Just as Dreamer's Guild is poetry and possibly art...

...this, my friends, is where I tell stories. Stories of anything and everything, stories of worlds I've created, fan fiction, and anything and everything else.

These are my "children of the mind". Critique is requested, pissing me off isn't allowed (though accidents are allowed) and I'm just slowly working my way though this all. So cut me a little slack, alright? I'm likely to edit something here 10 times before I even like it.

Erm, anyways, will begin the storytelling soon.

Bloody-Handed Creator - Short Story

This story's part of the Executioner stories I'm working on. So bear with me here....

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Bloody Handed Creator

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1

The woman moved around uncomfortably on the bench, glancing around at the forbidding trees with some distaste. Her hands were moving against her arms rapidly as the chilly air lofted around her, making the typical chatter of teeth echo through the park, only softly muted by the brown leaves rolling around the hills. *Why the professor always decides to meet me here, I'll never know.* She smiled bitterly, remembering the tasks he usually had for her - ranging from simple delivery errands to grand larceny. The professor was the only one who had ever caught her at her work...

She had sent the professor an erroneous note, directing him to the diner. Smiling, she went into his office, pocketing the keys she had stolen from the janitor. She went to his desk, and began leafing through his papers before she recoiled, her hand burning. Suddenly, the door swung open, and the professor was there. Smiling. He almost always smiled - his eyes and eyebrows were the good indicators of his mood. Even those showed his happiness, however - he was practically bouncing. "Hmm. Daring. Courage. Inner strength." He smiled even wider, watching his student's face stay controlled. "You have spunk, child. And while I should kick you out -" The girl flinched - her father would kill her if she was kicked out! "- I've actually had need of someone like you for a long time." The professor bowed. "I will vow never to report your actions if you're willing to use your talents for me. Of course, I'll compensate you for each job. And I assure you, I can compensate you very well." The girl frowned - what kind of jobs? The professor pulled out a silver vial, sloshing with a heavy fluid. "This job'll warm you up. Deliver this to Professor Giasjung - or rather, put it in his office without his knowledge. Report back to me when you're done. I'll meet you in Terrace Park, in the third valley. Go there whenever you're done, and I'll give you another assignment."

The assignment had rewarded well - she had acquired a house off the campus, and was able to pursue her own goals of what she wanted. The jobs she performed for the professor were just another form of pay - she worked in a bar on non-school days. And she had been able to do what she always wanted - adopt.

Her adopted daughter Amber was beautiful, a Norwegian whose parents had died in a train wreck. She had strength that belied her small size. Kao was from Thailand, and had some gifts with magic - probably his ancestor's blood. Both were good children, and the only reason she kept accepting the professor's propositions was that she wanted the best for those two. They were her whole world - and this would be her last mission, she decided decisively, pounding her small fist on the bench and making the metal rod lying next to her bounce around. She couldn't risk any more missions, and her children needed her. Just as she was justifying her decision in full to herself, the professor came up to her. "Thank you for coming, Heather. This will be the last time I will require your services, and I must say it has been a pleasure to work with such talent."

Heather nodded, smiling. "Thank you, professor. I... I was going to end the agreement after this mission."

The professor nodded gravely. "You have two children to take care of. I understand. You brought the spear, correct?"

Heather blinked. Of course she had - the professor should know that. It was the tool of her trade. She lifted the metal rod, and pressed a small groove on the close end. The rod suddenly shot out to a six-foot staff, with a vicious-looking metal spear on the end. The professor nodded approvingly. "Please, then, come with me. ...You can retract that now."

She nodded, pressed the groove again, and followed the professor down into a small valley in the park, where the usual magical circle was engraved. The professor went to the outside of the circle, then turned and yelled to Heather, "Your objective here is unique - you will not be reporting back to me. Please sit down in the middle of the circle and listen to me. The object you will be delivering is there." Heather glanced down and saw a small amber stone. She picked it up silently as the professor began to weave the teleport spell for her, then stopped. "May I see the spear? That must be calibrated to the magic separately, as where you are going is not the easiest place to get into." She nodded and threw the rod over to him. He nodded silently, then placed a set of small magic circles around the spear, then waved his hand.

Vines shot upward, grabbing Heather's hands and feet and binding them. She recoiled, then yelled at the professor, "Damnit, what in hell are you doing! Let me go! This is no teleporting spell!"

