The Warden (Chapter 1)

[jlaventer]

critisize me! good beginning to a story? or too complicated and better of somewhere in the middle of a book? or just better off as a junker? characters and emotions portrayed well?

Edit/ I copy/pasted from word so the paragraphs and Italics were messed up, re did them to make it easier to read. It's about 15 pages long, so take about 15-20 minutes to read it all, it's definately worth it!

Copyright © 2006 Justin LaVenter

Chapter 1


150th year of the Searyn War, Barathrum





Every minute is an eternity of what might have been. Every thought is a place only imagination can take me. Every missed opportunity is a painful reminder of what will never be.

I believe I was happy once, though these days I'm not quite sure. The memories of my childhood are a misconstrued painting amongst paranoia and pain. I strain to recall my loving family that spoiled me rotten, or so they claim, to a place where innocence and a passion for curiosity are more important than social standing or the pressure of making hard decisions. A time when love is a new and exciting venture, the opposite sex alluring and frightening holding promises of happiness and sorrow as you learn to interact and exist among others.

I believe I was Human once, though these days I'm not quite sure. This world is as alien to me as it is to the Searyn hordes that destroy everything around me. Were they brought here in a similar way as I was?

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Kryssa sat crouched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the desert, shaking off her disturbing thoughts. Her pain and desire for something, but not sure what, was always appeased when looking at something as beautiful as the sunset shimmering down upon the scorched clay of the vast Karanou desert.

Small shadows glide gently over the small scattered brush and the black Danton trees, so dark they seem to be twisted vertical reflections of their shadows, as if the shadows themselves had taken life and climbed out of the gloom. Smaller cliffs and rock formations in eerie shapes; the start of warped sculptures that had never been finished, cast larger irregular shaped patches of darkness across the land.

A predator sits waiting to pounce, ever patient scanning the wasteland for her next prey to further hone her hunting skills. Her eyes focus in on a woman perched on an outcrop of the cliff, looking as if ready to pounce on something herself. The stink of sweat and flesh drives a spear of longing through her stomach; she casually licks the still fresh blood from her paws. Rising quietly she leaves her shrub, slowly creeping up the steps of stone closer to the woman.

Kryssa still sat staring at the birth of the desert twilight, the crimson and yellow sky rippling and fading into a dark blue into the east, soaking up the remainder of the day's warmth with a look of tranquility on her face. Closing her eyes, putting her hands out in front of her stomach, feeling the air pass over every inch of her body, she soaks in the energy of the winds, the energy from the sun, the shrubs and trees around her, the heat resonating from the surrounding desert and the magic that makes up everything in this world.
The air begins to waver and darken as the energy seeps into her head, hands and feet. A tingling searing heat that accompanies the presence of drawing in living energy creeps down her neck and up her limbs, as if warm water were making its way through the inside of her body. She ignores the excitement and surge of adrenaline from having this power in her and moves it into her torso where it is most easily contained.

Contented with the energy flowing within her, she let her hands fall and stood up reluctantly, the power locked inside her pulsing and pleading, demanding for her to draw more. It always did, its hunger and loneliness never appeased. It called to her, as it always would in an almost sentient voice.

More, we need more! Shape us, draw more! Come to us, join us, be free!

She drew in a slow deep breath and denied her urges, the life inside her seeming to wail in agony and defeat.

The Lioness watched the strange woman; she knew this being and what she was capable of, recognizing the danger of the distorted and darkened space around her prey.
She crept closer, low to the ground stomach almost scraping the rock as she made her way to a bulky Danton tree a lengthy leap behind the woman. Her stomach tensed in the enthusiasm at the sport of hunting something so deadly.

She looked down at the solid rock she walked over, feeling exposed without grasses or a more suitable environment to give her large graceful form the cover she preferred. Hastily raising her eyes to check the woman, quelling her doubts that she had been sensed, she leapt to a low lying branch of the Danton tree and bounded off towards her prey’s back.
The woman could feel something nearing, but it was indistinct, something living, something with conscious thought but spread out, unable to pinpoint. She snapped her head from side to side.

