《Frozen in time》 0: Prologue of a hero Author''s rant This story is an experiment from my side, so I''d like to request feedback - What was good, what was bad, what was boring? Too much description or... too little? Are my characters bad or "flat"? Actually... Are the paragraphs too long at times it looks like they could be? What did you generally think of the story? Tell me in the comments! This chapter is pretty short, I''ll try to make the next one longer, sorry! Oh, and I have used a little bit of ancient grammar - this is obviously to illustrate the language differences - You''ll see next chapter what I mean, in case you decided against reading the fiction description somehow. I won''t be too persistent with it, I don''t really like that way of talking too much either, don''t worry! Oh, and... I''ll try to keep OP and power-creep in check, so don''t expect any excessive training chapters or anything like that. Actual story: -------------------------------------------------- The morning dew was hanging in the air, and the sun barely reached above the horizon. That particular smell of dew in the forest clung to the fresh yet chilly air. Mavros slowly trotted through the grass. Small specks of water clung to his boots for every step, as if their only salvation from the green grass is the brown leather boots that were wrapping Mavros'' feet. ¡°What a tranquil morning. It¡¯s hard to believe we fought that bloody battle with the empire just three months ago.¡± Poenica slowly nodded. ¡°I find it harder to believe what we are going to do today. I never thought I¡¯d have to draw my sword this soon after we finally had peace.¡± ¡°Alright you two love birds, we should be focusing on the task at hand.¡± Viridis broke in. He briefly eyed Poenica up and down. She looked stunning in her battle garments - a full set of bronze armour with small figures and symbols carved into the shiny metal. Adding the red padding underneath the armour, her long red hair and slim, yet powerful figure, she looked like a real battle-princess should. For a brief moment, he felt warmth in his cheeks, he quickly shook his head. ¡°I trust you both remember the details from the scouts?¡± Mavros nodded. ¡°Several headed lizard creature, frost breath. Kill it. Where are you going with this, my old friend?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just going over it again. We can¡¯t mess this up. How would the freedom federation fare without the founder and her fianc¨¦, the hero? Oh, and remember now, it¡¯s not just this lizard spews. Frost we can handle, but this is permafrost.¡± ¡°Right. Freezes you forever and all that. We get it. We¡¯ve been over this a hundred times already. Poenica will distract it, together with you and the guards. Meanwhile I¡¯ll deal the killing blow. It¡¯s really not that complicated.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be like that, It¡¯s a monster. Who knows what monsters can do? For all we know it may have other tricks up its sleeve... Or more heads-¡± Viridis said. ¡°Up its bum!¡± Mavros interrupted. ¡°Yes, yes. It will be a simple matter to deal with the lizard. You don¡¯t have to go over this hundred times.¡± Poenica snickered briefly. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why it¡¯s the three of us. We could handle a hundred thousand imperii magus soldiers, why wouldn¡¯t we be able to handle a single monster?¡± ¡°Well, we did have an army of forty thousand with us that time, remember?¡± Viridis retorted. The dew was slowly vanishing, as the sun broke through the leaves in the moist forest. The air was fresh and chilly. In the distance a roar could be heard. ¡°Ye royal highness, don¡¯t ye think it¡¯s better if ye let thou guards do the fighting, and stand back on a safe distance with our heroes, giving us orders? Our nation could not bear losing the three of ye this day, after all ye three have done for us. This is the least we can do.¡± The commander of the guard unit said. ¡°No, no it¡¯s quite alright. We will deal with this threat together. It¡¯s why we are here, after all.¡± Mavros broke in. ¡°Ah, here it is. Today''s foe.¡± Poenica said, with a slightly distant look in her eyes, as she took in the sight of the beast. A large three headed creature, resembling three snakes joined together on an over-sized lizard body, towered over the trees of the forest. Baring the fangs of all three heads at the same time, the muscular jaws with razor sharp teeth were exposed in honor of the adventurers that had come. The creature let out a hiss. Upon noticing Poenica¡¯s party not even flinching, the serpent monster let out an ear-splitting roar worthy of a large dinosaur. The sun reflected on the matte green scales of the creature, as the towering beast blocked the sun from the smaller trees around it. ¡°By the dragon god, what manner of creature is this?!¡± The commander whispered while slowly taking several steps backwards. ¡°It may just be that. Dragon god.¡± Mavros quietly whispered. ¡°How are we supposed to defeat that?!¡± the commander''s voice was already shaky. ¡°Hmm. We should follow the plan. First, we will distract it with three different groups, seeing as it¡¯s just one per head. Then¡­¡± Mavros glanced at his flanged mace. The large slim spike at the top of it glistened in the sun. ¡°And then, I¡¯ll drill this into the chest of the beast. half a foot should still reach the heart of such mighty beast.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take the middle. Viridis, take the left. Guardsmen, try to distract the right head. Just toss rocks, or shoot arrows or do whatever will grab the attention of it.¡± Poenica ordered. As the three groups rushed forward to engage the monster, it swung its mighty heads. Each head plummeted towards the ground, with the razor sharp teeth exposed, as if it meant to consume the very ground upon which they stood. Every time a head plummeted, the remaining two would be keeping a keen eye on the surroundings. The middle head finally dove in an attempt to simply consume the lone Poenica. she leapt sideways and slashed her sword over the eye of the monster, leaving a deep yellow trail of serpent blood on the eyelid of the monster. Heavy drops of yellow blood dropped onto the ground from the wound inflicted. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°HSSSSSSS!¡± The monster hissed, as it sent all three heads diving towards Poenica. Viridis took advantage of the moment, and dove his sword into the neck of the monster''s leftmost head. This abruptly stopped the attack, not only of one head, but all of the heads. The monster winced in pain, hesitating a moment. Finally the beast took two small steps backwards, pulling all three of the heads completely upright and then arcing them a bit backwards. Mavros rapidly darted forwards, mace held high with both hands. The tip was pointing at the chest of the beast. This was his moment to strike. A cool icy blue color formed on the chest of the beast, glowing through the thick scales. ¡°I¡¯ve got ye now!¡± Mavros yelled, as he forcefully collided with the chest of the beast, striking the spike from his mace directly into the ice-blue area. ¡°I missed the heart! Darn! Dodge P-¡± Poof! Like drifting snow, a massive cloud of shining blue snowflakes covered the entire area, forming a massive encapsulation around Mavros. Frozen in a human-sized iceberg, Mavros stood motionless behind the semi-transparent ice. ¡°NO!¡± Poenica Screamed frantically as she dashed over to the heavily wounded monster, finishing it off by chopping off all three heads in one fell swoop. ¡°MAVROS! MAVROS! PLEASE RESPOND TO ME!¡± She yelled at the nine feet tall mountain of ice, encasing Mavros. Tears started streaming down her cheeks, running over her red lips. Viridis and the commander rushed over to help. ¡°Maybe we can chop him out of there?¡± the commander suggested. He fiercely started slashing and hacking at the frozen mountain, but to no avail. ¡°It¡¯s ice, we can surely melt it!¡± Viridis ordered the guards to find dry leaves, twigs and wood, while he himself started chopping at the ice. While the guardsmen built a large pyre, Poenica sat quietly to herself, sobbing. Finally she grabbed her sword and shield. She started a merciless and unrelenting pummeling of the ice encasing Mavros. ¡°LET HIM GO!! RIGHT THIS INSTANT!!¡± SMONG, TING, TWANG. The sound of metal on ice was so loud, one would think it could be heard from one end of the freedom federation to the other - right from Lake Torpedo to the nearby capital Vltimum. ¡°Move him to the pyre!¡± Viridis commanded. All twenty guardsmen and the commander all put in their combined powers, and yet barely managed to move Mavros to the pyre. Viridis grabbed Poenica¡¯s arm, stopping her from striking at the ice as it was moved to the pyre. Poenica turned to Viridis and placed her head on his chest, weeping. Finally the pyre was lit. A fire that could be seen all the way in Vltimum burned brightly, as the six feet tall flames licked and danced across the permafrost. As if they had a pact, the frost never budged, and the flames were never touched by the ice. Poenica fell to her knees and started sobbing ceaselessly. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there! Go to Vltimum. Find someone to undo this. Get the entire army, every man and every magician, every god, every man and every priest you can find! Get the darn beggars if if there¡¯s a chance they can help! The Tenebroshi hero has fallen in our defence!¡± Viridis howled a the guards, as he gently put his hand on Poenica¡¯s back. Poenica once more stood up. She glared at the ice. Before raising her two swords high. Viridis backed off a few steps, slowly while staring at Poenica¡¯s face with a concerned look. kling-klang-kling-kling-shing. Twong! Poenica¡¯s swords danced across the ice, slashing it in-numerous times. The blade of one of her swords was flung several meters away behind her as it shattered. She Grabbed her remaining sword with both hands, so tightly her knuckles turned white. TWONG! This too broke under the punishment. She dropped the shattered sword and started beating the ice, this time with her bare hands. The guards finally left for Vltimum. As the guards returned days later, with a huge following, Viridis stood up and put his hand on Poenicas back. ¡°I¡¯m sorry too. But we can¡¯t let them see their queen like this.¡± Poenica continued to sloppily hit the ice with shaking and bruised hands. ¡°Poenica, that¡¯s enough. We will get him out. But hitting the ice won¡¯t help.¡± Weeks later, after thousands of failed attempts at freeing Mavros, by masterless mages, powers of the gods used by priests, knights and everything in between was made, to no avail. The decision to move him to Vltimum as a monument had been made. The forest was renamed ¡°Mavros forest¡± and declared sacred ground, in honor of the fallen hero. Yet despite this, attempts at freeing Mavros remained a daily occurrence for decades to come. -------------------------------------------------- Shout-out to a senpai. I''ll take this opportunity to make a shout-out to Potato of Darkness and his story The Feline Faction It''s a great read, I highly recommend it. A fair warning though, His novel is flexing that mature tag a lot more than mine at this time. He and a handful of readers have encouraged me to add my own fiction. I have learnt a lot from interacting with them, especially in the later chapters of his fiction - knowledge that will be put to use a little later in my own fiction. 1: Rude awakening Author''s rant Wow, I got approved fast. Next chapter is here, guys. I admittedly had it stocked up for a while before submitting this fiction. Oh, and yeah, get used to all my posts being edited - that "last edited" tag is going to be on everything I post. Oh yeah, the ancient grammar i mentioned earlier comes in to play a little in this chapter, but it has no real effect on anything, so it''ll fade quickly. I already toned it down a bit - It''s there to illustrate the difference between everything he knows and what he is faced with now. Thanks for reading thus far! and as always, any comments would be greatly appreciated, especially constructive criticism. Actual story: -------------------------------------------------- ¡°Please move the statue to the sacred forest.¡± Ruby requested, while eyeing the mayor¡¯s office. The scratched wooden floor was covered by a large red carpet, matching the width of the mayor¡¯s desk. The bookshelves covered the walls, filling them with an array of colors. A small statue was sitting on the desk of the mayor. ¡°M¡¯lady?¡± The mayor of Voltimum said. ¡°Move the statue?¡± ¡°We are really out of options. Otherwise Phoenicia is doomed.¡± Ruby replied. ¡°Unless you have any better ideas, this is really our last resort.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what does this statue have to do with the future of Phoenicia?¡± he frowned as he glanced at the statue on his desk. ¡°Not that! I¡¯m obviously talking about the statue of the tenebroshi hero! Why would I care about where you place a statue on your desk!?¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ... ¡°M¡¯lady. With all due respect, a legend is not what we need right now. We need to raise another army. Between the three countries and the monsters, not even a legendary hero can help us.¡± ¡°Both my mother and my sister tried to defeat them with an army already. We both know how well that worked. To add, they were both a lot more competent than I. I¡¯m the only one left now, we need to try something different.¡± ¡°But M¡¯lady Queen Ruby, it¡¯s just a legend. What will it help?¡± ¡°Have you ever heard it, sir mayor?¡± ¡°It¡¯s said the legendary hero of old will rise again, to protect our nation, if it is ever needed. We will simply have to push his awakening a little, as it is indeed very much needed right now.¡± ¡°Even so!¡± the mayor protested ¡°Look at me. I am the queen now. Something I was never meant to be! Please listen to me, Mayor. It¡¯s our only hope, I can¡¯t possibly hope to defeat all three countries alone. Their forces are simply too numerous.¡± ¡°...Okay¡­ But may I ask, why move the statue into the forest?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you read the inscription? That¡¯s where he was struck by permafrost. So that¡¯s where we should wake him up.¡± ¡°Please make the necessary preparations.¡± Hesitantly, the mayor replied. ¡°... As you wish, milady.¡± Days later, a special carriage was made for the purpose of carrying the tremendously heavy statue. Metal reinforced, eight wheeled and similarly pulled by eight large horses. "LIIFT!!" the commander ordered. ¡°Put your back into it!¡± he howled as ten soldiers hardly made the enormous statue move. After a while, the statue was finally placed on the carriage, but not before several more men came to aid. Ruby nodded, making her dark red hair flutter. ¡°Yes, this will do.¡± she told the commander. ¡°Call the mages, we need to make the circle soon.¡± Finally the convoy of mages, guards, the queen, mayor and of course the carriage left, slowly moving towards the forest. After a day''s worth of travelling, the convoy reached the forest. Several large temples were placed in the outskirts of the green forest. Upon passing several of them, they finally arrived at the place. A large opening in the forest was made, as the pristine green grass covered a rather large area, similar to the size of a medium sized plaza. The grass was trampled as the convoy headed for the dead center of the opening, the silence of nature was suddenly covered by talking, horses stomping and wheels forcing their way through the soft muddy grass. ¡°Here should do nicely.¡± the head mage announced. His blue robe and hood covered him, right from dark hair to his boots. A golden band was swung around his shoulder, down to his hip. In the center of it was an insignia - The mark of the Poenica magic academy. It was merely a round golden piece of metal, with a gryphon engraved into, together with the word ¡°Magnus¡±. ¡°Form a circle and make the markings on the ground, but make sure it¡¯s perfect. Any flaws could cost us our life!¡± he announced. Dozens of mages dressed in similar colours, yet with both silver, bronze and plain metal insignias started carving and writing on the ground. After a while, a several meters large circle was made, filled with engravings. ¡°Now carefully lift the statue into the center.¡± the head mage ordered the guards. The mages lined up neatly around the magical circle. Ruby slowly walked into the center. ¡°Milady, you can¡¯t be there when we chant, we don¡¯t know if this will even work!¡± the head mage protested. ¡°I know the disenchanting of solid mana ice has never worked before¡­ But I have faith, that this time it will work.¡± She smiled at the mage, as she walked into the very center and placed her hand on the statue. ¡°Sir hero, we need you now more than ever.¡± she whispered gently. Ruby finally lifted her head and looked at the mages around her. ¡°Please start the spell.¡± ¡°But milady!¡± ¡°I know what I¡¯m doing. I am a mage too, after all. Now please just start already.¡± After a moment of hesitation the head mage nodded. ¡°Start the chant.¡± dozens upon dozens of mages formed a circle four meters away from the statue, just outside of the magical circle. They all started chanting in unison. ¡°Oowala.. Maguus.. ¡° a long sequence of words were slowly and meticulously chanted one at a time in complete harmony - each voice perfectly aligned with the next. BOOM! a deafening thunderbolt struck the statue, as the permafrost split in two. Like blood from a wound on a magical beast, a storm of blue snowflakes leaked out of the open crack. For every passing moment the permafrost encapsulation was seemingly bleeding out, getting smaller and smaller. Finally, the dark haired hero, with his old bronze armor and odd flanged mace took a breath. His eyes opened, revealing his blue eyes. He lifted himself from his pose, as if stiff from the frost. His lips shook briefly. the age old hero¡¯s first words in several centuries were about to be spoken. ¡°-oenica, get down! it¡¯s gonna attack!¡± he leapt at the baffled Ruby, knocking her to the ground. Rapidly he turned over, staring up into the sky. ¡°I.. uh¡­¡± His head rapidly turned in every possible direction, finally coming to a rest staring at the helpless Ruby. ¡°What¡¯s going on Poeni-..no...who.. are you?¡± his eyebrows shot up at the sight that met him - a woman with dark red hair was just staring up at him with wild confusion in her eyes. ¡°Oop!¡± Mavros quickly got up and offered a hand to Ruby. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that, how did you get here? and what happened to the magical beast?