.:D i v i n i t y:.
[ This is a story idea that I just recently thought up. I have a vague idea of where it is going... but this is just a 'prologue' sort of introduction. I know that my grammar isn't the best n'what not... this is like a rough copy, and content is the main thing in my opinion. (Grammar is for editors! lol) Anyways... enjoy! I welcome comments and what-not. ^_^; It's been a while since I've tried to tackle on a full-fledged story and not a short one. ]
.: The Beginning :.
“The finest blessings are those which go unnoticed; for it is those blessings, which reveal themselves in the direst of times.”
Laughter danced upon the air as three thickly attired men walked through the storm. Stopping, the men tensed up immediately at the sound; clenching their hands about the handles of their swords as their beady eyes darted about. The storm however, was unmerciful as the blizzard blinded their vision and froze their faces. Yet despite the howling wind, the laughter still seemed to encircle them- as if taunting their mere presence in the storm. These men were out of their element and as the laughter seemed to grow near; their realization began to become clearer.
“We should head back! This is insanity!” One of the men cried, holding a hand up to shield his eyes from the shards of snow. The larger of the men shook his head, apparently being the leader.
“No! We have a mission to destroy Bro’tmau.” His voice barked into the air, and for a moment the laughter stopped. All three men silenced themselves, allowing their eyes to glance about futilely into blizzard. After several minutes of seeing nothing but the gusting snow, one of the men turned away from the others.
“I’m leaving! The lord would not command such madness if he knew the condit-” Before the man could finish his sentence however, he abruptly disappeared into the blizzard. The swift yet gruesome sound of snapping tendons and ripped flesh followed with a rush of crimson-tainted snow dancing in the sky.
“Backs!” The leader barked, and soon he was back-to-back with his remaining companion; staring into the whiteness which surrounded them. They stood poised with swords drawn for several minutes.
Then a growl seemed to surround them, followed by the laughter.
“Show yourselves!” The leader cried out in anger, lashing his sword at the air. In response, the growling and the laughter only grew louder. It soon roared to rival the howling wind- a deafening sound of impending doom. In mercy however, as the sound seemed to brush near the two men- it stopped once more. The leader withdrew a shaky breath of relief, but paled in an instant once he heard his companion behind him give out a scream. He then felt his companion’s body lurch away from his own, and with that the leader whipped around to see his last man being dragged away by some unseen figure. Pools of blood seeped into the snow, and the leader stared in horror at the trailed remains of his companion. However, before the leader could think another thought to comprehend what was happening, a flash of silver rippled across his neck. His body and his head then soon crumpled to the ground, adding his own blood as a sacrifice to the storm.
Not too far off, two figures stood rigidly upon a high snow drift. A large, dark-cloaked figure stared at the spot where the three men were. His silver sword dripped with blood and he slowly wiped the blade against the ground and then sheathed it behind his back. His face was unseen, wrapped in a deep crimson scarf of red, only revealing his thick black hair which rippled slightly in the wind. By his side, the figure of a wolf-like creature stood as well. Its figure was barely seen in the blizzard- being as white as the snow itself. The only definable features of the wolf creature were its striking ice-bitten blue eyes, its coal-black nose and the faint remains of blood upon the fur around its jaws. The wolf-like being looked up at its master, wagging its seven tails slightly.
“Fools.” The man said, spiting into the ground with a cursing demeanor. “Their own stupidity would have killed them in this storm. I did them mercy by taking their lives first.” He then turned about and began to walk away from the dead men. The creature followed, gracefully walking upon the snow instead of barreling through it like the man. Giving a soft nudge, it pushed its muzzle slightly against the man’s hand as if to lighten his mood. A low chuckle emerged, as the man’s hand gently patted the creature’s head.
“Yes, yes...” He trailed off, still walking through the snow. “We are heading to our home now, Kiiah.” The wolf-like creature, Kiiah, seemed to be in great spirits with this news. Instantly Kiiah trotted ahead of the man known as Bro’tmau. A brilliant silver flash then rippled through the air and within a mere thought Kiiah was no longer in a wolf-like form. She stood as a woman, gazing back at him with the same icy blue eyes. Her golden-nipped hair was tied up into a sweeping ponytail, showing off her gentle and elegant facial features. She was dressed simplistically… wearing nothing more than a black, leather-like corset that exposed her lower abdomen and a black undergarment covered with a semi-transparent skirt of crimson. Despite the blizzard about her however, she seemed unfazed- as if she held some inner warmth which protected her.
“Yay! I am pleased to go home!” Kiiah spoke happily- her voice radiating with an inner child-like voice, despite her well-developed figure. She immediately dashed through the snow towards Bro’tmau, wrapping her arms about him like a child hugging her endearing father. Bro’tmau’s expression was unseen, but it was quite obvious that he was used to this unbridled energy. Releasing her clasp about his waist, she began to walk beside him as they continued onwards through the thickening snow.
“Master, when we go home… we get to relax and have fun!” Kiiah continued to chatter, to which Bro’tmau silently listened.
“And we can eat lots of food and play games!” Kiiah could have almost purred as she animatedly flung her arms about to express and capture her excitement. Her mind was wild and teaming with imagination, and at this rate it would be a very long journey for Bro’tmau to endure. The snowy caps of the mountain were extremely long and tedious, along with the jungle-like habitat below the mountain that was nearly half-way from their home. Yet, Bro’tmau was not deterred by this information.
As of late, the Lord of the South seemed to be very adamant at trying to assassinate Bro’tmau. It seemed that every mission or outing that Bro’tmau went upon was interrupted by deadly encounters. This did not bother Bro’tmau, but rather amused him greatly. It was a key indicator of the Southern Lord’s paranoia of the North, and to be more precise, of Bro’tmau’s power- which was growing more evident with every kill Bro’tmau made.
“Next time… I shall cleanly rip the heart out of the next man that crosses me, and send it to him as an introductory gift.” Bro’tmau mused to himself, knowing that it would only be a matter of time when he would go into the heart of the Southern cities and kill the Lord himself. Bro’tmau was powerful, however he knew that it was not yet the time to call upon his allegiances to destroy the south. There was still a chance that Bro’tmau could enhance his power further- to the point where there would be no opposition to rival it.
Recently, he had heard from an elderly of a temple not too far in the eastern lands of the south. This temple was thought to have been ruined several years ago, but the old man claimed it still existed. Hidden in the forest and guarded by several spirits to ward off greedy men who would seek to harness the powers given out by the temple. Bro’tmau had every intention of going to the temple first- to see if it was true and test its strength. He had even spoken with Kiiah, for as naive as she was… she still seemed to harness a great innocent view upon things that were uncanny. Kiiah had clearly shown faith in the temple, believing “in her soul” that it was true and that they could attain entrance.
“Wonderful…” Bro’tmau had thought, “…wonderful.”
As Bro’tmau and Kiiah continued to trek down the mountain, they were completely unaware that they had been rediscovered by a fourth man. He had separated himself from the other three on purpose- to watch Bro’tmau destroy them. Of course, he was pleasantly surprised that Bro’tmau had Kiiah with him- as if he didn’t know of the man’s “minion”.
“All the more rewarding…” the man sneered, a sly grin upon his face as he continued to watch the pair travel down the mountain.
.: Divinity :.
