This is a story I have been working on for quite a while. It has never been revealed to the public and you guys are the first to see it.
Theboy knew they were going to take him, he knew he would never see his familyagain, and he knew he had to be strong, just like when his father was a boy. Ashe walked out the door, the only sound heard was the crying of his despairingmother. The men rushed the boy into the small group and continued, gatheringthe future soldiers.
The man walkedtaking a glance at many of his fallen comrades rotting bodies. It had been tendays, ten days of bloodshed and betrayal. He was one of the few who survivedit. This was one of the many battles that he had survived in this sixty yearwar. Like his father before him he was a hero in this war. The soldiers knewhim as The Time Devourer. This name came from the rumor that he could slow timeto dodge attacks and defeat his foe. His looks added much to the legend of hisname as well. He had jet black hair that fell over his eyes when not pulledback, his skin was light, and his eyes were brown. Under his eyes he had bagsfrom the days he was deprived of sleep, his pants were baggy and on one sidethe leg reached barely beyond his knee, for an enemy had cut it. His boots werethe ones owned by all soldiers in the army, his were grey and worn withhardened mud around the edges. His torso apparel was a vest with a white shirtunder. The white shirt was torn with many a blood stain covering it and thisplanted fear in the heart of the enemy. This rumor spread to the enemy ranksand drove many soldiers to resign. This did not please Zarach, the king ofAnchurock.
The Time Devourerbelonged to the royal armies of the kingdom of Eru. Eru was theoldest of the four kingdoms. The other three were spawned out of breaks in the kingdom of Eru. When the war was only eight yearsold Portak, the king of Eru, made a decision to gather as many children totrain for the war as “the collectors” could get their hands on. The TimeDevourer was collected in the forty second year of the war. He was brutallytrained for ten grueling years. Then he was put on the battlefield. He took toit naturally; the blood flowing from deep gouges gave him an instant pump ofadrenaline. Killing was the only thing he was good at. It was his art, a swordwas his brush and flesh, blood, pain, suffering, and all the sorrow of war werehis paints and the battlefield it was his canvas.
After the battlejust as the Time Devourer boarded the mercenary ship, the captain spoke thesewords “I regrettably have to tell you this ship and crew now belong to the kingdom of Anchurock.”
“Then I regrettably have to tellyou as of now you are enemies of the kingdom of Eru.”
He informed them. They drew theirswords, then one of the mercenaries pierced the soldier’s back. After themercenary retrieved his sword, the captain threw the soldier overboard.
The soldier awoke,dazed and confused. Unaware of where he was, he rose but the intense pain senthim back into his deep sleep. Days later he heard a voice say “You’re awake Isee.”
“ungh. My back.” He complained.
“Don’t get up, you’re still weak.”said the woman.
“Who are you? Where am I? When di-
“Shh sleep, child. Your wounds needto heal.” said the woman
“You don’t understand, I-I needto.” Said the man cut off.
“Rest.” stressed the woman
After two more days of rest heawoke in a small room with the woman nowhere to be seen. He rose to his feetand walked out onto the porch there he found the woman who had nursed him. Shetook residence in a palm cottage in a jungle of the Kingly islands. They werenamed so because the islands formed the likeness of a crown. The man walked upto her and spoke to her. “You saved my life, but don’t expect me to put down myguard.”
“It was fate, child, just as thedestruction of your kingdom is inevitable.” She replied.
“My kingdom? What kingdom?” Heasked.
“The old kingdom.”
“What?”
“The prophecy.Has it been so long as for you to forget the prophecy told to your father andpassed on to you?”
“I have nofather, what are you talking about?”
“Allow me torecite it. The eater of time shall open the gate to darkness and destroy theold kingdom.” she explained
“I remember… these words were spoken duringthe conquest of the Kingly islands, but they were spoken to one man and I amthe only other besides the speaker to have heard these words. How would youknow them? Are you the one who spoke such words?” He asked
“It is…possible.” She answered
“Possible, whatdo you mean?” he asked
“I have had manylives and been around for a very long time.” She explained
After many morewords and even more explanations she bestowed upon him twin daggers. These werethe daggers that once belonged to Erukon the first in the royal bloodline ofthe Erurian kings. With these daggers he vanquished Seducia the vampire empress,ruler of the kingdom that was destined to be Eru. These daggers then wereenchanted by her tainted blood and cast away by Erukon. Many years later theywere found by the warlock, Hearses, and imbued with the spirit of the demonwarlord Grachunas. Ever since then, they had been passed down through hisbloodline and on this fateful day were bestowed upon the soldier called TimeDevourer.
“Are these”
“Ahh youknow them” She said
“I thoughtthey were merely legend.”
“Far fromit” she said
After theseblades of legend were bestowed upon Erukon he knew it was time to return to hisking, and his kingdom. So, he gathered what was left of his supplies anddressed in his war shirt, torn leggings, and mud encrusted boots. Then he withdirection from his nurse found his way to a dock where he could find a ship totake him to the mainland.
“I wish youwell.” She said
“I wish Icould say the same for you, but the warlocks have been enemies of Eru forcenturies and their daughters are no exception.” He replied
After theirpartings he went to the Erurian port, Portaku, where his return was celebratedand word of it was sent to the king. He boarded the first ship back to Portakathe Erurian controlled port on the mainland. When he reached the mainland hewas escorted by the king’s personal guard to the capital. When he reached thecapital he was summoned to the palace where the king awaited him.
“I amsurprised you lived. Everyone else loyal to me on those ships including my sonprince Portak the second… died.” Said the King
He wore alarge bear hide around his shoulders with a grey tunic to match it under. Hisface was covered with the look of tiredness that only old age can bring. Hiseyes were white, for he had gone blind long ago, and his face had many awrinkle about it giving him the look of an old man.
“I amgrieved to hear your son has fallen to those barbaric allies of Anchurock, butwhy have you King Portak taken council with a lowly soldier such as myself.”
“What isyour birth name?”
“I don’tremember it was stripped from me long ago.”
“You knowhe was my only heir to the throne. Be nameless no longer! You shall be Erukon.You have raised the morale of my troops a great degree why even the greatZarach is afraid of you. Naming an heir is dirty business; you shall be myadvisor and help me choose. Let it on this day be known to Zarach that TimeDevourer lives.” He proclaimed.
