User:Sorvian25
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[edit] DISCLAIMER THIS IS NOT FACTUAL TEXT ONLY TEXT FROM MY BOOK
I awoke to find myself in a courtyard of stones. In front of me stood a guillotine, erected not of wood but of stone and of a sharp steel blade. I stepped forward to touch this cruel machine of torture. As I did a flash of white light hit the ground before me, and so it began to rain. I ran to the nearest door but I discovered it was locked. Suddenly the door creaked open behind it I saw nothing but black, I scurried through the doorway as the door creaked shut.
[edit] Palace of Demons
Suddenly the chamber I was in roared to life with light. Before me stood a set of stairs guarded by two creatures with wings and lion like facial features frontal talons and horse hind legs. I walked pass these creatures and up the stairs up ahead in a stained glass window it contained MLCXXXVI and the two creatures that were at the bottom of the stair but they were standing in this crest of scarlet. As I reached the top of the stairs it was obvious that I must go to the right. For there was a large oak door behind which there was a large heavy mahogany wardrobe. I walked directly to this rich wardrobe with golden fittings. I opened the great heavy doors and suddenly I found myself grasping a leather bound hilt it was attached to a sacred blade of steel engraved with secret runes. There upon a rack there was a set of armor I put sword back and traveled into the next room. There seemed to be a thousand rooms that I traveled through and soon they were all a blur except the armor and the entrance hall. But the last room was of the most remembrance, I entered this great hall it was filled with light but suddenly the light was filled with shadow and then I blacked out. Night after night I returned to the courtyard to the entrance hall. I glanced at the great crest and into to the armory to gaze upon the sword and great armor in the mahogany wardrobe. And then through the many rooms to the great hall where the shadow took the light and I blacked out. This happened night after night until one night I put the armor on and put the sword in the sheath. Behind the armor there was a shield with the great crest. I traveled through the chambers to the great hall. But when the shadow overcame the light I did not black out I saw a demon rise from the marble floor. He spoke a different language, one I had never heard. “Has farsha rtudena far clojui”. “Wuh” I said confused. “Foolish mortal I am the new master of this palace. You are among the blood line of the Clan of the Celtic beast the Sarogrifer”. And then he slid back beneath marble floor. Outside the great windows a shadow slipped through the air like a serpent, blowing fire. Suddenly the floor turned into a puddle of shadows as I was gazing out those windows. I ran I ran as far as I could through the narrow passages as if it were a labyrinth. Suddenly a roar broke the silence and I found myself paralyzed with fear. As something rounded the corner up ahead I gripped the hilt of the sword. Then I saw the beast, I charged and slashed at the beast. It fought back, I stabbed in the chest and it fell. I stepped back. I examined this massive ball of brown fur. It had horns and it had claws. I put my sword in my sheath and I began to move on. The farther I went the darker the corridors became until I found a dungeon that was filled with an eerie light. This chamber was filled with torture devices and wall chains and at the far end was a spiral stair. In this stair there were footsteps coming closer every second, my heart began beating faster and faster. I hid myself behind a table and suddenly I saw the demon from the great hall. He walked directly into the left hand wall. I stood up and walked towards the wall and slipped through it felt like walking through gelatin. When I got through the wall I saw that I was in some kind of court. It was obvious no one had spotted me, yet so I decided to lay low. There were two demons sitting on a judges stand, they spoke in English “my esteemed Master Soredagger has told me that there is a bloodline member of the Celtic Clan of the Sarogrifer in this-”. “What,” a member of the audience in an outburst, “how could this of happened”. Suddenly the court was in a rage until someone spotted me and looked me straight in the eye. He shouted “every one look! Get him!” In that instant I drew my sword and began to slash. Black liquid spewed over my armor and onto the floor. When at last all of the demons had fallen I looked over their faces and knew I was missing one, Master Soredagger. He had escaped and he now knew my power. I went back to the dungeon room and then up spiral stair. There is where I found the throne room with untold treasure within it. As I reached the top of the stair I saw there was a light I pushed open the door and into the throne room I stumbled. I was amazed by the beauty and awe of this room. Above the throne there was a window like in the entrance hall. Beside the throne there was a stand with an ancient looking tome I went to open this book and suddenly light poured from the book and inside there was a single sentence in this book, ”open the throne to reveal secrets untold.” I was confused by this riddle “open the throne” “ah-ha” I knew I must push the throne to find the secrets. So I stepped up to the throne and pushed it aside. Behind it I saw a passage dark as the eclipse. So I stepped forward into the passage and through it I saw the light of ten thousands torches and the gold of twelve kings. Upon the back wall there were two books on a ledge a book of black and twisted metals, and a book of gold with tints of silver. I drove past the treasure and to the books I picked up the golden one. I opened it and began to read “within these pages lie secrets of the earth” I turned the page and on it was an illustration of a detailed amulet, above that there was a title The Amulet of Dragnocious. Suddenly a noxious gas surrounded me I passed out. What seemed like hours later I awoke in the throne room but in the throne was Master Soredagger. He spoke “now we shall duel for the death” as he said and suddenly a curved cutthroat sword of dried bloodshed and black steel. I drew my sword and spoke “very well we shall duel” He charged and I held up my sword and blocked him away. I swung the blade at him and missed by inches. And he swung and caught me off guard it hit, I began to bleed and there I saw the opportunity to strike and I did a black liquid spewed over me as it did in the judgment hall. I stood there as he fell and fell upon the rug now drenched with the blood of me and of him. Now I knew I had exterminated the last of the demons of this palace. I wandered the halls of this palace and the silence filled my mind as if I was going mad. Then finally I was in the entrance hall, and once more and in the clutches of a beast I saw a half bull half man creature standing before me, the Minotaur. He charged at me I grasped my hilt and then drew the sword. In the secrets of the Minotaur he has no heart but he has a brain so I struck his head and he fell straight to the marble floor. I put away my sword and went out into the courtyard it was now. I pushed past the guillotine and to a door covered in vines and moss. I used my sword to clear the shrubbery away from the door. There I saw not a door knob but a chain link and I pulled on this link and there stood before me stood great gardens more massive than Eden.
II Gardens of the Beasts
I began to run through the gardens and suddenly the silence was broken for brief moment as an earsplitting roar screeched broke through the air and in that moment I knew that I was not alone. With fear I clutched the hilt of my sword. The very fiber of my being was shaking from fear of this beast. I knew that with every waking second the beast was growing closer to me. So I began to run into the next garden where I met a beast chained down to plates on the ground in the earth. The beast looked as if it was ready to kill any creature that came near it, so I stayed away. The beast looked like a Wolfe in the form of mans structure. He began to talk and I relaxed but I did not move, “well what do we have here dinner”, he said grinning. “No I am not going to be your dinner, I am simply looking for the creature that made the awful noise.” I replied. “Oh you’re looking for the dragon Smargion.” “Dra- drags Dragon?” I asked stuttering. “Oh yes he rules over all of the gardens but he is very old. Yet he has a great treasure including the Amulet of Dragnocious.” “Thank you very much Master?” “Oh you can call me Wargon” “What if I free you how will you repay me?” I asked. “Oh I will help you in slaying Master Smargion but must gain part of the treasure, as well.” Very well every thing but the Amulet of Dragnocious is yours.” “Well than we have a deal.” With that I freed Wargon. We traveled through the gardens and with much luck we soon found the lair of the dragon Smargion. He was asleep but he awoke saying “who trespasses on my land” I did not answer. “I know your there”, he roared and the rotunda we were in flamed into light. I took my sword and charged at him he out reached his claw and before it reached me it reached Wargon and I charged while he was occupied with Wargon. I slashed at his throat, and made a huge gash in his neck. I swung again at the neck of this beast. As he began to choke, his neck and limbs became limp and fell to the ground. I rushed to Wargon’s side and he began bleed as the sun rose he became a man and I realized that Wargon was a Were-Wolfe. I noticed that behind the dragon there was a passage so I rushed to explore this corridor. It was a short corridor and soon I found that this corridor led to the treasure room I looked everywhere then I found it The Amulet of Dragnocious. I put it on and suddenly I was wearing an armor of dragon skin and steel. I hurried out of the tunnel to the rotunda. I set out form the eastern door of the pantheon.
Setting off into the rays of the rising sun I found that there were many statues on this side of the gardens. There were statues of kings and queens, gods and goddesses. One garden held the beasts of the world like the dragon and the Minotaur, and the Hydra.
When at last I reached the eastern end of this great I found that it was encompassed with beasts, of every size and mannerism. In this great garden there were beasts set in stone and those that were alive. So I began to hit the creatures including the harpies down to the ground when this first slaying was over one by one the larger creatures set in stone came alive the first was a dragon I struck the neck of this dragon and then once more and he died and then there was a minotaur so I struck his head and he fell to the ground. Then the most challenging fight yet from the earth raised ten thousand demons with charcoal black skin and vicious curved swords. I struck each one with a single blow and beside I felt the spirit of Wargon fighting along side me as a spirit guide to help me in times of great need he slashed through the great tide of demons, and in a few minutes the ground was drenched in the blood of demons. There I stood on a ground that had been hallowed by a single battle where one man had won against countless odds. I went forward into the next garden where what waited I could not believe. There sat the beast that guarded the entrance hall sat peacefully sleeping when it awoke it flew up and then came as if it were a dive bomb it came down right before me and it sat as if it wanted me to ride it but I refused and pushed past the creature saying come with me and it followed. I went to the next garden where waiting for me was a chest guarded by a shadow an anti of my self I charged at it but I ran right through this being the anti hero the shadow. Yet he was able to strike me and soon I was worn yet the beast attacked the shadow and it fell into the earth as if it had no substance. I walked up to the chest and opened it. Suddenly a chorus of angels was singing and the light of heaven shown down on this spot. In the chest there was a medallion. To reward the creature I gave it the medallion and hung it around its neck. I heard a voice and turned around “hello I am your guardian” the beast said, “I am the sarogrifer. The beast of the clan of Sarogrifer for I am the great guardian. The amulet you have given me allows me to talk to you. “Now go to the far wall we shall soon up among the mountains.” I did as he said and stood in front of the wall he charged at the spot next to me. He clawed at the wall revealing a great door and so I opened it and walked out onto the cliff, he followed me. He bowed, and I mounted the beast he jumped off the edge and spread his wings, as we glided into the mist of the mountains.
III Rogue Mountains
As we went into the mist I saw the mountains and I was filled with hope that I would see people again. We flew to cliff nearby a cave, when he landed; I quickly dismounted and ran into the cave. As I entered I saw people they were sitting near a fire and talking about defeating some demons, “well hello young noble. Where may you be coming from” asked the eldest of them? “Well I come from the palace across the ridge” I replied. “But who are you?” “Well we are apart of the lost armies loyal to the sarogrifer,” he answered, “oh my, are you the chosen one, are you not.” “Well I guess so but what is the name of the chosen one?” I asked. “Well according to the prophecy the chosen one is named Aragion.” “Well then my name is Aragion,” I said triumphantly, every one laughed. “Master I must speak with you,” said the creature. We walked to the cliff and he said, “You are not the chosen one. You are the one who will lead the war and the quest for peace. You will aid the chosen one.” I walked back to the cave where the army was filing out one by one, “sir may I speak with you?” “Oh why yes me boy,” the elder said, “what’s on your mind?” “Well I must tell you I am not the chosen one my name is still unknown to me, yet I will aid the war.” “Well than you must come to the training grounds,” the old man replied. As I passed through the torch lit corridor I was worried I would see nothing, but I was wrong for I saw a great training ground. For in this court yard in the mountain there were items to train every single attribute. There was a combat arena, an agility course, and a speed track. Immediately I hit the agility course and began to swing and jump across ledges. Well you certainly are agile but that may not help you when you join me in the arena,” said the old man. “Very well, I shall,” and I ran into the arena and drew my sword. The battle began and I swung first he ducked yet I struck him anyway. Then he almost hit me as he almost thrust it into my gut. Soon he fell to the ground to the ground with pain. “Why did you strike so hard, on an old mans head?” he asked. “I’m sorry I battled creatures far stronger than you in the stone walls of the palace,” I replied. The rain began again the second in my memory. Every one rushed into the tunnel as the down pour began. The old man spoke to me again, “well young man you had better be prepared and get a good nights rest for tomorrow we will travel to the village across the mountains.” “By the way what is your name?” I asked. “Oh mine, my name is Garion of the Sarogrifer.” With that many of the people in camp began to retire for the night. I followed their lead and retired as well. That night I slept without ease tossing and turning on the makeshift cot. In my dreams I saw images of a spirit and of a sword, this spirit was a woman she told to go down to the village there I would find a maiden who would be the chosen one. When I awoke there were many horses prepared to go to the village. I was lead to a corral filled with horses. I mounted a horse and traveled around the corral we were in. “Let us set forward, ho,” shouted Garion. So I traveled to the gate and was just behind Garion. With that we set fourth into the pass of the mountains. Slowly riding, we gingerly approached the area of a recent rockslide. IV Secrets of the Mountain
Half of the convoy dismounted and began removing the debris. I began to slide down the saddle to help, yet I was caught by Garion, “No young man they will help, stay here,” so I stayed in the saddle. With luck, the path was cleared in about half an hour. We rode on through path, coming to a tunnel. Garion rode ahead of me still as he rode into the tunnel. I followed him in to the darkness. As I entered there was nothing but shadow surrounding me. I called out, “Garion.” “Over here,” he called, and I followed his voice. I was led to a small torch light chamber carved out of the mountain. Garion had dismounted his horse. He spoke, “we must leave our horses here, if we wish to survive.” “Very well,” I replied, and dismounted taking the reins behind me, sending the horse off. We are to move on to the next chamber, but it was not a chamber it was a cavern. A narrow bridge led to the other side of the cavern, over the hot magma sitting below in the ridge. We began to cross, and the bridge began to show its age, small pieces began chipping off. As we came to the center small pieces from where we started began falling, these chunks became larger. We began to run the bridge was falling into the magma. We reached almost to the other side, and large portions began falling. When we reached the other side the entire bridge fell down into the ridge. We stopped to catch our breath, and suddenly I realized that I forgot the sarogrifer. I told Garion about the sarogrifer I had brought with me, and how I had forgotten him. “Well that’s okay their intelligent beings,” he said, “He’ll realize it soon enough.” With that we moved on into the deepening mines. We soon came to a gallery filled with statues. There I saw the sword in my sheath carved into the hands of a lord of the mines. I stood there gaping, and then I pulled out the sword and compared it to the carving it was exactly the same. Garion questioned me, “What are you staring at?” “ do you see that sword in the carving?” I said. “Yes,” he said. “Well that sword is the one in my hands,” I said. We heard a beating of a drum, a drum of evil, a drum of predators, a drum of war. We moved toward this sound, and the horses began to get out of control. As we grew closer the sound moved farther away. Finally the drumming stopped and we found the source yet it was not stationary, it was a pack of drummer trolls. Suddenly three cloaked figures dropped from the ceiling, and they began to attack the trolls. They needed our help so I rushed into the battle. The trolls began to fall one by one, and the assassins began to retreat. “Wait” I called, and they turned around and came back. The figures revealed their faces; they were elven women from the east. “The battle back there, it was impressive,” I said, “How did you do that?” We have been trained in stealth,” the center one said. Garion came up to the crowd to congratulate the figures; he was surprised to learn that they were women. We moved on with these comrades, they said that they knew where they were going so we trusted them. They led us through tunnels, and to the final bridge. Yet we were blocked by a creature more powerful than ten thousand trolls, the Gothian Goliath.
