A fantasy short story with philosophical approaches For my part, I have written two years ago.
Who burn the fires?
The firing came in the interior before the fire.
The veil of the night like a protective cloak enveloped Ignis, while going through the forest, which had been the silence like a funeral veil down, step. The animals, even the nocturnal seemed all their minds to the realm of dreams have passed. Ignis clutching his long black rowan rod fixed, while his boots were plowing through the leaves on the ground. The day did the forest floor like a fascinating kaleidoscope of iridescent colors appear bright in the sunlight, but at night it seemed only of black and gray shapeless figures exist. It also helped the dull glint of Irrlicht, hovering next to him and streaks of light behind Duke, the writhing like glowing orbits around the stems of the forest, nothing. It only dimly lit the giants around him. But all those wonderful impressions of the forest on the day had been swallowed by the night disturbed him further. He enjoyed those moments of silence, it cost him like a mouth potion. The silence about him not weighed heavily on his lead Mind, but embraced him like a beautiful symphony of peace.
The forest cleared after some time and gave a view of a valley where the city was embedded. A river gently pulled his path through the meadows and fields that surrounded the city. He shimmered silver in the pale moonlight that seeped through the thick cloud cover.
A narrow wall, topped by a walkway, the city was surrounded with red slate roofs, which added up crouched together. The scenery in the pale moonlight seemed to be peaceful, to perfect as that Ignis had ever dared to interrupt her. He sighed heavily, his breath rattled. But unfortunately can not handle duties.
He saw about thirty feet away from him, to his left and right, along the forest in the moonlight gleaming lances, swords, shields and polished breastplates. The suddenly towering wind, which had been denied him in the forest, brought the smell of horses and greased armor. The two forces seemed to be some time ago on the edge of the forest, at the foot of the hills and down into the valley was, gathered to have. Garth, Master of the right of the army troops came at a good step to him. His hard gray eyes scrutinized Ignis, the uncomfortable feeling under the piercing look.
"You've left a lot of time in order to look at the birds twittering," the gaunt, tall man ground his black hair falling over his shoulders.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the birds were quiet today," said Ignis, "I had to think." Garth's face did not change, his face was like an expressionless mask. "I see. Green really need to mature a little time. I just wanted to check whether you have understood the instructions. "Ignis said yes.
"Good. But do not dare to hesitate now. We have been long enough in the stomach and the legs are frozen off the bone in this damned cold. "A smile flitted over Garth's face, and Ignis saw with horror the blood lust in the eyes of the army master. "A small fire would do now." He turned around and went back to his squad. Ignis sighed heavily and stared at the city below. He was bitter to see every time the cities were armed as pathetic for such a storm. There was not a single arrow in the walkway or the like lip, which seemed not even heavily guarded gate. Only two torches lit dimly the entrance to the city, an iron gate, flanked by two wooden guard houses.
They differ not so much from us, is thought Ignis, while he changed short of hands with the army champion of the troops on his left, the almost twenty paces stood away from him, to him also to show that he was ready. run just a secluded life away from us and believe in other gods. That something as unimportant to the argument used to perform here ...
There it was again, the burning. He knew never know if it was the magic that flowed through every fiber of his body and made him tremble, and the remorse that followed him into his dreams as nightmares. It made him reluctant to doubt the whole, and swung himself up on his mood to darken it with quiet, stubborn wounds. Depressed, he looked down. You got yourself chosen. If one occurs as a fire mage in the service of the king should be already aware, to put in such operations any moral concerns aside. I was never well suited for it. Rich or five attacks not for me to harden? He heard the soldiers descended from their horses and they fastened with tear-resistant ropes on the trees. Garth swung his spear into the air and also the master of the army battalion left, Feyermir, an oversight with a grim face dwarf stretched his arms in the air. Both troops were so ready. Ignis straightened his shoulders and swallow the hard lump in his neck down with extreme difficulty. Again he looked to the city, thought of the many happy about in the dreams of changing families who were unaware in their beds and not even suspected what was happening. He could not subdue the feelings, hide, suppress it in any way. This moment has always been the most difficult, but he's never had Sun resisted. What is wrong with me? If you win during his career as a fire mage in the service of King compassion for his victims rather than be hardened? An unanswerable question for him at this moment. He pulled himself together when he felt the piercing gaze of the military masters. Ignis ran his hand over his long, fiery red and Rob e stressed it smooth, as he quietly put the first words. Immersed in the depths of the magic and the pools of their own questions, he felt no idea how one of the army called out to him a set of master, let him shudder.
