Mannick's Journeys
Chapter 1
A cloaked figure wanders through a blistering desert sandstorm; his cloak covered with rips and major signs of wear. A white under-shirt shows through the holes in the sunlight that makes it through the blowing sands. He covers his face with his right arm exposing a long finger armor ring on his middle finger and a set of black glove rings on each of his fingers. Behind him stumble two silhouettes, a female and a male, trying to catch up with him, the silhouettes are severely slowed down by the winds that constantly push against them; they lean forward trying to fight their way to the figure. A calm relaxed chuckle effortlessly seeps out from the cloaked figure as he turns around and stretches out his hand to the silhouettes. The two silhouettes following him fade into focus as they grow closer to the figure. Both wear dark brown coats and veils to protect their faces from the sand and sun.
"Come now, you silly ducklings, don't tell me these winds are too much for you two." The figure says with a slight giggle.
"These winds are very strong sir. We are having a hard time walking at this speed let alone catching up to you. I don't understand how you can walk through this sandstorm with no trouble at all" the female silhouette says tiredly.
The figure lowers his hood letting his medium length brown hair thrash around in the winds, he smiles wide and turns around looking to the sky.
"In this world you'll learn that no matter where you go there will always be something trying to hold you back and prevent you from reaching your goals." he says stretching his arms out wide causing a small diamond engagement ring and another finger arms ring on his left hand to shimmer in the swirling sunlight, a silver piercing above his right brow glistens as the sands pelt it slowly polishing it. A large piece of fabric covers the left side of his lower jaw, the edges stitched into the skin that surrounds it. "You have to be prepared for those things and be able to fight through them without any effort because in the end they are nothing compared to your main purpose."
He lets out an unearthly howl causing the male silhouette to jump frightened and fall forward into the sands. The figure smirks as he pulls up his hood and presses onward through the sandstorm. The male silhouette gets up and brushes himself off before a strong gust of wind lifts him into the air for a few moments.
The three figures continue to wander forward into the sandstorm deeper into the desert; low growls of desert tigers and other dangerous wildlife seem to penetrate the sounds of the whistling sandstorm. At sunset the three figures stop at a rock formation and set up camp in a small area between the rocks that is protected from the blistering winds and sands. The cloaked figure takes off his cloak as he sits down and covers himself with it.
"Tomorrow when the sun rises we set off towards the next town and if you two can make it without whining I will gladly treat you both to a large bountiful feast" He says with a yawn before he quickly slips into his slumber.
"Is sir always so calm and relaxed?" the male follower asks placing his pack against a wall to use as a cushion.
"Sir does have this obliviousness to all the negatives of the world. He always has that relaxed, cool, and optimistic attitude which has a tendency to blind him to the struggles of those who are fighting through the hardships." The female follower says smiling as she reaches into her bag.
"What I don't understand is how he can be so happy-go-lucky all the time and not care about the sandstorm we have been traveling through the past couple of days. I mean everyone, no matter how optimistic, has to struggle through something and can see the hardships placed in front of them. No-one can simply ignore hardships and walk right through them like he does." The male follower says fluffing up his backpack.
"Look at it this way, He doesn't ignore and walk through the hardships he just fights through them with a smile. Who really knows what he has been through since he began his travels, all we know is what we see and have been told nothing else" The female replies shrugging still searching her bag for something.
"I guess you're right. It's rude of me to judge him so soon after meeting him. Though his choice of clothing is a bit odd, they seem to be something he just tossed together after waking up late."
"I've often wondered why he always wears that tattered cloak and that odd assortment of rings; especially that engagement ring he has on his left ring finger. When I asked all he said was 'As time passes and memories are made it isn't time that keeps record but the tiny mementos left behind from when the memory happened.' It annoys me that he won't give me a straight answer."
The figure stirs in his sleep and mumbles something intelligible. His two followers chuckle and continue talking to each other.
"Maybe he means that they are souvenirs of events past. Like each ring, piercing, and piece of clothing is a piece of someone he once knew. As for the engagement ring I wouldn't even begin to imagine someone or something happening to him that would make any sense of why he wears that ring, though it being a memento of someone he once knew does satisfy my questions."
"Of course that is what he meant, but there is one upside to his attitude and his overall behavior…" The female says pulling a small stuffed rag doll kitty out of her bag and hugs it tight. "He has this way of knowing just what to do in every situation I've ever seen him in, even when I'm the cause of them"
The female follower smiles and curls up in a sleeping bag with her rag doll kitty tightly secured in her arms as the last rays of sunlight disappear into the horizon. The male sits in front of a crack and watches the sands whistle by.
"She's been by his side for sometime yet though he shows signs of caring and protecting her, he stays distant and aloof. I wonder if distances himself because he is afraid of becoming attached to us… I bet something horrible happened in his past. I could see it in his eyes that he didn't want another person following him but he gladly accepted me into his traveling party with a smile and open arms." He says staring off into the distance.
He joins the others and curls up in his sleeping bag when the night air began to become freezing.
The figure stirs and awakens immediately once the others were both asleep.
"Oh the things you want to know so badly are the things I also want to keep secret just as bad" he says raising his left hand in front of his face staring at the engagement ring "Yet they are things I hold very dearly and close to my heart and want to tell the world about."
He sighs getting up and walks over to the female to tuck her in tightly. As he does this she mumbles, "Only you would try to heal a broken heart with fabric sir." He smiles kissing her forehead before he rubs the patch of fabric covering his jaw and chuckles. He wanders over the male follower and tucks him in too. He stands looking out the crack at the sandstorm continually rubbing the fabric.
"Yeah I am the only one who would try to heal a broken heart with fabric… Too bad I couldn't fix my own" he says turning to walk back to his sleeping area. Once he sits down he holds his left hand to his heart and tightly hugs it to his chest before wrapping himself once more with his cloak.
A loud scream jolts the two followers awake and they instantly and frantically search for the source in the dim light of early dawn. They notice after a short panic period that their leader is gone, his cloak flapping from inside a crack in the rocks. Their eyes widen as fear sets in and they realize that the figure was most likely the one who screamed. They quickly gather their things and retrieve the cloak from the rocks.
"Oh my god, I hope sir is alright" the male says holding the cloak under his arm.
"I hope so too." the female worriedly mumbles.
They rush towards where the scream came from and find their leader standing beside a desert tiger. He pets the tiger and stares off into the sunrise.
"Push through enough of the hardships the world throws your way and you will earn a reward from the universe." He says turning to his followers, "This sunrise is SO beautiful and majestic even the sands and wind stop in their tracks to gaze upon it"
The followers breathe a sigh of relief as they turn to look at the sunrise.
"Mannick, sir, you scared us with your screaming." the male says handing the cloak back to the figure.
"That wasn't me screaming. Desert tiger here had a little breakfast before we stopped to watch the sunrise." Mannick says playing with the tiger's ears. "Sorry for scaring you Risa." He says bowing to her putting his cloak back on, "you too Sechs."
"It's okay sir. As long as you are fine and alright" Risa says smiling wide turning to gaze upon the sunrise.
"Yeah, you don't need to bow and apologize. We are just happy knowing ur okay and alive." Sechs replies already mesmerized by the sunrise.
They spend a quiet moment watching the sunrise before the tiger bounds off and Mannick starts off through the now calm and cool desert towards the kingdom of Risk with Risa and Sechs following close behind him.
Please review and tell me what you think about the story and feel free to leave whatever criticism as you please. Anything that will help me better write the story and portray my ideas.