Chapters Chapter: 2 - Home Sweet Home
All sound is drowned out by the enveloping silence that enters the room, summoned by the gasp of the room's newest occupant. My body freezes still, but I manage to slowly twist myself around to face my visitor. My eyes widen beneath the visor as I take in the image of a strange being, a creature I have never seen before. Walking on four legs, a small snout, with a laughable body size. It had the similar bod shape as the skeleton I found in my tomb, except this one had a small horn peaking out of two-toned hair. A mane of white and light blue sat above a face of shock, how this animal could seem so human unnerved me. An unmistakeable lime hoof was held across it's chest in a sign of shock or fear. Taking a blade from it's sheath fluidly, I lunge towards the strange creature. With a firm punch to the chest, It sails back into a stone wall with a pained yell. Sliding down the wall, it has no time to react before I pin it by the neck to the wall with my hand. I then place the sharpened edge against the creature's furry neck, it's chest rising and falling with great speed.
"What are you, creature?" I ask while punctuating each word with a clench of the hand holding it's neck.
"I'm a-a-a Uni-Unicorn! I'm from P-Ponyville!" It stammers out in fear.
Releasing my grip, It slides down the stonework until it reaches the floor. I wipe an loose fur from my hands before turning to the window carved into the wall. My face contorts into a look of outrage before I slam my fist into the wall, which leaves a fist sized indent in the stone itself. The same fist soon erupts into flame, the same flame I once used to slay Timberwolves who constantly attacked this castle in it's past. I was the first teen to ever use magic, but I wasn't the only one of my people to learn such power.
3003 Years Ago
Walking steadily down the street, my Royal Guards behind me, I step before the newest edition to the city surrounding the castle. Though only a small amount of teenagers were teleported here mysteriously, we still filled the land around the castle quickly. The majority of buildings were public, like: Restaurants, Schools and a Tavern. Some more private places were built, like: Houses, Barracks and Guild halls. A Guild Hall was where a few of the teenagers like me joined a group who would train certain skills. No Thieves' Guild Existed, thankfully. But only a Fighter's Guild existed in the City, which is what brings me to the day's current business. The grand opening of the new Mage Guild was about to commence, and I had personally tasked myself to open the school to the public. Having developed the earliest basic spells into tomes, I leaded the way for our mages and students to develop more complicated spells. I personally joined both the Fighter's Guild and Mage's Guild to become the best protector for my kingdom.
"How is the Guild, my king? Asks one of my old classmates, back when we were on Earth. Due to his obvious intelligence, I taught him all of my notes and allowed him to begin teaching others who would then teach future mages.
"It's great, Archmage. I'm sure the magical knowledge which will come from his school will be very beneficial to the Kingdom of the Everlasting Tree." I congratulate.
Walking with the Archmage, I grin as we discuss the possible application of spells into our defences. As well as an agreement the Mage's Guild made with the Fighter's Guild where a band from both Guilds team-up to investigate any supernatural threats to the area.
Returning from the past, I look intently at the window. Fading images filled the glass, artwork commissioned by the latest owner who had no regard for the glass-work we had accomplished. Tapping into my magical energy, I coat the glass panels in my magic before changing them to their original appearance. The windows in the room repair under my supernatural influence, also showing the ancient colours which made interesting imagery. Some were depictions of a crystal tree deep underground, the same tree is what influenced the name we titled our land. Some of my people believed that the tree itself granted me arcane knowledge which I could enhance and teach, though I'm not sure if it is true. Others contained stained-glass imagery of a red drake, this depicted the dragon which I killed to protect my people. Needless to say, the scared unicorn was soon in a state of awe and was staring intently at the artwork in order to memorise the intricate details.
Sighing, I crouch down to be more levelled with the lime unicorn. Sheathing my equipped sword to meet it's twin, I place one hand against the floor to keep my balance. With the other free, I place my hand gently onto it's "shoulder" to keep the creature calm so I can speak.
"I'm sorry, little one. I've just been gone for quite a long time. I had no idea such a creature like yourself existed, you scared me a bit." I say with an apologetic frown.
"It's okay. But... can I ask you something? Please?" Asks the unicorn while getting closer to hear my answer.
"Yeah, sure." I say.
"Well... are you the King who ruled the Kingdom of the Everlasting-Tree?!" It nearly shouts.
"Yes. Yes I am." I declare softly.
It is silent for a moment. A moment. Then, it squeaks in excitement and begins to bounce around the room in victory. It jumps into my arms and hugs against my armour in pure happiness and joy. I can't understand a single word it says as it squeaks incoherently.
"Erm.. can I even know you before you latch-on to me?" I ask.
"Well, my name is Lyra Heartstrings. I'm obviously a mare, well, female to you. I came here to search for any clues of you and your kingdom. I'm surprised that no one in Canterlot even knows about you. I'm not sure that even the Princesses know you!" She says.
Standing up, I point to the doors behind the two new thrones in the room.
"Well Miss Heartstrings, how about I help you learn?" I say, turning towards the door whilst waiting for her to follow.
Launching herself towards me, she follows me whilst bouncing up and down. Obviously eager to learn the ancient history formed within the stone walls. And I'm just as eager to share that history.
Chapter: 3 - A History Lesson
The sounds of hooves and boots walking across the tiled floor fills the air of the ruin with a soft echo accompanying it. Walking alongside the pony, I lift my palm towards the windows to repair them and reverting their artwork back to what we had made. Shining brightly, the magic conceals the windows until it dissipates and leaves the original imagery.
"Here. Lyra, I present to you one event in our history. The first, to be exact." I remark softly whilst pointing to a large window with intricate patterns along it.
The unicorn in question gives a quiet gasp of astonishment at what the artwork depicts, her large eyes widening in an effort to absorb as much as she could. The window shows an interesting scene of a group of humans all sat around a campfire. Some laughing whilst others had very nervous expressions while watching the tree line. The artwork also shows another teenager, a mop of black hair across his head, standing instead of sitting.
"This depicts our first night on this world, maybe more than three thousand years ago. We had no supplies other than one crate of food and seeds. We had to later construct everything ourselves. I'm surprised we actually built more than what our ancestors did when they had so few people. I guess it was because we knew what we wanted to construct." I say.
"That's quiet the event. But, how did you become king in the first place?" Asks Lyra, eager for more historical facts never heard by anypony else.
I come to a stop beside another stained-glass window, Lyra halting as well, and direct my finger to the scene depicted.
"This image shows my rise to power, well, what I was before the event that made me king. This shows me as the first guard who swore to protect the rest. I first used a make-shift wooden club before we began to mine and forge tools and armour. I could have received a sword to differ me from the rest of the guards because at the time many guards worked for me as I was the captain. Instead, I used the uniform iron spear and bow what the rest used, as a sign of equality. The only unique item I had was a blue hood which worked as a cowl to shield my eyes from sunlight and allow anyone to see I was the captain." I speak.
Dismissing the panel, I point to the window next to the most recent artwork.
"This here shows the event which made me king." I say while pointing at the window.
Lyra turns to the artwork before her golden eyes widen, her mouth hanging open at the scene shown. Shown in the window was a teenage dragon breathing fire into the sky, while human civilians were staring in awe. Within the crowd depicted were guards, their fists raised into the air as they roared. Atop the dragon was the same figure as before, only with a blue hood and spear impaled through the dragon's torso as it's blood shot forth towards it's own flames.
"I killed that dragon as it attempted to invade. I forged my two swords later that day by pouring the corpse, iron, and steel into the same smelter. What came out was the hardest material I have ever seen, which is why I crafted my blades from it. Some magic actually became infused because of the naturally occurring magic within the dragon, but that's not what gave my blades their legendary power."I remark before continuing on with the unicorn in tow.
"What gave the swords the rest of the magic then?" She inquires.
I smirk before pointing to a different window, this one including less violence. Shown in the centre of the top half of the window was a tree of Equestrian legend, the Tree of Harmony. It's crystalline blue was accompanied by two steel swords on either side of the tree. The swords had small blue rune-like shapes shown along their steel forms, a blue glow outlining the weapons. Depicted in the final half of the window was a human hand, the appendage had small blue runes similar to the ones on the swords.
"This shows what happened when I first discovered the Eternal Tree. Walking inside it's cavern, I found a demonic beast shrouding the tree in darkness and a red hue. My platoon of guards were still investigating the rest of the tunnels, so I had to defend myself. It was a long battle with the creature, it had used it's lion paw and eagle claw to tear away at my armour and leave great dents and scratches in the metal. It would summon small storm clouds which would send bolts of surprisingly weak lightning at me, sometimes it would launch itself towards me and bite at my shoulder pads with it's single fang. Exhausted and covered in blood, most not belonging to me, I finally shoved both of my blades through it's furry chest. Once slain, the dark mist and red hue left the tree and revealed it's true crystal appearance. A swarm of small blue wisps blew through me for a minute before dispersing, that's how most believed I received magical knowledge. As another bonus for my efforts, my swords were covered in a blue hue before that to dispersed and left me with even stronger swords." I tell.
