Chapter Eleven
This story is the very first story that I've written on the Nifty Archive, so don't be too harsh. So far, it seems to be doing fine. This is a fiction story that includes elements of swordplay, magic, and fictitious beings. These beings so far are witches, humans, and trolls, while others have been mentioned and may soon appear. Eventually, the story will include themes of an erotic nature, but I am not too eager to start that yet. The story is fiction, and is therefore not real. This includes the world, the characters, the plots, everything. Excepting me, of course, because I am quite the Enchanter. Winks
Set in a medieval world, abundant with magic and fictitious creatures, this story is about Marcus Mallow and his ascent through the dark outer world of his hidden human village of Rocky Pass.
Finally, if you want to understand the story fully, you'll need to read the story fully, as in every chapter from the start. You wouldn't start a book by reading the eleventh chapter, so don't start this series reading the eleventh chapter.
Now to start the eleventh installment of my series, the Enchanter's Storybook.
The Enchanter's Storybook: Chapter Eleven
His eyes fluttered for only a second, before they opened, and he could see the three peculiar people towering over him, gazing idly. He recognized two, yet the third was like a distant memory, a shadow, hardly anything to him.
He looked from face to face, crossing over each. He could see Varia with her perfect fiery red hair and amazingly grey eyes; he could see the dimples on Darius's face from that effervescing smile of his; and the awe-stricken face of Daisy, or at least that was what he thought her name was. He remembered her faintly, and how she vanished a year or so passed from their home village.
Marcus smiled at himself, mumbled a few incomprehensible words, and attempted to stand up. He felt a tingling all over his body, a tingle that moved like the blood in his veins. From his feet, it pushed upwards, upwards, and all the way up until he felt it clog in his throat. He found it hard to breath, but as it was rising, he didn't need to breath at all.
Choking, he sat up and watched a brown-black substance plunge from his mouth and plaster all over the floor. Wiping his mouth, he didn't know what to think.
"His body rejected the antidote," Varia noted. "He didn't need it."
Marcus was confused at first, just watching her, the witch. Watching how her lips moved when she spoke, how her eyes glimmered like stars, how her face was always stern and still, so very still. He could see much more clearly, he could tell, but he couldn't remember much. Names and faces, yes, but memories were hard to grasp at.
"Where am I?" he asked lightly.
"An old tavern in the troll village," Daisy replied. "Apparently one bit your ankle, but I don't know."
He looked from face to face, waiting for answers, but they seemed not to be willing to give him one. "What's wrong?"
"The bite poisoned you, and may have killed you," Varia started, "so we made an antidote, and your body rejected it. You should be dead."
"Then how am I not? How am I... alive?"
Darius stood and rested against the wall, laying his forehead on it gently, before turning to face him. "You did it again," was all he said.
"What did I do?"
"You enchanted upon yourself the ungodly gift that you gave me," Varia stated. "Immortality."
Marcus didn't truly know what to think. Immortality? Truly? He didn't understand. How could he do that, even to himself? It was most certainly an ungodly thing, but it was no gift. Not to Marcus. It was a curse. Living forever. The simple idea of it didn't please him the least, but made him feel rather sick. For, the idea of living each day, knowing this would never end, wouldn't satisfy him. Watching people die around him, but never being able to die himself. No, this could only be a curse.
"Your ankle has healed, thankfully, so you can keep the foot. No doubt you can walk on it too, but there is no time to test. We are leaving now, come, stand up," Varia instructed, helping him to the ground without tripping. Daisy assisted him too, with Darius melting slowly into the petty grey wall of the place.
"Where to now?" he asked, somehow remembering they were journeying north somewhere.
"The vast capital of the Witchlands: Purgador. Only for a day or so, but after that it is the wide and wonderful world. It is a month's journey north-west from here, if we are fast enough."
He groaned at the length of their journey. Another month of it. How upsetting, he thought to himself. Maybe he should just turn back with Darius and Daisy. No doubt they'd want to be going back home by now, but he wasn't sure.
"Daisy Dweller?" he asked.