"Let it burn!"
As the last syllable in the air was still trembling, and finally died away slowly, feeling Ignis like the veins in his body pulsed and intense heat rising from his heart. Leisurely steps he was now on his way to the valley, behind the agonizing thoughts swept away in order to fully concentrate on what lies ahead. The lives of the people in the city, he could not save, but his own he could save from the wrath of the king.
In the two guard houses falling asleep at the gate two figures in semi-shade. There were guards who were leaning on their lances. They reacted slowly to the presence of Ignis', which the Hill stepped down and get a way through the waist-high grass. He suspected that she had slept until recently, so it was easy to do it even in their sleep drunkenness.
"Hey, you!" Thundered the voice of the suddenly wide-awake right guard, registered that the stranger made no move to stop words to go with them on the plane, "what brings you to the ... "
A fire ball, formed of red and black flaming flames flickered from the rod tip, a few meters spun on its axis, until it crashed with full force against the guard and a gaping, singed hole in his armor pierced. The man's lips formed a silent scream before he fell forward onto the floor. The guard house caught fire, flames flashed up on the wood and devoured it. The other soldier, who had already entered the guard house froze in fear because of the fire demon in the shape of a man who trod its burning path. And so did Ignis stand, raised his baton in the air and let slip out of his throat, powerful words. His staff on smoldered, exuded a tremendous heat and let Ignis' pulse in a whole new level fast. He could now do not lose control, that's why he had those pangs of conscience from his consciousness banished. Although he knew that they would return sooner or later. The runes on the wand flared, and a wave of fire came out the black timber, paved conically their way to the gate. An agonizing screams rang out as they captured the guard, who had stepped from the guardhouse, and ripped the door with her right off its hinges. Rattling beat the two halves on the ground, the charred remains of the soldiers were miserable in the corner. Ignis behind surging joy trembled over him, and he felt like the earth because of the many steps pounding of the heavy iron boots. The two troops were approaching, but his work was not done. Slowly He walked through the gate, while a mantle of fire enveloped his body. The king had given clear instructions, terrible in its simple splendor. He wanted, as so many of the empire, manipulated by his hate speech, see, burning the city.
Concerned residents who stormed out of their houses to see who was responsible for the deafening noise, screamed when she saw the flames umzüngelten man with the red hair and distracted look. Then her cries rose to a shriek of agony, as a wall of fire swept over them. The flames licked slowly up to the wooden walls of houses, ate their way through the walls and put all the blocks on fire. Ignis enjoyed at once the heat, as it was for fire mages in the middle of their usual element
and saw little flames dancing on his staff around. Playing with fire had always been tempting.
He heard how through a thick mist muffled the voices of the soldiers who stormed into the city behind him. The horses they had left above the forest under the supervision of some volunteer soldiers, the fire would have to be very frightened and taken care of unintentional deaths when the animals were burned out. The Clang of armor and the clash of swords and spears, hastily put commands, cries, the crackling and hissing of the fire, heavy footsteps on the floor and the wicked laughter of the soldiers who fell upon the inhabitants of mixed, into a symphony of death, the exact opposite of serenity in the woods beyond the hill outside the city. The sound swelled more and more, more houses, killed more defenseless residents and devastated the more Feuerbrünste all goods and chattels, painfully over the years built dreams and hopes. The whole increased so much that it became a cacophony of unexpected proportions. The bitter song of death and of destruction, shot it through Ignis, as for a moment his mind back from the veil of magic awoke and he was confronted with full force with the extent of his work.
