The Gathering

[matthewkuch]

Closed to black_shadow, dracoboy8, and koli

[matthewkuch]

The sun began to peek over the horizon as Gavner drew near to his destination. As he stepped out into the clearing the soft rays of morning sun gently sneaked through the atmosphere. They stung Gavner's pale, exposed skin turning it into a soft pink before his eyes. He quickly drew his hand into his sleeve and pulled his hood up over his head, attempting to shield himself from the sun as much as possible. Creatures of the night did not belong in the day.

Gavner would have camped in the woods for the day, safely out of the sun if this was not so urgent. Walking down the familiar dirt path, now completely unprotected from the sun, Gavner made haste. The only thing separating him from the deadly rays of the sun was his cloak, and even that didn't do much to protect him. Thin layers of cloth could only go so far to save him. Looking up he squinted as the sun on the horizon burned his eyes, but in the distance he found what he was looking for.

Dead Man's Drink was just up ahead, and Gavner was approaching fast. The last stretch of 50 feet seemed like forever, and he almost broke out into a jog trying to get there. The sun seemed to be enveloping him in a blanket of heat making it difficult to breathe and raising his body temperature. His heart began to race and Gavner started to sweat. This always happened within the first half hour of Gavner being in the sun but it was absolutely dreadful each time.

Reaching the door of the pub Gavner entered quickly and shut the door behind him. He stood there for a few seconds to catch his breath, then turned around to observe the people in the tavern. There were a few tables with two or three people quietly chatting at each, but the rest of the tavern was empty. There were several men who lie dead, peacefully resting face down at the bar or on various tables. Their glasses were still in their hands, completely full of The Dead Man's Drink except for one sip which was missing.

Walking in, Gavner sat at a table in the corner of the tavern, but nobody paid Gavner much heed. Strangers always kept to themselves in these parts. Gavner waited at the table and began to draw his finger over the table, drawing curly shavings under his hard fingernail. He remembered the first time he and Black Shadow met, in this very tavern. Black Shadow was the reason he dropped everything to come here and meet. They hadn't seen each other in awhile, so naturally Gavner would make all haste to meet when Black Shadow sent urgent news that he must speak with Gavner.

The door opened and a man garbed in black from head to toe walked in. The man was masked, and the only body part visible was his eyes. A magnificent bow was slung across his back with a quiver of arrows. On his hip, a sheathed sword. Gavner held his gaze at his wood shavings, only observing the man from his peripherals. He made no attempt of acknowledging this man, but waited until he approached the table. When the man was two feet from the table Gavner kicked the chair across from him out and it landed in an angled position, beckoning Black Shadow to sit down.

Gavner waited until several moments after Black Shadow sat down to lift his gaze, then Gavner looked into his solid black eyes with his blazing red irises. A smile curled across his lips, and he could tell Black Shadow returned the greeting.

They shook hands and Gavner said, "It is nice to see you again my friend. Please tell me, to what utmost urgency do I owe the pleasure?"

[black shadow]

Dead Man's Drink always was a special place to Black Shadow. Here he met his friend Gavner. Here he was forced into a bar fight. And here, he would again meet Gavner.

Black Shadow entered into the bar, the music softly playing and the candles beginning to burn down. The place was just as it had been Black Shadow's previous encounter with Gavner. There were dead bodies scattered across the floor, the notorious "Dead Man's Drink" claiming another victim as he took a sip.

Poor fools. Why must you do this to yourself? Black Shadow thought to himself as he scanned the bar for Gavner. The scan took but a few seconds when his eyes met his target. Black Shadow locked his eyes onto Gavner, and without moving his gaze away, he slowly moved towards Gavner. Black Shadow stepped over a body or two, his sense of hearing in hyper drive, listening to the slightest sound of movement in front of him.

As Black Shadow reached the table, Gavner slid a chair towards him, beckoning him to sit. Black Shadow did as he was asked, and as he stared into Gavner's blazing red eyes.

As Gavner asked his question, Black Shadow's head slowly lowered. After gathering his thought for a few minutes, Black Shadow explained to Gavner what this meeting was about.

