The Old Man arrives in the West...
Apr 1, 2005 2:13:23 GMT
Post by barnibusquentin on Apr 1, 2005 2:13:23 GMT
(OOC: This a continuation from "A lone figure appears in the desert sands" thread on the Western Continent)
Barnibus gripped futilely into the soft wet sand and tried to drag himself farther ashore. It gave way under his arm and he was left with nothing but a handful of sand. His heart whirred and his lungs pounded, stars began to float in front of his vision, and a wave washed over him, pushing him up more onto the beach. With supreme effort he managed to roll over onto his back, a fit of thick ripping coughs tore through his body.
He rolled onto his side and vomited.
When he was finally done, he lay back down and stared into the cloudless sky and thanked the God's he was alive. In the light of day one could see what appeared to be a giant mass of floating ice breaking the perfectly flat horizon.
The seas were getting rougher. Not just a little choppy, rougher. But, ten to fifteen foot tall waves, rougher. As each hit the edge of the ice it broke and as it came crashing down froze solid. The sea had begun to form a tunnel, a tunnel which Barnibus was walking through. However, all was not well. He could feel the power of his magic waning. Freezing the ocean wasn't quite as easy as he'd originally thought. It was his own underestimation of the task that had him in this position, and the old Wizard didn't like it.
The storm raged around Barnibus, who tried his best to ignore it. This was difficult as rain the size of golf balls pelted him and the buffeting winds more than once threatened to knock him into the stormy ocean.
The Wizard walked on...
He could see it, he could finally see land! It couldn't be more than a mile. The storm had since passed and he again walked on calm seas. Barnibus's heart beat rapidly; his magic was very close to being gone, he could feel his body eating away at itself to keep the energy flowing. Then all at once, his heart began to whir and his lungs gasped for air. His body started to sweat rapidly. This was the end, he had no more magic, his nearly endless supply was used up... The ice beneath his feet began to crack.
The cold water came as an incredible shock and for a moment the elderly wizard's heart ceased to beat. Then the water began to drag him under. Barnibus's arm shot up and grabbed hold of a piece of ice. It was just enough to keep him afloat. He kicked rapidly in an effort to reach the shore before the ice melted and left him slave to the pull of the deep sea.
It was nearly enough to kill him.
The sun started to dip low in the sky when the Wizard finally gathered the strength to pick himself up off the beach. He stood up, stretched and turned towards the place he arrived at. It was stunning, as far as the eye could see was a swaying ocean of grass, occasionally broken by a tiny island of scrub trees. The only noise was the song of crickets. He picked up his staff and headed off into the grass. He needed no directions, something inside told him which way to go.
Barnibus gripped futilely into the soft wet sand and tried to drag himself farther ashore. It gave way under his arm and he was left with nothing but a handful of sand. His heart whirred and his lungs pounded, stars began to float in front of his vision, and a wave washed over him, pushing him up more onto the beach. With supreme effort he managed to roll over onto his back, a fit of thick ripping coughs tore through his body.
He rolled onto his side and vomited.
When he was finally done, he lay back down and stared into the cloudless sky and thanked the God's he was alive. In the light of day one could see what appeared to be a giant mass of floating ice breaking the perfectly flat horizon.
The seas were getting rougher. Not just a little choppy, rougher. But, ten to fifteen foot tall waves, rougher. As each hit the edge of the ice it broke and as it came crashing down froze solid. The sea had begun to form a tunnel, a tunnel which Barnibus was walking through. However, all was not well. He could feel the power of his magic waning. Freezing the ocean wasn't quite as easy as he'd originally thought. It was his own underestimation of the task that had him in this position, and the old Wizard didn't like it.
The storm raged around Barnibus, who tried his best to ignore it. This was difficult as rain the size of golf balls pelted him and the buffeting winds more than once threatened to knock him into the stormy ocean.
The Wizard walked on...
He could see it, he could finally see land! It couldn't be more than a mile. The storm had since passed and he again walked on calm seas. Barnibus's heart beat rapidly; his magic was very close to being gone, he could feel his body eating away at itself to keep the energy flowing. Then all at once, his heart began to whir and his lungs gasped for air. His body started to sweat rapidly. This was the end, he had no more magic, his nearly endless supply was used up... The ice beneath his feet began to crack.
The cold water came as an incredible shock and for a moment the elderly wizard's heart ceased to beat. Then the water began to drag him under. Barnibus's arm shot up and grabbed hold of a piece of ice. It was just enough to keep him afloat. He kicked rapidly in an effort to reach the shore before the ice melted and left him slave to the pull of the deep sea.
It was nearly enough to kill him.
The sun started to dip low in the sky when the Wizard finally gathered the strength to pick himself up off the beach. He stood up, stretched and turned towards the place he arrived at. It was stunning, as far as the eye could see was a swaying ocean of grass, occasionally broken by a tiny island of scrub trees. The only noise was the song of crickets. He picked up his staff and headed off into the grass. He needed no directions, something inside told him which way to go.