《The Man Who Can Slay The Gods》 Chapter 0 Pt 1, Prologue: The God of Death, Chiwa Eva¡¯s POV: As I was walking through the forest, the sound of leaves crunching and hushed voices can be heard in the distance. For why a god, such as myself, is in such a place, was to confirm a suspicion. I creeped my way behind a tree and peeked toward the direction of the voices. There I saw a beautiful woman with black hair, pale skin, dark eyes and a flawless face, wearing a black dress. This woman I knew all too well as the god of death, Chiwa. Across from her was a bulky orc. The orc was around 2 meters tall, with skin that looked as asphalt, and a crown on his head. His face was disfigured and had a scar across his right eye. This orc was, of course, the orc king. He was known for his cruelty and hate for the human race, ruling with an iron fist in order to wipe out the humans. Beside the orc king was two other orcs, and if I had to guess, they were probably his royal guards. A dastardly laugh exited the king orc¡¯s deformed lips as he responded to something Chiwa had said. ¡°For such a favoring proposition there has to be... a catch. Speak your demands, God of death.¡± The orc king said as saliva spewed from his mouth. ¡°Hoho. You speak so straight with a god. I¡¯ll let it slide for now. I¡¯m in a good mood after all.¡± Chiwa said as her black lips curled into a wicked smile unbefitting of such a beautiful face. ¡°The only thing I wish is to watch an enjoyable war.¡± She said, shifting her gaze between the orc king and his subordinates. Another laugh escaped the lips of the orc king. ¡°Haha and an enjoyable war you shall get! I will accept your proposition!¡± The orc king proclaimed. ¡°I can¡¯t wait. I shall call on you when I am prepared. Until then.¡± Chiwa said with a wink and disappeared into a black smoke. ¡°I wonder if we have made the right choice in this matter.¡± Said one of the orcs accompanying the orc king. ¡°Of course we have! With this, we shall crush the humans once and for all!¡± Spewed the orc king as they left. I stood there replaying the scene in my head. ¡®This confirms my suspicion, Chiwa is stirring up trouble. Although I would never had guessed she wished for war! I must confront her!¡¯ I thought as I opened a portal to my home, Astralix, the realm of the gods. Chiwa¡¯s POV: As I returned home to Astralix, I couldn¡¯t help but laugh. Everything was going perfectly, even the fact that Eva found out, though I didn¡¯t expect her to go there herself. ¡®Soon things will get very interesting¡¯. A smile slowly formed on my lips. Although I was surprised to find Eva confront me only half an hour after my arrival. I had expected at least a week. I was quite surprised to find her march her way to me and bring the topic up. ¡®Oh well. Not like it matters. I¡¯ll just get to enjoy it even sooner¡¯ I smiled as to great her. Eva¡¯s POV: A look of shock was shown on Chiwa¡¯s face as I marched toward her. ¡®I won''t let you get away with this¡¯ I thought as I made my way toward her. A smile appeared as I approached her. ¡°Hello Eva. It¡¯s nice to see you! Is something the matter?¡± She said, tilting her head to the left. ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb with me! I know you are stirring up war between the Orcs and Humans!¡± I said, looking her square in the eyes. She looked at me blank and chuckled, ¡°Ohhh, do you?¡± She said, then with a straight face ¡°So? What are you going to do about it?¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°I will bring this news to the council! You will be tried and imprisoned for directly trying to cause war between two races!¡± I stated justly. ¡°Ohoo. Well that just won¡¯t do. You see I have somewhere to be and being imprisoned will be counter-productive. I will have to decline your offer¡± Chiwa said with a smug smile. ¡®What? Decline my offer? What is she thinking!?¡¯ Before I could question her, a fist was sent flying my way. I put up a guard but it still sent me a few feet. ¡°Chiwa! What is the meaning of this!?!?¡± I yelled. ¡°Hmm? What do you mean? I thought it was quite obvious what it meant when I told you I wouldn¡¯t be imprisoned.¡± Chiwa said while charging at me. ¡®It looks like I¡¯ll have to bring her down myself. Fine! Bring it on!¡¯ I thought as I readied myself. She threw a punch toward my stomach, but this time I was ready. I grabbed her wrist and guided it away, throwing her straight into a wall. I thought that was pretty good but apparently not good enough as Chiwa was able to somersault and use the wall a platform to push off of for her next attack. She striked with a claw toward my face which I narrowly dodged, but was unable to do the same to the kick that followed up. I was sent flying into a pearly white wall to the right of me. ¡°GAH¡± I let out a moan as I hit. Blood dripped down my head as I stood up and looked at her. ¡°You know, for a god you¡¯re pretty weak. I know you¡¯re only the god of life, but still, I expected more.¡± Chiwa said looking depressed. I noticed the presence of two other gods heading toward our way at high speed. If I can stall for a minute, we¡¯ll be able to catch her! ¡°Why are you doing this? What do you wish to accomplish!?¡± I asked Chiwa ¡°Why¡­¡± Chiwa doubled over laughing. ¡°Why you ask. Hmm why indeed? I¡¯ll let you figure that one out, but for now¡­¡± Chiwa stopped talking and disappeared. ¡°Play times over¡± I barely had time to react as something hit my back and exploded. I went flying through the hallway and through the wall. The pain sent to my back was excruciating. I laid down on my stomach in a puddle of blood as I heard Chiwa¡¯s laugh and looked up to see her disappear. ¡®When did she get so strong?¡¯ I thought. Two figures appearing in front of me was the last thing I saw before my vision went dark. Chiwa¡¯s POV: As I went through the portal out of Astralix, I sighed. Although I was prepared to fight my way out of there, if it had happened in a week in front of the council, I would have gone out more stylish, but alas Eva had to ruin it. I pouted a little as I made my way toward the location I talked to the orc king about. Speaking of which I should tell him to meet me there. ¡°Hey orc king! Come to the location I told you about. The plan is starting sooner than anticipated.¡± I used telepathy to call out to him. Shortly after, I stopped outside of a small village in the outskirts of civilization. I made my way on top of a hill nearby. There I waited for the orc king to make his appearance to start step one of my plan. I smiled while looking down on what soon will become my stage. ¡®I can¡¯t wait!¡¯ I thought as night was starting to reveal itself. Chapter End Chapter 0 Pt 2, Prologue: The Village by The Hill Hey! BlackishSheep here! I wanted to thank you for reading this and hope you enjoy! Also, if you find any grammatical errors/missing words, let me know. I do these quite late and usually have some mistakes.. anyways I hope you enjoy this chapter! -Sheep ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ata Daijon¡¯s POV: ¡°Ata! It¡¯s time to get up! Breakfast is ready!