Life Of Chronos

Welcome to the world of Helmettria, where almost anything is possible. Follow Chronos on an adventure that will change him forever. (This story is not finished, I will add more to it later)

Part 1

  It wasn’t that long ago that Chronos was a great warrior. He was a Hom that had fought in the 10 year war against the cruel and powerful country Morthal. A brave warrior and leader, he was once known as Lightdefender. Now all he was was a broken man. He sat pitifully in a run down bar, drunk, where he had lived for the last few months. In front of him was a battered ak47, and next to it was Death Bringer, a huge dwarven crafted greatsword with ancient Alatum Esse glyphs on the blade. Right beside him sat an empty chair, empty, just like a hole in his heart. To the war he had lost his family, and lost his country. The wicked kingdom of Morthal was always looking for more land for their people to settle down in. Chronos and his clansmen fought hard for their beloved country, but their resistance was crushed. In his drunken stupor he could remember his old life, and his hopeless fight against immeasurable odds just like it was yesterday........

Chronos was born in a small valley village built by Homs called Ivarstead, to a loving mother and father in their early forties. He also had two brothers and a sister. They made a living as farmers, growing corn, squash, apples, and other crops in the lush valley. 

When he wasn’t working in the fields taking care of the plants or harvesting new plants to sell, Chronos spent most of his time in the marketplace, where he helped sell his family’s crops. 

He was sweet on a girl that he often saw there, her name was Melina, and she was the second daughter of a couple that owned the only tavern in the village. Little did he know that someday in the far out future, they would be a married couple. 

Life in Ivarstead valley was perfect, tranquil. Chronos spent his free time with a small group of friends made up of children from the village, where they would play together. They would have sword fights with sticks, climb trees, and explore the mountains that surrounded the valley village. 

Until the day that one such adventure went terribly wrong.

Chronos and his friends had been exploring an especially steep mountainside for the last three hours. Among their group were Seth, the oldest and the leader of the group, Chris, a somewhat shy boy, Angel who was the younger sister of Seth, Melina, and of course Chronos. Everyone was of mainly Homs descent, except for Melina. She had a full set of gray feathered wings. As they made their way up the mountainside, each of the children could feel the sweat on their faces, as the sun’s rays and the steep mountainside drained their energy. Chris was the first to give in to exhaustion.

“Can we turn back now and go back to the village. I’m tired and need a drink,” Chris moaned.

“If you’re tired, we can take a break and drink some water, but I think we have enough energy to go a little farther than this,” replied Seth.

They found the perfect place to take a break, a cave where the air was cool and the sun could not reach within it’s deeps. It was then that Melina came up with an interesting idea.

“Why don’t we explore this cave? I’m excited to find out what lies within,” Melina suggested.

“I agree, I wonder what treasure we might find inside it,” said Chronos, excited.

“What do you two think?” Asked Seth to his sister Angel, and Chris.

Both agreed that they should explore the cave. And so the group of five children made there way into the old, dark, and foreboding cave. Inside the cave they came across a small lake in the darkness, and an island in the middle of the lake with what seemed like a large slab of stone in the center of it. 

As the group came closer, to their surprise, they found the island was composed completely of the remains of human beings. While the bottom parts of the island were mainly made up of bones, the top of the island was by far the most disturbing, as the remains were much more recent. 

The rotten flesh of the dead was a chilling sight indeed, and smelled rancid. The group said nothing, as they stared into what looked like Hell itself. In the middle of the island of bones stood an ancient blood alter, the stone bleached a dark red from the lives of the hundreds of dead that it stood upon. 

After so much life blood had been spilled on the once smooth and beautiful granite, it was now rusty, crumbly, and crimson red. Upon the rusted stone reeking of death, was a fresh body, a young woman from Ivarstead. She couldn’t have been older than 17. 

At the sight of the bodies the children could not help but vomit out whatever they still had in their stomaches, splashes of greenish yellow liquid that soon dissolved in the sickly lake. It was then that they realized that the lake wasn’t a lake of water at all. It was blood, human excrement, and tears. 

An ungodly voice perforated the room, muttering what sounded like gibberish to the children, but was actually the One Language. The first form of communication since the birth of life, the language of the Primal, a race of gods that were the first to come into existence, and the first to create their own life. Long dead and forgotten, the Primal were no more. Destroyed by their own creations, by the Elder Gods, the Primal were banished from this realm. 

The voice continued to speak, and a red mist seemed to come from the blood alter. There was no doubt about it, there was a Primal within that rock, and it wanted blood. 

Seth was the first to fall. As his eyes glazed over, he grabbed for the hunting knife that hung at his belt, it had been a gift from his father, and the only protection that the group had. Now he held it up in a battle stance. Chronos saw it all happen, and soon realized that he had no control of his body. Unable to fight back, the voice took control of his body. 

In fact, the only one who wasn’t effected was Chris. Frightened, Chris shrieked at the body that sat on the bloody stone. Startled, Chris looked around to see his friends closing in on him, with blank stares on their faces. Chris. Forever the coward. He was not as courageous as his friends, but he was the only one of them who had a pure heart, and so could not come under the influence of the Primal. So in the Primal’s eyes, he was the perfect sacrifice. Chris was brought kicking and screaming through the lake, to the island.

NO, PLEASE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?? NO, NOT THE BLOODY STONE, DON’T DO THIS TO ME, PLEASE, LET ME GO, LET ME GOOOOOOO!!!! Begged the innocent little boy. Chronos was forced to watch as his body pinned Chris’s weaker body to the bloody alter, moving the previous sacrifice off the stone, and onto the ever growing pile of bodies that surrounded it. 

He was forced to watch as Seth’s body brought the knife ever closer to his friends helpless body. You could literally see the effort that Seth was going through to stop his arm, as it shook madly. But it came ever closer to Chris, and the voice of the Primal was far too strong. 

Slowly, agonizingly slow, the knife slid across Chris’s throat. Chronos could hear the gurgling of his poor friend as his life essence bleed all over the stone. The stone glowed bright orange, and Chronos could feel the pulse of the stone, just like it was a living thing. 

Finally, the pulsing stopped, the light faded, the voice stopped speaking, and the children returned to their bodies. 

Chronos felt absolute regret, anguish, sadness, and bitter hopelessness. He looked at his dead friend and felt like his heart was empty. And in its place a black hole. And he would live with this for the rest of his life. 

Unfortunately Seth could not live with what had happened. The utter madness of how he was forced to watch as he slit his friend’s throat was too much. Seth made his way out of the cave and threw himself over the edge of the cliff outside. He died. 

Later the next night his sister Angel was found hanging from a rope in her room. She could not live with the deaths of her loving brother and faithful friend, both dead. She had committed suicide. 

That left the only two survivors of the horrible incident. Melina and Chronos.They were forced to live their lives knowing and never forgetting the horrible tragedy. The cave was entered by holy men, and the stone supposedly destroyed. 

The bodies of the children were buried a week later. People of the poor valley village cried openly at the complete lose of life. Mothers held their children a little closer. Fathers put on fake smiles to hide their pain, as if to say everything would be all right. But it wouldn’t be. Not for Chronos and Melina. Not ever.

Chronos drifted out of his old memories, and found himself back at the bar. He ordered another ale, and sat back down in his chair. The tears flowed freely, but he would not cry. Again, he fell back into the memory of his past life. Remembering his pain.

Years passed at the peaceful little mountain village, and no one wanted to remember the horrible tragedy that had occurred in Ivarstead. But Chronos and Melina would not forget. And they would not forgive. 

They no longer fit in with the others of the village. Their serious attitude made them hard to approach, and the village shunned them for what they had done. 

Even Chronos’s own parents seemed to their backs on him and his only friend. But somewhere in their peaceful little mountain town was a murderer. Someone who worshipped a child killer, that was willing to go so far as to sacrifice a helpless child, as well as many others. Someone that didn’t care that two children would commit suicide. And Chronos and Melina could not let this go. 

Growing into young adults, they studied hard the art of war, fueled by hate. And at the same time, tried to solve the mystery of who had killed the young woman and three children that had been their friends.

As they grew into adulthood, they found that they had become formidable warriors. But that wasn’t the only thing they found. They also found love. The two were married at age 18, and built a small home for themselves hidden in the mountains. 

This was so that they were away from the village, and could no longer feel the pain of rejection that they felt every day they had spent at Ivarstead since that day their friends had died. The two sparred together every day, and exercised their bodies so that when the time was right and they had found the murderer, they would be ready to pass judgement on said murderer and finally be free of their anguish, anger, and suffering. 

Years passed, and there were no signs that the murderer would ever show up again, until something went terribly wrong. A child was found missing. And every few weeks, someone else would also go missing. It wasn’t long before the mayor and village elders decided that enough was enough, and guards were sent in from a major city nearby. 

For Kanata, a city with strong stone walls surrounding it, and hundreds of guards to serve and protect the city, it was simple for 20 guards from the city to go to Ivarstead and protect it until the threat was resolved. Now everyone had to be inside a home by

9:00 PM at night, and meet in the center of the village at 8:00 AM in the morning, where everyone would be counted to check if anyone was missing. The captain of the guards, Mandra Broadshield, promised to the towns folk that the missing villagers would be found, and the ones responsible would be executed. Word had also come to Chronos and his wife Melina. 

The two decided to keep a closer eye on their home town at this time as well. A week after the guards had come, everyone gathered together in the middle of the town to find the severed head of one of the village elders lying in the middle of the road. 

Fear was among the villagers, and one of the women who had lost a loved one cried openly. The words of the guards and their captain no longer soothed the villagers. Without knowing who the kidnapper was, the guards were no more helpful than vinegar to a man dying of thirst. 

Knowing of the guards blunder, and looking desperately for revenge, Chronos and Melina decided to lay a trap. Every night the two would hide in the village until dawn. Using their stealth and combat skills, the guards didn’t even know that they were there. And after two weeks of hiding the tired couple finally found the culprit. 

Just around midnight, they saw in the darkness two running figures, carrying a large brown sack, that seemed to be moving. No doubt with a body in it. They were obviously skilled beings, as the guards did not see a thing. Chronos, drawing his ak47, chased after them, silent as a cat as Melina wielded her Death Bringer, a wicked great sword that could cut through flesh and bone like butter as they followed the two black figures. 

The chase went on, and the two figures must have noticed they were being followed because they picked up their speed and occasionally shot at the young couple to slow them down. Finally, after what was a good hour of running and parkour, the two figures stopped at a cave, and entered. But not before dropping several grenades at the entrance. 

Surprised, Chronos and Melina hit the ground outside the cave as half a dozen grenades exploded. They emerged from the explosion virtually unscathed, and made their way into the cave. The two black cloaked figures were no where to be seen.

“We lost them.....” Muttered Melina.

“No, not yet. They have to be somewhere in this cave. We should move forward.” Chronos replied.

And so Chronos and Melina made their way deeper into the cave.

Going deeper into the cave, something felt chillingly familiar to Chronos. He started to have flashbacks of the old cave. The island of bones, the bloody stone, the powerful voice of the Primal, and the death of his friends. Losing his footing, he fell to the ground. His heart was going a mile a minute.

“What’s wrong?” Melina asked in a worried voice.

“Somethings not right here. This cave......” stammered Chronos.

“I know, I feel it too.” replied Melina, “But this is our chance to end this nightmare, and we can’t stop now. To wash our hands clean of Chris’s death and the others. If you won’t do it, I’ll do it myself.”

Slowly, Chronos got up. Melina smiled, and they continued on their way. Finally, they reached a large empty cavern. Inside, the two dark figures kneeled over a very familiar stone. On the stone sat the contents of the sack. The bloody remains of a child. 

His chest and stomach had been ripped open, and the blood and chunks of flesh that sat upon the blood alter were a disturbing sight. But Chronos and Melina had seen worse in their nightmares, and the sight did not scare them. It made them furious. Around the room sat the decaying remains of all the missing villagers. Bits and pieces were littered around the room. There were few bodies that still had all their parts attached.

The figures got up and turned to face them. They wore completely black uniforms, that blended in with the night. The smaller of the figures, a woman from the looks of it, dual wielded flintlock revolvers. The bigger one, supposably a man, held a large steel greatsword, much like Melina’s if it weren’t so rusted. The sword was coated in some sort of substance, perhaps acid or poison, but also blood.

Chrono’s took one look at the dead innocents around him before he decided that this was the time for the vengeance that Chronos had wanted, and so richly deserved. Exchanging a quick glance at Melina, he knew that she felt the same way. The four stared hard at each other, waiting for the time to strike. A water droplet fell from the ceiling and hit a puddle on the floor. And without a word, the fight began.

Chronos was the first to strike, with a burst of shots straight at the two figures in black. Dodging with great skill and patience, the small black clothed woman did a neat quick roll to the left, while the larger man blocked the bullets with his massive sword. Charging at Melina, the larger figure swung his massive sword aiming at her neck, hoping to decapitate her. Melina crouched down as the sword swing went right over her head.

“ARRRAAAAAAAGHG!!!” Yelled Melina with a voice filled with pain as she stabbed at the large black figure.

You could literally feel the anger that went into her swing.

“THIS IS FOR CHRIS YOU B******S” She said.

The large dark figure neatly dodged the blade of her sword, and kicked her straight in the chest. Melina slid across the cave floor.

Meanwhile Chronos was having tough time with his smaller opponent. Chronos shot another flurry of bullets at the small dark figure, but it was simply for her to dodge and shoot back with her two revolvers. Chronos’s arm was grazed by a bullet, and he started to bleed. 

Knowing that shooting from his range was easy for the small dark figure to dodge, he charged her, and as doing so drew a hidden dagger from his coat. The small dark figure shot 4 shots in quick succession from her revolvers. Chronos did his best to dodge, but was still hit in the stomach by one of the shots. 

He stumbled before continuing his charge. 

Reaching the woman in black, she looked startled, he knew he had the advantage in closer combat. He stabbed at her with his knife once, she dodged, slashed at her a second time, she dodged again, and he finally stabbed at her stomach a third time. She dropped her revolvers, and caught the blade with both hands. He had her now, the knife was a bluff. He dropped the knife, and shot her point blank with the ak47. She rolled away, bleeding. But as she did, she dropped a nice surprise for Chronos. Three more grenades.

“Oh s**t,” muttered Chronos. The blast blew Chronos across the room, and he landed on his side. The first thing he felt was the pain. It burned all over his body, except for below his waist. He couldn’t feel his legs. It was all he could do just to watch Melina’s fight.

Melina got up. She could tell immediately that her ribs were badly bruised, but not yet broken. She held her Death Bringer sword with both hands in a fighting stance, breathing heavily. The man silently walked towards Melina with his greatsword outstretched. He tried an upward slash that Melina was just barely able to parry. She stumbled.

The man in black slashed at Melina in quick succession, with the strength of a mountain. She was slowly being pushed back with each blow. It was all Melina could do to parry his strikes, and she was beginning to get tired. But she would not give up. It was not a trait she possessed. She was not as strong as the man, and she had less reach with her sword, but she was faster. Taking advantage of this, she kicked the man below the waste and quickly swung her sword. The man did not have enough time to dodge completely, the blade of the nicked his mask and it fell to the ground. And........

How? The face Melina saw staring back at her was the madly grinning face of Chronos’s father. Chronos saw it too.

“Why?” Chronos said, between breathes.

“Your mother and I have been blackhoods since before you were born. You wouldn’t have understood. You never understood. The power we got from serving our master, a Primal God, and the training in necromancy from our leader Mad Ricky, was well worth all the souls that we had to sacrifice. You served your purpose as well, you even brought us a sacrifice, your friend Chris. We planned to tell you and let you share our power, but your anger after that incident made us unsure if you would ever join us. But we will give you one more chance. You and your wife will join us, or you will die.” Said Chronos’s father. The woman in black took off her mask too, and showed the face of Chronos’s mother.

“We would never join you murderers, YOU ARE MY FAMILY NO MORE!” Replied Chronos.

Smiling as if they were enjoying a nice beautiful walk through the mountains, rather than killing their own son and his wife, Chronos’s mother said, “You know, there are many bodies here. Would you like to see some of the power we earned from Mad Ricky in action?” Said Chronos’s mother. Then she laughed. 

The bodies that littered the cavern came to life, and attacked the young couple. It was not long before the living corpses had Chronos and Melina pinned to the ground. Broken and defeated, it seemed that Chronos and Melina had come to the end of the line. They just couldn’t match the skill of these murderers, who had real fighting experience. If they were ever going to be able to stand their own against blackhood cultists they would need more than just simple training. They would need real fights, and a master to teach them. Which they never had.

Chronos’s father picked Chronos and Melina up by the back of their necks, and dragged their damaged bodies to the blood alter, where their blood would be spilled one final time. Using the stone like an executioner’s block, Melina’s head laid down on the stone. 

Chronos lacked the ability to move after the grenades had hit him point blank. There was nothing Chronos could do but watch. Chronos’s father held his greatsword high above his head, and was just about to bring it down when he was shot in the arm. Startled and crying out in pain, Chronos’s father looked up to see two guards. 

They must have followed us from the village, thought Chronos. Thank the gods they came, he thought to himself. One of the guards held a pistol, while the other had an long bow with the Alatum glyph of fire on it. One of the guards took out a walkie-talkie, “This is team 6, requesting backup. There are two Blackhood necromancers here, a blood altar and a hell of a lot of dead bodies. I think we found where all the kidnapped villagers ended up. We also found two survivors, but I don’t think they’re from the village. I don’t recognize them.”

“Surrender now, or prepare to die!” Yelled one of the guards, obviously the cockier one.

The Blackhood man chuckled and rolled his eyes before saying, “I would rather die than surrender to the likes of you, dog of the military. May you rot in hell.” replied Chronos’s father.

The cocky guard answered with a flaming arrow, which Chronos’s father easily caught in mid air with his bare hands. The fire didn’t even seem to faze him.

“You’re too weak,” spat Chronos’s mother. “You call yourself a soldier? The expectations of the military just get lower and lower.

The not quite as cocky guard took out his walkie-talkie and said, “So, how long until we get some reinforcements?

The undead quickly surrounded the guards, scratching and biting at them.

Chronos lay on the ground, bleeding. He was in no condition to help. But right in front of him was his ak47. While his parents had their attention on the guards, Chronos had to shoot them down. But how? He was nearly dead from the damage of the grenades. He watched as one of the bodies came to life and took a chunk out of a guard’s arm. The rage over the fact that his parents weren’t what they seemed, and were lying to him all these years was horrible. He cried angry tears as something strange took hold of his soul. A red aura took control of him, giving him new strength. It was enough for him to grab his ak47. He knew it was a cheap shot, but the two Primal worshipping Blackhoods had more skill than him, knew magic, could raise people from the dead, and probably had other tricks up their sleeves too. The truth was, in a fair fight he and Melina were no match.

Besides, so far in their battle they had been toyed with. His parents didn’t even need to use their magic or necromancy to defeat him and his wife. And now he could barely move, and was blacking out from lack of blood. It was now or never.

“Goodbye mom,” said Chronos with pain in his voice for things having to end  the way they did.

His mother looked back in surprise.

“That red aura…. But you should be dead!”

She aimed her dual pistols at her son, just in time to be shot in the head. And that was it. She fell to the ground. Dead.

“YOU B*****D”, his father yelled, “To believe that you would possess that power… You should have never been born.” Chronos’s father said coldly to his son. Suddenly, Melina got up. She was holding her Death Bringer, and gave Chronos a quick look of support.

“I can still fight. I’ve still got some strength left in my heart. Will you back me up?” Chronos managed to nod his head and smile, despite being half dead and bleeding out all over the floor. She nodded back before turning her eyes to her true opponent. 

Yelling a battle cry, she charged Chronos’s father and attacked him with new found might. The blackhood man’s undead monsters were chomping away on one of the guards, he was certainly dead. But the other guard managed to fire off two quick shots at Chronos’s father. Maybe together the two of them and the guard stood a chance against this monster of a man.

Chronos’s father managed to block one of the shots from the guards gun with his sword, and Melina’s sword thrust all at once with his giant blade, but the other shot hit him on his leg.  Somehow the huge man was still alive though, like some sort of demon of death he smacked the Death Bringer blade out of Melina’s hands like it was a toy just as Chronos finished reloading his ak47. But the old man was tired, and he couldn’t keep up with three enemies in his state. He slashed at her one more, but she rolled out of the way, dropping a grenade at the huge man’s feet. The grenade went off, and at the same time, Chronos fired an entire clip into the smoke left by the grenade. When the smoke cleared, the huge man lay in a pool of blood, with bullet holes everywhere, breathing heavily.

He looked Chronos in the eye and said this in between ragged breaths. “If I’m…. going to hell…. Then your coming….. with me..” He ripped off his black cloak and shirt, and underneath were dynamite bombs wrapped around his waist. He lit the wick that was connected to them, it wouldn’t be long until it would go off, killing everyone and likely caving in the cavern.

“If you will not serve my masters the Primal with me….. then at least you shall all be honored to give your lives with me to keep my masters safe. Heh heh hehehe… *cough cough*.”

Just then, a swords edge gleamed in the darkness and cut the great man in half, and along with it the wick of the dynamite. A man appeared amidst the corpses. He was a muscular man in leather titanium light armor, bearing the symbol of the people of Sage on the crest of his armor. A crescent moon.

Melina and Chronos were surprised to see who the man was. It was none other than the captain of the guard, Mandra Broadshield.

Maybe he’s not so useless after all, thought Chronos.

Mandra took one look at Chronos and Melina and said this,

“To be able to track down and execute a plan to protect this village against necromancers, even blackhood necromancers, you certainly have skill. From this day on each of you will be known as Lightdefender, and will have the rank of honorary guards of the people of Sage. Congratulations.”

The man sighed in relief, before sheaving his sword and walking away.

“The funeral pyres will burn high for this one. What a pain.” Said Mandra with a smirk before walking away.