V A Battle in the Mines
Deep down in the crevasse giant wings began flapping. Up out of the ridge rose a dark strong figure. “The Gothian goliath,” cried the one named Zora, “we must escape for we cannot defeat this gargantuan.” The beast raised his fists up and then beat them down on the nearest part of the cliffs. This area fell into the darkness of the crevasse. I stood there gaping at what this beast had done. Not realizing that a battle in the mines had just begun. The goliath raised his fists and came down upon the spot that we were standing on. As Coreana the second assassin grabbed me running away deep into a passage. Soon we were in some kind of a home base. The other woman whose name was unknown to everyone handed me a bow and quiver. I began taking off my armor to put the strap underneath, soon the strap was there and I put the armor on making sure the quiver was outside of the plate. I put the bow hooking on to the quiver. I stood up, “I’m ready” I said. “No you’re not,” said the one who handed me the quiver, “you must first take several of the herbs sitting here.” She said pointing to the table. So I took them stuffing them in the quiver on my back. Well then are we ready to go defeat the beast in the ridge. “You can if you want,” Zora said. Yet we are going up and around the mountain to the village. “Well I am going with them,” said the unknown one. “Very well you choose your own death,” Coreana. With that we set out to the great ridge. We traveled for what seemed like hours when we came to the old gallery we had visited before. “We have been here before,” Garion said. “There is a hidden path into the Gothian den,” she said. “Yes well please come here,” she said pointing to me. So I stepped forward “hand me your sword please,” I pulled out the sword and handed it to her. She took it and put it into a slot at the foot of the lord who held my sword. The wall slid back and my sword was ejected as it revealed a spiral stair. We entered this spiral stair, in the shadowy stair it was hard to see. A dark evil shadow that could fill the souls of ten demons was in this stair. This stair was dark as night, night a veil of black, in the secrets of shadows. When we finally reached the lair of the beast it was what seemed like hours. Secrets at the bottom of this stair were about to be revealed. For there was more than a goliath at the bottom of this stair. We set forth into this dark dungeon when the elf muttered “ordena fra dar” and a ring of fire encircled us. It was so much easier to see the wide corridors. The shadows were pushed back as we moved forward in to the lair of the goliath. Yet before we could reach the den we were met by a band of rogue demons. They were dressed in black cloaks, cut in the sharp rocks of the mines deserted by miners long ago. They were a band of twelve demons. I knew that there would be a battle in the mines man and elf, against the darkest creature ever imagined. In the midst of the far shadows there were footsteps. As these creatures came into view they two saw us. “Look, humans,” one of them snarled. I drew my sword, as they came into the radius of the ring of fire. They each grasped the handle of a black steel blade, and a shield of shadows. “Sorukai,” the one who spoke before said, and darkness fell as I felt him attack, and I attacked him back. The fight went back and forth and I hit him back twice, then three times. It felt as if he had fallen to the ground, yet he got back up, and hit me. The light was restored and I thrust it into his leg. He began to stagger, around in the ring. As he comrades watched him fall to the ground. Two more, then three entered the battlefield. They began to stagger splitting apart to confuse me. I put away my sword and drew the bow. Drew an arrow, pulled back, and released it. It hit one of demons square in the face, and he fell. The elf woman summoned a spell to knock out the two other foes. I took the first and slit his throat. The second I used for target practice, hitting him with an arrow. Four enemies now entered the ring of swirling fire. Garion drew his sword and began to over take one. I took out my bow and drew two arrows, I pulled back yet again, and I released. The arrows struck one demon, and then another. The final demon in the ring began to charge. I quickly put away the bow, and drew my sword. He charged at me not stopping. My sword was a skewer into the demon’s gut. The final four enemies came through the portal. The swirling fire was more intense than ever. They began to attack together in a single formation. I shot the nearest one. In the head yet the other ones still attacked, I was hit several times, as I fell, I blacked out. When I awoke I was being cradled in the elf’s arms. She said “it’s over now, do not worry. They’re all gone now.” “What happened?” I asked. “You were hit by that demon,” Garion said. “Then you fell down in the ring. We had to get you out of the way so we defeated the demon at once. You’ve been out for several hours now, we were worried about you. Now that you have finally come to we can move on to the lair of the Gothian Goliath. We continued through the large halls and corridors. Soon we came to a smaller room, and over the doorway to the next room there were runes. “The earth shall be shaken by what resides in here,” Garion read. “We must be near goliath,” I said, “for this sign reads accordingly.” We went into the room and I was right the goliath resided there. Yet he was asleep. We went traveled through that door way slowly for we did not know what lie beyond it. As we entered it we all gasped at the sight of the goliath. Snoring, it lay there, motionless without a sound, accepting the snores. The entire room was filled with hieroglyphics, and carvings depicting scenes from a war. There were sacred jewels upon the walls, embedded in the stone walls.
VI A Battle to Escape
Suddenly the beast awoke, as it rose the entire room shook. The entire room was shook like an earthquake. The walls cracked the ancient hieroglyphs ruined. The scenes of war existed no more. Yet one was about to happen, and there would be new pictures among new mountains. The creature stood up, spreading its wings, and it took off. With the force of gale winds, I was almost knocked off my feet. “Do you have a rope anywhere?” I asked. “No but there is one here,” said Garion, handing it to me. I took the rope tying it to the arrow; I pulled back on the bow. I pointed bow up ward and hit the foot of the goliath. I put away my bow and grabbed on to the elf. She then grabbed Garion and we rose upwards through the great tower like structure. We were rising fairly fast; we barely had time to even glance at the carvings. As we rose there were many different scenes from a long war. In this war there seemed to be the end of an ancient race. This race seemed to be short and they were, stout, they must have been dwarves. We soon rose into a canyon, a crevasse, a break a crack in the earth. We were back at the final bridge. Soon we were back on the cliff. Yet we were on the wrong side. I began to fire my arrows at the near target that began to get distant. The Gothian goliath returned coming back towards us. I began to fire my arrows again hitting him in the face. The elf began to use magic hitting the main body of the beast with small fiery chunks of the rock. The beast let out a large cry, ROARRRRRRRRRRR. The beast began to fall. Yet Garion pulled out a small staff, and caught it with a small black shield, carrying it over to the other side of the cliffs. There it sat for about twenty minutes, then it awoke and it seemed to be engulfed in fire. He began taking large chunks of the rock at us. Yet the elf caught these pieces freezing them, and then flinging them back at the creature. He was inceptive of these for he began to turn to ice, and flung them at us. Garion now charged them with sunlight and forced them back. They were affective and the goliath went back to its normal gray. He used his fists yet again, flying over to our side of the crack. He began to smash the areas near where we were standing. He had made five indents, in the stone. We ran to near the bridge. Suddenly stalagmites began to fall down into the crevasse. He moved down onto the other side of the bridge. I drew out my bow yet again, and began to strike the chest of the beast, as it let out yet another cry of pain. The rocks began to fall on to the cliffs of the stone. A land slide was coming for the ceiling. We all concentrated our weapons on the Gothian Goliath. He began to stumble across the ridges of the cliffs. As he did the cavern shook, and the falling rocks increased in quantities. They began to take a large amount of space. The goliath fell to the ground, shadows filled the cavern, and the stalagmites fell into the river below in the crevasse. In this great fall of earth, stone, and rock, there was almost no light. We ran across the bridge, in the great fall of stones. The landslide continued as we reached the other side of the bridge. The fallen beast was making the bridge weaker as we walked across the bridge fell into the crack. The farther we went the more of that bridge that fell off. As we reached the beast we had to climb over him to avoid the collapsing structure from falling in on us. We ran as fast as we could over the rough surface of the skin of the goliath. We reached the other side and the chamber doorway was almost clogged up with rock. We had to move fast to survive and to get into the next room. Almost instantly the roof of the cavern was breached and the sarogrifer swept down and began to paw at the rock with us. After this he flew back out of the roof and over the mountain. We moved fast progressing into the next chamber. As we moved the rock clogged up the entire doorway, and the darkness was greater. We soon found a crude altar, which looked like it praised the Gothian goliath. I began to hear mourning voices saddened by the death of someone or something. The voices began to get nearer, as they did singing began. “Ash Amen, ash amen, shadows turns to dust. Ash amen, ash amen, shadows turns to stone. Ash amen, ash amen, shadows sits as still as stone.” The singing continued until the sound was so loud, it seemed as if it was coming from the room we were in. Then from the shadows of the corridor, there were ten half demons. They looked as if they were monks. Dressed in crude robes, they were ragged as if they had lived for a thousand years. The half demon is mortal, yet that does not mean that he is fully human. The half demon also carries the blood of the man, and of the demon. Born from the fires of the great earth itself the half demon is a powerful creature.
One of the creatures said, “You have killed the king of the caverns, the master of the mines. You are the killers of a god. This alter praises him the king of all that is darkness in these mines.” “Who are you to accuse of murdering this brutal beast?” I asked. “He tried to murder us.” “Yes well you are from the outer walls of this mountain. We will never be able to enter the fallen ones area, because of the sunlight of the breached roof,” replied the half demon. “We will never admit to these accusations, for we are purer than even the most pure demon,” I replied. “Well then we shall see about that,” said the half demon.
He began to fire black orbs at me. I had to dodge them, just as I got close to him he began to move farther away. I drew my sword; with it I deflected several orbs. I got close and thrust the blade into the stomach of this evil creature, but it hardly seemed to affect him. The gem implanted in the wall seemed to be giving him power. So I began to take the gems out. The first one caused him to change his power to silver orbs. Then I grabbed hold of the diamond and threw it at him. It hit him and then it was implanted in his chest. White pillars shot from him. I ran around the room taking out every single one, yet before I got to the ruby. The half demon had turned silver, he gripped his hand and a sword appeared. He knocked out the elf, and Garion. He chased after me, as I pulled out the final gem he began to run slower. I took out my bow and began firing arrows at the demon. Many of them were deflected yet several pierced one area. That was it there was sweet spot on his flesh at his stage. I aimed for the area of the other arrows as they hit he began to slow down even more. He reached me just as I put away my bow and drew my sword, I thrusted it in the direction of the arrows. He turned back into the old monk he was to begin with. The gem fell out of his chest. “So you wish to defy me and my order?” he asked. “Yes,” I replied. “Well then get ready for the stones to crush you,” he said. With that the walls fell revealing four statues, wielding powerful weapons. The statues were ten feet tall. The first one was wielding a club the second a mace, the third a sword, and the fourth was wielding an axe. They began to step forward and to attack. The attack of the statues began with each one slamming their weapons upon the ground. They almost hit me twice. I found a rope, in the corner I picked it up. I tied it to my arrow. I shot the arrow at the wall and with that I ran around one of the statues, gripping the rope. When the statues took a step, it fell onto another taking out two of the statues. I saw that the two other statures were created with stone, while the others were made of sand stone. Sandstone cannot be denigrated, yet gray stone can. I found several tomes in the corner. I flipped through them looking for a denigrate spell. I found one that said that the grey stone spell was to be used in extreme emergency. I shouted, “harsd gres far sha!” suddenly the first statue fell. I shouted out the spell again and the second statue fell with its arms denigrating in the enclosed room. The walls returned to their normal state, and the monks rose. The began chanting, “hrak asnan asaroth raganarok.” As they began I drew my sword, I began to strike them down. As I did the chanting got louder. They began to rise into the air, and a black platform sheltered them from my arrows. The chanting became louder still, they rose me up on a plat form. I began to fire my arrows. A few of the monks were knocked down. “Silence,” the chanting stopped, “I will never allow you to leave, although you have proved enormous strength and ingenuity,” the one who had turned silver said. I began to fire one last arrow, as I did the shield went up. Then I jumped across the gap and was in the orb. I put away my bow, and then pulled out my sword. I began to slay what was left of the monks, until it was me and him the final and eternal monk. The shield went down and the platform lowered us to the ground. “We shall duel for my father the fallen Master Soredagger,” he said. “Did you say Master Soredagger?” I asked. “Yes well he was my father,” he answered. “I am sorry I killed your father,” I said. “Well then let me slay you right here,” he said rushing at me. Well to I really have to tell you what happened. I jumped surviving the thrust. I came down with my blade upon his head. His head was bleeding vigorously, I put my sword away drew bow and shot him in the heart. He fell to the ground and suddenly he was swept away by a wind as if he were dust. I sat there for a long time looking over my fallen comrades. I thought about everything that had ever happened to me. Form the killing of Master Soredagger to the killing of his son. I even thought about what would happen if I had not found my self at that castle. I thought about how I would never know who I could be, never knowing my true parents. Yet I also thought about how the world would never know my fate. The fate of the kingdom and the fate of these people I had met. I thought of how people demons and the other creatures would be without me. Such as master Soredagger and his son. The three elves how would they have lived in the mines Garion how would live if he had not met me. How would the sarogrifer have gotten along, as with the palace? After a fairly long time Garion came to, he asked me what happened, so I explained to him what happened. About the great silver being, and the way I defeated him. I told him about the great statues, and the seven tomes. I told him about the rising platforms, and the chanting monks. Lastly I told Garion about the duel, and how I defeated him. I told him how he faded away. Yet I kept secret the part about Master Soredagger. I asked him as we waited for the elf, “About the magic back there at the bridge, what was that about?” “Well you see I am a wizard,” said Garion, “I was the aide to the last king of the Sarogrifer. I should not have kept this secret from you, I am your father.” I staggered back, “what?” “I’m your father,” he said again. We sat there for a long time in silence, when at last the elf came to. “What is wrong?” she asked, “why are we not talking?” “Well Garion is my father,” I said, I felt sort of guilty lying to my father. She gasped, as I said this piece of sharp truth. I stood up, “Well we’d better get going, we’ve got a long road ahead.” They both stood up and we moved ahead to the exit of the great mines.
The darkness had ended and we were out side in the sun. The roots of the mountain sat below us, far below us. A horn blew a sad low sound, as if someone had been lost. There was a caravan rounding the corner, at the head was the man I recognized who was behind me. He was blowing a bull horn.
VII The Curse of My mind and of Demons
Everyone gasped, there we were we had survived the perils of the mines. Several of the people got off, and asked questions. “Please,” I said, “let us get off the mountain first.” They gave us our horses, and we mounted. The elf rode with me, upon the narrow ledge. The path was dangerous, leading downward into the forest below. As we descended the air became thicker.
We have reached a point where I must explain that this forest below was an interesting yet dark and twisted area. This vast expanse was filled with light ents and dark twisted tree demons. The trees were as ancient as the elves, yet young like the saplings in early spring. The darkness of the secrets in autumn, were as if they were in summers nights. The darkness of the cold hard winter, felt as if it was happening in the late springs of the year. From the new plants of the spring, that doth grow into the giant trees of the autumnal cycle. Yet in this eternal cycle of the forest there is one force that breaks it, the demon. This is what we would uncover in this the pure cycle of the forest. That the demon would destroy the great cycle of the forest, in which men our bound to help and to nurture.