"Wait, so that means you fought with Discord?!" She shouts.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"Discord! It sounds like you're talking about Discord!" She once again screams out.
"You haven't heard what else happened in that cave, have you?" I enquire.
She shakes her head before silencing for me to continue.
"I found a furry creature near the tree. It had a similar appearance to the creature I fought, yet was the size of a small puppy. I found it shivering beside the roots of the tree, so I picked it up and took it back to my castle after alerting the guards to follow me. It took some time, but I later got him accustomed to how the castle and society worked so that he would keep safe. You see, we had some magical creatures roaming the land which would be quiet malevolent. Some, like Brownies, could only become insulted and leave. They would never be negative besides undoing the help they gave you. But others, like Red caps, were complete douchebags. Hiding in ruined castles and forts, they would threaten the lives of adventurers and anyone else who dared investigate their lairs. We were very cautious however, so they had to dye their hats red with the blood of animals instead of humans. Anyway, I kept the creature within the castle grounds until I learned that he could speak. He actually called me 'Daddy' as his first word, and later he seemed to be quiet a trickster as his intelligence steadily increased over time. I eventually named him 'Discord' because of this." I reply.
"So you raised Discord? How did he become such a villain in our history?" Asks Lyra.
I reach my own conclusion, but remained silent while holding a finger in the air so that she would wait for my later answer. I then use the same digit to point to the next window.
"Here is the depiction of my coronation, this is the only event documented in artwork besides the final event I ever witnessed. Sadly, the only thing shown is my crown, a bright yellow glow behind it and also my dual weapons shown below the crown." I remark, eager to answer Lyra's question so I didn't seem ignorant.
"Here is the final window." I say while pointing at the window. "This shows an axe dripping with blood and a crowd of humans above it crying. You can also see a young Discord over a dead body concealed by a blue blanket, crying into the material. Would you believe that was me beneath that cloth?" I ask.
"How are you alive?" She asks while saddened by the image.
"I'm not sure, but I know that I was resurrected recently and made my way here by accident. I woke up, stumbled out and made my way along the path which brought me here. I even have the same armour as when I died." I remark.
Lyra gives me a look of disbelief before leaning in and giving a frown. I was in fact wearing the armour of someone who had died earlier. The largest clue was the severe chasm in my chest plate resulting from the axe plunging into the metal. Some dry blood surrounded the crack in the metal plates, with some splashed across the armour randomly. Rearing her head back into it's usual area, she gives me a thoughtful look before the ambient silence is broken from a distant area. The sound of the entrance crashing open fills the air with a thud. The only other sound accompanying it is the scurrying of smooth, yet armoured, limbs against the stone tiled floor.
Who were our guests?
Chapter: 4 - I used to be an adventurer like you...
Grabbing Lyra by her forelegs, I pull her behind a wall to hide from whoever had visited the castle. Squinting my eyes, I watch from the shadows as a procession of ponies walk past. The group had no uniform coat colour, showing a sign that these were just regular ponies without true order. Protecting their coats, a set of make-shift iron armour is strapped across each pony with thick belts, buckles and straps. Some similar to Lyra, in that a horn would poke out through their manes whilst giving a random glow. This glow seems to signify their use of magic, as the unicorns are shown as mostly carrying lanterns to light the way for the other "breeds". Though I seem to have been absent during the pony evolution, I can clearly see that other breeds existed. A couple had wings, whilst most had no noticeable magical features and instead wielded more heavy armour and weapons. Some form of enhanced strength, perhaps?
Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, and readjusting my helmet, I guide Lyra against the wall to sneak past the ponies. Placing my hand against the entrance to the main hall, I gently pull and open the door with it giving a muffled creak in response. Heart hammering in my chest, I guide Lyra through the gap quickly before hurrying through myself. Gently closing the door, I turn around with my back against it whilst giving a relieved sigh. Slumping back, I receive a sharp yet frantic jab from a hoof. Opening my eyes, they widen even more at the sight they give.
Before me stands a large group of ponies of varying breeds, all equipped in the same uniform armour unique to their race. Such as the winged ones having more streamlined armour whilst the larger ponies (lacking any peculiar limbs) had thicker armour composed of more plates and buckles suggesting stronger defence. What is included across all the armours is a single feature, a small mark that I just can't quite make out from the distance. Advancing slowly, one of the heavily armoured ponies approaches cautiously with a fluffy blue cowl covering his head with his ears peaking from two holes cut into the material. Advancing towards me, he stands before me in a fixed stance with a blue snout poking out from the shadows produced by the blue hood.
On instinct, I spin around in a full turn with my blades' tips coming to a stop against the neck area of the pony. Though trying to hold his composure, I can feel his light shaking vibrating along the metal. My eyes glare into the darkness of the hood in an attempt to prove my superiority in speed.
"Speak your business, pony!"
"We are here on an important task, sir. We have simply came to fulfil the task set to us."
"Do tell in what this task entails."
"Perhaps, if you answer an important question."
"Go on."
"Well. Are you the 'King of the Humans'?"
"I was. But that time has flown by like sand in the wind."
"In that case, we have been sent by our ancient leader to retrieve you from the area and meet up with him in his stronghold. He says that you should recognise him when you meet, and then he will give you the answers you obviously require."
"Shall we make haste?"
"Indeed. Companions, let's make our way back to the Stronghold!"
Immediately the so called "Companions" form into organised groups in squares before leading themselves through the wooden entrance, one at a time. Such organisation teases my memory with a face, name and other memories lost to me. Dismissing the feeling, I bring my mind back to the present as I follow the contingency of ponies to wherever they are headed. Feeling the metal against the leather coating my fingers, I shift the weapons over my shoulders and slide them into their respective leather sheaths. Hearing soft mumbling to my side, I turn and acknowledge the presence of Lyra once again, having forgotten she was with me before all the excitement.
"How are you holding up, Lyra?"
"Oh, fine. Just a bit anxious. I'm just unsure of what is to come."
"If we're going on a long trip, how will the people you know react?"
"It's fine, I guess. I was meant to have a camping trip by myself in the castle. I said I'd be back in a few days, having explained that I was investigating what seems to be your kingdom."
"That's fine, then. You can follow me if you want, you may learn things others have not."
Satisfied with my answer, she turns away to gaze around her surroundings with some of the pony warriors in formation around both of us for maximum protection. Staring at the shoulder pad of a nearby warrior, I finely spot the details of the symbol emblazed onto the metal plate. The symbol of a wolf's head, sideways, presents itself to me with a length of a Celtic knot depicted below the head in a similar shade of white. This symbol is also depicted elsewhere, like on the flags that some warriors had sail from the poles of their spears. Dismissing the sight, I turn my eyes on the path to see where we are actually heading.
The sight of the chasm encircling the ruins greets me with it's crooked maw as we are led near the edge where it seems some warriors are actually descended slowly down like they are moving downwards on stairs. As I expected, a set of stone steps descend down into the chasm below, the thick smell of ancient rock and must seeps under the metallic helmet enclosing my face and drifts down my nostrils and causes me to scrunch my nose in disgust. Coughing from the putrid air, I too begin my descent into the slight darkness. Finally reaching the bottom with Lyra in tow, I take note of the water. Rotten leaves and decaying matter is strewn across the aging water like a grotesque carpet on a water bed. Erratic bugs fluttering across the water surface to catch the less-fortunate inhabitants of the sloppy gloop.
Turning my gaze from the mess, I see a large wooden and metal boat anchored where the chasm widens wide enough so that the ship could sail in and out of the ancient harbour. Eventually arriving at the board of wood set for me to step aboard, I walk on deck and seat myself on a nearby chair as the rest of the soldiers and Lyra file onto the vessel too. Once the final pony was on-board, a warrior steps forward and retrieves the plank for later use for when we exit. Lyra quickly joins me on the chair beside my own, and I give her a few words to wake me upon arrival. She then nods in understanding.
With a sigh, I lean back into the chair and fall into a slumber as the ship sails out into a nearby river bound for an ocean.
