Chapter 1
It was raining hard, and yet thousands had been gathering outside a small house to see the new children. It was 2am when the twins were born.
A small elven boy had managed to sneak to the front of the crowd and peer through the house window.
Inside, there was a small fire burning, intricate shadows traced across the walls and the hair of the fair elf-maiden was seemingly caught alight in the subtle fire-light - the fairest woman who ever had or will exist was standing there next to the bed, holding two babies.
On the bed next to her lay a slightly older, wiser looking woman, almost as fair as the elf maiden. She was smiling fondly at the twins from her bed, around her seemed the glow that follows anyone who had just given birth. The elf-child looked in wonder at the four people beyond the window, thinking to himself about how strange a day it has been already.
Suddenly the woman on the bed looked at him - not just in his general direction, but the elf-child knew that she was looking at him.
In that simple look was love, the love of a mother - the love that the mother of all shows to all beings.
She smiled and beckoned for him to come inside - and as anyone would do in his position, he did so.
It was warm inside and it seemed even brighter then it had when he was outside. The young elf went to the woman at the bed. "I have been expecting you" the woman said.
The young elf continued to stare in wonder at the beauty of the women surrounding him, slowly addressing one, then the other, absorbing every last detail with his sharp elven eyes.
The woman took back her twins and showed them to the young elf- a smile across her face, that of a proud mother.
The elf examined the two babies, a connection between him and the smaller one emerged instantly, and they maintained eye contact for the slightest of moments, confirming the pact between them.
"You will guard them with your life for the rest of your life" the woman said, looking at him again.
The elven child looked up and nodded. He somehow knew that this was what he was meant to do - this was his purpose, this was why he was born - and he accepted it willingly.
"But first, how old are you and what is your name?" the woman asked.
"My name is Elbarad, Gaia, mother of all, and I am 9 years of age"
Gaia smiled at this, "You are polite for one of your age, as is expected of a high elf. This is the start of your journey, it will be long and hard, but you will enjoy every bit of it. The first step is to take one of these two children from me, I'm getting old and it is hard enough carrying one."
Elbarad already knew which one he would choose, he took the smaller one, the one that he had connected so well with. "What is his name?" he asked.
"Well, that is up to you - what would you choose for him?"
Elbarad, shocked at the honour, looked down at the child he held between his young, and yet strong elvish arms. "He looks like an angel, so I shall call him Angelus"
"So, Angelus it shall be then, and I name this one Magmus."
"Well, if the festivities are over, where is Kael? Don't tell me that he is coming late on a day like this!"
"Aah, don't worry Isil, he will come - and I wouldn't have thought that you'd have to ask that question - you have been married to him for 280 years and the answer is obvious - what you should be asking is if he will be less late then usual."
"And even that I doubt"
Elbarad looked at the two and wondered what they were talking about, he knew that Kael was the northern god of fire, but why was he coming here? His reputation was not that of a caring brother.
"I think we aught to put together some dinner for the little ones, we shouldn't be expecting Kael for a few more hours."
And so it was that Elbarad was left with the two babies. He examined them both - if he was to be their guardian, he was to get to know them.
Though the two were twins, they were distinctly different. Angelus had silver hair - not white, but silver - and very pale skin. Magmus, however, had blood red hair - making his element quite distinct. He was to be a master of fire. Angelus was probably wind - though wind elementals generally have white hair, Elbarad assumed that Angelus' silver hair just meant that he was special. There were other differences between the two - Magmus looked like he was a very angry child, giving Elbarad dirty looks whenever he tickled him. Angelus, however, seemed to examine everything he came across - as if in a constant state of readiness. Whenever Elbarad moved in to tickle him, he would know a split second beforehand, even if he was not looking in that direction. Both children seemed to radiate an unmistakable essence of power - the essence of gods. But they were not gods yet, they had to complete their training and find their own rune blades first. This was the task that was given to all demi-gods, if they failed, then they would continue to live mortal lives - however, if they succeeded then they would be blessed with godship, and ultimate mastery of their element.
Elbarad wondered how it would be to accompany the two on their journeys, helping where ever he could and guiding them whenever they needed it.
He wondered how it would be watching these two as they grew up and developed their personalities - whether they would get him into lots of trouble or not.
---
And so the time passed, all was pleasant, the crowd dispersed and it was quiet -Elbarad had fun with the babies, both of them - he slowly gained skill when it came to dealing with Magmus - all he had to do was leave Magmus completely alone. Angelus was more social.
The night passed as usual, no sign of Kael came - the next day went much the same. Though the people in the house seemed full of power and magic, they continued their chores as if they were just normal women.
When it got too frustrating, Elbarad decided to ask; "Why don't you two use your magic to clean the house? It would be much faster that way"
Gaia straightened herself up and leaned on her broom, smiling "Well, let's hope that Kael will tell you all about it."
"Why can't you tell me?"
Isil turned from the window that she was cleaning; "Why don't you help me make supper?"
Getting the point, Elbarad followed Isil to the kitchen.
Kael did not arrive until almost two days later.
Isil and Gaia were attending to the back yard, and the only people inside were Elbarad and the twins. Elbarad was playing little games with Angelus while Magmus stared out the near-bye window.
It all started with a heat wave. The room suddenly seemed to get much hotter - Magmus started smiling broadly, he, as a fire elemental seemed to be greatly enjoying the added heat - Angelus did not seem to notice. Elbarad's instinct told him to go to the window and looked outside. No-one was there - but definitely felt that someone was coming. The weather, however, he perceived it to be just a change in the wind - he went back to playing with Angelus.
The heat continued to rise, slowly, but surely. Elbarad soon decided to fan himself and Angelus - Magmus was having too much fun.
The heat rose slowly, then faster and faster Magmus was looking like he was having the time of his life - and so it went.
An hour of unbearable heat later - the only thing keeping Elbarad and Angelus - who was looking quite red in the face - from melting was a single Katoa leaf that Elbarad had taken from outside to fan himself and Angelus.
