Post by Orophin on Mar 16, 2008 15:10:03 GMT 1
This is my second Fanfic, the first is here :
www.avatar10.proboards91.com/index.cgi?board=fanfiction&action=display&thread=1205595784&page=1
Even though this one is set before that one, this one should be read second.
Sorry for the length!
The Road to Hate
V'icternus awoke, got dressed, and went downstairs.
Once again he admired the craftsmanship of the forest cottage in which he lived, every part of which had been built personally by his parents.
As he arrived downstairs, he saw that his father was already awake.
"Ah, Vic, you're up!" said his father, "Happy Birthday!"
"Thank you father" replied V'icternus "Where is mother?"
"She's outside, looking at the lake again" His father answered. "Sometimes I think she wishes to live on that seat, just staring at the lake..." his voice trailed off.
"Anyway, you should go and tell her you're up, then you can receive your gifts. After all, you don't turn fifteen every day!"
As V'icternus walked outside, he too was entranced by the lake, and the way the water reflected the rising sun.
He saw a beautiful woman, with long flowing light-brown hair that fell all the way to the ground, sitting on the small seat that had been carved out of white marble that looked out on the lake.
"Hello mother" He said, "How are you?"
"Fine, just like every other time you have asked me" she replied in her drifting way.
"But today is for you, Vic, it is your birthday! Now come inside, and we will give you your presents."
"Yes, let's celebrate the day you gave me a long, elaborate name, only to shorten it", he replied.
Once inside, they gathered around the living room, next to the ornate, hand carved fireplace.
His mother gave him her gift first.
As she pulled it out of her pocket, he saw it sparkle brilliantly.
"It is an amulet" his mother explained, "In it, one of the rarest gems your father has ever come across. The amulet itself is made of gold from the same mountain"
"It's beautiful..." V'icternus said in wonderment, as this was no doubt worth more than all their other possessions multiplied, yet his mother just gave it to him for his birthday.
He put it on immediately, the gold chain sliding over his head.
His father then brought out his gift.
This, unlike his mothers, was rapped in cloth, and was very long.
He unwrapped the cloth and saw what his father had given him.
It was a sword, complete with shoulder scabbard.
He pulled it out of the scabbard, and saw it was made of pure silver.
It was elegant, long, and seemed to move in tune with his arm and body.
"Thank you, father..." he said, astounded.
His father had never allowed him to use a real sword before, and had only shown him the basics with a wooden training sword.
He looked at the blade itself, and saw how sharp is was at the tip.
This must of taken his father days to make, and to obtain all this silver...
"It is my gift to you, boy. Now you are old enough to use it wisely, and know how to handle it correctly."
He looked at the gifts, at the silver blade, at the clear, sparkling gem, and the golden amulet that contained it.
And he was astounded at the great trouble and expense of these gifts, as together they could make their family the richest in town. And then some!
"Why..." he began, but his father cut him off, "Because you are our son, and our greatest treasure".
"Now, why don't you run to the village and show off to your friends, eh?"
"Yes, I'm sure Idril will be very impressed", his mother added.
He blushed slightly at his mothers words, but accepted them as true. His girlfriend always was impressed by his parents work, they had even made her a locket, completely unique, so V'icternus could present it to her as a gift.
He thanked them both again, then ran to the village, which was only half a mile away, through the forest.
Once there, he met with all of his friends, and showed them the blade. They were all very impressed, particularly Wen, who was the son of the towns metallurgist and sword-maker.
He met up with Idril outside her house, and they began walking through the town together,
She was slightly shorter than him, but not by much, and had dazzling green eyes, that sparkled when she laughed.
After he had shown her the amulet ("That's beautiful! Look at the way it shines!"), he pulled the sword out from where it hand at his back.
She saw how it gleamed, and how perfectly it was made. She could see her own reflection in the silver, and gazed on in wonderment.
"Your father gave you this? This looks as if it made from silver!"
"It is" he replied, "and..."
But before he could finish, he heard a shout from behind him.
"Hey Vicky! You've got a new toy! C'mere and give me a look!"
V'icternus turned and saw Anong, the wealthy seventeen year old son of the Chi-Run family, the richest family in the town.
He delighted in degrading the other children, but had always disliked V'icternus due to his near wealth.
