Alexander Vulcanus: The Reach

Introduction

Introduction

A young man's shadow is cast into a long, half-spherical corridor; dim torches light up the length of the hallway. Placed every ten or so feet along, held by intricate sconces, they illuminate the face of the man and cast a menacing shadow that follows him as famine follows war. Behind the man sits a large domed room, with apparent signs of a battle. Dead corpses are strewn across the floor. However motionless and silent, they send a message to anyone who observes their plight, it is a sight which few are keen to see. The dome is in pieces, and large sections of the stone used to construct the ceiling of the dome are on the ground. In a very unusual way, the dirt above stays put. It is as if an invisible field is holding it there, secured from the room below. Despite this, the man seems distressed for a different reason altogether. He is wearing heavy iron armor, rusted on the arms and elbows. His visor is open, and his eyes wet with tears. He mutters a series of words, cryptic and unusual. He disappears with a simple puff of greenish-blue smoke, which would leave a smell like mint if not for the horrible and overwhelming smell of blood. The man is gone, however, strangely it would seem his sorrow and despair still linger, stagnant in the air where he once stood.

The room might look empty to a usual viewer, devoid of movement. Life of any kind, really. It is no fault of their own however, magicians rarely share themselves with those who are magically uninclined. Amongst the bodies, a man in a brown robe and pointy grey hat emerges from underneath a large fallen boulder. Despite the boulder's hefty look, he moves it as though it was but a pebble. Recovering from his time spent laying down, he stands up; he looks battered and the hat on his head is droopy and depressed, yet somehow stuck in place. It seems as though he has been through a great deal of pain, and yet strangely no scars can be seen on his skin. As he begins to look around, almost as though he did not know where he was, he notices a hallway that would emanate a strong white-blue light seemingly from the exit. It is at this time that the man walks towards the hallway in which the heavily-clad soldier had stood in. The man stands in much near the same spot as the soldier, watching his feet as a dancer might. Thinking for only a second, the slight smell of mint on his nose, he whispers quietly and quickly. Speaking a much similar dialect to the one used by the other man. He seems annoyed and in an angry tone, the name "Evander" pierces his lips like a butcher's knife stabbing through a carcass. As if saying the name had some effect, the room behind him suddenly begins crumbling and filling with the dirt that had previously been held firm above. The man slowly starts to move his hands, in a seemingly specific and practiced pattern. After a short time, a green symbol appears in front of him. Circular, with small symbols inside like a painting on an ancient wall. He stops moving and presses in the center of the symbol as if it were a physical object. He disappears, a puff of blue smoke explodes in his place, and floats slowly down for a second before dissipating. Only the crisp smell of mint is left, lingering in the air.