As the guards from the town came, they cleared out the left over undead, saving the life of the remaining guard. Chronos watched it all and smiled at his victory before passing out.

They had won, but not without losses. While Chronos and Melina slept recovering in beds, many more became ashes. Countless dozens had died due the blackhood necromancers, a cult that worshiped dark beings that were only known as the Primals. They believed that only through human sacrifice would their masters be awakened to wreak havoc upon the world, and make it a paradise. So two acolytes had been defeated, so what? It did not matter. If two could kill dozens, then the hundreds more would make the rivers of Sage run thick with blood. Sage would become a burial ground. 

Families grieved while they watched what was left of their loved ones go up in flames. Even if Chronos and Melina had stopped future deaths, they were many years too late to stop the deaths of plenty more. This was no victory. This was a defeat.

Chronos woke up to find himself in a warm bed, in the upstairs of Ivarstead’s only tavern, run by Melina’s parents. On his bedside table lay a fresh tray of breakfast, warm porridge with cinnamon on top, a glass of milk, and some cheese with bread. 

Chronos tried to get out of bed, but immediately felt sharp pain throughout his body, mainly where he had been shot in the stomach. He couldn’t feel his legs. It was all he could do to catch his breath, his body was exhausted after the life or death battle that ended with the death of his own parents. Chronos was just starting to fall back to sleep, when his mother in law, Emily, came into the room.

“So, your finally awake huh?” Emily said, “You’ve been out for days. You know the whole town owes you for this one. Who would have thought that you two would be the ones to save the town. I’m sorry that it had to be like this though, who would have known that the kidnappers would be your own parents.”

The elderly woman began feeding the broken man some of the porridge as she talked.

“If your wondering where your wife is, she’s downstairs in her old bedroom. She being taken care of, and seems to be recovering. In the town folks seem to have given you two a new name. They call you the Lightdefenders, because you fought against the blackhood menace and stopped the rise of a Primal. Without you two, the town wouldn’t be the only people that would be suffering. If that Primal had fed on enough life blood and awakened, the whole world would have been in trouble. 

“It was no problem. I would do anything for this village, and to avenge all my friends Melina and me were destined to win this battle. It’s good to see you Emily.” Chronos responded with a small smile.

“Ha! Forever the serious warrior, aren’t you? It really was something valiant that you to did though. Some in the town might even call you heroes. And me included.” laughed the older woman.

Emily began to tear pieces of bread and cheese, and began feeding chunks of the two to Chronos. “Would you like to sit up? If you want I can prop you up if you prefer to eat sitting up rather than lying down.” Emily said as she stirred the bowl of porridge. 

“Yes please,” Chronos said as he closed his eyes, as he listened to the birds outside his bedroom window. Emily took hold of Chronos’s muscular arms and shoulders, and with great strength brought him into a sitting position. What strength, thought Chronos. So that’s how Melina lifted such a big and heavy sword and swung it around as if it was nothing.

Emily went to give Chronos some milk, but being the proud warrior that he was starting to become, he said “Thank you, but I think I can still feed myself.”

“Alright, if you need anything just yell and I’ll come running, ok?” Emily smiled at the bedridden man one more time before heading downstairs to check on her sleeping daughter. 

After the long fight and resting for the last couple days, Chronos was ravenously hungry. Taking a big piece of bread and a large slab of cheese, Chronos chewed it and gulped some of the milk to help it go down. After finishing off the bread and cheese, Chronos went to work on the porridge, eating spoonful after spoonful of the stuff. After finishing his meal, he went back to sleep. 

He slept peacefully until he found himself suddenly at the cave again. He heard the whispering voice of the Primal, no doubt speaking the One Language. He found his body moving on its own, slowly walking into the bloody lake, deeper and deeper. 

He felt skeletal hands from deep in the lake grabbing at his feet as he made his way over to the island of bones, the last place he wanted to be. Chronos struggled to control his body, but it was no use. Just like so many years ago, his body was no longer his own.

Chronos finally came to the crimson stone. Beside the stone were his mother and father, kneeling, and in full blackhood garb. They were speaking in the One Language as well, with their eyes closed and a blank expression on their faces. After a good 30 seconds, suddenly, they stopped. He found his body lying his head down against the bloody stone. The Blood Alter. He tried to fight, but he couldn't control himself. The two blackhoods stood up, and his father took out his greatsword. Raising it high above his head he brought it down with amazing force aiming at Chronos’s neck, and......

Chronos woke up in a cold sweat, out of breath. Catching his breath, he looked around himself to see he was still in the upstairs of tavern, in his bed. Instantly he felt relieved. The nightmare had felt far too real. 

Remembering that his blackhood child murdering parents were dead, he felt much better. Smiling to himself, he fell back to sleep, and instead dreamed that he was accessing a realm called the internet, and was writing a story about an unlikely hero, hoping to brush up his writing skills. Although it was a weird ordeal, he slept peacefully throughout the rest of night, and in through part of the morning. 

He woke up with terrible pain all over his body, especially where he was shot in the stomach. His legs still hurt from when the grenades his mother dropped exploded, and his feet as well. But he was still alive, and at least now he could feel his legs, even if the only feeling he got from them was immense pain. In great effort, he tried to move his body. He found that although the pain was intense, he could still move his legs and arms. He then tried to sit up, feeling horrible pain in his stomach where he had been shot. 

But he managed to get his body in a sitting position. Chronos pushed the bed sheet off his damaged body to find that he was covered with bloody bandages, wearing nothing but his loincloth. Next to his bed he saw a wardrobe. Chronos tried to get out of bed, putting weight on his legs. They could not hold his weight and Chronos fell to the floor with a crash. 

Emily must have heard the crash from downstairs, and immediately came into the room with a frightened look on her face. “Oh no, let me help you with that,” Emily said with a sympathetic frown. Emily picked the big man up with same amazing strength that she had showed earlier, and had him sit on the bed. She then changed his bandages and helped him into a white cotton shirt with grey pants. 

“So, would you like to visit your wife?” Emily asked with a blank expression. 

“Yes,” replied Chronos with a worried look on his face.

Emily helped Chronos struggle down the stairs and into Melina’s bedroom. There was Melina, sitting peacefully on a large bed. She looked so peaceful there, like a beautiful angel. By her side were Melina’s father, Ben, and the towns’ only doctor, Dr. Grenn. Both had bleak expressions, and looked like they hadn’t slept well in days. Chronos was shocked by what he saw. 

Was his wife ok? Would he ever be able to feel her calming presence at his side again? Chronos began to feel great sadness and emptiness. He would never be the same without her. But then he felt anger. 

Anger at the blackhoods, and his father and mother in particular. He even felt anger at the Primal, even knowing that he would never stand a chance at a being so far above him. Chronos thought that his desire for vengeance would leave him after he defeated the murderer of his friends and fellow villagers. But the cycle of his endless vengeance had just begun. He could not forgive the blackhoods, no matter how hard he tried.

He would destroy the cult that had hurt his wife, friends, and village. And he would crush anyone who might get in his way. Chronos asked, “Will Melina be alright?” Silence perforated the room before the doctor finally spoke. 

“Things look grave for Melina, she has been in a coma for five days,” the doctor said bleakly, “There is little we can do for her, and her wounds are........ life threatening. And she seems to have been poisoned.The chances of her survival are slim at best.”

“Is there anything I can do for her?” Chronos asked, almost begging.

“Yes,” replied the doctor. “Over one of the mountains that surrounds this valley, is a small shack, the woman who lives there is known as the Healer. It is rumored that she has the ability in control magic, and is able to cure illnesses, remedy poisons, and heal wounds with her magical abilities and her staff. She is the one person that I think could save your wife’s life. But the way to the shack of the Healer is dangerous, there are many dangerous beings out there in the wilderness, anything from man eating bears, to bandits, to undead soldiers, to trolls. Will you do it? You might not make it back, even with your skills.”

“I’ll think about it. But I need time to rest. I can barely walk in my condition. Give me two days, and if I think I can do it, I’ll go.” Said Chronos with determination.

Dr.Grenn looked at Chronos sympathetically and said, “You’re in no condition to find the healer in your state. It would take at the minimum, weeks for you to get better. You need your rest.”

“I will do it,” responded Chronos defiantly. “Whatever it takes to make my wife well again.”

And with that Chronos made his way back up the stairs and into his room with the help of Emily.

Chronos found himself lying in his bed as the time passed by. He was angry and felt useless. There was no way his body would be able to heal in time, and his wife would die without the help of this so called healer. Nevertheless, time passed, and the anger over how worthless he was in the end, unable to save even his own wife brought him into rage.

Chronos yelled and punch his pillow until all that was left was ripped fabric and feathers all over the bed.

Chronos heard the door open and looked up to see Emily and Mandra, the captain of the guards.

“That pillow was a dangerous criminal with a bounty on its head. To believe that you managed to capture such a threat is unbelievable. Good work Lightdefender.” Said Mandra while holding back a laugh.

Emily swiftly elbowed Mandra in the stomach. “Ahem,” Emily cleared her throat.

Mandra spoke, “We’re here to cheer you up Chronos. I saw what you did in the cave. How you fought those blackhoods and showed true bravery. We support you. You’ve already saved countless lives. If anyone in this village can save Melina, it’s you.” Said Mandra with a serious, caring look on his face. “That’s all I came here to say.”

And with that, Mandra walked away.

“You know, he’s right.” Said Emily. “If anyone can save her, it’s you.” Emily and Chronos sat in silence together for quite some time before Emily finally broke the silence. “Do you want something to eat?”

Emily helped Chronos down the stairs and into the tavern. It was a busy day. There Ben and two of Chronos’s siblings, Hope and Alzerac, were waiting for them at one of the tables.

“Well if it isn’t my son in law Chronos, come sit with us and we can discuss your recovery and our plan to help Melina.

“Hey big bro, we came as soon as we heard. How are your injuries?” Asked Alzerac

“Big brother! It’s been a while. Are you hurt?” Asked Hope.

Chronos was surprised. He was happy to see that his siblings were safe and sound. But could he really trust them? Melina and him had spent years in seclusion do to being blamed for the murder of Chris, and the deaths of Angel and Seth. But even after all this time, they were still here to see them. They still loved him. Chronos stifled a grin and held back tears. But one person was missing other than Melina. The eldest brother of the Siberius family. Vice. Vice had always been someone that Chronos and his younger siblings looked up to, but he had left the village around the same time that Chronos and Melina left. Oh well, maybe he was busy. For all Chronos knew, he was off having an adventure and showing off, like usual. But more than likely, Vice wasn’t what he had appeared to be at all.

“Well Chronos, aren’t you going to say something? Something on your mind? Here, I’ll help you sit down.” Said Alzerac.

Chronos hesitated for a moment before answering Alzerac’s questions, but decided it was best to keep his suspicions to himself. He couldn’t bear to get his family involved, and there was no doubt that would make the stress of what had happened even worse. He saw the pain in his siblings eyes now, after learning the truth about their parents and their deaths. He never wanted to see that look again.

“It’s nothing. I’m just feeling a little tired, that’s all.” Said Chronos.

The five of them sat at the table, sharing wine, food, and stories. It was the first time in years that Chronos felt he had a family. He hadn’t felt this accepted since before the death of Chris. He was surprised that Hope and Alzerac even still considered him family. It was heartwarming, but unexpected.

After eating dinner, Alzerac and Hope thanked Emily and Ben for the food and said their good byes to Chronos.

“Even if no one else will be, we’ll always be on your side. Isn’t that what true family is for? We will always love you.” Explained Hope.

“And we believe that you will save Melina. Good luck big bro.” Alzerac said with a wave as he and his sister made their way out of the tavern.

Ben and Emily helped Chronos into Melina’s room after the meal, left him there after  replacing his bandages and left him to his thoughts.

Chronos sat on Melina’s bed, tears in his eyes. He would save her if it was the last thing he did. She meant everything to him, she had been for him when no one else was. When he was shunned by the village and blamed for the murder of his own friends, she was there to share his burden. And he for hers.

But now things were different. She was no longer beside him. And He felt like he had lost a part of himself. he would do anything to get her back.

Chronos awoke up to find himself in his bedroom above the tavern. His parents in-law must have moved him while he slept.

Chronos stretched and got out of bed, smelling that breakfast was indeed ready.

There was a tray with eggs with bacon, toast, and orange juice and he ate all of it.

Chronos felt great. Well maybe great wasn’t the right word, he was still recovering from his wounds, but he felt like he was ready to fight. After breakfast Chronos explained that he was going to search for Healer, and that he was once again ready to fight.

“Ok, I will wait here and do my best to help Melina until you come back from your adventure,” The good doctor said.

“Wait,” said Emily, “Your wounds haven’t healed,” She said with a frown.

“I will make do,” replied the bandaged warrior.

“Wait,” said Ben, Melina’s father. “You’re going to need help” The two men smiled at each other, not needing to exchange words.

Ben handed Chronos his ak47, full loaded. Ben then took the Death Bringer sword that Melina always used.  The two put on leather armor and were ready to go. Ben stocked up on throwing knifes, and put a few small wicked looking daggers in his belt. Chronos attached a dozen grenades to his. Then the two made their way out of the tavern. 

People smiled as they passed, a few of the townsfolk greeted them saying things like “praise the Lightdefender”, and “thank you for saving our village.” The way they were treating him was very different from what he was used to, but then again that was when he was still the outcast who had killed Chris. 

Now he was the savior of the town. Funny how things could change like this, thought Chronos, and he found himself smiling and waving too. Chronos took a look at the hardened man beside him, only to see a determined look on his face. He looked like he was more than ready to save his daughter. And so the two made their way out of the town and into the forest surrounding them. 

Their adventure had begun.

The two traveling companions were deathly quiet as they made their way into the forest. They followed a heavily worn road used mainly by traders, surrounded by a thick, and wild forest. Chronos did not know Ben well enough to call him family or even friend, the two were never close. He was much closer with Emily, Melina’s mother. But there must have been some reason for why Ben decided to tag along with Chronos on this quest. 

Truth be told, Ben loved his daughter absolutely and completely, and he would risk anything to save her. As they made their way through the forest, there was an awkward silence between the two. Finally, the awkward atmosphere around the two forced Ben to say something. “So, do you like my wife’s cooking?” Ben asked politely, halfheartedly.

The two engaged in mindless small talk, talking about people in the village, experiences they had, and other trivial matters. But the one thing they wouldn’t talk about was Melina. Never Melina. The pain the two felt over the fact that Melina was dying, and the fact that there was no way to be sure that she would survive even if the Healer was to come to treat her was horrible. 

The hopelessness they felt in this situation may not have been noticed if you were listening in on their conversation, they wouldn’t show it. But if you looked closer, you could see the despair that haunted the two men, and the bitter emptiness of their words. As the two walked along the path, a different story was being told somewhere else.

Melina opened her sleepy eyes to a city full of buildings bigger than any that she had ever seen before. The sights of great sky scrapers and buildings with many floors and windows surrounded her. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. But how did she get here? The last thing she could remember was the fight with the child murdering blackhoods, who just so happened to be Chronos’s parents. How was she here? Hadn’t they won? Where was Chronos? And what was she wearing? 

She was wearing a set of armor made out of steel and leather, when she was sure what she wore last was a worn in suit of leather with iron studs for defense. This pair of armor was far above the price that someone like Melina could buy, being only the daughter of tavern owners. And the blade of her sword Death Bringer was clean and sharp as ever. Melina heard murmuring in the distance, in a deep inhuman voice, but couldn’t make out any words. 

But the city was completely empty. 

In this whole city, there only seemed to be one living person. Her. She walked through the city, and saw many strange sights. There was no grass or trees of any kind. Just her and her city. It was so empty it was almost like a ghost town. Nobody lived here. Melina began searching the city, looking for a way out, or something or someone who could tell her where she was. 

“Wondering where you are, sweety?” asked a strange voice from up above.

Melina looked up at an 8 story building window, as a young woman jumped out, somersaulting through the air only to land at Melina’s feet without a scratch, using her gorgeous gray wings to halt her fall, all with a big smile on her face. Melina didn’t trust that smile one bit. Quick as she could, Melina drew Death Bringer, waiting for the girl to explain herself. 

The girl wore the same armor as Melina, and had a sword of the same length and size. The girl’s skin was pure white. Her wings were a deep black color. The only difference between their swords was that her’s was blood red, and her armor was pure black. “I am Anilem,” said the girl, “And this,” Anilem motioned at the city itself, “is the city of your soul.”

Meanwhile, back where Chronos and Ben were, an ambush was waiting for them.

Gaffer was a bandit. Being born to poor elderly parents in a big city in the country Morthal, he had been forced to steal from a young age in order to survive and keep food the table for himself and his family. As he grew older he turned to mugging people in the alleyways. After a rich man he tried to mug on day wouldn’t hand over his valuables without a fight, he ended up killing the man. Things went downhill after that. 

The body was found the next morning, and eventually Gaffer was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Prison toughened an already tough man into a monster, and Gaffer was known to instigate fights in the prison and could hold his own. 

Finally, when he was released, he was caught again mugging a man and his wife, but this time Gaffer lost the fight, with a large cut across his face and one of his eyes. He would forever have this wound on his face as a scar, and would be unable to see out of his right eye. The ugly scar helped him remember his undying hatred for the world around him. Especially the rich. This time rather than to keep Gaffer in jail for a while, only for him to come out later and cause more havoc, he was offered two choices. 

Be exiled permanently from all of Morthal, or be executed. So Gaffer choose to become an exile. Leaving his elderly parents to search for a new home, Gaffer lost the only thing that truly meant anything to him other than money. 

Gaffer went on to join a band of slave traders and bandits, who made a living off robbing travelers, and then sold them as slaves to neighboring lands. Far away from any form of law, the group practically owned the mountains around Ivarstead. 

Gaffer had seen the two warriors Chronos and Ben make their way out of the city, and acting as a scout informed the others in his bandit group of the two warriors. And so a group of about a dozen bandits lay in wait, hiding in the forest near the path with crossbows, guns, and rusty scimitars at the ready. Meanwhile Gaffer followed the two, with a sniper rifle at the ready should he need it.

Ben and Chronos had begun to tire of talking as they walked through the forest on the gravelly white path. Suddenly Ben stopped. Chronos was about to ask Ben why he was stopping, but then out of nowhere Ben yelled, 

“SCATTER!”

Knowing to trust the older man’s reflexes, Chronos did a neat roll into the forest just in time to miss a shot from a sniper rifle that would have hit him right in the head. And then he saw them. A gang of a dozen or so men wearing beaten armor of many different colors and sizes and types. They had to be bandits, Chronos thought. 

He hid behind a tree as many bullets flew by him, and drew his ak47. He noticed that the tough old man was still in the middle of the road, expertly dodging and blocking bullets with his sword, with the skill of someone who had many years to perfect his technique. However, Ben knew he was also the perfect distraction, thought Chronos with a smile. Taking one of the 12 grenades from his belt, he threw one into a group of four bandits. They tried to scatter but were too late. The grenade killed one of the bandits, while another two were injured. 

The remaining soldier got up and shot back at Chronos, grazing his leg before he could get to cover. Chronos heard the sound of wood cracking, he looked up behind him to see that a sniper bullet from Gaffer had just barely missed his skull. Nowhere was safe. Ben’s dodges became more and more sloppy as the older man ran out of endurance. He was even failing to stop a bullet with his sword in time, and got hit hard in the shoulder, blood already beginning to flow. While they were both great warriors, they were hopelessly outnumbered, and the only outcome in this fight would be death. 

Ben must have realized this, because he yelled “RUN! RUN INTO THE WOODS!” Chronos threw one more grenade for good measure, and Ben dropped a smoke bomb. Running past Chronos, he whispered loudly “this way”. And Chronos, trusting the instinct of Ben, followed.

It wasn’t long before the two had no idea where they were. They were completely lost in the dark gloomy forest. “Well, we may be lost, but we certainly lost them!” Exclaimed Chronos, grinning cheerfully. Ben smiled faintly, but said nothing. Before they even knew it, the two were becoming closer and closer to being friends. 

The air was getting colder, and the sky was dark. A crescent moon could be seen over the trees in the distance. “Well, I think we did good for today. It’s time for a break. I can only hope we will be this lucky tomorrow as well.” Ben said smiling. The two lay down their sleeping bags, but lit no fire. That would make them sitting ducks for the bandits. “Goodnight father,” Said Chronos before falling asleep.

Melina didn't understand. She just couldn't comprehend her surroundings. The city of my soul? Thought Melina. 

“You can’t be serious,” Melina said, “I’m inside my soul?”

“Have you heard the story of the King and the Horse?” Asked Anilem, completely ignoring Melina’s question.

“No, but --” Melina was cut off,

“It goes a little something like this. When there are two rivals in one soul that need to work together to fight for what they believe in, they play this game. They fight. And whoever dies first is forced to live inside the soul of the other, never coming to the surface. They become a power source for the stronger being, simply lending their strength to the stronger being. They are only a Horse. And the stronger being is named the King. So, do you want to play?” Anilem smirked at Melina.

“No, I just want to--” “I DON’T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER!” Anilem yelled as she drew her red Death Bringer.

Anilem was the first to strike, drawing her red Death Bringer with amazing speed, and swinging it with the strength of a demon. Over powered by Anilem’s sheer strength, Melina’s sword was knocked out of her hand and hit a nearby building so hard it was imbedded in the brick work. Melina tried to draw a small dagger from her belt but Anilem smacked it out of her hands with a flick of the wrist without a problem, so fast that Melina could only see a blur. 

It skidded across the road in the opposite direction of her sword. Anilem grabbed Melina by the neck with inhuman strength, lifting her off the ground with only one hand. She smiled at her early victory as she cut off her opponents’ breathing. Melina squirmed under the grip of her enemy, desperate for a breath. Out of tricks and weapons, Melina clawed at Anilem’s hands, but to no avail.

“Over so soon?” Chided Anilem. “How sad, I was hoping to enjoy this fight. To believe someone like you could ever be king. How pathetic.”

