《Floriena: The Start of a Journey》 Prologue: The Kingdom of Floriena Just a small background info for the world, not really relevant to the story, but whatever, ________________________________________________________________________________________ Gather round young ones, and I will tell you a tale. One that is wrought with danger and peril. Long ago, there was a land once called Floriena. It''s coasts where clean, and it''s prairies lush. No drought nor plague ever befell upon it. With it''s high mountains, that ranged north to west, beautiful sea to the east, and a impassible dessert to the south. No army could find a safe path into the land. The people who lived in that wonderful place had all they would ever need. They had built architecture to new heights, and created ingenious technology. Technology so superior than what we have, so much so that they were able to find a small, symbiotic existence. By studying these small life forms, they found that when a creature is exposed to it, the creature is able to perform a spectacular feat. Magic. Through Magic they were able to reach new heights. Performing the impossible, and defying all known physics. The only thing theoretically Magic could not do, was turn the dead into living. Soon they were able to communicate instantly across vast distances, and teleport small items short distances. The leaders of that land soon decided that three ships, Fire Wing, Swift Retribution, and New Child. Be sent out to sea, to spread their culture, and knowledge with the rest of the world. Each Captain specifically chosen, and the crews of five hundred hand picked. As the ships sailed off in their respected directions, none of them were prepared for the aftermath of their explorations. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Chapter 1: Kieltar and Solfic ________________________________________________________ "Come on Solfic, we are almost at the top." "You come on Kieltar, you know that your legs are longer." Solfic was a young boy with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a plump face. His friend, Kieltar, was a half a season older than Solfic, had short golden-brown hair, and had dark green eyes. "You know you should loose some weight Solfic, it''s not healthy to be that fat at your age". "I am not fat, and my momma says that I am the best mannered child in town." "Well mannered or not, that doesn''t change your weight. Come on, we''re here." Kieltar sat down under a staple tree while he waited for his less athletic companion to catch up. "What a view!" exclaimed Solfic as he fell thankfully to the ground. "Come on Solfic, we see this view every other week, you should be used to it by now." Solfic stood up, and walked over to the staple tree. "The land''s beauty is always present Kieltar, even if it never changes." As Solfic took his spot under the old tree, Kieltar started climbing to his usual spot on the third branch. Looking out to the vast expanse of sea, Solfic said "you remember those boats the king sent ten years ago?" "you mean that one year where your stomach was bigger than you?" "ya that¡­ wait a minute, stop laughing!" Solfic said angrily, while Kieltar laughed. Regaining some of his composure, Solfic talked over Kieltar''s subsiding laughs "anyway, I wonder how they''re doing, wasn''t your older brother on one of the ships?" "ya he got chosen to go on the New Child, why do you ask?" "whenever you look out to the sea, you get a strange light in your eyes." "Ha, do I now?" Kieltar said scornfully. "Well?!" "Well what?" "aren¡¯t you going to tell me what you think about?" "why do you want to know?" "Because good friends tell each other their feelings." Kieltar started to climb farther up the tree. "We are friends, right?" "sure." grunted Kieltar as he pulled himself up onto the highest climbable branch. Solfic had to shout now to make sure Kieltar could hear him. "Come on down, and we can talk this out." "Dude what have I told you about friendship speeches?". A look of revelation appeared on Solfic''s plump face "Ooooohh, I see now, OK. No more friendship speeches. Hey since you''re already up there, can you tell me what''s out at sea?" "Water you dolt." "no, one thumb length down from the cloud that looks like an eagle. There is a small smoke column." Solfic''s thumb was way thicker than Kieltar''s, but it still was very effective. "Solfic, I think your imagination''s shot." "You don''t see it?!" "I see the smoke column, but the cloud looks nothing like an eagle." "well, what does it look like to you?" "A hare." "A HARE?!?!" Solfic exclaimed. "It looks nothing like a hare!" climbing down the tree with the quickness of a squirrel, Kieltar stuck his face into Solfic''s. "I say it looks like a hare, and that¡¯s final." Solfic, not one to be outdone by his companion, pushed his face back into Kieltar''s. "Well I say it looks like an eagle, and you can''t change that." The pair stood there, foreheads pushing against each other. Suddenly Kieltar stepped to the side, and watched Solfic try to catch himself from falling. Off balance, Solfic fell hard on his rump. Kieltar offered his hand to his fallen adversary, Solfic took it graciously, and then pulled Kieltar down next to him. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Both boys, now on the ground, stared at the sky. "so, what''s the score now?" Kieltar asked. "one hundred and twelve to fifty seven." Solfic answered. "You''re still ahead Kieltar." "I thought I won today." "no I pulled you down, my win." Solfic looked over at his buddy, who was staring distantly into the sky. "what do you think is out there?" Solfic asked. "I don''t know, but my brother always said that the fallen warriors from the days of old are up there, watching over us." "wow, that¡¯s amazing." "Ya...I know." The pair rolled over and stood up. "race you back to town." "Kieltar, we raced here. We don''t need to race back." "you''re just saying that because you''re fat." Kieltar ducked under a wild punch from Solfic. "no need to bust your buttons over a few comments." "There is no need for you to bring up my weight." "you know you could say you are big boned." "true, but bones don''t jiggle." the two laughed, bear hugged, and started walking down the hill. "Solfic, what do you think that cloud looks like?" "those soft, frozen milk cones Mr. Henry gives us every month." "really? That stuff?" "ya, what do you think it looks like?" "A drill." "Really." "What?" "A drill, come on now, and you were the one saying that my imagination was shot." "your point being?" "Try to be creative for once Kieltar." "I''ll start being creative when you lose some weight." "Ok then, help me." "With