As we rode along the narrow path suddenly behind us in the back of the caravan, there was a land slide. In this there were several riders, who fell to their deaths or were crushed by the stone. The shadows below in the forest scared me. Many of the riders pulled out their bull horns and began to blow. The tone was loud and sweet, and then it turned low to honor these soldiers. The tone was so beautiful, the tone of a horn. The horn was stopped by the sight of a great demon angel. The wings of which were so wide. There were eight wings upon this beast. Upon its head, there were three eyes, two on his face, and a closed one upon his forehead. I was upon horseback, and I drew my sword, “move back father,” I said. As I charged the demon opened its eye, upon me. I was trapped in the shadows of the eye. Hit the eye I said to the others. An archer pulled out his bow, and he hit the side of the eye. I was released and hit the lowest wing on the demon. It screeched, with the might of ten thousand crows. I charged and jumped up, as I did time slowed to a pace of a heart beat. I drew my sword, and aimed for my target. I placed the sword directly in front of me. I began to swing my sword, as I approached the angel. I swung my sword into the demon, I hit the demon and into the body I drove. We fell to the ground, as I drove him into the earth. “I shall return,” said the demon and he flew into the vast forest beyond the mountains. The riders stared off into the distance, and the world of the new. This group of brothers was bound to work together. This is the reason of the archer’s behavior, to save me. As we rode into the shadows, of the far mountains, there were more paths than we could choose. There were paths into the mountains. There were several paths out into the forest. The shadows were growing as we rode, for the sun was setting on this day of truth and of misery. The day was growing short as we rode in silence. The paths leading into the forests are what we chose. The mountains were getting farther away in the setting sun of the west as we rode into the east. We began a steep and rough descent into the forest. A swarm of crows flew around in a swirling circle. The shadows of the crows swirling in the air, the circling crows rose higher into the air. The entire pack of us stood still, as this revelation of an angel came into view. I began to see the demon angel. He soon came into total view. “You!” he pointed to me, “You have disgraced me, and you have bent my honor. Now I shall posses you, and the Curse of the Demon Angel shall be yours to bare.” I stood there, and the angel became a spirit, and then I forgot everything up until I was in the forest. I had fallen to my knees, and then the angel appeared before me. “we shall duel now mortal,” he said as a great and powerful blade appeared before him floating in the air. It was Master Soredagger’s blade. “Master Soredagger is that you?” I asked. “yes but now my name is the Great Angel Soredagger. I was summoned back to the earth by the Eastern Empire. Soon I was put to work to do the bidding of the new emperor,” he replied, “now that I have done my revenge, I have one thing left to do, destroy you.” With that he picked up his blade, and I drew mine. This duel would reassure that I was more powerful than the great demon Soredagger. The darkness inside him was weaker than the light within me. I posed and then he did, and with that the duel commenced. The massive force of his first attack was the same as the demon in the mines. “Sorukai,” he hissed. The entire forest fell into the shadow of the night. The veil began closed, yet it was gradually opening. The veil yet again opened up into the moonlight that had begun few minutes ago. The night was still young, yet it would begin to be day when it ended. The gradually fading twilight, was a sign of the battles to come when the angel would rise into the skies and destroying the world of men. I swung my sword just as he did, creating a weapon block. Our weapons hit with the same force. We were both sent flying back, and then I felt my self hit a tree. I sat there until the angel got back up. He flew up above the canopy above the clouds. Suddenly he dive-bombed, and came down upon the spot where I once stood. His sword was stuck in the earth. The blade flew up and into the hand of the demon. I grasped my blade tighter and ran at him. He flew up and I grasped his foot, I slashed his leg with blade. He swerved, up above the high canopy. He was trying to knock me off, to lose some weight. I began to slash more, and he began to fall. As we descended into the forest floor, I dropped. I fell out into the floor, and I blacked out. While I was asleep I saw things that would change me for many years. I was standing in the cloud of mist, when along came a beautiful spirit, the same spirit from my first dream. She spoke, “Atraion, the darkness spreads through the forest now, now on the seventh hour of the great invasion. Come I will show you the kingdom, of the forest shadows,” We rose up into the clouds, and she pulled back the mist. I saw for the first time the shadow borderline in the forest. “Do you know what you must do?” she questioned. “Yes,” I answered, “I must push back the shadows until they are no more.” “Very well, then we must test your strength,” she said, with that we were at a training ground in the forest. I drew my blade as an army of demons rose from the ground. I began to slash at these apparitions in my mind. I began to feel the strength of the Were-Wolfe inside me as Wargon drove on. He merged with me in the spirit, and then I became a great and powerful beast, and I began to swipe and the great demons soon fell. I was cast into darkness darker than the mines. Seven torches lit around, and around into the great cavern. Suddenly from a tunnel on the far side of the chamber, a sprinting flame was coming. As it got closer it began to take shape, a hawk at first, then into a man, finally as the form of the Wolfe. The flame spoke to me, “Atraion, you have shown your strength. Now you must find the elements that form the fiber of your being. Please follow me.” I did as the wolf said. He led me down a corridor to a great rotunda. The rotunda looked as if it had been an observatory. The rotunda was dark and dank; as we entered the torches in the chamber came to life. I began to see the six elemental symbols, the fire, the water, the air, the earth, the white, and the shadow. “Raise your hand,’ the flame said. I raised my hand, and it was engulfed in a white flame, then it was a black. Eventually one side turned black the other white. “Good you are the omega child spoke of in the prophecy.” We shall go and test your elements against the shadows, of the dragon clans. This is the lair of the greatest clan. This is the home of the great clan of the western mountains. The western sea is just beyond where we stand. Now let us move on into the den of the dragons. As we moved on through the tunnels there was an apparent snoring. And in the shadows of the corridors there was an ancient and sacred den of dragons. The torches were the only thing lighting the way, and the darkness filled the forth ward area. The ceiling became lower, and we reached the end of the hallway. I turned to my left, and there was an entrance to a great den of dragons. “We are here,” said the flame, and I entered the great cavern. Inside there was a pack of seven dragons. I took my hand up, and rose in the air, then I drew the sword with right and my hands glowed and the blade was engulfed in the white and black flame. I began to rush at the dragons, and one awoke, they had cruel fangs and curled horns. I jumped up and found myself flying; I slashed the face of the dragon and it began to be engulfed in the combined element of the omega. I was thinking that, I would be transported when the dragon fell. Yet I was allowed to sit there for several moments, in silence. I thought about what I would find on the out side when I awoke, and how long this dream was to the outside world. Soon I was in a new environment, a great plain of growing golden grass. The wind swept through my hair. The wind swayed, and played with the grasses. The wind kept the shadow from conquering. A flash of white light came upon me, and before me stood a man. “Come, Atraion,” he said. I followed him, “The great curse of the demon angel has changed others views of you. Your father thinks you’ve gone mad, and the rest of the pack believes you are weak,” he said as we walked. “Yet I am not mad,” I said. “I know that you know that, yet they do not, you must convince these people and your father that you are not. Do you understand?” he asked, I nodded my hand, “good, now go forth into the next realm of your mind.” The man disappeared, swept away like dust in the wind. The clear blue of day turned to grey, getting darker eventually getting dark as night. There were no stars in these realm only shadows in the sky. There were not suns, no moons only a shadow in this small corner of the world. What had he meant when he had said go on to the next realm of your mind. Had he meant that these apparitions were in my mind? Was he trying to say that I was only taking these things from my mind? Or was I simply in these realms and areas of my mind? I was about to find out, the answers to these questions soon. I was pulled out these plains and placed in some knew area, a burnt forest. Filled with burnt stumps, and fallen and charred trees, is what I saw as I looked around. In the burnt forest there was a goliath on the horizon. The earth shook, with the footsteps of this massive spirit. He began to grow closer; I began to see the features of the Gothian Goliath. When he reached me he told me, “thank you Atraion, you have released me, from my rage induced self.” I began to realize that these spirits were from my inner personality, or they were people I had killed myself. Shadows of the world had ended in my mind. “You-you-your welcome,” I stuttered. “Thank you very much I have released much of my anger. And the shadows of the mines have been released from me.” In that moment of the shadows life I began to see the life of the light. The white element came into my hand, and I touched the beast’s chest. He turned entirely white, and he began to drift away staggering back, he began to fly and was blown away in the atmosphere like dust. I sat there for several moments thinking of what may happen if the forest was gone. The entire world may drift away, and man with it. All of the creatures in the world would die, from mans carelessness. I also thought about the shadows in the darkness. And of how the spirits I had met showed me the way, the path of saving the forests and saving man. The demons from hell must be pushed back past the eastern empire. I began the walk through the tough forest and the burnt stumps. The forests rough outer areas soon lead into shadowed canopies of lush forests. Eventually I reached a giant tree, a tree that not even a troll could put his arms around, I began to circle the tree. I found on the other side there was a hillock. I climbed up this hill and looked around. Only the outer areas of the forest had been burned. I found myself yanked from this realm and put in another of a war, a war zone. In front of me appeared the half demon monks whom I had killed back in the mines. They approached me yet the y did not thank me. I saw that were wielding blades, I drew mine in defense. “so this is the way that they will end in shadow,” I said, “in my mind in the shadows of a forsaken battle. I charged at them, yet they must have had a field around them for I flew back about ten feet. I sat there on the ground, as they still steadily approached. When at last they reached me I slipped through the field. I began to slaughter several of the monks. The fury of my omega came into play; I was soon engulfed in a black flame. I stopped the slaughter long enough to catch my breath. They approached once more in the shadows of a mountain, the shadows engulfed them and they were reborn in the shadow. I slaughtered several more in the next few strikes of my sword. Every time one fell they drifted away like dust. I began to see a coincidence with every single one of these spirits they drifted away like dust in the wind. After the last of the monks fell except the one I dare not attack the son Master Soredagger. “So this is the way you shall meet your demise,” he hissed, “in the center of your mind.” I had found the answer to my questions; I was in the center of my mind. He suddenly transformed into the great being he was only in shadow, and the darkness would be his demise. I put away my sword, and reached for my bow, I saw that it was not there. So I began to hit his chest, I had found that there was a sweet spot, for every other time I had been deflected. He did not even try to attack me; it was as if I was no longer a threat but a savior. I seemed as if his life was flashing before his eyes, and he saw that he would be granted access to the heavens if he did not resist my release. He soon turned to the dust that had carried every other spirit away. I thought of the things I had done while in my mind, and in this I saw that there was much good in what I had been doing. This was the release of my soul back into my body. Yet I had one more realm to travel through until I was back in my body. I was quickly yanked from this the fifth realm of my exploration into the final the sixth realm. I found myself in the courtyard I had been in when I began this story several nights ago. I found that before me appeared Wargon the werewolf. He looked at me with the saddest eyes, as if he was deep into a depression. The look then changed to look as if he was going mad. His moods changed on and off constantly, within the next ten minutes.
VIII The Curse Becomes Worse
I found myself saying, “Wargon please don’t you see? I’m here to help you.” “no your not you’re here to help me, you’re here to drive me insane,” he replied. “are you mad, you old coot? I am here to help you out of this madness that is your death. Between this and you, you are the madder one inside my mind.” I said. I walked up to him and raised my hand over his head. I touched him as I did the Gothian goliath, and the great white flame purified him. The wolf’s fur turned white and he was released by the white flame, and he began to turn to dust in the wind. I felt myself suddenly yanked from this castle realm. I awoke after almost an hour in darkness. I saw that Master Soredagger had fled, and around me sat several deer. I stood up and began to walk towards the east I eventually came to a camp I saw a fire, and I thought that this was my comrades camp. The tent opened and I saw that there was a demon, in the camp. I was confused until he saw me. He said, “what are you doing here mortal?” he questioned me. “Well I am looking for my group,” I replied “you means those riders?” he inquired. “yes they are riders,” I said. “look I’m tired and I feel like just telling you where they are. There over the next hillock, and don’t catch me seeing you here again.” I continued over the next hill and I saw a smooth line of seven smokes, in the air. As I continued through the forest the smell of meat became apparent. I had not had food in days. I ran smelling the food, and when I reached there the entire camp gasped, they were surprised to see that I had returned. I staggered through camp to my father. When I last reached him, my father told me, “I did not think you would come back alive.” “Tell me father what has happened sense I was possessed by Master Soredagger?” I asked. “First off how do you know master Soredagger?” he asked me. “Well I killed him back at the palace of demons,” I replied. “you killed master Soredagger? Oh ho-ho!” he said chuckling. “Well yes I did,” and so I replied very timid. The grey axes of the north seemed to come down on me.
I began to stand, and I staggered around the campsite. I began to see in blur and blood red vision. As I staggered and limped around, I felt as if I was falling into a pit of lions. I fell down onto the ground lying next to the fire, then the next I knew I was seeing black. I saw a great flame before me, it turned white then black, and then it turned into the omega flame, my element. I saw that beside this flame sat the two statues, from the entrance hall. Suddenly the stone began to crack away revealing the sarogrifer. They flew up into the black sky revealing a tower. The tower was black built with the stones of the eastern empire. It hit me this was the great tower of the east. I opened the front door to a shadow, the shadow of the night the veil of the universe. I stepped inside the floor of this great stone behemoth, I closed and the door and as I did this the light of a star came to pass high above me in the highest chamber. This light lit every single floor of the tower. I began to climb into the next chamber, higher than the first. In this chamber lie the throne of the emperor, there on the wall above carvings of the last war and every single war of the demons before it. There symbols of men fallen, and demons dead. Above upon the next floor there was a scream of peril, and the thrust of a knife. I rushed above in to the next floor, there sat the Master Soredagger, and the emperor himself. Soredagger sat there with a smirk, “hello Atraion, you are here why?” he asked. A scream came from the lying emperor. “Oh shut up you old fool!” he said thrusting the blade in his hand into the emperors stomach. “You murderer,” I said. “OH I BELONG HERE NOT THIS HAG!” he shouted, “now that he’s out of the picture I can rule over these lands as I please. I can take Corinth by force and erase the marks and cracks of demon society. For now I am the emperor of the East.” Suddenly the winds began turn and then the spin of the shadows, and the demons sitting upon the bed disappeared. I rushed into the stair and began to climb the shadow seemed to be claiming every floor. As I ascended my breath began to leave me, I ran up and up into the high skies. The sky came to be, and the clouds came into sight. Through the windows I saw two dragons fighting in the sky. The skies turned gray, and the clouds came together. Upon this spot there came ten bolts of lighting in a circle around these dueling dragons, this phenomenon looked as if it was of the stars. Then one of the dragons fell to the earth like an asteroid in the in the atmosphere. I ran up the last flight of stairs as the dragon headed for the tower. I came to the top of the tower to the open air of the clouds. I drew my bow, and an arrow I hit the right wing of the dragon. It began to swerve and fall into the earth. I hit my target again in the left wing, it began to fall straight to the ground. Suddenly in the shadows the stones began to disappear, and the top of the tower began to sit on the air. In the back of the dragon falling to his death formed a white funnel which caught the dragon in its tracks. There was a flash and the dragon began to fly, it spit a silver fire and it alone was silver on the pale skies above. It charged for the tower, and as it approached it began to pitch up and it’s neck became elongated. I spat silver fire near where I stood. I turned and ran toward the other edge of the platform. I had to trust that something would catch me and I jumped. I fell through cloud downward with ever increasing velocity. The earth below became ever clearer, and the mountains sat below in the west. In the east there were scorched plains, burned forests, and grotesque ruins. I suddenly saw before my falling body a sarogrifer. I fell upon the sarogrifer, and we rode on into the light of the realm of Corinth. The sun was just rising over the mountains, and in this there was a air of power around this and in the shadows of the east there was but one escape the Corinthian realm. As we rode into the sun there was air of suspicion about why I was here. Was I still in my mind, it did seem that way. I began in darkness, and found in that darkness my flame my elemental. In the shadows I began to see that there was, in the shadows of the night. The demon angel was floating in the skies and behind him rose tentacle whips of black flesh. He whipped the sarogrifer with these whips of black flesh. I began to fall, as the sarogrifer fell from under me. I fell into the silence of a new day dawning in the west, and night fleeing in the east. I fell in the thick air near earth; the earth opened up and swallowed the sarogrifer. The crack closed and the second sarogrifer flew under me and I was caught by this one. The demon angel disappeared in the air, and behind me there was the dragon. I began to fly faster to avoid this beast from the mountains. The sarogrifer began to fly higher, and the speed picked up even more. The wind flew through my hair, and the rain began to fall. The rain hitting my face at this intensity, finally we found refuge at the mountains. The dragon would surely not find us here, yet that is where I went wrong. We flew through the mountains, and then I saw the palace of the grey. I felt as if I was not inside my mind anymore. We landed in the courtyard and the sarogrifer took off. The guillotine was not there, yet it suddenly appeared. From the back of my mind came a thought of a Minotaur, and it appeared before me. I struck it in the head yet it refused to fall. Suddenly it began to stagger, and it fell to the ground. It suddenly drifted into the grains of forgotten time. Behind me was the dragon of the eastern tower. He was flying quickly towards me and I felt my heart beat faster, he was coming for me. The sarogrifer flew straight for the dragon, it the side and gash opened up. The dragon pitched up as blood rained down. The blood was red if the red rains were not of my mind I would see the light again. The shadows came over the mountains, and they devoured every thing around me. The only thing that was not gone was the palace of demons. The sky and earth had faded from this place, the only thing left was the grey palace of sorrow. The only thing left was the sir in which to, breath yet there was not a single breeze of wind. The shadows began to close in on me, as I walked into these shadows of the palace of demons. “an evil is approaching, an undead evil,” I heard something say, “it was the shadows, it is coming from the forest, from the mines, from your heart.” Suddenly someone stepped from the shadows; he had long white hair, and a beard. “Who are you?” I asked. I am the white oracle keeper of your dreams,” a voice replied, yet his lips did not move. “Why are you here?” I inquired. The voice did not answer, yet he began to approach me following was a mountain of shadows. I rushed up the stairs of the great entrance hall. I went to the left where I saw the black ash door. I opened the door into a great library. There was hearth within which was a great phoenix fire. The shelves were made of great oak trees from an old growth forest. The Gnarc of the forest was there in the portrait of a king and a dragon. The shadows began to close in from every corner, the door opened and there stood a wraith. A wraith is a hooded figure, with bony fingers and norudain blades of the North Country. When they draw their blades something happens, a horrific chill may be sent through your body. That chill is what I felt as he entered the room. The voice called out again, “The alter awaits us. Come with me.” The wraith outstretched his hand and in the shadows there were several more then appeared. “Atraion there is no need to be shy we’re only here to help you,” the voice said. “Oh yeah! Well I wish to choose my own path,” I replied. “Very well become a demon if you wish, yet do not come back to me crying and sobbing,” replied the voice. “You lie!” I hissed through gritted teeth. The wall behind me opened up, I ran and jumped out into the shadows of my mind. Below me sat the sarogrifer, who caught as we rode into the shadows. The mountains the earth the sky and the sea on the far horizon, appeared instantly. Upon dark winged horses the wraiths pursued me, “faster I urged on the sarogrifer, and we flew much faster. The horses were right on the trail of the sarogrifer and I. we moved faster over the great ancient forests of the west. We suddenly dove into it, and that was the end of the flight to escape ten riders of the wraiths. We sat on the forest floor for a few minutes. “well we must get moving on,” and we moved on into the growing sunlight of the western forest, of the valley of Lornthin. This valley was massive, and within it held a great forest. We soon came to a river, where the water was fresh and cold. I splashed some of the water on my face, when I looked down again there was dead stench. The water had turned dead and within it were dead bodies. I became impelled to turn around, so I did, what I saw behind was the burnt stumps of millions of trees. And what’s more it was coming this way. I began to run from this I ran across the river it caught me the bodies seemed to be alive grabbing reaching out at my legs. I began to run yet they still caught me those dead bodies. I was stuck there, in the water as the plague of death came upon the forest, and it came upon me with a fear that I would die. I was soon in darkness, and I awoke at the campsite. “What happened?” I asked who ever was near. “You were knocked out almost an hour ago,” Garion answered. “I’m hungry,” I said, “can you please give something to eat.” “Sovran, please fetch Atraion something to eat,” he said to some one. “Is Atraion my real name?” I asked my father. “Well yes,” Garion replied, “why do you ask?” “Because in my dreams they have used that name to address me,” I replied.
