Playerkiller
08-19-2005, 05:21 PM
This is a story that I'm working on. This is only the prologue, so keep that in mind. The story's title is Outcast.
A young elf named Zenaku, clad solely in green, walked slowly around the glade. As he pulled off the hood of his cloak, he looked up and saw the light dancing softly down through the overgrowth of trees. He smiled. His face was boyish, despite his long years. He stood about 5 and half feet high, with short auburn hair. His eyes were blue, but not the usual blue of elfish eyes. His were icy blue, and displayed a coldness and determination that frightened most people around him. Only his closest friends ever really got to know him, after what had happened so many years ago.
His good friend Rui walked up to him, but she did it very quietly. He didn’t notice her until she was right next to him, and she popped up in her usual bubbly mood. She was slightly shorter than he was, with long blond hair. She was incredibly pretty, the envy of every female in the village.
“What are you thinking about, Zenaku?” she asked.
“About everything”, he answered slowly, “Everything and nothing at all”.
“What do you mean?” She giggled, tossing a blond tress over her shoulder, “Why can’t you ever give me a strait answer?”
“Rui, have you ever wondered what life was like outside of the forest? How other races act and how they live?”
“Why should I? I’m perfectly happy here” Rui answered.
“I’m not so sure. It’s been 150 years now and every day has been exactly the same. Nothing has ever changed, and the others still teat me like a child.” He responded.
“Well, we are young as compared to the others, but I don’t think of us as children.” She trailed off. He took her by the hands and looked right into her eyes.
“Haven’t you ever wondered what it would be like? To be free to go where ever we wanted, to travel, to see the world! The only thing the others think about is making sure that their precious laws go unbroken.”
“Don’t say such things!” She exclaimed.
“They’re true, and you know it. I just want to leave here some times, and go somewhere else, just like my father.”
“No, please don’t talk like that. You aren’t your father, and he made his own decision. You don’t have to be him. You shouldn’t be him. I like you as you, Zenaku, not some famous adventurer or anything else” She had, as usual, calmed him and made him feel much better about being in the forest. Besides, he thought, where would I go, and could I even bring myself to leave it all behind?
“Rui, I…” he started, but he was interrupted by the sound of a loud gong crashing. All around them, they saw elves scurrying towards the source of the sound. They rushed alongside each other to the large glade in the center of their village.
Their village was a typical wood elf village. It was surrounded by dense green foliage, and only a few parts of the village were on the ground. A few glades and family pools, for example. The rest, including houses, was up in the huge oak trees that only grew in these forests. The relationship between the elves and trees was true symbiosis. The trees provided the elves with food, shelter, and clothing material made form the inner lining of the bark. In return, the elves cleaned the trees, nourished them, and used their natural magic to help the sickly trees.
As they hurried to the center glade, the same thought occurred to both of them. The gong had not been used in either of their life times! Zenaku wondered what could possibly be so important. He stayed close by Rui’s side, just in case something was horribly wrong.
The village elder, who was about 600 years old, was about ready to start the meeting.
“As you all may know, we haven’t used the gong in many years” he began, using the common Elvin speak that everyone knew, rather than the old elfish that he usually spoke in, “This is a time of great peril, and we had to summon you all quickly.” He paused and Rui and Zenaku exchanged apprehensive glances.
The elder continued “There is an army of goblins headed south, and our forest is directly in their way. You all know what goblins do to what’s in their way”, he stopped for a moment to let it sink in. Indeed, everyone knew what goblins did. The looted and destroyed what they couldn’t loot.
“I have already consulted with the council, and we have decided that the best idea is to move everyone out of the village. We will travel west, out of the goblins path, and return when they are gone. It is unlikely that any real damage will be done to our homes, but I would rather loose our homes than our people. We have about 5 days before they get here, so bring only what is necessary.” With that, he walked off the stage and climbed up the stairs to his residence. He left all the elves wondering for a while, and finally they began to disperse.
Zenaku started for his home, wondering what he should do. He hated that the council was too cowardly to take action, and he began to form a plan. He ran back to Rui, and he stopped panting as she asked what was wrong.
“Rui, what if there was a way that we could help the forest, that we could save everyone?” He asked hurriedly.
“You heard the council’s decision, and you know that we should go. It would be against our laws to take action.”
“Forget the laws! People’s lives are at stake here! If we don’t stop the goblins, there is a good chance none of us will survive.”
“Do what you must, but I’m going to follow the council, no matter what you think is better.” She walked off, leaving Zenaku in stunned silence. Fine, he thought, I’ll just have to do it by my self.
