up.

"Good job today, boy. I'm impressed. I say we call it here and we can pick it back up tomorrow...or the next time you're free. I haven't had fun like that in ages."

He began to move towards the exit. When he did open the door to leave the courtyard, there was a servant carrying a medium-size plant. They looked like they had rushed there. Giovanni pointed to Edric.

"Put the plant next to the boy. Move him when his body is able." Giovanni had been careful to pick a plant that would provide some energy to heal, but not enough to put him back to 100%. He still wanted the boy to feel pain. It would be a good lesson.

Edric

 

[Ventress]

When a Dreadlord sworn to a House requested to see an Initiate, her request was always granted. For she was not merely a Dreadlord, not merely a First Level or Second Level or Third Level. She was the representative of the House in question, here at their behest, and one of the seven Great Houses would not be denied.

The House in question today: Sirl.

The courtyard was still in a ramshackle condition even days after Proctor Giovanni's power had first devastated it. Mundane Academy staff apologized profusely for its condition. These apologies were unnecessary. Wasted breath. Ventress knew well what went on here.

And when she was guided to the sterile meeting room in which she would meet the promising young boy, Initiate Edric, when she saw him sitting there in the plain wooden chair behind the plain wooden table, devoid of so much as a scratch or marking on his body, the tiniest fragment of a smile crossed her expression. The Academy knew she was coming today. Someone had decided, apparently, in an effort to "look good," to ensure that the boy appeared presentable. As if this one day were representative of the whole of Intiate Edric's time at the Academy. Foolishness. Ventress knew well what went on here.

She held up her hand dismissively, and her escorts closed the door behind her. She walked up to the empty chair across the table from Edric. Pulled it out slowly, its wooden legs groaning as they slid laboriously across the floor. And she sat down in it, brushing lightly at the bottom of her coat, her pant legs, before placing her hands neatly in her lap.

"Initiate Edric," she said.

And for a good moment, she did not speak. She let her presence fill the room. Let her gaze sink into Edric's own.

"Have you been informed about who I am."

Edric

 

[Edric]

Edric tensed as the woman stepped through the doors.

He did not recognize her, and that very fact sent a chill running down his spine. The ones he didn’t recognize were always the worst, those who simply wanted to ‘see’ what he was made of. Those who pressed hardest.

It had gone on for months now. The Proctor’s testing him, seeing how strong he truly was. Edric didn’t know how many times he had floated in that abyss, how many times death had greeted him with open arms and he had simply pulled away.

The Nightmares were constant now, almost never ending.

”No.” He said curtly, though there was no disrespect this time. That had been beaten out of him. Best to respond quickly. To do as they said. The pain would still come, the hurt would still be there, but it wouldn’t be worse.

It wouldn’t be worse.

A lie he told himself. ”They don’t tell me much.”

Never anything at all. The Proctor’s did not want him to be prepared, did not want him to guard himself against what was coming. It was another piece of their game, another way for them to control his responses. Edric had figured it out, but that didn’t make it any better.

 

[Ventress]

"Good."

She did not yet clarify who she was, whom she represented. That information would be allowed to sear slowly into his mind. Even if he was particularly resistant to curiosity, the irregular circumstances of this day combined with her timely arrival and unfamiliarity would penetrate through. The human mind could not help but to wonder. Likewise, it could not help but to be drawn to clemency, when it had known for so great a time only misery.

Ventress knew well what went on here.

She had been seated on the other side of that table, ten years ago--Isbrand Lorel seated in the very chair she now occupied herself.

"Do you serve Vel Anir."

A question with an answer hopelessly given, for there was only one. One she would force him to speak.

Edric

 

[Edric]

Edric seemed to hesitate.

There was always a trick. Always something they said to try and trap him. If he got the answer wrong he would be punished, he knew that. "Yes."

That was the only thing he could say.

Edric wasn't sure if it was right, if it was what the woman wanted to hear...but he didn't matter. It was the safe thing to say, it was what he thought she wanted to hear. If it wasn't so...then he would be hurt, maybe killed, but he had to take the chance.

"Of course." He added, swallowing hard.

 

[Ventress]

Ventress crossed her legs. The foot aloft from the ground bobbed up and down ever so slightly, ever so slowly, as if marking time.

The boy was nervous. It was already a predetermined factor that he would be. He was of the age just prior to the self-confidence settling in. He had been a child. That child had been broken. Now he was in pieces, ready to be reassembled into what Vel Anir desired over the next few years. This was the opportune time to implant the seed of loyalty in him, so that it may grow with him.

Ventress knew well what went on here.

"Describe what the Academy has done for you."

Her eyes were locked onto his own. Unwavering.