¡± A woman¡¯s voice rang through my room. ¡°Coming Mom!¡± I said as I sat up in my bed and put my feet on the cold hardwood floor. I looked around my room, which only had my bed and a dresser in it, as I stretched my body before getting out of bed. I walked toward the window in my bedroom to see what the weather would look like today. ¡®Wooo! Not a cloud in the sky!¡¯ As I was looking around outside I noticed my reflection in the window. Yikes, I am going to need to cut my hair soon. My black hair was all over the place, going in all directions possible. I ran my hands through it to smooth it out and checked it again. There, perfect! I looked to see if there were anymore things I needed to fix. Nope, handsome as always! ¡®With light blue eyes, dark hair and this kind of face, what girl could resist me?¡¯ I playfully thought as I winked at myself in the mirror. ¡°Ata! What are you doing in there?! Hurry up¡± I heard my mom call from outside my room. ¡°I¡¯m coming!¡± I replied. Oops, spent too much time fixing myself up. I opened my door and headed down the hallway to the kitchen. When I walked in I saw my dad sitting down waiting for me. ¡°Ooh this is rare. I haven¡¯t seen you sleep in for awhile. What¡¯s the occasion?¡± My dad asked as I made my way to the table and took a seat. ¡°Hehe, sorry. I kinda lost track of time when I was practicing last night. Before I knew it, it had gotten pretty late¡± I said apologetically while scratching the back of my head. I looked at the table and saw an array of foods in front of me. ¡®Ooooahh, Mom has the best cooking¡¯ I thought as my mouth was watering. ¡°Hmm, It¡¯s good and all that you¡¯re working hard, just remember you need your sleep. If you don¡¯t sleep well you¡¯ll stay short forever.¡± My dad teased. ¡®You just had to go there¡¯ I thought as my dad pointed out one of my most sensitive flaws. Yes, I was short. I was around 1.15 meters (or 3.8 feet/ 45ish inches) tall, and for an 8 year old, I was short. Compared to my dad, who was a hulk of a man, measuring around 2 meters ( around 6¡¯ 5¡±) I was basically bite sized. My father was an adventurer of sorts when he was younger, and apparently a pretty good one at that. He was known in our village for how well he handled a sword, and I¡¯m proud to say no one can beat him. He has short black hair, brown eyes, and a chiseled face. He was by no means ugly. His usual attire is dark pants with a collared shirt. He carried a sword around his waist when he went out. ¡°Dear, you shouldn¡¯t tease him about his height, you know he hates it.¡± My mom said while bringing the final dish of eggs over to the table. ¡°And plus, he¡¯s still a growing boy. I bet he¡¯ll grow just as tall as you¡± Mom added and pointed a smile my way. ¡®Ahww. Thanks mom for always having my back¡¯ I thought. Mom is a beautiful woman. She had long brown hair that went to her waist, with light blue eyes that looked like an ocean and a smile as warm as her heart. Her skin was like white jade and her body looked sculpted. Truly she was an image for perfection. ¡°You know, now that you¡¯re close to your due date, you should really let me cook.¡± Dad said with a worried look. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I was soon to be a big brother! Usually kids are upset when they find out that they were soon to be sharing their parents, but I personally couldn¡¯t wait! ¡°Oh it¡¯s fine, I can do most of it with magic anyways. Plus you suck at cooking.¡± Mom giggled when saying that. I almost spit the drink that was in my mouth out. ¡®Mom, please warn me before you are about to do something like that. It would have been bad if I choked¡¯ I thought as I coughed a couple of times. ¡°I thought you said that my cooking was delicious.¡± Dad said while looking dejected. ¡°I have over exaggerated a lot of things over the years.¡± Mom teased. ¡®Mom. Please, stop. Any more will be bad for my heart. I can¡¯t breathe.¡¯ ¡°Anyway, Ata I heard you were practicing last night. What were you practicing?¡± Mom questioned me. I gulped down the meat I had taken a bite of and smiled. ¡°Oh yeah! I wanted to show you something! Look!¡± I said excited while raising my hand outward and pointing my palm toward the ceiling. I closed my eyes and felt the flow of magic in my body. Slowly. Very slowly I concentrated it toward the center of my palm. Building it up and out to the tips of my fingers, then back toward the center of my palm. Then I gave it an image. A word. ¡®Fire!¡¯ I thought as my hand combusted into flame. I opened my eyes to see a large blue flame in the center of my hand. ¡®Success!¡¯ I yelled in my head. I looked to see the reaction on my parents face¡¯s. ¡°Amazing Ata! Truly remarkable! To be able to conjure such a strong and beautiful flame as this is outstanding!¡± Mom said with a smile. ¡°Very good job Ata! Keep this up and you¡¯ll be one of the top Envoys in this country!¡± Dad exclaimed. ¡°Thanks! I¡¯ll work hard not to disappoint you guys!¡± I said giggling from being praised. We continued eating and talking for the remainder of breakfast. Afterwords, we thanked the gods for our meal and I got ready to start my chores. As I was putting up my plate a knock was heard on the door. I made my way towards the door and opened it. There, standing in the doorway was a large man wearing fancy clothing. He was a stout man, with large arms and brony shoulders that would make him look intimidating to anyone who didn¡¯t know him. On his face he had a scar that went from the top of his forehead across to the start of his left eyebrow. His eyes were a nice hazelnut and he was wearing a warm smile. This man was the village chief, Laurel, who so happens to be my dad¡¯s best friend. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Yo, Ata! Nice seeing you! Is Dominic around?¡± Laurel asked. ¡°Uncle Laurel! Welcome back! Yeah, Dad should be in the kitchen, come on in.¡± I replied and let him in. He walked in and inhaled through his nostrils ¡°Ahhhhh. It¡¯s nice to be able to smell Lailah¡¯s godlike cooking again. Speaking of which¡­.is it possible that there is any left?¡± He practically druled. I laughed ¡°Yeah. Just go in the kitchen. It¡¯ll be on the table.¡± I assured him ¡°Yaaaay! Thanks Ata!¡± he said before making his way to the kitchen. I followed. ¡°Yo! Dom, I¡¯m here!¡± Laurel said. ¡°Laurel! You¡¯re back from the capital already?¡± Dad asked. Laurel nodded in response. He had recently gone to the capital in order to ask for them to expand their patrol to our area. Since our village is far away from any other city, we are always having trouble with monsters that show up. Laurel grabbed a plate and piled on food. ¡°So how did it go? Did the king accept?¡± Dad question. Laurel shook his head. ¡°The king said if you were here, there shouldn¡¯t be anything to worry about. He¡¯s just mad he couldn¡¯t convince you to become his personal guard.¡± Laurel responded as he shoveled more food into his mouth. ¡°MMMMM Shhoo gwood!