Chapter 2
The Forest of Secrets
The men stopped right as the sun was setting on the border. The sky was a dark red with violet and blue at its edges. The men were slashing and tearing at the tall grass trying to make a decent clearing to set up their tents and make a fire. It was not the tall grass that was keeping them from setting up there tents or laying out there wool blankets. The tall grass could spread a wild blaze if a fire was made. The area had little rain and the grass was very dry. The sun had finally sunken below the outline of the distance when they were finally done setting up camp and making fires. The grass that they had ripped up and cut served as a wonderful fuel for the fire. The fires stayed alight the whole night long. Scouts returned with wild game such as deer and wild turkey for food. They roasted the food on a spit fire and then ate it with deep delight.
The next day Olithia awoke to a area slightly clouded with smoke from burning embers from the night before. He rubbed his eyes, stretched, then gave a long yawn like a bear coming out of its den for the first time in all of winter. Then looking to the South he said to himself "Ahh...going South only ensures two fates, death or victory. If we, the might of Annill cannot defeat Alithia and her forces, who can? King Therin would follow in our stead and try with his might to finish what we started. All it takes is for Alithia to destroy our final defenses and Annill is done for. Oh well, it is best not to decide the fates for myself. I am not a fate wielder. I will have to lead my men as best I can and hope fate deals a card in my favor."
The men packed up and got back into their ranks. Men in the front held there shields in front of them, men on the sides hold there shields to the left or right of them, and the men in the back were always archers. As they marched not one of them complained if they came to rocky terrain or came to a difficult ravine to traverse. They all knew it was essential to get to the South and they knew it could not be accomplished if they complained and halted all the time. Thats what the men of Hasendor were known for. They had long endurance and strong might. They learned to have these traits because of a section of the Hasendor training. That specific training section was inspired by the dwarves of the Rizen Mountains.
"Sir, if I may ask, but do we have a goal or location we are trying to reach before the sundown strikes us again? The men and I do not have a problem with the long marches but it would do us better to know we were headed somewhere and not aimlessly wandering in a field all day like headless chickens," said a soldier. "We are headed South to the Forest of Secrets. I know you are thinking now as I said that of all the dangers and the tales you have been told, but it is quicker than going around and any second could be the last for our Southern defenses," said Olithia. The soldier merely nodded and thanked Olithia for his reply, but Olithia himself worried about the forest. He had heard tales of dangerous creatures and monstrous beings in the woods when he was growing up. The castle library was filled to the brim with these sort of legends and as a child he enjoyed greatly to read these tales. "Well as long as we stick to the road we should have less of a risk of getting attacked by a straying beast. My only concern about taking the roads are ambushes," thought Olithia to himself. Indeed beasts did not commonly walk near the road but as Olithia said the forest is known for ambushes as well as its fantasy tales. The forest was full of bushes, tall thick trees, and ditches that the enemy could hide in and spring out at any moment to take them by surprise.
As they reached the edge of the forest the men halted almost instantly. "The horses will not budge m'lord. Shall we send them back the way they came?" said a soldier. Olithia did not want to part with Lyrnox, but he knew he must do so for time purposes. "Yes yes send them back the way they came for they will no longer prove a use for us." responded Olithia unwillingly. A cold blast of wind blew out of the tree's edge. Eerie noises could be heard from deep within the bowels of the forest. Shadows lurched out from under rock and tree, stretching its cold, dark grasp on the land.
They slowly creeped on through the forest in fear that something might take notice of their presence. Olithia was at a loss for the once wide pass had grown over with weeds and thick trees. "Men, the loss of the road is a great inconvenience. Do not stray far from the ranks for your chances of survival in these woods are against you." said Olithia. The tops of the trees were so bundled with leaves that even the strongest beams of light would have a hard time penetrating its strong hold. Inter winding vines made the men stumble and fall to the ground quite often. Following the flame from Olithia's sword, they moved onward in the stead of their leader.
After what seemed like hours of marching one of Olithia's scouts reported a clearing up ahead. The scout was indeed telling the truth and the army was soon on its way toward the great, empty ring. As Olithia looked up he saw that beams of light were puncturing the roof of this stronghold of trees. "This was at one time used by a group of men. It is not a hasty clearing which means they intended to use it for a while. If I know this region as well as books and lore say, then this is a clearing from past dragon hunters." stated Olithia. The men set quickly to their tents while a few others started a fire. They used the last of their tall grass with much remorse. Olithia, while watching his men busily at work, heard a strange noise coming from off in the woods to the south of them. Grabbing a torch and setting several arrows ablaze, he launched a flurry of arrows into the woods. There was a loud growl which spelled death as it rolled on. Out of the woods came a very large beast that struck fear in the men and Olithia himself.
