A Sticky Paradox (open)

[wilddog]

The place was perfect. Now, perfection might be different for some people, so Isentar Lake might not have been a perfect place. Some might prefer the city, so the rural landscape might not have been appealing. The lake was a desolate place. Old ghost towns here and there, broken down weapons of war, all of this painted a picture that spooked many. But, for me, it was paradise. The part of the lake I was at was prime fishing. The land jutted out, oh, about twenty feet into the water. It was just big enough to fit me and my donkey comfortably, and still be able to fly fish. As it was early morning, the sun shone brightly on the water’s surface. The fish seemed to like it, so I did too. Right straight behind me, lay a town, its name lost in time. Not a living soul for miles. Except the wildlife. Deer ran to and fro, frolicking and doing what deer usually do on a fine morning. Mentally, I made a note to myself to add a chapter in the book about best fishing spots. I would now, but by the looks of things, a big catfish is eyeing my line.

There was another reason why I was here, and it had nothing to do with fish. Or gold (come to think about it, this place would be a marvelous place to mine). But, a long time ago, a battle was fought here. Many, in fact. People’s lives were changed forever here. Fathers died. Mothers were no widows. Magic blasted everything out of its way. Even the trees bear the witness. Some were mangled beyond belief. Others were simply thrown hundreds of feet away. Yes, a great battle was fought. Nobody has come here since, and I want to find out why. So, I am curious, so sue me. Close towns told me many conflicting stories. One man swore it was ghosts that ran around here. He claimed to have ran up here, for reasons unknown, and staid a night. Then and there, he witnessed floating forms, ghosts of course. He high-tailed it out of there faster than a child with his arm caught in a cookie jar. Another individual, by the name of Shaw. He figured out that a gang of outlaws used this place as a hide out. Another person grew disgusted with the previous two and told me that this place was a nesting ground for wild dragons. Whatever the reasons, I was going to get to the bottom of this. At least, after I catch this fish.

Finally, after hours of work, I caught him. He was a marvelous fish, being 24 inches long. But, alas, I eat no meat. So, after looking over it, he tossed it back in. Gathering his supplies, he walked out. The fool donkey followed me, but after a sharp retort, he returned back to his previous position. Stupid animal. Grunting, I reached into my pocket and grazed The Book. Only reminding myself that it was here. Because fishing took forever, my stomach reminded me what time it was. But, duty called. Grabbing a promising stick, I set off, towards a city. Its small wall and towers proclaimed it more of a fortress then a city. Doors open and curtains waved in the wind. Small little animals scurried here and there, the only real life form here. I walked through the center of a street, admiring the handiwork. Not that I have an eye for such things, but still, it was impressive. Behind me, lay a large building. On its lawn, large siege weapons were stationed. Long abandoned, these mammoths stood imposingly. As I walked, a curious plant caught my eye. This field was covered in them. They were like dandelions are size and height, but had long leaves. About a half a foot long, and very skinny, the one thing that really set it apart was the flower. A brilliant blue peaked out between the long leaves, captivating me. I bent down and picked it up. It really appealed to me that a battle field could have a new life form emerge from it. Most likely, a magical attack created this. Placing it into my pocket, I about turned around when I heard something. It was faint, like a memory of a sound, but I heard it nonetheless. Cautiously, I pulled out my throwing knife. Nobody lived here.

[ryan]

In front of the lake a cloaked figure knelt. His face was in close proximity to the water, his entire body was covered by a grayish robe. He had been kneeling there for hours. No one, but him, knew what he was doing. It may had looked as if he were scrying, or using magic, but in reality he just was staring at himself. Looking into his golden eyes. No one was around him all day, he just felt the presence of animals circling around the lake. Some drinking from it, others just grazing by.

Eris slowly rose from his position, something now was different. There was no longer just animals around, there was a creature. An essence he had not felt in a long time. As he slowly began to scan the area he began to recall this feeling. Whatever the creature was, it held power, and even it's presence seemed to disturb the wildlife. Eris had the same affect when he showed up, but he slowly began to fade into reality with the animals.

Eris quickly covered behind a tree as he saw a figure across the lake, he could not see any characteristics about them, but he was able to see their figure. He slowly watched as the being began to move around with speed, and a few moments later a fish was in his hand. As the fish was flung back into the lake Eris noticed the creature leaving. He slowly made his way out from behind the tree, and began to follow the being. If he could kill this person, and put his dark magic to the test, he could reassure himself that he was powerful. He quickly began to follow the creature.