¡± Ruby took his hand and got up. ¡°Well.. Let me explain it all to y-¡± Mavros expression suddenly turned serious as he put the tip of his fingers over Ruby¡¯s mouth. ¡°Now is not the time to talk. If you aren¡¯t an enemy of mine, prepare for battle¡± Mavros muttered to Ruby. Mavros held out his mace, moving it in an arc around him, pointing it at every single one of the mages. ¡°Keep your distance, or i shall smite thee who approaches first!¡± The head mage eyed Mavros. ¡°Hold up, What¡¯s this sudden hostility about?¡± ¡°You should know, if you¡¯ve had common sense - more than you can expect from you Imperii magnus i guess... I don¡¯t hold your kind in high regard.¡± ¡°What is the meaning of this? I¡¯m a head mage, you should correct your attitude. I''m no Imp-¡± ¡°I¡¯ve beaten you before. I can do it again, imperial.¡± ¡°Hey now! no need for hostilities!¡± Ruby broke in. ¡°We-" ¡°Art thou with them?!¡± Mavros stared directly into Ruby¡¯s eyes, noticing the strangely familiar red iris. ¡°No! I mean.. Yes.¡± ¡°So you too, are my enemy?¡± ¡°I.. No! This isn¡¯t what you think! I can explain!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the phrase most commonly used when someone is found in bed with the enemy.¡± Mavros cleared his throat. ¡°Figuratively speaking, that is.¡± Mavros sighed. ¡°I think I¡¯m gonna have to hear you out on this one¡± he carefully scanned the circle of mages around him. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be a hero who can defend our land! How can you act so hostile from the get go?!¡± ¡°So, somebody told you I¡¯d protect the imperii magus? I spent half my best men to take you down. Pretentious as best to assume a mere three months would make a difference.¡± ¡°No! That empire fell centuries ago, you are supposed to protect Phoenicia!¡± ¡°Uh¡­ That was kind of what I was trying to do, except suddenly she wasn¡¯t there.¡± ¡°No, the COUNTRY! Not the person!¡± Ruby said, with a slight irritation in her voice. ¡°What country?¡± ¡°Phoenicia!¡± ¡°Never heard of it.¡± The head mage broke in. ¡°Your queen, Poenica... formed a country. That¡¯s Phoenicia.¡± ¡°We did form the freedom federation, but that¡¯s not a country, I don¡¯t quite understand what trickery you are up to, Imperial.¡± The head mage shook his head gently. Mavros sighed, and warily gazed around him. ¡°So. Where exactly am I?¡± ¡°In the forest where you fought the Hydra.¡± Ruby replied. ¡°But nearly eight hundred years later.¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Mavros eyes rapidly shot open. ¡°What? Hydra?¡± ¡°How are you more surprised about the name of your foe than the passing of eight hundred years?¡± ¡°Eight hundred years? I don¡¯t quite think I can trust an imperial who is doing mind tricks on me.¡± ¡°Just hear us out already! You were frozen for eight hundred years! Your country needs you!¡± Ruby said ¡°Country? I am from the tribe of Virium! Part of the freedom federation. I serve no country, nor any empire! There is absolutely no way eight centuries would pass by, let alone a decade!¡± ¡°How can we prove it to you?¡± a lady stood forward, covered with a black hood. She was carrying black leather armor and similar skin-tight pants, her face was covered by a black veil. ¡°... Show me something impossible.¡± ¡°No problem. Let¡¯s head to our capital - Voltimum.¡± Mavros gazed around him hesitantly before stepping towards the lady. ¡°I guess I have little choice in the matter.¡± ¡°Excellent! We will get you up to speed meanwhile¡± Ruby said. ¡°I have a feeling I¡¯m not gonna like this.¡± After a few preparations, the caravan finally started moving. Mavros was hurried into the royal wagon. The royal wagon was a rather large wagon, the size of a small room. It contained shiny new red carpet covering the entire middle section of the wooden floor. The wooden chairs were covered with squishy red pillows and table with a red tablecloth, overall, the room was very red, and the typical-for-a-dining-room-sized table covered most of the room. ¡°Okay, so who are you? yeah, you the new woman.¡± ¡°Bell.¡± The hooded woman quickly answered, as her eyes gazed elsewhere from under the veil. ¡°And I am Ruby, Second in Lin-¡­ no¡­ high queen Ruby II of Phoenicia.¡± ¡°And as you may, or may not know, I am Mavros. Now, why am I here?¡± ¡°... You are here because of a legend.¡± Ruby said ¡°Legend? Can you elaborate?¡± ¡°Well¡­ You are the Tenebroshi hero. The guardian of Phoenicia¡­ If Phoenicia was ever in trouble, it is said you should rise again to protect it.¡± ¡°And I guess this is why I¡¯m here? to sort out a mess?¡± ¡°Yes, exactly. Three countries are currently attacking us, and we have suffered multiple defeats. Both my mother, and my sister Poenica the 38th and 39th are dead.¡± Mavros flinched ¡°Poenica.. the 38th..¡± ¡°... So what am I supposed to do?¡± ¡°Well¡­ For one, you supposedly defeated the old empire single handedly.¡± Ruby said. ¡°Single handedly? I had tens of thousands of great warriors with me! How could I handle a hundred thousand warriors on my own? Who¡¯d believe that kind of story anyway?¡± ¡°Well.. That¡¯s what the legend says.¡± ¡°So now it¡¯s just up to me?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t have any better ideas, the situation is quite dire.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. There are three countries attacking?¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Ruby replied. ¡°And they number how many? how many is our army?¡± ¡°Well¡­ We have around¡­ twenty thousand left.¡± ¡°And they have?¡± ¡°Maybe thirty thousand?¡± ¡°Together? That¡¯ll be doable.¡± ¡°Each.¡± ¡°Uhh¡­ That¡¯s a bit of a problem.¡± ¡°And monsters.¡± Bell said. ¡°You¡¯re kidding me?! How will that ever work?¡± Ruby laughed nervously ¡°Well.. That¡¯s why you are here.¡± ¡°To kill a couple hundred monsters, and cleave a couple thousand future-warriors skulls. Gotcha. That should be doable to any peasant boy stuck in ice for nearly a millennium.¡± ¡°So when will your stupid mind magic stop?¡± Mavros added. ¡°Mind magic? What mind magic?¡± Ruby asked. ¡°I figure that¡¯s what most mind tricksters would say¡± ¡°I can assure you, there are no illusions or mind trickery involved. This is the reality you face now¡± ¡°Okay, so even if I do believe you, why would I help you?¡± ¡°Uhmn¡­ It¡¯s your queen''s legacy? The legends say so? You¡¯ll be rewarded? What do you expect want to hear?¡± ¡°A good reason, That¡¯s all I need.¡± ¡°And neither of these are?¡± ¡°M~aybe~e the legacy one. If it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Wait till you see Voltimum.¡± Bell broke in. ¡°I guess I will have to.¡± Dusk came, and the entire caravan came to a halt and set up camp. Tents and caravans were secured to the ground. The smell of soup hung in the air, as the chilly evening breeze swept over the tents. ¡°I¡¯ll go try the fancy future food.¡± Mavros mumbled as he left Ruby and the head mage in their wagon. Mavros feet sunk into the ground, as he quickly stepped towards the edge of the camp. Stopping briefly. ¡°Wish I had a map.¡± Mavros mumbled. as he took his first step out of the camp. Suddenly a shadow appeared before Mavros.¡°Wait.¡± Mavros eyes slowly got used to the darkness from the absence of the fires in the camp. The shadow transformed into lady in black from before. ¡°Ah, Miss Bell, was it? You sure show up out of nowhere.¡± Mavros said. He gazed around cautiously ¡°I don¡¯t suppose I could persuade you to keep quiet about this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡± ¡°Hm. I¡¯m sorry, about this¡­ but I can¡¯t stay. I can¡¯t trust people bearing the insignia of the imperials, claiming my entire world is gone, and telling some outrageous story about how this new empire is the product of my now dead fianc¨¦e¡¯s actions.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true. See for yourself in Voltimum.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t risk it. If I¡¯m to be captured by the imperii magnus because of something like this, my tribe and the entire freedom federation may be at risk. Please understand, I do not wish to engage in needless combat.¡± ¡°Wait and see in Voltimum. You can¡¯t leave now. The queen won¡¯t like that.¡± Bell yet again said in a completely indifferent tone. ¡°... I¡¯m sorry about this, Miss Bell.¡± Mavros said as he raised his mace and started chanting ¡°torp¨ªli? ti?s meg¨¢li?s i?lektrik¨ª?s en¨¦rgeias, d¨®?se mou ti? dynami? sas .¡± Blue electrical sparks danced on the flanged mace. ¡°Please let me through.¡± Mavros calmly said once more. ¡°I do not wish to harm you, but I cannot continue with your party.¡± Bell quietly shook her head. ¡°See Voltimum first.¡± with the electrical sparks dancing across his mace he swung it with great speed, aiming directly for Bell¡¯s head. WOOSH! the mace flew right over her head, as she ducked with incredible speed. ¡°See. Voltimum.¡± Bell said again, with her indifferent tone. Mavros rapidly swung his mace after Bell¡¯s torso. Bell dodged again. Mavros smirked briefly, as he darted right past Bell. A brief moment Mavros could smell the freedom the nearby forest would provide. ¡°Ptoo!¡± Mavros felt a sudden spike of pain in his neck. ¡°Ow what the¡± He put his hand to his neck, and there he felt something poking out. After briefly looking backwards, seeing Bell hold something resembling a short staff, his vision became blurry. Thump. -------------------------------------------------- Thanks for reading. 2: Voltimum Author''s rant Hey guys, 2 chapters looked a little puny, so I''ll thrown in another one today. It''s a little hard on my stockpile, so don''t expect me to keep this pace up for too long ^^ On a side note, I think my chapters length started to fluctuate a bit, I hope I''ll be able to keep it more persistent in the future, when I settle on a certain length that''s appropriate. Is this chapter too short? It''s definitely too short. Actual story: -------------------------------------------------- ¡°Ow ow ow. Oh, god. My neck is killing me.¡± Mavros opened his eyes slowly while still in a haze. ¡°Oh, so good of you to join us. I heard about you¡± Ruby said. ¡°About.. me?¡± Mavros managed to say. ¡°Yes, it seems you quite enjoyed our liquor. I just don¡¯t hope you did anything indecent, asking Bell accompany you in that state. She even had to drag you here after you collapsed.¡± ¡°You¡¯re kidding me? She¡¯s the one who did something indecent to me.¡± ¡°Really, now?¡± Ruby looked at Bell, who just simply turned her head away. With an ever so slight hint of bitterness, Mavros replied. ¡°... Thanks, Miss Bell¡­¡± Mavros expression and tone changed completely. ¡°Change of topic may be in order. You said you were Ruby the second, but there¡¯s no less than 39 previous rulers named Poenica?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll elaborate a bit. Phoenicia¡¯s rulers are all named after our first ruler Poenica the first. She, herself however named her firstborn Ruby, who then proceeded to establish the tradition of naming our ruling queens Poenica. Less important second children have typically been named Ruby but it would often be something else entirely. In my case, it was obviously Ruby. Since my sister Poenica died, I am now the second ruler to be named Ruby¡­ Ruby the second.¡± ¡°So.. Nobody died without children, and no firstborns ever died?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how it was in your time, but we actually know how to cure minor illnesses now¡± ¡°With herbs? By Draconia, what herbs did you find?¡± ¡°Herbs? Heh. No... Magic. Poenica the first established a strong tradition of Phoenicia becoming the leading country in development and application of new magic spells¡­ But I guess you didn¡¯t know that?¡± ¡°... No¡­ Uhm... As for this Poenica the first you keep mentioning. Is she the one I knew?¡± Ruby replied with a short smirk. ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°But¡­ She never established a kingdom or empire. How does this add up?¡± ¡°Our historians say that she did. Maybe after you were gone?¡± ¡°Maybe they should say something else.¡± Mavros replied ¡°I guess that¡¯s enough of your history lessons, now we established you are wrong.¡± He added. ¡°... If you think so.¡± Ruby replied. ¡°So. When we get to this Voltimum¡­ What do you expect me to do about the state of affairs?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure out a way.¡± ¡°Riiight, very promising.¡± The topics changed, and small-talk became the agenda for the rest of the day. Weather, food and other topics were discussed as the hours went by. Once more, evening came. The next day Voltimum would finally be reached. As darkness descended over the camp and most of the caravan went to bed, Mavros opened his eyes in his bed - it was finally time. He stood up, and walked out of the wagon. Only a single wagon was between him and the Queen¡¯s quarters, yet he held no intention of approaching it in the slightest. Mavros moved with bent knees and carefully treading not to make a sound. The guards posted around the camp were oblivious to his presence. Finally he reached the outskirts of the camp yet again. ¡°Attempting to flee again?¡± he heard a familiar voice. A smirk spread om Mavros¡¯ face. ¡°As I expected, you came.¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°...¡± Mavros followed up. ¡°I hold no intention of leaving the camp.¡± ¡°Yet here you stand¡± Bell said. ¡°Yet here I am, indeed.¡± He simply added. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because of you.¡± ¡°Me?¡± A slight hint of surprise could be heard in her otherwise indifferent voice. ¡°I have some questions, and I figure this is the best time and place for them. You seem like the right person, as well¡­ You¡¯re the only one who have shown me any measure of goodwill.¡± ¡°Ask Ruby or the head mage.¡± ¡°Behind your back? That¡¯d be no fun. Who are you, really?¡± ¡°... Okay¡­ I¡¯m Bell. Shadow guardian of Poenica the 39th.¡± ¡°Of Poenica? But she¡¯s dead.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Hm. Informative... So what is a shadow guardian?¡± ¡°We guard.. against shadows¡­ Ghosts in the darkness, attempting to take the life of the Queen.¡± ¡°So... A ghost buster?¡± Her tone changed more drastically. ¡°I¡¯m no exorcist!¡± ¡°Okay, okay. Assassin-assassinator, then?¡± ¡°Better.¡± ¡°Next question. Why didn¡¯t you tell Queen Ruby the truth?¡± ¡°... Not Beneficial.¡± ¡°Dodging the question, huh?¡± Mavros sighed. ¡°So what do you want me to see in Voltimum, and why?¡± ¡°The difference.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Ruby needs your help.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a real answer.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Any more questions?¡± ¡°What does Ruby need with me?¡± ¡°... Your help.¡± ¡°Hm, you are more dodgy than I assumed you¡¯d be.¡± ¡°... Will you head back now?¡± ¡°If I won¡¯t?¡± ¡°The same as before.¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯m convinced¡­ By your impressive speech and fulfilling answers¡± Mavros rolled his eyes. ¡±. I¡¯ll see Voltimum, but you better get me some answers there.¡± Bell made a single short nod, before she disappeared as fast as she came. Mavros sighed, turned around and headed back to his wagon, still in confusion over the glaring lack of answers. He went to bed and fell asleep quickly. The following morning it was gray and rainy. The mud on the ground clung to the boots of all the working guards and mages, as they hurriedly fulfilled their duties. The camp was quickly packed up, and they started moving. After several hours, when the sun was at the highest point in the sky, a great city could be seen in the horizon. Made of huge gray rocks, the walls were thick enough that ten men could walk shoulder to shoulder without risk of falling off. The round platforms that spread out evenly across the vast stretches of wall were more than double the width of the wall itself. The walls combined with the moat on one side, and the vast ocean barely visible on the other side, makes Voltimum a citadel to behold. Mavros took in the sight. He quietly whispered a single word, while slightly shivering ¡°Vltimum.¡± Vltimum, the great capital of the freedom federation stood before him. Yet Mavros didn¡¯t recognize much about the capital. It seemed foreign and alien, yet uncannily familiar. In this time and age, the city was called by a new name Voltimum - the great capital of Phoenicia. ¡°So it is true.¡± -------------------------------------------------- Thanks for reading! 3: First encounter Author''s rant Yeah, I decided to add the next one already, I''m pretty much out of material now. Actual story: -------------------------------------------------- A while passed by, and the gates finally opened. The caravan moved into the city. The large wooden drawbridge closed behind them, and the metal bars dropped behind the bridge. They entered a narrow passing, with walls on all four sides, before crossing a second bridge. Finally a large main street revealed itself. Wide as the walls, the street was made of finely carved square stones. The street was very long, and led straight to the palace. The palace could be spotted far out in the horizon. Everywhere the streets were filled with merchants, people with wheelbarrows and citizens walking around in all manners of fine clothes - purple clothes, clothes with feathers, multi colored clothes, leather clothes and even a few in plate armour or robes. The guards quickly shooed people off the road as the caravan passed. At certain intersections, different parts of the caravan split off. First was the craftsmen and cooks and all manners of workers that left. Later it was mages, and finally about half of the guards left just outside the castle. The huge castle had a myriad of spires and an additional wall surrounding it. finally the outer gates opened revealing a green garden filled with flowers and white statues. The caravan came to a complete halt on the plaza across the garden. ¡°Come, now. We have much to attend.¡± Queen Ruby called out. Mavros gazed at all the statues and flowers as they entered the castle itself. ¡°Our first agenda, will be a call to arms. Issued by the great hero himself.¡± Ruby said in a surprisingly happy tone. ¡°Wait, hold up!¡± Mavros said. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I need some answers first.¡± ¡°Okay then, what¡¯s the question?¡± ¡°Who are we fighting? Why are we figthing? Who are the Lords allied to us? What¡¯s this about monsters? What¡¯s this stuff with mages? How did you defrost me? Why do you carry the Insignia of the Imperials?¡± Ruby sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll make this brief. We are fighting the Peritians, the Incursians and the Viscians. The rest is of little consequence to you. You have a speech to make.