Edric

 

[Edric]

Edric's fingers flexed at his side, his muscles tensing. He watched the woman opposite of him, still waiting, still expecting something more.

What was her game?

Was she trying to dig into his mind like Proctor Belforth? Was she trying to get him to relax like Gryll? There was always a game. Always a mark, and the remembrance of that brought the rage forth once more. The anger simmering high as he stared at her. "What have they done for me?"

He repeated.

There was indignation in his voice.

"They've tortured me." Edric said. "Taught me to kill. Taught me that I can't be killed."

Teeth snapped. "Taught me that my worth is more than the life of those around me. The weak."

The words were bitter, hateful.

 

[Ventress]

The tiniest tilt of her head, avian in its preciseness.

"Only once will this warning be given."

She held up her right hand. Meticulously plucked at the cloth of the glove she wore, loosening it from each finger, pulling it free. Again with the left hand. She neatly placed the gloves together, a mirror of one another, and set the pair on the table before her.

Eyes back to Edric. "Mind your tone."

When she had backtalked to Isbrand, he had unleashed upon her a nightmare of agony so horrid that it forever corrected her disposition. And she was thankful for it. She did not wish to make Edric similarly thankful, but she was prepared to do so. Sirl desired potent Dreadlords. They did not desire defective Dreadlords.

Her question in its flat, cold tone. "Is that understood."

Edric

 

[Edric]

Edric tensed.

He had expected a strike across the face. A sword drawn to his throat. A knife buried in his chest. There was always punishment. A lash to equal the words that were spoken. The fact that there wasn't that she did nothing...

It only made it worse.

He frowned for a moment. "Yes."

What the hell else was he going to say?

Could he fight her? Scramble for the life that sat at her core. Lips thinned for a brief moment and he tried to think back to that moment with Proctor Novgorod. The feeling of those trees, the life he had been able to sense. Edric tried to reach out, tried to sense...

But all that he found out was the constant chaos of everything around him. Other Proctors, students, plants, even insects. All of them were a massive haze.

He couldn't find her in that fog. Not now. Not yet. "I understand."

 

[Ventress]

When he said that he understood, Ventress reached up to the table and retrieved her gloves and slowly, in no rush at all, slipped them back onto her hands and adjusted them until they fit perfectly once more.

Only when she was done did she deign to look at Edric again.

"Describe what the Academy has done for you."

He would say again his answer in an acceptable tone, rephrasing as necessary.

Or she would give him the gift she herself had received.

Edric

 

[Edric]

Edric frowned for a moment, fingers tightening at his side.

He didn't know what answer she was looking for, what she wanted from him. What he had said was the truth. To it's core it was the truth. "They..."

Lips thinned. "It..."

Edric swallowed.

"It taught me control of my magic." He explained tentatively, telling a truth by any other name. "To focus."

But not enough. Not enough to grab at that core of life that sat within her breast. That reserve that he could have grasped and wrenched away before she even had a second to spare a breath. He cursed himself for that. Shouted in his head. "It's taught me what my place can be."

 

[Ventress]

Now they were getting somewhere.

Ventress leaned forward, the wooden chair creaking quietly as the weight upon it shifted. Her elbows came to rest on the table. Her hands were steepled, fingers interlaced. From above this bridge she looked to the boy with a calm interest.

"Do you want this talent which has been fostered in you to go to waste."

The implied question: do you want everything you've endured at the Academy, all of your pain, your suffering, everything, to be for nothing?

Even if he had secretly given in to despair (and such could be determined later), he had already stated affirmatively that he served Vel Anir. There was but one real answer to the question she asked now.

Edric

 

[Edric]

The tension that seemed to sit at Edric’s core did not ease one bit as the woman continued to question him. A part of him wanted to stand, scream, force her to just get to the beating, to throw him against the wall and stab him.

It would have been easier.

Trying to sus out what she was doing, digging into her intentions…Edric had never been good at that. Not with his peers, and certainly not with the Proctors who came down here to torture him. ”I…”

He frowned.

”No.” Edric said slowly.

In truth he had never much thought about the use for his magic. Had never had time. When his parents had given him up, when he’d come here all that he had felt had been rage. Anger to a point that he could barely hang out. He had poured himself into training, being the best, charging ahead of the others.

Yet all that it had brought him was this. Pain, torture, death. The Proctors picking at him just to see how far he could go. That had been his reward, and now…now he was entirely unsure what he even was. Why he was. ”I don’t want to be nothing.”

He said finally, quietly.

He didn’t want to be nothing. He didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to disappear in this cold dungeon. Whispered of by his peers as a mystery who was now simply gone.