Isil came in first. "About time he got here - late as usual, I think he's seeing how long he can go without me going insane and killing him with my bare hands"
"Well, we'll have to see about that -" Gaia said just coming in and hearing Isil's little outburst "- at least give him a day to sober up, he's forgotten to control his element - which means that he is -"
"Very, very drunk. And no, I don't think I'll give him that civil liberty - I'm pretty sure that you have to actually be civil to impose one, and I don't feel like being civil right now - do you?"
"Not particularly" Gaia replied with a wry smile tracing across her face.
At that moment, the door blew inwards - the splinters bursting into flames. Magmus let out a loud giggle to which Gaia replied with rolling her eyes. "Well at least Angelus seems to have my common sense".
It was the first time Elbarad had seen Kael and to say the least, he was not very impressive.
In came a man with scarlet hair, and rags on - he had a leaky flask of what smelled like beer in his hand and seemed to think the world was oddly slanted. Actually, Elbarad was really not sure whether it was the flask or Kael himself that the smell was omitting from.
"Hello Kael" Isil greeted him as he walked in. At this, Kael looked up from the floor - it seemed like he hadn't seen Isil until that moment. Right then and there he did a complete turn in the other direction and started his way towards the door again when Isil grabbed the 'collar' of his rags and pulled him back.
"Hello honey" Kael said, obviously not going anywhere.
"Hello honey? Is that all you've got?" Isil, with an amazing show of strength, spun the God around - who toppled over onto the floor, and lay there, silently - as if having given up all hope and awaiting being flayed within an inch of his life.
"You come back four days after you left and all you have to say is HELLO HONEY? How DARE you? You disgust me! Get UP". Kael seemed to be giving it a decent effort - lifting one arm, then a knee, and almost rising an inch off the floor - though not quite - before falling back down again to rest.
"Where have you been?" Isil asked with a deadly tone - likewise giving up on getting her husband off the floor, for she did not want to touch him in his current state, fearing various infectious diseases.
Kael lifted his face off the ground, and a shimmer of joy actually came to his face, where he finally managed to say - with surprising vigour - "Drinking!"
Isil rolled her eyes - "Great, and I couldn't have guessed that" she said, as she kicked the flask out of the house. "Bah, there is no point in this - we'll help you into bed and I'll talk to you when you're sober"
Gaia pointed in Kael's direction, then at the bed, and he slowly levitated and landed on target, right next to the twins.
To Elbarad's surprise, when Kael landed on the bed, he turned to Elbarad and winked, before launching into a surprisingly real - sounding sleep.
---
The god just lay there for hours, whether he was actually asleep or was just pretending, as in his drunkenness, was a complete mystery. Elbarad examined the god. He seemed young - for he was the youngest god to date, only 508 years of age. If he were an elf, he would look around 20 years old, his hair was messy and all over the place, but no matter how messy it was, the man was no doubt handsome. Elbarad understood why Isil fell for him, but why they got married was as big a mystery as Kael's slumber. He was strong, no doubt so - Elbarad tracked the veins down the young gods arms all the way to his hands.
Kael was rumoured to be the greatest swordsman there ever was, that plus the fact that he was a god made him almost invincible in battle. His skill with his sword was only matched by his love of beer - and all other alcoholic substances, not to mention gambling. Being a god allowed him to drink limitless amounts of alcohol. It is a well known fact that Isil thought that this was the sole reason Kael had wanted to become a god in the first place.
It was about 2 hours before noon when he woke - to the surprise of all in the household.
Elbarad was doing chores along with Isil, and Gaia was taking turns to watch the twins. A discussion had arisen about the general way of things - it seems that the local blacksmith's wife was cheating on him with the Baker's brother.
"Wait; was it the Baker or the baker's brother that she said that to?" Gaia inquired.
"It was the baker's brother, after she came back from the fair" Isil replied.
"But why would she go to him? Did she know him by then? How did they meet?"
"They met for the first time at the Blacksmiths place when the bakers brother was applying for a job because he was kicked out by the bartender for stealing a tankard of his best ale - a wound to the drinking community indeed, that was very good stuff"
Elbarad turned from his dishwashing to see whom it was - Isil and Gaia seemed to already know who it was and continued the conversation normally. Standing at the door was Kael, looking at the two women gossiping with seeming delight on his face as if remembering the taste of that forsaken ale. "Very good stuff." Elbarad noticed him mouth to himself.
"Well, while you're here, you may as well help us make breakfast" Isil shot over her shoulder.
To this Kael seemed to almost convulse with what looked like pure terror - basic house chores were obviously not how he would choose to spend his time. "Actually -" he replied, obviously thinking fast "- I was planning to get to know my two new brothers, where are they?"
"Right here Kael, what a perfect time, I think Magmus has messed himself - you can help him out" Gaia intercepted.
Obviously cornered, Kael seemed like a caged animal. His eyes darted to all possible exits - windows, doors, holes in the roof - none of these were of a suitable distance or size for a speedy getaway - "Well, how gracious of you dear Mother, but I'm sure you can handle that on your own. Give me the frying pan -" he concluded, and tasting the scrambled eggs he added "- and some salt". Isil smiled and did accordingly.
Breakfast was finished in a matter of minutes. Although pancakes and eggs were the only two things on the menu, everyone was very satisfied by the end of it, for there was more then enough to go around.
"So honey, did you have fun on your little trip?"
Kael's worst dreams were realized, he had been hoping that his loving wife would get over the small incident after leaving her a night to cool off - obviously, a night was not enough. But he had prepared for this possibility. "It was fine, thanks. Mother, now that you have finished with the twins, can I have a look at them?"
"No way, you aren't getting away that easily!"
Elbarad could pinpoint the exact moment when Kael realized that that was all he had prepared, it seemed that most of the time he had actually been asleep.
"What are you talking about honey?"
