| Board : | |
| Author : | |
| Subject : | |
| Date : | |
|
<b>"Shadows." Experiences shape us. Fear strengthens us, for fear in our hands is power and the power of fear used against us teaches caution. Shadows represent the unknown in all things; reflections of ourselves we may not comprehend, elongated and seemingly disfigured - glimpses of what awaits us around the bend. There are few things more feared than the unknown itself. I was still new to these lands, having arrived from my homeland of Paekjae and brought in by a kind mage. The mage's ways, however, were not my own. I followed the path of riches. Like so many young rogues, I felt that the best way to find my fortune was to venture through the lesser known areas of the lands... and venture I did. I set out through the Vale, leaving from Buya. The Vale was still a bustling center of chaos, of malcontent and challenge. It was the place to settle one's grudges and as young as I was, merely passing through the gate was a challenge; one would have to use stealth in order remain invisible, remain light on their feet in order to dodge traps forgotten in earlier battles. I edged my way north of the gate slowly. Pain! Pain in my leg. I'd been caught in a snare. "Curses!" I exclaimed, before realizing the attention it might bring. I turned around as swiftly as I could with my injured leg. Just as expected, someone had seen the trap spring -- I was in no shape to hide myself, losing a small amount of blood every minute... they were after me now. I made my way southwest, making a frantic run -- more realistically a quick limp -- for Scribe's Mountain. I knew I could use the mountain to hide, and that the old man at its summit would be wise in the ways of healing. As I made my way up the hill, I looked behind -- I'd lost my tail. "Hah! Not so clever as I," I thought to myself. My training had paid off, and I'd made it out of a hairy situation still breathing. Still, there was the matter of my leg... and off to the healer I walked. Now, you see, I'd not been up to the summit of Scribe's Mountain previously. I knew the route could be deceptive but I felt safe, knowing I was no longer being followed. Now, as I followed this ancient path... I found myself someplace familiar. I've been here before! Circles! I was going in circles. <b> Crack! I heard branches snap in the distance. There was no wind, no chirping of birds, only a soft snapping of sticks on the ground. I strained to open my eyes wider, searching for the cause of this unsettling sound. The shadows of two men peered out from behind a tree, revealed by the now setting sun. I grasped my blade, struggling to remain awake, struggling to hold on to my life. "Death is not the end," I thought... "Or is it?" The blood loss was more severe than I had originally thought, and I was getting weak. I climbed up the grassy pathway, grasping my blood tightly as I was able, and looked back. Shadows. Now only the shadow of the tree itself was to be seen... ah! There they were! Still behind me, but they must have been stooped down or crawling; they case long, inhuman shadows. As I rounded the next bend, looking back, I saw nothing. My blood ran cold. "Where are they?" I thought to myself... and then, searching for my pursuer, I spotted two rocks -- casting life-life shadows beneath a tree. Rocks. But what was the sound? Surely someone was there to get me, to rob me of my dreams... perhaps to follow me and then steal the treasure which I had set out in search of? <b> Black. Lights out. I'd passed out. When I awoke, I found myself sprawled across the grass. Alone. All around me, shadows. Looking over me. Out to get me. Haunting me. These things, these seemingly ethereal forms... of inanimate objects. Or were they? Was it possible that they were something more than a mere absence of light? -Hiroaki | |