IX
A Portal Through The Forest
Sovran soon came back with some food, an apple, a salted ham, and several slices of bread. I picked up the ham and gashed at it, the ham was a hearty way to begin. I then began to bite into the apple, and polished it into a single core. The bread I ate last this was to keep my mouth from going to dry. The bread was spread with a buttery substance, and I ate it with the greatest care yet I did savor every bite. When the meal was done every one began to saddle up and the horses began, to ride into the forest we went north first, and then we were moving on into the east. The forest began to get dark, and the ents and trees began to get restless and they began to move across the forest to Shepard the trees. Even in the shadows of the forest we still pressed on through theses the shadows of the living forest. We could hear the movement of the Ent Sheppard’s; we began to move into the shadows. In the earth there was something brewing, to make the trees destroy outsiders.
We soon came into the river of the east; it flowed from north to south. The forest was divided by this river. East from west shadows from light, the wild, from civilization the creatures from the man. The forest of the shadows is what we had passed into when we crossed the river. The twisted tree demons would take us until we had no more strength left.
The air was of secrets of the angers, of the trees. The honor of the clan in which we sat was of, greatest of honor. This was the clan of the sarogrifer, of the honored ones of the king’s knights of the ancient times. The old kingdom once alive with great life, yet now grey and dead from invasions of the eastern empire. The oracle of the white was actually master of a clan of wraiths. This clan has no honor, and this clan was of the east. This clan had less honor than the demons of the mines and the palaces outside the eastern empire. The clans of ents of the first, forests of the world have been around since the first age of the world. The ents were the Shepard’s of the forest. The ents took care of the forest taking the time to know each and every one. The ents had much honor in their clans of the forests of the world, in the height of their civilization. The clans of our world had much honor, or very little. They had large numbers or few. The clans of the world were dark in the shadows, or they were light in the white element.
We crossed the river of the east, and this forest inhabited by the tree demons. The tree demons are the opposite of the Ent. The tree demon is the master of the destruction. The tree demons destroy large areas of the forest, with only one or two demons at a time. Soon the tree demons and the ents would be at war, and we would become the war of the new era. This war is something new on the twist of war. The eastern empire would aid the tree demons, and man would aid the war of the ents. I have seen things not seen by man before this fifth age of the Corinthian lands. These were things of anger and of shadows in the forest, even these upon those eastern plains of pelanoreas. The shadows were spreading from the east into the west, in a great invasion.
The river was crossed into the shadows, and the shadows were being pushed back. We traveled through the forests quickly my father began to pick up his pace, and I followed suit. We were moving very fast across the forest, the horses were at a trot. My father turned a corner and I followed him around there it were we ended that worried me. We were moving fast across this forest of the dark. The shadows began to over me and they began to take me. Yet I kept on going, I pushed forward to where my father had stopped. He had stopped in a clearing, not far from the black mountain that rose out of the shadow forest. “Father, why did you choose to stop here?” I asked breathlessly. “This is a clearing,” he replied, “and clearings give light, this is for protection.” The forest would give us protection through the night. I dismounted and then helped the elf down, I took the horse over to the tree where my father’s horse was and I began to start a fire. “No! We do not want to attract tree demons,” my father startled me. So I did not bother to light a fire, I simply waited as they set up tents for the nights. “My son please put on the robes they have given you in your tent,” he said, pointing to a nearby tent. I went inside and began taking off my armor, when I finished I put on the robes lying in the chest in the corner. I began to lie down on the makeshift cot on the ground; I fell asleep for a few hours. Yet I was awakened by the sound of men screaming, I picked up my blade and rushed out side of the tent. There stood several tree demons terrorizing the camp. They had fiery fists, flinging the fires of chaos at us. The fires were burning tents to the ground, leaving men dead. I took refuge in my tent for several moments. I put on my armor and quiver to my bow. I strapped the sheath to my side, and rushed outside. As I ran outside my tent began to burn with the chaos fire that was my friend. I foraged whatever I could that was left, and strapped it to a horse. I then found the elf in the night’s darkness, I told her, “take anything you can, we must escape. Just grab any supplies you need.” She nodded, I rushed her to the food storage area, and then to her tent, where she picked up a blade that she owned. I soon rushed over to the horses, and she strapped herself. A tree demon began to approach; I picked up the elf onto her horse. I then mounted and I drew my sword, and slashed the approaching tree demon. It screeched like the demon angel, on the mountainside. The night was growing old and the day was coming fast.
The tree demon is a twisted Ent, they were tortured by demons giving them their names. The tree demons are vicious and ruthless. Many of these creatures possess the power of the chaos flame. This flame is the shadows of the white, chaos includes the fire, and shadows of the spirits.
I rode on through the forest, into the shadow realm of the forest, into the tree demon territories. We were not trotting, yet were galloping along an unbeaten path, of the forest. We began to come to a slower pace, as we approached a clearing. In the moonlight there was several ents at the edge of the clearing. “Come out and show yourselves!” I shouted spinning around, “you Shepard’s of the forest.” ARROUGHHHH came from every angle this sound of a moaning beast, and then one by one the ents began to step forward from the shadows. Then the elf finally dismounted from her horse. I spoke to them, “can you help me to defeat, the tree demons.” “Whyyy shhould wweee hheellpp yyoouu?” asked one of them. “Well we wish to defeat these demons of the forest, helping the demons transform this part of the forest, beyond the river,” I answered.
The ent is the great creature that controls the forest; the trees are the friends of the ents. The ents were of the earth, they were pure and they were full of the earthen spirits of the world’s eye. The ents began from creation of the first beings the elves they summoned the ents into creation and the elves began to allow the ents to rule the forests of the world. The world of the ent is not simple, they are very complex beings. The ents travel in packs, to war, otherwise they travel alone. The ent’s travel along the forest to take care of the trees. It may take the ent the a few month’s to travel through the forest that they live in. The ent’s know no boundaries, against which to rebel they know no borders in their forest. I had begun to explain the situation we were in, and that we needed to get to the village just outside of the forest. I had explained that if each one could carry a horse and one could carry me, and the elf. One picked us up and, another two picked up the horses as I had said. We began to move yet faster than the horse with these great strides of the ents. They began to pick up a faster pace than usual, and the wind began to pick up in my face. I took up the shadows and began to sleep, I saw darkness for a long time until before rose mountains and behind rose a forest. From the shadowy skies appeared clouds and then the sun, and the grey of the true skies. From these skies came the wraiths, of the riders of the winged horses. Then there came the sarogrifer riding from a gaping hole in the earth. He rose up into the skies, and down upon the riders, at which point they scattered. Into the earth, and then back up, the hole was gone yet a great crevasse was forming. Out of the crevasse rose ten winged horse riders, the wraiths were still alive. I drew my blade as they approached the spot where I stood. I began to swing my blade around as they approached. They began to grow closer s they did, fell to the might of my blade. After all but one was left, the rider turned into an animated corpse. The corpse hissed, “Do not let the dead take you Atraion.” He leaned over, hissed in my ear, and his tongue touched my ear. I felt sick and nasty, as if I had been poisoned. I then began to see black, and the shadows of the eternal dark abyss. I awoke with a start, “where are we?” I asked. “We are at the edge of the forest, and the night has passed,” the elf answered me. “We are?” I asked again. “Yess yoooungg oonnee,” answered the ent. Several moments of time passed and I again asked, “What time is it?” “About two hours after dawn-” the elf stopped. Down the path sat several tree demons. I paralyzed with fear, and I was shaking like there was no tomorrow. I hastily drew my bow, and placed an arrow in the string, I drew back my arrow and released. The arrow hit the eye of one of the tree demons. The demon began to scream, and the burning of the flesh bark began to happen. The tree demon began to combust, and ran into yet another tree demon, they both began to run, and the fires were put out by the ashes of these two twisted ents. There left one tree demon, at the end of this path. The ent set us down, and he charged at the tree demon, he used his branches on the end of his head to knock the tree demon into the ground. The demon fell to the ground and the ent said to me, “finnishh hiimmm.” I drew another arrow and hit the eye of the tree demon. The fire quickly burnt the tree into ash, and the tree died without a song. “Rookian, hurtyriouhiss ury guytutere ran tur ran,” sang the ent’s in a soft low tune. The ruined song of the ent’s history was the fall of their civilization. Very few of these great, and magnificent creatures remained. The shadows of the downfall of many have created the illusion that pleasure is the downfall of many a civilization. The ent approached and picked us up. “What is your name great ent?” I asked the one who was carrying me. “Bark Bear, iis my name,” he answered, as we continued moving to the town outside the forest. When at last we reached the edge of the forest, the ents could not go on for the forest was there home. They dropped us off and our horses at the edge of the great forest, and the horses were dropped off unharmed. The horses were fine a little shaken yet other than that, we were fine. We took of towards the village, at a slow and bitter pace. The pace was as bitter as the core of an apple. We rode swiftly, in the heat of the sun still low in the sky. The night was broken and we were in the plain between forest and village. As we approached the village there began a smoke rising above the roofs yet it was not from a chimney, I was puzzled by this phenomenon. Several ruined buildings sat out side the village as I approached the very outskirts of the village; I began to canter into the cramped streets of the village.
X The Traces of Blood and of Suffering
The village was cramped and uptight; the alleys were almost as wide as the streets. The dim of the shadows of these allies the village looked entirely abandoned. The molding was chipping off the walls of the thatch roof houses. The stones fell down into the puddles of the blood I just noticed along the walls. There was blood splattered across the walls; a brutal beast had battered a person along the walls. The blood was fresh this had happened a few hours ago.
I dismounted from the horse, and took the reigns behind me the horse followed behind me, as I slowly and carefully stepped gingerly over this unpaved alley. I began to move forward a little faster, yet still very slowly. Eventually as I followed these trails of blood at the corners of a street where the alley ends I found a body. The body was sitting upright on the alley floor. The stench was unbearable, the stench of death was upon me, from my last dream the dead rider.
