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Untold Travels: Jhantyrr
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<blockquote data-quote="Cevalic" data-source="post: 728821" data-attributes="member: 171"><p>Chapter 4</p><p></p><p>Consequences.</p><p></p><p>For every action we take in our lives, there is a consequence, no matter how small. A reaction takes place that alters the course of our life over something as small as choosing what you want for breakfast. Take for example the young elf maid who finds that she needs water for her meal. So she hurries to the well, but on the way falls down and breaks her ankle. For the rest of her life she will walk with a limp all because she went to get some water.</p><p></p><p>I knew the actions I took on the Silvan Isles would have consequences. And I knew that they would most likely result in a hideous fate, should they ever be brought to life. Of course, as fate would have it, they were revealed and I was cast out, thus coming face to face with the consequences of my actions.</p><p></p><p>I often wonder if the gnomes of Shilock Woods, as I would come to know it, ever thought about consequences. Did they have such a narrow view of life that prevented them from seeing a multitude of outcomes, ones that would eventually come back to haunt them? Or was it something else? Were elves so much different than these other races, that we viewed life more as a puzzle, always trying to discern the ‘right’ path? So many questions, and as the saying goes, so few answers.</p><p></p><p>Either way, the gnomes would come to learn of consequences, although they might not know them by that name. Of that I was certain.</p><p></p><p>* * * * * * * * * * *</p><p></p><p>I came to, to find my entire body throbbing in pain. Every part hurt, my head most of all. There was a loud drum like noise that kept pounding inside my mind. Over and over it sounded; a deep rhythm that crashed against my conscious. It took a few minutes for me to realize that the drums weren’t in my head, although there was still a splitting pain there, but all around me.</p><p></p><p>I tried to open my eyes, to find the left one swollen shut. My right eye opened just a crack, and then winced shut as a bright light exploded through the small slit. It took me almost an entire minute for my eye to adjust to the light. As I could finally open it, I found myself in a clearing in the forest. Ahead of me stood a group of massive oak trees, the ground at my feet covered in green ferns.</p><p></p><p>Struggling to raise my arm, I found myself to be tied to tree. Both my legs and hands were restrained by what felt to be a durable rope. Glancing around, I saw no signs of the gnomes or the drums. They were out there, I knew. I could feel their eyes upon me, waiting for something.</p><p></p><p>I would have screamed an obscenity, a challenge to the cowards, but I realized that I had been gagged. Fury built within me as I struggled against my bonds. Though I knew there was no use, I struggled anyway.</p><p></p><p>It was then that I started to wonder what exactly was going on. For what reason had they tied me to a tree and stand in the woods beating on drums? What type of punishment was this? The whole situation made no sense.</p><p></p><p>It was then that I heard something moving in the brush directly in front of me. I knew it to be no gnome, as whatever was moving was much larger than any gnome I had heard of. No, it must be some type of animal, I thought, for I swore I heard something snort in the direction. With that snort, I realized what was going on.</p><p></p><p>Looking at my feet, I noticed a pile of rotting meat, some of which had been rubbed on my legs. The little bastards were using me to feed some creature of the forest. It was such a poor way for such a noble one such as myself to die. In my mind I swore oath upon oath, to slaughter every single gnome, right down to the last woman and child. If only there was a way to take even one of the gnomes with me into the afterlife, I would be more than pleased. None, however, presented themselves at the moment.</p><p></p><p>It was at that moment that the beast came into view. It had the head of an enormous boar, with two giant tusks rising into the air. The body was more like an ape, with two arms that ended in twisted claws. Black and brown fur covered the creature, although I knew that powerful muscles that would rip me apart lay underneath that matting. Its head was level with my chest, and I realized whatever it was called, the creature was my doom.</p><p></p><p>I locked eyes with the ape-boar immediately. Its red eyes flashed in defiance as it let out an enormous roar, revealing two rows of long, curved teeth. The drums stopped. Birds in the surrounding trees took to the sky. I was at a loss. With nothing else to do but wait, I kept staring the beast straight in the eyes.</p><p></p><p>How much the gnomes must have been enjoying that moment. They must have been out there watching, dancing, making jokes about the helpless elf. Even in the face of death, I felt my blood boiling. I wanted to kill, to take my revenge. Hatred for the little creatures consumed me.</p><p></p><p>The beast roared one more time and charged, its claws tensed for a killing blow. The three seconds that it took the ape-boar to cross the clearing seemed like an eternity for me, as I thought back to everything I had ever done that I wish I hadn’t. Surprisingly, cheating at the tournament that got me exiled from the Silvan Isles never crossed my mind. The whole vision of my life seemed to revolve around Ameisantha. For that single moment, as I prepared to die, I could almost touch her in my mind. Her beauty calmed me, as her eyes locked upon mine. Slowly she reached her delicate hand towards with a sorrowful smile. I would die happy, if my last vision was of her. Of that I was certain.