[dracoboy8]

This is where we part ways, Drake. On your journey you will be tested many times and undergo many trials and tribulations. Stay true to yourself and you will always know which path to take.

Drake walked down a dirt path which led through one of the rainforests of Dheathain. When he first returned from heaven he was in fertile farmland and the day was sunny and beautiful. Seeing as this had been earlier in the day, Drake quickly came to realize the harsh environment of the land he was in.

It was thunderstorming violently, yet the air was hot and humid. The combination of the storm and the humidity made breathing extremely difficult; after a mere hour of traveling Drake was fatigued. Periodically he took breaks, but never for very long because lightning strikes were getting closer. Approximately 6 lightning bolts struck every 5 minutes; this made Drake uneasy. Lightning strikes were never very far away, usually within 2-3 miles. For some reason the lightning bolts seemed to be more powerful than normal lightning strikes.


Drake began to run through the forest on the path, and quickly ran out of breath. He wished he hadn't because he could barely breathe, but all of a sudden he ran into a spot where the rain stopped. This completely baffled Drake because it had just been pouring. Looking around he saw a circle of rain, looking somewhat like a wall around him. He looked up and saw clear sky; a literal hole in the storm. Doubling over to catch his breath Drake gasped for air, but things got a lot worse.

"Do not move, or we will kill you." Drake heard a rough voice say from behind him. Drake remained doubled over, humoring the aggressors and still catching his breath.

"Oi boss, it looks like we have just a lad on our hands." Said another voice which sounded like it was in front of Drake.

"Come out boys," said the first voice, "see what he's got."

Quickly Drake stood up, and was anticipating the arrow that came flying past his face and into the forehead of the man who was coming up behind him. There was now attackers coming at him from all directions, but the closest one was to his left. Stepping left and crouching down a bit he extended his leg and exploded into the man. He bashed the man under the chin with his forearm, knocking him to the ground. The man would soon get up but all Drake needed was enough time to escape...

Shifting his focus to the man attacking from the right he readied himself and kicked the man in the stomach with a powerful side kick. The man doubled over and Drake could hear one right behind him. Crouching, Drake extended his right leg and turned in a complete circle taking the legs out from under the man, and knocking him to the ground. There were more men attacking but it was too late for them. Drake had already cleared an escape route. Now there was nothing but open path for Drake to escape. He was home free! He could easily outrun any opposition, and they would surely lose him in the storm.

Drake sprang to his feet and started for the wall of rain as fast as he could but he felt a sharp pain in his neck. He was jerked backwards and fell onto the ground, sliding backwards on the dirt road. Suddenly Drake found that he could not breathe.

"Hold his arms and legs!" A man shouted out, and soon the order was fulfilled. Drake began to kick and squirm but he could not break free.

"Let him breathe," A man in armor said as he stepped in front of the resisting angel. "Now tell me," The man said. "Give me one reason why I should let you live."

"I do not negotiate with the likes of Evil," Drake said turning his head and spitting on the ground.

The man's face contorted in rage and he punched Drake in the face. Shock seemed to course through the small circle area on Drake's cheek as the blow hit. A stabbing feeling coursed through the base of his neck up to his jaw, continuing up to his cranium and he instantly had a splitting headache. Giving the man a scowl Drake glared at him with rage. He began to hum a simple hymn that he learned in heaven, a hymn praising The Boss even in hardship.

As Drake did this his eyes focused on the trees in the background. He saw a man amongst them dressed in white with a hood coming up over his head. He was rather far in the distance, so he couldn't make out many features of the person. When Drake blinked, the man had disappeared as soon as he had come.

The ruffian grew even more upset as Drake mocked him, and began to beat down on Drake even harder. A ways through the punishment Drake began to notice the ruffians around him dropping like flies. The only one left was the leader who had not noticed this and was still beating down on Drake. Then his gaze lifted and was looking at something directly behind Drake. Fear was instilled into the eyes of the man and he stared at whatever it was in horror.

[Koli]

Koli, throughout your lifetime you will meet people who go against our morals. But you must know that them doing so does not mean that they are lower than us." Jalaphar's deep voice spoke to Koli. "You must never view others below you. That will be the day that you become vulnerable, and that will be the day that your life here ends."

