《Of Gods and Men》


 Chapter 0: Prologue

    Before us, before man, there were the Watchers. The Watchers are almighty beings that live in a realm far away from our own. Beings that created us and breathed life inside the hollow shells we used to be back when this world was nothing more than a barren wasteland. Back when the Four Vales were nothing more but a big pile of coal and rubble. The world was dead and it was supposed to remain dead, for the Watchers had looked in their flames and they saw doom. Even the mightiest among their ranks, the Gods, did not know what was coming, but to fully understand this story, I will have to start at the beginning. The beginning, The Dawn of Man¡­


    Prologue


    First I will tell you something about the Watchers themselves. Nobody knows how their kind came to be, they have always been there and will always remain there. You might wonder where this ¡®there¡¯ is. Where do the Watchers live? Well, we don¡¯t know. All we know is that the Watchers wander the skies above us, watching us, their creations. Not all of them live up there, but we¡¯ll come to that later. The Watchers are not equal, some of them are better, greater than others. These are the Gods. The Gods all possess a certain ability that makes them so powerful.


    There is the God of the Air, Lord of Wisdom: Shinden. Shinden is the wisest of all beings. He is always looking for ways to improve the world, to further develop our civilization. The God of Fire, however, is not so kind. Furnox is the Master Tactician. He has a mind for war, in a way he actually is war. One of the more savage Gods is The God of the Earth: Skar. With his horrifying looks, he is usually not considered a Watcher, since he has no human-like form. He prefers the company of the savage beasts that roam the Serpents¡¯ Wasteland. He has the face and chest of a lion, the horns of a goat and the slithering body of a serpent. His mouth is filled with a poison that burns through rock and stone, allowing him to dig tunnels through almost every material. The Goddess of the Sea, Elisia, prefers the company of others. She is the Lady of Deception and therefore she is not limited to just one physical appearance. There¡¯s also the Goddess of Growth, Eria, with a mind for all living things, both man and beast, though she prefers the latter since man always seeks to destroy and conquer. Raven, The Messengergod, has an exceptional memory which allows him to remember well¡­ pretty much everything. He is also the Judge, since he is the only Watcher who can remember all of the laws. Last but not least there is the God of Light, Rhux. Rhux is the King, the Alpha, of all Watchers and has an exceptionally kind mind. He is also the one who sheds his light upon the Four Vales every day.


    However, there is one more God. Sarthox, The God of Time. He is a formless being that controls Time itself. He knows both the future and the past and can walk in both times if that would please him. His task, his power requires him to be sealed off from the rest of the world, for always there shall be those who seek to control Time. There is only one sign Sarthox gives us, the nocturnal light of the moon. This Supreme Council ruled over all Watchers and there was peace, but when they found the barren wasteland that is our world, trouble started. The peace slowly started to break down. The first crack showed itself when Laurel, who was very close with Rhux, suggested the idea of creating life in the wasteland below. This idea divided the Gods, for the Watchers were not supposed to interfere with the things below. Rhux, Eria and Shinden encouraged the idea, but Furnox, Elisia and Skar disagreed, for they believed things should remain as they were. They believed that creating life, might end in the oppression of all Watchers. Raven and Sarthox tried to stay out of the conflict. When Laurel saw that things weren¡¯t really going her way in the council, she looked down onto the wasteland and she knew that it couldn¡¯t remain that way, so he persuaded Rhux to descend with her to the earth and create their world.


    Rhux agreed, he couldn¡¯t just sit idly by while the world below them decayed in emptiness. Thus, they created a pathway to the wasteland and when their feet touched the ground, they felt they had done the right thing. As for the miracle that happened next, we also don¡¯t know too much about that. All we know is that all Watchers possess The Spark, some sort of life force. Every night we look to the sky and see thousands of lights, these are The Sparks. What we do know about this miracle is that Rhux and Laurel managed to combine their Sparks and they gave it to the Earth. Suddenly, the ground stirred and turned green. Trees came up from the ground, while the waters around them turned blue and were suddenly filled with life. All kinds of creatures emerged from the earth until eventually, men showed their face and Rhux and Laurel were filled with love for their creation. They helped them build and thrive. Under their care, mankind grew rapidly, but their secret couldn¡¯t be kept a secret forever¡­


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.The other Watchers, including the Gods, found out and they too descended to the Earth. Most of them rejoiced when they saw this beautiful creations, but not all of them. Saarthunix, a God on the rise, saw what Laurel and Rhux did and he called it a monstrous betrayal, for they did not wait for the council¡¯s consent when they built their world. The council, however, decided not to do anything about it. This angered Saarthunix and with him, Furnox, Skar and Elisia. That night, when Laurel was among her creations, Saarthunix made himself a device that could take the life of another person. It was made out of steel and it was bent into one of the most hideous shapes ever seen. The tip was sharp and the blade was serrated. Saarthunix called it a ¡®sword¡¯ and its name was Death and when the time had come, Death pierced its way through Laurel¡¯s heart. Her light died and with it, the eternal peace¡­


    Rhux, torn by grief, bound Saarthunix¡¯s soul to the blade he had used to kill Laurel and hid it in a temple deep inside the dark forests of the world. From that day forth Saarthunix was known as the Archdemon, the source of all evil. This sparked the great war, the first war this world had ever known. On one side were Rhux, Eria and Shinden along with an army of Watchers, while on the other side were Furnox, Skar and Elisia, with their army of their own creations: The Demons. They fought and sought to destroy one another, but what they did not expect was mankind. The men created their own weapons and armor and rose against the Gods, for they had killed their beloved Lady Laurel. While the Gods were too busy fighting each other, the army of men defeated them one by one, their bodies now trapped in this realm. Only Rhux managed to escape and when he saw what had come of his creation he was, again, torn by grief. He locked himself in his own realm and never showed his face to any of the Watchers again. Years passed and without the good will of the Watchers, mankind slowly started dying. Our lives were no longer unlimited. Rhux felt terrible about this and he opened his realm, The Beyond, for all benevolent souls. The evil souls went into The Fog, a dark mist controlled by the god of Time, Sarthox.


    Thus, our world was created and we divided the land in four parts. In the North East there was the Vale of Autumn, to the North West there was the Vale of Spring, to the South West there was the Vale of Winter and last but not least, in the South East, there was the Vale of Summer, the Vale of Men and we called our land The Four Vales.   Meanwhile, the Gods also resided in our lands and we decided to keep them in check, to make sure they wouldn¡¯t rise again. The gateway still exists but can no longer be used. It is sealed off by Magic. Magic is a force we discovered inside the substance called Arcadium. These rocks are used to power spells. Spells can be used for all sorts of things, but their main purpose is war. Magic created soldiers so powerful, that they were capable of keeping the Gods in the Four Vales. Furnox, God of Fire, now resides in the Tooth. A volcano that lies just past our borders. Eria resides in the mysterious Autumnwoods, while Skar resides in the Serpents¡¯ Waste, a vast desert devoid of anything green. Elisia resides in the Seas of Spring and Shinden made his home on the Pinnacle, the highest mountain in this world. Not all of mankind was against the Gods, though. Some of them joined the Gods as followers. The Pyromancers, mages of fire and brimstone, joined Furnox inside the Tooth. Some of our most talented mages joined Shinden on the Pinnacle, while those men chosen by the Goddess Eria were granted the gift of Lycanthropy (werewolves) and joined her in the Autumnwoods. These werewolves shed their human skins at full moon and turn into the wolves that roam the Autumnwoods. Creatures from the deep joined Elisia and creatures from the sand joined Skar. There would always be war, there was always unrest in the Four Vales and peace and unity were now nothing but a distant memory¡­

 Chapter 1: The Fate of Laurel’s Town

    It was dark. Even though the day had just about begun, there was no light to illuminate the path ahead. The path into the flames, the path to The Tooth. There had been rumors that Furnox, Master Tactician and God of Fire planned to invade Laurel¡¯s Town in order to seize control of the gateway leading to the realms of the Watchers and so a great host of men gathered and took up their arms. Fully cloaked in steel and armed with sharp blades and axes they moved towards the giant volcano. The volcano¡¯s fires burn bright as the ashes rain down upon the empty streets and the decaying houses. Laurel¡¯s Town was once a place full of beauty and music, but now it is a place filled with death and the ugly sound of emptiness. This is the place where Rhux and Laurel first descended to the Four Vales, where they created this world and everything in it, but now the gateway is locked and abandoned. The town was so close to the Tooth that it was simply too dangerous to stay there. Sometimes, Furnox¡¯ demonic creatures would come down from their fiery halls and burn down a few of the empty homes. Rumor has it that the Pyromancers use the town as a training ground now as well. The Pyromancers are Furnox¡¯ servants, they¡¯re fire-mages. With their magical powers they are able to set their enemies ablaze and shape the molten rock into some of the most horrible creatures mankind has ever seen¡­


    ¡®Are we still following the right track, General Daranis?¡¯


    John Daranis looked around, as if searching for something.


    ¡®Ah, yes, we are Rhyddion. Do you see that?¡¯


    John pointed at a flag planted in the thick layers of ashes.


    ¡®That is a beacon,¡¯ he said, ¡®it was planted by our scouts. If we follow those we will reach the Tooth.¡¯


    ¡®And then we can finally deal with Furnox. That bastard has terrorized mankind long enough!¡¯


    The soldiers cheered as if the battle had already been won, but for John, victory was still an uncertainty. There had been no report from the scouts. Maybe they were dead, taken down by some Pyromancers. General Daranis was sure they were slowly moving into a trap. The Master Tactician is cunning after all. He tends to think five steps ahead of his opponents, if not more. John was looking for another beacon when something else draws his attention.


    ¡®Rhyddion, what¡¯s that over there sticking out of the ashes? That¡¯s not a flag.¡¯


    Rhyddion drew his two handed greatsword and carefully looked at the strange object.


    ¡®It¡¯s an arm, General Daranis.¡¯


    A human arm, or rather what was left of it, was sticking out of the ashes. The skin had been burned and it was as black as coal.


    ¡®It must be one of our scouts, General.¡¯


    ¡®Then it is as I feared¡­¡¯


    Suddenly the ashes started to move. Horrific faces emerged from the pitch black ground. Man-sized creatures were crawling over the ground. Some of them had four arms, some of them, just two. There were also some with more than two eyes and some with less. The one thing they all had in common were the small sharp teeth inside there rotting mouths.


    ¡®Draw swords!¡¯


    A flash of steel followed by a few hundred more.


    ¡®Shields!¡¯


    The outer ring of men pulled up there shields, blocking the creatures that tried to jump them, but all of a sudden, the ground underneath them started moving as well. Long, thin arms grabbed a soldier¡¯s legs and he was pulled underneath the ashes.


    ¡®Quickly! Defend yourselves!¡¯


    The soldiers were furiously swinging their swords, while the enemies erupt from the ground and descend from the skies. Rhyddion¡¯s greatsword cut through the creatures like a hot knife through butter and his strong and sturdy armor managed to prevent the creatures¡¯ teeth from piercing his skin. Meanwhile, John¡¯s shield was filled with dents and his armor started to fall apart. The creatures found their target and were all swarming towards the general, but the general had a secret weapon. A small piece of Arcadium, imbedded in his sword. Suddenly, beams of light started to emerge from the cold steel, cutting right through the creatures and turning them into a new layer of ash. John swung his sword in a circle around him, creating a circle of light that devoured the darkness around him. Soon, the creatures started to retreat.


    ¡®Chase them! Hunt them down!¡¯


    The men quickly recovered and pursued the horrific creatures that killed their brothers. Little did they know, that they were running into a trap¡­


    A flash of light in the dust ahead and a huge fireball descended from the skies, leaving a giant crater filled with orange flames behind the soldiers. There was no going back now. The Pyromancers started to rain down fiery flames onto the several hundred men underneath them. Quickly the steel shields were raised again until the mages stopped firing. The shieldwall split apart and John and Rhyddion jumped out of the gap into the crowd of Pyromancers. Steel flashed and fire burned, but Rhyddion¡¯s armor was resistant against the flames and with a massive blow he severed the heads of three mages at once, who instantly turned to ashes. In the meantime, three other mages were raining their fire upon John¡¯s shield, a few meters away from Rhyddion¡¯s blade. The fireballs exploded upon the steel, releasing a massive heatwave that was slowly heating up the cold steel. The shield started to burn John¡¯s skin and he knew that it was time to strike. Quickly he tossed his half-molten shield at his attackers, hitting one them against his chest. The Pyromancer fell down with the still hot shield sticking between his broken ribs. John¡¯s feet guided him through a dense maze of burning fire until he got a hold of a second Pyromancer in front of him and jammed his dagger in the man¡¯s neck. The third fireball missed John¡¯s face only a little, charring John¡¯s skin and turning it black. Another fireball came towards his face and he rolled across the ground, right underneath the fireball, until, with one fast stroke, he cut off his opponents¡¯ legs and plunged his dagger between the mage¡¯s ribs right into his burning heart. John¡¯s army quickly followed his example and slowly they were making their way to the top of the volcano, to Furnox¡¯ inner chamber.