what?" "Help me lose some weight, I''m sure you could find some ways." "Why don''t you use Magic to lose some pounds?" "That would be the easy way out, and I don''t like that." The two hopped the shallow ditch onto the path. "Well looks like a caravan passed through here." Kieltar said sagely, looking at the ground. "why do you say that?" Solfic asks. "Cause there''s a little dust cloud on the other side of Mr. Roming''s field." "that all?" "nope, also there''s four lines on the path see." Kieltar pointed at the ground, where a cart had passed. "seems like the lines are really deep in the ground. Wonder what type of cart it was?" "do you really care?" "no, why?" "because it seems that you do care, somewhat, what type of cart it is." "well I don''t, ok". "Hey Kieltar?" "what?" "can we rest for a while, my side is hurting...more than usual." "nope, we normally stop around the bend up there." Kieltar pointed in the direction they were heading, towards a sapling of a oak. "my side reaaally hurts right now." "bear the pain for at five minutes." "Kieltar? Why are there two of you?" Kieltar turned to look at Solfic, who was panting with his hands on his knees. "Solfic? Are you ok?" "water". Solfic fell, hard, onto his face. Kieltar rushed over to him, and noticed that his friend''s breathing was becoming rapid and shallow. "Hold on Solfic, we can cut through the field and¡­". He got no farther. "Kieltar...than...thank you¡­ for...the fun tim.." Solfic started to cough up blood. With tears streaming down his face, Kieltar said shakily "hold your breath, we still have some way to go¡­" "NO...no...please listen to me.." "I won''t hear it!" "do you want me to leave with regrets¡­. That''s unlike you." "I don''t want you to go¡­come on, you still have a full life ahead¡­" "use that one spell the elder taught you". "no, I won''t.. I can''t.." "please do it.." Solfic coughed again, this time spiting more blood up. "do it." Solfic''s eye''s started to glaze over. "Stay with me, come on¡­ Reinteactar!" Kieltar shouted this out, and a red stream went into the air. The stream started the direction of the town and disappeared from sight. "there, now hold on, helps coming". Kieltar looked down, and realized Solfic''s body had become limp. "Solfic?" Kieltar whispered. "hey, stop messing around¡­" Kieltar started to shake even more violently. Looking at is friend''s old body, then looking at his bloodied hands. Starting to feel a cramp building up in his stomach Kieltar got up quickly and ran to the ditch, and threw up. Looking back, eyes wide, Kieltar saw his companion''s body slowly disappear. "NO leave him, take me!" Kieltar ran over to his dissolving buddy. "Leave him, leave him." "If I leave him what will I gain?" looking up, Kieltar saw a cloaked figure in front of him. "wha..what?" "What will I gain if I leave this boy here?". ''what could he gain from me if he leaves the body'' Kieltar thought. "Answer boy, or suffer a similar fate." looking up to the cloaked figure''s face, Kieltar''s eyes seemed to have mini supernovas in them. "In exchange for leaving Solfic''s body here, I will go with you." a slight hiss of air sounded and Kieltar felt something prick his neck, near his spine. Suddenly Kieltar began to lose consciousness. He fought it. "If you want to change places with your ''friend", you have to lose that life of your''s". Kieltar fainted. Chapter 2: Awakening Chapter Two: Awakening _________________________________________________________________ As the wind blew over the cold tundra. A white fox-wolf shivered, it''s head bent away from the gale as it struggled to fight against it. The fox-wolf was returning to it''s den after an unsuccessful hunt, the cold winter tundra winds of the northern mountains killing off the majority of it''s prey. The fox-wolf was 3 meters from nose to tail tip, and was 2 meters tall. well defined muscles showed that it was build for pouncing and catching it''s prey through ambushes, though it can chase down it''s prey if need be. it''s pelt was thick and white as the snow that swirled around it. though it''s body was built like a regular wolf, it''s head and tail looked like a fox''s. As the fox-wolf came under the cover of it''s den, it noticed a unfamiliar smell. The fox-wolf did not have a very successful hunt because of the storm, and after three days without food, and at this point, it would eat anything. Getting into a practice hunting crouch, the fox-wolf approached the source of the smell. Seeing that a spot in the corner that was darker than the rest of it''s den it prepared to pounce. The thing moved, showing that it was alive, and that it would have a fresh meal after a long period of starvation. The fox-wolf then noticed that there was another smell, different than the dark colored one. The fox-wolf saw a flash of silver streak across the walls of the den. The fox-wolf''s head flew through the air and landed on the ground, facing it''s body. The look of realization, and bewilderment struck on it''s face as it''s headless body fell onto the ground. The dark shape took out a small box, and tossed it on the ground. As soon as the box hit the ground a campfire popped out, fully blazing. The heat and light woke Kieltar from his awkward position, with his thumbs tied together, and a steel rope bound his arms and legs together. Looking around Kieltar saw he was in a cave of some kind. Trying to sit up, Kieltar noticed a odd shape on the ground in front of him. Kieltar then noticed that his arms and legs couldn''t move. Kieltar knew that panicking would do no good, so he tried inching towards the wall. Sliding up the wall until he was in a sitting position, Kieltar began to realize that this was not a familiar cave to him. Kieltar saw that the cloaked person picking up a large creature''s body, and stick a metal pole down, though the neck and out it''s behind. It then took two small triangles out of it''s cloak and tossed them on opposite sides of the fire. A spit appeared above the fire, and the cloaked figure placed the bar on the spit, then pushed a button on the spit, which began to turn slowly. The cloaked figure stepped out of the cave and disappeared out of site. Kieltar tried to clear his foggy head, which was still affected by the serum that knocked him out. "what am I doing here?" Kieltar thought "for what purpose am I tied ¡­." his captor returned and approached him, and knelt in front of him. Even with the thing''s face so close to his, Kieltar couldn''t make out the features. "Do you remember why you are here, with me?" the thing asked. "no." Kieltar answered. "All the better, it gives you a purpose now." "what purpose?" "talk anymore, and you won''t get any food." Kieltar opened his mouth to argue, but then his stomach growled. Kieltar closed his mouth, and waited for his captor to address him. Satisfied that Kieltar would stay quiet, the cloaked figure took out a small round object, and broke it in half. It pressed a button on either side, and it became two bowls. Sliding one to Kieltar, It then placed it''s one on the ground opposite from Kieltar. "If you start to run, I won''t hesitate to end your life. Got that?" Kieltar nodded. A beep sounded, and Kieltar''s bonds retracted to the two cuffs on his ankles. The figure took a cylinder from its shroud and tossed it under the meat. The cylinder turned into a pot, filled with many ingredients. Taking a knife, the figure skillfully started to cut the meat from the spit, when it ended only the bones with the stringy muscles left on it. