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Writer's notes: Hi, I'm Zylo (obviously) and this is a story I wrote about two-three years ago. I personally find tons of problems with it, the chapters are too short, my grammar sucks, and I personally think the story kinda sucks. It may seem long, but considering the chapters are about 1 paragraph, its not all that much. So read if you want, hope you don't hate it, and feel free to comment.
The Flame: a Story of Death and Destruction
Chapter 1
Running, running she had to keep going it was behind her crashing through the forest roaring after her. The sword in her right hand felt cold and useless the shield on her left arm felt flimsy and dead. "How had it killed all of them?" she asked herself then she realized it didn't matter she had to escape she was the only survivor. It had come 3 days ago. When it came it ravaged the village and killed everyone even the highly trained Dark Guard couldn't stop it. It killed them all, no it didn’t kill them, not exactly it ripped out their souls and used them to increase its own strength. All that was left of her once beautiful city was rubble and empty corpses. She stumbled over a stone and pitched down a steep hill rolling and rolling trying to keep her sword from impaling herself. At the bottom of the hill she got up and looked down at her left arm there was a large gash that was bleeding profusely. She dropped her shield and bandaged it quickly and stood up. Then the creature came to the crest of the hill. It was terrible a great conglomeration of twisted flesh and rubble shrouded in bright flames that twirled hungrily about, its form the faces of all the souls it had taken took form within the flames emitting soundless screams. The creature roared at her, a terrible wail the cut deep into her very core shattering what little courage she had left. She turned and fled for her life.
Chapter 2
She ran pushing aside branches and tripping over stones she heard it crash down the hill and come after her. Its footsteps thundered behind her. She tripped and fell to the ground she scrambled franticly and tried to get up. Then she noticed the heavy metal boots before her. Made of some kind of black metal with spikes protruding from the toe, she looked up. There before her stood a warrior all in black armor his helm covered his face and all she saw were his eyes. Pitch black as his armor with pupils as red as blood. He looked down at her and pulled a sword from his back the blade as large as her own body he held it with one hand and helped her up with the other. He looked behind her at the beast which had stopped before him then looked back into her eyes. "Run." was all he said and she obeyed running full speed not looking back. She heard a Rustle as the warrior leapt towards the beast and then a Thud and a roar as the warrior buried his large sword in the monsters chest still she ran on. The beast’s cry of pain ripped through her body and she ran faster and didn't look back.
Chapter 3
She ran, and the screams and crashes from the battle raging behind her. She heard the terrible cries of the beast and the clashes and clangs from the warrior’s sword and armor. Finally with one last roar the rent the air like the claws of some wild beast the battle fell silent. Still she ran the warriors words ringing in her head "Run." that was all he had said and it bounced around the inside of her skull. After running for what seemed like hours she came to the foot of a great mountain with a cave at the foot of it. She clambered in and curled up and fell into a deep dreamless sleep. When she awoke she smelt blood she got up ready to fight but then saw the warrior at the entrance to the cave. He was surrounded by a pool of dark blood and his armor was rent and dented in many places his wounds seemed fatal, a lesser man surely would have died, yet even as she watched the warrior stretched one gauntleted hand and pulled himself into the cave, she rushed to him and helped pull him to the back of the cave then started to remove her armor but he grasped her wrist. "Leave it." he said then his eyes closed and he slept. She tried to pull the armor of when he fell asleep but his words echoed in her mind and she fell to the floor and slept next to him.
Chapter 4
When she awoke the warrior was gone the blood was everywhere and had dried during the night. She saw the warrior's armor in a neat pile of to the side of the cave when she went over to it she saw the huge rips and dents that covered it. "Where is he?" she asked aloud. "Here." she turned and saw him in the entrance he still wore his helm and had blood-soaked bandages all over his body he had dark pants and he held the shredded remnants of his shirt with his left hand. His sword seemed to have disappeared. "Did you kill it? The monster?" she asked he looked into her eyes and she felt as if he could see everything about her with that one look. "No." he answered finally he walked into the cave and she could see that he favored his right leg. He walked over to a small pile of wood that she had not noticed, pulled out flint and tinder, and started a small fire then he lay on his back and stared at the ceiling and said "It is not dead.....yet." then he closed his eyes. Questions swirled around her like a hurricane, "Who is he? Why is he here? Why did he save me?" but the first question rose up and pushed the others away "Who are you?" she asked. His eyes opened then he looked at her "I have no name." he replied.