Anilem tightened her grip until it was hard as iron. Still holding her red Death Bringer in her other hand, she stabbed it all the way through Melina’s stomach, and out of her back. Melina’s body oozed blood on the road below them, and within a few seconds a small puddle began to form beneath her body. 

Finally, Anilem let go of Melina’s throat, and she fell to the floor gasping for breath. As Melina lay dying, Anilem’s smile turned into that of a full out grin. It would have looked beautiful on her face, if it wasn’t so full of psychotic and murderous intent. 

“Now, how shall I finish you off?” Anilem mumbled to herself.

Her eyes turned to Melina’s Death Bringer sword embedded in brick work. Her smile became so wide it took up half her face. Her expression was one of utter madness. You could feel and see how much excitement she felt over finishing off her King.

Anilem made her way over to the sword, pulling it out of the brick wall of the building. Immediately the sword’s color changed from a dull silver to the same blood red color of Anilem’s own sword.

As Melina lay dying on the ground, she looked around her with her eyes, desperate to find something, anything, that she could use to win this fight. But she saw nothing. This time there was no salvation. No way to win this fight. 

There has to be a way! 

There must be some way I can win this..... Thought Melina to herself. I want to win! I have to win! There is no other way, I won’t die from this, not after all that I’ve done. Chronos is waiting for me. I just know it. Melina thought to herself with great enthusiasm. She would not lose this fight. Melina, with great effort made herself into a sitting position.

Anilem looked back at Melina, surprised by Melina’s sheer willpower. The agony Melina felt in her stomach was unbearable, but she tried her best to ignore the intense pain that she felt. She then forced her body to stand. She drew from her belt two short daggers, and forced herself into a fighting position. If this world is my own soul, should I not be able to have some control over it? As she bleed out, Melina thought back to a dream she had in the past, the same dream that she had had for months after the death of her three friends.

It had been three months since the death’s of Seth, Angel, and Chris, and Melina still had the memories of their deaths fresh in her mind. Almost every day she found herself crying uncontrollably. The hatred she felt from the townsfolk was horrible. The only people that still trusted her were her parents and her loyal friend Chronos. Every day that passed was horrible. But the worst part of it all wasn’t the day, it was the night that was the real problem. During the night Melina would have horrible dreams. Every night she went through absolute hell.

Melina had been awake all night, crying. Feeling freezing cold and hot at the same time, she was sweating. Ever since that night she hadn’t been able to sleep. But as Melina sat alone in the darkness, she finally found herself drifting off to sleep just after midnight. 

She awoke to find herself in the cave once more. She heard the laughter of her friends deeper into the cave. Like every night, she could not control her body or any part of the dream, and was forced to follow the laughter. As she walked through the cave, she slushed through the warm liquid lake that she had went through the night her friends died. Of course, the liquid lake wasn’t a lake of water. It was a lake of blood. 

The first one she saw was Angel. She hung from the ceiling from a rope by her neck, her eyes open so wide it was unnatural. Her tongue hung out of her mouth, saliva dripping into the lake. She just hung there. Dead. Melina's eyes wide, tears began to fall into the lake. As Melina walked deeper into the lake, she saw the next body. It was Chris. On top of a stone that looked all to familiar, he sat there. Blood poured from his throat, where he had been mutilated by Seth’s hunting knife. 

“Why couldn’t you save me?” Whispered Chris, crying with a look so full of sorrow that it could make even a warrior cry. “I was your best friend..... Don’t you care about me? WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME??!”

Melina tried to pull her eyes away and said, "I'm so sorry, I promise, I-I didn't mean to!"

But she had no control over her body and moved onward farther into the cave of nightmares. Sobbing quietly, she came to the next body. The cave opened up, and suddenly she was outside again. She was instantly relieved until she saw the body of Seth, dead at the bottom of the same cliff that he had jumped off of 3 months ago. 

Melina looked up to see her friend Chronos. She was so happy to see him, that she ran to him, and gave him a hug. She looked up into his eyes in time to see his blank stare, and a crooked smile on his face. “It isn’t over,” Chronos whispered into her ear. Then he pulled out a gun and shot himself in the head. And just like that he fell to the ground, blood covering his head and pouring endlessly all over the ground.  All her friends. Dead all over again. And she just lost it. 

“I won’t let you push me around! I’M NOT AFRAID OF YOU!!!” shouted Melina.

And she pictured in her head her tavern home, all her friends and her back at home. Yes. Nothing was wrong at all. All I need is to calm down. And to Melina’s surprise, it worked. And she and her friends enjoyed a nice meal of roasted chicken, corn, and warm apple pie for dessert. The next morning Melina woke up well rested. She could now control her dreams, and she never had a nightmare again.

Melina remembered all this as she bleed. And she thought, maybe, just maybe, her control over dreams could work inside her soul just as well. And so, she closed her eyes, and imagined her wounds healed. She opened her eyes to see that nothing had changed. Well, at least it was worth a try, thought Melina. And she smiled as Anilem cut of her head with one clean strike of her sword. At peace with herself, she wished to welcome the abyss of death. And everything was engulfed in darkness.

Melina saw a light in the distance, a campfire. She could hear the crackle of fire on wood in the distance, and followed it only to see her three friends again, Seth, Angel and even Chris. All around the fire, sitting close to it for warm. And just like they looked like they did the night before they died. The three didn’t look at all surprised to see her, but boy was she surprised to see them. 

“Seth, Angel, Chris! I can’t believe it’s you! ..... But how is this possible.” Exclaimed Melina.

Chris answered, “We were called back from the afterlife to see you,” he said. “Your not supposed to lose this fight.”

“You can’t die yet,” added Angel.

“We will give you what little strength we still have. Good luck.” Said Seth with a knowing smile. Like he knew everything that ever was, is, or will be.

“Goodbye Melina. And godspeed.” Murmured Seth.

The three spirits and the fire came together to form one ball of energy in the black darkness of death. And it entered Melina’s very being.

She woke up to find herself once again in the city of her soul. Anilem stood holding Melina’s still severed head, laughing so loud it was almost demonic. Anilem turned around and saw Melina, in full battle armor, with a new Death Bringer to boot. 

“HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE??! I KILLED YOU WITH YOUR OWN SWORD!” Anilem screamed.

Melina just smiled as she threw three hidden daggers with all of her might. The blades flew through the air as fast as a bullet. Melina was not surprised at all about her new found strength. There was no way she could lose after being blessed by the spirits of her dead friends. The daggers hit true, hitting Anilem’s right arm. Anilem dropped one of the two red Death Bringers she held, her arm bleeding and useless by her side. 

Crying out in agony, she ran at Melina, and swung her sword. Only to be cut in half, along with her sword. Anilem was strong, but Melina was on a whole different level. With the strength of the three souls of her friends, she was almost untouchable. And she would not lose. As Anilem’s upper half sat of the ground bleeding, she started laughing. 

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.” Anilem giggled madly.

Melina was surprised, maybe even frightened. Who would laugh at their own death?

“You may have got me this time girly, but it isn’t over. The next time you are near death, and don’t have the strength to go on, I will throw you off my back, just like a horse, and trample you underneath my feet until you are nothing but a bloody stain on the ground.” Anilem coughs blood up, and spits a thick wad of it at Melina, just before dying.

Her body dissolves into nothing, leaving no more than a red Death Bringer and it’s sheath, that Melina puts on her back along with her own Death Bringer. So that’s it huh? I won. Thought Melina. 

“I WON!”

She shouts out happily, so much so that she almost cries. Until she realizes that she can’t come back, and she won’t wake up. And looks up above the city of her soul as she sees a dark shadow fall over her soul, and intense cold wind blows through the empty city. And she hears a muttering voice speaking in gibberish. One far to familiar. And she feels fear because she knows just what is making this noise, and she looks up slowly..... to see the massive head of the Primal, a beast unlike any she had ever seen. Stronger than any man, woman, or even a god. And she screams as the muttering turns into horrible, inhuman laughter. There was no hope for Melina. The Primal had risen.

Part 2

Chronos awoke to find Ben wide awake and keeping watch. 

The sun was just starting to come up, and cast a pink orange and yellow light on the clouds and clear blue sky. 

Ben was looking up at the sky. “Isn’t the sunrise beautiful?” asked Ben with a smile. “In all my 50 years, I have never seen a more beautiful sight than this.”

The two men gazed up into the sky for several more minutes before packing up their sleeping bags and gear, eating a breakfast of dried fruit, salted meat, and water, and it wasn’t long before they were on their way again. Without the path to lead them, the two had a tougher time knowing which way to go. But Ben knew his way around the mountains, and had a rough idea about where the Healer’s shack would be. And so, onward they walked. 

“I hope that’s the last we’ll see of those bandits. Another run in with them and we might not make it to the Healer’s shack.” Ben said with a worried look on his face.

“Well if we do, I’ll remember to get them back for that ambush. Those b******s.” Replied Chronos with a serious look on his face.

Ben laughed, “Ah, the bravery of young warriors, your just asking for problems to fight a dozen men like that with only one ally to back you up. You’d best just leave them alone.” 

“Ha! You old warriors and your caution.” Chided Chronos while trying to hold back a smile.

And onward the two men went, walking through forests, swimming through rivers, and climbing over cliffs. It wasn’t long before they would find trouble yet again though. Walking through a particularly dark and damp forest, they found the remains of what looked like a battle field. 

Long forgotten, the battle had taken place many hundreds of years ago, and the rusty remains of cannons, weapons, armor and human skeletons littered the forest. The two warriors paid their respects to the dead, and carried on. But there was a story behind the long forgotten battlefield. And it needs to be told.

Hundreds of years ago, in the time of Morthal's invasion of Sage, the country that Chronos lived and died in was at war. Private Hewitt was just a 16 year old boy from Ivarstead, and all he knew his whole life was farming. 

And he never wanted to enlist in the army. But he had no choice. He had to fight for his freedom, and his country. This wasn’t the first time Morthal had tried to invade his land, and it wouldn’t be the last. So he hugged and kissed his crying mother, and shook his fathers hand as he gave Hewitt a new and two handed greatsword. 

“This sword was forged in Kanata by a dwarven blacksmith, and blessed by a high Alatum Esse archmage with the glyphs for lightning, fire and ice on the blade.  It’s a magical master-crafted sword fit for a king, and it cost us a fortune. The name of the sword is ingraved on the handle. May it serve you well.”

Hewitt looked at the sword in complete awe. Looking at the handle he read the name of the sword.

“Death Bringer…” Whispered Hewitt to himself. “Father… Thank you so much!” While hugging his father hard.

“Take it easy Hewitt, your old man’s ribs can’t take that kind of pressure,” James joked.

“Mother, I promise to come back. We will win this war.” Said Hewitt, trying to hide his tears.

“You better come back. If I lost you I’d be devastated,” Said his mother with a pleading yet hard look at both Hewitt and his father. 

The two men made their way to the encampment, where they saw a muscular older man waiting for them.

“Corporal James, Private Hewitt, your with me. I will be your superior officer. My name is Commander Jerek. I will lead all the soldiers from Ivarstead into battle. It wasn’t that long ago that I ran a guild of the world’s best mercenaries called Legendary. But I guess old age got the better of me.” Jerek said with a grin.“I hate Morthal just as much as you do, and I will not let them invade another peaceful country. I suppose the real reason I’m here is to make some money while I fight though, I'm being paid to lend and hand and maybe I'll shake some of the rust from these old bones. So, you two better get ready, I have some chain mail armor for you both. 

“Thank you sir.” Said Hewitt’s father, Corporal James, "suit up Hewitt."

"Yes father." Said Hewitt with a scared but determined look on his face.

Father and son were joined by a little more than 20 other men, all fresh recruits from Ivarstead. As they made the way to the battlefield, Hewitt caught a glimpse at the enemy. They all wore magnesium armor, and had Hatred Blades, special blades forged from only the best steel and the blood of the living. Hewitt didn’t like the odds. Corporal James rushed into battle and with a battle cry, and brought his mighty barbarian axe of fire down on an enemy soldier. The soldier blocked the axe with his shield with no problem at all, and decapitated Corporal James. 

Hewitt cried out in agony. 

“DAD!!!!”

Commander Jerek looked back in sympathy, but then said “Keep your eyes on the battlefield you COWARD, or you’ll be next.”

Rage and lose suddenly came over him, like a tsunami inside him, more than he had ever felt before until he just snapped. A strange power came over Hewitt, and the air around him turned red. 

“You B******S!!” Yelled Hewitt,

crying as he slashed through soldier after soldier as he cried. His vision turned red with rage, as he rammed through the enemy line like a cannon shot. It started with the nearest soldier, who was still laughing at the boy for showing tears on the battle field. Hewitt raised his sword and with a fast slash he easily beheaded the man. Two more soldiers ran at him, one slashed at him with a hatred blade, but Hewitt didn't feel a thing and quickly stabbed the man through the chest. As he withdrew his Death Bringer from the corpse of dead soldier of Morthal, 

the other soldier yelled, "I'M TAKING YOUR HEAD!"

The soldier would have beheaded Hewitt if he didn't catch the sword with his free hand. The blade easily sliced through the flesh of his hand, but would not go through the bone. 

There was fear in the soldiers eyes as he said, "No, pl-please just let me go. Just let me go."

Hewitt wasted no time before slicing the man's sword arm clean off. Blood was everywhere, it poured from Hewitt, and it poured from the men he had killed. Around him both Morthal's soldiers and his neighbors from Ivarstead fell dead right in left. Hewitt lost himself in the rage of, his sight went pure blood red, and he lost him hearing, but still he pressed on. He killed at least ten men before he started to feel wary. 

He was seeing stars,broken and battered, bleeding out, but something kept him going. That emotion was pure loss and vengeance. Finally he fell to his knees. As his vision started to fade to crimson, and then black, he whispered something before he died of blood lose. “I’m sorry mother.” He said. Many people died in the skirmish, but in the end they were successful in pushing back the forces of Morthal. 

Years later, an Alatum Esse child found the the site of the battle, and saw something shiny sticking out of the ground. The child pulled it out to find it was a ornate and shiny sword. It was Death Bringer. Deciding to keep it, the winged child flew home with it. That child was Ben’s great grandfather.

The path up the mountain was rough, but Ben and Chronos were healthy men, and were making good progress. Energized by the prospect of saving their loved one Melina, they would push onward for hours. Meanwhile, Gaffer and the bandits weren’t far behind.

“How could you let them GET AWAY” Yelled Gaffer, as he kicked one of his injured henchmen in the stomach. “It was your job to get capture those two warriors, rob them blind, and then we could sell them as slaves to the highest bidder.”

Gaffer’s bandits stared in fear at their leader, the man was crazy. The last time they had failed their boss he had the ones responsible whipped until their backs bled. Hell, they still felt the pain from the scars. Gaffer was almost hungry at the prospects of taking down those two pesky warriors that had given him so much trouble. 

His men were in position, all 9 of them. The b******s had killed 1 of his best, and injured two. Now he was back for revenge. He could almost taste victory. And it was almost time for lunch. Gaffer drew his sniper rifle, and took aim the man that had failed him. This time he would make his first shot count.

Chronos and Ben continued on their way, coming ever so closer to the Healer’s hut. It had been an adventure to get there, but it seemed that they would soon be one step closer to healing Melina.Ben laughed and smiled, talking about small talk, the village, and politics. But Chronos was unhappy. Suddenly the conversation took a turn for the worse. 

“I’m sick of this small talk,” exclaimed Chronos. “So, do you really think that some “Healer” who lives in a shack out in the middle of nowhere can save my wife? What if your wrong. Then what? HOW DO WE KNOW YOUR LITTLE MAGICAL HEALER IS GOING TO SAVE MY WIFE!”

The two continued on in silence, the happy mood of their little adventure shattered by the cold truth that someone’s life was at stake. By the fact that they could be risking their lives for the small chance that some hermit in the forest living in a shack could do anything to save her. By the fact that there might not even be a “Healer” at all. By the fact that they could already be too late. 

After some time, Ben replied. “We don’t.” This time there was no smile on his face. “But we have to try.”

Ben drew Death Bringer. “I hear the sound of running feet from behind us. Ready your weapon.”

“Is it the bandits?” Asked Chronos.

“Seems like it. They must have followed us.” Replied Ben.

“How many?” Asked Chronos.

“I would say there are at least 7 or 8 of them. Get behind me! NOW!” Yelled Ben.

Chronos ran behind Ben just as a sniper bullet wizzed through the air, missing Chronos. “This is revenge for what you did to us the last time we met you. You embarrassed us, and you KILLED MY MEN. Surrender or DIE!” Yelled Gaffer from somewhere off in the distance.

“NEVER!” Chronos yelled back.

Two more shots followed, but Ben blocked them in quick succession with Death Bringer. Chronos heard the sound of a almost a dozen men running through the forest, off the beaten path. He could not see them, but he knew they were coming closer. Chronos loaded his ak47, and looked down at his belt to see that he had only 7 grenades left. Better make them count, thought Chronos. The men were coming closer, just as 2 more sniper bullets flew by Chronos. 

One would have found its mark in his skull, if it wasn’t for Ben blocking the shot with Death Bringer. Chronos saw movement through the trees, several men running toward him and Ben. Quickly Chronos readied his ak47, and sprayed bullets into the foliage. 

“AAAUURRGHGGHG” yelled a man from within the trees as he fell to the ground with a thunck, presumably dead or injured. Chronos advanced further into the forest, leaving Ben’s side.

Meanwhile, Ben moved forward to face a group of five men, all armed with melee weapons, swords, daggers, and maces, except for one who held a large pistol along with a dagger. “You have a chance to end this now old man,” chided the man with the pistol, “If you give up now, you might live another day,”

“I would never surrender to you whelps,” Answered Ben.

The bandits laughed at this, and readied their weapons. Ben ran at the man with the pistol, intent on getting rid of the ranged fighter before he could get rid of Ben. The man with the pistol blocked with his dagger, just as Ben threw a hidden dagger straight at a man with a mace, hitting him right between the eyes. The man fell to the ground, dead. One down, 4 to go. The man with the pistol tried to aim it at Ben, but Ben smacked the gun from his hands before the man could pull the trigger. So the man spat in Ben’s eyes instead. 

While whipping the spit out of his eyes, a man with a rusted sword rushed Ben, and Ben blocked clumsily with one hand while he whipped the spit from his eyes with the other. While he did, he pushed the man who had used the pistol into the other two before they could advance on Ben. The pistol lay on the ground, just waiting to be picked up. 

Then Ben decapitated the man with the rusty sword with the clean strike of a man who knew how to use a sword. After all, this wasn’t the first time Ben had cut off a mans head. A man holding a short sword in one hand and a dagger in the other ran at Ben. 

It was simple for Ben to side step the bandit, as while this man may know how to rob starving unarmed refugees, but Ben was a master swordsman in his day. The bandit was then stabbed in through his back and out through his stomach. Ben pulled his sword out of the dead body of the bandit, Death Bringer slick with the blood of the bandits. 

While the remaining bandit fled for the forest, in fear of the superior warrior that defeated his comrades, the last bandit crawled on the floor over to where the pistol lay. Ben stabbed the grabbing hand of the bandit with Death Bringer before he could reach the pistol, and then threw a hidden dagger at the running bandit before he could run out of harms way. Ben then finished the bandit on the ground with a dagger to the top of the spine. “Amateurs,” muttered Ben.

Chronos had made his way into a deeper part of the forest, when suddenly from within the foliage came a shot from a pistol. Chronos skillfully dodged the shot, before throwing one of his precious grenades back where the shot had come from. A satisfying boom sounded, leaving one more man face down on the ground. A shot coming from the other side of the forest hit Chronos in the chest. All his attention had been on the 3 men he had previously shoot at running through the foliage, and he was surprised to feel the bullet tear through his body like a stone through water. Chronos cried out in agony before falling to the ground. 

“CHRONOS!” Yelled Ben as he tried to locate his younger friend. There were too many, Chronos thought.

F**k this s**t, thought Chronos, full of anger. He would not lose now, not when they were so close to finding the Healer. What was the deal with these bandits anyway? These b******s probably make a living off the backs of others, off the backs of people like the hard working farmers of Ivarstead. They stole from people who had nothing. And that pissed Chronos off. Suddenly a red aura surrounded Chronos, making him feel stronger than ever before. 

The pain in his chest from the bullet did not fully go away, but drove him into such a rage that he felt like he could do anything. He pushed himself up off the ground, and made his way running full speed, no faster than full speed, driven by the red rage that surrounded him, through the forest at the man that had shot at him. The man shot 6 more shots at Chronos, but Chronos ducked and dodged out of the way, slithering out of the way like a snake just waiting to strike. 

Just like Private Hewitt from the ancient battle long ago, Chronos had the special power about him. The power of the Rage. Finally, Chronos striked, shooting at the shins of the bandit and bringing him to his knees. 

“That’s right, KNEEL, beg for forgiveness!” Yelled Chronos.

The bandit stared up in fear, seeing before him a demon. The gunner that had shot his legs from underneath him wasn’t even human. It was some evil demon, Satan himself coming to drag him down to hell. He had never been religious, but the monster that stood before him could only have been a demon in his eyes. He thought back to everything he had done wrong, all the people who’s lives he had ruined. All the innocents he had killed. And now finally he was going to pay for his crimes, in hell for eternity. 

“Please, forgive me, I will change, I PROMISE, so please, don’t kill me don’t take me down there, PLEASE.” 

Chronos looked at the man with disgust, seeing nothing more in the man than worthless trash. He took a grenade and shoved it in the pleading man’s mouth. And then walked away. 

“STOP” yelled a familiar voice from behind Chronos.

Chronos turned around to see Ben take the grenade and throw it away before it exploded, with a great BAAM. 

“What are you doing?” Asked Ben, with worry, wait, no, was that fear in his eyes?

