Re: LHT:Chapter 1+
Previously:
"The end of the 5th age is about to begin" The blind boy muttered, sitting in the corner of the cage.
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But that was not the end of the terror. The statue opened its mouth. And said very slowly, the statue exclaimed
"Who enters...my domain!"
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Chapter 6- Targoth, the Servant of Delroth
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"The statue was not in the mood for consolation. It was crafted by demons themselves to serve as one purpose. He was the keeper of the passage to the distant lands."
The thief took a step back from the breathing monument. It was not everyday that a rogue such as he could witness a magnificent force like the Tomb of Delroth. But the fact that it was speaking to him was out of this world. He had not seen magic such as this.
"I have no name" The thief strictly said, keeping his balance from the constant quakes. But the statue did not accept this answer, "No name...then why would you be going through my tomb mortal?"
The statue stepped out of his large throne, causing crumbles and shake around the room. It seemed the statue was for many long years trapped on the throne, hidden from the public eye. But today, it was to reborn once again.
"To trek through the pass that you guard" The thief answered, and took another step back.
The statue laughed manically, hid beard slowly chipping off as he chuckled, "It would not be wise for a mortal to go through the pass" Delroth took an ancient arrow off of his leg, which did not need to be explained. It wouldn't take a prophet to figure out why the statue was breaking apart.
"I am getting very tired..." The statue yawned, causing the smoke and ash from is mouth to blow towards the thief, "My age is deceiving me, for my stonework is slowly breaking away..."
Delroth began to walk back to his throne, leaving the traveler out of hope. "Then why do you ignore my right of passage?" The rogue replied, almost falling from the large shake of the ground. His balance was not to be noticed, for the statue was too fixated on the reality.
"I do not doubt your skill, mortal" The statue stayed in place, and grabbed the large sword that was clutched on the ground. Delroth became depressed looking at the stone blade; it gave him a scarce memory of his past, "For I was once one like you..."
The thief could not understand what the statue was trying to tell him, but he continued to listen.
"Unknowing of what was to come; my opinion of this measly world led me to destruction. Destiny tricked me. I became the monster I was trying to tame"
The weary thief let go of his blade he was clutching, for now he trusted the ancient, "You were in love"
Delroth gripped his long sword, and grunted with anger. But realizing his true destiny he loosened himself, "I loved Aloren...she was as beautiful as the skies themselves...I loved her"
The ancient shook his head, "No. It was her fault I am here…it was love that led me here…to this stone prison!"
The assassin could only ensure, "It was not love that brought you here…you did that yourself"
The statue of Delroth continued to walk to his throne, only more depressed than he was. But the thief did not give upon this trapped soul, "Talonforth of The First Age" The tall figure of stonework stopped once again, but rose his knees from the molten ground, "Delroth…that was my name..."
The Tomb of Delroth continued to shake, and the statue began to move. The thief believed it was all over, and that he failed to pass through the ancient tomb.
Maybe he would fail, but not at this demonic site. For Delroth had other plans for this mortal, “You have earned my trust, man with no name. You may now enter the pass"
And with that, the titanic statue swung his sword on the gate behind him, using all his might and power to approve passage through the pathway. The large gate slowly opened from the critical hit, making the ground shake more than ever.
"I am no more of use to you, one who has no name" Delroth sat back on his throne, and yawned loudly, "I must now rest, until my time is needed once again. This age or the next"
The thief ran for the gate, not even thanking the ancient monument. But Delroth knew of his appreciation, he could see it in his eyes. Moreover, the gate began to close once again. And since the entrance was very far away, the thief believed he couldn't make the way in. But he kept going. And with his believability and hope, he desperately slid onto the ground, going through the small crack of the two doors of what was left of the gates opening.
After the iconic collapse, the burglar heard a pounding push in the room behind him. And that's when he realized, the tomb shifted back to its present disguise. Then and after, he began to understand the ancient realm of Delroth.
But this was no time for assurance, for when he laid eyes on the area around him he became more worried than he was ever before. The large landscape was pooled with lava, and was a ruin of weakened stone bridges and pillars. This was no place to rest. But more of a place not to travel through.
Its waves of molten rock and earth quakes shook the inner soul of the thief, and taking his viewpoint of what was impossible to a whole new level. This was the realm of the ancients, and seemed to be hell itself.
He strongly continued on, dodging massive amounts of ash and fire bursting around him.
And as he sprinted through the large bridge, he felt an iconic shift of the landmark. The bridge was collapsing.
Then, a giant geyser exploded from the pool of plasma, and the lava over it began to sink down the hole. Something ancient was coming from that nest, something old yet just as powerful. Poison sparked form the gaping tunnel, followed by crackling sounds of hissing and terrible screeching.
But what was coming down from the tunnel was beyond comprehension. The Servant of Delroth had awake from its eternal slumber.
Suddenly, a giant serpent rose from the lava, its fangs headed straight for the thief. It was a terrible creature, served by Delroth to do its finest bidding: destroy any who enter. Its digestive tract was waiting for its meal, and it was ready to pounce on its target. It deceives its opponent, by slithering through out the walls, casting illusions on its prey. It did the same towards the thief.
