My short story

chazdoesntknow · Joined: 02 Jan 2007 Posts: 66 Location: Alabama

Chapter 1:
The Problem

The wind was harsh, the rain was ruthless, and the lightning was unforgiving. And in the midst of it all fought two valiant warriors each with their own personal goals at stake. Each appeared fatigued ready for the other to drop their guard long enough for the telling blow. A young man stood brave as he observed his opponent, a colossal figure whose body was heavily clad in armor. Layers upon layers of steel plates covered his entirety with seemingly no gaps for penetration. His helmet, which was also attached to the armor, had a steel plate facemask with tiny holes for the mouth to breath, and a larger hole for his eyes to see through. Along the back and sides of his helmet was a line of spikes and at the location where his ears would be, two enormous horns spouted and curled forward toward the direction he faced. Out in front, covering his groin and hanging slightly above his knees, was red cloth with a gold trim and décor embedded on it. Grasped in his hands was nothing more than death-on-a-stick. It was an axe, larger than most, with the head arching out almost in a full circle. The blade was rigid and even pieces of the blade spouted out slightly, hoping to catch the prey.

The boy however, stood fearlessly in perfect view of this monster-of-a-man. Wearing only light armor comprised of hundreds of tiny steel rings fashioned together to create a flexible but tough shell, and a thin emerald green breastplate over his torso. Thin padded leather pants covered his legs, not much protection but allowed for the maximum agility. The young man positioned himself into his combat stance; his knees were slightly bent with his left leg closer to his adversary, his left arm reached out with the palm of his hand facing his opponent and his right arm held slightly behind him holding none other than his beloved lance. The lance was as long as the boy was tall and the blade was almost a quarter of that. The blade was lengthy and curved slightly at the tip. From the point of the cutting edge it extended a short ways past the intersection from blade to handle. Along the edge, the blade was completely serrated, ready to rip into the skin of any opponent. The center of the blade was hollow, forged for quickness and unintentionally resembling the head and mouth of a dragon.

Suddenly the battle continued. The giant axe came violently through the air aiming purposely at the youth. Although it was fast and powerful, the boy gracefully dodged the powerful weapon by using his left hand to divert the energy from the swing towards the ground. Mud and other random particles splashed from the impact site and the boy took this as an opportunity. He gracefully danced around the beast, opposite the way the axe had crashed into the ground, spinning the lance around his waist slapping the man in the back with the blunt end of his spear. The large man stumbled forward, almost tripping over his axe. The young man then rested his lance on his shoulder and stood in place, “You’re getting slow, old man,” he said with a grin on his face. The man, apparently not amused by this outburst, gripped the axe handle and swung with full force, crushing into the boy’s side and face. Luckily for him it was the blunt side and not the blade, because with the accuracy and power behind it, the axe would have easily taken off the upper half of his torso. The youth’s body came crashing down to the ground, and the axe was pushed toward his throat. “It appears to be you who is getting slow young master”, the man said.

The youth appeared to be in total shock as blood slowly poured from his mouth and ear. “Damn it,” the boy grunted, “One of these days Bastion…” he began until he fell unconscious. The man grabbed the young warrior’s weapon and threw it along with his own axe into a nearby wagon and then returned to hoist the lad over his shoulder. He laid the boy into the back of the cart, with the weapons, and then jumped onto the nearby horse that the cart was attached to, and the animal went slowly on its way.

Floating through a dark void the boy heard a multitude of noises. Sounds’ varying from subtle, soothing voices to horribly terrifying screams. Along with the various tunes of the echoing noises, the emptiness around him began to move. Slowly small tentacles and long arms with claws began reaching out; reaching for the youth. The nothingness then became a something; it formed into an ooze type gel which was a midnight shade of black. The shadowy monstrosity reached around the boy and in the center of it all emerged what appeared to be a demonic face. The large jaws opened, revealing its sharp and deadly teeth, and its tongue stretched from the mouth and wrapped around the lad’s waist. He began to scream, but it was nullified from all of the other noise in the area. More of the darkness soon began to envelop him; first his hands and feet, in which he began to struggle; then up to his elbows and knees, and he continued to fight but was unsuccessful; it swallowed up to his shoulders and abdomen, and he began to panic; it followed through to the rest of his torso, making him gasp for air; finally it reached up his neck, and slowly covered his face. What was only seconds and minutes, felt like hours and days for the young man. The pure pressure to his body was agonizing, he was trapped in his mind and his body failed to follow command. He could not take it anymore, the last of his breaths was fading, and he felt almost lifeless.

Suddenly through the void ripped a thin beam of green light. The darkness began to disperse centered on the base of the ray. Soon it revealed the boys chest, then continued to shine brighter and brighter, and more and more of the lifeless gel faded until there was nothing left except for the boy floating in the nothingness with green energy spiraling around his body. The energy was fast and powerful, each time the nightmare reached out to grab the boy, the energy eviscerated the void, tearing it from its very core. However this energy was uncontrolled, the boy floating was unconscious and unaware of his dormant power. Then through the powerful voices shot out another, it was a bit kinder than the rest. “Prince Chaz”, it called out. “Hey”, it spoke again.

“Wake Up!” the voice shouted. “Prince Chaz, this is no time to sleep. You may be a royalty but you can’t just sleep the day away.” The empty darkness slowly vanished, and his eyes slowly opened. His heart felt as if it were beating again for the first time, he was relieved that it was only a dream. It appeared to be already midday, when his eyes began to focus. He awoke in a large bed inside of an even larger room. The walls were covered with exquisite art pieces detailing vicious battles. Beneath the paintings the walls were created of blue and grey marble. There was only one window, albeit large enough to cover the majority of the wall, which faced out toward the courtyard and beyond that the city. A long balcony wrapped around the side of the castle just outside of his room, several yards high, with a rail following its edge. The barrier was as tall as the prince’s hips and each individual posts’, used to make the rail, was just as thick as one of his legs. Crafted out of stone and covered with a thin lining of glossy liquid, the entire exterior of the castle was created. The mountainous building was nearly a hundred yards tall and nearly double as thick. It was, by all standards, an extraordinary stronghold.

