Epic: Part I
"Duran. Come into the kitchen, son." Duran ran as fast as he could from his room to the stairs. He skipped downstairs, only to be shocked at the sight of Prince Richard flanked by royal guards. "Duran. Come over here." It was not his father, although it sounded like him. He looked around, now regaining his senses. His mother was slouched in her chair, face in her hands. He ran over to her to see what was wrong, but she wouldn't move. His sister Wendy was in the bedroom, and his auntie Stella was cleaning, face sober. Duran looked at the Prince and his guards. Their faces told him nothing. Suddenly the door creaked open, and a figure collapsed on the floor. Duran's mother gasped. "Daddy!" Duran cried. He ran over, but was repelled at the sight of dark liquid pouring from his father's form.
Prince Richard and his guards pushed Duran aside. "Loki! You're alive! I thought I was the only one," Richard said. "Richard... you must," Loki's ragged speech was interrupted by his choking. "know. The Dragon Emperor is alive!" Loki's form sank even further, it was clear he would soon be dead. "Inside...was dark...but we both survived," Loki managed. "I could hear him...moving, hating, cursing. He dragged himself away. It was a while-" another fit of choking prevented him from speaking. "We should give him medical attention," Richard said. "Let's get him to the castle."
"No," Simone said. "He came only to warn you." Duran looked upon his mother's face, and could tell she was right. Rigid with fear and worry, yet displaying Loki's purpose. Richard hesitated. "What should we do, Prince Richard?" a guard asked. "Let him finish," Richard snapped. "Loki. Go on." Loki did not move. Duran tried to run to his father's side, but was held back by a guard. "The Dragon Emperor will come...and attack Forcena," Loki said. "He will be coming for you." "What? Who? Me?" Richard asked. Loki was silent again. Simone ran into the bedroom, and threw herself on her bed. Stella went to console her.
"Well, what do we do now, Prince Richard?" a guard asked. "We will evacuate our people by ship to Jad, Palo, and Maia. We will prepare a defense for Forcena." Richard finalized. He looked down at Duran. "Come to the castle tomorrow, before sunrise. I will train you." With a feeling of importance, Duran nodded slowly. Richard's guards picked up Loki and left. Duran ran over to his mother. She did not move. Stella tapped Duran. "Duran, go to bed. I will wake you up in the morning."
Several years pass....
"Duran, come up here," King Richard said. Duran climbed the watch tower. "Take a look over there, tell me what you see." Richard pointed. "Shit." Duran cursed. "Not very well put, but blame your inexperience." King Richard said.
"Isn't that army huge?" Duran asked. He was getting scared, as this was his first field experience. "That's just the tip of the iceberg." King Richard replied. "What?" Duran said, startled. "You'll see." Richard replied. And he was right. Soon the entire horizon began to darken. "Well, I'd better get down. Forcena will need my leadership." King Richard climbed down.
"King Richard." Cid bowed. "Our army is prepared." "Very good. I will speak to the troops," said Richard.
King Richard lifted his voice. "We are Knights of Gold. Our enemy is the last of the Dragon Tribe, the Dragon Emperor." he looked around at his troops. Many of his personal guard, now in the army. Many faces were familiar, many townsfolk had joined those fateful years ago. "Expect a fight. Fight hard, fight smart. We charge when they reach the first pit line. We shall not fall!" Cheers rang out. This was Forcena's day.
Inside a dimly lit cave, a figure in black armor spoke. "Emperor, all our forces are ready." The Emperor was not a man, but a dragon. "Good," said the Emperor. His tone was filled with pure vengeance. "We outnumber Forcena fifty to one." the knight informed. "Charge," whispered the Emperor. "CHARGE!"
The land was calm between Forcena and the devilish hordes. Suddenly, a great clamor of horrible cries resounded. "They're coming!" yelled Cid. "Get ready to kick some butt!"
Hoofbeats thundering, footsteps like tons upon tons of hail shattering against the ground, the Emperor's forces charged.
"Stand ready! Wait for it... wait for it!" Cid yelled to keep Forcena steady. "Archers! Aim! Wait for it!"
The first line of the Emperor's forces suddenly found their feet had no ground to advance on. Wham! Their flailing bodies his the bottom, followed by several hundred of their comrades. Still the horde pressed on.
