Introduction
The real war had begun. As the arrows started to rain down on the surrounding ranks, I dashed for cover behind an abandoned ballista. I heard the screams of dying humans all around me, freezing me in place as if a cold hand of ice and shadow had wrapped itself around me, squeezing me until the very breath was taken from my lungs. I knew I had to keep moving. Dodging and weaving across the battlefield, I slowly pushed forward along the no-man's land, too afraid that if I turned my back to the front for even an instant, I would feel the numbing pain of an arrow piercing my heart. Into the heat of battle, I went, not knowing what my fate would be, but I pray by Viabaas' wings it would not be a gruesome one... With no warning, a heavily armored half-orc with awe-inspiring stature charged toward me with a wild burning glint in his eyes. I parried its attack, stabbing it in the ankle as the mighty warrior rushes by. The half-orc screamed in pain as it dropped to a knee on the bloodied ground of the battlefield, breathing heavily. I began to step toward it, ready to slit the enemy's throat, but I hesitated, questioning if the right thing to do. I never got the chance to make a choice. Suddenly, I hear a loud, piercing whistle of the wind coming from the air, as if a hurricane were descending upon us, but I knew it was actually the beating of a pair of terrible wings that would spell my end. I reminisced back to when I was a young and innocent girl when my heart was free of war and it's oozing corruption...
Chapter 1: My Fall
Well, I guess I might as well tell you about myself before I come to a sudden and gory end. My name is Caelynn Firahel, a Half-Elf born into the slums of Fallsholm, a suburb of the capital of Obron. When my father went off to fight in the Obronian army to conquer the ever-shrinking frontier, I expected him to become a hero... All that I received was a single, solemn letter, telling me of a tragic turn of events that would change my life forever. My mother struggled to keep both herself and I fed and eventually succumbed to the effects of depression: suicide. I was adopted by a human family only a few months later, but it never felt perfectly right. I always knew in the back of my mind that I was always... different, with my Elven heritage and all. Sometimes the other children would give me a look, a spiteful, devastating backward glance that shook me to my roots, to the very fiber of everything I knew. It was nothing compared to was coming, however. When I was barely 14, my life was shattered before my very eyes, breaking like a delicate mirror teetering on the edge of a cliff. Just like that mirror, I had fallen off, and there was no going back.
Obron, the nation that represented the unity of all the finite races, had fallen into anarchy. There was rioting in the capital, and The Committee of The Finite Races, the rulers of Obron, had fled the scene. That was when I first saw the terror and hate of war. I had been preparing for evacuation with the rest of my adopted family when the father stooped into my room. "Caelynn, there isn't room for you. I'm sorry..." he said in a slightly solemn, but clearly faked tone. "What? How?" I blurted out, almost without even thinking. "Caelynn. Just listen to me. you CAN'T come with us. Don't ask me why!" he replies in astern and guilty tone, trying to hide the hate and anger in his voice. "Excuse me? Why I can't come with you I have the slightest idea... So tell me... WHY THE HELL CAN'T I COME?!" I said in a stern and unyielding tone, leaning toward him with a hateful look on my face. "you want to know why? Do you want to know? Well, I don't like your face, is that good enough, pointy ears?" he said as he glared down at me, letting out the emotion he was trying to spare me from and stepping forward, eclipsing me in his shadow.
I had lost my strength. I couldn't fight anymore. I stood down, putting myself in this reckless and ignorant man's hands. "Good, now you better stay here, or I will throw you to the dogs. Just because I can't save you doesn't mean I won't save myself," he said in a tone that made me fear for my life, not because of him, but what might happen to me after I was left alone in Fallsholm. I stayed in that small barren room for probably 20 minutes, just crying, try to console myself while having no idea how to. I had lost hope. Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming from outside my room. Had my family come back for me? I stood up peeking my head out of the crack in the rickety door. in front of me, I saw an unknown man, with a military cut and scars all over the back of the neck. He appeared to be wearing a brown trench coat with some sort of sheath at his side. I let out a quiet gasp and ducked back into my room, shutting the door a little too loudly. I froze, hearing floorboards creaking underneath the stranger. I sneaked as quietly as I could to my closet and closed the door behind me. I tried to hold my breath, but I just couldn't hold it... I let out all the air in my lungs. I froze wondering if he had heard me... Suddenly, I heard a footfall from under the door. I had been found.