After several moments the prince realized his surroundings, and looked at the woman standing over his bed. She was a pale faced girl, with medium length blond hair tied in the back with a small bow. Her eyes were a dark brown, seemingly black at times. She wore black pants and a long sleeve jerkin, with a yellow over shirt, and boots that were hidden beneath her pant legs. This meant only one thing, that she was his servant for this week. Each week, among the throngs of girls throughout the town, he selects one out of the hundreds to live-in at the castle, in a guest room, and caters to the young prince’s needs. Each is dressed in the same attire, with the yellow over shirt for the prince to easily recognize. Suddenly, after the moment passed, he realized the way her words reached him. His eyes darted from along the wall to meet her gaze. Her eyes widened as she became conscious of her words.

“How dare you speak to me in such a manner,” Chaz roared, “If it weren’t for me, you would be living on the streets this week, with your parents.”

The young girl, crossed both of her wrists, and held her hands together in front of her abdomen, then bowed slightly, her eyes never leaving his. “I am so very sorry, Prince Chaz, I shall leave you now.” She said in a sincere apologetic tone. She ended the bow with a curtsy then turned and walked out of the room, and he just watched her go, anger still in his eyes. Although he knew that she had cared for him throughout the night.

The young prince struggled to sit up in his bed, fatigue and injury had slowed him down. He had countless bruises; along his ribs, the top of his shoulder, side of his face, even his legs were bruised around his thighs. Bandages wrapped around his bare chest and shoulder following down to his ribs. His head was throbbing from the last blow he faced before falling unconscious. He leaned forward and put his face in his hands, with his fingers lost in his mid-length shaggy brown hair.

Damn, did Bastion do all of this to me?, He asked himself silently. How much longer would it have been before he fell unconscious instead of me? I’ve worked hard and yet I still feel as if I haven’t dented his armor. DAMN! He thought to himself as both of his fists crashed into the bed beside his legs. The feeling of his defeat had incited his anger. Just at that moment the door opened and a man appeared through the doorway. He was a large muscular man, with many scars. A few on his face and many scattered on his forearms and hands, and there were probably more scattered throughout his body hidden by his clothes. One particular one though, that caught many eyes, flowed from just under his right eye to all the way down to the top of his right hand. Although he wore clothing, it was easy to tell that it was all one long scar, and it probably had just as an intense story behind it as well. He wore a red sleeveless tunic with gold trim and a grey undershirt and leggings. He wore calf-high leather boots, which looked as worn out as the man. The man was old, with a long grey beard to match his years, and his hair was short, with streaks of black and white peppered all over.

Chaz glanced over to the doorway and instantly knew this man. He was Bastion Formatell, the Grand Knight, the commander of the Red Heaven Guardian’s. He was, Chaz knew, a very loyal, hardworking, trustworthy man, and has been with this kingdom for decades. He was a fierce man, with unimaginable strength, yet still had a soft side for people and animals. The man once encountered an enraged bear, unarmed and unarmored, and still wrestled it into submission after only a few minutes and still allowed the creature to live and, eventually walk off. Yet the king chose him, this beast of a man, to train his youngest son in the art of melee combat.

“What are you staring at boy! It is almost time for your father’s special meeting,” Barked the Grand Knight while throwing clothing at the prince. “And another thing,” he paused looking for a way to word it, “Next time do not intimidate your help. That poor girl was running down the corridor crying. And I don’t want to have to bring you your damn clothes anymore!” He barked even louder. After vocalizing his final command, he turned and walked out the door, leaving the room in a dead silence.

Chaz watched the door for several moments after the knight left his room. Almost in as much shock as when he felt the blow from their most recent skirmish. Chaz uncovered himself revealing his bare body in its entirety. He placed his feet to the floor and lifted himself up. He began to shiver from the cold air which finally made contact with his flesh, not to mention the cold, marble tiled floor he was standing on. He grabbed the clothes that Bastion had tossed him and made his way to his personal bathroom. Inside the lavatory the walls were made of the same material as the walls inside his bedroom, as well as the floor. Directly to the side, after entering the room, a counter with a deep bowl made from metal was placed inside a hole, which was cut through the counter to contain the large bowl. Above the basin a large curved pipe extended and the end hole pointed toward the empty sink. Beside the pipe was an orb, which too was attached to the counter. Further down in the room was a larger bowl, mounted to the floor. It had a similar orb attached to the wall adjacent to it, and a large, thick metal pipe extruded several feet above the crystal.

Behind the counter was a large mirror, which projected the young prince’s figure. He was an average height man of his age, with a broad, thick build. The prince had a completely chiseled body, although defiled with bruises of every shape and color. The bandages covered most of his upper torso and left him itching from time to time. He had very broad shoulders and very masculine muscles throughout his arms and legs. His face was full of innocence and his eyes the same, which almost appeared to give off an emerald green glow.

He placed his hand on the crystal beside the bowl, and it began to glow a clear luminance, as it did he applied a slight amount of pressure to it, which changed the glow to a slightly pinker shade. The pipe beside it began to flow with warm water, and he submerged his face and hair into the sink, but only for a brief moment. After a second of splashing water on his face he placed his hand on the crystal again and slid his hand down it, which in turn stopped the flow of the water. Although he did not understand the mechanics of it, he knew that the wizards were responsible for the stream of the water. With his hair still wet he ran his hands through it until it had began to spike slightly.

After he was finally awake, and feeling his soreness becoming to seem natural to his body. He slipped into his clothing and left his room to walk toward the royal chambers, where his father was sure to hold the special meeting. Upon leaving his room and walking down the long hallway, he heard footsteps approaching from behind him. They were heavy footsteps, loud with the sound of metal clashing with each passing step. Without warning a large, metal hand reached out and gripped the prince’s shoulder, his injured one at that. Chaz turned and clenched his teeth in pain, “Will!” he shouted as he pushed the iron arm from his bruised body, “Get your damn hands off me. That hurts.” His gaze met and locked onto the broad warrior’s eyes.

“Hey, what’s up cuz?” He said sheepishly. “I heard about your fight with the old man. And I also heard about your injuries.” He said with a baleful look on his face and a small grin.

Chaz looked him up and down, and regarded him with a wicked look. Of course he would grab his injured shoulder. Not many people in the kingdom could get away with it. But, he, being kin to the prince, was treated in high regard as a nobleman of the kingdom. This was why the prince enjoyed his company, because the majority of the kingdom treated him as a god, but with people like Will, his brothers, and of course Bastion, he could be himself and disregard formalities with them.