Elbarad left the room at this and went to the twins - the sounds of war followed him out, Kael was outnumbered and loosing completely and utterly - especially to his beautiful wife, whom it seemed had prepared too - and her preparations were slightly more extensive then Kael's had been. Elbarad could summarize it in a few short words - that day, Kael had a very bad morning. But some things that he had heard Isil say in the heat of combat troubled him; ".do you know how much danger those three little boys are in? What if he found out where we are? What kind of."
Elbarad kept this to himself - fearing being caught eves dropping. But he wondered what they meant. What kind of danger? Who was this he Isil had mentioned? Why were they so scared of him? Weren't they gods? All of these questions troubled Elbarad's young mind, even as the battles had ceased and the three parties had made peace, but not before Kael had apologized completely for his lateness and even then, Isil had a bit more to say.
Conversation then went back to usual - the blacksmith's wife mainly. Elbarad noted that no matter the age of the girl, whether she was one of the other 9 year olds that played in the streets near him and his friends - or a goddess whose age was innumerable, they loved gossip.
---
That night, as Elbarad was about to head off to sleep in the guest room where he had taken residence over the past couple of days, he heard Kael getting up in the lounge room.
"Well" he began, "I'd better be off - I have someone to meet in town - I'll be back in a couple of hours - I'll take that child too, I guess I'd better get him used to the kind of places he will have to go to when he becomes the twins' Guardian."
"You will do no such thing -"Isil began, but was cut short by Gaia.
"That is a wonderful idea - taking the child will remind you to come straight back home - well, at least I hope so."
At this, Kael paused - but with a glance at Isil he made his decision - "Yes, my thoughts exactly" he said, a fake smile across his face. "Well then, we'd better be off!"
---
The night breeze was cold and the rain had developed into light snow - it snowed often in the North Glades - the large town in which the little house was built. Elbarad looked around and saw places that he recognized, places he had grew up around - but half way down the busy street, Kael made a left turn. Any elf child that grew up in this area knew not to make this turn, down this street. Everyone in the area knew where it led, but few had been there.
The little street - more of an alley really - led down to the southern suburbs of North Glades. This was the bad part of town, where some of the lowest of elfdom went. Elbarad found himself staying close to Kael, it was his first time going down this particular street, and it was dark and scary. Even with his elf eyes, it was too dark to see what was in the shadows that were cast in complicated patterns by the dim starlight.
There was no moonlight, and Elbarad was sure that it was getting colder the further they progressed down the alley. Suddenly realizing that Kael was indeed a god, he felt reassured of himself, no-one was stupid enough to take on Kael the great, Elbarad was perfectly safe. Whistling to himself, he looked around - examining the brick walls whose state seemed to deteriorate the further down the ally they went.
"Stop that whistling" Kael said, turning to Elbarad. "Things stalk dark alleyways - and I can't fight what I can't see, so don't cling to me for protection."
Elbarad looked up in shock - he saw that the god seemed almost as insecure as Elbarad himself. The wind seemed to be sucked than under Elbarad's wings and he went back to walking silently just behind Kael - staring at the shadows. His imagination got a hold of him as he frequently saw claws and figures with deep red eyes emerging from the shadows - but whenever he looked back, there would be nothing.
As the night went on the street got darker and darker - there seemed to be no end to the slightly sloping alley - and no sign of life other from the figures of his own imagination and the occasional rodent.
Suddenly, as if emerging from beneath the surface of a deep pool, the sides of the alley disappeared and Elbarad found himself on a deserted road. Looking around, the only person other than himself was Kael - who continued across the road and turned right as he got to the other side. Kael stopped, turned and beckoned him to cross - Elbarad quickly obeyed the god's silent command. When he got to the other side, they continued their quiet journey.
As they slowly made their way up the road, the silence subsided and sounds of life returned. But these were no friendly sounds - they were in the south side and people here were shifty and violent.
Kael pointed up the street at a dark building - out of the window shone a murky light. Unmistakably, this building was a pub of sorts. To Elbarad's surprise, Kael was grinning widely "now this is my sort of place - stay close little."
"Elbarad"
"Ah, sorry - stay close little Elbarad, these people are rowdy - don't look any of them in the eye and don't show any signs of fear, they are a tad unstable in there." At that very moment, something resembling a large green figure was thrown out of the window -
"We don't take your kind in here - this is North Havens - go back to where you belong, Orc" exclaimed the figure from the other side of the window as the figure retreated to the safety of the other side of the road
"Aah, well, if isn't the devil himself." Kael exclaimed, smiling as they approached the door.
Elbarad had never been to a pub before - unluckily for him in this circumstance. He was in no way prepared for what he saw inside.
What seemed like 30 or 40 people were inside, and at least a quarter of them were on the floor - whether unconscious or paralysed with alcohol. These people were not those that people like Elbarad and his kind would associate with. The bar was filled with Drow Elves. For, you see, there are three types of elves on Centre World. The first is the High elves - these are the fairest of the three, and also the most educated and lawful - hence their name. The second type is the Wood elf - they are hardly seen by those other from their own kind, and are neutral to all external dealings - they are completely left alone for two reasons - the first of which was that they where not worthy of trade, for they did not value any substance above any other - and the second was that it was rumoured that they were completely uncivilized and worshiped strange gods, making them dangerous for no-one knew what they would do to intruders. The third and final type of Elf was the Drow elf. These elves are much like the High elves, but they were dark - almost black of skin. Their hair differed from white to blond, unlike the blond and black of the High elves - and they devoted their lives to dark things, such as Dark Sorcery and the arts of War. Drow elves were prone to be thieves and violent. All together, they were Kael's type of elf.
It was almost comic to see that everyone in the bar seemed to be either close friends of or dark enemies of Kael. The one that he was especially good friends with was a Drow Elf by the name of Elfazar.
"So, is everything ready?" Kael asked.
"How many people do you want to take along?" Elfazar asked in his dry, husky voice.
