06-27-2010, 03:56 PM
"You're sure this will work?" Rincewindy asks the small fellow.
"It's a simple proceedure," the goblin replies.
"I was actually more concerned with the success rate?" Rincewindy starts to get up from the surgical table.
The goblin gently pushes him back down. "You want this lost memory of yours, you'll get it. I am fully trained in the art of Gnomish engineering. You just need to sit back and relax, and let me do my job."
"Of course."
The goblin puts the gas mask over Rincewindy's mouth. "Just breath normally and deeply. I have calibrated the gas to account for your biological differences."
The world goes dark.
In a small house in the countryside, a young boy is helping his mother in the kitchen. They are making cookies in the kitchen.
It on the hillside, right outside the house. The boy, slightly older, has fallen. "Razan?!" the mother calls, and comes running. She takes him inside and takes care of the wound.
A young boy is sitting in the middle of the room, blocks all around him; his father is stomping out a small fire on the carpet.
The boy is enrolled in a school. There is an explosion. The boy is taken home, singed and shaken, but for the most part, unharmed.
The father and the boy are out in the field. The father is trying to teach his son how to control the magic.
The boy is enrolled in a special school in Scholomance, a school that will help him learn to control his power.
It is between classes, the boy is talking to a girl with red hair; he leans forward all of a sudden and kisses her on the lips. The girl with red hair shrieks and runs away.
The young man is receiving his achievement of graduation. He is giving a speech to his classmates; he is handsome and witty and the desire of many young ladies hearts; the speech begins seriously then turns to something more playful. The class gives him a standing ovation, the teachers looking on scornfully.
The young man is closing up a shop; he waves goodbye to his master. Sitting outside is a young lady with long red hair. She greets him with a kiss. They ride over to his parentsâ house and he introduces Anya to them. They get along fantastically.
The young man is dressed in a black suit and standing by a fountain in Strathholme with a priest looking on. The young manâs heart is beating furiously. He sees his fiance, wearing a white satin gown, walking towards him from under an archway decorated with white lilies. The ceremony is short, the vows spoken, and they seal their love with a kiss.
The young couple is sliding down a snow covered hill in the Altarac Mountains on a toboggan. The young man leans closer to her and kisses her. They lose their balance and tumble out, laughing and rolling down the hill.
The young couple is back in Strathholme for their first anniversary. The young lady is stroking a bulging belly. She goes into a coughing, and the young man looks concerned. She tells him it's just a summer cold and that she gets it every summer. He suggests that they go see a priest later on in the week, just to make sure. She agrees.
They are enjoying a nice picnic next to the fountain at which they were married when there is a commotion heard at the gates. A young boy comes running around the bend and tells everyone to run, the guards are killing off the citizens. The couple hurries towards the southern gate to find that there are guards posted at it. They rush back into the city. A young lady signals for Razan and Anya to follow her. They reach the young lady's house and hide from the guards in a hidden room in the basement. The young lady is one of Razan's classmates from school, her name: Miarra.
The young couple finds out that some of the citizens have been turning into strange mindless creatures. The guards have come to cull the creatures and the citizens, without discerning whether or not they have become a creature.
Several weeks pass, the three are still hiding in the basement. Miarra has lost hope that her family will return. Anya's cough has gotten worse. Miarra goes out to get water and never returns. Anya is getting paler with each passing day. Razan knows that if he doesn't get her to a priest soon, she will not make it. He finds a small cart during the early morning and places his wife gently in it. Her skin has lost its luster and her eyes have gone listless. He pushes the cart towards the gates, hiding when he hears or sees anyone approaching. He stifles a spasm of coughs in his sleeve. He gets as close as he dares to the gates. He prepares a spell and casts it on the cart holding his wife and himself to make them invisible. He moves as fast as he dares, trying to keep as quiet as possible. He is at the entrance to the city moving at a snail's crawl, his skin coated with sweat from the exertion of keeping the spell up. All of a sudden, a loud ungodly noise comes from the cart. His wife lunges at him, fingers now claw, outstretched and reaching for him. He stumbles backwards trying to fend her off.
The young man's spell of invisibility dissipates and the guards race towards the two. His wife lands on him, and with a strength that she never possessed, pins him to the ground. He is looking into her lifeless eyes when a crossbow bolt whips her head backwards. The other guard finishes the job with his sword.
Razan rushes towards his dead wife, guards closing in. He is screaming at the guards for killing his wife. He is raging at the world for the plague. He is roaring at the gods for choosing his wife. Arcane energy blasts from his soul, knocking back the guards. He kneels down next to his wife and holds her for one last time. More guards come, and he unleashes huge fireballs at them. He strokes her face, not noticing the inhuman appearance that it has taken on. He unclasps the necklace from around her neck. His eyes then grasp the reality of her features. He backs off, horrified.
The young man is running, hand gripping tight around the necklace. He is far away from the city and lost in the forest. He collapses in a clearing and mourns for the loss of his wife. He kisses the engagement and wedding rings on the necklace. His wife had taken them off her finger as she had gained weight. Anya's mother had lent her the necklace until there was a chance to resize the rings or lose the gained weight. He found himself laughing when he remembered the look on her face. His laughter broke into a fit of coughing, and then he was weeping uncontrollably.
The young man is huddled against a tree, rain pouring down. His skin feels like its burning, his head in agonizing pain. His hands hold the rings against his heart. He knows his time is short. He prays to his wife and feels the last remnants of humanity escape from his body and mind.