The professor frowned. "Please relax. As I said, the place you are going is most definitely not the easiest place to get into, especially with human instincts fighting it."

Heather almost relaxed - then saw the spear fully extended in his hand, and everything connected itself. She recognized it - this circle was different.
It was a soultrapping circle.

"Why, professor? Why me?" she whispered, but the professor seemed to hear it from across the circle.

"Your children will be adopted. They will be fine, Heather. Rest knowing that." he murmured softly, a tear glistening on his cheek. The spear left his hands of its own will, flying through Heather's body as if it were paper.

The eyes flickered, then her mouth screamed with no air, no voice, nothing but an escaping soul leaving the body. The spear and amber both started glowing with a white light, then eventually calmed to a slight orange aura around both. The professor stepped into the circle, picked up the amber, then retracted the spear and put it into his bag.

Finally, he took the body, hefted it over his shoulder, and gestured with his free hand. The circle of magic around the valley disappeared, and the professor left the clearing, a tear still glistening on his cheek.

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Silas sat at the bar, slowly sipping his beer from the mug as the golf games played repeatedly on the screen. His lean frame eyed the mirror behind the bar, watching the other patrons play their games of pool and cards with not a small amount of distaste. He had never been a fan of such frivolity, even when young. He had achieved his dream - and then lost it when he had attempted to understand those meaningless pleasures. Now, what was left to him? A small, cramped apartment that had once been his majestic palace, his fantasy come real - a set of dusty blue clothes, used to much more wear then they now got - a sniper rifle barely working even now, custom made for him by his friend, a member of a S.W.A.T squad, custom with silencer and safety - and a half-broken badge, his name pitifully engraved on half of it. He snorted. He had been police chief, with aspirations state sheriff some day - and then everything had conspired against him. He tried to find love, and it brought only destruction for him and all he had hoped - his lone attempt to play any sort of game, his palace of cards. Sighing softly, he pushed the beer away and ambled over to the coat rack, slowly shrugging his black overcoat on. Perhaps he could start his own detective business, work for the people... He still couldn't believe all his hopes of being sheriff or S.W.A.T. team member or any of that was so far gone, but perhaps he could begin to rebuild. He looked up to the bartender's concerned face. "You not feeling good, Silas? Need a drive home? I can call a taxi..."

Silas shrugged off the comments. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Good night, Joe."

Joe stared at him, slightly worried. "Look, Silas, I know this has all hit you hard. You do realize the whole system is corrup-"

"I don't care, Joe. Not anymore. I don't know what I'm going to do now, but I no longer give a fig about the police, the system, the government... I don't care. It's over for me. I'll find another job, another life. Talk to you later, Joe."

Despite the bartender's objections, Silas stepped out of the bar and slowly began to walk home, his legs getting chilly with the brisk wind. He glanced over at the nearby shop window, and paused for a second.

"...And a statewide search is underway for Heather Atschan and her two adopted children, Kao Arya and Amber Sekeus. Heather Atschan disappeared last night at 11:10 PM, and her children disappeared around 2:00 AM today. Anyone who knows their locations, please notify police. Repeat - Heather Atschan..."

Silas walked on, drifting down the road. He could still see his commander's victorious face, his friend's shock, his girlfriend's satisfied smile.

He had been betrayed.

And, by God, they would pay... Tomorrow.

He walked up to the apartments, and went in, riding the elevator up to the 12th floor. He got out, fumbled for his keys, and finally opened the door, then checked to make sure he he had his ID.

Not even the cameras saw the door behind him open.

Not even Silas Dyjon heard the sniper safety flick off.

Not even the professor could believe his luck, as Silas's soulscream entered into his enchanted amber and Silas's old sniper.

The professor unscrewed the silencer, put it in his bag along with the gun (being careful to trigger the safety back on) and picked up Silas's body in a quick lift, then left the building, recalling how Silas had fallen into his hands...

"Sir." His operative saluted, as the professor stood in front of him.

"So. You've gotten him fired?" It was not really a question - the professor knew Silas had been fired - but the operative responded as if it were a question.

"Yes, sir."

"Very good. What did you wish for your reward again?"

The operative licked his lips. "The position he was aiming for, sir. State Sheriff."

The professor nodded. "Very well. I shall endeavor to give you that title." A pause, then; "And he did not suspect you?"

