A few days have passed, life has returned to normal in Elmwood, and the town's people return to a normal routine. With only one-quarter of the town in ruins, the town's crafters are busy repairing the damage, as they wipe away what happened not so long ago. Gone too is the body of the might creature, as those who know how to make use of it, have taken everything, even the very bones of the beast.
The twins with Ashera are still the talk of the town after they help to defeat the mighty beast, and the people still greet and thank them for that help. The twins are on the way to meet up with Ashera, who has her own business within the town to deal with, as she has told them to be watchful of who they meet. Not everyone in town has their best interest, as Peter has taken her words to heart, not fully trusting a few of the people around town.
But he also has gotten the attention of the town's young ladies, as they try to catch his eye at every turn, with fine dresses and made up faces. Lots of low cut V-neck dress, showing off pushed up chests, to help draw attention each of the pretty ladies. Even a few have used the magical arts to draw even more attention towards a few others, giving the women an unnatural glow, highlighting their curved bodies. Anna's thoughts turn dark toward the different women, as Peter makes his way around town with her, but she quickly dispels most of those charms, giving every one of them an evil glare as she does.
" Why I have never seen such a bunch of desperate loose women in my life, mother would have scolded me from town to home if I carried on like they are. ", says Anna, as she dispels another charmed lady as they pass.
" I don't know Anna, they all seem very nice to me, besides no one has your good taste in clothes. You know how to keep yourself very well covered, and still have a very fine fashion. ", says Peter, taking note of the dress she picked up just the other day.
She smiles at his words, as they make their way past a very crowded marketplace. Anna sees a few people watching them close from the corner of her eye, as the vendors yell to get buyers attention, some push their wares in the face of people passing by, one takes notice of Anna, and moves to stand in her way.
" Look at you, such a very nice young lady. I can see your missing something, and here it is...........", the vendor pulls out an umbrella.
" Here you are, a fine white sun blocker, to help keep the hot sun off your very fine skin. Only two gold pieces. ", says the vendor with a huge smile, showing off crooked teeth.
He holds out his hand looking to finish the sale, as Anna looks over the item he holds. She does think it would look great with her new flower dress and takes out some money to hand over to the vendor.
" I will give you one gold piece, and not a coin more, or it's no sale agreed? ", says Anna now hold out the single gold coin.
The vendor frowns a little, as his smile fades, then agrees with her, and hands over the umbrella, as he takes the money in return. Anna opens it up then gives it a twist, as she now gives the vendor a smile and takes her leave.
Now as the two walk down a side street away from the markets, she takes Peter quickly by the hand and moves down the lesser busy street. Anna twists the umbrella a few more times, as she uses it to cover her head from view, then turns to look at Peter.
" We are being followed. I counted about three in the marketplace. ", says Anna keeping her view covered with her new toy.
" I know Anna, I saw about two more moving to cut us off before you took us down here. We better hurry to Ashera fast, I don't like the looks of that lot. The place she told us about is just around the corner if we hurry we can beat them there. ", says Peter as they quicken their pace.
Peter doesn't want to get into a fight in public, but he can tell the people following them don't want the same. If they wanted to fight them, they could have done it a few times already. But now they have gotten to the doorway of the Pub Ashera told them about, it's the Golden Swan, a very nice out of the way place, that still has a fair number of customers. So they are still safe for now, as Peter takes note of the town guards that are patrolling not far away from the Pub. But who is following them, what do they want?
Before they enter, Peter takes one last glance behind him and sees a large muscular bald man look back at him, and the others who followed them walk over to meet this new face. The leader of that bunch he thinks, as he enters the Pub to look for Ashera. They don't follow him in but move to the shadows to wait for them to come back out again. The Bald man smiles wide, he knows they have them now, and they can't get past unseen. So he sits and waits for the twins to leave the pub, then once he has them, its off to see his master.
As the twins enter the pub through the worn, wooden door, they are welcomed by the sound of the wind outside and whispers. The bartender is smoking tobacco and makes no effort to acknowledge their presence. Marble pillars support the upper floor and the sconces attached to them. The walls are littered with all sorts of memorabilia, many of which have become unrecognizable due to dust, cobwebs and other dirt. The pub itself has a few people inside, could be anybody really, but whoever they are, the twins hope they are left alone, just as they are leaving them alone.
In a dark corner of the pub, Ashera waves for the twins to come to her, and they waste little time moving to the table to sit with her. A few eyes watch as they pass by, a few of them are elf-folk, but the twin just focus on their friend. Anna gives her a very unpleasant look, as her brother sits opposite from her next to Ashera.
" Nice place you have us coming too, looks like the whole place is out to get us. ", says Anna setting her new umbrella on the table.
Ashera just smiles and motions for a barmaid to serve a few drinks to the table, as she takes out a small map to show the twins. It's a map of the known area, it shows the current town and a few other locations near and far. Ashera takes out a small knife and points to the area on the far edge of the map.
" This is the eastern kingdom, and that is where your brother lives. Again I will stress, he isn't the same man you once knew, I would bet my life on it. I am showing you the way, but I will caution you against going after him. I know he is your kin, but I do not think you will like what you see if you go there. ", says Ashera now planting the tip of the knife into the map.
Peter studies the map and can see the lands are divided by water. Elmwood is in the southwest area of the map, and to get to where Robert is, they have to go to the top Northeastern part, close to the coastline. There are mountain ranges and valleys, the road to the eastern lands looks long, but they could take it. Then there was the western port town of New Haven, it wasn't far from Elmwood, maybe they can take a ship to sail around.
He looks up from the map, as Ashera takes a deep swallow of ale, and he can see the pain in her face. She notices him watching her closely now, and turns to look away while slamming down her mug.
" Why are you looking at me like that? ", now looking right at Peter.
" Is there something wrong Ashera? Your smile faded away for a moment, and you looked so sad. ", he looks deep into her eyes with those words.
Ashera pain runs deep, Peter sees that now in her eyes, but he watches as she takes another sip of ale, and table slams down the mug on the table once more. The smile returns to her face, and she slides her chair closer to him now.
" Ask me again some other time ok. Right now we have other issues to talk about. ", she says with a big smile.
She takes hold of his left hand, then moves in closer. Peter can feel the warmth of her firm hand, and at the same time, it's a very soft touch. Now she moves in to get a kiss from him, but Peter remembers last time he was knocked out by that kiss. He pulls back a little, as Ashera now giggles at his actions.
" I am not going to put you to sleep again silly, this kiss I have is pure pleasure, so give me a good one like last night. I want to feel your soft lips on mine. ", she says while pulling him back to her.
" Ummm hello you two, I am sitting right here! Do that someplace else for the gods' sake! ", says Anna as she takes a sip of ale.
" Oh Anna, I forgot you were sitting with us. Be a good little girl, and go get us something to eat from the bar. Make yourself useful ok dear. ", says Ashera with a wink.
" What! What was that?! Who do you think you are? I am no servant you hussy. Just because you want to get closer to my brother, doesn't mean you can talk to me any way you like! How dare you speak to me like that! ", exclaims Anna, now pointing her umbrella at Ashera.
Before she can respond to Anna, a barmaid walks over and whispers something into Ashera's ear. This news puts a slight frown on her face, as she whispers back to the barmaid, who leaves quickly with a nod.
" Well you two, sounds like a few of your brother's men are waiting for you outside. I wonder what they want? ", says Ashera with a smile.
Anna stands to look out the window and sees the group of men who have been following them. She looks over to Ashera again, as she fixes her dress, then takes up her umbrella.
" Well now, let me go see what they want! And don't worry your head off my dear, I will not tell them who I really am. I just want to give them a piece of my mind. ", exclaims Anna, as she walks out of the pub, with an open umbrella.
Ashera pulls Peter towards her a little more and gives him a concerned look.
" You better go with her Peter, and whatever happens, don't tell them who you really are ok. It will buy you more time. Please, don't be stupid, these men have dangerous masters. ", says Ashera with great concern.
" I will keep our secret, but what if they want to take us away, to take us to Robert? ", he asks as he feels her grip on his arm tightens.
" Then go with them, get your answers, but don't be controlled ok. These men do not play games, and you will be in danger in their company. Just promise you will be carefully ok? ", she says while looking into his eyes.
Peter can see she is very scared for him now, and he knows this isn't like back home. But he was trained by the best his father could get for him, and he also has the dragon's protection. He needs answers about his brother Robert, and this is the best time to get them.
He looks deeper into Ashera's eyes now and pulls her in to give her a big kiss, one she gladly returns to him. Then he moves slowly away and smiles at her.
" I will do my best to take care. Will you come with us? "
" No Peter, this you have to do on your own. Just come back in one piece ok. ", she says while slowly letting her hand slip off his arm.
He nods to her and walks out to join his sister. Ashera can only watch him leave, as a small tear rolls down her cheek. She quickly wipes it away, as a cloaked figure moves from the shadows of the place, and stands behind her.
" I hope you know what you are doing Ashera? You're taking a big chance on letting them go. ", says the hooded man.
" I know what I am doing, we will wait until they leave. Tell the others to get ready to move out, we have a trap to spring, and the bait is now in play. ". she says now taking a deep swallow of ale.
" Right away my queen. It will be as you say. ", the hooded man bows then quickly leaves.
