Lightning flashed as a cloaked man descended on the emperor of Argentum,
grasping the ruler's neck with a cold hand. Emperor Aurum took a piece of
parchment and handed it to the horror-stricken boy beside him.
"Take this to the island of Verdante in Jarrah. I know of a lad there who can save Argentum. Hurry!" he whispered his last words into the boy's ear. The fingers tightened around his throat. Lightning pierced the sky once more, and the great ruler was gone.
Terrified, the boy ran with all his might. A soldier in green and black armor watched him run, message in hand.
"Shall I go after him?" he asked the cloaked murderer.
"Let him go. Soon, all of Jarrah will be destroyed" Silver threw back his hood and laughed loudly, drowning out the thunder in the distance…
. . .
David set down his sword, breathing heavily. He had just completed his morning exercises, to a higher degree than usual. He could sense something evil in the air, and wanted to be ready. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, sitting down under the huge oak tree next to his house. He was about to pick up his sword and go inside when an exhausted runner came into view, waving a piece of parchment in the air.
"Sir! Sir!" he cried, picking up speed to reach his destination. He skidded to a halt under the oak tree and held out the message. "I've –gasp- just come –gasp- from Argentum with a –gasp- message for a man named –gasp- David!" he panted.
"Argentum, huh? Must be urgent to send a runner all that way," David took the message and opened it, his eyes widening as he read it. "WHAT?! Y- you don't mean… he's back?" The messenger nodded. The look on his face was clearly one of fear. "Then Jarrah is in danger. I've got to get help! Look," he motioned to the runner beside him, "Rest up, then deliver this message to these places." He wrote down a short note and a few addresses and handed the parchment back to the runner.
"Yes, sir!" the runner stood up, bowing to David before taking off. David turned and ran to his house.
"Jennifer!" he called to his wife, "There's an emergency, and I must leave for a while!" He ran upstairs and unlocked the chest which held his greatest treasure, the eight mystical orbs which he had collected on his previous quest. He grabbed various other weapons from a rack on the wall, some magical and others regular, stuffing them in a large canvas bag. It wouldn't hold long, but was strong enough to hold for the time being.
"You'll need food, knowing you and your journeys," Jennifer stepped in the doorway, holding a sack.
"Thanks," David took the sack, kissed his wife, and went outside, heading for Vivienne's cottage…
. . .
When David reached his old ally's house, he knocked on the door and found himself staring at the tip of a sword. Vivienne grinned and set it down.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist!" she apologized. "So what brings you here?"
"We have an old… friend… who's back," he explained the message to her.
"But… how'd he come back? I thought he was dead!" Vivienne started gathering up supplies.
"I don't know! All we know is that he's back, and we must go to Argentum," David started out the door once she was ready.
"So we're heading there now?" Vivienne asked.
"Not yet. We're going to meet the others at the old rebel camp first,"
"Then let's hurry!" she started jogging, closely followed by David…
. . .
At the abandoned rebel camp, a lone archer stood, practicing her aim by shooting various logs around her. She had just received a message saying to come to the old campsite prepared for battle. She whirled around at the sound of footsteps close by. Two familiar figures came into view, coming to a halt next to her.
"So you made it," she greeted David and Vivienne, shooting a rat wandering near the supplies she brought.
"Yes, Sekune, we made it," David returned the grin and set the weapon bag down. He drew out two swords, handing one to Vivienne. "We have a big problem," he stated as he started warming up.
"So I read," Sekune said dryly. She put an arrow in her bow and fired it, squarely hitting a block of wood behind David.
"The others should be arriving shortly."
"Good. We'll need all the help we can get if we want to come back in one piece," Vivienne leaped up in the air and brought her sword down with blistering speed.
"If it isn't the little lady!" a booming voice shouted. Vivienne suddenly found herself face to face with a grinning Jug.
"Call me that once more, and you're shish-kabobs!" Vivienne growled. Jug shrugged and took a battle axe from the pile of weapons he had brought. He swung it in a large circle, cleanly slicing a tree in half.
"Hey, what'd that tree do to you?" Sekune asked the giant man playfully.
David took a box out of the bag, pulling the top off. The interior glowed with the powerful magic of the orbs within it, almost blinding him. He pulled them out, one by one, letting them float midair above him. He took a bright red orb glowing with yellow flame and held it for a moment, letting its magic flow through him. The orb itself melted into his hands, lighting them with a magical flame. David concentrated and sent a ball of fire towards a nearby pond, sending up clouds of steam on contact. Vivienne grinned, walking over to the seven remaining orbs.
"I think I'll try out the acid magic first," she picked up a brownish- green orb floating next to her. She let the magic fill her hands, the sent a jet of acid at a tree, eating through it until nothing remained.