The operative emitted a mirthless chuckle. "If ever he did, I ensured otherwise. ...I was honestly shocked he had been removed so quickly. It wasn't hard to channel that into my expression..."
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-continued later-

Asylum Story Outline

This 'tis something else I've been working on...

prologue: Asyl (poem)
ch. 1: Lilydrown Hill (describe area, Samuul)
ch. 2: Enter Danri (describe Danri, asylum)
ch. 3: Ruined Angel (describe Litas, musings)
ch. 4: Stagiznocn (first monster)
ch. 5: Wrathful Angel (Litas vs. Deln)
ch. 6: Circles of Power (explanations)
ch. 7: Forgotten Angel (Litas assumes power)
ch. 8: Hady’s Presence (Hadymol appears, fights duo)
ch. 9: Hall of Laughter (water trap sprung)
ch. 10: Pieces (Samuul finds some records of family)
ch. 11: Liquid Grace (Hadymol, Deln meet at pool)
ch. 12: Flying Angel (Danri senses Deln, Litas)
ch. 13: Raghi’En’Trev (next monster)
ch. 14: Metal Oracle (flashback)
ch. 15: Wax Dolls (Samuul finds dolls of parents, Danri disappears)
ch. 16: Casualties (Danri, Deln talk, Hady ambushes Samuul)
ch. 17: Liquid Wax (Samuul fights Hady off, dolls are destroyed, Deln leaves Danri)
ch. 18: Broken Angel (Litas senses Hady, duo)
ch. 19: Infinite Sets (Samuul is trapped, Danri warps to him and is trapped as well)
ch. 20: Moebius Strips (Hadymol begins directing her followers)
ch. 21: Liquid Fire (Deln’s plan backfires on Hady, both retreat)
ch. 22: Spiral Web (Duo escapes trap)
ch. 23: Diverging to Infinity (Hadymol is attacked by Hell’s troops)
ch. 24: Bamboo Dolls (Samuul finds father’s data)
ch. 25: Skyward Eyes (Danri talks to Samuul about his past)
ch. 26: Black and White Angel (Litas talks to Deln)
ch. 27: Garden (Samuul finds, explores greenhouse)
ch. 28: Book of Time (Samuul finds mother’s data)
ch. 29: Crumbling Shells (Deln finds Duo, fights)
ch. 30: Broken Shells (Danri drives Deln off)
ch. 31: Liquid Passion (Hady, Deln talk; Deln returns to Karmas)
ch. 32: Empty Promises (D’hlc comes through gate, confronts Litas)
ch. 33: Empty Oaths (Litas lets D’hlc pass)
ch. 34: Porcelain Dolls (Samuul finds father funded and worked on Project Aurora)
ch. 35: Glimmering Shadow (Telath begins to subvert D’hlc’s troops)
ch. 36: Whispering Wind (Danri fights off demons while Samuul searches for more data)
ch. 37: Book of Space (Samuul learns more of mother, gets commsphere)
ch. 38: Denied Fate (Duo argue)
ch. 39: Corona of Fire (Sky turns red, D’hlc attacks Samuul)
ch. 40: Slivers of Shadows (Telath calls retreat, is reprimanded)
ch. 41: Shadows Made Real (Telath kills D’hlc, threatens Samuul, retreats)
ch. 42: Empty Grave (D’hlc is resurrected in Hell)
ch. 43: Book of Reality (Samuul finds description of mother’s work, Project Aurora)
ch. 44: From the Beyond (Samuul finds, frees Hadymol, the three talk)
ch. 45: Angel, Bird, Man (Samuul, Danri, Litas meet)
ch. 46: Angel’s Wings (Duo, Litas fight)
ch. 47: Fallen Angel (Duo, Litas talk)
ch. 48: Comrade Angels (Litas, Danri talk)
ch. 49: Word of an Angel (Samuul, Litas talk)
ch. 50: Ruins (Duo leaves, Asylum is destroyed, Hady meets up with Deln)
Epilogue: ?(thinking second poem)

Excerpts of Vyrius. Hariesenn's First Letter

In a badly sprawled, thin spider-like handwriting dated and signed as the first Research Notes of Hariesenn:

"The runes, in a Neutralizer circle, are arranged from inside to outside in the basic template of magic:

The Central Rune is a combination All+Void Rune, which means that all the magic is the area is either destroyed or neutralized (research has not yielded anything to prove either theory).

