To See With Eyes Unclouded
Author’s Note : Prior to reading this piece, I strongly
recommend reading To See With
Clouded Eyes - By Thayer - as this piece is the conclusion to
it.
Realize that all events in this story are true, and not fiction.
-
Thayer died.
Never again would he see the light of day, breathe the air of
night, touch the stars
with ambitious lust. He could not journey to Kadath - his dream
quest came to an end.
“Rookerin, do you remember praying to me?” said
a distant voice amist the sea of
darkness which was death’s gate. “You begged every
God, before you died for help, you
said “ 'I have things I have to do.' ”
“Yes, I remember.” my soul whispered. I tried to look
about the absence of light -
but I saw nothing. I flailed about with my hands - but I touched
nothing.
“Rookerin, stay still. This is a dream. You prayed to
every God, yet I answered
you. Do you know who I am?” said the voice from the
tendrils of darkness.
Rookerin tried his best to discern the voice, but it had no
noticeable qualities, it
was simply “words being spoken”. He scrambled to think
of all the Gods he may have
named. “Cail...Sgrios!” He mumbled, saying God after
God, “Deoch, Glioca!” he continued
saying each of the Gods, yet the darkness did not respond.
It was a few minutes later, that Rookerin remembered the last God
he blurted out
for help, the last God he asked for safe passage in his campaign,
the one God he asked to
spare his soul.
“Chadul.”
Rookerin lived.
A smile crossed the man’s lips sitting across from Rookerin.
“Aye, me ‘n Hollie
saved yous - heh.” He chuckled, leaning back in his wooden
chair. He was a man with a
strong medium build, his body wrapped tightly in muscles. Totem
was a warrior, there is
no doubt. “So, Rooks, where ‘ave yous been dis past
Deoch? I didn’t expect ta find yous
any time soon, ‘specially not face down in the dirt,
heh.”
Rookerin smiled slowly, shaking his head. Oh how he had missed
Totem. “Thank
you for saving me friend.” Rookerin slowly looked across the
room, seeing a young girl,
alone, staring at him. “H..hollie, is that really you?”
A grin touched Rookerin as he
remembered the girl he had so long ago taught the ways of a rogue
to. “What’re you
doing with this old man, Totem?”
A slight smile crossed Hollie’s lips, her eyes narrowing
slightly seductive. Hollie
was a beautiful lass. Her hair was a soft purple that hanged low
to the small of her back.
She started to speak, about to answer Rookerin’s question
but slowly dropped her hands
in her lap, remaining silent.
Totem quickly spoke up. “Rookerin, wes jus’ been
worried ‘bout you - don’ne
mind Hollie. Right now yous need to rest!”
Rookerin nodded, laying his hand down against the rug on the
floor, staring into
the fire.
Kadath....
Rookerin quickly sat up, fighting back the pain growing in his
chest. “No, wait I
can’t rest! Not now.” He coughed a bit, the gentle
taste of blood still on his lips. “Totem,
do you see anyone around me when you found me?” Rook’s
eyes darted from Totem, then
to Hollie, hoping to God one of them had seen the guard.
“Can’t say I did” said Totem, “But we can
talk ‘bout dat in the mornin’, you’s got
a story for us Im sure anyhow!”
Rookerin shook his head, tears building in his eyes, “No!
You don’t understand, I
don’t have till morning! I was attacked last night, someone
stole something very valuable
to me!” he dug into his pocket, feeling the empty space that
the conix fragment should
have called home.
“I saw someone, Rookerin.” whispered Hollie, slowly,
timid to speak. “He ran in
the shadows, his eyes, I -- saw red, that’s the only color I
saw. He was moving north,
towards the path to Kadath.”
Rookerin slowly stood, shaking, his knees beginning to buckle.
Totem quickly
dashed to his side, gripping him about the waist and held him up.
Rookerin looked Totem
in the eyes, and they spoke silently to each other.
Rookerin’s eyes were wrapped in fear,
and Totem understood his need. “Le’s get packed up
Hollie, wes gonna go where
Rookerin wants us to.” said Totem slowly.
The two of them had traveled for hours after the death of Thayer.
The guard
walked at a brisk pace, having carried Ayshilin all the while,
never letting on he was tired.
His arms folded about his chest as he regarded her. She was
absent, her eyes lost - she
seemed dead, yet still breathed.
“You have served your purpose, I thank you.” Slowly the
grinning guard freed his
dark steel from its sheath. Ayshilin served him no more purpose,
and thus he meant to end
her life. His brought the sword back, swinging it in a low arc at
her -- the blade never hit
its target.
A Deep aura of white surrounded Ayshilin, a sphere of energy
deflecting the
sword. The guard scowled, backing up a few steps, whispering..
“Damn..Tuatha De Danaan.”
With a scowl of rage he turned upon his booted heel from
Ayshilin, continuing
down the path. paying no more attention to her.
They traveled for days. Stopping only to eat, and rest there
feet. Their eyes were
swollen with a lack of sleep. The campaign was hard, Rookerin was
still badly injured,
bandages were wrapped tightly about his chest, and he had
problems breathing - but he
was finally able to walk again on his own.
Never once on the journey did Totem or Hollie question
Rookerin’s motivations,
pure trust and honor were about them as they traveled with their
friend.
In time they reached the base of Kadath. The tall mountains with
their snow
covered tips reached infinitely high into the dawn’s sky,
towering above all things. The
glare of purple light hugged the sky about the churning ether of
the mountain’s peaks.
