Visions of Fire (a not so short story)

[Axxaer]

This is a story I wrote as a special school project when I was in year 9. This is not the final version because I have it on another copmuter which I cannot acces atm. I hope you like or can even be bothered reading it...


VISIONS OF FIRE

A book by the Author

The first instalment in the ‘Fire and Ice’ Series

“This dazzling book is a quantum leap in the evolution of the Fantasy genreâ€
Author


CONTENTS (there were page numbers here)


Prologue Tomorrow, When the World Began


Chapter 1 An Uncanny Resemblance


Chapter 2 Flaming Hell


Chapter 3 Calm Before the Storm


Chapter 4 Crystal Heaven


Chapter 5 Hive Inferno


Chapter 6 Nowhere to be Seen


Chapter 7 A Cloudless Sky


Prologue: Tomorrow, When the World Began
Chapter 1
An Uncanny Resemblance
16 Velstrom, 14074 SE (Saros El’kandor – After C reation)

The wet spring mist was beginning to clear as Kelkharn Uruldor rose from his morning relaxation in the pool of Eternity. His long silver hair gleamed in the golden sunlight as he dressed in the traditional blue Skevaran robe and strode towards his home. On his way he took time to admire the unearthly beauty of the last Terrevish sanctuary. Enormous stone towers loomed overhead, some standing taller than even the great oaks of Uldania. Each tower bore a family crest over its huge pine door. The crests were elaborately decorated with animals and tools representing the beliefs and characteristics of the family within.

The grass paths were filled with joyful children playing games observed carefully by elderly men and women. Kelkharn loved everything about Skevarus; from the infamously majestic architecture right down to the soft evergreen grass. It was all unbelievably perfect. But there was one thing about Skevarus that Kelkharn loved more than the ******d beauty. The people. Every Skevaran citizen was kind and gentle-spirited, and rarely did a soul freely commit an act against another Skevaran inhabitant.

There were still those who took the freedom and protection granted by the all-powerful Skevaran trieldars. These individual spoke out publicly against their ‘imprisonment’ and were swiftly exiled for treason. Terreves exiled from the transcendent Skevaran community were hit bluntly with the bleak reality of the outside world and often regretted their previous discontentment.

Every man and woman Kelkharn passed gave him a warm smile and a friendly greeting which he returned each with energetic vigour. He admired the wisdom of his elders and offered a polite bow to these worthy people. Everyone in the huge yet secluded Skevaran community knew each other by name and treated others not by rank but age. He had missed the welcoming homeliness of his home city during his dangerous travels to the wild northern woods.

As Kelkharn approached his family tower his younger sister Silvis ran eagerly out to meet him. His personal tutor Melchanur was striding briskly behind her with a harsh look on his aged face.
“Kelkharn! Finally you return from your travels in the north,†Silvis beamed, throwing herself lovingly at her brother.
“I missed you dearly sister.†replied Kelkharn, embracing Silvis gently.
“How was your journey back?†Silvis queried, her face still wearing a dumb grin.
“Ahem.†came the gruff voice of Melchanur, “If you are quite finished with your greetings, young master Uruldor has much study to catch up with.â€
“Sorry sir.†Silvis said curtly and ran back into the tower, her face shining with joy.
“So,†continued Melchanur “How was your journey?â€
“You haven’t changed a bit my friend,†Kelkharn observed “You’re as stubborn as you ever were.â€
“Let us enter.†Offered Melchanur warmly.

Kelkharn pushed the grand pine door inward to reveal a tidy, spacious living area, lined with exquisite artefacts from distant lands. When he entered he noticed several of the ceremonial weapons were missing from the wall facing him. His father, Ilnur Uruldor emerged from the door leading to the drawing room.
“Ah, you have grown so much since I last saw you, boy.†Ilnur observed.
“His mind has much work to do to keep up,†stated Melchanur, hurrying Kelkharn into the library.
“Quite rightly so.†Agreed Ilnur as he strode away down one of the countless corridors zigzagging around the structure.

Melchanur seated himself at the head of the large central desk and indicated for Kelkharn to sit to his right.
“Today we will begin with Kai-Ranu, the ancient Terrevish art of healing used in Skevarus for hundreds of generations.†Melchanur began; opening a book entitled ‘The War of Souls’ by Reldai Guros.
Melchanur read from the third chapter, “Before attempting Kai-Ranu, one must reach a state of inner peace. Most Terreves acquire this peace within seconds, other races may require up to an hour.â€
He continued with a well-known passage, and Kelkharn recited it with him, “You then must concentrate on channelling all your energy and life force into the target, breaking this link may result in lost memory and strength and weariness for either you or the target.â€
“It also bears a warning:†Melchanur went on, “DO NOT attempt more than once in a day. Your body needs time to regenerate its life force.â€
Melchanur swung his arm towards Kelkharn’s face, dealing a solid blow to his temple. Kelkharn was stunned and fell to the ground silently, still conscious. Melchanur knelt down beside Kelkharn and laid his hands upon his bruised head. Melchanur then proceeded to do as the book commanded and concentrated hard on channelling his peaceful energy into Kelkharn’s body. Kelkharn gradually reopened his eyes and his head began feeling better and better. Eventually, after several minutes, Kelkharn sat up and rubbed his head.

“It feels as it did before!†Kelkharn yelled in surprise.

After several hours of studying Kai-Ranu, Kelkharn proceeded up the wide spiral staircase which travelled up the centre of the family tower. He ascended three floors before reaching his bedroom. Kelkharn loved collecting anything old, his grand oak four-poster was hand crafted over a century ago by one of the greatest Terrevish carpenters ever. His room was littered with artefacts from far and wide. Kelkharn removed his robe and slipped gently under the soft, silk covers and drifted wearily into deep sleep.

<I HAD ANOTHER PARAGRAPH HERE BUT I LOST IT>

Kelkharn awoke suddenly, sweating profusely. His covers lay in a heap beside the bed. It was the same dream he had been having for months now. The same situation over and over again, and he could do nothing to stop it. He was helpless, unable to do anything. His body was covered in goose bumps yet as hot as the fires of the Abyss. He stood and moved over to a mug of traditional Terrevish Delvruin on his desk. He carried it over to the balcony and slowly sipped it. Admiring the dazzling beauty of Skevarus from high whilst pondering what the dream meant.

* * *

Thrust! Parry! Slash! Block!

Kelkharn put all his rapier duelling skills into action as his fighting prowess was pushed to its very limits.

He blocked a well-aimed swipe at his neck with his rapier and drew his dagger, swinging it around to slash at his opponent’s stomach. His dagger was expertly deflected, but he saw a vulnerable opening in his foes defences. Targeting the unprotected left shoulder, he thrust his rapier straight forward.