The Inner Circle consists of Fire (Emotion) and Water (Logic) across a Base Circle 12 from each other, and Earth (Oath) and Air (Freedom) across from each other, so minimum enhancement of the elements occurs.

The Middle Circle consists of a Base Circle 3, with Body, Mind and Essence in the triangle at the endpoints, so as to not harm life but destroy all enhancers or detractors.

The Outer Circle is a Base Circle 100, with Light and Dark serving as counterpoints to each other on the left and right of a circle.

The Closing Circle consists of the actual text of the magic - the description and effect of the Neutralization circle. Without this, the circle is potentially deadly - because the text regulates any problems in the circle. With the text, even a novice can cast the circle. But without it, it takes a Runemancer to accurately lay it out - usually of the 7th rank.

However, a disabled Neutralization Circle is a fascination to study. By freezing the runes before the Closing Circle is written, you create thin threads between all the writing. Those threads crystallize in a day and are of indescribable magical power. I have created 50 circles to harvest from in my Corner - this will allow me to experiment with them.

These threads, which I have dubbed Crystal Magic, have magical lights inside as well as magical powers based on where the threads grew from. Red/yellow threads tend to be of fire and wind origin, and so on.

However, threads do not connect to the All+Void combination rune, oddly enough. I must see if I can get any runes to connect to it..."

In a side scrawl, written hastily:

"All+Void is too dangerous to freeze - my Corner was almost unwound before I broke the circles! Research on them at this time is impossible. More on the effects later -"

Excerpts of Vyrius, ch. 1 pt. 1

NOTE --- I've had this story in my head for a while, but been deciding on how to tell it. I'll edit in times when I finally decide on them - but for a while, I won't need them, if ever. Just a precautionary warning that this may not go up in time order, but rather in mind order.

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The quill was, quite honestly, getting on my nerves.

He had been writing for three straight hours, not taking a break to even stretch. I had my scroll out before me, my few words inscribed onto it. It didn't take long, I realized, for even the slightest things to drive someone insane. He had this habit of pausing for a second, then ripping the quill across the paper in a gesture I was sure would rip the paper each time. But the quilll quickly started scratching its way across the paper again, and I sighed to myself. I began doodling on the paper scroll - it was horrible for writing, as it ripped too easily, but it was great to draw on, especially with lighter strokes. I looked up at him again to see him standing up, with his parchment scroll in hand. "It's done. Finally, it's done, Vyrius."

"It is?" I said eagerly, not for the finished scroll and whatever was on it, but for the fact that I would finally be able to leave.

The man chuckled. "Yes, it's done, and I'm sorry that the school forces you to waste valuable time watching over me. It's not necessary - I can still handle myself." He looked at the writing on his scroll and frowned. "Though, for the life of me, though I proved it, I don't know what I proved."

I frowned. "So, wait. What were you trying to do?" I started to become curious about this - Master Hariesenn didn't even know what he had been working on? Perhaps that's why the school has students with him, I mused.

"Well, young man, I was attempting to compress the Darkwalker's formulae along with the Ethereal Senses formulae into one equation." Hariesenn said. He rolled out the scroll lengthwise across one of the desks, covering about three tables as the right side kept rolling till it hit the floor with a soft thunk. "But the result makes no sense at all." He gestured to a few of the runes. "That was my ending."

I examined the three runes, attempting to not make a fool of myself. Runewords had never been my specialty, and while I was proficent, I surely didn't know any of the more complex ones. "All Void... Infinite?"

"Aye, and it really seems to make no sense. How could some formulae that vague be the compression of the formulas?" he mused, glancing over it. "And yet, I'm convinced I got it completely right. I'm just missing something..."

"Sir?" I said.

"Yes?"

"What are the Darkwalker's and the Ethereal Senses formulas supposed to do?" I shuffled my foot, hoping to not sound like a total dunce.

Hariesenn laughed, a loud, rambunctious laugh. I could see him young again, all of a sudden, playing Flare as the captain of the team, leading them to victory like he had done many times before. The he quieted, and I lost the image. He said soberly, "Sorry. I had forgotten you're only a third year student. You certainly don't act like one, to be honest.

