ALL NOVEL Archives: Back to Basics I.
17th of August, 497th of NDE. Sinuous Mountain, Southern Eoran.
The roar of a Pegasior Class-IV sport car echoed through the north-eastern roads of the mountain, echoing in the valley road between the sharp, serpentine ridges resembling the spikes of an adult basilisk. One whose dark, glossy hull fitted into the dimming surroundings as the sun slowly descended beyond the horizon. A bit of a relief to Valindra who sunk comfortably into the driver’s seat dressed in a wine red arcane linen dress shirt with a dull sheen and luster, a leather sleeveless vest over it produced from the iron strong hide of a gryphon, a short mini skirt kissing her slender, shapely thighs and a glossy high heel.
Just when she took off with her “luggage” – occasionally banging from the small compartment of the car – the intensity of the southern heat was still beyond her preference. As a skielfrith of the northern climates, she hated these missions and cursed every target assigned to her for choosing to hide either in the searing deserts, or the jungles of southern eoran where high heat and humidity came hand in hand. In both cases, the enchantments of her stylish attires aided little. Whilst her lithe, athletic body was cooled, her head still took the brunt from the scorching rays, and many times when she took the simple act of breathing, it was like being in an oven.
Which was why she decided for the riskier, longer route where little traffic impeded her way to the cliffs, but the road was slim and steep at the threshold and wyverns, gryphon, vulturons and other large aerial beasts hunted occasionally. By the time she reached her destination, the temperature dipped into her preferred chilling cold, and she spent a little time idle in the chair, windows pulled down to let the cold mountainous wind brush her neck, her face, the few loose and straight strands of her snow white hair while the rest remained slicked back pushing into the padded, soft leather headrest.
“Just a second.” She yelled when the bangs echoed through the interior of the car as she took a mouthful from the wind blowing through the window. Before she stepped out onto the gravelly section with a steep end railed barely, she glanced at the adjacent seat and grabbed her cigarette and wedged the berry blue filter between her wide, cushioned lips laden with a translucent lipstick amplifying their natural gloss. The sweet taste of the smoke billowing down her throat felt refreshing like a cold drink as looked over the rail, down at the bottom of the chasm inhibited by voracious greenery and a few patches of gold and crimson still shimmering in the soft silvery glow of the moon.
“Fuck.” She hissed as her eyes squinted upon the smoke gracing them whilst she was unbuttoning her dress shirts cuffs, then slid them up to her elbows while heading back to her car. One more glance towards both ends of the winding road, her long, slightly curving elven ears beset with piercing carved after the refined feathers’ of phoenixes twitched, straining for any sound echoing or flapping. When she was sure there were no one approaching even from kilometers away, she opened up the trunk and greeted the luggage, her defiant passanger.
“Top of the night to you my old friend as they say in the Isles.” With her usual listless expression, she stared at the bound statuesque form of Velia laying in the trunk; slim and white siphoning ropes looped around her torso draped in a woolen turtleneck and a slim, waist length leather jacket; the same ropes restraining her ankles and legs kissed by the pleated leather trousers with silken lining and ankle high flat boots; her stacked on each other, secured with two coils; and lastly the golden spherical gag wedged between her moistened lips while her eyes were hidden beneath the black silken muffle scarf.
“Fnmnnnrn, mmph'ph phnmh!” Her muffled pleading echoed across the valley as Valindra grabbed her shoulders and pulled her out, onto her bound feet. “I am afraid the time for that passed. Should have faced trial when you had the chance to go out with dignity.” Valindra said in her cold tone, dragging her target towards the edge of the steep cliffside Then dropped the weakened Velia onto the still steaming pavement and stepped over her as the metallic grading parted ways and she took one more look.
“Don’t worry, I won’t be as brutish as the others.” She added whilst looking for jagged formations on the steep, uneven wall while Velia continued her muffled pleading, her blindfolded head following the sound of thuds against the ground. Though her gaze remained listless, she felt pity for the once great legate of the 9th Legion who quickly rose to power during the first four years of the Great War. A feat that rose the eyebrows of many as Velia pretty much held the rank of Praefect at the very start, and many believed she reached the heights simply because of her relation with Daemerios – which were all proven true at the Hour of Harrowing that claimed the lives of millions and forged an unlikely alliance between enemies.