he quickly sank into the depths of his consciousness. Residents fell before him on his knees, his hands stretched up to him desperately, but with a far-fetched blow out his wand, he swept them aside. The crunch of exploding limbs he did not even hear. Meanwhile, the fire had spread to the city center, where he now was. stood before him with a powerful fountain in the circular paved area surrounded by shops of various Art, smoke-filled in the night sky. Minotaurs and other animal gods of the heretics wound themselves around an ivy fern column and looking up to a figure with outstretched wings. She had very human traits, but her lower body was that of a goat. Ignis looked next to her head-shaking and cursing soldiers.
"They did so in cities away from their established to our knowledge," Ignis again heard the voice of Feyermir. A black, rushing beard elaborately braided, fell over his broad chest, only at the edges, he was singed slightly, probably by a stray spark. The little green eyes wandered nervously back and forth, while his thick fingers were playing around on the handle end of his ax. The scars on his face twitched and his bushy eyebrows shot up in an irregular rhythm in the air as he barked orders in the direction of the scattered soldiers. "Call Garth at length and the other party brought so comes back order into this chaos, at Bolin's beard! We are now combing through every house and even stifle even the last remaining heretics living flame. Their seed will be destroyed before they thrive on. "
Unmistakable Ignis recognized the importance of the last Words, and he struggled once again, as so often on this day. His thoughts were in the twilight, it had put in the magic torn. This time he stayed up too late.
The world around him had turned into an inferno. Debris of collapsed houses, burned still stuck around like skeletons surrounded by flames in the cold night sky, wafted smoke everywhere. Burning debris fell before him on the floor, rolling around in despair, and people screaming on the ground to drive the flames on her body. He breathed in the air, scratched his neck and almost coughed. At least his eyes were watering not because of the heat.
Feyermir, who was still standing beside him, his arms propped on her hips and then looked to Ignis, while his men were like this play to instructions in all directions and in the darkness of the fire is not lit streets had disappeared. Shortly thereafter, Ignis had heard bursting doors and shrill screams. Such were the horrors of war, in which he had always been spared so much that he had to accept but now, probably until his death. Such a course he wanted to paint but not further.
"You have done a good job, Ignis" Feyermir said an appreciative tone, as he Ignis' work looked "like so many times. Without you there would be nowhere near as easy. " I would be glad if it would have been different, thought Ignis bitter would be that I simply entered the service of the king, and so hundreds, had not spared even thousands of lives. Such simple-minded carelessness leads only to failure.
The end of the dwarf shone in the firelight, and he dug out a bunch out at the hip a dirty handkerchief, he wiped his forehead.
"Only this heat! I can 'almost pity the heretics have. "He put the handkerchief back and looked around. "I think when Garth returns with his troop, we will leave this city your fire." Almost would be a sour grin Ignis's face flitted. What luck, then he must also make clear to me yet continuous, it is my fucking fire, as he would know exactly what my conscience and hack around with joy it would.
"Then we'll make ourselves comfortable as before the local fire and our rich booty look. "Suddenly Feyermir furrowed brow as he saw the fountain. He stepped to the edge, which gave him only up to their necks, wrinkled her nose and spat on the statue. "But first of this creative pagan concoction from my eyes. It does not deserve the honor of the blessed day, from our venerable and golden sun. " At least it forces me to turn helpless children in living torches. Without further ado: Ignis threw the stick forward. Flames licked out of it formed, into a fist blazing fire, the statue compassed with an iron fist and broke it in two with a mighty jerk. Blackened she fell into the water, which swept over the edge of the fountain and hissing a burning piece of wood on the ground cleared. The dismembered angel figure was silent for half submerged in water and would probably stay there for all ages, a monument to the gods of the heretics. Satisfied laughed scornfully Feyermir and trudged back. Ignis followed him without looking back, shoulders lowered, the idea lost in the dark boughs of his tortured soul.