The closet door swung open slowly. The light was blinding, and then I saw the loving face of not a killer, not a maniac, but of a friend. He had beautiful, big brown eyes, and a loving hand, reaching toward me. “Are you alright?” The man said in concern, reaching his hand out to me. Paralyzed by fear, I simply stood there as the unexpected friend wrapped his rugged arms around me and lifted me out of the closet. “I'll take care of you, little one. I could see this was coming from a mile away, but I won't let it hurt you... I just hope it isn't as bad as I think it will be...” mutters the man under his breath, just loud enough for me to overhear. “Is War here? What’s going to happen to me?” I thought to myself in sudden concern. As if the man had heard me, he reassured himself “But I’m sure my prediction is off by a lot...”. At that moment I realized how truly exhausted I was, and drifted into a deep and peaceful sleep, letting myself drift into the soft and loving embrace of rest...
Chapter 2: A New Occupation
As I slowly woke to sound of clanging metal and shifting leather, I sat straight up, breathing heavily, eyes darting around wildly. A man stepped toward me, and I remembered. My family abandoning me, this man finding me, I remembered everything. Tears started to well up in my eyes, emotions flooding my every sense. I knew it was alright to cry, but I was ashamed of it. I was ashamed of myself, my heritage, and who I was. "It's alright, I know what you're feeling. I felt exactly how you do now when I was a child. I was abandoned as well..." Said the man in a soothing and almost supernaturally calming tone. "But who are you?" I asked, confounded. "My name is Galvyn. I was abandoned by my human family when I was a baby, and now I am a monster hunter." Said Galvyn in a sincere tone. "You hunt... Monsters?" I said in fear, partly of the monsters, and partly of Galvyn. "Yes, but right now I am going to protect YOU, and that is all that matters in my mind," Galvyn said in a reassuring tone. "Will I have to become a monster hunter?" I asked as I slowly started to drift into the soft billowing grip of sleep. "Only if you WANT to, ok?" Galvyn said as he laid me back down. As I fell back into the clutches of sleep, I wondered if I would be, if at all, a good monster hunter. Now that I look back on it, I see that I had no idea of how high I would go... I plummeted back into the sweet and loving embrace of sleep once more, every worry melting from my mind.
I was shaken awake once more by the hand of Galvyn. "So, have you decided?" He asked with a friendly gesture toward me. "Yes, I want to do it. Teach me..." I said in the security of my choice, for some reason knowing that it was the right thing to do. "Ok, if you want to head out with me this morning, you are welcome to." He said as he slowly started to tuck me back in. "Wait," I said abruptly as I leaned up, pushing the sheets back "I want to come with you.". "Ok, I will give you fifteen minutes to get ready, then we head out," Galvyn replied in a cheerful and prideful tone, probably toward me. Fifteen minutes later, Galvyn and I were exiting his friendly sod-roofed cottage in winter gear. Galvyn was carrying his crossbow, nets, and a large assortment of other weapons, while I was carrying the food supplies for the day. “Get behind me, quick!” Whispered Galvan whispered to me suddenly as he ducked behind a rocky outcropping. “What is it?” I whispered in confusion as I followed his lead. “We have found what we are looking for. Look for yourself.” He replied as he beckoned me to take a peek. I poked my head over the outcropping but saw nothing among the stony terrain. “I don’t see anything...” I asked in confusion. “Look a little closer...” Galvyn said. As peeked out of our hiding spot once more, I saw something shift among the stones. “Is that a stony... bird?” I thought to myself. “What is that?” I asked as I turned once more to Galvyn’s expertise. “That is a Cockatrice, a scavenger bird. It usually eats plants and small rodents, but it’s peck and can turn the target to stone.” Said Galvyn, as if he had recited it from a bestiary laying in his hands. “Sounds dangerous! So, what is the plan?” I said, amazed. “Here, use my crossbow, it’s your shot,” Galvyn said as he handed his trusty crossbow to me. “You want ME to kill it?” I asked nervously, refusing the weapon. “Here I’ll help you,” Galvan said as he placed my hands in his and aimed the crossbow. “Now, look down the sights and position your shot...” Galvyn instructed me. I aimed the crossbow at the scavenger’s head, steadying my arm. “Now, take a deep breath in as you are about to fire...” Galvyn continued. I aimed for a few more seconds and took a deep breath in. At that same exact moment, as I did so, Galvyn let his hand go limp, and I pulled the trigger. The crossbow bolt launched out the chamber, streaking like a firework towards its target. The crossbow bolt pierced straight through the Cockatrice's gullet, killing it instantly. “Great shot!” Galvan shouted in delight as he rushed down to collect the body, “We are having Wuruk tonight!”.