Moments before drawing blood, a silver flash in the corner of his peripheral vision distracted Kelkharn’s attention momentarily. In sudden realisation of what he saw, he wildly attempted to parry a blow aimed at his left thigh. His dagger fell in time to reduce the attack to a glancing cut. Suddenly the distraction had caused hi rapier to fly clear past its aim and continued on, throwing Kelkharn wildly off balance. He attempted to recover with a simple shoulder roll, but only managed to further bruise his thin Terrevish muscles.

“Very impressive master Uruldor,†observed Swordmaster Desron, one of many duelling instructors at the Skevaran Academy, “Obviously your visit to the forest elders was not completely useless. But you do need to work on your coordination – a proper Terrevish Blade Dancer should be able to know where both his weapons are, and his opponents’ weapons also. It is how they fight so impressively, even against innumerable odds.â€
“You certainly have learned much since I last faced you Kel,†agreed his duelling opponent, Turenar, 10 year Kelkharn’s senior.
“As have you, sir,†replied Kelkharn, showing the respect due to ones elders, “I have faced no opponent in the woods worthy of facing you in mortal combat, my friend, the Ilkar are so vastly inferior in weaponry and fighting skills that they would not stand a five minute fight with a Terreve.â€
“I do not know what you see in those brutes, master Uruldor,†mused the old Swordmaster, “They are no different from the common beasts of the wilderness.â€
“You would compare them with Targ and Suremms?†asked Kelkharn aggressively.
“The Ilkar are just like you or I, they can think, they have feelings, they can fight, they can…they…†Kelkharn trailed off, tears welling in his tired, bloodshot eyes, like crystal blue lakes long imprisoned and finally breaking free.
“I think you need more rest Kel,†decided Turenar as he began polishing his magical scimitar, a sword so powerful it was rumoured to have been forged in the fiery pits of the chaos abyss itself

Kelkharn carefully wound a bandage around his shoulder as he shuffled warily back towards his family tower. His eyes were burning with a fiery rage not commonly seen in Terreves, but a common trait of Gurans and Avalen. He had another attribute very uncommon to his kind, compassion for other races as equals. Most Terreves have a strong belief of racial superiority and bear a great contempt for other beings. In Kelkharn’s case, though, this was very different.

[to be continued...]

 

[Axxaer]

The sun was almost directly overhead when Kelkharn arrived at the ostentatious wooden door at the foot of the Uruldor Tower. The door was slightly ajar, so Kelkharn pushed it open and stepped inside, gently closing it behind him. His acute sight enabled him to discern instantly that something was definitely not right. The banister of the main stairs was plastered with sweaty handprints and several scuffmarks were visible on the pale-carpeted stairs.

Kelkharn made his way warily towards the foot of the antique spiral stairs. He slowly ascended, taking careful note of everything he saw, every crooked painting, every speck of dirt. As he neared the first landing, his toes caught the top of one of the stairs and he tripped, falling to his hands and knees with a solid ‘thud’. A movement in the corridor to his left prompted him to scramble to his feet and rush to the landing.

A quick look down the corridor sent a message of terror to Kelkharn’s mind; his mother’s bedroom door was ajar and her favourite robe was lying in a heap on the floor, the sleeve protruding through the doorway. He knew her well enough to be aware that she always took better care of her robes than that.

He silently crept over to the door and listened carefully for any hint of sound. Silence. He slowly pushed the door until it was halfway open, then waited. Silence. Trying his hardest not creak the floorboards, he took three steps in until he stood just past the door. Before he could even scan the room for any presence, he took a massively powerful blow to the back of his head. His vision unfocused and pain flooded his body. His knees buckled under his own weight and he fell to them, trying not to fall face down on the floor. A sudden attempt to stand again threw him further off balance and he collapsed to the hard, polished wood. His last sight before Kelkharn’s vision blacked out was of a pair of boots bearing an uncanny resemblance of his father’s, but then he had never really paid much attention….

Chapter 2
Flaming Hell
17 Velstrom, 14074

When Kelkharn’s vision finally returned, blurry and dim as it was, the first thing he noticed was the pain that came with it. His body and limbs felt as heavy as a pregnant Guran (or at least as heavy as it would be if Gurans could get pregnant) and his head throbbed with pulsing blood. He was chained to a cold stone wall from his wrists and ankles and was, as far as he could discern in the dim lighting, behind a row of rusty old iron bars. It appeared that he was in an ancient cave prison of some sort; he really wished he’d paid more attention to the things Melchanur had taught him over the years. An armoured Ilkar mercenary was guarding his “cell†and stood facing the darkness away from him.

Kelkharn attempted to attract the attention of the guard by striking his manacle on the rough stone he was chained to.
“Beilog good guard,†Kelkharn heard the Ilkar muttering to himself, “Beilog not be distracted by funny sound. Beilog get paid good by Guran overlord. Beilog go home to family and share lots gold.â€
Kelkharn thought for a moment, then decided to engage the Ilkar in conversation.
“So, Beilog, been a guard for long?†he asked the guard
“Beilog good guard. Beilog not get mind off task by talking to prisoner.â€
“Do you know anyone else whose been a guard for the Gurans?†asked Kelkharn, “And come back alive?â€
“Beilog watch darkness like mindless slave. Beilog good slave.â€
“Have you ever seen anyone actually get paid by the Gurans? Do you actually think that they’re going to give you lots of gold for standing there like a fool?â€
“Beilog good fool. Beilog get paid lots gold.â€

Kelkharn realised that the conversation was going nowhere. He picked up a sharp rock which lay beside him and tossed it from hand to hand, feeling its weight and balance. Then, reluctantly, he threw the stone hard and fast at the Guran’s scalp, but not so hard as to kill it, just knock it unconscious for a while. Beilog’s bony hands shot up to clutch its head, screaming vilely at the burning agony. And then it might as well have just been a lifeless tangle of flesh and bones.

Kelkharn quickly began casting simple ageing spells on the manacles which bound him to the ground. They rusted and cracked with the pressure of a thousand years, and he broke them each with a single strike on the floor. Freed, he rose and walked over to the solid metal bars he was caged behind. As he stared aimlessly into the darkness, a large figure emerged from the shadows and stood at the boundary between the dim and pitch black, cloaked by the shadowy darkness surrounding it. Its figure resembled that of a giant spider, roughly the size of a large Uruvian boulder. A Guran Overlord.