The beast was a Harishen. Harishens are strong in both physical strength and endurance. They are a version of skeletal drake which is rarely seen, but when it is, those that see it rarely live to tell the tale. The beast roared aloud once more, its green eyes giving off a bright green glow as it rose up on two hind legs. It then took one large slash at a tree which came toppling over on top of a group of soldiers tents. The soldiers fled to take cover behind trees as the Harishen blew its well known breath of acid and flame. The flame ripped through the trees like a sword through a scroll. Olithia heard his men letting out loud yells of pain and agony as they melted before his very eyes.
A group of archers from up in the trees set their arrows to flame and launched it into the drake's body. The Harishen roared in pain as it turned around. The archer's fearful gaze met the Harishen's eyes and sent the archers into a state of shock. The Harishen blew its breath again at the archers as they sat in the trees unable to do anything. Olithia who now stood behind the beast drew his sword and held it aloft. "Arise Eternal Flame and serve your master!" commanded Olithia to his sword. Almost instantly the sword burst into flames and the red runes glowed steadily. Olithia charged at the Harishen and drove a deep stab motion into the beasts lower left breast. The beast toppled over and smashed up against a large rock. The beast quickly swung its tail around and knocked Olithia several feet back and watched as he crashed into a tree.
Olithia, who now lay unconscious, was now subjected to any assault the beast could put forth. A brave knight ran over to Olithia, all the while dodging the long claws of the Harishen as it swung them violently. The knight grabbed Olithia's sword and ran towards the beast. The beast struck at him with his left clawed foot. The knight rapidly dodged it and sliced the beast's hand clean off as it came down. This threw the beast off balance and the knight watched as the Harishen fell over once more. This time the knight scrabbled up the massive body and stabbed the beast repeatedly in the head. The Harishen let out a long piercing screech and then it lay dead.
Olithia awoke the next day and looked around. He was inside his tent which was covered in holes and had claw slashes all over the sides. He walked outside and with a shocking look on his face examined the dead Harishen. The men were picking and cleaning the meat off of the beast and storing it in containers for their trips. Olithia then walked over to a roaring bon-fire in the center of the camp where his officers were seated in deep discussion.
"Friends, what news of the previous battle can you share with me?" asked Olithia. "Well sir there were many casualties I'm afraid and the damage the beast has done blocked off the main road. The boys have scouted ahead and have discovered a small trail bout a 2 days march of here," replied a lieutenant. Olithia spun around and walked up on a nearby rock. He gazed out across the battle worn faces of his comrades and then to the healers who were trying to heal those who managed to survive. Olithia had a look of distress across his face as he looked in horror at the mangled bodies that hung from the trees or lay scattered along the ground like apples from a broken stall. "Ok men...I know you have endured much and to see your brothers die next to you in battle is a terrible sight...during the battle, I myself was knocked unconscious by the creature. We must not let our comrades die in vain. Gather your gear and form the ranks, for by high noon we march deeper into the woods."
As the men straggled along, Olithia and Luterious were engaged in quite a interesting conversation. "Tell me Luterious, while I lay knocked out, who finished off that retched beast?" Asked Olithia. "And why would a lord such as yourself wish to know who killed a beast as insignificant as that? I suppose your wanting to thank him and commemorate em ey?" " Indeed I do! Whoever killed that beast had a lot of courage and had more wits about em than Old Yorn back in Mendaril." replied Olithia. "Ha ha ha, well then my lord if it is your wish then I shall let you know that it was I that slayed the great demon, though it was not an easy task to do, not even by my standards!" replied Luterious. "Well well you are turning out to be quite the young warrior Luterious. You keep your wits keen and your sword sharp and someday you will be a great hero. You saved the lives of not only me but of a great deal of soldiers." remarked Olithia. "Well lord I thank you for the kind comment and I will be sure to take your advice and hone my skills as you say."
With that being said Luterious walked to the back of the line to encourage any stragglers to keep marching. The conditions that week were terrible. By day it was scorching hot with muggy, humid air that seemed to choke the soldiers with an invisible hand. By night it was deathly cold and strong winds carried that icy cold through the branches of the trees to greet the soldiers as the slumbered. On the 3rd day of marching they reached the trail the scouts had found. The men rejoiced and some looked to the heavens in high appraisal of the good fortune that the day had brought. The men turned South and followed the road for quite a while.
While the men were marching, Olithia swore he saw a figure move in the woods. Olithia left the army in pursuit of the man. After about 2 hours of pursuing, he finally found the man sitting on a cliff over looking the Southern part of the Forest of Secrets. From here you could see where the forest began and where it ended. It was a beautiful place to be. The mountain top was covered by cherry blossom trees and wild flowers. Then over at the edge of the peak Olithia saw the man.