The night was well advanced, the broken clouds. The moon hovered over them now as a bright disk and illuminated the gruesome work of Ignis' in all its glory. It looked almost like a bizarre piece of art. The young fire mage looked at it absent-mindedly from one of the hill, surrounded the city. The distance to the burning city only reinforced the shame that he felt he was cowardly and small.
The horses on the edge of the forest neighing loudly, for fear of the smoke. Occasionally heard the roar of the Ignis also celebrating soldiers and the rattle of gold and other riches-filled boxes. Fortunately, I have this fight won something much more important he thought to himself.
Feyermir, on the one next to him mighty oak turned, cleared his throat. Ignis did the same to avoid the chatter of the dwarf, immediately gave him the tip of his staff and had a small flame flickering at the branching end to ignite the dwarf was his wooden pipe. While Feyermir let the deep scent of herbs and tobacco inhaled the smoke got out of his mouth and nose, spread a happy smile on his thin lips.
"For one, the fire suffering, others for pleasure." He said contentedly. Ignis did not answer. They sat some time in cold, dry grass and watched the flames as they consumed the entire city. Smoke rose and was occasionally torn by emerging winds that fanned the fire down but not further. The flickering away, sounded muffled. Ignis did not even try to suppress his feelings that rushed over him like a waterfall.
"It's almost as comfortable to sit by the fire," said the dwarf, and leaned back. "And here the heat is still bearable." Ignis sighed. Rather he would now located with fire scars in the devastated city as this silly talk and the pain of his clenched emotions to endure. The dwarf drew on his pipe and had a dense cloud of smoke between his lips glide through. His eyes shone in the firelight.
The burning city seemed to Ignis like a funeral pyre for his feelings and belief in himself, he supported his hand on his chin and gave himself his feelings.
"You seem pensive, Ignis," said Feyermir, whose eyes had slipped to the red-haired fire mage. "Come, take a train from my pipe. It smooths the nerves and sweeps away the worries. "
If It would be so simple.
"No thank you. In me enough already smoldering fire. "
The dwarf gave his bear-like laugh, leaning back against the tree. "What is on your mind, Ignis? Have you burned while playing with fire "
Ignis shook his head and replied:
" Is the fire is not a paradox? I think as a fire mage would you begin to understand it, but it surprises me every day. It warms our cold limbs in the dark winter nights protects us from the horrors of the darkness around us, an unwavering sparkle in the swirling sea of darkness. But while it rages, as it becomes angry with a force that can both finish life on a painful way. It destroys hopes, painfully over the years built dreams, like a flaming sword burns through the soul. And yet we are drawn again and again to the warmth of our fireplace, even though we know that the flames can lick up on the walls of our house ... "He paused a moment and put his next words carefully together.
burn "Who is the fire? Has this all the destruction down there a meaning? "
" For the king, they burn, for the good of the people! "Feyermir is jammed pipe between the index and middle fingers to swirl around his massive hands can so they gave emphasis to his words. "You wicked doings heretics has earned it." The dwarf sat up, his eyes sparkled, and he grew more and more in his delusion of pure religion and pagan heretics. "They have besmirched the blessing of the sun by the golden rays of her and denied her bastard gods, dark and impure hybrid of human and animal worship! Now they will know the wrath of the sun in his own body. They should know what it means to devote themselves to the false gods and to renounce the honor of the sun! "
" Do you really? "Replied Ignis, and anger in him began to . flicker "I should like the curse forever, and send my existence Gen hell, but I share your view of the king, and probably the majority of our people do not. This fire will burn for justice, but it is justice, to other death due specifically to the flames? Do you think our all-powerful sun would regard it with favor, if we kill in their name? The heretics would have never done something cruel, if we had left it on living peacefully in their valleys. Makes the king in your eyes, not even a despicable creature? "
" What are you talking about just, "cried the dwarf, and jumped up angrily. Ignis he could now look straight in the eye, as the fire mage even sitting almost taller than the dwarf. Ignis shuddered as he saw the crazed, fanatical gleam in the eyes of the dwarf. "Have you turned these accursed heretics the head? It is not a matter of opinion, there are principles to to those blasphemers have failed. They go against the ideas of each ordinary sentient being, whether man, elf or dwarf! How can you be so sure that they had not resorted to arms in their madness? "Ignis was almost scornful laugh at the dwarf, but he held back. can
"You talk about a danger that states might eventually have come under particular circumstances . It is pure treason, simply by night over their houses to the seething anger of the untamed flame to pass! You have the protective fire of the empire that they once soothing and warm as a fog enveloped in protective, married, but now it has turned against them, they burned skin and hair, and breathed out her life. It is horrible that stifled by that fire, the flame inside of a human being. "
The dwarf shrugged his shoulders contemptuously. "They have debt themselves, which I have already told explicitly. Why are you suddenly doubt? Did you overtake an epiphany? "He did not even bother to ban the mocking tone in his voice. The fire was still burning in Ignis relentlessly continued to gain strength, and she began to slowly ignite. His feelings were mixed with the flowing outside impulses of magic.