Chapter: 5 - I Know You
The splashing of waves gently wakes me from my restful slumber, my face in a dumb grin. The sound of wood being embraced by rolling waves fills my ears, as does the careless calls of the seagulls hovering with quiet beats of wings above the water's surface. Watching over the edge of the deck, I stare down at the waves of ocean water stirring below. Removing my helmet, I place it onto the wood planks of my chair before returning my gaze to the rolling waves. The sparkling water reflects the rays of sunlight cascading from before with it's deep green reflective surface. The darkness and green reminds me of a race from long ago with a similar colour across it's diabolical form. The memory of a demonic beast with a dark green body and greasy long hair fills my mind as my hate burns in my chest.
-
During the rule of the King of the Humans, one summer near the river which was later called "The Child's Calamity".
Warming the land for as far as the eye could see, the summer's sun showers the kingdom with it's light. With my court closed for the day so everyone could relax for the day, I had chosen to take Discord out to the nearby river. Though it took time, Discord soon proved to be an attentive student with his tutors. Though he would sometimes pull harmless pranks, but the tutors would just laugh with him instead of being stern and punishing for small acts of playfulness. The Mage's Guild had taken a great interest in my adopted son, but that is to be expected from the group who were very enthusiastic in learning of this new world.
"Dad, why do you always have those funny metal sticks on your back?" Asks Discord with confusion evident on his unusually shaped face. Not that anything as superficial as facial structure would ever bother me.
"Well, if anything attacks then I can stop them. Wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you, Son!" I say as I ruffle the large black mane hanging across his head and neck. Though I was careful to not hit the tiny inch-long horns peaking from beneath the fur covering his head. His over-sized ears splayed backwards as I pet him, the ears then coming back and once again hanging downwards limply.
"I guess that makes sense, Dad." He replies with his red pupils watching me from the pools of yellow he had for eyes.
"Too right, Son. Hey, we're here!" I say before leading him towards the river bank. "Now, while we're here I don't want you getting too close to the water. Some of us have been spotting a strange type of animal prowling around random pools or rivers of water. Don't worry, none of us have been hurt yet and it looks like this place is safe." I speak.
"Okay, Dad!" He says before rushing away to run around the field beside the river.
Smiling at the cat-sized creature's antics, I sit on the grass next to the river bank and sigh with content at the beautiful landscape around me. Gently lifting a blue sack from my back, I undo the string and sift through it's contents. Grinning in triumph, I slowly retrieve a small guitar from it's ragged container. Balancing the wooden instrument against my chest, I keep a firm hold with my left hand around it's neck whilst I use my other hand. Using my free hand, I pull back the blue cloth I use as a cowl and allow my hair to gently wave in the summer's breeze. In the same instance, I grasp a piece of long grass and place it into my mouth before leaning back against a log I was familiar with. This place was where me and the rest of the teenagers spent our first night, and this was one of the logs we sat on.
"Hey, Son. Come over here a minute." I shout into the warm air.
Seeing my adopted son lunge from the taller grass to return to my prone form, I lay the instrument down to my side before I take one of my swords from it's sheath. Aiming the blade downwards, I plunge it down to keep the weapon steady. With a weapon ready for an emergency, I turn to Discord and pat him gently on the head whilst I speak.
"Now I'm just going to take a nap, okay? Shout me if anything bad happens, alright Son? It's just I spent too long awake last night helping the guards keep an eye out from the walls." I say kindly.
Nodding in understanding, he gives a small salute with his cat-like paw before he reaches into the blue bag I brought and retrieves a small leather-bound book from the sack. Laying on his stomach, he proceeds to read whilst wagging his tail in happiness and content. Sighing in my own content, I slouch back and close my eyes as I fall into a light slumber.
Later...
"DAD!"
Jumping to my feet, I wipe the sleep from my eyes frantically before yanking the blade from the ground and look around manically. The sun is a lot closer to the horizon, signifying that some time has passed since I fell asleep. With my frantic eyes eager to spot Discord, I soon spy him nearby and rush towards him. Spotting a large quadrupedal beast stepping closer and closer to him, my legs seem to speed up even more as my defensiveness mixes in my blood with adrenaline. When I reach a decent distance, I thrust my left fist at the side of the beast. Roaring in pain, it slides across the grass away from the shaking form of Discord. Spotting me, he quickly pounces upwards and latches onto my left arm in fear. Infuriated with it's prey escaping, the horse-like beast lumbers towards me with hooves stomping into the grass with raw power. In my own state of anger, I twist my body to shield the quaking form of Discord whilst raising my blade high into the air in preparation. Finally reaching my weapon's range, I swing the sword's blade down onto the monstrous snout of the creature basically splitting the head nearly into two pieces with a sickening "Splosh".
The corpse soon fell like the blood gushing from the creature, the ground softly vibrating under the force produced by the creature's weight caused from it's muscle mass. Using my left hand, I press Discord's face further from the corpse gently to save him from the sight of such violence which a child like him should never see. Looking out across the river with intense anger plastered onto my face, I spot a large group of the same devilish form as the slain one but with varying colour schemes. Though all their coats had a dirty darkness imbued with the colour, the manes were all dark but still held differing colour hues.
Seeing their fellow beast slaughtered so easily by me, they all turned tail and ran all in the same direction. Good riddance, vile monsters. Feeling a light wetness on my arm, I look to find Discord gently sobbing into the fabric covering my limb. Feeling my anger melt away from the sight, I gently shift him so I can cradle him away from the beast's body. Seating myself against the log once more, I keep him against my chest to keep him happy, with my other hand I aimed to dispose of the creature. Summoning my magic, I let flames dance across my palm before launching a sphere of flame at the creature's body. On impact the flames began to decompose the body, removing the sight of it's mutilated head, and quickly turned the corpse to ash which was soon swept up into the summer's breeze.
Lifting my still flaming palm towards Discord's face, I dry the tears before wiping what was left to signify his earlier distress. Looking up at me with red pupils, he pounces from my arms and hugs me around the neck as I pat him gently on the back. I can feel his cat-like paw and small bird's claw hold onto the collar of my shirt before he let's me put him down.
"It's alright, Son." I say softly to him.
"It is?" He asks with heart wrenching hope.
"It is." I reply before smiling warmly to him.
Lifting him closer, I lay him on his stomach to my left before he rests his head onto my thigh. Patting his head with my left hand, he yawns which reveals his one lone fang and other much smaller teeth. Grabbing the guitar from where I left it, adjusting Discord's head to not be in the way of the guitar and to still be comfortable, I set it into my lap ready to play. Noticing the lack of grass in my mouth, I spot the earlier blade of grass on the floor having been evicted from my mouth earlier in my panic. Sighing, I pick another piece from the ground and hold it in my teeth in a cliché farmer style. Brushing my fingers into position next to the strings, I begin to play a fitting tune to the summer's warmth surrounding us and the sun's descent over the horizon which left the tell-tale pink and orange to mix with the regular blue of the sky. A little over a couple minutes into the tune, I see the digits of Discord's bird-like claw click with the owner of the claw grinning mischievously. Soon, a few moments of the tune is made with the sounds of a rock-guitar instead of the regular wooden one I'm using. Laughing with him and his antics, he soon reverts the sound back to normal for me to finish the song as he bobs his head gently.
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Hearing his eventual soft snores, I set him down onto the grass as I pack the items back into the blue sack. Once the string had tightened the sack closed, I haul it over my shoulder and place my sword back into it's sheath alongside it's twin. Once I was ready, I lift Discord back into a cradled position as I carry him back to the castle. With the moon rising behind me, I watch the stars blanket the darkness of the sky above me.
-
Returning from the past, I listen to the sound of hooves approaching. Turning, I see the blue-hooded pony from before join me in watching over the railing into the distance. His face is till shrouded in the darkness produced by the hood, with a small steel axe hooked to his waist. I could tell he wanted to ask some questions, but had no idea how to express his questions. Finally working up the courage, he turns to me and speaks.
"Can I ask you something?" He asks with his mouth the only visible aspect of his face.
"You can ask whatever you want. Can't guarantee I'll want to answer." I say whilst staring off into the far distance.
"Well, why did you trust us?" He says after some thought.
"Hmmm, well it's simple really. With me being the first human to have magic, you could say that I became quite... interested in it. I focused some free time on honing my skills in the power of Destruction Magic. Basically, I could have used a very old and very lethal spell which would have caused a large bonfire to engulf the room and exclusively destroy hostiles." I reply matter-of-factly.
His mouth is left agape, which leaves me time to continue.
"But I let you lead me to whoever wants to speak with me. I did that because I'm curious as to who this fellow is. And also because had I used the spell, then I would have probably collapsed and died from exhaustion. I would have only used the spell had you all attacked, since the spell drains my energy more than I have energy to drain! Do you want to know how I tested the spell?" I ask.
