|
He
gritted his teeth at the final proof that this storm was entirely
supernatural, created as it was, by the dark gnome and aimed at him. He
mentally kicked himself for being taken by surprise yet again. He looked
back at the harbour and the few figures of inshore fishermen who were
securing their small fishing boats against the sudden storm. He looked
back at the sky and came to a decision.
The
best from of defence against this storm was attack and the best way to do
that was from somewhere up high. He studied the two areas of high ground
that overlooked the harbour and decided which the best for what he had in
mind and then began to climb the coastal path up to the promontory that
overlooked the harbour.
More
lightning flashed across the sky, swiftly followed by the rumble of
thunder. Cold rain now bit in to his face, driven as it was, by the fierce
wind as he slowly climbed to the top of the cliff. Below him, he could
make out the white caps of the waves smashing in to and over the harbour
walls. There was no nobody insight, everyone, as far as he could see had
headed inside for cover. He thought wryly to himself, now that is where I
should be if I had any sense, but then I can be stubborn when I want to
be, especially when it comes to dealing with the dark magic of Horrin.
Spray
flew through the air from the tops of the harbour walls as huge waves
exploded against the heavy stone walls. The small fishing boats safety
anchored inside the harbour violently rocked as waved entered the harbour
mouth to run up the beach within. Visibility was now extremely poor due to
heavy rain and this was made worse by the gradually fading light of day as
the evening approached.
He
finally reached the summit of the cliff that overlooked the harbour and he
turned to face the storm and began to chant in gnomish, while holding the
glowing runic staff with both hands. The pommel of the staff was now
glowing blue white, not unlike the charm used to light the way in dark
places, but the light was much more intense.
A
thunderbolt slammed in to the ground not far from where he was standing
leaving a smoking crater. The sound of the bang that followed was ear
shattering, but Gorrin continued his chanting. The close proximity of this
thunderbolt had caused some energy to lance sideways towards Gorrin, but
it had collided with the invisible shield created by his bracelet. The
shield now glowed with a blue light at the contact with the electricity
reinforced as it was, by the energy.
The
wind was now whipping Gorrin’s words away as quickly as they were
uttered but their power was undiminished. Despite the rain, Gorrin felt
the hairs on the nape of his neck stand on end and the strange sensation
spread over the hairs on his body. He understood what was coming next and
was not disappointed. A spilt second later, a thunderbolt ran down from
the swirling clouds overhead, directly towards where he was standing and
he braced himself for the impact.
Wham!
The bolt struck the bracelet’s shield and an electric blue glow
enveloped him, but the shield held. It was quickly followed by another
bolt and then another, but all they did was reinforce the shield more.
Gorrin distinctly heard the shriek of a frustrated Horrin on the wind that
swirled around him. The shield was now so powerful, that the wind and the
rain were completely screened off and Gorrin found he was standing in an
oasis of calm surrounded by a blue white dome of light. The wind and the
rain outside the shield vainly tried to claw their way though the shield,
to no avail.
Gorrin
completed the incantation and thrust the runic staff firmly in to the
ground with all the strength he could muster. Blue white energy radiated
out from where the staff hit the ground, but there was no sound with it.
It spread outwards and upwards in to the storm in an every expanding shell
of light. When it finally reached the clouds they lit up with a huge
firework display as the lightning was grounded out into the sea. The
rumble of thunder was deafening, and despite the peace and calm of the
shield, Gorrin could hear Horrin’s shrieks of frustration and anger as
his storm was destroyed by this very powerful magic.
Almost
as quickly as the storm had started, it began to disappear and the wind
dropped away almost immediately. With the wind now gone, the wave subsided
very quickly, and the boiling sea began to calm itself. With one last
gesture of anger, a final thunderbolt smashed vainly in to Gorrin’s
shield then the air was quiet. The clouds began to melt away, slowly at
first, then more rapidly as the enchantment fell away.
The
fading light of the sun began to appear in the west and Gorrin looked over
and smiled. He had ceased chanting, as soon as the blue white light had
been released and now he looked around to see what damage might have been
caused by the supernatural storm. He nodded, satisfied that he had
destroyed this storm completely though he was concerned that some people
might have been caught out in it, but he realised that he had done all he
could to stop it.
|