Later that night, we were once again in the humble abode of Galvyn, where he was cooking up the traditional dish of Wuruk, or a Cockatrice steak with a small salad on the side. “Dinner’s ready!” Galvyn hollered to me as he set the two dishes on the small one-person dining table. “What are we eating?” I asked as I rushed to sit down. “Cockatrice, courtesy of our new Monster Hunter!” Galvyn said proudly. I smiled and chuckled silently inside, extremely proud of my bravado. This was my new life. I didn’t have to worry about the tragedy I had gone through. I felt free.
Chapter 3: The Basilisk
I faced many monsters, some being manticores, beholders, and even a young dragon. I had learned so much. There was one thing which I faced, however, that I will never forget. I felt that it - Well, you’ll see...
I slowly stepped down the abandoned mine shaft, then I stood aghast at the scene of carnage in front of me. There were probably a dozen or so stone statues of miners standing paralyzed, frozen in time. This was probably the worst thing I had seen in all the monsters I had hunted up until now. I had never felt this kind of fear: creeping and oozing into the very essence of my being. The hair on my neck stiffened suddenly. I straightened my back, listening very closely... Did I hear... breathing? “Oh no...” I muttered inaudibly to myself as I turned to run, hearing a roar from behind me! As I dashed through the mining tunnel, I heard the clawing sound of destruction close behind. Bats flew all around me but froze and fell out the sky, petrified. I took a tight turn in the shaft a little too quickly, nearly losing my footing, but I could see sunlight coming from up ahead! “Galvyn! It’s here! GO GO GO!” I screamed as I slid out of the mining tunnel, rocks collapsing over the entrance just behind me. “Get ready! We can’t let this Basilisk escape or we get no bounty!” He reminded me urgently. “I know! You don’t have to remind me!” I said as I inserted the stun bolts into my repeating crossbow. “HERE IT COMES!” Galvyn screamed in anticipation as the Basilisk came bursting through the blocked mining tunnel. “Remember to shield your eyes!” I said, eyes closed and wildly firing arrows blind. “I can hear it coming for me!” Galvyn said as his voice receded into the distance. “Galvyn?” I asked in confusion as I slowly opened my eyes, just in time to see the green vibrant orb which is a Basilisk’s eye. My legs immediately started to turn to stone. I screamed for Galvyn and started to run in the direction I had last heard his voice, but the Basilisk had wrapped itself around me. I had no hope. “So this was the end, wasn’t it? This how I end.” I thought to myself as my chest slowly turned to stone...
The Basilisk suddenly let go of me. I collapsed onto the ground. I was breathing heavily. A silhouette appeared over me... It was Galvyn. I was saved, but that was not the end of the basilisk in my mind. That encounter planted a seed in my mind. The very sight of those poor miners, petrified like that had thrown me out of my orbit with the world I knew it as. “What was going on the rest of the world?” I asked myself as we slowly trudged back to the cabin after I was unpetrified, “Was it right for me to just abandoned the rest of the people that might be struggling as I had as a child?”. “You alright?” Galvyn asked me suddenly. “I know that was close, but you don’t seem yourself. You sure you’re fine?”. “I’m fine. There’s nothing to worry about” I replied abruptly, maybe a little too so. “Alright, no need to snap at me. Jeez, you seem as feisty as a mimic!” He replied, stepping down from our argument. I didn’t know what had gotten into me.
That night was very quiet. Neither of us spoke to each other for the rest of the day, but I could tell Galvyn was thinking. I could see his mind turning inside his head. What was he planning?
Chapter 4: My Most Dangerous Hunt
I opened my eyes. This was not home. I stood up slowly, surveying my surroundings. Directly in front of me was my... old childhood home? There were holes in walls, the door was smashed down, and the roof was dilapidated and run-down. The sky was a stained red, and I could hear the cries of battle coming from beyond the boundary of Fallsholm. Suddenly, I heard a scream come from inside the building. I immediately recognized it as my adopted mother! I rushed into my old home, arriving just in time to see my adopted mother sprawled on the floor. “Caelynn... My leg’s broken, Please...” My mother said as she started to crawl toward me. I hesitated for just a moment, but that was all it needed. The floor below the woman collapsed and I could hear the receding scream as the poor woman fell into the abyss...