“Kelkharn,†the rugged voice surprised him by sounding from deeper within the cell behind him, “Is that really you?â€
“Who in the abyss are you?†asked Kelkharn, an aggressive tone somewhat masking his surprise and wariness; he did not recognise the voice.
“It is I, Saril Verunamir.â€
“I know no Sarils,†replied Kelkharn sternly, “And is it not the name of a Terreval Traitor anyway? I would never befriend such a traitor.â€
“Ah, Kel, you are as naïve as you were 20 years ago. You may remember me as Chelandor, I was in you academy division under the supervision of the old Swordmaster Desron.†Saril explained.
“Chelandor? I…but if you…†Kelkharn broke off, puzzled and confused.
“Yes Kel, I rebelled against the treacherous Trielders long ago. I was exiled and found my way to Delgunnashk. The Ilkar there looked after me, then sent a guide with me to the Hhregai’an Pass. I found my way from there to Kharba. I’m happy now. We have few rules, yet everyone still respects each other as in Skevarus. We take what we need and give to others what we don’tâ€
“But why? Why did you rebel?†Kelkharn was still in disbelief that one of his friends had actually rebelled, and that he actually preferred life outside of Skevarus. It just didn’t make sense.
“I was outraged at the power they bear and their disgusting corruption. You cannot seriously agree with their morals, Kelâ€
“Corruption?! How dare you speak of our all-providers like that!†Kelkharn eyes began burning with rage again. He punched Saril hard in the temple with his sword fist. Much to his surprise, his hand went straight through “Saril†and he instead punched hard into the stone wall. Kelkharn stumbled back, clutching his fist, half in pain, half in mere shock. Blood poured from his knuckles, forming a gleaming pool on the stone floor.

“You Terreves have such easily manipulable emotions.†The deep voice of the Guran resonated around the large cave, mocking Kelkharn’s pain and anger.
“I’ll have at you!†screamed Kelkharn, brilliant red flames actually dancing over his eyes. One quick self-relocation (teleport) spell and he was on the other side of the bars, charging headlong at the massive Guran overlord.
“Pathetic worm.†The Gurans booming voice so loud it echoed throughout the entire cave.
Kelkharn drew his dagger, the vicious primitive bloodlust growing inside him.

Kelkharn suddenly became aware that the cave walls beyond his cell were actually a teeming mass of live Gurans. They were scurrying all around him, several even ventures up his legs. Kelkharn stopped running and began wildly slashing at the Fist-sized Gurans swarming all over him now. One of the Gurans fangs found their mark on the back of Kelkharn’s neck, secreting their powerful venom. Kelkharn felt weak and powerless to resist, his senses grew dull and he dropped to his knees. Hundreds more Gurans began swarming all over him, forcing him down to the hard stone ground.

* * *

A wimpy Ilkar hid in a dark, shadowy corner of a damp, low-lit cave. Its eyes betrayed its deep fear of the strange creatures swarming all around and over it. Its arms, bony from a Tyriac of malnourishment, shook uncontrollably as it clutched its legs close to its torso, bringing its body into a huddled ball.

Thousands upon thousands of Gurans, ranging in size from pebbles to small cottages, were swarming throughout the cave. Every single one was scurrying its fastest in some particular direction as if with a sense of duty, yet there didn’t seem to be any common conception of where everyone was going, just constant streams of them hurrying wildly in every direction.

The Ilkar coward was suddenly distracted from his contemplation and brought to its bruised, bony feet in surprise. A searing ball of flame flew into the cavern from one of the many interconnected passages and burst in a giant flash of red and orange. The scorching heat burned the Ilkar’s skin to the bone and it screamed in agony, still alive. The strange creatures around were all cremated alive, reduced to dust in their weakness to fire.

The darkness returned swiftly, like a blanket thrown over a fire; only magical fire burns out that quickly. Groaning from the wrenching pains shooting up his spine to his brain and all over his bony body, the pathetic beast rolled its mangled body towards the middle of the cavern and slipped into a state of paralysis. Its chaotic tangle of indistinguishable limbs locked in place and its eyes glazed over as the bestial Ilkar soul clutched for dear life to its body.

From the same dark passageway emerged a tall, muscular figure, silhouetted against the light of burning Gurans, thousands left in his wake. Thousands more eight-legged living pyres were fleeing from the menacing figure in every direction. Flames danced up and down the length of his body, not seeming to harm him at all.

The figure’s fiery eyes flashed towards another passage from which hundreds of Guran warriors were spewing forth, ready to die for their hive. A pair of orange beams of flame launched from his eyes to meet the front line of the unarmoured, unarmed warriors with a chaotic frenzy of searing flames, burning several dozen to ash instantly. Unfazed, the Gurans continued pouring out in the thousands to meet their fiery doom.

[to be continued...]

 

[Axxaer]

A handful of Gurans managed to sneak past the raging barrage of fire and prepared their deadliest venom. All eight leapt at the warrior suddenly, bearing sharp fangs, ready to kill their prey. Each and every one of the Guran warriors was incinerated on contact with the firewarrior each became an insignificant pile of ash on the cold ground. Sheets of rippling flames danced up and down his body, slaying everything it touched, but leaving the firewarrior unharmed.

The fiery onslaught suddenly ceased without warning or reason, and the tidal wave of Gurans began throwing themselves mindlessly at the curtain of flame. They continued doing this for several moments, the being beneath the fire appearing to be in deep thought. A bloodcurdling scream of fury filled the entire cave and was soon after accompanied by an enormous explosion of fire which spread ******ds from the flamewarrior like a blooming flower. The helpless immobilised Ilkar’s bloody eyes opened wide in realization that its soul would now be free forever…

Chapter 3
Calm Before the Storm
17 Velstrom, 14074

Kelkharn was shaken to consciousness by a large explosion in a nearby cave across the hive valley. The world smeared itself carelessly across his vision and he attempted to push himself into a sitting position. From years of elite training at the Skevarus Academy, Kelkharn’s mind raced, thinking of all possibilities for his escape. He decided to seize the moment of distraction and make a dash for the cave entrance.

The largest Guran nearby swung its head in Kelkharn’s direction, its eyes glowing with rage. Gurans generally don’t tolerate others acting against their will, and this one was obviously no exception. It scurried with surprising speed to the only passage which obviously led outside, the same one Kelkharn was heading for. The Guran made it first and used its considerable size to block it from Kelkharn. Kelkharn ran at the giant arachnid, sidestepping moments before impact, drawing his rapier from its scabbard on his back. The Guran flailed its powerful limbs wildly as the giant splinter of metal plunged deep into its abdomen.

One of the massive legs struck Kelkharn with incredible force in his chest, breaking at least one rib and throwing him winded against the hard rock of the cave wall. He tried to recover and draw his dagger from its sheath on the side of his shin, but cried out in pain of his ribs as he tried to bend down. The merciless Guran was not satisfied with inflicting only so much pain to its victim, and began rapidly pummelling Kelkharn against the rough wall.

The fearsome Guran drew its impressive form up onto its rear legs and unsheathed a strange looking weapon from within its heavily armoured shell. The weapon appeared to be a long sword hilt with several chains attached to one end. At the ends of each of the chains were massive bloodstained shurikens. The contraption resembled an ancient torture device more than an actual weapon. The Guran drew the device up high with one limb, using two more to pin the battered Terreve to the wall. Kelkharn’s head hung limp over heaving shoulders as he painfully struggled to breath.

