A Hero Long Forgotten
Thanks to my Patrons! A. Marteddu and V. Morgan Scharz Zola.
Prologue
A man wrapped in a black hooded cloak pooled at his feet slowly eased the church doors open and scurried out holding tight the parcel in his hands. Time was of the essence. He had heard the rumors that spread through the apostles, that the king was planning on summoning all of the heroes to Melromarc. It wasn't a surprise. The first wave had come, as they all knew it would, and the man for all that he was, was a hero once himself, viewed the world through a lens of fear. There were even rumors that he'd dispatched a messenger to Idol Roble in regards to a demi-human village he wanted to be removed.
The pope was no better, not when for all the death and destruction the wave had wrought he had increased the costs of the holy water and began denying the demi-humans the chance of a class up. What's more, for days their search for the book he held had been doubled. He had no doubt the church would continue looking, maybe going so far as to triple the workforce, and none of the faithful would complain. The sheep. Too bad they hadn't noticed that it had been found in a hollowed stone. The member of the faithful that had found it wouldn't be telling them that he had either, he wouldn't be saying much of anything, ever again.
He couldn't leave it in their hands. There was too much to lose.
He had to move quickly, getting caught at best would mean execution and at worst, a life of hard labor as a slave. Though it was dark, he still threw glances over his shoulders down the road and checked and rechecked that his package was secure in the cloak he'd wrapped around it. He adjusted his grip, the feeling of the tome's bindings beneath the wrap sent a shiver of anticipation through him.
Sidling into an alley that nearly everyone, even the city guards overlooked, mostly because it was near the monster tamer's location rather than they didn't know existed. He found the Filolial he'd set up waiting, longingly pecking at its harness. The bird and its carriage had been changed several times over the last few days but it had finally paid off.
"Now, now, my old friend, the time has come." He whispered as he stepped forward and stroked the blue ostrich-like bird's neck.
"Gah!" It responded excitedly.
He fitted the bird with its harness and slung himself into the driver's seat while sliding the cloak-wrapped book into a pile of clothing near the front of the wagon. If the guards searched him, which he doubted they would as he was leaving the city and no alarm had been sounded, he was fairly certain they would pay no attention to a pile of dirty clothes.
"Let's go." He said and snapped the reigns. The bird cried again and they were in motion. He was almost bouncing in his seat at a slow pace which he probably could have kept up with a fast walk but a rushing carriage always drew attention.
Minutes later they turned onto the main road and towards the eastern gate. As they approached, the soldiers only gave them the most cursory of glances before waving him through. Soon as he passed beneath the trellis gate and beyond the guard's line of sight, nothing could stop him from smiling from ear to ear.
"As the source of all power, I order thee decipher the laws of nature and hasten my target. First Speed!" The filolial glowed with a green light and took off like it was out running the end of the world itself.
Despite his glee having managed to escape the city, no small amount of fear was nipped at his senses. So many things could yet go wrong. Bandits were notorious on the road and while he was more than capable of taking on even six men and coming out ahead, their parties usually numbered at least double that. Not to mention that several monsters from the wave remained wandering the wilds. No, no true safe path existed.
It was six hours in when it happened, his filolial collapsed on the road, its speed combined with the momentum from the carriage dragged it forward for several yards and only luck kept him from flying free of his seat. After it had come to a full stop, he pulled the book free and stepped from the carriage to look at the downed bird. It wasn't a surprise, he'd reapplied the spell numerous times and knew this was the most likely result, it sped the target up but didn't increase its stamina.
He was about to walk away from the fallen creature when it spasmed and jerked. He took a half step back before raising a hand pointing it toward the carriage-loving monster.
"As the source of all power, I order thee, decipher the laws of nature and bestow health upon my target! Fast Heal." He said and in response came a flash of golden light that permeated the creature it looked at him.
"Gah." It said and its eyes closed.
Pulling a knife from his side he cut the creature loose and moved on. "Best of luck," he whispered over his shoulder.
With each step he took from the cart, his speed quickened and his momentum grew until he was sprinting with his head and torso forward. On foot he slipped off the road, a singular traveler without transport always gained attention and running would just gain him more. So he plowed through the foliage making the barest of noises as he went.
He continued for nearly another two hours before he came across a small home and stable with another of the creatures.
He walked towards it, his hand out for the sleepy monster to inspect which it did before trying to lay its head on the ground and go back to sleep. He pulled its harness from the wall and its jangle brought the bird to its feet.
"C'mon now beastie." He whispered, opening the pen, careful to watch its feet lest the passive skill he'd chosen upon his class up [Innate Trust], proved to be faulty. It had before when it came to the more stubborn monsters and creatures. But his care was unneeded.
"Gah?" It asked.
