"Who calls,' the Elven knight answers
weakly,
the terror in Rimmer's voice very evident.
"Who and what I am matters not, what
matters
is that if you continue this day the way you
started it by sunset you will be amongst the
fallen on this field."
The knight pants in terror now, "you think
I
know that not? But I don't see any way out of it
either. What do you expect me to do? Charge back
into that slaughter to my death? I think not. I
would rather break my sword and renounce my lands
and title."
From the shadows the voice laughs a cold
mocking laugh, "I offer something better than that
Lord Rimmer," the voice pauses, 'How would you
like to go home a hero, the savior of the
day?"
The Elven knight scoffs, "How, I am out of
magic, my mantle is exhausted, and I think that my
sword arm is broken. And you, someone unseen,
expect me to save the day? Again I ask how?"
"That is the easy part Rimmer, I help you."
Again the pause, 'but first you must help me."
"Help you?" Rimmer looks about and sees the
advance guard making their way to his concealed
position. "How?" There is now desperation in his
voice as well as terror.
The voice sighs in pleasure, finally he
found
one, now came the tricky part. "See the stone not
but a hand span from your right hand?"
Rimmer looks about for a moment, "The moss
covered one?"
"Yes, that is the one, lift it,"
Rimmer's hand touches the stone and he
tries
to move it one handed.
"Use both hand Lord Rimmer, both hands, and
get a good grip." The voice sounds very eager
now.
Rimmer shifts his position slightly to get
a
better grip on the stone when the hue and cry goes
out from down the hill "There he is, We've found
him, up on the hill."
Panicked Rimmer picks the stone up and
lifts
it to his eyelevel and then stares in pure terror
at the glyph carved into the stone.
Rimmer's eyes wide with terror he goes to
scream when a shapeless black shadow erupts from
under the stone and pours into Rimmer's open eyes,
changing them in an instant from the sky blue that
are Rimmer's mothers to a slate gray. Instead of
slumping down in defeat and terror he stands to
his full height of over six feet and looks down to
the two men coming up the hill at him and raises
his right hand. Four bolts of black energy dart
from the hand to strike the two men directly in
the chest, ripping though hastily raises shields
as if they were mere rice paper.
The men's screams echo throughout the
battle
for over twenty minutes as their souls are ripped
from their bodies and eaten by the shadow. With a
fierce grin he howls "Let the feeding begin" and
swoops down on the battlefield.
The rest of the day and all through the
night
the shadow possessed Rimmer went through the
battlefield killing friend and foe alike, ripping
through magic, steel, and flesh with a sickening
ease. When he was done and the shadow was finally
sated there was not a soul left on the
battlefield. Rimmer stood alone with the
carnage.
"What have I done?" The Elven knight asks
the
stars in despair as he surveys the carnage.
"You survived," came the voice, now from within his own mind, "and now we are one, you are no longer Rimmer Silvershield, you are now Rimmer Dall."