Will was a stocky man. He had broad shoulders, powerful muscles, and was even quite intelligent. He was captain of one of the Blazing Sapphire’s squads, and was even showing promise of one day, rising in the ranks, and become the commander of the Blazing Sapphire. He wore thick, heavy iron boots, which reached up to his knees, and a large breastplate covering his chest and mid-back, which spouted massive shoulder guards. Covering his hands, forearms, and even up to his elbows were massive gauntlets, layered with steel. And underneath it all, was the same kind of thin chainmail in which the prince himself wore in training. Attached to his back was a large, heavy kite shield with a cross covering its length with a blue sphere in the center spouting flames. Covering the top of the shield was an emblem, it appeared to be an infinity symbol with a break right before the loop on both sides, and in the center of each loop were circles. Beneath the massive shield was his sword and scabbard. The scabbard was just thick enough to hold his sword, colored blue, with silver trim around the edges and center. The sword was crafted of steel, with a blade that was longer than most, and the hilt was covered in the same variety of magnificent emblems which covered his shield, with a blue sapphire in the center. Across his right shoulder hung an azure blue sash, which was a sign of his rank within the Blazing Sapphire’s. His face was tan, with medium length midnight colored hair which flowed down, sometimes covering his deep brown eyes.

“Where are you off to?” Chaz asked curiously, as he began walking down the corridor with Will by his side, glancing periodically at the young knight’s face.

“Probably the same place you’re heading.” He said in his deep voice. “Except that I’ll be on duty. Apparently, this meeting is pretty severe.” He said with his voice and eyes changing to take on a more serious tone. His face hardened as he relayed the news to the young prince, and the gentle joking personality faded. “We should hurry, it is…” he paused, unsure how to take the conversation, “Well, you’ll see when we get there.”

With that being said, the two young warriors hurried down the corridor, and through the enormous maze in which they called home, until they came across the royal chamber. The massive, golden lined doors were already open and only one seat remained vacant. It was all too clear whose chair that belonged to. The young prince made his way to the opposite side of the table, watching as all of the guests were already in their place waiting on him. Most gave him hard looks, which seemed to pierce through his body and soul. There were knights, mages and even priests around the table, and the majority of them were either captains, commanders, or high-ups within there own order. As he reached his chair and sat down, he noted that Will had taken his place against the wall by the door, in which he must have been on his way to get the prince from his quarters.

The room was large. The floor was tiled with a checkerboard pattern, blue and black. A long, oak table was centered in the room. It held enough space for, at least, a good forty to fifty people in one session, in which all of the seats were taken by the guests. At the head of the table was a single throne, which was on the opposite side of the doorway, it was where the king himself sat, watching any and all who entered the chambers. The walls and ceiling were painted with various images, different scenes, which were believed to be the kingdoms history. Behind the king was a landscape painting of the castle itself, with a large brilliant energy radiating around it, which created a magnificent silhouette of the citadel. Just a few meters away, on an adjacent wall a large image of a woman’s hands holding what appeared to be a baby, with a unique emerald, spiraling aura.

The king glanced over at his son and then to the rest of the group, and began to speak. “Divine priests, humble wizards, valiant knights and now my youngest son, I am privileged that you were all able to make it to this gathering at such short notice.” He said with a warm smile on his face, his eyes scanning the room around him. “Lets not squander away the time, and allow me to start this meeting without hesitation. As some of you know, my wife, the mother of my three children, is very ill.” He said, and looked over at his youngest boy, whose eyes had widened and facial expression held disbelief. The young prince began to speak, but the king cut him off by holding out his hand to silence his son, and continued to speak for the people who had not yet known. “A few months ago Sheonna had became ill. It started off simple, first coughs and the occasional vomit. Then it progressed further, with dizziness and fatigue. And now,” he said with red teary eyes, and his fists clinched tightly. “Her head is scorching. Hotter than any fever I have ever witnessed. So hot, that it can burn any hand that should touch her.” He said tears rolling down his big, pink cheeks. He reached up and grabbed the royal crown from his head and placed it on the table in front of him, revealing his balding grey hair. “I offer my crown to any of you whom can find the cure to this plague.” The room up roared with commotion, many groups talking amongst themselves. The entire room seemed to be perplexed, unsure if they should take the offer seriously or if they would get the crown and everything that comes with it.

The king slammed his fists to the table, ending all of the private conversations in an instant, and filled the room with his voice once more. “Yes! The crown will be yours, as well as all benefits, the castle, everything. All I ask for is one thing,” he paused briefly with his voice carrying sorrow, “my wife.” His voice returned to normal and he began to look around at all who had come, thinking to himself that surely one of these groups will find the cure. “That is all. You all may leave.” Bellowed his commands, then he locked his gaze upon his son, “Except for the ones I spoke to earlier, and you too Chaz, must stay.” Chaz sat back in his chair, and looked at his father grimly, scared for his mother, and afraid of what is to come. After several moments the room cleared, save for an old wizard and her apprentice, a priest, Bastion, his cousin Will, and of course the king, even the prince’s older brothers had left.

The king resumed speaking once Will had closed the royal gates and taken a seat at the end of the table, next to Bastion. “Son,” he said with his eyes still bound to his son’s, “Listen closely. I do not wish to give up my right as king, but I will if I have to.” He said coldly then altered his tone to a more passionate, caring voice. “I want you to cure your mother.” The prince’s eyes widened again, the words shocking him more than the news of his mother’s illness. “I want you to set up a small party, with no more than four soldiers to accompany you. Sitting here with us today, as you know, are Bastion and Will. The two mages sitting together are Grand Master Niomi, and her apprentice Leften. And across from them is a newly named Bishop, Nova.” He said glancing at each entity, in step as he called their name, and with each name, also came a nod from that particular individual. The king gasped for air after his speech, seemingly exhausted. He stopped and nodded once to Bastion. For a brief moment silence had struck the room, nothing moved, no one talked, and breathing could barely be heard. All eyes were staring at one person, prince Chaz.

The prince cleared his throat then began speaking in a shaken voice, “And you want me to…?” He left the sentence open to be filled in by his father. However, instead of the king, Bastion interjected and explained the situation.

“What the king is getting at is that you have to find the cure. Using the resources you see here.” Bastion said in his loud, deep voice, as he nodded again to the king, signaling to him that he was ready. The Grand Knight and the king lifted themselves out of their chairs, and began walking toward the doors. The king placed a piece of folded parchment in front of Chaz. Then exited the room, and was closely followed by Bastion, and the prince’s eyes followed, in disbelief.

