Date: 10/1/2000 3:34 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Beck Weller
Pacing slowly through the brush, his eyes carefully tracked the progression of slighlty singed twigs and partially burnt leaves, evidence of his previous opponent's trail. His skin still steamed in the cool night air, his footprints smoking in his wake. Brash had turned on him after the last battle, commanding him to leave the park and not come back until he'd "cooled down." That was the furthest thing from his
mind.
FireStar had finally come awake for him.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For weeks he'd pondered over the red stone, carefully tracing its flawless surface with his fingertips countless times as he prayed in his mind for his dreams to become reality. Each time, the smooth surface rebuffed his hopes, just as it did the raindrops that slid from that glassy exteriour.
The tiny bush stood mocking him in the small clearing, its bare branches and few remaning dead leaves twittering cheerily in a brisk breeze. He focused his attention, trying to force the rage that frightened him so, but brought such tangible results. The anger burned inside him, boiling and seething just beneath a seemingly indesctructible film of the humility that had been forced upon him since his birth. He bit his lip with frustration as all
his efforts proved futile, the stone remained stubbornly dormant and his slave's nature proved stronger than his recently emerging independence. The bush refused to burn.
Wracking his brain, he thought back to the two times FireStar had previously manifested for him. Both times, he had been fighting. Both times, he'd been heavily abused in the course of the fight and his temper fired the stone, as well as the victory. He'd forsaken the duels recently to persue the secrets of the opal, perhaps they were inexhoribly bound to one another.
Curling up in a bed of evergreen needles, he slept until dueling started that night.
He later entered the dueling area of the park with his obsession fully in control, he couldn't even move his hand from the red stone on his arm until his first duel had been called to begin. Brash seemed unimpressed, as well he should be, as the duel started off badly for Beck's body, but good for his goal. He took two heavy blows, but the rage never came. As if to add insult to injury, his instincts refused to let the abuse continue and he
handily defeated the man despite his best plans.
The second duel came and went, his body battered and his soul in despair as once again his nature refused to turn to the fiery side he knew was there, winning despite his wishes.
If nothing else, he was persistant... he tried once more. This time, the man he faced in the sandy pit Brash had him fighting in all night was different. It started the same, Beck took punishment enough to suit any masochistic desire he might have. It was when the other man turned to pity, trying to lessen the force of his blows, that Beck struck back in anger.
Somehow, his mind had gotten lost in this fight... his opponent was drawing him in with games and feints, forcing him to take a vested interest in his own actions and release his conscious stranlgehold on the opal. He did something in this fight that was somehow lacking from the other two... he fought with his feelings instead of his brain.
You think too much.
He was used to talking to himself, in the years of silence it became a staple of his existence, but he was never accustomed to the voice sounding so sibliant and.... female.
Another blow to his head violently focused his attention back to the man in front of him. On impulse, he threw a fast retaliatory kick... the impact shivered satisfyingly up his leg, punctuated by a smattering of light dripping from his left arm.
He couldn't understand the glee that suddenly bloomed in his chest, an unadulterated pleasure at simply being violent, being strong... but he learned long ago not to question things, just move with the direction given. The man attacked again, and Beck caught the blurred fist in his palm. As he held the man, Beck's hand heated to the point that smoke started to seep from the point of contact, carrying with it the acrid scent of burned flesh.
He couldn't believe it. His rage and fury melded into one with the lust for carnage and glee in chaos. Freed from its prison, years of frustration and suppressed anger flowed through him in a torrent of energy, feeding the red stone now beating like a second heart in his bracer. He released the man to extinguish himself in the sand, nearly overwhelmed with the fusion of his spirit to FireStar. He was being engulfed.
The duel wasn't over. His opponent screamed his rage and pivoted, charging in. Turning his body, Beck braced his feet in the sand, which promptly melted into dark glass underneath him. Both open palms met the incoming body, setting it wholly afire.
People stared in shock as Beck calmly watched the man beat himself mostly out, then flee.
Brash dismissed him from the park. He left, his mind and heart filled with enough to distract him from what might have been a painful mistake on the official's part in his current state.
FireStar had come awake for him.
"For Whom the Bell Tolls" ((Opal SL- Beck))
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Re: "For Whom the Bell Tolls" ((Opal SL- Beck))
Date: 10/1/2000 6:53 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Beck Weller
He'd finally come to rest against the back wall of the Red Dragon Inn, staring at the shell of the Outback as he tried to process the events of the evening. The night chill deepened, creeping into his bones, signaling to him the end of summer and his time sleeping outdoors. The shivers were the only thing still keeping him awake.
Boy...
It was that voice again, more powerful this time. Compelling in its seductive promise, he knew beyond a doubt that it somehow belonged to the stone on his arm.
Boy...
He was at a loss. He couldn't answer the people in his life, how was he supposed to answer the voice of a spirit?
Silence. He turned his arm over to look at the gem. Nothing.
Stupid! He chided himself. How could you let your chance slip away? Frustrated, he hurls a rock at the crumbling wall before him.
FireStar flares, the rock catches aflame as it arcs through the air and spatters against solid stone. Without knowing it, he had given the only correct answer possible.
Free me.
Fingers fumbling with barely suppressed excitement, the twine holding FireStar to the steel around his arm falls away, spilling the gem into his waiting palm. A deep crimson pulse, beating in time with his heart, glows in the depths of the opal as he gingerly cups it near his face.
Are you prepared to abdicate your fear?
There was no warning other than that question. The voice seized his mind, lifting it aloft as if he were no more than a mewing kitten. His thoughts, his dreams and plans, his being was laid bare to the consciousness he held in his hand. As he watched, invisible fingers pried the lid so tightly sealed over the pit of endless rage deep in his core, flooding him with it... he was baptized in his own fury.
Behind the Inn, flames raced up thin arms and engulfed the boy leaning against the building. The silent one screamed and screamed until his throat bled.
