4675
The journal of Douglas_Mackay
WWIflyingace
Entry 1: I have climbed the mountains.  I have run through the fields.  I have finnally found a spot perfect for me to start a new life! By my sweat and blood, I have constructed a wood wall to keep out invaders. My home has been finished and also my farm.  I am ready to take on the wilderness! :: Entry 2: It has been a week since my last entry.  Alas, I have not seen many living things out this far. Save for a few sheep, the land is barren.  A curse perhaps? Superstition aside, I hope I can find some wild swine, for I am low on food. :: Entry 3: Once again, it has been a week since my last entry.  I enjoy this pattern, I'll k eep it up.  No human contact in 4 weeks since my departure.  However, it is explainable. I live quite far from any civilization.  Still, my planned settlement of Reithal was supposed to be in a trade route... :: My farm is not producing much.  I have survived by eating the food I stocked for the trip. :: There are many bad things that roam this land at night.  Perhaps in an emergency I can eat their flesh. It must be ONLY in an emergency.  The meat has probably been tainted by dark magic... :: Entry 3: The stocks of moldy food I have left are all but gone. However, giant spiders roam this land.  Their meat is safe to eat once cooked. My farm has begun to produce food.  I at last have a reliable food source.  For now. :: Entry 4: A massive storm has rolled over Reithal this week.  The tempest has been churning for three days now and lightning strikes with the power of a maddened Orc. The creatures of dark magic appear more often in the dark.  Furthur proof of a curse? :: It has been a month and a half since my last human contact.  It gnaws away in the back of like a rat.  The thought of being truly alone torments my dreams. It may not bee the weather or starvation that kills me, but lonliness. :: Entry 5: Low on food, I was forced to consume the flesh of a zombie. Alas, I paid dearly for the act of cannibalism.  I was sick for two weeks, vomiting and dizzy.  My home still smells faintly of sick. :: Entry 6: I believe that the life of solitude I live is getting to me.  Aye, the madness ha s been growing in me like a seed of iblees.  I know I am going mad.  There is proof.  I start ed hallucinating today.  I know it was a trick of my mind.  The vision was of my loved one, Anna.  It can't be true. :: She's dead. :: Entry 7: It has been many weeks since my last write.  As I sink furthur into madness, I am barely able to scrawl the words on this page.  I have started writing on the walls of my dwelling.  It is not something I'm proud of but I cannot help myself.  A force deep inside me compells me to do things out of my mind... :: Entry 8: I suppose writing is the only way to keep me sane.  Perhaps you are wondering what happened to my Anna? I shall enlighten you :: Entry 9: Back in my ancestral home of Scotland, my father was a lord. Being better off than most scots, he had the money to send me to Edinburgh to learn latin. In my opinion, latin is the stupidest language ever devised.  The learning of it was tedious and full of boredom.  However, all that changed when an "Echange student" from Greece.  It was my beloved Anna. :: Entry 10:  I used to believe such things as "Love at first sight" were things of drunken f olly.  But from that point on, I knew.  I believed.  All the love songs of the minstrals made sense like a curtain being lifted to reveal a new day.  I loved her more than anything else. Had the chance been presented, I would have laid down my life for her. :: Entry 11: She was about 5'3'', skin darker than most.  She had very dark brown hair that flowed like river behind her.  And her eyes.  They say the eyes are a window to the soul From my perspective, her eyes were more like solid steel with a fire lit behind them. During our astronomy classes, she would gaze up at the stars with wonder and reflect their li ght in her eyes. I could have jumped ten feet in the air when she told me she shared my love of exploration. :: Entry 12: Our dreams both led us to a ship bound to cross the Great Ocean. Many called us fools, including my father.  He disowned me but I could have cared less. If the world was indeed flat, I was going to fall off the edge with the one I loved. We set off along with a crew of two dozen others. :: Entry 13:  Fifty-two days into our expedition, a terrible storm fell on us.  