blood of the mind

THE EMPERORS STANDIN NAMED QADIRA

It had been going so well I the head of the anti empire movement had by the will of the fates made my way to the side of the emperor! and had been elected to be his stand in while he conquered the eastern land of west. but why o' why had it gone so far south! i relayed how it went down.

a/n past

he was leaving the emperor on his fleet an absolutely colossal collection of vessels and men, that consisted of 15,339vessels: 7,212 warships, 6,126 landing craft of various types, 1,036 spell craft, and 964 merchant vessels. at its center was the royal barge a colossal ship hand crafted as a gift of alliance from the Narthen ship yards, beautifully carved by the best hands in the business namely the triingor province in south east narth. every inch was engraved and this was no small feat as the 'seawise colossus' as she was named was a monstrous 459.56 meters long and described the empire perfectly: amazing and powerful but not on its own. all prepared as he crossed the horizon i from the royal booth high above the harbor announced "people of the Sarthen empire! i Qadira as stand in for the emperor Garrick announce the declaration of freedom." a silence followed "fjandinn off!"

"here is you ticket" the voice was like 53 different voices speaking in near sync with a tiny echo each. the result was: terrifying, and distinctly well known

"shvients?" I replied tentatively

"yes you just booked a train leading directly to kicka**ville and yes you are long dead!" and with that he kicka**villed me over the ledge and straight into the water below, which parted as i fell. the ground in turn parted so I fell straight into the underground, after so many minutes i lost count, i finally came to a stop half an inch away from the ground and then dropped, as i got up i noted my surroundings. a tunnel deep in the ground, the deep that's were i must be, five feet ahead of me a sign landed on the cave floor in blood red the words "welcome to kicka**ville fjandinn hate your stay!"

a/n present

for what seemed like days id wandered in these caves, eating bats and mice where they could be found. for a while now id sat and sulked in this corner cursing my luck. eventually in need of food i continued onward through a misty cavern in which i promptly started coughing after the fit i stood and continued out and into a tunnel when suddenly they appeared

They stand there in ragged cloaks splashed with dirt and with shredded hems. Bare splintered and cut feet poke out when they move. Claw like hands hang lifeless from their sleeves drenched in human blood, their skin is stretched and wrinkled. A low wheezing breath with a rattle of phlegm and spittle creeps out of their throats. They smell like something that died under a floorboard and has been slowly rotting away for weeks or is it more like fish ripped open and stuffed in the curtains of a rival's house. Their voices, like a rusty knife slowly scrapping down your spine, are punctuated with sadistic laughter similar to the sound of smashing glass, they radiate a feeling of hopelessness and tortured despair making you want to want to curl up into a ball and die screeching. They are the fates the daughters of Shvients and Timor and sisters of the dealer.

I am certain they have come to kill me but why come to me in person? They could snip my life line from billions of metrae away! What's the point? To make me scream? To torture me?

''We came to speak'' ''not to snip''

I turn to them but their mouths have not moved I look closer and see the frayed and bloodied string that sows the corners of their mouth shut preventing any form of speech.

''Sept from the mind ... '' ''yours bleeds so easily'' ''have you mortals forgotten how to bind?''

''I I I (I stuttered) have n n no need of binding'' I regained a slither of courage in the face of fate. ''for I bleed so often it becomes a hindrance... to bind that is''

''lies aren't your forte'' ''so enough of them, your dead, to be... blunt'' ''you suffocated in that tunnel over yonder'' '' your body moves only so we may speak ''

''I'm a reanimation?''

''No... well nearly, you have memories thoughts, sentience'' '' Oh! Tis such a rare commodity that. Sentience! Trees can bleed and mountains can bind but only the humane have sentience''

I grow bored of my questions and there ramblings bowing my head I say ''Oh fates what do you wish of me? ''

''you want the point?''

''yes''

''we favoured your KING to which you ADVISED we let him live through his WOUND to found THE SARTHEN IMPIRI.'' ''to ALLY the NARTH'' ''AND soon to RULE THE EASTERN LAND OF WEST '' ''but YOU so EASILY BETRAY HIM'' ''A half centuries WORK ruined '' ''and now the SARTHEN IMPIRI is no more than little feudal CITY STATES''

I shrink back to the cave wall in fear

''You're going to set this BACK on course'' ''the people need a new crown '' ''go to O and bring me the head of the paused mountain! So that the SARTH may be united ONCE MORE''

With the sound of a man's last breath they rot into the cave wind and are gone

''O!" I scream to no one ''I am to go to O!'' Everyone had heard of the paused land o' O. A continent west of Arthen lands not paused in time but in development the people of O were stuck in the age of stone that the rest of the world had left 10813 years ago! Ruled by a mountain nymph given sentience and godhood for inventing hunting it still couldn't give up the glory days and forced the continent to do likewise. How in shvients, Mercia Timor Mahaxe and the dealer's names did the fates think I could ''CHOP OFF THE HEAD OF A MOUNTAIN!''