Chaz looked at the others in the room and seemed to be the only one surprised by the sudden withdrawal of his father and Bastion. He reached forward and grabbed the folded paper, unfolded it, then began to reading it silently to himself.

Son,

I only wish the best for you and your mother.
It is believed that someone from this kingdom is poisoning her, and is also watching us, even during our meeting.
Even in the privacy of our own castle.
The people you see before you, in addition to Bastion, are the only ones in the kingdom that can be trusted.
I am very sorry that you must find out this way, and hopefully one day you will forgive me.

I wish for you to leave the chambers, with our guests, and go for a journey through Nifiel’s Forest, and meet with a woman named Luna at her cottage.
You won’t be able to miss her, with her dazzling blue eyes and wonderfully long, dark brown hair.
Discuss, there, who shall accompany you on your journey.
I warn you, bring no more than four, and yourself of course.
Any more than that could cause a commotion amongst the villagers, and possibly alert the traitor.
You shall leave the morning after tomorrow for your journey.
As tomorrow night we will hold a feast, praying to the gods, for your successful journey and safe travel home.

And may the Gods protect you,
Your father, King Jemison.

Upon completion of the letter prince Chaz’s eyes widened again, for the third time since this conference had begun. One after another, shock after shock, a rush of the recent events invaded his thoughts, playing over constantly in his mind. Reading and then rereading portions of the note, he was in disbelief. It is believed that someone from this kingdom is poisoning her, it wrote. Who, who could be poising mother? And why? Why would someone do such a thing to the queen? Questions flooded his mind, one after another. After several moments of the same questions running through his mind and rereading the same few passages over again, the prince realized he had a mission to do, and not just any mission, but it could cost his mother’s life.

The young prince looked at his guests, motioning with his hands to stand, and lead the group out of the chambers. The company seemed calm, as if they had anticipated this occurrence. One by one, they left the room, in a wedge formation behind the prince. Will and Nova walked to his left, and Niomi and Leften to his right. The trip toward the forest was silent, only the sounds of footsteps and passersby could be heard. The young prince knew that this quest would change his life.

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That damned king. Who the hell does he think he is, trying to have a private convention, without inviting me? An angry voice thought to itself. All of those mages, the priests, knights, hell, even that self absorbed prince. They can all rot in the pits of a Flarebrass’s inferno. The thoughts were harsh, sharper than any blade forged by man.

It is, however, funny that the old man would give up his crown, to find an unfindable antidote. Not many nobles, much less kings, would sacrifice their power for love. It is a bit touching if you think about it. The cold voice thought to itself, laughing on the inside.

That meeting though, could prove worrisome. If any of them ruin my plans, I will have their head mounted in the wall of my bedroom, just to throw knives at. The angry voice thought with a mixture of rage and excitement. And just what the hell was that parchment that the king gave to that worthless, lazy, no good son of his. I might want to keep my eyes on him. The figure thought as it stood on a castle balcony, watching as the prince and his comrades made their way out of the castle and began trekking through the city. The eyes of the traitor furrowed, showing no sign of compassion for the prince and his companions.

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Chapter 2:
Preparing for the Journey

After reaching the outskirts of the forest, Chaz thought that it would be a good idea to take a short rest, so that he might become more acquainted with his party. He signaled to the others, who have been silent since they departed the citadel and even through the village and market, to stop and take a short rest. The sun was already beginning to fall, it was very late in the day, and they only had a couple of hours of daylight before they had to make camp for the night. Coming up to a large tree, the prince turned his back and sat on a bulky root that was protruding from the ground. The others also found various spots to sit, Niomi and Leften came to rest on a large boulder, while the priestess leaned against a small tree, and Will just crashed into the grass.

After the group had settled, the prince awkwardly began speaking, “Well,” he started, “I am unsure if any of you know our current conditions, however judging by the seriousness of your faces’, I believe that you have been at least somewhat informed.” The prince glanced around at each individual face, noting the hardened, grim features within each of their expressions.

“What are we going to do, Prince Chaz?” pierced through the brief silence, a small, thin voice. His eyes followed the voice, and Chaz turned his head toward the young priestess, Nova, who had just asked the question. She looked to be no older than fifteen, with layered, shoulder length dirty blonde hair, gazing back at the prince with pale blue eyes. She had a slender face, as well as a small mouth and lips, with a body that appeared just as frail. She wore a pure white, shoulder-length sleeved dress, in which one side flowed gently down to her ankle, while the other cut just below her hip. The trim of the dress was comprised of gold and black triangles, connected together from tip to base, which allowed the design to progress strait along the edge of the fabric. Beneath the focal garment, she wore a long sleeve undershirt, lined with the same trim as the dress. Around her waist was a large belt, hanging unevenly across a single hip, which held a small sack which undoubtedly carried her personal belongings. The boots she wore were knee length, simple boots with a large fold of leather at the rim of each. She also wore a dazzling necklace, with an altered infinity icon, with part of the figure eight broken and with small gems in the center of each loop. The symbol represented, Diodon, the god of protection. It is the same symbol that is shared with Will’s massive shield, covering the top portion.

“Prince Chaz”, the voice echoed again. The young girl waved her hand at the prince, attempting to regain his attention. Chaz had lost his train of thought examining the bishop; he realized it had seemed awkward, that he was staring at her, remaining silent.

He shook his head and smiled, “Oh, I... I’m sorry. I had no intention of staring”, he said with a slight smirk on his face, and a minor stutter. His face had reddened, and he felt terribly uncomfortable.

She gave a big, warm smile, and reminded him of her original question. “Well, from here we will meet up with a woman from this forest, named Luna, and from there,” he pause, “Well, we’ll just see.” He looked at the priest, and then to everyone else, informing them of the note that his father had left. Surprisingly the only one, who had heard anything of the letter, before he mentioned it, was Will.

“So, what I would like to do now, seeing how my father only wants four people to accompany me, and seeing how there is already four of you here, and plus Luna to guide us, is to talk about your abilities. Your strengths, your weaknesses, what type of combat abilities you have, or hell, any other type of abilities you have. We’ll start off with Will and then work our way around to Nova, then Niomi and finally to Leften.” The young prince asked of his followers, the only known loyal men and women of the kingdoms’ high ranking soldiers. It scared him that someone inside the castle was betraying them, and what scared him more, was that it could be anyone.