"Fire!" Cid commanded. Dozens of flaming arrows shot high into the sky, then came whistling down, impaling and decapitating several, wounding and slowing others.
Still the horde pressed on.
"Charge!" both Cid and King Richard yelled.
The war song of Forcena rose up like a phoenix, declaring the glory and power of Forcena. A wave of knights, paladins, and swordsmasters surged forward.
Several pit traps had been filled, and several explosions ignited. Still the horde pressed on.
Both lines met with terrible force. Splintering of bones, skills, shields, and all sorts of weapons could be heard, if one could stop listening to Forcena's glorious war song.
In an instant, all Paladins had their swords up high, to combine their energies and release a holy blast. A searing light flashed from their swords, both blinding and stunning the Emperor's forces. Taking advantage, their mounted counterparts rode deeper into the Emperor's army, beheading those they could reach. The Swordmasters, sensing a hiatus, summoned the element water, and imbued their comrade's swords with freezing power.
King Richard and Cid were in the middle of the battle, hacking and parrying everything. Cid had a wide grin, but dropped it when a large amount of guts hit his face.
The black knight jumped on his horse. He needed to turn the tide.
The stun of the Paladin's holy attack began to wear off. The Emperor's forces, now with renewed vision, began an even more furious attack. Several knights fell and were ripped apart, an outnumbered Swordmaster breathed his last.
A dark wind whipped by, slicing several knights in two. "Darkshine Knight," cursed King Richard. Cid finished off his opponent, and quickly destroyed another. "Who?" Cid yelled. "Someone I'm going to kill," muttered King Richard. Richard charged forward, dead men dropped behind him. "Right behind you!" Cid yelled. "Just cover my back," the King retorted. "Rog-e-o!" Cid answered.
Darkshine Knight turned to meet the king. He said nothing but malevolently drew his sword. King Richard could feet it sucking at his spirit, trying to break it. The Forcena war song made the feeling ineffectual, and with renewed power King Richard attacked.
Negative force met positive force. Cid was tempted to watch the fireworks, but instead eliminated a dozen more enemies. He could see the Emperor's forces gaining ground. Then he remembered. He had a horn strapped to his belt which was imbued with holy magic, and when blown, it's sound would give pause to all evil. He blew with all his might. A deep, beautiful sound lifted its head and carried itself across the battle field. It was quiet for a moment, then a loud yell emerged from a knight. The knight lifted his sword and cried "Charge!"
Forcena raged forward, renewed in strength and spirit. The Forcena war song, louder than ever, was in tune with all the fighting. Finally, Forcena was gaining ground.
The Darkshine Knight blinked. With one final swing at King Richard, he turned, clung to his darkened steed, and sped off. King Richard, bleeding and tired, had one command left: "Fall back! Fall back! We've driven them off!" King Richard was about to turn, and retreat himself when he spotted his worst nightmare: the Dragon Emperor himself. Rather, itself.
Slowly, it rose up, and spread its wings. And began to glow. King Richard sank to his knees. No, he thought. Not this. Far away, the Emperor laughed. The Darkshine Knight veered off course, tramping several men. He sped far east, away from the setting sun. Behind him, an inferno roared by. He was unhorsed by its power, and was flung into a deep canyon.
King Richard put up his sword in a futile attempt to protect himself. But nothing could be done to stop the Emperor's strongest attack: Giga Burn. His past flashed before his eyes. His best friend Loki, reaching to his hand as he hung over a bottomless pit, mere seconds before losing his grip. Loki yanking him upward as he was hit from behind. Loki pulling the Emperor into the pit. Then, his childhood. His training. Duran. Then it was all swept away in a blazing wave.
Cid turned and froze. All he saw was red. Then nothing.
Through it all, young Duran watched. He stood under the Forcena war bards, open-mouthed. He had never seen blood other than the time his father died. And the time when he exposed a spy. But this was different. Blood everywhere, even dozens of reddened figures in Forcena armor. Now, not even the King could be seen. The war bards stopped playing. Slowly, they worked their way down the many thousand littered bodies. One of them turned and tossed something to Duran. "Keep it kid," he said. "It'll remind you of today." Duran nodded numbly.
Forcena's people cried. They had just heard of Forcena's defeat. For their safety, they decided to banish the name of Forcena from everything they had, including their memories.