As he followed the person he noticed that they were venturing further away from the lake. He was not quite sure yet what it was. A human, maybe, if he was lucky, an elf. He even prayed for this creature to be an elf. He had not had a fair fight in a long time, humans are way to easy. Elves are powerful, and prove a good foe. He began to scan the town as the figure did, and saw the destruction that had once occured here. He could feel the spirits lingering. He sensed the pain and suffering soldiers felt on this field, and all he could do was grin.

[wilddog]

Swearing, I put my knife back in my bag. Only a bird. This place put me on edge, though, and I immediately felt as though somebody was looking at me. A quick glance around, quickly told me that nobody was here, so I continued my pace. Up ahead, a small inn caught my eye. Walking inside, I dusted my cloak off and set it on the table. The room looked like it was deserted yesterday. Some plates cluttered a bar table. Glasses lay on the tables. And table sleaves lay scattered. Gingerly, I sat down at the table, throwing my stick on the floor.

A icey wave broke out and I shivered. One could almost feel the spirits here.

[ryan]

Eris continued to creep up behind this figure. He could still sense the power within him. It had to have been an elf, or some other being like it. It's physical features weren't that of a human, a human did not seem to fit the description of this one. He still was not sure, but he continued to watch as they moved about this deserted town. He had no idea why someone would venture here, alone at least, all that was here were the lingering spirits of the dead. This was a paradise for Eris, but for someone else, it seemed off. He was certain that he was not dealing with another shade, even if he was that should not cause to much trouble. Eris knew of only one shade, there could very well be more, most likely were, but right now he only heard of one.

Being a shade himself had it's advantages, he was blessed with unnatural attributes. One a human could only dream of achieving, in a battle Eris knew how to hold his own. Even if it came down to magic, Eris held one ability most feared to use. Dark magic. A very powerful tool in his arsine of trickery, and treachery. He noticed that the man was moving in on an inn. For what purpose, he hadn't the slightest clue, but he continued to follow him.

He watched from afar as he entered the inn. A few more moments, and Eris slowly crept up on the Inn. It was finally time to reveal himself, to see who this truly was. As he made his way close, he felt the spirits flow through his body. He could sense the death that had plagued this place years ago. There were so many spirits in this realm, it almost intoxicated Eris. He was in love with this feeling. He was a spirit, just an evil spirit in a vessel, it was not a mystery to why he loved this feeling. He rolled his head and focused back on the topic at hand. He strolled into the tavern now. His face covered by the moon-colored cloak he wore. "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Traveling alone?"

[wilddog]

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Traveling alone?"
I looked up to see a stranger, man or elf, standing before me. I couldn’t tell exactly what he was, for his cloak covered his face. But, something about his stance and his tone put me on edge. And that feeling you get when you feel eyes on you but can’t tell where the eyes are. I shifted back in my seat and answered, “Maybe, stranger. And you? You look too pretty and rich to be wandering out all alone, yes?” Suddenly, I recognized something. The man’s, or elf’s eyes had a golden color to them. And in them, madness. Even if he was the most sanest person in the world, shades always had that look to them. Maybe it was just my elvish instincts that made me aware of his race. Inhaling fast, I stood up. Muttering spells in my head, I prepared for the worst. But a shade would never talk before killing people. Their kills never knew what hit them. So it confused me on what this creature wanted.

---

The man stood up from the other side of the lake. Tall thin, and wore a mustache. He was head boss of a criminal group. Very small. All of them were dissatisfied with the Hive and decided to strike out on their own. “Alright men. Two beings are in that town across the lake. I want them killed before tonight. Then we can operate without any interruptions” The men cursed him and his mother and his mother’s mother and on, but they did what they were told. They were in it for the money.

[ryan]

Eris continued to grin inside the comfort of his hood. He had finally discovered what this creature was. It's pointy ears, and look of age and wisdom about it confirmed his prior beliefs. He was dealing with an elf now. He lacked the knowledge of how powerful this one was, but he was confident. The elf did lack the knowledge of what Eris was as well. He was not afraid of his current predicament. He just continued to play his casual self. He could not unleash the beast yet, no not yet. He wanted to interact with this one. The elves were a mysterious race, and to run into one was a rarity in itself. Most decided to hide behind their trees. Eris did respect this one for deciding to finally embrace the real world, the world of torture, and despair. But it was not the time for this one to feel his wrath, not yet.

Eris continued to survey his opposer. He seemed to have an older age about him. He did look like an elderly man. This could either hurt, or benefit Eris. Maybe he suffered wounds, maybe his magic was slowly dying. Many knew that the elves were most powerful as children, and as they grow older their powers wear down. Eris rolled his neck as the elf finally spoke up. Maybe, stranger. And you? You look too pretty and rich to be wandering out all alone, yes?