The Guran Began swinging the device in circles in the air, its speed increasing by the second. An ear piercing whistle being emitted from the strange weapon was growing in volume and Kelkharn tried to cover his ears, but the Guran was holding his shoulders down with such force that he couldn’t even feel his arms. The Guran dropped its weapon down, aiming for Kelkharn’s vulnerable head.

Kelkharn braced his beaten body in preparation for death, knowing the pain would soon be gone. A sudden flash of light lanced across the grassy hills outside the cave and curved towards them. It entered the cave and struck the Guran’s unusual weapon in a brilliant flash of gold. The strange device disintegrated to black dust and covered the Guran’s black spidery body. The Guran let out a bloodcurdling scream as the dust burnt into its skin like fiery embers, the pain driving deep into the deformed creatures mind. The Guran’s flesh melted down to its exoskeleton, and the limp, incapacitated body fell to a bubbling black pile on the rocky cave ground. A small ball of fire followed the trajectory of the flash of light and exploded the boiling puddle of Guran, cremating the foul creature’s body.

A very large man boasting inhumanly large muscles appeared at the cave entrance, his golden blonde hair blowing about wildly in the wind. His entire body was engulfed with fire and his eyes contained the fires of rage.
“What are you doing so far from your little Terrevish hidey-hole without any of your little friends?†he asked Kelkharn, mocking the secretive life of the Terreves.
“Oh, not much, just being knocked unconscious and repetitively pummelled and threatened with big weapons.†Croaked Kelkharn, even when suffering from mortal wounds he retained his sense of humour.
“A sarcastic Terreve?†he had never encountered such a phenomenon, “Now there’s something you don’t see every day.â€
“Well, are you just going to stand here all day doing a good imitation of a confused Ilkar or are you going to tell me what your name is?†Kelkharn had already grown impatient of his rescuer.
“Oh, where are my manners. I,†he drew himself up to his full height, he stood well over seven feet tall, “am Ilrûn Arafir of the Shiran Clan. I hail from Evoraldu, I am an Avalen warrior/merchant, much like most of my clan. And you, my distressed Terreve companion?â€
“My name is Kelkharn Uruldor, I bear the blessings of the Skevaran trielders. Why I am here is none of your b-â€
“The blessings of who?†interrupted Ilrûn, whose interest in his affairs disturbed Kelkharn somewhat.
“Th- The trielders of, uh, Skevarus – surely one such as you would have heard of the in your travels?†stuttered the puzzled Kelkharn.
A troubled look crossed Ilrûn’s face before he spoke, “The only Skevaran trielders I know of are not the type to willingly bless common people. They are corrupt, money driven overlords who manage the lives of the citizens and take all their profit to line their own pockets. I am at a loss as to how they manage to maintain the image of benevolent elders in the eyes of their people. It’s disgusting.â€
Kelkharn was momentarily stunned, barring the illusion of the Terreval traitor in the cave, he had never heard anyone speak so foully of the trielders. This caused the young Terreve to consider whether perhaps the dazzling firewarrior was also naught but an illusion. Maybe the Guran who almost slew him was too an illusion. Why would one illusion kill another unless to gain the trust of the victim. Perhaps they were toying with him. Kelkharn’s mind raced at the possibilities. How do you kill an illusion?

“Oi! Terreve! Quit daydreamin’ and get over here!†Ilrûn called from atop a nearby knoll, “We got pack of Terranalia’s finest battle Gurans heading our way. Those things are each the size of a small house and if they catch us, things ain’t gonna be pretty.â€
“How many?†asked Kelkharn, his attention still focused elsewhere.
“Three score, maybe more. We gotta move fast.†Yelled Ilrûn, signalling towards the edge of a small forest several hundred metres to their left.

The pair made a quick dash to the small collection of giant ancient oaks, Kelkharn was quite a fast runner, even for his kind, but Ilrûn tore ahead of him and took cover behind a cluster of moss-covered boulders. Kelkharn arrived seconds later and collapsed beside Ilrûn, his back against the boulder. A family of small, feathered, duck-like creatures waddled across the grass nearby, pecking at the ground with their hooked beaks.

Kelkharn reached out to stroke one of the smallest’s soft down with his less bloodstained hand while Ilrûn watched the Gurans thundering towards past from behind another boulder several metres away. Before Kelkharn could touch the tiny creature’s wing, another much larger one, opened its dull brown beak and emitted several loud shrieks.

Ilrûn spun to face Kelkharn; his face stormy, “They’ve seen us!†rasped Ilrûn. “We must flee, and flee fast. Gurans are incredibly swift in the open.â€
The pair took flight across the vast rolling plains spread out before them across the bread of the world. The Gurans hot on their heels; trailing within a hundred yards and gaining. They fled with incredible speed; they were fast even when not running for their lives. After several moments they skidded to a halt at the top of an enormous cliff. The mosaic of red and brown stretched down a mile from where they stood, various dead plants scattered along its face. They were cornered in a V of cliff. Escape would be impossible. They were going to have to stand and fight.

“This is gonna get messy.†warned Ilrûn as he prepared himself for the coming battle. “Stand well back or I can’t be held responsible for y-â€
“I can take care of myself.†Snapped the disgruntled Kelkharn. Drawing his rapier and bloodied longsword, he shot a quick look at Ilrûn and was not surprised to see the Avalen licking his lips. Kelkharn could have sworn Ilrûn was eager to fight, even against innumerable odds.

As the battle-ready pair waited, Gurans charged heavily across the fields of lush green grass, kicking up large clumps with every stride.

The storm of battle would soon end the uneasy silence hanging over the bloodthirsty Avalen firewarrior and his smaller brave Terreve blade apprentice.

[to be continued...]

 

[Axxaer]

Chapter 4
Crystal Heaven
17 Velstrom, 14074

“Ladies and Gentlemen!†called a young but loud spoken Velk commentator; his voice reverberated throughout the huge gladiatorial stadium. “Please turn your attention to the main pit, and prepare to witness the most amazing, breathtaking, nail-biting visual extravaganza!†He somehow managed to make every word of the last part sound like the focus of the sentence.

“An experience like this you have never seen the like of. Your eyes will thank you for the rest of your life!†he yelled energetically. “From the near gate is emerging one of the mightiest forces of glory and valour, fighting for what’s left of the good in this world; the pride and glory of the Felsong clan; the four bravest warriors in Ulkavia; the mighty FROZEN AVALEN!!!â€

“None of the warriors have discovered their spirits yet, but they will try their hardest to acquire them in this very battle! Be warned, spiritless Avalen are among the fiercest fighters in the land. They do not need their spirits to win battles for them.â€

The enormous crowd of thousands went wild as four glorious Avalen icewarriors were dragged out into the pit in chains by some of the largest Ilkar in the land. The crowd was a mixed bunch from every race imaginable; even a small group of Ilkar had turned up!

