Birth of a Protinel
Alexander's lungs ached, his whole body screamed for him to not rush back in. But all that mattered was there were only six children out here now, getting medical attention, and one high pitched voice screaming for help just barely audible to him over the flames crackling, as the fire roared further to life, beginning to creep up the structure. Flames licked into sight through the window that lined up the with the staircase of the orphanage, showing the fire creeping up between the first and second floor.
Someone tried to stop him, but Alexander brushed them off, as he choked back more coughing, forcing his already hot and pained lungs to breath deep the chilled Suranthi air. "One more time, we can do this, its worth the risk." he told himself, as he found strength he didn't know he had. Running into the building, the smoke and ash thick, the heat so strong that it almost knocked the wind out of him from the sudden change in temperature. He moved through the building to the rear stairwell, praying to Kartheart above that the blaze was not yet creeping up that set. To his disbelief, he found he was just in time, leaping over some flames licking up from cracked floorboards, the hissing of boiler pipes warning him there'd be more gouts of heat and flame to come. He pounded his way up the stairs, the air here for a moment a little less ash filled and damning. Using that brief moment he exhaled, yelling out "Anvi'besi!!! Anvi'besi, do not move, just yell, yell as loud as you can, I'll come to your voice!" before taking a deep breath of the swiftly warming air, choking back another surge of pain as his lungs tried to convince him to cough, to give up.
Instead he ran on, following the coughs and calls of the elven child's voice, which was swiftly weakening. Alex knew time was short, as he burst through a door, hearing the sound of the boiler pipes below rupturing, the tell tale burst of hot air telling him without looking the stairs he'd come up were now blocked. He located the girl, panicked on her cot, eyes wide, coughing and crying. "Damn, nothing for it then." he told himself, not even hesitating, knowing what he was about to do might very well cost him his life. He rushed forward scooping the girl up, holding her close to his chest...as he pitched himself and her out the window, shielding her body from the shattering glass with his own. He turned as he leapt, insuring she'd be above him, and held her tight, doing what little he could to protect her body from the coming impact. The last thing he consciously remembered before the impact, the cracking and crunching of his own bones, and the blindingly white hot pain was thinking a simple prayer, a simple request. "Kartheart take me if that's the damned cost, but let her live. A child doesn't deserve to die like this."
The pain began to fade, giving way to sounds of merryment, feasting and boasting. Alexander tried to blink, his eyelids feeling like they each weighed as much as an anchor. He felt like a man out of time, like years or even decades had passed since his last waking memory. Why was their a grinding sensation to blinking? As his surroundings came into focus, he saw a strange sight indeed. A feast hall to outdo any that could be imagined, with man and mythical creature all around, strange entities and beings laughing and boasting. A voice bellowed from the head of the table, sounding as a dwarf though seeming the form of a an armored statue of epic proportions. "Ach, 'nother nae arrival, see how he blinks! Ye died a 'ero laddie, and now ye find yerself a shield o' Suranth proper, a place on Mount Valor earned to ye. Eat hearty o' proper mountain iron and drink deep the firewater o' divinity! Ye've earned it, an' yer place as a Protinel, a fellow citizen o' Kartheart's realm!!"
Alexander spoke, somewhat groggily, feeling strange in every way, his body not feeling like his body. "The girl," he spoke, surprised at how low and crunchy, like gravel beneath a wagon on a tundra road, sounded. "Anvi'besi, is she alright, did she live?"
"Aye laddie, she did at that. She's grown nae, an' married. Named 'er first born after yerself. Ye did good, ye earned yer place 'ere as the rest o' us. Acclimatin' takes a wee bit o' time, but you'll get used to it. Eventually."
Someone tried to stop him, but Alexander brushed them off, as he choked back more coughing, forcing his already hot and pained lungs to breath deep the chilled Suranthi air. "One more time, we can do this, its worth the risk." he told himself, as he found strength he didn't know he had. Running into the building, the smoke and ash thick, the heat so strong that it almost knocked the wind out of him from the sudden change in temperature. He moved through the building to the rear stairwell, praying to Kartheart above that the blaze was not yet creeping up that set. To his disbelief, he found he was just in time, leaping over some flames licking up from cracked floorboards, the hissing of boiler pipes warning him there'd be more gouts of heat and flame to come. He pounded his way up the stairs, the air here for a moment a little less ash filled and damning. Using that brief moment he exhaled, yelling out "Anvi'besi!!! Anvi'besi, do not move, just yell, yell as loud as you can, I'll come to your voice!" before taking a deep breath of the swiftly warming air, choking back another surge of pain as his lungs tried to convince him to cough, to give up.
Instead he ran on, following the coughs and calls of the elven child's voice, which was swiftly weakening. Alex knew time was short, as he burst through a door, hearing the sound of the boiler pipes below rupturing, the tell tale burst of hot air telling him without looking the stairs he'd come up were now blocked. He located the girl, panicked on her cot, eyes wide, coughing and crying. "Damn, nothing for it then." he told himself, not even hesitating, knowing what he was about to do might very well cost him his life. He rushed forward scooping the girl up, holding her close to his chest...as he pitched himself and her out the window, shielding her body from the shattering glass with his own. He turned as he leapt, insuring she'd be above him, and held her tight, doing what little he could to protect her body from the coming impact. The last thing he consciously remembered before the impact, the cracking and crunching of his own bones, and the blindingly white hot pain was thinking a simple prayer, a simple request. "Kartheart take me if that's the damned cost, but let her live. A child doesn't deserve to die like this."
The pain began to fade, giving way to sounds of merryment, feasting and boasting. Alexander tried to blink, his eyelids feeling like they each weighed as much as an anchor. He felt like a man out of time, like years or even decades had passed since his last waking memory. Why was their a grinding sensation to blinking? As his surroundings came into focus, he saw a strange sight indeed. A feast hall to outdo any that could be imagined, with man and mythical creature all around, strange entities and beings laughing and boasting. A voice bellowed from the head of the table, sounding as a dwarf though seeming the form of a an armored statue of epic proportions. "Ach, 'nother nae arrival, see how he blinks! Ye died a 'ero laddie, and now ye find yerself a shield o' Suranth proper, a place on Mount Valor earned to ye. Eat hearty o' proper mountain iron and drink deep the firewater o' divinity! Ye've earned it, an' yer place as a Protinel, a fellow citizen o' Kartheart's realm!!"
Alexander spoke, somewhat groggily, feeling strange in every way, his body not feeling like his body. "The girl," he spoke, surprised at how low and crunchy, like gravel beneath a wagon on a tundra road, sounded. "Anvi'besi, is she alright, did she live?"
"Aye laddie, she did at that. She's grown nae, an' married. Named 'er first born after yerself. Ye did good, ye earned yer place 'ere as the rest o' us. Acclimatin' takes a wee bit o' time, but you'll get used to it. Eventually."
The most common type of celestial creature from Mount Valor, the celestial domain of Sir Kartheart.
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