The red angry aura from around Chronos disappeared, as if nothing had happened. And with it, came reason. Chronos saw before him a man that had pleaded for his life, that was unarmed, and he had tortured him, and almost killed him in one of the most brutal ways possible. The way Ben had looked at him, like he was some kind of monster. And maybe he was a monster. Seeing the bandit man crying in agony that HE had put him in. 

That he had purposefully done to torture him. He was worse than the bandits. It felt horrible to realize what he had done. Chronos looked the crying would be bandit in the eyes, and said “I’m sorry.” “Ben quickly injected pain medicine into the bandit’s shins that Chronos and Ben had been using to keep themselves going, and did some quick first aid on the man before standing and sheathing his blade. “We have to go. Now.” Said Ben with a glare that said, “We will talk about this later.”

Gaffer looked at the two through the scope of his sniper rifle as he saw the two warriors defeat his men, and then run deeper into the forest. So deep that even with the scope he could no longer see them. But he had seen everything. He was surprised, no, frightened at the strange aura that had surrounded the younger warrior, the one with the gun, and the way it had made him into a fighting machine for all of 30 seconds. 

But he isn’t the only one with special abilities, Gaffer thought with a smile. Gaffer said to his remaining 2 henchmen, 

“We will have our revenge. Go tell the boss that some b******s killed all my men. Ask him to enlist some more men, maybe some mercenaries, maybe some berserkers. All we need to do is wait for the full moon, and we’ll hit them where it hurts the most. Ivarstead.” The two men smiled a bloodthirsty smile, and shared a cruel evil laugh.

The two warriors had been running for most of the day, and had surely lost the remaining forces of the bandits. Ben was silent as a grave, deep in thought, and with a blank face. Chronos dared not say a thing. He knew what he had done. And he knew how cruel his actions towards the pleading bandit were. How evil. And he did not understand the strange red aura that had come over him. Maybe Ben knew what it was? Thought Chronos to himself, also deep in thought. The day light faded, and still Ben refused to talk. 

Chronos had tried everything. He had tried asking about the red aura, if Ben knew anything, he even tried small talk. 

But all Ben would do is grunt. Or say, “we’ll talk when we rest”, or “in good time” Finally, the two warriors decided to rest for the night at the top of a great cliff.

They were so high up that they couldn’t see the ground below the cliff, but that could have partially been from the fog that seemed to mask the forest below. 

“Ok,” said Ben, with a serious look on his face, “This seems the best time to say it. Your probably wondering what happened back there with the bandits. Right?” Chronos looked hard into Ben’s eyes. “There are many unique powers that people in this world are either born with or can learn. This could include anything from controlling the elements, to raising the dead, to turning into beasts in battle. These abilities can be learned, or in other cases people are born with. Many of the greatest war heroes rely on these special abilities in battle," 

Ben explained, "The ability you possess is special, even among these other special abilities. That red aura that surrounded you, there is no doubt about it. That is rage. Rage is an ability that channels your inner anger and hatred, and uses it to power up your body, making you faster, stronger, and even affecting your emotions. Rage is dangerous. Even a good man that would never hurt anyone can easily become a cold blooded killer through rage, as it takes your anger and hatred and throws you into a frenzy, making you filled with the anger to the point where you no longer can control it, and instead your anger controls you. There are two types of rage that I know of, although there are several others. The first is called Berserker Rage, which lets you change into a beast such as a bear, griffin, or wolf at will."

"And then there is Red Rage, the type of rage that you possess." Ben's face turned stone cold serious, "However, this rage turns anger, hatred, and other bad emotions into pure super human strength, speed, and battle prowess, while given the user a red glow or aura around them. Hence the name Red Rage. This rage let’s you keep your human form while still obtaining the same strength, speed, and battle prowess as Berserker Rage. If you manage to learn how to control your new ability, you could become a legendary warrior.” Ben explained with an excited smile. “You could lead armies with this power. Ben said, deep in thought, with that same knowing smile. And Ben was right. Someday Chronos would lead armies.

Suddenly Chronos woke up. He was back at the Stone Maiden tavern. He must have fallen asleep. In front of him were several empty bottles of beer, and one half full room temperature bottle of whisky. He was back at the Stone Maiden tavern. He looked at the empty chair beside him and saw it was indeed empy, except for Death Bringer lying on it, sharp as ever. Melina was still dead. It was funny that after witnessing so many deaths, this one death stuck in his mind more than any other. Chronos felt a tear roll down his unkempt face and down into his mess of a beard, but still he would not cry. He would not give in to the pain. Not yet. People were busy talking, drinking, the tavern was busy today. He looked in front of him, into the bottle whisky, and poured himself another glass. His hand was shaking.

“Feel your anger, channel it!” Said Ben, who seemed impatient. Chronos was standing near their little camp, trying to tense up his muscles and think of bandits killing Melina, or his blackhood parents sacrificing Chris to the Primal, but he just couldn’t get angry. It wasn’t his fault his god damn special ability didn’t work. He couldn’t get angry enough for it to work. So far the best he could manage was half a second of the Red Rage every few minutes. 

The sun had just started setting, pink and yellow light shining through bone white clouds against a blue sky and the green forest below. The cliff they had set up camp next to was starting to look like an endless black cliff without the sun to brighten it up. Pretty soon Chronos was going to get angry just waiting for the damn rage thing to work.

“Come on, you’ve almost got it this time Chronos,” said Ben with his arms crossed and an intense look on his face. 

It had already been 30 minutes, and Chronos was getting impatient.

“Screw this,” Said Chronos. “Maybe I can’t control this Red Rage “ability” yet. Besides, what’s the point of just standing around here and trying to do something that I’m not able to summon at will? This is time we could use to find The Healer and help Melina, or get some sleep.” Chronos said with an annoyed look on his face. 

“You’ve got a point, you certainly aren’t making any progress.” Ben teased Chronos.

“Shut up old man,” Chronos replied with a lopsided grin. They set up a camp fire, and sat next to the crackling fire for warmth in the cold night air. The men laughed together and talked about things like how greedy the new King of Morthal was, and the rumor that he killed his parents to inherit the throne. Then they talked about how the price of horses was just too high. Soon Chronos was asleep, and Ben sat at watch. The stars were shining bright in a cloud free sky. 

The crescent moon a bright yellowish white glow in the night. Ben smiled to himself, sat down and looked up at the sky. The crackling sound of sparks from the fire was soothing. Everything was peaceful. It seemed just as if nothing could go wrong in this beautiful world. “Goodnight Chronos.” Whispered Ben to the sleeping gunner lying down beside him. Nothing could go wrong.

Melina looked up at the monster that glared down at her. It’s massive head was bigger than even The City of her Soul. As it’s head hung over the lone floating rock in her soul that was City that she took shelter, it cast a great shadow upon the city. Melina couldn’t even make out it’s face, all she could see was six red eyes glowing far away in the distance. It spoke in it’s strange usually gibberish, but Melina couldn’t understand a word. Just like it had in the cave where her life was ruined, and in her nightmares. The voice sounded like it was mocking her. 

“You gonna fight me or what?!!” Yelled Melina into the darkness. 

The Primal must have heard the fear in her voice, heard the fact that Melina knew in her heart that her luck had run out. That this was the end for Melina. You could say that she felt it in her very bones. The Primal sneered as it laughed at Melina’s pitiful excuse for a battle cry, before opening its mouth and devouring Melina, the City on the floating rock, and her very soul. The fire in Melina’s spirit went out. It was over. Nothing was left. Only the Primal. And eternal darkness.

It was around midnight, and everything was silent. Far too quiet. Almost eerie. Ben could hear sounds in the distance, and could smell rotting corpses. Ghouls, thought Ben as he pulled out a weapon he hadn’t used in a long time. Beast Bane. The Death Bringer sword may have been in his family for generations, but when it came time to pass on the torch to the next in line, Melina, Ben had to turn to an even older friend. 

That was the silver short sword Beast Bane, that he had used ever since he was a teenager. As he applied some special oil from his satchel that he knew was effective against undead to the silver blade. He said to himself, “I’m sorry I have to use you again on such short notice old friend, let’s hope we haven’t gotten sloppy. But he realized he had forgotten to do one last thing. “S**t, I have to wake Chronos!”

Chronos was enjoy a good night’s sleep, cozy beside the fire, 

“Chronos, CHRONOS! D****T WAKE UP” Yelled a voice from far away place. Suddenly someone shook Chronos’s body roughly, jolting him awake. 

Chronos awoke to find Ben standing over him, with the sound of inhuman moans and the patter of running feet off in the distance. 

“Chronos, quickly, arm yourself! And look for some silver bullets in my satchel, silver is the only metal that is effective against these monsters!” Yelled Ben frantically.

Without asking the question of what could possibly only be hurt with silver, Chronos scrambled out of his sleeping bag, looking desperately for his battered ak47. Finally he found it sitting right where he left it. Unloading the lead bullets that were inside it, he reloaded it with one the 2 dull silver clips that he found in Ben’s satchel after some searching. 

Ben had just finished applying some oil to Death Bringer, dual wielding both the silver short sword Beast Bane in one hand and the much longer long sword Death Bringer in the other. “Let’s rock,” Muttered Ben to himself with a devilish smile on his face.

Darkness. And nothingness. That was all that remained of Melina’s soul. She was even beginning to forget who she was. Melina, right? I’m Melina. The city was nothing more than rumble, hidden in a cloud so dark that nothing could be seen. All she could feel was intense pain. In the distance she heard the dark inhuman laughter of the Primal. Why didn’t it just kill her? Why didn’t it finish what it had started? No, it’s just toying with me. It wants to enjoy my suffering before it ends me forever. 

And in dark, Melina could see images. She saw the deaths of everyone she held dear. First her mother Emily, the townsfolk of Ivarstead, then her father Ben and Chronos. Many brave warriors stood in the way, but they would simply be trampled into the dirt and left to rot. There was nothing that could be done to stop the evil, the pandemonium, The Darkness spreading like a pox across all of Helmettria. And at the heart of the madness was Melina. Or at least what was left of her. With the monster in control of her body, Melina was near invincible. 

Swords broke when they struck her. Bullets had no effect. Magic only made her stronger. She was the warrior that she wished to but could never be. With a finger she could set flame to an entire village. And with her hand the fall of a country. Melina watched in horror as everything around her was turned to ash, and then crumbled away to nothingness. And as the Primal laughed inhumanly, the warrior girl began to cry.

Ben and Chronos waited, looking deep into the dark night that surrounded the campfire. They could hear the sound of several dozen footsteps coming closer and closer. The moans in the distance turning to terrifying screams and angry growls. Ben had seen the signs. These were definitely ghouls. It must have been the abandoned battlefield, thought Ben. There were two conditions that needed to be met in order for a ghoul to be born from the dead. 

First, the body must not have a proper burial. It must be left to rot above ground. Second, in life the body must have killed in cold blood. Many of the dead in that graveyard of abandoned battlefield never even got a proper burial, and during the skirmish between the group of professional soldiers for Morthal and the weaker less trained militia from Ivarstead there were many that had killed a man from the others ranks. 

No one would come back for the bodies here, it was the border between the outskirts of Morthal and the farm land filled country that Ben and Chronos lived in, Sage. It was too dangerous in the minds of both sides to come back this place, bandits ran this border, and there were plenty of other dangers here as well. How did Ben know this you ask? Well I have your answer, but it’s a long story. Ben’s origin story. I’ll tell you, but in small portions.

Ben’s childhood in Ivarstead was not unlike that of the other boys of Ivarstead, he spent most of his days exploring the mountains around Ivarstead. His father and mother ran a tavern, and he often worked for them by asking people what they would like to eat or drink, or helping brew ale and other spirits. Occasionally he would even travel with his father to nearby cities to buy more supplies to stalk up the tavern with for its guests, like rare spices for meals, and new flavors for drinks.

All was well until one day a large group of bandits ransacked the town, pillaging the town for anything valuable. Young Ben was working as the waiter for the day, when a group of over a dozen men walked in. They were big, wore battered and rusty armor and looked frightening to Ben, who was only 11 at the time, although quite mature for his age. “Umm, can I take your order?” Ben asked, no idea that he was dealing with dangerous bandits. The bandits laughed out loud. It was a gruff laugh, filled with venom. 

Finally, the leader of the bandits walked forward and said, “We fine gentlemen have come here to today to get blind drunk on only your finest liquor. Also, bring us some entertainment if you know what I mean, and some good meat to eat.” Ben looked in awe and fear at the men before him, now not so sure if these were traveling mercenaries. The leader sneered at Ben, and another of the bandits spat a thick wad of saliva on the floor. Another locked the tavern door behind them. 

“Well hurry up you little s**t.” Said the bandit leader. 

“O-ok,” Stammered Ben, in fear of the men. 

Those are not mercenaries, those are bandits, thought Ben. I have to tell Mom and Dad! He walked into the back of the tavern, but realized that his parents weren’t there. They had gone out to fight off the dozens of bandits that had invaded the town. Before long the bandits had taken over the Tavern, they sat by the tables, slowly draining the Tavern of all it’s best alcohol and eating the best food. 

Ben could do nothing but bring them plates and bottles of the very best quality. He watched as everything his family had worked so hard to put together, and their only source of revenue disappeared. The bandits didn’t even bother to finish the bottles and plates of food, simply sampling it before flinging the rest across the room, bottles and plates smashed against the floor, spilling expensive food and drink all over the Tavern.

Finally Ben did he only thing he could do. He retaliated.

“I won’t let you take one more bite. My family worked hard to make that food and brew that drink. YOU WILL LEAVE THIS TAVERN AT ONCE” 

The bandits laughed a sinister laugh and sneered at Ben. 

The bandit leader stepped forward, smiling a crooked grin and said, “What are you going to do about it boy?”

Ben picked up a nearby chair and threw it at the bandit leader. The man caught chair, still smiling. 

“Ok, if you want to play, we can play,” said the bandit leader.

He then broke the chair in half by bringing it down on his knee. Ben, to the surprise of the bandits, stood his ground. He grabbed a kitchen knife from a nearby table. 

“Bring it on, b***h,” said Ben.

The bandits couldn’t believe their eyes. An eleven year old kid was standing his ground against them. 

Their leader was obviously angry, and retorted with a “I’ll show you who’s the real b***h,” 

The bandit leader drew his sword and quickly disarmed Ben with no problem. The cruel man smiled so wide it must have hurt. “You have spunk kid. I like that. I can respect that. We have our men attacking your village, there are several dozen of us. Tell you what, if you join us, we’ll leave and never come back. Deal?” The bandit stretched out a hand for Ben to shake. Ben didn’t want to join them, he couldn’t stand to leave the only home he had, and more importantly his parents. 

And he would never sink so low as to join a gang of bandits, living off other peoples misfortune. But the town was probably being torn apart, and if he didn’t join them people would die. Because of him. But what if they were lying? Well, what choice did he have?

“Ok, I’ll join you.” Ben reached out and shook the bandit’s hand.

“Welcome to the club,” Said the bandit leader, as he patted Ben hard on the back.

Ben saw it coming out of dark so fast it was like it came out of nowhere, as the first ghoul flung itself at Ben. It looked a dead person come back to life, but this was different. This was worse. The skin had turned lumpy and white, and shone in the darkness. Rippling beneath the lumpy white skin were muscles and sinew. The things hands were not hands at all, but claws. Razor sharp, perfect for cutting through flesh or the battered leather armor that Chronos and Ben wore. 

And worse of all was the face. It was completely inhuman, with large sharp teeth that could rip apart chunks of flesh. It’s eyes were pure white, and it had no nose. Simply holes where the nostrils would be. Chronos knew immediately these undead beasts were not simple undead, as these bodies were not at all human.

For the first time in a long time, Chronos was scared. The ghoul leapt at Ben, and Ben had to kick it out of the way to avoid being slashed by its long and deadly claws. Chronos quickly opened fire and in moments the ghoul was littered in bullet holes. Ben chopped off the ghouls head with Death Bringer while stabbing it through the heart with the silver short sword Beast Bane. The flesh of the dead ghoul started to burn away and bubble, no doubt from the oil that Ben had applied to both of his blades. But this was only the first of many. 

The night was filled with the sound of the shrieking undead. And the one they had just killed was just the first of many. Three more soon followed. One ran at Chronos from the darkness out of reach of the campfire. It slashed a fast downward strike at Chronos with its deadly claws, and Chronos just barely managed to block the strike with his ak47. He kicked it out of the way and shot it three times, once in the chest, the heart, and the head. The ghoul fell to the ground dead. Meanwhile, the other 2 attacked Ben.

Ben sliced both the head of one of the ghouls clean off with Death Bringer, and stabbed the other through the heart with Beast Bane. They fell to the ground dead, their flesh burning away into nothing from the strange oil Ben put on his swords, just like the first ghoul. But this was just the beginning. The ghouls were easy enough to kill, but they just kept coming, and for every ghoul that was cut down by the two men, three more would appear. They had strength in numbers, and it wouldn’t be long before the warriors’ camp would be overrun at this rate. 

Ben and Chronos knew this, but there was no where to go, no where to run to. They were standing on the edge of a cliff and couldn’t afford to be pushed back any further. Chronos glanced back behind him to see he was mere steps away from a fall that would almost certainly mean his death. But if we continue fighting like this, we are sure to die to these ghouls, maybe this is the end, thought Chronos. Chronos threw a grenade into the darkness, trying to slow the endless flow of ghouls that would soon be his demise. 

“Ben, any ideas?” Chronos yelled, hoping that Ben would be able to hear him over the shrieks of the undead.

“Yes,” replied Ben, to Chronos’s surprise, “What do you see at the bottom of the cliff?”

Chronos was almost out of bullets and felt tired, but if Ben thought they might survive then he had hope too. Between shots Chronos managed a quick glance into the depths beyond the cliff, but saw nothing more than fog and darkness. The hope that Chronos had was faltering. Three more ghouls attacked Chronos, Chronos managed to kill one with a few shots of his ak47, but the other two attacked. Chronos managed to block one of ghouls strikes with his ak47, but the ghoul grabbed it from his hands and threw it over the cliff. 

That was when Chronos knew it was over. Ben looked back at Chronos, fear in his face. The other ghoul slashed Chronos’s stomach, cutting through the leather armor and Chronos’s skin like butter. Ben yelled “KRRROONNNUUSSSS” just as Chronos’s limp body dropped to the ground. Except that there was no ground. And so Chronos fell into the depths below the cliff, leaving Ben to be overrun by the ghouls. And as he fell he watched as ghouls piled on top of Ben. Ben yelled in agony so loud that it must have been heard for miles. But Chronos couldn’t do anything about it. Chronos’s vision turned from red to black, and then, nothing.

Ben had been running through the woods with the bandits for hours, and was getting tired. He would complain, but these were not normal traveling companions. It would probably be safer to keep his mouth shut in this situation. The bandits had kept their word, and left the town immediately. But what they hadn’t promised was that they wouldn’t be taking anyone with them. Coming with them were several other children from Ivarstead. 

All the children were wearing handcuffs, and had a gag in their mouths to stop them from screaming. Ben supposed that they were going to be forced to become bandits too. Finally, the group of bandits came to a clearing, and the bandit leader stepped into the sunlight. On the other side of the clearing were another group of bandits, and their leader, a large bearded man stepped forward. The bearded man said,

“Good job capturing these children Mosly, I knew I made the right choice when I choose you lead the raid party. These are fine specimens, they will be sold for a pretty coin in Morthal in the slave market,” the bearded man said with a greedy smile. 

Shock hit Chronos like a bullet. They weren’t going to become bandits, they were going to be sold as slaves. Mosly looked at Ben, a wide smile on his face. 

“That’s right, you aren’t going to join us. Your just going to sold for a pretty coin,” he spat on Ben’s face, before adding, “B***h.” 

Just then, out of the clearing came a warrior dressed in bladed armor. He was muscular, fit and fast. But he wasn’t human, as he was eight feet tall and had green skin. There was no doubt, he was an orc.  The large bearded man yelled, “Mosly, you and your men will take care of this pest, then met up with the rest of us at the boarder to Morthal, the rest of you, RETREAT!” And with that the other group bandits disappeared into the woods.

The orc in bladed armor ran at Mosly’s group of bandits and tore through them like a knife through butter with his large Skull Crusher sword. Heads flew through the air, as the man mercilessly killed bandit after bandit with strong precise hits, until no one but Mosly was left. 

“No, please spare me.” Wimpered Mosly. The bandit leader was on his knees, begging for forgiveness.

“Promise never to come back to Ivarstead, and I won’t kill you.” Said the warrior with the bladed armor.

“I promise, anything, I swear.” Said the lowly bandit.

“I’ve got a message for your boss. Tell him to stay away from the village, and stay out of the slave business, or I’ll be back." 

“Y-yes sir,” replied the bandit, before running off into the woods. “Ok, let’s get you untied young ones.” Said the bladed man with a friendly smile. 

The man explained that he was a mercenary who was well payed by the members of Ivarstead to save the children. His name was LycanBlade. He then took the kids back to Ivarstead, where their parents were waiting for them. Ben’s parents were among them. 

“Ben’s mother hugged him tight, “Benny, I’m so happy your safe. Did they hurt you? I swear we’ll make those bandits pay for what they did to our village.”

“I’m fine mom,” Said Ben.

“You handled yourself well Ben,” Said Ben’s father, “You’ve earned the respect of the village.”

Ben smiled. But far in the distance he saw the man in bladed armor walking out of the town. And he realized what he truly wanted. He didn’t want to spend the rest of his life living as a bar keep in Ivarstead. He ran towards Lycanblade. Ben had always enjoyed living in Ivarstead, but what he really craved was adventure. And fame in the way of battle. He wanted to leave Ivarstead and travel the world. And this was the one man who could give him that. He was willing risk anything to follow his dream. So he followed him.

Chronos head hurt. He couldn’t remember the last time he had hurt this much. The pain was so bad he couldn’t even remember who he was. He opened his eyes to find himself in a cave, dimly lit by a small camp fire, the only warm in the cavern other than Chronos’s battered body. It’s friendly crackling noise was soothing to Chronos’s ears. Chronos remembered what he saw from his fall, the way the ghouls tore Ben’s body apart. 

