*Note: The first two chapters are the introduction of the story. They take place in a world far, far away, so you won't be seen Mr. Hideyuki Kikuchi's characters until chapter three. The characters of the first two chapters were created for a D&D game I used to play with my brother and my cousin that unfortunately we never finished. The story was originally written in Spanish and I published the first chapter two years ago, but my laptop died and I lost all my documents, so I decided to start again and take the challenge to rewrite it in English. It is not my first language so I ask for your patience. Please read and enjoy.
I The five adventurers
Deep in the forest five adventurers clear their path through the grass and the bushes looking for a place to camp. It has been a long day of hostile encounters with some unwelcoming dwellers of the forest and of course the wild animals that also live there. Luckily they all made it in one piece, but they are tired not just because of their previous encounters, but also because they have been walking for hours. It is late in the afternoon and they are already feeling the urgency to find a clear and dry place to rest.
-Damn! This seems to have no end -, the hoarse voice of a middle-aged dwarf can be heard breaking the silence of the tired walkers. He complains as he helps to clear the path with a long knife. He walks right behind a half-elf that walks ahead cutting off the grass and the bushes with his very sharp sword. The black-haired dwarf is wearing a strong full body armor probably made by him and he carries a double-headed battle-ax strapped on his back, a weapon he had inherited from an ancestor.
-Patience Grim (Grimswald). I can see a clearing right ahead-, says the silver-haired half-elf swinging his sword and bringing down everything in his way. Like the dwarf, he's also wearing armor, but his is lighter and made of leather and chain mail. He carries on his back a beautifully crafted longbow and a quiver that appears not to have arrows inside.
-I don't know which is worst, making way through this place or the fact that I'll have to spend a lot of time sharpening your sword Sandhal (Sandhalewind). You are using that beautiful weapon as a worthless piece of metal-, the dwarf complains.
-I have no choice Grim-, answers the half-elf, but he doesn't really pay much heed to what he says.
-Give a little respect to your weapons and the blacksmiths that make them. That sword is not a machete or a stupid farmer's tool -, the dwarf frowns and complains as he noticed the half elf's careless attitude.
-Yeah, yeah-, the half-elf replies. He was used to hearing Grim complaining whenever someone used a weapon for something which it wasn't made for or whenever someone comes to him with a broken blade or armor as a result of its misuse. It's only natural for him to worry about weapons, those of his race are the best blacksmiths and craftsmen of all Finisterra.
Right behind the dwarf a young halfling kender walks paying attention to his surroundings and of course to the conversation of those who are walking ahead of him. To him, it was something normal to hear those two having that kind of argument, but he never misses the opportunity to take part.
-Wow! Sandhal you cut the grass with your sword even better than when you fight with it. Maybe you should change your job and become a farmer-, the kender says to the half-elf. -Hey Grim, are you sure that's not a farmer's tool? I think it was certainly made for that and not to be a weapon for war -, says the young brown-haired kender smiling maliciously knowing that they both were going to be angry and so he waits anxiously for their reply. Unlike the others, he isn't wearing armor, but that doesn't mean he's vulnerable. His cape of invisibility and his skills with the knives amongst other things make him a worthy opponent.
-Go to Hell Rasputin! (misspelling of his name Rahspboudine)-, they both reply at the same time.
-You are both so predictable! Hehehehehe-, the teenage kender laughs.
Grim growls and mumbles something that nobody can understand. "#$%^*&5$#?"
-So according to you I should be a farmer... We'll see who laughs when I plant one of my arrows in your ass! -, Sandhal replies.
-Oh how scary! I tremble with fear -, says the kender making fun of him.
-That's enough kid. There will be no food for you if you keep on nagging -, says Grim.
-But I'm hungry. That's not fair! -, the kender protests.
-I assure you that I will not give you anything that I hunt if you continue to annoy me -, says Sandhal.
-Please don't be so mean. I was just kidding. You guys don't have a sense of humor -, says the kender. He remains silent and looks worried.
Sandhal and Grim look at each other and snicker at how worried the young kender was, thinking that he would have to settle for what little he had to eat.