"Well, including this one, five"
"Five?" Elfazar paused and looked around. Goblets clinking, money exchanging hands, wenches moving in and out of crowds of very drunk elves - small scuffles breaking out here and there, their participants generally too drunk for anything to serious to break out. "Isn't this place beautiful? You see him?" he pointed to a Drow in the corner with a wench "that's his third one tonight; he's going to get himself killed"
"Yes, it's not smart to cheat on wenches, especially when they are armed, as I'm sure they are" Kael replied, examining the two flirt at the back, when finally gold exchanged hands. "Well, anyway, you didn't answer my question"
Elfazar turned back to Kael - "Can he hold a blade?" he said, gesturing towards Elbarad.
Kael looked questioningly towards Elbarad, who replied with a look of polite confusion. "He can learn".
"I'm sure he can" Elfazar replied cynically. "I'll need 200 more if there's another child you want me to help guard."
"You already know that money is of no importance"
"Well then - 250 more for the child"
"Now, hold on"
Elfazar grinned "But I thought that money was of no importance" he said, mimicking the young god's deep voice perfectly.
"But that's no excuse to rip of a god"
Elfazar rolled his eyes "It always comes back to that doesn't it?"
"Yeah, well, it's better then paying you 250"
"You know, you weren't so bad back when I helped you get your rune blade - I can't believe I saved your life, bah, and this is how you repay me?"
"Fine, fine - and it always comes down to that with you." Kael replied as he looked around, thinking to himself. "Fine, 210"
"220"
"Deal"
"So, it will be five then? I'll arrange the horses." Elfazar concluded and made to leave before turning around again "And say hello to Isil for me" he added, then left the bar.
Elbarad gave a confused glance to Kael.
"He is her half brother" he replied.
"How? She is -"
"A high elf? Exactly - he was disowned and his birth mother was cast out."
Pity came to Elbarad's face - he watched as Elfazar crossed the road to continue his conversation with the Orc.
"How did that Orc come to this world?"
"Huh?" Kael looked out the window and laughed. "His tribe was probably left behind when Krosa fled from his last attempted invasion. I almost feel sorry for him" he added as Elfazar found what he had been feeling for behind his back - two very long daggers - the Orc looked at them in horror. "I gave him that demon dagger when I returned from my adventures in the Southern Universe" pointing to the black one in Elfazar's right hand.
"You've been to the south of the universe?"
Kael turned to Elbarad. "I'm the one who defeated Krosa and drove him back"
"You did that?" Elbarad stared at Kael in renewed wonder - he had heard of this before, but was fully prepared to be told the story again.
"Yes, well, he isn't a particularly good swordsman - it was his demon friends that were the hard part".
"Wow" Elbarad exclaimed "How many did you take on?" he urged.
Kael glanced around - "This is nether the time nor the place for that story. I'm off to get some medicine, you sit here - call out if you are in trouble of some sort."
"But this isn't a cleric's hut" Elbarad exclaimed as Kael departed.
Kael made his way to the bar, pushing through the drow that were in his way. When he got there, he sat down and gestured to the bartender. "280 of your best ale"
The bartender looked at him in shock - no-one in their right mind said no when Kael requested a drink. He looked around for a good excuse - he didn't have 280 chalices worth. Sweating, his eyes darted around franticly - and came to rest on the boy who was standing right behind Kael. The bartender smiled slightly and directed "No children allowed in this bar"
Kael looked around and saw what the Bartender was looking at "He isn't mine"
"But master Kael!" Elbarad exclaimed.
Kael gave a deep sigh - "I told you to stay back there, ok, fine, we'll leave."
They made their way back to the exit. Kael looked in Elbarad's direction and frowned - guilt expressing itself across his face, "I'm sorry."
Elbarad looked up and smiled "It's ok"
They left the bar and crossed the road where they met Elfazar who was standing there waiting for them, smiling "It looks like I've acquired another slave for my pens" he said, his smile turning into a grin.
"Well then, good for you - you don't know where to get some good ale for a tired old married man, do you?"
Elfazar thought to himself for a while "I know just the place" - at that he shimmered and merged into the shadows - completely, no sign of him was to be seen, heard or felt.
"I'll be right back" Kael directed, having spotted something near the Tavern they had just come out of.
"Where are you going?" Elbarad asked, as Kael prepared to cross the road.
"Where there is a tavern, there are stables - where there are stables, there's hay" Kael answered, grinning.
As Kael got to the other side, He stopped at a rather large bar of hey and touched it - Flames erupted from his fingertips, slowly spreading along the hay, making it's way towards the tavern.
Kael returned and continued his way back, smiling to himself - "Don't worry - they'll be alright. I'm not sure about that bartender though" he said over his shoulder to Elbarad who was about to ask that very question.
"We are taking him home with us? Mistress Isil will like that" Elbarad said, looking around.
"Oooh no she won't, heh, she'll hate it. That's partly why I'm bringing him"
"What?"
"Well, now is the time that I give you some advice, man to man. Never make an elf maiden mad. Unless, that is, it is for a reason - do you remember today morning?" - Elbarad nodded - "well, that's the reason. Another that Elfazar loves his little baby sister, it's cute seeing them together." Kael gave a sardonic sigh "Staring in opposite directions and all" - he smiled.
At that moment Elfazar re-emerged out of a shadow that lay a few metres in front of them carrying two large flasks of ale. "Well, I wouldn't say that she hates me, it's more of an extreme dislike - that was a mean thing to do to that poor old bartender" he added, passing a flask to Kael.
Elbarad tried to understand but failed miserably - "Why?"
Elfazar cocked an eyebrow at him. "Well, well. It looks like we have a bloodthirsty one here"
"No, not that, I was talking about why Isil hates you"
"Well, I haven't been the best brother in the world. You know when you say 'I'll visit'? Well, I always say that and kind of. don't. heh. Well, it isn't completely my fault. Who would want to go back to that? Sorry Kael, it isn't personal or anything, but she's a neat-freak! I can't even steal stuff when she's around - and on top of all that she doesn't allow alcohol within a kilometres radius of her."
Kael laughed. "Well, there you go Elbarad, brotherly love in the flesh" - taking a few sips out of his flask. Followed by a large sip. The rest of the flask disappeared in a matter of moments.