The man had long white hair that slightly covered his eyes in some parts. His eyes were of a blue like the sea. He wore a black long coat over armor that was of a purple and a aqua blue mixture. On the ground next to him was a huge scabbard for what looked like a 2h sword. The sword was in his hands in front of him. The sword had a sapphire set in the pommel of the sword. The handle was red leather and the hilt was of steel. Above the steel hilt were gold spikes pointed towards the end of the blade. In the center of the spikes was yet another sapphire. The blade itself was of 6 feet in length and a width of about 6 inches. On the blade were runes that glowed red when death was near to the bearer.
"Who are you and of who's army do you serve?" asked Olithia. "And who are you to ask these things of me?" " My name is Olithia, I have claimed war on my evil sister Alithia and the war has been going on now for 200 years." "Well well well don't we think were high and powerful?" stated the man. " My name is Hikari Kami and I am a 25 year old mercenary as far as it concerns you. I travel with my only companion, my sword Kaminari. I myself am on a mission but I feel it is somehow linked to yours. As for sides, I have no sides." As he said this he faded off to somewhere else.
Olithia turned around and slowly walked back to the army. He had a lot playing in his mind and he had much to think about. The words "...but I feel it is somehow linked to yours," kept playing in his head. He walked to the back of the army and asked Luterious, "Did you see that man back there?" But Luterious only nodded his head and said, "M'lord I have seen many men since we started marching."
They had all been marching a good half-day when the sun started to sink under the trees. The men started to take out blankets and other items of warmth to help them as they pushed on through the night. Eventually the men could handle the cold no more and they sought shelter. Olithia made quick work of finding one too. He set out that very instant and within a few hours had found a rocky ridge that would completely shield the men from the icy blasts of air. The soldiers and archers got underneath the rocky outcrop and dreamed of their homes and warm beds that is all but now in a distance.
The next day Luterious and Olithia awoke to the smell of wonderful aromas. Olithia noticed a small group of boys in the center of the road throwing huge chunks of meat and vegetables into a huge pot hanging over a roaring fire. " Well boys what are you cooking that makes me hunger so badly?" One of the boys, most likely the eldest, walked forward and said, " Well sir you see some of the scouts found a batch of herbs and spices not too far off the road so we took some of the food we had and mixed it usin' one of the chef's recipes. We would greatly appreciate it sir if you would take a bite of our cookin' and tell us what ya make of it." Olithia didn't hestitate long before he had dipped a large spoon into the pot and dished himself up a big heaping of meat and vegetables and put it into a wooden bowl. He took in the grand aromas and then took a bite out of the soupy mix.
There was a long pause when Olithia finally said, " Well boys...I'd hate to break it to you but...that's the best darn stew I've had in quite a few years." The boys all nodded with pleasure, thanked Olithia for his comment, and urged him to eat some more. Olithia agreed without a second thought and invited Luterious to come dine with him. In a matter of minutes all of the soldiers had heaping bowls of this wonderful delicacy. Olithia wiped the stew off of his mouth and looked up at the sky. It was crystal clear and the early sun was peeping through the cracks in the roof of the forest. Olithia had started to notice that the southern portion of the forest was not nearly as dark as the northern portion.
Once the men were all finished eating and had their gear packed up Olithia yelled out, "Ok men we are now only a 4 days march from the end of this abysmal forest! Grant we have no delays nor any mishaps we might possibly clear it in about a 2 days march. The choice is yours, slow easy pace but a longer time in the forest, or a faster pace with a shorter time in the forest." Almost with no questions asked all the men had gotten into ranks and started moving double paced down the road.
They had made it no farther than a few miles when the ground started to shake. The trees bent over forming huge arches over the road. The entire forest went pitch black, and then from in front of their very eyes, a ghostly black figure stood before them. It had dark black armor and the ghost itself was of black smoke. Dark red eyes returned their gaze as the men stood petrified in fear of the creature. The dark figure had a huge 2h axe that had ghastly purple and black flames all down the blade of it.
"You dare to travel down my path that which no man has survived to reach the end of it? What fools you must be!" yelled the eerie warrior. " As fools we may be, but we must travel your road regardless," said Olithia in return. " Such bold words you speak freely. Sadly you shall die by those words!" With that being said the figure rushed forward slaughtering countless lives with one swing of his massive weapon. " Powers of darkness arise to the fall of man!" commanded the spirit warrior.
As he said this he held his weapon aloft. The weapon went ablaze with energy as he cast his weapon down deep into the ground with a mighty force. The ground split and hundreds of undead beings arose out of the massive crevice. They swept across the road to meet the ready warriors of Hasendor. The foul undead creatures ripped the soldiers limb from limb, smashed there bodies against trees, and cast them into the great pit. Mages from the back of Olithia's line pounded the creatures with explosions of flame and rock.
Olithia drew his sword and charged toward a armored skeleton. He slashed violently at the being then turned around to parry an attack from a massive four armed monster. The creature picked Olithia up with brute force and threw him on the ground. Olithia stood up and stumbled around clumsily. The monster picked up a huge tree and swung it around. Olithia dodged the tree and watched as it smashed into a small group of undead archers.