From: Beck Weller
He'd finally come to rest against the back wall of the Red Dragon Inn, staring at the shell of the Outback as he tried to process the events of the evening. The night chill deepened, creeping into his bones, signaling to him the end of summer and his time sleeping outdoors. The shivers were the only thing still keeping him awake.
Boy...
It was that voice again, more powerful this time. Compelling in its seductive promise, he knew beyond a doubt that it somehow belonged to the stone on his arm.
Boy...
He was at a loss. He couldn't answer the people in his life, how was he supposed to answer the voice of a spirit?
Silence. He turned his arm over to look at the gem. Nothing.
Stupid! He chided himself. How could you let your chance slip away? Frustrated, he hurls a rock at the crumbling wall before him.
FireStar flares, the rock catches aflame as it arcs through the air and spatters against solid stone. Without knowing it, he had given the only correct answer possible.
Free me.
Fingers fumbling with barely suppressed excitement, the twine holding FireStar to the steel around his arm falls away, spilling the gem into his waiting palm. A deep crimson pulse, beating in time with his heart, glows in the depths of the opal as he gingerly cups it near his face.
Are you prepared to abdicate your fear?
There was no warning other than that question. The voice seized his mind, lifting it aloft as if he were no more than a mewing kitten. His thoughts, his dreams and plans, his being was laid bare to the consciousness he held in his hand. As he watched, invisible fingers pried the lid so tightly sealed over the pit of endless rage deep in his core, flooding him with it... he was baptized in his own fury.
Behind the Inn, flames raced up thin arms and engulfed the boy leaning against the building. The silent one screamed and screamed until his throat bled.
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Re: "For Whom the Bell Tolls" ((Opal SL- Beck))
Date: 10/2/2000 1:58 AM Central Daylight Time
From: Beck Weller
Milky water swirled about an equally creamy white body as the Mistress of the Kithainis empire lay back in her bath. Behind, her attendant settled her liege's hair on the edge of the tiled tub, fetching the brush.
"It's a bit cool dear."
Nodding, the redhead moves instead for the fresh bucket of water heating over a bed of coals near the tiled wall. Simultaneously, she reached for the shutter on one of the many windows breaking the smooth white marble that coated the entire room. However, she halted midway, as if frozen by the cold breeze slowly wafting in and hanging around the floor of the bath chamber in lazy swirls of fog.
"Dawn?" Launna sat up in the bath, covering herself with an arm... not for modesty's sake, but for the chill in the air.
"Mistress, the guards are calling for you. A scout just arrived from the Outlands with some news."
Something about Dawn's tone of voice... chilly and distant... brooked no argument from Launna. Forsaking the soaking she'd so looked forward to, she removed herself from the bath and accepted the robe offered by her chancellor. Dawn's face remained stretched taut with worry. Undoubtedly the voices of the guards downstairs were still relaying information to her, courtesy of the enchantment that let the Mistress rest quietly at nights.
"What is it Dawn?" Resting her hand on the colorless gauzy material that Dawn preferred to wear, she tried to console her councilor somewhat.
"Mistress.... " Dawn swallowed, "it's Beck. He's returned."
The tips of Launna's mouth turned up as she leaned over to place a gentle kiss on her confidant's cheek. "Is that what's gotten you so worried dearheart?"
"No Mistress... something's wrong. He's... he's different. He's... on fire."
From: Beck Weller
Milky water swirled about an equally creamy white body as the Mistress of the Kithainis empire lay back in her bath. Behind, her attendant settled her liege's hair on the edge of the tiled tub, fetching the brush.
"It's a bit cool dear."
Nodding, the redhead moves instead for the fresh bucket of water heating over a bed of coals near the tiled wall. Simultaneously, she reached for the shutter on one of the many windows breaking the smooth white marble that coated the entire room. However, she halted midway, as if frozen by the cold breeze slowly wafting in and hanging around the floor of the bath chamber in lazy swirls of fog.
"Dawn?" Launna sat up in the bath, covering herself with an arm... not for modesty's sake, but for the chill in the air.
"Mistress, the guards are calling for you. A scout just arrived from the Outlands with some news."
Something about Dawn's tone of voice... chilly and distant... brooked no argument from Launna. Forsaking the soaking she'd so looked forward to, she removed herself from the bath and accepted the robe offered by her chancellor. Dawn's face remained stretched taut with worry. Undoubtedly the voices of the guards downstairs were still relaying information to her, courtesy of the enchantment that let the Mistress rest quietly at nights.
"What is it Dawn?" Resting her hand on the colorless gauzy material that Dawn preferred to wear, she tried to console her councilor somewhat.
"Mistress.... " Dawn swallowed, "it's Beck. He's returned."
The tips of Launna's mouth turned up as she leaned over to place a gentle kiss on her confidant's cheek. "Is that what's gotten you so worried dearheart?"
"No Mistress... something's wrong. He's... he's different. He's... on fire."
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Re: "For Whom the Bell Tolls" ((Opal SL- Beck))
Date: 10/3/2000 6:36 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Beck Weller
"Fall back! Retreat!!"
Another explosion threw rocks and soldiers hurtling through the air. The ground smoked, the air reeked of that smoke. In the very center of the field of battle, a tiny volcano pushed its head through the earth, oozing incandescent lava and spewing blackness into the air.
The few remaining individuals of the once great army manage to scramble up the shallow incline that marked the beginning of the valley... a valley in which they never imagined they'd be beaten by one man.
Beck paced slowly across the gently sloping bowl, walking just along the edge of the quickly widening pool of molten earth as one would stroll along the water on a beach. It was a different Beck that wandered the battlefield turned apocalypse, his once long hair was now short and stood on end as if sculpting itself into a frozen flame. He had no shirt, nor shoes. Finally, only one of four steel cuffs remained on his body... the one with a glowing
red stone lashed to it.
