Reaching for the shadow

[Vastgoten]

The poorly lit table held mostly dust, yet in the center space had been cleared for the grim workings of the dark wizard.

Bent over his gruesome work Arghivius snarled as he finished pouring dirt over a small carcass nailed to the wooden table. By now the damp had penetrated deep into his worn and simple robes, the chill ready to start gnawing at his skin.
Yet his mind sheltered him from such feelings. He was too excited as he opened the page of the large tome he recently had stolen, and better yet, had started to understand.

Dark words spilled from his lips as he raised his hand over the small corpse. At first nothing happened. Marrent repeated the procedure once more, adding even more of the wet dirt over the dead rats body.

This time he felt something. A hollow reach.
Excited he empowered his voice and focused his hands movement into perfection!

A small tension in the rats flesh rushed through the little body. It moved, its head raising from the table. Marrent stared in awe at his work. For a second, maybe two, he felt complete.

Then it all disappeared, the reach slipped away from the wizards will and the little rat collapsed yet again.

Cursing Marrent threw the table aside. Why!? Why did he keep failing!? Clawing at his own face he struggled to keep himself under control. But this was nothing new, he was used to fail.
Standing up he grabbed his walking stick, an old rusty bucket, and some rope. He would fetch another, and another until the dark reach accepted him as its master...

[Vastgoten]

Crawling through the dirt Marrent started to sweat. The effort had put a strain on him and he was afraid, very afraid. The graves loomed over him like dark judges without any mercy. And why should they have, he was performing nothing but crimes and sins in their eyes.

For Marrent however, it was something completely different. He so yearned after the recognition he knew the shadow could provide to individuals, such as himself. The darkness slowly lowered itself over the grave yard as the last candle was extinguished. He had taken candles and dirt, items he hoped held dark energies to aid him in his sinister efforts. The deed itself would create confusion and hopefully contribute to a sense of hopelessness among the hated servants of the light. It was now that he should leave. He had succeeded in what he came to do. But a sudden rush of ambition made him hesitate. Knowing that he lacked the power he could not help but try to expand on this task. Maybe, tonight would be different he mused.

Raising his arms he offered a dark prayer, hoping it would give him protection.

I curse you to eternal damnation he hissed at the dead. Bow before the darkness as is your destiny. The blinding light has held you back for too long. I...
He froze. The sound of footsteps grew closer, they were not human...

He turned to run but it was too late. The shadow fell over him and he all but managed to suffocate a scream for help. He knew that the people in front of the temple would come and aid anyone seeking it. But if he did, he would reveal what he had just done. Instead he scratched and kicked at the monstrous creature attacking him, trying to retreat at the same time. It was a futile struggle and just as the creature were about to bury his sharp fangs in Marrents exposed neck the wizard stumbled and fell backwards. They had reached the cliff and there was nowhere else to go. Marrents tumble down the cliff ended in a pile of garbage.

Raising his head from the mud he only registered that the creature had chosen not to follow him down, maybe he was saved through this clumsy maneuver. Quickly he rose to his feet and hurried off, his pride more hurt then his battered flesh.