    ¡®Push forward! We¡¯ll see this through till the very end! Laurel¡¯s Town will not fall today!¡¯


    A cheer rose from the army, but it soon turned into a scream when they saw the giant beasts that were coming their way. Giant piles of rocks, held together by a body of hot lava. Their faces were made of rock as well and their arms and legs were huge and strong.


    ¡®Golems! Fire Golems!¡¯


    They were giants made by the Pyromancers. Shaped from the rock inside the Tooth itself. They were the size of two grown men. The Golems did not rain fire or breathe fiery flames, but their strength was unmatched and their skins could not be pierced by any steel known to mankind. Behind the monsters was a tunnel, a tunnel leading inside the volcano and John knew that if he could destroy Furnox before his men were slain by the Golems, Furnox¡¯ armies would retreat and the Tooth would be lost to the forces of Men. John knew what he had to do.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.¡®Rhyddion! Can you see that tunnel behind the Golems?!¡¯


    ¡®Yes, General Daranis!¡¯


    ¡®I must get there before they kill us all!¡¯


    The shields went up again and not long after that a giant stone fist descended upon the shield wall, shattering it with one blow. The soldiers were scattered into small groups, one of them lying underneath the stone fist. Rhyddion and John pushed forward, evading the slow blows of the Golems. Ashes sprung up in the air and the sounds of steel against rock filled the dark skies. Suddenly their path was blocked by the biggest Golem they had ever seen.


    ¡®If this fellow wants a fight, he¡¯ll get one!¡¯ yelled Rhyddion.


    He rolled across the floor, evading the massive fist that came down on his previous location. A mighty swing of his greatsword, but it was only enough to make a slight crack in the giant¡¯s stone armor.


    ¡®The lava! Hit his weak spots! Behind his kneecaps!¡¯


    The Golem didn¡¯t seem to understand those words because suddenly his legs turned away from Rhyddion, exposing the giant¡¯s weak spots, which was turning towards John now. The massive Golem raised his massive fists and tried to crush John, but a sudden flash of light coming from the tip of John¡¯s blade scared the creature off, until it felt a cold sting behind his kneecaps. Rhyddion¡¯s blade stuck into the hot lava. It did not melt and Rhyddion pushed the greatsword even further inside and the burning tip pierced the Golem¡¯s knee. The beast sunk to the ground and John finished him off with a quick flash of light through the now exposed neck. The Golem¡¯s stone face fell to the ground and his terrible body lay still upon the slopes of the volcano.


    ¡®Quickly, get inside! I¡¯ll go and help the others!¡¯ said Rhyddion while guiding John inside the tunnel.


    ¡®I¡¯ll see you on the other side, Rhyddion!¡¯ and John disappeared into the tunnel¡­


    The inner chamber was filled with fiery flames. A courtyard of stone surrounded by burning orange sentinels and in the center stood the God of Fire, waiting.


    ¡®I was waiting for you, John! I must say that I¡¯m very impressed with you so I will grant you a fair chance at defeating me. A duel! To the death¡­¡¯ said the God.


    His armor was made out of rock and his body was formed by the brightest flames John had ever seen. Lava was dripping from his fingertips and on his back rested a giant, two handed blade with a spiked edge. His helmet covered the God¡¯s entire face and flames were running on top of it, like a row of feathers. And his size! The God was massive! Looking down upon John like the puny human he was, but Furnox promised a fair fight so he shrunk down to about John size. His fiery eyes seemed to burn right through the general.


    ¡®To the death it is¡­¡¯


    John drew his sword fast enough to fend off the first blow, not from Furnox¡¯ blade, but from his fiery fist. With the other hand The God of Fire drew his giant blade and swung at John from a sharp right angle. The man managed to turn his blade towards his impending doom and fended off yet another of Furnox¡¯ attacks. Infuriated at the skill of his opponent, Furnox now rolled to the left with great agility and pushed the edge of his blade towards John¡¯s heels, but John proved an even more skilled opponent when he anticipated the blow and jumped right across the sharp edge of the God¡¯s blade. Now, Furnox started to rapidly straight at his opponent from above, but John held his guard. One, two, three strikes and John¡¯s guard was still up. This duel between God and Man was turning into quite the challenge for both of the participants. John decided that it was time to stop receiving blows and start giving them. With one fast stroke of his sword he fended off Furnox¡¯ fourth attack and swung at his opponent¡¯s face. The sword hit its goal and threw Furnox off balance. The God fell to the ground with a loud roar, bright lava pouring from a gap in his helmet.


    ¡®I will not be defeated by a human! I am a God! I am the God of¡­¡¯


    Furnox¡¯ fists started to glow.


    ¡®¡­Fire!¡¯


    Flames poured from the palm of his hand towards the general standing in  front of him. John felt the incredible heat burning through his chest armor as he flew through the chamber against the solid wall behind him. The God was quickly back on his feet again and reached John a lot sooner than the general had anticipated. He felt the stone fingers wrapping around his face, heating and burning the skin underneath them.


    ¡®You will die and all of your men with you.¡¯ said the God as the screaming man¡¯s face melted in his hands.


    After tossing his defeated opponent in the hot lava, the God grew to his original size and climbed through the top of the volcano¡­


    Fire rained from the skies. A voice thundered across the battlefield, frightening the slowly dying soldiers.


    ¡®Your brave general is dead¡­¡¯said the voice ,¡®¡­now you will feel the wrath of a God!¡¯


    Massive flames emerged from Furnox¡¯ mouth as the hot streams of lava ran across the slopes of the volcano. The soldiers quickly dropped their weapons and ran, but it was too late. The several hundred soldiers were reduced into a screaming pile of burning bodies as the bright flames licked their skin. All, but one. Rhyddion Lux ran across the slopes of fire towards the empty town on the bottom of the volcano. Flames descended from the skies all around him, but the strong man was also quite agile and managed to dodge his fiery doom. Not even the wrath of a God could stop him! Quickly, he ran through the empty streets, scaring some stray cats and dogs who were quickly reduced to a pile of ashes. The once beautiful streets were now burning with the fires of death. Furnox¡¯ wrath burned through the town, while his minions searched the ashes for Rhyddion, but he was already gone. Or was he? His horse raced through the streets, while the Pyromancers kept firing at him from the burning streets. A fireball hit his face, but the man bit his tongue and kept riding until at long last his attackers seized their pursuit and Rhyddion could finally return home.


    Back in Arcadia, the capital of all mankind, King Riven awaited the soldiers¡¯ return, but when he saw the lone warrior returning he knew what happened. This sight, this depressing sight, made him feel the immense pain of the hundreds of men that lay dead upon the slopes of the Tooth. He knew that the fate of Laurel¡¯s Town was sealed and the battle had been lost.


    ¡®They had families, my Lord.¡¯ Said Rhyddion later that evening while he and the King were sharing a cup of wine.


    ¡®I know Rhyddion¡­¡¯


    ¡®John¡­ John¡¯s wife is going to be devastated¡­¡¯


    ¡®And what will become of his son?¡¯


    ¡®John wanted him to be a knight¡­¡¯


    ¡®Will you grant him that wish?¡¯


    ¡®Only if it¡¯s also the boy¡¯s wish.¡¯


    ¡®He would make a fine knight, wouldn¡¯t he?¡¯


    ¡®He would¡­¡¯


    ¡®But who could train him? I cannot spare any of my trainers now that we¡¯ve suffered such a loss.¡¯


    ¡®My Lord, with your permission, I will train Tristan Daranis¡­¡¯

 Chapter 2: The Blind, The Cripple and The Common

    His armor felt heavy, heavier than usual, while the rain and the wind made his partially burnt face shiver. The small cottage on the edge of the city got closer and closer, while Rhyddion¡¯s spirit seemed to float farther and farther away. How was he supposed to tell Hilda about¡­about John? Rhyddion didn¡¯t even know what happened to John himself, but he had to tell her and after that he had to ask. He had to ask if he could train Tristan to become a knight, to become like his father. His dead father. If he had to choose between this and another battlefield, he¡¯d pick the battlefield every single time. This time there was no escape. Hilda watched him get closer and closer while a single, warm tear made its way down her cheek. She knew this day would come, just not that it would come so soon. Tristan was still young. He shouldn¡¯t have to grow up without his father.


    ¡®Hilda¡­¡¯


    Rhyddion stood in front of her. He didn¡¯t know what to say, she could see that.


    ¡®Where is he?¡¯ she asked, but she already knew the answer. ¡®Where is my husband?¡¯ She felt the raindrops descend upon her pale skin. They felt like rocks. Rocks covering her body, breaking her bones one by one.


    ¡®He¡¯s¡­ He¡¯s¡­¡¯ Rhyddion couldn¡¯t say the word. Not yet, not now.


    ¡®You swore you¡¯d protect him.¡¯ Another tear made its way down Hilda¡¯s cheek. ¡®You swore¡­¡¯ she suddenly felt the urge to scream. ¡®You SWORE!¡¯ Lighting struck and the dark sky turned bright for a brief moment, only to return to its dark state. The world started turning and Hilda fell to her knees. More tears poured over her cheeks and her pale skin turned red. She screamed and cried while her face descended to the ground.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Hilda. I am so sorry.¡¯


    ¡®Where is his body?¡¯ she said as she tried to stand up. ¡®I want to bury him.¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m afraid¡­ we didn¡¯t find a body¡­¡¯


    The tears started running again.


    ¡®My husband¡¯s dead and I can¡¯t even bury his body?!¡¯ she cried while a young boy showed up behind her.


    ¡®Mother? What¡¯s wrong?¡¯ asked Tristan.


    ¡®Oh, honey. It¡¯s your father¡­ he¡¯s¡­ he¡¯s¡­¡¯ She couldn¡¯t bear to say the word, for if it rolled off her lips, her horror would turn into reality. ¡®He¡¯s¡­¡¯ but she mustered all of her courage, ¡®dead.¡¯ A loud scream rose from her lungs. She grabbed Tristan and pulled the boy close to her. Tears poured down his cheeks now as well and they soaked her robes. Rhyddion was still here. He wanted something else.


    ¡®Why are you still here?¡¯ she asked while she dried her cheeks and sent Tristan inside.


    ¡®John wanted¡­ He wanted Tristan to be a¡­¡¯


    ¡®A knight?!¡¯ Hilda¡¯s rage took over now. ¡®You want my son to be a knight now as well?! His father, a knight, is dead and you want me to allow my son to die too? And for what?! A war against the Gods?! There called Gods for a reason, Rhyddion! My family has bled enough, go find your next sacrifice somewhere else!¡¯ She turned her back and slammed the door shut. She heard his footsteps move away from the door and she sunk back to the cold ground¡­


    That night, the local taverns were filled with songs for the poor soldiers who gave their souls in battle. Songs for John. Rhyddion couldn¡¯t find any comfort in the songs nor the drinks. As he stumbled out on to the streets, he noticed that the rain was still falling. Better get home and hop in bed. The streets were covered with deep puddles of mud and water. This part of Arcadia didn¡¯t have nicely paved roads and streets, but only dirt mixed with a little less dirt. The smell was rotten because of the complete absence of sewers. This was the poor quarter. This was Rhyddion¡¯s home. Although Rhyddion was nothing short of a legend, he refused to move to the richer part of Arcadia. He knew his place was here, among the common people. Suddenly, he felt a rough hand on his shoulder.


    ¡®Jonah, how good to see you again, my friend.¡¯ Said Rhyddion as he looked at his friend¡¯s face. A fresh scar ran across his lip. ¡®Got into another fight?¡¯


    ¡®As a matter of fact, I did. Some guy tried to run off with my Arcadium. I found it and I needed my payment, so I stole it back.¡¯


    Jonah was one of the poorest people in town and also one of the most courageous human beings Rhyddion had ever met. Jonah didn¡¯t have a last name like John or Rhyddion (which is Lux, but Rhyddion doesn¡¯t like to distinguish himself from other people), because of the fact that he was one of the common people. The common people were despised by the rich in this city. King Riven tried to do something about this horrible thing, but he needed the rich Mages and Knights to train his soldiers. True power doesn¡¯t come from some title, true power comes from cunning and backstabbing. True power comes from the trades you have to offer. Trades which others don¡¯t offer.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.¡®Archmage Shannon is treating us like dirt, He keeps telling me that he can¡¯t offer me any more gold, because the supply in Arcadium is huge at the moment and yet he needs more and more of the stuff every day!¡¯ Jonah complained.


    Archmage Shanondarion Rectus was one of the Mages who held true power in Arcadia. He was also an arrogant bastard with a heart as cold as ice. Some might even say that the Archmage has no human feelings at all.


    ¡®One day, he¡¯ll pay! One day, we¡¯ll turn this whole city upside down and make that horrible guy live in one of these crapshacks!¡¯yelled Jonah.