They had had a few scraps, but nothing serious.
"So, Vicky, you gonna give me the sword, or not!" Anong shouted.
The other children gathered round, waiting to see what would happen.
"Well!"
"Don't you have a sword?" V'icternus questioned, indicating the sword at Anongs side.
"What If I want that one?" Anong replied, drawing his own and brandishing it threateningly.
"Then you will be disappointed"
"Well, if you keep the sword, I'll take the girl!"
He grabbed Idril's arm, but his leg was hit by a rock the size of a mans fist.
"Don't touch her, Anong" V'icternus threatened, pulling out his sword.
The children kept gathering around, but kept their distance, as Anong was known for being unpredictable.
"And what are you gonna do? That sword may look fancy, but do you have the skill to back it up?"
"Three o'clock, in the clearing in the forest, be there!" V'icternus replied. "Then we will see who has the skill."
The children gathered around their chosen victor, giving different bits of advice and support.
"Why are you doing this, Vic?" Idril asked while, V'icternus practiced, swinging his sword, and getting used to it's weight.
"He tried to grab you, and he is a coward who has no honor", came the grunted reply.
"But why?" Idril inquired again
"Is that not reason enough?" V'icternus asked
"You mean, you're fighting him for me?" came the awed response.
"It is the honorable thing to do"
"You will be careful, wont you? I don't want anyone to die" Idril said worriedly.
"I am sure he will not show up, he is a coward"
"Then why are you training?" asked, confused
"In case he is stupid enough to show up" V'icternus explained
Later, once V'icternus had arrived at the clearing, he began preparing, as more and more children showed up.
Word had spread quickly, as it does in a small town, yet somehow no adult had heard a whisper of it.
Then, to V'icternus' surprise, Anong walked into the clearing, flanked by three of his friends.
They walked toward each other.
"What are the terms of combat?" V'icternus inquired.
"You die, I get your sword, and your girl!" Anong exclaimed loudly.
"You shall never lay one of your foul smelling hands on her ever again, coward" came the insulting reply.
He walked to his starting position, and drew his blade.
Anong, who had had his sword out when he entered the clearing, made many elaborate and confusing movements, to show of his prowess.
Wen was acting as the umpire, as he knew the most about this sort of thing.
"What are the conditions of victory?" Wen asked them.
"Victory by death, knockout, or surrender." replied V'icternus
"Very well. Fighters ready!"
They both nodded.
"FIGHT!!!"
They began circling each other, trying to throw the other off balance, but both knew this trick too well.
Anong suddenly and wildly ran right at V'icternus, but his attack was sidestepped.
Anong then swept his blade at waist height, and V'icternus parried the attack.
Then, using his opponents momentary surprise, he flipped the sword out of his hand.
It landed near the edge of the clearing, nearly severing the toes of one of the spectators.
But then, one of Anongs friends threw his blade back to him.
"You have no honor!" V'icternus exclaimed, launching a heavy blow at Anong.
"But soon, I will be the richest boy in town, as well as having a brand new sword, and a new girl!" came the taunting response as he blocked the blow.
Then, Anong punched V'icternus in the side of the face, and swiftly swept the blade at him.
V'icternus, recovering, parried the attack, then launched a wide swing of his own.
Anong ducked, and the blade went above his head, and he stabbed at V'icternus while he was still recovering from his wide attack.
V'icternus jumped away at the last moment, and flipped his blade at the now unbalanced Anong.
This knocked him to the ground, and his sword flipped and landed on the ground in front of him, at V'icternus' feet.
V'icternus put his blade at Anongs throat, the point digging into his neck, but not puncturing the skin.
Anong has a look of sheer terror on his face.
V'icternus then pulled back his blade, and replaced it in it's sheath on his back.
"The coward lives, for now" he said.
Idril ran up and embraced him, for she had been worried for him.
They began to walk to his home, while she recounted every twist and turn of the fight (Which seemed to go a lot better for him than he remembered).
When they exited the forest, they looked to his house, and gasped.
It was in ruins.
V'icternus ran up to it and began digging through the wreckage, while Idril went to get the guards.
After moving a lot of wood and pieces of furniture, he heard a gasp, he turned, and saw his father, battered, bruised and cut, trapped under a large pile of what had been his house.