"What is it with target practice trees today?" Sekune raised an eyebrow.
"Nice shot," David let the fire magic escape his body, reforming into the crimson orb. He dug through the bag again, this time pulling out a thin sword that sparkled with icy magic. He pointed it at a rock, letting the magic stream from the tip of the blade and coat the rock and an area around it with a thick layer of ice. "See? I used a rock, not a tree!" he grinned at Sekune.
"Hey! Chiaro's here!" Jug pointed into the distance at a figure that was running towards them. David waved at it, swinging the ice sword wildly and accidentally freezing a nearby rabbit. Vivienne cringed.
"Two things! One, you hit the rabbit! Two, you almost hit me! Had you actually hit me, you would have a sword down your throat once I defrosted!" the redhead swung her sword in a circle to make her point.
"Did I miss anything?" Chiaro ran up to David.
"Not much," David pointed in the direction of the orbs, knowing that was what the sorcerer would ask next.
"You know me too well," Chiaro muttered as he grabbed the lightning orb, absorbing its magic and pointing a finger at a nearby tree.
"You might want to find a different kind of target," David warned, "Sekune's in a tree-hugging mood, and I wouldn't mess with her if I were you."
"Right," Chiaro eyed Sekune and blasted a large boulder with electricity, cracking it neatly in two.
"Oh, now it's 'beat up on rocks' time?" Sekune asked dryly. Chiaro nodded and shattered a couple more rocks with bolts of lightning.
"Once Cagen gets here, we can leave for the docks," David told the others, "I have a ship waiting for us there."
"He's fast, so he'll be here soon. We'd better put everything away," Jug started getting his weapons together in a pile. David nodded and collected the orbs, putting them back in their box. He slid the ice wand back into the bag and sat on a rock that Chiaro hadn't shattered to wait. Soon enough, a figure with an oversized purple hat came running, reaching them almost immediately.
"Nice to see you again!" David grinned at the monk, "Are you ready to go?"
"Sure thing!" Cagen picked up one of the many sacks of food the warriors had brought and hefted it over his shoulder along with his own supplies.
"I arranged for a boat to take us to Argentum from Verdante Harbor. It's supposed to set sail in an hour, so we'd better get moving!" David grabbed his supplies and stood up, followed by the others. They began walking down the sunlit road towards Haven's Gate and the island of Verdante.
. . .
They arrived at Verdante Harbor 10 minutes before the ship was supposed to leave, making very good time considering the distance. David led them to a large ship tied to the dock, climbing up its gangplank.
"So this is our ship?" Sekune grinned. All of a sudden, she was knocked to the ground in a large tackle-hug. "What the…!?" she gasped.
"You didn't take me with you!" a teenage girl in a purple outfit similar to Sekune's got off the startled archer, grinning, "You promised to let me meet your friends!"
"Sydra! Why do you have to meet them now?" Sekune got up, brushing dust off herself.
"Awww, c'mon, sis! You don't expect me to just stay home while you go off to fight the jerk that kidnapped me! No way!" Sydra protested.
"Sekune? You okay?" David ran down the gangplank to see what was holding her up. "Who's this?" he motioned towards Sydra.
"This is my little sister, Sydra," Sekune explained, "She is young, but a proven warrior." Sydra beamed at her older sister's praise. Sekune whispered in David's ear, "She's a stubborn one, so it's best if you let her come."
"Well, come on you two! The ship's ready to leave," David walked onto the ship, followed by Sekune and Sydra.
"Ho, there!" a redheaded female called to them from the deck of the ship, waving.
"Hey, Felena!" David called, breaking into a run up the boarding plank.
"You're crazy, you know that?" Felena asked, her eyes never leaving the deck she was cleaning. "Asking a person to build a ship to journey around Argentum, accommodating ten and their provisions, in just three days?" she scoffed. "I had to get all my best Journeymen down here, working day and night with hardly a break a'tall!"
"Yeah, well, I didn't have much advanced warning," David made a face.
"You're just lucky that Jarrah is at stake or else I'd make you pay for all of this," the redhead said, not all jokingly.
"I guess I'm lucky like that," David replied dryly.
"So who are your friends?" Felena asked interestedly, motioning towards David's companions.
"These are Vivienne, Chiaro, Cagen, Jug, Sekune, and her sister Sydra," David pointed at each of the warriors in turn.
"Nice to meet you all," Felena nodded a greeting at them, then hopped below deck to make some last minute adjustments.
"How long's this gonna take?" Sydra looked up at Sekune.