Another explosion shook the ground to his right, a rock from deep in the ground falling down from the stratosphere where the volcano had hurled it and shattering upon impact. As if carefully choreographed, the pieces of flaming debris fly by Beck and his carefully set path, missing his body by mere inches.
This Beck walked upright, his head held high. Their futile attempts to keep him from this realm by sealing the original gate had failed. He may have a bit of a walk before him, but he would fear no army, he would halt for no mage. The hedge wizard this horde had brought with them gave him a target to focus his fury on, he could still see the look on the old man's face as the ground beneath his very feet betrayed him, opening up to swallow him and
his entourage before the initial blast even began in earnest.
Soon this shallow bowl would be filled with rock, the corpses of so many score soldiers buried with their memories and secrets.
FireStar sang a single note of perfect bliss, unleashed at last through an absolute and extraordinary union.
From: Beck Weller
"Fall back! Retreat!!"
Another explosion threw rocks and soldiers hurtling through the air. The ground smoked, the air reeked of that smoke. In the very center of the field of battle, a tiny volcano pushed its head through the earth, oozing incandescent lava and spewing blackness into the air.
The few remaining individuals of the once great army manage to scramble up the shallow incline that marked the beginning of the valley... a valley in which they never imagined they'd be beaten by one man.
Beck paced slowly across the gently sloping bowl, walking just along the edge of the quickly widening pool of molten earth as one would stroll along the water on a beach. It was a different Beck that wandered the battlefield turned apocalypse, his once long hair was now short and stood on end as if sculpting itself into a frozen flame. He had no shirt, nor shoes. Finally, only one of four steel cuffs remained on his body... the one with a glowing
red stone lashed to it.
Another explosion shook the ground to his right, a rock from deep in the ground falling down from the stratosphere where the volcano had hurled it and shattering upon impact. As if carefully choreographed, the pieces of flaming debris fly by Beck and his carefully set path, missing his body by mere inches.
This Beck walked upright, his head held high. Their futile attempts to keep him from this realm by sealing the original gate had failed. He may have a bit of a walk before him, but he would fear no army, he would halt for no mage. The hedge wizard this horde had brought with them gave him a target to focus his fury on, he could still see the look on the old man's face as the ground beneath his very feet betrayed him, opening up to swallow him and
his entourage before the initial blast even began in earnest.
Soon this shallow bowl would be filled with rock, the corpses of so many score soldiers buried with their memories and secrets.
FireStar sang a single note of perfect bliss, unleashed at last through an absolute and extraordinary union.
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Re: "For Whom the Bell Tolls" ((Opal SL- Beck))
Date: 10/5/2000 1:04 AM Central Daylight Time
From: Beck Weller
Mistress Launna reclined back in her throne, still clad only in the thick robe. Dawn moved into her customary place behind the great chair as a battered man at the end of the dais eagerly gulped down some water, preparing for his thirsty speech.
"Speak."
"We were encamped in the Gurthang pass as directed Mistress, the boy showed himself on the ridge." The scout began, handing what remained of the water to an attending slave. "It was dawn, and we could've swore he looked afire as he stood before the sun. Vizier Horus came immediately to spell the boy into sleep, that's when everything went mad."
The scout was still dressed from his journey, what he said next came as no surprise to any of the advisors present as they stared at the man. "The boy just pointed and the ground opened up and swallowed his holiness... whole! Then fire and brimstone spewed forth from the rent... "
The man's eyes grew wide as he gave his report of the wizard's demise, as if he were seeing the whole event happen again. His hand went instinctively to his breast, where the dark green and sickle moon had been charred off by a piece of flaming debris, making it look as if he'd been hit with a flaming sword. His helmet lay in two pieces on the floor next to him, having fallen from the stirrup but dutifully included as part of his uniform when
addressing her Highness.
"The hole got bigger and bigger," he continued, "becoming a geyser of flame!" He threw both arms heavenward to illustrate, his voice rising in pitch as he reached the climax of his tale. "Then the fire turned to smoke, and liquid earth came creeping out..." His tale turned to how the smoke smudged out the sun, blanketing the pass in a blackness only lit by streamers of falling lava. His tale was progressing worse than any visions of hell.
"We might have still been able to contain the boy if the sky hadn't started weeping fire as well. Nearly everyone was cut down in the explosions and hellfire that rained from above in the hours of darkness to follow. Only myself and six others of the three score survived."
The scout slumped visibly after the telling, dismissed by a wave of Launna's hand to his well-deserved rest. Khira then stepped forward at the command of her Mistress.
"I want the land drained of soldiers, animals, people... remove everything from the Kahaas plains to the castle doors. Leave only enough food behind for Beck to find, though not obviously. I don't want this boy to have any excuse to become upset in the few days it will take him to reach here."
"What are you doing Mistress?" Dawn queried in shock from behind the throne. "You're not going to stop him?"
"It seems he's become more than I'd hoped," replied Launna as she released the captain of the guards to do her bidding. "But he remains Beck, he is still my creation. He has power in his rage, but he is many days' travel away. With an uneventful journey, his intensity will be starved before he sets foot in my courtyard."
From: Beck Weller
Mistress Launna reclined back in her throne, still clad only in the thick robe. Dawn moved into her customary place behind the great chair as a battered man at the end of the dais eagerly gulped down some water, preparing for his thirsty speech.
"Speak."
"We were encamped in the Gurthang pass as directed Mistress, the boy showed himself on the ridge." The scout began, handing what remained of the water to an attending slave. "It was dawn, and we could've swore he looked afire as he stood before the sun. Vizier Horus came immediately to spell the boy into sleep, that's when everything went mad."