He hurried back to his dwelling, and began rooting under his bed. It may have been a crime to kill another being, but he couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t try to save his village. His father had tried to do the same thing 100 years ago, when Zenaku was but an infant by elfish standards. Before his father had left, he gave his son a bow with a quiver full of arrows and a sword that he had forged. His final words to his son had been, “Son, keep those well hidden, someday you may be called upon to use them, but the council may object to you having them.” With that, his father had left the village, never to return again. It seemed to Zenaku that the time had come to use those weapons, and he dug them out. Despite the passage of time, the blade of the sword was still keen, and the wood of the bow hadn’t warped. He stroked the back of the bow fondly, remembering his father from so long ago. He drew the sword out of its scabbard, seeing his reflection in the slightly curved steel. The hilt was made of fine hard wood, and curved slightly in the opposite direction of the blade’s curve. He thrust the sword back in its scabbard. He hurriedly gathered up his weapons, and put them on his back. Over this, he donned his grey-green cloak and pulled the hood up over his face. He set out from the village, traveling as fast as he could. No one stopped him, for they were all too busy with their own problems. He reached a spot in the woods that would be good to lay his trap. The plan was still only half formed in his mind, but he knew it would work.
He set up quickly. He knew that goblins were stupid, so a simple ruse should be enough to scare them away. He stuffed some extra clothes full of leaves and set them up in a circle around where he knew the goblins would be. That should scare them enough, he thought. Now it was just a simple matter of waiting. He made a bed on a tree limb and sat there, waiting. He waited for what seemed like years, but it was only two days. Why no one ever came looking for him was a mystery, but Rui was distraught as she made ready to evacuate the village. Zenaku woke early on the third day of his waiting to see a small goblin scout party just bellow him. He laid low, and called out in a huge voice, “Leave now or you will be destroyed! You are surrounded by a great army. Leave and never return!”
The huge brutish goblins looked up to the source of the sound. Saliva dripped from their mouths as they thought of the destruction they could wreak in this area. Zenaku recoiled in disgust at the sight of the beasts, and then again at what they wore on their backs. Each goblin wore a huge pack on his back that was made of human skin, adorned with a skull.
“I have given you a warning! Leave now or you will be destroyed!” He shouted again.
The goblins glanced around. Through the morning light, the shadowy figures of the scarecrows looked like real soldiers. The goblins’ eyes widened a bit, but they were too stupid to turn and run. Zenaku notched an arrow to the string. He raised the bow to firing position.
“This is the last warning! Leave or die!” he shouted. The goblins looked up and saw nothing. They grunted to each other in their barbaric language and started to move forward. Zenaku let the arrow fly. He had aimed at the ground in front of the goblins, to scare them, but his aim was sorely off. The arrow buried its self deep in the lead goblin’s head. The other goblins turned heel and ran. Zenaku jumped down from his vantage point and removed his arrow. It came out with a sickening sucking sound, covered in the black ichors of its victim. He wiped it off and grabbed the goblin by the arm, and began to drag it back to the village.
A young elf named Zenaku, clad solely in green, walked slowly around the glade. As he pulled off the hood of his cloak, he looked up and saw the light dancing softly down through the overgrowth of trees. He smiled. His face was boyish, despite his long years. He stood about 5 and half feet high, with short auburn hair. His eyes were blue, but not the usual blue of elfish eyes. His were icy blue, and displayed a coldness and determination that frightened most people around him. Only his closest friends ever really got to know him, after what had happened so many years ago.
His good friend Rui walked up to him, but she did it very quietly. He didn’t notice her until she was right next to him, and she popped up in her usual bubbly mood. She was slightly shorter than he was, with long blond hair. She was incredibly pretty, the envy of every female in the village.
“What are you thinking about, Zenaku?” she asked.
“About everything”, he answered slowly, “Everything and nothing at all”.
“What do you mean?” She giggled, tossing a blond tress over her shoulder, “Why can’t you ever give me a strait answer?”
“Rui, have you ever wondered what life was like outside of the forest? How other races act and how they live?”
“Why should I? I’m perfectly happy here” Rui answered.
“I’m not so sure. It’s been 150 years now and every day has been exactly the same. Nothing has ever changed, and the others still teat me like a child.” He responded.
“Well, we are young as compared to the others, but I don’t think of us as children.” She trailed off. He took her by the hands and looked right into her eyes.
“Haven’t you ever wondered what it would be like? To be free to go where ever we wanted, to travel, to see the world! The only thing the others think about is making sure that their precious laws go unbroken.”
“Don’t say such things!” She exclaimed.
“They’re true, and you know it. I just want to leave here some times, and go somewhere else, just like my father.”
“No, please don’t talk like that. You aren’t your father, and he made his own decision. You don’t have to be him. You shouldn’t be him. I like you as you, Zenaku, not some famous adventurer or anything else” She had, as usual, calmed him and made him feel much better about being in the forest. Besides, he thought, where would I go, and could I even bring myself to leave it all behind?
“Rui, I…” he started, but he was interrupted by the sound of a loud gong crashing. All around them, they saw elves scurrying towards the source of the sound. They rushed alongside each other to the large glade in the center of their village.
Their village was a typical wood elf village. It was surrounded by dense green foliage, and only a few parts of the village were on the ground. A few glades and family pools, for example. The rest, including houses, was up in the huge oak trees that only grew in these forests. The relationship between the elves and trees was true symbiosis. The trees provided the elves with food, shelter, and clothing material made form the inner lining of the bark. In return, the elves cleaned the trees, nourished them, and used their natural magic to help the sickly trees.
