The Chronicles of Varos L'Andru
One of my favorite stories, not only because it was written by our very own Lion (when he was still Demon) and that he really knows how to write a story, but also because IT'S ALL ABOUT ME!!!!!
Muhahahahaha! *cough* If you want a link to the rest of the story, click
here~~~~~
I finally did it, one migrain and two tall glasses of spiked koolaid later I'd got the first part of the Leavaros saga quaintly titled [The Chronicles of Varos L'Andru].
Enjoy
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The bar was filled to the brim with rowdy patrons. The noise of nearly fifty armed and armourless men was wearing the solitary man’s nerves. He flagged over a maiden and yelled his order to her, the poor woman darted off, catching an elbow as she jaunted through the crowd. The solitaire sighed and waited as she was hefted to her feet and patted roughly on the back.
The noise intensified as another familiar face added himself to the crowds with a roaring cheer. When the bruised bar hand returned he grabbed her by the arm and stuck a silver in her hand, downed the flagon in a go and pushed it back into her arms. He attempted to muscle his way along the side of the crowd, a large man shoved him against the wall. “I’d nebber sin you afor.” He stuttered, glanced up at the ceiling and then vomited all over Varos’ clean white garb.
“Goodbye…” He groaned through grit teeth and pushed the sick man away. He finally made it to the door and ended up being sent off with a heavy boot. “By the gods it’s a good thing my mission is over and I can get back to my research.” He stood and waved a hand over himself, the dirt and vomit evaporated and he began his march out of the small town.
The moon shown brightly in the velvety sky, a cool breeze blew over Varos as he hummed a calming tune. “All is right with the world, for now it seems.” He sighed and dumped into something sturdy and a little odorous.
Varos peeked at what had stopped him, a tall, tired looking horse stared him in the face and whinnied in pain. Varos reached out a comforting hand, the horse seemed to faint, it landed hard on its side, a small rider screamed to life, his leg trapped painfully beneath the animal. “Help me! Help me!” He seemed to scream, though Varos didn’t think he was screaming much because of the pain.
He drew a symbol on the rough dirt road and the beast levitated just enough for Varos to pull the man free of the horse. “Easy there,” Varos cooed touched him gently on the head, a warm, orange glow flooded onto the man and he calmed almost immediately. “What’s the matter friend?”
“Terrible beast…” He groaned weakly attempting to get away. “Terrible eyes, and laughter… the master comes to blacken the sky!”
“What are you talking about? Who has come?”
“Not here… three days ride, my village… oh my village!” The peasant broke down, his incoherent sobs echoing off the trees in the distance. “I don’t want to die!” He whailed and clutched Varos’ robes and sobbed into them.
“You aren’t going to die.” Varos groaned and made a few quick hand gestures. “You’re exhausted, not dieing.” A white healing light fluttered down, invigorating the man, the two got to their feet, Varos cast the same spell over the horse. “Now what happened? And as plainly as possible if you please.”
“A black chimera…” the man began with a gulp. “It dropped out of the sky like a storm and soon chaos was everywhere. I was told by the captain of the town guard to ride as fast as I could to get help of any kind. You are a mage of-”
“Wizard, if you please.”
“A… wizard, of great skill and power. Perhaps you could help me find others to slay the blasted chimera?” He pleaded with his entire body, he began to shake, his eyes glistened in the bright moonlit night.
“Others?” Varos looked at him incredulously. “Clearly you have never heard of me. I am the famed Varos L’Andru, wizard of lore and rich beyond all comprehention. You mentioned the chimera had a master?”
“I am a very kept man, I have never left my village but to learn how to hunt, but I am not very good at most things, I can barely ride this horse.” He stared at the horse, it whinnied its approval. “The master of the chimera… I do not remember him well. A man came to our village, he stayed but one night and then sought out the chief. He left our village this morning looking ill and angry, I believe I saw him for a brief moment as Alice and I rode away.”
“Alice is your horses name?”