He nods inquisitively.
"Sugar. Lots, and lots, of sugar. I probably ate that much that if you gave the same amount to a sloth then it would run like England does from the World Cup!" I roar before laughing.
He gives me a puzzled look before I wave my hand dismissively. Of course these creatures had never heard about our world's sporting events. Why had I expected anything other than that? Nevermind.
Soon the sight of this "Stronghold" presents itself to me. Towers loomed high into the sky with flags dotting the spires. Lanterns and torches shining light through gaps in the stone left for archers to fire from. The walls connecting the towers were equally huge, the stonework reinforced with plates of metal and struts of steel welded together to form a metallic exoskeleton along the thick stone to provide even more protection. From here I can spot an even larger spire at the centre of this Stronghold, even more metal used for the exoskeleton than that of the walls which created an even stronger structure. Some towers along the walls were much wider and had a flatter base with no spire at the peak. These all had sets of cannons positioned ready for attackers to meet their swift destruction, though each of these more equipped towers had a single large catapult positioned on them for even more power. We slowly sail towards what appears to be a small stone and metal port/harbour with a huge wood, stone and metal doorway behind it.
With the plank of wood placed onto the deck, I step off the boat onto the stone tiles of the port. Soon I hear the clopping of hooves as Lyra rushes to walk alongside me as curious as myself. Reaching the doors, four ponies dressed in extremely thick armour step aside and work in pairs to open one of the doors each. This opens the huge double doors with which reveals the extreme thickness of the material which formed the entrance. Within the walls, a stone tile path leads to the entrance of the inner spire. The entrance is exactly the same as the first, if a bit smaller. Advancing towards the doors, once again, a band of four heavily armoured guards split in two in order to open the great doors.
Once the thick material opens up to reveal the inside of the spire, revealing a round stone table and chairs made from a similar stone material. Taking a few steps inside, I stop near the centre of the table with the metallic chandelier above lighting the room dimly. Looking onto the stone table, I begin to sift through the papers and maps present on the rocky furniture until I hear footsteps against stone approaching me from the front. Looking from the papers, I see someone I recognise instantly.
"I know you." I say as he grins in familiarity.
Chapter: 6 - Welcome to Fort Frostmoth!
The strong scent of sea-salt seemed to cast the ships' deck in a mist of it's odour. Seated on a rickety old chair on the deck, I pulled my newly-acquired cloak tighter against my shivering form. The metal plates across my body seemed to absorb all the heat from my body, leaving me deathly cold. A particularly strong gust swept through my cloak and made it flail in the wind, taking my scraps of warmth with it. Thankfully my cloak was held down securely by leather buckles and straps securing the cloak to my armour. My helmet sat beside me, it's metal glinting in the sickly sunlight. The rays couldn't even halt the amount of frost collecting along the steel.
It seems that the Stronghold had been led by an old friend of mine for over 200 years, which really puzzled me. I had asked him about how he could live so long, but even he replied with a shrug from the lack of any true answer. All he could say was that he split from the initial group a couple years after my death, and that he wandered the world for purpose until he came across a mysterious axe capable of splitting open the head of even a troll. He wielded that axe for what he claims decades until he lost the weapon in battle. He apparently spotted a castle made from solid ice and entered the fortress. Within was what he claims to have been some giant troll which chased him out with a legion of strange monsters at it's back. Swinging the axe, it became lodged in a shield the size of an adult human which made him flee without his trusty weapon.
I was tempted to call him out as a liar for the tale, but the look on his face was what a man makes when he loses his axe. He obviously thought of his axe as more than a simple weapon, so I took pity on him. I had declared to venture out and reclaim his weapon and deliver it back to him. He was stunned for a moment, pleading that I wasn't ready for such a task so soon, but he relented when he saw my stone resolve. That is my task but, besides that, I don't know my true path in this world anymore.
Returning to the present, I watch as Lyra walks over to me and pulls up a seat. She shuffles nervously as she keeps her eyes towards the horizon, eyes reflecting the turquoise waves.
"Something on your mind?" I ask with a slight frown.
"Oh, it's nothing..." She says with a jump.
Unconvinced, I turn away and focus on rubbing my hands together for warmth. A shout from above on the crow's nest diverts my attention from my task, the voice causing me to look up slightly and spot a distant light. I swiftly stand from the chair, and grasp the handle of one of my blades, pulling on the handle slowly. Before the sword is freed from the sheath, a hand is planted on my shoulder, causing the blade to halt in it's leather bindings and me to turn my head slightly to the left. A human warrior stood beside me, an elderly look in his eye which was paired with his wrinkled skin and snow-white locks of mangled hair. This elderly man really surprised me, and not because of his appearance being sudden. It was more of his appearance in general, since his entire body except his head was coated in metallic plates and chainmail. His chest piece is highly polished with small dents and scratches detailing the armour, obvious signs of someone who has tasted combat and came out victorious many times. Around is waist is a blue cloth which seems like some form of belt. His snowy hair waves weakly in the wind his face stern as it stares towards the landmass slowly drawing closer as we sail onwards.
"Don't worry, that's just the Fort." He speaks with a rough voice like gravel pouring over stone.
Without waiting for some form of reply, he storms up a set of wooden steps into the captain's cabin. I turn back around and watch half the ship vanish as it leaves the storm behind, and soon the entire ship is free of the thick mist. Though it seems we only left the worst of the storm, because a few drops of rain were still falling onto my shivering form and a powerful wind was still bellowing across the area. With the mist gone, I can now actually see the Fort and some of the area around it. Including the wooden make-shift harbour we were slowing down at. The harbour was really just a square of stone bricks attached to the fort via a dirt path, the only real sign of it being a harbour was the wooden plank which was being carried by a uniformed human guard. Drawing as close as possible to the stone platform, the guard on the other side lays down the plank of wood across the sliver of water and onto the ship's deck. I swiftly pick up the helmet and tuck it inside a the leather bag given to me for the journey by my old general at the Stronghold. The ship is then anchored as I walk cautiously on the plank and set foot on the stone. The guard greets me with a firm metal-clad handshake before leading me towards the fort a short walk away. I halt him by holding onto his armoured shoulder firmly before turning around watching Lyra gallop swiftly towards us, the sound of her hooves being barely audible. Spinning around, the guard quickly raises his weapon, a pole arm, and points it towards her as she comes to a sudden stop. With haste, one of my swords slips from it's bindings and is locked with the guards pole arm firmly, pushing it downwards.
"What's the issue here, soldier?" I half growl, glaring at the guard's face which is the only place currently not hidden by his helmet.
"I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again." He says, lowering his weapon and bowing his head slightly in respect. "It's just that we've heard stories of beings such as this one sneaking around forts in the lands which are further south. We imagine that they can't be sneaking around for any good purpose, so we're just very cautious. But... wait... may I ask a question, sir?" He asks.
"Of course, soldier. Ask." I reply with a small laugh.
"it's just... are you a teenager? I expected you to be an adult, that's all." He says with thick curiosity.
I then frown, and begin to slowly draw my blade upwards which, with me being in deep thought, made it seem like I was raising it to slay the guard who was now slowly backing off with his pole arm raising with it's metal shaking. I then turn the sword it reveal it's flat side to me, which I then use to show my reflection due to it's shiny surface. As I suspected, my face hasn't even changed over the millennia of "death" I was afflicted with. Whatever revived me seems to have restored how I looked the day I died, hence the youthful look I still held, a look the guard lacked. Strangely, the guards I've met have been adults where my old friend who runs the Stronghold is also a teenager in appearance, but obviously must hold many more experiences than that of the average teenager. Even my black hair had returned to it's original length, without a single grey strand within it. Surprised, I sheath the blade and look quizzically at the nervous guard before huffing and continuing on towards the fort with Lyra to my left and the guard on my right. The fort was composed of a metre thick stone wall surrounding the area, with turrets as defensive positions, and the inner buildings which were barely taller than the wall, and would peak above it slightly with their grey rectangular forms.
"So, what's this fort's name?" I ask with my eyes focused in-front of me.
"Oh, this is Fort Frostmoth. When the first sailors who found this island got lost in a thick storm, a moth appeared the next morning with the colours of frost across it's wings. The sailors followed the strange moth, and it lead them to this island. The central building, where the captain sleeps, is the site where the sailors landed on the shore and found the moth frozen stiff. Years later it became actual frost which never melted, and every captain of the fort wears an amulet with the moth's frost-coated body in it's centre." He answers.