</p><p></p><p>As the creature came upon me, three arrows flew from the nearby woods, imbedding themselves in the ape-beasts chest. It staggered back, confused. The vision of Ameisantha shattered and I wondered what was going on, when not a second after the first volley of arrows hit came another. This one was larger than the first, with five more arrows coming from new directions. The creature turned to flee, and nearly made it out of the clearing when another volley hit. One of the arrows pierced the creature’s skull, sending it tumbling over mid-stride, and then into the dirt where it lay still.</p><p></p><p>Around me the woods exploded into action, and I found myself falling to the ground. It was so fast that I didn’t realize someone had cut my bonds, until the ground was inches from my face. Someone grabbed my back, and pulled me up. I found the clearing filled with eight cloaked figures, all carrying longs swords, all with long bows slung across their back.</p><p></p><p>They were all tall, most of them around a foot taller than me. Their baggy cloths gave no indication of their build, but I could tell from the way they held their swords that they must have been in decent shape. Looking up at the figure that pulled me up, a face came into view under the hoods cowl.</p><p></p><p>There, holding me up by my shoulder was a man. His short black beard, gave way to a face that seemed almost child-like. Blue eyes stared at me, inquisitively, and I knew that it was a first for both of us. Dark hair hung out of the bottom of the cowl, and for a second I thought I glimpsed a medallion upon the man’s neck.</p><p></p><p>“Can you run?” the man asked in a crude form of common.</p><p></p><p>“Yes,” I replied as I removed my gag, almost in awe of what was going on.</p><p></p><p>“Good,” he said with a smile. “Then we run.”</p><p></p><p>He motioned to his companions, and they disappeared into the woods, in the same direction the beasts had come from. He motioned to follow, then ran after his companions.</p><p></p><p>What had just happened? In a few short moments, my life had gone from being a meal for an animal, to being saved by lowly humans. My mind shuttered at the thought of having to be saved by such wretched creatures. In fact, why had they saved me? A thousand questions started to run through my head, all of them harboring suspicious thoughts.</p><p></p><p>Glancing to my right, I caught a glimpse of two gnomes leaping down from trees in the distance. Immediately they started to run towards me. I was sure that there were many others doing the same thing, even if I couldn’t see them. Better, I thought, to survive and return for revenge, than to throw my life away battling against the odds.</p><p></p><p>With a sick feeling in my stomach, I ran after the humans.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Cevalic, post: 728821, member: 171"] Chapter 4 Consequences. For every action we take in our lives, there is a consequence, no matter how small. A reaction takes place that alters the course of our life over something as small as choosing what you want for breakfast. Take for example the young elf maid who finds that she needs water for her meal. So she hurries to the well, but on the way falls down and breaks her ankle. For the rest of her life she will walk with a limp all because she went to get some water. I knew the actions I took on the Silvan Isles would have consequences. And I knew that they would most likely result in a hideous fate, should they ever be brought to life. Of course, as fate would have it, they were revealed and I was cast out, thus coming face to face with the consequences of my actions. I often wonder if the gnomes of Shilock Woods, as I would come to know it, ever thought about consequences. Did they have such a narrow view of life that prevented them from seeing a multitude of outcomes, ones that would eventually come back to haunt them? Or was it something else? Were elves so much different than these other races, that we viewed life more as a puzzle, always trying to discern the ‘right’ path? So many questions, and as the saying goes, so few answers. Either way, the gnomes would come to learn of consequences, although they might not know them by that name. Of that I was certain. * * * * * * * * * * * I came to, to find my entire body throbbing in pain. Every part hurt, my head most of all. There was a loud drum like noise that kept pounding inside my mind. Over and over it sounded; a deep rhythm that crashed against my conscious. It took a few minutes for me to realize that the drums weren’t in my head, although there was still a splitting pain there, but all around me. I tried to open my eyes, to find the left one swollen shut. My right eye opened just a crack, and then winced shut as a bright light exploded through the small slit. It took me almost an entire minute for my eye to adjust to the light. As I could finally open it, I found myself in a clearing in the forest. Ahead of me stood a group of massive oak trees, the ground at my feet covered in green ferns. Struggling to raise my arm, I found myself to be tied to tree. Both my legs and hands were restrained by what felt to be a durable rope. Glancing around, I saw no signs of the gnomes or the drums. They were out there, I knew. I could feel their eyes upon me, waiting for something. I would have screamed an obscenity, a challenge