¡± he said. Dad just shook his head, ¡°That greedy king... Oh well, I guess I can hold them off for now, though¡­¡± Dad drifted into thought. ¡°What is it Dom?¡± Asked Laurel. ¡°It¡¯s just, they seem to be getting more organized. I mean, it¡¯s common for orcs or goblins to travel in groups of 4 or 5, but it seems they¡¯re moving strangely. Maybe it¡¯s just my imagination though.¡± Dad said, and had a look of deep thought as he looked down toward the floor. A strange atmosphere had developed in the room. ¡®Ehhk.... I don¡¯t quite understand what they¡¯re talking about, but it seem serious. I better leave and do my chores.¡¯ And with that I left and started my chores. Our village is fairly small, having around 20 families. We are self sufficient, but we all have our own jobs to maintain that. My job is to help maintain the farm my family owns. We grow vegetables like potatoes and we also grow grains like rice and wheat. All families provide something for the village and get together in the local market to trade and such. As I was walking to the farm, I heard the crunching of gravel to my left. I turned to see a small child jump on to me. ¡°Surprise attack!!!¡± yelled the child as he landed on me and I hit the ground. ¡°Ha got you Ata! You fell for my surprise attack.¡± The child said with a triumphant smile. ¡°Yes Zach, you got me. Good job, but I have one question. Doesn¡¯t screaming surprise attack before you attack defeat the purpose?¡± I replied. Zach was a child in my village that lives nearby. He has short red hair, blue eyes and freckles on his cheeks. He¡¯s around 5 years old and quite...tall for a his age, almost the same as me. We play together when I have free time, so we have gotten pretty close. ¡°Zach, didn¡¯t I say to be careful when doing things like that. What if you accidentally jumped over Ata and missed? He¡¯s quite the small target.¡± I heard a voice coming from the same direction Zach came from. I looked up to see a boy my age looking down on us. ¡°Connor! You!¡± I said angrily. Connor was Zach''s older brother. He was 1.4 meters tall with blonde hair, blue eyes and an athletic body. Connor was one of the students my dad was teaching swordplay to. We naturally saw each other a lot and became friends. Well I say friends, but as he picked up my dad¡¯s habit to make fun of my height, I see him as an enemy. Though we still get along quite well when he isn¡¯t making fun of it. ¡°Now now Ata, It¡¯s alright. Anyway, where were you this morning? I waited for an hour and you didn¡¯t show.¡± Connor asked. ¡®Oops, I forgot.¡¯ Me and connor always spar in the morning before breakfast. ¡°Sorry, I was up late last night and slept in this morning.¡± I said apologetically. ¡°Hehe It¡¯s fine. Just make up for it tonight! I need practice!¡± ¡°Yeah, okay.¡± And with that I got up and the three of us made our way to the farms. As we were walking I got a sudden chill run up my back. I looked toward the hill near our village. ¡®What was that?¡¯ I stopped in my tracks. ¡°Ata what¡¯s wrong?¡± Connor asked. ¡°Oh, um nothing. Sorry got lost in thought.¡± I replied. ¡®Must have been my imagination...right?¡¯ I thought as we continued onward. That hill is where we send offerings and prayers to the gods. It has an altar near the top that looks down at our village. The village goes there once a month to send prayers for a good harvest and such. I quickly forgot about the weird sensation I had felt as I made my way to the farm. When I was finished with my chores, It was past noon so I quickly made my way back toward my house. I smelled a wonderful sent drift through the door as I walked up. ¡®Mmmmm Lunch time!¡¯ I opened the door and was blasted with the wonderful smell of Mom¡¯s cooking. ¡°Yo Ata! Welcome back!¡± Uncle Laurel waved while sitting down at the table. ¡°Uncle Laurel! You¡¯re still here?¡± I asked. ¡°Of course! It¡¯s lunch time after all!¡± Uncle Laurel said while looking at the plate of food Mom sat down. ¡®Ah he¡¯s drooling again¡¯ I sat down and joined everyone for lunch. We talked and ate for the duration of lunch. We put our plates up and said our thanks. The day went on peacefully like this. Mom taught me magic after lunch, then I went to Dad where he taught me and Connor swordplay. Afterwards we ate dinner and talked for awhile. ¡®Ahh! I wish things would stay like this forever¡¯ I thought as we happily talked in the living room. But of course, that wouldn¡¯t happen. As me and conner were about to leave to spar, my body froze and chills went up my back. *BOOOOOM!* A loud crash was heard outside near the village gates. The sound that turned my life of happiness, into a life of vengeance and sorrow¡­.. Chapter End Chapter 1: The Beauty of Death Hey, sheep here! Sorry I haven''t updated this recently...been really busy IRl and had to get some things done. I plan on trying to update this at least every two weeks but I don''t know if I can keep to that promise. I also don''t really know how long to make these chapters yet... I always feel they''re too short but then I don''t want it to get to boring. Feed back would be really appreciated! Thanks, -Sheep ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ash fell down near the huge crater by the entrance to the village. The village had gathered around to see what was going on. We stood gaping as two figures slowly progressed through the ash toward us. I squinted my eyes to see if I could make out the figures. What I saw will forever be imprinted in my mind. There stood the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. She was dressed in a long black dress going all the way down to the ground. It had black tulle on the bottom, bunching up making it look larger than it should, with black roses embroidered on the sides. The dress showed off her curves, giving her an even more alluring presence than I could have thought possible, with long black hair, and big beautiful blue eyes that pierced through your soul. A smile crept up on her small but chiseled face as she got closer. A smile that sent chills through my spine. It seemed that she was almost giving off a dark glow, but I couldn¡¯t tell. ¡®Wow, she looks like a goddess¡¯ The woman was so beautiful that I almost didn¡¯t notice the gigantic orc beside her. He was HUGE! What the hell! He was probably almost twice the size of my father! The orc had a disfigured face with scars up and down his body and he held a broadsword on his broad shoulder that gave out a sinister aura around it. ¡®Eek he looks dangerous!¡¯ Uncle Laurel then stepped forward. ¡°I am Laurel, The chief of this village. What business do you have here to make all thi-¡± The orc swung his broadsword with one hand and Laurel stopped speaking. ¡°Wh...at¡± Laurel spewed out blood from his mouth as his body slowly split into two pieces. We stood there in shock. ¡®What...How? The orc is still half way out of the village entrance! How did he hit Laurel!!¡¯ ¡°Stupid fly dare question me! Death is too easy of a punishment for him.