I nod in respect, finding that the fort's name wasn't simply something they thought-up in the light of a sunset. We eventually reach the fort's steel portcullis, which is raised high so that we could enter the fortress. Once inside the fort's walls, the courtyard around was smaller than expected which gave a mixed feeling of both claustrophobia and also a deeper feeling of actually being defended. Ahead of me was a building slightly larger than the rest, making the structure seem more central than the others giving me the conclusion that this was the captain's area. A slight clanking sound resonates from my body as I swiftly walk to the main building's doorway and I soft click is given off when I turn the doorknob and enter.
A soft warmth passes over me as I enter the room, the quiet crackling of a hearth reaching my ears which no longer felt like they were going to be frozen off. I could still hear the echoes of rain splashing outside, and It seemed stronger than the slight dripping I had felt earlier. The wind had also turned into ghostly wails outside, it's strength increasing past the weaker breeze I had felt on even the trip here. I look around and spot an armoured figure sat on a wooden chair close to the fire, with their back to me. I notice the guard from earlier enter, along with Lyra, but I focus on approaching the fire. The figure shifts slightly at the sound of my approach, but doesn't turn around. Clasped around the form is thick sheets of steel with silver around the edges of each plate for detail, as well as thin leather straps holding the plates together tightly. Cloaking him is a large blue hooded robe which trailed down his back and reached the stone tiles of the floor.
"Captain?" I ask the form, the form slowly turning it's head.
The form gives a huff, exhaling a breath from it's hidden mouth before it, he, turns to me. His gender is finally revealed by the short brown beard poking out from the shadow cast by the blue hood. He reaches up with a hand armoured by a steel and silver gauntlet, and pulls the hood back so that it rests along his shoulders. His light brown beard apparently closely shares the colour of his hair, which explains the flowing locks of brown hair hanging limply from his head and down his robe. Three large scars dominate the left side of his face, the longest of the scars reaching his forehead and crosses his eye. One of the scars even appearing across his nose. The one going across his eye, however, has left the eye on that side of his head milky and blinded. Despite this, he looks like he doesn't need another eye to cleave my head into pieces. He lifts his chair and turns it towards me, leaning back in it casually.
"That's me, who's askin'? He answers, a deep guttural voice emanating from his throat.
I don't utter a word, I simply reach for my blade before he can react and toss it towards him. He's startled by the action, but catches the blade's handle regardless. Bringing the sword closer to his eyes, he observes the metal closely. Squinting his eyes, he notices the marks along the top of the sword, along the blade itself. He reads the symbols carved into the sword and looks up at me.
"How did YOU get the Ancient King's swords, kid?" He asks.
"Look at my armour, it's the same worn by the original wielder of these swords." I say whilst pulling out the twin of the sword in the Captain's hands. "It's also a perfect fit, since it was crafted by me." I finish.
He looks at me quizzically, looking at the guard who had entered after me. The guard nervously goes into the satchel at his waist and pulls out a small scroll before hurrying to hand it to the Captain. The Captain of course takes the scroll and opens it and begins to read. His eyes skim side to side as they descend along the page, his face a mix of confusion and disbelief. He finally hands the guard back the opened scroll, said guard leaving the room, and looks up at me with a single hazel eye with the other being a blank white.
"Well, it's true then. I was expecting someone a bit older, but I guess you should always expect the unexpected. All there is to say now is: Welcome to Fort Frostmoth!" He declares whilst opening his arms jokingly. "What do you need?" He asks.
"I came here to reclaim your leader's axe, thinking it as just a task to help an old friend." I say whilst pulling up a wooden chair and sitting on it. "But I need your leader's help, so I need to gain yours too." I finish.
"Help with what?" He questions.
I pause before leaning in, the flames of the hearth causing a flickering glow to cast across my features. I finally speak after taking a deep breath, not knowing how he might react. "I want to reform my kingdom to how it once was." I finish.
Chapter: 7 - In Search of the Axe
"...And all heard his shouts, his battle cries, as he descended upon his foes. But they were never just his, but ours. He faced our foes, our would-be killers, with such fury that, as he left the field of battle, the very ground shook with each step. He combined the greatest minds of the Origionals and gave us the means to survive, the means to learn how to conquer the very stone we walk on. And now, as his body lies cold and empty of our leader's daring soul, we pay tribute to his teachings by providing him a tomb of stone, the very material he used to build our first settlement, our home. - General Severing-Swing 's speech at the first King's funeral, 1st Era.
The General's goblet gave a soft clink as it was calmly set onto the stone table, the masonry causing the sound to echo in the grand room. The room was lit by the searing flames of the heath which ran across the entire room, which was surrounded my stone tables and chairs giving warmth to those seated and to ensure none of the furniture would catch alight despite the stone tables acting as barricades. The General's eyes lazily drifted around the room as he looked from one decoration to the next, most being decades or even centuries old. But the oldest decoration in the room, was that hung on the wall behind the General and his seat. A peculiar tapestry, with a deep bond to the entire faction which the General led.
Thousands of years ago, before the first era and when only the Origionals existed, the Fighter's Guild was founded by the First King. The stonework for the building was built strong and proud, rivalling even the King's castle in both strength and appearance. It was built in a similar fashion to the King's own castle, with archways between stoic watchtowers which loomed overhead and sculptures around it's grounds to display the glory of past conflict with the land's worst beasts. The building was completed after almost a year, given that most of the settlement used their surplus of free-time to aid in it's construction, and had a month before it was officially open for all possible warriors to join and train. The Leader was chosen, who later was named General Severing-Swing for his habit of dismembering his foes in single swipes of an axe, and was told that over the month he must prepare the Faction Guild for opening with the help of some loyal servants to the King. The General agreed, and the hallways of his keep shone like the blade of a newly sharpened sword. And then, on the final night before the hall opened for joining, the King presented himself to the General. The adolescent boys met on the Factions building's main balcony overlooking it's courtyard, which is where the King gave the tapestry to the General as a gift.
The tapestry was made of a fine yet firm black silk which had it's edges stitched with a deep red thread to give an edge to the decoration. The symbol stitched onto the silk was there to make the decoration more of a flag, since it had the symbol of the Fighter's Guild stitched on. The symbol being simpler than most with just two crossed broadswords depicted, the simple nature of the symbol was that it was easier and quicker to replicate so that more forts could bare the sign of the Fighter's Guild. And this easier manufacturing allowed the Fighter's Guild to spread all across the continent a decade after the King's death. This allowed the Guild to grow stronger in the King's absence, but the Guild never lay claim to any land outside their fortresses' grounds. This is why though they Guild is strong, other stronger organisations were able to be formed. The worst weakness the Guild has which others used as an advantage to build their own groups is the fact that none of the Guild are able to use magic since ,at the beginning of the 4th era, the Guild completely shunned magic and it's users due to the Guild's now three thousand year old grudge with the Mage's Guild. Though when the King met the General, he was counted as an appropriate exception to the rule. The universal view on magic by most of the humans of old and new was, and is, that magic is a lot less reliable than other forms of attack. Most would rather spend an afternoon learning how to stab with a sword than a month learning a basic fire spell.
The return of this ancient figure somewhat disturbed the wizened General, a sense of dread clinging to the warrior's soul. Someone like the King returning so mysteriously gave the General the paranoid thought that something must be happening behind the scenes, long dead rulers just don't raise from the dead without something behind it. Though such thoughts should cause the Fighter's Guild leader to be wary of the King's reappearance, he can still feel the bond they forged on the battlefield millennia ago when the first humans were forced to take up arms and unite to fight against common foes. Whatever his fate was brewing, the General was ready to face it.
"...Hopefully with my axe..." The General whispered anxiously.
-
"Can you come in here a moment, please?" Asks a young guard recruit.
I sit up into a cross-legged position on my bed whilst turned slightly to the guard with my left arm supporting me, the red velvet covers beneath my supporting hand warm and comforting like the warm flames of a hearth. My newly-washed black mess of hair lays sprawled down the back of my head and reaches the collar of the casual clothes I had donned to rest in. The shirt being a plain white, flowing down to my deep brown trousers. My armour is set on the wooden dresser of my personal room, my blades in their sheaths alongside the protective garments. The room itself, is neither large of decorative. Instead, the room is a repurposed storage room with my lone bed on the far end with a set of drawers at the foot of the bed. A couple storage barrels still stand in the corner opposite the wooden door, which now stood open with the recruit waiting for me.