After theproclamation reached the ears of Zarach he laughed like a mad man. Themessenger was killed at his hands and no one dared to disturb him until hisanger expired and his rage subsided.
“Curachcome here!” ordered Zarach
“Yesfather.” the boy general reverently said
“I want youto take all the troops left in the city and kill all Erurian born citizens, andthen I want you to behead them and send them back to the wretched kingdom of Eru.”ordered Zarach
“But sirsome of our most respectable citizens are Erurians.” Argued the son
“If I careddo you think I’d be giving you the order?!”
“Well sirI”
“You what?Fine if you want to go join the enemy ranks go ahead, but I will not stand forit!” and with that he drew his sword and struck down his son.
This was the sameson that was so near to him, the son that was to inherit the throne, the sonthat was the greatest warrior in all of Anchurock.
“Doesanyone else want to question my orders?!” asked the king
“No, fatherI sh-sh-shall obey your every command.” Said the second prince
“I likethat attitude. You are my new general; my vast armies shall obey your everycommand! Let it be known that the Erurian people are no longer welcome in mykingdom and that those who dare to cross my borders shall meet a fate worsethan death!” yelled the King
As Erukon walkedthrough the shining halls of the castle, the servants greeted him with praisefor he had arrived at the castle after a victorious twenty three day battle withthe mighty Anchurock forces. The battle was for domination of the old castle ofthe Vampire empress, castle Dulrein. After defeating the men of Anchurock theirfew remaining troops were left at the castle and Erukon was sent to give wordto the king.
“My lord,you must know we have captured castle Dulrein and the surrounding area. We lostnearly all the men, but those who survived need aid. We must make haste forZarach is assembling his troops for a repeat assault on castle Dulrein.” saidErukon worried
“Erukon youknow you are like a son to me, but our supply of troops is running thin, toothin. I will have you know that every battle you have led against theAnchurites has ended in our hundreds of troops being reduced to only tens.”
“Iunderstand that, but if we are vastly outnumbered then they are losing moretroops than we are, Zarach must truly be on his last thousands of troops.” SaidErukon
“If whatyou say is true then the next battle will be the climax of this great war. Weshall march to the Anchurite border and there is where it shall all end. Firstthough, we must gather our troops still at war. Erukon I order you to go lendaid to our troops at the border we must not let the Anchurites penetrate it.”Ordered King Portak
“As youcommand my lord” said Erukon bowing
Erukon went tothe royal stables and there was united with the greatest horse ever bred withinthe old kingdom, Shadowbane. She was named so because her coat was a mixture ofshining silver and lightest white. He mounted the steed and off he went to theborder between the two kingdoms. When he reached the Forest of Lost Soulshe lit his lamp to stave off the spirits of the dead and continued on. When hereached the forked road the dead spoke to him they told him to take the leftroad, but he instead took the road to the right. Immediately his lampextinguished and he was left in the dark with his steed and the dead as hisonly company. The dead spoke to him yet again in many different tongues, butone he understood their souls shone with a ghostly light and the one heunderstood said to him “come this way” and took the form of a ghostly man. Atfirst the horse walked, but then as they got deeper into the forest the horseburst into full gallop just to keep up with the specter. The specter stoppedand said these words to him “I have done what I was instructed to do. I haveled you to the gate, now my soul can finally rest.”
Erukonstepped into the darkness and his lamp was alight once more. He gazed upon thegate and realized it wasn’t the North Gate but an old gate etched with ancientrunes. He dismounted Shadowbane and ran his hand along the runes each onegiving off a red aura as he touched it. After all were emitting the aura helooked at each and realized it was in the manuscript of the demonic world. Itwas a terrible omen.
His bladesstarting emitting the glow as well and vibrated uncontrollably he unsheathedthem, and they filled two indentations at the arch and base of the gate. Then the Earth shook and the gate rumbledErukon stared in awe as the gate slowly opened. The centuries old doors hadopened and weak parts of the gate crumbled while the blades made a silent pingagainst the forest floor. Erukon recovered his blades from the ground andsheathed one of them. He mounted his horse one hand holding the horse steadyand one hand holding the blade. He prepared himself for the toughest foes hehad yet encountered, the demons of the Underworld.
“Come youwretched demons I will strike you down and the black blood shall spill forthfrom your veins.” Taunted Erukon
“Wretchedhe calls us. We shall kill him, feast on his flesh, and roast his organs.” saidthe first demon
“Yes, letus tear through his flesh with our wide arsenal of weapons from the vast plainsof the Underworld. Then, we shall feast on fresh horse limbs.” Said the seconddemon
“Grachunascalls to us, listen. His voice comes from the blades.” Informed the third demon
“Thoseblades! They are the blades of the warrior who sealed the gate long ago andjust now the blades have freed us. What irony.” Said a fourth demon
“Are youdone chatting vile offspring of The One? Now I shall slay all of you andpresent your corpses before my lord and receive great glory. You demons shallbreathe your last for I will strike you down with the power of your greatestwarrior. What irony.” Said brave Erukon
He rodestraight through the demons severing two heads and an arm. One demon raisedtheir great claw and drew blood from Shadowbane’s back left thigh. Shadowbanefell back on her left leg and Erukon was thrown to the floor. He regained hisfooting and drew his second blade readying himself for his stand against themany demons. He stepped to the right dodging a thrown dagger then stabbed thedemon to his left. The demon fell and gave a high pitched shriek before itdied. He ran forward slicing demons to his left and right parrying and stabbingfoes at the front. Just as he entered the heat of the battle and wiped the darkblood from his eyes the gate rumbled yet again and the gate to the demon worldclosed once more and Erukon was sealed in the bowels of the Underworld. Hefought still severing hands and slicing open their innards. There were so manyflocking to Erukon as though he were a beacon. He fought them off never tiring,never hungering, nor thirsting it was a feeling of immortality, but thisfeeling came at a price, entrapment. He would not age, but would remain in thedemon world.