Piles of them upon the poor man. That man had meant a lot to him, and even though they only truly got to know each other for a few dangerous days, he considered Ben a father to him. So he did the only thing he could do when you lose a loved one. He cried. He cried until his eyes hurt and he could cry no more, and then he fell asleep.

Part 3

Melina wasn’t Melina anymore. All that was left of her soul were the memories, feelings, and drive of the Primal. There was no doubt about it. Melina was being taken over by a Primal. She could feel herself slowly slipping away into the nothingness, her soul was a tiny candle in the wind, it was bond to be blown out eventually. It was only a matter of time.

Melina had lost all her memories, even her personality. All that were left were the memories of the Primal that was taking control of Melina slowly, but it wouldn’t be long before Melina was gone completely. Melina had put up a good fight for a mere human, thought the Primal, but in another three days and it would be over.

The Primal almost felt bad for the girl, but she knew it was necessary. She would not be bound by the chains of the Elder Gods no longer. She deserved to live, even if she had to fall so low as to use a human girl’s life to do so. But that didn't mean she didn't feel bad about exchanging her life for the human. The girl, Melina, had a family. Something even the Primal once had, before the others were bound by their own creations, forced to live in solitude. Sealed away forever. But it was only a matter of time. She would free herself, and she would get her revenge.

She was born before anything else. Well, she wasn’t really born. She had always been there, and always would be.The infinite plains of nothing, while also being no space at all were for her and the other Primal’s alone to roam. It was empty from a humans perspective maybe, but to her it was as cozy as a warm seat by the fire. It was home. And she got to share it with her loving family, the four others that lived in peace and serenity with her. The humans called them Primals, but to her she and the others just were. They did not need a name.

Living alone in the depths of nothing, everything was perfect. Not a sound was spoken, but the love she and the others felt for each other was enough to break the silence. Just knowing that they were there beside her, to guide her, and care for her warmed her non-existent heart. She and the other 4 for all of existence. Or maybe it was mere seconds? It was hard to tell. There was no time, it had not been invented yet. There was no need. Things did not need an explanation, they just simply were. And she and the others understood it all.

Until the day that everything changed. The Primals had finally grown bored of it all. Watching the endless dark void for all time by themselves. They longed for companionship, adventure, and more than a reason for living. They couldn’t stand to be alone in a place where there was literally nothing but them. Where there were no rules and anything and nothing were both possible.

So the Primals came together and created space. And suddenly the void wasn't nearly as dull. Now there was a place for them to truly roam. A slowly expanding bubble of space. And they named this Space. Pleased by their new invention, and the comfort that it brought, it wasn’t long before they created time. Now events that happened no longer existed at the present, future, and past all at once. Once something had happened, it was history. And the universe finally had age, even if the Primal themselves were still timeless. But there was still something to be done. Something was missing. So finally the Primals created the Elder Gods, and with it the One Language, a way to communicate between Primal and Elder, and a monument to the depth of the love that the Primals only wished to share with these new beings as equals.

The purpose of these beings, these "Elders" were more than just companionship, they were meant to serve the Primal, and help create a plane of existence that was “alive” and “full” rather than dead and empty space. And in this, they did not fail. They created the universe, and everything in it. Every single detail, from the clouds of the night sky covering the sun, to snow glistening on the evergreen trees in the winter, to endless stars and galaxies, and possible life on other planets, each of them special in their own way. It was amazing what they could do, and the Elder Gods quickly became good friends of the Primal. Taking advantage of their abilities fully to help their creators.

The Primals and the Elders worked hard together to add more and more into the world. Colors, substances, and finally even life, such as humans were perfected. The rough draft of the world had finally become a beautiful novel, and it was time to start reading the first page. Finally, their masterpiece was finished. And the five Primal and ten Elders were proud of their creation. And the Primals were happy. But there was no more need in the world for the Elders or the Primals, who’s sole purpose was to create something to fill the void. There was nothing left for the Elders and Primals to do, and while the Primals were happy, satisfied with what they had created and their new friendship with their new neighbors, the Elders were not impressed. There was no more for them to do, no purpose, no meaning to their existance. And the fact that they were useless and there was nothing for them drove them mad.

And it wasn't long before they turned against their creators, for the sear weight of nothing new forever was crazy. They would tear this world down and create it again, over and over, as they were meant to do. It was the only thing that could make them truly happy. But the Primal did not want this beautiful novel to be ripped to shreds. So they had no choice but to defend what they had made. And with guilty hearts on both sides between friends a battle took place between the immovable object that were the Primal, and the unstoppable force that was the Elders.

For infinity the war raged on, neither the Primals or the Elders gaining the advantage. Until the Elder gods realized how to defeat the Primal. Even the Primal themselves didn’t know how they did it, but they did. The Primal were forever locked away inside infinite separate universes, much like the ones that the Elders had made before, but compacted into granite slabs. One for each Primal, where the rules of the universe were that the Primals had no abilities at all, and therefore could not escape. They were pieces of special marble in the universe that The Primal and Elders had first created, but within the marble a separate universe where the Primal were powerless. The Primal were not able to escape from these realms, and could do nothing but wait in infinite darkness for eternity until they were given freedom at the mercy of the Elder Gods.

But there was a weakness in the plans of the Elders. Blood. The blood of the Elder Gods and their descendants, Gods and even minor Gods could wake the Primals from a simple drop of blood. Even human beings could awaken the Primal with their blood, but much more would be needed. And so they waited inside their stone prisons, until they would be free

Heartbroken and betrayed, she cried there in her cold stone prison alone. This new universe was nothing like the warm seat by the fire that she knew. It was cold and dark. As she cried, she asked why. She struggled against the chains that bound her, but it was unless. And she was all alone. She yelled at the Elders in the One Language, the only bond between Elders and Primals that hadn't been broken. But they would not listen. Over time, her sadness grew to rage. How could they? She thought to herself, over and over, until the betrayal hurt so bad that she couldn't think about it anymore. And finally she began to change. And eventually, she snapped. The rage burned hot inside her, she was no longer benevolent. She hated the Elders. And for all that she stood for, she would have her revenge.

Until enough blood would be shed for her to return.

Over the many thousands of years, humans began to grow from hunter gatherers to farmers, and eventually villages were formed. And who did they worship and praise as their makers? The Elders. The Primal girl didn’t know what the others of her kind felt, but she felt the rage, the only thing that guided her thoughts these days. “Those ungrateful humans,” she thought to herself, “Someday I will bath in their blood. And she did. Over time the humans grew from simple farmers to warriors, relying on war to take hold of resources. One day she spoke to a human boy who had fled his hometown after murdering his parents.

Somehow he had found his way into the cave where she lay in the middle of a small lake on an island. The Primal girl was desperate for even the smallest amount of blood to dampen her stone prison with, she was thirsty for it. So she offered him immortality, the instinct of a warrior, and mastery of all of magic in exchange for his endless service and his blood. The boy slit his wrist and feed the thirsty girl his bloody essence. It was nothing compared to that of a god, but it was still delicious. The stone prison glowing bright orange, and she was warm. Almost like she was back when she was with her family. There was no doubt about it, this boy was meant for great things, thought the Primal girl. The Primal asked the boy his name. He said they called him Mad Ricky. He was the first of the Blackhoods. And it wouldn’t be long that the world would fear his name.

But none of that mattered anymore. Even after Mad Ricky had her Blood Alter bathing in blood, it still wasn’t enough to brake free. It only offered seconds of relief in what seemed like an endless cold hell. She needed more blood, and she couldn’t wait any longer, she had to escape, free her brothers and sisters, and take revenge against Elder Gods for what they did to her. That was why she needed Melina. If she could take control of Melina’s body, she would finally be able to take matters into her own hands. Sure, she could temporarily take over human bodies, but what she needed was something more permanent. And she had chosen Melina. With Melina’s body under the power of the Primal girl, she could surely find enough blood to rise from her prison, and even help her Primal brethren to rise too. Then together they would torture the Elders, make them watch as they destroy their spirits, make them suffer like they did, end them, and then finally watch over the world again with the gifts of their past mistakes.

Chronos woke up to find a large man man in valor armor standing over him. He almost jumped out of his skin, and the man laughed a gruff laugh, before grabbing hold of Chronos’s shoulders and pulling his damaged body up into a standing position.

“Up and at ‘em” The man said with a silly smile. “I found you down by the river. Been wonderin’ when you’d wake up. Glad to see you still have some life in ya.”

“Um, sir? Where am I?” Asked Chronos with wide and curious eyes.

“Well, right now your sittin’ in a cave. It’s my temporary home. Ya see, I’m a treasure named Revivified, but you can just call me Rev. I travel the world in search of a legendary weapon, the famed GoldShot. Sorry I ain’t got no fancy home by the way. The GoldShot is said to be made for a great king thousands of years ago with the nickname the God Of Heroes, it's said that it was made by angels from a special ore only found in the heavens themselves, angelite. It is the most powerful gun ever created. But it was stolen by his son, a coward who left with the weapon, before it could be presented to the so called God Of Heroes. The King was furious with his son and banished him from the land they lived in to the depths of the earth, The Underworld. It is said that he and the GoldShot are still down there, waitin' to be found. So I search all the known world in search of GoldShot and any other treasures.” Revivified explained, “Care for some breakfast? I caught some fish this morning in the same place that I found you.”

The men sat in a beautiful, clear, river, barefoot. Their feet in the clear water of the flowing river that Chronos had happened to be found in earlier. Chronos was surprised at how beautiful this place was. It was a hot and humid even for a summer day, but everything looked full of life. It was as if Mother Nature lived in this place. Over a breakfast of fish Chronos explained that his wife was dying, and he and his father in law had headed out of Ivarstead to find a mysterious being called The Healer to save her. He explained how difficult the journey had been, and how he and Ben had to escape from bandits along the way. Tears came to his eyes once more when he came to the part where he came to the part where Ben and him had stood up against the ghouls, and how he witnessed Ben being eaten alive by the ghouls as he fell from the cliff.

“So that’s how ya turned up. You must have landed in the same river I was fishing in. Oh, and I’m sorry for your loss. I’ve lost loved ones too before, and I know it ain’t easy.” Revivified said as he patted Chronos on the back a little too hard. “Well, I don’t know nothing about a healer, but I do know of an old fortress nearby called Highland Fortress up on a nearby mountain. It’s a safe haven for Monster Hunters, magic users, assassins, mercenaries, and other strange folk. It also serves as a school for warriors, mages, archers, gunners, and many other strange things. It’s said that many of the greatest warriors in all of Helmettria have been trained there. You might find your Healer there, after all, there are some famous folk there, anything from the best of mages to warriors. If I were you, that’s were I would search first. It’s in that direction. But before you go, let me give you this.”

Revivified handed Chronos some climbing gear, rope and a special sharp piece of metal on the end.. “Your gonna need it if you want to get back on the path to Highland Fortress. Simply throw this as metal grappling hook as far as you can and climb. And if you ever come back this way on your way back to Ivarstead, visit me. I could use the company.”

“Thank you for everything Rev, you fed me, you saved my life, and now the jetpack, how can I ever repay you?” Chronos asked with a heartfelt smile.

Revivified looked back with a strangely sad on his face. One that had felt lose before as well. Then he said, “Save Melina for me. And don’t break that jetpack, it’s expensive. Other than that, good luck on your adventure. And Ben ... And may Ben rest in peace.” Revivified said. “Now get out of here, before I decide to take my jetpack back.” Revivified said with another cheerful smile, as if nothing had happened.

Chronos shouted, “Thanks for everything!”

before taking off into the air with his new jetpack. Revivified waved as Chronos took off, turning to a small silhouette of a person in the blinding sunlight. Revivified had to shield his eyes to avoid the sting of the sunlight. Soon he was just a speck of dust on the horizon, and then, nothing.

Ben quickly caught up to LycanBlade, out of breath. “Wait, take me with you!” shouted Ben between deep breathes.

LycanBlade looked back in disgust and surprise, “What is it kid?”

“I want to learn how to fight, and travel the world. I want to be like you. Please take me as your disciple.” Pleaded Ben

Lycanblade laughed, “You? Your just a kid, I don’t teach kids.”

“I can learn, please I’ll do whatever you say.” Responded Ben. “Kid, you have parents. Do you really think that I would steal a kid from their parents? And my life isn’t what you think it is. You think that being a mercenary like me is all valor and saving villages? Like I’m a hero? Like doing what I do is easy? I could die at any moment, do you want that? DO YOU!!?" Lycanblade's eyes flashed with anger. "Kid, you don’t know what your getting yourself into.”

There’s no way that kid will want to be my apprentice after that, thought Lycanblade. Probably doesn’t have the balls. Besides, a pip squeak like that could never be a warrior. Never. And so Lycanblade made his way into the forests and mountains surrounding the town. It was time to go back to Highland Fortress and look for a new assignment. After a few hours of walking LycanBlade decided to take a quick break, after all he was in no rush. He deserved a break after successfully defeating those bandits and claiming his reward from the townsfolk of Ivarstead. That’s when he saw him.

It was the kid, he was hiding behind a tree. Then he disappeared behind the tree again. How the hell did he get here? Does he mean to follow me all the way back until I "train" him? What the Hell?

“Come out pip squeak, I see you.”

The boy Ben came out from behind the tree, looking at the ground. His checks red with embarrassment. LycanBlade was surprised that the kid had the balls to get here.

“What’s your name kid?”

“Ben, my name is Ben,” said Ben with determination in his voice, even though his face showed he was nervous. “Does this mean you’ll train me?”

LycanBlade seriously thought of training the pip squeak, but dismissed the thought almost immediately. But, I guess I could have fun with this. Thought LycanBlade to himself with a sneer.

“I want you to polish my armor and then oil it. Then I will teach you how to sharpen my sword, and you will sharpen it until you think it is perfect. Then I will test it on a tree. If I don’t like the job you did, I’ll make you do it all over again. It is important to keep your gear in the best possible condition. After all, stiff, creaking battle armor and a dull sword could mean your death. Rust is unacceptable. If you get it right, we will move on to the next lesson." Commanded Lycanblade with a hint of a laugh in his voice.

Over the next 6 hours Ben tried his best to clean and polish LycanBlades armor. The first time was done poorly and LycanBlade made him redo it. The next time was better, but not perfect. Finally the third time Ben had gotten the hang of it, and LycanBlade was pleased. But he didn’t show it.

“That was an even shittier job than the first time you did it. Try harder!”

While Ben worked away on the armor for the fourth time, LycanBlade thought to himself, this boy just might be a warrior someday. He certainly has the determination of one, but how would I know, I never thought to take a disciple before. He might be the best choice at the moment. Maybe this isn’t so bad after all. Old Jerek will be proud of me, my first disciple. Yeah, I think I just might like this.

“LycanBlade sir, I’m finished.” Ben said politely.

LycanBlade inspected the armor he had bought after graduating and the Skull Crusher sword that his old master Jerek himself had given to him when he had finished his apprenticeship. How long ago was that? About a year, LycanBlade thought to himself. Just one year since I became a full fledged mercenary. He remembered how harsh the training was. Maybe I’ll go a little easier on the kid. The armor glowed, and was oiled to perfection. The amount of shine on the blade of his sword was unbelievable. LycanBlade was impressed.

“Ok kid, you earned a break. Feel free to sleep a little, I’ll keep watch.” Said LycanBlade with a yawn.

“No, I can’t go to sleep now, I’m too excited. What’s next?” Ben asked.

“Fine….. fine, kid, you know what, I’ll teach ya something else but then you have to promise to me that you’ll go to sleep.

“Sure, what are going to teach me this time?” Ben said with excitement.

“I’m going to teach you how to dodge bullets,” replied LycanBlade.

“WHAT!” Yelled Ben. “Oh, suck it up already. You can’t be my disciple if all you do is cry. Besides, we won’t be using bullets yet, your not ready for that. We’re using rocks and slingshots. You will dodge these rocks flung by my slingshot from 2 meters away at first, and then you will get closer and closer to me until you are point blank. This will test your speed and reaction time, it will teach you how to dodge. “Ready?” asked LycanBlade “Yes sir,” replied Ben. After two more hours of training Ben was out of breath, and red with bruises from being hit by the slingshot. Lycanblade couldn't help but admire the boy's zeal. Although his skill was mediocre, the boys determination is something else. Something that could push his body through all its limits. He really puts his all into everything that he does. And he listens to whatever I say. He is the perfect apprentice. He deserves the training he craves.

“You did good kid, why don’t you get yourself some sleep? Tomorrow’s going to be a long day. We’re traveling to Highland Fortress.”

“Where is that?” Replied Ben. “On top of a mountain 3 days from here. It’s where I was trained, and where you will be trained too. Many of the greatest teachers of heroes and legends are there, and I am sure that you will become a great warrior with me at your side, apprentice.” LycanBlade smiled.

Ben smiled back.

“Well, we’ve got training to do early tomorrow morning, so get some sleep alright?” Said Lycanblade with a yawn.

“Sure thing replied Ben.” And so Ben fell asleep with LycanBlade doing night watch. “The training will be tough, but I think you can do it Ben,” LycanBlade mumbled. “Good luck.”

Ben woke up to find LycanBlade sharpening two sticks into wooden swords. LycanBlade threw one of the wooden swords at Ben. “Catch,” LycanBlade said as the wooden sword flew through the air. Ben caught the sword, but before he could even ask what was happening LycanBlade ran at him and swung his sword fast, although not as fast as when he fought the bandits. Ben managed to block the sword with some difficulty but then LycanBlade attacked again, knocking the wooden sword from Ben’s grip. In another moment LycanBlade had the wooden sword at Ben’s throat.

“Your form is sloppy and your speed is s**t. Bandits aren’t as slow as a turtle or a slug. Hold your swords tip up to your shoulder, and hold it with one hand, wooden swords are light. Don’t just stand there, you need to point to me with only your shoulder and side, that way you don’t expose your stomach. With less of your body showing, you’re harder to hit. Are you even listening??!" Lycanblade explained angrily.

After I few more tiring hours Ben was almost out of breath, but had learned the basics of swordsmanship. Lycanblade had attacked him again and again, and Ben was starting to show real improvement in his skills. LycanBlade attacked once more, and this time Ben used his skill from dodging the stones from the slingshot to try to dodge. However LycanBlade continued his swing and Ben had to block the wooden sword. But he didn’t see what came with the sword, LycanBlade's elbow. Ben took the elbow to his face and felt his nose break, but to Lycanblade's surprise he refused to give up. Ben swung his sword at LycanBlade’s neck and LycanBlade ducked underneath the blade and kicked Ben in the chest. Ben did a backwards roll on the ground and stood up. Yelling he charged LycanBlade and swung his sword to the right, moving his body to the right along with the sword for extra power. LycanBlade blocked the sword with his, but he didn’t see what was coming next. The momentum of Ben’s sword slashing to the right set him up for a perfect kick from his right leg, which LycanBlade blocked just barely in time with his arm. LycanBlade’s sword was once again at Ben’s throat, but this time Lycanblade was impressed.

“You know, I may have only been at about 40% of my actually speed and power, but you almost held your own against me. I’m impressed disciple.” Said LycanBlade said sincerely.

And so master and disciple made their way slowly towards Highland Fortress. Along the way LycanBlade showed Ben how to correctly attack with the wooden sword, showing him how to strike, slash, stab, and refine this skill to keep his sword steady when he attacked while keeping the same power and the ability to be ready for whatever his opponent had next.

As they walked Ben imagined himself being attacked by bandits, swinging his sword as if fighting a small group of them. and although LycanBlade could not see the imagined enemies himself he could see that Ben was becoming faster, stronger and smarter with his sword strikes. Although his footwork was still sloppy and his blocking wasn’t perfect, progress was certainly being made. And after a few years of training at Highland Fortress he could prove to be a great warrior, maybe even as good as LycanBlade himself.

I’ll have to ask him for one last battle when he graduates. Thought LycanBlade. He could become quite the warrior.

The two set up camp and LycanBlade taught Ben how to block and move his feet correctly in battle by the campfire. After blocking attack after attack, Ben had finally learned how to stop LycanBlade’s sword from touching his neck quite as easily. The footwork came next, Ben learned how to shift his feet and weight to block attacks easier, put more strength into attacks, and even attack with more speed and furiosity then before. LycanBlade noticed that Ben had no weaknesses anymore in his form or the way he handled fighting with a blade. Tomorrow they would fight with a real weapon, LycanBlade with his two handed Skull Crusher, and Ben with LycanBlade’s secondary weapon, Beast Bane. But for now, he would let the boy sleep.

Ben woke up the next morning to find a wooden shield and a silver short sword next to his sleeping bag. He was overjoyed.

“Does this mean that I finally get to fight with a real sword now Master?” Ben asked.

“Yes,” LycanBlade said simply. “But it will be far more difficult to use than your wooden sword, as it is heavier and far more dangerous. Are you sure you're ready for this?”

“Yes, I’m ready.” Said Ben with a determined look.

“Then pick up the sword and the shield." Replied Lycanblade, "Use the sword with your right hand like I showed you, and pick up the wooden shield with your left. For one handed weapon users like how you’ve been learning yourself, the only way to stand up to the bigger two handed swords is through the speed of having a smaller sword, using both hands for more control and power, or using a shield. Today you will be using a shield. This is the final test of your abilities before we get to Highland Fortress. If you last more than 30 seconds, you pass. If not then training will stay outside of the Fortress until you pass this challenge. A long time ago I passed this same trial on the second try. Let’s see how you do.”

LycanBlade charged at Ben with great strength and speed, more so than ever before. LycanBlade slashed low with his Skull Crusher but Ben managed to jump over the sword. Next came a kick from LycanBlade from the momentum of his sword and turning his body around. Ben blocked the kick with his shield and slashed at LycanBlade’s head with Beast Bane. LycanBlade blocked the blade of Beast Bane with his own before kicking at Ben’s chest. Ben blocked most of the impact with his wooden shield but was still knocked back from the shear weight put behind the kick. LycanBlade may not be at full power, thought Ben, but definitely more than any fight before. LycanBlade stabbed with his Skull Crusher, and Ben blocked it with his wooden shield.