Chapter 5
"No name?" she thought "How is that possible?" she asked him he took a long moment before answering "I have no true name though many have names for me, none of which I accepted, you may call me what you wish if you so desire" She thought on that for a long while "Then I shall call you Ragnarok." she stated "The end of the gods?" he asked and looked at her questioningly "Very well." he said. Then a horrible cry rent the air and sent a shiver down her spine he looked up for a few seconds then looked back at her "Then what is your name?" he asked calmly, how he could be so calm after that roar made her shudder once more "I am Nami. Was that the monster?" "Yes Nami, it was, it seems it is strong enough to continue the hunt, and I will be ready for it." he said and with that he stood and pulled of his bandages showing only scars from the grievous wounds he had suffered, she gasped "I will be ready." he restated.
Chapter 6
She couldn't speak she had seen the fatal wounds that Ragnarok had and now they were nothing but scars how could they heal so quickly? The roar from the creature rent he air once more but Ragnarok hardly seemed to notice he walked to the back of the cave and pulled a large pack from a cubby in the back wall. "What’s that?" she asked, he didn't answer but instead pulled forth another set of armor, the same as his first set, and laid it on the ground. He then pulled a large disc it was black and had a hole in the middle, metal bands went around the sides and into the center, in the center was a large blood red ruby. Without warning a large handle as long as her arm came out of one side, he placed it by his armor, then she recognized it, that was his sword! The blade came out on the opposite end of the handle, a blade as tall as herself and as wide as her torso but she could not see a place where the blade would come out, there was no hole or slot then she realized it made about as much sense as everything else about this nameless warrior. She was about to laugh when he pulled something else from the pack, a slender sword with glowing blue runes along the edge and a shield with similar runes around the edge on the front he placed them in front of her and said nothing else returning to the pack. She lifted the sword and instead of the weight of steel she had expected it felt light and fit her so perfectly it felt as an extension of her arm she strapped on the shield and felt equally at home with it. "These weapons were made for me." she thought.
Chapter 7
The weapons were as light as a feather and the blue runes upon them glowed faintly. She examined the runes and found that she knew none of them, they seemed to be from some ancient unknown language long forgotten. "What do these mean?" she asked "They are from the language my tribe used. They can imbue weapons with special properties." That explained why they were so light. She began questioning him on the meaning of the runes and how they affected the weapons. Eventually he said "You remind me of someone I used to know. She asked so many questions, questions that if she had stopped and listened she would have found the answers to much quicker." "But wha-...." she fell silent getting the hint. He began to explain the runes in more detail telling her what the meant, how they affected the weapons and how they corresponded with other runes on the weapons. Finally there was only one rune left, the rune at the tip of the sword and the center of the shield. "What’s this one?" she asked when he didn't explain it "That? That is my personal symbol." he replied. She looked at it with new interest. A roar scraped through the air and sent an involuntary shudder down her spine she looked up. Ragnarok got up and walked towards the entrance "Where are you going?" Nami asked "Hunting." he replied simply "For the monster?" she asked "No, for food you haven’t eaten in days" he responded then she noticed the famine sweeping over her "Stay here." he said and left the cave.
Chapter 8
She had remembered how hungry she was but now she remembered, with hunger comes thirst. She walked over to Ragnarok's pack and saw a skin with a symbol she recognized "water" it was in her own language! How did Ragnarok know that symbol when his runic alphabet was completely different? She took a long drink from the water skin while she thought on this then decided not to worry about that right now. She went to the small pile of wood next to the pack and placed a few logs and some tinder on the dying embers of the last fire. She soon had a nice warm fire going a few minutes later Ragnarok returned with a full grown stag slung on his shoulders he placed it down then pulled some rope from his pack, grabbed a few sticks from the pile of wood and soon had a spit ready. He then set about skinning and cleaning the deer after he was done he placed the stag on the spit and began to cook it. Soon the cave was filled with the delicious smell, he pulled the stag down and began slicing it up he gave her a large piece and she ravenously bit into it and began wolfing it down taking breaks only long enough to take a gulp of water. Ragnarok chuckled then began cutting up the rest of the deer salting most of it then he took a piece of the meat and laid it down beside him. She watched him expectantly. Would he finally remove the helmet that had shrouded his face for so long? He reached up and pulled the off the helmet.....