to the cowards, but I realized that I had been gagged. Fury built within me as I struggled against my bonds. Though I knew there was no use, I struggled anyway. It was then that I started to wonder what exactly was going on. For what reason had they tied me to a tree and stand in the woods beating on drums? What type of punishment was this? The whole situation made no sense. It was then that I heard something moving in the brush directly in front of me. I knew it to be no gnome, as whatever was moving was much larger than any gnome I had heard of. No, it must be some type of animal, I thought, for I swore I heard something snort in the direction. With that snort, I realized what was going on. Looking at my feet, I noticed a pile of rotting meat, some of which had been rubbed on my legs. The little bastards were using me to feed some creature of the forest. It was such a poor way for such a noble one such as myself to die. In my mind I swore oath upon oath, to slaughter every single gnome, right down to the last woman and child. If only there was a way to take even one of the gnomes with me into the afterlife, I would be more than pleased. None, however, presented themselves at the moment. It was at that moment that the beast came into view. It had the head of an enormous boar, with two giant tusks rising into the air. The body was more like an ape, with two arms that ended in twisted claws. Black and brown fur covered the creature, although I knew that powerful muscles that would rip me apart lay underneath that matting. Its head was level with my chest, and I realized whatever it was called, the creature was my doom. I locked eyes with the ape-boar immediately. Its red eyes flashed in defiance as it let out an enormous roar, revealing two rows of long, curved teeth. The drums stopped. Birds in the surrounding trees took to the sky. I was at a loss. With nothing else to do but wait, I kept staring the beast straight in the eyes. How much the gnomes must have been enjoying that moment. They must have been out there watching, dancing, making jokes about the helpless elf. Even in the face of death, I felt my blood boiling. I wanted to kill, to take my revenge. Hatred for the little creatures consumed me. The beast roared one more time and charged, its claws tensed for a killing blow. The three seconds that it took the ape-boar to cross the clearing seemed like an eternity for me, as I thought back to everything I had ever done that I wish I hadn’t. Surprisingly, cheating at the tournament that got me exiled from the Silvan Isles never crossed my mind. The whole vision of my life seemed to revolve around Ameisantha. For that single moment, as I prepared to die, I could almost touch her in my mind. Her beauty calmed me, as her eyes locked upon mine. Slowly she reached her delicate hand towards with a sorrowful smile. I would die happy, if my last vision was of her. Of that I was certain. As the creature came upon me, three arrows flew from the nearby woods, imbedding themselves in the ape-beasts chest. It staggered back, confused. The vision of Ameisantha shattered and I wondered what was going on, when not a second after the first volley of arrows hit came another. This one was larger than the first, with five more arrows coming from new directions. The creature turned to flee, and nearly made it out of the clearing when another volley hit. One of the arrows pierced the creature’s skull, sending it tumbling over mid-stride, and then into the dirt where it lay still. Around me the woods exploded into action, and I found myself falling to the ground. It was so fast that I didn’t realize someone had cut my bonds, until the ground was inches from my face. Someone grabbed my back, and pulled me up. I found the clearing filled with eight cloaked figures, all carrying longs swords, all with long bows slung across their back. They were all tall, most of them around a foot taller than me. Their baggy cloths gave no indication of their build, but I could tell from the way they held their swords that they must have been in decent shape. Looking up at the figure that pulled me up, a face came into view under the hoods cowl. There, holding me up by my shoulder was a man. His short black beard, gave way to a face that seemed almost child-like. Blue eyes stared at me, inquisitively, and I knew that it was a first for both of us. Dark hair hung out of the bottom of the cowl, and for a second I thought I glimpsed a medallion upon the man’s neck. “Can you run?” the man asked in a crude form of common. “Yes,” I replied as I removed my gag, almost in awe of what was going on. “Good,” he said with a smile. “Then we run.” He motioned to his companions, and they disappeared into the woods, in the same direction the beasts had come from. He motioned to follow, then ran after his companions. What had just happened? In a few short moments, my life had gone from being a meal for an animal, to being saved by lowly humans. My mind shuttered at the thought of having to be saved by such wretched creatures. In fact, why had they saved me? A thousand questions started to run through my head, all of them harboring suspicious thoughts. Glancing to my right, I caught a glimpse of two gnomes leaping down from trees in the distance. Immediately they started to run towards me. I was sure that there were many others doing the same thing, even if I couldn’t see them. Better, I thought, to survive and return for revenge, than to throw my life away battling against the odds. With a sick feeling in my stomach, I ran after the humans. [/QUOTE]
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