The Skull Crusher easily cut through the shield, and the sword became stuck in the wood. Ben had to let go of it as it was now useless. LycanBlade took a moment to take the shield’s remains off the sword and then threw it at Ben. Ben tried to block it with his shield, but soon realized that he didn’t have a shield. With a large cracking noise Ben shrieked in pain as his forearm broke. But he would not give up, and neither would LycanBlade.

LycanBlade had used the thrown shield as a distraction, and slashed at Ben’s chest. It wasn’t easy, but Ben managed to block the Skull Crusher. LycanBlade was just about to put his sword to Ben’s throat but realized that 30 seconds had just passed and stopped. “Nice job Ben. You lasted 30 seconds.

"Yes!" Yelled Ben, holding his silver short sword to the sky.

"You passed the trial," Said Lycanblade with a serious yet satisfied look on his face. "Now let’s head into Highland Fortress with our heads high and get that arm looked at by someone. It’s time for you to meet the boss and your other teacher.

After some more walking, and making a crutch for Ben's broken arm the two warriors finally made it to Highland Fortress, a massive castle on a steep hill with crumbling stone walls surrounding it, a cobblestone bridge and a moat. LycanBlade and Ben made their way across a bridge that led to a large steel gate. Two guards in stone armor with warhammers stood in front of a huge gate that led into depths of the fortress.

“Halt, who goes there?” Asks one of the guards.

“Who the hell do you think it is Bezoar? It’s me LycanBlade, and I brought an apprentice.”

“Sorry," the guard said with a laugh., "I knew it was you, I just never expected that you of all people would bring an apprentice within these walls. You as a teacher just doesn't fit your nature.”

“Well, I guess the little prick grew on me.” LycanBlade smiled at Ben jokingly.

“Hey, I’m not that little!” Said Ben with an angry look on his face.

The two guards and LycanBlade laughed. “Ok, we’ll let you two in then. And little apprentice, good luck with the trials friend.” Said the guard as he and the other guard opened the gate.

LycanBlade and Ben make their way inside to find that the inside of the castle is beautiful, with flowing carpets and antique furniture. There were flower pots, pictures on the walls, and even heads of different deadly monsters on display.

“So, what do you want to be?” Asked LycanBlade.

“What do you mean?” replied Ben.

“Well I suppose you wouldn't know, but everyone who comes to Highland Fortress has to pick a specific class become, and after years of work, studies, and sparing matches they will have taken in all the training, tips, and other things that are needed to become what they want. You can be everything from a mage, to a mercenary like me, to a castle guard like the guys we saw at the gate, to a Monster Hunter, to a”------

Ben wasn't really listening to Lycanblade, and was looking at a giant monster head mounted on the wall on a plaque, in gold letters on the plaque it says repguana killed by Valen, the Monster Hunter. It was then then Ben knew what he wanted to be. He was destined to fight monsters. “I want to be a Monster Hunter.

“Hmm, a Monster Hunter,” said LycanBlade, “Not a bad choice if you like adventure, but it’s a difficult profession. Me, I think it would be easier to stick to killing bandits and people with a bounty on their head. Monster Hunters have to deal with anything from undead, to dragons, to giants. They have the highest mortality rate out of all the classes you could become here. Hell even going to war is easier to survive then a life as a Monster Hunter. It’s your call though.”

“I know what I want LycanBlade,” Ben said simply.

After meeting with Jerek the head teacher at Highland Fortress and telling him that he wished to become Monster Hunter, Ben was told that he would be taught by two masters, LycanBlade in all types of battle and battle strategy, and Valen, a master Monster Hunter in all forms of types of herbs, facts about different monsters that could be hunted, and the best strategies to defeat each and every type of known monster. It was explained to Ben that he would be sharing classes with a girl named Emily who also wanted to become a Monster Hunter. Ben was excited to meet her.

Ben was then taken to his room in the castle by LycanBlade, where he would sleep the night. The room was large, and was covered by a beautiful but expensive carpet over a stone floor. There was a mirror in the corner, and a large chest for belongings. There was even a dresser with a strong leather uniform that Ben supposed he must wear during training. But in the middle of the room was the biggest bed he had ever seen. It looked good enough for a king. And he was SO sleepy after days of nothing but training and walking.

“Your first day of training is tomorrow, so you better get a good night’s sleep pip squeak. By the way, keep Beast Bane. You’ll need it for our training.” Teased LycanBlade.

“Goodnight LycanBlade.” Ben replied excitedly.

Seven years passed, and Ben has successfully completed his training as a Monster Hunter, along with his girlfriend Emily. A day after the yearly celebration where all apprentices become masters, Emily and Ben decided to leave the Fortress in search of work slaying monsters.

“Ahh, I just can’t believe we actually did it.” Said Ben.“Just seven years ago I was a little kid working at a tavern in the middle of nowhere. To believe that we’ve come so far is just amazing.”

“I know right?” Said Emily, “seven years ago I never would have thought I would become a Monster Hunter. But then Valen found me and saved my life from that kreeton.“

Valen. It was always Valen. It had been so difficult to win Emily’s love because of the admiration she felt toward Valen, but he had done it. It still upset him sometimes when she talked about how great Valen was. Sure, he was an amazing Monster Hunter, and the best teacher a man could have, but soon they will be amazing too. They had passed the same trails he had, hadn’t they? They didn't need his guidance anymore. The two of them would travel the world together, going anywhere monsters needed to be exterminated. Together, they would be the best Monster Hunters the world had ever seen.

That was when he caught Lycanblade's stare. It was one of complete lack of expression, a cold stare, and Ben knew what it meant. That was when Ben remembered his promise. He had promised to fight Lycanblade when they were both masters. And Ben was ready.

“Emily, you remember my promise to master LycanBlade, right?”

“Yes” replied Emily

“Well, I’m about to fulfill it.” Ben said with determination.

LycanBlade said nothing as the two master class warriors walked into the forest together until they found an open field. This is where they would do battle. LycanBlade wore his bladed armor and had his Skull Crusher out blade first in the dirt. He was waiting for Ben to charge first. Ben had on his hard leather armor from his training, and Beast Bane, his silver short sword. Ben had the advantage in speed, but LycanBlade had better defense, more reach, and more strength. And those blades on his armor would make attacking even more difficult.

"Well now, let's see what you have learned from your training, Ben." Teased Lycanblade.

This was going to be a hard fight, thought Ben.

LycanBlade gestured for Ben to come closer, a warrior’s smile on his face. A leaf fell from a nearby tree, slowly falling to the ground and landing directly between Lycanblade and Ben. Ben ran full speed at LycanBlade, jumped high and flipped in air.

LycanBlade pulled his sword from the ground and slashed upward at Ben saying, “You always were a good jumper with light armor on.”

Ben parried the strike with his sword and landed behind LycanBlade. He stabbed at the unarmored part of LycanBlade’s armor right near the back of the neck, but by then LycanBlade had already turned around and parried Ben’s sword.

“I can jump too!” Said LycanBlade, jumping into the air despite the heavy armor he had on and as he did brought his sword down in a downward arc.

Ben moved out of range of LycanBlade’s sword and quickly slashed at LycanBlade’s armor, but sadly his sword simply could not cut through such high quality armor, and bounced off. That was when Ben realized that the only effective places to attack were the neck, the eyes, the armpits, the knees, and the groin. Maybe if he could out speed LycanBlade and get in close he could end this, but that might be difficult. He would need to tire him out first, and possibly blind him.

Ben got in range of LycanBlade, and LycanBlade swung sword swing after sword swing, Ben forced to dodge out of the way over and over again at the last second. LycanBlade brought down his sword once more, and Ben actually ran up the sword, and grabbed from his pocket some pepper spray like liquid that he had been taught to make from Valen. It was made from tumble wood and vinegar. Poisons, acids, potions and other things made from herbs were vital in fighting monsters, to make up for the sear difference in strength, one had to rely on more than just a sword swing, and this was something Ben excelled in. He was lucky to have brought some with him. He splashed the liquid in LycanBlade’s eyes, but was then pushed off by LycanBlade’s free hand. Lycanblade yelled and swore in agony, groping at his eyes.

Ben ran at LycanBlade, and LycanBlade swung his sword in all directions, blinded by Ben’s concoction. Ben ducked under LycanBlade’s Skull Crusher and brought his silver short sword up to LycanBlade’s throat, for the first time. LycanBlade smiled despite the pain and said, “You win. You are a true master of fighting now. You even beat me. I’m impressed, monsters beware. Come back from your adventures sometimes so we can have another fight like this one. Next time I won’t go easy on you.” Lycanblade teased.

“Thank you LycanBlade,” Said Ben.

After another seven years of adventures around the world and killing many powerful monsters for cash and glory, Ben returned home to Ivarstead with Emily and they were married. Sick of fighting, they wished a quiet life and decided to put the old tavern back into business with the same name that Ben had grown up with. The Stone Maiden. Ben's parents were happy to see how much their son had grow, and despite their age attended the wedding. A year later Ben’s father got gravely ill, and gave Ben a gift while on his death bed.

His father rasped “Son, my father, his father, and the father before him for as far as I remember have fought with this sword, Death Bringer. I wish for it to stay a part of the family. I love you, and I hope that when you wield that sword, you think of me. It is yours now.”

“Thank you father, I will treasure it forever.” Ben said with tears in his eyes. And from that point on, Ben used Death Bringer in battle. After that Melina was born, and around a decade later the start of this story began with Chronos's first encounter.

Note from the author: Ben learned how to use many different herbs to do different things while in Monster Hunter training at Highland Fortress, such as poison his blade, to curing a few diseases, and to brew potions that can help you see in the dark or heal wounds. Many different things that could be made out of regular herbs that you could find if you knew where to look. This was taught to him because many different herbs are either poisonous against monster, or good at attracting specific monsters that Emily and Ben used to fight when they were Monster Hunters. They were also useful to make up for the huge difference in power between monsters and Monster Hunters, with potions that could give massive strength for several minutes or heal injures. Emily also got the same training, and even uses some of these herbs to add a little kick to the drinks at Stone Maiden Tavern. Now back to the main story line!

Chronos had been climbing the cliff face he had fallen off of the night before for hours. And he was exhausted. The plan was to search for Ben's remains and bury them. Bringing Ben back with him to be buried in Ivarstead was near impossible, but he would give him a proper burial. He would not be forgotten. He cried softly as he climbed onward, the loss of Ben driving him to push himself to climb faster, even though he was already breathing heavily. Finally, when he reached the top he was shocked. Brushing tears from his eyes, he pulled himself up onto the cliff he had fallen from before and saw the remains of many ghouls, and some blood stains but ... no body. Strange. Maybe Ben survived? Chronos couldn’t have been happier.

“YES!” He yelled at the top of his lungs, punching his fists in the air.

All the anguish was gone. Ben must have managed to get away. He had to be alive. But how? There was only one way to find out, he needed to go to Highland Fortress, the one place where Ben could be.

Chronos made his way farther up the mountain, hoping for a glimpse of the Fortress. Knowing that every every second brought him closer to saving Melina. On a mountain high on the horizon, was a castle so massive that it almost dwarfed the mountain itself.

That must be it! Thought Chronos

Finally, he had found it. It looked beautiful, yet tough , with large crumbling stone walls. Guards and warriors were everywhere. There were at least several hundred people that he could count within the walls, all of them, training, chatting, and just going about their natural lives. Sure it was beautiful, but what so many people were doing here in the middle of no where made no sense to him.

As hours passed, Chronos got closer and closer to the Fortress. He was tired and out of breath, but the sweet taste of victory kept him going. He was almost there, and he knew that Ben was waiting for him. They would save Melina with the help of Melina. Together they would bring her back to this world. Tears came to his eyes, but he would not cry. He would stay strong for his family until the end.

Tired and limping, Chronos made his way with legs like lead to the gate of Highland Fortress at dusk. Two guards were blocking the gate.

“Who goes there?” asked one of the guards, pointing a gun at Chronos.

“Ummm, I’m Chronos." Said Chronos quickly in between breathes, "I’m here for the Healer? My wife is in a coma and I fear the worst. Could you please direct me to her?” Asked Chronos timidly.

He had never seen a castle so big or well guarded, having grown up in a small village. It was all a little overwhelming.

“We can’t let you in without a master who knows you, or if you wish to be an apprentice. Are you an apprentice?” Replied the guard.

“No,” Said Chronos.

“Well, healer is a broad term, but this Healer you want is probably Master itblobboy, he can heal almost any wound or disease, but your wrong about one thing. He’s a man.” Said the guard with a chuckle.

“Ok, may I see him?” Asked Chronos, anger in his voice. His wife was dying, and this man was laughing.

“F-Fine." The guard stuttered when he saw the blood lust in Chronos's eyes. "I will check to see if he is available and if he is he will come out and talk to you."

Just then Chronos heard running in the distance and the gate opened up. Out came Ben and two other men, Ben ran towards him and gave Chronos a great big bear hug.

“I thought you were dead!” Said Chronos.

“I thought YOU were dead,” laughed Ben.

"I fell from that ledge and I saw you being attacked by those ghouls and I - I thought you were dead! And then before I knew it I woke up in a cave, and met this treasure hunter named Revivified, and he helped me recover. Then I went searching for your remains and found they were gone! I thought if there was any chance you had survived you would be here, so I made my way here as quickly as I could. Did I miss anything?

“Well,” replied Ben as he let go on Chronos, "Let's just say an old friend saved me. While the ghouls were on top of me I took the poison for undead that I had coated my swords with and lathered myself with it. It stopped the biting. I fought hard against the ghouls and managed to finish them all off, but then I collapsed from the wounds I had gotten while fighting. Valen happened to be having a morning jog the next day and found my body lying there among the corpses of many ghouls. I was dead at the time, but the man was smart enough to bring smelling salts with him, and used that to revive me. After that he applied multiple herbs to my wounds to heal them faster and stop the pain. He even cleaned them for me. Then he brought me back and itblobboy did the rest.”

“Are you sure your alright though?” Questioned Chronos, with sincere concern in his eyes.

“Well, itblobboy said I should take it easy for a while. No more fighting. But I’ll be back to normal in a week or so. How are you?” Ben said as he looked at the beaten looking man before him.

“I’m still in a lot of pain, but nothing that won’t heal." Said Chronos. "Ran all the way here though, so maybe I'll sit down for a while."

The man that came with Ben extended a hand to Chronos, giving him a strong handshake and a pat on the back. He wore light armor, and mirthril sword was at his side. He looked to be in his 50's, and was tall and muscular.

“So this is Chronos, eh? I heard a little bit about you. Your quite the hero it seems. My name is Valen. I'm one of the head Monster Hunters, and in my day I was quite famous. If you ever want to learn a little something, come back to Highland Fortress, we are happy to train someone like you to do almost anything.” Said Valen.

Finally another man made his way out to greet Chronos. He wore a mage's hood, cloak, and leggings. On his back was an iron staff with a blue shinning orb on the end.

“Hello, I’m itblobboy and I’m the one you came here for, right? I mean I am head Healer around these parts, so it would make sense that you'd want my help. Unfortunately I'm also this novice novel's only attempt at breaking the 4th wall. Goddammit SinisterPotatoe, you better do better than that. But lets get back to the matter at hand, mmh k? We've got some important plot development to do and we have all the characters that SinisterPotatoe wanted, so we might as well get on with this thing already. I want to get back to cleaning my magical bucket helmet of doom. Why you ask that I have a magical bucket helmet of doom? It's because this is a novel and your all fictional pieces of trash. As soon as you get over that we can get to the fight scene before our reader gets bored and skips this paragraph. Ahem. Sorry, that was out of character. I love you Chronos, I really do. If you didn't exist us supporting characters wouldn't either. And you can beat you sweet potatoes I am going to save your wife. Anyways, I’m ready to go whenever you are. We’ll teleport back to Ivarstead whenever you feel like. ... I swear I can hear the laughter from here. Goddammit maybe I shouldn't have ditched the psychiatrist.

“Umm, ok then. Should we go now Ben?” Chronos said with determination.

“Yes. As soon as possible.” Ben responded.

“I don’t want to give too many spoilers guys, but s***s going to get real when we get there. You better be ready,” Advised itblobboy, readying his phantom staff and putting up his leather mage hood.

"Good luck out there Ben, Chronos, itblobboy, I'll be waiting here rooting for your victory." Said Valen with a half smile. "Good luck."

Ivarstead was a war zone, out of the woods had come over five dozen bandits, among them Gaffer, out for revenge for the men he had lost. The boss had said to come back from this raid victorious, or don’t come back at all. But he had more men. Better men. And as long as they didn’t f**k up, he WOULD be victorious. With him were three berserkers, men that could turn into beasts. And one mercenary. Apparently he was a master mercenary trained at Highland Fortress. His name ... well, that didn't matter, thought Gaffer. No matter, he’s here for the cash, I’m here for revenge Gaffer thought with a sneer. We'll slaughter everyone, just like how they killed my men. And as long as those blasted warriors don’t come back this will be a walk in the park.

The guards sent from the city, along with their commander Mandra Broadshield were busy fighting the bandits, but they were losing. These guards may have been trained in Kanata, one of the safest cities in all of Sage, but no one would be stupid enough to attack such a large city, so they were out of practice. There were more bandits, and they were all seasoned warriors, used to battle. It would be easy for such fighters to take down the guards.

That was when Chronos, itblobboy and Ben teleported into the middle of town. Chronos looked around in surprise to find that the village was under attack. Multiple houses were burning and bandits were trying to break into the remaining houses. The only thing to stop them were the guards and a few of Chronos's neighbors that were combat ready. Chronos saw a werewolf like being rip a guard’s head clean off, and drink the blood from his throat. Chronos was in a rage after seeing his town being torn to shreds. His town was being torn to the ground, his wife was dying, and he blamed himself for not being faster, for not being strong enough. The shame and anger was too much and he lost it. He cried out like a wounded animal, so loud and full of anger and pain, Chronos's red rage ability started to activate.

Off in the distance, Chronos saw his brother Alzerac and sister Hope dressed in leather armor. Alzerac was covered in blood. Fear and tears in his eyes. Chronos ran over to try to help.

“Alzerac, Hope! What has happened here? My gods, Alzerac, are you alright? Say something!”

 

“They came without warning…. someone must have bribed the guards….. We didn’t even see them coming.” Explained Alzerac.

“Alzerac and me joined the guards in a last ditch effort to defend the town.” Said Hope. “But to no avail. We were caught by surprise, and many died before we could retaliate. Alzerac engaged a large orc male in combat. He wore bladed armor and welded a large sword. Our brother never stood a chance.”

“You…. Came back for us…. Thank you brother…. But you were to late.” Alzerac said before succumbing to a fit of coughing. Blood came out of his mouth like drool.

Alzerac’s eyes stared blankly into space, and he became still.

The rage burned inside Chronos, fueling his body with insane strength and turning his vision red, giving him a crimson aura. Everything turned red. Time seemed to slow down. He could hear screaming.. Someone was yelling Alzerac, Alzerac, Alzerac over and over again. He madly shacked Alzerac’s limb body.

“No, you can’t die! I won’t let you! Don’t leave me here Alzerac. Don’t you dare leave me here you fool!”

The yells became crying, and the crying became sobs. It took a moment for Chronos to see that the one screaming was him. He saw the battle around him, heard the clashing of steel and smelled the blood in the air. There was nothing he could do for Alzerac now. Nothing he could do but keep fighting.

 He picked up the nearest weapon, a fallen guards sword, and threw it with all his might at the werewolf who had been slaughtering the guards. The werewolf caught it at the last moment, and threw it back at Chronos. Chronos dodged out of the way and pulled out his ak47, spraying the werewolf with silver bullets.

“YOU LIKE THAT, HUH?!!” yelled Chronos.

The werewolf turned back into a human and said, “So, you possess a rage ability too? Interesting. Want to see who’s is better?”

He turned back into a werewolf and a howled a challenge at Chronos. But that just made Chronos madder. He sprayed more bullets at the werewolf, but the wolf dodged every single one of them with it’s amazing speed, coming closer and closer. When it was in range it scratched at Chronos with it’s claws, but Chronos was fast too, always one step ahead, and the werewolf couldn’t touch him.

Meanwhile Ben fought against one of the other berserkers, a massive bearman with claws that teeth. With Death Bringer in one hand, and Beast Bane in the other, Ben was ready for anything. The bearman leapt at Ben,

Perfect, thought Ben.

This was exactly what Ben wanted, and he stabbed the Bear through the chest. The bear’s face turned human for a moment just to say, “Did you really think that would kill me? I’m a berserker.” Before turning back into a bear and roaring. Then the bearman scratched Ben’s face with it’s claws, Ben could feel the blood making its way into his eyes, effecting his vision. No doubt this would leave a scar. The bearman pulled away, ripping Death Bringer from Ben’s hands. Still stuck in the flesh bearman’s chest. Ben could feel the blood running down from his face from the gash but felt no pain. 

Must be in shock, thought Ben.

"I’m too old for this." Muttered Ben.

Ben took a stance he had not taken in a while, the same stance he had been taught by LycanBlade as a child. He took an iron shield from a dead bandit’s body, and faced the bearman alone, his shoulder pointing towards him, just like he had been taught. The bearman charged at Ben, but he dodged. He then stabbed the bearman through the back and held on as the bearman kept charging. The bear ran up to a guard and mauled him, while Ben continued to repeatively stab the bearman in the back with a small dagger, while holding on to Beast Bane with the other hand. Finally, the bearman pulled out Death Bringer and threw it away. It connected with the side of a house, sticking halfway through.