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. "while you eat let me tell you a small story, ok?" Kieltar nodded, holding out his bowl for some of the delicious smelling broth. "fill it yourself, only give someone that bowl when you are never hungry again." Kieltar wondered why it said someone, and not me. "Do I speak strange to you?" Kieltar nodded as he dipped his bowl into the steaming broth. "as I should, for now. Anyways let me start my tale, it involves you." Kieltar''s eye''s flashed from shock, but quickly recovered, though too late. "Ha, it isn''t an old legend, and it''s true. Once upon a time, there were two friends. One friend was rich and fat, while the other was a street rat, with no money." the figure stopped and looked at Kieltar. "sound familiar, no? Now the father of the rich friend didn''t like his heir playing with the street rat, so this rich person asked some of his rich friends if anyone was needing a servant. Rumors spread, and the street rat''s brother heard of this, and he confronted the rich father. Making a deal with him, the brother agreed to go on an exploration as a foot soldier. The exploration never returned, so the rich father kept his word, for awhile." "Political view was very important to him, and his heir was drifting more and more away from him, so he, once again, asked what he should do. He had to keep his word, so he finally decided to let a government agent take care of it." Kieltar was mostly lost, and the story sounded familiar. "The father asked the government agent to give his son a potion that would make him seem sick if he hung out with his street rat buddy. While at home, he was completely fine. Months pass, and the effects of the potion increase more and more, until one day his body can''t take it anymore, and it shut its self down, to repair and conserve strength." Kieltar''s face started to grow pale. "the street rat, caring for his friend cried out and tried to help him. The government agent appeared in front of the street rat and asked if he would like to give his life for his friend''s. the street rat said yes¡­ so the government agent took a drug and injected it into the street rat''s system. This drug was in it''s experimental phase, but the meaning of the drug was clear, it was meant to kill him". Kieltar''s heart skipped a beat. " but because of some strange, supernatural force, this drug was turned into a strong tranquilizer." Kieltar let out the breath he didn''t know he was holding. "The government agent then took the street rat and buried him six feet under a staple tree, overlooking the ocean. The agent then went back to the rich son, and extracted all valuables from him. Disguising himself, the agent pretended to be a passerby, and woke the now penniless heir. The heir was shocked to find all of his valuables gone, and his friend missing. Enraged, the boy asked the agent, who was still disguised, and demanded to have him take the boy to the nearest port town, not two clicks away." "The boy approached his rich father, and demanded the finding of the street rat, who poisoned him and took all his valuables. The father scolded the boy for trusting a street rat, and said that he would get a government agent to help. Two days later the agent appeared without his disguise and agreed to the new "terms". After a week of doing nothing the agent came back with fake money, and said that the rat had been caught and is being dealt with by the government. Returning the fake money, and getting a hefty reward the government agent started back to the capital. On his way back, he decided to see if the body had any valuables that he missed. As he approached the site where the dead street rat lay, a blue circle appeared where the rat was buried. Rushing to see what was happening, the agent saw a hand shoot out of the ground. The agent stood there, horrified at what he was seeing. The street rat stood there and looked up. His eyes had sunk, and his muscles faded. He screeched an unearthly yell, and attacked the agent. After killing the agent in a wild fury, the street rat came out of his zombie like rage." ___________________________________________________________________ Sorry for the weird first chapter/prologue. this is the first fiction that I have posted. I hope you have enjoyed. The story continues... Chapter 3: Revelation And so, the plot thickens Chapter 3: Revelation _______________________________________________________________ "OK, enough story time, time for your nap." said the cloaked figure. Seeing the shocked look on Kieltar''s face "you don''t want a nap? Then do you want to speak?" Kieltar nodded. "fine, but only if you take a nap afterwards." "ok." Kieltar''s voice sounded raspy and ancient. "why am I here?" "that you will find out when we get to our destination." "and where is that?" "the place you used to call The Capital". Though Kieltar had never been to the Capital, he always wanted to go there. "did you kill that animal." "yes." "how." The figure did not respond for awhile, so Kieltar guessed that it would not answer for that question. "where did you kill it?" "here, this is it''s den." Kieltar looked on the floor for blood, there was none. "did you clean up the blood?" "no, no blood was spilt." "but that''s impossible, right?" The figure stood up and showed one hand, it was wearing a black glove. The hand''s fingers all came together in an outstretched position. A beam of light came out of his hand, and enveloped it. The beam of light started to take shape, and transformed into a sword. "h-h-how?" "Magic, or a form of it. All agents are trained specially to use it, after the epidemic." "can I learn that too?" once again the figure was silent, then it asked him a question. "do you really not remember?" "remember what?" "question time over." a button sounded, and the