¡± ¡°A speech? and you expect me to hold a convincing speech completely in blind?¡± ¡°Hm. You do have a point. We¡¯ll scratch the speech¡± ¡°... You change your mind pretty quickly, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I have matters to attend now. Guards, please accompany and see to the needs of our guest.¡± she waved at a handful of guards. ¡°Wait, suddenly I¡¯m NOT supposed to fix everything?¡± Mavros asked. ¡°No, for now.. Just get out of that piece of¡­ Junk.¡± Ruby waved nonchalantly with her hand. Mavros looked down his armour. The armour looked as exquisite as the first day it had been made. Shining copper, with red padding and a red cape. ¡°Junk?¡± he looked back up, only to find Ruby missing. ¡°Certainly, sir. It looks like it would make a good museum exhibit.¡± One of the guards said. ¡°We should get you some new garments. Hold on for a moment, we will get a servant.¡± One of the guards darted off, and returned with a male servant moments later. ¡°I have been briefed, let¡¯s get you into some better clothes. Right this way please.¡± In a separate room, Mavros armour, shield and clothes were removed, and he was fitted with some fine clothes. Green and puffy, just the way the rich were dressed now a days. ¡°And please, leave the weapon here as well, sir.¡± ¡°I¡¯d prefer not to part with my weapon, thank you.¡± Mavros replied. ¡°But sir, you can¡¯t run around armed like a barbarian¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Mavros started. ¡°But I am a barbarian, from a barbaric tribe back in your past. I will keep my weapon, which was by the way personally given to me be Poenica.¡± ¡°Sir, you really can¡¯t be armed in here, hero or no hero, given by Poenica the first or not¡± the servant insisted. ¡°I will not part from my weapon.¡± ¡°Sir, please understand. I have a responsibility to disarm you inside the castle. I am required to call the guards in case of resistance.¡± ¡°So¡­ What you are saying is: Hand over your weapon, or we will take it from your cold dead hands?¡± ¡°Not quite so, but the meaning may be about the same, yes.¡± Mavros pondered for a second, clenching his fist tightly around his flanged-and-spiked mace. ¡°Has Queen Ruby asked my disarming? if not, I will not comply.¡± ¡°Indirectly, yes. It¡¯s her rules.¡± a second passed. ¡°Guards, please come in here.¡± Five guardsmen surrounded Mavros. Mavros sighed. ¡°You gonna get rough now?¡± ¡°If we have to.¡± one of the guards announced. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Mavros looked at the five trained guardsmen. ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll part with it.¡± He held his mace out in one arm, and a guard snatched it and quickly left out the door. ¡°And the knife..¡± the servant said.¡± ¡°My knife?¡± ¡°Yes, in your boots.¡± ¡°Oh. You spotted that too? I¡¯m not sure I can hand that over either, this was an engagement gift from Poenica the First.¡± ¡°Nonsense, sir, Poenica was never engaged to anyone, nor did she have any personal relations with the Hero.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°Our historians tell us so. Now please hand it over, we wouldn¡¯t wanna get rough.¡± ¡°This thing is as important to me as Poenica is to you... Especially now. You¡¯ll simply have to take this from my Cold. Dead. Hands.¡± A guard immediately and frantically darted off at great speed, out of the door ¡°Okay then. Which imperial bastard goes first?¡± He held out his dagger at an arm''s length. The remaining three guardsmen stood back for a moment, while the servant ran out the door. ¡°Do you really wish to fight us?¡± A guard asked. ¡°This dagger is of little consequence to you, but If I am forced to disarm to this extent, I will not comply.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too bad.¡± the guard replied. A brief standoff later, and a dozen guards entered the room. ¡°The odds are not in your favour. Surrender!¡± A guard in full plate armour said. ¡°Ah, a commander? Then come at me. See who dies first. I am not called a hero for no reason.¡± Ruby entered the door. ¡°What is the meaning of this?!¡± Mavros calmly replied ¡°I am not about to hand over the knife of your ancestor to some rabble.¡± Ruby hesitated for a moment. ¡°Guards... Get some water.¡± ¡°But Milady!¡± The commander protested. ¡°Do as I command.¡± Ruby replied in a sharp tone. A brief pause ensued. ¡°As you wish.¡± He and the entire mob of guards ran off - presumably for some buckets of water. ¡°I guess this only speeds up the process.¡± Ruby said. ¡°Speeds up the process?¡± Mavros asked. ¡°You were about to be replaced anyway.¡± ¡°Replaced?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need you. We need your title¡­ A much more reliable man will fit that title better.¡± Mavros held out his knife. ¡°I have heard enough. Bring it on.¡± Ruby smirked. ¡°As you wish.¡± She pulled out small item that could only be described as a piece of steel as well as a piece of flint joined together. ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Throwable?¡± Ruby snickered for a moment, before composing herself. ¡°Let me demonstrate¡± Click Click Sparks danced in every direction for each click. ¡°Fire, heed my call!¡± Each spark glowed orange, and started burning as if someone blew on an invisible campfire, re-igniting the sparks into flames. The flame grew bigger and bigger, as Mavros eyes widened - He was about to be barbecue. Mavros hastily threw himself to the ground, barely avoiding a flame-jet that would dwarf a flamethrower. The wall behind him was quickly scolded and burnt black, yet nothing could catch on fire. Click Click. ¡°Fire, heed my call!¡± Mavros rolled rapidly, barely dodging the next one. A carpet on the ground was lit on fire. ¡°torp¨ªli?...¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got you now!¡± Click! ¡°dynami? sas!¡± BOOM! Amidst the flames, Mavros stood. blue electrical glows from his knife withheld the flames, yet he still felt outclassed. He could only hold so long, before losing. ¡°A little longer¡­ She¡¯ll give in¡­ Soon!¡± he whispered to himself. ¡°Just¡­ A ¡­ bit!¡± he could feel his powers fading, if he slipped up, he would become nothing but ash for the winds to scatter. The flame grew stronger¡­ And stronger. Mavros grit his teeth. ¡°Grrrrr.¡± With the last bit of sheer willpower, Mavros held on. ¡°Slipping¡­ Slipping¡­ I¡¯m gonna turn to ash¡­¡± Mavros eyes became frantic, as the blue glow slowly faded on his knife. Slowly, terror spread in Mavros¡¯ eyes. -------------------------------------------------- Thanks for reading! 4: Betrayal Author''s rant I talk too much. It''s almost as long as today''s chapter.. but that''s 5 pages! So yeah, this is gonna be a little awkward today... I have to make this very clear: Mavros IS Kaneis. It''s supposed to be very clear in the story itself, but if you somehow miss that you''ll be more confused than a man from 800 years ago stuck in a large modern city... So yeah, you won''t get a thing. Oh and about today''s title "Betrayal"... I like that, because it can be interpreted in so many ways... Oh so many ways. Despite this fact, I have a single betrayal in mind for which the title stands... see if you can recognize it! I''ll be dropping a few additional hints in the near future. Why did i choose to do this name change? It''s actually symbolic in parts, and in parts helping to avoid confusion in the future of the story! And... it''s just pretty practical for him. I will be dropping hints for this, too in the near future... It''s connected to the betrayal mentioned in the title! I have investigated a previous comment and figured out, yes... Mavros (Aka Kaneis!) is very gullible... it''s just in his nature. I''ll explain sometime soon exactly why that is... When i figure out where exactly to force-feed y''all that chunk of background. (Because really, who cares about a 3-page backstory I made on that alone. Most dry read EVER.) I should probably figure out where to incorporate that thing about the mage-symbol that seems like it could be a little confusing... that won''t be now either. I''ll try to keep future amounts of main character getting his butt kicked to a minimum, I guess you don''t really enjoy that he isn''t too op? Oh and as always, constructive criticism and general comments are most welcome and appreciated. I am still looking to become a better writer. Actual Story: -------------------------------------------------- ¡°Slipping¡­ Slipping¡­ I¡¯m gonna turn to ash¡­¡± Mavros eyes became frantic, as the blue glow slowly faded on his mace. Slowly, terror spread in Mavros¡¯ eyes. ¡°Ptoo!¡± ¡°He¡¯s down, no need to expend more energy.¡± a familiar voice said. The flame vanished as quickly as it had come. Mavros eyes filled with hate, as his vision grew darker and darker. He threw his dagger in the direction of Bell in one last fit of rage. Ding. She blocked it with ease. Mavros'' vision turned completely black. Thump. Mavros was groggy as he opened his eyes a bit. ¡°Yeah. Just dump him there, he is practically dead already. Might as well get the satisfaction of knowing he suffered.¡± The voice was that of Bell. Splosh. Mavros felt his breathing being forcefully stopped. Mavros spun around, and gasped for air. He stared at the back of Bell, from amidst a pile of filth and unidentified excrement. Bell felt the gaze and turned around. ¡°I see you are already awake... If we ever see you anywhere near the palace, we will kill you.¡± Dark cold eyes could be felt behind her veil as she continued ¡°And if we ever hear of someone claiming to be the hero¡­ We will kill you. From now on, you are no-one. As such, your name will now be Kaneis¡­ Literally, nobody. If we ever hear of someone calling himself Mavros¡­ We will kill you.¡± She turned her back to the groggy Mavros.. Nay, Kaneis.. and left. (Just to clarify once more. Mavros = Kaneis) Kaneis slowly got up, and wiped dirt off his face. An unmistakable odor of human waste seeped into his nose. He gazed down at himself, to realize he was wearing nothing but undergarments and human waste. Kaneis sighed. ¡°Crap...Literally.¡± Kaneis looked around - apparently he was in the outskirts of a small town, not far away from Voltimum¡­ Yet Voltimum was off-limits for him. In this particular condition, there¡¯s a fair chance this very town was also off-limits. So he decided against entering the town. Kaneis slowly made his way up from the pile of filth and started walking out of town. He headed towards a nearby forest - or at least he hoped it was as near as it looked. While walking, Kaneis started thinking the things over - in a last ditch effort to stay sane. ¡°First, they all say everything and everyone i knew is dead¡­ Then they steal everything from me ¡­ And not only my money and equipment, but my title and even my friggin¡¯ name.¡± Kaneis realized the futility of the situation and focused on the present. He walked towards the forest and when he finally arrived he already knew what he wanted to do. As a man hardened by the conditions eight hundred years ago, he knew how to make a bow. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. The first thing Kaneis did was look for vines and sticks. A good while later, he found a stick he could use - when he held it and stepped on the middle, it would bend without breaking. He had previously picked up a longer stick he planned to use as a melee weapon. Kaneis was content with not finding any vines - it didn¡¯t really matter. He found some natural fiber instead and wove it together to create a bowstring for himself. It took a while and he started growing hungry¡­ But more so thirsty. ¡°Too bad I don¡¯t have a way to boil water¡­ I guess I¡¯ll just borrow a little from a well somewhere.¡± he thought to himself. Fortunately for Kaneis he stumbled upon a little farm outside the town. It was already getting dark when he arrived. He sighed as he started pulling up a bucket of water from the small well¡­ He knew what was coming next. SPLASH! he poured the entire bucket of cold water over his naked body, rinsing off the dirt in the process. Kaneis hair was standing up from the cold, as he went to one of the barns. He slept there, and left in the early morning after filling up his belly with water. After walking along the path leading to the farm for quite some time, he encountered a cemetery. Just outside the cemetery stood a pitch-black tree with red fruits. Kaneis'' stomach rumbled and complained. ¡°Okay. Breakfast it is.¡± he thought to himself. He walked over and reached out for a low-hanging red fruit the size of a large cherry. Then he felt a sudden slap on his hand. He turned his gaze away from the delicious looking fruit to see the man who had slapped him with the flat of a sword. ¡°You better not eat that.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± Kaneis asked ¡°It¡¯s a death fruit. As the name implies, they are lethal to humans.¡± Kaneis finally noticed the distinct features of the man in front of him. He wore a hat with a large shadow all the way around it. He had a dark robe on, with a nice white fluffy shirt. The man was incredibly pale. Whatever hair Kaneis could spot under the hat was completely white¡­ Oh and his iris - completely red. ¡°Uhh.. Thanks for the advice, I should be on my way.¡± Kaneis quickly said. ¡°Say, you look like you are down on your luck, do you need some help?¡± Kaneis pondered for a second. ¡°Okay, let me just level with you here¡­ We are close to a graveyard - the direction from which you came, no less.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, I was enjoying a stroll on the graveyard. I was just visiting my grandfather''s crypt before¡­ What¡¯s your point?¡± The man asked. ¡°And you are pale¡­ And you have red eyes¡­ So¡­ Since I don¡¯t want to be breakfast, I don¡¯t think I should go anywhere with a vampire.¡± The man¡¯s expression changed. ¡°I¡¯m NOT a vampire! Why does everyone keep saying that?¡± ¡°... But you came from a graveyard¡­ and you are so pale.. And your eyes are completely red¡­ I bet you have fangs.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have fangs!¡± ¡°Care to prove that?¡± The man sighed. ¡°I¡¯m Ryko. If you don¡¯t want my help, you can continue walking around in underwear.¡± ¡°... I guess you have a point. I¡¯m Ma-... Kaneis. Lead the way.¡± ¡°Fake name, huh?¡± Kaneis didn¡¯t answer. The two of them started walking. ¡°Where are we headed?¡± Kaneis asked. ¡°To my father¡¯s castle.¡± ¡°I hope you are kidding me.¡± ¡°What, why?¡± Ryko asked in surprise. ¡°A castle? I¡¯m about to be breakfast, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t cannibals, what are you talking about?¡± ¡°But Vampires?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been over this already. If you must know, I was born like this.¡± Ryko said. ¡°A vampire?¡± ¡°No! pale and with red eyes. It¡¯s really quite a disadvantage. I burn easily in the sun.¡± Ryko flicked his hat. ¡°Hence the hat.¡± ¡°By Draconia, I must be getting mad following you.¡± Kaneis sighed. ¡°Well¡­ You do have a bow without any arrows, and a random stick¡­¡± Ryko sniffed the air ¡°and an interesting odor.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ right. Can¡¯t argue with that.¡± Kaneis said. Ryko sniffed the air again ¡°Is that the smell of loo?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Oh, right¡­¡± Ryko started. ¡°When we get to the castle, you better not bring up any talk of vampires¡­ My father hates that.¡± ¡°Gotcha, no talk of vampires.¡± ¡°Good, we finally understand each other.¡± Ryko nodded a bit. Kaneis was silent for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re actually quite unfortunate to be a man¡­ If you were a woman, you¡¯d probably be considered a beauty.¡± Ryko scratched his neck. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll consider that a compliment.¡± An awkward walk later, they finally arrived at the Castle. -------------------------------------------------- Thanks for reading! I hope I made it clear enough: Mavros = Kaneis. his name just changed - I''ll probably drop a hint as to why in the next chapter. I will clear it up more at the end if i feel its necessary! 5: The Castle Author''s rant So, today we will have a chapter with even less action than before - You''ll get to know the new characters introduced a little better. I''ve tried to lighten the read by being funny, I''m quite sure that''s a perfect miss, though. Let''s dive into the new characters at the castle - as you may already know, Ryko is shunned for being a vampire (Everybody says that! - Ryko). His way to cope with that is by joking about it - kind of like how a comedian can be depressed but be really funny on the scene anyway. - It doesn''t perfectly reflect his feelings, quite contrary. I''ll get some action back into the story soon, don''t worry! Just put up with me for a chapter or two. I just realized my "mature" tag is pretty much pointless at this point... I dunno, that may be subject to change when the action really kicks in. I''ll give you a heads up before that happens. Oh yeah, for gods sake. Someone kindly pointed out a grave error i made - I have basically not described my main character at all. I''m kind of risking to mess up your picture of the guy at this point. I''ll incorporate it into the story ASAP - I imagined him with short pitch black hair as well as tall - for his "time", which means he is average after the 800 year vacation - and fairly muscular... Yeah because that''s what life and death situations does to you. His name is Mavros from greek - m¨¢v?ros - black... Yeah I''m good with names... Thanks for asking. This is referencing his hair. Oh, and as always, comments and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Actual Story: -------------------------------------------------- The castle had no outer wall, but plenty of pointy spires and several balconies. They entered through a large wooden gate, and walked through a hall and into a big room. Mavros gazed around - a large table with plenty of chairs filled the entire middle of the room. a man was sitting at the end of the table. ¡°Hello, father.¡± Ryko said respectfully. ¡°I have brought someone for dinner.¡± The father nodded. ¡°Very well. We will prepare for him immediately.¡± His voice was unexpectedly deep, but carried a great deal of authority like that of a noble. Kaneis¡¯ gaze switched to the father who was merely staring at him¡­ as if expecting something. ¡°Oh, yes¡­ Greetings! I am Kaneis.¡± ¡°Very well. Welcome to my castle, Kaneis. You will be staying the night, and then be on your way. We will have no poor behaviour here. Dinner will be served at sunset¡­¡± The father eyed Kaneis up and down. ¡°You should head upstairs, there¡¯s some clothes available there, and some water to scrub yourself down¡­ Seeing as you are lacking in that department. I¡¯d recon due to bandits.