"Father!" V'icternus shouted as he ran up to him.
He tried to pull him out, but it was no use, he was stuck.
"Do not bother, son. Even if you got me out, I would still die... It is too late..."
"NO!!" V'icternus screamed in despair.
"I will get you out, and you will be fine! And then..."
But he was interrupted by another gasp of air.
"V'icternus, is that you?"
It was his mother.
She looked fine, but for the dirt on her always clean face, and she had been crushed at the waist by a large support beam.
"Are you there?" she asked again
He crawled over and hugged her, her blood soaking into his clothes.
"The lake didn't appreciate my attention" she said, oddly.
"What is she talking about, father?"
"It was a small group of Waterbenders, mercenaries. They were looking for the gem around your neck" he coughed, and V'icternus saw blood.
"They destroyed the house searching for it, but couldn't find it, as you mother had given it to you"
"How did they destroy the house?" V'icternus asked, knowing that it would require more water than could be carried by such a small number of people.
"They used the water from the lake to crush it... while you mother was inside... I kept trying to fight, to keep them away, but it was no use." he indicated to his stomach, and V'icternus saw a large spike made of ice lodged there.
V'icternus looked around, and saw the direction that the mercenaries had taken, as the leaves were all cut out of their way.
He lent by his parents, and just sat there, thinking.
He heard his mother gasp for air, but it was no use. She had a collapsed lung.
He held her, drenching himself even more in her blood. And then she died in his arms, he felt her heartbeat cease, and her body grow still.
He moved to his father.
"Is she gone?" his father inquired
V'icternus could only nod, he didn't trust his voice to answer.
"Be strong, son, do not falter." *cough* *cough* "I believe in you, and I know you will do what's right..."
His fathers eyes closed, and V'icternus released him from his grip.
He drew his sword, and, vengeance in his eyes, ran into the forest after the Waterbenders.
But after he ran away, his father spoke, in barely a whisper, "No, do not seek vengeance, for that is the road to hate..."
Then he died, not knowing that his son had never heard those words, and was even now running through the forest, leaving everything behind, his sword reflecting the setting sun...
www.avatar10.proboards91.com/index.cgi?board=fanfiction&action=display&thread=1205595784&page=1
Even though this one is set before that one, this one should be read second.
Sorry for the length!
The Road to Hate
V'icternus awoke, got dressed, and went downstairs.
Once again he admired the craftsmanship of the forest cottage in which he lived, every part of which had been built personally by his parents.
As he arrived downstairs, he saw that his father was already awake.
"Ah, Vic, you're up!" said his father, "Happy Birthday!"
"Thank you father" replied V'icternus "Where is mother?"
"She's outside, looking at the lake again" His father answered. "Sometimes I think she wishes to live on that seat, just staring at the lake..." his voice trailed off.
"Anyway, you should go and tell her you're up, then you can receive your gifts. After all, you don't turn fifteen every day!"
As V'icternus walked outside, he too was entranced by the lake, and the way the water reflected the rising sun.
He saw a beautiful woman, with long flowing light-brown hair that fell all the way to the ground, sitting on the small seat that had been carved out of white marble that looked out on the lake.
"Hello mother" He said, "How are you?"
"Fine, just like every other time you have asked me" she replied in her drifting way.
"But today is for you, Vic, it is your birthday! Now come inside, and we will give you your presents."
"Yes, let's celebrate the day you gave me a long, elaborate name, only to shorten it", he replied.
Once inside, they gathered around the living room, next to the ornate, hand carved fireplace.
His mother gave him her gift first.
As she pulled it out of her pocket, he saw it sparkle brilliantly.
"It is an amulet" his mother explained, "In it, one of the rarest gems your father has ever come across. The amulet itself is made of gold from the same mountain"
"It's beautiful..." V'icternus said in wonderment, as this was no doubt worth more than all their other possessions multiplied, yet his mother just gave it to him for his birthday.
He put it on immediately, the gold chain sliding over his head.
His father then brought out his gift.
This, unlike his mothers, was rapped in cloth, and was very long.
He unwrapped the cloth and saw what his father had given him.
It was a sword, complete with shoulder scabbard.