Ashera doesn't like the idea of being royalty, but her mother, after all, was the queen in the old lands, a title that followed her here with the other elves. And after she was murder by Robert's hands, the title fell to her, the only surviving member of her royal family. Ashera knows she has to remain in hiding for now, at least just for a little bit longer. Until her plans finish coming together, she dares not leave to far from the company he keeps. They watch over her from the shadows and have been for a very long time now.
They are part of the Shadows of the Skull, a guild that controls the eastern kingdom, and has powerful friends in most of the land. The coat of arms they wear is a shield that has four colors which are painted in a cross pattern of gold, blue, red and green pattern. Two wing pairs and one crowned skull serve as the emblem, and a long ribbon, partially wrapped around the supporters, carries the motto, which reads: "Reap what you sow.".
Krull stands with his band of eight men, and they all watch a beautiful lady in a flowery white dress and holding a flowery white umbrella slowly walk right towards them. He finds himself studying the dress she is wearing, as she moves closer to where they are standing.
He can see it covers her shoulders almost fully, and it flows down into a beautifully draped neckline. It's a close fit which is meant to draw attention to her breasts but in a graceful and elegant manner. Her arms are completely uncovered. A good choice too, as her skin and the color of the dress, form a perfect combination. The dress' waist is thin, but it's a loose fit. A bow has been wrapped around her waist and positioned slightly to one side. Below the waist, the dress widens and has a gathered style. The dress reaches all the way down to the ground and is the same length all around.
Anna stops right in front of him and twists her umbrella now resting on her shoulder. This motion draws Krull's eyes back up to meet hers, and she, in turn, gives him a very nasty look in return.
" Well? What do you want? You and your smelly friends have been following me all day. Come on speak! What is it your looking for? ", she says while tapping her left foot now.
Krull just begins to grin wide, showing off his crooked teeth, and gives the only answer he can in response.
" Why little missy, we don't mean no harm, but we do have a job to be doing. You and your brother haven't made it any easier on us. Was it your name Ms. Smith? ", says Krull as his men now circle Anna.
Peter seeing them closing in on his sister, quickly moves to her side, with his hand on the hilt of his blade. He gives them all a very hard look.
" What is this all about?! Why are you harassing my sister and I? We have done no wrong since coming to this land. ", states Peter now drawing his blade up a couple inches.
Krull doesn't want to draw attention to them, as one of his men whispers into his ear. He takes out an old drawing and shows it to Krull. He nods to his man, as he now rushes off out of sight.
" Well, now Mr. Smith is it? Looks like you favor our leader, and we have standing orders to bring in anyone that does, so he can get a good look at you. But from where I am standing Mr. Smith, you look to be more of a Stormhand. But it's not for me to say, so why don't you come along with us, and if you are who you say you are, we will have no more dealings with you, and we will even pay you for your time. How do a thousand gold pieces sound? ", says Krull now grinning wide.
Peter looks over to now Anna, as she moves to whispers in his ear, then he nods to her as a wagon cart pulls up next to them. Krull's men all rush off, as Peter agrees with going with them, and they are helped into the cart by Krull, who takes control of the wagon.
" I knew you were a smart young master. Don't you worry none, as soon as you get a looking over, you will be on your way? ", says Krull as he gets the horse moving with the snap of the reigns.
" And if they don't like what they see? ", asks Anna with a little concern.
" Don't you worry your pretty little head off, like I said no harm will come to you both, you have my word. ", He says now speeding up the wagon to leave town.
Krull's men quickly ride up from behind, and a few moves to the front. They have what they were looking for, and it happened without a fight. Krull is glad it was easy, but he thinks maybe it was too easy. He eyes the twins over his shoulder, as the group now ride off into the distance.
A lone hooded elf rides through the woods, dressed in his night-black leather armor, keep pace with the group that has the twins now, as he rides on the back of a swift claw. It's a lizard type mount, favored by those who want to move quickly. and still kept to the shadows. The swift claw is a favorite mount for those who stay in cover while tracking their targets, and it has a great sense of smell.
The small convoy stops, as the rear guard turn to check the road behind, but this elf is in the brush, and he quickly motions his mount to get low. With little effort, the swift claw hugs the ground quickly and quietly, as the elf now sits motionlessly on it's back. These two know each other very well, it's how they survive in the wilds, and why this elf gets the top jobs when it comes to tracking his prey.
He watches as the rear guard now turn to signal the others to move on, and the elf pats his mount to move out, as it quick continues to move through the high brush. Each step it takes is one that isn't wasted, as it springs over fallen trees, and around high standing overgrowth. The elf now moves ahead on the group, sees a low hanging branch, then quickly climbs into a large tree, as he springs from his mounts back.
His mount takes cover once more, knowing its master is in battle mode, and it watches him closely for his next move. The elf, in turn, sits hidden in the tall tree, with a bow in hand, he makes ready two different arrows. The road just north of where he sits forks off into two different directions, so he waits to see where the convoy goes next.
The lead riders quickly pass his position and head to the left fork. There a hidden wagon is taken out, and they continue on that road with the new wagon. Then comes the wagon with the twins, and they head down the right fork with rear guard. They make sure the tracks match up with the other sets, it's an old trick, one that can confuse an untrained eye. The elf laughs at the very sight of this move, good thing he is here. After a few more moments, he fires an arrow into the ground by the road, a small red flag is attached to it, and now blows in the light wind. Now he sends his next arrow into the road the twins were taken, and takes a quick leaping roll from the tree, and is met in the air by his mount. The swift claw, hits the ground running, and quickly rushes to follow the twins down the road to the right.
There comes a day when kingdoms collide, an assassination shall bring a time of prosperity and the rise of what was forgotten.
A simple inscription on an old manuscript, a dark figure in a shadowy aura reads it over again, then slow returns it carefully to the glass case that is before them. They turn in a room filled with ancient relics, old books of every type, and many magical items. This person is a great collector of many things from the old times and finds great value in anything of the dark arts of magic.
They glide across the room to a covered table, it stands about waist high, and it's narrow with a piece of red silken cloth coving something in the middle. It's curved from the looks of it, and the shadowy figure removes the cloth quickly, showing off a cloudy crystal ball. A fog swirls in the middle of it, as the figure now raises bony hands out to it.
With their right palm up, then a circling of the left hand, the fog spins within the crystal, and the shape of a wagon with twins takes shape. They move their hands over the sides of the ball, then an image of the golden dragon head takes shape, followed by the head of a white dragon. The dragons have linked with these owners, as the figure studies the magical tie between them.
" Can it be?........... After all this time? "
The image then fades away, as a small house takes shape in the ball, the figure waves there hands slowly, to get a better view of this new image, and the head of a black dragon takes shape. A dark force has control of this one they can see, and their control over it is very strong. Then the image flashes and shows an image of a brown dragon head, then the image shows a young elf lady, she has a concerned look on her face. The image fades quickly, as the fog now fills the crystal ball once more.
The shadowy figure turns to look at a display on the wall, in it sits a blood red and sky blue dragon head medallions. They study them for a short moment, as they then turn with a right hand raised, and a book flies from a self-close by. The book opens and pages flip, then the figure stops them on a part that speaks about the dragons. A bony finger runs along one page, and they stop over the parts that speak on the types of the dragons. A slight laugh can be heard, as they slam the book shut, then it flies back into place. They raise their left hand now, and a staff flies from a hidden area to join it.
" Servants! Attend to me! ", says the figure with a few taps on the floor with the staff.
Entering the room quickly are two females dressed in ragged clothes, they look to be a crummy old piece of fabric full of holes and stained with dirt, it barely manages to hang from their shoulders like a discarded old towel.
They quickly get to their knees and bow to this figure, as he motions to then with his right hand. They don't show their faces to him, and you can't tell who they are, as their heads are covered.
" Clean this room up you two, and don't disturb my work, I shall return in a few days. Also, you will find your daily rations in the usual place, and I trust you will not take more then you told. " says the figure in black.
With a few taps of the staff, the figure vanishes in the blink of an eye. The servants now stand slowly and begin their task to clean up the mess left behind by their master. With a few motions around the room, they quickly finish cleaning and start to leave the area.
Now before they can leave, a voice calls out to them, and they freeze in place.
" It is time........"
They quickly bow and go to their knees. Not knowing if their master has returned. Then the room grows bright, and the voice calls to them again.
" It is time...........Silva and Mitra, it is time to leave this place. Do not fear, we will be your power, take us up, and be as one with us. "
The servants slowly look up to see the two dragon head medallions now on the ground before them. The eyes are glowing, and once the two make eye contact with them, they are drawn into a deep trance. The servants find themselves reaching out to touch the heads. The room grows very bright, as they touch the metal, and the two servants are gone from sight once the light fades.
It's in the early hours of the evening, and Peter looks around at his surroundings, as the wagon comes to a halt. He can see they have come to a simple small house, that sits next to an old barn. The area is overgrown, showing that no one has cared for the area in a long time. The house itself looks to be falling apart in some places, and he watches as the door slowly creeks open.
Krull helps Anna down from the wagon, and Peter quickly follows close behind, he has his guard up now, as he feels the dragon's push on his chest, a feeling he knows that warns him of a coming danger. He watches as two large dire wolves exit the home, teeth-baring with a slight growl, then a shadowy figure follows from behind them. With a few heavy steps on old wood, the figure moves to the edge of the steps leading from the home.
