Stoking the flames.

March 25th, 2013

I lope through Lithmore city, my form now familiar to me and growing with each visit here. My paws are shrouded in flame, my eyes as well, smoke wafts from my fur, leaving a trail behind me.I see what I have been searching for, a small wisp of flame flitting about a few hundred feet up the road, skipping around the baroque fountain in the church square.

I have to hurry, my aura grows dim. I charge forth, easily jumping the vines crawling about sent by Earth. I pass a gate from this area, but ignore it, those are often trouble. Up ahead, just before my target, a tendril of floating water snakes it’s way into my path, I freeze.

Water, the one element that I am not allowed to get near….this could be trouble. It senses me and starts making it’s way to me, I dodge to it’s left, then jig right, hoping to confuse it. It worked!!! Now to quickly head to my pri…..

I open my eyes, my spirit returned to my physical body. *sigh* I would have gained more knowledge over fire if I hadn’t been stopped by water.

I told you water is our enemy, it halts us at every turn.” The voice practically screams in my head, Ixtheratas is obviously displeased.

“Yes, you did, and so it was, I will try again at another point, but I must return to the city before I’m missed.” I think the thoughts, though in this tower, that doesn’t mean much, often I may as well speak them aloud. “I have gotten another piece to our outfit, are you pleased?”

“Yessss, the gauntlets please me, but there is still more to be done, more pieces to the outfit, and vengeance more ….burning.” he says, his voice a bit subdued this time.

I think to him, “I don’t believe Cardinal Calix got our welcoming gift, a shame really, but there are more animals to kill, and cast spells on, I’ll try again soon.” He says nothing, I’ve still yet to determine if this is better or not than the booming voice.

I sigh, rise and glance at myself in a nearby mirror. Before my is a person cloaked in a black leather cloak, an iron mask worked into the visage of a demonic fiery face, a set of gauntlets worked into bloodred talons wreathed in crimson flame. It’s getting there, i think as I look at my reflection, just a bit more to go, perhaps the rest should be a perverted inquisitor’s robes….

“Yes, do that, make a mockery of the church, this pleases me.” I don’t jump as he booms from out of nowhere…at least not anymore.

I look out the window of the tower, seeing Lithmore City in the distance, “Soon, Lithmore, soon…..”

——————————————————————————————————————–

My plan worked, which given the average intelligience of a common miner, there was no doubt it would. Suffocate a small canary, put it in a cage and leave it in the mine and of course they would stay away from the mine for days before confirming there was gas or not, thus allowing me the necessary time to complete my task. I broke a few cages as I captured the bats from the lower mine, but I got enough to hold onto till it was time for the task I need them for.

Suddenly, I’m  in the church square, around me are the corpses of many of the citizens of Lithmore, all burned to death. I recognize Argider, him I apparently took a lot of time on torturing, Kain is there, he I didn’t burn, but I did drown him in the water he loves so much.

I see the cardinal, and a few of the inquisitors, all tied to makeshift pyres, and burned to death. There is Dragonfly and Rubeus, still in their cloaks but just as dead. Suddenly, Dragonfly stands up, looks at me and says, “No, this is not what you will do!”

I snap out of my daydream, apparently influenced by Ixtheratas, he is getting stronger, and more difficult to stave off…..but why didn’t Dragonfly stay dead in the vision? There has to be a reason.

“She awakened you, she has a measure of power on you, an amount I cannot access, she MUST be dealt with.”

——————————————————————————————————————–

I am more subdued now, Ixtheratas taught me his lesson. Do what he says, or pay the price. I tried to find Rubeus but he wasn’t where I could find him, that probably winds up being better for me, at least for now.

I decide to go over the drawings of the rest of my outfit, Ixtheratas grows impatient with me not actively doing things, but small steps in the right direction seem to satisfy him, he seems to actually be satisfied by progress.