    ¡®Calm, down. We wouldn¡¯t want the guards to find out about your little rebellion now, would we?¡¯said Rhyddion while he padded Jonah on his back. ¡®Things will get better. King Riven-¡¯


    ¡®King Riven¡¯s useless. He¡¯s a great man, but he holds no power at all. He needs the rich folk.¡¯


    ¡®Things will change, Jonah. Wait and see.¡¯


    The two friends parted and Rhyddion was finally home. Home, where Elise was waiting. Elise was Rhyddion¡¯s lover and she was named after the Goddess of the Sea because of her spectacular beauty. Her beautiful deep blue eyes, chestnut hair and slender figure. Elise was also poor, but she had Rhyddion and that was all she needed. They refused a life of luxury, a life which cost the life of others and they were happy.


    ¡®Rhyddion!¡¯ she yelled when he came in. Tears of joy emerged from her eyes and she ran at him with open arms. His strong arms closed wrapped around her and lifted her from the ground while his lips gently touched hers. A quick spin and her feet touched the ground again.


    ¡®I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re back! I thought you¡­¡¯ she stopped when she saw the sad look in his eyes. ¡®I heard about John¡­¡¯


    Rhyddion sat down on the bed while he turned his face to the ground. Elise joined him and laid her head on his broad shoulders. Her warmth felt pleasant after the cold wind had whipped his skin and in comforted him. She always knew exactly how to make him feel better. She was the ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, the colors in the sky when it seemed as if all hope had faded. She was his true strength.


    ¡®He was my friend¡­¡¯


    Elise gently took his hand into hers.


    ¡®He was my friend too¡­¡¯


    ¡®I know.¡¯


    Silence filled the room, but no awkward silence. This was a comforting silence. While the world outside seemed harsh and cold, the world in here seemed like a long forgotten paradise. Filled with the warmth of love and the sweet embrace of home.


    ¡®I wish we could stay here forever.¡¯ whispered Elise as she kissed Rhyddion¡¯s cheek.


    ¡®One day we can. One day everything will get better. One day¡­¡¯


    Rhyddion was smothered by a kiss on his lips when they were suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door.


    ¡®Rhyddion? Rhyddion, are you in there?¡¯


    It was Hilda Daranis. He didn¡¯t want to open the door, but he had to.


    ¡®This will only take a moment.¡¯ Said Rhyddion as he left Elise in bed.


    ¡®Don¡¯t take too long¡­¡¯ she said with a smile on her face.


    Rhyddion walked up to the door and opened it. Hilda seemed a lot calmer than she was this afternoon.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡­¡¯ she said while her eyes filled up again.


    ¡®Don¡¯t be, please.¡¯ Said Rhyddion as he wiped a tear from her cheek.


    ¡®Tristan and I have been talking about¡­ about your request¡­to honor John¡¯s final wish.¡¯ A spark started burning in Rhyddion¡¯s eyes. ¡®Tristan wants to honor that request. He wants to become a knight.¡¯


    Rhyddion tried not to cheer, but deep down he was happier than he could ever be.


    ¡®He will join you tomorrow in the King¡¯s courtyard.¡¯ said Hilda as she was turning around to go home.


    ¡®Hilda¡­¡¯ said the broad man in the doorway. ¡®Thank you¡­¡¯


    As she turned her back on the small house, she felt relieved. Somehow, she knew this was the right path for her son to go and with Rhyddion¡¯s training, Tristan would become what John always wanted him to be. One of the greatest knights The Four Vales would ever know¡­

 Chapter 3: The Legend begins…

    ¡®Seven years have passed since the Fire consumed Laurel¡¯s Town and not a single Pyromancer has been seen or heard of. There¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡¯


    King Riven wasn¡¯t pleased.


    ¡®The fact that we didn¡¯t hear anything about them, isn¡¯t necessarily a good sign. If Furnox is preparing more troops in the shadows of the Tooth than that means, he¡¯s planning to make a move. Probably a move which will destroy everything we¡¯ve built.¡¯ replied the King. ¡®What do our scout reports say? Is there any activity in the Autumnwoods?¡¯


    The Autumnwoods are a dense rainforest that covers most of the Vale of Autumn. They are home to werewolves and many other, mostly unknown, creatures.


    ¡®Yes, my Lord, the werewolves seem restless, it seems as if they¡¯re looking for something.¡¯ said Sir Varius Darren. He was the Royal Scoutmaster and King Riven¡¯s most trusted counsellor. He was sitting on the right side of the king, while Archmage Shannon was sitting on the king¡¯s left side.


    ¡®If they¡¯re looking for something, we should be looking for that too.¡¯ said the Mage.


    ¡®Why would we? We can¡¯t really use the werewolves¡¯ distrust at the moment, Shannon.¡¯ replied Varius


    ¡®Why not, what do we have to lose?¡¯


    ¡®The wolves live too close to our borders, if Eria were to launch an attack many people will die.¡¯


    ¡®Many common people will die, yes¡­¡¯


    ¡®Enough of this!¡¯ yelled King Riven as he got up from his chair and walked to the window.


    ¡®My Lord, we can¡¯t risk so many lives for some information.¡¯ said Varius.


    ¡®And what do you think will happen when the werewolves find some magical weapon inside those woods? What then? How many lives will that cost us?!¡¯ Shannon slammed his fist on the table. ¡®You¡¯re a fool! You can¡¯t see past your compassion for the common folk! First you increased the minimum price for Arcadium and now you¡¯re willing to let this magical artifact fall in to the enemy¡¯s hands!¡¯


    ¡®Magical artifact?¡¯ The king turned towards Shannon. ¡®What do you know about this, Archmage? How do you know what lies hidden in those woods?¡¯


    ¡®Well, my Lord, Shinden¡¯s ancient writings tell us of the weapon the Archdemon Saarthunix made to destroy the Lady Laurel. A blade called Death. A blade with the power to extinguish all life in the Four Vales.¡¯


    Shannon was one of the only men in the Four Vales who could actually read Shinden¡¯s writings. The God of Wisdom had developed his own way of transferring information. He wrote a series of symbols on a piece of parchment to pass on a part of his knowledge. In this case, his knowledge on the origin of evil.


    ¡®The Archdemon¡¯s soul is bound to that blade and if anyone should dare to use that blade, they will obtain ultimate power, but at a terrible cost. To use a weapon this powerful, one must be willing to pay the Archdemon Saarthunix the ultimate price.¡¯


    ¡®Yeah, yeah, just tell us what one needs to do to wield Death.¡¯ Said Varius impatiently.


    ¡®They would have to sell their soul to Saarthunix in order to serve as a vessel for the Archdemon, for the demon can never walk this earth again. He is a parasite, draining the life of others while utilizing the host¡¯s body as his vessel until¡­¡¯


    The Archmage went silent and his face seemed grim.


    ¡®Until what?¡¯ asked King Riven.


    ¡®Until Saarthunix is strong enough to emerge from his human vessel and return to his physical form.¡¯


    ¡®And you think the werewolves would want that? You think Eria would allow that monster to come back after what he did to the Lady Laurel? Truly, you are out of your mind, Shanondarion.¡¯ said Varius.


    ¡®We cannot risk it, Darren, if only you could see that too, but let King Riven decide. Let¡¯s see if he chooses wisdom or certain doom.¡¯


    ¡®If we do this, if we attack the werewolves, we will risk open war on the country side, many farmers have made their homes there. It¡¯s risky Shannon¡­¡¯ said the King.


    ¡®We don¡¯t have to attack them, my Lord,¡¯ said Shannon, ¡®We might be able to reason with them. Ask them where the weapon is.¡¯


    ¡®So you can take it for yourself?¡¯ said Varius.


    ¡®So the werewolves won¡¯t be able to take it for themselves.¡¯


    ¡®My Lord¡­¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Varius, but Shanondarion is right. We can¡¯t risk it¡­¡¯ The king sat back down in his chair. ¡®I will gather a group of my finest warriors and they will set out on a quest to find the werewolves¡¯ hidden city and stop them from finding Death and thus releasing the Archdemon Saarthunix.¡¯


    ¡®Than let me come with them, my Lord.¡¯ Said Varius as he knelt before the king.


    ¡®Very well, you will take Rhyddion, Tristan and Zakariah with you, oh and Shanondarion will come with you as well.¡¯


    ¡®Me?! But, my Lord, what about my Academy? What about my students?¡¯ said Archmage Shannon.


    ¡®There are more Mages in this city, Shannon, they will teach your students.¡¯


    ¡®But, my Lord¡­¡¯


    ¡®Enough! You will go with Sir Varius on this quest.¡¯


    Shannon turned around and barged out of the door.


    ¡®Oh, and one more thing, Shannon!¡¯ shouted King Riven. ¡®Don¡¯t ever talk like that about my people again. Just because you¡¯re rich and talented doesn¡¯t make you better than anyone else.¡¯


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.The Archmage¡¯s anger was dripping from the man¡¯s forehead.


    ¡®You are dismissed Archmage Shanondarion.¡¯


    The doors slammed and a sudden silence fell upon the room.


    ¡®Keep an eye on him while you¡¯re out there, Varius.¡¯


    ¡®I will, my Lord, I will¡­¡¯


    The courtyard was filled with the sound of steel against wood. The sounds of shields bashing against shields and of course the smell of sweat.


    ¡®You¡¯re doing great, Tristan!¡¯


    Rhyddion lashed out with his sword, but hit nothing but the cold steel of his opponents¡¯ weapon.


    ¡®Getting tired, old man?¡¯ laughed Tristan Daranis as he blocked every single one of Rhyddion¡¯s attacks.


    ¡®Tired? We¡¯ll see about that!¡¯


    Rhyddion now turned his entire body instead of just his arm and performed a powerful vertical slash that descended upon Tristan¡¯s armor. Tristan fell to his knees, but quickly got back up again.


    ¡®You really have to teach me that some time, Rhyddion!¡¯


    Suddenly, a heavy, steel hand rested upon Tristan¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡®I see your training is working out pretty well!¡¯ laughed Sir Varius Darren.


    ¡®Scoutmaster Varius Darren! What a delight to see you on this beautiful morning!¡¯ cheered Rhyddion.


    ¡®Rhyddion Lux¡­ It has been too long, my friend.¡¯ replied the old knight as he shook his friend¡¯s hand.


    ¡®What brings you here?¡¯ asked Rhyddion.


    ¡®The King needs you, Rhyddion, both of you.¡¯ Varius¡¯ eyes rested upon Tristan.


    ¡®A mission?¡¯ said Tristan.


    ¡®Yes, a mission to the Autumnwoods.¡¯


    ¡®Werewolves?¡¯ asked Rhyddion.


    ¡®Yes, we believe they¡¯re looking for an ancient magical artifact and it is our job to stop them from finding it.¡¯


    ¡®Who are coming with us?¡¯


    ¡®Well, Archmage Shannon and his lackey will be joining us and Zakariah.¡¯


    ¡®Zakariah?! You¡¯re kidding me, right?¡¯


    Zakariah was an old man. He was no knight nor was he a soldier. Zakariah was a treasure hunter and he had been on many, many expeditions through the Autumnwoods and beyond¡­


    ¡®He knows those woods better than anyone, he¡¯s the best we¡¯ve got.¡¯


    ¡®Fine, I¡¯ll join you. It¡¯s part of the job after all, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ said Rhyddion while he looked at Tristan.


    ¡®I guess it is, so in that case, I will join you as well.¡¯ said Tristan as he sheeted his blade.


    ¡®Excellent! We¡¯ll leave in three hours, so pack your bags and meet me at the main gate!¡¯ said Varius and he left to find Zakariah.


    ¡®Guess I¡¯ll have to go say goodbye to my mom than. I¡¯ll see you soon, Rhyddion!¡¯ and Tristan was gone too.


    Elise wasn¡¯t going to like this. She wanted Rhyddion home, but he couldn¡¯t stay. Not while his king still needed him. She¡¯ll understand. She always does.


    ¡®You¡¯re leaving?¡¯ asked Elise while Rhyddion was packing his bags.


    ¡®Yes, I¡¯m afraid so.¡¯


    ¡®Why so soon? Can¡¯t you just stay for a couple more days?¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, my dear, it¡¯s an emergency.¡¯ Rhyddion could hardly bear to see her like this. ¡®I¡¯ll be back before you know it.¡¯


    ¡®What if you won¡¯t come back?¡¯


    That question hit him like a knife through his heart. John died seven years ago even though he had sworn not to. Even though Rhyddion had sworn to protect him.


    ¡®I came back seven years ago and I will come back now.¡¯ Said Rhyddion as he took her into his arms and pressed a farewell-kiss upon Elise¡¯s lips. He walked to the door and stepped out into the harsh world outside again.


    ¡®Don¡¯t you die on me¡­¡¯ said Elise as Rhyddion left.


    ¡®I never will¡­¡¯


    Elise watched him disappear further down the streets and went back inside as the long waiting began.