After Daemerios was slain by the best of each side, many of his servants, his worshippers, his slaves and accomplices who did not meet the blade of an executioner – be it one of the judicial system or not – vanished swiftly before they could even be apprehended. Velia being one of them whom Valindra met quite a few times as she oversaw the prison camps in Arghyria. Missions involving escaped prisoners, which she herself found strange at the time, but overlooked as she herself was not free of sin.
In the end, after a few centuries many officials of the central union believed that Valia probably passed away as she dabbled little in the arts of forceful reanimation, necromancy and acted more as the brains as necromancers while experts in the dark arts, not so much in the arts of war. Only a few decades before did they realize she survived as she foolishly showed herself aiding one of the El Rosaya Militia after their took over of the Central Eoran city. An act most foolish she murmured to herself during briefing.
As her cigarette neared its end, Valindra she took one more look over the threshold, and noticed the rustling of leaves far beneath and shivered as she sensed a malodorous scent. Valindra leaned down and lifted her with a firm grasp just as the nostalgic memories spent in Pola, the prison camp supervised by Valia faded. “Well, it was nice seeing you again.” Valindra lifted her to face level while pumping mana into the runic tattoos on her wrists. In tandem with the increasing draught of cold air conjured by the sicarius, Valia’s pleading moans grew more and more as tears began to flow from beneath the silken confines of the blindfold down her prominent, chiseled cheeks of a deep olive tone.
“I’d say see you in the Abyss, but the Dread Lords have the claim on your soul most likely. So if you see Daemerios, say I said hi.” Valia rose as the air grabbed her bound form and lifted it over the threshold, then her muffled screams grew distant as she fell into the sea of stirring foliage and as she looked down, Valindra noticed the so called Mother emerge in the center. Its petal-maws opening, revealing teeth like extensions of wood and roots twisted around them that unfurled and grabbed the approaching Valia. Then the gargantuan petals of a crimson shade closed and retreated back to digest the little offering while Valindra shivered from the sight and the stench of putrid flesh that escaped the maw.
Then she turned around, her body still quivering from the sight that etched itself into her mind even as she closed her lids while taking deep breaths. “That was fucking stupid of you Val.” She cursed herself for the choice, as she envisioned instinctively the last moments of Valia. Though she did not feel regret or remorse for an old, distant friend – or well more of an acquaintance. No, she just felt utterly creeped out and stupid for trying to beat her phobia of living, voracious plants.
“Next time, I’ll go with the good old shores.” She closed the car’s door hastily as the malodorous scent that permeated not just the low sections of the valley, but even the highs alerted her and she noticed the root like tendril slithering up as the Mother felt dissatisfied at the meager offering. “Fuck off, or I’ll put in a good work to decimate this place!” She yelled out as the engine roared up and put her full intent into getting as far away as quickly as possible as the ground began to tremble at the earth shaking shriek.
The silver rays disappeared, and the shadows dimmed as the towering form rose from the alley with its tendrils reaching towards the car, heading for the windows. Before they could have broken through, they froze solid and shattered upon impact and Valindra took off cursing within herself while engulfing the Pegasior Class-IV car of hers in a frigid aura that created a layer of thick ice on the road and walls of the mountain.
“Fuck you bitch!” As the Mother seemed to realize her chances of getting a second snack, Valindra cursed listlessly as she noticed her descending back to the valley with half her myriad roots destroyed by the extreme frost.
Author's Note:
And another one begins. A bit late as IRL stuff came up on top of me also forgetting to upload it yesterday, around the same time.
But anyway, the first chapter a bit short, more of a reintroduction for Valindra whose name I decided to keep as is. And a bit of expanding on the Great War, Daemerios and his wicked ilk which will continue even in the next few stories, to an extent. Mostly as I plan to revisit the Great War in the chronicles as I worked a bit on the timeline and retconned a few things.
In short, the events got a bit more spread out, and I'll probably will fit in a few more events that lead up to the Great War. For example I plan set a few stories in the years between the Colonial Freedom War of Eoran and the Great War itself, maybe a bit more action oriented ones regarding the northern nations gaining back their sovereignty and forming their own alliance.
And before I conclude this rambling, a minor fun fact. As I mentioned I believe, this prologue would have taken place in another mountain, up near the northern border, but I kind of forgot like Daenerys forgot about the Iron Fleet. In the end though, I achieved half of what I wanted and that mountain will probably will get featured and placed in Central Eoran.
But, anyhow, that is all for today. Tomorrow, I'll plan to upload a bit earlier. Thank you for reading this and take care folks!
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