"Duran. Come into the kitchen, son." Duran ran as fast as he could from his room to the stairs. He skipped downstairs, only to be shocked at the sight of Prince Richard flanked by royal guards. "Duran. Come over here." It was not his father, although it sounded like him. He looked around, now regaining his senses. His mother was slouched in her chair, face in her hands. He ran over to her to see what was wrong, but she wouldn't move. His sister Wendy was in the bedroom, and his auntie Stella was cleaning, face sober. Duran looked at the Prince and his guards. Their faces told him nothing. Suddenly the door creaked open, and a figure collapsed on the floor. Duran's mother gasped. "Daddy!" Duran cried. He ran over, but was repelled at the sight of dark liquid pouring from his father's form.
Prince Richard and his guards pushed Duran aside. "Loki! You're alive! I thought I was the only one," Richard said. "Richard... you must," Loki's ragged speech was interrupted by his choking. "know. The Dragon Emperor is alive!" Loki's form sank even further, it was clear he would soon be dead. "Inside...was dark...but we both survived," Loki managed. "I could hear him...moving, hating, cursing. He dragged himself away. It was a while-" another fit of choking prevented him from speaking. "We should give him medical attention," Richard said. "Let's get him to the castle."
"No," Simone said. "He came only to warn you." Duran looked upon his mother's face, and could tell she was right. Rigid with fear and worry, yet displaying Loki's purpose. Richard hesitated. "What should we do, Prince Richard?" a guard asked. "Let him finish," Richard snapped. "Loki. Go on." Loki did not move. Duran tried to run to his father's side, but was held back by a guard. "The Dragon Emperor will come...and attack Forcena," Loki said. "He will be coming for you." "What? Who? Me?" Richard asked. Loki was silent again. Simone ran into the bedroom, and threw herself on her bed. Stella went to console her.
"Well, what do we do now, Prince Richard?" a guard asked. "We will evacuate our people by ship to Jad, Palo, and Maia. We will prepare a defense for Forcena." Richard finalized. He looked down at Duran. "Come to the castle tomorrow, before sunrise. I will train you." With a feeling of importance, Duran nodded slowly. Richard's guards picked up Loki and left. Duran ran over to his mother. She did not move. Stella tapped Duran. "Duran, go to bed. I will wake you up in the morning."
Several years pass....
"Duran, come up here," King Richard said. Duran climbed the watch tower. "Take a look over there, tell me what you see." Richard pointed. "Shit." Duran cursed. "Not very well put, but blame your inexperience." King Richard said.
"Isn't that army huge?" Duran asked. He was getting scared, as this was his first field experience. "That's just the tip of the iceberg." King Richard replied. "What?" Duran said, startled. "You'll see." Richard replied. And he was right. Soon the entire horizon began to darken. "Well, I'd better get down. Forcena will need my leadership." King Richard climbed down.
"King Richard." Cid bowed. "Our army is prepared." "Very good. I will speak to the troops," said Richard.
King Richard lifted his voice. "We are Knights of Gold. Our enemy is the last of the Dragon Tribe, the Dragon Emperor." he looked around at his troops. Many of his personal guard, now in the army. Many faces were familiar, many townsfolk had joined those fateful years ago. "Expect a fight. Fight hard, fight smart. We charge when they reach the first pit line. We shall not fall!" Cheers rang out. This was Forcena's day.
Inside a dimly lit cave, a figure in black armor spoke. "Emperor, all our forces are ready." The Emperor was not a man, but a dragon. "Good," said the Emperor. His tone was filled with pure vengeance. "We outnumber Forcena fifty to one." the knight informed. "Charge," whispered the Emperor. "CHARGE!"
The land was calm between Forcena and the devilish hordes. Suddenly, a great clamor of horrible cries resounded. "They're coming!" yelled Cid. "Get ready to kick some butt!"
Hoofbeats thundering, footsteps like tons upon tons of hail shattering against the ground, the Emperor's forces charged.
"Stand ready! Wait for it... wait for it!" Cid yelled to keep Forcena steady. "Archers! Aim! Wait for it!"
The first line of the Emperor's forces suddenly found their feet had no ground to advance on. Wham! Their flailing bodies his the bottom, followed by several hundred of their comrades. Still the horde pressed on.