I was suddenly shaken away by Galvyn. I breathed in heavily as I realized it had just been a dream... “Caelynn, you won’t believe what’s happened! We’re going to hunt a Kraken!” Said Galvyn in jubilance as he shook me awake. “A Kraken?! Are you serious?” I said in shock and joy. “We are! We are going to be working with some of my old colleagues to take one down!”. “When are we going to leave?” I asked, all questions from the past day disappearing from my mind. “As soon as you’d like!” Galvyn answered genuinely. Ten minutes later, Galvyn and I, with packs full, were headed to the nearby coastline, where we were to meet with the rest of the group. By midday, we had arrived. As we dropped our packs on the rickety pier, a group of rugged individuals approached us. "Ah, Zykroff! I have someone to introduce you to!" Galvyn said to a Dragonborn, or commonly known as "dragon-people", as he gestured to me, "This is my current apprentice, Caelynn Firahel". "It is so wonderful to meet you at last! Gylvan has told me so much about you, and I am excited to be working with you. And regards to you, Galvyn, have you got the items I requested?" Zykroff said in a cheery tone. "Of course, 6 Potions of Water-Breathing, just as you requested." Galvyn replied, handing the Dragonborn a handful of small pairs of vials, with the word "MIX" written neatly on the adjoining label. "Wonderful! I know you have been away from the group for quite a while, so I'll let you greet everyone, then we set sail!" Said Zykroff in a slightly melodramatic tone. "Don't mind her. She has always been a little... dramatic about the job," whispered Galvyn, grinning ear to ear, "Let's go meet the rest of the crew". As we merged with the group of monster hunters, I was overwhelmed suddenly by a hub-bub of noise and voices greeting me. So many names: Nuraval, Naeris, Saral... It was overwhelming... "Well, now that everyone is reacquainted with each other, we need to get moving. I planned to get to the lair by nightfall. Who's with me?" Said Zykroff, standing on the prow of the sailing ship. I cheer came up from the group and I was carried helplessly onto the boat.
We were off! The sun was setting like a golden tangerine as we traveled farther and farther out to sea. Suddenly, the sky was filled with ominous clouds off the bow. "We are six miles off the lair!" Said the looking, peering out to sea from the top of the mast. "Wait, how does he know that?" I asked Galvyn, pulling him aside suddenly. "I'm happy you asked! See, Krakens can control the weather in about a six-mile radius of their lair. This is one of a few things they can control within that area." Said Galvyn, seemingly delighted to be teaching. "Brace for the barrier!" I heard from above me as a wave crested over the port. I grabbed onto a nearby handrail and held on, water crashing onto the deck. "Naeris! Get on the bow and ward this weather off!" Galvyn said as he stumbled toward the rigging. "I'm going!" replied Naeris, a druidic elf, as she held a small pot and started to drop bits of earth into it in some material-based spell. "What should I do?" I shouted, saltwater filling my mouth. "Here! Fight off the quippers with this!" Zykroff hollered back, tossing me a long fishing spear. "Quippers? Why would there be quippers way out here? They're coastal flesh-eaters!" I asked in confusion. "Go see for yourself!" Zykroff said as he returned his focus to steering. I rushed to the rail and looked down, only to see a froth of Quippers, piranha-like fish, swarming the hull and starting to dig straight through the solid boards! "Oh my..." I said under my breath as I stared in fear at the foaming sea. "We have leaks! Fight off the quippers, Caelynn!" I heard from the cabin as Galvyn came bursting from below decks. I snapped back into reality, jabbing the trusty polearm into the water, impaling many a quipper. "Elementals incoming!" I once again heard from the crows nest, echoing across the waves. As I peered out into the chaos of endless waves, I can see a multitude of watery forms approaching... "Galvyn! Get the nets!" hollered Nuraval, a rough mountain dwarf, in Galvyn'sgeneral direction. I heard a swooshing sound from above me, and Galvyn was suddenly beside me. "Caelynn, try to catch the elementals in these!" Galvyn said as he plopped a small stack of weighted nets and dashed off to another part of the ship. I studied the waters intensely, looking for any discrepancies in the flow. I saw something in the corner of my eye, tossing a net directly at the elemental, trapping its watery form as it helplessly sunk into the depths. "We're approaching the eye of the storm!" Saral shouted from the crows nest as she slid down the rigging like a spider on its web. "Are we there?" I asked solemnly. "We are. Zykroff, hand out the potions." Galvyn replied as he beckoned for Zykroff. Zyroff cycled through the semi-circle of hunters, passing out the strange pairs of vials I had glimpsed earlier. "Bottoms up," Zykroff muttered under his breath as he mixed the two concoctions and drank it. After the rest of the group downed their servings, we were ready to enter... The Kraken's Lair!
