Editing Announcements - 2002/06 - Castling (section)

== Teaser 2 ==

{{Microsoft Zone
 |  Link = <nowiki>http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/ASHEeventteaser2.asp</nowiki>
 |  Date = Continued...
 | Title = Castling
 |  Text =
There was mumbling. She could hear the tones, but the words were hard to make out, and Elysa could not turn her head to catch the sound. Eventually, she heard two voices. One was low and deep, with an almost keening quality. The other was high and tinny; hollow tones encased in dank metal.
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How unusual to have such lucidity during a dream, she thought. There was none of the usual muddled slew of images barely connected to one another. No, there was only the struggling and resistance. The anger and the fear.
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The voices were closer now. "Elysa. . ." This was the low voice, and the stark need in it made her wonder what hell the person uttering her name had gone through. Twenty years in Dereth had made her intimate with pain, and she recognized immediately the sound of someone similarly seared.
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She stopped struggling. She wanted to comfort the man, reassure him. As she ceased struggling, she felt her body slowly lower back towards the bed.
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This time the voice was right behind her head. "Elysa, I. . ." and she felt a hand touch her, stroke the sides of her hair. It felt warm and wet, and glistened red at the edge of her vision. This was not a dream.
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Elysa convulsed, disbelief warring with the worst fear she had ever known. The voice continued, "I know I have said, and done, horrible things, Elysa. But here, hidden away in stone and shadow, there is no wider audience. There is only you and me. And so, so much to talk about." Acid bile rose from her stomach, making her gag with the vileness of it, of him. This was not a dream. She tried to break free from his magical bonds, she tried to scream. Nothing. She could not move. This was not a dream.
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"What was it, Elysa, that first drew me to you? In the beginning, I admit, there were certain opaque intentions and manipulations in regards to your Empyrean advisor. I wanted him dead, I needed him dead. You were, at first, a tool. One of many at my disposal, I thought."
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"Warning. Proximity. . ."
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"Silence!" There had been that tinnying voice before Martine had cut it off. It came from her side as well. Someone else? Elysa struggled to control her fear. She tried to draw strength from her one consolation. . . Borelean was not here. She had sent him away with Asheron to a safer, less public place, after the first reports had trickled in of Martine's appearances throughout Dereth.
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Her son was safe. Now all she needed was for Martine to. . . he brought up his deformed claw against the side of her face and pressed it there. She could feel its warmth. It throbbed. All thought left her mind as Elysa screamed silently.
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"Yes, my darling. I understand that emotion well. You have known pain. Such exquisite pain. And that was why I marked you. You had lost, as I had lost. You had grieved, as I had grieved. I had thought that you should lose a child, as I had lost a child. . . but that is behind us now. We will raise Borelean together, as man and wife. We will rule Dereth as King and Queen. Dereth and beyond.
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"Tonight is when I claim you, Elysa. We shall be married. We shall be in love. No one will stand in our way.
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"Warning. . ."
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The heavy oak door leading to Elysa's bedchamber exploded inward. The invisible bonds holding Elysa up immediately disappeared. As she fell back she glanced to her side. Surrounded by a blue nimbus, his eyes flashing scarlet, Asheron stood in the doorway.
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__________
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Finally. Martine had waited for this moment for such a long time. And now everything was at hand. His bride-to-be at his side. His nemesis in front of him. A corpse-to-be. Martine raised his hands sending a coruscating stream of flame at Asheron. An appetizer for the banquet to follow.
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He saw Elysa fall and land on the bed. She reached under the pillow and hurled something at him. A throwing knife, flipping end over end, the light of the flame shining off its metal blade. Asheron had warded off the fire and bolts of acid and frost were now speeding back toward Martine. His heart warmed to see what a little lioness Elysa was. Lovely.
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He snatched the knife out of the air and tucked it behind his back. It could be a memento to show their children. The acid stream and frost bolts he let through. As his surface flesh crackled and burned, he wanted to show Asheron the type of pain he should expect. He looked Asheron in the eye and smiled.
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On each side of the splintered door, stone blocks ripped apart as two of Asheron's Diamond Golems thundered into the room. They towered over everything, animated man-shapes of diamond, Asheron's special creations, representing over a millennia of Empyrean demiurgic research.
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They stood motionless as Asheron stepped forward. Elysa had scampered out of sight, but Martine would have time to finish their date later. Asheron was here. Martine giggled.
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"Martine, you must stop this madness. We, all of us, are in grave danger. . . we need. . ." Asheron spoke with the tremulousness of an old man. Even the halo of color that surrounded him, a mark of Empyrean power, flickered occasionally, revealing him to be nothing more than the tired, pathetic husk he was. It almost seemed unworthy for this man to have earned so much of Martine's hate. But Martine wanted this play finished.