    When Rhyddion arrived at the gates of Arcadia, all of his traveling companions had already arrived. Zakariah was stroking his thick, white beard while he was telling Tristan about one of his many treasure hunts. Shannon and Varius were discussing something political and Shannon¡¯s lackey, Simon, remained quiet and in the background. Outside the gate the road stretched as far as Rhyddion could see. The road into the wilderness.


    ¡®Ah, our final companion has arrived!¡¯ cried Varius as he padded Rhyddion¡¯s back.


    ¡®Who¡¯s that lackey?¡¯ asked Rhyddion to Varius.


    ¡®He¡¯s one of them Ravens, you know, the memory-guys.¡¯


    The Ravens were the followers of Raven, the Messengergod. They were gifted with an exceptional memory. This allowed them to, since no man has yet learned to write, transfer messages to King Riven.


    ¡®He¡¯ll update King Riven if anything might happen to us.¡¯


    ¡®And what if he doesn¡¯t?¡¯


    ¡®Than he will be punished by both Raven and the guild, since their laws are divine and not meant to be broken.¡¯ They looked at Simon who seemed to know that they were talking about him.


    ¡®Better get moving, Rhyddion.¡¯


    ¡®I couldn¡¯t agree more, Zakariah!¡¯


    The round, old man looked up.


    ¡®Lead the way.¡¯ said Rhyddion as he hung his traveling bags over his shoulder.


    And thus the journey begins and there is no knowing as to where the road ahead of our five companions would lead them and there is no knowing if all five of them will eventually return home. Slowly Arcadia disappeared on the horizon, while the Autumnwoods arose in the distance¡­

 Chapter 4: The Journey Across The Countryside

    The sun stood high in the sky, casting its light upon six people wandering the deserted Countryside. Out in front walks the old Zakariah, treasure hunter and adventurer and the guide on this quest. He carries a short, broad, curved blade with which he is not particularly skilled, a huge backpack filled with all kinds of adventuring requirements and an old, wooden cane which he uses for walking. He¡¯s followed by five of Arcadia¡¯s best men. Tristan Daranis, a young knight wielding a one handed blade in combination with a big, steel shield. Sir Varius Darren, Royal Scoutmaster and King Riven¡¯s most trusted counselor, wielding two sharp daggers. Rhyddion Lux, a living legend who has seen more than his fair share of combat. He always wields his trusted two handed greatsword. Shanondarion Rectus, Archmage and also a trusted advisor of King Riven. Shannon wields one of his own inventions, a staff with a shard of Arcadium on top of it. He uses this weapon to channel his magic and cast powerful spells at his enemies. Last but not least, there¡¯s Simon, one of the Messengergod Raven¡¯s followers. He has an exceptional memory which he can use to transfer messages back to Arcadia. His weapon is a single, short axe. They were weary of their long travels. All day they had been traveling across the wide open countryside, seeing nothing but misery and poverty on their path. The countryside was the place where the people who can¡¯t afford a home in Arcadia live, usually in homemade farms. The trees of the Autumnwoods were slowly getting closer and closer, but they were still miles away. The Countryside seemed to be completely devoid of life, but the graveyard they were passing through now suggested otherwise. At night, this would have been a blood chilling sight, but the light of the sun took away its darkness until nothing but sadness remained. There was something strange about the place, however, for not all graves were closed¡­


    ¡®Why are those graves still open, Rhyddion?¡¯ asked Tristan.


    ¡®Graverobbers, probably, the people out here do everything for a bit of coin.¡¯


    A few steps ahead, they found their path blocked by a relatively large coffin. It was wrapped in chains and sealed with a heavy lock. The lid was nailed to the coffin, making it almost impossible to open.


    ¡®Where does this thing come from?¡¯ said Simon as he examined the interesting sight.


    ¡®Probably came down from that hill over there, washed up by the rain or something,¡¯ said Darren as he pointed towards a small hill beside the road.


    ¡®Someone really wanted to keep this body from being looted,¡¯ said Tristan as he was messing with the chain around it.


    ¡®Not necessarily,¡¯ said Rhyddion. ¡®There have been rumors about weird things happening out here. Mostly just superstitious mumbo jumbo, though.¡¯


    ¡®Superstitious? Not so fast, Rhyddion,¡¯ replied Darren. ¡®My scouts reported some strange creatures coming down from the Autumnwoods, not that long ago. They claimed that they saw one attack a villager. They say that after the creature seemed to suck off the poor fellow¡¯s face, the man appeared to be dead. Nevertheless, he rose again the next night, ripped off the arm of one of my men and took off into the night, so maybe the lock isn¡¯t to keep someone from getting in, but to keep someone from getting out¡­¡¯


    ¡®Aye, Scoutmaster,¡¯ said Zakariah. ¡®That¡¯ll be the Leeches you¡¯re talking about.¡¯ He took a bunch of papers from his oversized backpack. There were drawings of all kinds of strange creatures upon them, creatures they had never seen before. ¡®These are all kinds of beasts and monstrosities that I have encountered during my long journeys.¡¯


    ¡®Than you must have traveled for miles and miles, Zakariah?¡¯ asked Tristan who seemed to be very interested in the drawings.


    ¡®That I have, dear boy! I am one of the original few that can draw the entire map of our world! Have you ever seen King Riven¡¯s map? That¡¯s all my work, but I¡¯ll tell you more about my adventures when we¡¯ve found a place to rest.¡¯ Zakariah grabbed the drawings and put them back in his backpack. ¡®But yes, Scoutmaster Darren, these things are very real and I have also witnessed similar events in which they tore off their victim¡¯s face, they seem to feed on something inside the, not necessarily human, body of their prey and they access this food source through the mouth. However, this undoubtedly painful process does not kill the victim, but it does not leave them quite alive either. They turn in to some sort of undead state. It¡¯s truly a marvel to behold!¡¯


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.¡®Yeah, I¡¯m sure those poor people felt the same way,¡¯ said Varius Darren. ¡®Let¡¯s keep moving. Lead the way, Zakariah.¡¯


    They left the coffin for what it was and moved on across the wide open plains.


    The sun was slowly going under and the sky turned into a reddish blue. A cold wind started to sweep across the empty lands. It was strange, though, the fact that the land was still empty. It disturbed Rhyddion, something was wrong. The others did not sense it, hell, Archmage Shannon wouldn¡¯t even care if he did, but Rhyddion knew this place. Rhyddion had been here before and these empty plains were nothing like the place he knew as the Countryside. The people here might have been poor, but they were contempt. They never knew another way of life, so this was good enough for them. Something those rich folk would never learn. Suddenly, they spotted something not too far away. It was a small village, more like a gathering of wooden shacks really. In the center of the village grew a large tree. It was dead. The town was deserted, there was not one living soul to be found.


    ¡®Deserted, again¡­¡¯ said Shannon with a light sneer in his voice. ¡®Every single damn place we¡¯ve found is deserted. I thought there were supposed to be people here, Varius?¡¯


    ¡®There were people here, Shannon,¡¯ replied Rhyddion. ¡®They¡¯re gone for some reason.¡¯


    ¡®I do believe I just said that, Lux.¡¯


    Tristan opened one of the doors and started checking inside the shack. The furniture was still there and there was some sort of rotten breakfast on the table.


    ¡®There¡¯s food on the table, almost as if they left in a sudden hurry.¡¯


    ¡®Left¡­or taken,¡¯ said Zakariah with a grim look on his face as he was searching the place for some useful items. ¡®I¡¯ve seen this kind of scenes before on my travels.¡¯


    ¡®Maybe we¡¯re already too late,¡¯ said Tristan. ¡®Maybe the Werewolves already found what they were looking for, maybe they took away the villagers.¡¯


    ¡®I doubt that, young one,¡¯ said the old treasure hunter as he cleared the table and pulled out one of his drawings. It had a Werewolf on it and some kind of temple-like structure. ¡®The Werewolves of the Autumnwoods are mostly peaceful creatures. They worship the Moon and their Goddess and Creator, Eria. I¡¯ve actually had the privilege to meet Eria, the Lady of Growth, she is a beautiful and kind woman. You wouldn¡¯t say that she is in any way related to the horrible creatures such as Furnox and Skar.¡¯


    ¡®Werewolves, peaceful? Yeah, right!¡¯ sneered the Archmage again. ¡®They¡¯re savages, half-beasts that¡¯s what they are! And that Eria is just as savage. They¡¯re ferocious and cannot be trusted.¡¯


    ¡®You might say that, Shanondarion, but I don¡¯t believe you¡¯ve ever gone beyond the safe walls of that shitpile of a city you call home, so don¡¯t judge about things you¡¯ve never even seen before.¡¯


    Shannon¡¯s blood seemed to boil beneath his skin, but he managed to stay calm. He turned away from the old man and walked outside while mumbling all kinds of foul language.


    ¡®Anyway, the Werewolves are also very skilled architects. Look for example at this beautiful temple complex.¡¯ Zakariah pointed with his finger at the drawing as he described the way it was used and what it looked like. The temple looked like some gigantic stairs with a shrine on top of it. The shrine was covered by a stone roof with a hole in the top. ¡®The light of the moon falls right through this hole and onto this crystal here. The crystal projects the light and serves as a beacon! It¡¯s truly amazing!¡¯


    ¡®We¡¯d better find some shelter for the night.¡¯ said Shannon as he came back inside again.


    ¡®Can¡¯t we stay here?¡¯ asked Tristan.


    ¡®No, we cannot. Unless you want to wake up in a huge puddle of mud and water, be my guest, but the roof is riddled with holes and mold.¡¯


    ¡®I think we should keep moving. The faster we arrive in the Autumnwoods, the better.¡¯ replied Varius.


    ¡®There¡¯s a storm coming, Darren. We need to find shelter.¡¯


    ¡®Oh so now you can predict the weather as well. What did you do, Shannon? Taste the air or something?¡¯


    ¡®No, I see those dark clouds coming our way, Darren.¡¯


    ¡®¡­¡¯

 Chapter 5: A Cold And Stormy Night

    They left the small village and kept moving until our heroes stumbled upon an abandoned stable. It seemed to be in good shape. The door was jammed, but it was easily unjammed with a quick strike of Simon¡¯s axe. With some more strikes they reduced the door to a nice bonfire, which was lit by one of Shannon¡¯s fire enchantments. It was cold outside, but it was nice and warm inside the stable. Zakariah sat down next to Tristan around the bonfire and opened his oversized backpack again.


    ¡®I promised to tell you more about my adventures, didn¡¯t I?¡¯ said the old man as a huge grin appeared on his face. He took out a huge map of the Four Vales. There were small drawings and strange markings everywhere.


    ¡®What are those markings?¡¯ asked Tristan as he followed the lines with his finger.


    ¡®That, young one, is written text. Made by the God of Wisdom himself, you know.¡¯


    ¡®You¡¯ve been to the Pinnacle?¡¯ asked Archmage Shannon with a sudden interest. ¡®You¡¯re not even a mage.¡¯


    ¡®No, I am not and yet, Shinden personally invited me! He even taught me how to write and read some of his writings.¡¯ said the old man while he was plucked his thick, white beard. ¡®It was a long and difficult journey to the Pinnacle, but I made it! Now, Shinden might have made the climb a little easier by designing a staircase alongside the huge mountain, but a big part of it was covered in snow and ice. Back then, I was still a young lad, so that wasn¡¯t much of an issue for me, but the creatures on that mountain!¡¯


    ¡®More creatures? You¡¯re starting become a bit repetitive, old man,¡¯ sneered the Archmage.


    ¡®Shhh, I want to hear what happened next!¡¯ said Tristan as he listened closely to Zakariah¡¯s adventure.


    ¡®Alright then, I saw some kind of icy spirits, drifting on the wind. They actually cast down my travelling companion, you know. Those mountains have a name as well. It¡¯s not indicated on any map, but they¡¯re known as the Spine of The Gods. Between these two mountain rows is a huge gap. There¡¯s also a river flowing there. The ground is covered in skulls and bones. The bones of travelers and adventurers that dared to climb the mountains. Down in that deep ravine, I found this.¡¯ Zakariah took out one of his drawings again. It was some sort of ink black hole in the side of the mountains. ¡®We did not dare to go inside. Legends say, that those caves are inhabited by Gorgons,¡¯ said the man as he shivered while he took out another drawing. ¡®The upper body of a beautiful woman, but the lower body of a coiling serpent. Some of them even have serpents on their heads! They are skilled with bows and swords alike.¡¯


    ¡®Gorgons? Don¡¯t make me laugh!¡¯ cried Shannon as he started to laugh out loud. ¡®Fairytales I say, fairytales!¡¯


    ¡®Just because you¡¯ve never seen it, doesn¡¯t mean it isn¡¯t real,¡¯ said Zakariah as he cleared away his drawings.


