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There was nothing left to mark the great Necromancer's passage. His history, lineage and very future now destroyed. Vampires lingered at the limits of their masters' wroth, confused as to what this portent meant. Marius, exposed features black from the soot of the dead building, strode into the center of the ruins, ignoring the pain of the stinging heat and choking smoke.

Kneeling down slowly, bending a knee into the coals, the master necromancer shifted the ash upon the ground, wiping clean a single, glowing rune. Pressing his palm against it, Marius began to chant the words of a spell, only to be interrupted by cruel laughter. The taunting grew in tempo and bass as it surged towards Marius, cutting the dawning sky with its rapture.

"Gizash." Marius said, without moving. His eyes grew as fierce as the coals he knelt by.

"Who else, my apprentice?" The voice goaded, moving amongst the coals in yet another stolen body. "You had the nerve to contradict yourself, strike out at me, and leave yourself unguarded, all in the space of a night. You have a ways to learn about the path you walk, whelp." Spat the dark spirit.

Marius knew his banishing of Gizash had been a trick. Gizash was far more powerful than he now appeared. Marius did not move, and the spirit spoke on.

"Your attempts at emulating me are futile. What you had desired you have foolishly lost, and now you have nothing. I am done wasting my time with you." Gizash condemned his one-time apprentice, before the foul words to a necromantic spell came to his lips.

Marius knew what was about to come, and yet he did not move. Head bowed, amidst the ruin and bereft of pride, there was very little left to him. Anger flared inside of him, choking and blinding him within as much as the smoke did without. Gizash began to taunt him again, before unleashing the words of the spell. A terrible halo of dark energy surrounded Marius, expanding out first to fill the tower ruins, and then reaching the very borders of Vesper itself. The sphere annhilated everything it passed over: trees, buildings, people and the cowering vampires that could not escape it's embrace.

Gizash remained unharmed, laughing the entire time. Finally the magic of the spell faded, and Gizash could see no trace of Marius, nor anything else for that matter. All that lay before him was ruin and destruction. A blighted landscape that pleased the evil spirit. He basked in the corruption of it.

"Oh Marius," gloated Gizash. Bereft of his body now, he drifted towards the place where Marius had knelt, suddenly curious as to why he remained there kneeling so. Investigating, Gizash saw that Marius had marked the runes to a spell within the ash. Gizash read them.

"Kal .. Ort .. Vas.. NO!" Gizash tried to recoil from the magic runes, but it was too late. A swirling vortex of darkness burst like fire from the scrawlings, bearing red eyes and a cruel sneer.

Marius, in wraith form, struck at his master with sudden and unbridled fury.

The clash was violent and powerful, yet silent. The two twisted spirits battled on a plane separate from Britannia, and the spells they wrought were terrible indeed. Finally, at a standstill, Marius leaned heavily on his staff, while Gizash crouched low. Each eyed the other with utter contempt. They knew the next move would be the deciding factor in this deadly game.

"Ever the coward, Marius." Gizash gasped, ragged through exertion. His words were thick with venom.

"Ever the fool, Gizash." Marius retorted, raising his staff up high and pointing a finger at Gizash. Gizash, in turn, threw both his hands back. Each began their most potent and deadly spells. The shadowplane trembled with power. The spells collided. The resulting explosion was a wave of rippling necromantic energy, which tore the land asunder.

"You'll not be rid of me this easily!" Gizash swore, even as he was blasted out of sight, while Marius used his remaining strength to move through worlds and back to the tower. Exhausted, he slumped down, unconscious.

Several hours passed.

Marius awoke slowly, to the full realisation of what had happened. Amdist the debris of his home, the necromancer slowly stood, taking with him a handful of ash.

"And so it ends." He said slowly, "The fates have come full circle. I Marius the Black, have risen to the place of my mentor, and fallen again. Gizash resides in broken Malas, and Britannia sleeps another night not knowing - nor caring of what transpires 'neath it's guileless eye."

Marius spread the ashes into the air in an arc, drawing his hood back to gaze upon the now-night sky with his cold, grey eyes.

"But know this, Britannia. Marius the Black remains, 'ere yet. For whatever travesty and trevails I withstand, I shalt always return, for it is my destiny to rule this land."

The great Necromancer surveyed the ruins of Vesper about him, and the vampires already creeping this way.

"Oh yes," Marius said, a cruel chuckle building in his throat, "I shall return from the ashes once more, fair Britannia. Mark ye the passing days, for soon comes your last."

And with a word, he was gone.

In the distance, the lights of Britannia sparkled anew, like glistening jems, and a cloud of bats swarmed towards them.

<fin.>

Sweet.

Will there be other stories yet to come?

I have to wonder if Gizash is as vanquished as Marius believes. Gizash is so steeped in evil and circular deceptions, one has to suspect. Beware, o' dark follower, beware o' Marius triumphant. Although you may feel that all is certain now, remember that when things seem the most solid, they can fragment uncontrollably.


Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.


ps: I love your stories!

Stay tuned for another story. "From the Ashes" is at an end, yes, but my creative streak is not. I just need another inspirational idea, and there'll be a new story.

At a guess, probably some time this weekend. But, I make no promises.

-M

I want to hear more Master Marius the Black...

Can the next one be about puppies?

Cute little puppies that are raised on nothing but human flesh and eventually consume their owners in a bloodpath of intestines and entrails... soon followed by their merciless pleight through the city streets, ferociously slaughtering children and innocent bistanders for their insatiable appetite only for the bloodlust to not only continue but grow in power?

Can it? "^_^"

~Cindy

No no no no no.

Marmots are the way to go. Who would be afraid of puppies? Marmots on the other hand....