The three began their climb, and in the distance, high in the
mountain they saw a
dark shadow hugging the rocks of the mountain path. Two red ovals
stared at
Rookerin and company, begging them to turn back - but up the
mountain they went.
For days they traveled, led by Rookerin’s convictions they
stopped never once.
The rocks and pebbles of the mountain side became boulders, which
in time became snow,
as they reached the highest point of Kadath.
Alone, three stood, at the top of the Kadath, the home of the
unspeakable horror -
the death of Asoda. “We made it Rookerin.” whispered
Hollie, huddled tightly in her furs,
breathing out gentle puffs of warm air.
Rookerin turned to Hollie and Totem, “Yes, this is Kadath.
Look with eyes
unclouded, by false truths,” he said softly, looking about
in thought. “This was Kraven,
my brother’s obsession - he dreamed of the peaks, but why!
Why these peaks! What do
they hold?”
The sound of a pebbles tumbling down the rock-face caught
Totem’s attention as
he looked down to behold a rock that had fallen near his feet. He
leaned down and picked
it up, running his thumb over its smooth surface. “Wow, dis
be a pretty stone, heh.” He
smiled as he held it up to Rookerin and Hollie.
Rookerin snatched it out of Totem’s hands, his eyes huge,
his body shaking. “By
Danaan this is the Conix Fragment!” He shrieked back,
glancing about, fear growing in
his huge eyes. How did it just ‘appear’ here? Last he
remembered the Guard of the Isle
Of Man took it. Rookerin drooped his head, placing the stone in
his pocket. “I believe
we’ve been tricked.”
“No, you were not tricked, Rookerin,” a familiar voice
whispered. The three
companions looked up in unison, meeting the gaze of red eyes. Not
three feet away stood
the guard of the Isle of Man, their harasser, the bane of
Rookerin. How did he get so
close to them, without them knowing? There was little time to
think of that, as the guard
quickly freed his blade.
Totem quickly pushed Hollie behind him, unsheathing his blade,
glancing at Rookerin
who had already fallen to a crouching position, taking up his
throwing knives from his
boots. Rookerin mumbled, “By Danaan what kind of monster are
you? We wished to
return this stone to Kadath, why can’t you just leave us
alone!”
The guard slowly shook his head, drooping his sword at his side.
“Rookerin, why
do you think you did not die with Thayer,” the guard said
absent of expression. “It was
my masters doing, he gave you life, so you could continue your
quest to Kadath. You
must now listen to me....”
Rookerin huddled against the fire, gripping his chest, breathing
slowly. The cottage
they rested in was small, but cozy, a small trail of blood led
from the cot in the house, to
the door of the home - showing the path that Rookerin had been
carried. “I really am
alive, aye?”
The guard threw Ayshilin on the side of the road, shaking his
head slowly. “You
did good, Ayshilin. I thank you for your help in finding
Rookerin.”
For over 7 Deoch’s now, I have been searching for the True Aislings. Your brother, Kraven, was one of them. As you know, all aislings carry a spark of Danaan in their eyes. A spark from when Danaan gave her soul to those of our land - that is what made the mundanes aislings. But there are a few, that have become aislings, without the touch of Danaan. You are one of them, all three of you. None with the spark of Danaan could reach this height of Kadath without going mad. You are the true aislings, as you are free to choose your destiny, avoid the control of that which is light - as you are untainted by the spark of Danaan. It is your gift, you posses the ability, to see with eyes unclouded. Kraven sent you that letter, as you could learn the bliss that he did when he found out he was free of the destiny pre-ordained by light. He wished you to make the same choices he now makes -- and thus I ask you now - My name is Anaman, the unspeakable terror of the League of Darkness. Form my pact. Form the Pact of Anaman. The failures of the past League of Darkness are evident, as they were clouded in vision by the light - you do not suffer such weaknesses.
Terror would not fully explain the expressions on the face of the
three. They had
the ability to choose their own destiny, Anaman had said.
Rookerin was the first to sink to his knees, closing his eyes and
nodding
agreement. He had signed his soul to Chadul by asking for his
life, and thus would follow
his master - willingly, as his destiny was his to decide.
Hollie could not bare her mentor leaving her behind. She had
loved him with all
her might, though she dared not speak it. She fell to her knees,
nodding in agreement, she
would sign the pact, and follow the League of Darkness -
willingly, as her destiny was hers to
decide.
Totem was the last. He paced, anger in his eyes as to why he had
to be one of the
true aislings. To be free of light, was the truth. “I
coul’ live me life, free of all ideals, I
would be a true aisling, why would I want to choose a side?”
Totem looked down at
Hollie, and Rookerin.
Rookerin looked to Totem, whispering, “To release Chadul, is
to awaken all
aislings from the lie they live, Totem.. please, pledge yourself
so others may see with eyes
unclouded.”
Totem slipped to his knees, bowing his head to Anaman. He had
always felt in his
heart he was different, and saw the lack of control others held,
as they followed the will of
Danaan secretly. He wanted all to be able to choose their path,
and thus nodded slightly,
closing his eyes, submitting himself to the will of Chadul -
willingly, as his destiny was his
to decide.
Anaman whispered for the Conix fragment and Rookerin quickly
handed the stone
to him. The stone was held tightly in the gloved fists of Anaman,
who made all three
touch it at once. “The League is formed, may it grow. In
1000 years we will renew my
pact.”
Thus, the Quest to awaken Chadul had begun.