    ¡®Better get some sleep before we move on,¡¯ suggested Tristan. ¡®I¡¯ll take the first watch, you take the second, Rhyddion?¡¯


    The broad, muscular man nodded his head and made himself comfortable in a big pile of hay. Later that night, the storm arrived. The rain was pouring onto the wooden roof and water was leaking onto the ground. The storm turned the nocturnal landscape into a terrifying sight. Everywhere the shadows seemed to move as if they were hiding some horrible creature.


    ¡®What¡¯s that horrible smell?¡¯ asked Archmage Shannon. ¡®It¡¯s been bothering me this whole evening.¡¯


    ¡®Well, get used to it, there¡¯ll be much worse things than bad smells in the places where we¡¯re headed.¡¯ replied Darren as he was sharpening his daggers.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.Rhyddion knew exactly what Shannon meant. He had smelled it too. It smelled like¡­like death.


    ¡®Something¡¯s wrong about this place,¡¯ he said.


    ¡®That¡¯s exactly what I just said!¡¯ yelled Shannon. ¡®We should get out of here while we still can.¡¯


    ¡®Why? There¡¯s nothing in here and there¡¯s nothing out there!¡¯ yelled Darren back. ¡®You¡¯re being scared of absolutely nothing!¡¯


    Rhyddion stood up and joined Tristan outside the stable. The boy was completely soaked, but he remained on his post, ever keeping an eye to the shadows.


    ¡®There¡¯s something here with us, Rhyddion,¡¯ he whispered.


    ¡®I know and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that friendly.¡¯


    ¡®What do you think happened to the owners of this place?¡¯


    ¡®They probably starved.¡¯


    Tristan looked at Rhyddion with a look of disbelief.


    ¡®Starved?¡¯


    ¡®The Countryside is no Arcadia. Even if you live in the slums and the alleys, there¡¯s always enough food in Arcadia. Out here, however, you¡¯re forced to provide for yourself and if the rain decides to wash away your crops¡­¡¯


    Suddenly, a loud scream rose up from the stable. Rhyddion pulled his greatsword from his back and stormed inside. What he discovered inside seemed like a nightmare come to life. A man, or a woman, was standing in the corner. He, or she, was covered in maggots, flies and worms. The face was no longer recognizable and his, or her, belly was cut open around the middle. Rhyddion rammed the creature down to the ground and plunged the tip of his sword into the creature¡¯s neck. It started shaking and screaming relentlessly until it was silenced forever.


    ¡®What was that thing!¡¯ asked Simon, who was also the one who screamed the loudest.


    ¡®I think we just found the owner of this stable,¡¯ said Darren.


    As the thunderstorm kept raging outside, more things started moving in the shadows.


    ¡®We have to get out of here!¡¯ A rotten arm clawed his way through the wooden wall behind them. ¡®Now!¡¯


    They drew their weapons and ran outside where they found themselves surrounded by five walking corpses. Some of them looked even more hideous than the owner of the stable, but they all had one thing in common: they had no faces. They stretched their cold, dead arms towards the living, breathing heroes in between them. Ready to take what the dead had lost, ready to take their lives. Lightning struck again and the rain poured down on the horrific scene, but suddenly, another light lit the dark night. A flaming sphere emerged from Shanondarion¡¯s staff and set one of the corpses ablaze. With a quick and powerful blow of his shield, Tristan knocked down the corpse next to the Archmage and pierced its chest with his sharp blade. Darren proved himself to be more agile than the others as he moved graciously between two of the undead and cut them down with quick strikes and swipes of his daggers ending his opponents by simultaneously planting his daggers in their skulls. The final corpse had grabbed Simon¡¯s throat, but Rhyddion¡¯s blade cut straight through the remaining muscles and bone and the corpse¡¯s rotten arm fell to the ground. It seemed to be shocked by the loss of his arm, but had no time to scream as the giant greatsword descended upon its head and split its skull, releasing a spray of black fluids and green gasses.


    ¡®Follow me! We¡¯re getting out of here!¡¯ yelled Rhyddion as more corpses seemed to move in the distance, there was just one problem. Zakariah was nowhere to be found¡­

 Chapter 6: Of Rich and Poor

    As the rain was pouring down on the roof of his palace, King Riven looked through the window over his city, which was now veiled in darkness. Down in the streets he could see the paved road descending past the hill into the huge pile of dirt that the poor called home.


    ¡®Honey, why don¡¯t you come back to bed?¡¯ asked his wife, Charise.


    Charise was a tall, slender woman with brown eyes and long, blond hair that reached all the way down just past her waist. She wrapped the bed sheet around her body and stood next to her husband.


    ¡®It¡¯s not your fault,¡¯ she said as she put her head on his shoulder.


    ¡®Why can¡¯t I do something about this. Those poor people have nothing, while we have everything.¡¯


    ¡®You already gave half of your wealth to them. You gave them a place to live.¡¯


    ¡®But what kind of place?¡¯


    ¡®You gave them a home, a chance to build a life within the safe walls of the city.¡¯


    She lifted her head from his shoulder and stood in front of him, while she held his hands.


    ¡®You are a great King, Riven, the best we¡¯ve ever had.¡¯


    She guided him to the bed and pulled a thick warm sheet over his cold body.


    ¡®But even great Kings can¡¯t do everything¡­¡¯ she said as she kissed him and returned to her bed.


    Riven felt her warmth beside him and slowly, he fell asleep.


    The sun rose and the storm had passed away. Jonah opened his eyes, only to find that his wife Ava was already up.


    ¡®Ava! Ava!¡¯ he yelled as he quickly put on his clothes.


    ¡®Mommy, mommy! Daddy¡¯s awake!¡¯ yelled little Sara.


    She ran into her daddy¡¯s room and Jonah picked her up from the ground and into his strong arms.


    ¡®How are we on this lovely morning, princess?¡¯ he said as he rubbed his nose against hers.


    ¡®Mommy¡¯s gonna show me how to make my own clothes today!¡¯


    ¡®Wow!¡¯ said Jonah as he saw Ava coming in. ¡®Well, you¡¯ve got the best teacher around then, princess. Your mommy made all of our clothes all by herself!¡¯


    Little Sara¡¯s face turned all bright and shiny as her jaw dropped in amazement.


    ¡®All by yourself, mommy?¡¯ she said while her big eyes stared into her mother¡¯s eyes.


    ¡®Daddy¡¯s really good at exaggerating, honey,¡¯ she said as she winked at Jonah. ¡®How are you this morning, dear?¡¯ She kissed Jonah on his cheek and continued to prepare breakfast.


    ¡®A bit tired, but I feel today¡¯s going to be a good day!¡¯


    ¡®Where did Rhyddion go yesterday?¡¯


    ¡®He¡¯s on some sort of mission or something. He couldn¡¯t tell me what it was, all secret and stuff.¡¯


    Jonah grabbed a slice of bread and headed towards the door.


    ¡®Are you leaving already?¡¯ asked Ava.


    ¡®If I arrive at the mines early, I can still find the biggest chunks of Arcadium before someone else does and bigger chunks means bigger paychecks.¡¯


    ¡®Fine, off you go, but don¡¯t you dare to be late for dinner!¡¯


    Jonah stepped outside and took a deep breath of air. He shouldn¡¯t have done that since the air was filled with all kinds of foul smells. The muddy ground had now turned into a huge puddle of murky, smelly, brown water. Some of the straw roofs had collapsed under the weight of the water, but not Jonah¡¯s roof. Jonah had made himself a wooden roof. All this misery, all this filth, all this poverty, it pierced Jonah¡¯s heart with sorrow to see his fellow people living like this, while the rich lived on top of their hill. Jonah and his neighbors had nothing, but were contempt with what they had, while the rich had everything and even that wasn¡¯t enough for them. The thought wouldn¡¯t leave his mind as he trudged through the mud. One day, someone would do something about this great injustice. One day, someone would unite the poor and strike out against the rich. There was a time when King Riven seemed to be that man, but he needs the money and the services that the rich offer him and so his hands are bound. As Jonah walked past the shoreline he could already spot the entrance to the mine. The storm had flooded most of the ground, but Jonah and his fellow miners had built a small wooden road alongside the walls of the mine that could be used in case of a flooding. Just before he was going to enter the mine he heard someone calling his name in the distance. It was Sara.


    ¡®Daddy! Daddy, come quick!¡¯


    ¡®What¡¯s wrong, princess? Daddy has to work.¡¯


    ¡®It¡¯s grandma! Come quick!¡¯


    ¡®Wait, Sara!¡¯ but she was already gone. Jonah dropped his mining equipment and ran after his little girl. He found her in front of his mother¡¯s house.


    ¡®Quickly, daddy, there¡¯s something wrong with grandma!¡¯


    Sara wasn¡¯t wrong. The roof of her small shack had collapsed and it was completely flooded. A pair of feet came from underneath the collapsed roof. It had collapsed on top of the old lady¡¯s bed while she was sleeping.


    ¡®Mother? Mother can you hear me?!¡¯ cried Jonah as he started to clear away the rubble.


    ¡®Someone, please help me! Please!¡¯ he cried as his mother¡¯s face slowly became visible. A voice rose from the rubble.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.¡®Jonah, my son, is that you? And Sara, little Sara? Are you there as well?¡¯ The voice seemed obstructed and it was only soft.


    ¡®Mother, please stay with me! I¡¯ll help you, just hold on!¡¯


    Two finely dressed gentlemen passed the little shack and peeked inside to see what was going on.


    ¡®Finally,¡¯ sighed Jonah as he saw the two gentlemen. ¡®Help has arrived!¡¯


    ¡®Help?¡¯ responded one of the men with a distasteful look on his face. ¡®And dig around in this pile of mud? No thank you.¡¯


    ¡®Indeed,¡¯ said the other gentlemen. ¡®These clothes are newly made and besides,¡¯ said the man as he looked over Jonah¡¯s shoulder into the pile of rubble. ¡®She¡¯s old anyway, one less mouth to feed!¡¯ The two gentlemen started to laugh as they moved on.


    ¡®Anybody, please! I can¡¯t do this alone! Please, come back!¡¯ but it was already too late.


    Sara cried as she saw a thin line of blood dripping from underneath the rubble into the water.


    ¡®It is better to die amongst friends, than to live amongst fiends,¡¯ sighed grandma as her last breath slipped out of her mouth into the thin air that was suddenly loaded with grief.


    ¡®No, no! Please, don¡¯t leave me here! Please!¡¯ cried Jonah as he was now furiously digging through the rubble, but with every piece he moved, the stream of blood grew wider and the air heavier.


    ¡®Daddy¡­¡¯ Sara¡¯s face had turned red and tears, oh so many tears, ran across her cheeks. Drops dripped into the vaguely red water and she dropped on her knees as she grabbed her grandma¡¯s hand that stuck out from the rubble. Jonah sat down next to her and his tears joined hers in the vaguely red water. A cry rose from the small shack, a cry of torment and death, a cry of great sorrow, a cry so loud that the entire city could here its grief, but only the poor people came inside. Only society¡¯s rejects and misfits answered this man¡¯s terrible call and started to take away the rubble and escort son, granddaughter and their now passed away beloved outside.


    That night, the neighborhood gathered at the sea¡¯s shore. They gathered around with torches in their hands and black cloaks around their thin bodies as the old lady wrapped in white rags slowly passed through the center of the crowd towards wooden altar there at the sea¡¯s shore. Next to the altar stood Jonah with his family. Ava rested her head on his strong shoulder, while Little Sara held his hand. A single tear crossed her cheek as her daddy took his torch and set the altar ablaze. A thick, black cloud of smoke rose that night at the sea¡¯s shore, a black cloud that was visible even in Riven¡¯s palace and that single tear also crossed his cheek that night.


    Jonah let go of Sara¡¯s arm and walked to the center of the group.


    ¡®This woman, my mother, whom we all loved, has passed from us this day. She has passed to Rhux¡¯s Halls where here kind and generous spirit is finally released from the terrible burden she bore during her time in our earthly realms. She was a contempt woman and she died a contempt woman. She never had much, but for her, not much was enough!¡¯ The people looked at Jonah with tears in their eyes as the flames behind him grew bigger and the smoke thicker. ¡®In what terrible days do we live our lives, when innocent people have to die, just because some rich folk doesn¡¯t want dirt on their clothes! What terrible days indeed, when they that have all refuse to even part with a single coin to help out those who have nothing! To help out other people like my mother! I swear to you upon all the gods, both known and unknown, I will not rest before we can walk amongst those people as equals! I will not rest before this unnecessary death has been avenged!¡¯ cheers started to rise in the back of the crowd. ¡®Let this beloved lady¡¯s death not be in vain, but let it be the start of new days! Better days! During those days, someone will do something about this great injustice! During those days, someone will unite us who have nothing and strike out against them who have every damn thing! She made me realize, friends, sharers of my grief and my burden, that this role has fallen onto me.¡¯ The cheer started to spread through the crowd until everyone was standing around Jonah, arms raised and voices high. Ava and Sara also joined in the cheers now.