Chapter 5: The Kraken's Domain
We dove into the dark depths, sinking into the hellhole known as “The Kraken’s Domain” in those parts. Deeper and deeper we went, our surroundings getting darker and darker still until I could see only a small, yellow light pulsate from below us. We descended fearlessly, like lightning descending from a thunderhead into the blinding light... What I saw in that one moment was absolute chaos. Time slowed to a crawl. The Kraken, a fishlike mass of writhing tentacles and fins, had been waiting for us, looking at the group with its eye as yellow and bright as a lightning bolt. I gasped as I gulped down a harmless mouthful of salt water. Suddenly, there was a rushing of water to our right. I swam out of the way just an instant before the rush of water hit me, but Saral and Galvyn were swept into an Eddie in The opposite end of the cave. "Split!" screamed Zykroff in surprise as the party split, drawing the Kraken to the right. "Here, Caelynn, use these on it!" Naeris said to me, dropping two glass flasks full of a muddy brown substance. Without even thinking, I threw one of the flasks as hard as I could, hitting the neck of the Kraken. The flask exploded into a giant fireball on impact, the Kraken leaning back in pain, letting out a deafening roar, lunging at me in the blink of an eye. I tried to dodge out of the way, but it was too late. The ginormous maw of the creature surrounded me, leaving me in darkness. The water was suddenly swept up around me, pulling me deeper into the bowels of the Kraken. “Was the Kraken swallowing me?” I asked myself in fear as I slipped down the gullet of the enormous water-bourne creature. I was burned by hydrochloric acid. I was constricted, trapped between two slabs of flesh until I felt a sudden jerk from the Kraken. What was going on? Just a moment after that thought passed through my mind, I was pushed back up the gullet and out the mouth in a blinding rocket of water and salt. I had been thrown up by the Kraken!
Combat much like this went on for a ridiculously long amount of time. Just when we brought The Kraken to its breaking point, it managed to slip out of grasp and hide just long enough to rest, and then surprise attacked when we least expected it. After nearly 2 hours, the group had completely exhausted our supply of Water-breathing Potions, and would soon have to ascend. However, the state of the Kraken was once again starting to get frail. We had one last chance.
A plan had been devised. Zykroff, Naeris, and Saral would all restrain the Kraken’s tail and larger fins when it was at its end, and I, of everyone in the group, was chosen to lay down the final blow. “You’re going to do great!” Galvyn reassured as we swam into the main cavern. I was not so sure, but it was no time for sudden doubts. The Kraken once again attacked from behind, suddenly crawling from one of the crevices in the tunnel’s ceiling, but this time we were ready for it. Galvyn, the Dwarf, and I swam down to the bottom of the tunnel as to draw the monstrosities low enough... and the trip was sprung. The nets were dropped precisely on the train and large fins of the Kraken restraining it momentarily. The battle was won! I readied my short sword as I swam swiftly toward the soft fleshy exterior of the Kraken’s forehead. Suddenly, I heard a gnarled and wicked voice in my mind, speaking to me. “Why are you here, of all places, little one?” Said the voice of the Kraken, but that fact was unknown to me. “What? What do you mean?” I asked as I began to slow my stroke. “What of your adopted family? What of the war going on the real world?” The voice replied, filling me with a sudden tinge of guilt. “They abandoned me. It is what they DESERVED!” I said with an almost primal snarl. “WHAT ABOUT ALL THE MILLIONS DYING BRUTAL DEATHS?! WHAT OF THEM?!” The voice said accusingly, the sentence streaking and flowing like a lightning bolt. I had no words to respond. I felt as if scales had fallen off my eyes. What of all the others dying? While I had been enjoying myself, millions had been dying out in the real world... ”Caelynn! What are you waiting for? Kill it!” Screamed Galvyn, his voice sounding muffled and far away. I immediately snapped out of it. During my conversation with the telepathic voice, my stroke toward The Kraken’s weak spot had halted, and the creature was slowly but steadily writhing, breaking free from its bonds! Before I could even react, Galvyn went streaking past me, trusty dagger in hand. He dove toward the bright eye of The Kraken, driving the dagger deep into it. The Kraken writhed and roar, but its fate had been sealed. Its eye went dark and it was over.