By this time the sun had began descending down the horizon, and a small breeze of wind started passing by. It was a gentle gust, not strong enough to cause clothing to flail around, but strong enough to make the trees’ leaves whistle. Overhead small, dark clouds began forming, and the group knew that it would rain soon. Chaz looked at his party, telling them to hold off on their stories, and that they had to get moving before it became too harsh to travel.

The party immediately began following the trail towards the cabin in which Luna resided. Unfortunately, there was no knowledge of how long it would take. And they would need food soon, yet had none. Chaz lead the way, his pace much faster than it had been before they exited the kingdom. After roaming around for hours, the sun had set and the path became far to dark to follow. The prince stopped walking and the others soon did the same. He apologized to the party for not arriving on time, and for impeding the journey only to discuss trivial matters. The forest was dark, and the lack of moonlight made it even darker. Nothing could be seen, not even their very own hands. He was, in all ways, ashamed for disappointing his peers, and his father. However, Niomi had a different thought.

“Darling, do not worry. I can get us there, even without daylight.” The older mage had spoken in a soft, gentle tone. She was a kind, sweet lady. With curly white hair, that reached to the middle of her shoulder blades, and eyes that matched. She wore a long white dress, with a thin black belt around her waist. Attached to the girdle were a few satchels in which contained spell craft materials. Her boots were made from thick leather, which had metal studs protruding from the rims. Unlike normal boots, hers used a zipper on the outer side of the boots. On both of her wrists were matching bracelets, which were engraved with many odd runes, one of which was the same infinity symbol that the others wore.

The old master reached into one of her many satchels and pulled out a small stone. It was mostly clear, with multiple markings engraved upon it. She lifted the small stone into the air with one hand, and with the other she rubbed around it, without actually coming into contact with it, and spoke various incantations. She focused her mind on a name, Luna. The gem began to glow, with a dull yellow light; the same light that had began radiating from the witch’s eyes. As the glow became sharper with light so did her eyes. A spiral of energy emitted from her body, and surged into a single location, the palm of the hand that was rubbing the gem. With one last word she shoved the energy into the gem, causing it to shine uncontrollably with a brilliant yellow force. The light leapt from the stone, floating in the air, leaving the crystal in its original state. The floating light began to waver in the sky, almost seeming to communicate with the group, informing them of the path they must travel by floating slightly ahead of them.

Chaz was amazed. He had never witnessed magic before, but this was an awe inspiring display. Sure he had used the water faucet in his personal bathroom, but he never actually witnessed the power behind it. He glanced in the direction of the aged wizard, which she was already looking his way and passed along an enchanting wink, while placing the stone back into a satchel. Never in his life had he witnessed anything so beautiful, nothing in which had captivated his mind the way that magic had just done. All Chaz could do, while following the glimmering light, since seeing the magic, was replay it over and over.

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They must have set up camp for the night; it was growing late, surely by now the visitors would have arrived. The woman thought to herself as she made her way into the dining area, preparing her meal for the night. It was a large boar, a creature that she had killed that very morning. It was still fresh, and three puncture wounds in the head of the beast were barely crusted over. One leg of the monstrous pig was already missing; undoubtedly the girl had eaten it earlier that day for lunch. The rain that had begun an hour earlier had already died down to a gentle, soothing drizzle. With the parting of clouds, the moon slowly released its beauty to the forest revealing little outside, but enough for an experienced woodsman to find their way.

Taking a knife, which she had strapped to her leg, Luna began sawing off another thigh. It cut through the meat slowly, and the leg poured with blood. At that time, she realized that she should have already drained and skinned the beast, but with the urgent news from the king, she failed to do so. It would have all felt worthwhile if the company would have at least arrived. The girl became frustrated, and stopped cutting the pig. Turning around and opening up a small pantry to the side of her small table, she reached in and removed a large cloth towel. Luna crouched down to her knees and began soaking up the blood on the floor, which had already spread a far distance from her table. After a few minutes, the fabric was too soaked to pick up blood, so she rose to her feet and reached to grab another cloth. Upon her first step, her foot hit a small puddle of blood, causing her foot to slide out from beneath her. Unable to regain control of her balance, she landed back first on the hard wooden floor, in a large pool of pig’s blood, and to make matters worse, the torn boar’s leg was directly above her. Blood dripped from the toe of the animal directly onto her forehead, and then again on her cheek, before she rolled over, trying to stand. After several moments of trying to regain control of her body, she managed to return to her feet. Her face had blood smeared all across it; even her tunic was soaking, dripping at the bottom. From that moment on, she knew that the night was going to be a long one.

Unexpectedly, a pale light flashed through her window, and she just knew that it would not be her guests for the night, it was far too late. She made haste toward a compartment in her kitchen and removed a large bow and a quiver full of arrows. After equipping the quiver across her shoulder, she dashed out of the back door, wearing the bloodstained clothing. Without warning, the side of her cabin exploded from an immense blast of energy. Flames engulfed the entire entrance, and spread along the exterior, but they were very odd. The flames were white, and tipped with a silver hue. Not only was the color strange, but the fire moved, almost lifelike, as if it were being commanded. The smoke polluted the nearby air with various shades of grey. By this time though, Luna had already reached the thick of forest behind the cottage that she had once called home. She knew that this was no ordinary fire, or even smoke for that matter, because there was neither heat from the fire nor was she struggling to breath through the thick clouds of smoke.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she recognized a brilliant yellow energy. This time she thought, she would bring the fight to her enemy. Not allowing them to take anything more from her than they already have. Turning to face the light, hidden by the thick forest and the overgrowth of grasses around her, she steadied her bow in her right hand, while locking in her arrow to the string with her left. Closing one eye, she pulled back on the string, while trying relentlessly to calm her nerves. Her hands were trembling with adrenaline, making it harder to concentrate on her shot. After a few moments of lining up her arrow to the radiant yellow light, she released it. The bolt glided through the air with high velocity, practically invisible at this time of night, and it would have been just as hard to see during the daytime. The arrow was traveling with pure force as it reached the glowing light. Instantly the light shattered. Thousands upon thousands of fragments of the energy filled the sky. Each shard held only a faint glow until they appeared to be nothing more than miniscule diamonds reflecting the light, and eventually nothingness.