It had beenfifty one years, fifty one years of fighting demons. After three decades thedemons infinite onslaught halted and they knew he would fend them off for aslong as they came, but once in a while a great demon warrior would challengehim and be struck down. After all these years in the demon realm his clothingwas nothing but leggings and one wrist guard, and his soul was tainted with thesouls of the many he vanquished. Fortunately, he was a great warrior and hisblades were unbreakable. These years in the Underworld had not changed hisappearance except for the few scars he had earned in war. On this day markingthe third month of the fifty first year the gate was opened demons rushed tothe gate cutting down their comrades just to escape the Underworld. Erukonwalked to the gate and where he stepped the demons scattered and made a path forhim. He stepped out of the gate and into the forest where he had been trickedinto the demon world long ago. The forest was lit with the light of daystrangely the opposite of what it had been all those years ago. He lookedaround for the man or woman that had freed him from his prison, but was notable to find them. He looked around again and heard someone laughing.
“Heeheehee,looks like someone has spent a little time in the demon world.” Said the voice
“Who’sthere?” Asked Erukon
“Who’sthere? I’m here.” Answered the voice
“Yes, butwho is I?” asked Erukon
“I? I amthe trees, I am the grass, I am the forest.” answered the voice
“No what isyour title, your name?” asked Erukon
“My nameyou ask? You can call me Swiftwind, father of the forest.” Answered Swiftwind
“Swiftwind,will you lead me to the Northern Gate?” requested Erukon
“NorthernGate, I know not what you speak of, oh wait… there’s a gate to the North of thecastle.” Replied Swiftwind
“Honorablespirit, can you take me to the gate you speak of?” asked Erukon
“Spirit, Iam no spirit. I am a tree imp.” Informed Swiftwind, as he jumped out of a tree
He was notaller than three feet and very lean. His clothes consisted of a loin cloth, abronze helmet much too big for his head, and huge leather boots also. Hewielded a hatchet and a small walking stick. His skin was a bark brown, and hiseyes were a dark yellow.
“Then, tellme imp, why are you called father of the forest?” asked Erukon
“You see mytainted friend I have been growing this forest and herding animals to inhabitits many acres.” Explained Swiftwind
“Can youtake me to the gate, Swiftwind?” asked Erukon
“Of coursetainted one.” Said Swiftwind
Swiftwindcould take ten strides in a fraction of a second but refrained himself fromdoing so, so Erukon could keep up. As they trekked through the forest Erukontook notice of the fork where he had made that terrible mistake all those yearsago, but the surrounding trees and foliage had changed to the point where theonly thing left of the old forest was the ancient landmarks.
“Be carefulthere are still spirits that haunt this forest. The ones that remain arespecters of terrifying power. The specters are labeled according to the sickthings that drive them to kill the living. Their labels are Gluttony, Greed,Lust, Fear, Hate, Sorrow, Wrath, and the most powerful Death.” Said Swiftwind
“Thosenames are exact matches to the eight demon warlords who challenged me inbattle, I vanquished all eight. They were powerful enough to tear my clothingto shreds. Gluttony the largest demon wielded a flail, Greed the smallestwielded an axe of great size, Lust the fastest demon wielded sharp throwingneedles, Fear penetrated my mind and I had to defeat him from within, Hate afire demon used only his monstrous claws, Sorrow was a compilation of the soulsof those vanquished at my hand, Wrath was once the noble King Riotas of Eru buthis soul was tainted by the thrill of war, and the most powerful, Death was amirror image of myself except with a small understanding of dark magic. Thosedemons were the most powerful foes that I have faced in battle, and had theyformed an alliance I would have died. Those demons will always stay with me forthey have left their taint in my soul.” Said Erukon
“Are youdone reminiscing, because we need to move on before it gets dark.” WarnedSwiftwind
“Then wemust move on” said Erukon
The oddpair ventured through the enormous forest for two more hours beforeencountering any wildlife, but when they encountered some it was dangerous.They ran into a monutz it was a human sized cat creature with no eyes, butheightened senses that allowed it to hunt effectively, it had scales, and couldbreathe fire to burn its prey to cinders. This monstrous creature stood betweenthem and the edge of the forest. It took one step forward Erukon took one back,but Swiftwind stood his ground. It took one more and Swiftwind tossed an orb atit. Suddenly, the orb exploded and out came a piece of raw meat which seemed toplease the monutz. It ate, hungrily devouring the hunk of meat. After itfinished Swiftwind threw another orb at it. They walked by as the monutz atethe second slab of meat and exited the forest there Swiftwind spoke to Erukon.
“I have ledyou to the path which will take you to the gate. I recommend you camp heretonight it is impossible to reach the gate before dark and there are banditsthat wander these parts, but are too afraid to wander near the forest. It wasnice meeting you tainted one, but now I must take my leave.” At that he bowedand was getting ready to leave when Erukon asked him a question
“SwiftwindI can’t help but notice you wear the armor of an Erurian guard.” Said Erukon
“An Erurianguard you say?”
“Yes, theelite soldiers who guard castle Portakus. Where have you acquired it? ” askedErukon
“I found itif you must know on the rotting corpse of a soldier, forty nine years ago.”
“Fortynine? You are sure? Were there more?”
“Yes andyes. There were thousands of the bodies all coming from a northern directioneach one dying from hunger or cannibalism. Another group of men clothed inblack robes came after them and with bows in hand finished the living onesoff.”
“I nevermade it to the North Gate. They must have been outnumbered and ran to theforest for refuge. All the forest gave to them was insanity.” thought Erukon
“Are youokay? You seem to be staring into the forest. Is there something there? ”
“No, thereis nothing.” Said Erukon
After theshort conversation between Erukon and Swiftwind they set up camp and Swiftwindblew his horn which signaled to the creatures of the forest that it was time torest their weary bodies.
“That hornwhat is its use?” asked Erukon
“It is usedto signal the coming of night to my children” said Swiftwind
“Children?”thought Erukon “you have children?” asked Erukon
“Thecreatures of this forest are my children just as all imps are children ofChiron.”
“Chiron,who is he?”
“My father,must I repeat myself again?”
“Um… no youwere clear enough the first time imp.”
“Good.Well, tainted one, your soul, it can be purged of the taint of the Underworld.”Said Swiftwind
“The taintis of no concern, it has not yet done anything to harm me in any way. ’’ statedErukon
“Why areyou so ignorant? It is only a matter of time before the taint manifests itselfinto physical form.” Said Swiftwind
“Physicalform, what do you mean?” asked Erukon
“I meanover time there will be instances were you could possibly transform into ademonic shape, and lose all control over yourself.” Said Swiftwind
Erukon layon the animal hide that lay before him then resumed the conversation.