A few steps behind the halfling kender a very tall dark figure follows. The mysterious man is wearing a long black cloak on top of the armor of the same color. It is not easy to see his face because he wears a violet bandanna that covers part of his face. He also wears a black wide-brimmed hat that is adorned with a skull with horns and red eyes. He is wearing a combat belt that holds some of his magic items, and a scabbard holding his demon sword. His long and abundant ebony hair flows down his back reaching his waist. Despite his height and size and the difficulty of the path, his steps are the most silent. His cloak seems to be floating in the air as he walks. He remains silent as the others ahead of him are chit-chatting, maybe because he had nothing to say, maybe because he wasn't interested, or maybe (most likely) because he was planning something sinister.
Right behind him, another tall figure but a little bit shorter follows. A beautiful and shiny magic armor covers her muscular arms, her nicely shaped breasts, and her long strong legs. A beautiful helmet with wings, worthy of the mighty Valkyries, protects her head and covers most of her face. Only a pair of emerald eyes could be seen through the helmet's visor. Her long coppery hair flows down to her waist. A long red cloak and a skirt adorn the armor giving it an air of royalty. A mighty big sword can be seen strapped on her back inside a nicely crafted scabbard. The legend says that the sword once belonged to the King of the Gods of Finisterra and only the chosen one could handle it. The lady looks like a knight or a paladin, but the truth is that she is neither one nor the other. She belongs to the clans of the North, the land known as Barbaria to the people of the other kingdoms. Even though she's a woman, her steps could be felt on the ground harder than the others. She walks vigilant, watching the back of her partners. She could also hear the conversation of those in the front. The silence of the one who walks right ahead of her worries her some. She knows he's not in a good mood, well none of them is, but unlike the others, he could take it out on anyone. She talks to him breaking the silence on purpose so she could interrupt whatever evil thought he could have.
-Hey Sparen-, she says a little loud so she could catch his attention.
-What do you want?-, asks the man roughly, for he was suddenly taken off his thoughts. He doesn't even turn to look at her.
-Can you reach to see what's ahead?-, she asks just to make conversation. She could hear clearly what Sandhal said.
The man lifts his hat slightly and takes a look.
-Sandhal is right, there's a clearing right ahead-, he says.
-Good. Finally, we'll be able to rest-, she says.
The man just nods and keeps on walking like everyone else.
Once the tired adventurers reached the clearing they worked diligently to prepare their camping area. Once they were done they could finally relax. They made plans for the night choosing who's going to do the first watch and who's going to take the second turn. Sparen and Rasputin were the lucky ones, so the rest just went to sleep. Staying outdoors was no big deal to them for they were used to having the ground as their bed and the sky as their ceiling.
The night was quiet and all that could be heard were the sounds of the wilderness. The night creatures moved around as they usually did, but they were a little more cautious when they were close to the adventurer's campsite. Some of them were more curious than others getting closer than they should, but they were quickly chased away by those doing the watch. And so the night went on with no event.
The first Sun rays were sneaking through the crowns of the trees welcoming a brand new day. The creatures of the night retire to their lairs and let the daylight creatures begin their journey. The birds were giving their welcome to the new day with their melodic songs that filled the air of the living forest. Their songs served as an alarm clock for the sleeping adventurers who wake up and quickly begin their morning chores. Sandhal and Minerva went hunting while Grim was taking care of things on the campsite. Rasputin takes time to sleep for he had the second watch turn. Sparen was up already. He tells Grim that he's going to explore the area and so his dark figure walks away from the campsite until he's completely out of sight. The dwarf makes good use of his time alone and takes his tools out of his bag and starts to sharpen his knives as well as Sandhal's sword.
A couple of hours later the two hunters returned to the campsite. They brought two rabbits and three squirrels and some berries and of course, they also filled their bottles with fresh water from a stream they found. The dwarf welcomes them and keeps on doing his job. The sleepy kender awakes and when he sees the rabbits and the squirrels, he quickly offers his help to skin the animals and prepares them to be roasted. Sandhal accepts and so they get busy preparing their lunch. Minerva noticed that Sparen was missing and so she asks Grim.
-Where is Sparen?- she asks.
-Yeah, where's the big guy? -, Rasputin interrupts. -By the way, I've noticed that lately whenever I have to watch at night you put me with him.
