Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Black and White
5:46 PM | Posted by
Warwriter Widow
Bladeless stood outside of the magic room, looking into it. The room simply hummed with power and magic. It gave him goose pimples.
Going against his gut feeling, he entered the room. In the center of the room was a sphere, hanging impossibly in midair. There were obelisks and a few chests scattered around the room. The chests had no locks on them, but he really didn’t want to open them up to see what was in there.
There was a recessed area, where it looked like a circle had been crudely etched in the stone. He stepped inside.
A column of dark fire shot up and surrounded him. He jumped back from it – it hissed and seethed around him. He cautiously approached it, and put his hand through it. It went around his hand like water, and started crawling up his arm. It changed into something that looked like a black salamander, with glowing green eyes.
He cried out, yanked his arm back and shook the thing off. It fell to the floor, and started crawling to him. He stomped on it, and it exploded in what looked like dark blue goo that got all over his boot.
“Well, at least that ward works.”
Bladeless looked up to see Grim in the doorway of the room. “Grim, how do I get out of here?”
“Curious about magic, Mase?” He started walking around the room. “That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”
Bladeless watched Grim through the curtain of black fire, unsure of what he was going to do.
Grim continued talking, “It seems the rest of the wards work.” He motioned to the walls around him. “There’s markings everywhere, markings warning those who carry any malevolence toward me or this group, that they would be struck down by confusion at the very least, or white fire that would cling to them and eat away at their bodies and souls at the very worst. Obviously you passed.”
“I don’t have anything against you, Grim.”
“Of course not. I was a good fuck, after all.”
“Grim, I’m different now.”
“Are you?” He pointed to the dark fire. “You created that. That circle is neutral: black, white, grey, hedge, ceremonial magic all work there. You activated the black magic around you by merely entering.” He jumped up on one of the obelisks and sat down, dangling his legs off the side. “Now, what gets me is how.” He summoned up a ball of light. “I wonder…” He threw it at the dark fire. It exploded in a shower of sparks, white and black. “Interesting.”
“What?”
He jumped off the obelisk. “Why don’t you just step out of it?”
Bladeless took a step through the dark fire. It felt cold, but nothing he couldn’t get used to. He came out of the circle, and the dark fire receded. He looked down at himself to see little black things, like leeches, attached to him.
Then Grim raised his hands, a huge ball of white light in the center. He threw it at Bladeless. Bladeless had no where to go, and the white light hit him square in the chest. The white surrounded him, like an aura. The leeches burned and fell off, disappearing into the brightness of the light.
“Neat trick, Gr—“
Another ball of white light headed his way. This time he had the sense to move, but he still got hit in the back by it. Again, it encompassed him; this time it seemed to stick to him. He smelled something burning, and realized it was his hair.
He put his hands on his head, but took them away. His gloves began to smoke, starting up a scent of burning leather. He looked at Grim, and saw another volley of white light come at him. Bladeless backed up, but suddenly the stone turned to mud, and he was stuck, surrounded by a white fiery circle. His armor started to melt, his mask burned away.
“Grim! What’re you doing?!”
Grim coldly tossed another ball, hitting Bladeless in the face with it. Bladeless howled in pain as the whiteness started eating away at his skin. He fell face-first into the fiery circle, his entire body now encased in angry white flames.
Grim stopped, looking down at the body, waiting for the whiteness to dissipate. The smell of burning flesh was almost overpowering. Then, as he watched, a layer of blackness encompassed the body, forming a barrier between the white light and the body. The blackness grew darker, almost like ink, and the whiteness winked out.
“Grim?” came a voice behind him.
Grim didn’t even turn around to see Rusty in the doorway. He was standing over the body, watching the pool of darkness. It moved a little, then the figure of a body sat up.
“Grim,” said a rough voice that sounded like it was coming from the depths of hell, “that hurt.”
“Good,” Grim said, turned his back on him, and walked past Rusty, out of the room.
Going against his gut feeling, he entered the room. In the center of the room was a sphere, hanging impossibly in midair. There were obelisks and a few chests scattered around the room. The chests had no locks on them, but he really didn’t want to open them up to see what was in there.
There was a recessed area, where it looked like a circle had been crudely etched in the stone. He stepped inside.
A column of dark fire shot up and surrounded him. He jumped back from it – it hissed and seethed around him. He cautiously approached it, and put his hand through it. It went around his hand like water, and started crawling up his arm. It changed into something that looked like a black salamander, with glowing green eyes.
He cried out, yanked his arm back and shook the thing off. It fell to the floor, and started crawling to him. He stomped on it, and it exploded in what looked like dark blue goo that got all over his boot.
“Well, at least that ward works.”
Bladeless looked up to see Grim in the doorway of the room. “Grim, how do I get out of here?”
“Curious about magic, Mase?” He started walking around the room. “That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”
Bladeless watched Grim through the curtain of black fire, unsure of what he was going to do.
Grim continued talking, “It seems the rest of the wards work.” He motioned to the walls around him. “There’s markings everywhere, markings warning those who carry any malevolence toward me or this group, that they would be struck down by confusion at the very least, or white fire that would cling to them and eat away at their bodies and souls at the very worst. Obviously you passed.”
“I don’t have anything against you, Grim.”
“Of course not. I was a good fuck, after all.”
“Grim, I’m different now.”
“Are you?” He pointed to the dark fire. “You created that. That circle is neutral: black, white, grey, hedge, ceremonial magic all work there. You activated the black magic around you by merely entering.” He jumped up on one of the obelisks and sat down, dangling his legs off the side. “Now, what gets me is how.” He summoned up a ball of light. “I wonder…” He threw it at the dark fire. It exploded in a shower of sparks, white and black. “Interesting.”
“What?”
He jumped off the obelisk. “Why don’t you just step out of it?”
Bladeless took a step through the dark fire. It felt cold, but nothing he couldn’t get used to. He came out of the circle, and the dark fire receded. He looked down at himself to see little black things, like leeches, attached to him.
Then Grim raised his hands, a huge ball of white light in the center. He threw it at Bladeless. Bladeless had no where to go, and the white light hit him square in the chest. The white surrounded him, like an aura. The leeches burned and fell off, disappearing into the brightness of the light.
“Neat trick, Gr—“
Another ball of white light headed his way. This time he had the sense to move, but he still got hit in the back by it. Again, it encompassed him; this time it seemed to stick to him. He smelled something burning, and realized it was his hair.
He put his hands on his head, but took them away. His gloves began to smoke, starting up a scent of burning leather. He looked at Grim, and saw another volley of white light come at him. Bladeless backed up, but suddenly the stone turned to mud, and he was stuck, surrounded by a white fiery circle. His armor started to melt, his mask burned away.
“Grim! What’re you doing?!”
Grim coldly tossed another ball, hitting Bladeless in the face with it. Bladeless howled in pain as the whiteness started eating away at his skin. He fell face-first into the fiery circle, his entire body now encased in angry white flames.
Grim stopped, looking down at the body, waiting for the whiteness to dissipate. The smell of burning flesh was almost overpowering. Then, as he watched, a layer of blackness encompassed the body, forming a barrier between the white light and the body. The blackness grew darker, almost like ink, and the whiteness winked out.
“Grim?” came a voice behind him.
Grim didn’t even turn around to see Rusty in the doorway. He was standing over the body, watching the pool of darkness. It moved a little, then the figure of a body sat up.
“Grim,” said a rough voice that sounded like it was coming from the depths of hell, “that hurt.”
“Good,” Grim said, turned his back on him, and walked past Rusty, out of the room.
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