Forgotten Soul

  • The quiet was a trap, he was sure of it. The other immortal must be on to him. He couldn't remember the last time there had been such profound silence and, starved as he was, Shodgin would not survive their first encounter.

    But what if? What if the other had gone? The Orc sniffed the air. There had always been that tinge of burnt hair in the air, but it seemed to be weaker now. Shodgin leaned tentatively away from the wall, craning his neck up towards the hexagonal spires above.

    No maniacal laughter.

    No shrieking Daedra.

    No whimpering victims.

    Pushing himself shakily to his feet, Shodgin took a weak-kneed step away from the crystalline wall, keenly aware of the coolness of the floor. He hadn't moved from his spot in days. Turning, he looked again, but still saw nothing. Padding around the base of the crystal platform, he eventually spotted some off-shoots that looked safe to climb. Scaling the sheer pillars would have been impossible without these shards and protrusions, and they were few and far between. It took almost all of his remaining strength to reach the top, but he became more confident with each moment that silence prevailed. With a final grunt of effort, he pulled himself onto level ground, and for several minutes, simply lay there, recovering his strength. A black shroud off to his right caught his eye and, looking more closely, he could see that it was the still form of Malyn Varen. A grin formed around his pronounced tusks.

    When he felt strong enough, he got to his hands and knees and crawled to what was left of Malyn's soul. Scorched and scarred but still good. He looked well fed. The grin faded, replaced by a grimace of hatred. He couldn't remember how long he'd been trapped in the Star, but he clearly remembered when Malyn had arrived. The decades spent feeding of the scraps of souls that the elf disposed of. All that energy was still here, though growing weaker by the moment. Shodgin set into it with a will. He had long since forgotten what real flesh tasted like; here, everything was energy. Malyn's was unbelievably concentrated, and Shodgin soon had to stop to absorb what he had consumed, half a glowing corpse still waiting beside him.

    Already, he could feel his strength returning. His atrophied muscles swelled before his eyes, and the color returned to his skin. He hadn't felt anything like real power since he'd been trapped here. Now it flowed through him like a river breaking a dam. He could hear the pounding of his own heart, and his skin tingled. As glowing light pulsed through his veins, the familiar smell of charred hair returned, more potent than ever, and he realized it was his own energy radiating out. Now he remembered what it felt like, having a well-spring of magicka filling one's being.

    Shodgin looked back down at Malyn's remains, a new, hungry light burning in his eyes. Then he turned his gaze upward, towards the ethereal membrane that separated the Star from reality. His new found energy was slowly undoing the damage done by the many starved years that had dulled his mind, and he began to have a vision. Had Malyn not aspired to anything greater than to be spoon fed the souls of the weak for eternity? This gleaming hall was, ultimately, a prison. A place, it seemed, where immortals could be born, but never leave. That would not be the case with Shodgin. There was a way out. He would find it. And when he did, Tamriel would tremble before him.

    .: Table of Contents :.

Comments

7 Comments
  • Borommakot
    Borommakot   ·  June 8, 2015
    The intended build was The Djinn, which is now in the CB recycle bin.
  • Sotek
    Sotek   ·  June 7, 2015
    An interesting concept Borom and well implemented. Did you make a follow up build in the end?
  • Borommakot
    Borommakot   ·  November 10, 2014
    Thanks, Robert! He'll be doing something along those lines when he comes out as a build in the (hopefully) not too distant future.
  • Carbonbreath
    Carbonbreath   ·  November 10, 2014
    Nice idea, Borom. It would make an interesting follow up if his soul was used as an energy for weapon enchantment, allowing his will to corrupt the wielder and ultimately manifest through him. If such weapon was presented as a gift to somebody, we might e...  more
  • Alastor
    Alastor   ·  October 8, 2014
    No just an idea I had. I jotted a few down and figured if I had time I'd try to write a lil something. One idea was to describe the process of turning someone's soul into a weapon enchantment but I've got a better idea if I get around to it :)
  • Borommakot
    Borommakot   ·  October 8, 2014
    Thanks Alastor. It was going to be my #amost entry, but it turned into something else. Are you still going to do a story set in a soul gem? I'd be interested to read it!
  • Alastor
    Alastor   ·  October 8, 2014
    Nice #short 
    I also thought of making a soul gem the setting of my short story. Great minds!