“Tosh, are you near?” she questioned, sending her friend a mental image of her location. Receiving no response Kryssa spun about in anticipation of an attack, to see a blur of fur and claws flying at her face.

She let out a gasp at the proximity of the animal, almost too late she threw her arms up crossing each other, guarding her neck and sucking in her stomach, knowing the giant cat would use its powerful hind claws to try to gut her.

The five hundred pound beast slammed into her chest, the speed and momentum carrying them both flying off the monstrous cliff. The wind driven from her lungs, Kryssa struggled to keep the cat’s jaws off her neck with the outer-part of her forearms, while its front claws dug into her shoulders and the rear grazing her sucked in stomach planting themselves in her thighs. She let out a gasp in pain as fresh blood made its way down her body from the formidable claw wounds. They fell, gaining speed faster and faster, too fast, as if the cat was willing itself and her prey downward.

Sparing a glance over her shoulder to see the ground closing in, wind rushing at her back, flailing cat at her neck, Kryssa reached for the energy she had just stored and pushed a small amount to her feet, the warm tingling feeling sliding down her body.

The magic cooed to her, pleading to be released, she pushed it out in a short and violent burst as it careened downward and toward the cliff face at her feet. The rock exploded where the energy hit and sent showers of stone flying outwards in all directions. The burst sent Kryssa and the cat soaring backwards parallel to the ground, the sudden shift in momentum causing her vision to waver momentarily.

The lioness thrashed violently as it tried desperately to break through the barrier of flesh and bone guarding the woman’s neck, both her arms crossed over the cat’s neck like an X, just barely keeping the deadly jaws at bay.

She dropped her left arm down, wrapping it around the cat’s hind leg.
“What are you waiting for?” she coaxed, narrowing her eyes, knowing the lioness would jerk its head toward her throat.

Almost immediately the lioness made her move with lethal swiftness, overpowering her one arm protecting her throat. Kryssa whipped her head to left, pulling the cat’s with her right hand simultaneously hoisting the cat’s hind leg overhead, sending them tumbling into a back flip in midair.

Facing down now flying feet first like an arrow in mid flight, Kryssa grabbed the airborne cat by its throat and laid a hand on its stomach while she moved the energy down her arms and hands, she snapped it out into the cat’s body. The lioness eye’s widened in surprise as she jerked downward and smashed into the desert floor creating a hollow, spraying more debris and dust into the air. Kryssa set her feet down followed by her hands as she flew backwards dragging her limbs across the dry ground slowing her down, creating craterous tracks as she sank deeper into the tough soil. Her legs began to burn and tremble violently with the effort it took to slow her speed, her hands were stinging and her heart began to pound. When she finally came to a stop, a good four hundred feet was between her and the lioness.

Smirking, Kryssa stood up slowly and shook off the rubble, inspecting her hands, they stung and throbbed painfully, some of the skin was gone from dragging on the ground going so fast. Her shoulders and thighs bled slightly and stung from the cat’s giant claws.
Kryssa started off toward the cat
“Tosh, you ok? I didn't hit you into the ground too hard did I?” she joked loudly

A thick purring like laughter came through the cat’s mental link to its master. Although the lioness could understand speech, it could not communicate back in any normal sense. Overtime they had learned they could show each other images or emit emotions they could both feel, as if conjuring up a dream you had last night in you’re minds eye and sharing it.
Tosh projected herself spinning around in circles chasing her tail as she’d seen the less intelligent animals of this world do back to her friend.

Kryssa laughed “Guess I’ll have to hit you harder next time little girl. You sure left me the worse for wear!”

Tosh climbed out of the crater and trotted toward Kryssa, purring and shaking her tail slightly as she went a long. She leapt up and knocked Kryssa over onto her back, pinning her with her paws. Shaking the debris off all over her, Tosh laid her head down and licked her friend on the nose.

“Glad to see you too.” She scratched the big cats cheeks and ears. “You smell like blood, finished hunting?”
As if in answer she licked her own face.
“Anything appetizing?” she inquired

She displayed an image of herself stalking a small shaggy buffalo-like creature with tusks like that of a wild boar.