Koli nodded his head in understanding, his white eyes never moving away from Jalaphar's face.

"Koli," Jalaphar said before Koli left the room. "One more thing. You must always help those in need."

The sound of a man in pain caught Koli's attention. A man in pain is a man in need, and Koli knew that. Focusing his sense of hearing, Koli located the source of the cries for help. With his lungs burning from the harsh weather, and his body telling him to stop moving, Koli began to push through the pain.

As he grew closer the cries for help, the rain suddenly stopped and the humidity returned to normal.

Hmm, this is unusual, Koli thought to himself as his amazed eyes found the source of the cries. There were ten men, one on the ground, cuts and bruises all over his body, and nine other men around him. One, who appeared to be the leader suddenly began to punch the man on the ground. Then Koli made the connection, The nine men were against the one.

Koli took note where all the men were, conjuring himself a long staff. He began to sprint at the men, his staff along his forearm and held out behind him. As he reached the men, Koli began to pick them off. Within seconds he had removed all threats, all but the leader. Koli looked at the man, and studying him, looking for a weakness. He put his hand out, creating the illusion of a wolf like creature. The leader's eyes lifted at this sight, with a fear of this illusion evident. Then Koli walked around the man, showing his Eyes of Hero. His eyes slowly turned a bright green, and the man began to become calmed.

"Leave this place, take your men with you. This is your only warning," Koli said. The leader nodded and began to walk away.

Koli then knelt, asking if the man needed any help.

[matthewkuch]

Black Shadow had a very interesting way of communicating with Gavner. His methods were a mixture of sign language and written notes, but Gavner somehow always understood what Shadow was saying.

Shadow explained to Gavner how he had been purchasing arrows from an arrowsmith in Hanquilden, a town known for their medical advancements in the world of Althanas. On his way out of the shop when he heard somebody screaming in the streets. Normally any passerby would have paid this no heed. It was not a rare occurrence to for insane people to roam the streets- the mental asylum was occasionally breached by a patient- but something about this person caught Black Shadow's attention.

"... terrible turns! One point it is raining fire and then it is below freezing!!" The voice raved.

Black Shadow continued towards the voice to find that it was an old man. He walked up behind the senile fellow, who continued yelling, and tapped him on the back. The entity jumped and gave a loud screech as he turned around to face Black Shadow.

"Illusions of warriors and monsters roaming and they actually kill people, magic spells being cast out of nowhere- it will corrupt the whole island!" The man shouted, "The area affected grows as we speak, somebody has to stop it!" Just then two guards from the mental asylum came and seized the man, each grabbing one arm.

He began to shout and squirm even worse as they dragged him off, but turned to Black Shadow and yelled "The tower is the source, the tower is the source! My villiage is down there in Dheathain, help them please!" The the man was dragged off out of earshot and Black Shadow did not waste any time; he sent an urgent message to Gavner and started off to Dead Man's Drink.

After Black Shadow was done explaining he and Gavner sat back in silence for a few moments. Gavner was very curious to see this tower the man spoke of but Gavner had a more political interest in this mission; exploration. No member of Gavner's clan had ever stepped foot on Dheathain; it was a cursed island. Other clans had ventured to the island but only several survived to return. The sun's rays were 5 times more powerful and would knock a vampire unconscious if he stood in it for merely 30 minutes. The weather was harsh and unforgiving, and the inhabitants were deadly. If Gavner could chart the island he would be famous among the clan, and well on his way to becoming the youngest vampire prince of the clan.

"Well Shadow," Gavner said, "when does our ship leave?"

[black shadow]

There were few people on-board the ship for Dethain was not a place commonly traveled to. The voyage was well known for having pirates and strange storms that appeared out of nowhere. The captain would tell of his previous travels to and from Dethain nightly. With his great black beard and captain's hat, he would speak of pirate raids he heroically fought off or storms he barely managed to escape. Black shadow bought none of it, the stories so overly exaggerated that no one could.