¡± Spewed the large orc, putting his sword back up on his shoulder. Laurel¡¯s body hit the ground with a thud. I stared motionless at the corpse of my uncle. Blood accumulated around his corpse and was flowing toward us. My head was spinning. ¡®No!¡¯ I couldn¡¯t make sense of what was happening. I fell to my knees as blood began to pool uncle Laurel''s body. In a vegetable like state, all I could do was stare at uncle Laurel. Some of the villagers started to run away but were stopped in their tracks. The beautiful woman drew a wicked smile as she said ¡°Now what¡¯s the point of gathering you all up here if you were just going to run away?¡± She waved her arm and the people who had tried to run fell to the ground. Their bodies shriveled up as the magic that was in them was sucked dry, leaving behind a wrinkled and disfigured corpse. I looked forward at the woman who I thought to be almost god like, now to see a smile that looked hauntingly on her face. ¡®Ahhh... I see. She¡¯s not a goddess...She¡¯s a devil.¡¯ Just as I thought that, the ash had started to settle. What I saw behind it sent fear to the villagers. A horde of orcs, bigger than I¡¯ve ever seen, was behind the two. My dad clenched his hand around the hilt of his sword. I looked up to see my dad looking angrily at the orc. It seemed like a sinister aura started to accumulate around him, making him look distorted. ¡°How dare you¡­¡± My dad whispered. ¡°Huh? You have to speak louder, sack of meat. I couldn¡¯t quite hear you over the screams.¡± The orc said. ¡°HOW DARE YOU COME TO OUR VILLAGE AND KILL OUR PEOPLE!!!!¡± My dad yelled at the orc. The aura I had felt around my dad now slowly became visible. It looked like long strands of black were coming off him and going up towards the sky. ¡°You have a sharp tongue, sack of meat. Allow me to dull it for you!¡± The orc spewed as he swung his sword again. *CLINK!* A loud sound of metal clashing was heard. My dad was pushed a couple of meters to the right while holding his sword to his left in a blocking stance. ¡°What! You! A sack of meat blocked my sword! Ha!! Fine! Come at me!¡± The orc said while the horde behind him started closing in. Dad slowly walked in front of the group of villagers. ¡°Ata, watch closely. This is how you use a sword.¡± Dad said. Dad held up his sword and whispered something and the aura around him grew thicker. It looked like large black tendrils were coming off him and his sword, whipping around wildly. Suddenly gusts of wind started pushing against all of us. The horde was mere feet away now. The villagers started to cower and shake as Dad stood in front of us, holding his sword calmly. Just as an orc was about to swing at my dad, a swoosh sound was heard. *Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud* Suddenly all of the orcs around us started to fall apart. Dad then leaned forward and disappeared from the spot he was in. *Clink!* I looked toward the sound to see my dad locking swords with the large orc. *Clink!* *Clink!* *Clink!* They began exchanging blows in a flurry of motions that I couldn''t follow. Sounds of metal clashing came from the scene of my dad attacking the orc. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°HA! Though this is more than I expected, it doesn''t matter in the end. Know when you¡¯re out classed, human! Now, time for you to die!¡± The orc then swung his sword faster than before and my dad was sent flying. ¡°Dad!!¡± I yelled, trying to get up, but to no avail. I looked down to see myself trembling. ¡®Why! Why can''t I move?!?¡¯ ¡°Stay back, Ata! Lailah guard the citizens!¡± Dad said while wiping the blood off his mouth. He stood back up and lunged back into the fight. ¡°Persistent bug!¡± The orc laughed and engaged Dad again. Mom then moved forward and started chanting, casting large scale magic at the orcs that were still trying to surround us. ¡°It¡¯s time we end this!¡± shouted Dad as he jumped backwards. He then raised his sword to the air and channeled the aura around him to the sword. My spine started to tingle as I looked at the mass of dark aura that was surrounding my dad¡¯s sword. ¡®Wow¡¯ I then heard something that shook my very soul. The sound of laughter. ¡°Hahaha! Mortals are pretty entertaining! Yes I agree, it is time to end this, but not the way you thought¡± The woman said as she rose her hand and pointed toward my mother. ¡°Gauh!¡± I looked up to see my mom start to loose her balance. She wobbled slowly back and forth. Then a sight I never will forget. My mom falling backward. Landing with a heavy thud. Blood staining her perfectly white face and a gaping hole in her chest. I then looked back up at the woman, now with a heart in her hand, as she started laughing harder. She then crushed it and tossed it to the ground. ¡°NO!¡± I heard someone scream but I could only assume at this point. I was too shocked at the scene that lay before my eyes. Looking down, I saw the woman who raised me lying in a pool of her own blood. Her long brown hair stained forever red. Her beautiful face now forever twisted into a look of shock and terror. ¡°Ha! Amature! Never get distracted in battle!¡± I looked up and screamed at the sight ¡°WATCH OUT!¡± but it was too late. I now saw my dad getting impaled on the long broadsword of the large orc. He had been facing toward us and now was stabbed in the back by the orc. A look of shock was on his face as he had realized what had happened. The orc then proceeded to cut him in half. My dad then slid to the floor with two thuds. I sat there, completely motionless. My mind was trying to catch up to what was happening. ¡°Ha! Told you it wouldn¡¯t matter in the end. Oh well, at least you entertained me a little. Orcs! Take the village! Try to keep the women alive but corpses will do if need be!¡± The orc then laughed ¡®Wh...at? What is happening?¡± my eyes were now locked onto my mother¡¯s corpse. ¡®Why?¡¯ I started to feel tears overflowing. I looked at the gaping hole where my mother¡¯s heart used to be. Blood was now puddling around me from both my mother¡¯s and Laurel¡¯s bodies. ¡°AHHH! ATA! HELP!¡± I then looked to my left to see Zach being grabbed by an orc. ¡®Huh? What does he mean? This is all a dream right? I¡¯ll wake up to my mother calling me for breakfast like always. This is just a bad dream right?¡¯ I then heard Connor screaming as he charged the orc with a sword. He managed to land a hit before getting surrounded. ¡°Ahh!!¡± Connor screamed as he used his body to cover his younger brother from the onslaught. They were then cut down, Connor on top still trying to protect his younger brother, even after death, but to no avail as they both died in eachother¡¯s arms. My eyes then started to glaze over from the tears as I looked back at my family. ¡®Why? (Crack) Why was this happening?¡¯ I then noticed that I too was being surrounded. I looked up at the evil faces peering down at me. ¡® Why am I not waking up yet?(Crack) Come on, this is getting cruel.