¡± Sunset was still hours away, but Kaneis didn¡¯t complain - he was getting free lodging and food after all - and even new clothes and a bath. Kaneis went upstairs and took a bath, then he dressed up in clothes similar to that of Ryko. He proceeded to go downstairs without his bow and stick, which he left in the room he was supposed to sleep in. ¡°I see you dropped the stick¡­ One could say you sticked it up¡­ Well, you put it away at least.¡± Ryko said. Kaneis blinked in confusion. ¡°Here, catch.¡± Ryko threw an apple to Kaneis. ¡°You must be hungry.¡± Kaneis hesitated for a moment. ¡°If I pass out from this, please just eat me instead o-¡± ¡°What did we agree on?¡± Ryko broke him off. ¡°... Okay¡­ Thanks for your thoughtfulness.¡± Kaneis took a bite from the apple. Time went by rather quickly in the castle, and dinner time came without any further incidents. Mavros entered the dining room together with Ryko - The father was sitting exactly where he had been sitting all along. But another person was present. To the chair immediately left of the father was a woman. She had white skin and completely white hair similar to Ryko¡¯s, but longer. She was rather slim, but had a sophisticated air about her. Kaneis stared at the woman. She was nothing short of breathtaking despite her red irises - or maybe because of them. Flick Ryko flicked Kaneis on the forehead. ¡°My sister is off-limits.¡± ¡°You.. Uhm..¡± Kaneis was flabbergasted. ¡°Have a sister?¡± ¡°Yes, I have a sister. But don¡¯t talk about her as if she isn¡¯t here. Now go sit down.¡± Kaneis did as asked, and went around the table ¡°Ahem. hem.¡± Ryko held a hand to his mouth. Kaneis stopped and looked at Ryko who pointed at the chair at the other end of the table. That¡¯s where Kaneis sat down. Kaneis gazed at the fork and knife made from metal. Then over to the family at the table, and tried to imitate what they did, with a moderate amount of success. ¡°So, I will introduce myself again. I am Kaneis. Thank you for your hospitality.¡± The sister nodded. ¡°I am Lamia.¡± The father barely looked up from his plate. ¡°I am Vlad. You can start thanking us by telling us your real name¡­ And how you ended up as you did.¡± Kaneis hesitated. ¡°Are you perchance affiliated with queen Ruby?¡± ¡°An odd question, but the answer is no. We are at this time uninvolved in politics.¡± Vlad said. Figuring he would leave just the next day anyway, Kaneis nodded. ¡°Very well. It¡¯s possibly quite unbelievable¡­ But if you insist.¡± Kaneis started telling his tale. ¡°My name was Mavros. I was recovered from a frozen statue from the middle of Voltimum.¡± He told about the encounters with Ruby, he told about Bell, he told about he was thrown out of the castle by Ruby - and she had planned to do this from the start. Finally, he told about how he had seen Bell on that day, as well as how he had made it the first day. ¡°And that¡¯s when I met Ryko - by being saved from eating a death fruit.¡± Vlad nodded. ¡°Quite the tale you have. It sounds to me like you were lucky not to be killed.¡± ¡°I have no idea why-¡± Vlad continued unfazed by Kaneis talking. ¡°You were lucky because this woman you call Bell was there. It sounds to me like she saved your life, for whatever reason.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Kaneis went silent, pondering. Maybe Vlad was right. ¡°I guess my life really does get saved a lot lately.¡± ¡°Think nothing of it.¡± Ryko answered. A brief moment of silence passed while Kaneis fumbled with his cutlery in order to eat. Lamia suddenly spoke up. ¡°I¡¯m quite amazed you haven¡¯t mentioned vampires even once. Especially after hearing our names.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Ryko kinda set me straight on that. I do wonder how you got the names¡­ but.¡± Vlad spoke up, silencing the argument in a flash. ¡°That¡¯s a story that will have to wait till some other time, Lamia.¡± The rest of the dinner proceeded with small chit chat or complete silence. After dinner, Vlad finally got out of his chair, and headed to a smaller room with a fireplace. As for Ryko and Lamia, they didn¡¯t follow Vlad, so neither did Kaneis. Shortly after Vlad left the room, the mood shifted completely. Lamia spoke first. ¡°What was it like before the ice? how did you get into the ice?¡± ¡°Uhm. A hydra. That¡¯s what Ruby said. And before, it was...¡± Kaneis paused. ¡°Sorry about that, We don¡¯t get many visitors. She¡¯s just excited.¡± Ryko said. ¡°Oh, of course. Sorry for my inconsideration¡± Lamia said. ¡°So.. How come you don¡¯t get many visitors?¡± Kaneis asked ¡°Heh, you should know.¡± Ryko said. ¡°We are generally shunned.¡± ¡°Then what''s with this castle? Aren¡¯t you noblemen?¡± ¡°We¡­ Were.¡± Lamia said. ¡°A long time ago¡­ But we are largely ignored as a family now...¡± ¡°Ah, that explains the political stance.¡± Kaneis said. Lamia scooted over and whispered to Ryko for a moment. Then she looked up at Kaneis. ¡°Hey, so¡­ Wanna go for an evening walk?¡± Lamia asked. ¡°I uh.. What?¡± Ryko cleared things up. ¡°It¡¯s what we do occasionally, when father is reading in his library. No need to make it more significant than it is.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Well I guess we can do that.¡± Kaneis said. Moments later all three of them walked outside. The sun had already set, so it was quite dark. ¡°So where are we headed?¡± Kaneis asked. ¡°We are going to the graveyard.¡± Lamia said. Mavros eyebrows slowly rose. ¡°The graveyard?¡± ¡°I know It¡¯s weird, but it¡¯s just so peaceful there¡­ I really like it.¡± Lamia responded. ¡°Oh, well¡­ at least you didn¡¯t bring a shovel.¡± Kaneis responded. ¡°Shovel? Oh... Heh. Technically they are at the graveyard already.¡± Lamia giggled. ¡°Yet I don¡¯t feel threatened when you keep giggling.¡± Kaneis said as he smiled. ¡°I bet that would be the best way to trick someone. Just. Keep. Giggling.¡± Ryko said as he smiled at Kaneis¡­ An uncanny smile. Kaneis stared at Ryko. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m kidding! ¡­ No really, you can stop giving me that look now.¡± The side of Kaneis mouth raised a bit in a smile, as his gaze fell on Lamia. ¡°Hey! You can also stop giving her that look!¡± ¡°Huh? What look?¡± Lamia gazed at Kaneis, who in turn averted his gaze quickly. ¡°Nothing.¡± Ryko sighed. They finally arrived at the graveyard. ¡°So¡­ now we are here... then what?¡± Kaneis asked. ¡°Well¡­ I guess this is the part where we knock you out and drain your blood?¡± Ryko asked with a serious look in his eyes. ¡°Heh.. very funny¡­¡± Kaneis laughed in a slightly worried tone. Ryko held his serious gaze on Kaneis. ¡°You¡¯re kidding¡­ You are actually vampires?¡± ¡°Tihihi¡± Lamia giggled, shortly after Ryko followed with a laugh. ¡°I¡¯m so not going to sleep tonight. Your jokes are giving me the creeps.¡± Kaneis sighed. ¡°So what are we really doing here?¡± Kaneis asked. ¡°We are taking a walk. No more no less.¡± Lamia answered. Yet they stopped at a mausoleum. The mausoleum wasn¡¯t particularly big. It had enough room for a couple of people standing inside of it, and for some reason the two siblings decided to do just that. The mausoleum was either completely new or very well maintained - but no date was present, and the text was in a foreign language, and didn¡¯t seem particularly informative on the outside, perhaps more was written inside, but Kaneis wasn¡¯t about to find out.
Requiescat in pace
Ryko gestured for Kaneis to wait. both Lamia and Ryko entered, and came out after perhaps fifteen minutes. ¡°So... what were you doing in there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the grave of our grandfather¡­ as for what we were doing... that¡¯s a secret.¡± Lamia answered. Kaneis remained silent, not wishing to intrude on their sorrows. Kaneis knew not if their grandfather had died recently or what their relationship had been. And he wasn¡¯t going to ask. The walk home was faster than expected, and night had come. As soon as they arrived at the castle, they headed to bed, each in their separate room. -------------------------------------------------- Thanks for reading! Vlad''s a bit of a wise guy, huh? he may have a point though, I mean what person in power would totally betray a hero without finishing that job? That would just be stupid. Oh yeah, you noticed? Vlad... Vampire... Lamia... Yeah that''s latin for vampire... Oh and Ryko? yeah vryk¨®lakas is greek for vampire... I''m good with names, I know. Thanks. Oh and the next chapter is gonna be powerful stuff... Can''t reveal any more at this time... I can hardly wait to post it. 6: Heart to heart Author''s rant Yeah. It''s powerful stuff today. My advice: Take it slow, there''s no rush. Let yourself pause when the characters pause, so you can truly feel what they feel. Next chapter will be combat - so just bear with me a little more. I guess 8-9 out of 10 of my readers like Harem, so I probably shouldn''t dis it too much... But this chapter is why I don''t do harem. Just read it, I hope you''ll understand. As always, comments and input is very much appreciated. Actual story: -------------------------------------------------- Kaneis, predictably, had trouble sleeping. He sat up on the fluffy bed, and looked around. The room was pretty basic, consisting of a bed and a small table. The bed was fluffy, but nothing too fancy. The most dominant feature of the room was wood - wooden table, wooden floor and wooden sides on the bed. Kaneis got up from the bed. His feet touched the lukewarm wooden floor. tap tap. He grabbed his wooden stick, and walked outside. The castle was quite confusing with all the rooms and towers, yet he managed to find his way to a door leading out on a balcony on the first floor. click. the door opened. he saw the back of a familiar lady gazing off into the distance. In the distance he could see the light from the nearby town - the same town Kaneis was dropped off in. He stood still taking in the sight of her on the balcony. ¡°Trouble sleeping?¡± Lamia said, not moving her gaze from the breathtaking view. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Kaneis said, as he placed the stick against the wall, and walked to the edge of the balcony a few steps away from her. A moment passed by, as the two took in the view of the night. A dark forest, a cemetery with poor lighting and the town, far off in the distance. ¡°You know¡­¡± Lamia started as her long white hair fluttered in the chilly evening breeze. a few seconds passed by in silence. ¡°Yes?¡± Kaneis asked. ¡°Ryko said it should be a secret¡­ But...¡± Kaneis patiently waited, while Lamia gathered her words. ¡°The real reason he was there¡­ and the real reason we visited the cemetery¡­¡± she took a second before talking again. ¡°Was to say goodbye... because we are leaving the castle.¡± Kaneis pondered for a second. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°To search¡­ For our mother.¡± Lamia continued. ¡°She is missing?¡± ¡°She left long ago.¡± ¡°So why tell me?¡± Kaneis asked. ¡°I was wondering if you would like to come along.¡± Kaneis felt something he hadn¡¯t felt in a long time. A certain heat in his cheeks. ¡°I¡­ Why me?¡± he asked. ¡°You look like you might need a little¡­ companionship.¡± ¡°¡­ companionship?¡± ¡°Well¡­ There¡¯s the issue of almost eating a death fruit¡­ And if your story is true¡­ You might be safer together with us.¡± Lamia answered. Kaneis pondered for a second. ¡°Truth be told¡­ I have my own goals. While they might align fairly well with going with you for a while¡­¡± Kaneis stopped for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m a little troubled¡­ Troubled with who to trust.¡± ¡°Because we look like vampires.¡± Lamia simply stated with a hint of sadness in her voice. ¡°No¡­ That¡¯s not it. Ever since I got here, I¡¯ve been tossed around¡­ I just don¡¯t know who to trust anymore¡­ The people who seemed trustworthy at first¡­ they weren¡¯t¡­ They were...¡± Lamia stopped his sentence. ¡°I know we make a lot of¡­ jokes¡­¡± She turned her head and looked at Kaneis. ¡±But you can trust us.¡± Kaneis turned his head, looking directly back at Lamia. ¡°... I guess I will.¡± A brief moment passed, while the two simply stared at each other. Lamia turned her head back to the scenery. ¡°It¡¯s breathtaking, isn¡¯t it?¡± Kaneis turned his head towards the scenery as well. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s truly breathtaking.¡± The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Lamia continued. ¡°¡­ The entire world¡­ I¡¯m looking forward to finally see it.¡± Kaneis nodded in silence. ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± Lamia asked. Kaneis pondered for a second. ¡°I¡¯m going to reclaim my title¡­ I think the best course of action would be to go to one of these other countries¡­ Viscia, Incursia or Peritia¡­ And take it from there. I need help in taking down a false queen.¡± Lamia nodded. The two stared at the view in complete silence, for what seemed like an aeon. When Kaneis finally returned to his room, he laid down on his bed and slept like a baby for the rest of the night. He had forgotten all about his spear-to-be, which was still standing on that very balcony. The next day, Kaneis got up, and headed for the room with the table. All three family members were sitting there already. Ryko broke the brief moment of silence. ¡°Get this¡­ What¡¯s it called when a vampire kisses you goodnight? ... Necking!¡± Lamia looked down the table, as did Kaneis. ¡°No? Okay, okay I got another one. How does a girl-vampire flirt? She bats her eyes!¡± a moment of silence passed by. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just kidding.¡± Ryko threw a piece of fruit to Kaneis ¡°Here, have a neck-tarine!¡± ¡°Pff... heh.. Neck¡­ I get it.¡± Kaneis quickly composed himself. Kaneis took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯d like to thank you all for your hospitality. I will leave the castle today as asked.¡± Vlad merely nodded while eating his breakfast. Ryko suddenly spoke up. ¡°Father¡­¡± Vlad looked up at Ryko. ¡°We have decided¡­ We are going out into the world. You can¡¯t stop us.¡± Vlad stared directly at Ryko. ¡°Do you think you have what it takes?¡± Ryko nodded while still holding a stern look directed at Vlad. ¡°And I assume you are both leaving?¡± Vlad looked at Lamia, who in turn nodded. Vlad turned his gaze to Kaneis. ¡°And what of you? Did you have anything to do with this?¡± Kaneis pondered for a second. Then he slowly shook his head. ¡°No.¡± Vlad nodded slowly. Ryko quickly responded. ¡°He has nothing to do with this. This is our decision, and has been for weeks.¡± ¡°So you have made preparations?¡± Vlad asked. ¡°Plenty. We visited the cemetery last night.¡± Ryko said. ¡°I see there is no stopping you.¡± ¡°Our minds are made up.¡± Vlad made a slight nod. For a while, Vlad''s eyes fell on Kaneis. He looked at the black hair and the blue eyes, the stern look in his eyes as well as the height. He seemed like he wanted to say something, then he stopped himself. The rest of the breakfast continued in dead silence. After the breakfast was complete they all headed outside the castle. Kaneis stood in the fluffy white shirt and some pants and leather boots as well as a sword he had gotten from the family - Lamia stood dressed nearly identical, except for the black cape and large hat that Ryko wore as well. Vlad stood at the gate of the castle. ¡°I guess it is as they say - Adventure must start with running away from home¡­ And through adventure, may you find yourselves.¡± Vlad turned around and closed the door to the castle. Ryko looked at Kaneis. ¡°I guess we are headed the same way, huh?¡± Kaneis nodded. ¡°I have little else to do at this time.¡± ¡°So what you are saying is that you are coming along with us under circumstances completely unknown to yourself?¡± Ryko asked. Kaneis looked at Lamia out of the corner of his eye. Ryko sighed. ¡°I guess a vampire really IS more likely to chat with the girl neck-st door.¡± Kaneis looked at Ryko ¡±What?¡± Ryko looked at Lamia. ¡°You talked with him, didn¡¯t you? that explains father''s reaction.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t! Lamia insisted. Ryko held a firm gaze of disbelief on Lamia. ¡°Well, I mean¡­ I guess¡­ A little? He deserved to know!¡± ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Ryko said. ¡°I guess he should know by now.¡± Ryko turned to Kaneis. ¡°So I guess you are with us, huh?¡± Kaneis nodded slowly. ¡°So it seems.¡± A moment of silence passed. ¡°Do you have any clue where to start looking?¡± Kaneis asked. ¡°I figured we would find out along the way, I mean how many places can there be to look?¡± ¡°... You¡¯ve never been far away from the castle have you?¡± ¡°Not really, why do you ask?¡± ¡°...¡± -------------------------------------------------- Thanks for reading! 7: Magic Author''s rant Looks like action''s back on the menu boys! Oh, and magic! Darn, I just can''t keep these rants short. I wonder if your own refreshes counts as views, that would probably explain the 250 average views... 20 people following (Shout-out to you guys! Woo!) aaand.. yeah, 200 refreshes from my side XD Oh yeah, next chapter (after this one) is going to be an attempt at being funny. I wonder if I should add the comedy tag, I just don''t quite think i make the cut at this time. Oh, almost forgot. I am SO shamelessly spoon-feeding you information about magic this time. I''m almost rude to you guys. Sorry about that! I''ll try to keep the lecture-chapters to a minimum! Actual story: -------------------------------------------------- The first stop on their path is a small town further down the road. Supplies and some additional equipment is needed. The trio started walking along a dirt road with a large and dark forest on their right side. Ryko spoke up sometime during the walk to the town. ¡°So¡­ What happened between you two, at the balcony?¡± ¡°You knew? Then why did you ask if we spoke?¡± Lamia asked Ryko shrugged. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t wanna spoil the fun.¡± Lamia sighed. ¡°Just an exchange of ideas and views.¡± Ryko nodded ¡°Uhuh, that¡¯s all that was exchanged, huh?¡± Kaneis suddenly stopped and held an arm up in front of his companions, stopping both Ryko and Lamia. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re sa-¡± Ryko started ¡°Shh!¡± Kaneis hastily said. Kaneis¡¯ eyes darted around. An unfamiliar and threatening voice spoke up ¡°Ah, you spotted us? Good job.¡± A man clad in full chain mail as well as a large sword and a kite shield stepped forward. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind sharing your riches.