“Is there away to control these outbursts?”
“Control!Forget wielding this power, destroy it! You are foolish if you seek to controlthis awesome power!”
“Foolish,or wise, what if I could wield this power against my foes? It would be a gravefate indeed for whatever foe would face me with such awesome power.”
“It isfoolishness you are a young man, with no knowledge of the world and it’struths, let alone common sense!”
“Though Imay look young, I have been about for seventy one years. Twenty I have spent onthis earth and fifty one in the demon realm.”
“Fifty oneyou say? It is impossible to survive that long in the demon realm.”
“No, no itis not, for I have survived in the demon realm for fifty one long years. Whilein the demon realm I had no need for food, for I did not hunger and I had noneed for water, for I did not thirst.”
“No needthat is preposterous! All things that walk this earth have need of food anddrink.”
“Precisely,all that walk this earth. You see Iwas trapped in the demon realm and had no desire for food or drink.”
“You speaknothing but nonsense, and I have no energy to continue this quarrel with you.”Said Swiftwind before he lay on the rough hide before him, and covered himselfin the woolly skin of a lamb.
He could hearthe wind, but he couldn’t feel it. He opened his eyes to see what lay beforehim, and all he could see was an illuminated door. It was huge like the ones hehad seen at the entrances to castles. He got up and walked towards it. Itopened, and the darkness spilled out of it engulfing him and knocking him tothe floor. He got up and looked around, the darkness was gone. He touchedhimself to make sure he was ok, and looked at his hands. They were pitch black,just like the darkness. His dark brown hair, his long legs, and his slenderframe were all pitch black. His clothes consisted of a long sleeved shirt withtoo many holes and a vest over it, long baggy pants and huge soldiers boots,these too had turned black. He tried to wipe it off, but it wasn’t coming off.He ran through the door and fell off an edge. He could feel the wind it was inhis face cooling him off. Then, he landed on his feet in front of another door,this time it didn’t open. He looked to his left and his right, nothing, thenthere was light. The light, it burned. He could see his shadow, then it moved.It went under the door. He walked over and opened the door. This time a blackbeing walked out, it looked him in the eye, with its own piercing red eyes.They flashed, and it transformed into him. “This is you.” said it with its manyvoices
“No!” heyelled
The beingthen walked towards him and became part of him, their thoughts intertwined andthe light revealed no shadow. He looked at his hands yet again and saw thatthey had reverted to their normal form. His knees buckled, his head hit thefloor and the darkness engulfed him again.
“Hey Ren youok?” asked the voice
“Huh?What’re u talkin’ bout, course Ren’s ok.” Said the second voice
“What?”said Ren sleepily
“Ren youwere tossin’ an turnin’. You musta had a nightmare.” Said the second voiceagain
“Don’tworry about it Harn, I was just dreaming.” Said Ren
Ren openedhis eyes and looked at the big guy. Harn had a big body, but was short with bighands. His hair was brown as well, with green eyes though. He wore a nicecotton shirt with a belt around his waist and pants that only reached hisankles. “Well, I jus thought we should wake ya up. You was movin about likethere was a earthquake.” Said Harn
“Just asecond ago you said we should let him sleep.” Said the first voice
“Dain,don’t fight with Harn you know how he likes to take the credit for everything.”Said Ren. Then, he turned his gaze towards the medium sized teenager in front ofhim. Dain was a normal size for his age, had long silver hair, and brown eyes.He wore a vest and baggy leggings with worn sandals.
“I do notlike to take the credit fer everythin.” Said Harn
“Well nowthat I’m awake do you think we should pack up and keep heading west?” Asked Ren
“Welldon’tcha think we should have a spot o breakfast before we head on?” Asked Harn
“I don’t know about you guys, but I think weshould skip breakfast and wait until we get to the next town to eat.” Said Dain
“I agreewith Dain we should wait. After all we need to restock, we don’t have muchleft.” Said Ren
“Awww Ren,why’d ya have ta go an put me down like that, we haven’t eaten ever since lastnight.” Said Harn
“Well ofcourse, we were sleeping. We can’t eat while we sleep can we?” Said Dain
“All youever think about is food and money Harn.” Said Ren
“Well toeat ya gotta have money, an to make money ya gotta work, an ta be able ta workya gots ta have food.” Explained Harn
“Well letsfocus on money first, and lets pack up.” Said Ren
So, Renstood up picked up the rough monutz hides which they were sleeping on andplaced them in his pack. Then Dain, grabbed the pot which they used to boil thewater for their meals with and placed it neatly in his pack. After this hegrabbed the spoons and bowls they had used the previous night and placed themin his pack with the pot. Harn then collected the soft sheets of cotton whichthey used as blankets, folded them, stacked them, and put them in his pack.“Well that should do it” Said Ren
“Ya know wecan still take out the cookin stuff, start a quick fire and eat right here.”Said Harn
“Harn!Don’t worry we’ll eat soon.” Said Ren
“Let’s go!”Yelled Dain while running west
“We’recomin!” Yelled Harn while following him
Shortlyafter Harn had hobbled after Dain, Ren followed running, but allowing Harn tokeep up. “So how long ya figure its gonna take us ta get to the gate?” AskedHarn
Whilerunning Ren replied “Not very long at all, in fact I think we should head northnow”
“Ya sure weshould head north it could be purty dangerous if we kep stickin to tha roads.Purty soon we gonna get some bandits try an take our s’plies.”
“There is avery slight chance of that happening Harn, I mean there are three of us.” SaidRen
“And we allhave weapons on us.” Dain chimed in
“Lets stickto the road and when it gets dark we’ll find a nice little spot to lay down.”Said Ren
“Soundsgood to me” said Dain
Theytraveled, eating their midday meal and their supper. Still, they traveledfurther until bright dawn gave way to starry night then they found a cave onthe side of the road and placed brush in front so as to hide their presencefrom those who would wish harm upon them. So they lay there, but Ren could notsleep, for he felt uneasy and knew that something terrible was going to happen.