They were extremely tough little animals, as strong as any large cat and maybe as agile, but they didn’t have the stamina, they were built for short bursts of energy to catch their usual prey and run from the other desert animals that made it theirs. Yet Tosh was not of this world, the same as her master. The Yipp hadn’t stood a chance.

“A noble animal, hard as any to hunt, too tough and stringy for my taste though.” She frowned “You’re getting good at hiding from me. I didn't feel you until you were almost on top of me. I’m glad I had time to keep your damned teeth off my neck.”

Mutual pride seeped through the mental bond they shared.

She looked into Tosh’s eyes. “Let me up, we should head back; if we leave soon we should be able to make it home before the next flare of the sun.”

Tosh started to rise but stopped abruptly, flinching back down as if caught off guard. Her ears twitced back and forth slowly scanning, she began to click her jaw and tongue the way she did when she sensed something bad was going to happen.

Kryssa stood up slowly not wanting to startle her already uneasy friend. “I feel it too little girl … Searyn Weilders, two of them at least.” She said with a heavy heart, not wanting to admit it. She slowly reached out and ran her hand down the length of Tosh’s head and back.

Tosh stopped clicking and eased out of her crouch, welcoming the touch of a warm hand and started walking back and forth, rubbing her heavy body on Kryssa’s leg, letting out a half growl and yawn as she went along.

She showed an image of two balls of light to Kryssa which was how she perceived their source of power to be, and a third and larger one which was meant to be Kryssa’s.

Kryssa smiled and she smacked the lioness on the rump playfully. “They are strong, stronger than they used to be, but so am I, and, so are you.” Even talking in a jovial manner she knew her friend had sensed the unease in her voice. She knew as well as Tosh that they were most likely scouts, and where there were Searyn scouts, there was usually an army behind it.

Over the course of One hundred and fifty years since the Searyn had come to this land in hordes from the south like an infectious plague, swarming, gathering in force and adapting to destroy this world as they crushed the resistance of the towns, castles and then the nine great cities. There had been nothing that could stop them, slow them down yes, just stalling the inevitable it seemed if something didn’t change soon.

There had been peace since the downfall of Dainar, the last fortified great city in the Midlands twenty four years ago after over a century of war. The Searyn barely won, they as well as the natives to this land had taken horrible losses. After an entire species of people had been destroyed in the battles and some dangerously close to the brink of extinction, the King and the remaining lords had decided they needed to flee the midlands east over the Tangid mountains to the coast, where the last free kingdom in Barathrum stood nestled against the sea. With the help of Kryssa and the sorcerers and clerics of the alliance, they had succeeded in moving two million people through a tunnel in the mountains to the kingdom of Serda, spreading out the population on the eastern coast.

Tosh showed her a picture of two Searyn drawing in energy with her finding them. They looked humanoid from a distance, though grayish in color, taller and frail looking with no body hair and wiry muscles, and the eyes, bright white with glassy gray Iris’ and narrowly slit made them appear to be a demonic perversion of humanity. She felt curiosity flow from her friend. It was Tosh’s way of asking
“Why do they come with energy in them if they are scouts?”

Kryssa looked down at her friend, sharing a speculative gaze with the lioness.
“I….I think that they don’t know I can feel them this far away. They are still a couple months away at marching speed. I know they couldn’t feel me at this distance….or…” She paused and drew in a slow breath. “They might mean for me to find them, miss-direction, possibly a diversion from a much closer threat.”
She put a hand over her face and closed her eyes, her head was starting to hurt, the burning sensation she got when she tried to think too fast. She badly needed rest.

This is too soon! She thought how can they be ready to attack, why? Its suicide! What do they have to gain!

She snapped out of her thoughts suddenly, shaking off a fit of anger. She could feel it again, that same sense that something was nearing, something with conscious thought but obscured, unable to pinpoint, hiding itself from her.

“Tosh, get away from me, find any cover you can!” She exclaimed. If they were planning an ambush this was a horrible spot, there was little cover for either side, nothing but scattered trees, shrubs, a cliff and some sloping rock formations in the distance. Tosh took off running to a nearby rock for cover, hiding herself from eye as well as mind. Kryssa had too much power in her to conceal herself from anyone who could feel her; it would be foolish of her to let some seep out at this point.

