"Shadowpath: The Saga of Aarian" : 'Teachings and Trials'

submitted by aarian on Mar 14th, 2007

“Shadowpath: The Saga of Aarian”

“Teachings and Trials”

“We learn by example and by direct experience because there are real limits to the adequacy of verbal instruction.
--Malcolm Gladwell

Aarian stepped through the transparent door and into a long earthen corridor illuminated by small glowing orbs of brilliant blue light. The smell of stale air filled his nostrils as he moved forward, his progress encouraged by the old man behind him.

“Where does this go?” Aarian asked

“Every journey begins with a step. This, young Aarian, is your first step” The old man replied

Before Aarian could ask any more questions they reached a small wooden door; pristine in condition it stood in stark contrast to the earthen wall. The old man moved ahead of Aarian and rested his hand on the doors handle.

“You must ask yourself Aarian, are you sure you are ready for what is to come? You may turn back now, but once on the journey, there is no turning back”

Aarian looked to his feet for a moment, breathing deeply. “Ready as I will ever be I guess”

The old man grabbed Aarian’s shoulder firmly, shaking him briefly.

“There is no guessing boy, you are about to go down a road few can handle, and even less survive. You must know damnit, heart and soul. You are about to see things you could not imagine, and only if you are sure will you have a chance at understanding them” The old man turned away. “Maybe this is a mistake”.

“No, I am ready. I just don’t know what to be ready for” Aarian retorted.

“You see, that is the point. You need to be ready for the unknown as well as the known. Anyone can prepare for what they can see, touch and understand. Only the true powerful ones, the ones who master their art, master their destiny, are ready for that which they do not know.” The old man paused, reading Aarian’s face. “I ask you again, are you ready?”

Aarian straightened his back, breathed sharply and staring back into the old man’s ancient eyes nodded his head. “Yes”

“Behind this door you will find your destiny realized, or your fate. Pay attention to what you see, learn from it. Inside you will learn the very basics of what it takes to be a necromancer. If you can master the lessons behind this door, then your journey will begin.”

“What if I come out and I haven’t learned anything?” Aarian asked with concern.

“Son, if you don’t learn anything behind this door, you won’t be coming out” The old man replied swinging the door open and ushering Aarian through. “Remember, watch and learn” the old man said as he closed the door.

Aarian stood, back flat against the door. The room was moderate in size, the torches by the door able to illuminate about half of the room, leaving the far half blanketed in a still, disconcerting darkness. The floor was unsteady beneath is feet, like walking on loose rock. Bending over to get a closer look in the amber haze he saw that it was not rock at all, but a bed of loose dirt and bone. Aarian stood back up rapidly losing his balance he slammed his hand against the wall. Rather than smooth cold stone beneath his hand he felt a sticky roughness. He steadied himself and looked at his hand which was now covered in sticky ochre; A mixture of moss, mold and dried blood.

Aarian’s eyes widened as realization overtook him. He was going to die.

As if in response to the thought, a low primeval chuckle emanated from the dark half of the room. The sound sent icy shivers down Aarian’s spine, freezing him in place.

Aarian squinted into the darkness trying to see what was there, but could not penetrate the inky black. “Who‘s there?” He asked shakily.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Aarian began to wonder if perhaps he had been hearing things, his mind playing tricks on him. This room certainly was such that it was easy to spook oneself. Aarian resigned himself to his paranoia and went back to scanning the room.

“I am your fate” a gravely, wispy voice said from somewhere in the dark, frightening Aarian; sending him sprawling backwards. “You come here to learn, and learn you shall. You will learn whether you are Necromancer, or are weak” The ragged voice continued, hollow, listless. “You will learn power, or you will learn mortality.”

“Who are you?” Aarian could barely force the question from his lips.

From the darkness he could feel a strange energy, suddenly a violet glow from somewhere in the back flashed and disappeared as something slammed into Aarian’s shoulder. Searing pain shot through his arm and up his neck as the force knocked him against the wall and to the ground. “You ask questions that have already been answered. You will learn though, you will learn”

Aarian looked at his shoulder bringing his hand to examine the wound. A tiny piece of bone protruded from the wound. Aarian removed it and tossed it to the ground. Wincing he returned to his feet.