" You favor your brother Robert young Stormhands. This I can tell just by examining you both up close now. ", says a deep rubbing voice.
Krull steps forward, as his men stand behind the twin, and he moves closer to the figure. He shows no fear of this person, and bows low to explain.
" My lord, these two claim to be Smith, and no kin to Robert. I have seen the entry in the official book myself. This one is Peter, and she is Anna. ", says Krull in a very humble voice.
The dark figure's eye glow red slightly at his words, then it turns to look over the twins once more. The figure takes a few steps forward from the home, motioning his pets to stay where they are. They look over the twins more closely, as Anna finds herself gripping Peter's left arm in her right hand.
The twins can feel the power radiating from this person, as the figure slowly walks around the pair, breathing heavy as they move, only to return standing in front of the twins, now looking down at the pair.
" What game is this you two are playing at? The official records are never wrong, and so am I! You look to be of Robert's kin, a spot on likeness. You, Peter, are a perfect match to Robert when I first met him years ago. ", says the figure in a deep low voice.
Peter standing his ground, looks into the dark aura of the person and makes a demand in return.
" So who are you? Why did you have us brought to this broken down place, and how do you know Robert! "
Anna grips his arm very hard now, the wording he used, to ask about Robert in that way, only confirms what the dark figure already knew. They watch as the figure turns away from them, and now begins removes the hood from its head. The figure turns to show off black scaly armor, that quickly fades from their face showing off an aged face of an older man.
They have silvery white long hair, and their face is like cracked granite. A very stony hard looking one, that has seen years of combat, as there are a couple of scares on their left face. Scares gained from the time in battle.
The man now moves to face Peter and looks him in the eyes. Peter can see he has bright blue ones, no red can be seen from earlier. Now a smile slowly crosses the aged face.
" Well Mr. Smith, I will play your game for now. Why are you here? ", says the man in a hard aged voice.
" Why should we tell you anything? We don't even know your name! ", exclaims Anna now bravely moving forward.
The man turns to look at her, then he lets out a slight laugh.
" Your right my dear, you don't know me. So I will tell you. I am Lord Chandler Grimsbane, right-hand man to Robert Stormhand, who is the leader of the Shadows of the Skull. We control the eastern kingdom with our men, and are currently expanding into new areas, like this one, and is why we must know who is coming and going within the lands we are about to control. ", says Grimsbane now moving to look deeper into Anna's eyes.
" Now Robert did say he has a lot of siblings. Also, that his father Granthor might one day come looking for him, if not his father then one of his brothers. I know what Robert was like over seventeen years ago, and you two do favor him very closely. ", says Grimsbane with a bigger smile.
" That's not what we heard, we were told Robert came here only seven years ago. They have even wanted posts about him too, all stating that time. ", Says Peter now stepping forward.
Grimsbane's smile fades quickly, as he turns to face Peter, and he motions for Krull's men to take hold of the twins. As they do, Peter and Anna both struggle to break free, but they find they can't move as the men take hold of them. For now, the twins are under the control of Grimsbane, as he weakened the two after looking into their very souls. A control the slowly starts to fade, as Grimsbane continues to speak.
" Yes, that is true, seven years ago, we started to Guild of S.O.S., and we ran across this land with great destruction. Over that time we became the power in this place, and no power could stand against us. But it was seventeen years ago when I first met Robert, and we have been friends ever since that time. ", says Grimsbane now calling for Krull.
The twins watch as the two men speak in whispers to each other, and they know time is running out for them both. As the two speak a little more, a dark fog rolls in from behind the old house, and with it the sounds of old bones creaking, along of the sounds of metal clanging. Krull and Grimsbane turn to face what is coming from the fog, and within it come screams that send chills down the spin of a few of Krull's men. Some of them turn to run, but a fog now moves in from behind them. In it, a dark figure in old mages robes floats in behind a large number of skeleton warriors. Ones it made just before the figure moved in with the fog. It raises a staff in the air, and the very sky above now turns black.
" You will give me the powers of the dragons now, or I will unleash my pets on you all. ", says the figure in black.
The twins, now able to move, feel the power of the dragons gripping them hard, as their dragon armor now takes hold of them both. Peter turns in time to see Grimsbane now sporting a black dragon scale armor all over his body. Then he pulls out two very long silver swords, as Krull now rushes to the twins side.
Peter doesn't understand why Krull came to them, then he remembers what he said. Krull stated he would let no harm come to them, and it looks like he is a man of his word. But Peter knows they can handle their own without his help, but as the undead army grows around them, Peter begins to think, maybe they will need his help after all.
Always nice to read your stories @Granthor and its even better when you add undead ^^
Well thank you, I was trying to find a tie in for what I wanted to do, and got the idea from you. lol I will try to get 3 more parts in this weekend. But blame Fallout 4, it's what I am playing to past the time, while I wait on AoC. lol I will see what I can do to get the 3 parts in, need to finish this tale soon. So I can move on to other stories. HAHA
His name is Shuzis Magnus, a power Necromancer dressed in a dark robe, wrapped in a dark mist aura. He sold himself to his power years before, as his body what is left of it, is cursed and his face shows mostly bone. Eye sockets that once held human eyes, now only show dark empty holes, that flare red from time to time at his emotional state of mind. His hands still having the old flesh of the passing time, grip his staff tightly, as he now looks to gain more power, and now has set his eyes on those who have the power of dragons.
He calls forth more minions, a mix of bone knights and rotting fighters, as he lifts high his crooked staff to the air, and he watches as his forces march down on the prize he greedily eyes from afar. His forces pour over the few defenders that fight for their lives, his fighters fall to the attackers, but his bone knights push through, and he chuckles at the sight of the few fighters that fall to his forces. Now on to the main event, as he draws down the very night of the few that remain, calling forth a black mist of darkness to cover the advance of his bone knights.
But to his surprise, a female mage in white strikes the ground with her staff from behind the line of defenders, and a huge wave of white light pushes out to knock back his forces. Gone too is the dark mist he sent down to blind them, and in its place is a lighting field that surrounds the small group.
Magnus's eyes glow bright red, as his anger now flares, and he reaches into his rob to pull out a small figure. He brings in close to his face and whispers a few words to it. Now the spell it has done, and with a flip of the wrist, he tosses the figure on the ground, then points his staff toward it. As his staff now shakes with power, the figure sinks into the ground from sight. Magnus now smiles, as he has used one of his most powerful weapons. But before he can see the outcome of his spell, he feels a sharp pain in his side.
Magnus grips the point of the pain, pulling out an arrow from his side, and turns to see an elf warrior with a bow in hand. Behind the elf comes a small band of warriors, changing fast to the battle. Magnus can see he is outmatched, and quickly retreats from the battle. With a wave of his hand, a portal opens behind him, and he smiles a little, knowing he still played his ace card, and he will watch from a safe place the outcome of this fight. He steps into his portal, and before a killing blow can take him, he disappears from sight.
Peter is standing his ground with his sister at his side, and in front of them fighting hard is Krull, who is smashing bone knights with his hammer weapon. A few of Krull's men have already fallen in battle, and the undead forces now focus on the twins. The few men that are left retreat to Krull's side, as the bone knights now charge toward them all.
Peter grips his sword in hand, with a shield at the ready, and stands prepared to strike out at the first attacker that gets close to his blade. Now comes a dark mist to cover them all, a blinding night of no light, and Peter knows they are in trouble if they can't see. But Anna quickly spins her staff, then strikes the ground, sending a white light out to remove the cover of darkness. With her next move, Peter charges out with her attack, as a wall of lighting begins to circle them. Peter finds himself moving at a blinding speed, and as he moves he is taking down many of the undead forces around them. Cutting and slashing as he moves, the undead turn to dust, and others are explored from the strike of his shield.
Peter quickly returns to Anna's side, as he looks back to sees Grimsbane, who he almost forgot about, now taking down every undead close to his with his pets. Grimsbane wears his own dragon armor, and Peter watches him for a moment. He moves in a blinding speed, even at his age it's impressive to watch, as he uses his twin silver swords to cut down the attackers around him.
Peter's attention is drawn away, and a few death cries from more Krull's men scream out, the enemy is still coming, an unending wall of death. Krull stands in front of the twins, then looks to them for a quick moment. He gives them a quick smile, then turns to face the enemy, and with the last breath, he charges into the heart of the undead, disappearing from sight.
Peter doesn't get time to wonder what happened to him, as the ground in front of them shakes, and the twins are knockdown to the ground from the shaking. From a fissure that formed, and large creature begins to come out of it. Two ebon eyes stare at the twins with a petrifying temper, and another screech resonates from its fiery mouth in a fit of rage. Four jagged horns adorn its rugged head, which itself is covered in glowing tattoos. A constant snoring escapes the creature's deep nostrils set within a fat nose. Its rugged head sits atop a compact, stringy body. Shadowy curls coil around its torso, the creature takes joy in their questioning eyes. The creature dashes forward, its four legs awkwardly carry its wicked body with a harrowing energy. The creature comes closer and closer, its eyes never leaving the twins. They stand ready to meant this new attack, as it leaps into the air to strike down on the two. Peter quickly takes the point to face this creature first, there is no time to think, no time to wonder what to do next, as the creature is now only a few feet away.