Erukon awokewhen Swiftwind placed his hand upon him and shook him, so as to wake him up.“You must wake, the darkness is upon us.”
“Why wouldyou wake me before dawn Swiftwind?”
“No not thedarkness of nightfall, but the devouring darkness.” Replied Swiftwind in awhisper
“Thedevouring darkness, what is this you speak of?”
“It seemsmany a thing has changed since last you lived in this world. The devouringdarkness, it is a great spirit which when allowed to devours the souls of theliving. After it devours them it grows, larger and larger. The spirit hasplagued this world ever since the demonic gate was sealed and it was allowed toescape its prison. After escaping it has come and transformed lush forests intodesolate wastelands. I never thought it would come back to this forest.”
“Thisspirit, is there any way to stop it?” asked Erukon
“There isone way, but it is not the most sane thing to do.”
“ExplainSwiftwind.” Commanded Erukon
“To be ridof this spirit you must open the demonic gate once more and lure it into thatevil place.” Explained Swiftwind
You heard him, it is not a sane idea. Do youwant to be trapped within the depths of the Underworld once more?
“Who areyou?” asked Erukon
“Who areyou talking to?” asked Swiftwind
Tell him to go away we don’t need himanymore.
“We, whatdo you mean we?” asked Erukon
I am you, you are me, and we are one.
“Why should I listen to you? I don’teven know who you are.”
“Erukonhave you gone mad? You are talking to yourself as though there is anotherperson beside you, talking to you.” Said Swiftwind
See he thinks you mad, you should kill himand be permanently rid of his bothersome presence.
“Why do youspeak of such awful things? This imp has helped me through the dangers of thisforest.”
“Stoptalking to yourself! The devouring darkness is slowly engulfing this forest andwe must make a decision quickly! Are we going to leave this forest to die, orare you going to send this darkness back to the depths of the underworld whenceit came?!” stammered Swiftwind
Leave this imp and this forest to die indarkness, as they were born in darkness.
“No! I willnot abandon this helpful companion!”
Yes you will. You are better off leavingthis wretched forest. Do you want to risk being trapped in the Underworld yetagain?
“No I do not, but this entire forest’sfate lies in my hands.” replied Erukon
“Hurry, itis coming!!!” screeched Swiftwind
Do not think this forest is yourresponsibility. This forest condemned you to fifty one years of exile in thedemon realm.
“Swiftwind,we must flee, it is too late to save this forest. Our lives are at stake wemust leave.” Pleaded Erukon
“I cannot leave my greatest accomplishmentbehind!” said Swiftwind
See he thinks only of himself and thiswretched forest!
Erukon could stay no longer and ran awayfrom the danger of the devouring darkness. He ran faster and faster, trying toescape the forest… and his mistake. He ran onto the road and fell. He felt painonce more, pain he had not experienced in fifty one years. He scraped the skinon his torso and small droplets of warm dark blood accumulated right under hisright set of ribs. He quickly got back up and continued running, never lookingback. When he had ran far enough away to feel safe, he moved to the side of theroad, sat there and rested. He wiped the blood from under his ribs with hishand and smeared it all around his stomach, trying to free his hand of the redliquid. He lay his chin on his chest, closed his eyes and rested. But his restwas disturbed by the voice that had scared him into fleeing the forest.
Does it hurt?
“Leave mealone, my physical discomfort is of no concern to you.” Said Erukon
Oh but it is, for you see I am a part of youthat was born from your pain and suffering. I am here to end it all, your painand suffering that is. I am here to save you from your own self destructivedecisions. Remember when the mercenaries betrayed you and left you for dead.That was a decision that left you to suffer further and put your life indanger. I could have helped you prevent that.
“Silence, Ihave had enough of your vile words! You seek to persuade me by clouding yourtrue intentions! Well I will not fall for it! You have no power over me!”
Well then far better for both of us. I donot seek to control you. I am merely here to serve. Everything I do is aservice to you, and do not mistake it for a hindrance. A hindrance, would beyour moral sense a hindrance, would be that tiny imp you called a companion.Both made you hesitate when time came for a decision, a decision that couldhave determined life or death. Do you really want to hesitate when it comes toa decision like that?
“Hesitationis not my concern what is right and what is wrong is my concern.”
Right and wrong are but points of view, nothingmore. If a baker sees a thief steal his bread he thinks it was wrong of thethief, but thief’s point of view he was starving and that piece of bread is hislife.
“Stopfeeding me your lies! Get out of my head!”
I’m afraid that is not possible. I am a partof you and I’m not going anywhere.
“Then atleast be silent!” Commanded Erukon
The voicechuckled, As you wish. I will be silent,for now.
Erukon turnedhis gaze from the way he had come, to the sky. The sky, it was black. There wasnot a single star to penetrate the darkness that was night, and that botheredErukon. He had not seen a star for fifty one years, and he had hoped he wouldsee one this night, but his hopes would not be founded. As the night continuedon Erukon grew tired. The road was not comfortable, but Erukon was too tired tomove. So there he rested, and with heavy eyelids let sleep take hold of him.
Ren awoke to avoice, “Then at least be silent!”
“Hey Harndid u hear that?” asked Ren
“Hear wa? Iheard notin. Now go back ta sleep.”
“O well,ok.” Said Ren
The sun hadrisen and light penetrated Erukon’s eyelids. He awoke and immediately got tohis feet. His stomach grumbled and communicated it’s discomfort to him. In hishunger Erukon started to search for wild plants or animal tracks. He failed tofind either until he walked further down the road, where he saw animal tracks.He followed them and walked not too far from the road where he found a caveconcealed by a bit of brush. He extended his arm and grasped the brush, and as he walked into the cave heunsheathed his blades and held them at the ready. He tripped, over what he didnot know, but it was loud. Whatever was in here knew he was here as well, andthat was not good. He had lost the element of surprise, a big advantage.
Ren awoke onceagain, but this time to a loud crash.
“Harn,Dain, wake up! Something just tripped over our supplies.”
“Huh what?”asked Dain confused
“Someone orsomething has found us.” Explained Ren
Dain quickly gotto his feet, while Harn grabbed his dagger from the cave floor. Ren, whilestanding next to Dain drew the sword at his side. Then the three friends stoodtogether ready for whatever would come at them. Then they saw it, a large massin the darkness coming in their direction. It came closer to them until, theycould see by firelight what it was. It, was a human just taller than Ren, butmore heavily built.
