It was a sunny day as usual on Ember Island, one of the lesser well-known vacation islands on Earthland in the middle of Calm Sea. The rays of the sun glistened from the clear blue sky, decorated with wisps of white clouds as a slow but cooling breeze brought about the very meaning of relaxation. Ember Island, which was formed from an underwater volcanic explosion, was once nothing but wilderness and had been inhabited but twenty years ago, in the hands of a very enterprising businessman, Ember Island had been bought over and turned into a wondrous place.
The island was originally covered by palm trees and luscious vegetation, and within the span of two years with a huge team of workers laboring under the hot sun, the businessman had managed to clear up a portion of the land to create the site of many luxurious resorts and vacation homes for the wealthy. As more and more tourists had begun to head to the island, more and more businesses were created on the island. In fact, currently there was already a small city called Fire Town at the base of the volcano, where the main population of the island stay. Another interesting thing to note is the Ho’noo Festival that would take place on the island every year on the midsummer solstice.
Geographically, with the volcano in the middle of the island, Fire Town was located on the eastern coast of the island where normal tourists would be able to spend their days while the southern coast was mainly occupied by private homes with their own stretch of beaches. The only other significant place on Ember Island was the Reign of Fire, a casino built a quarter of the way up the volcano, where large glass walls on the casino would let their visitors enjoy the tropical scenery as they gambled. Reign of Fire was solely owned by the businessman who had opened up Ember Island, and he was no doubt the wealthiest and most influential person on the island.
However, today, the island’s peace was scheduled to be broken today. Five men, dressed in black hooded cloaks that were dyed in various shades of orange and red at the end of the sleeves and at the hem were making their way up the volcano. Each of them held a long staff, carved out of wood and each adorned with an orange gem, a spessartite garnet, carved in different shapes but all reflecting the design of a sun at their core. Behind them, dressed in plain black cloaks minus the hood, were their followers coming to a sum of twenty men. At the head of the pack of twenty followers were five men carrying a large curved package on their shoulders. The sweat pouring down their brows and the side of their faces were evidence enough of the weight they were carrying but none of them were complaining. This was a holy duty, to be entrusted with such an important part for their leaders plans.
The remaining fifteen were outfitted with weapons of all sorts, to protect the entire entourage as they headed up the volcano.
Five hours later, the entire group of twenty five were finally assembled at the top of the volcano. As though rehearsed, the five men carrying the large packages quickly put them down on the black soil and began to unpack them. The removal of the packaging material revealed each part to be a part of a circle, made out of an unknown material that hovered between black and silver. Each part could be folded out creating an even larger semi-circle and when all of the five pieces had been fully unfolded, they were finally connected together to form a circle. And the circle was just the right size to fully surround the mouth of the volcano.
The twenty followers retreated back a few steps to get out of the ways of their five leaders, as the latter stepped up onto the circular device. Each of them took up a point on the device, the space between each of them equidistant. All five of them had already directed their mana into the orange gem that topped their staffs and when the gems had glowed brightly, their staffs began to gently vibrate and hum with energy. The moment that happened, each of them gently tapped their staff on the device in sequence.
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap!
Magic runes began to carve themselves into the metallic device and as the runes appeared, the magma within the volcano began to bubble and boil, slowly but surely increasing in vigor. The temperature began to increase drastically, and the five mages standing atop the circular device began to chant in unison. Their voices, in harmony with the rumbling of the mountain, slowly grew in volume. The followers joined in as well when their chant reached a certain point. With twenty five voices chanting ominously at the same time, the magma within reacted even more violently before, huge bubbles caused by the boiling erupting and causing the molten fire to spray up into the air.
There were many times where the magma that had burst out of the volcano threatened to burn the five mages but each and every time that happened, the magma hit nothing but an orange translucent barrier.
“Hio!!” all five mages intoned loudly at the end, echoed by the twenty followers and at the same time, a bright orange beam of light burst forth from the mouth of the volcano, shooting right up into the sky with a thunderous roar. Dark clouds began to form around the orange beam as it pierced into the skies, and a gloomy atmosphere began to surround the entire island. The populace of Ember Island would begin to look upwards at the sky one by one, and instead of the tropical weather that they were so accustomed to, they would see nothing but dark skies. A wave of fear would begin to eat at their hearts, an ominous feeling that would rock down to their very core.
A deafening laughter that resembled like a thousand hammers smashing down on a forge resounded throughout the entire island in response to the final call of the mages.
From his private room in his casino, a room entirely made out of glass for the floors, walls and ceiling that allowed him and personal guests to enjoy a splendid view of the island, the businessman who had started it all for Ember Island, Janus Burne was staring at the skies with his mouth wide open. He was the only one left standing in the room, albeit on very shaky legs, while the rest of his friends were either seated on the lounges or the ground as they stared at the top of the volcano with fear.
“Marris, Marris! Call the Magic Council! Inform them of what’s happening here!” Janus called out to his butler who responded with equal urgency, pouncing for the phone behind the bar and dialing in the numbers to the Magic Council fiercely. A very heated conversation ensued and when he finally put the phone down, Marris and Janus exchanged a look of pure terror when a voice as loud as thunder announced itself to the entire island.
