Chapter 1

A Gunthor's Lore

Lore: a mighty, mystical land with many beasts and beings all with their own personalities, thoughts, dreams and feelings.

In the east, there is the great land of Swordhaven: home to many of the good and home to the great King Alteon, whom I serve for as long as I live and fight.

West lies the evil capital of Shadowfall: Home to an army of undead warriors and dark mages. Its residents do not know the meaning of the word mercy and hate all that is good.

Its ruler, when I was a young boy and a private in the King's guard, was Sepulchure, an evil emperor who was feared by many and despised by most. I will tell you of my story. Although tragic, it is one of great and eventual triumph and my rise to power as the Last Gunthor.

But first, I shall introduce myself.

My name is Jasorick Alfred Gunthor. I'm a Special Forces Sergeant knight in the King's army. I am twenty-two years old and I was born just like anyone else. I had a great quality of life from my birth. A serene, tranquil, safe and peaceful one.

I was the youngest of three. I had a brother and a sister. Now, to those who have not heard the legends and feats of our family, we were a family clan of great warriors. Mages, swordsmen and women, rogues, and healers, we were a family that knew war and understood the meaning of peacekeeping and we were loyal to all that is righteous and just. Now, our loyalties lie with King Alteon the Good. And since the uprising for Swordhaven, we have stood as his right-hand secondary army; ready to take arms to all that is evil in the land of Lore.

Our family clan's amulet was, and still is, known throughout Lore. It is what you would call a Celtic circle with the Swordhaven dragon in the centre. It is made out of Blinding Light gold with an augmented sapphire in the dragon's eye. In it contains the deceased souls of our ancestors. Once someone comes of age in the family clan, they proceed through a special ritual; in which, they swear an oath of loyalty to the family cause and swear to uphold our values, and when they die, they shall fuse themselves to an amulet. They are then given an amulet of their own with a soul of one of our ancestors inside it to act as a guide, and to aid them access powers beyond that of a normal man. Powers of the divine light. However, this power requires great responsibility and control to wield.

If you unleashed the power without control or training and, well...the price would be either severe brain damage, total amnesia or even death with prolonged use of said power. So, with that explained. Here is the story on how I became...The Last Gunthor.

I was five. We were living in a cottage in the Swordhaven Kingdom's countryside, near Greenwood Forest. Bevyn, ten, was my brother. Short black hair with my mother's brown eyes. Evelina, eighteen, was my sister. Long flowing brunette locks with Father's blue eyes, she was a very beautiful young woman, most young men would ask her for dates. Llewelyn was my father and Agatha was my mother. Our family was the ruling family in our clan. We had many families under our banner, some who had married into other families and likewise the other way round, but we were all Gunthors. It was a time of rejoicing. My sister, who was eighteen at the time and the eldest of the three of us, had just made it into the acolytes division of the King's army. Naturally, as it was the clan leader's daughter, it was decided to throw a clan wide celebration in her honour and all clan members had to attend, young or old.

It was wonderful, although my brother did get into trouble for hogging all of the spiced apple sweet bread sandwiches, which were his favourite treat. My sister's partner was also there. He proposed to her, which she in return said yes.

Night came. We had fireworks lit, exchanged well-beings and went to sleep. It would have been a day to remember...if the attack hadn't happened...

It was pitch black in mine and Bevyn's room. All was quiet as I lay there drifting. Then I smelled smoke and heard mute commotion. Then, I hear my sister scream, followed by several others. This woke me up almost instantaneously. I was scared. I ran across the room to Bevyn's bed, desperate to wake him from slumber. I whispered as I shook his shoulder. "Bevwin! Bevwin! Wake up, I'm scarwed!" After a little stirring and groaning, he finally half woke up.

"Huh...? Jas'...why?" He moaned half asleep.

Just then, Evelina came bursting into our room, frantic, slamming the door behind her. The slamming of the door was just enough to wake Bevyn up fully and make him jump half out of his skin and yelp in surprise as he scrambled to a sitting position in his bed. She looked at us scared, absolutely petrified in fear. "Jas'! Bev'! Get up! Hurry!"

