Phantasm
Note from Eliste: Since Phantasm doesn't talk , he spoke through Mish, and then later Greta. Enjoy.

Eliste stood in a hallway, one that must of been built by giants. She looked down the halls hoping to catch a glimpse of her next story. A few days a go someone told her that Phantasm had an interesting story, and that she would enjoy speaking with him. Sadly she hadn't been able to find in since then.

Well I mustn't lose hope, my sources told me that he is usually invisible and is a part of coven, so if I just ask his fellow followers then I may be able to find him that way.

Eliste closed her eyes and sent a thought out to Coulter.

"Uhm...I hope not to be disturbing you but I was wondering if you have seen Phantasm, around?"

"He was around earlier."

"I guess I missed him, thank you. But could you give him a message for me next time you see him?"

Silence. I guess he left.

Eliste opened her eyes, trying to decide what to do next. Her eyes widened as she heard a voice in her head, it was Lins.

"What's up?"

"I was wondering if you could let Phantasm know I wish to speak with him the next time he is around?"

"I guess you gotta send him a note for that."

"Oh ok. Thank you."

Well I'll go to Mish's office and draft up a note for Phantasm.

Eliste walked down the stairs towards Mish's counter.

Mish opened an unseen container, and placed some gold inside.

"After bankers' charges and my expenses, 10000 gold coins have been added to your account, Phantasm."

Eliste blinked as she heard Mish utter his name.

"Phantasm? I was wondering if I could have a bit of your time?"

Mish's eyes glazed over, and began to speak with a voice that wasn't her own.

"Elaborate."

Someone can make Mish speak? I hope I didn't miss him, I hope he's still here.

"Phantasm?"

"He's still here, he isn't quite that rude, what do you want of him."

Eliste sighed relieved that she hadn't missed him yet again.

"Phantasm, I was told you had a very interesting story, and as I am part of FoLK I enjoy collecting the stories of others."

"Alright, please go to Greta, less noisy there."

"Thank you."

Eliste walked down the hall to Greta's office. In Greta's office there was a classifieds' desk. Greta sat near it waiting for people to place their advertisement.

"Phantasm? May I look at you?"

Greta's eyes glaze over with the same look that Mish had when Phantasm made her speak.

"One moment."

Eliste rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, nervously waiting to see the man she had been looking for.

A skeletal hand grabbed Eliste's shoulder. Eyes widened she turned around to see Phantasm emerge from the shadows.

On one of you occasional glances around the room you see a point in the corner. On closer inspection a form of a crouching elf becomes apparent. The point of light is his right eye, a trickle of blood is coming from his closed left eye and the side of his mouth. The blood is the darkest red you've ever seen and stands in contrast to his very pale and scorched skin. His armor appears very black, but it looks like it wasn't always that way, almost as if the color was sucked out of it. His left arm appears to have no skin below the elbow.

Phantasm bowed deeply with a flourish that twisted the shadows in the room. With that he faded out of existence.

Eliste curtseyed in the direction that Phantasm was standing.

"Was the look sufficient?"

Eliste slowly nodded.

Dare I ask about his body, the pain that has been inflicted on it?

"Well.... I'm not sure how to ask this."

Eliste bit her lip.

"Ask frankly, do not be afraid."

"Thank you."

"Why is it that you do not speak for yourself, and why is it that you have blood on your face."

Clicks sounded in the air, as if made by finger bones.

"W...why is it that you have'.

Eliste closed her eyes and saw the bare left arm in her mind.

"Such pain in your left arm?"

A shadow pulled back and his left arm was revealed with no skin below the elbow.

Eliste stared in horror, she quickly shut her eyes and looked away.

Dear Clue, how could anyhow live with that?

His arm fell back into the shadows.

"That is two of three sacrifices, answer swiftly what the third is and it will be your benefit."

What is the third? Try and visualize him. The point of light is his right eye, a trickle of blood is coming from his closed left eye and the side of his mouth. His left eye.

"Your left eye has been hurt."

Once again the shadows parted revealing Phantasm. He opened his eye, dipped the quill in the socket and wrote in quickly greying blood on the wall: My left eye is no more."

Eliste let a small cry out as she turned away.

"You have answered swift enough, you have asked about the sacrifices, but you will now get more."

"Thank you."

"Very well, his story begins long ago in the town of Nydia'.

Eliste scribbled notes in her journal.

"He grew up in the streets steeling from travelers like all the little children around there. He thus made a grasp at the thieve's guild. He soon realized the benefit of the magic of the world. But, before he decided to take up that path he was approached by Torchbearer and invited to join the Arcanes'.