Chapter 9
She let out a small gasp, he was quite handsome with strong angled features but his eyes always commanded her attention. Dark pools of black with a single drop of blood in the center of their depths. One other thing caught her eye, a scar running from his right temple to his right cheek it was thin and seemed like it had been very deep. Ragnarok took no notice of her watchful eyes and picked up the meat and began eating slowly. When he was finished he returned to his pack and brought forth a very small chisel and a mallet he then went to his extra set of armor that was undamaged and began carving something very small into the back of the breastplate. She got closer and for the first time saw hundreds of runes running all over the armor it seemed he needed only a few more for only a space as long as her pinky remained between one side of the runes and the other. He worked quickly and soon needed only one more rune, he paused for a moment then chipped his symbol into the last space. Immediately the rune flared to life not only on the breast plate but on the other pieces as well, the runes glowed with an eerie green light. The light flared then all of the light flew off of the armor and into the air forming a large green flame. Nami was frightened but stood perfectly still as the flame floated before Ragnarok. She saw a hint of a smile on his face then he reached up cupped the flame in his hands then suddenly shoved the flame into his chest he shuddered violently then collapsed. He raised himself up slowly and walked towards the wall of the cave away from her and lay down and was soon asleep. She looked at him for a while then found she was shaking she sat down and soon she was asleep as well.
Chapter 10
That night she dreamed of the green fire the flame that had flickered in the air before Ragnarok. The flame that he had pushed into his chest the way he had smiled just before he did it. The flame haunted her sometimes taking strange forms, and then something about her dream changed. Ragnarok's eyes appeared before her and his face slowly took form then his body then he was holding her close to him, then-
"Wake up." she jolted up, shaken from her dream she was sweating slightly and she saw him crouched at the entrance to the cave. "Wake up, I have to leave for a moment and I do not plan for you to be asleep and vulnerable while I'm gone." "Uh, okay so I just wait here I guess?" she replied indignantly crossing her arms. "No you may go where you please I am you're ally not your jail keeper you may do as you wish." He stood and left disappearing into the jungle; she waited for a moment then got up and began following him.
Ragnarok had left the cave a few moments ago and now Nami was following him. He smiled slightly, she was good barely making a sound but of course she was obvious to him he laid a complicated route and soon came to a large waterfall, the water fell off down a very steep cliff going down at least 50 or so feet, he waited. Soon she came to the edge of the forest and looked at him. She was hidden well, not well enough. "I'm afraid, Nami that what I must do must be done in private, therefore I must lose you now. And remember that creature is still out there." as if to extenuate his point he could almost hear a distant roar over the waterfall, Nami shivered slightly. "Farewell, see you this evening." and with that he turned and leapt off the cliff, Nami ran to the edge of the waterfall but he had already disappeared into the spray.
Chapter 11
Ragnarok thought a few things in the time he was falling. The first thought he had was that Nami probably thought he was already dead, at this he smiled. Then he focused, he looked within himself and found the power he told it what he needed, a way to survive a 50 foot fall and fast, then he let the power flow over him. When he felt the first changes he smiled once more and was glad he hadn't worn his armor then he let out a laugh, how do you survive a 50 foot fall? Why, don't fall of course.
Nami stared down into the mist and spray of the waterfall and wondered what had become of Ragnarok when he had plunged of the cliff. Then she saw a dark form burst from the spray. Had some great winged beast snatched Ragnarok out of his fall? Would it kill him? The form began flapping its wings, great obsidian feathers glinting in the sun. She looked closer and gasped it was Ragnarok! He had sprouted great black wings from his back he glided gracefully away and she stood there in awe as he disappeared in the distance. Then she noticed it getting darker and decided to return to the cave where the creature had not yet found them she heard the roar of the beast in the distance, or was it the waterfall? Either way she quickened her step.
Chapter 12
Ragnarok flapped his wings in a steady rhythm pumping them up and down and moving quickly across the land he looked down and saw the appointed meeting place, a small clearing in the center of the woods. He stopped and hovered in place looking about the land, he saw the smoke from the flame creature as it crashed through the jungle. Soon he would be forced to confront it. He turned and dove down towards the clearing, when he landed he focused and looked within himself finding the power and then his wings flared, consumed by green flame, when the flames cleared, his wings were gone leaving only a few black feathers. He sat down in the center of the clearing crossed his legs and slowly began chanting a slow, rhythmic chant. He closed his eyes and muttered a few final words. His eyes flew open but instead of the black and red that had rested there they glowed with a bright emerald green they had no pupils. Ragnarok looked out of these eyes and spotted his friend, a cloaked figure on the other end of the clearing. The figure moved forward and they stood face to face in the clearing. All Ragnarok thought when he saw his other half was that it was good to be complete once more. The two both stepped forward and became one, the figures cloak settled about Ragnarok his arms going into the sleeves and the hood flying over his head and shrouding his face in shadows. The scar that had marred his face disappeared. His eyes closed once more when they opened again only one figure stood in the clearing. He looked up and without a thought the wings flared out extending out of slits in the cloak he raised his wings, crouched, and leapt into the air flying into the darkening sky. Now he was complete.