My Anna was h it by a wave and she grabbed onto the edge of the ship.  I grabbed her hand with her swinging over the edge.  She said her last words to me: "Promise you won't let go!".  And I didn't. We washed overboard together, I still holing her hand.  Until I blacked out, I remeber holdin g it.  In tandem, we bobbed around like corks in the waves. :: Entry 14:  I washed up on a beach.  I woke up and expelled water from my lungs. I realized I was no longer grasping Anna's hand.  She had been claimed by the sea. I felt a ripping sensation inside me.  The tears came forth like a flood.  I went into denial , thinking she could still be alive.  I had to stop telling lies to myself.  I pounded the sa nd with rage, a primal rage not felt since the ancient times. I passed out, and was brought to the cloud temple by the monks of Ageis. :: Entry 15: I believe the writing of my lost love has returned a fraction of my sanity. My mind has been clear for three days.  The farm has been producing enough for me to live. I am contemplating getting others to join my village. :: Entry 16: At long last! Human contact!  A man stumbled into my vilage today. He was VERY drunk and needed a place to stay.  He was called "The Blind Seer" He invited me to his village, slightly south of mine.  I walked over and was impressed. He invited me to open trade and I gladly said "AYE!".  I no longer have the fear of going ins ane :: Entry 17: I have built a road between the castle Lykos and my Reithal home.  Four more men inhabit the castle other than Seer.  There is Will_Chapman, who appears to be a stead fast and heroic leader.  There is Lykos_the_scarred, And there is Davian_Thole, a man I have yet to see here. :: Entry 18: There was word of an undead near the castle, so we prepared for battle. Little known to us, the undead ws meerly a distraction from horrid news to the south. A massive attack had taken place on Oren, and the queen had been killed. Summoning forth the powers of Ageis, me and Will teleported into battle. There was sounds of death all around us and word had gotten out that the King had been forced to become and undead.  Anger courseing through my veins, I led a charge into the marketplace filled with monsters. Many were scared, and turned to run. I shouted, "ARE YE FOOLS? STAND AN' FIGHT FOR OREN!" They didn't heed my call to battle.  I was shot in the face by a skeleton archer moments later.  I lost what sight I had in my right eye.  Doesn't matter much, I'm a leftie anyhow.  I passed out from pain and slept on the ground. :: Entry 19: I journeyed back to Reithal, nursing my wounds and contemplating the battle. Many had died that day. Even a battle-hardened scot can weep. Snapped to reality, I found an undead roaming the forest. I pounced on him, ready to exact my revenge.  "Wait!" he cried. "I know you!". :: I alomst dropped my sword in astonishment. :: Entry 20:  The undead explained his story. "Yew were one a' dem' sailors Lord Iblees saw crossin' dat' big ocean.  He thought it would be funny ta' drown ye' all.  And funny it was!" I slayed him on the spot. :: Entry 21: With this new knowledge, I felt a renewed hatred for Iblees. Shaking my fist at the sky, I swore to find Iblees, and exact my revenge! :: I journeyed back to Castle Lykos, where Lykos himself thought I was dead! Will and got separated during the Battle Of Oren.  He came back and emptied all of my precious scotch whiskey! Alas, I carry a spare.  Still Will is going to be in major trouble when he wakes up... :: Entry 22: Alsa, a second attack has been made on Al'kahzar.  4 have left the castle. I remain due to my eye injury.  Good hunting to those in battle! :: Entry 23: The mages are constructing a great tower, one that can see for miles. It shall be useful in defense. Will has finished the barracks.  We now have private beds to sleep in. As I lay in my bed writing, I stare up and wonder if my Anna still may be alive. There is no definitive proof she did... :: Entry 24: This week, I met a halfling by the name of Bircalin. I followed him back to his house, which is beautifully constructed in elvish style. It would make the builders of edinburgh weep.  There is a woman who live s with him.  