¡¯ I then saw behind the orcs surrounding me, the beautiful woman that had brought this death onto us with the full moon to her back. The woman was smiling at the horror of this one sided onslaught. (Crack!) ¡°Why?¡± I whispered as the orcs were closing in. I then felt something start to build up inside me. Something that made my mind start to close down. An intense rage I had never felt before had started to build inside my chest. Looking at the woman had grown it exponentially. With it, a power I had never felt before had started to build, but the same question rang through my head over and over. I looked down at my mother¡¯s corpse to see an orc had started to rip her clothing off. I then felt something deep within my psyche shatter. (CRACK!) ¡°WHY!?!?!¡± I screamed as power exploded around me. The orcs around me had then started to turn to ash as fire began to engulf the surrounding area. I screamed at the top of my lungs. ¡®Why!?! Why are you doing this!?! What did we do?!¡¯ I then felt my body lunge at the orc who had killed my family. He looked at me shocked as I hit him in the gut with all of my force. I sent him flying out of the village as I let out another roar. ¡°My, my. I never thought I¡¯d see such potential in such a small town! This will do! Yes, this will do indeed!¡± I looked over to see the woman had disappeared from where she was before. I then was flipped on my back and was looking up to her. She placed a hand on my chest and I felt a burning sensation. ¡°AHHHH!¡± I screamed in pain as it felt as something had ate the skin around my left peck. My vision then began to go dark as the last thing I saw was the wicked smile of the beautiful woman. The smile of death herself. Chapter end Chapter 2: The Merchant, Anwir Chapter 2: The Merchant, Anwir As I woke up, a vivid image of green appeared before me. Leaves crunched beneath me as I sat up to look around. A sharp pain thundered through my mind as images of what happened before filled my head. Images of Uncle Laurel being cut down before he had a chance to know what hit him. Images of my mother having her heart ripped out of her chest and crushed before me. My father being impaled by the large sword of the orc. I ran over to a bush nearby to throw up. A throbbing pain started to take pain on my left pec. I looked over it and saw something that looked like a skull branded into my pec. The skull looked to be laughing and crying at the same time. ¡®So it wasn¡¯t a dream¡­¡¯ The realization suddenly sunk in. The realization that I no longer had a home. That I no longer had a family. The realization that I was alone. I started walking mindlessly through the forest as I relived the moment over and over again. ¡°ATA! HELP ME!!¡± I could hear Zach plead as he was being surrounded. The sound of Connor screaming to his brother to stay behind him and the image of him getting cut down that followed. I could hear the screams of the villagers around me getting cut down. The pleads for help that spewed through their mouths and the silent prayers from the people who could do nothing else. Trees blurred by as I kept walking aimlessly through the forest with the same thoughts going repeating in my head : ¡®Why?¡¯ The rhythmic sound of leaves crunching under my feet were drowned out by the screams in my head. Why? Why did this happen to us? What did we do? I felt rage start to bubble up inside me as I walked. The sound of the leaves crunching slowly turned to the crunch of gravel. I looked up to see an image that sent shock to my whole system. An image of a figure stood looking up at me. ¡°Zac-¡± I whispered when he began to speak. ¡°Why did you let me die?¡± The calm voice that came out of the small child sent shivers down my spine. ¡°Wh...at¡± I said wide eyed looking at Zach. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you help me? You let me die.¡± Zach said in a monotone voice. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I choked out, not sure what to say. Then the image of Zach froze. His eyes went wide as his fog like body was split diagonally. Before I could react, the image of Connor took his place. ¡°Ata, why did you let us die?¡± His voice sounded through my eardrums. ¡°I¡­ I-¡± Before I could answer, Connor cut me off. ¡°Why did you watch us get slain? Why didn¡¯t you warn us about the ominus aura that was by the hill?¡± Connor said, tilting his head. ¡°You wanted this to happen, didn¡¯t you.¡± My whole body started shaking. ¡®What¡­.I wanted this to happen...What is he saying¡¯ As I opened my mouth to speak, the image of Connor was split, and in his place stood my mother, looking at me with the same kind eyes she always did. ¡°Mom! I wante-¡± I started to take a step forward as I was cut off. ¡°Ata, Why did you kill me?¡± These words shook me to my core. I fell to my knees looking up at the image of my mom. Blood started to seep through her dress. ¡°Why did you kill us?¡± She said, still looking at me with the same kind eyes, but they seemed to be fading, almost empty. A burning sensation filled my chest. My breathing started to stagger and my body felt heavy. I looked up at my mom to see her too start to fade away, leaving me alone again. ¡°I¡¯m¡­.sorry¡± I choked out as tears started to flow down my face. I put my head against the ground as I heard the screams of my friends, neighbors, and my family drown out the world around me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­..I¡¯m sorry¡­.I¡¯m sorry¡± I said as I dug my fist into the gravel. As I sat there tormented by the shrill screams of all the people I held dear, a deep hatred started to burn all the way through my soul. A deep hatred for the people who had killed them, and for myself for being so weak. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I wallowed for what seemed to be days. The sound of hoofs on gravel and the neigh of a horse awoke me from my torment. I looked up to see a large horse drawn carriage with two compartments. A young man stepped out of the driver¡¯s seat of the carriage. He was dressed in bright colors and looked to be quite wealthy. Walking with a cane in his left hand, he looked towards me and asked ¡°Are you okay, kid? Why are you laying on the middle of the road?¡± I looked at him but did not respond. He came closer and knelt down, looking at me with concern in his dark brown eyes. I noticed the freckles that covered his cheeks and light brown hair escaping his top hat. ¡°Are you lost? Where are your parents?¡± He questioned. I winced at the mention of my parents. As if picking up what I was thinking, his look changed from worry to sorrow. ¡°Are you alone?¡± The man asked in a warm voice. I simply nodded in response. ¡°Do you want me to take you to where you live?¡± I shook my head. ¡°I have no home¡­¡± I managed to croak out. The man looked back at me, with eyes that almost said that he knew my pain. ¡°Do you want to come with me? I¡¯m a merchant and am heading towards the capital, if you¡¯d like to come with, I could see to it that you have a home. They have places there that take care of children like you.