Ashera rides hard with her men close behind, she is following the trail left by one of her scouts. Her horse breaths heavy, as she pushes him harder with every step. No time to waste, she must get to the twins now, before she loses the edge of surprise. Faster and faster they ride, pushing the very limits of each horse, then they see it, the last bend in the road. A single red flag marks the spot where to go next, and just ahead of them, the prize she hopes to get. Lord Chandler Grimsbane, a man she has been hunting for many years, and the right-hand man to Robert Stormhand, the very person who killed her mother. To get to Robert, she must get her hands on Lord Grimsbane, but time is short, and they must reach him before he can take the twins away. The twins,...she thinks on them, and the times the shared for the short time they have been here. But her thoughts favor Peter more now, as she takes a moment to smile at the thought of that kiss that shared. She can still feel the warmth of that kiss on her lips, but she can't stay in this memory for long. Just ahead she sees a group of fighters riding hard towards them, she can see on their faces they are scared, as the small group rides past them without a second look. A few of Ashera's men want to give chase, but she motions to press on, now with her sword drawn in hand. She sees just ahead of them her scout, now firing arrows at a dark figure, and he finds his mark, as the figure disappears shortly after the arrow strikes them. Who was this new player on the field? No time to figure that out, as undead forces now turn their attention to the new fighters entering the battlefield. Ashera's men quickly move ahead of her, to guard her path, as they cut down the undead bone knights blocking their path. A blood curling scream gets Ashera's attention now, as she cuts her own path past the undead fighters. Then she sees it, a Shadow Stalker, a creature that is used by those who practice the art of necromancy. It is one of their most powerful creatures they can call on and one that can't be beaten so easily. She watches as it now swings down on someone, and the attack is blocked, but not before the defender is knocked back into a tree behind them. Leaving a single woman in white unguarded, but she is far from defenseless, as they now unload their own counter-attack into the very creature. Ashera watches in the quick second, as a huge fireball takes form in the very air in front of this caster, then is launched into the heart of the beast, sending it flying backward in burning pain. It quickly finds it's footing again, as chunks of its flesh burn away from its chest, then launches a new attack toward the woman that hurt it.
" Anna! Get out of there! ", yells Ashera, knowing what will come next, as she positions herself to spring from her horse in a crouching position. She can only watch as the creature takes flight toward Anna, as she is still too far away get there in time help, and Anna tries to get off a second spell. Sparks fly and words can be heard, as Anna moves her staff to help protect her from this attack. But before the creature can strike her, with his shield leading the way, Peter crashes into the beast as fast and hard as he can. He sends the creature rolling off to the right of them both, as Anna now finishes her spell, and strikes the monster with a lightning bolt from the heavens. The Shadow Stalker fights through the pain of the attack, and forces on Peter now, as it swings down to attack him directly, and Peter meets the attack with his shield in hand. The blow shacks Peter but he stands tall, and he answers the blow with one of his own, striking the creature with his sword. The two trade blows with each other, Peter fighting hard to keep the beast in front of him, and away from his sister. Then the beast does something Peter wasn't expecting, as it quickly moves to it's left, and it vanishes from sight. Peter's heart sinks, as he knows this creature has moved to his rear, a move he didn't know it could do. As he braces for an attack, he feels a body pressed to his back, then the sound of claws striking swords cross his ears. Peter spins to swing his sword to a surprised beast, and he finds a sweet spot on the monster's body, cutting a deep gash in the place it took the fire attack from his sister. The Shadow Stalker screams in pain, as the body that was on Peter's back now comes to light as being Ashera, and she rash past the creature cutting off its left arm. Peter in turn not giving it a chance to recover, rushes it with a shield bash, knocking it down, then swings down as hard as he can to cut off the beast right hand. Anna not missing a beat calls one last attack of her own, as a huge fireball comes down from the sky, one that burns the creature up into ashes. The remaining of the undead forces also crumble to dust, as the Shadow Stalker burns up and blows away in the wind of the day. Ashera looks around on the battlefield, as her men regroup, looking for Lord Grimsbane, but he slipped away in the middle of the fighting. She knows they had him, but those undead force got in the way. Who was this new player, and what did they want? " I am so glad to see you again Ashera. Your timing was right on point. ", says Peter while cleaning his sword off. " Well I never liked this plan, to begin with, just look at my poor hair, it's going to take forever to get right again. ", says Anna, now using a red ribbon to tie up her long blonde hair in the ponytail. " I am just glad your both ok if anything happened to you two, I would have never forgiven myself. ", says Ashera now moving closer to Peter's side. Before another word can be spoken between the three, two of Ashera's men drag an unconsciousness muscle man before her and drops him to the ground at her feet. " We found a survivor, your highness. Looks like he took a good beating before he passed out.", says one of the soldiers. " Isn't that Krull Peter? The one who brought us here to meet Grimsbane.", says Anna while taking a closer look at the body. " That's him alright, he was a fool to rush off into the heart of that fight, but he said he would protect us from harm. ", says Peter as he puts his sword away. Ashera takes a closer look at Krull, she might not have Grimsbane, but maybe Krull can give her a few answers. So she tells her men, to bind him up, and they will take him back with them. She can't return to the town they just left, not with Krull in their custody, so she has no choice but to head to their hidden outpost. As they all get ready to leave, a couple of Ashera's scouts ride in on swift claws, they tell her they picked up Grimsbane' s trail, and she orders them to go after him, with a five more of her men. " I have a few questions for you Ashera. One being why you have so many soldiers in your company? ", asks Peter while watching the soldiers ride off. " These men? This is nothing, my love, just wait until you see my base. But for now let's just get to safety, I will answer all your other questions later. " Say Ashera with a smile. With those words, the group rides off to Ashera's hidden outpost. Ahead of her rides ten elf soldiers, and behind rides about twenty more.
Silva the red and Mitra the blue, gone are the rags they wore under their old master Magnus, and replaced is a set of dragon armor, and it covers their body like a second skin from the neck down. The armor they wear is hidden under a slightly elegant mage's robe, red for Silva and blue for Mitra, that is a relaxed fit which flows down into a delicate court neckline. Hoods cover the heads of the pair, only showing a slight glimpse of their faces from within. Gone are the weak women who served Magnus, now they have been granted the power of the dragons, and they show it with the new level of pride, as they walk the streets of Oceancross, a small harbor town on the western coast. But they are hungry, and the first order of the day is to get a decent meal. The streets are busy with activity, as merchants yell out their wares to the passing adventures, along with those would call this place home. The smells of different foods get the pair's attention, and Mitra pauses for a moment to take in the scent. " Is that roast goose Silva, oh the smell of it. It's making my mouth water. ", says Mitra now turning her nose toward the direction of the scent. " Oh yes it is Mitra, let us find who has made such a wonderful dish. ", says Silva now moving ahead of her friend. Moving to past the crowd of people, they come to a big tavern at the end of the block, the Quick Sail, a busy place where the sailors come to eat when in town. From the outside, it looks welcoming, warm and snug. Large stones and marble details make up most of the building's outer structure, cheerful sounds from within can be felt outside. As they enter the tavern through the huge, hard wooden door, they are welcomed by aromas of roasted meats and clapping hands. The bartender is a little preoccupied but still manages to welcome them with a wave. It's as lovely inside as it is on the outside. Stone beams support the upper floor and the chandeliers attached to them. The walls are littered with all sorts of memorabilia, though whether they're collected or donated is uncertain. The tavern itself is packed. Travelers seem to be the primary clientele here, along with a lot of sailors, which is probably the best clientele for the owner. Several long tables are occupied by several smaller groups of people. The other, smaller tables are also occupied by people who seem to be strangers to each other, all sitting here because there are no other seats. Though they all clearly enjoy each other's company. Even most of the stools at the bar are occupied, though nobody seems to mind more company. Silva and Mitra manage to find a seat and prepare for what will be a great evening, they have not had a good solid meal in years, and they can't wait to try what the tavern has to offer. So they look up to find someone to take their order, but before their eyes can scan over the sea of bodies in the room, a barmaid glides past all the comings and goings of the people, then sets a tray of different types of aged cheeses with hard bread on the table. "Good evening loves. What will you be having today? ", says a well fress barmaid. " We will have roasted goose, along with whatever goes along with it, please. ", says Mitra as she takes a bit of cheese to eat. " Very good Milady, and what will we be having to drink now? ", says the barmaid while writing down a few notes. " What would you suggest for us? We would like your very best after all. ", says Silva as she takes a bit of bread with cheese of her own. " Well now, you will be having Gilbert's Honey Ale, none like it in all the lands, and it's the very best we have on tap. ", says the barmaid with a smile. The pair agrees to the brew, and the barmaid quickly rushes off with the order. They watch as people rush past them to different parts of the tavern, then a few songs with some laughter can be heard from different parts of the room. Mitra takes a bit more cheese, some that are a bit more spiked with bitterness, but its still a nice taste in her mouth, Then she looks up to the sight of a pair of eyes watching her from afar, it's an older sailor by the looks of him, and he begins to give her a huge smile while raising a mug in the air to her. " Oh by the gods! ", says Mitra, now turning quickly away from his view. The barmaid returns with their drinks, and places them on the table, and leaves just as quick as she came by. " What's wrong Mitra, is there something wrong with the cheese? ", asks Silva taking a mug of ale. The pair takes a good swallow of the honey brew, it's sweet to the taste as it hits the back of their throats. Then Mitra lightly places her mug on the table to reply to her friend. " There is an old man giving me the eye now, I think he likes me. ", says Mitra as she takes one more sip of ale. Silva looks around the room for the man she is talking about, but only sees lots of people having a good time. Then the barmaid returns with the meal they ordered, two plates of craved up goose meat, along with some soup and a baked potato. There is also a few raw carrots on the side, as she tells them to enjoy it, and she speeds off to tend other tables. Silva and Mitra seeing the food before them, forget about anything else, and begin to savor every bit of the fine meal. The meat of the goose almost melts in their mouth, every bit of it isn't wasted, as the pair eat their fill. After a few more mugs of ale, time goes by, and most of the people have left the place. The barmaid has returned to the two friends, as they down one last mug of the fine ale given to them. " So Miladies, how would you be paying for this fine meal today? Normally I would ask, but my boss noticed you have a few too many drinks, and just want to make sure you don't forget to pay. ", says the barmaid with a smile. Silva and Mitra look at each other with a nervous look, they don't have any money, and they really didn't want to be known as bad people if they tried to leave without paying. But before they can answer the barmaid, a bag of coins is tossed on the table, as an old sailor slowly walks up to take a seat at the table. " Well now, I believe that will take care of your bill my lovelies. I am captain Wallace, of the sailing ship the Goodwin, and I would like to have a few words with you two lovely ladies if you don't mind. ", says Wallace with a big smile. They don't trust this man one bit, as he has the look of a crooked con artist, but he did pay for their meal, so they agree to hear what he has to say. As he orders one last round for them all.