"Eve', what's going on?" He then listened to the muffled events happening outside the door. "W-Why are people screaming?" worryingly asked Bevyn

"No time to explain! We have to get out of here!" She then started holding back tears. "Mother and Father...They're dead...Were all getting massacred! We have to get out of here NOW!" I just looked in shock

"M-M-Mummy a-and Daddy a-are...d-de-dead?" At that moment, I felt something I had never felt before...heartbreak. I then sobbed the biggest sob that I could achieve at that age. I didn't understand any of it, the heartbreak feeling, the fact of Mother and Father being dead, it only added to the cries of despair. Just then, Evelina's face stopped, and with a little quiver of her lip and tears in her eyes, she knelt down to my height and pulled me into a gentle embrace. Naturally, I embraced her back. My little head on her shoulder.

"It's ok Jasorick, I'm here." And just like the natural mother she was, she picked me up like I was a baby and cradled me in her arms. Her touch was a very comforting one. Just feeling the warmth of her body as she was cradling me, made me feel safe enough to stop me from crying.

To be quite honest, I liked her more than Bevyn, but that didn't mean I didn't like him. He would always make me laugh one way or another and would always play the games I made up with me in the open plain outside our home; no matter how ridiculous or bizarre they were. But he would also tease me on being the youngest of the family, even when he was training with Father. I loved my family. I now understand that they had made many enemies over our time, but back then I just didn't understand why someone would take them away from me. The only question circling my head was why? Just...why?

Turning to Bevyn with me still in her arms, Evelina then ordered him to do what she said. "Now come on! Bevyn, grab your sword, I'll carry Jas!" Bevyn then jumped out of his bed, reached under it and grabbed his training sword, turned back to my sister and nodded; to which, she nodded back. We were ready.

We ran into our upstairs hallway. I peered my head down into the living area and saw the undead, hoards of them, massacring my family. The blood spilt of my fallen family was just horrifying, my tiny eyes couldn't help but look in horror.

Only a few hours ago this little home in the Oaklore countryside was a bustling party venue to celebrate Evelina's achievement. Now it was just a Shadowscythe slaughter house.

As my tiny, horror-filled eyes scanned the battle, to my disbelief, I see my Mother and Father lying together in a pool of their own blood. Father with his sword in his hand, Mother lying there cold on his back and standing next to their bodies was this colossal-like being, with bone-like armour. Around 7ft tall, dried blood seemed to decorate the trims, a truly dark presence around him. Skulls of his fallen enemies decorated his shoulder plates, and from dragon's skull for a helmet were glowing dark red eyes. We heard him rally to the troops. "Slay every last one! Crush them all into dust! Then we can storm onward to Swordhaven! Because when the Gunthors die, we can hit Swordhaven with the true might of the Shadowscythe Empire!" After this we heard all his living troops and him shout "LONG UN-LIVE THE SHADOWSCYTHE!" the Shadowscythe Empire battle-cry.

We ran for the balcony across the hallway, for if we went downstairs we would surly join our parents. Skeletal soldiers then cut us off just as we got near, stopping us in our tracks. Bevyn prepared for combat, readying his sword. "Stay back you two, I'll handle these boneheads."

Despite his confidence, Bevyn was still learning at this time and unfortunately, you could say he couldn't tell his sword whether it was swinging at a tree or some plates or an enemy. Basically he was somewhat clumsy with a sword. But he desperately wanted to be a paladin like Father, even though Mother constantly said to him that he excelled in healing magic. Bevyn though ignored Mother, constantly stating that "A hero shouldn't just heal damage, but also stop it from happening in the place."

Bevyn stared the soldiers down through his guard "You undead scum won't harm any more of my family!" He took a deep breath and began his attack.

He lunged forward and fell but luckily, by some happy accident, crushed an undead in the process with his sword. He got back up and tried a swipe but ended up spinning around, "Whooaa!" nearly getting me and Evelina

"Hey, watch it!" she shouted.

"I can't control this thiiiing!" He span all around the space. But to our surprise, he was managing to slay them. He only stopped spinning when he'd slain the last soldier that was attacking us.