    ¡®Jonah! Jonah! Jonah!¡¯


    Jonah raised his voice one last time till it gained a strength that equals the roar of a mighty lion.


    ¡®Together, we will stand! Together, we will make a difference! Together, we have more than they¡¯ll ever have! Together we will open the gates to better days! FOR ALL OF US!¡¯


    ¡®FOR ALL OF US!¡¯ replied the crowd in that same mighty roar. A roar that passed through Arcadia and made the ground on which the fortune of the rich was built shake¡­

 Chapter 7: Into Darkness

    Lightning struck again and the sound of thunder followed the hellish flash of light as it illuminated the faceless faces of the undead wandering in the distance.


    ¡®Quickly, run! They are almost upon us!¡¯ cried Rhyddion Lux as he kept his greatsword close, but when he turned around he saw the corpses closing in in front of them now as well.


    ¡®Tristan! Clear us a path!¡¯


    Tristan raised his broad shield and stormed into the crowd of corpses with a sound that equaled the thunder that rumbled in the background. With loud screams, the hideous creatures fell to the ground and were quickly cut down by the weapons that followed Tristan¡¯s charge. They stormed through the dense crowd until the rotting arms couldn¡¯t reach them anymore.


    ¡®Keep running, don¡¯t look back!¡¯ yelled Rhyddion as they ran across the plain.


    The stable faded in the distance and so did the undead.


    ¡®I need a breather, Lux. Stop!¡¯ cried Shanondarion.


    ¡®They¡¯re not that far behind us, so we cannot stay in one place too long, Archmage,¡¯ said Rhyddion.


    ¡®Where¡¯s Zakariah?¡¯ asked Tristan when he couldn¡¯t spot the oversized backpack anywhere.


    ¡®Forget about the old man! He is lost!¡¯ said the Archmage as the rain descended on his exhausted face.


    ¡®No! We will hide till dawn, when the creatures return to their earthly graves, and then we¡¯ll look for Zakariah.¡¯ said Varius Darren.


    As another flash of lighting lit up the nocturnal sky they saw a house on a hill, not far from their location.


    ¡®That house still seems in good shape. That¡¯s where we¡¯ll go!¡¯


    Varius turned into the direction of the house and everyone followed him towards the safe haven.


    The sun rose and the storm had passed. Not too far from the house upon the hill were the remains of what went down that night. The house upon the hill was still in perfect shape and wasn¡¯t anything like the small shacks that our heroes encountered before. It looked more like a stone mansion than a house actually.


    ¡®This must¡¯ve belonged to a nobleman,¡¯ said Tristan as he looked at the luxurious furniture.


    ¡®Strange place for a nobleman to live,¡¯ said Shannon as he looked at some vials filled with a dark, red liquid.


    ¡®The sun has risen, people,¡¯ Rhyddion opened the door and stepped outside. ¡®We¡¯d better find Zakariah before the sun goes down again. Afterwards, we¡¯ll come back here to prepare ourselves for the long journey ahead. We cannot stay here any longer, the Countryside isn¡¯t safe anymore.¡¯


    The others agreed and followed Rhyddion back to the abandoned stable. The air around the stable was filled with flies and the smells of death and decay and the ground covered in corpses.


    ¡®Varius, why don¡¯t you scour the place for any signs of Zakariah,¡¯ said Rhyddion.


    As Royal Scoutmaster, Varius had some skill in finding and following tracks, but the tracks he found behind the stable were far different from any he had ever seen.


    ¡®Rhyddion, look at this,¡¯ said Varius as he knelt down and smelled the ground around the tracks. ¡®This set of tracks turned into drag marks are definitely Zakariah¡¯s, but these belong to something different entirely.¡¯ Varius pointed to a huge hill not too far away. ¡®I think they lead to that hill over there.¡¯


    The hill was surrounded by large stones and crowned with a single dead tree. The tracks did indeed lead to the hill, to a dark tunnel on the bottom of the hill, carefully hidden by the large stones that were placed on both sides of the entrance. A foul smell emerged from the darkness ahead and the ground was littered in all kinds of bones.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.¡®Do we have to go in there?¡¯ asked the shaking Simon.


    ¡®Zakariah¡¯s down there, we have to go in there,¡¯ said Tristan as he lit a torch.


    ¡®Lead the way, Tristan, we¡¯re right behind you,¡¯ said Rhyddion as they, although some reluctantly, entered the narrow tunnel.


    There was no light in the seemingly endless tunnel apart from the single torch in Tristan¡¯s hand. The ground cracked at every step they took and Simon nearly fainted when he noticed the skulls beneath his feet. In the distance, Tristan saw a light.


    ¡®There¡¯s light over there! Let¡¯s head towards it to find out what hides in this foul place.¡¯


    The light came closer and closer as the tunnel became wider. The end of the tunnel revealed a large cave. The ceiling was littered with holes through which rays of sunlight lit up the cave. Tree roots were reaching down in to the abyss below them and huge cocoons were hanging from their narrow tips. Tristan looked down from the edge into the darkness below them, a darkness untouched by the sun¡¯s light.


    ¡®Was this place underneath us all this time?¡¯ asked Simon.


    ¡®I think we¡¯ll soon find the answer to the riddle of those missing villagers, Lux,¡¯ said the Archmage grimly.


    ¡®I bet Zakariah¡¯s down there,¡¯ said Varius as they started following a narrow path along the abyss into the darkness until they reached the bottom.


    ¡®The air feels heavy down here and I can smell that stench from the stable again,¡¯ said the Archmage.


    Suddenly they heard some sort of demonic screech in the distance, it chilled the very marrow in their bones.


    ¡®What in the world was that?¡¯ asked Simon as his face grew pale.


    ¡®It doesn¡¯t sound like anything I¡¯ve ever heard before,¡¯ said Varius as he peeked into the distance.


    ¡®Look!¡¯ cried Tristan. ¡®It¡¯s Zakariah!¡¯


    Zakariah was bound to the wall with some kind of slimy threads, but he was not alone. He was surrounded by some villagers who were also bound to the wall. Their faces were pale, but they still seemed to have some life left in them. Zakariah raised his eyes and saw his companions rushing towards him.


    ¡®Stay back! Stay back! They¡¯re coming!¡¯ hissed Zakariah as he looked in terror at something stirring in the distance.


    From the darkness a flock of strange creatures emerged. Eyeless, earless, their faces replaced by huge, gaping holes filled with rows of razor sharp teeth. Long, thin arms and legs, which they both used to crawl across the cave¡¯s surface, with hook-like claws attached to their fingertips. Long tails followed their slender, black bodies as they rushed across the bone-ridden floor, towards their prey. Tristan recognized the creatures from one of Zakariah¡¯s drawings.


    ¡®Leeches! They¡¯re Leeches! They¡¯re real!¡¯ whispered he as he and his companions hid behind a rock. They quickly dimmed their light and darkness was all around them now. Slowly their eyes got used to the darkness and they now noticed that Zakariah¡¯s body was missing from the wall.


    ¡®Where did he go?¡¯ said Tristan.


    ¡®Over there!¡¯ said Varius as they quietly started following the Leeches to a single room where they noticed a faint light and on the walls they saw a shadow, it wasn¡¯t one of the Leeches¡¯ shadows, it was the shadow of¡­a man.

 Chapter 8: The Terrible Truth

    ¡®Have a seat, kind sir,¡¯ said the man to Zakariah as he was brought in by the Leeches. ¡®Oh, don¡¯t be bothered by them, they were just leaving.¡¯


    The Leeches turned around and disappeared into the darkness.


    ¡®So, what brings you to my humble homestead?¡¯ asked the strange man, but Zakariah remained silent.


    ¡®Don¡¯t feel like talking, now, do we?¡¯ The man¡¯s face turned grim.


    ¡®Why am I bothered by people from the surface? What in the world are you doing here?¡¯ said the man with a sudden low, guttural voice. ¡®Speak, wretch!¡¯ the sound of a slap in Zakariah¡¯s face.


    ¡®That¡¯s it, I¡¯m going in.¡¯ said Tristan as he was about to draw his sword, but Rhyddion pulled him back.


    ¡®Quiet! First we¡¯ll have to find out what we¡¯re dealing with. Zakariah can handle this.¡¯


    They we¡¯re hiding just outside the entrance to the room. The darkness carefully concealed their presence.


    ¡®Why would you care?¡¯ asked Zakariah when the man hit him again.


    ¡®My reasons are my own,¡¯ replied the man with a perfectly calm voice.


    ¡®You seem scared? Are you scared of an old man?!¡¯ Zakariah started to laugh.


    The air was suddenly pierced by a loud bang. Zakariah got back up on his feet and spat out two teeth and some blood.


    ¡®I have no reason to be scared of you, old man.¡¯ said the man as he wiped his knuckles on his shirt. The man was dressed in a fancy, black suit with a clear white, collared shirt underneath it. ¡®Why do I have to resort to violence? Can¡¯t we just have a normal conversation! Why can¡¯t you just sit down on the damn chair and be civilized for ten seconds!¡¯


    ¡®The guy¡¯s obviously insane, we have to act now before this gets out of hand,¡¯ whispered Tristan as he looked at Rhyddion.


    ¡®And get killed by those creatures? No way,¡¯ replied the Archmage, but Rhyddion had also drawn his sword now.


    ¡®Tristan¡¯s right. I¡¯ll subdue the man before he tries anything, you guys keep an eye on those Leeches, I don¡¯t want to end up on that wall.¡¯ Rhyddion got up and entered the room with his greatsword ready to strike.


    ¡®What in the devil is this?! Demons? Demons?!¡¯ cried the man in terror. Instantly he tried to jump Rhyddion, but the strong man punched him down to the ground with a quick blow of his elbow.


    ¡®Strong, but not strong enough!¡¯ cried the strange man as he got back up on his feet and, with unexpected strength and agility, tossed Rhyddion back through the entrance into the dark cave.


    ¡®Kill them, kill them all!¡¯ Tristan, Rhyddion and the others suddenly found themselves surrounded by what seemed like an army of Leeches.


    ¡®Well, what are we waiting for? I¡¯m not dying in here!¡¯ said Shannon as he raised his staff. The darkness was lit by magical flames that emerged from the shard of Arcadium imbedded in Shanondarion¡¯s staff. A piercing shriek raised from one of the burning creature¡¯s lungs as it dropped to the ground and turned to ash. Tristan tried to hold off the frenzied Leeches with his shield, but found himself struggling on the floor while the gaping mouth and razor sharp teeth kept getting closer to his face. A flash of steel and the creature¡¯s face was pierced by two daggers. Varius grabbed the hilts of the daggers, pulled the creature away from Tristan and, with a quick move of his arms, turned the Leech¡¯s head until its neck snapped with a loud crack. Meanwhile, Rhyddion had his own struggles. The strange man had dragged him away from the battlefield and was now furiously lashing at Rhyddion¡¯s face with his long, sharp fingernails. The blood poured over his devastated cheeks, but Rhyddion ignored the pain and managed to get the man off his chest with a strong kick. While he was lying on the ground, Rhyddion seized the opportunity and grabbed the man¡¯s throat between his strong hands. He pulled the struggling man up from the ground and slammed him against the wall. Suddenly, his fury was pierced by a hellish pain as the man had buried his teeth in one of Rhyddion¡¯s hands. Rhyddion released the man¡¯s throat and punched him down to the ground with his free hand. The man recovered unbelievably quick, but before he could lash out at Rhyddion again, he was stopped by a huge steel sword.


    ¡®Don¡¯t you dare to move another damn muscle,¡¯ said Rhyddion as the blood ran down from his face. ¡®Tell your pets to back off, or I¡¯ll cut your ugly head clean off your shoulders.¡¯


    The man seemed shocked at the image of his head rolling across the floor and sent the Leeches away. The creatures obeyed and returned to their dark tunnels.


    ¡®And now you¡¯re going to have to answer some questions,¡¯ said Rhyddion as he escorted the man back to his room.


    Zakariah was waiting for them inside the room. His white beard was stained with blood and his upper lip was torn, but he smiled nevertheless.


    ¡®I knew you guys would find me!¡¯ said the old man as he hugged Tristan. After he greeted his traveling companions, Zakariah turned to the strange man that was now sitting in the chair.


    ¡®You cost me two teeth.¡¯


    ¡®You want them back?¡¯ said the man while pointing to the two teeth lying on the ground. ¡®See if you can stick ¡®m back in.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t until now, that they noticed how strange the man looked. He was pale, very pale and had no normal, human teeth, but sharp beast-like teeth. His eyes were bloodshot red and his fingers seemed like claws. His ears were unusually pointy and his hair was long and rugged, but the strangest thing had not yet been revealed¡­


    ¡®Why aren¡¯t you breathing?¡¯ asked Shannon. ¡®Why are you looking at me like that? I just happened to notice it.¡¯


    ¡®There¡¯s no need for breath when there¡¯s no need to breathe.¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s a privilege that only dead men suffer.¡¯


    ¡®Well, mage, that is exactly what I am!¡¯ laughed the pale man.