As the rest of the group cheered, Galvyn glared at me with a furious glint in his eyes. We rushed to collect a small trophy in the form of a tooth, but Galvyn blocked my way while letting the others pass by. “You have no part in this victory.” He said glaring at me, then turned to socialize with the rest of the party. I retired to the ship on the surface early, but as I ascended, I pondered the things the voice had told me. “Was it right? Was this life the wrong choice?” I asked myself, expecting an answer, but receiving only silence. Later in the night, on the return journey home, I was still contemplating some ideas that had come across my mind in my cabin when Zykroff entered. “You alright? I heard Galvyn snapped at you like one of those quipped we fought off earlier.” Zykroff said lightheartedly, making me laugh. “He has his reasons. I hesitated.” I replied. “What I saw was no hesitation. Something happened. What was it?” She replied, seemingly seeing my true experience. “I heard... A voice in my head. It told me some... interesting things.” I replied, embarrassed. “That was probably the Kraken speaking to you! They are known for their telepathic influence. What did it tell you?” Zykroff, approaching me and sitting beside me on the edge of my bunk. “It told me this life was a lie, and that millions, including my adopted family, were dying in the war,” I replied. “Well, I personally would go as far to say monster-hunting is a lie, but I would say it isn’t for everyone. What are your thoughts about what it said?” She replied insightfully. “Part of me believes it, and part of me doesn’t. Although, a lot of occurrences have happened to me that have started pointing me to the latter...” I replied, unsure of my statement. “So, maybe you should go out and see if it is right. If you feel inclined to help in the war, so be it. If not, we will be here to welcome you back with open arms. How does that sound to you?” She replied. “I think I should give it a shot,” I said, a lot less shaky now. “Ok. I’m glad I could help.” Zykroff replied, proud of my resolve.
Chapter 6: The Second Departure
I can barely recall the following events. We returned to the mainland, goodbyes were said, tears were shed, and I was off. Galvyn was not happy about it. He implored me to stay, but after enough force from Zykroff and I, he begrudgingly gave in to my wishes. I stepped off the rickety pier, I was on my own, I pulled my pack over my shoulder, took a deep breath, and took the hardest step in my entire life to date. I was on my own.
By a month’s time, I had found a recruiting station in the large town of Oshalen and been drafted into the Algorian military. I really didn’t know much about Algos as a nation, but it was the best bet I had. Within the following week, I was transferred to a training camp a few miles from the Khazan Algos front, which was at a standstill at the present moment. In that camp I excelled considerably faster than my fellow recruits, as I knew much about combat of many types from Galvyn’s specialized teachings. Within three months I had been transferred to the front, ready to fight. I was honed. Specialized in many forms of combat: the ideal killing machine. However, that was not the mission in my mind. This was a war. Bloodshed should be prevented, not caused. I would attack effectively, not lethally, quickly, not brutally. It was 0500. I was on my way to the front, and the most surreal moment I have had in almost six months. I was questioning myself again. Was this the right destiny The One had for me? However, I knew I had come too far to turn back. I had to prepare myself for the carnage that might ensue on the battlefield. I had heard from many a traveling veteran warrior tell of the horrors of trench warfare. Dragons and any other flying creature we or the enemy could get our hands on screamed and dived at each other in the air. Arrows hailed down on both sides, preventing anyone from gaining any real ground. In other words, a living Nine-Hells. “However, that would not stop me from saving as many as I could, or even Saving my adopted family, if any of them were still alive,” I thought to myself hopefully, maybe a little too so. “Everybody listen up!” Ordered the Lieutenant Colonel leading our regiment to the front. “I know many of you have never seen the front, much less fought on it, so let me give you one piece of advice: Hang back and watch the professionals do it! We don’t need newbies getting in our way.” Continued the Lieutenant Colonel, calling for a halt and looking us over. “Now look alive, ladies and gentlemen, we have a job to do!” Said the officer, turning and beckoning us to continue our march. Within half an hour we had reached the true point of no return. Sounds of screams, catapults, and horrors that I did not recognize. I could hear wafting over the clearing. This was it.
A scene of darkness greeted us, even in the midst of the brightly shining morning. It was as if the sunlight and trees and the living world had been swallowed up, and spat out as black mounds of mud and fear. Then I was swallowed up along with it, the very fabric of the air growing heavy and thick, so it seemed that there was mud beneath my boots and filling my lungs. I choked on it, coughing, but was swept up in the midst of the charge, a tidal wave bringing me away from the shore, and into the midst of the darkening tempest of the war. “Charge! Men, charge!”
And that about covers all my goings before my gory and gruesome end comes to my scratched doorstep. We were ordered to charge over the trench I was residing in, and a bloody massacre ensued. “I guess this is my end...” I think as the Dragon appeared from out of the mist ahead of me, its coppery scales reflecting the light of the morning sun. I had gone through so much to be here, but I guess it was all for vain...