-I wonder why it is ... -, Sandhal comments.
The young kender did not understand that Sandhal had spoken ironically and said, -That's what I wonder myself.
Grim ignores what the other two were talking about and replies to Minerva, -I don't know where he is, but he said he was going to explore the area.
-How long has he been gone?-, she asks.
-He left shortly after you and Sandhal did-, he replies.
-He's taking too long-, she says a little worried.
The dwarf noticed Minerva's concern and so he tries to ease her up a little.
-He'll be back soon you'll see. There's nothing to worry about lass-, he says.
-All right, I guess you're right I'm worrying too much-, she replies.
Rasputin as usual butts into their conversation, -Relax Minerva. That demon knows how to take care of himself. Besides, if he doesn't come back soon it means we'll have his part of the feast - The kender rubs his hands and licks his lips.
-You only think about food and taking what's not yours -, says Grim shaking his head disapproving.
-Hey that's not true! I only borrow things -, replies the kender angrily.
-Of course and then for some reason you forget to give them back -, says Sandhal as he takes part in the conversation.
-Of course not!-, the kender replies giving Sandhal a dirty look.
-All right, that's enough!-, says Minerva raising her voice.
Both the young kender and the half-elf remain silent, they don't want to see Minerva angry.
-I'm sorry Minerva. Would you like me to go look for him? I'm the best tracker of us -, says the half-elf.
-No Sandhal. We'll wait a little longer. If he doesn't return within an hour I'll go after him-, she answers.
-All right then-, the half-elf replies.
So they went back to what they were doing and waited for Sparen, but the mysterious wizard didn't return.
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II The Wheel of Misfortune
The given time has expired and there is no sign of the fifth adventurer. Minerva decides not to wait any longer and gets herself ready to go after the missing partner. She puts on her armor and gets her weapons ready. She also takes her backpack just in case she needs any tool or gear she has stored in there.
-Are you sure you want to go all by yourself lass?-, the concerned dwarf asks.
-I'll be all right Grim don't worry -, she replies.
-If you don't return soon I'll go after you -, says Sandhal.
-No. You should all stay here and wait -, she says. Minerva noticed the kender is not present. -No invisibility tricks Rasputin. If I find out you've followed me I'm going to kick your ass-, she says.
Sandhal spots him and throws a small rock at the kender. Rasputin reveals where he is.
-Ouch! Damn Sandhal, you stool pigeon-, says the angry kender removing his cape of invisibility.
-You were very obvious, dummy. She was going to find you out sooner than later. So I think you owe me for saving you from getting your little butt kicked-, says the half-elf.
-All right, that's enough-, says, Minerva. -I know you are all concerned, but I ask you to be patient. Remember our mission. If something goes wrong I'll be counting on the three of you to back me up. If I don't return with Sparen by nightfall, you will go and look for help. Prince Elthan's troops shouldn't be too far from here. I think it's better to be cautious and prepared for the worse.
-What if the Dark Wizard is behind this? It will take us time to reach the prince's campsite. By the time we get there, it might be too late for you and Sparen-, says Sandhal.
-We won't go down that easily, trust me. If anything happens I promise we will resist until you come-, she says.
-It's all right lad. Remember all the things we've been through. If she says she's going to resist, I believe in her word. Sparen's magic skills have improved a lot, so I think he'll also give a good fight-, the dwarf says to Sandhal and then he looks at Minerva and says -Go and do what you have to do lass, we'll be waiting for you.
-Good luck and safe journey Minerva -, says the young kender. He and Sandhal weren't completely convinced, but Grim was there to keep them calm.
Minerva nods and leaves the campsite to begin tracking the missing adventurer. She is unaware of what was going to happen. She hopes Sparen hasn't gotten himself in trouble and that they could make it back soon. As she was walking, she could find out that her missing partner has left a trail on purpose, and so she follows it deep into the forest.