He pulled it out of the scabbard, and saw it was made of pure silver.
It was elegant, long, and seemed to move in tune with his arm and body.
"Thank you, father..." he said, astounded.
His father had never allowed him to use a real sword before, and had only shown him the basics with a wooden training sword.
He looked at the blade itself, and saw how sharp is was at the tip.
This must of taken his father days to make, and to obtain all this silver...
"It is my gift to you, boy. Now you are old enough to use it wisely, and know how to handle it correctly."
He looked at the gifts, at the silver blade, at the clear, sparkling gem, and the golden amulet that contained it.
And he was astounded at the great trouble and expense of these gifts, as together they could make their family the richest in town. And then some!
"Why..." he began, but his father cut him off, "Because you are our son, and our greatest treasure".
"Now, why don't you run to the village and show off to your friends, eh?"
"Yes, I'm sure Idril will be very impressed", his mother added.
He blushed slightly at his mothers words, but accepted them as true. His girlfriend always was impressed by his parents work, they had even made her a locket, completely unique, so V'icternus could present it to her as a gift.
He thanked them both again, then ran to the village, which was only half a mile away, through the forest.
Once there, he met with all of his friends, and showed them the blade. They were all very impressed, particularly Wen, who was the son of the towns metallurgist and sword-maker.
He met up with Idril outside her house, and they began walking through the town together,
She was slightly shorter than him, but not by much, and had dazzling green eyes, that sparkled when she laughed.
After he had shown her the amulet ("That's beautiful! Look at the way it shines!"), he pulled the sword out from where it hand at his back.
She saw how it gleamed, and how perfectly it was made. She could see her own reflection in the silver, and gazed on in wonderment.
"Your father gave you this? This looks as if it made from silver!"
"It is" he replied, "and..."
But before he could finish, he heard a shout from behind him.
"Hey Vicky! You've got a new toy! C'mere and give me a look!"
V'icternus turned and saw Anong, the wealthy seventeen year old son of the Chi-Run family, the richest family in the town.
He delighted in degrading the other children, but had always disliked V'icternus due to his near wealth.
They had had a few scraps, but nothing serious.
"So, Vicky, you gonna give me the sword, or not!" Anong shouted.
The other children gathered round, waiting to see what would happen.
"Well!"
"Don't you have a sword?" V'icternus questioned, indicating the sword at Anongs side.
"What If I want that one?" Anong replied, drawing his own and brandishing it threateningly.
"Then you will be disappointed"
"Well, if you keep the sword, I'll take the girl!"
He grabbed Idril's arm, but his leg was hit by a rock the size of a mans fist.
"Don't touch her, Anong" V'icternus threatened, pulling out his sword.
The children kept gathering around, but kept their distance, as Anong was known for being unpredictable.
"And what are you gonna do? That sword may look fancy, but do you have the skill to back it up?"
"Three o'clock, in the clearing in the forest, be there!" V'icternus replied. "Then we will see who has the skill."
The children gathered around their chosen victor, giving different bits of advice and support.
"Why are you doing this, Vic?" Idril asked while, V'icternus practiced, swinging his sword, and getting used to it's weight.
"He tried to grab you, and he is a coward who has no honor", came the grunted reply.
"But why?" Idril inquired again
"Is that not reason enough?" V'icternus asked
"You mean, you're fighting him for me?" came the awed response.
"It is the honorable thing to do"
"You will be careful, wont you? I don't want anyone to die" Idril said worriedly.
"I am sure he will not show up, he is a coward"
"Then why are you training?" asked, confused
"In case he is stupid enough to show up" V'icternus explained
Later, once V'icternus had arrived at the clearing, he began preparing, as more and more children showed up.
Word had spread quickly, as it does in a small town, yet somehow no adult had heard a whisper of it.
Then, to V'icternus' surprise, Anong walked into the clearing, flanked by three of his friends.
They walked toward each other.
"What are the terms of combat?" V'icternus inquired.
"You die, I get your sword, and your girl!" Anong exclaimed loudly.
"You shall never lay one of your foul smelling hands on her ever again, coward" came the insulting reply.
He walked to his starting position, and drew his blade.
Anong, who had had his sword out when he entered the clearing, made many elaborate and confusing movements, to show of his prowess.