"I don't know," Sekune shrugged, setting her bags of supplies in a corner of the ship. Jug started turning a huge crank, slowly lifting the anchor out of the water. The ship started drifting away from the dock, turning in the direction of Argentum. With a final turn, they sailed off towards certain death with a smile on their faces…
"Take this to the island of Verdante in Jarrah. I know of a lad there who can save Argentum. Hurry!" he whispered his last words into the boy's ear. The fingers tightened around his throat. Lightning pierced the sky once more, and the great ruler was gone.
Terrified, the boy ran with all his might. A soldier in green and black armor watched him run, message in hand.
"Shall I go after him?" he asked the cloaked murderer.
"Let him go. Soon, all of Jarrah will be destroyed" Silver threw back his hood and laughed loudly, drowning out the thunder in the distance…
. . .
David set down his sword, breathing heavily. He had just completed his morning exercises, to a higher degree than usual. He could sense something evil in the air, and wanted to be ready. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, sitting down under the huge oak tree next to his house. He was about to pick up his sword and go inside when an exhausted runner came into view, waving a piece of parchment in the air.
"Sir! Sir!" he cried, picking up speed to reach his destination. He skidded to a halt under the oak tree and held out the message. "I've –gasp- just come –gasp- from Argentum with a –gasp- message for a man named –gasp- David!" he panted.
"Argentum, huh? Must be urgent to send a runner all that way," David took the message and opened it, his eyes widening as he read it. "WHAT?! Y- you don't mean… he's back?" The messenger nodded. The look on his face was clearly one of fear. "Then Jarrah is in danger. I've got to get help! Look," he motioned to the runner beside him, "Rest up, then deliver this message to these places." He wrote down a short note and a few addresses and handed the parchment back to the runner.
"Yes, sir!" the runner stood up, bowing to David before taking off. David turned and ran to his house.
"Jennifer!" he called to his wife, "There's an emergency, and I must leave for a while!" He ran upstairs and unlocked the chest which held his greatest treasure, the eight mystical orbs which he had collected on his previous quest. He grabbed various other weapons from a rack on the wall, some magical and others regular, stuffing them in a large canvas bag. It wouldn't hold long, but was strong enough to hold for the time being.
"You'll need food, knowing you and your journeys," Jennifer stepped in the doorway, holding a sack.
"Thanks," David took the sack, kissed his wife, and went outside, heading for Vivienne's cottage…
. . .
When David reached his old ally's house, he knocked on the door and found himself staring at the tip of a sword. Vivienne grinned and set it down.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist!" she apologized. "So what brings you here?"
"We have an old… friend… who's back," he explained the message to her.
"But… how'd he come back? I thought he was dead!" Vivienne started gathering up supplies.
"I don't know! All we know is that he's back, and we must go to Argentum," David started out the door once she was ready.
"So we're heading there now?" Vivienne asked.
"Not yet. We're going to meet the others at the old rebel camp first,"
"Then let's hurry!" she started jogging, closely followed by David…
. . .
At the abandoned rebel camp, a lone archer stood, practicing her aim by shooting various logs around her. She had just received a message saying to come to the old campsite prepared for battle. She whirled around at the sound of footsteps close by. Two familiar figures came into view, coming to a halt next to her.
"So you made it," she greeted David and Vivienne, shooting a rat wandering near the supplies she brought.
"Yes, Sekune, we made it," David returned the grin and set the weapon bag down. He drew out two swords, handing one to Vivienne. "We have a big problem," he stated as he started warming up.
"So I read," Sekune said dryly. She put an arrow in her bow and fired it, squarely hitting a block of wood behind David.
"The others should be arriving shortly."
"Good. We'll need all the help we can get if we want to come back in one piece," Vivienne leaped up in the air and brought her sword down with blistering speed.
"If it isn't the little lady!" a booming voice shouted. Vivienne suddenly found herself face to face with a grinning Jug.
"Call me that once more, and you're shish-kabobs!" Vivienne growled. Jug shrugged and took a battle axe from the pile of weapons he had brought. He swung it in a large circle, cleanly slicing a tree in half.
"Hey, what'd that tree do to you?" Sekune asked the giant man playfully.
David took a box out of the bag, pulling the top off. The interior glowed with the powerful magic of the orbs within it, almost blinding him. He pulled them out, one by one, letting them float midair above him. He took a bright red orb glowing with yellow flame and held it for a moment, letting its magic flow through him. The orb itself melted into his hands, lighting them with a magical flame. David concentrated and sent a ball of fire towards a nearby pond, sending up clouds of steam on contact. Vivienne grinned, walking over to the seven remaining orbs.
"I think I'll try out the acid magic first," she picked up a brownish- green orb floating next to her. She let the magic fill her hands, the sent a jet of acid at a tree, eating through it until nothing remained.
"What is it with target practice trees today?" Sekune raised an eyebrow.