It was raining hard, and yet thousands had been gathering outside a small house to see the new children. It was 2am when the twins were born.
A small elven boy had managed to sneak to the front of the crowd and peer through the house window.
Inside, there was a small fire burning, intricate shadows traced across the walls and the hair of the fair elf-maiden was seemingly caught alight in the subtle fire-light - the fairest woman who ever had or will exist was standing there next to the bed, holding two babies.
On the bed next to her lay a slightly older, wiser looking woman, almost as fair as the elf maiden. She was smiling fondly at the twins from her bed, around her seemed the glow that follows anyone who had just given birth. The elf-child looked in wonder at the four people beyond the window, thinking to himself about how strange a day it has been already.
Suddenly the woman on the bed looked at him - not just in his general direction, but the elf-child knew that she was looking at him.
In that simple look was love, the love of a mother - the love that the mother of all shows to all beings.
She smiled and beckoned for him to come inside - and as anyone would do in his position, he did so.
It was warm inside and it seemed even brighter then it had when he was outside. The young elf went to the woman at the bed. "I have been expecting you" the woman said.
The young elf continued to stare in wonder at the beauty of the women surrounding him, slowly addressing one, then the other, absorbing every last detail with his sharp elven eyes.
The woman took back her twins and showed them to the young elf- a smile across her face, that of a proud mother.
The elf examined the two babies, a connection between him and the smaller one emerged instantly, and they maintained eye contact for the slightest of moments, confirming the pact between them.
"You will guard them with your life for the rest of your life" the woman said, looking at him again.
The elven child looked up and nodded. He somehow knew that this was what he was meant to do - this was his purpose, this was why he was born - and he accepted it willingly.
"But first, how old are you and what is your name?" the woman asked.
"My name is Elbarad, Gaia, mother of all, and I am 9 years of age"
Gaia smiled at this, "You are polite for one of your age, as is expected of a high elf. This is the start of your journey, it will be long and hard, but you will enjoy every bit of it. The first step is to take one of these two children from me, I'm getting old and it is hard enough carrying one."
Elbarad already knew which one he would choose, he took the smaller one, the one that he had connected so well with. "What is his name?" he asked.
"Well, that is up to you - what would you choose for him?"
Elbarad, shocked at the honour, looked down at the child he held between his young, and yet strong elvish arms. "He looks like an angel, so I shall call him Angelus"
"So, Angelus it shall be then, and I name this one Magmus."
"Well, if the festivities are over, where is Kael? Don't tell me that he is coming late on a day like this!"
"Aah, don't worry Isil, he will come - and I wouldn't have thought that you'd have to ask that question - you have been married to him for 280 years and the answer is obvious - what you should be asking is if he will be less late then usual."
"And even that I doubt"
Elbarad looked at the two and wondered what they were talking about, he knew that Kael was the northern god of fire, but why was he coming here? His reputation was not that of a caring brother.
"I think we aught to put together some dinner for the little ones, we shouldn't be expecting Kael for a few more hours."
And so it was that Elbarad was left with the two babies. He examined them both - if he was to be their guardian, he was to get to know them.
Though the two were twins, they were distinctly different. Angelus had silver hair - not white, but silver - and very pale skin. Magmus, however, had blood red hair - making his element quite distinct. He was to be a master of fire. Angelus was probably wind - though wind elementals generally have white hair, Elbarad assumed that Angelus' silver hair just meant that he was special. There were other differences between the two - Magmus looked like he was a very angry child, giving Elbarad dirty looks whenever he tickled him. Angelus, however, seemed to examine everything he came across - as if in a constant state of readiness. Whenever Elbarad moved in to tickle him, he would know a split second beforehand, even if he was not looking in that direction. Both children seemed to radiate an unmistakable essence of power - the essence of gods. But they were not gods yet, they had to complete their training and find their own rune blades first. This was the task that was given to all demi-gods, if they failed, then they would continue to live mortal lives - however, if they succeeded then they would be blessed with godship, and ultimate mastery of their element.
Elbarad wondered how it would be to accompany the two on their journeys, helping where ever he could and guiding them whenever they needed it.
He wondered how it would be watching these two as they grew up and developed their personalities - whether they would get him into lots of trouble or not.
---
And so the time passed, all was pleasant, the crowd dispersed and it was quiet -Elbarad had fun with the babies, both of them - he slowly gained skill when it came to dealing with Magmus - all he had to do was leave Magmus completely alone. Angelus was more social.
The night passed as usual, no sign of Kael came - the next day went much the same. Though the people in the house seemed full of power and magic, they continued their chores as if they were just normal women.
When it got too frustrating, Elbarad decided to ask; "Why don't you two use your magic to clean the house? It would be much faster that way"
Gaia straightened herself up and leaned on her broom, smiling "Well, let's hope that Kael will tell you all about it."
"Why can't you tell me?"
Isil turned from the window that she was cleaning; "Why don't you help me make supper?"
Getting the point, Elbarad followed Isil to the kitchen.
Kael did not arrive until almost two days later.
Isil and Gaia were attending to the back yard, and the only people inside were Elbarad and the twins. Elbarad was playing little games with Angelus while Magmus stared out the near-bye window.
It all started with a heat wave. The room suddenly seemed to get much hotter - Magmus started smiling broadly, he, as a fire elemental seemed to be greatly enjoying the added heat - Angelus did not seem to notice. Elbarad's instinct told him to go to the window and looked outside. No-one was there - but definitely felt that someone was coming. The weather, however, he perceived it to be just a change in the wind - he went back to playing with Angelus.
The heat continued to rise, slowly, but surely. Elbarad soon decided to fan himself and Angelus - Magmus was having too much fun.
The heat rose slowly, then faster and faster Magmus was looking like he was having the time of his life - and so it went.
An hour of unbearable heat later - the only thing keeping Elbarad and Angelus - who was looking quite red in the face - from melting was a single Katoa leaf that Elbarad had taken from outside to fan himself and Angelus.