¡± Ryko laughed ¡°You are but a single man! and a bandit none the less, you¡¯ll get nothing but cold steel. You are out manned and outmatched, you should surrender yourself!¡± The bandit smirked. ¡°I have fifty archers in the woods on your right. You should just surrender before I kill and skin you.¡± Kaneis whispered to his fellow travelers. ¡°Five archers in the forest - the rule of thumb is a division by ten. typically people fail to realize that bandits are mostly ex-soldiers - and battle hardened veterans at that. These guys in particular looks like mercenaries gone rogue - they are too nicely equipped for common rabble. This battle is going to be tough, I hope you can handle yourselves. Their first move will be a targeted barrage of arrows. You¡¯ll need to dodge that or die since we don¡¯t have any shields. They already have their bows pointing at us. On three we dash.¡± Ryko and Lamia looked at Kaneis in surprise. Kaneis spoke up in loud words for all the bandits to hear. ¡°I am Mavros. Hero of the past, I will defeat you here. Remember the name in the afterlife and it may grant you glory¡­ THREE!¡± All three of them darted to each their side as a barrage of exactly five arrows fell where they had stood. Kaneis threw his bow at Lamia ¡°They are in the trees! use their own arrows, but don¡¯t get shot!¡± Kaneis darted at the bandit in chain mail. Their swords clashed. KLING! ¡°Focus the ranger!¡± The bandit howled. Kaneis and the bandits swords locked in place for a moment. ¡°I am Commander Hawkwood. Remember MY name when you die, pup!¡± Kaneis briefly but rapidly glanced behind him to gauge the situation - Ryko and Lamia were locked in a skirmish with the five rangers in the trees - Lamia dodged and shot arrows while Ryko collected them. ¡°Where are you looking pub?! Ha!¡± SMOCK! Kaneis fell to the ground from an unexpected boot to the stomach. DING! Kaneis blocked the sword that was headed for his face. Kaneis rolled to the side and jumped onto his feet. ¡°Not bad kid.¡± Hawkwood smiled - a smile filled with bloodlust. Hawkwood swung his sword at Kaneis who side-stepped. SWOOSH! Hawkwood sustained an injury over his eye - had he not retracted his head as fast as he did his skull would have been split open. ¡°A little help here!¡± Hawkwood howled. Kaneis jumped to the side, but was quickly stopped by Hawkwoods attack. Splosh! An arrow embedded itself right into Kaneis'' right shoulder ¡°Urgh.¡± ¡°AARGHH!¡± A bandit screamed in the woods as he was felled with an arrow. ¡°We got one!¡± Lamia cheered. ¡°Don¡¯t lose focus!¡± Kaneis howled. Kaneis swung his sword at Hawkwood who blocked with his own. SLAM! a shield slammed into Kaneis¡¯ wounded shoulder, pushing the arrow all the way through. Kaneis started to bleed profusely. ¡°Grrr.¡± SWEEP! Kaneis swept his leg under Hawkwood, knocking him to the ground. KLANG¡­ KLANG¡­ KLANG! Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Die already!¡± Kaneis yelled, as he pummeled Hawkwood¡¯s shield A deep dark almost demonic voice sounded. ¡°ARISE!¡± The fallen bandit from the forest suddenly stood up with his upper body completely relaxed, almost hanging down. - a very unnatural pose. Lamia¡¯s voice resounded ¡°Command: KILL!¡± She held out her arm towards the fallen bandit. ¡°Yeeessssssss.¡± the fallen bandit replied before pulling back his bowstring, preparing to fire an arrow. TWOG! A bandit fell from the trees. Splosh splosh splosh. Three arrows had penetrated the skull of the reanimated bandit. unfazed, he loaded his bow. Splosh. Another bandit fell. "We''re sitting ducks up here!" one of them yelled in panic. Kaneis kicked Hawkwood¡¯s shield to the side, and sent a powerful strike into the skull. Splosh. Hawkwood was dead. Splosh. The last ranger fell from another arrow. ¡°Command: Die!¡± Lamia said, as the reanimated corpse fell to the ground. Kaneis held his hand on his wound. ¡°Get me some excess cloth, will ya?¡± Ryko rapidly came over with a ripped shirt from a dead ranger. ¡°Nothing to rinse it with? Darn. It¡¯ll have to do for now.¡± Kaneis used the shirt as a crude bandage. ¡°Now I really need to get to town. This stuff will be infected faster than you can say command: infect.¡± Kaneis added. ¡°Speaking of which¡­ What the heck was that?!¡± ¡°Uhm¡­¡± Ryko started. ¡°It¡¯s a spell we learnt.¡± ¡°You mean you can both do that stuff? How long can you hold a corpse like that?¡± Kaneis seemed uncomfortable, latching an arm onto his other arm across his stomach. ¡°Is your shoulder okay? you seem pale.¡± Lamia asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine, it¡¯s not my shoulder¡­ That stuff you are doing¡­ By torpedo¡­ Brrr.¡± his hair stood up on his arms. Lamia looked down in the ground for a moment. Ryko started talking. ¡°We can hold it for an hour or so¡­ each. That¡¯s when mana gets low.¡± Kaneis looked at Ryko with a curious look. ¡°What¡¯s mana?¡± Ryko sighed. ¡°It¡¯s a long story. Here, I¡¯ll conjure up some so you can see it yourself.¡± Ryko opened his hand and focused. ¡°Do you see this?¡± he asked. Kaneis looked at the hand - a shimmer of brief blue flashes of light appeared in Ryko¡¯s hand. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Light?¡± Ryko sighed. ¡°You really are a savage. This is mana - in its ¡°air¡± form. It can be like water and snow as well¡­ The more solid it is, the more dense.¡± ¡°So¡­ if i made a shield out of mana, I would be-¡± ¡°Idiot. It¡¯s not stable like that - you can¡¯t shape it. You¡¯d probably blow up when you applied fire to it.¡± Ryko said. Ryko relaxed, and the flashing lights disappeared. ¡°Mana is used for spells - it¡¯s drawn out of the air as well as a small stockpile inside yourself. Some people can even use life-force.¡± Ryko explained. ¡°So that¡¯s what you used?¡± Kaneis asked. ¡°Life force? No. Mana? Yes.¡± Kaneis pondered for a second. ¡°What about god-granted abilities? do they use mana? do I use this mana without knowing?¡± Ryko sighed. ¡°I have to explain everything to you, don¡¯t I? God-granted abilities use the mana of the god in question - which means there¡¯s no drain on nature or yourself. Additionally, as it¡¯s godly mana, they can create stuff from nothing.¡± Kaneis nodded. ¡°I understand... So¡­ You need fire to make fire spells¡­ and you don¡¯t if you are using fire ability from a god¡­ So you are using an ability from a death god, since you are resurrecting the dead from nothing?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a corpse first. It¡¯s a spell, use your head.¡± Ryko sighed Kaneis nodded ¡°Oh... I think i get it so far¡­ I¡¯ll ask if I¡¯m in doubt... Wait, what about the commands?¡± Ryko sighed. "You should be able to guess that by altering parts of a spell you can change properties." "So you can make the dead bigger and stronger and other cool stuff?" "Clearly, you don''t understand. some can move fire spells with mana. Exactly like that I can command a corpse... With mana." Kaneis nodded. "I get it... " "Are you sure?" Ryko sighed. "You seem surprisingly dense for a Hero." "Thats an odd thing to say, coming from somebody who thinks you can find somebody without a clue." Kaneis retaliated. "Now now, no need to squabble." Lamia broke in. Kaneis waved his hand at the dead bandits ¡°Let¡¯s loot them and be on our way. Who gets the chain mail?¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯ll be that reckless guy. Perhaps you should use it?¡± Ryko suggested. Lamia nodded in agreement. And so the three aquired leather armour, arrows and bows as well as an extra sword and a kite shield plus some chainmail - the three latter items Kaneis would come to wield. ¡°Let¡¯s head for town quickly, I need some herbs for this stuff.¡± Lamia snickered. ¡°Herbs? You really are a rookie.¡± -------------------------------------------------- Thanks for reading! 8: Disguise Author''s rant Wheeeee, I messed up. But if I fall 8 times, I''ll get up 9. Question is if you''re there to point and laugh with me. Anyway, if you find stuff that''s out of place or plain weird just comment and I''ll fix it. (Spelling errors, weird grammatical structures - even repetitions or anything of that sort. Inconsistencies, and whatnot) And holy moly did you find something off. I have re-coursed the story for now. The way it was meant to be. Feel free to give me responses and I will try to improve. I''ve had reports of my character not quite fitting to his status, I''ll try to see if I can fit in a little less gullible and a little more "I can actually command people and negotiate with terrorists and win" - I''m not entirely sure how to do that though. Oh yeah, I have had a report saying my story is too boring - I was wondering about that, perhaps all my talking-chapters are a bit much. I''ll try to 1''up it all around with awesomeness from next chapter on, but I would have liked the report being a little more accurate on what made my story so boring in the first place (Is my description bad, is it the plot, does nothing happen?) I really enjoy feedback, since I''m basically like a blind guy trying to hit a target at a firing range - I can only adjust when I get someone to tell me if it sucked, and even better if they tell me which way to turn the gun. An example of this is that I have literally no idea if any of the jokes I ever made was any good, and if this chapter is funny. I''m currently trying out a whole bunch of stuff, so a little feedback is great! Actual Story: -------------------------------------------------- The party quickly went into town. The houses weren¡¯t particularly large, but they were quite numerous. All of the houses were gray stone houses. A small wooden palisade surrounded the town. They quickly went to the local healer. The healer¡¯s place was a small stone hut with straw roof and a sign outside containing a drop of blood on a bandage. ¡°Welcome¡± a friendly female voice said. ¡°What do you nee-...¡± her eyes locked onto Kaneis. ¡°Black hair, blue eyes¡­ Are you a Mavros?¡± she asked. ¡°What? uhm¡± Kaneis said. ¡°Sweet draconia¡¯s blood, you are traveling with vampires!¡± the healer exclaimed. ¡°What? No!.. no vampires, no Mavros. What are you talking about?¡± Kaneis said. ¡°GUARDS!¡± the healer yelled ¡°WOAH! hold up lady! We mean no harm. I just really need some help with my shoulder.¡± ¡°GUARDS! GUARDS HELP!¡± Ryko looked at Lamia. Lamia nodded. Ryko stepped towards the healer and raised his arm. SMOCK! The healer went to the floor, completely unconscious. ¡°We will leave money for the supplies. Let¡¯s get you fixed up while she is counting sheep.¡± Ryko said. Kaneis looked at Ryko and shrugged with the healthy arm ¡°Hm. Effective¡­ I do wonder what that was all about, though.¡± Ryko quickly grabbed some supplies, and applied them to Kaneis¡¯ wound. ¡°It¡¯s not magic, it would have been a bit better if the healer wasn¡¯t asleep.¡± ¡°Asleep¡­ huh?¡± Kaneis said silently. Moments later Kaneis had applied full herbal remedy for his wound, and they left a coin on the counter. ¡°Thanks for your hospitality¡± Ryko said almost ritually. The three of them left, and quickly went for a peek at the billboard, looking at the bounties. ¡°Yep, that¡¯s you alright.¡± Ryko said, as he looked at a bounty notice
Bounty Notice Any man tarnishing the Hero¡¯s reputation is to be captured immediately for a grand bounty of 200 pieces of silver Signs to look for: Black hair Blue eyes Calling himself Mavros Wielding a mace Odd behaviour Wounds
-------------------------------------------------- Seriously, I should have waited with this chapter a bit longer. Posting when tired is bad karma. Some nice guys called me out on a grave mistake, there''s a few things I''ve totally misjudged on this chapter. things apparently weren''t as excruciatingly boring at this time as I had feared (I had planned a few plot reveals in a roundabout way. Going back to voltimum is clearly, as some have pointed out below, not what any sane person would do) The story goes on! -------------------------------------------------- "That''s the oddest bounty I''ve ever seen" Kaneis said. "It seems they are targeting just about anybody looking like me" "Perhaps they are." Lamia answered. "But maybe the right question is why there''s a bounty on you in the first place? I mean, if they already did what they wanted to do with you... Why would they need to set up a bounty?" "... Perhaps they thought I was dead, but found out I wasn''t?" "From what you told, they could have easily finished the job in that wastepile..." Lamia answered. Kaneis pondered for a second. "So what you are trying to say is that Bell must have saved me, like your father suggested at the castle?" "Exactly." Lamia said. "You''ll just have to find out why." Kaneis responded "I''m not sure that''s as easily done as said. She is in a city that''s locked up and filled with guards. The best course of action would be to get away from Phoenicia, away from my bounty." "So... The first step would be to be able to leave without getting caught." Lamia said. Kaneis looked at Ryko in disbelief. ¡°So¡­ A robe?¡± ¡°Pffffhh haha! A robe! like a city guard wouldn¡¯t check under that!¡± Ryko laughed. Kaneis held his gaze ¡°It actually worked for me. Snuck in ten thousand soldiers over the course of a month into a major city in the imperii magnus.¡± ¡°Wow, you are serious? No wonder you were such a mighty hero, despite being a bit of an airhead. If the people you were fighting were all a bunch of idiots, it would be too easy.¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Kaneis shrugged. ¡°Well, at least their jokes were way better than yours.¡± Lamia suddenly walked out the door without warning. Kaneis took the first step in the same direction. Grab ¡°Urgh!¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± Ryko asked with his hand still wrapped around Kaneis¡¯ collar. ¡°Let Lamia get the stuff we need.¡± ¡°Okay, okay¡­ Just let go. What is she getting?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Ryko started. ¡°You¡¯ll see for yourself in a moment.¡± After a brief moment passed by, Lamia entered the healer¡¯s hut with a myriad of small jars. ¡°Okay¡­ Jars? This isn¡¯t the part where you reveal you can make me tiny and put me in a jar, right?¡± Ryko frowned at Kaneis. ¡°What do you think we are? the magic fairies? No.. It¡¯s much better¡± Lamia opened a jar. ¡°Blue maybe?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ blue? Blue what?¡± Kaneis asked. ¡°Nah, who in their right mind dyes their hair blue?¡± Ryko said. ¡°Okay, not blue. Green?¡± Lamia asked ¡°Does the phrase ¡®Grass monster¡¯ mean anything to you?¡± ¡°Okay¡­ Pink?¡± Ryko went silent for a moment. ¡°C¡¯mere princess!¡± he grabbed Kaneis¡¯ collar. ¡°Gah! What NO! let go! Who colours their hair pink?! GAH!¡± Kaneis¡¯ frantically cried. Scrub scrub scrub. ¡°No! STOP!¡± ¡°All done!¡± Lamia smiled. ¡°You look so pretty.¡± Kaneis scratched his now pink hair. ¡°What is this stuff?¡± ¡°Dyes¡­ Y¡¯know from flowers¡­ You¡¯ll have a wonderful smell.¡± Ryko said. ¡°Bite me!¡± ¡°Ooooh, don¡¯t tempt fate.¡± Ryko replied. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, you¡¯re gonna be the green flower-boy now!¡± Kaneis stepped towards the jar Ryko stopped him with a hand to his chest. ¡°Don¡¯t be such a baby about this. We will arouse too much suspicion. We will both have bark-brown.¡± he said. ¡°Oh, but it¡¯s perfectly fine that I¡¯m coloured fluffy pink?!¡± ¡°Sure, if we were too ordinary we would be suspicious as well.¡± Lamia said while holding back a laugh. ¡°Gah! What kind of logic is that!?¡± ¡°We should put you in a dress.¡± Ryko said. ¡°I can go get one?¡± Lamia suggested. ¡°NO! If you as much as think about that, I¡¯ll wipe this stuff from my hair and go on alone.¡± ¡°D¡¯aww, you are no fun.¡± Lamia said. ¡°... Hey, how did you get the dye anyway? Aren¡¯t they scared of you?¡± Kaneis asked. ¡°Uhm... ¡° Lamia started. ¡°You knocked another poor guy unconscious?¡± Kaneis said while staring at the unconscious healer. Ryko nodded slowly several times. ¡°That¡¯d be what I would have done.¡± Lamia just smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s go check if the disguise is working, shall we?¡± All three of them went to the streets. Kaneis in particular drew attention... and giggles. ¡°Geee, thanks you two.¡± Kaneis said with bitterness in his voice. "So now, all we gotta do is lay low and head out of Phoenicia." Ryko said. And out the village, away from the giggles they went. A while passed by while they walked ¡°Will this pink stuff hold up till we get out of Phoenicia?¡± Kaneis asked a little skeptically. ¡°Sure, as long as you don¡¯t bathe.¡± Lamia shrugged. ¡°... For weeks? With all this walking and fighting¡­ together with this dreadfully warm chainmail, they may just be able to smell me up in the towers.¡± Lamia shrugged again. ¡°We¡¯ve brought some more dye, you don¡¯t have to refrain from bathing. ¡°Thank Draconia! Can i just have blond after my bath?¡± Kaneis asked. ¡°No can do, we¡¯ve only brought pink and brown¡­ the latter isn¡¯t not enough for all of us.¡± ¡°You¡¯re trying to torment me, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Ryko said. ¡°This way we can always find you, so you won¡¯t do anything stupid.¡± ¡°... Have I ever?¡± ¡°You mean except for almost eating a death fruit? Oh, and letting that healer scream for the guards? Did I mention we¡¯ve only known each other for a couple of days?¡± Ryko asked. ¡°You may have a point.¡± ¡°So¡­ What can you tell me about your mother?¡± Kaneis said. ¡°Mother¡­¡± Lamia started. ¡°Have pitch black hair. She has the same eyes as us, though.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure appearance is going to help much, the world is pretty bit, you know.¡± Kaneis said. ¡°Right. She left when we were young. She is the one who named us. Does it help that they call her the impaler?¡± Kaneis eyes grew wide. ¡°The impaler?¡± ¡°What in the world did she do?¡± ¡°She¡­ wished for favour with Aima...¡± Kaneis hesitated for a moment. ¡°Why would a mother wish for favour with the blood god? and to go to such lengths...¡± Lamia sighed. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s a long story.¡± ¡°We have time.¡± Kaneis said. ¡°I think it¡¯s best you don¡¯t pry in this too much.¡± Ryko said. ¡°Okay¡­ I guess it shouldn¡¯t be too hard finding someone with that kind of title...¡± Kaneis said. ¡° A while passed by as they walked in silence. ¡°So¡­ How does one come from zero to hero?¡± Lamia asked. Kaneis scratched his head. ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± ¡°We have time.¡± Lamia said. Kaneis sighed. ¡°Okay. I was a peasant boy in my tribe¡­ Or more specifically, my parents owned a farm¡­ I worked there.. But when I was 12 I was sent to military school¡­ yeah, it¡¯s as bad as it sounds¡­ at least until I met her. Poenica¡­ She was¡­ Is.. the daughter of the chief¡­ Man could she handle a sword.