¡± He smiled warmly at me. I thought about it for a moment, then decided that there was no reason that I should decline. ¡®If I go to the capital, maybe I can enlist into one of the guilds that my parents told me of. If I do that surely I can get strong enough to avenge my people.¡¯ ¡°If you would take me.¡± I whispered. The man¡¯s smile grew wider, ¡°Okay! Let''s get going!¡± He stood up and brushed off his brightly colored pants. I stood up and let him lead me to the first cabin of the carriage. Though I call it a carriage, It was more like a carriage with a storage unit attached to it. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. The man opened the door and stepped in. He looked inside the cabin and said to someone ¡°Would you mind driving, I have a visitor and wish to speak with him.¡± ¡°Yes sir¡± A deep voice echoed back. A large man stood up from his seat of the carriage and walked towards the entrance. With every step the carriage creaked under his weight. Although I didn¡¯t get a good look at him, I did manage to see a huge broadsword on his back. ¡®Mercenary I guess.¡¯ I thought as I started to walk into the cabin. ¡°Oh where are my manners! I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Anwir, and like I have mentioned before, I am a merchant. It¡¯s nice to meet you¡­.¡± He gestured to me as if asking my name. ¡°Ata.¡± I replied ¡°Ata! A pleasure to meet you!¡± He bowed and then took a seat. Looking at me, he gestured to a seat across from him. I quickly walked over to it and took a seat. ¡°So, Ata, tell me about yourself, if you don¡¯t mind. It¡¯s going to be a long journey and I think this will help pass some time¡± The carriage started moving as I began introducing myself to him. For some reason I felt I could trust this man. I told him where I was born, about the village I lived in. I told him about the villagers that lived there, about Connor and Zach, about my Mother and Father, and about the eccentric guy I came to call my uncle, and how he was the village chief. I told him of all the happy moments I had with them, of all the times Uncle Laurel would come in unannounced and get scolded by Mom. I told him about all the ¡°surprise attacks¡± of Zach, and all the teasing of Connor. I told him about Mom¡¯s godlike cooking, and about Dad¡¯s sword ability. I told him about how both Mom and I are Envoys. His eyes sparkled at that, but I ignored it and kept telling my story. I mentioned how Connor and I sparred every morning, and how hard we both practiced. Time passed as I told him my story. By the time I had stopped, the sun started to set. ¡°You seem to have a lot of good companions, Ata. Do you mind me asking why you aren¡¯t with them now?¡± He questioned. My happy mood had quickly darked at the mention of it. ¡°You don¡¯t have to if it is complicated.¡± He reassured me. ¡°It¡¯s okay...I¡¯ll tell you.¡± I began telling him about the sensation I felt around the hill that day. The sensation that made me freeze after hearing the crash coming from the entrance of the village. I told him about how I watched Uncle Laurel get cut down in front of me. How my father fought to protect us, and how my mother died protecting me. I told him about Zach and Connor, and how Connor tried protecting Zach even after death. And how I sat there and watched as all of this happened. I looked down cursing my weakness. ¡°Ata, There is no need to curse yourself for what happened. They died protecting you, didn¡¯t they? Don¡¯t you think that they would want you to lead a happy life instead of a vengeful one? Keep your head up Ata. You are what your parents fought for. They wanted you to live a happy life, even if the cost was there own. Don¡¯t let that go to waste.¡± I looked up shocked at what I heard. ¡®How could I not try to avenge them?!? I should just let the ones who slaughtered my village go?!¡¯ I couldn¡¯t help but be confused at what he had said. ¡°That is what I think at least but, hey, to each their own.¡± He added after seeing my angry expression. I changed the subject and asked about his story. ¡°Oh, you want to hear about a lowly merchant such as myself? HA! As you wish, I shall tell you my story!¡± Anwir replied, almost striking a pose. He told me how when he was young he wished to be a knight, and how his father had gotten sick, forcing him to take over the family mercantile business. He told me of his many loves, all unrequited, and how he slayed a basilisk ¡°with this thumb¡± as he held up his thumb. He told me of how he has traveled all over the continent and met many new and interesting people. ¡°What kind of stuff do you sell?¡± I asked him. He perked up at the question. ¡°Oh I sell a wide variety of supplies, hoho a wide variety indeed.¡± He laughed creepily. I didn¡¯t pry deeper, in fear of what I might find out. ¡°Anyways Ata, it¡¯s getting late. You should get some rest, you¡¯ve had a rough couple of days.¡± He looked at me with concern. ¡°You¡¯re probably right...Okay I¡¯ll try to get some sleep. Good night Anwir.¡± I said as I laid back into my chair. ¡°Good night, Ata.¡± He replied softly, blowing out the lantern in the cabin. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ¡°AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!¡± ¡°ATA! HELP ME!!!¡± ¡°ATAAAA!¡± Screams filled my ears as I looked around into the darkness that enveloped me. Images of the villagers getting slaughtered started appearing around me. Suddenly I was back in the village. In front of my lay my mother, with a hole in her chest and a look of shock on her face. I watched as the villagers were getting cut down while I couldn¡¯t move. ¡®No!!! Not again! Stop!! Please!!¡¯ I started screaming but the words wouldn¡¯t come out. Suddenly the place was black again, but in front of me stood my mother. ¡°Why did you kill me Ata?¡± She asked in a monotone voice. ¡°I...Didn¡¯t¡± I choked out. ¡°Why did you kill me and your little brother?¡± She put her hand on her swollen stomach. ¡°N...No..¡± I started to shake. My whole body trembled. ¡°I¡¯m sorry...I¡¯m sorry...I¡¯m sorry¡± I repeatedly said when suddenly something shook my body. I opened my eyes to see Anwir looking at me with concern. ¡°Are you okay? He asked. ¡°Yeah...I¡¯m fine...Just a nightmare.¡± I said as sweat ran down my face. He looked at me apologetically and said ¡°Well we¡¯re here...Let¡¯s go!¡± Anwir got up and walked to the door. He motioned me to follow as he walked out. I got up and walked towards the door. I looked out and gasped ¡®So this is the capital!¡¯ Chapter End Chapter 3: The Capital I squinted my eyes as I left the cabin to begin my journey through the Capital. Anwir, who was a step in front of me, stopped and looked toward the driver, whose name I haven¡¯t learned yet, and said, ¡°Ata and I are going to get some business done around town, do you mind setting up our cargo in the usual place?¡± The man looked at Anwir for a moment, almost looking confused, before nodding his head. ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°Fantastic! Come, Ata, after I get some business done I¡¯ll take you to the orphanage and see to it that you get a new home.¡± Anwir then started walk into the busy street. I stood for a second before following after him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Capital was a big, bustling city, with many people of different sizes and shapes walking through the streets. Shouts and smells from vendor¡¯s stands were filling my senses as we traversed through the crowds. There was a wide variety of goods in each stand we passed, from herbs and potions to clothes and sewing materials. People also stood outside of shops, advertising goods like weapons and armor. As we were walking, Anwir mentioned how the Capital was set up. The Capital was set up with three main districts: The Market district, Residential district, and the Holy district. Each of the districts were then split into, ¡°sub-districts¡±, so to speak. The Market district was split into the Vender district, where we were right now, and the Merchant district. The Vender district was basically the same as the Merchant district except for the fact that they couldn¡¯t sell things that the Merchant district has monopolized, and they had to pay a tax to the Merchant Guild to set up shop. The Merchant district was composed of a group of merchants, like Anwir, who were part of the Merchant Guild. They could sell whatever they wanted, from swords and armor to potions and enchanted items, but had to pay a tax to the Merchant guild depending on their rank in the guild. The Residential district was split into 12 sub-districts. Districts 1-6 were peasants and common-wealth, 7-9 were low nobility, 10 and 11 were nobility and 12 was high nobles and houses for the King¡¯s personal friends or guests. The Holy district was split into two, the Royal Palace and the Church. We were heading to the Merchant district. As we walked, the amount of vendor stands became more sparse and the crowds slowly thinned out. I say that, but there was still a huge amount of people still crowding around, the only difference now was that they were crowded around actual shops instead of stands. Anwir and I slowly made our way through the Merchant district heading to our destination. ¡°Anwir! Is that you~!?¡± A young woman with long blonde hair, brown eyes, and wearing a long dazzling dress began walking up to Anwir. ¡°Ooooh if you¡¯re here then that means that you have more products!! You must tell me when you are setting up¡± She looked at Anwir with anticipation, then, her beady brown eyes drifted to me. ¡°Is thi-¡± ¡°Hello Silvia, In fact I was just now heading to the Merchant guild to set up my auction, if you¡¯ll excuse us, we are in a hurry. Good day.¡± Anwir said, almost with venom in his words. The young woman named Silvia recoiled some, then, as if she were unfazed, smiled brightly at us. ¡°I look forward to the auction tomorrow.¡± She said as we walked away. I stood outside a large building waiting for Anwir. This building was, in fact, the Merchants guild. It stood prominent, with a large sign hung above the door. It had marble steps leading up to a porch in front of the building. Inside was floored with marble, with at least two floors, and had attendants waiting by the door to personally abide your every will. As I stood outside this building, I began taking notes on what kind of people walked through this city. There were old, young, bright, dull, slave, master, all sorts of people who appeared here. I watched as people greeted each other, saying things like ¡° Nice to see you¡± ,¡°How have you been¡± and ¡°You better hope I don''t see you in an alley, waste of human life¡±. Stuff like that. ¡°What is someone like you doing alone outside the merchant guild?¡± A voice broke me out of thought. I turned to my left and saw a beautiful girl wearing a fancy red dress, with bright blue, eyes and dark crimson hair. She smiled very bright at me. ¡°u...um I¡¯m waiting for someone..¡± I softly spoke. She tilted her head and said, ¡°Are you waiting for your master?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Your parents?¡± I looked down. After a second I slowly shook my head, ¡°I¡¯m waiting for a friend.¡± ¡°Hmmm, I see. You know, I don¡¯t have many friends. Would you like to be my friend?¡± I looked up almost stunned at her bluntness, and saw her smiling brightly. ¡°I-¡± The sound of heavy metal clinking cut me off. ¡°Ooops, I have to go! I¡¯ll see you another time! Bye, friend¡± She ran off before I could reply. Suddenly the sight of three or four knights appeared in the streets. ¡°Princess!! Come back here!!¡± One of the knights had yelled after the strange girl who I had apparently just became friends with. The sound of a door opening took me away from the rather strange sight. I perked up seeing Anwir walk through it. ¡°Sorry for the wait...Did something happen? You look puzzled.¡± ¡°No, It¡¯s nothing.¡± I shook my head. ¡°Okay... You hungry? I know a really good inn we could stay at that serves food.¡± I nodded my head in agreement. ¡°Let¡¯s go then!¡± Anwir said as he made his way down the marble steps. I slowly followed after him. The Goblin Head Inn was a large place. It had wooden flooring that creaked some when you took a step. As soon as we entered, I was taken aback by the sound of cheery music and adventurers yelling. The smell of alcohol and good food filled the tavern-like place. Anwir and I made our way to the front desk. ¡°Anwir! Nice to see you again! Are you staying long?¡± A plump middle aged woman with dirty blonde hair and green eyes greeted us. ¡°Nice to see you too Liz. I¡¯ll only be staying for a couple of days this time. Is the room upstairs free?¡± ¡°For you, of course! Is the little one staying in the room or shou-¡± ¡°Just the room will be fine, thank you. This should be enough to cover for the room and a couple of meals.¡± Anwir said while putting some coins on the table. ¡°Well alrighty then. I¡¯ll bring the meals up in just a minute.¡± Liz swept up the coins and put a key on the table. ¡°Thank you.¡± Anwir gave a nod and picked up the key. We made our way upstairs and were met with a small hallway with a door at the end. Anwir walked up and opened the door. We were greeted with the smell of dust and old books as we entered the room that had a antique sense to it. There was two beds across from each other next to opposite walls. In between the two beds was a bookshelf with an odd variety of worn out books filling it. I coughed as dust entered my lungs at my first deep breath. ¡°Liz doesn¡¯t really rent this room to anyone other than me, so it isn¡¯t used much. She used to make an effort to keep it clean, but my visits to this place became more and more sparse, she decided it was better off letting it alone.¡± Anwir spoke softly, with a deep gaze resting on the old bookshelf. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I looked at Anwir for a second, thinking of what to say. From what I¡¯ve seen of him, he seems like a pretty energetic guy, so for him to look like this, something must be up. ¡°Ho..w ¡­ long have you known Liz?