Then the bearman shook Ben off, along with his silver short sword Beast Bane. The bearman bounded over to the house and pulled Death Bringer out of the wall. He then turned back into his human form, full of bloody wounds, and ran at Ben, slashing with Death Bringer. Ben jumped over the blade and kicked the man in his face, breaking his nose, and then stabbed him through the heart before picking up Death Bringer and making his way towards the nearest bandit. “You may be a berserker, but I’m a Monster Hunter, you never stood a chance.” Ben said with a solemn expression to the berserker’s corpse at him feet.

Itblobboy was busy thinning out the ranks of bandits with balls of magic fire coming from his iron staff, when suddenly he was pounced on by a berserker lion. Itblobboy fell to the ground, his staff skidding away from him, leaving him defenseless to him attacker. The beast slashed at Itblobboy with it’s claws, but itblobboy managed to use a quick spell of repulsion to push the lion away. The lion landed on it’s feet, the spell still trying to push him back, but with his claws extended into the ground he slid to a halt. Itblobboy ran to pick up his staff, but was attacked from behind by a bandit with a sword. He managed to duck under the blade and continued running, picked up his staff, and launched a fireball at the lion. The lion easily dodged the fireball and ran at itblobboy, while at the same time the bandit with the sword also ran at itblobboy.

Itblobboy dropped the phantom staff, and materialized a halberd with his magic, blocking the sword thrust, and swiftly kicked the bandit away with his foot, just as the lion attacked once more. itblobboy swung his halberd at the lion and slashed it across the chest. But it was an eye for an eye as the lion scatched at itblobboy’s face, cutting him deeply and popping his eyeball into a gooey mess that ran down itblobboy’s face, along with blood from his multiple face wounds.

“AAAHHHHH MY EYE ... YOU BASTERD.” Screamed itblobboy as he dropped his weapon and put his hands to his face.

The pain of losing an eye was absolutely agonizing, and the worst part of all was that he couldn't heal lost body parts, that sort of magic was above him. He would have to live with one eye for the rest of his life. Itblobboy held both hands to his face and kneeled down, trying to stop the bleeding with his magic, and the horrible pain that came with it.

The lions face turned human, and laughed before becoming a lions head again and roaring a challenge. The bandit with the sword came closer to the sneering as he did, and raised his sword high, about to chop off itblobboy’s head, when suddenly and captain’s rapier came through the bandit’s back and out through his chest. The bandit looked surpised for a moment, and then his head slumped downwards. He was dead.

The sword came out of the bandit’s back, and behind him was no other than Mandra BroadShield himself. The captain of the guards in Ivarstead.

“I heard that a healer was here to help one of our villagers. We can’t have you die too soon now, you could be useful when this mess is over,” stated Mandra.

Mandra ran to itblobboy’s side.

“Are you alright?” Asked Mandra, with real concern in his eyes.

“I’m fine. Just let me get my hands on that damned berserker. I’m a Healer, not a damn MAGE. But He will PAY for this,” exclaimed itblobboy, gesturing to his eye socket, where there was little left but a gooey white mess, and blood.

The berserker was now human once more, and was smirking at the itblobboy and Mandra with his hand gesturing for them to come closer. “Are you ready to give that f****r a beating?” Asked itblobboy, still holding a hand over his eye, but with his staff in the other.

“To think that I would sink from one of the best of the beautiful city Kanata’s guards to the captain of this shithole, is depressing. I can’t believe my father sent me here!” Mandra complained. “Well, I’m ready when you are." Said Mandra as he gestured at the berserker with his rapier. "Let’s kill that berserker.”

The berserker grabbed itblobboy’s fallen halberd and charged, swinging the thing at Mandra, but Mandra easily parried with his high quality sword and disarmed his opponent. The berserker changed back into a lion and roared at Mandra, just as itblobboy threw a fireball that hit the monster straight in the face, scorching and blistering the flesh of it’s face, and blinding it. “That’s what you get for what you did to my face,” muttered itblobboy. The lion swung its paws blindly, hoping to hit its opponents’. It was simple matter for Mandra to dodge and then cleanly slice off the lion’s head, and it’s body slumped to the ground. “If you can’t take the heat, don’t ask for a fireball,” said Itblobboy as he watched Mandra disappear in the raging storm of a battle.

This is madness, Gaffer thought as he looked at the battlefield. Although there were more dead guards than bandits, two berserkers had already been defeated. Now that those two warriors that had given him so much trouble somehow appeared out of nowhere, they were LOSING. That’s impossible. How did they even GET here.

Well, if you want a job done right, you’ve got to do it yourself. Gaffer thought to himself as he strapped his sniper rifle to his back, and took out his teardrop blade. A high class dwarven saber.

Then he ran into battle. Gaffer walked into battle like a man on a pleasant stroll through the woods. With his sword he cut down most of the remaining guards with ease. Gaffer wasn’t an average bandit. He was a coldblooded killer. A warrior. Someone who lived only for battle. And he knew it. He would kill all the guards himself if he had too, to ensure victory, but he was sick of killing pawns. He wanted to kill someone more important. And then he saw him. The captain of Ivarstead’s measly guards. Mandra Broadshield.

He would be the perfect opponent. Thought Gaffer as he licked his lips.

A bandit attacked Mandra and he managed to parry. He then swung his sword, chopping off the bandits arm.

The bandit yelled out screaming, as he fell to the ground clutching the wound were he arm had been.

Two more bandits ran at Mandra, yelling threats and insults as they did. With a quick slash he beheaded both bandits, their bodies falling to the ground.Mandra walked onwards.

Mandra was looking around the battlefield for more worthy opponent when he saw him. It was Gaffer, a known bandit leader with a bounty put on his head for the trafficking of human slaves as well as many accounts of murder. So maybe he was the bandit’s leader after all. And without their leader the bandits would be helpless. The man had a sniper strapped to his back, and was using a teardrop blade to chop and slash through what remained of Ivarstead's guards. His sword a blur, he was cutting down man after man. If this continued there wouldn’t be any guards left fighting, and they would lose the battle. As the captain of the guards, Mandra could not let this happen. He could not let any more of his comrades' blood be shed, and more than that, he would not lose. He would make his father proud. He would kill the bandit leader.

Chronos faced off against the berserker werewolf, throwing a grenade at the beast. But the werewolf simple moved out of the way of the explosion. He then charged Chronos, slashing down on him with his deadly claws. Chronos blocked with his ak47, but the werewolf ripped the gun from his hands, and it tumbled away from him. The werewolf pushed Chronos over, and landed on top of him he tried to bite at the flesh of Chronos's neck, but Chronos was much stronger with his rage ability, and managed to push the werewolf off.

The werewolf’s face turned human for a moment and said, “Your good. But red rage is not comparable to berserk rage. You WILL be defeated. You know that, right?” Chided the berserker werewolf.

“We’ll see about that,” spat Chronos.

Chronos ran at the werewolf, and dodging its claws, and slid beneath the werewolf's legs, then ran to his ak47 and shot at the werewolf, hitting him multiple times. He then threw a smoke grenade. In the smoke, the werewolf couldn’t see him. He knew that the reason why the werewolf wouldn’t go down wasn’t just that he was tough, but because his skin was too thick for the silver bullets to penetrate through the skin. But Chronos had a solution. He walked directly in front of the werewolf through the smoke, and stuck his ak47 forcefully into the berserker’s mouth. After firing three shots the werewolf fell to the ground, dead. Through the berserkers mouth, there was no protection, and the three bullets had penetrated into his brain, killing him.

“I guess red rage was better anyway huh? No response? I guess that means you agree too.” Said Chronos.

The man before him was Gaffer, a high ranking bandit leader with a large bounty on his head. It didn’t surprise Mandra at all that someone like him would be leading an attack like this. He had to get rid of him, and fast before he caused any more damage. And without a leader, the bandits would surely retreat.

“So, the captain of the guards of Ivarstead himself is my next enemy?” Laughed Gaffer. “That’s good, I was tired of killing these helpless beings you call guards.”

“At least they have honor,” retorted Mandra.

And with that, Mandra made his move. He attacked with full force, holding nothing back. Gaffer parried the blow, but it was only the first of many blows. Mandra’s captain’s rapier was meant for fast blows like this, not for heavy blows or blocking though. Gaffer’s sword was good at all three of those things, a sort of jack of all trades.

“All I have to do is wait for an opening when you become tired, and it’s all over for you.” Thought Gaffer.

“Ha! You’re not so tough in person, I thought you’d at least be able to fight back!” Mandra joked.

“Your swing is weak Mandra, why don’t you try a little harder?” Gaffer asked.

“Fine I will!” Yelled Mandra stubbornly, not knowing he was falling into a trap.

Mandra’s attacks got faster and faster until the point where they almost couldn’t be seen, but Gaffer blocked them on instinct alone. Mandra began to tire though, and his attacks became slower and slower. Sweat ran down Mandra’s brow, and his breathing became heavier and heavier. Finally, Mandra stopped. He was out of breath.

“This is the time to strike!”  Thought Gaffer, as he swung his blade at Mandra.

Mandra smirked. He knew that this was coming.

“So, you thought you could wait until I tired out huh? I was merely acting. I’m used to swing a sword around. How do you think I got the title of Captain of the Guard? Not so tough without a sword now are you?” Asked Mandra.

“It’s not over yet!” Yelled Gaffer. “Not without your death.

Gaffer dropped a smoke bomb inbetween the two of them, and ran to safety. Then he drew his sniper, and simply waited for the smoke to clear up.

Mandra coughed on the smoke, looking in every direction for his enemy, but he couldn’t see a thing.

“Have you no honour, do you really think I would fall for such an underhanded trick?” Yelled Mandra.

Mandra heard a laugh in the distance, and ran blindly in that direction.

Mandra ran in the opposite direction. When the smoke cleared, Gaffer had his sniper out, and shot Mandra in the chest before he could blink.

Mandra cried out in pain as he fell to the ground. A pool of blood began to grow from his body as Gaffer’s bandits surrounded him.

“You know what Mandra? That was a good fight. You fought hard to save what was dear to you just like I once did for what was dear to me. When I still had something worth protecting. I’ll let you go. I respect your courage. Just accept defeat and you may live to fight another day Mandra.” Said Gaffer, as he lowered his weapon.

This scene was so familiar to Mandra. He remembered years ago when he fought on the front lines of the war between Sage and Morthal, before he didn’t feel like he had dishonored the names of his kin. When he still had pride for his family name. His father was a war hero, and his father’s father before him so of course he would be too, right?

He remembered when he and his squad corned and outnumbered. When they were forced to surrender. Forced to retreat. The warriors from Morthal said the same thing.

“I respect your courage.”

Saying he was angry or ashamed was an understatement.

But then Mandra started to smirk, the same way he always did. Pretending he was prideful when he really felt shame. Knowing it was the end for him, he smirked. At least he had the good fortune to die like a hero.

 “It won’t be like last time, leaving the battlefield in disgrace. I swear such a thing will never happen again! Or my name isn’t Broadshield!” Yelled Mandra.

Mandra Broadshield struggled to get up, using his sword as a cane. He was shoot in the knee by one of the bandits and he began to limb. He was then shoot once more in the shoulder, and again in the chest. Mandra dropped his sword, and collapsed to the ground. Mandra Broadshield died with a smirk on his face.

 

A large figure approached Ben through the bloody battle that surrounded him. Ben stood in battle posture, ready for anything. But when he saw who it was he was astonished. But he knew that he had to defeat the bandits at all costs. Even if that meant stopping an old friend.

“Brings back memories, doesn’t it?” Asked LycanBlade. “Remember the last time I was here? Well, of course you do. This is where it all began.”

“Why are you here, mercenary?” Asked Ben.

“Come on don't be so tough on me, you know who I am. Tell me what my name is.” Commanded LycanBlade.

“LycanBlade. Your name is LycanBlade. You’re a mercenary. And you were my master.” Said Ben.

“Well, are you ready to fight your master? Or will you let your little village burn to the ground?” Chided LycanBlade.

“If you you make me, then I will do it.” Stated Ben.

Ben charged LycanBlade with Beast Bane and Death Bringer and swung his Death Bringer as hard as he could. LycanBlade stopped the sword with his own, and kicked at Ben’s jaw. Ben dodged and swung Beast Bane at LycanBlade’s chest, where it bounced off LycanBlade’s bladed armor. LycanBlade laughed as he attacked again with his Skull Crusher sword, and Ben ducked under it. LycanBlade threw a hidden dagger at Ben’s face, and Ben caught it with his teeth, and let it fall from his mouth. The two warriors stopped for a moment to catch their breath.

“I don’t understand, you would never have worked with bandits, much less attack a village.” Ben said inbetween breathes.

“Things change Ben. I will reveal my intentions in good time.”

LycanBlade slashed downwards with his sword, and it took all of Ben’s strength and both swords to block the massive blade. Ben was getting tired, but LycanBlade kept on attacking, attack after attack after attack, and Ben couldn’t keep up.

“Years of living in a village running the local tavern has made you weak. Your victory has defeated you.” Said LycanBlade, “While I have been improving my skills and even learning magic. You may have beat me once, but I will always be the master and you are only ever the pupil.” Lycanblade said as he pointed his finger at Ben.

LycanBlade swung his sword, and Ben parried with Death Bringer, but his parry was too weak and the sword fell out of his hands. LycanBlade kicked at Ben’s stomach, and Ben went flying, landing on the ground, but not quite yet defeated. He still held up his sword, Beast Bane. The one that he used to train with LycanBlade. The one he was given by LycanBlade. Suddenly Emily ran at LycanBlade, her own weapon, a two handed mace in her hand. She swung the mace with all her strength but LycanBlade just ducked.

“So, both apprentices this time. This doesn’t concern you Emily, so back off.” Commanded LycanBlade.

Emily swung her mace twice more, but it had been years since she had last fought, and she was already out of breath. LycanBlade hit her in the head with the flat of his blade, knocking her out. He then disarmed Ben with a quick flick of his Skull Crusher. Ben tried to crawl backwards, but it was no use. LycanBlade just walked forward. He put his sword to Ben’s throat and with a smile, said,

“You lose.”

He then withdrew his blade.

“Why?” Asked Ben.

“Because I’m here for the Blood Alter of the Primal, not your life. I’m a BlackHood now. I came here to take the Blood Alter that this town has stolen from us and bring it back to Mad Ricky, where he will awaken it’s true power and the Primal inside it. I came here undercover as a mercenary payed off by bandits to attack this town, but this is my real reason for being here. It’s not the money, it’s not you, it’s just my job. That’s all. Oh, and I’ll be taking that Blood Alter now. And if you try to stop me again, I’ll kill you.” Explained LycanBlade.

And with that, LycanBlade made his way to towards the guards’ barracks, a lone wolf, slaying anyone else who got in his way.

Gaffer looked at the battlefield around him, and saw that there were little to no guards left. Even though there were less then half of the bandits left then he had come with, it looked like they would be victorious. Which meant that the Boss would be very happy. He would have his long awaited revenge. The mercenary was leaving with what appeared to be an old crimson rock. Well, if that guy wanted to dessert, there wasn’t anything him could do about it. This guy was more of a warrior than he would ever be.

He spotted the two warriors that had given him so much trouble, one was on the ground, either dead or knocked out. That was good, but the other…… the other WAS COMING RIGHT TOWARDS him, and he looked pissed off. Wait, was that a red aura coming from him? So he really did possess the red rage ability. Oh, this was bad, this was so bad.

Back in the tavern, inside Melina's mind suddenly Melina remembered who she was, and the nightmare started to end. She could feel the essence of the Primal girl leave her body, as if it was never there in the first place.

“NOOOOOOOO” Yelled the Primal, “I WANT TO LIVE!! I WANT MY REVENGE.” The Primal seemed so weak now, nothing like before.

She almost pitied the Primal. But she wasn't willing to forfeit her life for it. Maybe she could beat it. Suddenly Anilem appeared. She seemed scared and tense, so unlike Anilem, and she may have tried to kill Melina, but Melina was happy to see someone, anyone other than the Primal. There was someone else there too, but he/she was wearing full mage robes and a hood, and didn’t look like anyone she had seen before. But she knew he was there to help. The hooded person yelled magic words at the Primal, and it screamed and then vanished. They were back in the City of Her Soul, but they were hovering above ground. “Hello,” said the hooded figure, “I am Itblobboy, a master healer and minor mage. It appears that someone took the Blood Alter out of this area. If that didn’t happen you would have surely been fully possessed by this being. It’s what is called a Primal. The creators of time and space itself, and the very first form of life. They have been sealed away since the time of the Elder Gods, and are very dangerous. You’re lucky that someone removed the Blood Alter, or you would surely have been completely taken over. Now, follow me. It’s time to wake up, Melina.”

Melina woke up to see that she was in her old room that she used as a child in the tavern she had grown up in. She was lying down on her old bed. Too her left was the cloaked figure she had seen in her dream. She saw that it was indeed male, and was missing an eye. “Hurry girl, we must stop Chronos before he makes a grave mistake.” Chronos, Melina thought. It’s been so long. She remembered his smile, and how she never thought she would see him again, the love that they had was almost destroyed by the Primal. She remembered it all, and cried.

Chronos had the one responsible for all of this in his sights. And he was going to kill him. All the pent up rage at him for what Gaffer had done to Ivarstead was raging inside Chronos like a fire. Chronos dodged a bullet from Gaffer’s sniper and quickly unloaded his entire magazine into the man. Gaffer tried to flee, but was shot down. The remaining 15 bandits rushed Chronos, thinking that numbers could defeat him. Bullets whizzed by Chronos, but he wasn’t afraid. He was so angry that even if the bullets had hit him, he wouldn’t have felt it. He would leave no survivors. He picked up Gaffers sniper and a hunting knife. Two of the bandits closest to him rushed Chronos, Chronos stuck the hunting knife in ones throat, and shot the other in the head with the sniper, all before they could even hope to attack.

Three more followed and Chronos sprayed with his ak47 in the other hand, killing all of them. A bullet hit Chronos’s cheek, and his right leg, but he didn’t even feel it. He dodged several other bullets like it was nothing. He threw all his remaining grenades in his belt. All five of them. The bandits tried to run, but few survived. The rest ran for the forrest, where they were picked off one by one by Chronos with the sniper he took from Gaffer. However Chronos noticed that Gaffer was still alive, and had started crawling away.

Chronos was just about to finish him off when itblobboy yelled “STOP! Haven’t you done enough? How can you kill these people with no remorse?”

That was when Chronos turned the gun on itblobboy. If itblobboy had just come sooner this never would have happened, thought Chronos. He must be punished. Chronos shot Gaffer’s body over and over and over again, until there was barely anything left of him. He was about to kill itblobboy too when Suddenly Melina came out of nowhere and hugged him. And the red rage ability that was controlling his emotions all went away. He realized what he what he should have realized a long time ago. That love, respect, and friendship were far more important that hate, violence, and aggression. And this wasn’t itblobboy’s fault. In fact itblobboy had saved his wife. And when he realized this, he started to cry.

The next day the funeral pyres burned high, turning to ash the dead bodies of bandits, guards, and villagers alike. A few of the remaining guards said a some words for their fallen comrades, and even Itachi Broadshield was there, a legendary war veteran, leader of the guards at Kanata, and the father of the now deceased Mandra.

At this time Ben explained to his daughter Melina and son in law Chronos who he and Emily really were before they ran the tavern, they were Monster Hunters, and explained about their old master LycanBlade stealing the Blood Alter and now being a part of the BlackHoods. He told them of what the blackhoods and Lycanblade planned to do, free the Primals from their prisons and create a new world. And he also told them that the blackhoods were the swore enemies of Highland Fortress. And that he wished for Melina and Chronos to come with him to Highland Fortress and train themselves. And Melina told her parents, Chronos, and itblobboy what had happened in her dreams. Itblobboy was the most interested of the bunch, and asked many questions, also explaining that the Blood Alter stone actually had the spirit of a Primal in it, and that the BlackHoods worshipped these beings and that was probably why LycanBlade stole it. He also explained that the Primal was close to possessing Melina’s body, and if it had succeeded the whole world would be at stake.

Itblobboy explained that Highland Fortress was willing to train both Chronos and Melina in the ways of battle, and opposing the blackhoods. In fact, after a few years of training Melina, Ben, Chronos, and itblobboy all agreed to work together to track down blackhood members and bring them to justice. And so the four returned to Highland Fortress in search of training for an all new adventure.

Who knows what adventures await our four heroes and Chronos? Find out in Part 4 of The Life Of Chronos!

 

Part 4

 

It was a hard 6 months, but Chronos had trained with the very best at Highland Fortress. He was apprenticing as an assassin, so he could slowly take down the evil organization of blackhoods. Under Jerek and itblobboy Chronos had gained the support and training needed to become a much better fighter, and even learned how to control his red rage ability and not let it control his emotions as much.

 

He was far from a perfect warrior and needed to work on his red rage ability more, but he couldn’t wait any longer. He had to track down LycanBlade and other blackhoods, they needed to be exterminated before they shed anymore blood. During training he had even acquired a new weapon. A secondary weapon called Pepper Shot, a 12 shot revolver to serve as his secondary weapon should he ever lose his ak47 or run out of its ammo.

 

It was midday, and was time for lunch. Chronos had to hurry or he would miss his only chance to meet up with Ben and Melina all day. Chronos made his way out of the room where target practice was held for ranged fighters, the paper targets now littered with bullet holes and larger holes where arrows, bolts, and stones from slingshots had cut through the paper targets. Chronos had missed only a single shot.

 

Guess I still have work to do perfecting my aim, thought Chronos.

 

He didn’t want to disappoint Jerek. That man was like his idol, the perfect warrior. And the perfect teacher. He could only wish for the day that he could match the older man in a fair fight. Chronos walked away from the target practice room, and down a winding stone walled corridor, and walked through two large doors on the left, finding himself at the Dining Hall.

 

 

Well, at least I didn’t f**k up this time, thought Chronos.