Chapter 13
Ragnarok flew through the sky, looked down and saw the cave. He dived and withdrew his wings before he landed putting his feet under him he landed, knelt, and placed one hand on the ground. The landing had been completely silent. He pulled his hood back revealing his face; it had remained untouched his eyes had dimmed from the emerald green back to the black and red. He walked into the cave and found Nami on the floor by the fire already asleep. Ragnarok smiled slightly then walked back outside and waited at the entrance of the cave gazing at the stars.
The next morning.
She yawned and got up; she saw a cloaked figure at the entrance of the cave. She slowly slipped towards her weapons. "Stop." said the figure, in a voice she recognized; she dropped her weapons and moved to join Ragnarok at the entrance of the cave. "When did you return?" she asked "Last night." "And you didn't wake me?" she said sarcastically. "No." he said seriously "you needed your rest, tonight we go hunting for the creature that ruined your life." she let out a small gasp it was finally time to avenge her city "Gather your things, carry only what you need." he said gravely "We leave at dusk."
Chapter 14
The sun fell below the horizon bathing the earth in twilight. "We leave now." Ragnarok said. He walked from the cave and looked back at Nami. She had her shield strapped to her arm and her sword on the sheath that had held her old one, the fit was a bit loose but good enough for what they were doing. "I'm coming." she said and came up to him. Her short hair flapped into her face she absently brushed it behind her ears. "Very well, come on." Ragnarok said turning and marching into the forest. He knew where he was going, he had spotted the place on the flight back to the cave and he marched determinedly through the woods sure of his direction. By the time they reached the clearing he had chosen the moon was high in the sky. The clearing was large maybe 20 or so feet in diameter all around the only entrances were the small crevice between two small cliffs barely wide enough for them to squeeze through, and a larger, maybe 7 foot wide gap at the other end where the cliffs broke away and began sloping down to the ground. "We make our stand here." Ragnarok said, he went to the center of the clearing and sat down, legs crossed. Nami looked about, the clearing would only allow the creature to enter from the larger entrance allowed them to mold the battlefield to their advantage. This would be a tough fight and they would need every advantage.
Chapter 15
She began working the battlefield, she started by cutting some limbs of the trees back where they had come from and sharpened them to points and went back and placed them upright in the ground before the large entrance. When she was done she looked around for something else to do then she saw Ragnarok coming over towards her, he stopped at the spikes and made a few hand gestures and spoke a few indecipherable words then suddenly the wooden spikes she had placed inside the earth became made of some strange green crystal. The Crystals glinted in the moonlight, emitting a soft green glow. Ragnarok went back to the center of the clearing and sat back down. She stared at the crystal spikes for a moment then continued her search for something else to make her defenses stronger. She spotted a few large boulders to one side of the clearing; she looked up at the cliffs on each side of the large entrance and smiled. She ran to Ragnarok and told him her plan; he gave a small smirk and walked over to one of the boulders. He grabbed it and lifted it above his head and leapt up to the top of the cliff and placed it there. Nami gasped in amazement, she knew he was strong but the boulder must have weighed at least a thousand pounds she continued watching him as he transformed that boulder into the green crystal but this time crystal spikes shot from the boulder, she watched as he repeated the process with the other boulder. He walked back to her and took his place back at the center of the clearing, he looked at her and said "It's coming." she looked out at the entrance and heard a great roar coming from that direction. This time Nami didn't shudder in fear this time she shook in anticipation.