    ¡®What in the world are you, because you¡¯re definitely not human,¡¯ asked Rhyddion.


    ¡®Oh, I am human. My name is Tenebris and I am a Demon. Or at least, half Demon.¡¯


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.¡®Oh please! A Demon? You¡¯re kidding right?! Right?!¡¯ laughed Shannon. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s just so ridiculous!¡¯


    ¡®There are no more Demons here, Tenebris, they were defeated long ago. You¡¯re lying,¡¯ said Rhyddion as he brought his sword closer to Tenebris¡¯ throat.


    ¡®Are you really that simple minded? I am not from here, wretch and get that sword out of my face.¡¯


    Rhyddion lowered his sword when he noticed that the man wasn¡¯t planning to run off anyway.


    ¡®Thank you, kind sir, now let me tell you where I¡¯m from. I come from across the sea. There are more lands out there than just your Four Vales, but those lands are a lot darker than these. I used to live here, until King Ulfric, Riven¡¯s great grandfather, sent me and my crew of adventurers out to explore the shores beyond the Four Vales.¡¯ Tristan¡¯s jaw dropped and Shannon looked at the man with a look of disbelief. ¡®When we arrived there, we found ourselves on a pearl-white beach with a beautiful forest in the distance and so we, foolish as we were, crossed the beach and entered the forest. The farther we moved inside the dense forest, the less dense it got, until the soft forest floor made way for a cold, rocky underground and the trees had all withered away and that is where we found it¡­¡¯


    ¡®What did you find? Men? Beasts? Gods?¡¯ asked Simon who was excited by this tale of strange world.


    ¡®Silence, fool,¡¯ hissed Shanondarion. ¡®Let the man speak.¡¯


    ¡®Thank you, mage, that is where we found The Pits.¡¯


    Shannon suddenly started to laugh uncontrollably. ¡®Do you mean the same Pits that held the Demons? The same magical Pits that burn with an eternal fire? Truly, you are trying to trick us! You¡¯re taking us for fools!¡¯


    ¡®Let the man speak, Shanondarion, I¡¯ve heard Eria and Shinden talk about these Pits as well,¡¯ said Zakariah.


    ¡®The Gods probably like fairy tales as well then, old man,¡¯ said the Archmage as he stopped laughing.


    ¡®I¡¯ve seen the Inferno, mage. I¡¯ve seen the undying flames that spawn those horrible creatures we call Demons. In fact, I spoke with one of them. He, or rather a she really, emerged from the flames and walked towards us. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and her beauty instantly put me under her spell.¡¯


    ¡®The fact that she probably wasn¡¯t wearing any clothes had nothing to do with that, right?¡¯ mocked Shannon.


    ¡®She promised me a place beside her that night and, of course, Such power that men can only dream of. At first, I refused, but she was persistent and the sound of immortality seemed quite sweet to my ears. If only I had known the terrible price for that immortality! I foolishly accepted her offer and got exactly what I asked for.¡¯


    ¡®What did you get?¡¯ asked Tristan when Tenebris had finished his story.


    ¡®Immortality, young one, immortality and a strength that men can only dream of.¡¯


    ¡®But what about the cost?¡¯ asked Rhyddion with a grim look on his face.


    ¡®Tell him! Tell him what you did to the people of the Countryside!¡¯ yelled Zakariah with a sudden rage.


    ¡®Fine! Calm down, old man! But just so you know, you¡¯ll need me to get out of this cave¡­¡¯


    ¡®Go on, tell us the price, Tenebris,¡¯ said Rhyddion as he stepped closer to the pale man.


    ¡®She cursed me! She transferred some of her Demonic essence to me and turned me into one of them! As for the price that comes with that curse, a Demon needs souls and a half-demon needs, well, blood. At first it didn¡¯t seem all that terrible and I didn¡¯t feel any different when I finally returned to my companions after my night in The Pits, but when we reached our boats¡­ When we got out to the sea and saw the Four Vales on the horizon, that is when disaster struck. I felt a thirst, a terrible thirst, not for water, but for blood, their blood! I¡­ I¡­¡¯


    ¡®Yes?¡¯ taunted Zakariah.


    ¡®I killed them! I drank their blood to quench that horrible, horrible thirst!¡¯


    ¡®And what about the people here, on the Countryside?¡¯


    ¡®When I got back home, people started asking questions and when they found out what I did¡­ They tried to kill my family, because they thought that they were affected as well, little did they know, that I had already killed them myself and while they were burning down my house, I snuck out of Arcadia and moved to the Countryside. I figured that no one would ever come looking for me and the people there never lived long anyway, so a few more dead would never be noticed! I also found these creatures, these Leeches as you call them in your notes. For some reason, they listened to my Demonic presence. I found out that they feed on something inside their victims, but don¡¯t kill them in the process, they only turn them in this sort of, docile state.¡¯


    ¡®In other words, easy prey, right?¡¯


    Tenebris hesitated for a while, but continued his story.


    ¡®Aye, that is the case indeed. If I fed on the undead, no one in Arcadia could possibly find out that I was still alive as the Leeches could easily be blamed for the sudden amount of deaths around these parts and so they wouldn¡¯t come looking for me.¡¯


    ¡®You¡¯re saying that you led these Leeches to the Countryside just so that you could feed on the remains of those poor people?!¡¯ asked Tristan. He drew his sword and ran towards the pale man. ¡®I¡¯ll kill for this!¡¯


    ¡®Tristan, no! We still need him!¡¯ Rhyddion pulled Tristan back. ¡®He¡¯s the only one who can control the Leeches and lead us out of here.¡¯


    ¡®So basically, what this lunatic is trying to tell us,¡¯ said Shanondarion. ¡®Is that a She-Demon seduced him and turned him into something we know as a Vampire and that this Vampire led the Leeches to the Countryside so that he could feed on the undead?¡¯


    He started to laugh again, but he knew deep down that, judging from the man¡¯s looks and the number of corpses on the floor of the cave, Tenebris was telling the terrible, terrible truth¡­

 Chapter 9: After The Storm

    There was a distinct stench in the streets of Arcadia. The dead that the storm left in its wake were beyond counting and were lying all the way through the poor quarters. The dirt roads were stained with blood and marked by collapsed houses. Clouds of thick black smoke were rising from the shoreline where those who didn¡¯t have to work in the Arcadium mines were saying farewell to their loved ones. A final goodbye to guide their passage from this world up to Rhux¡¯ eternal halls where their souls would finally be freed from the burden of poverty and prejudice. The burning had been going on for a few days now, because there were too few people who had the time to say goodbye, the others were too busy working in the mines or sowing clothes for the rich people, providing for their families. On the third day after the storm, the guards gathered what was left of the bodies and piled them up in the centre of the poor quarters. It was hideous and ungodly sight. The people were also out of fuel and the rich people wouldn¡¯t lift a finger to help out. Every time Jonah walked by that pile he felt his anger burning. So many of his people lost their lives that night, while the rich were sitting safely inside their homes. He had been busy the last few days as well. Underneath the city was a complex network of stone sewer tunnels that had been dug some decades ago. Jonah had found the end of those tunnels where the water flowed into a cave that was partially filled with water coming from the sea. The cave was dark and dank and the entrance was only small, but the hidden space inside was unfathomably large. It was the perfect place for secret discussion that should never see the light of day, the one place where no one would find out about the rebellion that was going on in the shadows of Arcadia. Rumours had spread all the way through the rich quarters, that sooner or later, blood would be spilled, rich blood. They heard the commotion at the shoreline on that particular night and some of them even claim that they saw the burning of Jonah¡¯s mother, a pillar of the poor community. Guards were placed at the gates that separated rich from poor, happy from unhappy, but Jonah knew what had to be done and he wouldn¡¯t let anyone stop him¡­


    It was getting dark outside. Slowly the golden sun sunk into the sea, while the silver moon came out of its hiding place. Everyone was preparing to go home to their families, even though some of them didn¡¯t have any of those two left. The mines were packed with people desperate to earn enough gold to rebuild their broken homes, for the storm had left not only countless dead, but even more homeless. Children were roaming the streets during the dark hours of the night while their parents had to sleep in the mud. There was one man, however, who was not heading home, but heading for a dark side path instead. Arcadia is built on a cliff with paths along the edge of the cliff leading down to the beach and to the mines. While most of these paths are known, some of them have fallen into disrepair and have decayed over the passing of time. These paths are often deemed as dangerous and aren¡¯t commonly used by many people, including a hidden path that leads to the cave. This path started high above the sea level and slowly descended along the cliff¡¯s walls down to the cave¡¯s entrance which was slightly below sea level. Jonah first saw the path when he was a kid and spent a lot of time trying to cross its many gaps and crevices and after some months, he had found the entrance to the cave. The entrance was only small and narrow and partially flooded. Inside the cave was a path, about twice as wide as the entrance, which led upwards deeper into the cave, while slowly widening along the way before ending into a huge open space. The walls were covered with moist and the air was dank, but it was not dark for shining crystals were growing from the ceiling and shed light upon the sewer entrance. The crystals were probably man made and their light powered by some kind of magic, but to Jonah, they almost seemed natural, they seemed like a sign. A sign that told him that there is a light, even in the darkest nights and crevices, if you know where to look for it. It told him that not all was lost just yet.


    It was the first time in almost 15 years that he visited the path. He remembered where it was, only he, because he carefully hid the path back when he was still younger. He remembered the bridges he built to cross the gaps, but the wood had rotten and the rope had snapped on most spots.


    ¡®I¡¯ll have to rebuild most of the bridges if I want to make this work, not to mention all the reinforcements I¡¯ll have to make along the path,¡¯ said Jonah as he looked upon this familiar sight.


    He knew it was going to be a lot of work, but he had to do it. He couldn¡¯t just leave all those people wandering the streets. The cave offered some serious possibilities for his people. Not only did it provide shelter for those who had lost their homes, it could also serve as a secret meeting place and an access road to the city. Sure, this access road wasn¡¯t really hygienic or something, but the poor people of Arcadia were used to trudging through mud and filthier things, so it wasn¡¯t a very big deal for them. The cave itself was mostly clean because the sewers emptied inside a deep well that was directly connected to the sea through a tunnel that ran deep underneath the entrance, or at least that¡¯s what the people think since no one has actually seen the bottom of the well.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.¡®I¡¯m going to need some equipment as well as a group of strong and capable men. We could take some equipment from the mines and there are plenty of capable men around here. With the right tools and enough willpower, I think I make this work.¡¯


    The renovations would probably take them about two or three nights if they worked hard and fast and if their work remained unnoticed. It wouldn¡¯t matter all that much if the guards would find out about what they were doing, because they probably wouldn¡¯t stop them anyway, but if the rich and powerful, which often mean wrong, people were to find out they would know exactly where to find Jonah and his followers when the rebellion hit them. That was one thing Jonah was sure about at this time, one way or another, things were going to change in the city. Now that he knew what he had to do and that he could not do that at this time, Jonah decided that it was time for him to head home.


    He wandered through the streets, or rather what was left of them, past the broken homes, the crying people and the pile of bodies. He stopped for a brief moment when he walked past the pile and looked at it in horror and thought. People were sitting around it, mourning for the lost who were on the bottom of the pile, the ones who would never be burned. The people believed that a soul would never be able to reach Rhux¡¯ halls if its body wasn¡¯t properly burned. Guards were walking there as well, patrolling the area for any people that might be causing trouble.


    ¡®And to laugh at people¡¯s misery,¡¯ thought Jonah out loud.


    ¡®Whose misery?¡¯ asked a sudden voice behind him.


    It was Elise, Rhyddion¡¯s girlfriend.


    ¡®Nothing, I was just thinking¡­¡¯ said Jonah as he was looking at his feet.


    ¡®Don¡¯t think you can fool me, Jonah, I know what you¡¯re up to¡­¡¯


    Jonah stayed quiet for a while, not knowing what to say.


    ¡®Do you think¡­Do you think he would approve?¡¯ asked Jonah.


    Elise took his hand between her hands. Her touch was warm to his skin and he looked into her deep blue eyes.


    ¡®I think Rhyddion would be extremely proud of you. I think he¡¯d be right there with you if he was still here.¡¯


    ¡®Yeah, but he isn¡¯t,¡¯ said Jonah in a sudden burst of anger as he pulled his hand away.


    ¡®He just stood up and left us here.¡¯


    ¡®That¡¯s only because he had no choice, you know that.¡¯


    ¡®He could have said no? He could have stayed here and help us, but instead he chose to go with that Archmage.¡¯


    Jonah expected Elise to get angry with him, but instead she looked calmly at him.