“And from the far gate,†continued the commentator, “Is emerging the only creature worthy of facing these very formidable opponents. The one, the only, VEXXA’LI!!!†At the mention of the name the crowd was sent into a wild frenzy. They had realised the significance of the incredible battle they were about to witness. Vexxa’li was the pet warrior of Elur, the dark Avalen firewarrior Sultan and owner of the gladiatorial arena.

The twenty-two foot battle Guran bore numerous scars from his hundreds of fights – inside and outside the arena. He was undefeated still. Boasting three-inch thick impenetrable armour created in the fiery depths of Yvir, the immense creature wielded spears carved from entire tree trunks, swords as tall is himself and his sling bullets were entire boulders.

The fearsome creature charged head first through the large iron gate he had been caged behind. This prompted the Avalen icewarriors to throw the dozen Ilkar holding their chains to the dusty concrete floor and freeze them to avoid harming them too much. A chain icebolt burst forth from the fingertips of the tallest Avalen. It struck his own chains, then lanced across to crack all the other Avalens’ chains.

“This could be quite a fight.†Decided Mar’bakkar, the head of bets in the arena.
“Yes,†agreed Elur, “But I do hate watching my own kind get slaughtered!â€
The burst out into laughter; they were among the few present who were aware that four spiritless Avalen would be no match one of most efficient killing machines in existence. Mar’bakkar both stood to win a lot of money if Vexxa’li were to win; not to mention lose even more if Vexxa’li lost.

“Let the action BEGIN!!!†called the announcer loudly

The nervous Avalen warily shuffled into basic defensive positions as they waited for the upcoming battle. Vexxa’li wisely decided to test his foes by hurling a boulder at the middle of the group. The instant the boulder was thrown it was struck by four jets of ice, shattering it into thousands of shards of frozen rock. Many of the pieces fell to the ground before the boulder’s target could send several hundred of the icy daggers back to the massive Guran.

Vexxa’li drew a razor sharp 12-foot bastard sword in one hand and a spear almost twice as tall in the other, attempting to scare his opponents. Moments before the deadly ice shards struck home, their target exercised his powerful leg muscles and sprang up towards the roof. On contact, the spider-like legs gripped to the old wooden roof as though stapled, yet they were still capable of incredibly swift movement.

The Avalen positioned themselves in a ring around the arena and whilst three cast protective ice spheres around themselves, the other prepared a blink spell. As expected, the giant arachnid flung himself headlong at the unprotected icewarrior, his fangs filling with lethal venom.

The skilled Avalen waited until the very last opportunity before executing their strategy, of which Vexxa’li was blissfully unaware. The unshielded warrior activated his blink spell, teleporting him across the arena between two of his companions. Unable to stop, the immense Guran slammed headfirst into the dusty concrete floor, inflicting head wounds mortal to any lesser being.

In synchronous three ice bolts slammed into the side of the fearsome creature, launching him backwards into a moss-covered wooden wall. Under the great force of the gargantuan beast the old wood shattered and sharp splinters littered the ground. Clouds of dust rose around the damaged wall.

The icewarriors were wise enough to not believe that Vexxa’li was already defeated; a barrage of ice filled the gap in the wall and continued for several moments before it slowly died away. The arena was silent for quite some time as everyone waited for the undefeated arena champion to rise from the wreckage and slay the Avalen warriors. Silence.

Uneasy challengers shuffled slowly around the circular pit in deadly anticipation. A small garden spider ran out from underneath a plank of wood and scurried across the arena. One of the Avalen stamped harshly down, reducing the tiny arachnid to a puddle of black goo.

Nothing moved for a long time.

The scrawny Velk announcer strode out from a small wooden door and placed himself in the centre of the arena. Raising the microphone to his mouth, he prepared for the usual winning announcement. A sudden rush of air emitted from the gap, throwing the Velk roughly down. He struggled to rise on bruised legs and lifted his slitted eyes to the unphased Guran emerging from the broken wall. Several massive strides brought the arachnid towering over the cowering announcer.

“P-p-please d-don’t kill m-me…†stammered the young Velk hoarsely.

A large hairy arm swung down at the Velk, threatening to smash his skull, but the spidery limb was stopped midswing by a freeze spell cast by the shortest of the Avalen. Unable to move this arm, Vexxa’li backed away and slammed a frustrated fist clean through the old wooden wall. He spun suddenly and leapt at one of the other Avalen who was paralysed in shock.

Fumbling for spells, the icewarriors found they could only watch as one their group was viciously ripped to shreds by an organic killing machine. Several litres of pure poison were injected into his body and he fell the floor, sticky black poison oozing from his mouth and eyes.

The crowd cheered louder than ever before, causing a huge grin to crack Elur’s face. Some, however, attended these events less frequently and took to being sick instead.

The eyes of the tallest Avalen, who specialised in melee combat, filled with burning rage. He drew his gleaming katanas from his back and leapt twenty feet into the air. Vexxa’li clawed madly at his own back as the Avalen that stood there began using his razor sharp swords to tear away at the thick plated armour.

Finding a weak, unprotected gap on Vexxa’li’s neck, the Avalen plunged both blades deep into the tough, hairy hide. He then drew two daggers from his ankle sheaths and leapt forwards to thrust them into the Guran’s main eyes.

A heavy blow from one of Vexxa’li’s wildly swinging limbs caught the icewarrior in the chest and sent him bowling across the arena. Ignoring the burning in his neck, Vexxa’li’s agile spidery legs launched him onto the winded Avalen and brought massive limbs beating down, breaking the rest of the immobile icewarrior’s ribs.

Once again, the crowd broke out into wild frenzies of cheering and whistling; they were convinced that Vexxa’li would at least put up a good fight against his powerful foes.

The bloodthirsty beast turned his attention to the two remaining icewarriors; a taste for blood brought a renewed vigour to the mighty arachnid’s attacks. Vexxa’li leapt at the smaller of the Avalen, ready to kill again. A barrage of ice slammed into the Guran’s tough chest, knocking him off course and into the wall.

The Avalen barely had time to turn towards their attacker before he emerged from the wreckage, blood dripping from his mouth. Vexxa’li sprung at the same target as before and drew his colossal broad sword. A solid wall of ice materialised just metres before the pouncing spider. Vexxa’li ignored the pathetic barrier and continued on head first through it, shattering the two-foot thick wall.

As the four tonne beast hurtled onward like a living meteorite, its prey realised that is could not escape. Only one option remained open to him. He had little choice; die or unleash enormous power to save himself.

