The Awakening, Act II: A Brief History III
Title: A Brief History III
Author: Chamberlain Kasha
A Brief History of the
Lore Council and the
Matriarchs - The
Catacylsm at Anjur
Hunter Karavan's Account
After an already exhaustive battle against a half dozen gazers or more, we managed to break inside the Citadel of Anjur and pursue our quarry. My Stinger was helpful in leading us towards the mage, as the living weapons were designed by the Matriarchs to assist Hunters in their duty of dealing with rogue mages. As we made our way down into the depths of the Citadel we could hear the sounds of battle, and we redoubled our pace but as we entered I saw a fellow Hunter sent flying before being crushed under a pile of rubble. With rage clouding my vision I screamed a battle cry and ran towards the traitorous Tarathas as he rose, taking note of the venomous barbs already lodged through his robes and in his flesh, and I drew my Stinger back to engage him directly before his unwounded arm shimmered and his stone encased fist clutched at my Stinger. I flung my head forward and let my forehead smash into his nose, feeling the bone break from the impact as his blood flowed freely from the wound. With a snarl he staggered back, attempted to disarm me of my Stinger but I clung to it tenaciously. I could hear Kurth screaming for me to disengage so he could get a shot, before his cursing and footsteps could be heard trying to find a new position. Engrossed in my own battle I took no heed of him, and let loose with a flurry of blows with my free hand, impacting his torso a half dozen times before he enchanted himself there with the same stone encasement, and I could feel the crunching of the bones in my hand as they impacted his changed form. With a howl of fury I lashed out with a kick intending to catch him just under his chin, but I felt a deep shuddering impact to my body, and my legs went weak beneath me. In horror I looked down to see his wounded arm embedded to the elbow inside me, a magic blade of wind covering it as it pierced through me. He pulled his arm out covered in my lifeblood as my grip loosened from my Stinger, and I crumpled to the floor in a heap, awakening a week later in a special ward.
Scout Kurth's Account
By the time myself and
my partner, Karavan the
Hunter had managed to
fight our way into the
Citadel of Anjur we had
already exhausted many of
our potions and supplies
that we had entered with.
I must admit that my
trepidation only increased
as we passed by many
slain gazers and comrades
alike, and my resolve
quavered for a
moment... but only a
moment, as Karavan's
large hand came to rest
on my shoulder and he
told me to take heart
and remain stalwart. This
was my first true
mission that I had ever
been on and though I had
managed to face the
gazers with bravery and
courage, I worried that I
would falter upon
encountering Tarathas
himself. I had been
friends with his son for
decades, but I knew my
duty. As Karavan and I
entered the chamber he
threw himself at the
Chamberlain, but was
between me and Tarathas
and prevented me from
getting a shot with my
crossbow. It seemed like
eternity as I shouted to
him to reposition, and
then began to move to
get a clear shot, but I
am sure it only took
seconds. I will never
forget the squelching
noise that accompanied
Karavan's squeak of
surprise as Tarathas'
hand ripped out his guts,
and my own resounding
scream of horror and
fury as I took aim at
Tarathas. To this day, I
am unsure if it was luck,
destiny, or divine guidance
that guided my bolt, but
I let loose with a shot
that I swore I had aimed
at the traitors exposed
neck, but he moved to
one side and it impacted
a pouch near the side of
his robe and carried it
directly into the nexus
point behind him. He
shouted in alarm as he
turned towards the nexus,
rushing towards it the
instant before the nexus
pulsed. Still in shock at
Karavan's apparent death,
I watched as if from
outside my body as
Tarathas reached the
nexus as it seemed to
burst apart in an
explosion, sending him
flying for a brief
second... before the nexus
imploded upon itself and
sucked his screaming body
inside and vanishing. I'm
told that the magical
force released in that
instant was felt by every
mage of our society at
once, and that the void
was irrevocably altered
that day, but at the
time all I could think of
was trying to help
Karavan hang on until a
healer could reach us.
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