Comments
Well I was trying to make it flow, without being over the top. I added a touch of what Steven was talking about, hope I did it justice.
A few days have passed, life has returned to normal in Elmwood, and the town's people return to a normal routine. With only one-quarter of the town in ruins, the town's crafters are busy repairing the damage, as they wipe away what happened not so long ago. Gone too is the body of the might creature, as those who know how to make use of it, have taken everything, even the very bones of the beast.
The twins with Ashera are still the talk of the town after they help to defeat the mighty beast, and the people still greet and thank them for that help. The twins are on the way to meet up with Ashera, who has her own business within the town to deal with, as she has told them to be watchful of who they meet. Not everyone in town has their best interest, as Peter has taken her words to heart, not fully trusting a few of the people around town.
But he also has gotten the attention of the town's young ladies, as they try to catch his eye at every turn, with fine dresses and made up faces. Lots of low cut V-neck dress, showing off pushed up chests, to help draw attention each of the pretty ladies. Even a few have used the magical arts to draw even more attention towards a few others, giving the women an unnatural glow, highlighting their curved bodies. Anna's thoughts turn dark toward the different women, as Peter makes his way around town with her, but she quickly dispels most of those charms, giving every one of them an evil glare as she does.
" Why I have never seen such a bunch of desperate loose women in my life, mother would have scolded me from town to home if I carried on like they are. ", says Anna, as she dispels another charmed lady as they pass.
" I don't know Anna, they all seem very nice to me, besides no one has your good taste in clothes. You know how to keep yourself very well covered, and still have a very fine fashion. ", says Peter, taking note of the dress she picked up just the other day.
She smiles at his words, as they make their way past a very crowded marketplace. Anna sees a few people watching them close from the corner of her eye, as the vendors yell to get buyers attention, some push their wares in the face of people passing by, one takes notice of Anna, and moves to stand in her way.
" Look at you, such a very nice young lady. I can see your missing something, and here it is...........", the vendor pulls out an umbrella.
" Here you are, a fine white sun blocker, to help keep the hot sun off your very fine skin. Only two gold pieces. ", says the vendor with a huge smile, showing off crooked teeth.
He holds out his hand looking to finish the sale, as Anna looks over the item he holds. She does think it would look great with her new flower dress and takes out some money to hand over to the vendor.
" I will give you one gold piece, and not a coin more, or it's no sale agreed? ", says Anna now hold out the single gold coin.
The vendor frowns a little, as his smile fades, then agrees with her, and hands over the umbrella, as he takes the money in return. Anna opens it up then gives it a twist, as she now gives the vendor a smile and takes her leave.
Now as the two walk down a side street away from the markets, she takes Peter quickly by the hand and moves down the lesser busy street. Anna twists the umbrella a few more times, as she uses it to cover her head from view, then turns to look at Peter.
" We are being followed. I counted about three in the marketplace. ", says Anna keeping her view covered with her new toy.
" I know Anna, I saw about two more moving to cut us off before you took us down here. We better hurry to Ashera fast, I don't like the looks of that lot. The place she told us about is just around the corner if we hurry we can beat them there. ", says Peter as they quicken their pace.
Peter doesn't want to get into a fight in public, but he can tell the people following them don't want the same. If they wanted to fight them, they could have done it a few times already. But now they have gotten to the doorway of the Pub Ashera told them about, it's the Golden Swan, a very nice out of the way place, that still has a fair number of customers. So they are still safe for now, as Peter takes note of the town guards that are patrolling not far away from the Pub. But who is following them, what do they want?
Before they enter, Peter takes one last glance behind him and sees a large muscular bald man look back at him, and the others who followed them walk over to meet this new face. The leader of that bunch he thinks, as he enters the Pub to look for Ashera. They don't follow him in but move to the shadows to wait for them to come back out again. The Bald man smiles wide, he knows they have them now, and they can't get past unseen. So he sits and waits for the twins to leave the pub, then once he has them, its off to see his master.
To be continued..........................
As the twins enter the pub through the worn, wooden door, they are welcomed by the sound of the wind outside and whispers. The bartender is smoking tobacco and makes no effort to acknowledge their presence. Marble pillars support the upper floor and the sconces attached to them. The walls are littered with all sorts of memorabilia, many of which have become unrecognizable due to dust, cobwebs and other dirt. The pub itself has a few people inside, could be anybody really, but whoever they are, the twins hope they are left alone, just as they are leaving them alone.
In a dark corner of the pub, Ashera waves for the twins to come to her, and they waste little time moving to the table to sit with her. A few eyes watch as they pass by, a few of them are elf-folk, but the twin just focus on their friend. Anna gives her a very unpleasant look, as her brother sits opposite from her next to Ashera.
" Nice place you have us coming too, looks like the whole place is out to get us. ", says Anna setting her new umbrella on the table.
Ashera just smiles and motions for a barmaid to serve a few drinks to the table, as she takes out a small map to show the twins. It's a map of the known area, it shows the current town and a few other locations near and far. Ashera takes out a small knife and points to the area on the far edge of the map.
" This is the eastern kingdom, and that is where your brother lives. Again I will stress, he isn't the same man you once knew, I would bet my life on it. I am showing you the way, but I will caution you against going after him. I know he is your kin, but I do not think you will like what you see if you go there. ", says Ashera now planting the tip of the knife into the map.
Peter studies the map and can see the lands are divided by water. Elmwood is in the southwest area of the map, and to get to where Robert is, they have to go to the top Northeastern part, close to the coastline. There are mountain ranges and valleys, the road to the eastern lands looks long, but they could take it. Then there was the western port town of New Haven, it wasn't far from Elmwood, maybe they can take a ship to sail around.
He looks up from the map, as Ashera takes a deep swallow of ale, and he can see the pain in her face. She notices him watching her closely now, and turns to look away while slamming down her mug.
" Why are you looking at me like that? ", now looking right at Peter.
" Is there something wrong Ashera? Your smile faded away for a moment, and you looked so sad. ", he looks deep into her eyes with those words.
Ashera pain runs deep, Peter sees that now in her eyes, but he watches as she takes another sip of ale, and table slams down the mug on the table once more. The smile returns to her face, and she slides her chair closer to him now.
" Ask me again some other time ok. Right now we have other issues to talk about. ", she says with a big smile.
She takes hold of his left hand, then moves in closer. Peter can feel the warmth of her firm hand, and at the same time, it's a very soft touch. Now she moves in to get a kiss from him, but Peter remembers last time he was knocked out by that kiss. He pulls back a little, as Ashera now giggles at his actions.
" I am not going to put you to sleep again silly, this kiss I have is pure pleasure, so give me a good one like last night. I want to feel your soft lips on mine. ", she says while pulling him back to her.
" Ummm hello you two, I am sitting right here! Do that someplace else for the gods' sake! ", says Anna as she takes a sip of ale.
" Oh Anna, I forgot you were sitting with us. Be a good little girl, and go get us something to eat from the bar. Make yourself useful ok dear. ", says Ashera with a wink.
" What! What was that?! Who do you think you are? I am no servant you hussy. Just because you want to get closer to my brother, doesn't mean you can talk to me any way you like! How dare you speak to me like that! ", exclaims Anna, now pointing her umbrella at Ashera.
Before she can respond to Anna, a barmaid walks over and whispers something into Ashera's ear. This news puts a slight frown on her face, as she whispers back to the barmaid, who leaves quickly with a nod.
" Well you two, sounds like a few of your brother's men are waiting for you outside. I wonder what they want? ", says Ashera with a smile.
Anna stands to look out the window and sees the group of men who have been following them. She looks over to Ashera again, as she fixes her dress, then takes up her umbrella.