Quickly the assassin grabbed his knife, and threw it at the slithery serpents’ eye. But that did not stop the monster at all. The sheer heat from the monsters body melted the weapon. In the end, the desperate attempt was just a pinch on the creature. Maybe even less.
The snake was coming closer, creeping over the bridge. The traveler was not ready to partake in such an iconic duel, for he had somewhere else to go to. He was nohunter, but who could hunt such a monster.
He had no choice but to pull out his bow. Hastily, he shot several arrows at its head, looking as if he made a critical hit. But the monstrous animal was just paralyzed for a mere 3 seconds before he progressed over the bridge. This is when the thief realized, this creature was no normal animal.
It was reborn, and more powerful than natural assets of a serpent. For this creature was a servant of Delroth himself. An enemy to the gods themselves, able to swallow several giants with one opening of the jaw.
“Targoth, Serpent of the Tomb of Delroth.”
The thief quickly drew out his short sword, watching the serpent come closer. And when the serpent opened its mouth, poison sprayed out. The thief covered his front side with his cloak, noticing the poison eating the cloth. He was no match for this animal, even at long range. It was the creature born straight from hell itself.
One fatal stab hit the serpent, and the thief held onto the blade. He pushed the blade lower and lower into the skull of the snake, gritting his teeth. Then, the blade started to melt from the skull, and burn the thief’s hand.
The assassin shouted in pain, and was knocked to the ground by the tail of the snake pounding his ribs. Suddenly, the snake flew off of the bridge. But this was not unusual, because when the thief limped over to the edge, he saw that the bridge began to break in half. He began to run up the top, desperately gripping the edge.
Lava swallowed it whole, digesting the stone work into mere ash. The ancient ruin was about to be eaten by mere plasma.
It was too late for the traveler. The passage was now blocked by terror and grief, and now his only route was going into history itself. And with a loud roar of frustration, he climbed up the bridge. He knew he wouldn't make it, he thought he would die slowly by the terrible death below him. The luck he once had was lost.
The bridge continued to seep downwards into the pool, and the thief desperately held onto the top. His fingers started to bleed from the sheer grip of the stonework, and things started to blacken. His eyesight became vague, and his conscience began to melt inside of him.
Bursts of fire and molten lava were waiting for him at the bottom. Life began to slowly fade away. And the idea that you see your whole life before you die was not true for him. For he struggled to stay alive, he wanted to avoid the obscurity of death.
But something happened. Light, as clear as a morning day in Bowerstone cracked from the ceiling, blinding the thief. The head of a child rose from the top of the broken bridge, and its full form appeared.
The child was blind, and looked beaten. Though his appearance had a past of darkness, his intentions were of the work of Avo himself. The assassin grunted in pain, somewhat scared of the child. The lights dimmed down, and the child began to speak.
“Do not be afraid, for your journey does not end here”
He slowly took off his blindfold, and revealed his sockets without any eyes. The assassin couldn’t shriek from the surprise, for his voice was almost completely gone. But then, hope began to come back to the burglar. The child reached his hand towards the bloody knuckles of the assassin.
Thief desperately clutched the boy’s hand, grunting from the pain of the force. Light came back to the thief. And when the palms met, the boy’s once empty eye sockets shone with a bright blue lights.
The bridge continued to sink, ash and fire proceeded to fear. But at that moment, the heavenly boy told the young man something, without even moving his mouth.
”Avo will not let you descend into darkness”
The thief heard the sounds of the serpent coming from the volcanic grave, and drew out his other blade. The child knew this, and grabbed the arm of the thief that was holding the weapon.
The serpent slithered up the vertical bridge, opening his mouth at the thief. The mouth itself was so large…the thief could not see anything else behind the monster. The child looked at the assassin, and nodded, exclaiming, “Let my push of faith serve as your last blow”
It was a moment to be recorded in for the ages. The arm of the thief quickly stabbed the inner mouth of the serpent. And before the serpent went to its dark grave, the thief muttered, “Go back to your master!”
The serpent desperately tried to grasp the stonework, but failed. And slowly, the doomed creature fell into the molten lava, never to witness life again.
The thief panted, and noticed what was to come. He was about to descend into the pool of the passage, without any strength to resist. The child had disappeared, and could not assist him any more. He had to leave this hellish place by himself. Though not a test of strength, this seemed to be a test of hope.
The lone inhabitant could hardly move, but he decided what he needed to do
He began to push himself up the bridge. Though shouting with pain and agony, he stood on top of the bridge, balancing himself as it continued to sink. The other side was just a three feet away from him. The damaged man needed to decide: would he die instantly, or would he make one last stand? He chose the second one.
In a desperate leap over ash and fire, he gripped his two hands on the edge of the other side. Rocks began to crumble next to him, but he still pushed himself up. The bloody hands he used to do this seemed to be literally broken. He sweated severely from the heat, and could only inhale ash.
Limping out of the passage, he reached the outside. The snowy border was enough for him to pass out on. And lying down on the ground, he slowly closed his eyes. For the day was now over, and a new age was about to begin. Ash was now snow, stone was now ice. The hell of the Realm of the Ancients was now past…but he would be scarred from it for the rest of his life.
(If this had any errors with punctiation or spelling, i'm very sorry. This chapter just took alot of thought out of me :lol