Isil came in first. "About time he got here - late as usual, I think he's seeing how long he can go without me going insane and killing him with my bare hands"
"Well, we'll have to see about that -" Gaia said just coming in and hearing Isil's little outburst "- at least give him a day to sober up, he's forgotten to control his element - which means that he is -"
"Very, very drunk. And no, I don't think I'll give him that civil liberty - I'm pretty sure that you have to actually be civil to impose one, and I don't feel like being civil right now - do you?"
"Not particularly" Gaia replied with a wry smile tracing across her face.
At that moment, the door blew inwards - the splinters bursting into flames. Magmus let out a loud giggle to which Gaia replied with rolling her eyes. "Well at least Angelus seems to have my common sense".
It was the first time Elbarad had seen Kael and to say the least, he was not very impressive.
In came a man with scarlet hair, and rags on - he had a leaky flask of what smelled like beer in his hand and seemed to think the world was oddly slanted. Actually, Elbarad was really not sure whether it was the flask or Kael himself that the smell was omitting from.
"Hello Kael" Isil greeted him as he walked in. At this, Kael looked up from the floor - it seemed like he hadn't seen Isil until that moment. Right then and there he did a complete turn in the other direction and started his way towards the door again when Isil grabbed the 'collar' of his rags and pulled him back.
"Hello honey" Kael said, obviously not going anywhere.
"Hello honey? Is that all you've got?" Isil, with an amazing show of strength, spun the God around - who toppled over onto the floor, and lay there, silently - as if having given up all hope and awaiting being flayed within an inch of his life.
"You come back four days after you left and all you have to say is HELLO HONEY? How DARE you? You disgust me! Get UP". Kael seemed to be giving it a decent effort - lifting one arm, then a knee, and almost rising an inch off the floor - though not quite - before falling back down again to rest.
"Where have you been?" Isil asked with a deadly tone - likewise giving up on getting her husband off the floor, for she did not want to touch him in his current state, fearing various infectious diseases.
Kael lifted his face off the ground, and a shimmer of joy actually came to his face, where he finally managed to say - with surprising vigour - "Drinking!"
Isil rolled her eyes - "Great, and I couldn't have guessed that" she said, as she kicked the flask out of the house. "Bah, there is no point in this - we'll help you into bed and I'll talk to you when you're sober"
Gaia pointed in Kael's direction, then at the bed, and he slowly levitated and landed on target, right next to the twins.
To Elbarad's surprise, when Kael landed on the bed, he turned to Elbarad and winked, before launching into a surprisingly real - sounding sleep.
---
The god just lay there for hours, whether he was actually asleep or was just pretending, as in his drunkenness, was a complete mystery. Elbarad examined the god. He seemed young - for he was the youngest god to date, only 508 years of age. If he were an elf, he would look around 20 years old, his hair was messy and all over the place, but no matter how messy it was, the man was no doubt handsome. Elbarad understood why Isil fell for him, but why they got married was as big a mystery as Kael's slumber. He was strong, no doubt so - Elbarad tracked the veins down the young gods arms all the way to his hands.
Kael was rumoured to be the greatest swordsman there ever was, that plus the fact that he was a god made him almost invincible in battle. His skill with his sword was only matched by his love of beer - and all other alcoholic substances, not to mention gambling. Being a god allowed him to drink limitless amounts of alcohol. It is a well known fact that Isil thought that this was the sole reason Kael had wanted to become a god in the first place.
It was about 2 hours before noon when he woke - to the surprise of all in the household.
Elbarad was doing chores along with Isil, and Gaia was taking turns to watch the twins. A discussion had arisen about the general way of things - it seems that the local blacksmith's wife was cheating on him with the Baker's brother.
"Wait; was it the Baker or the baker's brother that she said that to?" Gaia inquired.
"It was the baker's brother, after she came back from the fair" Isil replied.
"But why would she go to him? Did she know him by then? How did they meet?"
"They met for the first time at the Blacksmiths place when the bakers brother was applying for a job because he was kicked out by the bartender for stealing a tankard of his best ale - a wound to the drinking community indeed, that was very good stuff"
Elbarad turned from his dishwashing to see whom it was - Isil and Gaia seemed to already know who it was and continued the conversation normally. Standing at the door was Kael, looking at the two women gossiping with seeming delight on his face as if remembering the taste of that forsaken ale. "Very good stuff." Elbarad noticed him mouth to himself.
"Well, while you're here, you may as well help us make breakfast" Isil shot over her shoulder.
To this Kael seemed to almost convulse with what looked like pure terror - basic house chores were obviously not how he would choose to spend his time. "Actually -" he replied, obviously thinking fast "- I was planning to get to know my two new brothers, where are they?"
"Right here Kael, what a perfect time, I think Magmus has messed himself - you can help him out" Gaia intercepted.
Obviously cornered, Kael seemed like a caged animal. His eyes darted to all possible exits - windows, doors, holes in the roof - none of these were of a suitable distance or size for a speedy getaway - "Well, how gracious of you dear Mother, but I'm sure you can handle that on your own. Give me the frying pan -" he concluded, and tasting the scrambled eggs he added "- and some salt". Isil smiled and did accordingly.
Breakfast was finished in a matter of minutes. Although pancakes and eggs were the only two things on the menu, everyone was very satisfied by the end of it, for there was more then enough to go around.
"So honey, did you have fun on your little trip?"
Kael's worst dreams were realized, he had been hoping that his loving wife would get over the small incident after leaving her a night to cool off - obviously, a night was not enough. But he had prepared for this possibility. "It was fine, thanks. Mother, now that you have finished with the twins, can I have a look at them?"
"No way, you aren't getting away that easily!"
Elbarad could pinpoint the exact moment when Kael realized that that was all he had prepared, it seemed that most of the time he had actually been asleep.
"What are you talking about honey?"
