A Scholar's Journey:The Divine Tempest - Chapter 1

This is the first chapter of my book "A Scholar's Journey: The Divine Tempest".  I hope you all enjoy it.

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"The abyss is a place so horrible, not even the gods will speak of it.  What little knowledge we have is unverifiable and not entirely trustworthy.  Unfortunately, the sheer volume of references, across multiple cultures, cannot be ignored.  They fill me with dread.  These writings detail a never ending darkness or an abyss if you will.  It is a prison, a place where evil lies shackled and dormant.  Can this gateway be opened? Fortunately, no way has been found yet and I believe doom sleeps within its hollow walls, scratching for a way out."

Aran the Grey,

Current acting leader of the Pentacle

Chapter 1: The Number of the Beast

Black is the absence of white and if the world of Therra is home of our brightest hopes and dreams, there must also be a place where our darkest fears and most terrifying nightmares make their home.  Welcome to the abyss.

It is a prison, designed to hold the gods' most wondrous accomplishments that became their greatest embarrassments, the demonic vaedziur.

Light shined from an unknown source high above and lit up the dim perpetual fog with an eerie light that hid horrors just out of sight.  Occasionally, quick skitters that clacked against the hardened ground and quick flitting movements were just visible to appear as flashing shadows against the grey backdrop. 

A figure was standing in full view and contrasted starkly with the rest of the scenery.  Unlike the obscured dark outlines that hinted at a grim populace within this dark realm, the figure was a creature of the light.  It floated unerringly down its invisible path.

The being's body was made entirely out of glowing yellow energy and wore the armor of a warrior.  Its head and arms were made of crackling orbs of energy, while its body was covered by a metal chest piece that turned into a flowing warrior's kilt at its waist that dusted the ground.  Its head and arms were like miniature suns that were suspended mid air and were connected by golden strands of energy.  The breastplate was stamped with an insignia of a double-headed golden war hammer.

The entire realm gave it a wide birth, creatures in the fog did not impede it and the mist that pervaded the realm avoided the Spartan's presence.

Finally, after floating for many minutes, the Spartan stopped and spoke in a deep voice that echoed like it originated in a cave. "I have come for the vaedziur Kestrel," it said purposefully.

There was a flurry of movement.  Multiple claws scratched at the outlining aura around the Spartan, but stopped immediately thereafter.

A path in the mist appeared before the Spartan, leading it towards a red figure, suspended in the distance. 

The Spartan floated down the given path and it arrived at its destination.

The creature was suspended off the ground by chains of divine energy that continued into the gray sky and disappeared from view.  A familiar mark branded the chains; it was the same war hammer on the visitor's chest piece and the energy binding the creature was similar to the Spartan's. 

The creature hanging by the chains was almost humanoid.  Its frame was squat, sinewy, and laced with long powerful muscles.  The imp's red skin was scaled and dotted with patches of feathers, intermittently.  Its legs were long, likened to a frog, powerful muscled machines built for springing, and landing, they were stretched almost straight by its chains and caused the creature continuous discomfort. 

The prisoner's face was large and expressive, with smooth scales that curved upwards along a horn rimmed face. Two large round eyes that were as big as a man's fist, stared at its visitor intently.  The creature's mouth was large and stretched from cheekbone to cheekbone with exposed long angular rotting teeth that spilled over its lower lip. 

Large curling horns floated just off its head and remained in orbit, like a garish spiked crown of bone.   The single wing that poked out from its back drooped from disuse, the muscles that once powered this majestic appendage were atrophied, holes dotted the membrane of the wing, making the once regal appearance, sad and decrepit.  On the other side of the creature's back, exactly opposite of the atrophied wing, was a curious sight to behold, a bleeding stump where an appendage was missing.  Jagged, claw marks raked across the stump, like rivulets, marking it as a sight of a repeated wound that was still bleeding.  It was lost glory, with a crown of thorns.

"Oh me oh my!  A servant to visit little old me!  Why are you here puppet of the golden god?" the imp spoke in a gravely malicious voice with a slight hint of insanity.

"Lord Kestrel, the divine hammer decreed we seek your counsel," the Spartan responded in the same hollow voice

"You seek my counsel?  After what your ilk did to us, to me?  Our imprisonment has gone on too long for forgiveness!" Kestrel snarled from his chains.

The Spartan did not speak for a moment as it weighed what it was about to say. "Do you desire freedom?" he asked finally.

Kestrel struggling against the chains that bound him with a titanic effort that shook the realm itself, he roared in anger and his mouth unhinged and caused his mouth to open almost vertical to reveal rows on rows of jagged teeth. "You would let me, the living blood tide, free?  Do you comprehend the torment I will bring with my brothers and sisters?  Your world will be wiped clean, all traces that make it unique will be erased, and we will return it to the original fabric from which it was made!  This I promise," he howled and then collapsed back into the embrace of his chains.

"Dol'ron has granted me his leave to free you and in return you will be given the opportunity to set your people free of their shackles," the Spartan offered.

Kestrel smiled evilly. "Is this real?  Are you offering us the chance to remove our bindings?  Is this a cosmic joke?" he examined the Spartan for a brief moment and its humorless demeanor diminish. "Hmmm, what if you are telling the truth?" the vaedziur asked slyly and his wide alien eyes narrowed sinisterly.

