Alone in The Darkness

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Botef
Sojourner
Posts: 1056
Joined: Fri May 10, 2002 5:01 am
Location: Eastern Washington
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Alone in The Darkness

Postby Botef » Wed Jan 26, 2005 8:25 pm

Botef wheezed as he tried to stand himself upright. His bones ached,
barely able to hold him, trembling under the weight of his sagging
flesh. Fumbling through his bag, he pulled a polished silver mirror and
stared, lost in the gaze of his clouded eyes.

His face was aged beyond recognition, his expressions consumed in a
saggy mush of flesh. How old had he become, he wondered. His
experiments with age had taken their toll on him, bringing his body to
it's very limits. At first the pain was intense, his body screaming in
horror whenever he tried to move. Then it faded, lost like all his
other senses, a jumbled mush of old flesh and nerves. His mind faded
into the darkness as he lost track of time and place.

Adrift in a sea of nothingness, his mind let go taking him to the very
edges of his own existence. Trapped in this darkness he cried
screaming out his brother's name.

"Tibek...how could I have left you."

The visions came slowly at first, faint flickers of light in the
distance. Botef strained to focus on them, realizing his body was no
longer there. "Am I dead?" he wondered. "Is this what death is? A
dark hole devoid of all sensations?" He chuckled to
himself.

"What have I done..."

What seemed like years passed before the visions grew stronger. The
lights now a soft glow in the distance, pulsating slowly but growing
brighter with each passing moment. Finally Botef knew what lay before
him, a ghostly vision of Dobluth Kyor floating endlessly in the
darkness. The visions danced, shifting and changing at impossible
speeds.

The walls of the city were alive with activity, people rushing about,
their slim figures transparent marionettes dancing before him. Smoke
rose from the obsidian spire in the heart of the city. Flashes of fire
spreading outward across Mir forest. The visions shifted, faces of
those he had known crying in pain. The streets stained a dark red with
drow blood. The flames grew, engulfing the city in a fiery glow filling
the darkness with the foul smell of burnt flesh. Then, there was
nothing.

"What have I done..."

Just darkness, cold and lonely. Many years in this place before the
visions returned. Twisted images flashed before him, the faces of
friends and of enemies. The face of a young drow, lost and alone
huddled in a corner of the Underdark, crying for her mother. Her smile
as she joined her place with the Moondancers. The grin of a grateful
Bubukken miner, the simple innocence of a young duergar child. The face
of his father, standing proud and his mother smiling at him with
compassion. His uncle standing luminously over him, a cold expression
across his face.

"What have I done..." he whispered, as the darkness returned.

Many more years passed in this place before the final visions came, this
time much more subtle then before. A face unrecognizable at first, no
eyes, nose or mouth. He strained to focus. Slowly he began to see
clearly, the face of his uncle aglow with crimson flames, a face he had
not seen in many many years. It laughed at him, flashing a devilish
grin.

And then he remembered. He remembered his fathers final words, the
urgency in his voice as pushed Botef out the door, dragging his brother
Tibek behind him. "Don't let him get away with this...Don't let him get
away. He will come for you and your brother, you must come for him
first. You must protect what is left of us Botef, you must protect your
brother, you must not leave his side.

A warm feeling grew within him. A hot coal expanding and shifting
inside like molten rock. It was...anger. Intense and overwhelming, it
washed over him consuming his soul in a fiery rage. He howled as it
burned inside.

"My Uncle...How could you...My father...my family...why? You're one of
them...You've been one all along, and now that I remember I will not let
you live. I will find you Kelzarik, I will find you and kill you..."

His memories of his uncle were always strange. Distorted recollections
of conversations he had over heard. His father had always fought with
his uncle, Kelzarik. It was no secret they hated each other. They had
always shared harsh words, fighting over family secrets and control over
their armies. His uncle's face returned before him, the vision much
stronger now, his face fully exposed, a fist lined with crimson burning
in the background.

Botef screamed with anger as the face taunted him. It showed him
visions of his father's death, the murder of his mother and siblings and
the destruction of their stronghold deep within the Underdark. Then, as
though this was not enough the visions went on. The face of his
brother, Tibek, bloody and exhausted, tears streaming down his face, his
eyes filled with terror, his body battered and bruised.

"What have I done..."

The hot fire of his anger burned stronger now, he could feel his blood
boiling...he could feel sweat beading on his face. He screamed, his
voice echoing into infinity as he cried.

"TIBEK! What have I done..."

A sharp pain began to overtake him. He could feel his arm burning with
pain. The face writhed and shifted, folding in on itself with great
speed. With a flash the darkness was gone, his vision softly coming
into focus. He stared as tears streamed down his face.

" I thought for sure you were a goner that time."

Botef blinked, rubbing the water from his eyes. The Ancient One smiled,
standing over him with a torch.

"So you went to where darkness lives. An intriguing place indeed. I'm
sure you saw many things. Sorry about your arm, I didn't want you to be
consumed by it. One must'nt venture too deep into the darkness."

Botef sobbed, tears rolling down his face. He clutched his arm, charred
by the flames of the torch.

"What have I done...why...why."

The Ancient One grinned

"More to the point, what haven't you done. There is much to be learned
from being alone in the darkness, but you've seen enough so you must go soon.
Your time is upon you. I hope you have found what you came looking for."

The Ancient One smirked, sitting once again as he always has.

It was still with him, a fiery hot coal lodged deep within his belly.
His rage...his anger.

Such strange memories, his sense of time distorted. How long had he
been down here, consumed by the darkness of his mind. Tucking the
mirror away safely in his bag, he sighed.

"Kelzarik, you have betrayed not only your family, but your race as
well. You fool, your lust for power will be the end of you. "

Laying back, Botef tried to relax, his mind swimming with emotion.

"How much blood must I bathe in before I can be clean." He whispered

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