Currently on hiatus. Will resume in July, or sooner.

Current story updates:
M/W/F

Current story interludes/Side stories:
Every other Saturday

Other pieces:
Every other Saturday (Saturdays I don't run the Interludes/Side Stories)

During certain periods updates may come more often; at other times updates may come less often. This schedule is my hoped-for goal.

Sunday 12 January 2014

Epic Poem

This is the beginning of my epic poem for Writers Craft. This is the first chapter/segment. It is still a work in progress, much editing needs to be done, so if anyone has any suggestions, they are welcome. The rest will come later, so for now, enjoy!

This is the true tale of the first great Knight Magus,
Vendar Freeborn, who was a true king among us,
And then of his duel with a dark fiend most foul,
The dark Lich-King Caar’ Rukos, master of Sorcel


This does tale start in the old hometown of Vendar,
A quaint little place, tucked safe in the Dale of Nar.
At the Oakenleaf Tavern a place all jolly
The minions of Rukos did make a grand folly


An escaped slave has searched for this place wide and far
To bring his dire plight before the great Vendar
To beseech the swift aid of this mighty hero man
In freeing his people from Rukos, vile villain


There a figure most dashing, the great Vendar sat,
A sharp blade on his hip, his strong helm for a hat,
A girl on one arm, full tankard in the other
He dropped both at once when he saw the man stagger


“My dear good fellow you look most badly out-worn
Like an old hat or coat in the briar patch torn!
Sit here, eat and drink, take the time to be merry,
If your business is not pressing, then please, tarry”


“Your food and drink are on me, you poor man in need
Just look at your feet, worn so ragged that they bleed
Why not tell your tale whilst your feet take rest”
Then Vendar crossed his arms o’er his mighty chest.


“Nay, I must yet go on, unless, nay, be you he?
Yes, for now only Vendar Freeborn can help me”
“Why that is I good fellow, so please speak your mind,
And if you know of ill, speak it so I may find”


‘Kind Vendar, great Knight, my land is cursed with plight
The fields are all barren, and the wells all run dry,
Fear of darkness rules the day, and death rules the night
And if you plan to escape, they catch all who try.


“I beseech you sir, I have heard of your exploits
And how you can beat one hundred fiends with one blow
I believe then that you can defeat vile Rukos,
The monstrous Lich who controls the beasts that plague us”


Afore the man could continue his tale of woe
The wall o’ the tavern did shatter with a blow
And before their eyes stood a creature all of ice
Which snapped the poor man in a grip just like a vice


“Stand down beast most foul, and release this good man”
Vendar did cry at the sight of this disaster
But the beast listened not, for it had but one task;
Kill the escaped slave, and report back to Master


The man screamed in pain as the beast closed sharpened claws
Vendar drew magi-steel as the beast gnashed its jaws
The escaped slave fell dead, his lifeblood running free
As the savage ice monster hip howled its glee


“I do challenge you beast, for what you have here done
I shall tear you apart, limb from limb, bone from bone”
The beast roared in reply, great claws clicker-clacking
And charged straight forwards its spines hack and slashing


Vendar did o’erleap the beast as it came on
His blade he did slash in an arc, crying “Begone!”
But it did bounce-skitter off the armoured hide
The unblooded clean blade made Vendar’s eyes grow wide


The beast turned about, and came charging on again
Afore Vendar could react the beast leapt on high
And came crashing down knocking Vendar’s sword aside
The beast slashed across, catching Vendar in the face


Vendar’s face, cheek, bled, twin cuts from the vicious claws
Whose edges were serrated, all jagged like saws
Vendar cast a spell of healing, sealing the wound
His blade hacked at ice unyielding, he felt doomed


The beast ignored his blows, icy hide shielding it
It lunged forwards all at once, and his arm it bit
The hero cried out, trapped arm feeling aflame
The monster struck him, launching high the man in pain


Vendar landed in a heap, bleeding from the nose,
As the beast advanced, to strike the killing blow
He pushed himself to his knees, and from there he stood
He swayed as the beast approached face covered in blood


“Die you demon, ice fiend, skrull, monster of the snows
Fire is your ever-bane, as any child knows
Fire will cleanse, scour you from this abused world
So I say to thee, decree, let you be burned!”


Flames leapt from Vendar’s sword, ready to burn and bite
As he charged forwards, eager to rejoin the fight
The Fell-ice saw the flames, but charged even faster
It must still fight on, at command of its Master


Vendar danced his blade, swift here, swift there, blade right left
The beast fell back, pressed hard by the fire sword’s weft
It was no use though, as Vendar threw sword above
And pulled it back down, grasping hilt with hand and glove


The momentum was built, the flames whipping about
Tightening grip, he slammed the blade down with a shout
Sheathing it in ice and snow, the flesh of his foe
Vendar stood for a moment, then fell in the snow


The unmoving snow was stained red by his blood
As he lay near to death, bested by the monster
Yet e’en as he gasped what should be one final breath
He placed a hand that glowed with light upon his chest


With final breath a great, potent spell he did cast
One that would grant him more breath and healing to last
The wounds sutured shut, fresh pink flesh growing anew
The spell e’en worked down to muscle and sinew


Blood flowing backwards, nose’s break righting itself
He pushed back to his feet, and surveyed the tavern
Others were injured, but no more had been killed
He fixed their wounds, then knelt by the escaped slave

To be continued

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