I smelled the burning of wood around the corner. I rushed hastily around the corner drawing my blade for protection. Beyond the corner I saw several refugees displaced by what ever attacked the village. There was a young woman a man, and several mature children. “Who are you?” yelled the man. “Please I am Atraion of the sarogrifer,” I replied timidly, “I only wish to know what happened here.” “Well we were attacked by a legion, of tree demons, and demons,” the man answered me. “The tree demons of the forest did this!” I outbursted, “those twisted ents are evil.” “Settle down, my son,” the man said, “would you like to tell us what happened?” “Okay well, I was in the forest with my party and we were attacked in the midst of my sleep,” I said. “My elf companion and I were taken aback,” I said grasping the amulet I remembered was around my neck “I had to rush out side to the horses tied to the trees, we each took one,” I said sitting down on the unpaved streets. “We loaded each horse with supplies, and then we set off through the forest. As we rode on the night became darker around us the forest was becoming a burden. I was thinking about what had happened to my father whom was with us when the attack happened,” I continued to tell the story I had to tell. “The forest was becoming larger, as we approached a clearing; the ents at the edges came into view. I ran into the center, and began to shout, ‘come out I know you are there you Sheppard’s of the forest,’ I knew that the ents would come out and they did, with a large moaning sound, ARRROUGHGHHH,” I continued my story of the forest. The man woman and child looked as if they had pity for my story. “They approached me coming from the edges those ents did, my elf companion then dismounted. I told the ent’s about the troubles that had plagued us as we were riding through the night of the forest. They agreed to help us to get to your village, and they picked us up and two other’s took our horses. We continued on faster than before, as we progressed steadily, through the shadow realm of the forest-““I am confused what is this shadow realm of the forest you speak of?” the old man asked. “The river in the forest divides ent territory and tree demon territory,” I answered. “Oh very well continue your story,” the old man said. “The shadow realm of the forest is dense with tree demons, and we eventually came to a pack of tree demons, and the ent set us down. I drew my bow and set two of the demons afire, and the third the ent charged and I set afire with my bow,” the children looked happy as did the man yet the young woman looked sad. “we continued through the forest, into the dawn and the ents set us down at the edge of the forest. Now here we are, at this village in the east,” I finished my story. I walked over to the woman, “why are you so sad?” I asked her. “Oh my father is around the corner he died during the attack, we are the only people left surviving the attack,” she answered. “What is your name?” I asked her. “My name is Oragaion,” she answered. “Well you must, be sad for more than that Oragain,” I said, “can I cheer you up.” She smiled and I saw out of the corner of my eye, the elf standing there in front of her horse. I stood up and turned around, to face the elf, I walked towards her and asked her, “What is your name?” “Okay fine my name is, Arowyne,” she answered. “Oragain, this is Eoynmer,” I announced. Arowyne looked disgruntled tired and upset that she admitted her name. Oragain looked happier already and I was keeping her faith that her village would be rebuilt, and the conflict would end. The woman was happier, and I was allowing the happiness flowing from me into her. I was somehow attracted to her and I was becoming more active with her as the moments went on. The shadows of the night were gone and the attack was gone the rebuilding would begin with the people. Suffering had been endured and that was over with the attack, yet others lost ones they loved in this attack. The flame burning in the center of the street, was a beacon of hope that some one would come to the village to help. The flame was the undying symbol of the, hope for the survivors, it may help them know that it was worth getting up each morning. The morning was growing old in the dawn of an afternoon. I took out of my pack on the horse, several pots and asked, “Is there a water source in town?” “There was an aqueduct leading to the center of the village, I do not know if it still stands,” the old man replied to me. “very well we shall set off for the center of town,” I said, “who wants to come?” “We do,” the two boys said. “I’ll come,” Oragain said. We set off into the east even farther, as noon was coming fast. The lunch fast was coming soon enough, and we would be hungry, I knew that this was true. I walked faster than any of the other party members, as the streets became narrower I knew that there was a very slim chance that the aqueduct was still intact. The streets were beginning to wind in and out of the curves of buildings, and the there as we approached the center of the town there was an intact water flow. I did not say that the aqueduct, was intact I said the flow was. I rushed over, to the gathering pool and began to pick up water, into the pots. I then put them down and splashed some of the water on my face. My steel armor was drenched in the liquid, and the water began to leave me. The two boys jumped right into the pool and the water over flowed over the top, at that moment I was glad that I was going to boil the water. Oragain splashed some upon her face, and we set out again. The two boys asked me, “What is that water for?” “For cooking,” I replied, and they looked at me little funny. The water was fine, as we approached the site of the fire. I ran to the fire and wrapped some cloth around each handle, and held them both over the fire. The sparks caught on the bottom of each pot and the boiling began. “Arowyne please come here and hold these pots?” I asked Arowyne. She came over and held them I took several raw salted chickens and placed them in the pot, the chickens began to cook. I took the pots again, as the chickens began to turn brown. I tipped the water into the fire, yet the fire did not go out the water was mainly drained from the pots. I placed the pots on the ground, and I got out several herbs and spices, and sprinkled them about the pot. I took a knife and cut the chickens into six pieces. I walked around to the people, and they each picked up a piece of chicken, I took my pots back and took the last piece of chicken. I placed the pots back in the pouch and took out several apples. I fed the horses the apples, and I began to gnaw at the chicken. The chicken was very tasty; I will admit I am not the best cook. The boys began to complain that the chicken did not taste very good. “Oh at least its food,” I shouted. “Sorry,” they both said at once. “Good, I said, “anybody have complaints? Take them straight to me. I wish to know any complaints you have about my cooking.” “I have a problem,” Arowyne said, “the chicken tastes like demon flesh.” “Oh, and how do you know what demon flesh tastes like?” I asked. “It was just a figure of speech,” she answered. A solemn silence came after this last remark, the silence lasted for a very long time. The time seemed like an eternity days, weeks, months, and even years. The silence was quiet, if the snow stopped falling on a winter’s night. The cold of silence was cold if colder than the winter’s nights. The winters were of the shadows of the east, of the highest mountain and the highest summit. I was in the shadows, I had no way of knowing what lurked through these streets, I had no way to know of the elder demons were here. The elder demons were here in the streets of this village. I had to keep the fire going, so I got up and ran into a ruined shelter, and grabbed some wood. I ran back to the fire and threw it upon the fire, and I sat and rested. I fell into a slumber sitting there, in the heat of the fire the ring of the heat barrier fell unto me and my companions. I found my self yet again in shadow, the shadow and a green light appeared before me. The light was coming off an orb, in front of me, the light then changed into a white and then black. The black soon faded out into the shadow, and the forest appeared before me. And riding steadily ever closer, were coming to me the wraiths. I looked down at my hands, now searing with pain, they were turning black, and growing claw features. I was growing into a demon, all of my skin was becoming black, and the shadows became visible to me. I began to run through the forest, and sorrow began to take me. I was engulfed in the sorrow and the pity for myself was to great. I stopped in the shadows of the world of this realm of my mind. The wraiths were still following me and my trail of sorrow and suffering, blood began splatter upon the ground and these traces were being followed. I felt like a true demon traversing the land running from men like myself the hunters vicious and ruthless. I ran ever faster, and I tripped over a rock I fell upon my face and the creatures behind me approached. I drew my blade and began to run towards the wraiths, they screeched and turned with great ease. I noticed my blade was the cutthroat blades of the armies of the eastern empire. I continued to run towards the wraiths, they ran whispering and chanting something even I could hear. “Run Atraion run but you shall not escape,” the raspy voices were dying and one stood strong. The horses fell and each time was the chime of a clock tower, the horses rose again and they fell, triggering six more chimes. Several arose again once more and the wraiths dismounted. The horses then fell and the chime once more rang through the forest. The race was on the wraith began to run and then hovering, across the ground the low flying creature were running from my demon figure. I had my blade in hand and I reached the slow moving figures, one turned around and struck my blade against theirs. The blades fell down upon the earth, and the roots picked them up mine was handed back to me. The wraith blade, was raised up into the air, and was dropped, the blade fell down. I found an opportunity to strike the foul creature, so I took it I raised my blade and struck down upon the shoulder of the evil being. The blade fell down, upon no the earth, yet my shoulder. I did not feel the pain until I looked over and saw the blade sticking in my shoulder. I screamed, AAAAAHHHHHHH! And then in the sky there came a light and growing on it were seven herbs. The wraiths turned to white oracles, and wizards of the magic white element. “Thank you,” the lead oracle said, “you have helped release the wraith spirits within us.” “your welcome,” I replied, I was turning back into a man, and began to gain white skin. The white oracles drifted off into the dust of my mind. I was looking into the abyss of the forest this seemingly endless amount of trees and plants that was living within itself. The endless forest was living in my mind, within me this nature of an amazing and ever growing and expanding in itself. The shadows of the forest were going to be upon me soon. There rose from the earth a great chestnut horse, molded from the earth itself with creases then folded away into the flesh of this beast. The earth’s cracks soon faded when the great beast became animated. The horse then became full of life and then in the light of the sun above the canopy the light shone down on this horse. The earth had faded entirely away from its flesh and bone and the earthy shade was fading away. Now the chestnut was turning into black and the flesh was becoming less earthy. I was beginning to see that the earth was made of everything, that everything was made from the earth. The trees were made of the topsoil from the earth’s crust of an outer barrier. The new good earth was made of the common man, the earthen traces were no longer there yet he was summoned from the earth. The beasts, the greatest creatures were made of the bottom of the earth. Everything was summoned from a single point in the universe at a single time from the earth. I began to mount the horse, yet it seemed as if I could not the horse bucked and it bridled against my mount. The horse ran off into the forest and then he began to come back charging at full force towards me. The horse was near me when it suddenly sprouted wings, the horse was coming closer and then it took off from the ground. The horse was so close to me I could reach out and touch my hands to the hooves. The horse was still flying through the air when it seemed to lose it’s wings and began to fall down onto the forest canopy and then it’s floor. I saw the horse falling and then I saw it fall wounded on the ground, I rushed over to the horse and began to cry. I leaned over the body of the motionless creature; nothing moved for that second of the world there was nothing but the curve of the blade at my side that could cut any thing standing my way. Then the horse vanished I stopped for a moment and then looked up, there I saw the forest plague once again sweeping across the land. The stumps were growing closer and began to run away, suddenly I felt my self grabbed by the shoulders by talons, above flying was the sarogrifer. I was riding above the trees as the forest plague was still spreading, magically disappearing in my mind. We rode straight for the mountains though the clouds and the grey stone of the mountains of the west. We rode through the mountains when at last we found a small mesa. He took me down to the plateau, and I began to dismount. The sarogrifer still was running, as I was dismounting he was still running along the edge. I at last got off and the sarogrifer came to run off the edge and fly in a loop over the mesa and he arrived back upon the mesa. He began to run yet again across the earth and began to fly in another loop this one was of fire. When at last the sarogrifer returned to where I stood. “This is where the palace of the sarogrifer shall be established,” he told me, “you shall help me in the building.” I then looked at my side and saw that there was the blade I had when I had begun my journey. In that moment an orb of forces engulfed the plateau, and the forces covered that orb and the ice and fire and magma engulfed the plateau. The top layer of the earth was lifted up and then it flew high into the clouds the palace was forming in the shadows of the clouds. The piercing scream of a wraith came into the clouds and was screaming it burst through the earth orb and began to take hold of me. I was beginning to become less human forever. In the shadows of that cloud I was becoming forever losing my humanity. I was now suffering like those in the village, I had not lost anyone yet I was in the shadows I was becoming a demon. Below me there were traces of my blood falling below into the great crevasses in the mountains. The ruins on the great stone terraces on the mountainsides. Those terraces on the hillsides that held the crops are no longer cared for. The palace was still forming behind me and the intense winds from the outer area were destroying the outer rim of the mesa. The wraith was still coming closer as the shadows of the palace were growing larger. I drew my blade, and the cutthroat sword appeared before me I ran into the wraith and the sprit began to turn around and it flew outside of the orb. I looked up at the palace and then in the shadows I saw that the palace was almost complete. The stones were growing higher and then in the shadows of the orb it had been complete. The final tower had been finished, the gardens were alive and the orb was fading away in the grey clouds out side. The platform was lowering down onto the mesa and the palace was completed in the shadows of the world. The world was incomplete without the palace among the mountains in the infinite passes and gorges of the mountains. I began to wander among the columns of the courtyard the earth was beginning to take the form of growth among the sealants holding the stones together. The palace seemed as if it was aging very hastily, the rocks began to crumble and great palace began to lose the pillars that supported it. The pillars and the palace began to fall, and the palace was caving in upon me. I began to run through the ruined mess of atone and then I felt my self swooped up by the sarogrifer. Then ROOAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR the palace had entirely collapsed in on itself. The beast turned us around and I felt us flying towards the east, we were headed for the eastern empire.
I felt myself leaving this sprit body in my mind I was becoming less of a demon I had not entirely lost my humanity. Then in the shadows there sat the world that was the true realm of what I was living. I was coming to my senses and I began to feel my real body, and the horses beyond me. I was inside that compact village once again.
The scent of torches began to appear as I awoke into the clear air, then there began a chanting of the words, “ash umm, the world shall feel no pain. Ash umm the world is born of rains.” I quickly stood up, and then walked over to Oragaion, and asked her, “is there a library of records around here?” “Well there is one about four buildings but I believe it may have been destroyed,” she answered, “Why what do you ne-.” “I need a map of the surrounding region,” I interrupted, and began to run down the street to the record house. Above the door there hung a sign, “The House of Records.” I ran inside that rugged looking worn down door. Several of the windows were broken through and the shadows sprung from these. The Building was being chipped away and weathered from the attack upon the village, and the building itself was about to cave in. As I burst inside there was several rather large rafters that fell to the ground from the ceiling. I ran over to a pile of a papers, and sifted through the papers, I knew I had to be quick or the whole building would swallow me up in a cave in. I began to get lower in the pile and as I did I began to find maps of far off lands. I at last found a map of Corinth, I picked it up and I began to look through the pile for a map of the region. I was becoming keen to look for maps of the region, and was getting very close to the bottom of the pile. I began to see several maps so I scooped each one up with my arm. I turned and began to run through the collapsing building. Another rafter fell creating a great cloud of dust. I began to run through the building after coughing. I began to run through the library hastily and I was dodging the falling pieces of stone. Then I saw the opening of the light of the door, and I rushed towards that opening the light was coming towards me.
XI The Damned and the Dead
