A WIZARD'S TEARS
Welcome to the world of
Elrohen!
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Excerpt from Chapter 7 - "Into The Magick":
"Keldoran stood at the top of a volcano, peering down into the chasm of molten red lava which belched and hissed as it churned and bubbled below him.
He was dreaming – he had to be dreaming. He had no recollection of how he could possibly be here. Yet this dream felt so alive! He could feel the incredible heat searing his flesh. He could smell the foul reek of sulphur. He could taste the dry, hot ash that blew into his mouth.
He could sense his excitement – his unparalleled exhilaration and adrenaline rush. His blood pumped with power; with magick. His whole life had led him to this moment. The magick flowed through him; was a part of him. The volcano below seethed with power, as did his entire being. He felt at one with this fiery mountain. He felt at home.
His body urged him to leap from his precipice and join the fierce dance of lava. He would be one with the flow of the earth, the molten core of the land. Without a moment to consider his safety, or his certain death, Keldoran fell, his face grinning as the magick flowed through him, rushing to meet the boiling world.
He hit the rushing sea of lava head first. His body sank into the flaming miasma of death, embracing it. His skin burned and dissolved. His muscles and ligaments oozed through cracks in his skeleton. Soon, as he descended further, only bone was left – this too started to crumble and turn to ash. His skull lingered his grin as it shattered into nothingness.
All that remained was a soul, embedded in a glow of magick, and somehow, consciousness.
Euphoria caressed his mind. The further he travelled, passing through lava and metamorphic stone, the heightened his pleasure became. His soul was dancing, seeking out the heat of the molten landscape and revelling in its power. Bobbing and weaving in the red ocean, the magick guided his soul to the very core of the planet – the very source of Elrohen.
He felt the land’s pain, the soul of the world mingling with his, and others drawn to it just as he had done. He detected other auras of magick, other souls, and other beings of even greater magnitude. Then he was speeding away again, flowing on through the red ocean, heading upwards once more.
In a surge, his soul erupted from the scorching abyss to soar back to the top of the volcano. Once there, the magick that was part of him flared as bright as the nearest star.
Bone formed from the air, spinning inexorably in a macabre dance. Tendons and joints were added, then a thin covering of skin. With a silent scream, he bonded once more to his body, reborn, and fuelled with the energies that were the essence of stars."
Excerpt from Chapter 19 - "A Demon Rises":
"His eyes made out a bright glow ahead, small at first, but growing in size as he approached. Keldoran’s eyes widened, as the light cast a red hue onto the scene before him. He had reached the end of the cavern. Before him, the entire wall was covered in crystals that sparkled and shone a bright red. The sight was amazing, and Keldoran would have stared for ages at the wall itself if not for the creature in front of it.
Hewn into the wall, made out of these red crystals, was a throne of sorts, and sat there, the priestess clutched in one of its tentacles, was a beast out of Keldoran’s worst nightmares. A huge, monstrous being, by his accounts twenty or so feet tall, with two horned snake heads, and a violet skin that seemed to undulate and change colour as he watched, sat as king here. Tentacles instead of arms tossed the priestess into the air, only to catch her at the very last moment as she tumbled head over heels down to the harsh rocky ground. This creature was playing with her, tormenting her, for its own pleasure. As she screamed, and scream she did, the thing let out a harsh, bellowing laugh. The laugh was so evil, so maniacal; Keldoran prayed he would never remember the sound, for it filled him with uncontrollable dread.
He had not expected this. His mind reeled from the enormity of the task ahead – how could he save the priestess from such a creature? He was shaking in fear, even though he had not been spotted yet by the beast. This demon, this king of the underworld, would devour him and his ice magick whole, of that he knew.
Oblivious to having a spy in its midst, the demon brought the cringing priestess up to its mouth, gentle raising the tentacle that held her up to his eyes. Whimpering, Vergail closed her eyes, her whole body convulsing in fear. Without warning, a huge, forked, green tongue issued from the demon’s lips, slowly licking the entire body of the priestess, who shrieked. Sticky saliva coated her, and it was all she could do not to retch.
Keldoran watched in horror, noticing one of the demon’s tentacles changing colour to a motley green. He watched as the creature tickled the priestess with this tentacle, and heard its ragged breathing and inhuman chuckles. Appalled, Keldoran grasped his staff tightly in his hands, the scene almost too much for him to cope with.
Fortunately for Vergail, it appeared she had once again lost consciousness. The demon slowly started to peel away what clothes were left on her, its tentacle running along the contours of her body gently and seductively, before inching downward.
In an instant Keldoran knew he had to act. He could not sit here and watch while this demon tormented and used the priestess for its own sick fantasies. Jolted into life by the sickening sight, Keldoran raised his staff and exploded all of his magick into it, right at the demon’s leering faces."