He looked around in surprise then turned to us and shouted delighted and in a cocky manner "I did it! I killed my first lot of undead!"

Evelina, although happy to begin with then looked fearful. "Umm...Bev'..." She then tried to point behind him. Bevyn however wasn't paying attention to Evelina, nor to the sickly looking husk of a man clutching a green dagger coming up behind him. He then posed dramatically.

"Have no fear Swordhaven for you are prote-" at that moment, the green dagger had pierced his heart, Bevyn looked down at what was protruding from his chest in a intense state of shock. The thin man then placed his skinny and disgusting looking hand on Bevyn's head, a green glow then emitted from it. Bevyn's body tensed up and went ridged, his eyes rolled back all the way into his skull and began to bleed. His skin was turning a sickly pale colour, that of a corpse. As soon as his entire skin went that colour, his head and body slumped forward. We saw the man smile sadistically, and then Bevyn's head rose. His eyes had become a mixture of blood, bloodshot and nothing but whites. Myself and my sister screamed as he roared like his throat had been slit. This man, whoever he was, had somehow managed to turn Bevyn into a zombie.

The necromancer then withdrew his dagger facing us and shouted "Attack, my slave!" Zombie Bevyn then did exactly as he was told by his new master and began to walk menacingly towards us.

Evelina froze in fear to the point where she dropped me. I first looked up at Evelina in a state of confusion, then gazed upon Zombie Bevyn coming closer and closer. Fear struck me as well, but one look down and I noticed an empty glass bottle a couple of inches away from my hands. I then had a brilliant idea, stupid but brilliant at the same time. I decided to grab the bottle and smashed it on the floor. All three parties then looked at me, I looked back at Zombie Bevyn. He tried to lunge at me, but thanks to my speed I dodged him and grabbed a hold of his head, swinging myself onto his shoulders. He went berserk, it almost felt like a rodeo.

He growled and shook me about as the necromancer shouted "Get off of my slave, you pest!"

"Jasorick, what the hell are you doing?!" shouted Evelina. At that moment, gripping onto Zombie Bevyn's head tight, I forced the sharpened bottle several times into my former brother's head. He then after the third stab, he went still for a few seconds. After that he then dropped to the floor, dead. Unintentionally throwing me to the necromancer's feet.

"No!" He then looked at me in complete rage "You'll pay for that you little rat!" angrily shouted the necromancer as he raised his dagger at me. But the next minute, a fireball took him by surprise, hitting him square in the face. This made him stumble back a few inches. Slightly burned, he looked around to find the source of the spell, as did I. That's when I noticed my sister still had her hand and arm extended. The necromancer starred daggers at her in complete rage, retaliating with a fireball of his own, only his was green. Evelina crossed her arms and light shone in front of her. When the fireball got close to this light, it dispersed as if it had hit a barrier. She held her arms up as she glanced at me

"Jasorick...!" She then reached into her pocket and took out her amulet and tossed it to me. "Take it and run!" I did exactly as I was told grabbing Evelina's amulet, running as fast as I could. The necromancer tried to grab me as I ran passed him but thanks to Evelina he was distracted and I was able to reach the balcony. I turned.

"Evee, come with me!" at that age I couldn't say her name right.

"No, you need to get out of here! Remember what Father said! Bunker! I'll hold off this guy!

"Bu-"

"Jump Jasorick!"

"You dare to challenge the Royal Necromancer of Emperor Sepulchure, Abdulbaith?!" He then laughed psychotically "Very well, Fight!" shouted the Necromancer sadistically.

I was hesitant but I eventually jumped over the balcony's wooden balustrade and landed in a pile of hay as Evelina and Abdulbaith fought it out still in the upstairs hallway. I landed with a slight jolt as the hay broke my fall. I made sure I still had Evelina's amulet, which to my relief was still in my then small hands. But before I could ease myself up, I heard Abdulbaith scream, at that moment I saw him on fire, flailing his arms all over the place and backing up to the balcony's edge, desperate to put himself out. I quickly got up on my feet and made a break for it and missed him by just inches. And as if he acted as a flint and steel, he set fire to the hay pile. I then saw him eventually stop struggling as he was cremated. Scared for my life, I ran across the field towards the door to my family's bunker, hoping no one caught sight of me. Thankfully no one did, and I climbed inside as fast as I could.