The outfit will have to wait, too many things to accomplish, too little time. I still have to find an appropriate time to “introduce” myself to Lithmore, I think Ixtheratas would want something big, perhaps a city gathering. I probably SHOULDN’T introduce myself during the upcoming tournament, too many weapons, too many variables. And so many things to account for, how do I enter, how do I exit when it’s time? Will I be able to get away before they try to capture me? Will I live longer than a day, if I do escape? How will Rubeus react to all of this? Will I escape the city, only to be killed by the Manus? So many questions, and not a single one that Ixtheratas cares about. Speaking of which, he’s unusually quiet today, I wonder if he’s plotting something even more sinister for me to do. I find it funny that with all of my previous knowledge of magic before I came to Lithmore, that it wasn’t until I was awakened that I truly see and understand the church’s position, at least in my situation. I never thought I’d think that, agreeing with the Order, especially after they burned my mother. Thinking of that brings up dark emotions, I actually feel Ixtheratas in my head….as if he’s smiling contentedly, I watch as the candle nearby flares and burns brighter and taller, reacting to my emotions. Well, if anything, if i’m put on a pyre, at least it will be a memorable one, given my propensity for flame.

I look out the window again, seeing the city at night.

Maybe I should just bar the doors during Mass, and set the church on fire, it’d solve alot of problems, well for me anyhow.

 

Why hasn’t Ixtheratas spoken today…….

——————————————————————————————————————–

I was seen by a miner when I went back to check the mines for more bats, I didn’t say anything, he seemed scared enough by this.

Ixtheratas has been quiet for a couple of days now, which has me a bit worried, he’s never been quiet this long…not since that first day.

Memory rolls over my mind, and I’m reliving the event over again.

I’m running along in my new form, hardly more than a speck in plane, but still in my four-legged form. I lope about searching for fire, I find one, gobble it up, letting it burn it’s way into my astral form. I feel the power of knowledge course through me, fueling me along to find more. I feel so free! No worries, running through Lithmore without a care of being caught, since no mundane thing can see the Astral. I stop in River Square, a feeling of unease fills the area, marred by the number of deaths on the mortal plane that have happened here. I am about to leave, when I spot the Fire mote dancing in the air, it flickers from orange flame to black flame back and again. I pay it no mind, it’s Knowledge of Fire! *Sigh, how foolish I was, I should have asked about this mote before I continued* I gobble it up, waiting for the power to fuel me…but no it..it burns! How is that possible?! I try to cough it up, to get it out of me, but it doesn’t work, I feel it burn all through me, the pain, the pain….

I wake up hours later, no longer in pain, and with more knowledge of Fire. I shrug, guessing it was just another way of the Astral.

 

I finish remembering that moment, Ixtheratas started speaking a few days after that, well, not speaking more like influencing my emotions, THEN the speaking started. And now he has almost total control over me, but he can’t seem to control me in any other way but pain, but THAT is usually enough.

*sigh* Either way I’ll burn, so I may as well have fun with it.

 

——————————————————————————————————————

I open the door to my residence, burning with pain with every step. I can’t do it anymore, it is too much, and Ixtheratas is angry about it.

“YOU WILL STOP THIS AT ONCE! YOU CANNOT DO THIS! STOP, STOP NOW!”

I flinch in pain with every word from Ixtheratas, but I stay focused, clutching an Erra Pater as if it was my life, which is kind of ironic. I collect the small courier’s box that contains the evidence against me. I turn and leave, locking the door, and then wondering why I bothered doing that, since I won’t be coming back here.

I finally make it to the courier, and start writing Argider, I don’t bother with using my “accent” in my written words. It is still a fight to finish it though, Ixtheratas sends pain through me the entire time. I finish writing the letter and start signing it, I finish the first three letters but then a surge of intense pain hits my hand, and I break the quill. That will have to do.

I finally head to the church…to wait…hopefully Argider follows my directions, they are important. I sigh, making my way through the church square glancing at my reflection in the fountain. So many scars from the forge, and some not from the forge, at least I’ll be rejoined with my mother soon……

 

 

FIN