bounds reappeared and tied Kieltar once again. The agent then made it''s light sword disappear. "I will be outside, so take a nap". The agent stepped outside, and did not reappear for about two hours, or so it seemed to Kieltar. Slowly, Kieltar''s eyes started to droop, and finally closed into a choppy sleep. Vivid images flashed through his mind like tidal waves, as image after image flashed in his head. At first the images were of Kieltar''s happy days, when his brother was still with him. His brother''s strong tan arms holding him up on his shoulder to look at the ocean. Then more recent images appeared, like Solfic''s father, and his brother''s back, waving goodby. A bird, a boat, and...blood. The images stopped on the lifeless body of Solfic, caressed in Kieltar''s bloody hands. The whites of his eyes rolled back, his tounge swollen and hanging out of his closed mouth. Slowly the head turned at a sickly angle, that would normally make a neck snap, with the speed of a hummingbird''s wings. The mouth opened to show rows of teeth, and the head popped off the body, the corpse''s eye''s rolling back to show black sockets, tears of blood started oozing down it''s cheeks "Kieltar, why did you kill me?" the head asked. "why, TELL ME!". The head leaped at his face, teeth primed for slaughter. Kieltar woke with a start, his heart racing. His body was still bound, and the ropes on his thumbs were growing tighter. "finally up, geez. Maybe I shouldn''t have told you to nap." Kieltar looked around, and noticed it was a completely different surrounding. Instead of a cave, it looked like a tavern''s attic room. Trying to push himself into a more comfortable position, Kieltar fell onto the wooden floor. Gasping in pain as his nose made a sickening snapping sound. Blood started to pool out of his broken nose. "damn it, why do I always get the babysitting jobs". The agent asked as it hauled Kieltar onto a nearby stool. "head up, now". The agent said in a commanding tone. Taking a cloth from the table, It dunked the towel into a water basin, wringed it out, and placed it on Kieltar''s face. A button sounded, and Kieltar''s bonds went back into the two shackles on his feet. "hold this here, and don''t let go." Kieltar complied, holding the damp towel to his face. The agent went out the door and down a stairwell. Kieltar looked around the room. Two small, hay beds stood in the back two corners of the room. A nightstand with an oil lamp on it. There was a chest near the window opposite of where Kieltar sat. A small table stood just off center of the room. On it there was food, and a basin, of which was filled with water, now slightly tinted red from the blood. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. By the bed on the window side, the pool of blood was drying at an unbelievable speed. Kieltar noticed that there was no mirror in the room, so he tried to check his face in the window. Kieltar drew the curtains aside, and saw a prosperous village. Children ran around playing with a limber cat. Rows of houses extended for about two kilometers. A market was in the center of the village. A wall about five meters high stood around the village. In the distance Kieltar could see a dark, lush forest. Angling his face so that it would reflect his face, he saw that the blood was no longer running, and his broken nose was slowly correcting it''s self. "I should try to hide this ability from the agent". Kieltar went back and cleaned the towel, folded it, and moved the stool so that he could look out the window. Right as he sat down the agent came back it to the room with some more food. "so you can heal yourself, they said that it''s impossible, but look". The agent extended it''s hand and pointed at Kieltar''s nose, which was back to normal. "I was certain to put you in a position every night so that if you woke up, you would break your nose. A snap sounding that bad, and bleeding that much, it was totally broken HA!" Kieltar realized that this was not the same agent as before, though they dressed the same, and sounded the same. "your different from the first one." Kieltar said defensively. "where is the other one?" "other one, what are you-" "YOU ARE NOT THAT AGENT!" Kieltar yelled. "for that brief time I was with him, not once did he try to harm me, nor celebrate the fact that he killed an animal for food. You on the other hand, are the exact opposite. You don''t radiate that calmness he did, and you certainly don''t act like him." "why do you say that this ''other agent'' is a guy, it could be a girl." "the way he acted gave it away". "you know you are right, I am not the same agent as the one before". "if you really worked with him, tell me, where''s my bowl." "bowl, what bowl?". Kieltar''s eye''s narrowed "close the bonds, please." "why?" "just do it". Another beep sounded, and the bonds came back on, but they were different. His thumbs were no longer tied together, and his hands were behind his back. "Why did the bonds change." "what?" The bonds were no longer made out of a steel wires, but instead they were made out of thin strings, which were surprisingly tight. "how long was I asleep?" "about a week, the effects of the potion must still be in your system. The agent did give you a sour tasting potion right?" Kieltar doubted the agent''s words even more. "have you ever heard of a rich heir with a rat?" "no why?" This started to confirm Kieltar''s fear, the person in front of him was not a government agent. "can you undo my bonds now, they are tight." "okay". The beep sounded, and the bonds once more fell away. "now come on, we have a long journey ahead oh us." "just one last question". The agent turned to look at him "okay, what is it". "Maybe you cAn tell me how to Get there bI myself, for Certain reasons." "no, I have been tasked with this special mission, and I will fulfill it without hesitation. Also, why did you speak so funny just now." "what do you mean?" "you pronounced by differently, and said letters differently in the middle of the sentence". "well if you want to know, maybe you can figure it out, it''s not MAGIC to speak strange sentences you know". "what do you mean, and why did you use the word magic, there''s no such thing". Kieltar paled. _______________________________________________________________ dun dun DAAAA, I hope you enjoyed. now a look into the strange mind of some random fellow who was made up what the heck is happening, what happened to the tundra, where''s the other guy, who''s the new guy, and why is your writing style so bad?!?! - from a random viewer Author- well random viewer, let''s find out, FORWARD to the next chapter!! Chapter 4: Escape Shorter chapter, sorry