~The Nightshade Raven~
By: DarknessRevival
By: DarknessRevival
In every city... in every country... in every continent, there is evil. There are things that mock the very presense of harmony and peace, stealing and murdering to prove a point. Fear or Greed may be a cause for these crimes; others may do it for the thrill. Yet, there is a small ounce of hope left, for evil cannot exist without a counterbalence. That is why our world has not fallen into anarchy. However, Order and Law cannot overpower our freedom, so evil is needed to balence it out. In truth, our world is constantly in a balencing act to keep everything calm.
But, sometimes... Somethings like to be out of balence.
"It is today that we honor our fallen dead." A priest in all white garmets said to the gathered gaggle of people who were just there to hear someone speak. The group of people were virtually homeless, barily having a dollar to their name. They were plagued with disease, starvation, dehydration, and addiction. It is because of this that a priest could really speak to the group. They graveyard they were together in was horrible. Trash, coffin tops, raggity tombstones, and weeds dishonored the dead. To make matters worse, There were dead corpses that no one saw fit to bury, which caused the air to smell of decay. A few children began to cry as their mothers fell to their knees at the fowl odor. Strangely the priest seemed unaffected by the damned place.
"I see before me people with hallow hopes. People who fate has shuned and left to die. It is not your fault for your misfortunes. It is mearly a test by the gods above. A test to show how much we as mortal beings can handle. The fact you stand before me in this place gives me hope for a brighter future." He said. A rod with his religion's insigna on it soon rose to his hand. "I see there are disease stricken people here. I would only assume they wish to be cured of their diseases. I am sad to say only a few minor disease I can heal with magic... I am sorry to say that you must suffer on with your affliction." The priest said with a hallowed heart. A bum soon came forward, anger in his eyes.
"You say you cure diseases, ha! My daughter has suffered with her sickness for far too long. You can't cure anything she has!" The man shouted while his daughter, a teenager that was deathly ill and very thin came from the back, coughing and hacking and falling down at her father's feet. "Please priest... ease my suffering..." She said. The man looked at the priest with a scowl. "Well priest? Can you cure her or not?" He asked. The priest lowered his head. "No... her disease was aquired by taint. She surrendered to lust, and she suffers for it." He said. The man rushed the priest, but was blocked by a shield of light. "Sir, calm yourself. You should not let your grief turn to wrath." He said. The man mearly laughed at him.
"Fine, priest. Honor the dead here. A dark priest promised a cure and showed that it could work to cure her. I'd be willing to use dark magic to help my daughter." He said, helping his daughter up. The priest's eyes widened as he scowled back. The group was watching silently. This suddenly got interesting. "Sir... You know not of what you speak. You risk your own life by agreeing to it. You could gain her disease, or worse, the dark magic could taint her, making her even more diseased, or perhaps..." He dare not speak it, but everyone knew. Dark magic had a habit of transforming young, attractive girls into succubi.
"I'd rather risk it to fall victim to you. Goodbye priest. Have fun with your makeshift followers. I gotta save my daughter." he said. The priest lowered his head as he left along with several other people. "It warms my heart to see you still here... now... lets get back to the ceremony." He said, soon speaking the names of the dead and casting some light magic to guide their spirits, if still there, to the light. Then, his magic went to the sick and attempted a cure spell. Some were cured instantly, others took time... others were the same as the girl, cursed with taint. After the day was done at dusk, the horde of people left, leaving the priest there.
He stood before one of the makeshift tombstones. He lowered his head to the tombstone and began to prey, for this tombstone was the tombstone of his sister. The priest was very young, younger then most priests, but mature enough to accept priesthood. In the middle of his prayer, a raven landed on the tombstone. Cawing at him in an annoying tone. "Leave this place, bird." He said, swiping the bird off, but it just landed back on the tombstone, cawing again. It looked straight at the priest, cawing many, many times until the priest swiped at it again. The raven flew up in the air, but instead of cawing, there was laughter.
"I greet you priest, with the highest regards for you. Count your blessings, for you are the first to hear me speak." She said. The priest's eyes widened. "You... demonic creature. Leave and take your taint with you. She began to laugh. "Taint? I am not a demon, priest. I am a goddess. I saw that fight you had with that man. It was unfortunate his daughter passed away just as she left the hallowed ground you stand on." She said. He realiized she was not evil in any way, for she could not land on the hallowed ground if she was a demon. "You are not a goddess, creature. For there are only the gods above." He said. She began to laugh some more. "Ha. You believe what everyone else believes. However, you caught me, I am not a goddess, for I cannot live forever... but I am powerful. I can make you powerful you know." she said.
The priest laughed. "I shall not be tempted by dark forces." He said. She laughed some more. "Why are you so convinced I am evil or dark? Because I take the form of a raven? Then you are wrong. That's what blind devotion will do. You possess a gift very few have, priest. And that is why I come to you today. I may give you power and you can keep your devotion all you want. The truth is that many people still will deny the gods, no matter how pure you are." She said. The priest huffed. "Oh yeah? What power do I possess that I could possibly catch your attention?" He asked. "The raw potential of a priest. You've only tapped the minimum power you own. I will help you unlock these powers." She said.
The priest nodded. "And what must I do to get this power?" He asked. He sensed she was telling the truth that he could keep his faith while she worked her powers. It was like a spell a mage would cast. Neither good nor evil. It was up to the wielder of the power to use it how they saw fit. The raven sensed his reasoning. "I can tell I'm starting to get through to you... As for what you must do, I shall tell you. You must go to the old condemed chapel on the outskirts of the forest. It is there that you will meet others like you... and then, you must help others, just like you would normally do. Use your talents for the benefit of the innocents... While you punish those who deserve to be punished." She said in a grim voice.
The priest sighed. "All people are innocents. Who am I to judge who lives and who dies?" He asked. the Raven laughed. "Easy, but turning around and playing stupid." She said, soon glowing in a purplish color and flying through the priest, making him glow in the same purple aura as he fell to the ground. The raven landed back on the tombstone again, laughing as the priest gasp for air. "You... You tainted me! I can feel it, dark magic has been bestowed on me." He said in a raspy voice. "Yes... Yes I have given you both light and dark magic. In order to fully understand your enemies, you must know how they work. I have done so to a couple other mages. Some of the warriors just were given knowledge. However-" The priest cut her off.
"You've damned me!" He shouted. She laughed. "Only if you use the magic in the wrong way can be damned. Now, will you accept this mission or will I leave you here to rot?" she asked. The priest thought for a moment. "Al... Alright. I'll do it." he said. The raven let out a snicker. "Welcome to the Nightshade, priest." She said.
A few days later, the priest came upon the doors to a very old chapel. He no longer wore his white garbs, but modern black clothes and wielding his same rod, except for a Raven as the insigna instead of his religious symbol. He knocked in a certain away and a booming voice shouted from the chapel.
"What are you and we?" The voice asked. The priest, with a very low voice spoke back.
"We are Ravenkin... The Nightshade Ravens."
The doors opened and the priest walked in. No longer a priest of blind devotion, but a Raven, just like the rest who dwelled in this place. The strange part was, he didn't care. He had a mission, as did the rest and now, he had to keep to that mission.