Wen was acting as the umpire, as he knew the most about this sort of thing.
"What are the conditions of victory?" Wen asked them.
"Victory by death, knockout, or surrender." replied V'icternus
"Very well. Fighters ready!"
They both nodded.
"FIGHT!!!"
They began circling each other, trying to throw the other off balance, but both knew this trick too well.
Anong suddenly and wildly ran right at V'icternus, but his attack was sidestepped.
Anong then swept his blade at waist height, and V'icternus parried the attack.
Then, using his opponents momentary surprise, he flipped the sword out of his hand.
It landed near the edge of the clearing, nearly severing the toes of one of the spectators.
But then, one of Anongs friends threw his blade back to him.
"You have no honor!" V'icternus exclaimed, launching a heavy blow at Anong.
"But soon, I will be the richest boy in town, as well as having a brand new sword, and a new girl!" came the taunting response as he blocked the blow.
Then, Anong punched V'icternus in the side of the face, and swiftly swept the blade at him.
V'icternus, recovering, parried the attack, then launched a wide swing of his own.
Anong ducked, and the blade went above his head, and he stabbed at V'icternus while he was still recovering from his wide attack.
V'icternus jumped away at the last moment, and flipped his blade at the now unbalanced Anong.
This knocked him to the ground, and his sword flipped and landed on the ground in front of him, at V'icternus' feet.
V'icternus put his blade at Anongs throat, the point digging into his neck, but not puncturing the skin.
Anong has a look of sheer terror on his face.
V'icternus then pulled back his blade, and replaced it in it's sheath on his back.
"The coward lives, for now" he said.
Idril ran up and embraced him, for she had been worried for him.
They began to walk to his home, while she recounted every twist and turn of the fight (Which seemed to go a lot better for him than he remembered).
When they exited the forest, they looked to his house, and gasped.
It was in ruins.
V'icternus ran up to it and began digging through the wreckage, while Idril went to get the guards.
After moving a lot of wood and pieces of furniture, he heard a gasp, he turned, and saw his father, battered, bruised and cut, trapped under a large pile of what had been his house.
"Father!" V'icternus shouted as he ran up to him.
He tried to pull him out, but it was no use, he was stuck.
"Do not bother, son. Even if you got me out, I would still die... It is too late..."
"NO!!" V'icternus screamed in despair.
"I will get you out, and you will be fine! And then..."
But he was interrupted by another gasp of air.
"V'icternus, is that you?"
It was his mother.
She looked fine, but for the dirt on her always clean face, and she had been crushed at the waist by a large support beam.
"Are you there?" she asked again
He crawled over and hugged her, her blood soaking into his clothes.
"The lake didn't appreciate my attention" she said, oddly.
"What is she talking about, father?"
"It was a small group of Waterbenders, mercenaries. They were looking for the gem around your neck" he coughed, and V'icternus saw blood.
"They destroyed the house searching for it, but couldn't find it, as you mother had given it to you"
"How did they destroy the house?" V'icternus asked, knowing that it would require more water than could be carried by such a small number of people.
"They used the water from the lake to crush it... while you mother was inside... I kept trying to fight, to keep them away, but it was no use." he indicated to his stomach, and V'icternus saw a large spike made of ice lodged there.
V'icternus looked around, and saw the direction that the mercenaries had taken, as the leaves were all cut out of their way.
He lent by his parents, and just sat there, thinking.
He heard his mother gasp for air, but it was no use. She had a collapsed lung.
He held her, drenching himself even more in her blood. And then she died in his arms, he felt her heartbeat cease, and her body grow still.
He moved to his father.
"Is she gone?" his father inquired
V'icternus could only nod, he didn't trust his voice to answer.
"Be strong, son, do not falter." *cough* *cough* "I believe in you, and I know you will do what's right..."
His fathers eyes closed, and V'icternus released him from his grip.
He drew his sword, and, vengeance in his eyes, ran into the forest after the Waterbenders.
But after he ran away, his father spoke, in barely a whisper, "No, do not seek vengeance, for that is the road to hate..."
Then he died, not knowing that his son had never heard those words, and was even now running through the forest, leaving everything behind, his sword reflecting the setting sun...
) 