I am unsure as to if they are married. I walked back to Castle Lykos.  Lykos then ordered me straight back to talk to them about trade.  They were unsure, so I left. As I left, I fell into a hole outside their home.  I am now stuck. :: Entry 25: I have been in this hole for 3 days. :: No light. :: No water. :: No food, save for rotten flesh I was going to feed my dog. :: As night falls, I scream for help to no avail. However, I can hear the couple inside, talking. They talk as if lovers, talk of waiting 14 years and such. I sit in this dark cave, and I weep. :: I weep with the knowledge that I could be the man in that house, talking to Anna. I could have married her, but I hesitated too long. Damn! I was so close! I was going to propose to her. I was going to do it when we landed from out expedition. :: DAMN YOU IBLEES! :: The deafening sound of my grief and rage echo through the narrow cave. :: Entry 25: I awaken the next day in my cave with a massive pain in my ankle. I fear to have sprained it. With my last remaining strenght, I yell for help one last time. This time, Bircalin hears me and comes to my rescue. :: I limp inside and flop on a bed upstairs.  Princess Indelwehn states she cannot heal, however, Bircalin can. He reveals to me a pair of scissors in his hand and I faint. I wake up ten minutes later, and realize Bircalin has healed my ankle. Putting two and two together, I come to the conclusion that Bircalin is a druid, one of the mystic healers of the north. I relaxed and dropped of to sleep. :: Entry 26:  I have returned to lykos and all is not well. We have been stolen from, and will is having a paranoia attack. The question comes to fore: will I be forced to kill him? :: The BattleMages, a group who lives here, have offered me a possible spot in their guild. If things turn ugly, at least I have an escape route. :: Entry 27: I have taken an extended leave of absence from Lykos. Things have calmed quite a bit over the past week.  Will has gone to hunt the man who stole from us.  Life was boring.  Then I realized, despite all I have done in Ageis, despite everything, one problem remained.  My Anna. So I decided to go to Al' Khazar, in hopes of finding a solution to my problem. :: I have arrived in Oren.  I have sought out a man, able to see across Ageis, a mystic. I am not allowed to write his name here.  He wished to stay anonymous. He showed me visions of the north, portals in which to travel to hell. I thanked him and left for the north. :: Sneaking past the guards, I have entered hell on my final quest.  A quest to exact revenge and find my Anna. I wish myself good luck, for I will most likly will not return. :: Entry 29: The world of hell is a horrifying place.  The dirt is a bloodred hue, with the scent of fire, sulfur and death all around.  I disguised myself as an undead and made my way through the nether. :: I have found the fortress of iblees.  I entered quietly, my mind unusally sharp for such an evil place.  I found my enemy sitting on a massive chair of fire and lave in a hall of bloodstone.  Unsheathing my sword, I lept forth, ready to lay down my life for my loved one. :: Entry 30: Instantly, my sword became burning hot, and it slipped from my grasp. Somehow on my knees, I looked up at my enemy. He did not take the appearance of what I expected. He appeared as a humanoid form, black all over.  He was wreathed in an etheral corona of fire.  He had three fingers upon each hand, each limb mong and spider like. He did not have a neck that I could see, just a head attached to shoulders. "What brings you here, foolish mortal?" his voice boomed. With sweat dripping from my shaking head, I answered with the most hateful tone tone I could muster. "I am Douglas Mackay, scotsman and explorer, archer and architect, friend and lover to the woman you murdered!"  My face contorted with rage. "You're that sailor whom I tried to drown. Hehehe...I should just kill you now and be done with it!  However, I am quite bored, being all powerful and such.  So, talk to me. What do you want and why did you come here?" "I have come to rescue my Anna.  Give her to me and i'll leave in peace!" "FOOL! Hah, I do have her, but what makes you think i'll give her to you?" "I'll kill you" "HAHAHAHAHA!!!" Iblees' terrible laughter boomed throughout the hall "I'm immortal!  