"Pretty? Rich? Ha. Well you can never judge a book by it's cover," and as he finished speaking he noticed the elf jump from his seat. "Scared? Are we?" He could sense the magic flowing in the air. The elf was setting up his defenses, a wise choice. Eris, however, refused to move an inch. He stood his ground, he could sense the presence inside the room, he was soaking in the feeling. The spirits that lingered about him were being awoken. He felt powerful, he felt hatred. He grinned, his eyes were always what gave it away. He could never stay concealed for to long.

[wilddog]

"Pretty? Rich? Ha. Well you can never judge a book by its cover," the Shade said. His laid back tone and posture irritated me. Why is this abomination not attacking? I never thought a Shade would succumb to feelings of mercy. Maybe it was something different. Curiosity? Believable. It seemed that a Shade’s entire existence is pleasure, though what they found pleasing was often eccentric and cruel. Duty? No, nobody could control a shade. I could be something else that my mind couldn’t quite fathom. Or it was simply madness. All the same, I didn’t really want to be in the same room with this evil. Sending my mind out, I caressed the rocks under the inn. Solid as, well, rock. But……..but one spot to my left. The shade continued. "Scared? Are we?" He was grinning and staring at me.

To buy time, I started to walk over to the left. At the same time, I started gathering my wits. I needed to be quick. “Alright, stranger. Tell you what. I know you are a shade. But, why don’t we start from scratch. Hello, my name is Raniad. Yours?” With that, I spoke the words and a fire ball roared towards his head. At the same time, pressure I was exerting onto a support beam under me finally gave way and the floor collapsed. With a large crash, the building caved in. I was instantly showered with pebbles and wood as I fell down.

---

“Damn” A man said. He stood with his back upright, surveying the town in front of him. He was charged to kill the intruders. But, by the look of things, that wasn’t necessary now. A inn just collapsed. Dust from the upheaval drifted though the streets. Swearing again, but not with much heart, the man turned around and went back. Most likely, the men were in that inn, so killing them again wouldn’t make much sense. Besides, he was hungry.

---

Far from dead, I found myself fourteen feet under timbers and sod. The shade was nowhere to be seen, but then again, not much was. The fire was just a distraction in order for me to destroy the floor. If the shade wanted to get blasted by fire right in his face, he could have stopped me. But, evidently, he didn’t. Groaning, I tried to get myself into a sitting position, only to find that I already was. With all this dust, I could hardly get my bearings. Finally, when the smoke cleared, I realized that I was in a worse condition then I thought. A large beam sat squally on my leg.

[ryan]

Eris continued to eye the elf infront of him. He was waiting for him to make a comment about Eris' race. It was kind of obvious that he was a shade, his eye color, pale skin, and evil sense about him gave it away. Especially to one as keen as an elf. He rolled his neck, and listened to the muscles and bones in his body pop and crack. As he locked back into his gaze the elf began to speak Alright, stranger. Tell you what. I know you are a shade. But, why don’t we start from scratch. Hello, my name is Raniad. Yours? A chuckle came from Eris. He knew something was going to happen. No one would act so calm around a shade. Yes, some elves were peaceful, but most were crazy. Paranoid.

As soon as Eris opened his mouth to speak he saw it, the fire ball had been flung toward him. Infront of him appeared a spirit, a basic defence, and the shade had rolled to the right. He watched as his spirit stayed in place, the fireball gone, and the wood behind it was unscathed. His defence had worked. The roll was just a precaution. As he gained his feet he noticed that the elf had disappeared. A loud crack moments before the elf disappeared could be heard. And everything started to shake. Eris stood where he was. This would not kill him, not everyone knew how to kill a shade, but it was not as easy as it would be then to kill anything else.

One must know, or get lucky with their attack in order to defeat a shade, so Eris stood there. He was not worried about this attack. The floor beneath him began to cave in, and moments later he was covered in wood. He chuckled as the wood pinned him down. He closed his eyes and in an instant he was pulled out of the wreckage. His spirits flew about him. They then disappeared. Eris stood on top of the wreckage, now looking for this elf. He decided to shake it off and jumped way from the inn. Once he was clear he lifted his hand, mumbled a word, and the wood infront of him began to burn. The fire could be seen in Eris' eyes.

[wilddog]

Groaning, I tried once more to lift the beam. To no avail. Cursing my luck, I concentrated and spoke the words of magic, breaking the wood in two. One annoyance down, one disaster to go. Oh, and the fact that the inn was collapsing. Every now and then, timbers would groan and shift in their place, but so far, nothing fell further. It seemed that everything was holding its breath, including me. The shade and I seemed to be getting off on the wrong foot (or the right foot, for a shade encounter). Forcing myself to release the pent up anxiety, I gathered my wits. This shade seemed to be a child. His ways were abrupt and cowardly. And he was arrogant to boot and seem to take a great interest in brining the other person down. Though, I might be a bit biased. In fact, it seems that everything bad originated from me. And at my age, everybody is a child.

