 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Bane's Story Awakening By LLBane |
| Deeper into the darkness Bane fell. The pain and agony consumed him wholly now. Further and faster he fell. Images came to him from events in his life. He watched the murder of his first wife. He watched the Arch Lich fall at his feet when he was newly awakened as a lycan. He could smell the funeral pyre of his father and taste the sweat as it rolled down his face when he traveled across the great desert. Something grabbed him and stopped his fall. He looked about to see hands, thousands of hands. They slowly began to rip his body apart. He opened his mouth to scream but no sounds came. Jadell pranced back and forth while she waited for the elven cleric to come out of the room. Banes body had to be lashed to the bed because of the violent thrashing he had began to do. Her tear stained face grew hard when she looked upon the horizon. Something was coming this way and she knew it was coming for Bane. She would fight. She may die but her place was here. The elves had began preparations to defend their woodland tree city. The sweaty cleric, barely able to stand came out of the room to slump down into a chair. Jadell rushed to her. "Faelin, is he…is he ok?" Jadell asked with a hushed breath. The cleric looked up at Jadell with her large blue eyes. "Child, his spirit fights to remain. His will is stronger then his body. The silveron was pure silveron with foul magic upon it. The ancient bloodline that flows in his veins is why he has not been killed by this poison. However, his body is close to giving up. I have tried to draw out the poison but it clings to him and will not leave his body. I am afraid there is nothing more I can do for him. I have tried to ease his pain but not even my healing magic can do that." "Is there anyone else who would have answers?" Jadell pleaded. The cleric shook her head no. "There is a chance however slim, Jadell." Arleon the master druid of the woodland spoke. Jadell looked up, shocked to see a half elf smiling back at her in brown robes and carrying a large blackened staff. "What chance do you speak of?" Faelin asked the druid. The druid drew out two clay pots from under his robes. Faelin's eyes grew wide as she shook her head no. "That is dangerous, the side effects alone could kill him?" "Aye, but it is his only chance. He must live and we must do what we can to help him. Lady Jadell, this is the living blood of an Ancient Ent. It can purify Lord Banes body but none may know of this cure and the side effects could be deadly. It is his only chance." Jadell squeezed her fists so hard her nails dug into the palms of her hands and caused them to bleed. "Do it. We need him, I need him." The druid bowed and disappeared into the room. For hours the great tree shook and rocked and strange howls and growls erupted out of the room. Multicolored shafts of light shot outward from the cracks in the walls and a strange glow surrounded the door. Arleon's voice boomed loud as he chanted and prayed and oddly, the trees seemed to groan in responce to his voice. Everywhere in the wood the animals all howled or screeched or chirped as if to answer some question. Thunder erupted from above them and rain fell. A cold, clean rain. Jadell and Faelin looked in awe as Arleon finally stepped out of the room. His body glowed and his eyes glowed a dull red. His staff was so bright it stung the eyes. Behind him Jadell could see Bane floating in mid air slowly descending down onto the bed. Arleon collapsed into Faelins arms. Looking at Bane, Jadell saw that his wounds had closed and his appearance had changed. His hair was longer. It was red streaked golden hair replacing the silver and black. His body seemed to be larger in size and his skin had a very light covering of gold tipped hair that seemed to glow when the light fell upon it. His almost elf like ears were replaced by the hair covered type you would find on a bear which stuck out from his hair. His face had extended slightly to accommodate the larger teeth and he had two huge canines replacing the smaller canines he had earlier. His hands were the same except that his nails had become larger claws. Suddenly his eyes opened and the voice was the same, except it was younger. Yes, he appeared to be much younger now. "Jadell, how goes the fight?" He asked weakly. Jade took his hand and smiled back. "The dragons were lost. Only a handfull remain. The city also fell. I do not know much more then that." Bane nodded. He knew what had happened. "My Lord, you are weak and tired you must rest. We will speak later after you had something to eat and drink." Bane nodded and fell into a deep slumber. Faelin smiled but looked over her shoulder at the black storm clouds headed their way. Jadell too looked upon them with unease. Unknown to either, Bane as well had looked into the clouds. He knew they were coming for him. He would have to do something. "Arleon, what side effects were you talking about earlier?" Jadell asked. They had been brought food and drink and had relaxed very little. The hooded man looked upon her wit his green eyes as if studying her. "Well, several things have happened. His appearance has changed. This is due to the fact that his animal hunting form has been suspended into his normal form. This makes him appear younger and is why you see the changes that you do. Another effect is his physical power and spirit power has been increased due to the suspension of the hunting form. He is larger then he was also due to the form. How this affects him in battle I am not sure. He is, without a doubt, much more then he was." "But, he can not return to his normal or to his hunting form?" The druid shook his head no. "It is the price he paid. There is one more thing you should be made aware of. He may have the empathy power to communicate with some animals, mainly bears and wolves. Others I am not sure of. It is what happened with others who have taken the Ent blood." Jadell nodded. For two days Bane lay sleeping. He formulated his plans. During the moonless night of the second day Bane made his way from his room and down the tree. No Elves could see him. The Ent blood had given him another gift. Quietly he made his way through the forest. Once he had left the forest a huge brown bear had been waiting for him. Upon its back he rode the bear. Off towards the South he rode. "My lady my lady! Lord Bane is gone!" Shouted Arleon. The alarm went up and all hustled about looking for him. Jadell looked about her and used her magical talents but she could not locate him. Damn she thought. She knew he left because of the threat to them. But as they began a search the storm clouds was upon them. Banes mount stopped at the outer limits of a ruin. Bane jumped down and walked through the ruins. This had been one of the finest castles in all of the lands. It was built by the Stronghammer dwarven clan. Reaching the center of the ruins he pulled a hidden latch and a trap door opened. Down the dusty steps he