The scout was still dressed from his journey, what he said next came as no surprise to any of the advisors present as they stared at the man. "The boy just pointed and the ground opened up and swallowed his holiness... whole! Then fire and brimstone spewed forth from the rent... "
The man's eyes grew wide as he gave his report of the wizard's demise, as if he were seeing the whole event happen again. His hand went instinctively to his breast, where the dark green and sickle moon had been charred off by a piece of flaming debris, making it look as if he'd been hit with a flaming sword. His helmet lay in two pieces on the floor next to him, having fallen from the stirrup but dutifully included as part of his uniform when
addressing her Highness.
"The hole got bigger and bigger," he continued, "becoming a geyser of flame!" He threw both arms heavenward to illustrate, his voice rising in pitch as he reached the climax of his tale. "Then the fire turned to smoke, and liquid earth came creeping out..." His tale turned to how the smoke smudged out the sun, blanketing the pass in a blackness only lit by streamers of falling lava. His tale was progressing worse than any visions of hell.
"We might have still been able to contain the boy if the sky hadn't started weeping fire as well. Nearly everyone was cut down in the explosions and hellfire that rained from above in the hours of darkness to follow. Only myself and six others of the three score survived."
The scout slumped visibly after the telling, dismissed by a wave of Launna's hand to his well-deserved rest. Khira then stepped forward at the command of her Mistress.
"I want the land drained of soldiers, animals, people... remove everything from the Kahaas plains to the castle doors. Leave only enough food behind for Beck to find, though not obviously. I don't want this boy to have any excuse to become upset in the few days it will take him to reach here."
"What are you doing Mistress?" Dawn queried in shock from behind the throne. "You're not going to stop him?"
"It seems he's become more than I'd hoped," replied Launna as she released the captain of the guards to do her bidding. "But he remains Beck, he is still my creation. He has power in his rage, but he is many days' travel away. With an uneventful journey, his intensity will be starved before he sets foot in my courtyard."
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Re: "For Whom the Bell Tolls" ((Opal SL- Beck))
Date: 10/12/2000 5:39 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Beck Weller
Beck moved steadily through the countryside, cutting a swath through the land as straight as a crow's flight. It had been a sunset and a sunrise since his encounter with the army at the threshold of the only other portal to this world, the farms and hamlets he'd encountered since were deserted. He could only assume that news of the rout had gone on before him and everyone was now scurrying to get out of his way.
At first, frustration had ruled his days... he'd burned and raided to his (their) heart's content. Destruction kept him fueled, the idea of vengeance held his resolve. However, even chaos has limits... every fire burns low without new fuel. Without stimulation to feed on, FireStar fell silent and Beck fell quiet once again, thoughtful.
His body betrayed him and his task, it needed fuel other than the steady, if quiet, glow of FireStar's song in the pit of his belly. He was forced from the direct path at the next home, searching the premises for food. Finding a few apples and a partial wheel of cheese in the larder, he moved on. But not for long, such mundane tasks as walking and eating had taken a horrible toll on his body.
With a full stomach sleep soon snuck up on him, tugging his eyelids down with invisible fingers and making his body sluggish and heavy. He slept fitfully at best, his dreams filled with powerful voices speaking in a language he couldn't understand.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The moon stood high in the sky, bathing the castle courtyard in its opulent blue light. Launna's figure slipped in and out of the shadows cast by the pillars on her verandah, pacing the night away with her thoughts as close company.
She paused, placing her hands on the railing and bending her gaze out past the wall. The town spread out from her gates, the plains beyond that. At the verge of her vision lay a dark line, the forest before the mountains.
Many more reports had come in, scouts following in Beck's wake told of random destruction, farmhouses burned down, entire crops laid waste, footprints that wouldn't stop steaming even a day after the boy had moved on. She could only hope that the days travel between here and there would temper his rage, would wear his power down.
Something had gone wrong. She knew his temperament, it was the single reason she prized him so. But he had brought an outside factor into the battle, something unforeseen that she would have to deal with.
Besides that, all reports of Beck's progress had ceased, as if he'd either stopped leaving any trail or simply disappeared. He should have been at her doors that morning. She'd emptied the castle and town so that nobody else would be injured should the situation degenerate into outright force, now the entire land held its breath for the conclusion.
She knelt on the stone floor of her patio, resting her porcelain cheek against the cold handrail. It had been a long time since she'd felt as passionate for something as the end product of this plan. With Dawn on her right hand and Beck at her left, she would finally be complete. She could be content with the work of her lifetime, perhaps even find it within herself to become the kind of ruler that would make up for the wrongs she committed
getting this far. For a long time, she allowed herself to daydream of such a luxury.
With a gentle sigh, she raised herself to her feet once more and continued pacing, every now and then looking out into the moonwashed, lonely landscape.
Where are you Beck?
From: Beck Weller
Beck moved steadily through the countryside, cutting a swath through the land as straight as a crow's flight. It had been a sunset and a sunrise since his encounter with the army at the threshold of the only other portal to this world, the farms and hamlets he'd encountered since were deserted. He could only assume that news of the rout had gone on before him and everyone was now scurrying to get out of his way.
At first, frustration had ruled his days... he'd burned and raided to his (their) heart's content. Destruction kept him fueled, the idea of vengeance held his resolve. However, even chaos has limits... every fire burns low without new fuel. Without stimulation to feed on, FireStar fell silent and Beck fell quiet once again, thoughtful.
His body betrayed him and his task, it needed fuel other than the steady, if quiet, glow of FireStar's song in the pit of his belly. He was forced from the direct path at the next home, searching the premises for food. Finding a few apples and a partial wheel of cheese in the larder, he moved on. But not for long, such mundane tasks as walking and eating had taken a horrible toll on his body.
With a full stomach sleep soon snuck up on him, tugging his eyelids down with invisible fingers and making his body sluggish and heavy. He slept fitfully at best, his dreams filled with powerful voices speaking in a language he couldn't understand.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The moon stood high in the sky, bathing the castle courtyard in its opulent blue light. Launna's figure slipped in and out of the shadows cast by the pillars on her verandah, pacing the night away with her thoughts as close company.
