A Journey Unforgiving Part One
Erik clutched at his chest, his hand enveloped in a warm, red liquid, as he stared up in disgust at the shadowy swordsman who had stabbed him. Ahkriloth ran past and swung at the swordsman with all his might, but the swordsman simply blocked with his bloodied sword and then vanished into thin air. Ahkriloth hurried to the middle of the room, where Erik lay, and picked him up. He carried him further through the mansion in hope of finding a room where he could patch Erik up, where there might be bandages or some light ethanol. However, Erik felt his life seeping away. Had his time come? But what of the life he led back at Golddale, what of all his unanswered questions. And why him, why now? Things hadn't always been this way. He had led two very different lives in the past 16 years, both of which he had very much enjoyed, and he had a whole new life ahead of him, in the not too distant future. And he wasn't going to give up now...
Erik Narukami grew up with his father, Sir Thalion Narukami, in a big mansion in North Gate, a magnificent metropolis near Eden Valley. Although his mother was dead and his father spent a lot of his time away, being a commander in The Holy Blade Inquisition under her majesty Princess Celestia, he still kept himself well entertained. He came from a wealthy family and so the nursery was full of toys and there were plenty of servants he could place with. He would hang around Natalia the maid, Juliana the cook and Alston the butler on most occasions. However, as he grew older he taught himself to pick-pocket the servants and then to stealthily return the items later, as he believed it to be a good skill. On his twelfth birthday, his father presented him with a sword and he soon began training with this weapon. To his dismay, a short while after his thirteenth birthday his father died in battle during a war between his faction's army and the Valthyrian Militia.
This was a strong turning point in Erik's life. He lost all his money and was sent to an orphanage. Nevertheless, he armed himself once more and ran away. He journeyed far and wide until he reached a village known as Golddale, in a field near Earthmoon Forest. It was a modest little town, and fairly rural, and there he found a guild house called The Old Squire's Sword Hand. Upon entering, he was greeted by a charming ex-warrior of about thirty odd years of age who claimed to be named Gruff. Gruff asked if Erik had come in search of a guild and after some thought Erik replied saying no as he was unsure if he wanted to join a guild just yet, remembering that he hoped one day he might join a faction and make a real difference to the vast continent of Aerithinia. Despite not joining a guild, Erik was still able to find quests at the guild house and Gruff gave him suggestions for party members to aid him in some of those very ventures. At first, the villagers in question were unsure if they wished to dungeon-crawl with a boy who had just turned fourteen, but after witnessing his skill he soon found himself surrounded by fellow treasure hunters and quest completionists alike and had become quite popular. He joined a faction known commonly as the Eastern Unified Nations, as he sought new abilities and a chance on the frontline. But, for the moment, he lived his peaceful life in Golddale.
Erik had taken refuge in the small living space at the back of the church with Cleric Herriot, a young trainee of twenty-two years, as he could afford neither a house nor life at the inn. This fact and his being underage meant that Erik never went to the inn, not even to meet and greet the innkeepers, although he was sure he was widely talked of and regarded in that tavern. But one sunny spring morning he lay tranquil in the grass, a gentle breeze caressing his face, when a fellow adventurer of his approached him. He was a close friend, Jacob, and was the same age as Erik; fifteen. He said that he and a few others were off to begin a quest and that they offered him a place in the party, which Erik accepted. On the way to the guild house, Jacob asked that Erik quickly went to the inn to greet his father; John the innkeeper.
Erik jogged down to the inn, looked up at the crest and sign saying The Pegasus Inn, took a deep breath and walked in. He looked around and saw some of his frequent party members having a drink who all cheered when they caught sight of him. A tall man of about thirty years walked out in front of him. He was muscular and had a noticeable scar on his left arm. The man smiled and said he was the innkeeper. He told Erik that his son had told him much about him and that he was pleased to finally meet him. John kindly said goodbye and walked off to wash some dishes.
Erik looked towards the counter to see a beautiful blonde girl of around his age polishing the counter and tending to some drinks. Erik was awestruck, as she was truly the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. When she noticed him she gave a kind, warm smile and Erik began to walk over to her. At that moment Jacob burst in and slung his arm around Erik. Erik found himself bombarded by friendly enthusiasm for their upcoming endeavour. On his way out, Erik could have sworn that he saw the girl give a cute little giggle, presumably at the friendship of the two boys.
