3. Belice Marn

Belice Marn


  • With a deep sigh the imp flipped its wings as he slowly moved its way through the dark thick forest. Normally its sharp eyes and superior ears could spot an animal to hunt in just a matter of seconds. But this very day the forest was as calm as the sea in a windless day. The imp, a familiar, may not be the smartest of all creatures but it would be a lie to claim it to be stupid. Something was in fact not right, so wrong indeed the familiar cast its only but valuable spell it knew, invisibility.
    Cautiously now, the imp scanned the area, ready for whatever creatures that might be lurking out there. The imp was correct, this day held something the others in the past did not, something had scared the animals away, but what the imp did not know was that the reason for this sudden silence was just at this very moment opening the door to the Necromancers bungalow, his master’s house.

    Deep in his studies, the wizard sensed, rather than heard, a weak rustle that warned him of someone had entered the house.

    Down on the first level stood a pale human. He had a short beard and normally built body, with several cheap bronze rings covering his face as jewellery. A dark red hood covered most of his face but not as much as to cover the scar which reached from ear to ear on this unattractive distasteful face.
    Gently he pressed the door closed behind him, carefully but with strong determination his eyes glanced around, curious he was about the house he had entered. To his pleasant surprise there were little lights filling up the small hall in which he stood. It was of course an advantage that he not as easily was spotted in this environment. But this was soon proved not to be long lasted. The room shone up with an intense light, each candle in the room shone as bright as a dying star. With a quick reflex the man lifted his arm to his eyes to protect himself from the light. On the stair he could now see the contours of a human male, and if it wasn’t enough he also found himself unable to move. A dark bass voice began to speak.

    • A simple rogue trespassing in my home? I presume you expect me to feel honoured, is that not so?

    No answer came from the rogue, but the wizard continued as if he already knew there wouldn’t be one either.

    • Since you came all this way to see me I shall of course be so kind to show my hospitality by letting you have a small chance of walking away with your life.

    The mage smirked with amusement at the sudden fact that he was the one in control. And for once, over something or someone except for the lousy and incompetent familiar of his.

    • May I have your name, rogue?

    With a weak voice the stuck male replied: Belice Marn.

    • Very well Belice, the wizard continued: There are three words, which begins with the letters Dw. The current circumstances which you are in, suggests you to participate in this quiz. Your task will simply be to mention these words.

    Nervously the rogue tapped his fingers on his lips, ran his fingers through his short beard, wiped the sweat from his forehead and bit on his nails. Indeed had the rogue understood what had to be done and since the mage already had proven to be more powerful than himself, he simply thought it would be for the best to do whatever the mage asked him to.
    With a nervous tone on his voice he slowly pronounced the first word as he sent the necromancer a questionably look.

    • Dwindle?

    The mage did seem a bit surprised over this answer and answered with a nod.

    • Not the word I thought you would mention first but never the less was it a correct answer, please would you be so kind to continue, he said with a smirk.

    With the same behaviour as before except that the sweating had increased significantly, he with some hesitation spoke the next word.

    • Dwell? Yes?

    With a curious but also surprised look the wizard glared at the rogue and nodded.

    This time it was not only the sweating which had been increasing. Also the rogue began to walk around in circles, almost crying in fear of what the wizards next possible move will prove to be. Not once he dared look upon the wizard even though he wanted nothing else but to flee in terror, he kept his mouth closed as he fiercely tried to figure out the third word - if it now even existed. The inpatient tapping of foot from the wizard did not make the situation more pleasant in any way for the poor rogue.

    After a while the man on the stair spoke.

    • I do see you are having some troubles in just answering one simple question. Your incompetence sickens me, especially since your mind tells me you appear to even have a few dwarven friends.

    The rogue suddenly froze and burst out the word which the wizard was waiting for.

    • Dwarf!

    • Yes that is correct, though, your time was out.

    Belice’s eyes filled with horror, as if he knew what was waiting him, a hot flame of fire burning him down to ashes. Even though the rogue wasn’t entirely right, the consequence was pretty much the same.
    Ice cold frost burst out from the wizard’s hands. In just a matter of seconds the thief was no longer recognizable. Ice and rime covered the entire body and at this moment the majority of people would claim it to be a statue in front of anything else. Slowly as if ordered by the mage, the frozen rogue began to fell and hit the floor, but to the wizard’s disappointment the body was not chattered in pieces – the cube of ice was still intact.

    The door was slammed open. A flying imp with immense speed flew into the hall but stopped suddenly as it spotted its master which glared at him sternly.

    • “Get rid of it”, he ordered.

    This was not the only fundamental failure to a mission the rogue had in his history as a thief. He wasn’t very skilled, nor especially agile. But he was poor and even though not directly evil to blindly attack innocent people, he simply took what little options he had to be able to put some food on the table for his son and wife.

    His frozen body was carried away by the imp a few hundred yards away from the wizard’s home, next to a lake but decently hidden from bypassing travellers. Autumn turned to winter and later to spring. By the time the summer reached the lands, the magic slowly faded from the rogue’s prison as well as the ice by the heat of the sun. Weak and lost, he only found an abandoned home with the wife and child long gone. Broke and hungry what choice did he have? He went off in search for a job. One thing was certain, his days as a thief was most likely past him.

    Account name: Nimbrethil


  • reviewed, xp pending