I cannot die!" He continued laughing softly. "Tell you what, if you become my follower, i'll give her back!" :: Entry 31: I considered my options.  I did not want to take part in the ultimate evil, but I loved Anna more.  I was just about to say "Yes" when a small voice started speking in my ear.  Magically forced to my knees, I couldn't turn my head to see who it was. But I would recognize it anywhere. :: It was Anna. :: "Don't" Empowered by a force stronder than dark magic, I slowly rose to my feet. I picked up my sword that was still red hot.  The flesh in my hands burned, but I was barely aware.  With my remaining strength, I swung my sword at the dark lord. :: Entry 22: He was wounded and stunned, but not for long.  Iblees lifted me by my neck and threw me against a wall. "So be it" he spoke slowly.  In his hand, he summoned a ball of fire He lifted his arm, and threw it.  In the instance whene the fireball was in the air, time slowed and eventually stopped. :: Entry 33: An etheral voice sounded from above me.  I knew it in my heart to be an Ascended  a guardian of peace and life. "You have made many mistakes, Mackay, including coming here. However, you made the right choice and we thank you for that."  "We?" I asked tentatively. "Mackay, your loved one is with me.  However, you have been tainted by your reckless desiscion to cross the ocean with her.  You should have known better. In light of recent events, I will grant you a boon.  Today you will die at the hands of Iblees, but I will send you back.  When you can clean the taint, you may have her back." :: I asked timidy, "Sir, you kave bee very kind to me, but may I ask a favor?" "Yes, Makcay" "May I see Anna, one last time?" "Granted, however, you must return to fight Iblees" "I understand, sir" A white light entered the room and gazed upon me. :: It was her. :: Entry 34: I fell on my knees, and wept. "I'm so sorry!  I let you slip from my grasp." She spoke with a silvery tone. "I forgive you.  But now must be brave Douglas, for you must clease the taint alone." "I know.  Oh, my Anna!  I love you so.  I though I would never be able to say that again.  I love you with all my heart and will go to the edge of the earth to be toghether with you again." I leaned in to kiss her softly.  Time seemed to stop. Everything seemed in equilibrium.  I didn't have a care in the world. Feeling empowered, I rose to my feet.  "I love you" I said.  She stepped back into the light and I was returned to time. :: Entry 35: Dodging the fireball, I lept in the air.  I swung my sword with my newfound strength.  Iblees took a wounding blow to the neck.  He grasped my neck and held me up. I felt heat increasing.  I felt the pain of being burned.  The air reeked with the scent of my singeing flesh.  I was blacking out. :: Suddenly, a white light!  The Seer had come to my rescue!  A brilliant flash, and water flooded in.  He grabbed my by my neck and threw a soulstone to the ground. :: Entry 36: I awoke in the made tower next to Castle Lykos.  An imposing structure, the mage tower was constructed of enchanted stone, able to resist the strongest attacks.  "An ascended appeared before me and told me of your fate. You are going to become one of us.  The magic robes will keep you alive. You must take part in our challenge.  One rule: find and mind the diamond!" A flash of light and I blacked out again. :: Entry 36: I awoke in a cave, with no supplies.  Seer's final words made sense now. I wandered through the cave, starving and in pain.  I found light: a lava pool. Looking around, I saw a single diamond embedded in rock. Having no tools, I knew what I had to do.  Clawing and prying, I attempted to get it with my hands.  After what seemed like days, I pulled out my prize.  It was pristene and beautiful, compared to my bloodied and cut hands.  Another flash. :: Entry 37: I awoke in the same bed.  Apperently the cave had been a mind trick.  Other mages were present.  They were chanting something.  Slowly, folds of diamond blue fabric magically wrapped themselves around my body.  The magic of the robes cured my body and gave it new strength.  I sat up and felt a power coursing through my veins. "You are now the mage of diamond!" :: Entry 38: I guess I no londer need this journal.  I am no longer Douglas Mackay.  With my new powers, I will cleanse my taint and rescue my wife! :: THE END