The few people who did travel to Dethain were merchants hoping to obtain some sort of loot to trade. The hostile terrain would certainly cause for many of these men and women to never make it home, but those who did would become rich. This was a risk they were willing to take. It amazed Black Shadow that so many people would be willing to risk their lives for money. This thought disgusted him, he did not understand the point of money, why everyone wanted or needed it. You can survive just as easily without anyone. After all, that is how he has lived the last few years.

Black Shadow stood from his hard wooden chair. He stumbled from the rocking of the boat, his legs having to readjust to the rocking of the ship on the rough open sea. Black Shadow reached for the chair and held himself up. When he felt comfortable enough to walk again he approached the ladder to the deck. A sailor noticed him and began to speak.

"You there, where is your friend? Vir Fortis want to speak with him," the man said in his deep voice.

Black Shadow stood almost confused, not knowing who Vir Foris was. He shook his head unknowingly and turned to the deck. The day was cool, and there was a light breeze in the wind. Clouds covered parts of the sky, a perfect day. Black Shadow looked forward to days like this. He leaned up against the railing, his mind drifting away from the ship. The first thing that popped into his mind was his daughter, Espoir. Her image appeared in his head as if she was really there, and a slight smile spread across his face. Black Shadow loved Espoir from the moment he first laid eyes on her.

One year earlier, Black Shadow and Gavner embarked on a quest to end the feud between the dwarven kingdom of Fortin Perpetuum and the elven kingdom of Verum. While on a ship beginning their quest Gavner was attacked due to his vampiric status. The two were forced to kill everyone on board. Black Shadow's sharp hearing picked up the sound of a baby crying. This is how he found Espoir, and Black Shadow just could not let her die.

Black Shadow allowed his mind to wonder, not having a care in the world for what went on around him. Sailing always allowed him to clear his mind, take a breath, and get away from all the chaos. The sweet smell of the sea filled his nostrils. Through the journey this has become one of Black Shadow's favorite smells. He closed his eye again and listened to the sound of the waves crashing against the ship's haul. It was a peaceful day, and Black Shadow was enjoying it.

[dracoboy8]

Drake, pain is merely a state of mind that everybody undergoes in his lifetime. It is merely a roadblock put in place to protect those who are of the world. As an angel your legacy will last forever; you need not worry about pain. Do not fear it, but overcome it. You can out think any state of mind. Pain is no different...

Drake's body ached all over from the beating he had just suffered. With bruises on his body and blood seeping from his nose Drake stared into the zenith without seeing what was above. His mind was wandering the brink of unconsciousness until his eyes came to focus on the hooded man who was staring down at him. Not only was the man was garbed in a white robe and hood, but he also had white irises.

Pain was throbbing throughout Drake's entire body an he began to cringe. He squeezed his eyes shut and his face contorted. This eased his pain a bit, but it soon returned as he opened his eyes. The hooded man placed his hand on Drake's shoulder and looked into his eyes. Drake gasped as the man's eyes slowly turned green and began to glow. There was something about the color that just bewildered Drake. All other thoughts exited from his mind as he focused on the confusing color of the man's eyes. He soon became very relaxed, and the ground seemed as if it were an extremely comfortable mattress that one would charge a very high price for. All stress and tension seemed to melt away from his body and he felt almost sleepy.

The man extended a hand towards Drake and offered to help him up. Drake snapped back to reality, but he felt calmer than he had felt in a very long time. Taking the man's hand Drake stood up, completely unaware that he had just been beaten almost to unconsciousness.

"Thank you," Drake said gratefully, "I am Drake. What can I call you by?"

The man did not speak a word, but drew in the grainy dirt with the end of his staff.

KOLI

[Koli]

"You can always tell when someone needs help by the look in his eyes." Jalaphar said to Koli. "What is wrong, Koli?"

"My parents, I keep having thoughts of them, pictures of what they might have looked like. I think they are still alive." Koli answered.

"No, Koli, Your parents could not have survived."

"How do you know?" Koli asked, his voice becoming uneasy.

"Come with me."

"I am drake. What can I call you by?"

Instinctively Koli did not wish to speak so he took the staff he conjured and wrote his name in the dirt. The boy looked like he was going to speak again but before he had the chance a man's voice rang out through the clearing.