I was at last outside and I looked behind me, the structure was falling and the building collapsing stone. The buildings remains brought up a cloud of dust and silt rose from the ground and I began to run towards the campsite. With the maps tucked under my arm the cloud of silt and dust began to become small as the camp began to grow larger. I at last reached the camp after what seemed like hours but it was only several minutes. “Arowyne get over here,” I said, and she approached me, “here is a map of eastern Corinth, I will meet you in Sarode. And then we will meet up, you must try to find my father if you do not then do not fret. But I must attend to some business, then we shall meet at Sarode. Do you understand?” “Yes I do,” she answered. I immediately walked over to Oragaion and told her, “You must go with Arowyne and search for my father. Do you understand?” “Yes I do,” she answered. “good now go forth and fulfill the plan,” I said. I went up to Arowyne and handed her a map of the region, and I placed the others in a pouch on my horse. And I began to mount my horse, the wind began to kick up and I placed my cloak over my armor and pulled up my hood. I took off and then the running kicked up and I rounded the first corner. And I began to run again, the horse was continuing into the mist of the coming night. I continued through the great labyrinth of houses and buildings, I began to wonder how this was a village. I rounded the corners of these narrow streets, and the chanting that I had heard began to grow louder once again. Down this great street to the end, to the corner, yet that chanting was growing louder and the demons were growing closer. I had no idea what waited around the corner so I simply turned the way I always do. The sharp hasty turn began to take its toll on the horse, but I saw down the street would take a greater toll. I looked down the street and what did I see, why the council of elder demons was waiting for me. They sat there in a circle waiting for me; a white orb surrounded them as I approached the council slowly. The earth rose up from where they sat as it had in my dream, and the orb rose up into the air in a rush of great winds. The rising of the earth from the chunk swept me off my horse. I struggled to stand up in this amazing gust of winds, and my horse began to run down the street. The horse ran straight up to the pit of missing earth, and I ran after it. The entire mass of earth seemed to be gone from this great chunk of floating earth. I stared of at the floating mass growing ever higher in the twilight skies of the new night coming swiftly. The ruined realm below was of another an underworld of the darkest intentions among the age of men. That hole in the earth is where the land of the skies and earth met with the levels of the underworld that world without skies. The fires of the earth met with the black fire of that of the underworld. And so with that I ran aback into the street where I could see the rising piece of earth. I was in the shadow of the world of the chunk of earth of the rising in the air, and then of the earth I was rising towards it. A white orb surrounded me, and of the earth it was no longer beneath my feet. I was rising towards the now solitary piece of floating earth in an orb of great white. In the earth I was no longer touching something brewing and creating a new force from which would spring. The earth was no longer real to me for I felt as if I was walking upon air. And then the earth was becoming of the new substance the shadow substance, in the subsistence of the world. Life of the shadow was becoming anew in the life of the old grey earth, the reviving of the shadows was being done upon the portal to the underworld. We were all going to be in serious danger if I did not stop these menaces from bringing new subsistence into the shadow. I was now going to drive these madmen into the underworld where they belonged in that spot in the center of the earth. The ruined realm of the bearer of sorrows was around me now, as I looked out upon this shattered village. The image was growing smaller now, but the heart of the conflict was still growing. I was beginning to see what tree demons were truly capable of, what mass destruction they can bring, how the fires that they wrought could destroy such large areas of land. And even then I did not know what war could bring from that race of tree ents that did not live in harmony with their surroundings. Looking down upon the ruined landscape of a shadow ruled realm where fear governed and passion was the nature of every creature. Those blackened plains of ash and silt; once cultivated by farmers who created great harvests among the people. A realm where hunters gained great bounties of meat and furs for the warmth of life needed for subsistence. And yet still there was a passion for the architecture of the great eastern culture, the people always lived in the way the people built great arches and low buildings. That culture was now fading away as the fires of the east are now roaring with life now not needing help from the men whom began it. I was nearing the great chunk of rock now and the earth was beginning to get farther away in my sight. Constantly the ruined sight of my mind began to run rampant upon my minds realms. The orb then at that moment merged with the shadows and the man of the mastery was becoming the demon of the damned. That orb did merge with the ruler and the boar of the coming age of the new shadow realm. I was beginning to see great beasts among these sorcerers as I stood there on this great platform. For several moments the conjurers became giant shadows cloaked in black velvet. They did rise into the highest part of the great white field surrounding us, and they came down towards me as if they wished to envelope me. There were markings carved into the stone earth that was at my feet they were beautiful hand done, they formed great circles in the earth. Chanting began, “ahh umm the world is new, the world is full of shadows too.” With this chanting came the lighting of the great carvings they began to grow white with the longer the chant went on. The great light was becoming rounded with the earth as the landscape began to look darker as the light became brighter. I began to see shadows rising from that hole in the earth, the summoning was working. I drew my blade in the ruined winds that were now rising through the ruined air, I was becoming less and less inclined to stand as the winds kicked up. The torrent of the skies was beginning to seem more like the conflicts here upon the central plain of life existence. The underworld can also be conceived a hell in the books of the earths longest living torture. The thought that when we die our spirits may be sent to the palace where cruelest of the dead souls are eternally tortured. The greatest thought of eternal torture in the books of men and of the earth we have carved from the beginning of our existence. The earth and all its contents began in darkness, and all shall also die in darkness in the endless abyss of the underworld. All of this is the end of the earth as we know it in the end of the earth, and the end of the world. The earth was also beginning to come to a close, as I was beginning to close the hole in which it had made. As the battle was drawing nearer to me and the heart of the earth. The ritual was coming to a close in the realms of the man and the beast, the elders were beginning to ruin the earth as it was. My blade was drawn my will would be done if it was the last thing that I completed in my life. The shadows in the cloaks were growing even larger and the earth was becoming of the ruined age of elf and of man. A new age of shadows was coming upon us in the sense of the earth in a brand new sixth age forged from the shadows of the underworld. I was feeling more like a demon every second I wasted standing there against the ever darkening backdrop. I was continuing my cowardice for several prolonged moments of great forsaken shadows. I had seen everything in the earth for a long while in the turning points of the earth’s great points of shadow. The light was being forged further and the light being pushed back into the west. The grim points of shadow were forming out of nowhere in the forest on the mountains in the ruined cities. My mind was set I must cut down these great shadows, and repair the lights around the land. With blade in hand I began to strike at the creatures that would have been the death of us all. The towering fiends were of the true realm of the underworld they were shadow elder demons whom would bring terror to the earth. With that I began to strike at the nearest figure, the towering being stood behind the dragon in the outer circle of the platform. The creature began to shriek and to grow smaller in its image to conquer all that deified. The figure then sunk down to my level and I thrust the blade into the creature’s chest. And the cloak fell with nothing to support it. The essence of the white waited before me, it rose out of the ground and the white outline found its way onto the being directly across from me. I found the symbol upon the beings chest. And the rising of the creature even further was in order to destroy every villain awaiting me. The soldiers of the underworld were now emerging from the shadows springing forth from the shadow portal. The creature directly across from me was growing wings and the evil shadow was becoming a demon angel. The white wings of the Pegasus were growing upon the elder, and he was becoming a secret ruin of the neo-shadows. The neo-shadows of the underworld, now taking rule over all the of the plains existence they are enslaved by the trapped demons. They now out number the demons, six to one the grey shadows are of the new underworld. I struck the one growing wings as I rushed across this great stone tablet, lying before the hooded demon was the Pegasus. It was also growing smaller as had the dragon demon, I thrust the blade into his wing and the cloak was all that was left. I thought of seeing Oragaion again and that if I did not succeed I would not se her again, this pushed me even harder to do well. I was lost in the threat of these remaining ten demons, in the background the chanting continued to go on. I was thinking of how once again I was stuck, I grasped the amulet around my neck and it began to glow. The emerald was glowing brightly, the blade in my hand was beginning to glow with a bright green flame. The pure flame was now becoming shadowy, and discontented with shadows it was in. The chanting stopped, and the entire orb turned black, in the night sky yet this scar on orb was purely black, the orb hid the outside world. Above a luminous white orb floated among the high, it illuminated the cavernous hall that I was in. the carvings turned black with orb, and they rose up turning grey, each symbol targeted a different hood. The figures then shrunk, and revealed their faces removing their hoods. A blade appeared in each of the councilmen’s hands, the gauntlets became shadows of the hands that wielded them. The earth began to tremble as if the plug was going to fall and cover the hole into the underworld. The tremble startled me and the falling began. “The magic is wearing off,” shouted one of the councilmen. “I knew we shouldn’t have stopped the chanting.” I was becoming more like them, I felt there worries, I was worried that we would fall and die. They restored the magic to the living tablet for now. My blade struck with several of the others, as they charged at me, I took them down thrusting my blade into different areas. My footwork helped me in this battle. The pace was quickened by the woes of the falling tablet, the falling commenced once more, but we continued to battle each other. One adversary was extremely powerful, he first ran at me with his blade, I parried him and the ruin was coming. He continued to rise in power over me, I felt as if I was losing my strength. I dropped my blade and it flew down skidding to a halt I had to crawl upon my knees and I picked it up. The demon was about to come down upon me as I swung as he swung and I flung him back across the tablet. He sat there trying to lift himself with the blade, yet the light prevailed and he fell and the cloak drifted downward. The falling continued and several others tried to take me down. I blocked each and they flew back, the blade once again glowed with the green flame. I swung the blade and the enemies lit with a great flame and they pranced around in great pain. The screams came with the tablet; each symbol fell back into the slots of the shadows in the rain. The orb shield then disappeared revealing the rain. Only one of the beings remained and I knew he would be challenging. My blade was then in that moment was engulfed in the flame of the white, yet it was not extinguished. I began to run towards the demon he was simply standing there. As I approached his face became blank an expression of nothing. I came so close I could feel his breath, but he slid out of the way. I turned to strike him but he had disappeared into the night. “auhaahaha,” ha called out from the abyss, “you will never defeat me.” the echoing stood still in the slowly falling tablet. The rain intensified and thunder and lighting came down upon me. I ran to the center symbol the last that was lit up. I raised my blade above my head and I trust it into the great tablet of secrets. As I did I cried out, “Ahhhhaaaaaaaaa.” The hilt burned my hands as I gripped it, I was trying to pull the blade out to stop the burning and the sword was still stuck. I let go of the hilt and blade sat there stuck in the tablet. The hilt began to glow and the golden flame began. The hilt was glowing golden and the blade was coming out. I began to see the end of the blade in a separate shard. The blade was in two pieces of sacred steel, the runes were becoming separate and worn. The two pieces clanked upon the ground and I ran up to it, I kneeled down and picked the blade up. I went to the nearest cloak, and wrapped up the pieces in the black cloth. I picked up the blade at my feet and the sheath; I placed the blade in the sheath and put the blade around my belt. I walked to another cloak and picked it up along with the blade and sheath, I placed the blade in that sheath and I placed it upon my belt. The tablet was now lowering into the hole in the street with that portal to the underworld. With this loading into the hole, came the disappearing of the symbols all of the carvings vanished. The sparks ran around the disappearing carvings rising into the smokes in the air. A cloud of smoke rose into the air and I began to cough. Once the smoke cleared I saw the dead soldiers of the underworld, they stood there in rattled armor. The shields rose in unison and I drew my two Ordain blades at my side, the shadows rose with them and the black rose up. The rows of soldiers roared in unison with the loose jaws of the corpse. The unmoving bodies of the dead, sat there with the ruined bodies and the flesh of these soldiers was poisonous to the eye. The soldiers drew their blades and began to hit them against to the shields, helmets appeared over their heads. The clatter began to sound like the rains that had sounded a moment ago. The clatter of thunder sounded again, and the rains fell down upon the ground. I ran up to the nearest soldier and thrust into the soldiers gut a blade of the Ordain. The soldier screeched and fell into ashes upon the ground. The ashes were washed down upon street and there at my feet. My blades sat in my hands, in the hilts of the two blades where evil histories did lie. The cold rain fell upon my cloak; I tightened it as the rain and wind intensified even more. The rain began to swirl around on the ground and mix with the corpses as if a river of the dead was forming. I ran down the street towards the horse. As I did the dead river became wider. The corpses inside were grabbing at my feet trying to get me to stay with them. I saw that the river was flowing into the cracks to the underworld from where the tablet lay. The corpses sat inside waiting to trap others there. I was among those who had fallen into the trap. I struggled to move out of the grip of death. And the struggle was not becoming more likely for me to win. I was at last out of the grip of death and I began running down the river. Behind me rose a great gargantuan. I was at last reaching my horse after that struggle. I mounted upon the back and then I began turn around. As I turned around I saw the guardian of the last gates in the underworld, the ghastly undead Gorgan Orca. The creature is a hideous mix of undead beasts of goliaths and of dragons, and of serpents, and of the demon. The creature was created to guard the lowest level, the place of the Auroc. The lowest level is the place of the master of the underworld. The creature was mashed together into bits of each creature, and very hastily as well. The creature rose up one of its massive fists, and it began to slam them down upon the ground. The ground suddenly flew out of t he ground as they hit the street. The stones began falling. I had to dodge several that made great dents in the earth. Smaller chunks of rock began to rain down upon me. The great hail felt like that of hails of arrows. The stinging penetrated my armor and flesh in a great fury. The second fist came down upon the earth as well, faster and with more intensity than before. The ground shook with the fury of a quake. Hails of great chunks of rock came down. A shadow enveloped me and I looked up, a boulder was coming down upon me. I ran out of the way of the boulder as well as I could in my soaked armor and cloak. Several neck like head appendages sprouted from the underbelly of the beast, and over top upon its back. They were all as hideous as the first, yet that head was much longer than the new heads. The heads began to elongate and they began to roar, the roar was great and intimidating. The roar suddenly turned into that of the screech of a dying person. The dwindled intimidating began to be annoying. The screech was ghastly and eerie and it could scream within your mind forever. The gorgon was moving towards me upon it’s great legs. The giant did not move very swiftly but the steps were very powerful. The footsteps were as the beat of a drum, great long beats, which did pound upon the canvas that was the street. The guardian was moving ever closer to me, my heart was pounding. I strode down the underbelly upon the back of my horse. I drew my blade and I slashed at the nearest thing that moved. I looked over to what I had lodged my blade into. It was the neck of one of the many heads upon this underbelly, I blade was securely lodged. I drew my second blade to defend myself as I struggled to dislodge the first. Then a second head poked directly in front of me. I thrust the blade into the head, and then hastily retracted it. The flesh of the other head was becoming more thick and the blade was sinking in. I could not pull it out no matter how hard I struggled. I decided to leave the blade and comeback for it, I had one blade at least for now. I began to run for the other end of the creature, as I did several heads jumped out ahead of me. The heads formed a wall in front of me, impenetrable and loocked toght I was growing closer to the wall I placed my blade in front of me. as soon as I made contact with the wall I flailed my blade about in a most disorganized fashion. This way and that my sword strokes went in many unorthodox ways. I looked ahead of me; a head was sitting there awaiting me for a duel. I was charging straight for it when it suddenly opened its mouth and revealed a blade, my blade. As I approached the vicinity of the head I had to slow my horse who had picked up much speed. I slowed him to a halt. As I did so did the creature, it took one last step towards me. I parried my blades against each other, sparks flew over head and the shadows grew larger. The blades were stopped by each other; they clanked as they hit each other the metal shafts vibrating. The battle ensued in full force as I tried not to let my guard down. Then at last the head let his guard down for small moment of time, I thrust the blade into the neck and the blade fell down upon the ground. We had reached the end of the beast, I saw the tail and had and idea. I turned around my horse and waited for it to come close enough to grab. As I did I grasped the end of the tail, and began to swing across his backside. I swung around and then turned the tail around swing towards the side of the body. I grasped the tail even tighter, and then I jumped and let go, I jumped and then I grabbed the spine spikes on the side. And then began climbing them like a Rockwall. I was almost to the top of his back. The spikes were coming to an end and I was near the top the back. I lifted myself up upon the back pulling my weight up. I pulled out my single blade, and slammed it upon the back. Auhhhhhhhhhhhhh, came the cry from the beast. I looked up and I saw the heads they were all now staring at me. I ran down to the heads and I raised my blade. I struck down several of the stout heads, theses were harder to strike down than the underbellies. I had to slice them entirely off or they would regroup with more heads I simply chopped off several of the tops and the re-sprouted with more heads. So then I chopped off the necks and they began to die out. The necks then began to weaken and it was much easier to penetrate, and I began to slice with ease. The blade felt like it was greased and the flesh was like gelatin. The heads were almost all gone and the beast was going to die. But I had overlooked one thing the original head, I t roared in front of me and it opened its mouth wide. I put away my bow, and I drew my bow I aimed it at the mouth and then I released. The arrow hit the back of the throat, ARRCCCEEEHHHHH, came the cry. I put away my bow and drew my blade, I ran towards the head. When I reached the head, I did not slash it yet I thrust the blade into the back of the throat. I pulled it out, the blade was covered in saliva. I then thrust the blade into the main body of the neck, the screeching droned on. The neck became limp and weakened, I was having and effect. Then one of the legs gave out, the weight was disproportionate and another leg gave out. I pulled out my blade and ran away from the head. Behind me it was getting smaller every second. I stopped for a moment, and then beneath I spotted a crest of great crystal below me. I placed my blade down upon it sticking it into the cold flesh of the dying gorgon. Then behind me came one last screech, the head was dying now and forever. This was it’s song, the screeching voice of the great Gorgon Orca head. I felt the other two legs caving and I saw that the beast not moving at all. I began to move as quickly as possible, I had to jump and then I was yet again climbing upon the spikes. I climbed down and then I decided to drop to the closest the ground had been. I dropped and I felt a searing pain in my legs, they were both burning it seemed like. The burning turned to a very frigid sensation; this frigidness went all around my body. Then all of a sudden the body slipped away beneath the street. The body was now moving towards the underworld. I felt my self walking almost ten feet to where my horse stood amongst the rubble of the ruined buildings. With that I mounted upon my horse, and I rode around this street. I picked up the fallen blade, and went to the tablet and picked up my cloth I placed the cloth in my quiver. And I moved out of the village.