The archer took this opportunity to outdo her attackers; she knew the terrain better than anyone else could and they were probably panicked from the sudden darkness. Even with the dim light provided by the moon, she could see more than enough to flank her opponents. Dashing through the trees, weaving in and out, avoiding branch after branch, she came into view of the relatively small group. Although the darkness of night prevented her from recognizing any distinguishing features or aiming a shot, she knew which member of the group the leader was. All she could hear from the group was loud commotion, one person yelling to get the light back on, another person thrashing around in some heavy armor; she even thought she heard one person fall to the ground. With all of the confusion among the cluster of enemies she decided to take action. Charging in she drove her elbow into the chest of what appeared to be a scrawny boy, knocking him to his back, while grunting in pain. Quickly she turned and noticed a large heavy armor in front of her, seeming to be searching for her, which luckily for her he was facing the wrong direction. She crouched to the ground, and with her hand holding her balance on the ground kicked ferociously at the back of the armored warrior’s knees, causing his body to buckle to the ground. After her foot made contact, she jumped into darker shadows, hoping not to be found but it was too late. A woman was standing over her tumbling body, watching, in shock at the archer. Luna quickly redirected her attention to the girl, grabbing and snatching at one of her ankles, causing her to lose balance. She then popped up from the ground slamming a fist into the slender stomach of the invader. She too, crumbled to the ground and all that remained was one, Luna focused her eyes toward his direction. All that she could make out was a silhouette of a broad man with crazily spiked hair.

Like a madman, the archer dashed toward her opponent, unsure if he was armed or not, but at this point she had zero regrets. She dove, arms first at the man, her hands connecting with the shoulders of the stocky man. The force of the tackle caused her and her enemy to fall to the ground, him on his back and her on top of him. She reached for the knife from her leg, forgetting that she left it in the burning house, and instantly the man grabbed and threw her off of him. She face planted into the grass beside them, and the warrior jumped to his feet. He planted his knee into the middle of Luna’s back, causing her to wince in pain. As the man reached down to grapple her arm though, she twisted her body beneath him, allowing her to grab his wrist instead. In turn, she pulled the man toward her, and then lifted her knee fiercely, connecting to the groin of the warrior. The man’s stomach cramped, pain was sent flailing through his body as he toppled over to his side. The dark haired woman rose to her feet, grabbing her weapon from the ground and then readied her bow and an arrow, she aimed, point blank range, at the man’s throat.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” The man said while raising his hands to his sides, showing that he was unarmed, “Why are you attacking us?”

As the intimidating archer began to reply, a radiant golden light emerged from behind her. The light revealed that she not only attacked the prince and his companions, but that she also held her bow, armed, in his face. Her eyes widened, immediately she unarmed her bow, and removed herself from above him. Stepping a few paces away, she turned and saw that the group that she encountered was now armed. The knight held his sword and shield, ready to strike; the old wizard held out the illuminating light in one hand, and in her other a small orb with spiraling energy; the others were behind them, not as threatening but still held a hard look in their eyes. She was shocked, appalled at her own actions. She dropped her bow to the ground and began to apologize. By this time, the prince had already returned to his feet, glaring at the woman, but it didn’t appear to be hatred or anger in his eyes. This was the look of enchantment and awe. He knew, just after one look, that this girl was Luna, and that his father was correct when he said that he would recognize her in an instant.

The prince, after several moments of staring at the now bashful girl, began to speak in a gentle, compassionate voice, “You are Luna, correct?” She nodded her head in agreement, seeming unable to speak. “Tell me why you attacked us.” He said in a gentle, yet stern tone. The others gathered around while unarming themselves, listening to her story.

“I thought that you were the one’s who attacked me.” She said pointing at her cabin, trembling with each word. “Someone arrived moments before you and set fire to my home…” she paused as she finally turned to face the house that she was pointing to. The expression on her face transformed from angry and ashamed, to a purely mystified, pale look. The house seemed untouched. Not even the slightest burn from the tiniest ember. Her cabin was in all ways, just as it had been before she evacuated. Feeling bewildered, she faced the others, and then back at the house, and finally back to the group. “But…” she stuttered, “the house was ablaze only minutes before I spotted your group. It was a silvery fire, a color that I had never seen before.” She was baffled, unable to discern between real and fiction. How could she have just imagined this?

Will stepped forward, whispering something into the ear of his royal cousin. Chaz nodded, and the knight went on his way, searching for any clue to put some fact into this fantasy tale the woman had spoke of. The prince stood with his eyes locked onto the archers, wondering if his father had meant for him to find a crazy woman. And after noticing her bloodstained clothing he was becoming unsure of her mental state.

Luna shook her head with embarrassment while reaching down to grab her bow, and signaled to the others to follow her into her home, leaving Will and the floating light searching for answers. The group ascended a small hill, trekking through the moist ankle length grass. Observing the small, homely house, they noticed no sign of fire or wreckage. The air was still, and the mages had a furrowed look in their eyes. They sensed something that the non-magic users were oblivious to. Upon reaching the open doorway of the house, Luna examined the entrance. Rubbing her hand down, the once charred wood, back door of the house she began trying to remember significant details. The memory was still vivid, having only happened a few minutes before, but nothing of interest came to thought. She walked through the doorway and the others followed in suit.

The cabin was quite comfortable. The entire cabin was made of large petrified oak logs. The floors were created from the same type of logs, although trimmed to a thin flat board. The floor was covered with the same coating of gloss that covered the outer walls of the castle, which gave the ground a reflective surface. The walls were covered with various hunting equipment. From small swords and daggers to various types of bows and arrows, this house was meant for a woodsman. The den was large, with a long thick couch in the center, and a couple of chairs arcing out from the couch. Across from the couch was a fire place. It appeared unused, even though fresh wood was stacked neatly in a bundle adjacent to it. A few feet behind the sofa was a large round table, it had four chairs circling it, and a few candles burning, centered on the table, to give a nice gentle luminance to the entire area.

Luna suggested that the party be seated wherever they preferred, then followed a back hallway towards a large room, closing the door behind her. Nova and Niomi took rest on the couch, while Leften sat in one of the chairs, closest to Niomi. The prince however settled near the entrance, acknowledging, and envying some of the archer’s weaponry. He again wondered what type of woman she was, if she was crazy, could they escape.