"That's my name." Daisy smiled at him amiably. She had a nice smile, a kind smile. It was welcoming and warm, it made Marcus feel wanted, like he wasn't a monster. But, to himself, he was the worst of monsters, darker and uglier than any troll. A harsh thing to think about yourself, but it was just what he thought, now that he was as immortal as Varia.
"As it turns out, Marcus, dear, Daisy is like you. A human with magic. She claims it is a common thing, that more humans are birthing this way. She speaks of more hidden villages all across the southern mountain lands. They go on for miles, or so she says," Varia trailed on.
He considered it a moment. At least he was no longer alone in the world of monstrosities..
"It's true, although no one is as powerful as you. Immortality isn't something you can just give. You're a curious case, more powerful than the Dragonkings of the old kingdoms."
"There's nothing curious about me," he spat. "I'm disgusting."
"Oh, nothing?" Daisy murmured. "I suppose everyone can just give away eternity with a snap of their fingers. Seems normal to me, seems like nothing peculiar. Nothing CURIOUS," Daisy sang.
"Yes, but while curiosity may have killed the cat, immortality would just bring it back," Marcus said demonically, in a witty reply to Daisy.
"Yes, well, that may be, but what I'm saying is still true. There are villages all across the mountains, and more are making magical humans. I am no where near as powerful as you, but I can defend myself, and that's what matters, that's what magic is for."
"Nicely spoken," Varia commented.
"Thank you."
He looked away from them and to Darius, who stood, leaned against the wall, and watched the three ever-so-intently. Never saying anything, never looking at him, hardly even moving, he just stood there, stiller than a statue.
"Is something wrong?" Marcus asked him.
"No, nothing. Better be going now," was his simple reply.
"Oh, wonderful," Marcus muttered. "Is Daisy joining us?"
"Well, I've got not much better to do."
"To Purgador it is, then, folks. My, we are growing more every single day! By Purgador, we'd have an entire army, I swear," Varia gasped, though Marcus thought she was being a little too enthusiastic.
The four hurried from the tavern and sneaked out of the awful, tatty village unseen, unnoticed, and uncared for. And, serenely, before they knew it, open farmland spread out around them. Varia had told them that it would continue for miles, until more villages began appearing. Then she warned of cities, gigantic cities populated by trolls more vicious than the next. She had told the three that they would do better to stay clear of them all, to go around, and to stick to open land, saying that she hoped that there would be no trouble. She even worried herself with the path they would take, not wanting to take the shortest route through the capital of the Trollsturf. That would be the most dangerous place of all, passing through the Troll capital of Mudsmaug. Mudsmaug was an awful place with battles raging constantly, and almost every troll was looking for a fight. They could not go near the troll capital.
"We've just come from a village they call Kauvurmaug, and I think the next is Lourmaug. The best thing for us to do is to walk the perimeter of the cities and villages instead of passing through them. The best thing for us to do would be to stick to the farmlands and hope we meet no trouble."
Marcus didn't really care where he was going now, it didn't really matter. He didn't matter. He was now irrelevant, his safety was now irrelevant. Now, his health did not matter, for he was immortal. It didn't matter who Marcus would be up against, for he was now immortal, and he hated that about himself. He found himself disgusted, vile, like a monster or a beast, no better than Kryt and Myrdok, God bless their muddy souls. But now he was no better than them, he was just like them. He was a beast, a killer, and a traveler. He was just like them, and he hated himself for it.
Marcus loathed himself, he didn't know if he would ever feel good about himself again.
Closes the Enchanter's Storybook
That was The Enchanter's Storybook: Chapter Eleven. Thank you for reading, it means a lot to me. Donate to Nifty. Places Storybook into my newly-installed steel vault, by my many, many, many stacks of money - British Pounds (£) to be exact
I also want to say that I know it has been longer than two weeks, but my laptop has been broken and my now very sore fingers had to use my iPhone. So, I apologize for the lateness of this chapter, and the shortness of this chapter, but next week will be VERY interesting, I assure you.
SPOILER ALERT: Next week, a battle will ensue. The gang reaches Purgador, but not as welcome as Varia would have thought.
And remember: this very email address can be used to message me about our ideas, plots, comments - anything you have to say on this story, just email me. Even questions, if the need be.
Have a darling day, my dear darlings! Yours Oh-So Enchantingly,
The Enchanter.