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"We need what? We need nothing, fool. You warn me of sycophants and mice. No one will oppose me. No one can. You are old and tired. I have come to give you the gift of permanent rest, Weyrava. It is far more than you deserve, but today is my wedding day and I am in a generous mood."
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Martine moved forward as the Diamond Golems stepped in front of Asheron. His first spell took the head off of one of them. Its form continued to lumber about and swing at Martine. The second one landed a clean blow to the side of Martine's body that drove him against the far wall. Martine floated himself up as the ribs on his right side began to reform.
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Asheron pressed the attack, bolt after bolt of eldritch might slamming into Martine. Martine took each blow, letting the pain of each ravaging attack strengthen his resolve. Enough.
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Martine teleported quickly behind the last remaining Golem, the first one having succumbed to its beheading, and plunged his hands through the magical bonds that kept it animated. The Golem blew up, spraying shards of diamond throughout the room. Martine shielded himself from the explosion and saw Asheron do the same. He couldn't see Elysa, but he could always repair her later.
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No more words came from Asheron, his focus stayed completely on spewing magical energies at the approaching Martine. There were no more Golems, however. No more saviors and no more tricks. Asheron was his.
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As the arrow entered the back of his neck and through his throat, Martine gurgled, a short gasp of air and blood. The sharp metal point of the arrow glistened and dripped red beneath his head. He turned, almost stumbling, to see Elysa behind him, her bow already nocked with another arrow and firing.
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"Elysa," he tried to say, although his vocal cords were still not quite working. Even as he disintegrated the approaching arrow and sent a shockwave knocking Elysa hard against the stone wall, he wanted her to know he still loved her. She crumpled down to the floor. Asheron leapt by Martine to come to her side, but Martine grabbed him as he passed and flung him to the ground.
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Martine held Asheron there in the same bonds he had held his bride with, as he took the arrow and passed it through his throat, healing the ripping and tearing as it occurred. A few dry gasps, and he was ready.
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"How does it feel, little Empyrean, to be in the presence of a superior. For so long you have hid behind your powers, your "benevolent" attitude toward the Isparians hiding the contempt that you, that every one of you, feel toward my former "lesser" race. Shake your head all you wish. We know the truth.
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"But I promise you this, Asheron Realaidain. I will watch and protect these people better than you ever did. Yes, there will be pain. There will be sacrifice. Greatness requires it. But they will love me. I will love them. If you ever cared for any of the Isparians at all, let that be your final consolation."
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Martine's hand glowed with purple sparks as he raised it for the killing blow.
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Asheron looked up at Martine and prepared himself for one final strike. It was possible that Martine would focus all of his energies to kill him, leaving Asheron free to cast his own last spell. Asheron had little hope of killing Martine, but any blow might help. I am sorry, Elysa. I am sorry, Martine. I failed you, both.
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Martine's blow did not fall. Asheron saw Martine's mask ripple, and the black holes of his eyes filled with a purplish glow.
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"Please. It hurts very much to do this. He is fighting me very hard. He is not. . . happy."
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Though the speaker did not speak with the usual syntax of his race, Asheron recognized the high, metallic tones of the Virindi. Had the Virindi side of Martine finally broken through? And did that improve the situation? He struggled to speak, but the bonds continued to hold him in place.
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"No. No time to release you. You must listen to me. I have died once already. It's important that you understand that. They had fused the human and my. . . self together. This had never been done before. But they did it, and the human killed me. Complete assimilation. There was no self. There was only Martine."
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Asheron had not realized the depths of the Virindi experiments upon Martine. He had had suspicions. . .
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"But he brought me back. Do you see? I did not exist, and he recreated me. I am not Virindi. I am a part of him that he made into Virindi. Please understand. Even then, so long ago, he did not trust. He knows. He does not want to know, but he knows."
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The Virindi screamed.
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"He is going to kill me again. He cannot stand betrayal. But I knew that you must not die now. Martine knows. Please. I. . . I am losing hold. My death did not hurt this much the first time. Leave. Take the woman and leave now. Remember that Martine understands! Leave!"
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Asheron was free once more. He spared one final glance for Martine's body, wracked by pain and struggle, and heard the final, anguished screams of the tortured Virindi. He gathered up Elysa, unconscious but still breathing, and began to portal them both out of the chamber.
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Martine looked up at their disappearing forms and screamed. Asheron felt Elysa's tower coming apart as Martine let loose with his destructive power. And then there was shadow and silence.
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It was time to begin the final plan.
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'''Unlike any other gaming experience, the world of Asheron's Call continues to evolve. Join us, as we open our June Event, Castling. Be sure to continue your part in this incredible ongoing story, and we'll see you in Dereth!'''
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