Luterious ran up onto a rock, drew his sword, and came down on the four armed creature's head, splitting his skull in two. A group of soldiers from behind launched a flurry of arrows into the crowd. Men from both Hasendor and of the ghosts army were hit by the barrage of flaming projectiles. Olithia quickly turned around to see the group of archers beginning to reload their bows with another round of arrows. He took quick notice of the ghostly warrior appearing behind them in the shadows. Before he could yell a warning the ghost had already slaughtered the men into a pool of blood and guts.
Olithia shot a massive blast of light that lit up and shook the entire forest. The undead creatures began to stumble around wearily then they burst into ash and ember. The only one who survived was the ghost commander. "You...you...YOU BRUTES HAVE DESTROYED MY ARMY BUT YOU HAVE NOT DESTROYED ME!!" As he said this he charged forward and grabbed Luterious by the throat and with a quick jab he rammed the blunt end of the axe clear through Luterious stomach. Luterious's eyes grew wide as he grasped at the wound. He was losing blood rapidly and was feeling faint. The ghost had already vanished off somewhere else by the time Olithia reached him.
"Luterious...LUTERIOUS!!!! Speak to me boy! Speak!" shouted Olithia in a panic. " I...I am sorry m'lord...I failed you..." responded Luterious. " No you did not fail me and you have nothing to be sorry for...you fought bravely and you served your town and land." "M'lord I have something t- to tell you...I have a son...I know it is too late for me to be king...but he will continue the throne...after this war though...do not seek him out for he will come to you when his time comes...tell me woman that I am sorry i couldn't be there for the coming of our son...last of all...make sure me boy knows tha- that I love em and make sure he knows about his father...heh as for me...I go to a better place now...fair well...father..." Olithia weeped as his son died in his arms. He looked up to the heavens and prayed "Dear Lord please be forgiving of his sins and see that he is never disturbed in his final respite." As he lowered his face he saw the tears in the soldiers eyes, each one battle-worn and saddened by the loss of a great man. As the men mourned the loss, cherry blossom petals from the nearby mountain sailed down on soft winds and danced around the men.
The next day the men sent Luterious's body back to Hasendor in a white coffin bearing a red cross at the top of the coffin and a red H at the base of the coffin. A message went with it saying he was to be buried in the Court of Kings, a place where men of honor were buried. He was to be buried with his weapon and a paper with "Loving Family" was to be put in the coffin as a reminder of the ones he left behind. Olithia watched as his son was carried away on a horse drawn cart. "Good-bye...son..." muttered Olithia under his breath as he wiped a tear from his eye.
"Lost someone dear ey?" replied a mysterious figure. The man walked out from the shadows and revealed his face. "I know you!" replied Olithia instantly. "Ay you know me very well indeed." the man returned. "Indeed I do! Your the man I met on the mountain! Quite a awkward one you are...one could say cowardly if looking at the current moments. You appeared before the battle, then you appeared after the battle. Never have I seen you fight in battle." responded Olithia. " Your trifles and quarrels mean nothing to me. I fight alone with taking no sides and without further investigation I would have simply slaughtered your men as well. I will side that you have lost greatly, but unfortunately my skills are needed elsewhere. I bid you adieu." With that being said he faded off again just as before.
Olithia turned around wearily to greet the faces of his soldiers which now dwindled more in numbers. " Men this day has been a victory and a defeat at the same time. I wish this event could have been avoided, but fate cannot and it can be a cruel one sometimes. This is the Flame Wing Crusaders, Hasendor's elite fighting group so I leave the choice to you. If you wish to turn around after this day then you may do so. I do not encourage it though! Many were the losses we have suffered thus far, but we the might of Hasendor have not faltered yet! We have fought on and fought bravely and for that we are here today! What do I say? I say we march ahead! What say you for if you will not march with me I shall march alone."
The men looked at each other with curious faces. "I see you have much to think on. I will leave you in peace for a short while." said Olithia. Olithia marched off and sat on a hollow log not too far off from where he had been standing. " This day has in all been a sad day for everyone, and not just the people here. He would of made a great king someday and for lack of safety I blame myself. Ah well... death comes to all people it is just a matter of excepting it." Olithia stood up and looked around. A deep smell of pine filled the forest and a flock of geese flew overhead.
He briskly walked back to where he had left his soldiers, half expecting most of them to have left already.
There the soldiers stood, shoulders broad, heads up, spears held high with the sunlight gleaming off of the tips. They were all in their formation from front to back. The men gave a battle cry as Olithia strode to the front of the line. He drew his sword and held it out in front of him, motioning that the men were to move in that direction. Dust filled the road as they marched and each of the men had one reason or another to keep going.