"No ... I just realized that our action is wrong. They have rebelled against our faith, yes. But they have not burned the houses, destroyed all belongings and kill us, just because we have different beliefs? "Ignis noted with satisfaction as he drove the dwarf into a corner. The army champion shrugged his forehead, his mouth pinched himself and his hand trembled. "They would have done. It was only a matter of time before they would have rebelled. And there are more of them who may think differently! "
"Congratulations, Feyermir, you've now achieved just that, for now, the heretic really angry. It's no use to convince you something else. "
The dwarf cursed and grabbed his ax. "There now," he roared, "You've had enough the name of the venerable Empire and King of our glorious stained! You shall be the one to burst into flames, so you'll finally converted to his senses! "
" It's been done earlier, "said Ignis, sat up and grabbed his rod Small Sparks danced around the black wood. Ignis looked like the dwarf wanted to shake his mouth ripped open and his lips a "traitor " shape, as shone on his staff already bright red and glistening. A storm of fire and heat swept across Feyermir and tore him away from the slope of the hill. As a gust of wind drove the flames of destruction across the grass and turned it into a dull, smoky, black spot of earth. Feyerrmir screamed as his blood boil in the fierce heat of his skin began and was consumed by the fury of the flames. His smoldering body spun a few moments in the air before he burned with a dull sound on the Grass landed.
Well, for whom the fire is now? , whispering in low voices Ignis' Interior, for your own good sense, as with the king when he enjoyable listening to the reports of burned heretics?
No , thought Ignis to waste a second thought you must not even be considered. I return the poor people in the burning city is not the life they have lost me, but at least they should know by my actions, although they probably do not even now imagine more, I have fought against the injustice that has befallen them. And that gives me confidence.
Ignis staggered a moment of magic to use, but he caught himself quickly, boosted by the burgeoning knowledge that now was the moment where he could be released from his doubts. He wanted to storm the soldiers and they razed to the ground, but then he changed his mind when he saw the burned body Feyermirs. A victim last. to kill you would make me your kind, and I do not want to be longer. Before the thought had died away, he heard already the cries of the soldiers who suddenly burgeoning heat had felt and seen the bright lights. Ignis felt relieved when he walked away from the burned spot grass, the burning city in the back, into the forest. While the light seeping through the fire between the tribes and the noise dampened from the outside, felt Ignis is quiet again. He stared at the sky, the stars that glowed dull through the dense canopy, and was glad that the night had driven the sun. He felt again that inner peace that he had missed so miserably. The burning was gone. And as he melted into the shadows of the forest, the past behind him, he seemed to hear the voice Feyermirs, before the had convinced the storming of the city on his men.
"One should never underestimate the fire, men," had his voice on the hill across geschallt up in the night sky, "It can easily turn against one."
END
0 comments:
Post a Comment