 

[Axxaer]

Chapter 5
Hive Inferno
17 Velstrom, 14074

Ixilia crept to the top of a small grassy hill and watched as three score of its finest warriors charged heavily across the vast foot plains of Terranalia. Their prey, a lone Avalen firewarrior and an exiled Terreve, were standing at the top of an enormous cliff with nowhere to go. Ixilia’s eyes burned with fierce delight at finally seeing real carnage, not just a feeding frenzy of Ilkar.

It watched eagerly as the Avalen surrounded itself with several rings of fire and created a twelve-foot barrier of flame between himself and the Guran patrol. He fell to one knee as though being knighted, startling Ixilia’s unbroken gaze. All the grass within ten feet of the firewarrior was burnt to a crisp as a jet of fire taller than any of his predators burst up into the air.

A swirling wind whipped up suddenly and spread the fire; it leapt across the entire field, and ignited the nearby forest from which they had just fled. The well trained Gurans ignored the flaming woods and charged forth into the burning hurricane of death like trained soldiers into heavy machine gun fire.

For a long time the only audible sounds were the inhuman screams of the mighty Gurans as they were cremated alive within the fiery inferno. Ixilia was unable to see its valiant warriors dying due to the impenetrable curtain of scorching flame.

Ixilia stood still, eyes wide as it listened with horror at the sounds of its personal guard dying in ways unimaginable to sane beings. It had never seen an Avalen fight before, but had heard unbelievable stories of their single-handed feats in combat. Even when the last dying Guran finally fell silent, the screams continued to echo in Ixilia’s mind unceasingly.

Ilrûn emerged unscathed from the blistering inferno, rising up on giant wings of fire. Clutching his leg was a severely burnt Kelkharn, his silver hair now a dull ashen black. The fearsome Avalen’s eyes were deep red from bloodrage.

An enraged Ixilia began to sprint across the vast grasslands before it and leapt high into the air. A pair of glistening wings possessed only by royal hive Gurans unfolded from beneath its armoured back, and it took flight after the fleeing pair. Ilrûn span about face as a fiery bastard sword flickered into existence in his hand.

“Come to join the party?†growled the bloodlusted Avalen.

Ixilia merely hissed and flew at Ilrûn, fangs filling with deadly venom. Ilrûn used his free hand to shower his assailant with thousands of burning embers whilst he used his other to draw his flaming sword high above his head. The embers burnt to ash on contact with the light plated Hive Lord and it continued towards the floating Avalen, oblivious of the flaming sword lying in wait like a tiger ready to pounce.

Moments before Ixilia struck the pair, Kelkharn’s grip slipped and he fell at least ten feet to the ground. His left knee buckled under the pressure and he fell hard on his. Several ribs broke painfully and his arm fractured slightly below the elbow.

Ignoring his mortally wounded companion, Ilrûn swung his flaming sword down in a brilliant arc and struck Ixilia’s abdomen. The magically enchanted sword cleaved effortlessly through the enormous spider’s body, like a knife through hot butter. Ixilia stopped suddenly in mid-flight, her eyes a picture of overwhelming pain and shock.

Ilrûn thrust the flaming blade clean through Ixilia’s chest and out the other side. He brought the enchanted sword hacking down repeatedly, smashing the strong bony skull and sending its owner crashing to the ground on burning wings. Hastily snatching up his injured companion, Ilrûn spread his wings wide and soared high to the south, towards the setting sun.

* * *

Swirling blue waves of energy encircled Vexxa’li’s prey, dancing and leaping to form shapes of various creatures, then disappearing or morphing again. A giant black bear formed out of nowhere, then shrank into a grey wolf; a smallish wyvern swooped over the icewarrior and then suddenly became a winged red serpent. All the while, to those who watched, time in the pit appeared to stop. Vexxa’li was seconds away from ripping the Avalen to shreds for eternity, the other icewarrior and the commentator were both unmoving, even the spiritchanger himself was not moving.

The majority of the crowd were scared witless at what they were witnessing. Very few beings ever see an Avalen spiritchange, and even fewer live to tell the tale. Hundreds climbed over others to escape, fearing the worst. Others were unable to move due to the mesmerising beauty and splendour of the spiritchange. Even more though, were simply riveted in shock.

The array of shapes and being slowly began congregating in an enormous mass of energy above the icewarrior. One by one the shapes joined to the mass as if dragged in by gravity. Hundreds of the energy waves were all suspended in a huge shapeless blob. Gradually, a shape began to form of the energy. First the top portion became elongated with a blob at the end. Then the lower section slowly branched out into two limbs and the blob at the top formed into a rough head-shape. Two tiny limbs protruded from the middle of the energy mass, and, together with the first two, formed fingers and toes. Two enormous sheets of energy folded out from behind the shape and grew into wings, whilst the head evolved eyes, ears and a tooth-filled mouth and the hands and feet grew claws. Scales began jutting out from all over the back and neck of the creature in a regular pattern, and long tail snaked out from its lower spine.



The being was a crystal dragon. It was so huge that it filled the entire arena already, and when it straightened its neck, it sent the roof crashing down in an uneven sheet of debris. More crowd members began desperately fleeing for their lives whilst others became trapped under broken slats of wood and other rubble.

The dragon quickly surveys the room, and, upon noticing the tiny Avalen beneath him, dived towards him. It didn’t take long before the dragon slammed into the icewarrior at great speed. The impact didn’t, however, harm the icewarrior, the dragon, or the old concrete floor. The dragon vanished suddenly and time began again.

A bolt of energy flew from the Avalen’s chest and struck Vexxa’li in the head, catapulting him across the pit. The icewarrior began to grow and his body twisted and changed in the process. His shoulder blades split through his back and he let out a deafening scream of pain. The bones grew out and formed the structure of wings, on which skin grew and spread over the enormous expanse. His posture changed to a crouch as his legs grew much larger than his front, and eventually he could stand up again. His head elongated and his eyes sunk back into his skill. Scales formed over his body and hundreds of sharp teeth lined his mouth.

The Avalen had become a crystal dragon, one of the most powerful creatures known. The few left in the crowd who knew about Avalens were suddenly aware that they had witnessed a spiritchange, and tried to relax and continue watching the show. The process of morphing into a powerful creature, beast or monster is the most feared aspect of Avalens. Very few outsiders, though, know that it is very uncommon for an Avalen to be capable of spiritchanging as it is incredibly difficult for an Avalen to find his spirit. This misconception works perfectly to the advantage of Avalen bandits who merely need to make a passing mention of spiritchanging to scare their victims into do whatever they want.

Elur realised instantly that he had been tricked. These Avalen weren’t slaves, the weren’t spiritless, in fact, they were probably among the most powerful warriors in existence.
“Shall I bolt the exits sir?†Marbakkar asked fearfully.
“Steel and timber cannot contain a beast such as this,†replied Elur, “We would only be securing our own death trap.â€

The sight of such a majestic creature caused even the mighty Vexxa’li to scurry away to the wall in fear.