Chapter 4: Escape ______________________________________________________________ Time slowed down for Kieltar. He was one hundred percent certain that the person in front of him was not a government agent. "hey are you sick?" "no¡­.no I am not. What is our route?" "we are going out of the south gate." "is it that way?" Kieltar inclined his head toward the window. "no it''s the other way". As the fake agent swept his cloak towards the door, Kieltar decided to make sure that the thing in front of him was not a government agent. "one last thing, please." "yes?" "do you know what this is". Kieltar imitated the first agent''s hand motion, focusing his energy to form around his hand. a glow formed around his hand, Kieltar willed the light to go forward and sharped the sides. forming his first light-sword. It seemed illusionary , almost as if it wasn''t there. "no, what is it?" "a sword." Kieltar lunged at the false agent who stumbled backwards into the hallway to avoid his attack. As the agent''s back hit the wall, Kieltar''s hand started to glow brighter. Pinning the agent''s chest to the wall with his right, his left drew back the hood of the cloak. The agent''s head was pale in color, like it never saw the light of day. It''s bald head shone in the faint oil lamp light. Covering it''s mouth and nose was a gas mask like object. Finally it''s glazed blue eye''s had the expression of shock, almost as if they weren''t expecting to be killed in a single move. Kieltar''s eyes widened with fear as he realized that his hand had gone clean through the agent''s body and into the wall. He heard voices coming up through the stairway. Quickly, Kieltar took off the mask from the agent''s corpse, and saw a mouth filled with teeth that looked like they got filled down into points, like a sharks, only allot more menacing. Kieltar threw the mask into the water basin, and attempted to pull his right hand out of the corpse. Suddenly he felt a chill run up his arm, and saw a metal like substance ooze out of the agents chest pocket and start to engulf him. A middle aged man, about Kieltar''s size, wearing a wolf skin and carrying a short sword, appeared on the top of the stairs. "Halt, you are unde¡­.AHHH!" the man screamed in terror. Kieltar''s body had been engulfed by the strange metal, making him look like a giant metal slim man from another world. Kieltar finally succeeded from pulling his hand out of the corpse. "DIE MONSTER!" the man screamed as he sung his sword. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Kieltar covered his face with a hand. As the sword made contact with Kieltar''s hand, it snaped with a clear *PIIINNNNGG* "What the¡­" Kieltar pushed the man back into the ceiling of the staircase. The man passed through the ceiling, and fell into the tavern area, where he landed on the bar, smashing it. Kieltar quickly back into the room and locked the door, leaving the handle crushed. He then went over the water basin, and cleaned the mask of blood. While putting the mask on, Kieltar hesitated, and looked into the basin. His hair was wild, and his eye''s were dark and sunken. He heard someone banging on the door and yelling. "open this door right now! Don''t make us go get the enforcers!" Kieltar decided that his face would be okay for now and put the mask on. Instantly his breathing was steady, and his mind clear. Kieltar strode quickly over to the window and opened it. The door opened and a group of drunken men with a rag tag of weapons charged in. All of the men stopped and stared at the figure who turned slowly and faced them. The figure was dressed in a silver suit, which shimmered with a liquid-like substance. It''s face wore a black mask over it''s nose and mouth. It''s eye''s glowed a purplish hue, and the group could tell the creature was assessing them. "hand me that thing''s coat." the silver figure said, pointing to the corpse in the hallway. A short man ripped the coat off the body, and tossed it to the silver person. It caught it, and instantly the coat was ripped apart, and absorbed by the armor. Seconds later the coat reappeared, but was in a different size and color. Instead of dark black, it was a molted gray, green, and black. No matter how hard they looked at it, it never really seemed to be there, along with a multitude of useless belts that seem to be there for aesthetic purposes than for armor. "do not follow me, do not seek me, and do not find me". Spinning the cloak around him, Kieltar, jumped out the window. _____________________________________________________________ I hope you enjoyed the story so far, and I hope it''s interesting for you OH MY GWAD, Kieltar is so hard to pronounce, how do I do it??? - random though of a random dude/dudette Author- well it''s actually quite simple, think of a key, then the al sound, then add tar to the end, (Key-al-tar) Solfic on the other hand is a lot easier, sounds like it is spelt, Sol as in the sun and fic, like the fic in fiction... enough rambling, ONWARD TO THE NEXT CHAPTER Chapter 5: A Companion Sorry for the small cliff hanger onwards towards the story! Chapter 5: A Companion ____________________________________________________________________ Kieltar landed on his feet and rolled, reducing the probability of his ankles spraining. He jumped out of his roll, and sprinted towards the far end of the village. As he approached the wall, Kieltar noticed that no alarms were ringing, so he slowed down to a walk. From a distance the wall could have been mistaken for one in disrepair, but that was not the case. Underneath the dirty grey was the shimmering silver of new metal. Along the battlements, guard patrolled the wall, and like the wall, were disguised with weapons and armor that looked really old. Suddenly an arrow streaked through the sky, and a loud thump could be heard. An unlucky Wyvern had fallen with a single arrow to the underbelly. As the creature started to get up another arrow split through the air and stuck into the ground. The Wyvern''s head exploded a second later. Kieltar decided that he would be better off leaving the town another way. He would more likely die than live while escaping the town. Moving quickly, Kieltar approached the market place, weaving in and out of the crowds. His thoughts were going faster than he could understand. Finally, out of exhaustion, Kieltar sat down in a shaded ally. His hands moved up to the mask that now covered his face, and slowly took the mask off, throwing it to the side, where it splashed into a puddle that was nearby. His hair fell down over his eyes and shoulders, while the cloak''s hood slithered down. Leaning over to grab the mask he looked at his reflection on the puddle. He did not recognize the person that the puddle showed him. His once short, golden- brown hair was now a long luminescent white. His eye''s were no longer the lush green he loved, but purplish pink. The well tanned skin that showed he lived near the ocean was now like smooth white marble, giving off a creature of the night feel all around. Footsteps started to echo in the air around Kieltar. He dove for the mask, and put it on. The cloak''s hood moved back to cover the rest of his head. Kieltar backed up slowly to a wall, the footsteps got louder, along with a weird high pitch squeal. Kieltar''s back hit the wall. Shadows started to appear around the corner. A large animal came bounding around the corner, and charged at Kieltar. Diving to one side, Kieltar dodged the animal. It''s long nose and floppy ears looked sinister in the shadows.