Chapter 7: Tyrell
I laid down my weapon and knelt as the Dragon lurched it’s awful head back... “I had faced so much, to die to one puny copper dragon?! Was this what Galvyn had taught me?” I questioned, scoffing at my poor resolve. “No, this wasn’t going to be the end, “I would fight until this war was won, and the bloodshed was over.” I rolled to the left suddenly as a halo of fire erupted from the Copper Dragon’s mouth, singing the earth were I stood a moment ago. The Dragon looked around in confusion as if it were looking for. Shadow, but I was already climbing up it back, my sleight of hand making it as if a feather were wafting across it’s back. The majestic beast turned its head, but it was already far too late. I raised my short sword driving the blade and hilt deep into the back of its neck, the fire extinguishing from its eyes. As I hopped off the motionless carcass of the winged beast, I stared right into the eyes of a bewildered officer who had just watched me take down the Dragon. He approached me, shockingly asking “What’s your name, soldier?” “Caelynn Firahel, sir. Regiment 35.” I answered, saluting and standing at attention. “Let’s get out of this battle alive, but then I want to speak to you...” The bedraggled officer replied, turning again into the chaos around us immediately afterward.
30 minutes later, I was standing at attention once again, only in the operations tent. “Recruited Firahel, is it true that you took down a Copper Dragon single-handedly?” Said Brigadier Orion Tyrell, the commanding officer of this one-mile section of the Khazan Algos front. Brigadier Tyrell was infamous for his ability to get the job down. Brigadier Orion Tyrell was a legend among the militaries of all four of the great finite nations. He was a tall man in his late 40s. He had slicked back black hair and dreary gray eyes as cloudy as the fog coming off a lake in early morning. During the collapse of Obron, Tyrell had escorted the remnants of The Committee of The Finite Races, the past rulers of Obron, through a blockade of rebels that had completely surrounded the committee and a small force of 200 recruited soldiers. He was the lone survivor along with all the committee members. “That is correct, Sir.” I said proudly, looking straight into his eyes. “And how did you acquire the skills to pull off such a feat?” Tyrell replied, looking down at me as he grilled me. “How did you “acquire the skills to pull off such a feat” as saving the Entire Committee of Finite Races as a recruited newbie?” I countered, staring straight ahead as his elegant gray eyes bored into the very essence of my soul. “How dare you speak to a commanding officer like that!” Said a captain standing nearby suddenly stepping forward. “And YOUR commanding officer is ordering YOU to leave the premises.” Said Tyrell, blocking the lowly captain’s way, making him sweat bullets. The captain immediately retreated outside the tent without a word and quite an embarrassed look on his face. “Very valid point, for sure one that is worth answering, but not today. Now, answer my question. Where did you learn the skills to take down that Dragon?!” The Brigadier said forcefully with a tint of amused on the side. “One time or another in my life I trained under a Monster Hunter with the name of Galvyn. I took up the trade.” I answered truthfully, keeping my gaze straight ahead. “And how did you end up in the Algorian military?” Tyrell continued, with a slightly lighter tone this time. “I have my motives...” I stated vaguely, looking him in the eyes for a short moment. “True, true...” Tyrell said as he turned to pace back, then stopped for a moment. “What was your trainer’s name again? Galvyn? Ever got a first name?” “Actually, no, I never did ask him. Why do you want to know?” I asked skeptically, my left eyebrow raised. “Oh, I thought I’d just look him up. With those skills you got, I ought to thank him.” He replied, letting out a quick laugh, then returning to his normal emotionless expression, stating “Well, with those skills, we don’t want to be losing you as a recruited, do we? No, we don’t, so as your superior officer, I am hereby promoting you, Caelynn Firahel, to the rank of Captain. At ease, Captain Firahel!” Orion said in a ceremonial but rushed tone. “Thank you, Sir. It is a great honor to serve beside you.” I replied, feeling a sudden force of giddiness, a rambunctious ball of jubilance that I could barely contain within. “Now done to business, Firahel, come over here, I want your thoughts on it.” Orion said, sweeping the promotion under the rug and beckoning me towards a large map lying in the center of the command tent. “Khazan has been pushing us to our brink. We need to find a way to overtake or overpower them, or the Khazan Algos border will be overrun and the entirety of Algos will fall.” Said Tyrell, tracing his finger across the red line marking the Khazan Algos border. “And why do they overpower our troops so easily?” I asked, trying to get to the root of the problem. “Firstly, 90% of their army is made up of Half-Orcs native to Khazan, and secondly, their armor and weapons are far superior to ours-” Tyrell explained, getting cut off suddenly. “Do we know where their weapons, armor, and gear are stored, built, or fitted?” I asked urgently, having a sudden idea. “Our spies tell us that Ucrua, the coastal Dwarven nation outfits Khazan with most of its weaponry, but we can’t get into a war with Ucrua, a neutral nation!” Tyrell answered, scoffing slightly at the idea of even attempting my idea. “Yes, but what if we WEREN’T Algos?” I asked, having another brainchild. “What?” Tyrell, asked, not understanding my vague proposition. “What if we made it so they could never trace the operation back to Algos” I elaborated, making my idea a little less foggy. “It might just work... If we were to account for everything, from the operatives' identities to the weapons they used, we might just be able to pull it off...” Orion said, pacing briskly and stroking his chin. “So, Sir, would you like to try to attempt it?” I asked, trying to follow his irregular pace. “Yes, and I would like YOU to lead the operation. Take this as a... final test. If you pull it off, you will have earned my trust and probably a second, smaller promotion, Captain. If not, well, we shall see...” Tyrell replied, insinuated his like of my style. “Thank you, Sir. Do you have any people recommendations? You have been in the business much longer than I have.” I asked. “There are a few people that come to mind...” Tyrell said, strolling out of the command tent with one Captain Caelynn Firahel in tow.