Twisting around so I sit on the edge of my bed, I equip a pair of regular light-brown leather boots and walk over to the guard. He turns around, the armour adorning his body clinking noisily, before leading me out the door and into the morning sun. I blink a few times as my eyes adjust to the light before allowing my eyes to wander the small courtyard of storage containers and stone. My eyes spot Lyra receiving some pointers by an elderly archer-guardsman on how to fire magic bolts. Of course, from first hand experience, I know that the guard isn't really training her in magic but more on accuracy, which he should be able to give pointers on due to using bows. She doesn't seem very skilled in accuracy. From here I can see her build-up some arcane energy and release it towards a target-dummy made from a sack of grain with a crude target drawn on with paint, but she loses focus causing it to fire off in a random direction. The energy bolt launches upwards, deflects off a window a couple times and finally impacts with a slightly larger-than-average barrel. The barrel suffers damage leaving a circular hole with dark scorches around the edges, which begins to leak large amounts of rum like a gunshot wound. The alcoholic beverage begins to accumulate into a pool of the liquid, which a nearby guard begins to cry over with his hands against his face in sadness.
"Why is the rum gone? Why is the rum gone..." He begins to softly mutter between sobs.
I chuckle slightly before entering a circular building the recruit stands next to. He salutes me as I enter before leaving to his post on the thick stone wall circling the courtyard. The room is lit dimly by a single torch and a couple candles on the desk in the centre of the room. A stack of books and scrolls are sprawled across the desk with an even large amount of tomes on the set of bookshelves behind the desk. A single window occupies the room, the only source of natural light besides the still open door behind me. A figure sits behind the desk with a thick white robe covering their form with gold thread accenting the clothing's edges. A hood shrouds their face from view, but they still acknowledge my presence by halting their scribbling of a scroll.
Looking up to me, their gender becomes clear as a thick grey beard hangs out from the bottom of the shadows cast by the white hood. The elderly man leans backwards into his chair with a sigh before putting his hands together, his eyes fixed on my form with a cold, calculating glare.
"So, I've heard you're the Ancient King. I remember hearing stories about you from when I was a young boy, about how much of a paragon you were. The least I need for this operation is someone who looks out for those at the bottom of the workforce, but your skills may be useful." He says with a devious tone.
I just watch him with a deadpan look, giving him silence for him to continue.
"Well, I need you to escort a few workers to a beach to the west of here. That's going to be the location of a settlement able to mine the rich deposits of ore this island has. I was sent on this task alongside yours, since the General expects you to aid mine as well as his personal task given to you. He wants an army's worth of metal smelted just as much as an old axe. You shouldn't even need any armour or a weapon, it's only a short trip but the workers need someone to make sure they don't get lost. Best to take a weapon, though. But armour will slow you down, and I want you to report back as soon as possible. So, are you up for it?" He asks with a raised eyebrow.
"I am." I reply steadily.
"Good, there waiting outside at the docks. Don't get yourself, or them, killed." He retorts whilst dismissing me.
Exiting the building, I wander down towards the docks.
Chapter: 8 - Building Foundations
The face of the lead miner was one of intense disbelief, his nearby colleague sharing this expression. The lead miner's clothing is composed of the typical miner's uniform. That being deep blue overalls with a plain white shirt beneath them. The overalls are splattered in dry mud and so are his boots and especially his knees. A fur hat in the style of a lumberjack mixed with a miner's helmet sits atop the leader's head like a workforce crown, the other miners only having regular miner's helmets. Despite the helmets seeming like those from even before I entered this world, they're really just metal helmets painted yellow on closer inspection. A large fluffy grey beard dominates the leader's facial features, the expression of disbelief beneath the beard contorting the hairy mass.
"Look, it's true, alright?" I say with a bored expression beneath my helmet of steel. The leader shrugs his shoulders.
"Whatever, if the boss wants you to lead us, then you can lead. He may be one of the worst bosses, but he's rarely wrong. Let's just get moving." Speaks the Mining Team's leader with a deep rumbling voice before raising his hand into the air to someone in the distance.
Within moments a carriage drawn by... something rolls up in front of me. The strange monstrosity drawing the carriage seems to lack any eyes on it's tapered head, said head being slightly curved downwards with a tapir like mouth with a long thin tongue flopping out randomly to eat grass like a frog. The creature lacks any fur, instead covered in a thick slimy skin of a deep purple colour. The beast's limbs are strange, its legs ending in elephant-like hooves with its front two legs being taller than those at the back. A saddle of dark brown leather is buckled by leg-thick leather straps to its back, the creature's back having black spots of varying sizes like that of a leopard. Attached to this deep brown saddle are many reins which run along the creatures long neck and coiling around its smooth snout. Also attached to the saddle are reins which lead backwards to the cart driver, who is a strangely young-looking man dressed in a robe of purple and black spots which is a pattern very close to the creature.
Whistling to me, he pats the bench-like seat he's sat on and directs me to sit on the cart. Obliging, I use the ladders to scale up and sit beside the driver. With everything set, the carriage begins to ride forwards at a somewhat slow speed, the creature's steps causing small rumblings with each contact its hooves have with the grassy ground. The miners walk cautiously besides the cart, the cart in question having no room for the workers to climb on since the cart is filled to the brim with crates of tools and supplies which are buckled down securely with similar leather straps as those holding the saddle to the purple and black spotted creature. Instead, they walk alongside their supplies with large pickaxes drawn and at the ready to be used as make-shift weapons against any would-be attackers.
"So, they call you the king who was killed in the legend?" Asks the driver.
"Legend?" I ask curiously.
"Yes. Ever since I was a boy I was fascinated by the story, of how someone who was my age at the time could have founded the first human civilisation. I have to ask, sire, how?!" Asks the young driver inquisitively. I laugh nervously as I try and formulate a decent answer.
"Well, I didn't set out to found anything, really." I reply humbly. "It all really started when I started helping out build a couple houses for the first of us to crowd around inside from the night and poor weather. Once that was done, I started asking around for help so we could build some fortifications around to stop any beasts from reaching the houses. Once that was done, we just started to expand." I explain.
"Sire, that can't be the whole story." He asks whilst splitting his attention between the path and me.
"As a precaution, I set up some volunteers to guard the walls to keep a look out. To improve this, I had some of us build some crude armour and weapons. I used them as well, since I was generally thought of as some Guard Captain. But, do you want to know a secret?" I ask with a grin.
"Of course, I've been curious about this topic for years!" He shouts out, smiling sheepishly before returning his attention to the path but looks out the corner of his eye at random points.
" Okay. I only really wanted some guards and stuff so I could relax better after building some sort of mansion or got others to do it." I ask before laughing to myself. The driver looks at me like I'm a childhood hero who turns out to have wanted nothing but selfish dreams, which I probably was to him and might still be. The driver goes sombre and quiet.
"...What changed?" Asks the driver after a couple minutes of awkward silence.
"What?" I ask suddenly.
"What changed, Y'know? That's not where your good deeds ended, at least not from what I've heard. Unless that was all a lie at its core, too?" He asks with a slight glare. I sigh softly.
"No... that's not where it ended. I don't know what happened, but all the fame and respect kind of... got to me. I was planning on just up and running into the hills with some smelted metal and other stolen resources, but I was 'caught' in a way. A friend of mine, someone who you would call the 'General' was not always a combat-loving individual. He found me about to run off and knew what I was about to do, and set me straight. Trust me, him being in a blood berserker rage in battle is a lot more calmer than he was at that moment." I describe gently.
"How did he catch you when no one else did? Surely you went for the main gate, which was the only one from what the stories say?" He inquires.
"He caught me because he went to find me since everyone else was inside the meeting hall. They sent him to bring me to... my own party which was set up in my honour." I say softly. The driver looks at me curiously.
"A party?" He asks.
"Yes. I killed an adolescent dragon. I basically killed it by stabbing it in the mouth when It went to bite me. I... impressed a few people by doing so. They thought a party would be a good idea, but I just melted it down and made these blades here." I finish before patting the swords on my back.
A sudden growl brings me back from my explanation, a yelp coming from one of the miners as he backs up against the cart before diving beneath it. A bear bursts violently from the bushes and treeline. A horridly muscled beast, immense strength locked within layer after layer of thick muscle tissue. Some of its skin is split open, dripping pus as muscle remains visible through these tears in organic tissue. Rope-like threads of pitch-black fur hang from the creature. Flies, writhing maggots and other assorted filthy parasites lay strewn within the fur giving the bear a carcass-like appearance, its eyes a dead amber like the sap of a dying tree. Sloppy blackened saliva drips from its crooked jaws, lengthy tapered teeth fill its jaws with deadly canines. Changing towards the cart, it brings a mighty foreleg of brute force straight into the wooden side of the cart.
