Vuroth's Tear: Even the Gods Cry

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The city of Alendion was alive in the early morning hours. The streets were filled with vendors setting up their merchandise like freshly caught fish, meat, fruits and vegetables. Horses dragged carriages through the busy streets, bringing important people to or from the lord's manor, there were horses dragging wagons filled with wood or grain. Children chased each other around swinging little wooden swords or sticks, laughing and pretending to fight monsters or each other as they ducked between the people walking.

One of the young boys ran from his friend, yelling that they would never catch him as he looked over his shoulder. The boy ran into someone and fell to the cobblestone, he looked up at the man he ran into and laid frozen. The man towered over the boy, his face mostly hidden by the shadow cast by a black leather hood. From head to toe, he wore black, all but the trousers and sleeves were made of a fine, shimmering leather, his trousers and shirt under the leather vest were made of a fine cotton that waved gently with the breeze as it passed over him. What little flesh could be seen looked as pale as a cloud. From his elbows to his knuckles, he wore wrappings with shimmering silver buckles, the nails of his thin fingers were long and grew from blue fingertips.

The stranger held out his hand, offering it to the boy, but instead of accepting, the boy climbed to his feet and ran away with his friends who had stood watching the man. He began making his way through the crowd again, as he passed, women would stare, curious and aroused by the mystery that surrounded him. One woman was especially taken by him, too dazed to move from his path as he came closer. As he stepped around her, he smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder before continuing on his way.

The woman regained her composure and turned to the stranger for one more look at the mysterious man. He was several feet away, standing perfectly still with his back to her. She watched, curious what may have stopped him so suddenly. The song of steel being freed echoed on the wind and he spun around, sword in hand, he lunged forward and grazed her cheek with the blade. He let the tip of the sword lower slowly until it rested on the stone by his feet. He stood staring at her, waiting. From all around came whispers and gasps at what the man had done, but all were too frightened to run.

She touched her cheek with the tips of her fingers and felt the wetness of blood. More whispers broke the silence, this time about the strange color of the young woman's blood, it was not red, but yellow. Realizing the stranger had revealed her, she hunched forward and screamed. Windows all around exploded from the loud shriek that escaped the woman's mouth.

Her appearance began to change, her light brown hair dissolved, her skin became covered with pale blue scales. What were once bright green eyes changed into solid gray with black vertical slits for pupils.

"Damn you, Mage!" She hissed before lunging at him with clawed hands. He easily caught her by the throat and spun with her momentum before slamming her to the ground. She writhed, struggling to break free from his grip. She clawed at his arm, but the leather wrappings protected him from her talon like nails. She tried for his face, grazing him and drawing a thin line of blood across his cheek. He smiled when he felt the blood dripping down his face.

Starting from his hand still gripping her throat, she began to freeze. It quickly spread across her entire body, leaving a twisted, evil ice sculpture beneath his hand. He pushed down hard, and she shattered. A shriek tore through the air as the siren's power exploded from her with her death, knocking several people back and others to the ground.

The mysterious man stood, replaced his sword in the sheath on his hip and dusted himself off. Everyone around was staring at him, some still on the ground. It was then that he realized that his hood had fallen off of his head. His solid blue eyes panned across the crowd to see countless awestruck men, women and children staring at his strange features that had moments ago been hidden by his hood. His short, frost covered hair shimmered in the morning like dew covered grass. It was clear to them that he was a Mage.

Mages were rare, and this man was an Elemental, the rarest and most powerful of the magic bloodlines. Everyone kept their distance, staring at what was known as a Frost Mage while he slowly, cautiously pulled his black leather hood back over his head. The crowd moved out of his way when he started walking once more. Whispers started through the people as they watched him disappear into the distant crowd.