XII Upon The Mountain Plains
I continued ride upon the street as I saw the exit to this great labyrinth. The buildings were about to end in this great mess of huts and of the grass were beginning. I began to feel the wind again, and the hearts were becoming pure. I began to once again see the beauty of the natural world. The great golden stalks of grasses were long enough to fool any passerby to make it look like I was floating. The tall stalks could also hide any one passing by upon foot. I sat there for a moment waiting to become taken by the winds end in the origin of the world. Then I heard a rustle among the grasses. “Who’s there?” I called out into the long grasses. “Show yourself.” Then out popped a man not much older than my father, he may have been even younger. “Help me,” the old man said with a dry scratchy throat. Then a suddenly in a bolt from the blue there came an arrow, it hit his back. The old man began to foam at the mouth, and he fell over. Something was there yet I did not know what happened had just happened. Shock encompassed me, I was confused and worried. I rode towards where the arrow had come from. A large campsite had been carved from the grasses the once tall stalks were now matted into rows on the ground. The campsite was large and dead, and went around in a circle. I dismounted so that I would not be seen. As I looked through the grasses I saw several demons appear from the underbrush. With them in chains were elves; among them were Coreana and Zora from the mines. I gasped they looked miserable in the chains, and they were now wearing grey garments. The grasslands were still now in the silence of the coming night. I looked up and I saw I bountiful amount of stars in the skies. They spanned it like a veil, or blanket covering the world. As if the gods had laid out a great blanket to protect the people on this earth. The moon was rising from the west as the sun set in the east. The demons were now going to sleep; I was waiting for them to forever retire for the night. Until that time I would wait for that in the grasses low always watching. The demons were beginning to seem very drowsy. I watched them shiftily my eyes darted between each never staying on one for too long. I began to feel my body becoming limp and sleepy. I straightened up and my body became less tiring. The coming night would be challenge for me I could see it. At last the demons were falling asleep and I was about to move in. I stood up from my lying position on the ground. I walked to the edge of the clearing; I pushed back the thin layer of stalks in front of me. I plod over the matted stalks, and I carefully watched where I stepped. Yet when I looked up and I stepped I stepped into a small pool that I had not noticed. The sound I made was loud and awakening. From that moment on I watched where gingerly plod. I was nearing the chain lines of elves, the rattling was not around now but it would be. The elves were all weathered and worn; they had not had food for several days that was very apparent. As I trod closer the mountain elves awoke. They looked at me in suspicion. “Who are you?” Coreana asked. “I am Atraion of the Sarogrifer,” I replied. I stopped churching over the ground for a moment, and I stood there. “I have come to aide you in escaping,” I continued. “Will you not accept my help?” I began to crunch upon the ground; once more the stalks were becoming brittle. The golden stalks were beginning to show their age in this time. They must have been pushed down several hours ago. “Why do we need your help?” Zora asked. “Because otherwise your flesh will rot in the cellars and dungeons of the five towers in the east,” I replied. “you will then go on to die in those cellars and dungeons or you will become the undead scum of the eastern lord.” “We still do not accept your help,” Coreana said. “I would rather rot in hell than be with you.” “Very well,” I said, “I hope that you forever regret your choice.” Then I turned and walked away into the stalks and I mounted my horse. I turned him around towards the grey Mountain lone upon the plains. Then I kicked off and began to run for this great mountain in the east. The night was growing later, the midnight hours coming fast. I knew that if I did not prepare the deeps of the mountain for a battle than we would die. I continued ever on until I reached a stench in the grasses. I smell a stench in the grasses, rising above the great stalks. I approached cautiously towards this stench. As I moved towards the flies rising above the grasses I saw the dead limp carcass of an elf. It lay there with an arrow in its head and an small hatchet in its back. I turned to go around this dead limp carcass, and I moved entirely around it. I avoided any contact with the carcass. I continued riding along the plains I took off faster than I had before. At last I reached the border of the grasslands and the grey plains. The plains looked ashen and bare. The grasslands behind me I continued to move on. I pulled out the map from the pouch. I pulled it out and I picked the grey plains, I traced a path from directly in front of the mountains at the of the grasslands border, and traced it to the eastern elven refuge. I began to ride again, across the open plains, on the ashen barren landscape. The burnt land was black and bare. The grasslands were what was left of this great fertile land. The land was gone now of its plant life and it sat as still in the earth. There was no life but mine upon these plains. Nothing living moving or breathing upon the bare and desolate mountain plains. It was bare and gone in the sense that all had died, in the sense that nothing lived, for everything had died. I continued farther into the north east. I was riding now so that the wind touched my face for only a second, as it swept away across my cheek. I moved on past these difficulties of wind and weather. Then at last I met a divot in the earth, an impact had been made here. Inside this divot there were pools of red and black blood. They sat there drying in the sun, as it rose ahead of me. With that I felt myself becoming limp with sleep, I falling into a slumber. I fell off the horse in my drowsiness, and then I fell asleep. Shadow surrounded me I saw nothing but the black in the abysmal shadow. Then before me stood the old mans corpse that I had met at the edge of the clearing. He became decayed and then in shadow began to plod near me. I drew my blade as he approached me. “Help me,” he called out in his scratchy voice. The vast abyss echoed his voice back into me, I felt the sound touch my flesh in a whole. Then blood rained down upon the floor. Then the skies opened up, the floor was continuing to expand with the sky. Until at last, the skies could no longer expand, as the earth could not also. The world was done being built, and then the song began. I heard a song and then the earth turned night, the light of the sun sat on the horizon. The song was beautiful, it echoed onto the plains and above the mountain, through the forest and through the palaces. The song made me feel warm, and bright. The light continued, and then the dawn moved towards me. Then before me the corpse disappeared, it was no longer animated. The song droned on as the light continued to move towards me. I began to retreat back onto the grasslands. The light then shifted towards the great wall of mountains in the ramparts. Then before me the light stood, it had lurched forward suddenly. I was shocked at this action for I thought that nothing could move that fast. The rest of the world was not illuminated as it had been. The blob of light formed into the form of a man. Then he gained a cloak and a blade in a sheath. Then he began to hunch forward and then began to gain scales. The more scales he had the more he hunched forward until he was covered in them. The cloak was still upon him but it vanished as he got down upon his hands and knees. The light began to grow and then he began to gain the mass of a dragon. And then when the dragon reached full size, he began to gain bulging bags of scales and skin on his back. The bulging masses then ripped out and began to sprout into wings, the wings than grew into great gliders. The dragon then grew the final feature the tail it sprouted and then it flew up into the sky. The dragon faded into the cloud, and then it began to grow larger. Then the dragon touched down right where it had been. A crater was made in the earth and it began to rise. The earth rose into the air. I trudged up over the rim of the crater, and looked down into the deep steeps of the earth. There sat the man, the being of light. He lay there cuddled, and then the man turned into the blob of the light. The blob then rose into the air into the heavens and beyond. Pillars shot from the creature, as it was beyond the heavens. A pillar of light shot down and the shaft struck the very center of the crater. I awoke in fear in a puddle of blood. It was at dawn and on the horizon. The sun was rising over the mountain to the east. I stood up out of this puddle of blood. I wiped my self of with my cloak, it was then blood stained from where I lay. I remounted my horse, and began to get ready to ride into the dawn. I began to kick the horse in the behind and then it began to walk. The pace was sleepy, and drowsy I almost fell asleep a couple of times. We began to pick up speed; the wind began form around my face. The wind whipped against my face. I felt the force push in my face and I moved through the plains of grey. The night was coming fast as I moved farther into the grey plains of the east. The plains were all but barren now a border between lushness of the grasslands to the bareness of the black Eastern Empire. The earth was now pure of the cycle it had been put into. I was but a small pawn in this struggle for control of the earth.
XII
At The Crossroads and the Mountain
The rising moon of the east was shining down silver upon my position. I rode across the plains, in a torn path. I was nearing the mountain in the moonlight night.
The road was torn from the grey cover over the earth. The ash was a blanket covering the bare earth. The ash was like that of the snow of the coming winter months. The road was wrought from the ash in the plains of the grey air.
Fog was coming over the earth, flowing like a river over its bed of rocks. The fog was eerie and ghastly as it hovered over the ground. The fog then swirled up into a funnel and then began to form a shape. The shape began to form a being, the shape of a man or demon. The fog became statue of marble standing before me. there stood a man or demon in the form of marble. The marble turned from white to a shadowy black. The statue then turned form marble into a pure black stone. The statue then began to rumble and shake as if the earth were moving. Then chunks began to fall off the statue revealing a demon standing there. The demon began to stagger around the road in the fog, the moon was still high in the sky. The earth began to quake, I got off my horse and began to walk up to the staggering form. Then the form fell to the ground, the force sent back the fog with a POW upon the road. The fog receded beyond my line of sight. The body lay upon the ground lifeless, and limp. I mounted back up on the horse, and began to ride on the road into the mountain. The grey mountain sat in the east waiting for me. The road began to widen as I came to crossroads. The signs read; SARODE 200 LEAGUES THE LONE MOUNTAIN 10 LEAGUES RAVENDELL 100 LEAGUES ORADAR 800 LEAGUES NARADARAN RIVER 600 LEAGUES I continued in the direction of the mountain as the midnight hour came to pass. The moon rose into the middle of the sky and than began to fall towards the west. As it moved into the west the stars began to fade in the coming of the morning star. The mountain rose from the earth, from the plain itself into the sky. Those ash covered plains past the yellow grasslands. That grey border between the mountain and the grasslands. The road narrowed and torches began to rise from the ground. The torches roaring glow was fading in the light of dawning sun. The new day dawning in the east as the sun rose. The road once again widened as it met a small stream, side by side the tow traveled on for quite some time. The torches ended on the side of the stream yet continued on my right. I continued to rid down upon the road. The mountain was becoming nearer to me. The stream left the road and it narrowed again towards the mountain. The road seemed to narrow gradually as I continued my ride towards it. The sun was nearing the middle of the sky and the cloudless night became the murky cloud filled skies of the day. The murk of the clouds infused with the sunlight creating a ghastly mixture. It was a white murk created from shadowy clouds and morning sunlight. The shadow of the mountain became more apparent as I grew much closer now. I was no more than a hundred feet away now. I continued to ride faster now as I continued on this final stretch of the road. The old road was about to end I continued that final stretch. The road began to curve around several sharp steep rocks. The grey slope was just ahead was scattered with rock fragment to and fro. Then I looked up from the slope rising from it were pillars carved into the mountain. The pillars rose from the fallen fragments of the earth. I rode near the mountain as I continued around to find the place where I could climb up the mountain. I carefully watched the cover as the slope gradually cleared. I pulled up then and began to turn into the mountain. I came to spot where the earth had been carved out creating a road around the mountain. I rode around the mountain on this road around the mountain. As we rode along the mountain, the cliffs above began to fall away. The earth was crumbling above as it gradually rolled down the slope. Then the earth began to grow steadily larger as the fragments grew larger. The earth began to loosen even more and the mountain began to rumble and shake. Then the cliff fell out, it rolled around the slope and then turned toward me and the horse. I quickly dismounted and grabbed its reins; we turned around the horse and began to run. I was almost trampled trying to keep up with the horse. I felt the reins leave my hands and I turned for a split instant, the horse stood there. The horse looked at me with eyes of madness. Then I heard the crushing of its bones. The boulder ran over it and as it came to other side it began to roll down the slope once again. I continued down the road farther as the boulder reached the far edge of the slope as it reached the plains. A hail of rock began to come down upon me, and the road. I felt myself hit with a thousand stones. The earth was raining down on me, as I began to run down the road. The hail of earth was like a hail of fire. I ran across the ledge that was the road, dodging large stones that were falling from above. The ledge began to wear away ahead. Then a giant stone piece fell down onto this weak spot. The cliff ahead fell out with the falling of that stone. I was approaching this area of the fallout. I continued to run down not stopping trying to get off this slope of fear and pain. A larger stone hit my arm as I ran around the other stones. I grasped my arm in pain. I looked down at the gash in my forearm; it bled down upon the chain covering my arm. The steel glimmered in the now noon sun. The edge was just ahead of me; I reached the ledge and jumped. I felt my self flying through the air, I sailed through I felt a wind pushing me across. I landed a rolled down the beaten path. I sprung forward from my roll and continued to run. I came to the curve in the road and began to run down the slope. The road began to become steep and the stone ridden seemed to continue road continued on forever. Then a final hail of grey stone began to come. I ran from the hail of stone flailing I was weak and tired of running and the gash was not helping. I ran down that slope hastily. Yet as I reached halfway down the slope I felt myself become limp and weak and I began to slip down road. I hit my head on a rock and then I felt myself blackout. I was in cavern lit by torches and piled with bones and axes, at the foot of statues standing around the cavern. Then at the edge of tunnel on the far side of the cavern was an evil figure I had never seen before. The creature retreated towards the tunnel. Then I heard the clank of armor and many feet prodding towards me. The tunnels were filled with the creatures, they looked uglier than the demon. The air was full of the stench of their rotting flesh. Then the creatures filed in into rows of eleven or twelve each. There were five rows in their ranks. I heard several calls, and then a loud screech. The creatures began to charge before me. Then I felt the cold hand of death touch me, I turned to see a wraith who transfigured into a white oracle and then a dead skeleton. The skeleton gained flesh and blood, and muscle. It walked past me and walked towards the ranks of the mysterious creature. Then as it walked forward an arrow shot forth from the back row. The arrow hit the animated corpse’s chest. Blood sprayed forth from the chest and the corpse fell to its knees. The air was full of a scent of fresh spring when the warm airs pierce the cold and the plants breakthrough the earth as the snow melts. Then a torch fell from its holder upon the wall and it set the ground afire in a blaze. The events happened so swiftly that I could not tell what happened when. The air was hot and misty as water from a crack in the water fused with the fire. Clouds formed around me and then shadow surrounded me. Death touched my shoulder, and I turned to look at the bony fingers and the shadowy hood. And in the hand was a bony white staff connected to a scythe blade of sharp steel. I awoke and looked around me and saw that it was night. I was at the foot of the mountain, and I had landed there. I sat there for a moment and then I stood up. I began to trudge up the mountain, through all of the fallen rock. I began to quickly ascend through up the road. I began to run through the maze of stone and rock. I reached the corner and turned down it. The gaping hole was no longer there another rock had taken the place of the cliff I continued running down the ledge, as I did so it began to rain. Not of earth but the pure waters from the heaven above, from the sky. The moon shone down on my position, and I felt as if silver light was watching over me. Then I approached an area entirely covered in stone. There sat a pile of stone and then beneath t here was lump. I rushed up to it and removed the top layer of earth. Beneath this sat the flesh and blood of the horse. The bone was exposed at the shoulder, and a gash on its back was still vigorously bleeding. I put my hand on the horse I felt the inhale and exhale motions in its chest. The movements were quickening at a steady pace. How the horse stayed alive this long I’ll never know but it was miracle. The gashing was beginning to stop bleeding. And then I remembered the herbs I had place in my quiver in the mountains. I reached into my quiver and pulled both of them out. One of the herbs was black, and looked burnt or rotten. The other looked fresh. I threw the rotted one over the ledge and I took the fresh one in hand. I took my sword and chopped up the herbs into three smaller pieces. I took the first piece and forced into the horses mouth and down its throat. Thinking quickly I took another part of the herb and squeezed the juices out onto the gash on the horses back. Then I took the third piece and rubbed the fruit in the center, and rubbed it against the bone. The horse began to become stronger, I cleared the rest of the earth and it began to stand. As it stood rain began, and thunder clattered. The thunder made the horses legs buckle from the noise. Yet the horse did not fall. Then skin began to appear over the exposed shoulder blade. The gash began to clear up with the night rain. The herb was soaking in with the rain. I relieved the horse of much of its burden, I placed the packs upon my back, and I set fourth on the ledge. The stones began to slip away from the side of the ledge nothing much just couple of stones. Then as I grew closer to the north face of the mountain a giant boulder piece slipped out from the ledge. Then I continued to walk across the ledge, and then I reached the hole. The gap was wide, so I took the packs on the horse as well as those on my back, across. They all landed in a pile, as one by one I hurled them. I then jumped into the air and began fly to the other side, the horse was not so lucky. I urged the horse on it turned and then turned around again. Then it began to charge forward. Just as it reached the edge it leaped. Gliding through the air the horse flailed its legs. Then just before the horse reached the other side its legs hit the edge of the other side. The legs then turned and tossed and then rolled down the slope. The horse then slid down the slope hitting several rocks gaining bruises and gashes. Then as it reached the bottom a large rock got lodged in one of the gashes. The body became lifeless and limp. The air began to grow thick and fog surrounded me. The earth seemed to rise around me in a ring of mountains. I climbed up the wall of rock to the north I picked up all of the packs and threw them over the wall into the fog. I climbed wall in haste. The wall began to shorten as I began to climb it. At the top was a ledge engulfed in fog. I picked up the packs and slung them over each of my shoulders. And I began to run down the path as it curved around to the north face. The north face held a great deep of structures and a great rampart out upon the plain. The walls at the deep in the mountain were high with several levels. An entire city could exist within the ramparts walls. A ring of fire surrounded me pushing back the fog. I walked around it and if I moved outside the ring it followed me. The ring followed me as I moved forward towards the north face. I turned towards that corner, and then I was at the north face. As I completely rounded that corner the ring of fire left me. The fog began to fades I walked towards those ramparts. The slope here was gradual as I continued down the road towards the deeps in the wall. The fog had cleared and I began to peer around as I looked at all the landscape to the north. I was tired of carrying the packs on my back. I plopped down on the road and began to sit there. I relaxed for a moment and thought of the many things that had perplexed me in the past. I wondered about how I had begun the plan for action how I figured what I would do. That plan of action that would aid a battle against pushing back the emperor of the east. The earth was new here on the northern slope of the mountain. I could see for a league out into the far north. The sun was beginning to rise in the east. The cold was leaving me now as the heat rose in the east. The moon was setting in west losing the luminescent glimmer it had had before. The air was full of a nasty stench as earth tumbled forward revealing a lifeless corpse. The corpse lay there upon its stomach and in that moment nothing stirred and the air was cold as ice. I stood up to move away from the icy chill. I walked into a morning fog that appeared around me. I looked up as the fog cleared and a shadow appeared upon me. I saw in the skies a shadow that slipped through the air above me. I began to run following this creature as it picked up speed over the mountain. The beast continued to pick up speed and the wind caressed my hair and I reached the edge of a cliff. I watched the beast ride off onto the horizon. The creature lost the shape it had formed in my mind as it became a blur of black. I cast my gaze downward onto the hole carved out of the mountain. I gazed upon the wall that expanded out from the farthest cliffs. The wall curved around reaching both sides of the hole. Inside these walls there was set of towers. The hole was large enough to hold a city. Yet there was many a set of stairs and intricate inside walls and courtyards top confuse the enemy. The towers rose from the walls and courtyards, reaching toward the skies in a reaching motion. I looked down at my feet and saw stairs that led down into one of the many courtyards. The stairs were carved from the mountains. The slope led down beginning to get steeper with every moment that I was on the slope. Then I began to reach the level of wall that surrounded the courtyard. I walked out onto this rampart, and had my eyes graze upon the beauty of the integration of the statures into the towers and the stairs.