Erukon continuedon determined to find his breakfast. Then he saw something he never imagined hewould see in this cave, a campsite. Erukon could loosely make out threefigures, one was rather bulky and short, the other was tall and slim, while thethird was just a little shorter than him but a smaller build. Humans hethought, the thought quickly reached the dark spaces of his mind, and then thevoice had come back to haunt him.
Ah humans you say. Maybe, just to be safe weshould kill them.
Erukon did notreply to the voice, for he thought it better if the humans thought he wasn’tcrazed. Erukon addressed the three figures by saying “Hello.”
“Did you‘ear that Ren? He said ello.” Informed Harn
“Hello,stranger, might I receive a name? Pleasestate your business as well.” Requested Ren
Is it wise to be telling them your business?
Erukonintroduced himself and betrayed the wishes of his inner voice. “Hello sir I amErukon, the military is my only father, and I plan to go to the Northern Gate.”
“Eh Ren heplans ta go da the Northern Gate, jus like us.”
Ah did u hear that? They plan also to make avisit to the Northern Gate. Maybe we can use this to our advantage. You havebeen trapped in the demon realm for fifty one years, the land may have changed.
“Harn Irealized that. Erukon, maybe there is an alliance to be made here.” SuggestedRen
“Maybethere is, maybe there isn’t. First I would like to know your names, next Iwould like to know which of the three mainland kingdoms you three belong to?”asked Erukon
“I am Ren,my smaller friend who you heard earlier is Harn, and my quiet comrade is Dain.As for the kingdom to which we belong, all three of us belong to the islandkingdom of Shaundania.” Said Ren
Shaundania, I know it well. During thesecond age before Erukon was king of all this world, he sailed south to Shaundania.When he got there, he drank from the great lake. With his life prolonged he wasable to become a legend by conquering all that he set his eyes on during his longlifetime.
“Shuandanians,what business do you have in the kingdom of Anchurock?”
“We carenot about Anchurock, but about the Island of the Blind. It is to the North ofNosuneru, or Dragon Mountain.”
“Oh, so youplan to head to Portaka?”
“Portaka,where is that Ren?” asked Harn
“Portaka,is the Erurian port to the west of Nosuneru. Have you not heard of it?”
“Where haveyou been? After the Anchurite conquest of the Erurian Empire, the western portwas burnt to cinders, and a new one was erected at the northern end ofNosuneru. They named it Drakon, after the warrior who killed the great TimeDevourer.” Said Dain
Haha, fools! Those who would think you canbe killed by mortals are fools.
“Is thisDrakon still living?” asked Erukon
“And Ithough we were the clueless ones.” Said Dain
“Drakon isthe king of Drakonia the kingdom of the fourth age. After Drakon killed theTime Devourer, people were starting to believe that he was stronger thanZarach. So, Zarach was afraid of him and ordered for him to be put to death.Drakon fled to Castle Erukon, across New King Bridge. There he gathered hisfollowers and planned for two years an assault on castle Anchur. During thosetwo years he assembled a fighting force that could equal if not overpowerZarach’s royal army. After they had planned and prepared for the assault,Drakon and his followers marched through the Northern Gate and into theimperial city. First they burned the town to the ground and then they took thewomen and children as prisoners, they killed all the men. After they finished withthe town, Drakon and his followers preceded to attack the castle. Standingguard at the castle entrance was a few brave Anchurites ready to die for theirking, all who stood there were killed.” Ren paused to clear his throat, “Then,Drakon and his followers battered the castle doors until the wood shattered.They found, waiting behind the doors, the whole of the Anchurite army. I haveheard from Drakonians who survived that slaughter that it was horrible. Blood,guts, and limbs littered that once glittering marble hall. I have also heardthat Drakon worked his way through the slaughter, cutting and slashing and madeit through to the throne room. He had not however cleared all obstacles yet,there was guarding the king, the champion of the arena from the faraway Islandof the Exiles. The champion’s name was Wenthow slayer of men. They say Wenthow hadsize to equal that of the proud giant race, and ferocity to equal the wildgruntings of the Northern slopes of Mt. Grandia. They also say Drakon killedhim with two swipes of his sword, no more no less. And the rest, you can readabout in the sacred library which is located on the Island of the Blind.” And soRen finished his story
“Yes, butis Drakon still living?” asked Erukon
“Yes he is.Just before Drakon had begun his conquest, he gained a follower, his name wasRiek. Riek was an escaped prisoner from Shaundania. When he came to themainland he brought with him a flask of water from our holy lake. He gave thiswater to his newly obtained master, Drakon. Drakon has aged in appearance maybetwo years since that day.” Explained Ren
“I see, soI think it would benefit us both if we were to make an alliance… for now.” SaidErukon
“I agree.”Said Ren
“Same ere.”Said Harn
“For now.”Said Dain
“Then it issettled. I will follow you three to the Northern Gate.” Said Erukon
The four emergedfrom the cave and were surprised to see that their seemingly long conversationlasted only several minutes. The four companions looked quite strange, Dain talland slim at the front, Ren the medium sized one in the middle, Harn the shortchunky one behind Ren, and Erukon the dark tall soldier at the back. Theylooked like the four pedestals which stood in the grand hall of castle Rodeawhich lies between Mt. Grandia and Mt. Nosuneru. There were four pedestalsrepresenting the four rulers of the ancient Rodean kingdom. For you see, backin the olden days four rulers were appointed by the Rodean people to keep oneperson from becoming too powerful. Then during the end of the Second Age thepeople decided to select one supreme military emperor. Then, four more pedestalswere built to signify the number of votes each nominee received, the taller thepedestal the more votes the nominee received. Well, they walked along the roadfor but a few minutes before Erukon realized they were being followed. “We muststop.” Said Erukon
“Why, areyou already in need of rest? Can’t keep up?” Mocked Dain
See how he mocks you? I say we teach him hisplace soon.
“No youfool, have u not noticed? The trees, on the sides of the road, it is as thoughthey have eyes. I feel as though we are being watched.”
“You arejust paranoid, trees cannot see.” Mocked Dain once again
“It is notthe trees that are looking at us, it is those within them.”