Chapter 16
A light breeze blew through the clearing, Nami heard the crashing through the jungle, Ragnarok stood beside her, he raised his right hand and pointed it to the first large boulder green flames burst around it and it lifted from the cliff and shot into the jungle. A roar rent the air, ripping through the breeze like the claws of a feral beast. The creature crashed into the clearing just as Ragnarok launched the second boulder at it, the boulder smashed into the creature taking a large piece of rubble from its flame-enshrouded body. The creature stumbled back then looked at Ragnarok, roared, and charged straight towards him. Ragnarok lifted both his hands palms up, fingers spread and the spikes that Nami had placed into the ground rose and blasted into the creature impaling him over thirty times. The creature stumbled back and fell. Nami stared in awe, and then gasped as the creature shuddered and rose once more. Ragnarok had is sword over his shoulder, blade extended. Ragnarok charged at the creature just as it launched itself at him. They clashed in the center of the clearing, Ragnarok’s sword came down and sliced into the creatures arm shearing into it and stopping halfway, the creature responded by smashing it's fist into Ragnarok's side. Ragnarok was thrown back but kept hold of his sword, he slammed into a tree and fell to the bottom on his feet, he jumped, and launched himself back at the monster, sword leading. The creature dodged and Ragnarok plunged his sword into the ground spun on the handle and brought his sword soaring down into the creatures wounded arm ripping it off, the arm flew into the woods and the flames flew back to the creature. Nami stood mesmerized as the opponents danced around the clearing ripping and smashing at each other then both flew back to opposite sides of the clearing and lunged at each other....
Chapter 17
Ragnarok brought his blade down, slicing the great beast nearly in two just as the beasts arm slammed into Ragnarok, launching him towards Nami. He slammed into her and she spiraled into the abyss of unconsciousness. When she awoke she felt rain pattering lightly on her face, she felt herself being carried by strong arms. She looked up into Ragnaroks' face and smiled lightly then noticed something else, her body was shrouded in a pure white cloak that contrasted sharply with Ragnaroks’ black one, it was an exact replica except for the white. She looked up at Ragnarok in awe, as the rain pattered down she turned and saw the ruins of her city, as Ragnarok carried her into the rubble of her home she mourned for the loss of her friends, family, and all the other citizens. Her tears spread down from her eyes combining with the rain and becoming nothing more than water. They reached the center of the city and Ragnarok let her down to the floor and approached the pedestal, usually used for town announcements, and stepped up onto it.
Chapter 18
Nami watched in awe as multi-colored flames began to manifest around Ragnarok, the flames shifted from icy blues, bloody reds, and jet blacks, moving from color to color but finally settling on that emerald green, the green flames swirled about Ragnarok's cloaked form as the rain fell to the ground, Ragnarok spread his arms and looked to the sky, "I give myself, to return your life." he said as a beam of green flames blasted skyward, shattering the black clouds above them, and shaking Ragnarok's body and the entire city itself, the soulless corpses of the citizens of her home began to shudder as blue lights swirled down from the sky, circling around the pillar of green flames. The blue lights circled around Ragnarok, spinning faster and faster, Ragnarok seemed to shudder as the lights spun. Ragnarok pulled his arms close then threw them out wide, the blue lights, accompanied by green flames blasted in every direction, flowing into the soulless bodies of those in the city. Nami raised an arm as the green flames grew brighter, and brighter. Nami closed her eyes, and she passed out as a final wave flared over her, knocking her to the ground. When she awoke Ragnarok was nowhere to be seen, she stood and franticly ran up to the pedestal, looking around wildly, "Where?..." she asked herself, then she noticed movement, she saw the bodies of her friends, family, and all those that had been in the city as they began to stir, the citizens all looked up to Nami as light speared through the clouds, lancing down and lighting up the city that had once been a graveyard, would once again be a home. The citizens looked up from, what they had known as a long sleep, and saw their savior, a rousing cheer rolled through the city, hailing Nami as the one who defeated the terrible creature that had ruined their home. Nami shook her head as the citizens from the entire city gathered around her, she sat down, and began her tale, telling them what had transpired while their soulless bodies had lain in a destroyed city....
Epilogue
Nami stood and walked to her closet, taking out the white cloak that had been given to her, she pulled on the cloak and stepped onto the balcony, to the cheers of thousands. She raised her hand to stop the cheers and all went quiet, "We come here today, as we have every year since that day when we awoke, saved by a lone warrior, who's true name we do not know, we gather here today, to remember him, who gave his life to save us all," she looked out over the citizens, all watching her raptly as she prepared to tell her story once more, she saw the faces of the elderly, the young, and all the others who made this city their home, she looked out, trying to lock eyes with every citizen, to show them that she was telling this story to each and every one of them. She saw green eyes, hazel, and blue, brown, gray, and hundreds of other colors and shades, and one set of eyes that drew her into their depths, black eyes with a drop of red in their center. Nami gasped as she saw the smiling face of Ragnarok, he gave her a salute, then turned, and disappeared into the crowd. Nami stood there, stunned, eventually she regained her composure and continued her story, after her tale was done she dashed into the streets, searching for Ragnarok, she made her way to the center of town, he was not there, but his sword was, implanted into the pedestal, a reminder that he was still there, watching over them...
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