As soon as I got in inside I popped my head up against the doors so only my eyes were visible. I saw Evelina on the balcony, she looked desperate as Abdulbaith's make-shift cremation pile was spreading towards the house. The house was now becoming one big blaze.

I noticed her gulp as she looked over the far side of the balcony, she moved back and prepared for a run-up. She ran over to the far side and leapt over it. However, her fall was less than graceful. She landed funny onto her leg, a faint crack filled the air as she collapsed to the ground screaming in pain and clutching her leg. This caught the attention of the general we saw by our parents bodies, he walked up to her with a thud and bone gridding step. Evelina saw him coming towards her and attempted to stand, only to fall on her backside and back. She looked at this thing with the biggest sense of fear I had seen her face give in ever. She desperately tried to back away, once she was a good few feet away from the bone-armoured goliath she attempted to try and heal her leg. But the general was one step ahead of her. He shadow stepped right in front of her then punched her face, gripped her by her jaw and throat and made her face him. He then lifted her off the ground by her neck, raised his sword and then stabbed her in her right lung.

She gasped as her lungs filled with her own blood. I just watched in horror as he killed my sister "Foolish Gunthor! Nothing can overpower me. Now you're dead; I can push onto Swordhaven, in comfort that your family won't be there to defend it! Now die!" He then withdrew his sword from her and she dropped down onto the floor, dead. "Good! The whole of Lore will soon learn the power of Mavork and Sepulchure!" he then let out the darkest, most evil laugh I had ever heard.

But then, a pale man dressed in red black and gold silk robes walked up to Mavork "Sir?" said the man.

"What is it?!" demanded Mavork

"The Emperor has arrived" at that moment a man in red, horned, Doomknight armour with a dragon helmet and red eyes appeared, this was Sepulchure, Emperor of Shadowfall.

"Well done Mavork, my friend, you have defeated them. Now we can push onward to Swordhaven"

At this moment, I accidently knocked a stone which echoed throughout the bunker. This attracted the attention of the two men. I quickly ducked my head down to shut the doors and put the amulet in my pyjama trouser left pocket. "What was that?" questioned a slightly spooked Sepulchure who prepared his stance for combat along side his knights and Mavork. He then ordered Chuckles to investigate. "Chuckles! Go check"

"Nyehehehehehehehehee!" exclaimed Chuckles. Chuckles was an undead skeletal warrior with a sword and shield, no armour and big white eyes with no colour just pupils.

He came to the doors, opened it and then laid eyes on me. I tried to run for it inside but before I could, he laughed again as he grabbed me by the scruff of my collar "Nyehehehehehehehehee!" I struggled

"G-Get off mee!" I looked back in fear at Chuckles.

"He's found something!" Shouted Sepulchure

Sepulchure came over to the bunker and he laid eyes on me. I decided I try and leap out of the bunker, punching, kicking and screaming at Sepulchure, pretending to be a mighty warrior that could hurt people with just my own power, but I couldn't reach him as I was still being held by Chuckles "Hahahahahaaa, you're a belligerent little thing aren't you?" Mavork then noticed the amulet in my pocket

"Sepulchure! He's a Gunthor! Let me take his life!"

"No you shall not Mavork!"

"But, my Emperor-!

"BUT NOTHING!" I then in sheer fear stopped kicking and punching. He then crouched down and looked at me from my height, talking surprisingly softly "Come with me little boy. Your family may be dead, but I'll give you purpose. A new home."

"Sepulchure, my Emperor, I'm not too sure about this move you're making!"

"SILENCE!" He shouted turning to Mavork. "What you fail to see is that children's minds, are more open and susceptible to indoctrination. This is a gift. We can use the power of the Gunthors to our own gain. Knights! Take this boy to Sanctus Orphanage"

Sepulchure then picked me up, put me on the back of one of his horses and had his knights then escort me to the place that I surely don't miss in the slightest.