“SirErukon, you speak nonsense. Are you implying there are creatures in the trees?”
Yet again he discredits what you say, Ithink it would be best if we taught him to respect his elders
“We are being followed, whether you choose to believe it or not it is thetruth. Now pay close attention to the trees you three, if you see even theslightest disturbance you must alert me.”
“I will notpay the slightest attention to the trees. There is nothing watching us.”
“Dain, whyare you being so hostile?” Ren moved closer to Dain and began to whisper “Haveyou not seen this man’s scars? Have you not seen his weapons, and his clothing?He is obviously a soldier, of what nationality we do not know. We do howeverknow one thing, he could have killed us in that cave, but he didn’t. So, Isuggest you start behaving in his presence or you may find yourself in morethan one piece.” Whispered Ren
“Eh, Ren,Dain, what’re you talkin about?” asked Harn
“Nothingimportant.” Said Dain crossly
Watch the tall one, he does not favor youlike the middle one. He is jealous, the middle one favors you over him. Maybewe can turn the middle one against the tall one, then getting rid of him willbe all the easier.
The group walkedalong yet again, this time with the realization that they were being followed.Erukon walked at the back of the group staying vigilant should their followerbe violent. “Eh Erukon.” Called Harn “I jus saw the bushes, they moved.”
Erukon drewhis blades and kept walking on the path staying aware of his surroundings. Dainmoved from the front of the group to the back with Erukon.
“Hey, whydo you brandish your weapons? There is no indication that what is following usis an enemy.” Said Dain to Erukon
“There isno indication that what is following us is a friend! Now you start showing methe respect I deserve or I will teach you to respect me!” Burst Erukon
“And justhow will you do that?”
“How youask, by means of a duel. But I will not give you a quick death. First I willlitter your body with cuts. Then I will run you through, careful not to hit anyvital organs. After that you will slowly die of blood loss and experienceexcruciating pain. Now unless you want to experience that I suggest you respectme!”
Dain broke eyecontact with Erukon and realized that the best course of action would be tolisten to Ren’s words. Dain knew he had pushed Erukon a little too far, butwhat he didn’t know was he had also pushed Erukon’s inner voice too far.
I do not think the death you have describedto him is an adequate punishment for his crimes against you. Unleash me and Iwill devour his soul, a fate worse than death.
Erukon for oncefelt as though his inner voice had correctly chosen a solution to the problem,but he restrained himself. He knew if he were to kill Dain he would face muchbigger problems than disrespect, but just the thought of killing an innocentwas an obvious sign the taint was getting stronger. The voice was becoming moreinfluential and it would become more obvious the longer he lived with it. Thegroup stopped walking and looked at Dain looking, ashamedly, at his feet.Erukon talked addressing the two at the front. “Keep moving! You are in danger,move!”
They darednot challenge his orders, but Ren was starting to doubt his decision to make analliance with Erukon. Erukon had, obviously, become violent towards Dain. Thegroup continued on burning daylight, and in the process getting closer to theNorthern Gate. Ren in his tiredness begged for rest, “Erukon we have beenwalking for many hours now and the sun is no longer visible. I think we shouldrest here and continue midday tomorrow.”
Erukonquickly replied to Ren in these words, “Is that all the energy you can muster?You and your friends can rest, but I will continue on until I reach theNorthern gate.”
He pursuedhis destination with such a fiery passion. He had showed such passion in onlyone other ordeal, the War of the Old Kingdom. He continued on the trail to theNorthern Gate for two more days. On the dawn of the second day, he reached theNorthern Gate. In exhaustion he put his back to the stone wall and sat there.He rested for the first time in three days, but even sleep could not bring himpeace. The voice of the taint echoed in his dreams and infiltrated the deepestreaches of his mind. When it became too much to bear he awoke from his slumber.Awake, good we have much to do. First youmust pass into the land of your enemy, the self-proclaimed killer of TimeDevourer.
Erukon,following the command of the voice walked in a westward direction to reach theactual gate in the middle of the huge stone wall. When he reached it he noticedthe wooden gate that separated the two halves of the continent was no longerthere and now the gate was open for man and beast. He took one step into the dark,hollow, stone wall, which during his lifetime was filled with soldiers guardingthe Erurian border. Instead of continuing on to cross the border he took a leftand walked down the eastern hall. There was brands and symbols everywhere. Fromwhat he could tell where many of the brands were there was previously adifferent brand. It seems certain areas had been chiseled and written overinnumerable times. One symbol however that seemed dominant was an hourglass inthe mouth of a human skull. Erukon took note of this and knew what the symbolmeant: Time Devourer.
It seemed manybattles had taken place here, not the final battle that Erukon had envisioned.The symbol of the skull and hourglass showed that the royal Erurian army hadobviously been holding their position at the gate until Erukon could come andsave them, but he did not. He had not come to the gate until fifty one yearshad passed. All that he saw brought him sorrow, tears streamed down thesoldier’s face. The hardened warrior’s heart was softened by the very thingthat had changed it to stone, war. The warm presence of the tears on his coldface reminded him how cold it was. He walked into one of the small rooms in thelong hall and found on one of the beds a war shirt. A war shirt was a thinshirt made of metal links inlaid with diamonds, for in the land Tyrosiadiamonds were plentiful. A war shirt was usually worn under the armor of royalErurian guards, for it was as light as cotton and provided an extra layer ofprotection. Erukon pulled the shirt over his head and finally had a somethingto protect his body from the stinging cold. Erukon exited the room and retracedhis steps back to the wall’s entrance, when he got there he crossed the borderinto the inhabited lands of the north.
The sun shone inthe sky revealing the paved road. It was a big difference from the dirt roadsof the south. He walked along this paved road for but a day and saw a hut.Outside this hut was a sign, it read: NEED A PLACE TO REST? WHY STOP HERE FORTHE NIGHT! ONE NIGHT=12,000 TINS.
12,000 tins, it seems as though the currencyof Anchurock has become the standard for this continent. You have no suchcurrency, maybe we can “persuade” the tenant.