\ The animal slowly turned towards Kieltar, it''s eyes clouded. It started to sniff. Kieltar wondered why the animal didn''t attack. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. "It went this way!" Kieltar heard a man shout from where the animal had come from. The animal whined with fear as the noises started to come closer. Looking closer, the animal resembled an old hunting hound, well out of it''s prime. It''s fur was a dull brown, and Kieltar could count all the vertebrae in it''s frail spine. One of it''s hind legs was missing, lost, to what Kieltar guessed, to the owner of the poor creature. The hound looked hopefully at Kieltar, trying to wag the stump that was it''s tail. Kieltar softly patted the hound''s head and spoke softly to it. "don''t cry now, only young pups cry." the hound moved closer to Kieltar, trying to hide behind him as a group of burly men came running round the corner. Kieltar hid the hound from it''s pursuer''s view. One of them had a snake like dragon tattoo on his bicep. The tattooed one started to walk towards Kieltar and the hound, asking in the same gruff voice Kieltar had heard earlier. "Hey you, has ya se''n a ho''nd dog ro''nd ''ere?" Kieltar stood slowly and turned towards the man. " ''ah said, has ya se''n a ho''nd ro''nd ''ere?" The man stopped. The hound wined. "Ha, dere ya are''s." The man lunged forward attempting to push Kieltar to the side. " Hey, move it." "That''s the first word I have been able to understand out of you." Kieltar retorted as he picked the man up easily. "first you beat a helpless animal, then you chase it to near death, and now you try to push me over? One up or two straight?" "eh, wha." the man got no further as Kieltar struck a blow to the man''s face. The man was sent flying into the other men who had chased the hound. "Get out of here, all of you." Kieltar yelled. Exhausted by the stupidity of man, Kieltar sat down, and patted the dog''s head. __________________________________________________________ OMG he''s a dog lover, and he was like super cool when he did that thing and and and.... Auther- shut up I know, anyways I hope you enjoyed, even though it was kinda short. See you in the next chapter Chapter 6: A Fated Encounter Chapter 6: A Fated Encounter __________________________________________________________ Several days and dead cats later "I have to see what day it is." Kieltar explained to the hound, which now after careful tending, looked healthier. " that way I can figure out how long I''ve been asleep for. let''s check here." Kieltar said, nodding towards a market stall "maybe they know." Kieltar started to walk over to the stall he had indicated, when some children knocked him down. The dog growled, and Kieltar patted it''s head and whispered "I know." The plethora of children continued down the street, knocking people and merchandise over as they played a very complex game of tag. Kieltar put his mask on. "three¡­.two¡­..one." *BANG* The bang sounded from the children. The street stopped all motion, and as if with one mind everyone ran away from the noise. The cry of the children was drowned out by the screams of fear from the crowd. Kieltar walked slowly towards the group, the hound walking with him, teeth bared. In only a few seconds, an entire street filled with people, was empty, except for two groups, the children, who were at the epicenter of the blast, and Kieltar, his cloak swirling in the wind. The kids were bawling, tears streamed from their eyes and noses. One or two of them had blood trickling down their ears. "when you steal, you will get hurt." The kids looked at Kieltar with beady eyes. "but we didn''t steal anything." a kid cried. "we''re the victims here, poor tommy." another kid said, pointing towards a boy with golden brown hair. Tommy seemed to be the smallest of the group. "poor Tommy my ass, he''s faking it." the kids seemed shocked to see a person so heartless towards them. Tommy got up, and pulled out a butterfly knife, which he expertly spun open. "drop all of your goods and we''ll let you live." Tommy said, signaling the other kids, no longer dazed, to circle Kieltar. "what can one adult do to us, you can''t hurt kids, it''s banned by law." Kieltar stopped, and put his hand on his chin. "I do recall something like that." Tommy smiled. Kieltar sighed, "but no matter, it''s not like anyone would care if a bunch of orphans disappeared." all the kids ran at Kieltar with sticks and stones. Tommy just stood there, frozen with anger. Kieltar stomped his foot on the ground once, hard. A giant dust cloud appeared around Kieltar and the kids. Some kids were blown off their feet from the force of the cloud hitting them. "run for it" one of the children yelled. Kieltar could hear a high-pitched wailing as the kids ran into the side streets. The hound was about to leap after them, "Stay." Kieltar said as he took off his mask and hid it in the cloak. "there''s always next time." The hound whined with disappointment, but flattened it''s fur anyways. The wailing got louder, and around the corner came a wagon without any animal pulling it. The hound looked up at Keiltar for directions, he inclined his head towards a nearby building. From the outside it looked like all the rest, but inside it was the animal center. The floors were waxed, and a sweat smelling perfume was in the air. "stay close to me." Kieltar said softly to his friend, "we don''t want them to think you are a stray." The hound shook his fur. "Is dat a medium sized dog der? Or is it a hound Ja?" a man wearing a neon pink, skin tight jumpsuit, came around the corner. "are ja here to give dat one it''s special treatment Ja?" "well actualy.." before Kieltar could finish the strange man zoomed close to Kieltar''s chest. "und while jour at it, mind if I takes care of you