¡± I weakly asked him, hoping for a change of moods. He looked up and smiled, ¡°Let¡¯s just say that she¡¯s like a mother to me.¡± Anwir then moved toward the old bookshelf and grabbed a tan, ripped up book. Blowing on the cover, he sat down on the bed nearest to him and began reading. Unsure of what to do, I walked over to the opposite bed and took a seat. We sat there in silence until a knock sounded on the door. With a swift movement, Anwir set down the book and opened the door. Liz rolled in a cart with two plates and a candle in the middle. ¡°Here are the meals you asked for. I also brought a candle just incase it was too dark in here.¡± ¡°Thanks Liz.¡± Anwir replied and took a plate from the cart. He then put the candle in a candle holder on the wall and lit it. I grabbed the other plate and brought it on the bed with me. Seeing that her job here was done, Liz bid her farewells and moved the cart back down stairs. ¡®I wonder if she is going to have trouble getting that cart back down the stairs...¡¯ I thought as closed the door to the room we were in. ¡°Eat up. After we finish here, we¡¯re going to have to head back to the Merchant District to get some supplies for my next trip. Tomorrow i¡¯ll take you to the orphanage.¡± Anwir spoke while pointing his fork at my plate. Looking at the food that lay on my lap, I somehow felt a sense of loneliness. I brought the fork up and tried to take a bite of the meat, but was somehow reminded of my mother. Shaking the thoughts from my mind, I tried forcing myself to eat. After finishing the meal, we made our way through the town once more. We stopped at a couple of stands selling things like food and water, horse supplies and basic necessities like that. ¡°How much ye having? We have food for yer horses and for yerself, if yer interested I can even sell you a couple of chickens here.¡± A man asked as Anwir and entered his shop. ¡°No thanks to the chickens, but I will want to buy some food. Would I be able to buy, say, 800 kilos of whatever food you have?¡± The man perked up at Anwir¡¯s request. ¡°Well sher, I could sell you it, but what would you do with that much? That there is enough to feed, say, 7 people for a month er two.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to be traveling for quite a long distance with little to no cities to stalk up with, so if you would be so kind to tell me your selling price for that, I would be happy to pay.¡± Anwir gave a polite smile to the man. After some debating and haggling, Anwir was able to set up enough supplies for his trip. He had told the man to bring it to his carriage by tomorrow, as he would be leaving in the morning. Right now, we were walking down the Merchant District on our way back to the Goblin Head Inn. The sun was now beginning to set and the area had finally started to quiet down. The smell of freshly cooked bread and meat started to envelope the area as we walked down. *grroulp* /author¡¯s note: I don¡¯t know how to express the sound of a stomach rumbling in one word :/ ¡°Looks like someone is hungry.¡± Anwir chuckled at me as I looked down, embarrassed. ¡°Okay, one second.¡± Anwir said as he ran off to one of the nearby vendor stands. After exchanging a few words, Anwir came back holding two meat skewers. ¡°Here. We¡¯ll eat more when we get back to the inn, but for now this should tide you over.¡± Anwir smiled as he handed me a skewer. ¡°Thank you..¡± I took the skewer and began nibbling on it. ¡®Mmmmmm...This is good!¡¯ I quickly devoured the thing in a matter of seconds. I heard a laugh from Anwir. ¡°Here, if you¡¯re that hungry, you can have mine too. I¡¯ll just eat at the inn.¡± He said as he handed me the other skewer. ¡°...Thanks.¡± I then took it and began devouring it like the last as we closed in on our destination. As we entered our room, Liz quickly whipped up a meal for us before carefully heading back down the stairs again. I again sat on the same bed with the same feeling of loneliness filling me as I tried to eat the meal. ¡°Ata are you okay? Is the food not to your liking?¡± Anwir questioned. ¡°Huh? What? It¡¯s fine why?¡± I answered, almost panicked. ¡°You¡¯re crying. Are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡± Anwir looked at me with a remorseful gaze. I put my hand up to my cheek to find that it was indeed wet from my tears. I don¡¯t know when, but I had started to cry while eating. Suddenly the feeling of pain and loss was filling me again. The same feeling I felt when I first met Anwir. Anwir slowly got up from his bed and hugged me. I sobbed into his shoulder as the feeling of despair started to take over. ¡°Shhhhhh, It¡¯s okay. Let it out. I¡¯m here for you.¡± Anwir comforted me as I sobbed. After I had cried til I could no more, Anwir got up and sat back on his bed. With one last look of remorse he said, ¡°You should probably get some rest. I¡¯ll wake you up in the morning.¡± I nodded my head as I went under the covers and let sleep overtake my consciousness. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Some forest far away: ¡°AHHHHHGRRR ILL KILLL HIMMM!! THAT BOY WHO DID THIS! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHGGRRRRRR¡± A large orc was writhing in pain as he screamed aloud. ¡°My king! Please calm down. Let our doctors heal you.¡± A tall muscular orc knelt in front of the orc king. ¡°I WILLL END THAT BOY!!!¡± The king had started to try to stand up and grab his sword, but ended up buckling under the pain. There was a large portion of his stomach scorched and a chunk missing from it. It looked to have been severely burned away. ¡°You will do no such thing.¡± Suddenly, an enchanted voice drifted through the dimly lit room. ¡°YOU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!¡± The king spewed. ¡°Ha that¡¯s one way to greet a god. Do you have the right to talk to me that way after getting beaten by a mere human boy?!? You shall not try to harm that child until I deem it necessary, he will be a big part of my plan. Do you hear me!?! If I even think you are going to, I¡¯ll make sure you spend eternity suffering much worse than some small burn.¡± A woman scoffed at the king. ¡°WHO CARES ABOUT YOUR PLAN!!! I SWEAR ILL KILL HIM!¡± With a wave, the king was silenced and began to choke on the air around him. His face began to distort and turn decrepit, twisting into looks of extreme pain. ¡°This is a warning. Try to defy me again, and I¡¯ll slaughter your whole race.¡± With another wave the king was set free from whatever spell she had cast. He began gasping for air as the woman walked away, back into the darkness she had come from. Chapter End -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hey! Sheep here! Sorry for a late post, been kinda busy lately. I''m planning on busting out a few chapters this week so things will finally get interesting. If you see anything you think to be a mistake, please let me know! Thanks for reading! :D -Sheep