    ¡®He¡¯ll come back, trust me, he always does and when he does, he¡¯ll help us.¡¯


    Elise turned around and was about to start walking home when she looked back and said,


    ¡®He¡¯s out there for you as well, Jonah, he¡¯s out there for all of us¡­¡¯

 Chapter 10: A Story Amidst The Flames

    It was a long time before they finally beheld the light of day again. The journey through the dark had been long, but Zakariah was free and the riddle of the Countryside had been solved. There was still a long road ahead, but our heroes were now truly far from home. Tenebris left them on the northern side of the hill as he slithered back into the darkness. Tristan wanted to make him pay for what he had done, but the Vampire was gone before anyone noticed his absence.


    ¡®We need to keep moving, these lands are no longer safe at night, especially not so close to that cave,¡¯ said Varius.


    ¡®The Autumnwoods aren¡¯t that far away anymore,¡¯ said Zakariah as he pointed ahead.


    Beyond the plain that was stretching out before them loomed the thick forest and it was a lot closer than before they entered the cave, but in front of the forest lay the remnants of a certain ruined town while a huge volcano was spewing ashes into the air further down into the West¡­ Slowly, the empty grasslands made way for trees and thick foliage. This plain was no longer grey, but green and filled with ferns, shrubs and trees. The cave had been a shortcut and saved them a huge amount of time.


    ¡®We¡¯ll keep moving until we have to camp on these plains tonight,¡¯ said Rhyddion as they made their way across the plain. ¡®I don¡¯t think we should camp in the town up ahead, in fact, I hope we could avoid it entirely, but it¡¯s blocking our path.¡¯


    ¡®I agree,¡¯ said Archmage Shannon. ¡®Wouldn¡¯t want any Pyromancers to find us at night, now would we?¡¯


    The ruined town was Laurel¡¯s Town, which had been taken by Furnox and his Pyromancers. It would soon prove to be a tough journey to get through there.


    ¡®I¡¯d like to thank you guys for saving me by the way,¡¯ said Zakariah. ¡®I could have died down there¡­¡¯


    Zakariah paused for a while as if lost in thought, ¡®¡­but I didn¡¯t, thanks to you, you have my gratitude for that.¡¯


    Tristan came walking beside him.


    ¡®Why don¡¯t you tell me something more about your adventures, Zakariah, you haven¡¯t told me about the Veil of Winter yet.¡¯


    ¡®Ah yes, my adventures!¡¯


    Zakariah started telling one of his stories again as the others silently listened to the old man.


    After a while, they saw the light shimmering upon the plain in the distance, between a group of trees.


    ¡®Look! Over there!¡¯ shouted Varius. ¡®There must be water over there!¡¯


    The adventurers moved closer to the group of trees and found a small, shallow lake filled with clear water. A small stream came down from the Autumnwoods, through Laurel¡¯s Town, with beautiful, green trees growing on its sides.


    ¡®I don¡¯t think I have ever seen this kind of trees,¡¯ said Tristan as he looked at them in amazement.


    ¡®Well, dear boy, these are not just any trees,¡¯ said Zakariah. ¡®These are young Arva trees, when they¡¯re older they¡¯ll be about three times taller than they are now!¡¯


    Tristan looked up to the trees crown, which was already several meters above him.


    ¡®The Autumnwoods are full of the things and I don¡¯t think I have seen them anywhere else,¡¯ continued Zakariah. ¡®Some say that the Lady of Growth planted them herself and that that¡¯s why they have such spectacular colours. One thing¡¯s for sure, though, there are no greener or taller trees than the Arva trees.¡¯


    ¡®We shall rest here tonight before we travel to Laurel¡¯s Town tomorrow,¡¯ said Varius as he nodded to Rhyddion who started to refill their water supply.


    Simon grabbed his axe and was about to start hitting one of the trees when Zakariah stopped him.


    ¡®Better find some twigs that are scattered around the ground her for I don¡¯t deem it wise to cut down one of the Arva.¡¯


    Simon agreed, put his axe away and started gathering twigs and larger pieces of wood. He piled them up and covered it with some of the dry grass he had been collecting. A small spark emerged from Shannon¡¯s staff and set the whole thing ablaze. The group gathered around the fire as Varius went out to hunt some dinner. By the time he came back, everyone was talking and laughing as they started roasting the rabbits Varius had caught. All except Shanondarion. He had been very unlike himself ever since they emerged from the cave. He was never a very jolly person, but not like this.


    ¡®What¡¯s the matter with you, Shannon?¡¯ asked Tristan. ¡®Why don¡¯t you have a drink and some food? Come sit with us!¡¯


    They all made room for the Archmage, but the old man stood up and walked away without saying a word.


    ¡®Shouldn¡¯t someone get him?¡¯ asked Varius.


    ¡®I¡¯ll go after him,¡¯ said Rhyddion.


    The tall man stood up and walked through the bushes after the Archmage.


    Rhyddion found Shannon sitting on a rock, gazing at the nocturnal sky. The sky was clear this night and the stars were clearly visible. Rhyddion sat down on the ground next to the Archmage.


    ¡®Do you know what those are, Mr. Lux?¡¯


    ¡®I prefer the name Rhyddion, Archmage.¡¯


    ¡®Do you know what those are, Rhyddion?¡¯


    ¡®My parents always told me that they were called stars.¡¯


    ¡®Then you had quite intelligent parents, Mr¡­ I mean Rhyddion.¡¯


    Rhyddion was quite astounded by this sudden change in the Archmage. Where was that bitter, old man whom he had grown to know and heard so much about?


    ¡®They are the Watchers, each and every one of them,¡¯ said Shanondarion.


    ¡®I thought you didn¡¯t really believe in that sort of thing?¡¯ asked Rhyddion.


    ¡®I wish I didn¡¯t¡­¡¯


    The Archmage sighed and for a moment, Rhyddion almost thought he could see a tear running across his cheek.


    ¡®You must think I¡¯m an old, vindictive son of a bitch, huh?¡¯ said the Archmage suddenly while he turned towards Rhyddion.


    ¡®Well, I wouldn¡¯t say that¡­¡¯


    ¡®Don¡¯t try to deny it, you are right to feel that way. Sometimes I guess I feel that way too.¡¯


    ¡®If you feel so bad about yourself, then why are you always acting like that?¡¯


    ¡®Like what?¡¯


    Rhyddion got up, his bottled anger was about to emerge, but he kept his calm.


    ¡®You¡¯re always making fun of others, acting like you¡¯re better than everybody else. You treat the people whom you deem lesser than you are like shit. My friend Jonah and all of his friends and relatives live in a pile of dirt, because you and all those other Mages refuse to pay them more for the honest work they do for you. They¡¯re good people¡­¡¯


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    ¡®Good people?!¡¯ shouted the Archmage suddenly. ¡®Don¡¯t you dare tell me that those animals are good people! They ruined my life!¡¯


    Rhyddion was immediately rendered silent by Shannon¡¯s sudden outburst. They sat in silence for a while until Shanondarion started talking again.


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Rhyddion.¡¯


    ¡®You had your reasons, probably.¡¯


    ¡®I was out of line and I think I owe you an explanation¡­ Can I entrust you with something? Something¡­personal.¡¯


    Rhyddion sat down and turned towards the Archmage.


    ¡®I¡¯ll try and listen.¡¯


    ¡®How old do you think I am?¡¯ asked Shannon.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know, I¡¯d say, euh¡­¡¯ Rhyddion tried to guess lower than he thought, ¡®¡­50 or something?¡¯


    Shanondarion started laughing loud.


    ¡®I must say, that while very kind, you are incorrect, friend!¡¯


    Shannon caught his breath again and started his story.


    ¡®I have walked this earth for 357 years now. I was there when it began, when everything you see here around you was molded into shape. I was there when the Gods were still peaceful and when Laurel still walked the earth. I helped to build Arcadia and Laurel¡¯s Town when I was still younger, back then, everything was still safe and sound and beautiful. But by the time I had become 21 years old, the war had started. I don¡¯t really remember who started it and why, but all of a sudden, the world was turned upside down. Lady Laurel was dead, murdered by Saarthunix, and the Gods were at war with each other, tearing up our world in the process. There were four cities at first, you know. Arcadia was the largest and on the borders of the Veil of Summer were Laurel¡¯s Town and two smaller towns. These two smaller towns were obliterated during one of the many battles. The people from those towns ran inland as fast as they could, to Arcadia, the people in the poor quarters are their descendants. The city was soon flooded with people seeking refuge, but we had none to offer. So we helped them build temporary homes on the edge of the city. Temporary homes which later became their permanent homes. It was at that moment that I first saw her. It was at that moment that I first met Lidya. She was beautiful, you know and I immediately fell in love with her. My parents disapproved, they thought I should marry one of Arcadia¡¯s girls. They had always been very judgmental people, my parents, so I started seeing Lidya in secret, wandering the poor quarters at night and gazing at the stars. She was so beautiful, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen anything like her. Even the light of all those thousands of stars couldn¡¯t match the radiance of her eyes, but all good things must end eventually, for that is the cruelty which we called Life. We had been seeing each other for five years and we were already making plans for the wedding, even though I hadn¡¯t asked her yet, so I decided to finally ask Lidya to marry me. At that moment I could care less about what my parents thought and I bought some of the finest gems I had ever seen and made an amazing necklace out of them. The necklace was blue and I used what little I knew about Magic to imbue the gems with a light to match her eyes, she cried when I gave it to her, so I initially thought my plan had failed. My face turned all red and I was about to go home when Lidya took my hand and kissed me. I¡¯ll never forget that moment. Never. ¡°I will live with you now and beyond and even Rhux¡¯ golden halls would be mere plaster without you, for you are the light in my life that makes everything shine¡±, that¡¯s what she said. In fact, it was the last thing she ever said to me, for when I came to her home the next day I found that it had been ransacked. She was lying on the ground with her belly cut open. The radiance of her eyes had turned dull and her white teeth were scattered on the ground. They took the necklace and my Lidya¡¯s life with it. I buried her and cried often at her grave. That is when I thought that my life couldn¡¯t get any worse and yet it did. I was severely depressed for the next weeks and thought about ending my life more than once, but then I received an invitation from the God of Wisdom, Shinden, to join his Mages in the Pinnacle, for he thought I possessed great talent for the Arcane. I accepted his invitation and left for the Pinnacle, never to return, leaving my old life behind me, but one can never truly leave the past behind, I learned that the hard way. The more I learned about the possibilities of Magic, the more I thought about Lidya. The things I could do with this knowledge, even for those beyond Death¡¯s veil, were unimaginable and I found a way to bring her back! This was a thing called Necromancy and it is strictly forbidden, but I wanted to at least try it for I couldn¡¯t imagine ever having a life without her. Not even all my Arcane knowledge was enough to fill the void she had left within me, so I studied for months, practicing for hours a day in one of the dark rooms of the Pinnacle until on one particular night, I managed to pull her spirit back to this realm and make it take a physical shape. She hadn¡¯t aged a day and she was just as beautiful as I remembered her to be, but something was wrong. She started screaming and crying. She hit me and asked me with tears running across her face, ¡°Why did you bring me back?! Why did you bring me back to this terrible place?!¡± She was in a constant pain for that time which seemed to be an eternity, until she turned her face to me and begged me, ¡°Kill me¡­please kill me¡­¡± I¡­I couldn¡¯t do it! She was the love of my life and I finally had her back and now I had to kill her myself! She begged me again and again and finally, when I understood that I couldn¡¯t let her endure this suffering, I set her body ablaze with my staff and I watched the flames turn her beauty to ashes for a second time. A man should never have to endure such a thing twice! Shinden had heard the whole thing happen and came down to me. He said that he knew I was destined for great things, but that he couldn¡¯t allow a Necromancer under his roof and so he kicked me out. I had to return to my hometown. My parents had died during my time with Shinden and my old family home was still vacant. One day I came home from one of my walks through the city and as I was about to go to bed, I could feel a darkness creep into the room. And there, in a dark corner of the house, I saw him. I saw Sarthox, the God of Time. He was a terrible sight to see, surrounded by the Fog filled with the souls of the damned and his many eyes peering right through my feeble mind. I could hear his voice in my head. ¡°Not even a Mage, may steal from the God of Time. Those whose time has run out cannot be given new time. You, Shanondarion Rectus, still have much to learn and I will not deny you this knowledge. You will walk this earth until you have learned your lesson¡­¡± He cursed me! He cursed me to walk this earth beyond the timely borders and as I watched everyone I loved die around me, I slowly withered and turned into the man you see before you. I have learned all there is to know and still my soul is not free, but I will keep on learning, for when I learned my lesson, that is when I may finally leave this eternal torment behind me and return to my Lydia¡­¡¯


    By the time The Archmage had finished his story, the tears were running across his face.


    ¡®Perhaps you¡¯re right, Rhyddion. Perhaps I should leave the past behind me and help those poor people, but they took her from me¡­¡¯


    Rhyddion was completely silent. He had no idea that this man whom everyone resented had been through so much hardship and lived.


    ¡®I never found that necklace again by the way,¡¯ said Shanondarion Rectus when he got back up.


    ¡®But I will put it on her grave before I leave this world.¡¯