Chapter three - travels
Olgra watched the stars. Ever changing. If you knew what to look for, they could guide you to great riches, but could just as well lead you to your death if you read them wrong.
Olgra was not following their lead, not this time. No, for now he was simply enjoying their spectacular dance. He loved to watch it, and would often stay awake all night just so he could see it from start till end. Every night were unique, almost as if they told a new story every time.
He yawned “I guess I'll go to sleep soon old friend, we've a long day ahead of us.” He leaned his back against his traveling companion, a large catlike creature with matted yellowish fur, one ear partly missing and it's left fang broken in half.
Years ago he had found Lika as a small kitten, abandoned by her mother. He had since taken to raising the big cat, and she had stayed with him ever since. He knew it wasn't normal for a cat like her to stay with anyone but he liked her company. She was getting old though, and he knew he would eventually have to part ways with her, just like anyone else.
He sighed, sometimes he wished he hadn't been cursed into immortality.
He reminded himself that he could always just find his death somewhere, but it just didn't feel right to seek out his own end, and suicide was completely out of the picture. No way he would disgrace himself like that. No when his end came, it should be unexpected and hopefully dramatic too.
He uncorked his bottle of whiskey, he grimaced. The bottle was almost empty. He would have to find civilization sooner rather than later. It wasn't like he really needed the alcohol, he simply liked the taste of fine spirits. Especially expensive spirits. Olgra looked at the bottle, there were probably enough for four or five more drinks.
He looked at the stars again. Maybe he should try following them again, it could be they would lead him to a lost stash of Klopian Wine. He could still remember last time he tried Klopian Wine, it was a summer night, almost like this one. The stars didn't move in that realm though.
He took a sip of whiskey, he really shouldn't have left that world. There's a lot of things he shouldn't have done. Things tend to pile up when you live for too long.
Nestling himself against Lika he closed his eyes.
It was raining, it always was. It was raining ash and blood. In the horizon the orange light from a fire spreading across the fields could be seen. He started running, they were attacking his village . He had heard rumors that the elves had started to invade the south, but there had been no warnings that they were anywhere close to his village.
He ran, but the village didn't get any closer. He could hear the screams from his family and friends being pulled to the well in the middle of the village, he knew they were being slaughtered there.
He was upon them like a storm, destroying the legions, killing elves by the thousands.
He stumbled, a skeleton hand clasped around his ankle. He was on a mountain of skulls, the heavens crying blood.
He was slowly sinking beneath the bones. The rotten corpse of his sister grabbed his legs “where were you?” Her accusing voice sounded from all the skulls “you could have saved us”
He looked around, he was standing in a forest, elves dead all around. A mother crying “why did you have to kill my only son? He was -”
Her voice cut short as a spear penetrated her neck. Olgra could feel his manic grim frozen in place since he had started attacking the elves.
He woke with a start, Lika growling her displeasure from the rough movement. “Sorry old girl, had a bad dream.” He stretched. The stars were still up. He looked at the campfire, about five hours had passed.
“Let's follow the stars for once. Might lead somewhere nice, I've got a good feeling about them tonight” he rose.
Stolen story; please report.
Packing his sparse belongings didn't take long, and after putting out the campfire they started walking, following the stars.
Following the stars was a tricky maneuver, one had to almost constantly check the ever changing sky to realign the course. Olgra walked with one hand resting on Lika, guiding the direction while she watched out for any rough terrain. They walked for two hours like that before the sun started to rise, and the stars dimmed so much he could no longer follow them.
“Guess we'll make camp here, do you wish to go hunting, or should I rather do it alone?” He asked. Most often Lika would join him when he hunted, but it was getting more common for her to decline his offer these past few years. She was getting old, even for a beast like her. Her race was known as the Suntouched, and were believed to be immortal in her homeworld.
With a turn of her head, Lika signaled her decline. Olgra sighed “you're getting old, aren't you?” He scratched her behind her ear “thanks for keeping me company for so long”
She had been with him for almost three hundred years, and he hoped she would indeed turn out to be immortal. He hated how everyone he knew died. That was the curse of immortality.
Night came and he started following the stars again. He didn't know for how long he would have to follow them, but he felt like they would lead him to something big this time. Something important and most importantly, not something lethal.
The stars led him on a merry chase for the next five days. Their directions shifted from night to night, sometimes circling back to where he had been earlier, but their general direction was to the west.
On the fifth night, when the southern horizon were starting to brighten, a sizzling started somewhere to his right. Olgra turned with expectation toward the sound. He knew that it was most likely what they had been chasing that made the sound.
The sizzling intensified and soon green sparks ignited the air some twenty meters in front of him. Carefully he approached the energy fluctuations, ready to guard against explosions or other harmful spells it could spontaneously generate.
The sizzling had grown to a roar, shaking the ground making his steps unsteady “stay back old friend, wouldn't want you to get hurt just because I followed the stars.”
The anormallity grew, ripping the earth underneath it apart, sending chunks of rocks and grass flying into the night.
With a deafening roar, the energy started to expand, pulling apart the very fabric of the realm.
“So that's what it was” Olgra laughed “ready for a new adventure Lika? I'm sure a change oh atmosphere would do us well”
He waited for the Rift to stabilize enough that it would be safe for them to venture through it. It didn't take long before the energy that spawned the Rift started to calm down “algright let's go” they both knew that rifts didn't last long and as soon as the energy stopped destroying everything in the vicinity, the Rift would soon after collapse in on itself leaving no other trace than the crater its formation had left.
Traveling through a Rift was a perculiar experience. Olgra felt like he was connected to all the realms, all magic in the universe felt within reach. If he just reached out his arm he could graph a continent, if he let his mind connect he would be the sovereign of the worlds. But he didn't. Not because it would be hard to do, no it would be frightening easy to just go with the flow, but he knew better. Everyone knew better than to try and tame the universe.
Of cause people still tried from time to time, but they all were obliterated in an instant, ripped apart by energies far too powerful for them to handle.
Exiting the Rift he was met with a sight similar to what he had left behind, wast grassland streached for as long as his eyes could see, a sun baking from above indicating it was the middle of the day. A fireball slammed into his side sending him tumbling through the grass.
He stood up with a roar, finding a bunch of elves staring at him wide eyed. He must’ exited the Rift just in front of a fireball.
He looked around, clearly there had been battle here. Around him in the grass their fallen comrades were dead or dying. Behind him, judging by the direction of the fireball and the lack of uniform were their enemy. A young unconscious elf.
Olgra looked back at the uniformed elves “looks like there have been more deaths than needed here. Take your wounded at save as many lives as you can!” He imposed his will onto the exhausted and wary elves “come Lika, let's find some shade. This sun way too hot”
He turned around picking up the unconscious elf. When he turned around the elves were still standing in a daze not moving at all. Olgra sighed “Spirits hear my prayer and know I wish for peace, lead these poor souls back safely and let them mend their wounds” he invoked his magic, healing and strengthened the elves. He had realized they would not make it back to their trees if he didn't help them.
Turning to leave he spotted Lika, already far ahead zof him “she still acts like a young energetic kitten whenever we enter a new world” he muttered to himself
He started walking north, following the lead of Lika. Wondering why the stars lead him to this young elf, for he was sure it was her they had lead him to.