“How do I learn, I can’t even see…” Aarian froze; jaw dropping in wonder, heart beating in terror as a figure emerged from the dark. At first it appeared human as it stepped into the light, but once in full view it was nothing short of a nightmarish mockery of humanity. Ragged cloth clung to strips of rotted flesh hanging from decrepit bone; its skull, burnt and scarred, eyeless hollow sockets and chipped random teeth. The figure held its hand out to the side, palm down.

“You will watch, and you will learn, or you will fail” the figure turned its hand and forced it towards Aarian. Another bright reddish-violet glow and a small projectile struck Aarian’s thigh, pushing his legs out from under him, face planting in the dirt.

Aarian paused a moment, the burning pain in his thigh blinding him. He dragged his feet under him and forced himself to stand. “How do I learn? I can’t see what you are doing?” Aarian asked shakily

“Watch, and learn!” The voice said forcefully. Again turning its hand and forcing it towards Aarian; another shard nicked his forearm bouncing harmlessly off the back wall. Aarian could feel the terror he felt being replaced with helpless aggravation.

“I understand, but how without your instruc…” another shard barely missed his face as Aarian turned his head to avoid it.

“Focus, watch, and learn!” The voice commanded. Aarian watched the thing’s hand hoping to dodge the next inevitable attack. This time he noticed something he hadn’t before. Just before the thing attacked, a small puff of dust came from the ground beneath his hand. A bone shard stabbed forcefully into Aarian’s stomach, doubling him over. He had been paying too much attention to what the dust meant to dodge the attack.

He’s pulling the bone from the ground, Aarian thought to himself, but how?

“But how indeed. Watch, and Learn!” The voice commanded again, flinging another tiny barb. Aarian stepped to the side as the projectile flew by.

Aarian stared at the thing in front of him and stretched his hand out to his side, palm down. He must be envisioning it, he thought as he tried to picture a small piece of bone appearing in his hand.

If the creature had lips Aarian would swear it smiled as it spoke again, acrid breath over rotted vocal chords. “Called, not conjured. Watch and learn!”

The next barb came to fast and embedded itself deep in Aarian’s side as he tried to turn away. The pain was intolerable. Aarian crumpled to the floor, suddenly aware of his precarious situation. The wounds he had suffered continued to bleed making his clothes stick to his skin. He struggled back to his feet, his knees weak. He stretched his hand out to the side again, this time he envisioned the shard coming to his hand; stripped from the bones of the long dead buried deep in the earth. Suddenly he felt a small object smack against his hand. He paused and looked down to see a tiny bone shard in his palm. Wild excitement filled his weakening body.

He looked up to the thing before him, confident he had learned when another tiny shard struck him in the face just below his right eye. This one had more force than the others, or perhaps he was just too weak for it lifted him from his feet sending him backwards hard against the wall. His head swimming with confusion, and fear realizing he hadn’t the strength to stand he looked to the nightmarish creature. “But I learned” he said shakily.

“Watch and Learn!” the being said as if taunting Aarian. The thing's hand began to turn to send another bone his way; surely it would be the last one. Aarian lifted his arm and forced his hand forward envisioning the small bone leaving his hand with force and flight.

A dull violet light encircled Aarian’s had and the shard left his palm at blinding speed striking the creature square in the chest knocking it backwards; and all went silent.

Aarian, unable to fully stand, remained on the floor on all fours staring from a half lifted head towards the darkness waiting for the thing to come back.

“You have learned” the undead spoke; Aarian suddenly felt alone. And in the chamber which he thought he would realize his destiny, he was sure he realized his fate. Too long to learn kid his inner voice said to him you took too long, and now look where you are. Aarian’s limbs gave way to his weight, too weak to hold himself up he lay on the dirt ground staring at the bones around him. I wonder how long it took them his inner voice pondered at least I learned.

At least I learned.

Aarian breathed heavily, slowly, as the world around him slowly faded.

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