XIII The Place Carved Out of the Mountain
The stone looked as if it was entirely carved out the mountain. I looked out from the wall and I saw the towers and the steps leading around the walls and crevices in the stones. And then the rain began to pour down upon me. I saw the earth in all its glory as I looked out for almost a league into a horizon turning into a misty abyss. I began to walk down the steps into the courtyard below. The stone from the slider troughs on wall was cracking I slid up against the wall in fright. Than the slider next to me fell down and the trough and the slider fell in a pile right next to me. This place was very old and worn away. I sat underneath the trough and the rain began to hit me on my left side. I slid over so that the rain did not hit my shoulder, and I began to think about many things. As I did I began to drift off into another sleep. Above an ach began to form and on the horizon was sun in its dawn. The arch began to form on two sides quickly adding stones to the growing masses. The arch halves then made it to the middle and merged with two key stones. The light on the horizon was growing greater every second, and the moments were growing lighter. The sun was rising in the east and rising swiftly towards the middle of the sky and then when it at last reached the center of the sky it became brighter than the sun now hanging in the sky. The base stones for the arch came out from their slots and the arch began to fall out and I ran out from under this arch. Then stones began to rain down from the heavens. Fiery chunks of rock were raining down upon the marble platform began to fall out from under me I ran to the edge of it and looked down. The ground below me was far below in a valley. I looked up at the sky then and I squinted into the sun then I took one final step forward and began to fall. I looked straight out through the clouds in the sunlight. Then I felt myself being pulled up and began to fly up. I looked down at where I straddled. The sarogrifer sat below me and I was flying up into the sun. The arch had fallen and the marble had been broken and was falling down towards the ground. Then it landed pushing up a great cloud of dust and silt high into the air. The air was thick up there high in the air and set in coldness. The night was coming swiftly for the sun was not being held by the arch any longer. Then I felt sharp pains at my wrists and ankles as if something had grasped me. Then the sarogrifer came out from under me. The night was upon me now as I fell down into a great depression in the earth and the clouds whooshed paced my face. The night was filled with terror as it led up through knife. My life felt as if it was hanging on the edge of a knife. If I let go I may cut by the edge. There was but a small shard of hope and prosperity in it. I shut out of mind that fear of falling into the abyss. And I decided to try and turn up and to summon something outside of my mind entirely. I thought about the fell beast of the tale from the Far East. It began as a bird far on the horizon. And it approached through clouds and over sea. The arches were set there in the temple as the tower began to rumble from where I stood. The bird began to grow and then I heard an ear splitting screech, and then a fire came from the head of this beast. In that split instant I knew that that creature was a dragon. -Tales from the East 1292 of the Second Age That tale was full of magic from the east in the form of an adventure. I began to form in my mind a creature like that in the tale of the dragon and then before stood a dragon with horns running along its neck. The nostrils were silted and the arch of neck was great. The wingspan went out almost twenty feet each way and the arch of the wings began to ruin as the creature looked as if it was disintegrating before my eyes. The night began to ruin and fall as I almost came into the depression. Below me sat the forest of the valley I was falling into. The forest was growing and changing before my eyes, and then I saw a demon at the edge of the forest. The demon was carrying a torch and he swiftly threw up into the branches. The canopy was soon engulfed in a great and orange emblem. That emblem of fire and shadow as the sun once again swiftly rose and sank leaving night to do its work. I suddenly awoke and looked around my surroundings; I was being dragged over the cold stone floors. I was in a narrow torchlight corridor that seemed to lead on forever into a grey abyss. I turned around and looked up at the two hooded figures that held my wrists. “Look he’s awake,” one of them said. “Good,” the other one replied. They let go of me and I sat there for a moment. “Well don’t just sit there get up,” the one said, as the other one kicked me. I quickly got up onto my feet and they started once again. We walked continuing on forever into the corridor. The dull grey corridor seemed to go on forever. The darkness filled every corner as the torchlight began to fade into the night as we approached a dark alcove at the end of the corridor. I heard a door creak open and light poured out in a huge stream of crystal. The light began fade and fuse with the darkness into a grey veil. I walked out into the courtyard that the doorway led into. The sun shone down through grey cloud casting the tow figures into disarray. A door on the other side of the courtyard opened as the figures pulled down their hoods. Their faces were covered in scar like marks shaped into the forms of angel wings and swords and demons. From the door came five other cloaked figures. The figures each held a short notched staff. The two unmasked figures also pulled out staffs similar to the others. The hoods were also pulled of the figures. They figures were all elder men, and they appeared to be apart of an organization. Their faces bared similar markings, like the ones I described earlier. One of those elder men spoke, “who are you my son?” “I am Atraion son of Garion,” I said. “Why must you know?” “Do you know what stirs to the east beyond these walls?” the monk asked. “No,” I replied. “A war comes, breaking through the great walls and mountains that guard the ancient lands to the east. War stirs to the east that is why we must know your name. We cannot trust any being man or elf,” the old man told me. “Tell me one thing,” I said. “Who are you?” “I am Asaion, and this is the brotherhood of Amir,” the old man said, raising his arms into the air. “Amir is the name of this great labyrinth of stone towers, and walls and ramparts.” “Come with us inside and I will explain further.” They formed line and marched inside the opened doorway. We continued down the corridor until we reached a small door and entered into a cozy little room with several bookshelves. And a fireplace on the far wall with a number of red cloth chairs. I walked down to the far wall and sat in one of the chairs. The man who had talked to me scanned the book shelf as the others took their seats amongst me. “Ah here we go,” I heard him say picking out a large tome. “Look through this as I talk, it’s a picture history of the first war. “It all began with a band of monks who traveled to this mountain, almost five hundred years. They found the ruins of a forgotten a fortress. “The monks surveyed the land for nearly five nears taking refuge in a cave in the mountain. One of the brotherhoods died of an unknown cause; his carcass still lies in a cave on the eastern base of the mountain. Finally after over five years the monks began to replace the broken stone. The endeavor took nearly ten years, and ten hours of work from ten men each day. And they worked every day taking no breaks. When everything was over the great towers stood a supposed twice as tall as they are now,” Asaion said. I looked through the pages peering at the grotesque scenes of battles and suffering. Blades pierced through demon flesh and man flesh as well. Elves stood upon walls firing arrows to cut the forces down. Rocks of flame flew threw the air and cut down wall striking down great amounts of men and demons. Blood appeared everywhere in these scenes of a past war that seemed to last for fifty years. Then Asaion continued with his story, “the monks stayed here for nearly thirty years and then they all eventually left. The last of the brotherhood left a record of their time here. That was the first edition in our large library. After almost four hundred and fifty years we found this place and it has been our home. We have lived here for twenty years. So any questions,” Asaion finished. “So you have no family or friends outside these walls?” I asked. “No,” he answered. “How do you believe the proposition that the towers were twice as tall when they were originally rebuilt?” I asked him. I was still swiftly flipping through the great tome and I was almost to the end. “I don’t know how to answer that,” Asaion answered. “The towers may have been damaged then rebuilt by another force that I do not know-.” “What master Asaion is trying to say is that he does not know how this works,” another one of the men interjected. “Thank you master Gratan,” Asaion muttered. “Look I am going to have master Shorindi take you to your bed chamber for your stay here,” Asaion said. One of the men stood up, and walked toward a door on the right side of the room that I had not noticed before. “Shorindi, come here,” master Asaion called him. He spoke in a whisper, then Shorindi went through the door with me and we went down a very generic corridor. We did not speak as we moved along narrow hallway, and around several corners. Then at last we finally came to the door to my bed chamber. “Master Atraion,” Shorindi paused, “here is your bed chamber.” And then he opened the door to plain stone room with four walls. I entered and sat on the stiff bed. “It’s very spacious,” I said. Shorindi said, “Thank you,” and closed the door as he left to be the rest of the brotherhood. I lay down on the bed and pulled my black cloak over my body and I fell asleep for the second time willfully and comfortably. The night came for a brief moment as I slept in a comfort for several moments. “You hold the key to save the world in your hands,” a voice called out. “Who are you?” I asked. “I am not talking to you fool,” the voice said. “I am talking to her and her brother.” The light then shown down upon two figures in front of me. Oragaion was one of the two the other was a twin to Oragaion. They both stood in a pillar of light that looked as if it shown down from the moon. I heard an arrow shoot past my head and pierced Oragaion’s twin brother. He screamed with an agony caused by only several things. His scream is caused by death, torture, and by the greatest of fear that causes agony. Oragaion cried out please help me, she reached out her hand to me. I could tell she was crying, and weeping as her brother was dying. I tried to run towards them yet as soon as I took several steps into blackness that surrounded me, I was swept away into another place at another time. I found that I was in a graveyard. I was surrounded by several people, dressed in black robes gathered around a small coffin next to a plot. In front of the plot was grave marker. The grave marker was a short wooden cross. A man blew into a short bull horn, and several men picked up the grave set it down in the grave. The air was still as I heard the sound of the bull horn come out as fog surrounded me. The horn continued to play a long tone, and then began to gradually fade out. The fog cleared, and I saw several demons and tree demons rampaging about the small village I had visited. Several warriors tried to attack them, stones and fire flew threw the airs. Rooftops were set ablaze, and buildings collapsed before my eyes. I ran through the streets of the village searching for Oragaion. I found her huddled in the corners with the two young boys. She was crying, fearful that they would find her and kill the children. A great shadow was set upon me; I looked behind me and saw the figure of a tree demon. I stepped out of the way, and then stepped in front of Oragaion and the boys. The treed demon swiped at me yet missed. Then he swiped right through me as if I was not there. His hand went in and out of me as if I was air. I ran up to the tree demon and pulled out a Norudain blade and tried to slash him, the blade did not affect him. A bright flash went off, and I awoke sitting up in my bed. I stood up and took a walk around. I then decided to remove my quiver and set it down beside the bed. I lie down on the bed again and fell into sleep until the next morning. The night was short as I slept without a thought and began again the next day. I awoke lying in my bed looking into the ceiling when I heard a rap on my door. Then again I heard it tow raps this time. I hopped out of bed and I ran towards the door. I opened it and saw Master Gratan. “Good morning,” he said, “I hope you slept well. Come with me I will take to eat breakfast he said.” I grabbed my quiver and followed him down the corridors. I struggled to tie the belt around my torso as we walked briskly down the hall. “This corridor is the oldest in the entire set. It is directly in the center, and was rebuilt first,” Gratan said. We were approaching a bend in the hallway and I turned around it to a door. We went through the door to a hall where the brotherhood was standing. “Welcome to the hall of torches master Atraion,” Asaion said. “Well don’t just stand there and gawk come and takes a seat.” A great table sat in the center of the hall surrounded by members of the order. I sat down at the end and picked a small goblet filled with water. “Aproci,” whispered Gratan who had taken a seat next to me. I looked up at him; his eyes seemed to be concentrated on my goblet. I peered down into the glass; it appeared to be a dark wine. I took up the glass and drank from it. The taste was tart and then sweet, with a tingling sensation. “Thank you,” I said to Gratan. “But why wine?” I asked. “Its breakfast is it not?” “No this is dinner,” Gratan replied. I took a piece of bread and placed it on my plate, I ripped the small loaf in half and bit into one piece. I took another bite and then several more and finished off the piece. I picked up the second piece and began to scarf that one down. I then walked out of the hall and into the corridor. I walked down the hallway and to a door out into a courtyard. I traveled up the steps and onto the ramparts. I walked down towards the north and the great wall. I began to run forward, and reached the courtyard of towers. I went down into the court and I looked up at the sky. The sun was setting and the sky was turning a pale purple as I looked up the moon was rising. The moon rose into the sky and I looked up at it. I continued down towards the tower of the east, and opened the door into a maze of great stairs. The tower was dark and dusty and dank. I stepped up on the stairs and began to run up the stairs towards a mystery that would spin a great trail of lies. The stairs were hard and cold, as I ran up towards the first flight. Few know of the tale of the fires that destroyed the city of Galein to the south. The fire ravaged for two days, burning as a sign that all who ran would die. Galein was a colony founded by several dozen slaves. The owner of the slaves took his friends south to Galein and burned the city and he cried out standing on top of a building in the main square, “LET THIS BE A LESSON TO YOU. IF YOU RUN YOU WILL BE CAUGHT AND ENSLAVED AGAIN. YOU CAN FIGHT BUT YOU CANNOT ESCAPE MY GRIP.” The master took only half a dozen slaves who had survived the fires at Galein. The slaves were all whipped even after their raw backs were in pain so near to death. All but one of the slaves died on the spot yet even he subdued to death in tow days. After that the master gave a second. To all his slaves, “let this be a lesson to not to run and to stay and work for me until I release you. Or until your own deaths take you.” This story tells of the great vengeance of the master or the vengeance of death for a sin, the sin of causing the death of another. The night was still growing as I reached a small slit in the wall of the tower. The thin slit was in the skin of a snake. I began reaching the first landing and the end of the first flight. I reached the flight and took several steps and reached the second flight of stairs. “What are you doing,” called out a voice from below. I looked back for a second, seeing master Asaion and Gratan. And then I began to run up the tower with immense speed. The tower was filled with dust as if it had not been disturbed for thirty years. The night was still coming swiftly. The night came in the door and for the first time it touched me. A great hand came through the door as a wind swept through. And I turned around for a moment as a hand reached out towards me. The hand was black in great midnight. I turned and began to run from the hand as it neared me outrunning me by nearly three-fold. The shadow suddenly grabbed me and I was helpless in the hand of night. I pulled one of the shards in the quiver out; grasping the hilt I thrust the blade into the wrist of the hand. The blade pierced through the wrist in the fashion of a knife through hot butter. The cut produced a shadowy liquid that rose into the air and dissipated. I shoved the bladed into the hand again and pulled it out again and repeatedly trust the blade in. the hand began to recoil releasing me. That shock was over now I fell down on a step. I continued up the tower towards the room of blood. The room of blood is the name I coined to the room at the top of the east tower. The room was filled with blood stains on the great rug sown by the monks to the south. Blood stained parchment was scattered around the floor. Curtains covered the large window overlooking the eastern mountains nearly three hundred leagues away. The room was darkened and it was hard to see. I looked around the room of blood standing in the doorway was Garion my father. “What are you doing?” he asked. Just looking,” I replied. “Why?” “I cannot tell you what to do yet you will know what is right when the time comes,” he said. I ran over to try and hug him yet he vanished like dust in the wind. I ran down the stair and to the wall. I ran as far as I could until I met the wall. I climbed down the ladders and down to the road leading from the mountain. I ran as if I had no limits. I began to realize that I could not survive without supplies yet I was too far away to think about going back and I did not have enough energy. I walked on towards what appeared to be a wooden hut. The fortress of the elves is I what walked towards. The fortress ran along like a wall turrets and towers spun amongst windows past the wall. The stone was worn and covered in ivy. I knew that I was where I needed to be.
XIV The Elves
The tunnel gate leading through the wall was sealed. I knocked on the door. I was out of breath as I ran towards the wall. “Who is it?” came a voice from inside the door. “It is no one I said,” I said. “How can it be no one?” the voice asked. “Do you have no name?” “Yes,” I replied. The door opened up. I walked inside the tunnel towards a lit courtyard. The courtyard was filled with many sensations. Huge amounts of blossoming trees abounds. They all produced pleasant aromas that seemed otherworldly. The colors of the pink burst out, like a peacock. Several larks sat on the branches amongst the blossoms. Then there stood a woman she turned around and I saw Oragaion. My love turned and I ran to try and hug her. Then upon a balcony, I looked up to see the one I had asked to go to Sarode. I ran up the stair to meet her. “What do you want mortal?” she asked. “I asked you to go to Sarode did I not.” I replied. “Yes but the explanation is very great. I was running low on supplies when we reached the mountain plains. I tired very hard to make to Sarode yet I knew I could not. So here I took refuge we have been here for two days.” She said. “I am sorry master yet at least she and I are all right.” “Very well,” I said thinking. “We must convince the lord of Erndor Hall to help and bring his people out of Sarode to Amir,” I said. “What is Amir,” she asked. “Amir is a fortress that holds several monks. It was built for defense,” I said. “Very well we will leave at dawn,” the elf said. I slept soundly that night knowing that my party and I were safe from any intrusions that may occur. For that was my only concern until dawn.
