Mini-Grand 5106 [SUDDEN DEATH]

Originally posted on MSPA by Ixcalibur.

---

The Elder Ransajan's mindscape normally resembled a peaceful day alongside the river. Today his meditations were different, he had allowed the book in and it had twisted and tore his mindscape to ribbons. Around him bloodthirsty Brenites clashed with one another, fighting for their country but mainly fighting for fun. Some rode atop fearsome beasts. The air stunk of death and the river ran red with blood. At the very back of his mind a bespectacled man strode across the battlefield, with the book. He would point and read and burning death would emerge from his fingertips. Ransajan did not need to continue this meditation for very long to know that this book was the blackest of omens and should be cast from their village immediately.

He emerged from his meditations and holding the heavy book away from him he emerged from his hut. Even though his attention was fixed upon the grim tome, it did not take him long to realize something was wrong. The village was all but empty, the only noise a beautiful melody. In the middle of the village there stood a naked woman. There was something bewilderingly familiar about this strange woman, and the song that washed over him. Gripping the tome closer to him he found himself walking towards the dark-skinned stranger. He came to a stop before her and looked into her crystal blue eyes. In her eyes he saw not the woman that stood before him, but the river itself. He saw the tempestuous and impulsive spirit who often crept into his meditations.

"Ransajan." she said. "Be honoured that I chose you."

The Elder, stronger willed than most, snapped out of it and stepped back, he made to turn, to flee but hands grasped him and pulled him to the floor. He glanced around; three of his own tribesmen were holding him down, with more force than they ought have been able to. Their eyes were glazed over, their expressions blank, their clothing discarded. The book had landed open on the dirt. The breeze rifled through its pages. Suddenly the village was filling with his tribesmen, all bearing the same blank expression. Some carried the spears they had used in life; those that didn't didn't look any less threatening. A young girl, Ransajan’s niece, carried a crude wooden bowl towards the river spirit.

“Let them go!” Ransajan demanded, struggling ineffectually against the grasp of his kin.

“They’re at peace with me.” The River, Ataya, said. “You will be too.” The river spirit straddled the elder, as one of her thralls placed the bowl in her stolen hands. A little river water splashed onto the elder’s robes. “Just drink…” He glanced to the side, his eyes desperately alighting on the open pages of the book. One of his tribe jerked his head upright and held his nose, as Ataya lowered the bowl of river water to his mouth. Ransajan desperately mumbled the only words he could remember. Beneath them the earth shook and rumbled. Ataya’s thralls stumbled just long enough for Ransajan to knock the bowl from her hands, spilling the water onto the dirt floor. In the momentary confusion he got free and grabbed the accursed book. Ataya screamed at her servants to be after him, her beauty now faded to monstrousness.

Elder Ransajan fled into the jungle, dodging spears and stepping over the rapidly forming cracks in the ground, the book clutched to his chest.

--------

Elsewhere the other chix trekked through the jungle. They’d noticed what sounded alarmingly like Ataya singing. They had unanimously opted to pretend it wasn’t happening; only becoming aware that there was something wrong with the song when Pascal started dragging Zaffy towards the source of the song, seemingly deaf to her protests otherwise. Mindy still wept for Edward. The others largely ignored her.

Show Content

SpoilerI figure that what Ranjasan saw wasn't an actual battle or anything more sort of an interpretation of the books past. Hence why imaginary Mattilus was using the book.

#007639 for Rajansan