As they hurried to the center glade, the same thought occurred to both of them. The gong had not been used in either of their life times! Zenaku wondered what could possibly be so important. He stayed close by Rui’s side, just in case something was horribly wrong.
The village elder, who was about 600 years old, was about ready to start the meeting.
“As you all may know, we haven’t used the gong in many years” he began, using the common Elvin speak that everyone knew, rather than the old elfish that he usually spoke in, “This is a time of great peril, and we had to summon you all quickly.” He paused and Rui and Zenaku exchanged apprehensive glances.
The elder continued “There is an army of goblins headed south, and our forest is directly in their way. You all know what goblins do to what’s in their way”, he stopped for a moment to let it sink in. Indeed, everyone knew what goblins did. The looted and destroyed what they couldn’t loot.
“I have already consulted with the council, and we have decided that the best idea is to move everyone out of the village. We will travel west, out of the goblins path, and return when they are gone. It is unlikely that any real damage will be done to our homes, but I would rather loose our homes than our people. We have about 5 days before they get here, so bring only what is necessary.” With that, he walked off the stage and climbed up the stairs to his residence. He left all the elves wondering for a while, and finally they began to disperse.
Zenaku started for his home, wondering what he should do. He hated that the council was too cowardly to take action, and he began to form a plan. He ran back to Rui, and he stopped panting as she asked what was wrong.
“Rui, what if there was a way that we could help the forest, that we could save everyone?” He asked hurriedly.
“You heard the council’s decision, and you know that we should go. It would be against our laws to take action.”
“Forget the laws! People’s lives are at stake here! If we don’t stop the goblins, there is a good chance none of us will survive.”
“Do what you must, but I’m going to follow the council, no matter what you think is better.” She walked off, leaving Zenaku in stunned silence. Fine, he thought, I’ll just have to do it by my self.
He hurried back to his dwelling, and began rooting under his bed. It may have been a crime to kill another being, but he couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t try to save his village. His father had tried to do the same thing 100 years ago, when Zenaku was but an infant by elfish standards. Before his father had left, he gave his son a bow with a quiver full of arrows and a sword that he had forged. His final words to his son had been, “Son, keep those well hidden, someday you may be called upon to use them, but the council may object to you having them.” With that, his father had left the village, never to return again. It seemed to Zenaku that the time had come to use those weapons, and he dug them out. Despite the passage of time, the blade of the sword was still keen, and the wood of the bow hadn’t warped. He stroked the back of the bow fondly, remembering his father from so long ago. He drew the sword out of its scabbard, seeing his reflection in the slightly curved steel. The hilt was made of fine hard wood, and curved slightly in the opposite direction of the blade’s curve. He thrust the sword back in its scabbard. He hurriedly gathered up his weapons, and put them on his back. Over this, he donned his grey-green cloak and pulled the hood up over his face. He set out from the village, traveling as fast as he could. No one stopped him, for they were all too busy with their own problems. He reached a spot in the woods that would be good to lay his trap. The plan was still only half formed in his mind, but he knew it would work.
He set up quickly. He knew that goblins were stupid, so a simple ruse should be enough to scare them away. He stuffed some extra clothes full of leaves and set them up in a circle around where he knew the goblins would be. That should scare them enough, he thought. Now it was just a simple matter of waiting. He made a bed on a tree limb and sat there, waiting. He waited for what seemed like years, but it was only two days. Why no one ever came looking for him was a mystery, but Rui was distraught as she made ready to evacuate the village. Zenaku woke early on the third day of his waiting to see a small goblin scout party just bellow him. He laid low, and called out in a huge voice, “Leave now or you will be destroyed! You are surrounded by a great army. Leave and never return!”
The huge brutish goblins looked up to the source of the sound. Saliva dripped from their mouths as they thought of the destruction they could wreak in this area. Zenaku recoiled in disgust at the sight of the beasts, and then again at what they wore on their backs. Each goblin wore a huge pack on his back that was made of human skin, adorned with a skull.
“I have given you a warning! Leave now or you will be destroyed!” He shouted again.
The goblins glanced around. Through the morning light, the shadowy figures of the scarecrows looked like real soldiers. The goblins’ eyes widened a bit, but they were too stupid to turn and run. Zenaku notched an arrow to the string. He raised the bow to firing position.
“This is the last warning! Leave or die!” he shouted. The goblins looked up and saw nothing. They grunted to each other in their barbaric language and started to move forward. Zenaku let the arrow fly. He had aimed at the ground in front of the goblins, to scare them, but his aim was sorely off. The arrow buried its self deep in the lead goblin’s head. The other goblins turned heel and ran. Zenaku jumped down from his vantage point and removed his arrow. It came out with a sickening sucking sound, covered in the black ichors of its victim. He wiped it off and grabbed the goblin by the arm, and began to drag it back to the village.