¡± Kaneis sighed. ¡°She took a liking to me, and helped me train¡­ but not only that she was a mentor of sorts to me¡­ Long story short, when I was 16 war broke out¡­ a lot happened, but I ended up together with Poenica on a quest to unite the tribes¡­ Man, the city of torpedo was a sight to behold¡­ Have you ever seen waves lighting in the dark? It¡¯s breathtaking. It¡¯s the place where I truly got to know the god Torpedo.¡± ¡°That still doesn¡¯t explain much.¡± Lamia said. ¡°I was trusted. More than could be said about a whole lot of self-serving tribal chiefs.¡± Kaneis started. ¡°So I was put in charge at a final battle¡­ This was several years after the war broke out, mind you¡­ And yeah. I won that battle¡­ Despite the staggering odds¡­ So I was named a hero.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± Ryko asked. ¡°Yep, no more, no less.¡± Kaneis said. ¡°But¡­ Weren¡¯t you killing thousands of warriors and murdering monsters the size of castles?¡± ¡°Not really, no¡­ I just knew how to command my men, really.¡± ¡°But¡­ That¡¯s all?¡± Ryko asked again. ¡°Yep, that¡¯s all. I¡¯m not as great as your fairy tales makes me out to be.¡± Kaneis said. ¡°What about your past? Can¡¯t have holed up in that castle all your life, can you?¡± Kaneis asked. ¡°Apart from our mother? Pretty much the castle.¡± Ryko said. ¡°That seems a bit dull. I guess it makes sense you are aching for adventure then.¡± Both Ryko and Lamia responded with silence. After a moment of deafening silence, Lamia spoke up. ¡°So¡­ What was it like in the ice?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I don¡¯t actually know.¡± Kaneis responded. ¡°I never registered it. When I woke up, I thought I was in the middle of a battle with a hydra¡­ And there ¡®queen¡¯ Ruby was, about to steal my title.¡± The last words were almost spat out of his mouth. "Something, I will have to fix. But I need help." -------------------------------------------------- A''right, I guess it''s a chapter. Special thanks to the people below who saved my sorry hide. I''ll need a moment to fix the charred remains of my story. Sorry about this mess. I''ll see if I can get a cohesive chapter up tomorrow, but I''ll make no guarantees. 9: Homage Author''s rant Hello, it''s been a while. Responsibilities hit a little harder lately than I would have liked. So to clear things up: This story is not retired, I''m not gone, and I''m not dead. I know it was a horrible note to end up on, I didn''t really want it like that either, but when there''s not enough hours in a day, there''s not enough hours in a day. That''s hopefully done with, to the extent I can write again. As demonstrated last chapter, I happen to have issues where I go out a tangent sometime (Don''t worry, this chapter DID pass the second-day-reading-test, so it should be true to the characters) - I have the overall plot planned and everything, but when it comes to the mid-grade planning (Where they go before X Y Z happens) I''m pretty poor at it. If anybody''s got some tips for how they plan this kind of stuff, feel free to tell me. Actual Story: -------------------------------------------------- ¡°So where are we going?¡± Lamia asked, as the party had been walking for several hours. ¡°Away. Far, far away from the capital - but away from the kingdom of Phoenicia in general.¡± Kaneis answered. ¡°No specific destination, huh?¡± Ryko said. ¡°How about looking for our mother?¡± ¡°Well¡­ Where would that be?¡± Kaneis asked. ¡°In a big city - more people means more rumors and more information.¡± Lamia answered. Kaneis nodded ¡°But more danger, as well.¡± ¡°I¡¯m no political genius, but shouldn¡¯t the queen and her henchmen be occupied with warfare and wrangling this fake hero in the capital, Voltimum?¡± Ryko asked. Kaneis nodded. ¡°I¡¯d assume that too.. Which is what worries me. If there¡¯s warfare,there could be combat at the borders, I risk walking straight into the hands of Phoenician forces. I need information¡­ Badly.¡± Lamia pondered the options for a moment. ¡°How about going to the city of Torpedo? It¡¯s the second largest¡­ But the queen and her henchmen should indeed be too busy with the border fighting and the managing of Voltimum to pay much attention¡­¡± Kaneis put his index finger and thumb on his chin, pondering. ¡°I¡¯m disguised¡­ but if they recognize me, it would spell certain doom¡­ I¡¯m not quite sure a small village has information about exact locations of warfare and¡­ your mother. Additionally¡­ I have unfinished business in Torpedo¡­ And it¡¯s overdue by centuries¡­ It seems I have little choice in the matter. It might have been wiser to gather information from the smaller towns¡­ But It might very well end up with me being caught inside warfare on accident if i hesitate.¡± Kaneis put his hands on his hair and rubbed violently ¡°Gah! There are no good options, as always!¡± ¡°Careful! the colour is coming off!¡± Lamia said. ¡°Ah, Right.¡± Kaneis said as he lowered his hands again. ¡°So¡­ It¡¯s decided. We will chance it, and get the heck out of here before they find us.¡± Lamia said. Kaneis nodded. ¡°No choice.¡± ¡°How far off is Torpedo anyway?¡± Ryko asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Several days I¡¯d guess¡± Kaneis said. And so, several days travel through all kinds of terrain began. As the days passed, huge mountains became visible in the far off distance. Yet even closer, there was a large city, placed next to a lake as wide and deep as the eye could possibly see. The city followed the coast of the lake for tens of leagues - and it ended up with a large castle. The city had no real wall, due to the growth it had experienced over centuries. In the very other end of the city, furthest away from the castle was a smaller castle bearing blue banners. Finally the party reached the outskirts of the city. ¡°I¡¯ve got some business to attend before asking around for information, rousing suspicion. Are you going to an inn, or coming along?¡± Kaneis asked. Ryko and Lamia both looked at each other and nodded. ¡°Of course we are coming along.¡± they said in unison. ¡°Very well. Let¡¯s go¡­ To the castle you see in the distance¡± Kaneis pointed with his index finger. ¡°It has the banners¡­ Of the Order of torpedo.¡± ¡°Order¡­ of Torpedo?¡± Lamia asked. ¡°It¡¯s an order I hold in high regard. They taught me¡­ over eight hundred years ago.¡± As they approached the castle, it became clear that it was not factly at the edge of the town - it was surrounded by houses and other constructions. The castle itself was in a bad shape, the colorful banners on closer inspection were tattered and pale from exposure to the sun. The grey boulders making up the castle were cracked and had small green plants growing from several of them. Unfazed, Kaneis went to the door. SLAM SLAM SLAM After waiting for a while without response, he decided to enter. Creeeeeaaaak The castle was less dusty than expected, and the dim light of a single candle cast shadows at every corner. ¡°Are you sure this is a good idea?¡± Ryko asked. ¡°I thought you were used to dark castles.¡± Kaneis responded. tap tap tap tap somebody running echoed throughout the halls. tap tap tap tap ¡°pro torpedinis¡± Kaneis said in a loud voice. tap.. tap¡­ tap¡­. ¡°Torpedinis aeternum¡± a female voice resounded in response. Kaneis took a deep breath. ¡°Reveal yourself!¡± a blue glow appeared. ¡°Torpedo i?lektrik¨ª?s!¡± the female voice resounded. Kaneis scrambled for his sword. WOOSH! DING! ¡°Who are you?¡± The green haired lady said, as the two swords crossed, and the electricity faded from her sword. Her green hair and green eyes, as well as full metal plate armour gave her the look of a warrior, but the crest on her tabard told a different story. ¡°I am Mavros. Personal friend of Viridis, third High-knight of the order of torpedo. And who might you be?¡± Her eyes narrowed in disbelief. ¡°Friend of the third high-knight? Ha! If you knew anything about us, you¡¯d know he died three-quarters of a millennium ago. I don¡¯t take kindly to liars.¡± She smirked ¡°See if you can keep up, Mavros, friend of Viridis.¡± ¡°Torpedo celeritate!¡± Kaneis flinched. ¡°Speed?!¡± All his muscles strained up in anticipation of the lightning fast movement about to happen. The green haired lady¡¯s sword slowly started to slide down Kaneis¡¯ sword. She shouted ¡°i?lektrik¨ª?s!¡± Brrzzz Brzzzz.. ZAM! Urgh A bolt of lightning struck, dancing over Kaneis¡¯ blade, jumping straight into his chest. Kaneis body went numb. He forced his limbs to move, as he slowly backed off, sword held high. At the same time, Ryko and Lamia dashed towards the lady with drawn swords. ¡°Whatever you are trying to prove, if you¡¯re dead it¡¯s not gonna do you much!¡± Ryko yelled as he swung his sword at the lady. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. DING! in an instant, the legs collapsed under the green-haired lady, pulling her to the floor. In that moment her hair was grazed by Lamia¡¯s sword. The green haired lady proceeded to swing her leg, ramming Ryko. ¡°i?lektrik¨ª?s!¡± she shouted again. Ryko cramped momentarily from the electrical shock, dropping his sword a second later. The green haired lady proceeded to stab her sword at Lamia, who dodged. Kling kling kling. Ryko¡¯s sword fell to the ground, with what seemed an imprint of his fingers imbedded in the hilt. The green haired lady had gotten up in the meantime, and swung her sword at Lamia. Ding Ryko darted at the green haired lady, who dodged backwards, placing Kaneis between herself and the two companions. ¡°torp¨ªli? ti?s meg¨¢li?s i?lektrik¨ª?s en¨¦rgeias, d¨®?se mou ti? dynami? sas .¡± Electrical sparks jumped up and down Kaneis sword. ¡°Believe me now?¡± ¡°I see you know the most basic chant¡­ And have some degree of favour with the Torpedo god.¡± she calmly stated. ¡°Picked that skill up from a traitor, no doubt.¡± She sheathed her sword. ¡°Very well, why have you come here?.. And more importantly, what took you so long before showing the chant?¡± Mavros sighed. ¡°I have come here to pay homage to the great Torpedo and the High-Knight Viridis.¡± She nodded slowly. ¡°You can pay homage to the great Torpedo, but I can¡¯t help you with Viridis.¡± ¡°What?¡± Kaneis responded. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t buried here like the rest of the high-knights.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Kings aren¡¯t buried here. You¡¯d have to go to the great crypt under the castle in Voltimum.¡± Kaneis eyes widened. ¡°Kings?¡± ¡°Well¡­ Technically, Prince consort¡± ¡°So¡­ Ruby is a decendant of Ponica the first AND high-knight Viridis?¡± ¡°Have you been hiding under a rock somewhere?¡± The green haired lady asked in disbelief. after a brief moment of silence, Kaneis spoke up again. ¡°So¡­ Who are you, green haired lady?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me that, that¡¯s quite rude. I¡¯m Knight-Commander Uaine.¡± ¡°So where¡¯s the High-Knight? he¡¯s the top of the hierarchy, right?¡± Ryko asked. ¡°We don¡¯t have one. Haven¡¯t had one for years.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Lamia asked. ¡°War.¡± she coldly responded. ¡°Now, if you wanted to pay Homage, this way.¡± She started walking through corridors and ended up in a large room. The room was dark, but illuminated by a blue glow stemming from the water in the room. The water was replacing the entire floor of the room except for the first three paces of the room, which were from side to side covered in gray stone slabs. The remaining ten paces consisted purely of water instead of floor. Along the walls of the room some of the water had a blue glow, which illuminated the otherwise dark room. (It¡¯s bioluminescent plankton generating the light, look it if you feel like seeing what the water is like) ¡°I trust you know what to do?¡± Uaine said to Kaneis. Kaneis nodded. He bent his knees and jumped in one smooth motion. Uaine¡¯s eyes became frantic as she reached out, failing to grab Kaneis. ¡°What are you doing?! It¡¯s JUST THE FINGER!¡± Splash the water glowed heavily in a trail behind him. Uaine glanced over at Ryko and Lamia. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t come up, don¡¯t blame me. He just jumped into an altar¡­ Something only done to already-dead animal sacrifices¡± Ryko looked at Lamia, and she looked back at him. Kaneis swam around a little bit. Suddenly a small ray swam up to him. Kaneis let his hand sweep across the back of the ray. As a response Kaneis arm went numb. Several more rays swam up from the depths, and circled around him. His entire body went numb, like when Uaine had used the power of Torpedo on him. He started to sink deeper and deeper. Only the blue glow of the water around him, and the similar blue trails behind the rays were keeping him company. He could barely hold his breath. A large ray swam up, many times the size of anything he expected could fit into the pool of water in the first place. A deep, yet gentle voice resounded. ¡°Breathe.¡± Kaneis did as he was asked, and took a mouthful of what he expected was water. To his surprise, he could breathe without a problem. ¡°Why have you come here, Mavros of Tribe virium, son of Tenebris and Lucida?¡± The ray said. ¡°I have come to pay Homage. To the great Torpedo god, and to the high knight Viridis.¡± Kaneis responded. ¡°Viridis is not here, he was already sent along two decades ago.¡± ¡°Sent along?¡± Kaneis asked. Ignoring his question, The huge torpedo ray continued talking. ¡°While your age is impressive, young one, your naivety knows no bounds. Despite all the time for acceptance, you still fail to accept even a part of yourself.¡± ¡°For now, I will aid you. You can expect this to change, if I determine your growth is hindered.¡± ¡°What do you mean? A part of myself?¡± Kaneis asked. Completely ignoring him, the ray continued the monologue. ¡°Regardless, your homage has been accepted. Your energy in this moment has been given to me as a small tribute. Don¡¯t breathe before you are at the surface, no matter how hard it is. May we meet again.¡± Kaneis took a deep breath, as he felt the water close in around him. He became excruciatingly short breathed. Kaneis¡¯ lungs burned for air as he wildly flailed to get to the surface. After a few moments he surfaced, and greedily gasped for air, to the extent he swallowed water along with it. In a brief moment Ryko and Lamia had him pulled onto the stone surface. Kaneis slowly got up. ¡°Can¡¯t swim?¡± Uaine asked. Kaneis didn¡¯t respond. Power was teeming inside Kaneis, and he focused for a brief moment. Boom! Electrical sparks danced and jumped along Kaneis¡¯ sword. Kaneis lifted his sword and inspected the sparks, running his finger along the blade. ¡°No chant?¡± Uaine said in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s still pretty basic, but Torpedo likes you, alright.¡± Uaine pondered for a second. ¡°You could stay. Half a decade might be enough for you to become a full blown Torpedo Knight.¡± Kaneis shook his head. ¡°Now is not the time. Thank you for the offer, and thanks for your help.¡± He turned around and walked out of the castle, with Ryko and Lamia closely following. ¡°But what happened?¡± Lamia said, when the gate closed behind them. ¡°I met a Torpedo.¡± Kaneis responded, without further elaborating. ¡°...Alright¡­ So what do we do now¡­ Except for rapidly and liberally applying colour to your pitch black hair?¡± ¡°We search for information¡­¡± Kaneis touched his hair. ¡°It¡¯s black again? ¡°Yep, and you are outside. One of those facts need to change.¡± Ryko said, while already holding an open jar of pink colour. ¡°Pink again?¡± Kaneis sighed. The amaranth pink colour was rubbed into Kaneis hair. ¡°Hm, I guess that works. Just let it dry¡± Ryko said. ¡°As I was saying...¡± Kaneis continued ¡°We will split and look for information. The shorter we are in this city the more safe I¡¯ll feel.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be safer together?¡± Lamia asked. ¡°If we are discovered we¡¯re done for anyway. If we split, we can cover ground faster. This is the approach we chose - less time taken but higher risk¡± ¡°So how will we split, and who goes where?¡± Ryko asked. -------------------------------------------------- Thanks for reading! 10: 4+1 Previously, on Frozen in time After winning a war, Mavros the hero killed a perma-frost hydra, but at a terrible price. He was encapsulated in ice for 800 years, and when he was awoken by High queen Ruby he was betrayed. He met up with the two white haired and red eyed siblings, Lamia and Ryko. A bounty was placed on Mavros (Who, by the way is called Kaneis because of the woman named Bell) with the vague description of "black haired person". Additionally, he just arrived at the second largest city in the empire - Torpedo city and went praying at the torpedo altar, in order to replenish his electrical powers. Our story continues when our three heroes decided to split up and look for information. Author''s rant I''m gonna be trying out some stuff, and making some changes here and there to what you know, and what you think you know about the story thus far. You might get to know our hero a little better. Actual Story: -------------------------------------------------- ¡°I¡¯ll go to the inn and listen for information, you two can ask around.¡± Kaneis said. The two of them nodded once, and Kaneis headed off towards the local inn. It was a medium sized building, with two floors. The inn was made from solid gray stone boulders and wooden supports in the corners and around the windows. Kaneis stepped onto the wooden floor with his leather boots. Clack-Clack-Clack. The door slammed behind him. A small legion of people looked at him - ragged and worn travelers, locals coming for their evening drink with a bunch of friends, rugged veteran mercenaries, some local garrison guards, as well as several exotic and interesting individuals - a couple of fighters from the edge of the great desert all carrying curved swords and exotic headwraps, a handful of mages sitting around a single table with an orb in the middle and a handful of scattered beers with large heads of foam. The gazes of all these people landed on the newcomer. for a brief time their eyes rested on Kaneis before they resumed to their business. Kaneis walked up to the wooden desk where a stout bartender was rubbing a mug off with a ragged piece of cloth. ¡°What cin¡¯ i get yer?¡± he said in an almost comically over-the-top accent. ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯ll have a beer.¡± The bartender eyed him up and down. ¡°Ya, but what kin¡¯a beer?¡± ¡°.. Mead?¡± The bartender hesitated for a moment. ¡°Barbarian¡­ I like that¡­ Rose! get im¡¯ a mead from e¡¯ cellar!