Prologue 2: Leaving Home

As he walked out of the gate, he glanced back to the destruction that used to be his home. His arm half detached from his body.

"I shall avenge the death of my clan!" He vowed. "All Evil shall DIE!" He added.

Roaring he ran down the road until he collapsed.

*        *              *

"Lady Karlen, we have just witnessed the taking of the nearby Barbarian clan, the Blood axes."

"The bastards… We cannot just stand by and watch while the other clans around us fall! We must take action!"

"But ma'am, The Evil would swipe us down with a single blow! We cannot stand!"

"Yes… You're right. We shouldn't. It would be sui…" Before she could finish another Mercenary entered the tent.

"Lady Karlen! Lady Karlen! There is a wounded Barbarian from the Blood Axes clan wishing for assistance and healing!" she informed Lady Karlen.

"Well, hurry and let him in!" the Mercenary then left the tent and returned a few minutes later with a young Barbarian with a wounded arm. As the Barbarian entered the tent he fell to the ground and began screaming and twisting, scratching at his wound. Lady Karlen immediately ran over to the Barbarian and helped him into a bed.

"Lesta, go and get Alena now" She ordered the Mercenary who informed her of the arrival of the Barbarian. "HURRY!" she added urgently.

Minutes later, an old woman wearing long purple robes and old cracked necklaces, rings and bracelets of bone entered, moving so lightly that it looked like she was floating on the ground. She glided over to the Barbarian, witnessing another of his fits.

"This man is suffering from blood poisoning. Notice how the skin around his wound is a purplish blue? This mans cut has become infected." Alena remarked. "I can heal the wound, to cease increased poisoning, but I can only temporarily restore him to full health. After one day of taking my antidote, the poison would have kicked in again." One of the Mercenaries who had witnessed the whole thing gave Alena a desperate looks. "Can we save him? Can we help him?"

"We cannot." Alena paused in her reply, then added, "But I know a sorcerer who can. But I am sorry to say that he has been captured by the evil Undead Mummy, Clashfist, in Undead Cave. He is under a body lock enchantment that can only broken by the murder of Clashfist." Nobody had noticed that since Alena had entered, the Barbarian had been awake and had heard everything.

"Then I shall go and rescue this sorcerer!" He growled, startling everyone except Alena, who was never startled. "You said that you can revive me for a day, that might give me enough time to save the sorcerer. Then you shall not waste the lives of your merce… AHHHH!" He screamed, clutching to his arm, screaming until he fainted. Alena hurried to his side, pulling out a healing potion, poring it down his throat as she watched the healing in progress.

"The Barbarian is right. We can revive him for some time, and then we wouldn't get any of our own killed. Let the bastard do it! He's going to die anyway!" An ignorant Mercenary commented from a corner of the tent. Lady Karlen suddenly leapt at the Mercenary, and squeezed at her throat, choking her.

"You will never speak like that about a Barbarian or any other species of human ever again, Your hear, NEVER!" Lady Karlen hissed. Alena dived into the middle, parting Lady Karlen's fingers, releasing her grip. The Mercenary fell to the ground, holding her throat and breathing deeply.

"Enough!" Alena said. "I will not put up with any more of this intolerable behaviour! The Barbarian will go as soon as he is ready, he will rescue Tralen [the sorcerer] and he will survive, END OF STORY!" Alena glided out of the room, followed by most other Mercenaries, except for Lady Karlen.

*        *              *

Later that day the Barbarian woke up, clutching his hand to his head, wincing with the severity of his headache. It took a while for him to realise that there was something wrong… or right… He moved his hand to his arm were he was wounded. He sat up straight, completely forgetting about his headache. His wound! It was gone! He pulled up his sleeve to look at it, all he could see was what looked like a giant bruise.

"Ah, you're awake." Exclaimed a lady sitting on a crate next to the bed. "I'm Karlen, Lady Karlen. Leader of the Mercenaries of the Black Tongue Rouges. Who do I have the pleasure of meeting?"

"Gillian Thornik Sharpfinger, Disgrace of the Blood Axes' Clan, Only Survivor." Gillian exclaimed. "Seeking revenge to the death of my clan." Lady Karlen raised an eyebrow.

" And why, may I be so rude as to ask, are you a disgrace to the Blood Axes', Mr Sharpfinger?"

"Gillian" Gillian corrected, and then replied, "Because, as my brothers and sisters died, I hid behind a rock, watching, not moving to protect my family, only caring about myself. That is the only reason why I lived and my family survived." Lady Karlen thought for a moment before replying,

"But, if you had not hid, then you would have died, and have not been able to have revenge. What you did may have been selfish at the time, but soon, you will redeem you honour. You will not have let your family die in vain you will have revenge. Believe me." Gillian nodded.

"I should begin my quest then, starting with finding and rescuing the sorcerer." Gillian vowed.

"The sorcerer's name is Tralen. Alena has the antidote ready for you for when you wish to begin the quest. But now, you must eat.