“Bow down to Megido!!”
[1221 words]
The island was originally covered by palm trees and luscious vegetation, and within the span of two years with a huge team of workers laboring under the hot sun, the businessman had managed to clear up a portion of the land to create the site of many luxurious resorts and vacation homes for the wealthy. As more and more tourists had begun to head to the island, more and more businesses were created on the island. In fact, currently there was already a small city called Fire Town at the base of the volcano, where the main population of the island stay. Another interesting thing to note is the Ho’noo Festival that would take place on the island every year on the midsummer solstice.
Geographically, with the volcano in the middle of the island, Fire Town was located on the eastern coast of the island where normal tourists would be able to spend their days while the southern coast was mainly occupied by private homes with their own stretch of beaches. The only other significant place on Ember Island was the Reign of Fire, a casino built a quarter of the way up the volcano, where large glass walls on the casino would let their visitors enjoy the tropical scenery as they gambled. Reign of Fire was solely owned by the businessman who had opened up Ember Island, and he was no doubt the wealthiest and most influential person on the island.
However, today, the island’s peace was scheduled to be broken today. Five men, dressed in black hooded cloaks that were dyed in various shades of orange and red at the end of the sleeves and at the hem were making their way up the volcano. Each of them held a long staff, carved out of wood and each adorned with an orange gem, a spessartite garnet, carved in different shapes but all reflecting the design of a sun at their core. Behind them, dressed in plain black cloaks minus the hood, were their followers coming to a sum of twenty men. At the head of the pack of twenty followers were five men carrying a large curved package on their shoulders. The sweat pouring down their brows and the side of their faces were evidence enough of the weight they were carrying but none of them were complaining. This was a holy duty, to be entrusted with such an important part for their leaders plans.
The remaining fifteen were outfitted with weapons of all sorts, to protect the entire entourage as they headed up the volcano.
Five hours later, the entire group of twenty five were finally assembled at the top of the volcano. As though rehearsed, the five men carrying the large packages quickly put them down on the black soil and began to unpack them. The removal of the packaging material revealed each part to be a part of a circle, made out of an unknown material that hovered between black and silver. Each part could be folded out creating an even larger semi-circle and when all of the five pieces had been fully unfolded, they were finally connected together to form a circle. And the circle was just the right size to fully surround the mouth of the volcano.
The twenty followers retreated back a few steps to get out of the ways of their five leaders, as the latter stepped up onto the circular device. Each of them took up a point on the device, the space between each of them equidistant. All five of them had already directed their mana into the orange gem that topped their staffs and when the gems had glowed brightly, their staffs began to gently vibrate and hum with energy. The moment that happened, each of them gently tapped their staff on the device in sequence.
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap!
Magic runes began to carve themselves into the metallic device and as the runes appeared, the magma within the volcano began to bubble and boil, slowly but surely increasing in vigor. The temperature began to increase drastically, and the five mages standing atop the circular device began to chant in unison. Their voices, in harmony with the rumbling of the mountain, slowly grew in volume. The followers joined in as well when their chant reached a certain point. With twenty five voices chanting ominously at the same time, the magma within reacted even more violently before, huge bubbles caused by the boiling erupting and causing the molten fire to spray up into the air.
There were many times where the magma that had burst out of the volcano threatened to burn the five mages but each and every time that happened, the magma hit nothing but an orange translucent barrier.
“Hio!!” all five mages intoned loudly at the end, echoed by the twenty followers and at the same time, a bright orange beam of light burst forth from the mouth of the volcano, shooting right up into the sky with a thunderous roar. Dark clouds began to form around the orange beam as it pierced into the skies, and a gloomy atmosphere began to surround the entire island. The populace of Ember Island would begin to look upwards at the sky one by one, and instead of the tropical weather that they were so accustomed to, they would see nothing but dark skies. A wave of fear would begin to eat at their hearts, an ominous feeling that would rock down to their very core.
A deafening laughter that resembled like a thousand hammers smashing down on a forge resounded throughout the entire island in response to the final call of the mages.
From his private room in his casino, a room entirely made out of glass for the floors, walls and ceiling that allowed him and personal guests to enjoy a splendid view of the island, the businessman who had started it all for Ember Island, Janus Burne was staring at the skies with his mouth wide open. He was the only one left standing in the room, albeit on very shaky legs, while the rest of his friends were either seated on the lounges or the ground as they stared at the top of the volcano with fear.
“Marris, Marris! Call the Magic Council! Inform them of what’s happening here!” Janus called out to his butler who responded with equal urgency, pouncing for the phone behind the bar and dialing in the numbers to the Magic Council fiercely. A very heated conversation ensued and when he finally put the phone down, Marris and Janus exchanged a look of pure terror when a voice as loud as thunder announced itself to the entire island.
“Bow down to Megido!!”
[1221 words]
Last edited by Shane Stern on 22nd October 2019, 12:34 am; edited 2 times in total