"I have an important package to deliver. I need your help," he said. The bird cocked its head at him, its beak jutted so slightly skyward and he knew the bird was looking down on him. He couldn't have that, so he straightened his back until he was looking eye to eye with the monster.
The fillolial nodded.
After setting up the mount, he hopped on and cast first speed, all over again. He repeated the process multiple times, though he did let the beast stop for the barest of minutes for a drink of water at a small pond before ushering the creature forward again.
With the haughty bird racing along the road and following it like it were an expert tracker, he allowed his mind to wander to the tales and stories his mother had told him, ones that her grandmother had told her.
Before the spear joined the other heroes, there was another. One so beautiful on the outside yet twisted and cold on the inside as any force in the world would allow her to be. She kept her weapon well-fed, feasting it on anything that caught her eye. A yellow gem, a girl's pet cat, an old man's stock of arrows and people.
Those who wronged her were also on the menu.
The other heroes responded to save the people. They stripped her of her legendary weapon and executed her. The weapon vanished.
He always asked her how they managed to defeat this evil hero and she just shook her head. "Don't know darling, but it is said that she would return one day, reclaim her weapon and proceed to resume her activities and those who were first on her list were little boys and girls who didn't eat their greens."
He smiled at the memory, it had taken him well over a year that the stories her gran had told her were not so many fables as ways to get difficult children to eat everything on their plate. He had since then put the evil hero from his mind. What child wouldn't?
That the hero ever existed and she did if the tome he carried was any guideline, he couldn't help but question what he was doing. Did he want to be part of something that could cause so much destruction? But the ruined homes, the torn fields kept him from dwelling on those thoughts from any real length of time, the destruction was already there. The Waves had to be stopped.
Not having to haul the carriage, the filolial he was riding made quite the time reaching the same rough distance as the first in only half the time and only then lowered the creature into a trot. The Melromarc border was a day's journey away.
Still, a day's journey was a day's journey. The creature he rode was stubborn and he knew if only for that reason it would at least cut the gap in half before it could go no further. Still, he hauled the reigns in lessening the creature's speed until it was at a mild trot. As they were nearing the border he was no doubt going to run into more travelers and guards alike and if it were needed he'd like the beast to have a small amount of haste within it.
He arrived at the gate in the middle of the next day. He wiped the sweat from his brow and started to dismount the bird when a guard took the reins. "He waits at the observatory. Be there by sundown."
Instead of leading both bird and rider through to the other side of the gate, he didn't respond.
He flicked the reigns and tightened his grip with his legs as the monster took off like a shot. He knew his destination, one could walk there from the gate in the span of an afternoon.
Calling the watchtower an observatory was generous, it was a structure of wood and stone meant to watch during wartime to make certain no one breached the gates without some alarm and a form of secondary resistance. However, while it had been kept in good repair, it had fallen out of use and thus it became a meeting spot by those in the know from time to time.
He slid from the back of the Filolial and patted its cheek. "Off with you now."
There was no time for thanks, not everyone was as understanding as to what one of the monster birds was truly worth. His commander was one of them and would just as quickly have the creature killed to make sure it could lead no one else to them. Which was about as likely as snowfall in the middle of an average summer, the creature had the memory of Faulbrey Cheese. He'd be surprised if the creature managed to make its way home in the first place.
He found his commander waiting for him at the base of the stairs, a tall dark-skinned man with large hoop earrings lining his ears. Supposedly each was a weapon though he'd never seen the man carry even one in all the times he'd known him.
"I see you have arrived Argent."
"Why do people say that?" Argent said pulling the black cloak from his head, "You see me great, a simple hello, greetings, either of those would work just as well you know?"
His commander snorted and held a hand out, "Stop wasting your breath and give me the package."
Argent rolled his eyes but pulled the thick book from the cloak revealing its purple cover marked with intricate swirling black designs. "It's not a waste of breath if it allows us to save time in later conversations and stops your stupid blathering."
His commander narrowed his eyes at him but pulled the book from his hands and opened the cover revealing a hallowed section with a purple gem embedded into a gold setting. "This is better than I dreamed." He whispered and began to make his way back up the stairs.
Argent moved to follow him up, but a sharp pain in his neck stopped him. He knew what it was before he'd even moved but pulled the dart out regardless. The world began to swim and whirl.
"I am well and truly tired of you. Rest well in whatever end will have you, Argent." His commander said.
Argent tried to respond but his mouth was dry, his throat tight, his limbs wouldn't move. Darkness pressed against his sight until he felt himself falling, then he knew no more.
End.
Thanks to False Entity for being a great Beta. It's been a great pleasure working with you. On that same not I am looking for a new Beta reader. Basically reading through the unfinished chapter and giving me your thoughts.
This is the start of my story for Alex Kellars latest contest and the last one I'll be doing for awhile. It's also one of the first prologues i've written and though I'm not quite sure how I feel about it, I do think it came out rather well.