The formless energy began to grow, stronger by the second, it seemed to be all around her, laughing and whispering to her in a sinister voice. She dropped to the ground in a crouch, slowly turning her eyes to check her flanks. You hear that? She asked Tosh mentally
Yes! She replied with much alarm the two we felt before, they are fading away.

Pointed out, she could feel it now too, like two fingers prodding the back of your neck first hard, then lightening to a brush of the fingertip and finally vanishing.

There was a loud “crack” that shot through the air as two hooded figures seemed to materialize in front of her. She jumped, rolling to her right instinctively as two spheres of energy blasted a hole where she had been crouched. She let her own energy flow out into her entire body, creating a barrier that would shield her from other sources.
Get behind them, draw their attention! She urged to Tosh

Kryssa left her sideways roll running while she eyed her assailants; it was extremely dangerous to stand idle when dealing with anything that could wield energy. They stood there tall and resolute with reddish-brown cloaks; their hood drawn about them-she was curious; they were much bigger than Searyn Wielders, as big as the warriors. And the fact that they had appeared instantly at least two months distance from where they were left her troubled.

They let their magic go; two massive waves of liquid flame surged towards her.
Sorcerers! They can shape fire! Searyn wielders walked the paths of energy and life; same as her, yet the wielders took their path to a sinister place, sardonically disturbing the very life the unbridled power comes from. Sorcerers were different-dangerous in a less powerful but diverse way, these seemed to be teeming with both talents. They were precise, sending one ahead of her to match her speed and one at her present location. She sped up her run, using as much energy as she dared to give power to her legs to outdistance the deadly waves. She seemed to leap at every step, the impact of each foot landing jarring her body.

The molten waves of white flame crashed into her barrier of energy with deafening force, churning the ground as it rolled in protest at the deflecting wall. Even as the brunt of liquid death bent behind her they sent a buffeting wave of energy towards it, igniting the volatile storm of earth and conflicting forces that sent Kryssa flailing through the air. She could feel hard earth and heat eating through her magical barrier and tearing slightly into her body as she tumbled back to the ground in a hard bouncing roll that left her breathless and bruised.

Tosh! Move now! Something is wrong; these can’t be Searyn
Their attention completely on the Human Warden, Tosh had an easy time sneaking from behind the rock to surprise the unsuspecting creatures. She leapt at the one on the right landing on its back and sinking her teeth into a shield of energy. If it had been any other animal the bite would have shattered its teeth, being an impenetrable barrier, but Tosh knew how to get past this invisible armor, especially with them so focused on the offense. She clamped down as hard as she could; using her energy as her master would, severing the defensive shield as well as the jugular of the creature as it fell to its stomach, gurgling its life blood away.

The remaining creature spun to its side to meet its new foe, beginning to reel in his concentration with much alacrity to defend his position and flee.

Kryssa was the quicker, the adrenaline masking her pain. She had already released two blasts that would implode behind and above him if her aim was true. Tosh leapt to the left as the explosion above the creature went off and battered through his defenses, sending him crunching face first into the ground as the one behind it sent him sliding forward-tearing through the clay.

“Don’t kill him!” She yelled as she walked slowly and painfully towards its crumpled form, she could see it stirring slightly. She took her time to walk, giving her a moment to bind the energy in as it washed around her body, mending her superficial injuries and renewing her muscles.
“Turn around, and stay seated, do nothing else or you die.” She said sternly.
Tosh paced rapidly barring her teeth.

“She says you underestimate her.” Kryssa scoffed
It rolled itself over revealing his dark grey bald head, with the gleaming grey eyes of a Searyn.

“What are you?” She demanded angrily

He laughed deeply revealing a devilish and charismatic grin “I am a Searyn, and a Wielder, but you know that.”

She kicked him swiftly with her left leg, she could hear ribs shatter as the mail armor beneath its robes pressed into his flesh. “You are also something else, you can meld fire like a sorcerer, and as I recall, I have never seen a sorcerer in the Searyn ranks, or any of our own able to also mold raw energy or-“ She paused as she remembered the frightening speed in which they arrived.”Not to mention your timely and impressive arrival. How is this possible, tell me why you came. Or I will make sure you die painfully.” She added wickedly “You should have known that you would have needed more of you to kill me, quite foolish, no matter what you are.” She said coldly and calmly for her benefit as much as the Searyn’s.

