Hero with a Shattered Soul

FanFic by

Bardforever

My life has been so empty...

And by just trying to become happy...

My existence folds over on me...

And this is the beginning story of an adventurer...

An Epic Youth (Prologue)

I suppose my tale should start in my childhood. Well, I lived in what seemed like a fairly prosperous elven community with my family. I was lucky, I had 2 older siblings. One for each gender. And my parents were together. My mom, an elf (Liaze). My father, human (Rone). My brother (Sovie) and sister (Lyn) were both elves, my mother had a relationship before she met my dad. That leaves me, the half-elf. The reject.

I have short, dirty blonde hair and dark green eyes. My mom tried to hide me as an elf, while my father tried to push me off as human. It all came up for the worst. I just embarrassed them. Not even being able to hide who I really was (which I suppose is a 'horrific' thing). If not for the town knowing of my birth, I probably wouldn't even be here. And even my own family hated me, but they were stuck with me. Neither of us could do anything about it. Until my 8th birthday.

I could finally see what was really going on. My parents ashamed of me. My siblings rejecting me. And not a single friend to my name...I was alone. Truly alone. I had taken the literal rags on my back my parents had given me, and a walking stick I had made from a stool I broke some time ago. And then I was off, nothing to stop me. The sun was completely straight in the sky. Although, in reality, I only walked for about 45 minutes until the chain of events that would start my whole new life would finally be forged.

What had happened was while I was walking, I was suddenly finding myself tumbling down what seemed to be a trap hole. Darkness and rubble, that's all I could really see and feel. Such fear, to 'feel' darkness. I thought I was going to die. Heh, part of me wishes I had. Rolling, faster and faster...getting cuts and bruises. But I didn't care, I was more focused on not throwing up, or staying conscious. I failed on the latter...

I awoke at some point later, but I had no idea at how long I might have been knocked out. As I got up, I hit my head on something hard, and metal. The loud clang that my head made with the metal rang through out this dark cavern-like hellhole. Upon that, I screamed in pain. I then put my arms out, to my find I felt dirty, metal bars in front of me, or so that's what I remember. After a few minutes, a ring of blue and green flame about a foot tall on the ground had made a circle in front of me. As my eyes adjusted to this low light, I saw that I was in some underground room. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw some movement. At the turn of my head, what do I see?

Dark elves, Drow. Why were there drow here? Even a kid like me had known what drow were, thanks to elven teachings. A female drow started to say something to the others, but I didn't understand their language. All of a sudden, 2 male guards went back and brought out a little drow girl. The female drow, now saying in the Elven tongue, "Because you never passed the test of belief, you may try now, with this weak child" pointing to me. She then went back to the first language, the little girl nodding occasionally. All the drow, except the girl, walked away, their footsteps echoing until not even a faintest sound could be heard.

The girl then walks to the center of the flame ring and picked up something up. She then came to my little prison and put a key in the lock. She then turned the key and walked back toward the center of the circle. She pulled out a dirk and said "fight or die dishonored." What? Fight, to the death? She's only a little girl, probably no older than me...Gods, help me.

As my hand gripped the filthy bar, I felt a horrible fear run through me. I pushed the rusty gate open. As it makes a screech to imply my doom, I wonder how I can possibly get out of this. What can I do? The best I could come up with was to talk to her. So I tried that very idea. "Hey, hey, do we really have to do this? I mean, you don't want to hurt me do you?" I asked her with a sense of hope. She started to laugh, or more so of a cackle. She snarled, "You naive fool. You die for honor, so I be accepted." Her elven was slaughtered, but I got the idea anyway. Just then, I noticed, she was like me...

A half-elf. She was trying to gain acceptance as well. I tried to say something to this, "Wait, I'm like you, I'm a half-elf too. Look." I showed her my slightly pointed ears. Wrong thing to say. She screamed and then charged me. I tried to reason, "You don't have t...", "Die, Die! Honor!" she had cut me off. Oh no.

She thrusted her dirk toward my chest, but I was able to dodge. She knew what she was doing, and had the intent to kill. I was at a disadvantage. Swinging around in a circle she came back and hits my arm. I screamed in pain. She spins again, but this time, I was ready. I kicked her hand upward while holding my arm. She then let go of the dagger, it flying freely in the air. I reached for it with my injured arm, but flinched from the pain. She caught it, but didn't swing. No, she threw it into my foot, the very one that disarmed her. It went through, sticking me to the ground. I was no longer in 'pain' but felt a burning through my body. I couldn't even keep my left eye open, just because of the pain, and my other was full of tears, I could barely see. She then knocked me down, still pinned to the floor. Finally, she took out the dagger, ripping out some of my flesh with it. Here it comes, my end. One last chance. As she moved in on me, I felt that this may be hopeless. Although, I felt an epic surge, I can't go, not like this. She thrusted for my throat, but I caught her hand. We then were struggling for control of the dirk. She started kicking me and biting. But I refused to let up. I couldn't go.. not at that time. I finally can kick her up, off of me, and she lets go. So I had the dirk, and I made my last move. I thrusted the dirk forward, closing my last eye, praying for this to work. I felt it connect, along with a soul shattering scream. It then all went quiet. I opened my eyes, to find that the dirk had pierced her left eye. She then fell back and stopped breathing, but continued to bleed. I had won.

I ripped part of her shirt cloth to wrap up my arm wound. I wasn't sure if it would 'actually' help, but it started feel better. I got up and started to walk but fell down to my knees. I had forgot, my foot got stabbed, the rush of the skirmish must have made me forget. I looked around from my position on the ground for something I could lean on or against. My eyes had caught something in my cage. My walking stick! They must have intended for me to use it. I wish I knew it was there before. I had then crawled toward my previous entrapment and retrieved my, now seeming, savior.

Now, how was I to leave? I looked around, as I was getting up. It looked as though the only way to leave was the way the first drow had gone. Well, follow them, or stay with the evil I had done. Follow.

I went into the cavern itself and I think I truly think would have been better off back in the ring of fire. But, if I wanted to live, I guess I had to have gone this way. I couldn't see a thing the whole time. I also ran into a few spiderwebs, but I don't believe I ever got seriously bit. I must've been down there for hours, blindly navigating to somewhere I didn't even know. But, fate must have shined on me then, because I found a way leading up, and I took it.

It leaded to the surface! Things were finally looking up. It was sunrise, I was out for quite a while. I looked around to see where I was, and I would've been lost if not for the horrible sign that tipped me off.

My town, in ruins. Burnt to the ground, spreading only slightly to the forest surrounding it. This was no accident. The drow. Now that I look back, it wasn't all that surprising. But at that time, it was such a shock. My whole past, the one I was going to leave anyway, gone. But, I thought maybe there were some survivors. I went to investigate.

When I arrived there, no one was there. But then I saw a glimmer, and concentrated on it. Someone was there, and I didn't care who. I went to go see who it was, regardless of what might happen.

When I got closer, I saw it was a human, and he had seen me. "Hello there, little guy." he said in a soft, but sad voice. I just stared back. He had a sword by his side, and a lute on his back. He then asked me, "Do you know who did this?" I replied in a monotone voice, "Drow." He then said, "Well, I wish I was here to help, I'm just a passerby, hoping to have stayed here for a few days. Oh well. Here little one, come with me. It's your only chance to live. If they come back, the dark elves will kill you without a second thought of it." I nodded softly. Then he asked, "Do you have a name, little one," he offered out his hand. I took his hand and say, "Kuvo."