He was busy thinking back to the start of his training, and how embarrassing it was to have to ask for help to find different rooms. But then again, the castle was very big, and was older than Ivarstead itself. It was said that the castle was built by elves far back in the past thousands of years ago. Why they left, no one seemed to know. But it wasn’t long after that it was found by humans and turned into a place for warriors to perfect their skills. It’s been said that Jerek himself was among the very first to be trained at Highland Fortress.

 

Well, he certainly didn’t look it, thought Chronos.

 

It seemed as though Jerek have stopped aging in his mid-fifties. Chronos was interested in how that was possible, but it was rude to ask, so he wouldn’t. Chronos scanned the room around him, looking for familiar faces. There were so many people training here, and even masters of battle, of all sorts, from mages to assassins to mercenaries, to front line heroes in the war against Morthal that lived in Highland Fortressand and only came out for occasional jobs that a true master was needed in. As usual, the place was as noisy as ever, after all, there were several thousand people here at Highland Fortress.

 

Chronos saw Ben and Melina sitting together, along with the Master Healer itblobboy, and Valen. Melina spotted Chronos, smiled, and waved. She was wearing heavy steel armor, and Death Bringer was strapped to her back. Her dirty blond hair and brown eyes were beautiful to him, and Chronos could see that she was well. Chronos smiled back and walked over to her. It wasn’t often that he saw his wife these days except for meals, and he was happy to see her. He walked over and sat down next to her.

 

“So, how was target practice? Asked Melina, “I heard that you barely even miss one shot anymore.”

 

 “Well,” Chronos replied, “I missed a shot today, but hopefully I’ll do better after lunch.”

 

Ben explained, “Melina and me were just talking to Valen and itblobboy and it seems that they are very pleased with our progress. It’s been a while since I’ve felt this good. After training here for so long, I think I have finally shaken the rust off my bones. Maybe if LycanBlade showed himself here, I would be able to take him by myself.”

 

Along with Ben’s silver short sword Beast Bane, Ben now had a highly decorated iron shield on his back.

 

I guess after he gave Death Bringer back to Melina he needed something more than just a short sword, thought Chronos.

 

 

 

 

 

“Yes,” agreed Valen, “you two have done very well together, Ben and Melina.

Although you had some trouble gaining back the skills of a Monster Hunter after being without practice for so long, you seem to have gained back most of your previous skills from when you were a master swordsman. And you Melina, have learned how to truly handle a sword, and have the footwork and skills needed to use your greatsword Death Bringer as well as any master warrior could. To be honest, I am impressed. While I can’t speak for itblobboy, I would say that Chronos has also learned a lot while he was been at Highland Fortress.”

 

“Yes,” Said itblobboy. “Chronos has learned how to dodge flying projectiles such as bullets and arrows at high speeds, and even learned how to use a secondary weapon, Pepper Shot, as I’m sure he told you. On top of that he has learned to keep his hands steady when firing and barely ever misses a shot, and he even knows how to cook a grenade. But of course his best skill so far is to use the Red Rage ability. He can use it to speed up his body, heighten his senses, make himself stronger, lose the ability to feel pain, and heighten his reaction speed. All in all I think in another few years he could very well become a master assassin. But we still have to work out a few problems, as he is not yet ready to be considered a master assassin.”

 

Just then, Jerek the Grand Master of Highland Fortress made his way over to the table the five of them were sitting at, and sat down.

 

“I have a task for the five of you,” said Jerek. “We have been asked by the guards of Kanata City to rid them of a pest that has been plaguing the city. Members of the city have been found dead in alleyways, with bite marks all over their bodies, but mainly their necks. They seemed to have been drained dry of blood. We think that we are either dealing with vampires, cannibals, or worse.  Your job is to find the culprit of these murders and report them to the guards, set up an ambush, and let the guards handle the rest. Considering that there are three monster hunters among you, master or not, an assassin in training, and a Master Healer, I think you’ve got this.”

 

Jerek paused for a moment and then continued speaking. “I understand that this will be Melina and Chronos’s first time on a real mission, so I do not want you to engage the suspected killers when you find them. Leave that to the guards. Your leader for this mission will be Valen, as he is a Master Monster Hunter, and so he is the perfect person to lead this group. You will each be payed for your work equally by the guards, but because Ben is no longer a master Monster Hunter and Chronos and Melina are in training, 50% of your earnings will go back to Highland Fortress as we supply your training, housing, and the chance to join in on missions. As for Valen and itblobboy, you two are to give 25% of your earnings back to Highland Fortress, as we provide housing for you. You will be leaving tomorrow. Training will continue as normal for today, but be sure to pack before going to bed.”

 

 

 

Jerek caught Chronos’s eye before saying, “Good luck. I expect you to be ready to leave at 8:00 AM tomorrow. That is all.”

 

 “Why do you have to pay half as much as us? That isn’t fair.” Said Chronos angrily.

 

Itblobboy responded, “Because we have already finished our training, and are supplying our own time to train people like you, you whelp. That, and SinisterPotatoe said so. If you got a problem, talk to him. He’s the one writing this, not me.”

 

 “Speaking of training,” said Valen, “Ben, Melina, after you are finished eating meet me in the training fields, were going to practice swordsmanship and using throwing knifes.”

 

And with that, Valen left the table, leaving his half eaten plate on the table.

 

“I’m quite excited about the prospects of another mission,” said Ben. “You two haven’t been on any yet, but you don’t know what you’re missing. I can’t wait to be back out in the action again, I haven’t been on a real mission since before either of you kids were born. I trust that you two will make me proud. Now hurry up Melina, we don’t want to keep Valen waiting.”

 

 “Yes father. Goodbye Chronos, I may have been busy with training, as have you, but I’m sure the mission will give us a chance to finally stay together again at least for a little while. See you tomorrow!” Said Melina, with a wave and a smile.

 

And with that Ben and Melina left the table, leaving Chronos by himself with itblobboy.

 

“Well Chronos, I don’t mean to sound pretentious, but Valen is right. You have done quite well with your training so far. After you finish up your meal, meet me at Gunners’ Fields. I have a surprise for you and the other apprentices, and I promise it won’t be just me breaking the fourth wall again. I swear.” said itblobboy while holding back a grin, “Oh, and good luck with the mission tomorrow, and remember that I will be there to make sure that you don’t mess up.”

 

“Thank you sir. It has been an honor training with you, and I could never have learned how to control my red rage ability without your help. I thank you.” Chronos said, with a hard look of respect. itblobboy nodded back at him with a faint smile before leaving the table.

 

Chronos got up out of his seat and found his way to where the food was being served. At Highland Fortress meals were like an all you can eat buffet, with tables of food laid out for every meal. There was so much to choose from, from sushi to grilled cheese sandwiches, to curry. When Chronos had first come to Highland Fortress and started his training, he was surprised at how good the food was, and how many foods he had never heard of were just waiting here for him to try. Chronos always wondered how the Fortress had enough money to serve such amazing food to all of its inhabitants.

One day he asked itblobboy how such a feat was possible, and itblobboy simply said this. “Really Chronos? Are you really that stupid? Let me break it down for you.

Missions = money = food. It’s that simple.”

 

 Still, he was unhappy with the answer and one day asked Grand Master Jerek.

 

“Well Chronos,” Jerek explained, “Much of the food and seasonings that we consume daily at Highland Fortress come from within the nearby areas, we farm some of our own food, while we buy fresh produce from villages such as your own, Ivarstead. We have hired chefs from around the world just to prepare the best possible meals for our fighters, and with more different foods that you could shake a stick at. People with similar powers to itblobboy, and have the ability to teleport buy wagons full of food from around the world weekly, and then bring them back here. They are also paid for this. All of this is possible because of the amount of money we get from completing missions, as often 25% to 50% of your rewards go back to the Fortress. The purpose of the Fortress is to feed, house, and train people to become anything from mages to warriors to assassins like you. Not to earn money. So we try our best to make sure that you get only the very best, so you complete missions like the very best. It’s just that simple.”

 

Chronos used to think that the food served at the Fortress was as good as gold, but now he was getting used to it. He was already forgetting his life in the village of Ivarstead as a poor farmers son, growing up feeling hungry, and losing his friends and his innocence at a young age when he watched as Chris died because of the Primal. The hate from the village after that had been unbearable, and of course most of all, when he found out that there were humans that were responsible for it all. His own parents. And the rest of the blackhoods. Hiding behind a castles walls was a cowards ways of dealing with a problem, and Chronos knew it.

 

Don’t get me wrong, thought Chronos, I’m grateful for the training I have been given, but I need to be out where I can do some good, fighting the blackhood cultists, not stuck in a castle.

 

Suddenly Chronos heard a voice from behind him that almost made him jump. “Chronos, your face is so tense….. it almost looks like your constipated, it’s just food god damn it! Pick something to eat before you grow a beard.”

 

The voice said with a teasing laugh. Chronos looked behind him to find Penhead smiling cheekily. He was a fellow gunner apprentice. One of the best actually, and also a friend of Chronos for the last couple of months. Penhead had already been training here for two years as an assassin when Chronos had first gotten here, and had always helped Chronos through the tough training.

 

“Yeah, if you stand there any longer people will think you’re a statue or something.” Said Miso, an archer.

 

The three of them were friends, and all were trained personally under itblobboy. For the last few months these guys had been like brothers to him. So of course he had to have a good comeback.

 

“Well, have long have you been staring? I know I’m pretty, but I’m off limits.” Said Chronos.

 

 “Screw you!” Said Penhead, laughing hard and patting his friend on the back.

 

“Come on guys, let’s hurry up and eat, I don’t want us to be the last ones to practice again.”Complained Miso.

 

 “Ok, ok. I’m hurrying Mr. I Can’t Wait Five Seconds.” Replied Penhead.

 

Penhead took a plate of watermelon slices, turkey legs, and apple juice, Miso took some miso soup and teriyaki with California rolls, and Chronos took a plate of breaded and fried lion fish with homemade fries, and a glass of coconut milk.

 

After choosing their meals, the 3 sat down and began to enjoy them. The trio of men were silent for a moment, except for the sound of their mouths smacking as they enjoyed their meal. The one thing they didn’t teach at Highland Fortress was manners.

 

Then Miso broke the silence and said, “So, I heard that we’ll be having a paint ball competition today in the maze. Are you guys ready to get rekt by me?”

 

And with that the awkward silence was broken.

 

“Oh, there is NO way I’m losing to you Miso.” Said Chronos between bites.

 

 “So,” said Penhead, “you two want to make a deal? " munch munch " How about after the match we steal old man itblobboy’s prized bucket helmet. Losers have to steal it.”

 

“That old thing? What do you want to do with that? It’s just a bucket” Criticized Miso.

 

“Well,” Said Chronos, “He always wears it all the time. Except when fighting of course. I always get the feeling he’s proud to own it, but it barely gives him any protection even. It’s like he thinks he’s better than the rest of us just because he’s wearing the bucket.”

 

“Exactly. Just imagine what he’ll think when he realizes it’s missing. His pride and joy.  And the winner gets to keep it.” Said Penhead between bites.

 

“Deal!” Replied Miso and Chronos. The three made their way out of the dining room, running together through the halls, and as they did so they tried some the aerial stunts that they had been taught by their masters, doing wall jumps, backflips and running as fast as they could, fueled by the power of their youthfulness. If they were going to be late for class, they might as well do it in style.

 

Through the winding corridors Chronos could see the light at the end of the tunnel, and dared himself to walk through it and into whatever struggle, whatever adventure awaited him next. He imagined the day when he would confront the blackhood order, and disband them for good. He would spend his whole life training for the day when he would. And he knew that he and his friends would be able and ready to face that evil eventually. Together. But what after that? Was there really anything to do that was worthwhile other than end the cult that killed his friends and painted his life with red? What was there other than that? Was there really any purpose to this world? If there was he would find it. For now he would have to live with the will to protect the ones he loved. But one thing he knew. Those times when he lost. When he couldn’t save his loved ones. Where evil had gotten away. He would never let it happen again. And so he live for his loved ones. And in that moment Chronos promised to himself, embarrassed, with tears in his eyes, that he would never lose again. And he would reach the light at the end of the tunnel a victor. Together. With his friends. His only true family.

 

Chronos, Penhead, and Miso found themselves in an area with a crumbling stone floor under them, and grass growing between the cracks in the stonework. The sun shone brightly above them in a blue sky, with white clouds in the distance. They were outside. In front of them was a large group of apprentices, and their Master, itblobboy. It seemed like the three had made it just in time.

 

In the distance was the Maze. An area perfect for training exercises and competitions. Itblobboy was speaking to the group of apprentices. It was a magical training ground where the large stone walls were unbreakable, and so smooth that no one could scale it. The maze had no exit, and the stone walls moved, sealing certain areas at times while also opening up new ones. This meant that every day the maze was different, and could not be memorized. The only way to leave was to be teleported out, or somehow grow wings. It was the perfect training area to test the skills of the apprentices.

 

It was a great way to prove themselves, and the winner of each of these “mock battles” as they were called by the apprentices, were put on the strongest teams for only the most important missions, which were usually on the front lines of the seemingly never ending battle for their country Sage against the warriors of Morthal. New blood was always needed to fuel the war against a country of Homs that was used to, and even profited, off war. It was considered a great honor, but Chronos was not yet ready for that, and did not want it. It was not his problem. He just simply wished to end the cult of the blackhoods.

 

Itblobboy began to speak to the apprentices in a tone that made it very obvious that he didn’t want to be here. “Today you will be playing a game of free for all paint ball free for all against some of the other apprentices. You will be given one paint ball gun or bow with arrows with paint bombs on the tips, and a dull knife. Two gun shots equals disqualification. One touch of a knife or arrow and you’re out of the game. Does everyone understand this?” Asked itblobboy with a bored look on his face. “No? Ok then. Everyone, grab your weapons and take your wait for me to teleport you to your positions within the maze.”

 

“Well,” Said itblobboy with an amused look on his face. “Look who decided to show up. These three will be staying with me here after class for a little discussion time.” The amused look was now clearly a sneer.

 

And that was the moment when Chronos knew he was really going to get it.

 

The other apprentices snickered as the three trouble makers faces turned as red as a tomato.

 

In silence, the three each picked up their paint weapons, and stood with the rest of the apprentices, waiting for itblobboy to teleport them into the maze and start the match.

 

Itblobboy muttered the words to a mass teleportation spell under his breath. “Lanuae Magicae” itblobboy muttered.

 

Suddenly, apprentices around Chronos began to pop out of existence. This wasn’t the first time that Chronos had witnessed teleportation, but it didn’t feel any less strange to see it in action even after experiencing it before.

 

I guess somethings never change, thought Chronos.

 

Chronos looked at the world around him one last time, before being teleported into the maze for one last sparring match until after his first mission would be finished. He looked at the smiling faces of Penhead and Miso, confident that they would be the winners of the mock battle, confident that there was no one that could beat them. Itblobboy looked the same as ever. Smug, yes, but mysterious and full of wisdom. Itblobboy was the reason that Melina was still alive, and had been a hero in the Battle Of Ivarstead. He even lost an eye in that fight, and had an eyepatch with a steel plate protecting empty eye socket. He wondered what itblobboy’s motives were. Did he do it out of the kindness of his heart?

 

Chronos didn’t know if he could be trusted. He looked off into the distance, in the direction of Ivarstead, his home. He could see the green sprawling mountains far away. The trees that dotted the landscape moved back and forth in the wind. He could remember the ones that he had climbed to find the Healer and save his wife. It felt just like yesterday.

 

He was going on a grand adventure again, with his wife Melina, father in law Ben, Valen the Master Monster Hunter, and his teacher Itblobboy. The first real mission that he had been assigned to by the Grand Master of Highland Fortress himself, Jerek. He was so excited he could barely wait.

 

Suddenly Chronos was no longer was no longer looking at the mountains. In front of him was a huge grey stone wall with moss growing. He was in the maze.

 

Almost every mock battle had a different location, due to the ability to teleport apprentices into a “stage” for battle, basically anywhere could be a a potential “stage” as long as no living humanoid was there to get in the way. Also, every location was unique. With so many places to choose from it isn’t surprising that there were some pretty crazy stages for mock battles.

The maze, also known as Devil’s Labyrinth by the ones who created it nearly millennium ago, was a collection of many great, mossy rock walls and twisting corridors, with many entrances and no exits. How is it possible to have no exits you ask? Well, the walls themselves were alive. Reacting to the people trapped within it, or by random, the walls would move. Sometimes blocking off certain areas, trapping the people inside, or opening up new ones to rekindle a false sense of hope in its victims. The walls of Devil’s Labyrinth were said to be fused with the soul of a particularly powerful dark mage after a fight in the mountains with a mythical warrior named Revan that ended in the death of the dark mage. Before the dark mage could pass on to the afterlife, it is said he sacrificed his body to become one with the dirt, stone, flora, and fauna, swallowing entire ecosystems, shaping his mass, and eventually becoming the Devil’s Labyrinth. Lost forever deep inside, it is said that Revan’s remains lie at the very center of the maze.

 

There were many dangers that plagued the maze, including reanimated dead men who had lost their lives to the maze, as well as walls that could grind together at a moment’s notice, grinding flesh and bone between stone. Of course itblobboy would try to teleport any who might be in danger back to the Castle, but that would mean losing, and although itblobboy would teleport them back, no one could be sure it would be in one piece…

 

Chronos looked around, trying to analyze his surroundings. It would only take 2 gun shots, or one arrow or knife to send him back to Highland Castle a failure, and adding salt to the wound, that would mean he would be forced to steal itblobboy’s stupid bucket-like helmet. And considering he would be on a team with itblobboy going to Kanata city, he couldn’t let that happen. If he failed to steal the helmet without being caught, itblobboy might just decide to teleport him a second to late the next time he would be in a tough situation. itblobboy was already a sadist to begin with, he didn’t need to add angry to the list.

Author's Note

This story is unfinished, I will add more to it in the future.



I very seldom reply to reviews, but I promise I read EVERY single one. I look forward to my next review, because it helps me learn. Even if it's just one word, I promise, I will be ecstatic to have the chance to hear what you have to say. Whenever you write something about my poems, or the themes of my poems, or criticize me it is not in vain. I will listen, learn and be thankful.

Welcome to the world of helmettria, a world of many wonders, monsters, demons, and even god like creatures. The main inhabitants of this world are the Homs, a race of intellent humans, but with special abilities that the humans of your world do not have. The ability to learn magic is natural in all Homs, and with practice any Hom could cast spells or even revive the dead. Hom’s senses are stronger than that of humans, and their fighting ability is like that of no others. With training, a Hom could even be fast enough to dodge a bullet. The Hom’s are but one of many races of humanoids in Helmettria, but are by far the most common. Many of the other races live secluded from the world of Homs, or are so small in number that they can only be found in particular parts of the world. Helmettria is a world where knowledge is not shared, as in Morthal anything from guns, to farm equipment or cars can be manufactured, but this ability is not shared with the rest of the world. So in some places Homs are nothing more than hunters and gatherers, but in other places Homs have even found ways to become immortal through technology and research.

The world of the people of Helmettria is made up mainly of four great civilizations, as well as a few smaller ones. Sage, Morthal, Cathedral, and Nither, the greatest civilizations in this world are constantly at war with each other for land and resources, and new forms of magic and technology. Sage and Morthal are civilizations mainly made up of Homs, while Cathedral is made up of mainly the Alatum Esse, or Alatum for short. They are much like the Homs, but live to be hundreds of years old, have great black, grey, or pure white wings in which they can fly with, and are able to perform magic from birth. This makes them great mages and the masters and keepers some of the oldest and most powerful spells and magic items in the world. The Alatum consider themselves better than Homs, and any Homs in their section of the world are considered lesser beings, and are the target of racism. Other races sometimes call them “winged homs” which the Alatum themselves consider racist. Hom’s sometimes call them “land angels” due to their wings that make them look like angels which are mythical winged beings that the Homs believe serve the Gods. It is possible for a Hom and an Alatum to produce offspring. These are considered Half-Alatum, but generally smaller wings and usually cannot fly. It isn’t uncommon for Homs with Alatum ancestors as far back as centuries to occasionally grow up with a full sized set of wings, while sometime Half-Alatum have no wings at all. Nobody knows why. The Alatum’s is a civilization that realizes on magic and old traditions rather than technology.

Nither is a rocky, mountainous region that is boiling hot in the day, and freezing cold in the dark. Only the strong survive in a place as barren as Nither, and while mainly home to Homs, there are several other races that share Nither as a home. They are orcs, goblins, dragonborn and dwarves. The orcs are a warrior race, usually standing at 7-8 feet tall, and are muscular and have sharp teeth and nails. Surprisingly, they’re not as bad as you’d think, as they often share settlements with Homs. Those who think less of Orcs call them Greenskins, but anyone with half a brain wouldn’t say that to their faces. Goblins are like orcs, but smaller, dumber, and are very cruel. They would like nothing more than to lop off your head and put it on a pike. However, the Orcs and the goblins share the same guttural language, and get along better than with each other than any other race. The Dragonborn are reptiles with strong scales like armor. They are a very prideful race, but are friendly enough with outsiders. They are wise and live long lives, but they are also great warriors. Dwarves make a living mining and smithing ore into the best weapons and armor. Dwarves can be found in big cities basically anywhere, as they are great tradesmen. Though small, they are strong enough to carry warhammers twice their size.

Deadly wars take place over countries like Sage, a mountainous region where sleepy villages and bustling cities that are something like that of the 1500’s in your world. Sage is a place where any race can stay, and is the least dangerous of all the civilations of Helmettria. A perfect place for people to settle down in peace. But all of that will change when Morthal invades. It’s only a matter of time. Helmettria has both technology and resources, but it is not shared, and so people fight for what they want. Countries like Morthal and Cathedral hog these resources and knowledge, whether out of fear, or greed. But our story is simpler than that. We are simply here to follow the life of one Hom.

Chronos

Reviews

[Emmanuel Fena]

I love your colors of word.. it's.. um... colorful lol
Well I'll wait for your next story =3