Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Word: fervent



 

fervent

\ FUR-vuhnt \  , adjective;
1. having or showing great warmth or intensity of spirit, feeling, enthusiasm, etc.; ardent: a fervent admirer; a fervent plea.
2. hot; burning; glowing.

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Grena fervently held the small golden bottle and reached through it to the realm of the gods.  Many eyes watched intently as she mentally called out to Inris, the God of Magic.  She had been chosen by the High Magister himself to be the first person to use the reenchanted bottle, so she couldn’t disappoint them.  The eyes of the Master Enchanter, the High Magister, and the five Magisters bored into her.  So, she was very happy when it didn’t take all that long for the bottle to become active. 
               A violet and blue glow appeared at the mouth of the bottle, showing the magic was taking effect.  Almost immediately afterwards, Grena felt something.  A presence echoing in her mind.  It was actually quite comforting, not overwhelming like one would expect from a god.
               “Greetings.”  The presence said.  The voice was also quite ordinary.  In fact, it reminded her a great deal of her grandfather.
               “H-hello.”  She thought, “You are Lord Inris, aren’t you?” 
               “Indeed.  And you are.  Hmm, let me see.  Ah yes, I remember you.”  Said the deity.
                “Y-you do?”  Grena asked.  She couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride from that.  It wasn’t everybody who could claim that a god knew of them.
               “Yes. It’s very rare that someone outside the priesthood requests power you know.”  Inris said jovially.  Grena felt a shudder running through her spine.  She keenly remembered that incident as well.
               “You’re not upset about that, are you?”
               “Oh no, of course not.  In fact, I quite liked the attempt.  It’s why I gave you as much as I did.”
               “Ah.  Well, thank you for that.”  She breathed a quite sigh of relief and did her best to ignore the quizzical looks of her mortal audience.
               “Of course.  Now though, you quite pleased me with this little idea of yours as well.  The item you’re holding was until recently a cursed item, for obvious reasons.  You’re the first one to ever think of turning it into a holy one though.  It quite impressed not only me, but all of us.”
               “Even though I wasn’t a part of the altering?”
               “Unimportant.  The mages would have destroyed it.  Honestly, most of us were hoping for that.  The idea came from you.  Ah, but once we’re done here, you can inform those who did the work I am quite pleased with them as well.”
               “I’ll tell them.”
               “Good. Now then, to business.  Part of the enchantment on the bottle now is that of a contract.  And, I have just the thing.”
               “What is it?”
               “You remember the man who hired you and your party to acquire this item?”
               “Of course.  Disturbing man.”
               “There’s a reason for that.  He’s a spell caster as well, and not a very nice one.  He is conducting experiments to warp and distort magic.  His taint is spreading distressingly quickly.  I am charging you with the task of eliminating these experiments.  I don’t care what you do with him, but the experiments must go.”
               “It shall be done.”  Grena said.  “Although it may take some time.”  She did have to rendezvous with her party after all.
               “Irrelevant.  As long as it gets done.”
               “Very well.  Now, this will not be done for free.  In fact, I already know exactly what you’re reward shall be.”
               Grena said nothing.  She was just happy to be talking with a god.  The idea of what the god of magic would give her was an amazing thing to think about.
               “I have two spells in mind.  One is one you will enjoy, and another that many will be grateful for.  Have you ever heard of a specter?”
               “I have.  It’s a kind of perfect ghost.  Supposedly, it can look like anything, have any kind of personality, and I’ve once heard it can even be given spells.  But nobody’s ever been able to create one.  It’s only a dream right now.”
               “All that is true.  And it’s only a dream right now.  I can give you the means of creating one.”
               “R-really?”  Grena asked, getting more excited than she liked to admit.  She had always wanted to create a ghost, and now she was being told that she’d create something even better?  It was a dream come true.
               “Yes, really.  Now, for the other spell, I believe the art of true healing will suffice?”
               “Healing?  But that’s already known.”
               “To an extent.  Although with your current knowledge it is limited.  Priests of Lethon heal by using the goddess’s power.  Spellslingers do so by sacrificing their own life.  With this spell, that will not be so.  This spell can change magical power into life itself, allowing one to heal any wound or illness without sacrifice, provided you have to power to do so.”
               “I see.”  Grena said.  She had never considered being a healer before because of the cost involved.  With known spells, the caster transferred his life energy to the wounded.  It did a great job of healing, but reduced the lifespan of the caster.  Needless to say, not many spellslingers chose to become healers.  “That would be amazing.”  She said.
               “Indeed.  Now then, I am placing a few things into the bottle for your use.  The spells I’m giving you for one.  You will be able to use them, but they won’t be yours until you finish the task.  I will also give you some power to use.  It is limited, but if you use it wisely, it should suffice.”
               “I understand.”  It was taking all her willpower not to jump around the room in excitement. “Is that all you wish, Lord?”
               “I believe so.  Although, I would prefer you hold on to the bottle until your task is finished.  It passing into the hands of another shouldn’t disrupt the contract, but it might pose some other problems.”
               “Understood.” 
               “Good.  Now then, I must leave you to your task.  I have some other things I need to take care of.”
               No sooner had the words been spoken than the presence in her mind disappeared.  Grena placed the small bottle around her neck.  As soon as she did, her mind was filled with new knowledge of spells she had never even dreamed possible.  It was akin to reading them in a book, but they were there. 
               “Well, how did it go?”  Asked one of the Magisters.  Grena blinked, smiled, and told them everything.  
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Where will this lead?  Who knows.  I have a few ideas, but not that many.  It should be interesting though.  At least, I hope so.

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