Reaching for the pendulant hanging from my neck, I squared the image of the shade in my head. The largish diamond was filled with water, giving me a portable mirror of water. Being positively the best scyer around, If the shade was nearby, I would find him. Speaking the words again, the image of the shade appeared. His eyes stared forward and seemed to be fueled by a fire that roared from them. I could not tell where he was, but it was given. He no longer occupied the inn. Relaxing, I stumbled and creaked into a sitting position, feet under me.

Sniffing, a new danger made its presence to me. The faint smell of smoke. With the fire no apparent, things grew hurried. Leaping up, I exited the hole just in time to see fire racing into the same spot I occupied.

Racing ahead, one thing kept my feet running. The Shade. Seeing a fire and people across the lake, I aimed there. Everybody hates the shade. But, alas, it was too late. The crew looked like they were leaving. Exhaling, I turned to face the horror.

[ryan]

The smell, and sight of the fire and burning wood brought an evil grin to the Shade's face. He was laughing to himself, an evil chuckle roared from his throat. It almost sounded as if a lion was trying to rawr but was failing horribly. He quickly silenced himself as the entire inn began to burn. The wood and random scraps of metal were falling and crumbling under the never-ending flame. The spirits that had surrounded Eris a few moments before were gone. His golden eyes mixed with the sight of the fire and made it appear as if he had two sun's looking at the flame instead of actual eyes. He reached for his hood, but before he lifted it over his head he saw movement.

The elf was smart. He knew what he was doing, or atleast made a lucky guess. As the inn finally made one last large collapse the image of an elf was on the other side of the wreckage. He rolled his neck and let it pop, this was becoming somewhat of a habit now. He always did it before he engaged in combat. He just laughed, closed his eyes, and in an instant he was closer to the elf. He could see the figures across the lake, he just grinned as the elder elf noticed his hope was lost.

"Good night," he whispered as he drew his sword from the belt around his robes. The blade began to shine as the fire burned beside him. "What a traumatic death. Do not fret, the legends will speak of how you went out valiantly, how you tried to save the world from the all-powerful shade Eris. How your last breath you tried to redeem your pride. How you were able to last for a few moments dueling me." He chuckled once more and let his eyes lock onto the elf. It was time for a fight.

[wilddog]

"What a traumatic death. Do not fret, the legends will speak of how you went out valiantly, how you tried to save the world from the all-powerful shade Eris. How your last breath you tried to redeem your pride. How you were able to last for a few moments dueling me." The shade, Eris, stared down at me, with a firery look in his eye. I knew this was the moment to think. If there was a time, or if there was any left. I knew that I could never fight this beast. It still puzzled me on why this beast was here. Not for the scenery, certainly. But why? Scolding myself for thinking about this at a time like this, I focused on matters. As it was beginning to grow dark, life bunked down for the night. I myself would have felt tired, if not for the adrenaline coursing through my veins. Strangely the blue flowers started to release its pollen. There I go again, rambling off when my life was on the line.

Then I saw him.

He was an elf, with sharp ears and strong features. His clothing was of war and he marched in rhythm with an unseen army. But I knew he wasn’t real, for he marched two feet up in the air. Now, I didn’t believe in ghosts, but if seeing is believing, then I am a hypocrite.
Comments: Terrible.

[ryan]

The spirits in his body were circling around him like wild fire. Dancing around his body, he could feel them, begging to be freed. He felt this before he ripped the life out of anyone. He was feeding the spirits in his body, he was giving them the meal that they 'lived' for. He was grinning as his hand slowly withdrew his blade. It's gray hilt, and blade began to shine in the light. The grin would not escape his pale white face as he looked down on the helpless elf that lay on the ground before him. He did not get the fight that he was expecting, but it would have to settle. As the fire burned behind him, another presence made itself clear.

Eris was obviously to what was behind him, nor did he care. He noticed the shift in the elf's eyes. He was looking at something, maybe it was some sort of distraction tactic. But something was different now. He felt the spirits in his body stop moving around. There was something there, he could feel it. It's dark presence was there. He quickly leaped to his side, he did not want to give the elf a clear shot at his chest. He would not go out so easily.

There was some figure there. He had seen these before, he had spirits inside of him, there was not much about this land that Eris had in fact not seen. But something was odd, the presence was floating. It was starring at the both of them. Eris' eyes shifted to the elf, was the elf using dark magic itself? He dismissed the idea, elves did not use this kind of magic, he knew that. Unless someone else was here, then this was a free spirit that dwelled in this land.