In the dungeon, Erik's performance was slightly hindered because his mind was consumed by thoughts of the girl but they cleared that floor of the dungeon and retrieved the quest item. He even managed to procure a Sapphire Necklace which he wanted to give to the girl. That night Erik lay on his bed and decided he would confront the girl the following day.
However, when Erik awoke he was no longer in his bed at the church but instead he found himself to have appeared in a dark room in a mansion. Luckily for him, he had been too tired to undress the night prior, and his sword was still strapped to his belt. He stood up and stumbled with dizziness, before noticing something odd on the ground. A puddle of red liquid. He touched it and felt the warmth embrace the tips of his fingers. Blood. His blood. He touched the back of his head and sure enough there was a bloodied patch of hair above his collar.
Erik placed his left hand to rest lazily on the hilt of his sword. Further in the mansion, Erik encountered someone else of his age, Ahkriloth Von Krein, down the dark and winding hallways. They formed a partnership, a brotherly bond bound by blood. These two brave young boys then ventured further through the mansion unaware of the twist and turns of their fate lying close and far...
The blood was now flowing like a river down Ahkriloth's trousers, as he ran through the hallway frantically looking for a med kit of any kind or a suitable nursing room. But then, to his luck and total relief, he had discovered a room in which a merchant sat thoroughly searching a map of what seemed most likely that very mansion. He approached the merchant and desperately spluttered out his words, startling the merchant, "Please, sir, please. You must help my friend as he is dying of a sword puncture to his chest!"
"Ah, so you found the shadowy swordsman. Very well, my med kits are in my backpack. Let's get this boy on the table, shall we?"
Ahkriloth placed Erik on the table and checked he was still breathing. Meanwhile, the merchant rummaged through his bag. Ahkriloth eyed the merchant up and down. He was a man of about thirty-five to forty and was short compared to Ahkriloth and Erik. Questions ran through Ahkriloth's head. Why was this man here? Did he know the swordsman they had encountered?
"Here it is!" The merchant seemed delighted as he found the med kit and began work on Erik's wound. "I would like to know; can you get me out of here?"
Ahkriloth was taken aback. "Of c-course..." The merchant smiled at this remark. "But in order to help you out, we will have to exam the map."
The merchant continued tending to Erik's aid and replied cheerfully, "By all means!" He reached past his plump stomach and into his jacket pocket, reproducing the map. "So tell me about yourself. Why are you here?"
"My name is Ahkriloth Von Krein." The merchant paused as Ahkriloth spoke his name. He seemed to recognize it somehow.
"Well, um... C-continue."
"I don't know how I got here but when I awoke I was in this mansion. It seems that that was the same for my friend here, Erik Narukami."
For a few moments there was silence, Ahkriloth was still trying to figure out who this man was and why he had paused upon hearing his name. The merchant, on the other hand, continued to work diligently on Erik's chest. Then, all of a sudden, the silence was broken by a moan from Erik. Ahkriloth hurried to the table and bent over his face. Painfully, Erik's eyes fluttered open.
"Ahki?" he sounded as though he had just woken up, which was understandable of course, but he still looked weak.
"There," the merchant said, satisfied with his work. "Now drink this."
The merchant walked back over to the chair in which he had been sitting and pulled a flask of purple liquid out of his backpack. He passed it to Erik who was now sitting up, with support from Ahkriloth. With shaking hands, Erik took a sip. He slowly stood up and the three continued through the hallway, Erik resting on Ahkriloth's shoulder. The merchant held the map out in front of Ahkriloth for him to read and they soon found their way to an arena.
It was there that they once again confronted the shadowy swordsman. For some time, no one did anything. Ahkriloth had remembered that the merchant had mentioned the swordsman and wondered if he knew him. He turned to the merchant, who seemed as though he desperately wanted to say something but just couldn't get it out.
"That one's a tough one, isn't he?" the figure chuckled to himself whilst pointing his sword at the staggering Erik. "A true fighter... I like him!"
"You nearly killed him!" shouted Ahkriloth, trying to hold back his rage.
"Enough of this act!" The swordsman's body language had grown from a cool and calm demeanour to a more serious and threatening subtext. He stepped forward, revealing platinum-blonde hair resembling Ahkriloth's, and spoke to them, whilst pointing his sword at Ahkriloth. "My name is Alexander Von Krein!"