She paused, placing her hands on the railing and bending her gaze out past the wall. The town spread out from her gates, the plains beyond that. At the verge of her vision lay a dark line, the forest before the mountains.
Many more reports had come in, scouts following in Beck's wake told of random destruction, farmhouses burned down, entire crops laid waste, footprints that wouldn't stop steaming even a day after the boy had moved on. She could only hope that the days travel between here and there would temper his rage, would wear his power down.
Something had gone wrong. She knew his temperament, it was the single reason she prized him so. But he had brought an outside factor into the battle, something unforeseen that she would have to deal with.
Besides that, all reports of Beck's progress had ceased, as if he'd either stopped leaving any trail or simply disappeared. He should have been at her doors that morning. She'd emptied the castle and town so that nobody else would be injured should the situation degenerate into outright force, now the entire land held its breath for the conclusion.
She knelt on the stone floor of her patio, resting her porcelain cheek against the cold handrail. It had been a long time since she'd felt as passionate for something as the end product of this plan. With Dawn on her right hand and Beck at her left, she would finally be complete. She could be content with the work of her lifetime, perhaps even find it within herself to become the kind of ruler that would make up for the wrongs she committed
getting this far. For a long time, she allowed herself to daydream of such a luxury.
With a gentle sigh, she raised herself to her feet once more and continued pacing, every now and then looking out into the moonwashed, lonely landscape.
Where are you Beck?
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Re: "For Whom the Bell Tolls" ((Opal SL- Beck))
Date: 10/12/2000 5:39 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Beck Weller
Beck moved steadily through the countryside, cutting a swath through the land as straight as a crow's flight. It had been a sunset and a sunrise since his encounter with the army at the threshold of the only other portal to this world, the farms and hamlets he'd encountered since were deserted. He could only assume that news of the rout had gone on before him and everyone was now scurrying to get out of his way.
At first, frustration had ruled his days... he'd burned and raided to his (their) heart's content. Destruction kept him fueled, the idea of vengeance held his resolve. However, even chaos has limits... every fire burns low without new fuel. Without stimulation to feed on, FireStar fell silent and Beck fell quiet once again, thoughtful.
His body betrayed him and his task, it needed fuel other than the steady, if quiet, glow of FireStar's song in the pit of his belly. He was forced from the direct path at the next home, searching the premises for food. Finding a few apples and a partial wheel of cheese in the larder, he moved on. But not for long, such mundane tasks as walking and eating had taken a horrible toll on his body.
With a full stomach sleep soon snuck up on him, tugging his eyelids down with invisible fingers and making his body sluggish and heavy. He slept fitfully at best, his dreams filled with powerful voices speaking in a language he couldn't understand.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The moon stood high in the sky, bathing the castle courtyard in its opulent blue light. Launna's figure slipped in and out of the shadows cast by the pillars on her verandah, pacing the night away with her thoughts as close company.
She paused, placing her hands on the railing and bending her gaze out past the wall. The town spread out from her gates, the plains beyond that. At the verge of her vision lay a dark line, the forest before the mountains.
Many more reports had come in, scouts following in Beck's wake told of random destruction, farmhouses burned down, entire crops laid waste, footprints that wouldn't stop steaming even a day after the boy had moved on. She could only hope that the days travel between here and there would temper his rage, would wear his power down.
Something had gone wrong. She knew his temperament, it was the single reason she prized him so. But he had brought an outside factor into the battle, something unforeseen that she would have to deal with.
Besides that, all reports of Beck's progress had ceased, as if he'd either stopped leaving any trail or simply disappeared. He should have been at her doors that morning. She'd emptied the castle and town so that nobody else would be injured should the situation degenerate into outright force, now the entire land held its breath for the conclusion.
She knelt on the stone floor of her patio, resting her porcelain cheek against the cold handrail. It had been a long time since she'd felt as passionate for something as the end product of this plan. With Dawn on her right hand and Beck at her left, she would finally be complete. She could be content with the work of her lifetime, perhaps even find it within herself to become the kind of ruler that would make up for the wrongs she committed
getting this far. For a long time, she allowed herself to daydream of such a luxury.
With a gentle sigh, she raised herself to her feet once more and continued pacing, every now and then looking out into the moonwashed, lonely landscape.
Where are you Beck?
From: Beck Weller
Beck moved steadily through the countryside, cutting a swath through the land as straight as a crow's flight. It had been a sunset and a sunrise since his encounter with the army at the threshold of the only other portal to this world, the farms and hamlets he'd encountered since were deserted. He could only assume that news of the rout had gone on before him and everyone was now scurrying to get out of his way.
At first, frustration had ruled his days... he'd burned and raided to his (their) heart's content. Destruction kept him fueled, the idea of vengeance held his resolve. However, even chaos has limits... every fire burns low without new fuel. Without stimulation to feed on, FireStar fell silent and Beck fell quiet once again, thoughtful.
His body betrayed him and his task, it needed fuel other than the steady, if quiet, glow of FireStar's song in the pit of his belly. He was forced from the direct path at the next home, searching the premises for food. Finding a few apples and a partial wheel of cheese in the larder, he moved on. But not for long, such mundane tasks as walking and eating had taken a horrible toll on his body.
With a full stomach sleep soon snuck up on him, tugging his eyelids down with invisible fingers and making his body sluggish and heavy. He slept fitfully at best, his dreams filled with powerful voices speaking in a language he couldn't understand.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The moon stood high in the sky, bathing the castle courtyard in its opulent blue light. Launna's figure slipped in and out of the shadows cast by the pillars on her verandah, pacing the night away with her thoughts as close company.
She paused, placing her hands on the railing and bending her gaze out past the wall. The town spread out from her gates, the plains beyond that. At the verge of her vision lay a dark line, the forest before the mountains.
Many more reports had come in, scouts following in Beck's wake told of random destruction, farmhouses burned down, entire crops laid waste, footprints that wouldn't stop steaming even a day after the boy had moved on. She could only hope that the days travel between here and there would temper his rage, would wear his power down.