¡± he howled at a busy looking woman with brown hair and white and brown dress going all the way down to her feet. She glanced over at the tall, dark haired bartender and made a short nod in confirmation. ¡°Not typical around here, huh?¡± Kaneis said to the bartender. ¡°A man like yer should join a mercenary troop, instead of runnin¡¯ around ¡®lone like a thief in the night¡± the bartender said. Kaneis looked down the table, without moving a muscle. ¡°A¡¯right, yer got yer reasons, I see. Just don¡¯t make any trouble in ¡®ere and we¡¯re good.¡± Shortly after the busy woman called rose appeared with a mug of mead. Kaneis dropped a silver coin on the counter and proceeded to sit in silence, listening for any indication of gossip about army movements, the woman named ¡®impaler¡¯ and other pieces of useful information. After a few sips an unusual noisy bunch from one of the tables called Rose over. They spoke a little while, and finally she headed straight towards Kaneis. Rose came by and poked Kaneis on the shoulder. He stared at her with an empty gaze in response. ¡°Ahem¡­ Those gentlemen wish to talk to you¡­ outside.¡± she pointed at the small troop of guards from the local garrison that were stirring up noise. Kaneis expression changed immediately. ¡°Did they say why?¡± Rose shook her head. ¡°Better go with them..¡± she simply replied looking at the ground, before heading over to the next table. Kaneis stood up from his barstool and walked over the wooden floor towards the guardsmen. ¡°I hear you¡¯ve been asking for me.¡± He politely said. ¡°I¡¯m Kaneis, pleased to meet you.¡± he extended an arm to the first guard. The guard frowned ¡°We should head outside.¡± ¡°Certainly.¡± Kaneis said with a pleasant smile. Two guardsmen left for the outside, and another three followed behind Kaneis. The stone road under Kaneis feet looked like an unpleasant place to lay, he thought to himself. ¡°I assume you want something from me. Am I being detained, or are you merely wishing for a bribe or an inquiry of what I do here? which is it?¡± Kaneis asked. the a man stepped forward, looking different than the rest as he was wearing a black hooded robe. ¡°I know who you are. I¡¯ve been watching you ever since you left the castle.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Orders. Stop with the questions. You¡¯re coming with us.¡± Kaneis drew his sword. ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try.¡± ¡°Stop bluffing, you could hardly keep up with an old, lone ex-mercenary. Your companions did the heavy lifting.¡± Kaneis sighed. ¡°You know¡­ Magic comes in many different shapes and forms. But the two main categories are personal power and god-granted power¡­ You left me at the gates to set this up, correct?¡± The hooded man looked a little confused ¡°This is of no concern, I don¡¯t care if you bought a throwing knife, you are outmatched. Surrender!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know what I¡¯ve been up to.¡± Kaneis smirked. ¡°You know who I am¡­ so why do you take me lightly? God granted powers lessen when used¡­ Of course, to replenish it you need favour of the god. Favour is gained from praying¡­ and finally, your favour decays over time. I haven¡¯t prayed for nearly a millennium¡­ but last night, I did. I was not known as a hero for nothing. Now come at me if you dare.¡± Kaneis pointed his sword at the hooded man. ¡°GET HIM!¡± the man howled, and four guards charged Kaneis, while the hooded man drew a bow. ¡°i?lektrik¨ª?s!¡± Sparks of blue electrical energy flew from Kaneis¡¯ sword. the four guardsmen approached rapidly, with swords drawn ready to skewer Kaneis. ¡°MORTIS!¡± BZZ BZZ ZAM! a blue jolt of pure electrical energy jumped from one guard to the next, leaving a spasming guard behind for each jump. Finally the electrical energy jumped straight through the arrow held by the bow of the hooded man, shocking him as well. Kaneis took a deep breath. ¡°I really don¡¯t like this smell of charred flesh. If you had been mounted, it would not have been this easy.¡± a faint voice resounded ¡°Urghh.¡± Kaneis glanced over at the hooded man ¡°Still awake, huh? Such is the fate of the last in the chain of lighting.¡± Kaneis grabbed the hooded man, and dragged him to his feet. ¡°You¡¯re coming with me. You¡¯re going to be my free pass out.¡± ¡°I need to find my companions. Any traps for them?¡± The hooded man remained silent. ¡°I asked you a question. You better answer, or I¡¯ll show you the old fashioned way of asking questions to people who attempted to murder you.¡± The hooded man glared at Kaneis. Kaneis sighed. "Okay then... Remain silent. If you say as much as a single word, you¡¯ll be struck by thunder from the skies themselves.¡± Kaneis pulled the robe off the man and put it on. He then put the right arm of the man around his neck and walked with him, as if he had been drinking too much. Kaneis walked towards the gates,.Not long after he started walking, on the wide - but widely abandoned - main street. Kaneis¡¯ first challenge arrived. A troupe of city guards headed his way, in gray chainmail and a tabard with the city insignia - a black outline of a torpedo(-ray) on a turquoise background. Two handfuls of men walking as well as two mounted guards were about to cross his path. Kaneis lowered his head, covering his face with the hood, and started walking onward. As the guard crossed paths with Kaneis he spoke up. ¡°Inquisitor Adrian?¡± Kaneis responded with silence. ¡°What happened?¡± Hesitantly, Kaneis spoke. ¡°He had too much.. got in a fight.¡± ¡°Adrian doesn¡¯t drink¡­ And he¡¯s not even a fighter¡± Yet again, Kaneis answered with a deafening silence. The smell of smoke filled the air, and the low hum of fires burning in each and every house could be heard, as Kaneis stood motionless in silence. Adrian spoke up. ¡°This kid had too much himself. He¡¯s going to sleep it off in the barracks.¡± Kaneis flinched and gazed warily at the Inquisitor who had just defended him. The guard eyed Kaneis up and down. ¡°All right, I guess that explains something. Just be careful, there¡¯s an a-class bounty on the loose in the city.¡± ¡°Who might that be?¡± Kaneis asked. ¡°A man known as Mavros¡­ Just look out for suspicious pink-haired citizens and you should be good.¡± ¡°Pink haired?¡± Kaneis said with a voice changing from curious to anger midway. ¡°Exactly my thoughts. Take care.¡± For a moment, Kaneis stood still as the guards passed by, each of them oblivious to the fact he was the very man they sought. A single phrase played over and over in Kaneis mind. ¡°Pink hair.¡± Kaneis snapped out of his thoughts as the man next to him mumbled something unintelligible. Though Kaneis thought he heard a slight laughter. Hastily he moved towards the city gates. Finally the surprisingly small wooden palisade showed itself. On the way in, the gates had been entirely open, this was not the case at this time. The palisade consisted of two separate wooden walls, made from large stakes that would be moved with the expansion of the city. The walls were only a small hindrance to attackers, and the city itself relied as such more on manpower for defense - the one thing which it seemed to have plenty of. The gates were merely two wooden gates on each their wall, with the stakes making a pathway through the no-mans zone between the walls. The walls themselves were merely three meters tall. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°HALT! who goes there, in the darkness of the night?¡± a guardsman atop the gates said, with a crossbow pointed at Kaneis. Him and a dozen of his fellow guardsmen were stationed atop the wall with crossbows, and seemed to have nothing better to do than point them at innocent travelers. ¡°Inquisitor Adrian asked to be taken outside the walls.¡± ¡°Nobody leaves the walls at night. He should know that¡­ And so should you, yet you don¡¯t.¡± he coughed. ¡°Enough with the games, take off your hood and state your name¡± ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to, according to my mission.¡± Kaneis insisted. ¡°It¡¯s either that or become an artistic interpretation of a bolt quiver.¡± he waved his crossbow. ¡°Let me through or the Inquisitor will become a dagger sheath.¡± Kaneis threatened. ¡°Ah, you''re the A-class bounty. What arrogance to think you can walk straight out of here. Our accuracy with the crossbow is renowned, you¡¯re dead before you can even stab him.¡± ¡°Care to risk it? I¡¯ve killed more men than you have shot bolts. Now open the gates.¡± ¡°Mavros¡­¡± A familiar voice said. ¡°Lamia?¡± Kaneis turned his head, and saw Lamia and Ryko step out of the shadows from a nearby alley. ¡°It¡¯s over¡­ You better give up.¡± Ryko said, staring directly at Kaneis. ¡°With you here, We ca-¡± Lamia shook her head. ¡°No, Mavros. It¡¯s over.¡± A third character stepped out of the shadows. ¡°You heard the woman. You better give up, Mavros the hero.¡± the tall man clad in blue mage robes as well as dark gray steel full-plate chestpiece and leg protectors. As he stepped forwards his black leather boots came into the light as well. ¡°You might not have heard of me, I¡¯m duke Aequus. The man who finally will end the shameful spot on Phoenician history known as Mavros.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Really? You think we don¡¯t know?¡± Aequus said. Mavros responded with silence. ¡°You were never a commander or hero. You were the glorious first high queen''s pet. A man who was honored, yet his greatest achievement was to disappear.¡± ¡°Our historians have found the truth.¡± Aequus continued. ¡°Born and raised by petty farmers, this little runt sucked up to the powerful and beautiful queen. She took pity on him, and trained him for a while¡­ And he followed her, like a puppy¡­ He couldn¡¯t even defend himself or the queen properly as they were both captured in battle. He couldn¡¯t even die for his queen properly¡­ When they were finally freed and went to battle, he just barked empty orders, that came straight from the queen herself. Essentially, a glorified repeating monkey! Hailed as the greatest hero in our eight hundred year history, known far and wide! Mavros the Coward!¡± Aequus spat on the ground in disgust. ¡°In a pitiful attempt to prove your usefulness you charged a permafrost hydra head on, like the pathetic idiot you are. You will give Poenica¡¯s line the credit it deserves. As well as all our real great heroes¡­ Like the true tenebrae hero¡­ Capsicum Annuum and Mihole the wise!¡± He sighed. ¡°Poor, poor Adrian. This filth will soak you.¡± ¡°While that all may be true... I¡¯m still Mavros.¡± Mavros looked up from the ground, straight at Aequus. ¡°And I will not go quietly into the night.¡± Placing the Inquisitor between him and Aequus, Mavros turned. Instantly, Mavros froze, staring at a face he had hoped never to see again. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Ruby asked smirking only on the right side. ¡°You¡­ You are supposed to be at Voltimum!¡± ¡°What battle? We aren¡¯t at war, as far as I know.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Mavros said with a look of fear and surprise on his face. Exactly from his left, he heard Lamia. ¡°With this the deal is done, right?¡± The four were now placed in a square formation around Mavros. A dozen guards were still pointing their crossbows at Mavros. ¡°Give up, Mavros.¡± Ryko said. ¡°Ryko¡­ Lamia¡­ Why?¡± Ryko sighed. ¡°We will see our mother again. This was the deal from the start. It¡¯s nothing personal¡­ Just¡­ give up.¡± ¡°I thought we were¡­¡± ¡°Friends? allies? we¡¯ve known each other for the better part of a week¡­ I am sorry, stranger.¡± Ryko said. Duuz... Duuz.. Duuz. Mavros head turned to look at Aequus who merely smirked. Several purple magical gates which consisted of two circles, filled with inscriptions in the gap between them appeared one after another. After a total of eight had appeared Mavros noticed Aequus was swinging a sling¡­ A sling at full speed about to release a fist sized object with incredible power. Mavros threw the Inquisitor forwards, moving backwards himself from the inertia, and at that moment Aequus released. WOOSH SNAP! For every magical gate the fist sized metal ball passed the speed picked up what seemed two-fold, leaving the wooden palisade with a gaping hole. Ryko¡¯s eyes glowed red, and with incredible haste he snatched the inquisitor and stopped next to Lamia on the other side of the square formation, holding Adrian firmly over his shoulder. ¡°Vampires¡­¡± Mavros whispered. ¡°So it was true.¡± Mavros grit his teeth. ¡°I will not go quietly! I am Mavros, First knight of the freedom federation, Follower of Torpedo!¡± ¡°Torpedo i?lektrik¨ª?s Mortis!¡± Bzz Bzz Bzz Waves of thunder struck out, Striking Ryko and Lamia, jumping to high queen Ruby, who merely held out a fistful of flames, and quenched the thunder as it arrived. Lamia and Ryko shook it off without much complaining. Twak Twak Twak! Crossbow bolts were released, and Mavros grabbed his shield from under the robe and held it sideways, ducking to protect himself. Klak Klak Woosh Woosh Woosh. A familiar sound reached Mavros'' ears, as Aequus swung his sling. WOOSH SNAP! Mavros hastily threw his shield in between him and the metal ball, which thundered towards him, and struck the shield with such incredible force, that it warped - KRRR SNAP! - and made a large hole in the shield, barely missing Mavros head. ¡°Yikes!¡± Mavros eyes darted between all four opponents, plus the gate full of crossbowmen, and determined the easiest target could very well be the queen herself. Mavros darted at queen Ruby, Broken shield held high. With a short word he started glistering with electrical sparks. ¡°MOVE!¡± he shouted in command. WOOOSH!!! Mavros threw himself to the ground, as Aequus who had leapt through the very magical gates he had made to shoot mavros... and Aequus arrived in the blink of an eye, this time making portals turned the opposite way, apparently slowing his speed on the other side of Mavros. ¡°Don¡¯t think for a second you¡¯ll be touching the queen!¡± Mavros dashed through the same portals Aequus had just arrived through, for every step feeling heavier, yet managing to accelerate between each of the eight gates. ¡°Coming for me in melee? You¡¯re more stupid than I thought.¡± Aequus smirked. After pressing through the last gate, Mavros sent a sword towards Aequus, which was blocked in an instant. DING tap. Mavros threw himself backwards through the gates - and his guess was spot on. The one side speeds objects op, and the other slows them, leaving Mavros with a rocket-like speed away from the gates the way he had originally come. WOOSH! Mavros left in the blink of an eye at incredible speed. Aequus sighed. Mavros was already far out of earshot. ¡°With this, it¡¯s done.¡± Aequus said. ¡°Ryko and Lamia, feel free to go after him, you had some ploy of your own, right?¡± Ryko nodded ¡°But what of the impaler?¡± ¡°I will help you retrieve her. Fear not.¡± Aequus answered. Ryko and Lamia ran after Mavros with incredible speed. ¡°With this, and your previous de-legitimation of the hero¡­ he will no longer pose a threat. His spirit is broken, and will be of no help to Poenica now.¡± Queen Ruby nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s get back to the actual business we have here, shall we?¡± Aequus put his right hand on his left side of the chest. ¡°As you wish, my queen.¡± -------------------------------------------------- Thanks for reading, hope you liked it! I also hope I didn''t confuse you all too much, let''s just say some of the stuff Mavros has been told isn''t the entire truth. Oh, and the heroes are actually named after people I feel have helped me a great deal in writing... Guess who? Regardless, I''ll see you next week. 11: Even in death Author''s rant Choo Choo, all aboard the ¡°What the heck is going on¡±-train¡­ oh and you can switch to the ¡°Your tags didn¡¯t include drama so what is this crap?¡±-train at platform 2 Alright, I promised you guys a chapter this week, I¡¯ll bloody deliver. Blame Lamia for the delay. I had that chapter where our hero descended into madness all written up, checked through it several times, generally all prepared¡­ But I hesitated posting it... And well, Lamia did her own thing all of a sudden, and I had to rewrite the entire chapter¡­ Also I¡¯m hesitant due to the nice little pitfalls I¡¯ve placed for myself¡­ I really hope this won¡¯t be another chapter 8, but I can¡¯t see why it would be¡­ Though the style and feel of the story will take a turn. Notice how there¡¯s a delay before Lamia and Ryko rush after Mavros in the last chapter. This means they actively have to search for him, not just follow him. I''m trying to up my game this time around... Well, this is me finally building my basic arsenal of writing skills. Congratulations on not quitting in this ark yet. It¡¯s pretty much over. Yeah, you¡¯ll see... speaking of which, we¡¯re first-person-Mavros now. Also, I¡¯ll get my story a lot more straight than it¡¯s been thus far. Oh, and I promised a nice little bloodshed, sorry Potato. I hope this will suffice instead. Actual Story: -------------------------------------------------- I leapt backwards, and my body was launched like a rocket, far away from my four attackers. Fearing an immediate follow-up by this duke Aequus, i started running with all my might. Even in my adrenaline induced state, i could feel my heart ache. For every step, my heart felt like it was about to burst. Ever since i had attacked that hydra, I had faced nothing but cruelty, treason and hatred - not a single person had been on my side in all the time i had been here. My mind snapped out of it, suddenly. I had, in my absentmindedness, found my way into a small alley between two of the gray boulder houses. Why there was a wall connecting the two houses was beyond my comprehension. The wall was as tall as me - in other words, I had found my way into a dead end. Quickly, i turned around. Perhaps I still had the time to exit the alley. To my surprise, I saw Adrian and a handful of guards. I frowned. ¡°How did yo-¡± ¡°Get here? Followed you through your ridiculously predictable path. Now quit the questions." "I¡¯m impressed, you show up once more, and wish to fight me, despite having already failed once." ¡°I wanted to show you something.¡± He said. ¡°Have a look at this.¡± Adrian rustled with a paper from his pocket. ¡°See?¡± he held the paper up from afar showing it to me. The paper contained an exact drawing of me, unlike what had been on the bounty notice. ¡°This was part of my orders. I was ordered to break you¡± Adrian took a second to think. ¡°I was supposed to leave you alive, or Poenica could use you in her war effort¡­ Y¡¯know, the civil war nobody told you about?