Elbarad left the room at this and went to the twins - the sounds of war followed him out, Kael was outnumbered and loosing completely and utterly - especially to his beautiful wife, whom it seemed had prepared too - and her preparations were slightly more extensive then Kael's had been. Elbarad could summarize it in a few short words - that day, Kael had a very bad morning. But some things that he had heard Isil say in the heat of combat troubled him; ".do you know how much danger those three little boys are in? What if he found out where we are? What kind of."
Elbarad kept this to himself - fearing being caught eves dropping. But he wondered what they meant. What kind of danger? Who was this he Isil had mentioned? Why were they so scared of him? Weren't they gods? All of these questions troubled Elbarad's young mind, even as the battles had ceased and the three parties had made peace, but not before Kael had apologized completely for his lateness and even then, Isil had a bit more to say.
Conversation then went back to usual - the blacksmith's wife mainly. Elbarad noted that no matter the age of the girl, whether she was one of the other 9 year olds that played in the streets near him and his friends - or a goddess whose age was innumerable, they loved gossip.
---
That night, as Elbarad was about to head off to sleep in the guest room where he had taken residence over the past couple of days, he heard Kael getting up in the lounge room.
"Well" he began, "I'd better be off - I have someone to meet in town - I'll be back in a couple of hours - I'll take that child too, I guess I'd better get him used to the kind of places he will have to go to when he becomes the twins' Guardian."
"You will do no such thing -"Isil began, but was cut short by Gaia.
"That is a wonderful idea - taking the child will remind you to come straight back home - well, at least I hope so."
At this, Kael paused - but with a glance at Isil he made his decision - "Yes, my thoughts exactly" he said, a fake smile across his face. "Well then, we'd better be off!"
---
The night breeze was cold and the rain had developed into light snow - it snowed often in the North Glades - the large town in which the little house was built. Elbarad looked around and saw places that he recognized, places he had grew up around - but half way down the busy street, Kael made a left turn. Any elf child that grew up in this area knew not to make this turn, down this street. Everyone in the area knew where it led, but few had been there.
The little street - more of an alley really - led down to the southern suburbs of North Glades. This was the bad part of town, where some of the lowest of elfdom went. Elbarad found himself staying close to Kael, it was his first time going down this particular street, and it was dark and scary. Even with his elf eyes, it was too dark to see what was in the shadows that were cast in complicated patterns by the dim starlight.
There was no moonlight, and Elbarad was sure that it was getting colder the further they progressed down the alley. Suddenly realizing that Kael was indeed a god, he felt reassured of himself, no-one was stupid enough to take on Kael the great, Elbarad was perfectly safe. Whistling to himself, he looked around - examining the brick walls whose state seemed to deteriorate the further down the ally they went.
"Stop that whistling" Kael said, turning to Elbarad. "Things stalk dark alleyways - and I can't fight what I can't see, so don't cling to me for protection."
Elbarad looked up in shock - he saw that the god seemed almost as insecure as Elbarad himself. The wind seemed to be sucked than under Elbarad's wings and he went back to walking silently just behind Kael - staring at the shadows. His imagination got a hold of him as he frequently saw claws and figures with deep red eyes emerging from the shadows - but whenever he looked back, there would be nothing.
As the night went on the street got darker and darker - there seemed to be no end to the slightly sloping alley - and no sign of life other from the figures of his own imagination and the occasional rodent.
Suddenly, as if emerging from beneath the surface of a deep pool, the sides of the alley disappeared and Elbarad found himself on a deserted road. Looking around, the only person other than himself was Kael - who continued across the road and turned right as he got to the other side. Kael stopped, turned and beckoned him to cross - Elbarad quickly obeyed the god's silent command. When he got to the other side, they continued their quiet journey.
As they slowly made their way up the road, the silence subsided and sounds of life returned. But these were no friendly sounds - they were in the south side and people here were shifty and violent.
Kael pointed up the street at a dark building - out of the window shone a murky light. Unmistakably, this building was a pub of sorts. To Elbarad's surprise, Kael was grinning widely "now this is my sort of place - stay close little."
"Elbarad"
"Ah, sorry - stay close little Elbarad, these people are rowdy - don't look any of them in the eye and don't show any signs of fear, they are a tad unstable in there." At that very moment, something resembling a large green figure was thrown out of the window -
"We don't take your kind in here - this is North Havens - go back to where you belong, Orc" exclaimed the figure from the other side of the window as the figure retreated to the safety of the other side of the road
"Aah, well, if isn't the devil himself." Kael exclaimed, smiling as they approached the door.
Elbarad had never been to a pub before - unluckily for him in this circumstance. He was in no way prepared for what he saw inside.
What seemed like 30 or 40 people were inside, and at least a quarter of them were on the floor - whether unconscious or paralysed with alcohol. These people were not those that people like Elbarad and his kind would associate with. The bar was filled with Drow Elves. For, you see, there are three types of elves on Centre World. The first is the High elves - these are the fairest of the three, and also the most educated and lawful - hence their name. The second type is the Wood elf - they are hardly seen by those other from their own kind, and are neutral to all external dealings - they are completely left alone for two reasons - the first of which was that they where not worthy of trade, for they did not value any substance above any other - and the second was that it was rumoured that they were completely uncivilized and worshiped strange gods, making them dangerous for no-one knew what they would do to intruders. The third and final type of Elf was the Drow elf. These elves are much like the High elves, but they were dark - almost black of skin. Their hair differed from white to blond, unlike the blond and black of the High elves - and they devoted their lives to dark things, such as Dark Sorcery and the arts of War. Drow elves were prone to be thieves and violent. All together, they were Kael's type of elf.
It was almost comic to see that everyone in the bar seemed to be either close friends of or dark enemies of Kael. The one that he was especially good friends with was a Drow Elf by the name of Elfazar.
"So, is everything ready?" Kael asked.
"How many people do you want to take along?" Elfazar asked in his dry, husky voice.