“Survulen,†the dragon boomed down to the fourth Avalen, “The stones at dawn.â€

The icewarrior nodded in acknowledgement and fled the arena through the hole made by Vexxa’li. Survulen swung his massive head towards where Vexxa’li was cowering in his shadow and shot a breath of ice cold air at it, knocking it the floor and sending frozen chills all over its body. Another blast froze its legs and prevented it from moving. Survulen threw his massive crystal body at the immobolised arachnid to finish it off. He slammed into Vexxa’li, crushing it and breaking its skull. Shards of crystal embedded themselves in its torso, one puncturing its heart.
“Flee now or prepare to be incinerated.†Elur threatened menacingly.

Survulen turned to face the spot where Elur and Marbakkar stood and breathed a gargantuan ball of ice at him. Elur met this attack with his own ball of flame which he hurled directly at the ball of frost. A dazzling explosion of fire and ice followed, and when Elur’s vision returned, the dragon was nowhere to be seen. All that remained was the ruins of his life’s work. They would have to pay for this with their lives…

 

[Axxaer]

Chapter 6
Nowhere to be Seen
18 Velstrom, 14074

Kelkharn gradually drifted back to consciousness as Ilrûn gently poured water over his face. Startled by the bright dawn light, Kelkharn attempted to sit up, but all the blood suddenly left his head and he fell back to the ground.

“You need much rest,†said Ilrûn, “Your frail Terreve bodies are not used to such healing techniques as we fire Avalen employ.â€

Reluctantly, Kelkharn closed his eyes and slipped effortlessly into heavy, dreamless sleep. Meanwhile, Ilrûn wandered off into the forest which surrounded the clearing which they were in. He was surprised at how few creatures he saw. Apart from the odd hibernating Gechling, the forest appeared empty. Something or someone must have scared them off.

As Ilrûn ventured further in, he caught the smell of a burnt out fire. He followed the ashy scent until he reached another clearing, only slightly smaller than the one Kelkharn lay. In the centre of the clearing were the remains of a fire. Ilrûn could tell that it had been lit within the last few hours.

He walked around the fire and a bright glint in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He span his head towards the flash and was surprised to see, nestled within the long blades of lush green grass a fist-sized shard of crystal. Upon examining the brilliant blue crystal, he discovered that straw-sized veins of air formed an intricate web throughout it. From the red stained vessels he discerned that something, most likely blood, once flowed steadily throughout the crystal shard. The shard was obviously part of something much, much larger.

Ilrûn turned and sprinted from the clearing, aiming for the clearing in which Kelkharn lay defenceless. He ran onward, heedless of the prickly undergrowth tearing at his legs. He slowed as he approached the clearing and crouched in the leafy bushes. He stayed completely still and silent until he could be absolutely certain that nothing was alive in the clearing, then walked over to the empty Kelkharn had been on. In place of the injured Terreve was a collection of tiny pebble-sized crystals.

Ilrûn turned to face an area on the edge of the clearing where the undergrowth was flattened completely. He walked over to it and looked at the tracks on the ground – two sets of Evoraldan boots, one of which was dragging something, Kelkharn’s body.

Ilrûn followed the trail of footprints and crushed plants until the harsh noon sun sun was high overhead. Ilrûn headed slightly off the trail to get a drink from a nearby stream. He knelt beside the beautifully clear estuary and drank from cupped hands. He glanced up and saw two large humanoid figures walking away in the forest across the river from him.

Ilrûn ran carelessly across the shallow waterbed in pursuit of Kelkharn’s kidnappers, and Kelkharn. He ran faster than ever through the forest despite his scratched, bruised, wet legs. He came within twenty metres of them before they spun around, shocked to see him. Ilrûn stopped dead in his tracks; rage would be an understatement of his state.

“Release the Terreve.†He demanded. They remained unmoving.

“Release the Terreve or burn in the fires of Belthor.â€

“You don’t seem to be aware of who we are.†Replied Survulen.

“Do not toy with me, fools. I am an Arcane Avalen firewarrior and I will use Belthor’s power to slay you like Alkhor.†Ilrûn snapped fiercely.

The pair looked at each other, then at Ilrûn. Survulen was sneering at the typical fire Avalen arrogance.

Suddenly, with trained speed and precision, the two icewarriors leapt up into the air and launched hundreds of ice balls at Ilrûn in rapid succession. Ilrûn didn’t budge. When the pair landed, Ilrûn was buried under several layers of ice.

“Quick,†Growled Survulen at his companion, he continued in an unusual mix of common and Avalen, “Gelu the forest Erruih.â€

The two icewarriors turned and fled deeper into the densely populated forest of grand oaks, leaving the unconscious Kelkharn lying facedown in the dirt. Ignoring the injured Terreve, Ilrûn began mindlessly firing balls of flame after the fleeing Avalen duo.

“Ukhar losh kur!†he cursed in the Avalen native tongue. The forest burst into flames from the blazing fire, but the icewarriors were nowhere to be seen. Ilrûn and Kelkharn were almost encircled by magically enchanted fire in seconds. Ilrûn carelessly slung Kelkharn over his shoulder and made a hasty escape back to the river.

* * *

Elur and Marbakkar were hot on the trail of their escaped slaves. They had spent much of the morning following the path made by the enormous beast and his companion.

After quite some time travelling, they came across a small clearing littered with tiny shards of crystal. Hot ashes were carelessly covered over with grey dirt and several blackened logs lay strewn about the site.

The trail ceased here, but another less obvious one began across the clearing. This one bearing West towards the Ulkan Delta some half-Ilnaad’s travel away. This track was more inconspicuous and consisted only of two poorly covered sets of footprints. The spirit must have expired.

Elur was relieved and set out again, a fresh sense of determination found him travelling even faster than he had so far. He was going to catch those lying traitors, and they would pay.

“Uh, sir,†panted Marbakkar unconfidently, “Maybe we should stop and rest for a while. My legs are tired.â€

Elur continued on, heedless of his complaining companion.

By the time bright afternoon sun was teasing the horizon, Elur and Marbakkar were almost at the edge of the majestic forest. Marbakkar had been unceasingly complaining since the pair had entered the immense sea of green.

“I don’t understand.†Marbakkar whined, “Why are we even chasing them?â€

Elur ignored him, so he continued.

“You can just get some more slaves. It’s not like the world’s ending.â€

“Isn’t it?†Elur finally responded, the acid in his voice startling Marbakkar slightly, “Nobody lies to Elur. Nobody deceives Elur, Nobody destroys Elur. And most importantly; nobody escapes Elur’s wrath.â€

They travelled on in silence until they left the forest and saw the dark, starry sky. Dull moonlight sifted down through the canopy of leaves they had just left and settled gently on the silent empty ground. Elur decided they would set up camp for the night, much to Marbakkar’s delight. Elur lit a small fire and began planning the following day, whilst Marbakkar slipped uncomfortably into sleep on a bed of rock and dirt.