Erukonapproached the hut in haste, for he was tired. He opened the door and sawinside two beds, a bucket filled with water, and a stool at the side of one ofthe beds. He examined the hut more closely and discovered there was threerooms. One room the one he was standing in at that moment, seemed to be theresting room. A second room seemed to be a kitchen, and was filled with slabsof salted meat, various fruits and vegetables, and also various bowls and eatingutensils. The third and final room was strange to say the least. It was filledwith books in various languages and a study desk it seemed was placed in thecorner. A book lay, open on the desk and Erukon walked over to read it. It wasin Shrant, a language only taught to royal families of the household Shaunda,so he could not read it. Erukon heard the door shut and turned around. A voicecalled out “Hello, um if you are looking to stay the night you need to pay thefee!”
Erukonheard the voice of the tenant and walked back into the bedroom when there he replied“Kind sir I have no money to give you, but I was wondering if you could put upwith me for a single night without payment?”
“If youhave no money to give I have no bed to give.” Replied the tenant in turn
“I don’tthink you understand my situation, I need to stay here tonight.”
“No, you donot understand I am in need of your payment before you stay here.” Said thetenant firmly
“You havetwo choices: you let me stay here and I don’t kill you or I kill you and stayhere anyways.”
The tenantgasped then replied “You would threaten me! Do you have any idea who I am?”
“Who youare is of no concern to me! Now, choose!” ordered Erukon
“What isyour name?”
“Is thatyour final wish? To hear my name before I cut you down, well then my name isErukon.”
“Erukon,you lie. One with such a royal name would not be so violent and brash.”
“Are youcalling me a liar? I do not lie, this name was given me by Portak King of Eru.”
You fool! What have you done? I doubt thisman is older than you, even if he is in his gray years. He would not know ofKing Portak as you do, for he resides on the other side of the gate. Hisopinion is probably clouded by what is taught to the newer generations.
“Ah, KingPortak you say. I remember in his last days he worried not what would happen tohim or his kingdom, but what would happen to his people. He was a selfless man,and I was his right hand.”
Do you hear what he says? He claims he wasthe right hand of your king, but we know it was you who was his right hand.Learn what you can of this man.
“If whatyou say is true then you must be the Time Devourer.” Said Erukon trying to lurethe man
“The TimeDevourer, no, I cannot claim to be such a man. The king regarded him higherthan I, for he adopted him as a son to fill the void left by the death of hisreal son. No, not that man I am Mortwan servant of the old kingdom.”
“Servant ofthe old kingdom, what do you mean by that?”
“Why I meanI am one of the last people left in this world who was a servant to the royaltyof Eru.”
“And bythat you mean you served King Portak?”
“Yes, nowif you wish to kill me do so now. However know this; fate will not bearkindness towards you.”
“How wouldyour death result with changes in my fate?”
“How youask, well I will gladly answer that question if you would stay your blade. Willyou do such a thing?”
“For now,yes I will.”
“For now isnot good enough! Will you or will you not stay your blade?!”
We are tired, and little lie will not hurtus. Tell him you will stay your blade and get the damned answer out of him.
“Hold yourtongue! The only thing damned here is you! You vile taint I recognized you themoment I walked in here. You do not think I can hear it Erukon?”
Erukon wasfrozen; he did not know how to reply to such a question. For the entire time hehad born the taint he was unaware it could be heard by anyone else. Maybe, hethought, there was something special about this man he had so quicklythreatened.
“No, I didnot think anyone could hear it.” Said Erukon
“Well you are sorely mistaken; I have aspecial talent you see. My special talent was desperately needed by the king.My special talent is the gift of sight. Not just the sight of common peoplethough, no, my sight exceeds theirs. I have the sight of those who reside onthe Island of the Blind.”
“The Islandof the Blind, you must be joking. I would think you are blind after hearingsuch a statement.”
“No, yetagain you are mistaken. Those who reside on the island have a special kind ofsight. The people of the island can see into a person’s soul. They can alsojudge whether the soul is righteous or evil, but this sight replaces theirnormal sight. I am lucky, my mother was from that island my father, however,was descended from nomads who wandered the Barren Wastes.”
The BarrenWastes, do you now them? Some say ancient treasures and secrets are hidden
in theBarren Wastes.
“For once your taint speaks more than lies andabuse. Yet again I will ask you, will you
stay your blade?”
“Yes I will. Now tell me what could I possiblyfall victim to after killing you?”
“Through my life I have seen many things withthese eyes among them the great spirits. \
Now I know you do not know of such things so Iwill explain. The great spirits are
servants to the Elemental Gods. There is onespirit for each
God, and each element. There is the fire spiritproud Leo, and earth spirit strong
Rowcath, as well as the water spirit cunningViala, the darkness spirit Torrentus, the light
spirit Raphael, and the spirit of the treesGathalon. When I came upon these spirits in my
young age, before I served the king, I was awarrior. I came upon them in a battle with
another warrior named Artus. Artus was one of themost powerful warriors of his time
maybe of all time. One reason for this is he haddiscovered a technique to capture the
spirits and bind them to him as a part of hissoul. This technique allowed him to use their
powers at will, and with their powers he laidwaste to entire armies of men. Of course
I believed these to be merely rumors and in myfoolishness challenged him to a battle,
but not just any battle. I challenged him to thebattle which I thought, would win me the
most honor and fame. It was to be hand-to-handcombat. So, he cast away his armor and
his weapons just as I cast away mine. Both of usin our under-garments got into our
fighting stances. Before either of us couldstrike he called upon Leo, and his hands
became covered in flame. I, in fear for my life,reached for my sword which was but a
few feet away. I impaled Artus and as I did so Ireleased all the spirits he had so long
enslaved. The spirits offered me their thanks andhave been watching over me ever
since.”
“So what you are saying is these spirits willcome to your aid should I attack you?”
“Yes, that is exactly what I am saying.”
“You actually expect me to believe such a thing?”
“Why yes. On what grounds would you not believeme? What reason would I have to
deceive you?”
“Fear of death seems a good reason to deceive.”
Kill him,he knows of your name and how you got it. He also knows of me.
“Will you become a slave to its commands? Do notlet it control you. It will be a long and hard journey to free yourself of thetaint, but it is a journey you must take.”
“Why? Why must I take such a journey? I havealready undertaken another quest.”
“That quest must wait, for this taint is consumingyour soul. Soon you will become a hollow shell
Death comes swiftly to those who fear