" Well now, let me go see what they want! And don't worry your head off my dear, I will not tell them who I really am. I just want to give them a piece of my mind. ", exclaims Anna, as she walks out of the pub, with an open umbrella.
Ashera pulls Peter towards her a little more and gives him a concerned look.
" You better go with her Peter, and whatever happens, don't tell them who you really are ok. It will buy you more time. Please, don't be stupid, these men have dangerous masters. ", says Ashera with great concern.
" I will keep our secret, but what if they want to take us away, to take us to Robert? ", he asks as he feels her grip on his arm tightens.
" Then go with them, get your answers, but don't be controlled ok. These men do not play games, and you will be in danger in their company. Just promise you will be carefully ok? ", she says while looking into his eyes.
Peter can see she is very scared for him now, and he knows this isn't like back home. But he was trained by the best his father could get for him, and he also has the dragon's protection. He needs answers about his brother Robert, and this is the best time to get them.
He looks deeper into Ashera's eyes now and pulls her in to give her a big kiss, one she gladly returns to him. Then he moves slowly away and smiles at her.
" I will do my best to take care. Will you come with us? "
" No Peter, this you have to do on your own. Just come back in one piece ok. ", she says while slowly letting her hand slip off his arm.
He nods to her and walks out to join his sister. Ashera can only watch him leave, as a small tear rolls down her cheek. She quickly wipes it away, as a cloaked figure moves from the shadows of the place, and stands behind her.
" I hope you know what you are doing Ashera? You're taking a big chance on letting them go. ", says the hooded man.
" I know what I am doing, we will wait until they leave. Tell the others to get ready to move out, we have a trap to spring, and the bait is now in play. ". she says now taking a deep swallow of ale.
" Right away my queen. It will be as you say. ", the hooded man bows then quickly leaves.
Ashera doesn't like the idea of being royalty, but her mother, after all, was the queen in the old lands, a title that followed her here with the other elves. And after she was murder by Robert's hands, the title fell to her, the only surviving member of her royal family. Ashera knows she has to remain in hiding for now, at least just for a little bit longer. Until her plans finish coming together, she dares not leave to far from the company he keeps. They watch over her from the shadows and have been for a very long time now.
To be continued..............
great work Granthor
They are part of the Shadows of the Skull, a guild that controls the eastern kingdom, and has powerful friends in most of the land. The coat of arms they wear is a shield that has four colors which are painted in a cross pattern of gold, blue, red and green pattern. Two wing pairs and one crowned skull serve as the emblem, and a long ribbon, partially wrapped around the supporters, carries the motto, which reads: "Reap what you sow.".
Krull stands with his band of eight men, and they all watch a beautiful lady in a flowery white dress and holding a flowery white umbrella slowly walk right towards them. He finds himself studying the dress she is wearing, as she moves closer to where they are standing.
Below the waist, the dress widens and has a gathered style. The dress reaches all the way down to the ground and is the same length all around.
A lone hooded elf rides through the woods, dressed in his night-black leather armor, keep pace with the group that has the twins now, as he rides on the back of a swift claw. It's a lizard type mount, favored by those who want to move quickly. and still kept to the shadows. The swift claw is a favorite mount for those who stay in cover while tracking their targets, and it has a great sense of smell.
The small convoy stops, as the rear guard turn to check the road behind, but this elf is in the brush, and he quickly motions his mount to get low. With little effort, the swift claw hugs the ground quickly and quietly, as the elf now sits motionlessly on it's back. These two know each other very well, it's how they survive in the wilds, and why this elf gets the top jobs when it comes to tracking his prey.
He watches as the rear guard now turn to signal the others to move on, and the elf pats his mount to move out, as it quick continues to move through the high brush. Each step it takes is one that isn't wasted, as it springs over fallen trees, and around high standing overgrowth. The elf now moves ahead on the group, sees a low hanging branch, then quickly climbs into a large tree, as he springs from his mounts back.
His mount takes cover once more, knowing its master is in battle mode, and it watches him closely for his next move. The elf, in turn, sits hidden in the tall tree, with a bow in hand, he makes ready two different arrows. The road just north of where he sits forks off into two different directions, so he waits to see where the convoy goes next.
The lead riders quickly pass his position and head to the left fork. There a hidden wagon is taken out, and they continue on that road with the new wagon. Then comes the wagon with the twins, and they head down the right fork with rear guard. They make sure the tracks match up with the other sets, it's an old trick, one that can confuse an untrained eye. The elf laughs at the very sight of this move, good thing he is here. After a few more moments, he fires an arrow into the ground by the road, a small red flag is attached to it, and now blows in the light wind. Now he sends his next arrow into the road the twins were taken, and takes a quick leaping roll from the tree, and is met in the air by his mount. The swift claw, hits the ground running, and quickly rushes to follow the twins down the road to the right.
To be continued......
Well looks like I am writing just for you now. lol Thx again, I posted one more small part, will add more later. If not today tomorrow.
There comes a day when kingdoms collide, an assassination shall bring a time of prosperity and the rise of what was forgotten.
A simple inscription on an old manuscript, a dark figure in a shadowy aura reads it over again, then slow returns it carefully to the glass case that is before them. They turn in a room filled with ancient relics, old books of every type, and many magical items. This person is a great collector of many things from the old times and finds great value in anything of the dark arts of magic.
They glide across the room to a covered table, it stands about waist high, and it's narrow with a piece of red silken cloth coving something in the middle. It's curved from the looks of it, and the shadowy figure removes the cloth quickly, showing off a cloudy crystal ball. A fog swirls in the middle of it, as the figure now raises bony hands out to it.
With their right palm up, then a circling of the left hand, the fog spins within the crystal, and the shape of a wagon with twins takes shape. They move their hands over the sides of the ball, then an image of the golden dragon head takes shape, followed by the head of a white dragon. The dragons have linked with these owners, as the figure studies the magical tie between them.
" Can it be?........... After all this time? "
The image then fades away, as a small house takes shape in the ball, the figure waves there hands slowly, to get a better view of this new image, and the head of a black dragon takes shape. A dark force has control of this one they can see, and their control over it is very strong. Then the image flashes and shows an image of a brown dragon head, then the image shows a young elf lady, she has a concerned look on her face. The image fades quickly, as the fog now fills the crystal ball once more.
The shadowy figure turns to look at a display on the wall, in it sits a blood red and sky blue dragon head medallions. They study them for a short moment, as they then turn with a right hand raised, and a book flies from a self-close by. The book opens and pages flip, then the figure stops them on a part that speaks about the dragons. A bony finger runs along one page, and they stop over the parts that speak on the types of the dragons. A slight laugh can be heard, as they slam the book shut, then it flies back into place. They raise their left hand now, and a staff flies from a hidden area to join it.
" Servants! Attend to me! ", says the figure with a few taps on the floor with the staff.
Entering the room quickly are two females dressed in ragged clothes, they look to be a crummy old piece of fabric full of holes and stained with dirt, it barely manages to hang from their shoulders like a discarded old towel.
They quickly get to their knees and bow to this figure, as he motions to then with his right hand. They don't show their faces to him, and you can't tell who they are, as their heads are covered.
" Clean this room up you two, and don't disturb my work, I shall return in a few days. Also, you will find your daily rations in the usual place, and I trust you will not take more then you told. " says the figure in black.
With a few taps of the staff, the figure vanishes in the blink of an eye. The servants now stand slowly and begin their task to clean up the mess left behind by their master. With a few motions around the room, they quickly finish cleaning and start to leave the area.
Now before they can leave, a voice calls out to them, and they freeze in place.
" It is time........"
They quickly bow and go to their knees. Not knowing if their master has returned. Then the room grows bright, and the voice calls to them again.
" It is time...........Silva and Mitra, it is time to leave this place. Do not fear, we will be your power, take us up, and be as one with us. "
The servants slowly look up to see the two dragon head medallions now on the ground before them. The eyes are glowing, and once the two make eye contact with them, they are drawn into a deep trance. The servants find themselves reaching out to touch the heads. The room grows very bright, as they touch the metal, and the two servants are gone from sight once the light fades.
To be continued............
It's in the early hours of the evening, and Peter looks around at his surroundings, as the wagon comes to a halt. He can see they have come to a simple small house, that sits next to an old barn. The area is overgrown, showing that no one has cared for the area in a long time. The house itself looks to be falling apart in some places, and he watches as the door slowly creeks open.
Krull helps Anna down from the wagon, and Peter quickly follows close behind, he has his guard up now, as he feels the dragon's push on his chest, a feeling he knows that warns him of a coming danger. He watches as two large dire wolves exit the home, teeth-baring with a slight growl, then a shadowy figure follows from behind them. With a few heavy steps on old wood, the figure moves to the edge of the steps leading from the home.
" You favor your brother Robert young Stormhands. This I can tell just by examining you both up close now. ", says a deep rubbing voice.
Krull steps forward, as his men stand behind the twin, and he moves closer to the figure. He shows no fear of this person, and bows low to explain.
" My lord, these two claim to be Smith, and no kin to Robert. I have seen the entry in the official book myself. This one is Peter, and she is Anna. ", says Krull in a very humble voice.
The dark figure's eye glow red slightly at his words, then it turns to look over the twins once more. The figure takes a few steps forward from the home, motioning his pets to stay where they are. They look over the twins more closely, as Anna finds herself gripping Peter's left arm in her right hand.