The Searyn writhed in pain for a moment, clutching his broken ribs and struggling to take small shallow breaths through a face that crinkled in the throws of agony

He started to laugh through the pain, gaining in strength and seeming to echo. “I don’t need to kill you Warden, you will do that yourself. Everything you ever loved died because of you-“ He paused to gasp in a short pained breath. “It’s ironic that you should end your own murdering ways.” He said in a venomous voice, hissing his words in a lisp-like manner.

“You cowardly piece of trash! You dare call me a murderer!” She screamed, almost shaking in anger digging her nails into her clenched fists.

Vivid images of children and lovers holding hands fleeing as Searyn Wielders rained down their terrible spheres of energy upon them, the air clogged with decay and rubble as mists of gore settled to the wreckage. The Searyn females and larger warriors demented with bloodlust as they chopped through the survivors of the onslaught.

She tried to kick him in the ribs again but she couldn’t move, she tried calling forth the energy but it wouldn’t budge. Where the Searyn had lain, now a little brown haired, gray eyed boy lay there dressed in ragged clothing, holding his ribs looking up at her with swollen wet and pained eyes.
“Why mamma, why you hurt me, I love you…I….I’ll be good, I promise!” He cried in terror, blood trickling out of his mouth.

Kryssa’s legs almost gave out as she went to reach for her son, to comfort him. “I’m so sorry baby, I didn’t mean-“As she put her hand to his head the bright eyes and amused grin of the Searyn came crashing back.

He laughed almost in hysteria spitting out words between fits of laughter and pain “The most powerful…being….ever…and you couldn’t even stop yourself…..from killing your son.”
She shook with frustration as she redoubled her efforts to kill the Searyn, but to no effect, she couldn’t move.

The Searyn reverted back into her son and stood up slowly, walking towards her “You killed me ma!” He cried “You killed dada! You killed us all! Why? We loved you.” He crept closer, holding the right side of his body.

“It wasn’t my fault! It was an accident!” She yelled at the apparition, backing away slowly trembling with a flood of emotion.

Tosh tried to attack the illusory boy but she couldn’t move, she was held against her will by an invisible force.

The boy pulled a small blade from behind his back, snarling with murderous intent as he lunged for Kryssa’s neck. The brunt of the strike ricocheted off the ever-present barrier of energy around the Warden, but her concentration fading it left a nick across her throat, enough for the poison to do its work.

“Goodbye Warden, the rest of this world will soon meet you in death.” The Searyn sneered with contempt in the guise of the boy. With a snap of the air, he was gone just as suddenly as he had appeared.

Kryssa waved her hands in front of her face and blinking rapidly as images both horrid and painful flittered through her thoughts, seeming to come to life and drown her in their horrific nature.

She was starting to get angry, too angry, something was wrong; her hands gripped her head tightly as she started to shake, breathing quick and shallow.

Tosh watched her master in alarm backing away slowly. Kryssa began to shake aggressively and her breathing became more erratic as her heart pounded frantically. Tosh knew she was starting to lose control of the energy; this poison was designed magically for a specific purpose. She roared as loud as she could, nothing, the air began thinning, darkening one moment then lighting up like a sunrise reflecting off the ocean the next as the energy around her friend pulsed loudly. She roared again and again, trying to show her friend in her mind what was happening but to no effect.

More! Join us; come to us, we need more; you are almost free, free to live, to feel no pain, to love, to kill no more! To kill no more! The voice in her called.

Kryssa was on her knees now squeezing her head with both hands trying to numb the pain, her entire body was hot, she was sweating, and panting as the power inside her spread to her entire body, pulling in every bit of life it could from the vicinity as it took on a life of its own. The air thinned and grew cold; she struggled to breathe as she dropped her hands to the ground, hyperventilating. The force inside her urged her on, whispering sweet promises.