Something had gone wrong. She knew his temperament, it was the single reason she prized him so. But he had brought an outside factor into the battle, something unforeseen that she would have to deal with.
Besides that, all reports of Beck's progress had ceased, as if he'd either stopped leaving any trail or simply disappeared. He should have been at her doors that morning. She'd emptied the castle and town so that nobody else would be injured should the situation degenerate into outright force, now the entire land held its breath for the conclusion.
She knelt on the stone floor of her patio, resting her porcelain cheek against the cold handrail. It had been a long time since she'd felt as passionate for something as the end product of this plan. With Dawn on her right hand and Beck at her left, she would finally be complete. She could be content with the work of her lifetime, perhaps even find it within herself to become the kind of ruler that would make up for the wrongs she committed
getting this far. For a long time, she allowed herself to daydream of such a luxury.
With a gentle sigh, she raised herself to her feet once more and continued pacing, every now and then looking out into the moonwashed, lonely landscape.
Where are you Beck?
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Re: "For Whom the Bell Tolls" ((Opal SL- Beck))
Date: 10/15/2000 12:35 AM Central Daylight Time
From: Beck Weller
Launna slept uneasily. She'd finally tired of pacing the balcony after the moon set, falling into fitful dreams as she watched the clouds roll in from her bedroom window.
The darkness of the night deepened as the storm blanketed the sky, even the stars lost their power to shine. The first peal of thunder shook Launna's eyes open once more, accompanied by the beginning of the soft rush of weeping heavens.
Staring at the breezy white fabric of her canopy, at first her mind couldn't place what was so amiss. She only need wait a moment though, the ebbing crimson light built once more toward its gradual apex, washing the room in the dull red of dying embers.
She turned in her bed, pulling the single sheet with her as she moved to lay on her side and look in the direction from whence the glow emanated. It was no surprised to see Beck there, waiting for her, but the change in him certainly was startling.
He sat, relaxed, in her vanity chair... a posture in itself unique for one previously never allowed either on the furniture or off his knees but to lay down where commanded. His hair was short and upswept, another first since she so enjoyed his long, silken locks. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words died on her lips as her appraisal arrived at his face.
Once thin and foxlike, his face had matured in the months since they saw one another. Along with the beginnings of his first beard along the angle of his jaw, the structure of his flesh had solidified... the makings of a fine man had come to surface.
But it was his eyes that caught her. For years she enforced a decree that those eyes remain downcast, as befitting any slave. As she stared full into their pale depths the force of her pride in this, her creation, lanced her heart.
Her gaze was returned, full of confidence and reflected interest. He, too, was seeing a different perspective.
The red glow dimmed and brightened once more before Beck broke the silence, uttering a word that had never before passed his lips, in a voice that had been silenced in this land for over a decade.
"Launna."
From: Beck Weller
Launna slept uneasily. She'd finally tired of pacing the balcony after the moon set, falling into fitful dreams as she watched the clouds roll in from her bedroom window.
The darkness of the night deepened as the storm blanketed the sky, even the stars lost their power to shine. The first peal of thunder shook Launna's eyes open once more, accompanied by the beginning of the soft rush of weeping heavens.
Staring at the breezy white fabric of her canopy, at first her mind couldn't place what was so amiss. She only need wait a moment though, the ebbing crimson light built once more toward its gradual apex, washing the room in the dull red of dying embers.
She turned in her bed, pulling the single sheet with her as she moved to lay on her side and look in the direction from whence the glow emanated. It was no surprised to see Beck there, waiting for her, but the change in him certainly was startling.
He sat, relaxed, in her vanity chair... a posture in itself unique for one previously never allowed either on the furniture or off his knees but to lay down where commanded. His hair was short and upswept, another first since she so enjoyed his long, silken locks. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words died on her lips as her appraisal arrived at his face.
Once thin and foxlike, his face had matured in the months since they saw one another. Along with the beginnings of his first beard along the angle of his jaw, the structure of his flesh had solidified... the makings of a fine man had come to surface.
But it was his eyes that caught her. For years she enforced a decree that those eyes remain downcast, as befitting any slave. As she stared full into their pale depths the force of her pride in this, her creation, lanced her heart.
Her gaze was returned, full of confidence and reflected interest. He, too, was seeing a different perspective.
The red glow dimmed and brightened once more before Beck broke the silence, uttering a word that had never before passed his lips, in a voice that had been silenced in this land for over a decade.
"Launna."
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Re: "For Whom the Bell Tolls" ((Opal SL- Beck))
Date: 10/15/2000 12:43 AM Central Daylight Time
From: Beck Weller
What has happened?
We are restrained.
Burn the witch! Why do we hesitate?
Something is amiss. There is no hatred, no fear, here. The boy chooses not to hear us now.
Were we mistaken in our union? Were we mistaken in our gift?
Were we incorrect about the boy?
......
Burn her.
......
BURN!!!
From: Beck Weller
What has happened?
We are restrained.
Burn the witch! Why do we hesitate?
Something is amiss. There is no hatred, no fear, here. The boy chooses not to hear us now.
Were we mistaken in our union? Were we mistaken in our gift?
Were we incorrect about the boy?
......
Burn her.
......
BURN!!!
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Re: "For Whom the Bell Tolls" ((Opal SL- Beck))
Date: 10/15/2000 1:17 AM Central Daylight Time
From: Beck Weller
Beck shifted in his seat, uncrossing his sore legs to finally stand, peering downward at his Mistress on the bed. She still lay in stunned silence before him, holding the sheet securely against what he knew to be an unadorned body beneath.
He'd worked his way through the traps and wards in the mountain path behind the castle, thinking perhaps to catch the Mistress's army off their guard. But there were none to halt him, the castle was as empty as the countryside. Slipping through the warren of hallways he knew all too well, it came as a sudden surprise to find Mistress here at all, let alone sleeping unguarded, unprotected.