"Well, including this one, five"
"Five?" Elfazar paused and looked around. Goblets clinking, money exchanging hands, wenches moving in and out of crowds of very drunk elves - small scuffles breaking out here and there, their participants generally too drunk for anything to serious to break out. "Isn't this place beautiful? You see him?" he pointed to a Drow in the corner with a wench "that's his third one tonight; he's going to get himself killed"
"Yes, it's not smart to cheat on wenches, especially when they are armed, as I'm sure they are" Kael replied, examining the two flirt at the back, when finally gold exchanged hands. "Well, anyway, you didn't answer my question"
Elfazar turned back to Kael - "Can he hold a blade?" he said, gesturing towards Elbarad.
Kael looked questioningly towards Elbarad, who replied with a look of polite confusion. "He can learn".
"I'm sure he can" Elfazar replied cynically. "I'll need 200 more if there's another child you want me to help guard."
"You already know that money is of no importance"
"Well then - 250 more for the child"
"Now, hold on"
Elfazar grinned "But I thought that money was of no importance" he said, mimicking the young god's deep voice perfectly.
"But that's no excuse to rip of a god"
Elfazar rolled his eyes "It always comes back to that doesn't it?"
"Yeah, well, it's better then paying you 250"
"You know, you weren't so bad back when I helped you get your rune blade - I can't believe I saved your life, bah, and this is how you repay me?"
"Fine, fine - and it always comes down to that with you." Kael replied as he looked around, thinking to himself. "Fine, 210"
"220"
"Deal"
"So, it will be five then? I'll arrange the horses." Elfazar concluded and made to leave before turning around again "And say hello to Isil for me" he added, then left the bar.
Elbarad gave a confused glance to Kael.
"He is her half brother" he replied.
"How? She is -"
"A high elf? Exactly - he was disowned and his birth mother was cast out."
Pity came to Elbarad's face - he watched as Elfazar crossed the road to continue his conversation with the Orc.
"How did that Orc come to this world?"
"Huh?" Kael looked out the window and laughed. "His tribe was probably left behind when Krosa fled from his last attempted invasion. I almost feel sorry for him" he added as Elfazar found what he had been feeling for behind his back - two very long daggers - the Orc looked at them in horror. "I gave him that demon dagger when I returned from my adventures in the Southern Universe" pointing to the black one in Elfazar's right hand.
"You've been to the south of the universe?"
Kael turned to Elbarad. "I'm the one who defeated Krosa and drove him back"
"You did that?" Elbarad stared at Kael in renewed wonder - he had heard of this before, but was fully prepared to be told the story again.
"Yes, well, he isn't a particularly good swordsman - it was his demon friends that were the hard part".
"Wow" Elbarad exclaimed "How many did you take on?" he urged.
Kael glanced around - "This is nether the time nor the place for that story. I'm off to get some medicine, you sit here - call out if you are in trouble of some sort."
"But this isn't a cleric's hut" Elbarad exclaimed as Kael departed.
Kael made his way to the bar, pushing through the drow that were in his way. When he got there, he sat down and gestured to the bartender. "280 of your best ale"
The bartender looked at him in shock - no-one in their right mind said no when Kael requested a drink. He looked around for a good excuse - he didn't have 280 chalices worth. Sweating, his eyes darted around franticly - and came to rest on the boy who was standing right behind Kael. The bartender smiled slightly and directed "No children allowed in this bar"
Kael looked around and saw what the Bartender was looking at "He isn't mine"
"But master Kael!" Elbarad exclaimed.
Kael gave a deep sigh - "I told you to stay back there, ok, fine, we'll leave."
They made their way back to the exit. Kael looked in Elbarad's direction and frowned - guilt expressing itself across his face, "I'm sorry."
Elbarad looked up and smiled "It's ok"
They left the bar and crossed the road where they met Elfazar who was standing there waiting for them, smiling "It looks like I've acquired another slave for my pens" he said, his smile turning into a grin.
"Well then, good for you - you don't know where to get some good ale for a tired old married man, do you?"
Elfazar thought to himself for a while "I know just the place" - at that he shimmered and merged into the shadows - completely, no sign of him was to be seen, heard or felt.
"I'll be right back" Kael directed, having spotted something near the Tavern they had just come out of.
"Where are you going?" Elbarad asked, as Kael prepared to cross the road.
"Where there is a tavern, there are stables - where there are stables, there's hay" Kael answered, grinning.
As Kael got to the other side, He stopped at a rather large bar of hey and touched it - Flames erupted from his fingertips, slowly spreading along the hay, making it's way towards the tavern.
Kael returned and continued his way back, smiling to himself - "Don't worry - they'll be alright. I'm not sure about that bartender though" he said over his shoulder to Elbarad who was about to ask that very question.
"We are taking him home with us? Mistress Isil will like that" Elbarad said, looking around.
"Oooh no she won't, heh, she'll hate it. That's partly why I'm bringing him"
"What?"
"Well, now is the time that I give you some advice, man to man. Never make an elf maiden mad. Unless, that is, it is for a reason - do you remember today morning?" - Elbarad nodded - "well, that's the reason. Another that Elfazar loves his little baby sister, it's cute seeing them together." Kael gave a sardonic sigh "Staring in opposite directions and all" - he smiled.
At that moment Elfazar re-emerged out of a shadow that lay a few metres in front of them carrying two large flasks of ale. "Well, I wouldn't say that she hates me, it's more of an extreme dislike - that was a mean thing to do to that poor old bartender" he added, passing a flask to Kael.
Elbarad tried to understand but failed miserably - "Why?"
Elfazar cocked an eyebrow at him. "Well, well. It looks like we have a bloodthirsty one here"
"No, not that, I was talking about why Isil hates you"
"Well, I haven't been the best brother in the world. You know when you say 'I'll visit'? Well, I always say that and kind of. don't. heh. Well, it isn't completely my fault. Who would want to go back to that? Sorry Kael, it isn't personal or anything, but she's a neat-freak! I can't even steal stuff when she's around - and on top of all that she doesn't allow alcohol within a kilometres radius of her."
Kael laughed. "Well, there you go Elbarad, brotherly love in the flesh" - taking a few sips out of his flask. Followed by a large sip. The rest of the flask disappeared in a matter of moments.