It’s ok Kryssa. Come to me, come to our son. It was the voice of her long dead husband

“Joseph? I want to go home, I…I’m tired, I don’t want to kill anymore.” She cried, unable to control her tears, choking on her words as they came out between rasping breaths.

You can come home Kryssa, you are almost free, free to live and love, to feel no pain, to kill no more!
The voice was so loud in her head it seemed to shake her brain, rattling her eyes in their sockets, it kept repeating itself

Kill no more! Kill no more! You are almost free!

Tosh watched helplessly as her friend was unwillingly killing herself. She kept backing away further and further roaring as loud as she could as the ever expanding air of power vibrated noisily. She couldn’t even see her friend through the pulsing darkness that surrounded Kryssa. She had to keep moving away for fear of being sucked into the void.

The ground began to shake violently, chunks of clay, rock and small bushes swam through the air as it was being pulled towards Kryssa to feed the hungry life forming in and around her.

Tosh was at a full out sprint now, trying to outrun the cyclone of death her friend had created. Tosh could run fast enough to seem a blur to any being in this world if she chose too, but it was barely fast enough to keep out of the vacuum.

She kept trying to show her friend what was happening, a sense of danger, urgency, her family, her village, anything she once knew in her life before becoming a Warden; something that might calm her, before they had ended up in this world.

Kryssa could no longer breathe at all now, there was nothing left to breathe- it was all being consumed. The ground below her began to crack and sink down in an expanding spiral, dragging her down further and further into the parched earth as it broke apart and swirled around her. She was so hot now she felt as if she were going to be cooked from the inside out, sweat poured from her as she was forced to drop to her stomach. She could no longer see anything except splotches of black and red alternating lazily as she slipped further towards unconsciousness.

MORE! MORE! The voice urged; it seemed almost giddy.

Kill no more, we are free we are….the voice stopped abruptly

Kryssa! Let go this voice was different, calm, soothing.
An image of a winged being floated through her thoughts

“An angel” She smiled. I’m finally dead, I’m coming Joseph, Dillan, I will see you soon.

Kryssa, you are not dead, this is not your time. Many more will die if you don’t survive. Let go, I can help you, you have lost control. The voice was masculine, kind, yet demanding.

The image of the winged being was clearer now, he was slightly larger than her, covered in white scales head to toe, she could see his face; its eyes were hazel and narrowly set upon his face with the betraying vertical pupils and small claws of a predator. Giant scaled white wings with a hint of burgundy on the underside wrapped around his body. He looked down at her and stroked the light brown hair away from her face. It felt real, like he was there with her, the small scales on his fingers cold and smooth.

You are going to kill yourself, Tosh and everyone in and near this desert if you don’t let go.

The image of a torn apart lioness flashed through her mind making her feel sick.

I’m a friend, I can help you, I will come to you, but you have to let go, push it out! It urged NOW! He screamed

Everything around her shook and hummed as if the world itself were being torn to shreds. She could feel the energy now, was aware of what she was doing. With a breathless scream she pushed all the power out of her into the ground. A terrible flash of heat and numbness flowed through her as it was released into the volatile storm.

She couldn’t see, but she felt what happened, everything seemed to go silent and the ground shuttered so hard she thought it was going to stop her heart or tear her limb from limb. The force of the blast sent her reeling into the air.

I’m flying she thought, waiting for the ground to meet her, but it didn’t come before she faded into unconsciousness.

Tosh felt the explosion of energy coming, she had been running at full speed and was miles away from her friend but it didn’t matter, she wasn’t going to get away this time.

She spared a look over her shoulder, it didn’t make a difference, the ground was crumbling beneath her and chunks of rock were flying past as she was being pulled in with more ferocity every second. There was nothing more spectacularly destructive than when a Warden lost control of her power. Tosh had lived through it once, but a miracle once is a disaster second time around.

Tosh jumped as hard as she could pushing out what little energy she had left in her in a last ditch effort to clear the blast but to little avail. She was engulfed in a wave of magic and earth as everything went black.

[Dead Dutchman]

A marathon of reading, but very good none the less

[BBallForLife]

That's really good. Keep it up.

[King Eduardo]

wow thats super long! Its a great story but I would like it better if you made the chapters shorter just something to think about. keep up the good work.