As he entered, the opal flared violently... finally awakening at the end of what seemed an eternity of inactivity. The familiar well of fury and fire flooded him, the impending explosion surely ready to consume the room, castle, and town in a backdraft powered by days of pent-up frustration.
The power drained just as quickly as it built, escaping through an unforeseen, gaping rent in his plan.
The woman before him lay exposed, the immaculate skin of her shoulder, arm and cheek bathed in red illumination. The scene touched him in a profoundly deep manner, as when the nightmare shapes of childhood are revealed to be ordinary items when the lamp is lit. He simply could not interrupt it, despite the screaming lusts of FireStar.
Now she was awake, he finally fulfilled a desire hidden inside him since before he could remember. His pale gaze memorized her face, searched those azure eyes in a forbidden way. No man had done so to this woman for as long as he could recall, he could no more pass up the opportunity than pluck his head from his body.
Throughout this, FireStar raged against the control he enforced to steal these precious moments. He had little time left to resist the wrath of the opal, so he used it to shatter the last vestiges of his slavery by calling his Mistress by name, speaking with a voice reclaimed.
"Launna."
The taste of the word sweetened the pain from his throat... and surprisingly, the opal became silent.
From: Beck Weller
Beck shifted in his seat, uncrossing his sore legs to finally stand, peering downward at his Mistress on the bed. She still lay in stunned silence before him, holding the sheet securely against what he knew to be an unadorned body beneath.
He'd worked his way through the traps and wards in the mountain path behind the castle, thinking perhaps to catch the Mistress's army off their guard. But there were none to halt him, the castle was as empty as the countryside. Slipping through the warren of hallways he knew all too well, it came as a sudden surprise to find Mistress here at all, let alone sleeping unguarded, unprotected.
As he entered, the opal flared violently... finally awakening at the end of what seemed an eternity of inactivity. The familiar well of fury and fire flooded him, the impending explosion surely ready to consume the room, castle, and town in a backdraft powered by days of pent-up frustration.
The power drained just as quickly as it built, escaping through an unforeseen, gaping rent in his plan.
The woman before him lay exposed, the immaculate skin of her shoulder, arm and cheek bathed in red illumination. The scene touched him in a profoundly deep manner, as when the nightmare shapes of childhood are revealed to be ordinary items when the lamp is lit. He simply could not interrupt it, despite the screaming lusts of FireStar.
Now she was awake, he finally fulfilled a desire hidden inside him since before he could remember. His pale gaze memorized her face, searched those azure eyes in a forbidden way. No man had done so to this woman for as long as he could recall, he could no more pass up the opportunity than pluck his head from his body.
Throughout this, FireStar raged against the control he enforced to steal these precious moments. He had little time left to resist the wrath of the opal, so he used it to shatter the last vestiges of his slavery by calling his Mistress by name, speaking with a voice reclaimed.
"Launna."
The taste of the word sweetened the pain from his throat... and surprisingly, the opal became silent.
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Re: "For Whom the Bell Tolls" ((Opal SL- Beck))
Date: 10/15/2000 1:20 AM Central Daylight Time
From: Beck Weller
.... could it be?
From: Beck Weller
.... could it be?
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Re: "For Whom the Bell Tolls" ((Opal SL- Beck))
Date: 10/15/2000 1:37 AM Central Daylight Time
From: Beck Weller
"Beck," she returned. Even though she trembled with anticipation, it wouldn't do to lose sight of the plan. Would he understand?
She sat up on the bed, abandoning the flimsy shield of cloth as her legs slid from the mattress to set feet upon the floor. She faced him now as she stood, their eyes at equal level. Another few moments passed as they shared another examination, then the sky fell.
Mistress Launna Kithainis, ruler of the Kithainis empire and islands of Rish, knelt to the floor and laid her forehead at Beck's feet.
"Forgive me," she whispered.
From: Beck Weller
"Beck," she returned. Even though she trembled with anticipation, it wouldn't do to lose sight of the plan. Would he understand?
She sat up on the bed, abandoning the flimsy shield of cloth as her legs slid from the mattress to set feet upon the floor. She faced him now as she stood, their eyes at equal level. Another few moments passed as they shared another examination, then the sky fell.
Mistress Launna Kithainis, ruler of the Kithainis empire and islands of Rish, knelt to the floor and laid her forehead at Beck's feet.
"Forgive me," she whispered.
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Re: "For Whom the Bell Tolls" ((Opal SL- Beck))
Date: 11/14/2000 10:27 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Beck Weller
Many moments passed in near silence, only the infinite impacts of raindrops on the marble verandah outside accompanied the statuesque scene. Lightning flickered, thunder pealed... still, Beck could only stare speechlessly at the woman at his feet. It was Launna that finally broke the stillness, raising herself to her knees.
Her thin white fingers moved to Beck's side, lifting his dirty hand to place it against her fine-skinned cheek. Again she whispered, "forgive me Beck," and her eyes rose to match his.
Beck swallowed once, curling his fingers along Launna's chin, his thumb drifting across her lower lip. His was a world far from eloquence in words, he had been forced all his life to express his emotions by action. Never in his life had he bourne such a burden of silence as he did now, when he was finally free to speak, yet so shocked he dared not. Therefore, it was only fitting that he choose an action never before attempted or allowed, yet
equal in magnitude.
Dropping to one knee, Beck cupped Launna's chin in both his hands, closed his eyes, and kissed his Mistress.
From: Beck Weller
Many moments passed in near silence, only the infinite impacts of raindrops on the marble verandah outside accompanied the statuesque scene. Lightning flickered, thunder pealed... still, Beck could only stare speechlessly at the woman at his feet. It was Launna that finally broke the stillness, raising herself to her knees.
Her thin white fingers moved to Beck's side, lifting his dirty hand to place it against her fine-skinned cheek. Again she whispered, "forgive me Beck," and her eyes rose to match his.