“Yes, she was bred by a master of magic and understands what we say, she is very obedient, but is not my horse. She belongs-”
“I don’t care who she belongs too.” Varos assured him, taking him by the arm. “She is a wonderful and blessed animal to be sure, but your condition is what is most pressing. We haven’t time to seek out aid from a capable lord or band of hearty warriors. Take me at pace to your village and I will do what I can, I would not want to upset Alice, having dashed here, I would not wish to burden her with twice the load and at the same speed.” He touched the horses face, it whinnied thankfully and turned back to the forest.
“You will help! Oh glorious night! Thank you gentle mage! Let us be off!” The man exclaimed and jumped spiritedly onto the horse, it huffed and kicked into a brisk trot.
“Wizard…peasants…” Varos growled and followed after them into the forest.
When the warm morning sun had risen, the group, deep within the forest stopped, Varos doubled over panting, tired of casting quickening spells on his legs and not having slept in well over a day. “We shouldn’t slow sir.” The peasant pleaded, pulling Alice to a stop.
“Easy for you two to say, that spell I cast was the equivalent of you both sleeping for ten hours with a full stomach. I’m tired, we will rest for a moment and continue on soon.” He sighed and slumped against the nearest tree.
Varos closed his eyes and his mind quickly fell into darkness. He stood within a dark sphere in his mind, he went over spells, some he knew quite well, others he had nearly forgotten. A terrible feeling overcame him and he realized he was dreaming. Varos awoke, forcing his eyes open he looked dazed into the woods. Before him stood the horse and peasant still mounted. “I wasn’t out long was I?”
The horse clopped a hoof six times on the ground, the peasant nodded. “Alice says you’ve been asleep for six hours. I do not know how a horse tells time, but she is rarely wrong.”
“And you’ve done nothing but sit there a watch me?” Varos grumbled, struggling to his feet, he wished he had an enchantment to dispel drowsiness.
“We both relieved ourselves, over there of course.” The peasant nodded to a clearing in the distance.
“Wonderful. Let’s get going then.” He started off down the beaten road, the horse following close behind. Varos picked at a few low hanging branches, spelling them into a green brick which he took a wincing bite from. “This is why I buy my food.” He groaned swallowing the chewy substance. Alice nudged his shoulder, eyeing the food he was eating. “You wouldn’t want this, it is just something to tide me over.” He said, wondering if the horse really was magical.
The horse snorted and nudged him again, Varos bit off his final mouthful and let the horse swallow the rest. “What’s your name by the way?” Varos slowed so he could look at the gruff man.
“I am… I am… I don’t remember. I have a name I’m a sure of it.”
“Tis a good thing your head is screwed on tight.” Varos rolled his eyes, he wasn’t entirely surprised of the man’s forgetfulness, something about him spelled doom and disaster, he was beginning to regret agreeing to slay the chimera when Alice began to whinny loudly. “It wasn’t meant as a joke horse.” Varos eyed it and realized it wasn’t laughing.
Varos stared ahead, they halted a few strides from a small creature muttering to itself in the middle of the road. Varos pushed the horse back and carefully stepped up to the creature. It’s thin, muscled arms and legs twitched, kicked and hit at everything close to it. It picked up a rock and squeezed it in both hands, it’s girgling muttering climaxed and the rock exploded into dust. “Are you-?”
“Am I what?! What! I’m sitting here! Obviously what’s wrong with you?” It’s surprisingly low voice barked, it’s yellow eyes flickered red, Varos realized suddenly this was no human child, but a demon, a very distraught demon.
“Lost?” Varos gulped and took a step back, he didn’t need a fight with a demon, they were too magically resistant for his liking.
“Lost? Lost! I’m a demon! I have the keenest sense of direction in this world, apart from dragons and the occasional walking compass.” He glowered at him and fluttered to its feet, tiny, black, leathery wings swooshed behind it, blowing clouds of dust at the trio. “If I were lost, I’d be in a worse temper than I am now, and normally I’m quite nice.” The little beast seethed through its gritted maw of clawed teeth.