Ja?" the hound growled. " Oh, he''s a fiesty one Ja. Well I can see why Ja came here, it''s the best spot Ja." the man said, backing off Kieltar and putting his hand on his chin. "considering za merchandise, und say¡­ Zirty seven kings, and fifty two queens Ja" "what?!?" "ok, ok ,ok, I''ll lower za price Ja. Zirty Kings, und sixty five queens Ja. It''s da money Ja." "money? For what." "vor jour little vriend''s little vriend Ja. Jou vant zem removed Ja." the hound growls grew louder, the man whirled around and zoomed behind the counter, grabbed a board and zoomed back out. On the board was a diagram of a dog. The man talked Kieltar through the operation. "virst ve put him in da back Ja. Und zen ve give him za happy gas. Zen ve takes ze big guy und¡­" He got no farther through his description, because Kieltar had left the shop. The strange man looked out the window and saw Kieltar walking down the street, the hound by his side. A glint flashed through his eyes as he looked at the description of the lost cargo that was meant to be at the local auction last week. "I think we should leave town soon." Kieltar said aloud. "that way we can avoid future conflicts." The hound wagged it''s stump in agreement. "but how to get out without the guards noticing me." the hound sat down and put it''s head in it''s paws. Kieltar''s stomach growled. "I guess we should get food first, but where to go." Kieltar said, as the hound got back up. "this time, let''s go to a tavern." the hound barked, wagging it''s stump of a tail. As Kieltar was walking down the street, the sun started to set. A reflection shone in Kieltar''s eyes, causing him to blink and look in a window. The black cloak had turned into a traveling cloak, and the mask had turned into goggles, pushing his white hair back, revealing his forehead. An old looking scar ran across the top of his right eyebrow, down to the middle of this left cheek. "How did I get this?" the hound whined, pointing it''s nose towards a nearby hut. It was worn down to the point that the thatch roof was on the verge of collapsing. Kieltar approached the old hut, and stepped through the broken threshold. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Inside of the hut was contradicting the outside appearance. The floor was marble white and grand designs were etched into every available space that could be reached. Kieltar walked farther into the building, which size was seemingly impossible for the outside. The Hound growled at a shadow. "calm down boy" Kieltar spoke softly to the Hound "Hello? Is anyone here?" Kieltar said with a much more steady voice than he had expected. Kieltar noticed another shadow move. "I don''t know what''s going on, but it''s sort of creeping me out.¡± The sound of a sword unsheathing could be heard. Kieltar turned around and saw a figure spinning in the air towards him with a silver streak flowin behind it. Kieltar ducked and rolled away from the figure. The silver streak had turned into a steel double edged short sword, that easily sliced into the floor. This weapon was clearly an entirely different level from the cheap sword Kieltar encountered earlier. Kieltar didn¡¯t know how he knew it was steel, but he had a hunch that it was not normal. The Hound was still growling at the shadows, but it¡¯s breathing had slowed down so much that it was almost impossible to see it¡¯s chest move in a steady manner. The figure that had tried to perform the sneak attack looked like he was Kieltar¡¯s age. the figure''s gold hair matched the color of his eyes, which had a blue ring surrounding the pupil. The rest of his face was covered in a dark red cloak, which also covered the rest of his body. Kieltar moved as the man in red did an over head swing at him in a seemingly over dramatic fashion of a regular swing. Dodging to the side, Kieltar sent a jab into the man''s gut. The man flew into the wall and time went back to normal, the hound turning as fast as it could toward the man, who was imprinted into the wall from the force of Kieltar''s jab. "getting slow there you rascal." Kieltar told the hound "if he had got me, what would''ve happened to you?" Kieltar heard another dull thump that came from the ceiling''s rafters. Kieltar looked up, seeing a flash of silver streaming towards him. Again time seemed to slow down, and Kieltar could see the crossbow bolt that was now seemingly gliding towards him, slowly crawling forwards. Kieltar ran towards the wall opposite of the man in red, and jumped onto the wall, then into the rafters with a flip. Kieltar looked around and saw a figure dressed similar to the man in red, but this time was in a dark blue, and it''s face was covered by a mask. It''s weapon looked like it was made of metal, yet it seemed to have the same effects of water, reflecting light, and little waves where the figure''s hands were holding it. It seemed so beautiful that it was hard to believe that this weapon almost killed him. It was like a good dream that¡­. *KLANG* The bolt hit the ground with a metallic screech, bringing Kieltar out of his daze. The figure had raised the crossbow, and aimed at Kieltar. His instinct told him that he should wait until the bolt was fired, duck and draw the goggles that were on his head down to his eyes. \ A dull thump sounded and a bolt raised toward''s Kieltar''s leg. Following his instinct, Kieltar ducked and pulled the goggles down in the same motion, ignoring the bolt which used to be streaking towards his leg, but now his face. *KLANG* The sound of the bolt hitting the stone where Kieltar''s heart would have been if he had raised his leg in response to the mirage. Kieltar started advancing, slowly at first, but with each step his pace got quicker. The figure backed up in response to each step Kieltar took, and as fast as it seemed able, shot bolt after bolt at Kieltar. Kieltar duck dodged and weaved, avoiding the bolts as each one barfly missed him. The figure''s aim seemed to be getting worse and worse, as it''s hands started to tremble. Kieltar readied to attack with the light sword and... "STOP!" the man in red had finally regained conscienceness, and was holding it''s stomach in pain. "stop?" Kieltar responded sadistically "why should I stop, I am mearly responding to a challenge to the death. The one who struck first was him." Kieltar motioned his head towards the figure in blue, who''s back was up against the wall. "You invaided us, therefore we protected¡­" the man in red trailed off after seeing Kieltar hop down from the rafters. "I don''t enjoy fighting, nor do I enjoy punishing others, but if my life is in danger, I will start fighting and punishing until I feel it is right." "And when