"Thank the Lord, we are saved!"

Both Drake and Koli looked towards the direction of the voice and saw a larger man with thinning hair and torn clothes. Coming out into the clearing, the farmer looked very hopeful. "You can help us!"

"We have been having a serious monster problem with our village." The man said. "They destroy our farms and raze our homes which are not close to the town. They are multiplying much faster than ever and we will soon be overwhelmed. Would you be able to help us?"

Without even thinking of the situation Koli nodded his head and started towards the farmer who turned and indicated to follow him. Koli saw that Drake was starting to follow him and he held out his hand in a halt position. He somberly shook his head with seriousness in his white irises.

"Koli," Drake said, "I insist on coming with you. You helped me, and now I will help you. No questions asked."

Koli let his hand drop to his side but continued to shake his head. If anything happened to the boy it would be all Koli's fault...

[matthewkuch]

"Xczunge!" Gavner cursed out loud. He hated the sea, and this long voyage was killing him. "I swear this bloody ship will be the end of me!"

Throughout the week that Gavner and Black Shadow had been on the ship there was nothing to do at all. Gavner's friend loved the sea, but it made Gavner restless. He could stand the first few days, but after about four he started feeling absolutely terrible. He was now hunched over a waste barrel with a splitting headache and an extremely upset stomach.

Groaning, Gavner wiped the sick from his mouth as he withdrew from the barrel and slunk back to his sleeping section. The passenger deck was filled with sleeping areas of which only a very small fraction were occupied. Plopping down in his hammock Gavner stared at the ceiling. He tried to sleep, because he found that sleeping was the easiest way to pass the time. This was all in vain because his condition kept him awake.

He heard the footsteps of a large man approaching and looked through the darkness to see what was amiss. A sailor was walking towards Gavner's hammock. Since Gavner had not the strength to rise and see what the man wanted, he just lay in his hammock until the figure was towering over him. Between the oil lanterns and the bits of light leaking in through the top deck Gavner could see that this man was tall and burly with hair of shoulder length.

"Sir, are you the other vampire on deck?" The man said in a deep voice.

"I am," Gavner managed to croak out.

"Vir Foris wishes to speak with you. I am afraid his last moments draw near." Gavner thought for a few moments. He did not know this Vir Foris, but Gavner was not one to leave his kin alone in his final moments.

"Very well," Gavner said, "where might I find him?"

"He is in the hammock farthest to the starboard side. I suggest you hurry sir." The sailor said as he turned to depart.

Gavner stirred and forced himself out of his hammock. Stumbling over shoes and trash on the floor Gavner made his way to the starboard side of the ship and saw a filled hammock. Most people were up on the top deck at this time but the sun was lethal to vampires, and so they stayed under. Approaching the hammock Gavner heard ragged and shallow breathing coming from the lump in the bedding.

"Vir Foris?" Gavner said as he approached the vampire. Vir turned his head with great effort and looked up at Gavner.

"Come closer, my boy." He wheezed. Gavner knelt down beside the hammock and looked at the dying vampire.

"You requested my presence, sir?" Gavner asked in his weakened voice. He was making every effort that he could to remain stable and not cradle his throbbing head.

"Indeed. Tell me, what is your name?"

"I am Gavner Nahs, General of Clan Anoterish. What might I address you as, sir?" Gavner replied.

"Ooh a general, how nice." Vir replied. "I am Vir Fortis, Prince of Clan Durus." Now Gavner felt stupid as the information set in. Clan Durus was one of the only clans in Dheathain. This was one of the most renown vampire war princes of the clan.

"Sir, I am at your service." Gavner said as strongly as he could.

"Please, call me Vir," The perishing prince said. "Now to the task at hand. I am going to die before this voyage comes to a close and I want you to send a message to my clan in Dhethain. With me gone, the clan needs another prince to fill my place. Tell the other princes that my vote goes to Sammy Yirvik. He may seem small, but he is wise far beyond most in the clan."

"Very well sir," Gavner said. "It pains me to see you in a condition such as this."

"Thank you for the favor Gavner. For your kindness I have a small token to show my appreciation..."