“I would hate to see you in a bad mood then. But we must be off, much to do.” Varos bowed to the diminutive monster, his rough, grey-black skin glittered in the afternoon sun. “I apologize for disturbing you.”
“The horse and I apologize too!” The moronic peasant blurted out. “We quest to slay a mighty chimera who has sacked my village! This mage has vowed to single handedly slay it with his powers!”
Varos groaned, the peasant’s idiocy was finally taking its toll on him. “We are traveling with haste good demon, we wish you no harm but merely to pass by.”
“A magician…” It grumbled and paced in a tight circle, it’s little clawed feet propelling the creature round and round. “And a chimera, could be his?” The demon looked up at the horse and licked its lips. “No, such a being of slight magical ability couldn’t possibly produce a chimera.”
“I beg your pardon?” Despite his better judgement, Varos took a step towards the demon. “I could summon a chimera right now. Are you saying I can’t?”
The demon fell to all fours and crawled over, its wings flowing behind it like twisted flags, little claws snapping and flicking as it went. It sniffed Varos’ robe and bit off a piece, chewed and swallowed. It began a slow climb up his leg, sniffing and tasting as it went. When Varos was looking at it in the eye, its yellow orbs swirling and changing to a bloody red and back again, he let out a small cough, more to clear his senses of the rank smell coming from the demon as to get its attention.
“Your clothes reek of magic, your soul smells of emptiness, you are either an apprentice or someone who has stolen a magical garb that gives the wearer magical properties.” Varos’ eye twitched. “This robe’s been mended many times, probably self-mending, good for a beggar-thief to look his best.” The creature leaped from Varos’ shoulder and glided to the ground, it scratched at the dirt and laid down.
The demon’s neck twisted and grew long, it’s sleepy eyes looked up at the wizard and his dull companion. “I am a great wizard.” Varos seethed washing himself in cleansing white light, the tears and bite marks vanished, the demon looked at the sight unimpressed.
“Interesting spell it has been enchanted with, the wearer must wave its hand-”
“I’m casting the spell damn it!” The wizard snapped with a vicious sneer.
“Of course you are.” The demon sighed.
“And I suppose a slightly demon of such ill-worth as yourself has a name?” Varos couldn’t stop himself from prying, though the reaction was hardly what he had hoped.
“I do possess a name, but it is one you will never know. You may address me as Spritz the Demon Lord.”
The wood fell into a humourless silence as the two men and horse stared awkwardly at the small demon. “You’re a demon lord?” The peasant asked scratching his head.
“Size doesn’t matter in all things mindless one!” The demon’s voice boomed like rolling thunder, the peasant fell from his saddle and hid behind his wizard. “I could set this forest a blaze in a single breath, silence a man’s life with the blink of an eye and turn any animal into a slathering fiend by merely whispering to it. If I say I am a lord then you will acknowledge me as one!” The demon’s body stretched and reshaped as his wrath grew bolder, his eyes bugged and his wings flapped and ripped at the air and road.
Varos raised an eyebrow, he knelt down and sniffed the supposed demon lord. “Doesn’t smell much like a lord, those wings could be held on with tree sap.”
“Speak again mortal!?” Spritz reared back his head, his mouth widened large enough to fit the horses head in sideways. “I will not tolerate your… Where are you going?”
“I’ve got a chimera to kill and a library to return to, I haven’t time to spend with you demon lord Spritz.”
“Lies!” It screeched but they kept walking. “I must see this with my own eyes!” Spritz growled brilliantly as he marched determinedly beside Varos. “If only to feast on your bloody corpse when the creature has finished with you, I will determine how such a powerless fool defeats an ancient, writhing beast from whence my greatest ancestors were banished.”
“I take it you’re coming with us?”
“I am following you.” It sneered inanely.
“Welcome aboard then.” Varos smile to it as best he could, this venture was going to end up like nothing he had ever done before.
***
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Gods, but this was funny!
-LD
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