Meanwhile, away from the campsite, the mysterious man walks towards a cave driven by his instinct. He could feel some strange source of energy coming from the place, so he decided to go and take a look. Once inside the cave, he lets his instincts guide him toward the source. As he walked through the caverns, he could feel that suddenly the energy source was growing dim, and then it was completely gone. Luckily he could reach the source before that happened. To his surprise, he found himself before a big metallic wheel glowing with a dim blue light mounted on top of a platform of the same material. The wheel has some inscriptions written on it. The curious wizard tries to decipher them using a spell of languages. Even though he could find out what the inscriptions said, and what the wheel was, he didn't know how to make it work. He knew someone or something had come across the portal, and now whoever or whatever it was is gone. He was curious to know who or what has dared to sneak into his world. He felt even more thrilled by the portal itself, for he had not seen such technology. He examines the portal and tries to find out how to make it work. He forgets about the other adventurers who are waiting for him and lets his hunger for knowledge run free.
After walking for a little more than two hours, Minerva finally finds herself at the entrance of the cave. The trail left by her partner lead her there. She knows the man has gone into the dark cave, so she takes a lamp out of her backpack to light her way. She steps inside cautiously, holding the lamp with her left hand while holding a dagger with her right hand. She looks down on the rocky ground and sees something that appears to be blood. She follows the trail of blood cautiously, thinking that maybe her partner was hurt, and then as she looks ahead, she could see a dark bundle on the ground. The sight freaks her out, so she steps closer to see what it is. -Sparen?-, she calls out to her partner but has no answer. She decides to take a look, and when she lights the bundle with the lamp, she finds out that it was just a dead animal, probably a bear. She sighs and keeps on walking deeper into the cave.
The busy wizard has been trying to make the portal work with no results, but he wasn't about to quit. Suddenly, he feels someone is coming, but it was a familiar presence. He smiles maliciously, hides in the shadows, and waits for her to show up. Minerva has followed the trail right to its end. She knows the wizard has to be somewhere in there. She steps into the large cavern, but the sight of the big metallic wheel catches her attention. -What the heck is that?-, she says as she stares at the portal. Suddenly without a warning, her partner sneaks on her back.
-Amazing, isn't it? -, the wizard says.
The woman startles and quickly reacts turning around and aiming her dagger at him, even though she could recognize his manly voice. The man knew she would do something like that, so he was also quick to step back out of her reach.
-Whoa! Always ready to kill. You are so barbaric-, he makes fun of her and laughs, -Hahahahaha- He knows how much she hates to be startled like that and how short-tempered she is, so he waits for her burst.
-Argh!-, she growls and gives him a dirty look. -That's not funny! One of these days I swear I'm going to kill you, damn Hell sprite! You are lucky you've been chosen to be one of the heroes of the Five Realms, but once we've killed the Dark Wizard and destroyed his army, I swear I'm going to kick your ass!
-HAHAHAHAHAHAHA-, he laughs louder. He says, trying to contain himself, -You are so damned predictable.
Minerva takes a deep breath and exhales. She realized too late that she has fallen into his game. She has been trying to control her temper, and even though she has improved, she still needs to work even harder. She stops threatening him and aiming at him with her dagger.
-Gee, that's something I would expect from Rasputin, not you. I think you have been spending too much time around him-, she says shaking her head.
-Bad habits are contagious-, he answers. -Besides, it is your fault for suggesting that I should do the night watch with him.
-He respects you more than anyone else on the team -, she says.
-I would not say that he respects me more than others, rather he fears me more than others -, Sparen corrects.
-All right, enough of that. Now that I see that you are ok, could you explain what the hell have you been doing? We have been waiting for you for hours-, she asks.
-You noticed the machine behind you, right?-, he says.
Minerva turns around and looks at the portal again. -What about it? Do you even know what that thing is?
-That is a portal from another world-, he answers as he walks over to the platform.
-How do you know that?-, she asks.
-Do you see those symbols on it? Well, those aren't symbols, they are more like letters. It's an inscription written in a foreign language that doesn't exist here on Finisterra. I've been able to decipher them, and that's how I know what it is and where it comes from. It's from a distant planet called Earth. I've been trying to figure out how to make it work, but there's still something missing. I think I'm about to find out, but I'll need more time to... - he was talking very excitedly as he got interrupted by her.
-Wait, wait, wait... So you are telling me that you've been playing with that thing while we were wondering if you were in trouble?!- she says with anger.
-I know what you're thinking, but I wouldn't have done what I did without a purpose-, he replies.