The Spartan bowed his head again. "Your vessel will be, Diametries Malus Aequitas, the First Speaker of Dol'ron.  He has been informed of the sacrifice he shall make and has begun preparations for the first step of the ritual to remove the gate guardian from service to free your people," the Spartan uttered gravely.

"My, you are thorough; one would almost think that this was planned," Kestrel cackled approval.

The Spartan raised an arm of energy and pointed in Kestrel's direction.  The war hammers that were stamped on the chains that held Kestrel glowed brightly and then with a crash, they shattered, sprinkling the ashen ground with glowing particles that disappeared moments later.

Kestrel landed with catlike grace.  Many millennia of imprisonment had not dulled his reactions.  The vaedziur prowled towards Dol'ron's Servant and the ground burned with smoldering black fire where he stepped. 

"One of my kind has not entered the mortal realm, since our imprisonment.  Leaving would require special guidance, granted by Dol'ron himself.  Do I have it?  Can more of my brothers and sisters come?" Kestrel asked.

"You have his blessing, only you though.  Any more would arouse suspicion," the Spartan responded.

The imp approached and carefully traced the Spartans armor with one of its wicked claws, then dug one of his nails cleanly through the servant of Dol'ron's chest plate with ease. "I can kill you now," Kestrel said with vicious pleasure.

The Spartan was stoic and unmoving.

"Send me to the city of the damned and I will perform the ritual to unbind my people," Kestrel commanded and removed his claw.

One orb of energy from the Spartan's arm floated out and expanded into a flat plane, till it was a perfect flat circle, then it began to swirl in on itself and revealed on the other side that it was a portal suspended high in the sky of a different realm.  It looked down on a healthy rolling forest that came up to a large white mountain, and a city in the distance. 

Kestrel smiled with barely contained enthusiasm in his large oval eyes.  He sprang towards the open portal, but stopped halfway through.  Both clawed hands rested on the rims of the gateway and burned at the portal where they touched it. "The benefits that my people reap are evident, but what does your god hope to gain with the destruction of the mortal realm?" Kestrel asked with surprising insight.

The Spartan held its tongue.

"Of course, Dol'ron cannot act directly outside its mandate.  Your god can however close its eyes to injustice.  And, so it seems justice is blind," Kestrel said astutely and then he jumped through the portal.  On the other side, the vaedziur transformed into a large black shade, and the only evidence of Kestrel's passing was the shadow that swept over the clouds below him.

The Spartan broke contact with the portal. "Lead me to the triumvirate of the vaedziur people.  We have much to discuss," the Spartan said to the mist around him.  It parted to reveal a new path and the Spartan left as the mist closed behind him.

The portal was still closing, even when the Spartan was long gone.  The denizens of this plane of existence knew full well that to pass beyond it would mean certain death. 

A new figure materialized next to the portal.  It was a monk in long flowing robes that glittered like the stars of the night sky.  Its hood was pulled down in such a way that nothing could be seen inside, except for piercing green eyes.

The monk raised a robed arm and a pure white mist flowed out to form the vague outline of a body that hovered just in front of the odd monk. 

The mist kneeled in respect and exited through the portal just like Kestrel had done.  Strangely, it seemed that this white mist was also protected, though not by Dol'ron.

The monk bowed its head and disappeared back into the fog silently.

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Sunlight streamed through the trees and caused the dew to sparkle in the morning rays.  Birds started chirping as the light graced their feathers and a shining rainbow lit up the forest vibrantly.  A tribute to the rising twin suns of Therra; the bigger yellow one named Sol and the smaller red one Sul.

A falcon was sitting in its nest preening its white and speckled brown feathers as it prepared for the morning hunt.  It looked to the sky and watched as the twin suns crested the horizon.   The bird of prey, flapped its wings experimentally, keened into the crisp morning air, and took off towards the clouds.  It flew higher and higher, till it could see the entire land.

Below was a rolling forest that stretched out into the distance.  It was populated with all sorts of animals and magic beasts known as kirin.  Close by was a tall majestic white stone mountain.  It was situated next to a large city.  This was the falcon's main hunting grounds.

The city was enclosed on all sides by an unnaturally perfect circular wall that was made from smooth white stone.  The structure was populated by three circular grooves in the ground of the city; these were connected by three smaller circles that connected to one another at the center of the city, where a large tower rose up like a monolith to a lost civilization.

Unlike the roads, walls, and the tower, the other buildings were a motley assortment of houses.  They were made out of different materials and dotted the streets compactly.

Near the western section of the city was a large open wound in the ground, it was as if a titanic force had ripped the ground open from beneath, and revealed a dark chasm below. 

The falcon's sharp eyes spotted its meal for the day and focused its attention on a small mouse that was gobbling up cheese greedily next to a potted plant on a window sill. 

The falcon dived through the clouds as it rocketed towards its prey.  Just before impact, it let out an ear shattering keen, extended its wings, and thrust out its claws to scoop up the mouse.  The little rodent was killed instantly and the falcon had its meal for the day as it flew into the new dawn.

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