Chapter 7-My Homeland?

I awoke to see the sunlight filtering through the window into my room…I was lying in a very comfortable bed with crimson silk sheets and satin covers…I was trying to recall the dream I just had…I was fighting a Farian…there was a giant white suit of armor…and what were those creatures we were fighting…I rose as I began dressing excitement rising in me as I remembered what I was going to do today…Father promised to take me hunting today…I can't wait to feel the wind once again as we ride to the woods…I was an avid hunter and a skilled marksmen…after all I was trained since I was five to hit marks that where only about half a foot in diameter from a distance of thirty yards with my bow…I was also a skilled swordsmen and tactician…after all when my father retired I would be taking his place as the leader my precious homelands military…I heard the doors open and turned to see my loyal attendant enter…he was an older gentlemen in about his late forties and wearing a beautifully designed blue coat…he walked in a small smile on his face…though he wasn't blood he was family and had taken care of me since I was little…after my mother died…he was like a favorite uncle rather than a servant.

"Abraham," I chuckled to myself, "I'm so excited that father's taking me hunting with him."

"I glad to hear your excited my lord," Abraham stated with a slight bow, "I sure he wanted to spend time with you before you both left for Balandor."

I grinned thinking about it…it would be the tenth year anniversary since my homeland had brought an end to the conflict with its newest weapon…The Incorruptus…it was an ancient weapon that was last used by an ancient empire but we had brought these weapons back to life…I remember what my father said about these battles…he had been there using the first Incorrupti that had been completed…he told me of how both armies froze when the entire force of my homeland had come down upon them so soon after thwarting an invasion by an unknown enemy…tens of thousands of soldier and twenty or so Incorruptus and how they placed themselves between the advancing armies and forced them to listen to reason…they opened Balandor's and Faria's eyes that day ten years ago…my father was a war hero…and I was the his son a skilled and proud warrior in my own right...thoughts such as these danced through my head as I began putting on my hunting armor…it was similar to an armor found in the city of Greede that was called Liberty Armor except instead of black mine was a deep forest green…I smiled as I removed my ornate bow from its coverings…it was a masterfully crafted long bow plated in bright orange metal designed after the phoenix…my homeland's most beloved creature.

"Your father is waiting for you in the town square," Abraham stated smiling, "Be careful on your hunt my lord and good luck."

He bowed to me as I walked through the door…he was like family but no matter how much we told him it was alright if he didn't act so subservient he told us that it was an honor to serve such a noble family…I walked through the halls of the palace receiving bows and greetings of your highness as I passed by people…I was a prince after all…but I was extremely nervous when I passed three knights who were walking in sync with each other…they were wearing the same armor of are other soldiers except that theirs were completely blood red as were their cloaks which had hoods that shadowed their faces…on their gauntlets glimmered a strange crystal set into it…these men were Arc bearers and some of the most feared soldiers in my homelands military…I exited the palace which brought to me the sight of the busy streets below…my glorious homeland…my Valeria…

"A beautiful sight," I sighed as I walked down the marble steps leading to the square where my father sat upon a white horse with a beige one standing near him the reins held in the hands of one of the palace guards who was talking with my father.

"Lord Eddoe," the guard stated handing me the reins, "I was just speaking to your father about the celebration…I believe congratulations are in order."

"Congratulations?" I stated confused, "About what?"

"It's a surprise son," my father stated quickly while the guard looked shocked, "I'll tell you about it when we leave for Balandor."

I nodded as we rode out of the city trying to figure out what was the surprise…I noticed that my father was not wearing his commanders armor but was instead wearing an Aeros Kirtle and on his back sat a dragon bone longbow…my father and I were avid hunters but rarely did we ever hunt together preferring to instead to hunt alone with me at night and my father during the morning…this would be the first time we hunted together…

-One Hour Later-

I was steadily and silently making my way through the brush while my father moved through the trees like a cat…we were hoping to flush out a group of deer that rested somewhere in the brush…we both knew that our horses would only be able to carry one deer each…I looked up as I heard rustling and saw four deer break out from underneath the brush…I brought back the arrow knocked on the bow and let it fly straight into the heart of a buck as my father's arrow struck a fleeing doe…we quickly left the woods with our catch over our shoulders…and returned to the capital.