"Fire!" Cid commanded. Dozens of flaming arrows shot high into the sky, then came whistling down, impaling and decapitating several, wounding and slowing others.
Still the horde pressed on.
"Charge!" both Cid and King Richard yelled.
The war song of Forcena rose up like a phoenix, declaring the glory and power of Forcena. A wave of knights, paladins, and swordsmasters surged forward.
Several pit traps had been filled, and several explosions ignited. Still the horde pressed on.
Both lines met with terrible force. Splintering of bones, skills, shields, and all sorts of weapons could be heard, if one could stop listening to Forcena's glorious war song.
In an instant, all Paladins had their swords up high, to combine their energies and release a holy blast. A searing light flashed from their swords, both blinding and stunning the Emperor's forces. Taking advantage, their mounted counterparts rode deeper into the Emperor's army, beheading those they could reach. The Swordmasters, sensing a hiatus, summoned the element water, and imbued their comrade's swords with freezing power.
King Richard and Cid were in the middle of the battle, hacking and parrying everything. Cid had a wide grin, but dropped it when a large amount of guts hit his face.
The black knight jumped on his horse. He needed to turn the tide.
The stun of the Paladin's holy attack began to wear off. The Emperor's forces, now with renewed vision, began an even more furious attack. Several knights fell and were ripped apart, an outnumbered Swordmaster breathed his last.
A dark wind whipped by, slicing several knights in two. "Darkshine Knight," cursed King Richard. Cid finished off his opponent, and quickly destroyed another. "Who?" Cid yelled. "Someone I'm going to kill," muttered King Richard. Richard charged forward, dead men dropped behind him. "Right behind you!" Cid yelled. "Just cover my back," the King retorted. "Rog-e-o!" Cid answered.
Darkshine Knight turned to meet the king. He said nothing but malevolently drew his sword. King Richard could feet it sucking at his spirit, trying to break it. The Forcena war song made the feeling ineffectual, and with renewed power King Richard attacked.
Negative force met positive force. Cid was tempted to watch the fireworks, but instead eliminated a dozen more enemies. He could see the Emperor's forces gaining ground. Then he remembered. He had a horn strapped to his belt which was imbued with holy magic, and when blown, it's sound would give pause to all evil. He blew with all his might. A deep, beautiful sound lifted its head and carried itself across the battle field. It was quiet for a moment, then a loud yell emerged from a knight. The knight lifted his sword and cried "Charge!"
Forcena raged forward, renewed in strength and spirit. The Forcena war song, louder than ever, was in tune with all the fighting. Finally, Forcena was gaining ground.
The Darkshine Knight blinked. With one final swing at King Richard, he turned, clung to his darkened steed, and sped off. King Richard, bleeding and tired, had one command left: "Fall back! Fall back! We've driven them off!" King Richard was about to turn, and retreat himself when he spotted his worst nightmare: the Dragon Emperor himself. Rather, itself.
Slowly, it rose up, and spread its wings. And began to glow. King Richard sank to his knees. No, he thought. Not this. Far away, the Emperor laughed. The Darkshine Knight veered off course, tramping several men. He sped far east, away from the setting sun. Behind him, an inferno roared by. He was unhorsed by its power, and was flung into a deep canyon.
King Richard put up his sword in a futile attempt to protect himself. But nothing could be done to stop the Emperor's strongest attack: Giga Burn. His past flashed before his eyes. His best friend Loki, reaching to his hand as he hung over a bottomless pit, mere seconds before losing his grip. Loki yanking him upward as he was hit from behind. Loki pulling the Emperor into the pit. Then, his childhood. His training. Duran. Then it was all swept away in a blazing wave.
Cid turned and froze. All he saw was red. Then nothing.
Through it all, young Duran watched. He stood under the Forcena war bards, open-mouthed. He had never seen blood other than the time his father died. And the time when he exposed a spy. But this was different. Blood everywhere, even dozens of reddened figures in Forcena armor. Now, not even the King could be seen. The war bards stopped playing. Slowly, they worked their way down the many thousand littered bodies. One of them turned and tossed something to Duran. "Keep it kid," he said. "It'll remind you of today." Duran nodded numbly.
Forcena's people cried. They had just heard of Forcena's defeat. For their safety, they decided to banish the name of Forcena from everything they had, including their memories.