The twins can feel the power radiating from this person, as the figure slowly walks around the pair, breathing heavy as they move, only to return standing in front of the twins, now looking down at the pair.
" What game is this you two are playing at? The official records are never wrong, and so am I! You look to be of Robert's kin, a spot on likeness. You, Peter, are a perfect match to Robert when I first met him years ago. ", says the figure in a deep low voice.
Peter standing his ground, looks into the dark aura of the person and makes a demand in return.
" So who are you? Why did you have us brought to this broken down place, and how do you know Robert! "
Anna grips his arm very hard now, the wording he used, to ask about Robert in that way, only confirms what the dark figure already knew. They watch as the figure turns away from them, and now begins removes the hood from its head. The figure turns to show off black scaly armor, that quickly fades from their face showing off an aged face of an older man.
They have silvery white long hair, and their face is like cracked granite. A very stony hard looking one, that has seen years of combat, as there are a couple of scares on their left face. Scares gained from the time in battle.
The man now moves to face Peter and looks him in the eyes. Peter can see he has bright blue ones, no red can be seen from earlier. Now a smile slowly crosses the aged face.
" Well Mr. Smith, I will play your game for now. Why are you here? ", says the man in a hard aged voice.
" Why should we tell you anything? We don't even know your name! ", exclaims Anna now bravely moving forward.
The man turns to look at her, then he lets out a slight laugh.
" Your right my dear, you don't know me. So I will tell you. I am Lord Chandler Grimsbane, right-hand man to Robert Stormhand, who is the leader of the Shadows of the Skull. We control the eastern kingdom with our men, and are currently expanding into new areas, like this one, and is why we must know who is coming and going within the lands we are about to control. ", says Grimsbane now moving to look deeper into Anna's eyes.
" Now Robert did say he has a lot of siblings. Also, that his father Granthor might one day come looking for him, if not his father then one of his brothers. I know what Robert was like over seventeen years ago, and you two do favor him very closely. ", says Grimsbane with a bigger smile.
" That's not what we heard, we were told Robert came here only seven years ago. They have even wanted posts about him too, all stating that time. ", Says Peter now stepping forward.
Grimsbane's smile fades quickly, as he turns to face Peter, and he motions for Krull's men to take hold of the twins. As they do, Peter and Anna both struggle to break free, but they find they can't move as the men take hold of them. For now, the twins are under the control of Grimsbane, as he weakened the two after looking into their very souls. A control the slowly starts to fade, as Grimsbane continues to speak.
" Yes, that is true, seven years ago, we started to Guild of S.O.S., and we ran across this land with great destruction. Over that time we became the power in this place, and no power could stand against us. But it was seventeen years ago when I first met Robert, and we have been friends ever since that time. ", says Grimsbane now calling for Krull.
The twins watch as the two men speak in whispers to each other, and they know time is running out for them both. As the two speak a little more, a dark fog rolls in from behind the old house, and with it the sounds of old bones creaking, along of the sounds of metal clanging. Krull and Grimsbane turn to face what is coming from the fog, and within it come screams that send chills down the spin of a few of Krull's men. Some of them turn to run, but a fog now moves in from behind them. In it, a dark figure in old mages robes floats in behind a large number of skeleton warriors. Ones it made just before the figure moved in with the fog. It raises a staff in the air, and the very sky above now turns black.
" You will give me the powers of the dragons now, or I will unleash my pets on you all. ", says the figure in black.
The twins, now able to move, feel the power of the dragons gripping them hard, as their dragon armor now takes hold of them both. Peter turns in time to see Grimsbane now sporting a black dragon scale armor all over his body. Then he pulls out two very long silver swords, as Krull now rushes to the twins side.
Peter doesn't understand why Krull came to them, then he remembers what he said. Krull stated he would let no harm come to them, and it looks like he is a man of his word. But Peter knows they can handle their own without his help, but as the undead army grows around them, Peter begins to think, maybe they will need his help after all.
To be continued. ...............
Well thank you, I was trying to find a tie in for what I wanted to do, and got the idea from you. lol I will try to get 3 more parts in this weekend. But blame Fallout 4, it's what I am playing to past the time, while I wait on AoC. lol I will see what I can do to get the 3 parts in, need to finish this tale soon. So I can move on to other stories. HAHA
Thank you, more to come very soon.
His name is Shuzis Magnus, a power Necromancer dressed in a dark robe, wrapped in a dark mist aura. He sold himself to his power years before, as his body what is left of it, is cursed and his face shows mostly bone. Eye sockets that once held human eyes, now only show dark empty holes, that flare red from time to time at his emotional state of mind. His hands still having the old flesh of the passing time, grip his staff tightly, as he now looks to gain more power, and now has set his eyes on those who have the power of dragons.
He calls forth more minions, a mix of bone knights and rotting fighters, as he lifts high his crooked staff to the air, and he watches as his forces march down on the prize he greedily eyes from afar. His forces pour over the few defenders that fight for their lives, his fighters fall to the attackers, but his bone knights push through, and he chuckles at the sight of the few fighters that fall to his forces. Now on to the main event, as he draws down the very night of the few that remain, calling forth a black mist of darkness to cover the advance of his bone knights.
But to his surprise, a female mage in white strikes the ground with her staff from behind the line of defenders, and a huge wave of white light pushes out to knock back his forces. Gone too is the dark mist he sent down to blind them, and in its place is a lighting field that surrounds the small group.
Magnus's eyes glow bright red, as his anger now flares, and he reaches into his rob to pull out a small figure. He brings in close to his face and whispers a few words to it. Now the spell it has done, and with a flip of the wrist, he tosses the figure on the ground, then points his staff toward it. As his staff now shakes with power, the figure sinks into the ground from sight. Magnus now smiles, as he has used one of his most powerful weapons. But before he can see the outcome of his spell, he feels a sharp pain in his side.
Magnus grips the point of the pain, pulling out an arrow from his side, and turns to see an elf warrior with a bow in hand. Behind the elf comes a small band of warriors, changing fast to the battle. Magnus can see he is outmatched, and quickly retreats from the battle. With a wave of his hand, a portal opens behind him, and he smiles a little, knowing he still played his ace card, and he will watch from a safe place the outcome of this fight. He steps into his portal, and before a killing blow can take him, he disappears from sight.
Peter is standing his ground with his sister at his side, and in front of them fighting hard is Krull, who is smashing bone knights with his hammer weapon. A few of Krull's men have already fallen in battle, and the undead forces now focus on the twins. The few men that are left retreat to Krull's side, as the bone knights now charge toward them all.
Peter grips his sword in hand, with a shield at the ready, and stands prepared to strike out at the first attacker that gets close to his blade. Now comes a dark mist to cover them all, a blinding night of no light, and Peter knows they are in trouble if they can't see. But Anna quickly spins her staff, then strikes the ground, sending a white light out to remove the cover of darkness. With her next move, Peter charges out with her attack, as a wall of lighting begins to circle them. Peter finds himself moving at a blinding speed, and as he moves he is taking down many of the undead forces around them. Cutting and slashing as he moves, the undead turn to dust, and others are explored from the strike of his shield.
Peter quickly returns to Anna's side, as he looks back to sees Grimsbane, who he almost forgot about, now taking down every undead close to his with his pets. Grimsbane wears his own dragon armor, and Peter watches him for a moment. He moves in a blinding speed, even at his age it's impressive to watch, as he uses his twin silver swords to cut down the attackers around him.
Peter's attention is drawn away, and a few death cries from more Krull's men scream out, the enemy is still coming, an unending wall of death. Krull stands in front of the twins, then looks to them for a quick moment. He gives them a quick smile, then turns to face the enemy, and with the last breath, he charges into the heart of the undead, disappearing from sight.
Peter doesn't get time to wonder what happened to him, as the ground in front of them shakes, and the twins are knockdown to the ground from the shaking. From a fissure that formed, and large creature begins to come out of it. Two ebon eyes stare at the twins with a petrifying temper, and another screech resonates from its fiery mouth in a fit of rage. Four jagged horns adorn its rugged head, which itself is covered in glowing tattoos. A constant snoring escapes the creature's deep nostrils set within a fat nose.
Its rugged head sits atop a compact, stringy body. Shadowy curls coil around its torso, the creature takes joy in their questioning eyes. The creature dashes forward, its four legs awkwardly carry its wicked body with a harrowing energy. The creature comes closer and closer, its eyes never leaving the twins. They stand ready to meant this new attack, as it leaps into the air to strike down on the two. Peter quickly takes the point to face this creature first, there is no time to think, no time to wonder what to do next, as the creature is now only a few feet away.
to be continued..........
Just ahead she sees a group of fighters riding hard towards them, she can see on their faces they are scared, as the small group rides past them without a second look. A few of Ashera's men want to give chase, but she motions to press on, now with her sword drawn in hand. She sees just ahead of them her scout, now firing arrows at a dark figure, and he finds his mark, as the figure disappears shortly after the arrow strikes them. Who was this new player on the field? No time to figure that out, as undead forces now turn their attention to the new fighters entering the battlefield. Ashera's men quickly move ahead of her, to guard her path, as they cut down the undead bone knights blocking their path.