walked. Finally at the far end of a tunnel Bane held onto a stone that jutted out in the wall and pushed. The wall swung inward and away from him. As he stepped into the treasure room the magical lights lit up the room. Magical weapons of silveron, mithril, adamantim, onyx, and hellsteel glowed. Many sets of armor sat on wooden models. Bane looked for the ancient beastial armor of his father. It had served him well in the past. Slowly he began armoring himself. The thick black and dark red armor seemed to flow over his body. It grew to match his new size. The charmed dragon bone plates on the underside of his armor protected him against magical attacks. It was the secret of his armor. The unknown steel of the armor was lighter then mithril but was stronger then adamantim. Bane knew the metal came from another plane. He had found the ore once when he had fought the god Anshar in Anshar's realm. The metal had no name so Bane nicknamed it godmetal. Standing up the Armor fit him well now. Pulling on the magical boots of war which enhanced his speed at an incredible rate. Bane found he had lost the quickness of his prior self but he had gained strength. With these boots he was near his old battle speed. Now what weapon he thought. This was hellspawn they were going to fight and he would need a special weapon. The one he had killed in the dragon nursery had barely been harmed by the elven magical blade he had carried. Looking through the rack of weapons Bane found what he wanted. The great two handed sword of the stormgiant king. The blade was larger, thicker, and longer then a normal 2 hander. It fit Bane's new size nicely. The blade was magical and had the null effect on magic cast at him or on the things it cut. He felt it would need a little more enchantment. Looking for the mystical forge that had been brought to the treasury long before man walked the world, bane found it. Using the powdered essence of magic it self, an item given to Bane to safeguard until it was needed, was thrown into the forge. The fire that erupted burned hotter then any forge that had been before. Bane thrust the two handed sword into the forge along with some enchanted silveron and flecks of mithril and small pieces of starmetal he had found in a deep crater deep in the Southern plains. Holding an ancient parchment up Bane recited the words inscribed in old lycan. As each word was said its letters flamed and vanished in smoke. The sword seemed to scream as the last two words were said. Translated to the newer common language these two words read Glymph Nalhana. The lycan words meant slayer of evils soul. The sword was pulled from the forge with runes dancing along its bladed surface. The metal had gone to a deep hue of what looked like obsidian. Marbled across the surface was the flecks of mithril and starmetal. The sword seemed to pulse in his hand. Bane laughed a laugh that filled the room and echoed beyond the ruins. A lone figure in the distance turned to look towards the ruins which were many leagues away. Erix felt a chill run up and down his spine. Something has happened. Something he felt no good would come of. Drax looked at his friend. He too felt the feeling. Powerful magics had been unleashed and something close to fear, altho he feared no one, gripped his heart. What had happened he wondered. Bane practiced with the sword. He was a little rusty with the two hander. Having used the bastard sword most of his life he had shunned other weapons. So he pulled on the gauntlets of knowledge and practiced. In no time he had learned how to use the two hand sword as well as any grand master swordsman. The sword shrieked as it cut the air. Satisfied he replaced the gauntlets with his beastial armor gauntlets. His claws looked fierce sticking out of the gauntlet. His body seemed to hum with power as he put the sword into its place on his back. Pulling on the helm which gave him a even more beastial appearance he strolled out. Before he left, he pulled out a long dagger from the northern plains. It was as long as a shortsword. It was pure silveron with blood red runes in the blade. Bane secured the dagger on his side and made off to make war. The solitary cloud shifted back and forth and the demon wizard who controlled it looked irritated. Where had that bastard gone he asked himself. It was his job to slay the foul being called Bane. His squad of demons howled as they picked up his scent. Very nice. Very nice in deed. He did not know how, but he knew the Emperor had survived the silveron attacks of a daemon assassin. The lycan must be in agony and must be close to dead. Easy pickings for him and his squad. Grunting in the language of demons he urged them to pick up the pace. His trophy awaited. Bane watched the cloud come. Having had his two hander on his back Bane pulled it free. Using the new skills he had received from the Ent blood Bane was quickly camouflaged from sight. None could detect him not even elves. The demons came in two rows of five with their master above them in the cloud. The demon's two warhogs, four legged demons who were used to find prey, stopped and sniffed the air. Their prey was there but they could not see it. The wizard looked down over the edge of his cloud. Puzzled as to why they stopped he growled to the demons. They stood looking about. Bane struck quickly. In one blow two demons lay cut in half. A fourth lay in the dirt missing half of its face. Spinning Bane threw the dagger. It found its home into the eye socket of the demon wizard who toppled over to fall to the ground. In the distance near the Elven wood, a great roar of pain could be heard. Bane used the two hander like a bastard sword. The demons cowered in fear at their new adversary. This was not the near dead lycan they had been tracking. Who or what was this new lycan. The demon runner left the battle and fled back to tell what had happened. Bane dispatched the rest of the demons and let the runner go. He wanted it to tell them a new powerful foe has come. Bane headed back to the Elven wood. He knew the elves were the main targets after all. First the dragons and now the elves. They were killing the ones who held great magic and stood in their way. Puritans always feared those who used great magic. It was clear to him that the Puritans were either being used or had been in all along. He would run them back to the sea and make it run red with their blood. He would have his revenge. He also knew now who the traitor was and would make this traitor pay inch by inch. As Bane rode off on his bear mount, a shadow in the darkness of the coming night seperated itself from the dark recesses of a tree. It rasn to where Bane had closed the trap door. It searched for minutes before giving up. The magic that held the vault a secret was crafted by the mightiest of the dwarven stonesmiths. None but a dwarf would be able to find the opening now. No one but Bane. Grunting, the shadow ran at an incredible rate on its way back to Erix. Hawry had to report what had transpired to Lord Erix. By LLBane |