 

[Axxaer]

Chapter 7
A Cloudless Sky
19 Velstrom, 14074

“There!†gasped Elur triumphantly, pointing to a pair of dots on the horizon. Elur and Marbakkar had been travelling since before dawn in pursuit of the escaped slaves. Elur was determined to hunt them down and give them what they deserved; death. Their quarry could be seen walking along the top edge of a near hundred foot cliff.

Elur and Marbakkar were a few miles from the base of the cliff, across a small desert. The dots meandering slowly along its edge seemed to be moving swiftly, but warily, as if they knew they were being followed.

“How could they possibly have seen us?†yelled Elur angrily, kicking at the hot yellow sand. The pair doubled their pace, anxious that their prey would escape.

Several hot tiring hours later, they stood sweating at the foot of the cliff. Their presence belittled by the cliff towering over them, casting its shadow across the sandy plain. While Marbakkar lazed in the cool shade, Elur analysed the climb ahead of them. Twenty feet up was a thin ledge, barely wide enough to stand on. The ledge worked its way across the cliff face, sporadically travelling upwards. It was littered with loose stones and rocks and, in places, shrank thinner than the width of a foot.

“Perfect.†Claimed Elur calmly.
“What’s perfect? We’re out here in the middle of Caluris knows which desert following two goddamn slaves. We have no food, no water, and we don’t have a clue where we’re going,†Snapped Marbakkar wearily, “I don’t see what’s so ‘perfect’ about that.â€

Ignoring Marbakkars sudden outbreak, Elur continued, “We ascend the cliff at once.â€

* * *

As Kelkharn’s consciousness returned, he saw the rocky ground bobbing up down. He jerked his body away and fell roughly on his bad leg. Ilrûn’s annoyed face appeared, framed by the cloudless sky.

“Are you finished playing in the sand, Terreve?†He asked in frustration. Kelkharn groaned in pain as he attempted to rise to his bruised knees.
“Where in Aluvalis are we?†asked Kelkharn tiredly.
“You need rest,†stated Ilrûn, ignoring his companions query, “And we need to keep moving as fast as possible.â€
Ilrûn hastily slung Kelkharn over his shoulder and resumed walking.

The sun was still far from setting when Ilrûn sighted his targets. The two Avalen icewarriors were squatting opposite each other, reading a map. Ilrûn carefully crept closer and laid Kelkharn on the hot sand. He listened in, but could not fully understand what they were saying.

“…there. I know we h…â€
“No. I am…went around the…â€
“It doesn’t ma…going any…let’s…â€

The pair were rising to their feet when a fireball exploded the tree they were under. One leapt away with the map whilst the other froze the tree with a flick of his wrist. The Avalen firewarrior whom the fire had belonged to emerged from behind a large boulder, a ring of fire encircled him.

“Elur Arafir.†Said Survulen, coldly.

At the name, Elur ran out into the open area, his eyes burning with surprise.

“What the hell are you doing here? Ilrûn Arafir asked his elder brother. The icewarriors spun to face him.
“These fools escaped from my gladiator slave pit, destroying it in the process.†Replied Elur acidly.
“Well maybe they need to learn what happens to those who betray the Imperial Arafir family.†Decided Ilrûn.

The icewarriors looked back and forth between the two firewarriors, a mixture of fear and hope manifesting within them. They had heard of the famed power and wealth of the Imperial Arafir Family, but doubted that both its fire heirs would be in one location.

The Imperial Arafir Family rules over a large region surrounding the popular trading city Evoraldu. They also control all trade and travel to and from the area, gaining them large sums of gold in the form of tolls, taxes and their own enormous trade profits. The family had hundreds of members, but only two from each element were granted leave of the Imperial Palace. These pairs are the heirs to the Family thrones and are required to venture out and gain their spirits before gaining power. It would be very unlikely to find two of the same elemental heirs in one place.

“Why should be believe such a ridiculous fairy tale?†asked Survulen angrily, “We are not fools.â€

Ilrûn and Elur both rolled up their right sleeve, revealing that they both bore the Arafiran birthmark, a sleeping dragon.
The icewarriors came to the realisation that if they were able to capture Ilrûn and Elur, they would be able to blackmail incredible wealth and power from the Imperial Family.

“Perhaps I was a little harsh in my decision to spiritchange so destructively. Maybe we should talk things through…†offered Survulen.

“It’s too late for such proposals.†The tone of Elur’s voice got across the message itself.

“We are willing to make a very reasonable deal. We have at our disposal the entire wealth of the Hhregai’an Underground Empire. Their treasury is extremely deep, we could offer very large sums of gold…â€

“He said it’s too late. Now surrender to us or prepare to be incinerated.†Roared Ilrûn.

“Now, now. Let’s not be too hasty.†Elur laid his arm out to hold Ilrûn back, then, turning to the icewarrriors, said “Exactly how deep is this treasury?â€

Survulen grinned wickedly. “Well…†he began. The other icewarrior dropped to a crouch and swung a leg at Elur’s feet. Elur sidestepped the deliberately slow attack and was grabbed from behind by Survulen. Survulen locked Elur’s arms between his own and twisted his elbows ******ds until he screamed for mercy, nearly popping them out of their sockets.

Ilrûn summoned a fireball into existence in his hand and launched it at Survulen’s head. The other icewarrior froze the fireball mid-flight, startling Ilrûn somewhat.

“I think you may want to reconsider your decision. We are more powerful than you probably think.†Pushed Survulen.
“Say again, exactly how deep is the underground treasury?†asked Elur greedily.

Survulen grinned smugly and nodded to his companion. Ilrûn and Elur were shocked when two Avalen airwarriors suddenly appeared beside the icewarriors.

“Now!†shouted Survulen, and the airwarriors grabbed the icewarriors by their arms.
“NO!†yelled Ilrûn, preparing to blast all hell out of the four of them. Survulen realised this plan all too soon and threw Elur roughly at Ilrûn. Ilrûn knew there was no chance to stop them now.

Gleaming silver flashed up and down, left and right. In seconds, Survulen, the other icewarrior, and both the airwarriors lay lifeless on the ground. Kelkharn stood panting besie Survulen, the last to fall, his rapier and dagger both drawn.

Survulen managed to gasp his final words, “You’ll burn in your own fire for this…â€s



NOTE: THERE ARE SEVERAL APPENDICES DETAILING THE CREATURES, HISTORY, ETC OF THE SETTING OF THIS BOOK AND ALSO A DETAILED MAP IF ANYONE WANTS THEM PM ME

 

[Axxaer]

sorry I had to post so many separate posts but there is about a 10,000 character limit per post