-So what other purpose could you have besides stupid curiosity?-, she asks.
He sighs and says, -Only those of your kind think knowledge is just stupid curiosity. Anyway, there's still something I haven't told you about. The portal was open sometime before I found it. It was its energy and someone's presence that drove me here.
-Are you saying that someone from another world has come through the portal?-, she asks.
-Exactly, but whoever it was, left a few minutes before I arrived. Then I tried to open the portal again to find out who it was, but I haven't been able to -, he replies.
-So we have someone from another world spying on our world for who knows what purpose. Ok-, she says putting her dagger back on her belt and walking over to the portal's platform. The woman lifts her right arm and reaches back laying her hand on the hilt of her sword.
Sparen noticed what she was about to do and quickly moves over to stop her. He lays his hand on her wrist and says -Wait! What are you doing? If you let me examine the portal, once I find out how it works, we could use it for our benefit. Just think about it Minerva, we could use it to ambush the Dark Wizard's troops.
-That doesn't sound so bad, but what if that thing belongs to him in the first place? What if he is planning on using it against us?-, she asks.
-I'm sure that's not the case. The presence I felt was not his-, he replies.
-You seem convinced that it has nothing to do with him, but you don't know who or what has come through that portal. And the reasons it had for spying on our world are out of the question. Sorry, but that doesn't change my mind. I'll take no risks. The best solution is to get rid of that thing once and for all -, she says removing his hand off her wrist.
-I think you are making a mistake-, he says trying to persuade her.
-Step aside Sparen and let me do what I have to do-, she asks him.
He knows how stubborn she is, and that once she makes up her mind about something it's very hard to make her turn back. He does as she has asked him, but not because he has given up. Suddenly something lighted up in his head. He has been trying to turn on the portal with no results, but what if the barbarian woman and the Supreme Sword could get the job done? He just hoped the portal opened before the woman turns it into dust.
She unsheathes her mighty sword releasing its powerful energy. ((Note: The Supreme Sword has a special scabbard that works as a containment shield that suppresses the sword's power. Once it's unsheathed that power is released)) As Minerva raises her sword to strike down the portal and its platform, something unexpected happens. Suddenly the wheel's blue lights turned on. The center of the wheel, which up to now was just an empty hole you could look through, is now something that looked like a liquid mirror with no reflection. Minerva was momentarily astonished, but Sparen was content now that he had solved the puzzle, the portal just needed a boost of energy.
The woman snaps out of her astonishment and raises the sword again. She was feeling the urge to destroy the portal before something could come through it. Sparen rushes over and grabs the woman to try to avoid the portal's destruction. As he struggles to hold her down, which was very difficult because of her unnatural strength, something reaches out of the portal. It was something that looked like a very long arm. It reached out for the woman and grabbed her legs and start pulling her into the portal. Sparen was holding her arms, so she couldn't use the sword to release herself. Soon the wizard realized what was happening and let go of the woman's arms, but she didn't get the chance to swing her sword and cut the arm, for another arm quickly grabbed her.
-What is this?!-, she shouts as now she struggles to free herself of it.
Sparen, who was trying to avoid the destruction of the gate, was now trying to pull Minerva away from the intruder. -Hold on!-, he shouts.
Minerva was losing her grip, whatever it was, it was gaining on her. -I can't hold on any longer!-, she shouts. She doesn't let go of her sword, something that maybe would have given her a little more of a chance to release herself.
Sparen knows that maybe he could save himself if he lets go of Minerva, but he makes a quick ponder about the possible outcomes. If the woman disappears into another world along with her sword, the possibility to destroy the Dark Wizard and his army will diminish. If he lets her go and still gets trapped in the portal, they might end up traveling separately to different worlds. On the other hand, he was eager to know what was on the other side. He made up his mind and holds tighter to the woman and says -I won't let go, so we'll be together in this.
The woman finally loses her grip and they are both pulled into the portal. And so their journey to another world begins...
((Ok, so now we will be saying farewell to Medieval Finisterra and we'll be moving over to 12,090 AD Planet Earth))
((Note: To those who have read the story, I've decided to put chapters 1 and 2 together, but the content of the story remains the same))