Almost slipping off the cart from the blow, I quickly whip out one of my steel long swords and slash at its muzzle, decaying blood splashing onto the metal. It gives an echoing roar of pain as it holds a brutal paw to its gruesome wound, its paw returning to the ground revealing one of its eyes to have been gouged out by the strike of my blade. Enraged, the bear lunges a paw forwards and grabs me roughly by the neck, one of the miners brave enough to aid charging the bear with their pickaxe only for the tool to not even penetrate its thick hide, causing the miner to flee the battle as suddenly as he entered it. The bear, in its intense fury, lifts me from the carriage and launches me towards the trunk of a nearby oak tree. The healthy green leaves of the tree fall besides me as I slump against their wooden source. The bear scrapes the earthen ground with its raking grey claws before charging head-first towards me, my eyes widening as it rapidly draws closer. Rolling to the right hastily, the beast's head becomes lodged inside the tree trunk from the force and speed.
The short shockwave caused by the impact causes the tree to nearly splinter, and sends me flying backwards swiftly towards another tree, an oak much older and taller. Knowing of the coming solid surface, I angle my legs into a sideways crouch just in time as I come in contact the bark's rough texture. With my side ways crouch position, I use the momentum gathered to bounce off the tree and sail into the air in an arc and towards the struggling beast. With cat-like agility, I coil my spine around causing me to twist my body in the air to assume the most appropriate direction needed for my next act. With gravity forcing my descent to be incredibly rapid, I unsheathe my other sword and place them together and angle them downwards like how one would shove a flagpole into the dirt. The added force of gravity and speed causes the dual swords to pierce the back of the bear's furred neck as my legs buckle into a crouched stance on its muscled back. The steel penetrates the bear's neck all the way through, allowing its head to completely decapitate when I slash my swords away from each other so far that the blades cross behind my back. Blackened ichor sprays forth from the gaping wound in its neck, painting the nearby ground and tree trunk in its vile gore.
Panting with exhaustion, I slip tiredly off the bear and walk sluggishly towards the cart, all the miners and the driver watching me with amazement. I quickly sheath my dual swords before climbing onto the cart and re-taking my seat beside the astonished driver. I lean back and close my eyes whilst still breathing heavily. After a few moments, the cart continues its ride and the miners walk alongside the slowly rolling wheels of the wooden carriage carrying their supplies. After a while, my breathing slows down to a regular frequency as I relax. I'm nudged in the side.
"What?" I ask without opening my eyes.
"How did you learn to do that?" Asks the voice of the driver.
"Learn to do what?" I reply whilst opening my eyes to look at the youthful driver beside me.
"The whole 'Killing an undead-looking bear' thing." Says the driver whilst giving me an unimpressed look. I go silent for a moment, thinking.
"I don't really know for sure. It could be the constant strife I had to near-personally face almost everyday after we started expanding. Some of the creatures we had to contend with were very mighty. Trolls as strong as stone walls, gryphons the size of small houses, wisps made of pure fire bellowing from swamps... back then, I had to adapt to fighting these off or risk me and the others dying. The original city I aided in the construction of literally had crossbows the size of carriages on some of the stone watchtowers just to fight against most of our past foes." I explain, my mind returning nostalgically to the past.
"Surely you could have had help, didn't you say earlier about being a Guard Captain?" Enquires the teenager beside me.
"Of course I had help available, I was a captain!" I laugh out. "The thing is..." I start with a serious tone. "... i had wizened up to the harsh reality of where we were. We were young, unready to face the comfy world before, let alone this new one where we were completely on our own. I knew, after being convinced to stay by the General, that I would have to direct the others into setting a stake in this world. But the others, at their heart, were still teenagers." I continue.
"So? I'm a teenager, as you can see clearly, and I'm responsible enough to cart all this stuff here." He finishes his statement by lightly patting one of the many large crates behind him. I rub my chin thoughtfully at his statement, concentrating on his words.
"Well, of course YOU might be responsible since you've grown up in this world under ethics which developed you into a more mature individual. But, we had only just been taken from a world where the teenagers weren't as mature as they are in this one. I had to wise up, which made me more of a parental figure on decisions. When it came to some of the Origionals, my word was practically law due to how dependant on authority some were. Practically craving someone to direct them somehow, just so their lives weren't meaningless and repetitive." I explain.
"Is that how you became King in the first place? You were the one who 'stepped up to the mark', as the old saying goes?" He asks politely.
"Yes, It seems to be like that. Don't get me wrong, after they formally crowned me it became more than a need for leadership. They wanted someone who would put their mind to something, and I did. The first ever city built by humans, the first castle within that city and even the expansion of the kingdom were instigated by yours truly." I say with a hand to my chest in pride.
"Quiet impressive given the circumstances you described. Anyway, we're here." He declares loudly, speaking to not just me but also the miners walking alongside the cart.
Looking around, all I really see is that this settlement is going to be set up on a curved piece of land bordering the sea, a port town maybe? Nothing has even really been built, the only sign of human contact being two erected torches standing side by side next to the smooth waves, a metre distance between them. For once, an actual female human stood waiting at the beach than a male one. Jumping off the cart's seat and onto the slightly snow-dusted grass, I greet the woman with a handshake before turning back to the cart. The massive creature pulling the cart along is hitched beside a tree, the cargo of the cart being taken and deposited on the ground in piles. The leader of the miners, and his team entire team once the supplies are off the cart, walks over to the woman.
"What do we start off with?" Asks the miner politely with his usual rumbling voice. The woman uses a gloved hand to lower the scarf wrapped around her mouth, before pointing to a particularly flat piece of land.
"There is where I want you to set up the usual mining set-up. You know, the staircase and small supply room. When can you start building the above-ground level?" Asks the slightly accented woman.
"Now, if that's okay with you?" Replies the miner. Upon receiving a nod of approval, he gathers his men, some tools and some resources, before beginning work on the flat land. I hear an obviously faked cough beside me, so I turn around.
I turn around and see the woman standing next to me. Her long white robe with gold details match with that of the task giver from the Fort, are they from a similar group? Unlike the elderly man from the fort, she has a fur hood with some fur rags wrapped around her neck area and a red scarf is within the hood which she had covering her mouth earlier. Matching the colour of the scarf is the pair of thick red gloves on her hands, which she frequently rubs together for warmth.
"Sir, can you just quickly do a favour for me?" She asks in her typical Nordic-like accent.
"Which is?" I ask back.
"From the looks of you, you're probably better off with this task then the others here. You see, we were supposed to receive a shipment via boat. But, since we have no appropriate port or harbour, the boat had no where to go and sailed around the island. We haven't heard hide nor hair of them since. Can you head down and try and find the boat, I'm too wrapped up here to get anyone else to do it." She explains. I think for a moment before shrugging my shoulders.
"Sure, why not? What can possibly go wrong?" I ask humorously.
Chapter: 9 - Bad Moon Rising
Wandering through the forest is not fun, as you can imagine. Stumbling around, I swipe at buzzing glowing bugs as they try and land on me as I walk. The light produced by these pests casts a small dim aura around their chitin-coated small bodies. Though the tiny amounts of bioluminescent light nearly blinded my vision each time they flew in front of my nose, the light could not fight back against the inky darkness the night had brought. Had I known just how short the days on this island were, I would've not decided to accept this errand. But, since some people could be stranded in a shipwreck in the night, I pushed on to retrieve them as soon as possible. Though the beach head a few metres from me gave more visibility, being just within the forest kept me from being open to attack since no forest creatures could spot me within this darkness.
The silver rays cast by the full moon above created an unnerving atmosphere, the rays not granting the same warmth the sun's would. Because of this, I was cursing myself even more for taking that old fool's advice of not taking armour, because at least my armour had thick fur padding to insulate me from this wretched cold. At least I have my weapons, is the main thought which runs through my mind. Grumbling to myself, I wonder how much further the ship could have gone before running a ground.
"Gods, how much further?" I ask half joking and half serious.
But then, it seemed like my false prayers had been answered when I spot a ship-like shape in the distance. Gasping in relief, I sprint forwards with my sheaths bouncing around on my thinly clothed back, thankfully not slipping off thanks to the many thin leather straps securing the blades' confines to my body. I come to a quick halt within the treeline, my body freezing at the carnage before me. All around the wreckage, bodies lay strewn around and mutilated. Most hardly even resembled humans, their bodies butchered so brutally they looked more like piles of gore than corpses. Blood is splattered everywhere, crimson drenching most wooden splinters caused by the initial impact the boat had on the rocks. Some splinters of wood float around in the water nearby, given that the ship had ran aground so violently that the ship was only a few metres from the treeline.