After several moments the woman returned, she had changed from her blood-soaked clothing, and wiped the splatter from her face. She now wore long dark leather pants, which embraced every curve of her lower body. Down halfway each thigh, two thin belts were attached revealing similar sheaths on both sides, each concealing a short sword with the blade about the length of the head of the prince’s lance. Covering her chest she wore a vest comprised of similar leather, it too revealed her breathtaking figure. Over her arms she wore matching arm guards, covering from her wrists to the top of her elbows. These too were made of leather, however this material was thick, protecting her from the harsh after jolt of the string on her bow, and could also be used to guard against minor bludgeoning force. The boots she wore reached to her calves, and was forged from the same material as her arm guards, with the laces facing away from her body. Chaz, for the second time this night, became lost at the sight of her. Her sapphire blue eyes danced with the flicker of the candles, and her long brown hair flowed gently down coming to a large braid that reached her lower back. Her perfectly tanned body, mixed with the flawless face, left him in total awe, and her toned physique, brilliant smile, and of course, the skin tight leather, was overwhelming.

The prince then realized that the flirtatious vixen was in fact staring back at him. With a charismatic smile and soft words she spoke, “Your father said that you might do that.” The smile became a sheepish grin, as the others in the room, unnoticing her arrival glanced toward her and then over to Chaz. The young prince reddened, and his mouth opened slightly with a dumbfounded look embedded on his face. He was caught off guard, embarrassed by her words, and with none of his own to retaliate. He was, for all sense of the word, speechless, and the group shared a laugh at the prince’s expense.

A loud rumble echoed through the room, and soon a red face followed. The priestess covered her eyes, leaning forward in the couch, hiding her features in her hands. She was now the one who was embarrassed. She slowly peeked out an eye, catching a glimpse of Niomi adjacent to her laughing uncontrollably, and with the same eye she circled around the room noticing that the others, too, were laughing. By this time Luna remarked that she would be happy to cook a late supper for everyone. “I hope everyone likes boar,” She said as she was leaving the room, “it should only take about half an hour to finish.” She disappeared through a doorway on the opposite wall where Chaz had come to rest. Luna smirked while straitening up on the sofa, “What! I’m hungry.” She crossed her arms and closed her eyes, turning her head slightly away from the others.

Soon after, the group broke into small conversations. Chaz talked with Luna while Niomi and Leften kept to themselves, just as if they were trying to be rude to the rest of them. Chaz cleared his throat to break the awkward bond that had apparently formed between him and the mages. However, a sudden loud crash came from the room Luna from the kitchen. Chaz indicated to the others that he would check on her, while quickly making his way across the room, and into the dinning area. Upon entering the door her short sword came inches away from connecting with his leg. Chaz popped back in a defensive stance glaring at the petrified archer.

“What the hell are you doing?” The prince hissed with his eyes locked on her. Watching for any sudden movements or anything else in which could be construed as dangerous. Glancing past her shoulders, Chaz noticed a large boar lying on the floor mutilated, and dishes, shattered across the ground. Blood was smeared all over the ground, and there was a small trail leading toward the doorway and then underneath a cabinet adjacent to the door. Looking back at the woman’s whitened face; he knew that she had seen something that scared her. Although he found it hard to believe that this woman, the one who several moments before defeated every member of the group within minutes, could have fears.

“There was a rat!” she said in a fast, high pitched voice. “It had beady gold eyes, and it was gnawing on the pig.” The archer’s cheeks reddened and her eyes began to stream with tears. Dropping the sword, she reached out and grabbed the prince, holding her face buried in his chest, sobbing. The prince’s eyes widened, thinking this girl really WAS crazy. How could she go from vicious warrior to crying baby, all in a matter of minutes? He then wrapped his arms around her, assuring her that the rodent was harmless, and the prince seemed to enjoy the embrace of her body onto his. The large rat exposed its head, out from under the cupboard, watching the prince, and Chaz too was watching it. The large golden eyes were staring, and it almost appeared to be on purpose, intending to cause panic to the owner of the cabin. The creature ran again to the boar, taking a massive bite out of its stomach, and then scurried through the doorway in which Luna and the prince occupied. Luna, noticing the rat running rampage in her house, screamed again while reaching for her other sword. Chaz quickly placed his hand over hers, before she could draw her weapon, and began comforting her, reminding her that the rat had made its way into the other room and that she could cook to get her mind off of the trouble. By that time, Nova and Niomi had reached the entrance, worried from the second deafening noise, to the kitchen, seemingly unaware of the animal in which just darted past their feet, and beneath a bookshelf that lined the wall of the entranceway to the room.

Chaz informed the ladies of the mouse and they casually made their way back into the den, seeming relieved that the rat was the only problem, and reclaiming the seats that they originally had. “It must have made its way in whenever I evacuated,” he heard her say while removing herself from his grip, “it and its little friends.” Unnoticed before, Chaz now saw many flying insects circling the animal’s corpse. It was a disgusting sight, but he knew that this would end up being dinner. He offered Luna a hand in preparing the food, following it up with a simple joke about him not usually doing these kinds of things. She began smiling, her face softened since the encounter with the rodent, and they shared a brief laugh as they started preparing the food.

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Will left the group, accompanied by the glowing golden light, and followed a narrow path around to the side of the cabin. This was the area in which the woman claimed a fire had engulfed. The large knight searched the area for any signs of incident. He started with the door and exterior window, examining them, but nothing seemed unsettled. The window was still clean, no smudges, no burns, nothing. The doorway was the same, it was completely unscathed. Will turned around and walked away from the door, maybe something could be found a little deeper into the woods, he thought to himself. He wondered for several minutes, searching the grass and dirt, until he finally came across something. At first he was unsure, think that maybe their party had came this way, but there were not enough footprints. Someone had been there earlier, he found out, from the looks of it there were more than one, he knew because of the freshly made prints. It started raining half an hour before we arrived, he thought, and these prints couldn’t have been here before the rain. They would have been washed away. The prince knew that something happened, although he had no idea what it could be.