-Several hours later-

The low hum of the magically charged engines as our monoship winged its way to Balandor echoed in my ears as I wandered the ship…even by monoship the travel to Balandor would take a couple of days…so I had time to kill as I walked the beautifully designed hallways…the carpet muffling the sound of my leather knee high boots…I was wearing black pants, a white shirt, a light yellow vest, and white leather gloves…I was making my way to the training deck where my guards were practicing in case something happened at the celebration…my father was in his room more than likely reading…I knew he was trying to figure out how to make the monoships better because we were only creating them from the remnants of the ancient empires technology…we found remnants of their weapons and technology all over the vale…unearthed after the cataclysm seventeen years ago…we found tunnels that went miles underground and held amazing artifacts of the past…ancient monoships, floating magic cannons, tanks that fired shells filled to the brim with magic, and magicks thought lost to the modern day…and we had them…we had a power that very nearly conquered the world ten thousand years previous…in the Dogma Age…an age I thirsted to be in…of magicks so strange that they were unthinkable…my homeland was actually a small fragment that had rebelled against the ancient empire and sided with its enemies…as well as following Madoreas's youngest son who became the first king of Valeria… what could have driven a son to turn on his father…I would never betray my father…would I? I walked into the training room to see several of my guards practicing…they were wearing sentinel armor with red cloth instead of blue and bright burnished golden plate armor…they were my guardians…and I was glad to have them to guard my back. I walked towards one named Ziron Talon who was only a year older than me and one of my best friends…he turned and smiled at me when I approached him.

"So my lord are you ready for today's training?" he inquired of me.

"Of course Ziron," I chuckled drawing my sword…it was a specially designed guardsmen sword that had a hand guard instead of the standard cross hilt…it was designed for thrusts rather than slashes.

Ziron drew his blade…a standard unchanged guardsmen sword and we stood facing each other with our blades crossed…I struck first batting aside his sword and lunging forward as he blocked and twirled away aiming a slash at my head but I simply blocked it and kicked him in the midsection to put some distance between us…we circled each other looking for an opening in each other's defenses…I lunged forward in testing his defenses but he didn't take the feint and back pedaled out of range instead of attacking…I was in for a long fight.

-Thirty Minutes Later-

It was a long battle but it eventually ended in my victory…we both left the training room after that and headed to the observation deck…a glass room meant for recreation…we laughed and talked catching up on the events around the kingdom and gazed out upon the setting sun…but soon we went our separate ways with me returning to my room and him heading back to the training field…I lay back down in my bed and let sleep take me…

Where am I…what is this darkness…am I dead…

Ye who shall inherit the legacy of the ancients…know now that no path is set in stone…two paths stand before you…

Who are you…what do you want…My eyes began to adjust and I saw a man with silver hair standing there in ornate black robes and holding a staff…

Ye shall know in time…

Wait don't go…but it was too late…the strange being was gone…and I was rushing upwards towards a light…

That was one hell of a dream…at least I think it was a dream.

"Do you think he's going to be alright?" a voice I recognized as Gingers asked, "It's already been an entire day."

"I won't abandon him," Norvain hissed angrily.

"I know you don't want too," Eldore stated calmly, "but we may not have a choice in the matter…he has not improved in all this time."

"I won't aband-," Norvain snarled.

"Will you shut up," I whispered hoarsely drawing a gasp from all present.

"You're alive," Norvain cried, "I knew you'd recover…I'm mean the author just can't kill off the main character."

"I'm not even going to ask you what the hell you're taking about," I sighed sitting up slowly as pain shot through my body, "God I feel like I've been pounded into jelly by a troll."

Norvain and Eldore helped me to my feet and I quickly noted that my body was in pain but didn't seem to be anything serious…at least not yet.

"I'm pretty banged up so by my estimation I'll only be at 50% fighting strength for a while," I chuckled as I limped to the edge of the ruins the sun beating down upon us, "Are we just going to stand here or chase your damn princess through the Flanders?"

"How the hell do you know where she's going?" Ginger asked, "You were unconscious the whole time!"

"You'd be surprised how much you here in a fevered state," I chuckled as we set out…it would be a dangerous journey especially with me only at half my strength but I figured that I should be fine…at least for a little bit…we set out for the Flanders Trail and I knew that we would be facing some of the most dangerous creatures there…Dragons…

-One hour Later on the Flanders Trail-

"Where setting up camp here," Eldore ordered as I sat down winded.

We were only a mile or so into the Flanders and I was exhausted so without even setting up my tent I fell asleep outside under the stars…the world of dreams taking me again…and they were much less strange than my earlier one.

Chapter 7-My Homeland?! Is now over…thanks for reading and reviewing and I know that this chapter is short compared to my other chapters but it is meant as bridge between the Flanders Trail and the fight with the Magi in the desert…also the first part is an alternate universe where Valeria never fell and what the impacts of it hold…if it gets enough support I'll start a story for the alternate world…thanks for reading. But the information gathered in this chapter is important…Eddoe the strongest member of this team has been severely weakened by poison and only capable of fighting at about half of his full power…how will this affect the group going forward…because those of you who've played the game know what dangerous enemies plague the Flanders Trail and for those of you that haven't…let's just say Eddoe's wish from chapter 1 is about to come true…