"Am I allowed to ask questions?"

"'I suppose."

"Who are the Aracanes."

"Ah, The Angels of the Arcane, that was so long ago, they were about anti-nashism, completely evil, but a break from the evil of Nash. This was back when Nashites roamed the earth and inspired more fear and hate than seems possible these days."

"Well, Phantasm did not join on the spot, but he remembered. He learned a bit more in the thieving field and then took up the study of magic before he joined. After a while amongst the Arcanes Torchbearer left the realm. The general migration was towards Chaos lead by Natas. Phantasm followed, he knew he was evil. Then Natas left, oh joy, un-aligned again."

Eliste looked down sadly at her notes.

"Phantasm lost hope there, even though the new following of Coven offered a home to old chaos."

Eliste looked up with a bit of hope in her eyes.

" He then faded from the realm."

Eliste let a tear escape, it dropped on her page.

"Many years later his spirit grew stronger, he knew he was pure in spirit and must become pure in body. Thus he was reborn as an Elf. He was whole in body and spirit, but not in mind. He didn't realize that his true role was not as a thief hiding in the shadows, but a mage of the shadows. As he looked around at the quite new world, he spied a following that inspired memories. That following was Mayhem, he met and liked Artanis. But after a bit of growth in both the thieving and magely practice he realized that the only part about mayhem he liked was Artanis. He also realized that his impure mind had nearly broken his body, it was frail and weak. He had no intention of returning to Mayhem, but he didn't want to leave them poorly, so he gave all his equipment to a fellow follower, and destroyed the impurity.

Eliste blinked in surprise at the implication.

"He was born again in the body of an elf with the mind of a mage. At his fourth ascension he knew he must become a shadow in body. He took his thieve's dirk from his training, had it heated by a mage, and placed the dirk in his mouth, and removed his tongue."

Eliste gaged at the thought of such self inflicted horror.

"With his tongue gone he could assume the surname of Anei. Well, he cut it out and placed it in his pocket. He knew it would be useful later. In any event, Artanis knew he would soon be leaving the realm too, so he asked Phantasm to return for that. Phantasm agreed, but he decided to make a penance sacrifice, the by product of a wisdom procedure. He spoke to Artanis through the re-attached tongue about this. Then, after asking for a cleric to aid with the second sacrifice. And instructing in what must be done. He removed his tongue a second time."

Eliste gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.

"Then had the cleric place his hands around his left eye, and removed the eye with the use of a boar's tusk."

Tears flowed freely from Eliste's eyes dampening her journal.

"Artanis accepted the sacrifice and he followed to the last day of Mayhem. Where he spoke a second time, this time with the use of a tongue of light provided by Artanis himself. But he and light don't often occupy the same place at the same time for long, the tongue dissolved to his joy soon after he spoke. He was alone shortly before he found Vorax. The shadow finally joined the shadows. On his joining, he sacrificed his tongue, to have truly sacrificed his voice to the life of shadow. He got to know a few of the following, many more vocal than he would have liked, but it could hardly have been helped. Then Vorax left. That was all well and good, but now he needed someone to follow to be considered evil. Then he saw that the fledgling following that had so long ago offered shelter to the Chaos had grown. It had grown larger than he could have ever hoped. He now had hope that there would finally be a following that would last for him."

Finally, I hope he finds a place to stay.

"Well, in order to join he needed to do a few things. He needed to prove himself trustworthy and resourceful. Among other things. But there is one thing he did not need to d, but he felt he must. He must make a sacrifice of the flesh to the Lady Bliss. To do this he drew upon wisdom he did not possess. Through the power of the gift of his eye he made powerful echoing incantations. Echoes of guttural sounds cause the spells to work, the echoes don't have to be powerful, but they have to be possible. Well, he passed his right hand along the skin of his left arm from below his elbow. His skin fell onto the altar and the bones of his wrist and hand fell into the palm."

Eliste felt her stomach heave.

Please don't throw up, keep calm, must keep writing.

"Not quite as violent as his other sacrifices, but Bliss accepted it by taking the skin. His finger and wrist bones returned to the correct place and became operable. With one stipulation."

Eliste raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"His arm was forever bound to Bliss, and the skin is kept..."

"Well, that's between him and her and those she wishes to know."

"That is his story."

"Thank you very much."

The shadows moved as they appeared to nod.

Eliste closed her journal, and put her pen away.

"Now he must be off."

"Thank you very much. Yours is a very sad tale."

Eliste looked around the shadows.

I don't think he's there. Well I'll just sit here and compose myself.

She moved to a corner, hugged her legs and cried for the pain he went through.

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