A Deluge of Darkness (Promotion)

[Sonneillon]

OOC: Occurs directly prior to The Smuggler of Arms -- Assume then that Neil is promoted in that thread.

Night had fallen on the Ilian town, and all was silent and still. The tavern was empty, the owner asleep, and none moved in the quiet building except for a young pupil. There was a sense of absolute peace, as the residents slept in safety and security.

But Neil was worried.

The pupil had woken restlessly, moving noiselessly out of the room and then out the tavern door, standing in the middle of the street, still as a lamppost. The moon cast a watery shadow behind the cloaked and hooded teenager, who began walking almost silently down the cobblestones, his pace slow and contemplative, his route perplexingly aimless, but his goal fixed in his mind like a burning brand.

He had to have more power.

He'd struggled against his own weakness for so long... Yes, he was stronger now, but that wasn't enough. He had to have more power. He needed the strength to face the fiercest of foes with impunity, the resolve to shrug off even the most serious of setbacks without a care, and the will to repel even the darkest of his demons.

He needed more.

Bringing his hands together, the pupil began to focus his energy and mind, reveling in the feeling of the darkness rushing to his aid.

"Aeternis tenebris..."

[Sonneillon]

"...circumda tibi nectens tuum sit!"

As the familiar feeling of the darkness washed over him, Neil's tendrils extended, one from each hand, as the student focused, keeping them steady and firm. Suddenly, he began lashing out with them, leaping and lunging, using the ropes of darkness as his own shadowy weapons.

After what could be simultaneously viewed as a graceful dance, full of fine control and impressive technique, or an extremely awkward mating ritual, depending on your penchant, the pupil walked on, almost as if nothing had happened. Everything had happened, though... He had demonstrated control and power. He had truly come a long way.

So now what? What came now?

Everything. Nothing.

"There is more to learn. There is always more to learn. Room to grow. I am not yet ready. I must continue to train... I must impress my mentor.

Verrine... I train for you."

The pupil turned abruptly, walking up to a set of doors he knew would be open. The rear entrance to the library. There was nothing of value in the musty rear rooms, and since whatever fuzz-brained architect had designed the building had failed to connect the back rooms to the large front one, nobody bothered locking them.

Without a second thought, the pupil entered, letting the oaken door creak closed behind him.

[Sonneillon]

Entering the library, the pupil let his eyes adjust to the gloom, moving over to the one space where the layer of thick white dust was absent. In that corner, he sat down, as he'd done many nights, and began rifling through the piles of old, musty books that had been thrown here, lost to the public and forgotten by the librarians, like casualties of a bloody battle.

Here, he found true peace. Solace. Rest.

It was reassuring to read, and on many other sleepless nights, he'd come here to rest his spirit and calm his mind. But today something felt amiss... Something wasn't right here. He felt a strong calling, almost like the darkness was begging him to reach over and pick it up.

Huh?

What was he even thinking? All that was here was books... Old, dusty books. Some were interesting - there was a book on military strategy he devoured, a book on dating that he read simply because... well, he wasn't quite sure why, and a book on innovative uses of marsh reeds - they could be used to make whistles, roofs, light armor, and even implements for eating, for goodness sake.

But the darkness called, urging him, spurring him, forcing him to reach down and pick up a ratty purple book with black lines. It smelled of ages of disuse, thick layers of dust, and cinnamon. And what an interesting title!

Eclipse.

[Sonneillon]

The pupil stared at the book, feeling the pulse of the blood in his veins and the resonance of the darkness he loved. What was this book...?

Opening it, Neil froze, his eyes widening as the writing on the page, familiar runic glyphs, began to whirl, turn, and dance. Without taking his eyes off of them, he pulled out his Flux and opened it, staring in awe at the similarities. The glyphs were slightly different; he saw some overlap, but not everything was the same. Their 'dances' had different patterns, different tempos... And the colors, oh, by the gods, the colors! It was an ecstasy of color and movement and power.

"Aeternis tenebris, vestrum absolvo comprimenti furore!"

The pupil laughed, settling into his corner and beginning to read the book, devouring its suggestions, marking in the margins, and puzzling over possibilities. This was an interesting weapon, Eclipse. It appeared to function by ripping a hole in the spatial fabric that separated the Nether from the 'normal' world. From this rip, a tremendous vacuum would emerge, giving the sensation of extreme compression and suction that was experienced when one was under physical pressure. It was akin to an intense field of gravity.

What fun!

[Sonneillon]

With a bit of a bang, the pupil closed the tome, tucked it in his spell-belt with his Flux, and then left the back room, moving to the small archery range near the edge of town. It had been closed for a long while, it seemed, but the dummies that Neil required still stood in their places, a few arrows still protruding from various points. Standing near the entrance, and looking down at the clump of dummes over 300 meters away, Neil smiled. If he understood correctly, he wouldn't even need to approach the line the archers fired from. The farthest they could shoot was about 200 meters... If this Eclipse was true to its word, he could strike from outside of the range of even the most experienced archer.

"Aeternis tenebris, vestrum absolvo comprimenti furore!"

There was a long moment of nothingness, and then suddenly Neil saw something. It was a ripple... Suddenly, as he felt his strength being drained and his concentration tested, he witnessed a magnificent sight. It was as if the Nether had opened its maw to his call; dummies were forcibly pulled inward, everything in the near vicinity bending towards, and then flying into, the small area of pulsating darkness.

With a huge sigh of relief, Neil cut the spell off, and then began the long jog down to the pile of dummies. Once he arrived, he was amazed to see just how powerful the Eclipse was -- limbs were torn off, bodies crushed on themselves, and every dummy in the rip's radius had been drawn in and deposited in various shades of 'dead' on one large pile. Truly fascinating.

Eclipse was interesting, Neil mused as he began the trek back. Although a mighty distance weapon, it could be used at close range -- it was just inordinately slow to cast, so being far, far away ensured one's safety. That, or he'd need a guard of some sort.

Hm.

If he and Vincent worked together... Neil could provide sheer force while Vincent guarded him, and then Neil could use his Flux to protect Vincent as they finished their foes off. What a concept.

Laughing, Neil looked to the sky, smiling as he whispered to his mentor.

"I have become stronger, Verrine. I am no longer just a weak pupil... Now, I am a true shaman. I am worthy to wield the darkness I love... But I am not worthy of your greatness just yet. No, I still must train. I must improve myself. One day, Verrine, you'll see. I'll make you proud."

The pupil bowed, and the words came to his mouth without effort.

"Discipulus auctorem passionem crucis
Redemptionem in regnum immergunt
Obstinata mente divina vincula
Da locum ignis pastor.

Ego superbus,
Agens autem et substantiam,
Necesse est vexillifer.
Et me belli,
Is armata in forti
Confortat infirmos,

Ira tua ego sum.
Ego sum, quam meretur iniquitas tua.
Ego sum ​​cupiditas tua.
Ego sum, legem autem tuam.
Ego sum stella.
Et ego te.

Sciatis me nominatim
Ego sum, et tenebræ."

[End Thread]