"Nice shot," David let the fire magic escape his body, reforming into the crimson orb. He dug through the bag again, this time pulling out a thin sword that sparkled with icy magic. He pointed it at a rock, letting the magic stream from the tip of the blade and coat the rock and an area around it with a thick layer of ice. "See? I used a rock, not a tree!" he grinned at Sekune.
"Hey! Chiaro's here!" Jug pointed into the distance at a figure that was running towards them. David waved at it, swinging the ice sword wildly and accidentally freezing a nearby rabbit. Vivienne cringed.
"Two things! One, you hit the rabbit! Two, you almost hit me! Had you actually hit me, you would have a sword down your throat once I defrosted!" the redhead swung her sword in a circle to make her point.
"Did I miss anything?" Chiaro ran up to David.
"Not much," David pointed in the direction of the orbs, knowing that was what the sorcerer would ask next.
"You know me too well," Chiaro muttered as he grabbed the lightning orb, absorbing its magic and pointing a finger at a nearby tree.
"You might want to find a different kind of target," David warned, "Sekune's in a tree-hugging mood, and I wouldn't mess with her if I were you."
"Right," Chiaro eyed Sekune and blasted a large boulder with electricity, cracking it neatly in two.
"Oh, now it's 'beat up on rocks' time?" Sekune asked dryly. Chiaro nodded and shattered a couple more rocks with bolts of lightning.
"Once Cagen gets here, we can leave for the docks," David told the others, "I have a ship waiting for us there."
"He's fast, so he'll be here soon. We'd better put everything away," Jug started getting his weapons together in a pile. David nodded and collected the orbs, putting them back in their box. He slid the ice wand back into the bag and sat on a rock that Chiaro hadn't shattered to wait. Soon enough, a figure with an oversized purple hat came running, reaching them almost immediately.
"Nice to see you again!" David grinned at the monk, "Are you ready to go?"
"Sure thing!" Cagen picked up one of the many sacks of food the warriors had brought and hefted it over his shoulder along with his own supplies.
"I arranged for a boat to take us to Argentum from Verdante Harbor. It's supposed to set sail in an hour, so we'd better get moving!" David grabbed his supplies and stood up, followed by the others. They began walking down the sunlit road towards Haven's Gate and the island of Verdante.
. . .
They arrived at Verdante Harbor 10 minutes before the ship was supposed to leave, making very good time considering the distance. David led them to a large ship tied to the dock, climbing up its gangplank.
"So this is our ship?" Sekune grinned. All of a sudden, she was knocked to the ground in a large tackle-hug. "What the…!?" she gasped.
"You didn't take me with you!" a teenage girl in a purple outfit similar to Sekune's got off the startled archer, grinning, "You promised to let me meet your friends!"
"Sydra! Why do you have to meet them now?" Sekune got up, brushing dust off herself.
"Awww, c'mon, sis! You don't expect me to just stay home while you go off to fight the jerk that kidnapped me! No way!" Sydra protested.
"Sekune? You okay?" David ran down the gangplank to see what was holding her up. "Who's this?" he motioned towards Sydra.
"This is my little sister, Sydra," Sekune explained, "She is young, but a proven warrior." Sydra beamed at her older sister's praise. Sekune whispered in David's ear, "She's a stubborn one, so it's best if you let her come."
"Well, come on you two! The ship's ready to leave," David walked onto the ship, followed by Sekune and Sydra.
"Ho, there!" a redheaded female called to them from the deck of the ship, waving.
"Hey, Felena!" David called, breaking into a run up the boarding plank.
"You're crazy, you know that?" Felena asked, her eyes never leaving the deck she was cleaning. "Asking a person to build a ship to journey around Argentum, accommodating ten and their provisions, in just three days?" she scoffed. "I had to get all my best Journeymen down here, working day and night with hardly a break a'tall!"
"Yeah, well, I didn't have much advanced warning," David made a face.
"You're just lucky that Jarrah is at stake or else I'd make you pay for all of this," the redhead said, not all jokingly.
"I guess I'm lucky like that," David replied dryly.
"So who are your friends?" Felena asked interestedly, motioning towards David's companions.
"These are Vivienne, Chiaro, Cagen, Jug, Sekune, and her sister Sydra," David pointed at each of the warriors in turn.
"Nice to meet you all," Felena nodded a greeting at them, then hopped below deck to make some last minute adjustments.
"How long's this gonna take?" Sydra looked up at Sekune.
"I don't know," Sekune shrugged, setting her bags of supplies in a corner of the ship. Jug started turning a huge crank, slowly lifting the anchor out of the water. The ship started drifting away from the dock, turning in the direction of Argentum. With a final turn, they sailed off towards certain death with a smile on their faces…