¡± I frowned. ¡°Well, no matter. She¡¯s just a rebel queen with some rabble gathered around her. She will be dealt with soon...¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°Queen Ruby and duke Aequus wished to incapacitate you, so you wouldn¡¯t help her, or martyr for her... But I have a better idea. Say, if you went missing¡­ and nobody found you, ever¡­ Wouldn¡¯t that be the best? I¡¯ll chop you up and feed you to the dogs.¡± I felt specks of cold rain drip down from above. Adrian looked up. ¡°How appropriate¡­ Oh, and the bounty? there was never such a thing either, as you might have realized. It was deliberately placed by me in the very town you showed up in... and the pink hair? My doing. It was so easy tricking you... And the rest of the townsmen of that little village? went along with anything I said about you¡­ The fools.¡± I felt like ripping his head off. He was the man who had brought me misery... He was the man who was behind all this. He grinned. ¡°Your little friends¡­Or should I say fake friends? They thought we had their mother, they were so very, very easy to manipulate.¡± he said in a mocking pity-tone. I glared at him. ¡°Oh yes, that face¡­ A man who has lost everything. A man about to die¡­ Now I just need to take the last thing away from you¡± he smiled widely ¡°Grrr! I¡¯ll tear you apart!¡± I shouted. "Ha! Your spirit is broken" I didn¡¯t fathom the weight of what he had just said. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know¡­ Drastic changes in the mind will often disconnect you from the god. You should have felt it too - his gaze has left you. Favour is from spirit to god¡­ and when your spirit breaks, so does the link.¡± A feeling of hopelessness fell over me, but with it my anger grew larger and larger. I clenched my fists ¡°We will see about that.¡± ¡°Torpedo i?lektrik¨ª?s Mortis!¡± Bzz Bzz¡­ Plop. ¡°Told ya.¡± My mind went numb as despair washed over me. Not a speck of power would be let out. As if the entire world and all its gods had at once decided my punishment was due¡­ As if I had died on that fateful day in the ice, and went straight into the core of the earth for an eternity in a personal nightmare. If the world wished to hurt me¡­ I wished to hurt the world. Badly. A single emotion was left in my mind - untarnished rage. I grit my teeth and reached for my sword and shield. ¡°I¡¯ll rip out your souls!¡± I howled. ¡°We¡¯re six fighters. You stand no chance. Farewell, Mavros.¡± My mind went blank. Like fire burning in my chest - the bottled up anger of a thousand betrayals, pains and regrets all flamed up at once in a fury. Suddenly, I could think of nothing but their deaths. ¡°RAARH!¡± I jumped at a guard, and lashed out with my sword. His face got slashed across, but he managed to back off enough that I didn¡¯t split it in two. ¡°Get him!¡± Adrian shouted, as the guards charged at me. I leapt at the guards to the left of me, shield first. I aimed for as high a point on their bodies as possible, while still holding my shield low enough they couldn¡¯t swing their swords. Slam I tumbled to the ground on top of two guards, and rolled over them. I swung my sword backwards, hoping one of the guards didn¡¯t raise his sword yet. Splosh the scent of blood filled the air, as my sword met the soft tissue of the guard. He shrieked loudly, as I put weight on it, forcing it through him and pushing my forwards roll in the process. I barely dodged a slash-to-the-skull from the other guard on the ground. I rapidly jumped up, and had to step backwards several times, putting distance between me and the remaining three men charging at me. I looked at the damage I had caused the guardsman. He was a man with hair as brown as his eyes. His age must¡¯ve been naught but two decades as his face still had the roundness and red cheeks of a baby¡­ And now, his collar bone was severed in the middle, the white bone sticking visibly out of his left shoulder behind the blood. The worst thing about it? I liked what I had done. ¡°He¡¯s against the wall. Kill him now!¡± Adrian fired an arrow, which I blocked by raising my shield. This caused the remaining four guardsmen to attack me, while the wounded man walked back to Adrian. I charged forward, ramming my shield into the swords of two guardsmen, exposing my chest to the remaining two. Splosh. My shield arm felt every inch as the cold steel from a guardsman¡¯s sword forcibly penetrated my skin and continued into my arm, cutting flesh and severing some of the bone. He smirked, the fool. I smirked too. I kicked the guardsman to the right of me hard enough he stumbled backwards. My sword darted towards the throat of the guardsman who skewered my arm. My sword met resistance, and the guardsman gurgled, as the blood shot out of his throat with his every pulse, coloring his tabard blood red. My white shirt got filled with his warm red blood, and the metallic smell of the blood was so thick you could almost taste it. I had no time to savour the moment, as the guards on my left counter-rammed me. I was slammed to the ground, with the deceased guardsman¡¯s sword still sticking out of my arm. In an adrenaline rush I raised my shield and pulled my legs up, blocking off the guardsmen on my left.. I threw my sword at the stumbling guardsman on my right. My sword flew into his upper chest, right under the throat. He too gurgled and spewed blood over me from his mouth. Clack clack. Two arrows hit me as the archers had free line of sight to me. My right shoulder and knee was struck and blood started seeping from them. Yet I only felt a faint biting sensation under the adrenaline. A guardsman outflanked my shield, and swung his sword down towards my chest. Swoosh! Kling! I had pulled the sword from my left arm, blocking his attack. I proceeded to kick his legs away under him. Slam My sword danced across the air as it went straight in between the cracks in the guard''s helmet with a grim squishy sound. His eye was cut open, and my sword had continued into his skull. Clack clack. A second pair of arrows struck my legs. The last remaining guardsman rammed his sword into my stomach. I felt the embrace of death closing in. Then something drove it away. I couldn¡¯t die yet, I had not taken my revenge yet. If nothing else, I had to massacre this Adrian - even if it was the last thing I do. My anger took over every fiber of my being. ¡°Die!¡± I howled in a fury as I rammed my sword from below, up through the guards hip. My sword forced its way through his intestines and struck his lower lung. I let go of my embedded sword, and pulled the sword stuck in my stomach. Another set of bow-shots was fired. I forcibly raised my shield, fending them off. An unmatched fury drove me to my feet. If I had the time, I would have consumed the entire world in my flames. ¡°He¡¯s a demon!¡± the last guardsman said. I raised my shield as protection and ran sword-first into the guardsman who had severed his collar bone. Apparently, with enough adrenaline this bone didn¡¯t need to be intact to pull a bow. My sword rammed into the heart of the guardsman. I slammed Adrian with my shield, he lost grip of his bow. Adrian pulled his sword from the sheath. ¡°You are on death''s door. I will finish you in one move.¡± he said. ¡°And I, you.¡± I said. My dark voice echoed in the entire vicinity. He raised his sword and ran towards me. I dropped my shield on the ground and charged him with my sword held high. Splosh-Splosh. I felt my upper left chest get struck by the cold steel of Adrian¡¯s sword. As I breathed out, I experienced a sensation of my own warm blood run down my mouth. I smelled and tasted nothing but blood. He struck my lung. I let go of my sword and stumbled backwards. When I looked at him, my sword was firmly embedded in the center of his chest. He fell backwards, and I stumbled back into the wall behind me. I leaned against the wall that had trapped me in the first place, then I fell to a complete sit. What had seemed ages was over in mere minutes. The cold rain picked up. I felt my warm blood oozing from my wounds. My blood was thinned up by the water of the rain, leaving large pools of red water behind. The metallic taste of blood in my mouth wasn¡¯t unfamiliar, but the uncanny cold feeling in my legs was something new. I knew I was bleeding out. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Cough cough. ¡°Blood, huh¡­ Lots of it.¡± I guess this isn¡¯t a horrible place for my last moments. The rain was trickling down, and with it came the soothing smell it carried. It was peaceful, tranquil. Then the adrenaline wore off, and an unbearable pain washed over me - yet I was too battered to do anything. I noticed a silhouette approaching, but the white hair revealed the truth. ¡°So you..¡± cough, hack. ¡°come to gloat.¡± The familiar voice of Ryko talked. ¡°I guess we are too late.¡± I noticed Ryko sit down against the house on my right. A second silhouette approached. ¡°Lamia¡­ ¡° Lamia sat down in front of me, and I could see her face clearly. She was drenched by the rain, yet a sweet and alluring smell surrounded her. How I had not noticed earlier, I didn¡¯t know. How this came through the smell of my own blood, I didn¡¯t know either. ¡°They don¡¯t¡­ have¡­¡± ¡°Shhhh¡± Lamia gently said, as she put her finger on my mouth, despite the blood. ¡°I know...¡± ¡°Come to finish it?¡± My voice quivered and I gurgled blood. She unbuttoned the button on the collar of her shirt... Then a button on the top of her shirt¡­ And finally a second one on her shirt. I must truly be going mad on my deathbed. She grabbed my right hand with her left, and put it on the upper part of her chest, right below her throat. The warmth from her body seeped into my hand, and i felt her beating heart. ¡°My heart isn¡¯t frozen.¡± she said, as she moved closer to my face, still holding my limp hand in place on her upper chest. she put her right hand behind my neck, and put her forehead on mine. Her sweet scent almost covered up the taste of blood in my mouth. ¡°What are-¡± I gurgled blood onto her shirt. ¡°Shhhh.¡± she repeated gently, as her face slid down below my right ear. She approached my neck, and I felt a small poke. The unbearable pain was eased, if just a little bit. She pushed her chest against my head. I could hear her every heartbeat and the warmth of her chest against my cheek and ear was strangely comforting. Ryko spoke from where he was sitting against the wall. ¡°For what it¡¯s worth, Mavros¡­ We have wronged you. For this I am truly sorry. I wanted to tell you this while you are still alive.¡± he sighed. Lamia squeezed my head a bit closer, as I felt lightheaded. She started humming. The melody was melancholic, but I hadn¡¯t ever heard it before. The pool of blood around me grew, and I sat a bit listening and waiting. Finally, I felt the real cold. Colder than the arctic winds in the lands far, far to the north, my limbs froze to what felt like ice, one by one. I couldn¡¯t move them, and even the pain dissapeared completely. My vision became blurry. ¡°L-Lamia¡­¡± I said with shivering voice. ¡°Shhh¡­ Hush now. It will be okay.¡± she replied, tugging me tighter. I guess this wasn¡¯t the worst way to go after all. My vision tunneled, and I heard everything around me. For a brief moment, I could have sworn I heard a sob¡­ Then reality became distorted, and black spots appeared in front of my eyes. It became a struggle for every breath I took. Lamia¡¯s scent suddenly filled my entire being¡­ and the breathing became too hard to bear. Then darkness and cold took over. The End¡­ Of Ark 1... [Yes, I totally didn¡¯t dare leaving it at that.] But Ark 2 continues the story, here and now? I opened my eyes. I was laying in a bed, and to my right was Ryko. ¡°Slept like the dead, I trust?¡± I squinted. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± He stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll let Lamia explain that joke¡­ Hold on.¡± he said as he slowly walked out of the room. I peered around curiously, If this was the afterlife, they sure had some crappy beds here¡­ Not to mention the wooden furniture, walls and floor made it look like a shady inn. I sniffed the air. The unmistakable scent of a leftover soup filled the air. Yep, definitely a crappy, shady inn. If the afterlife places you based on how good you were, I guess fate couldn¡¯t come to a conclusion in my case? I looked down myself, and I noticed I was wrapped up better than a healer out of magic would wrap a wounded man. ¡°What the¡­¡± Lamia entered the room and rubbed her eyes. ¡°Oh, good morning.¡± I hesitated a moment, but as she didn¡¯t say anything I spoke. ¡°Soooo. I¡¯m dead, yeah?¡± I asked ¡°Yeah. I hope you had as pleasant a death as possible.¡± She said. ¡°Well, Uhmn¡­ But I¡¯m dead!¡± ¡°Uhmn¡­ Yeah?¡± ¡°Like¡­ You act like It¡¯s not a big deal?¡± ¡°Uhuh?¡± ¡°Okay... So, I¡¯m in the afterlife, correct? Why are you here?¡± She frowned at me. ¡°Uhmn¡­ You seem a bit confused.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t say.¡± ¡°Oh, right. So, uhmn¡­ You are dead¡­ Aaaaand, I bit you¡­ So here you are. Welcome back to the land of the living¡­ You do feel alive, right?¡± she looked at me and the front bit of her eyebrows lifted slightly in worry. ¡°Huh?¡± Ryko sighed. ¡°You should have slept more, Lamia. Just tell him what you did, and I¡¯m sure he will understand.¡± ¡°Oh, uh¡­ Right. You¡¯re a vampire knight, now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a what?¡± ¡°Well, more precisely, you are my vampire knight.¡± Ryko sighed and put his hand to his head. ¡°She stayed awake all this time. Look, you are pretty much dead, but she bound your spirit to your mortal coil¡­ Yeah, It does sound a lot worse than it is, when I say it like that.¡± Ryko looked down at Lamia, who had laid down on the foot-end of my bed. I blinked a few times in confusion. ¡°So what does this mean for me?¡± ¡°Well, Uhmn¡­ You probably should avoid sunbathing for too long at a time.¡± Ryko said. ¡°... That¡¯s it?¡± ¡°And don¡¯t slam your fist into tables too hard, they tend to break.¡± ¡°No, I mean¡­ What does it do to me?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Well, you are¡­ Just a ti~iny bit¡­ a vampire now.¡± ¡°What?! I have to drink blood all the time now?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to do that¡­ Also, you pro~obably can only drink Lamia¡¯s blood¡­ I¡¯m a bit fuzzy on the details, neither of us ever did this thing before.¡± ¡°And if I drink the blood of somebody else?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have the partnership of your life with the loo.¡± he smiled. ¡°Or should I say partnership of your death?¡± ¡°Sounds like a crappy way to spend your time.¡± ¡°Bingo!¡± He pointed an index finger at me and winked. I glanced over at Lamia, who had fallen asleep with her head on my bed. ¡°She spent the entire week caring for you, barely sleeping.¡± Ryko said. ¡°Why?¡± i asked ¡°Why she did that? I honestly can¡¯t speak on her behalf¡­ But for me, it¡¯s that nagging feeling of guilt¡­ Oh, and I was getting a bit afraid you¡¯d haunt me in your death¡­ Spirits of the dead freak me out.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you dead too?¡± ¡°But they¡¯re the creepy ones!.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t they just float around, while you empty poor sobs for blood?¡± ¡°Hey! That was Lamia, not me!¡± A slight smirk spread on my face, and I lifted my hair, showing the left side of my neck to Ryko.¡°Oh, so you aren¡¯t tempted at all?¡± ¡°Ma~avros, that¡¯s creepy. You wanna do it with a sibling pair.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He put his hand near his mouth and lowered his voice a bit, as if he was a little embarrassed. ¡°It would be my first time¡­ And we¡¯re both men.¡± A slight hot sensation in my cheeks blossomed up. ¡°Wait, you consider that equivalent to¡­?¡± He started laughing. ¡°Ha! I¡¯m totally messing with you. No, we don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°You should have seen your face!¡± I looked at Ryko with a more serious expression. ¡°You don¡¯t think it''s odd, joking around like this, after all that''s happened?¡± I asked. His stare grew distant. ¡°I think¡­ It¡¯s because of all this, that we can be together like now. I can genuinely get to like you, without that impending feeling of your doom hanging over my head...¡± I nodded slowly ¡°So let¡¯s address the elephant in the room. I was betrayed.¡± He gazed over at me, then down at the floor. ¡°Yeah¡­ Let¡¯s.¡± ¡°I understand your motivation, I would probably have done the same thing if Viridis or Poenica was at stake.¡± He nodded slowly. ¡°So I don¡¯t feel much resentment¡­ Though I did still die.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I don¡¯t know what to say¡­ Sorry for accidentally killing you? Pretty sure it doesn¡¯t work like that.¡± Lamia turned her head and faced me with half-open eyes. This time, It was I who stared off into the distance. ¡°This goes for both of you, so pay attention. I had imagined my death to be a whole lot more¡­ violent and brutal.. So it wasn¡¯t the worst way to die. And considering I don¡¯t feel very dead, I¡¯m not really harbouring any real anger for either of you.¡± I paused for a moment to think. ¡°In any case, I don¡¯t want you to feel guilty. I hereby release you from your guilt.¡± I focused my eyes on Ryko and Lamia¡­ Both of them had their mouths a bit open, staring at me. ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look. Just¡­ Try not to get me killed again?¡± They both gave a slight nod in agreement. ¡°Now let¡¯s go find this new Poenica, I feel like toppling a queendom after this.¡± I said. A strangely familiar voice resounded. ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere in that condition¡± I squinted at the lady in the doorway. ¡°Who are you, again?¡± ¡°Bah, you have the memory of a goldfish!¡± She said. -------------------------------------------------- Thanks for reading! I hope I didn''t disappoint too much. And I''ll just talk about a few fictions here. You should totally check them out, they''re awesome and these guys definitely have more raw talent than I do. Troll''s Murphy''s law - a story about an encounter in a dungeon, changing the fate of the protagonist, and possibly the fate of the entire game. J0nn0''s Genesis - a story about the first human transferred to a machine, and the VRMMO springing from this achievement. Also, don''t forget my mentor, Potato of darkness and his Lich, the depressed necromancer - it''s the usual happy go lucky carnage we see from Potato - but with the fresh twist of a Loli necromancer being the mad protagonist - as well as discovering the powers associated with being a mad protagonist necromancer..