"The Darkwalker's runeword allows a man to essentially become nothing but energy, guided by magic to a point set by the mind before casting. Once there, the man regains physical form. However, one of the dangers is that the energy is easily dissolved by an ethereal being. Thus my idea to combine Darkwalker with the Ethereal Senses runeword.

"The Ethereal Senses runeword allows someone to sense a force from the Ethereal plane. While you cannot fight it with this spell, you can avoid it. Both spells are low-cost, and so I had thought that they would make a good combination. But I combined something here wrong, I guess... Void from the Darkwalkers, All came from the Ethereal Senses and the Infinite rune is a part of both runewords. And yet," he raised his voice softly, "I cannot see where my mistake lies. Each step is precise!"

"May I examine it?" I asked. He nodded and stepped away. I put my hands on the bottom of the parchment, where no ink was, and examined the scroll. He was right - each step was precise, and moreover, easy to follow. Even I was able to track each assumption. right down to the final step. "Does All Void Infinite reduce to anything else?"

"No, and that is what worries me." Hariesenn murmured. "For one travels to these three runes, hopes to achieve them. But... not when this is the whole spell."

"Are you going to try it in the Testing Rooms?" The Testing Rooms were rooms sealed by magic so that a spellcaster could try out new formulae without being injured. Hariesenn paused, then shook his head.

"No, I wish to work on this. Here." He mumbled a soft chant, and suddenly, a rolled-up scroll appeared right in front of me. "Perhaps your eyes will see what I cannot. I request that you examine this scroll and find any errors, miscalculations, or anything else that this may hold. And do not tell this to anyone." His eyes met mine, and seemed to grin slightly. "The school does not need to know that their best-paid teacher is finally off the deep end."

I grinned and nodded, putting my drawing and the parchment scroll into my bag. "Yes, Master Hariesenn."

Hariesenn shook his head. "Yaro will do. Now go, and stretch your muscles. You need it."

I nodded and all but ran out the room, leaving Master Yaro Hariesenn behind. He nodded to himself slightly. "I think I can trust him. I think, finally, I can trust someone."

Excerpts of Vyrius, ch. 1 pt. 2

I walked down the halls as fast as I could, hoping that I could catch Solis before he went on to his next class. I had never understood how he could keep such a schedule, but he seemed to do rather well at it, so I didn't bother asking. Besides, I usually had my own classes to worry about, but not today - being willing to sit with Master Hariesenn had earned me the rest of the day off, thankfully. I was still musing on the scroll I was holding when I walked into the East Dorms.

Solis was sitting in a easy chair, his birdlike figure upright as he examined a book while scratching out some notes on notebook paper with his pen. I nodded as I sat down in a easy chair across from him, slouching slighty. He looked up and grinned, a strand of white hair falling across his face which he brushed back up. "'lo, Vyr. How's old man Hariesenn?"

I hesitated slightly, then said, "Not bad. I figured out what he was working on - actually, he told me." I corrected as he stared at me in astonishment.

"He actually TALKED to you? Wow. The king of magic deigned to talk to a third year?"

"Didn't I already answer this? Yes, he did. He's actually rather friendly. Don't know what the other students did to deserve the royal snub from him, to be honest."

Solis nodded, then glanced at the scroll I was holding and gawped again. "Wait a second, you actually did your HOMEWORK while you were there, as well? Man, this must be a sign of impending doom. "

Again I hesitated, then lied to him since the first time we met. "Yeah, considering that it was the only thing to do..."

Solis shrugged. "Point taken, but still..." He closed the book on the table, stretched and yawned. He was almost a head taller then me, and this showed as I stood up as well. "Hey, you want to come to my final class today? It's a lecture hall, so no attendance is taken, and we can just talk in the back area. I have a few friends that I want you to meet from there."

I shrugged, then nodded. "Let me put this up in our dorm, and then I'll be ready." I walked down the ramp, then walked up the steps to the second floor and entered the third room. I looked around. "He had always been the more messy of us," I mused to myself, "so that should make the scroll easy to hide..." I finally settled on putting it in the hidden shelf behind the bookcase that I had made the first year here. Solis had one as well, underneath his mattress, and I wasn't sure he knew I knew it. Either way, he didn't know where mine was. I opened the hidden area and placed the scroll on a stack of books, then closed it, and gestured toward the door. "Binding Locks."

A snap was heard, the snap