A blood curling scream gets Ashera's attention now, as she cuts her own path past the undead fighters. Then she sees it, a Shadow Stalker, a creature that is used by those who practice the art of necromancy. It is one of their most powerful creatures they can call on and one that can't be beaten so easily. She watches as it now swings down on someone, and the attack is blocked, but not before the defender is knocked back into a tree behind them. Leaving a single woman in white unguarded, but she is far from defenseless, as they now unload their own counter-attack into the very creature. Ashera watches in the quick second, as a huge fireball takes form in the very air in front of this caster, then is launched into the heart of the beast, sending it flying backward in burning pain. It quickly finds it's footing again, as chunks of its flesh burn away from its chest, then launches a new attack toward the woman that hurt it.
" Anna! Get out of there! ", yells Ashera, knowing what will come next, as she positions herself to spring from her horse in a crouching position.
She can only watch as the creature takes flight toward Anna, as she is still too far away get there in time help, and Anna tries to get off a second spell. Sparks fly and words can be heard, as Anna moves her staff to help protect her from this attack. But before the creature can strike her, with his shield leading the way, Peter crashes into the beast as fast and hard as he can. He sends the creature rolling off to the right of them both, as Anna now finishes her spell, and strikes the monster with a lightning bolt from the heavens.
The Shadow Stalker fights through the pain of the attack, and forces on Peter now, as it swings down to attack him directly, and Peter meets the attack with his shield in hand. The blow shacks Peter but he stands tall, and he answers the blow with one of his own, striking the creature with his sword. The two trade blows with each other, Peter fighting hard to keep the beast in front of him, and away from his sister. Then the beast does something Peter wasn't expecting, as it quickly moves to it's left, and it vanishes from sight.
Peter's heart sinks, as he knows this creature has moved to his rear, a move he didn't know it could do. As he braces for an attack, he feels a body pressed to his back, then the sound of claws striking swords cross his ears. Peter spins to swing his sword to a surprised beast, and he finds a sweet spot on the monster's body, cutting a deep gash in the place it took the fire attack from his sister.
The Shadow Stalker screams in pain, as the body that was on Peter's back now comes to light as being Ashera, and she rash past the creature cutting off its left arm. Peter in turn not giving it a chance to recover, rushes it with a shield bash, knocking it down, then swings down as hard as he can to cut off the beast right hand.
Anna not missing a beat calls one last attack of her own, as a huge fireball comes down from the sky, one that burns the creature up into ashes. The remaining of the undead forces also crumble to dust, as the Shadow Stalker burns up and blows away in the wind of the day.
Ashera looks around on the battlefield, as her men regroup, looking for Lord Grimsbane, but he slipped away in the middle of the fighting. She knows they had him, but those undead force got in the way. Who was this new player, and what did they want?
" I am so glad to see you again Ashera. Your timing was right on point. ", says Peter while cleaning his sword off.
" Well I never liked this plan, to begin with, just look at my poor hair, it's going to take forever to get right again. ", says Anna, now using a red ribbon to tie up her long blonde hair in the ponytail.
" I am just glad your both ok if anything happened to you two, I would have never forgiven myself. ", says Ashera now moving closer to Peter's side.
Before another word can be spoken between the three, two of Ashera's men drag an unconsciousness muscle man before her and drops him to the ground at her feet.
" We found a survivor, your highness. Looks like he took a good beating before he passed out.", says one of the soldiers.
" Isn't that Krull Peter? The one who brought us here to meet Grimsbane.", says Anna while taking a closer look at the body.
" That's him alright, he was a fool to rush off into the heart of that fight, but he said he would protect us from harm. ", says Peter as he puts his sword away.
Ashera takes a closer look at Krull, she might not have Grimsbane, but maybe Krull can give her a few answers. So she tells her men, to bind him up, and they will take him back with them. She can't return to the town they just left, not with Krull in their custody, so she has no choice but to head to their hidden outpost.
As they all get ready to leave, a couple of Ashera's scouts ride in on swift claws, they tell her they picked up Grimsbane' s trail, and she orders them to go after him, with a five more of her men.
" I have a few questions for you Ashera. One being why you have so many soldiers in your company? ", asks Peter while watching the soldiers ride off.
" These men? This is nothing, my love, just wait until you see my base. But for now let's just get to safety, I will answer all your other questions later. " Say Ashera with a smile.
With those words, the group rides off to Ashera's hidden outpost. Ahead of her rides ten elf soldiers, and behind rides about twenty more.
To be continued.........................
It was great, plus kids had fun spending up my money too haha.
Gone are the weak women who served Magnus, now they have been granted the power of the dragons, and they show it with the new level of pride, as they walk the streets of Oceancross, a small harbor town on the western coast. But they are hungry, and the first order of the day is to get a decent meal.
The streets are busy with activity, as merchants yell out their wares to the passing adventures, along with those would call this place home. The smells of different foods get the pair's attention, and Mitra pauses for a moment to take in the scent.
" Is that roast goose Silva, oh the smell of it. It's making my mouth water. ", says Mitra now turning her nose toward the direction of the scent.
" Oh yes it is Mitra, let us find who has made such a wonderful dish. ", says Silva now moving ahead of her friend.
Moving to past the crowd of people, they come to a big tavern at the end of the block, the Quick Sail, a busy place where the sailors come to eat when in town. From the outside, it looks welcoming, warm and snug. Large stones and marble details make up most of the building's outer structure, cheerful sounds from within can be felt outside.
As they enter the tavern through the huge, hard wooden door, they are welcomed by aromas of roasted meats and clapping hands. The bartender is a little preoccupied but still manages to welcome them with a wave.
It's as lovely inside as it is on the outside. Stone beams support the upper floor and the chandeliers attached to them. The walls are littered with all sorts of memorabilia, though whether they're collected or donated is uncertain. The tavern itself is packed. Travelers seem to be the primary clientele here, along with a lot of sailors, which is probably the best clientele for the owner. Several long tables are occupied by several smaller groups of people. The other, smaller tables are also occupied by people who seem to be strangers to each other, all sitting here because there are no other seats. Though they all clearly enjoy each other's company. Even most of the stools at the bar are occupied, though nobody seems to mind more company.
Silva and Mitra manage to find a seat and prepare for what will be a great evening, they have not had a good solid meal in years, and they can't wait to try what the tavern has to offer. So they look up to find someone to take their order, but before their eyes can scan over the sea of bodies in the room, a barmaid glides past all the comings and goings of the people, then sets a tray of different types of aged cheeses with hard bread on the table.
"Good evening loves. What will you be having today? ", says a well fress barmaid.
" We will have roasted goose, along with whatever goes along with it, please. ", says Mitra as she takes a bit of cheese to eat.
" Very good Milady, and what will we be having to drink now? ", says the barmaid while writing down a few notes.
" What would you suggest for us? We would like your very best after all. ", says Silva as she takes a bit of bread with cheese of her own.
" Well now, you will be having Gilbert's Honey Ale, none like it in all the lands, and it's the very best we have on tap. ", says the barmaid with a smile.
The pair agrees to the brew, and the barmaid quickly rushes off with the order. They watch as people rush past them to different parts of the tavern, then a few songs with some laughter can be heard from different parts of the room. Mitra takes a bit more cheese, some that are a bit more spiked with bitterness, but its still a nice taste in her mouth, Then she looks up to the sight of a pair of eyes watching her from afar, it's an older sailor by the looks of him, and he begins to give her a huge smile while raising a mug in the air to her.
" Oh by the gods! ", says Mitra, now turning quickly away from his view.
The barmaid returns with their drinks, and places them on the table, and leaves just as quick as she came by.
" What's wrong Mitra, is there something wrong with the cheese? ", asks Silva taking a mug of ale.
The pair takes a good swallow of the honey brew, it's sweet to the taste as it hits the back of their throats. Then Mitra lightly places her mug on the table to reply to her friend.
" There is an old man giving me the eye now, I think he likes me. ", says Mitra as she takes one more sip of ale.
Silva looks around the room for the man she is talking about, but only sees lots of people having a good time. Then the barmaid returns with the meal they ordered, two plates of craved up goose meat, along with some soup and a baked potato. There is also a few raw carrots on the side, as she tells them to enjoy it, and she speeds off to tend other tables.
Silva and Mitra seeing the food before them, forget about anything else, and begin to savor every bit of the fine meal. The meat of the goose almost melts in their mouth, every bit of it isn't wasted, as the pair eat their fill.
After a few more mugs of ale, time goes by, and most of the people have left the place. The barmaid has returned to the two friends, as they down one last mug of the fine ale given to them.
" So Miladies, how would you be paying for this fine meal today? Normally I would ask, but my boss noticed you have a few too many drinks, and just want to make sure you don't forget to pay. ", says the barmaid with a smile.
Silva and Mitra look at each other with a nervous look, they don't have any money, and they really didn't want to be known as bad people if they tried to leave without paying. But before they can answer the barmaid, a bag of coins is tossed on the table, as an old sailor slowly walks up to take a seat at the table.
" Well now, I believe that will take care of your bill my lovelies. I am captain Wallace, of the sailing ship the Goodwin, and I would like to have a few words with you two lovely ladies if you don't mind. ", says Wallace with a big smile.
They don't trust this man one bit, as he has the look of a crooked con artist, but he did pay for their meal, so they agree to hear what he has to say. As he orders one last round for them all.
To be continued...................