Beck swallowed once, curling his fingers along Launna's chin, his thumb drifting across her lower lip. His was a world far from eloquence in words, he had been forced all his life to express his emotions by action. Never in his life had he bourne such a burden of silence as he did now, when he was finally free to speak, yet so shocked he dared not. Therefore, it was only fitting that he choose an action never before attempted or allowed, yet
equal in magnitude.
Dropping to one knee, Beck cupped Launna's chin in both his hands, closed his eyes, and kissed his Mistress.
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Re: "For Whom the Bell Tolls" ((Opal SL- Beck))
Date: 11/14/2000 11:01 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Beck Weller
A fire, set loose in a closed space, will nearly starve itself without air after long. Should a sudden source of air become available, however, then that fire would detonate furiously, consuming all in its path.
Denied the fuel of anger, frustration, and fear... the opal starved. Burning so brightly previously, FireStar could not accept that such boundaries would finally hem it so tightly and so suddenly. It smoldered in its enclosed space within Beck's consciousness, waiting for any hint of breath to finally escape, smothered by the tactical shift forced onto the union of souls by this woman.
Launna was a cunning and resourceful ruler. She knew her business, she knew Beck, she knew her plan. She also knew passion. But she did not know FireStar. Even the sturdiest of webs has holes, even the best of intentions sometimes go awry.
Some say that the fire of passion burns the hottest of all. The sustenance provided by the well of frustration and anger was merely a distraction, once the true source of such things finally revealed itself. With a kiss, Beck's own genuine desire became evident, unbridled, free.
The two lovers intertwined in one another, clinging to eachother as the red light cast by FireStar raised to blinding intensity. Heedless, they buried themselves in the other as a pillar of flame erupted from the spot where they knelt together, blasting through the castle and piercing the rain clouds overhead.
FireStar continued to channel the passion, singing in glory at sheer abundance and wild abandon. The madly spinning pillar of flame expanded, devouring castle, city, plains and forest. Clouds evaporated, objects disintegrated, an entire land caught fire.
At the eye of the firestorm, the kiss ended and the two people... a former ruler and mistress, a former slave and fighter... gazed at one another one last time as the flames closed in.
From: Beck Weller
A fire, set loose in a closed space, will nearly starve itself without air after long. Should a sudden source of air become available, however, then that fire would detonate furiously, consuming all in its path.
Denied the fuel of anger, frustration, and fear... the opal starved. Burning so brightly previously, FireStar could not accept that such boundaries would finally hem it so tightly and so suddenly. It smoldered in its enclosed space within Beck's consciousness, waiting for any hint of breath to finally escape, smothered by the tactical shift forced onto the union of souls by this woman.
Launna was a cunning and resourceful ruler. She knew her business, she knew Beck, she knew her plan. She also knew passion. But she did not know FireStar. Even the sturdiest of webs has holes, even the best of intentions sometimes go awry.
Some say that the fire of passion burns the hottest of all. The sustenance provided by the well of frustration and anger was merely a distraction, once the true source of such things finally revealed itself. With a kiss, Beck's own genuine desire became evident, unbridled, free.
The two lovers intertwined in one another, clinging to eachother as the red light cast by FireStar raised to blinding intensity. Heedless, they buried themselves in the other as a pillar of flame erupted from the spot where they knelt together, blasting through the castle and piercing the rain clouds overhead.
FireStar continued to channel the passion, singing in glory at sheer abundance and wild abandon. The madly spinning pillar of flame expanded, devouring castle, city, plains and forest. Clouds evaporated, objects disintegrated, an entire land caught fire.
At the eye of the firestorm, the kiss ended and the two people... a former ruler and mistress, a former slave and fighter... gazed at one another one last time as the flames closed in.
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"For Whom the Bell Tolls- Epliogue" ((Opal SL- Bec
Date: 11/14/2000 11:18 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Beck Weller
Once... there was a land, not too far from here, where a vast kingdom sprawled as far as the eye can see. It was a plentiful land, full of prosperous people and governed by a strong leader. It was to the west of here.
"But that's just a wasteland full of ash," you say? It didn't always used to be that way. Once, it was called the Kithainis Empire. Once, long ago, you couldn't walk across the forests and plains, the mountains and rivers, in less than a half moon.
I once walked through the wasteland though. I had to lace up my boots tighter than tight to keep the ash from creeping in my bootsoles.... like high-piled snow. It was mainly uneventful, except for one thing.
I was about a week into my journey when I thought I saw something red sparkle in the ash, like a ruby. "How odd," thought I, "that where everything is dead and wasted, something could make such a sight."
But before I could get to the spot where I spied such a thing, the wind kicked up and forced me to take shelter, lest I go blind and suffocate in the dust storm.
Ye would be well-advised to steer clear of that place youngster, lest whatever mastered the Kithainis empire master you as well.
From: Beck Weller
Once... there was a land, not too far from here, where a vast kingdom sprawled as far as the eye can see. It was a plentiful land, full of prosperous people and governed by a strong leader. It was to the west of here.
"But that's just a wasteland full of ash," you say? It didn't always used to be that way. Once, it was called the Kithainis Empire. Once, long ago, you couldn't walk across the forests and plains, the mountains and rivers, in less than a half moon.
I once walked through the wasteland though. I had to lace up my boots tighter than tight to keep the ash from creeping in my bootsoles.... like high-piled snow. It was mainly uneventful, except for one thing.
I was about a week into my journey when I thought I saw something red sparkle in the ash, like a ruby. "How odd," thought I, "that where everything is dead and wasted, something could make such a sight."
But before I could get to the spot where I spied such a thing, the wind kicked up and forced me to take shelter, lest I go blind and suffocate in the dust storm.
Ye would be well-advised to steer clear of that place youngster, lest whatever mastered the Kithainis empire master you as well.