is that?" a voice said from the entrance. "If you don''t like fighting others, then why come into enemy territory?" the man wore a white cloak, and held a straight metal staff lightly in his hand. "enemy territory? What do you mean by that?" "If that''s your answer then I am going to assume that you don''t know the game''s rules." though the man''s voive sounded happy, his white eyes looked sad and lonely. "I guess it would be easier to explain while fighting, since you are in our base." ________________________________________________ Holy Chicken in a thingy, that was long, now then.... random stuff Who were the kids, why was that man so racist and stereotypical, what game, and who am I??!?!? - a random thought from a random person Author- OK, the game is basically a territory war in the town, will explain more in detail in later chapters, the kids and man are part of that "game", he is stereotypical because I wanted an interesting character, and I have no clue voice from my head. OK in all seriousness, I sincerely hope you have enjoyed my writing so far, also, don''t be afraid to comment and rate the story, I want to know what you think of the story and how I could improve it. Yes I am planning on explaining the magic system and all the plot holes eventually, so ya. SEE YA Chapter 7: The Hard Truth chapter for today, hope you enjoy tiz a shorter chapter today Chapter 7: The Hard Truth _____________________________________________________ Kieltar followed the man in white into a side room, where it was even bigger than the last room. The room went up for about forty meters, and the room was about the same length. The entire floor was flat, and a pedestal stood in the middle of the far wall. The man in red and the figure in blue hobbled over to it, and climbed in. The Man in white moved to one corner of the room and pointed to a spot adjacent to it on the other side of the room. "stand there and we will begin". Kieltar moved to stand on the spot and he saw two circles and a line that connected them. The man in white stood in one circle and Kieltar stepped into the other. The man got into a fighting stance, holding the metal pole in his right hand, tapping the pole lightly on the back of his shoulder. His left hand was at his eye level, his fingers slightly bent. Kieltar pulled down the goggles over his eyes, and felt a strange sensation creep along his skin. It felt like water, but it went against gravity and covered his face with a shimmering silver. Kieltar closed his eyes from the intensity of it. Kieltar opened his eyes and charged towards the man in white. Kieltar felt his left hand go into a wide hook, aiming for the man''s face. His hand met open air, as the man used his pole to soar above Kieltar and slide into the circle Kieltar started in. "woah woah woah, you got to wait for the starting bell". The man chided Kieltar as he nodded towards the figure in blue, who pressed a button on the pedistual. The floor started to glow with multiple lines, and the floor began to sink in some spots. Trees started to grow, forming a circle around the two fighters. The floor had turned into dirt and grass, and a wind blew through the ring, rattling the tree branches. Kieltar ignored the seemingly beautiful landscape as the man in white took off his boots. "you know, I never liked the hard pavement, it was either to hot or too cold to walk barefoot on, and the rocks always digs into your feet. I like the natural grass a lot more, it gives a feeling that I think is hard to replicate." Kieltar''s hand moved to the side of his head, blocking a sudden sweeping strike from the man. Sliding back from the impact, Kieltar looked over at the man who was taunting him to attack. "I thought you said to wait for the bell?" "that was the bell" the man started to run at Kieltar, the pole raised to the right of his head. Kieltar complied and charged at him. The man suddenly stuck one end into the ground in front of Kieltar, and vaulted up and over Kieltar, while skillfully attacking him with the pole. Kieltar guarded and evaded the incoming strikes. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Kieltar charged towards where the man landed, sending a flury of blows towards him. the man dodged and countered, bringing the pole upwards towards Kieltar''s chin. Kieltar leaned backwards and kicked towards the man''s hands, kicking the pole into the air. The man didn''t stop his assault as he started sending a multitude of swift kicks. Kieltar responded with his own, matching the man''s kicks blow or blow. The figure in blue and red stared in shock as one of their best members slowly started to be pushed back by a stranger off the street. The fight continued on for another five minutes until it suddenly ended. the man, exhausted by the constant attack that kept getting faster and faster, rolled backwards and lept into a crouching stance. Kieltar charged at him, and swung with a powerful jab. The blow was far stronger than what had incapacitated the man in red earlier and...... "finaly awake?" The man in white asked, peering over the collapsed youth. "what was that?" Kieltar asked "a martial art, somthing of which you lack, yet seem to have." "why didn''t you kill me?" "You''re ability to fight did... that and your kindness to that hound. as soon as you collapsed it rushed towards me, silly thing." "I see... well, what year is it?" "the year? it''s 523 AE." "AE?" "After the Epidemic" " what was the Epidemic?" The man had a look that said, ''where could you have been to not know about basic history.'' "I... haven''t been out much resentlly." "ahh, well I guess I better start at the begining. ok it was about ten years since the Kingdom of Floriena sent out it''s three ships, when a government agent was found infront of a hole in the ground, the surrounding area was warped and distorted. a tree, that was near the hole, was now made of an unknown metal." Kieltar felt a chill run up his spine "before you continue, how long did the Epidemic last." Kieltar asked, hiding his fear. "it lasted 666 years, exactly, not a day longer, then the day the tree was found." ______________________________________________ OMG, a character more experienced than the MC. waaaiit, how old is Kieltar really right now - a random person who had a life, but then lost it upon finding this book Auther- I don''t know, as I am too lazy to count, anyways get a ..... never mind. I hope you have enjoyed this chapter, and I hope you have some comments for me, such as pointing out the plot holes, of which I know that they are there, but am too lazy find them until I really need it. or I could say a wizard did it... I''ll go with that, SEE YA