The centrepiece of this destruction, however, both surprises and horrifies me. At the centre of the carnage is a thickly muscled beast lined with deep grey matted fur. Its beastly dog-like muzzle is wavy in structure, similar to that of a mountain range. Shoving its mouth into the blood heap in front of it, the beast begins to maul and chew on the fleshy mass before it. I nearly vomit as the beast removes its head from the mushy gore, and begins to sloppily slurp and chew on the disgusting gore. Snarling silently, I slowly reach for a small rock on the snowy floor and lift myself into a standing position. With a growl, I launch the rock through the air. Whizzing through the moonlit air, it collides with the muzzle of the abomination. Snarling with outrage, the beast stands into a bipedal stance with its claws flexed outwards to its sides.
Walking casually forwards and out of the forest, I stand defiantly before the lycanthropic monstrosity. The beast howls into the night air, pale air escaping its mouth from the coldness of the night, before it begins to run on all fours towards me. Quickly drawing my blades from their sheathes, I roll to the side as the beast pounces for me, launching itself into the forest. Scurrying away, I drag myself upwards and spin around to face my furred foe. I turn just in time to receive a grey claw to the chest, tearing through my fabric shirt and scratching the skin of my chest, leaving four bloody claw marks. Sent flying back from the force, I slump against the broken hull of the ship, the impact causing some strewn gore to slump off the wooden planks.
As the beast pounces once more, I dive to the ground and allow it to fly by and slam face first into the hull, the impact causing the beast to go momentarily limp in shock before thrashing around to escape. With my left blade, I raise it high and bring it down on the beast's left shoulder-blade. The cold steel of my blade penetrates the flesh with ease, slicing straight through the flesh and bone and dismembering the werewolf's vile limb. Howling in agony and boiling rage, the beast's head springs from the hull and collides with my still outstretched left arm, savagely mauling my limb by latching onto the flesh and shaking its head feverishly. Yelling in agony, I drop my left blade onto the bloody ground and punch the head tearing up my arm with my right hand, still clenched around the handle for my other dual sword. My punch impacts with the creature's eye, one of my knuckles strikes a pumpkin orange eye and causes a gush of blood and other fluids to ooze out the eye as it is immediately crushed inwards.
Yelping in pain, the beast releases its jaws from my arm and reveals the heavily bleeding wounds left behind by the wolf-man's assault. I frantically press the hand still holding my right blade against the wound roughly, attempting to slow the bleeding. Blood splatters my lower chest as the wounds sustained by me ooze my life-essence. My hair is matted by dirt and grime, speckles of blood locked within the hairs. A small cut leaks crimson from my forehead, the blood's thin trail running down around my nose and dripping from my chin. The wound of my left arm is vastly superior to all others in terms of damage, the muscle being barely hidden by flaps of serrated skin bleeding heavily. Splinters embedded in my back from the rough landing on the hull leak speckles of crimson down my fabric shirt, staining the back a rich crimson. My legs even have some splinters can cuts, leaving the integrity of my body increasingly poor, with my final set of wounds being the group of shallow slices in my chest from the initial strike by the werewolf, some crimson ichor clotting haphazardly.
The wolfish being before me fares even worse. Its makeshift amputation spewing forth torrents of gore, blood splattered across the beast's torso thoroughly. Oozing life fluid is the now decimated eye of the werewolf, the socket hollow with only the remnants of its eye clinging to the bloody tissue. Snarling weakly, the wolf slowly crouches down and prepares one final pounce to try and cause a fatality, my head ringing as it surges forwards through the air and towards me. Tiredly, I slump to the ground at the last second and go limp on the ground as the wolf-like being flies over me and slams into the heavily destroyed piece of ship which was behind me. Sluggishly, I roll onto my back whilst coughing up blood, some speckles of it splattering onto my mouth.
From this position, my head is facing the night sky above, but moving my head weakly, I turn my eyes to the werewolf who lays impaled by several spikes of wood, one impaling it through the muzzle and coming out the other side of its skull. The entire body is still, its chest no longer moving as a sign of life, giving the confirmation that it has perished after the conflict. Slumping my head back against the ground, I close my eyes and laugh to myself with satisfaction at my victory. Ending my laugh with soft chuckles, I give a pained groan as I crawl up into a kneeling position before cradling my wounded arm with my healthy one. Moaning in pain, I push myself upwards with my knees until I'm stood upright, hunched over slightly as my wounds continue to wrack my body in pain.
A faint crack of a twig causes me to look up, the sight of dozens of eyes staring back at me is presented. All the eyes are a deep pumpkin orange, and glow in the inky blackness flowing between the trees. The air of the wreckage is thick with the sounds of snarls and growls. Snarling myself, I lean downwards and scoop one of my dual swords into my functioning arm, and point the blade's piercing tip towards the mass of wolfish monstrosities. With snarls dying down for just a moment, a ghostly howl in the distance diverts everything's attention to the side, the rustling of bushes greeting my eyes as I look. For a split-second all I see are bushes and trees. The next, a much larger hulking lycanthrope looms above me. Coated in thick black fur, this werewolf is even more different to the rest hidden in the treeline. This one has even larger tapered ears which are angled to not point behind the wolf's head but more to the left and right of the monster's great skull. Piercing luminescent crimson orbs stare straight into mine, the tiny black pupils locked onto me before turning to the large grey corpse near to me. It snarls for a moment, turning to the gaping wounds covering my body with unnerving interest.
Turning to its large group of inferior brethren to its side hiding in the background, the alpha growls before snapping its head rapidly towards the forest behind it. Tipping its head back, the creature screeches a howl before being joined by lesser werewolves, their howls decreasing in volume as they scurry off into the darkness of the forest, the sound of the wind and bushes becoming more loud than their ghostly howls. Turning from the pack running into the forest, I look at the alpha before my eyes widen as It grabs me by the neck and hoists me upwards. It roars in fury straight into my face, the stench of death and decay bellowing from its open maw as rows of yellowed pointed teeth reveal themselves. Still clenching my blade, I go to stab the beast only to stop when a golden bolt of energy smashes into the creatures chest. Howling in pain, I'm dropped onto the ground in a bloodied heap as the creature turns towards his assailant.
A figure bursts from the treeline, the unmistakeable shape of a pony being cast in the moonlight. Dressed in an almost full-bodied suit of plate armour, the moonlight cast above shines along the cool metal worn by the alpha's attacker. Instead or armouring the head like a regular full bodied suit, the figure instead has their head exposed with a black cloak tied around their neck with its tail waving in the night's breeze. The golden aura around a unicorn's horn casts a yellow light upon the face belonging to the figure, the identity even more recognisable now that the mane and coat of Lyra is shown in the light. Glaring at the wolf-like being in front of her, she glares before throwing her horn forwards and launches another bolt of energy towards the creature, the beast being to large to dodge the slick attack. Another strike to its chest causes the air around it, with me within, to smell of burning hair. The vile stench of burning fur wafts up my bloody nose, leaving me to gag for a moment before watching the barrage of magic again.
The werewolf absorbs hit after hit, its torso losing most of its fur as the torso begins scarred with fiery burns and the fur which is left even sets alight from the onslaught. Despite her attacks dealing damage, Lyra is showing some strain if the sweat and heavy breathing is any sign. Seeing his assailant beginning to weaken, the wolf-like creature begins to growl menacingly before advancing slowly towards a frantic looking Lyra. With a burst of energy, I stand up from the ground unsteadily before slumping against the creature's back. The alpha roars in pain as my firmly held sword pierces through its furred back and out of its scarred and burnt abdomen. Turning around with the sword still penetrating the alpha's hide, I cause a jagged slice through the beast's abdomen resulting in the critical damage of most of the beast's innards. Howling in pain and anger, the alpha swats me away, sending me skidding across the snowy ground which leaves a faint red trail in the snow. The freezing cold ground numbs my back and saps the energy from my body as the edges of my vision begin to darken.
The alpha turns around to face me with vicious snarls promising pain and agony as it forgets the huffing unicorn now running towards it from behind. Lunging its thickly furred claw towards me, it latches around my neck and begins to lift up my limp form as my body begins to shut down, its piercing red eyes glaring at me through the darkness consuming my sight. The alpha reaches with its jaws and tries to lock them round my throat, only for another feral roar of pain to escape them as Lyra launches searing hot energy into the beast's open wound caused by my blade. As my vision continues to darken, I feel the now much heavier and colder blade in my grip slip from my grasp and land softly onto the tightly packed snow below. Slipping from the beast's grasp, I land heavily onto the ground and remain motionless except for the slight movement in my chest caused by my strained breathing. My vision becomes a lengthy tunnel as the sight of the Alpha slumping into the forest presents itself, the last thing I see before slipping into unconsciousness being the sight of a frantic Lyra collecting up my blades and lifting me up in a strained telepathic grip.