He followed the tracks shortly back, noticing that one of the sets of footprints had vanished. Somehow, whoever made the tracks followed to this point and suddenly stopped? He thought puzzled, knowing that this, in itself, was a mystery. The prints that he recently found were clear, he could tell much from the print. There were four sets; one had extremely large feet, with a solid boot, no grooves in the slightest and from the sight of it, it appeared to be a heavy man. The second pair was thick, not too long, with many ridges and grooves, also worn by a heavyset man. The third tracks were narrow compared to the others, each print angled out from the other, this person’s knees bowed out, also there was a third hole in front of this man, probably that of a walking stick. And finally the one that disappeared wore no boots, he was completely barefoot, and from the depth of the mud, he was light weight. The prints wandered farther out, and Will figured he could find the small group, and probably take them into custody with the element of surprise. He followed the tracks a short distance and became baffled. The prints became sporadic, revealing more than just the three sets of prints. They followed in many directions, however Will, saw through this and knew that he could follow the attackers no further. With the multiple sets leading many different ways, he concluded that magic had created the different paths, and if he found the right one, it would be pure luck.

He knew that this was what the archer had noticed, the fire he was unsure of, but he knew that there was definitely somebody out here at that time. Following the trail of prints back to his original location he noticed something he overlooked before. The spot where the tracks from the fourth individual had vanished, something small was slightly covered in mud. The object was round and was created from silver, with a few tiny slits in the precious metal. The large knight knelt to the object, hoping to have found another clue; he reached his hand over the artifact. As the hand came within touching distance, several runes on the object began to glow, and the knight’s eyes widened. He pulled himself back as quickly as his body would allow, however it was not enough, the object’s metal turned a fierce shade of red. Small waves of energy centered on the object, concentrating its energy at the core of the object, and within seconds the artifact exploded.

The explosion was powerful. The energy that was once condensed now expanded rapidly. It spread in a radius, of at least, double the large knight’s height. Although it was an explosion, it produced no flame nor created any sound. The noise that echoed was the tiny particles of mud and dirt that flew, and the sound of Will’s armor being crushed. The force was as strong as if taking a blow to the chest from a massive war hammer, knocking the stout man from his feet and quickly to his back, and the strong shockwaves of the blast shattered the light once again. His thick breastplate was significantly dented and the rest of his armor almost peeled off. He knew that if he were unarmored, or even less armored for that matter, the concussive blast would have shattered every bone in his body.

Will’s body remained motionless in a mixture of mud and grass, with his armor practically in shambles, feeling unable to move. Even with his sturdy breastplate, he knew that his body was aching, and probably bruised. He could see nothing; his light companion was destroyed from the blast. He knew that it could prove difficult to make his way back to the cabin. So he slowly crawled to his feet, staggering with every move, every twist, and every strain. His body was in far worse condition then he first realized. The ground, where the object detonated, left a huge, gaping crater, filled with mud and leftover rain which flowed into the open hollow. Noticing the hole, he realized how lucky he had been, if it were any other member of the group they would have surely died from the impact. He was relieved that he suffered rather than his cousin or any of the others, yet still felt the constant reminder of the pain, and he slowly made his way toward the cabin.

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The meal was ready. Everyone had gathered around the large table in the den, dragging the extra chairs by the fireplace to the table for enough room. A large, fried boar, with a nice hearty stew, it was a divine sight. Luna sat at the head of the table, closest to the entrance of the kitchen. The prince’s seat was adjacent to the archer, with Nova, Leften, and Niomi circled around, the only vacant seat was the one waiting on the stocky knight, Will. The entire party enjoyed brief conversations while waiting. They knew he would be back shortly, because it had almost been an hour since the group parted.

The door slammed open, and the large warrior stumbled into the room, falling on the floor. Immediately everyone rose from the table, rushing to the aid of the fallen. Chaz rolled him over onto his back noticing the large man was already unconscious, and his armor was nearly destroyed. After removing the many different iron plates that protected him, Chaz notice that there were no cuts, bruises, or trauma of any kind to his body, however upon further inspection Chaz realized that his ribs were broken, and that whatever caused this damage was powerful. It damaged his body, through his armor, and broke bones without harming the skin. It was amazing and terrifying at the same time. Chaz watched as his cousin struggled at times to breath, angered that he could not have prevented the tragedy. I soft hand gently caressed the prince’s shoulder. Looking up he found that it was the young priestess whom was sympathetic.

“I,” spoke her thin voice, pausing briefly, “think that I can help him.” The young priest was sincere, yet afraid that her power alone could not mend the body before her. She knew the curing arts, as did all bishops of the order, but she was new, and felt untrained. The final step in the journey for a priest to attain the role of a bishop is to learn how to heal the body from injury, memory loss, poison, or with the greater bishops, death. But she knew that she was a newly blessed bishop, only just recently learning how to heal bones and blood loss, practicing only on minor flesh wounds. She knelt down to the fallen knight, placing a hand on his bare chest, knowing that he indeed had broken ribs. Glancing over at the prince and seeing the distress on his face, she knew that she had to do something, having to at least try.

With her palm flat in the center of his chest, she closed her eyes and prayed to Diodon, and a small, bluish light emitted from in between her hand and his flesh. The light pulsed throughout the entire body of the large man, wave after wave of the same bluish light, and where there was injury, whether broken bone or even minor bruise, it too began to radiate with energy. This energy, unlike the former, varied from a pinkish color to a grayish color. Several moments later the pulsing stopped, and the waves vanished, but the colored lights remained. His body was mostly covered with grayish whites, then the pinkish colors were the next frequent, and a small amount of blue speckled throughout. She reopened her eyes and began scanning Will’s body, noting the myriad of colors all along the body. And after a few minutes she spoke, while looking over her shoulders at the, now formed, circle of worriers.

“I don’t know how familiar any of you are with curative magics. So I will explain what just happened and what I’m about to do. The light that resonated through his body searches for anything that causes the body stress. It indicates a number of different things before wearing off. First it determines the type of ailment; pink meaning something dealing with blood or blood loss, gray deals with bone issues, green is toxins or venoms, and blue is magical effects.” The young priestess informed the crowd, stopping to catch her breath before she continued. “The darker the hue of each color, the more severe the damage is to the body. As we notice on Will,” she said while pointing at various locations on the body, relative to what she describes, “his chest seems to have taken a lot of the injury. Notice the mass concentrated on the center of his chest, it is a dark gray color, with streams of pink and spots of a light color blue. That means that the damage was probably the result of magic, noting by the residue, it caused a reaction with a physical object. His left arm, too, is dark. This must’ve been what triggered the event.” She stopped, looking at the various damages, “I think I can heal him enough to walk by tomorrow morning, if I work all night, so you all can go ahead and eat while I begin and I’ll eat later.” She said in a soft, shallow voice, indicating to the others to lay him on the couch. As the others hoisted the large knight to
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