Chapter One
AD 606
"All right, Ozzie, prepare to meet your Maker!" Tata Maluvi, the Legendary Hero, growled. Brushing a strand of spiky purple hair from his eyes, the young man raised the large sword he held and got back in a battle stance, legs bent, eyes focused on his target. "I'm the Legendary Hero!"
In front of him, the tub of fat known as Ozzie chuckled, drool dripping from his open mouth. Ozzie belched and looked at the human with his beady little eyes. "Oh, little one, I think not! You don't want to hurt me, otherwise I might have to kill our special little guest…" The squat creature snapped his fat green fingers, and four of his little Imp servants dragged in a young woman, about Tata's age of sixteen. The woman was dressed in a purple tunic, and her blue hair was tied back in a ponytail. Tata gasped as he realized who it was—it was Schala.
The Imps dropped her on the cold stone floor unceremoniously, then beat a hasty retreat. Schala looked up, saw Tata, and smiled weakly, her gentle green eyes sparkling. "Tata…my hero. You've come to rescue me…"
"Oh, shut up." Ozzie grumbled. His fist came around and slammed into the back of her head. The girl moaned and collapsed onto the ground, and lay there unmoving.
Eyes wide, Tata jumped back. "Schala!" He cried out. Tata glared at the leader of the Mystics. "What'd you do to her?" His grip tightened around the sword's hilt, his knuckles turning white. "If you've hurt her, Ozzie, you're a dead…whatever you are." Tata lifted the sword above his head. "Do you recognize this, monster? It's the Masamune! The sacred sword! And I will use it to destroy you!"
Ozzie belched and laughed, his fat rippling as he chuckled. "Oh, really?" He pointed at Tata and bellowed, "Henchmen, kill this human!"
All along the walls, secret doors slid open, and what seemed to be hundreds of Mystics poured into the room, all laughing evilly. Tata looked around and saw that he was surrounded—the monsters had quickly formed a circle around him. Outside of the ring, Tata noticed Ozzie waddling out of the room, escaping. He was carrying the unconscious Schala over his shoulder. "You coward!" Tata shouted. "Come back here and fight!" However, Ozzie was gone. Then the Mystics attacked.
The Hero Tata leapt over a zombie in his path, then turned and brought an end to the creature's miserable existence with a quick slash from the Masamune. He dove right into the midst of the monsters, hacking, slashing, stabbing, frantically trying to get through them. However, there were simply too many. Tata fell back under the flow of monsters, overwhelmed.
Then he saw her face in his mind. That beautiful face, with exotic upswept ears and soft, gentle eyes…her beautiful lips in a pout…he would save Schala at all costs. In his hands, Masamune began to glow a deep crimson… "Omnicut!" Tata screamed, his voice hoarse, and unleashed a powerful blast of scarlet energy.
When the dazzling glare faded, all was quiet in the room. Tata blinked to restore his vision, the aftereffects of the glare all too present. When finally his sight returned, the room was empty of any other life. All that remained of the monsters was the pile of armor and weapons on the stone floor. At any other time, Tata would have gloated; now, Schala's sweet face drove him relentlessly onward. Kicking an Outlaw's scimitar out of his way, Tata sprinted out of the doorway into the chambers beyond, where Ozzie lurked, holding Schala captive.
As the young warrior ran into Ozzie's inner sanctum, he saw the fat monster sitting on a throne, Schala sprawled on the floor at his feet. "You!" Ozzie pointed a blubbery finger at Tata. The other finger was lodged up his nose. "How did you defeat all of my guards?"
Tata held Masamune up, ready to fight. "I told you. I'm the Legendary Hero. And I'm going to save my Schala." With those words, he leapt into the air, his purple hair flying. Ozzie panicked and tried to run away, but he found himself firmly stuck in his throne.
"Ozzie's in a pickle!" The fat leader of the Mystics yelped as he watched Tata descend, Masamune held over his head. "Ozzie's in a jam!" He paused, closing his eyes and fantasizing. "Mmmm…pickles and jam…" And then Tata landed, striking a fatal blow with the legendary blade Masamune. Ozzie disintegrated before the young hero's eyes.
His foe vanquished, Tata now turned to the young woman on the floor beside the monster's throne. The young man slid Masamune back into its sheath and knelt at Schala's side, taking her slender hand in his own. "Schala…are you okay? It's me, Tata…"
Slowly, Schala's emerald eyes slid open, and she smiled. "Tata…my hero…you came to save me…"
The hero Tata bent over his one true love and embraced her. "Schala, I love you…" He leaned in close.
"Yes…Tata, I love you too…" Schala wrapped her arms around him and pulled herself up. Their lips drew closer, closer…Tata moved forward to kiss her… "Oh, Tata…Tata…Tata!"
"TATA!" Nicol Maluvi growled. "Get up, you lazy good-for-nothing!"
The young man's eyes opened to see his father standing over his bed, looking a bit annoyed. "Sorry…" Tata yawned. "Dad."
Nicol snorted. "You better be sorry. It's almost the middle of the day!" Tata's father was holding a hatchet in his hands. A large crack ran down the middle of the axehead, nearly splitting it in two. As Tata climbed out of his bed and stood up, the older man tossed the tool at him. Deftly, Tata reached out and caught it in midair. Before the boy could say anything, his father said, "Take that into town, get the smith, Mr. Freidman, to repair it. Okay?"
Stretching, Tata yawned again and set the broken hatchet down on the floor. "Okay, Dad. I'll take it in."
His father nodded and smiled. "Okay, I'll see you tonight." He turned and left, and Tata heaved a sigh. Even though Nicol Maluvi had smiled, his eyes were still the same. They still echoed disappointment and feelings of betrayal.
Why can't they all just forget about it? Tata thought bitterly as he pulled on his deer-hide pants. It's been six whole years! However, even though six years had passed, what seemed to be the entire kingdom still remembered Tata's false claim to the title of the Legendary Hero. Especially his father. His father, who hadn't looked him straight in the eyes for six years. Oh sure, he was a good father, even though he had a slight drinking problem, but the disappointment was always in his eyes.
His white tunic tied around his waist with a leather belt, Tata ran a hand through his spiky purple hair and pulled on his hide boots. He looked out the window and shivered—it was another cold autumn day. Tata yanked his leather gloves on, and bent over to pick up the hatchet. Fastening his pouch of gold onto his belt, Tata walked out of his room, down the stairs, and out the door.