Chapter 8: The Crew
The first person on the Brigadier’s list was Jarkas Akia, an ammunitions specialist. Akia was a beautiful female Dark Elf, or Drow, that had been born into a Drow refugee camp. There she had learned of the inventions and wonders created by Human minds, and she wished to create something truly remarkable. She had been mining stone ore to make a living for her windowing mother when she accidentally dropped her lantern on a strangely colored rock, incidentally a vein of pure magnesium. The area burst into flames, and Jarkas barely made it out with her life, but instead of being afraid of and cursing The One for the turn of events, she turned it on its head and created the first ever explosives. She is now a colonel and scientist in the Algorian military and known for her admirable nickname “The Mother of Everything That Goes Boom”. She had been relocated to Fort Darius ever since she became deaf in one ear from an experimental explosives test.
As I entered Dr. Akia’s lab, a fizz and pop came from the far side of the room and sparks flew all over the central countertop, putting the room in a heavenly glow. I was in the right place. “You are Jarkas Akia, I presume?” I said, putting my hand out to the masked figure in a sooty lab coat. “And I else would I be?” Akia replied sassily after taking the metal mask off, refusing my hand to the prospect of her work. “Brigadier Orion Tyrell suggested you for an operation that I am arranging,” I replied, outwardly unshaken, but secretly hurt by the skipping of commodities. “Oh! Did he? I am sincerely surprised, considering that we used to be lovers!” Akia replied snappily, seemingly offended. “I had no idea...” I replied, shocked and not really knowing what to say. “OF COURSE! Of course, you wouldn’t know!” Akia replied, raising her hands in trivial defeat. “Dr. Akia! I really don’t see why we need to talk about this in the present moment. I am organizing an operation, and I would like you to be on my team!” I said, fed up and ticked off at all this unnecessary drama. “Alright, if you INSIST, little girl.” Jarkas said, beckoning to a small lounge adjacent to the lab.
“So what is this operation you’re putting together Mrs...” Akia asked, sitting down in a worn leather arm chair. “Ms... Caelynn Firahel” I answered, confused at the assumption and also sitting in an armchair. “Figures. So, what is this operation of yours?” Jarkas asked one more. “Our spies have found that Khazan’s military has its armor and weapons supplied by Ucrua, the coastal nation. I and a small group of... independent mercenaries will break into their main forge and steal and sabotage their weapons and armor, supposedly for their own uses. We will not be affiliated with Algos in any way.” I replied, explaining the top secret mission I had been given. “So, a stealth Op, huh? I’m not your gal. Sorry sweetheart.” Replied Jarkas, standing to exit the lounge. “Wait, you are our backup, in case anything goes south. Tyrell has told me you are quite... resourceful in a squeeze” I blurted, stopping the Drow specialist in her tracks. “I am flattered, but what do I get out of this?” Replied Jarkas, turning and rubbing her pointer and ring fingers against her thumb. “500 Imperials once the job is done.” I replied. “Alright, honey, I trust you. I’m in.” She replied rolling her eyes and putting her hand out to me. “Pleasure to be working with you!” I said, taking her hand and shaking it enthusiastically.
The next being on my list was Aklar Ryuka, a Dwarven Seargeant. There was nothing particularly epically about Ryuka, except that he was originally a resident of Ucrua. He could easily pass as a working in the forge if he was in the correct attire. Luckily, he was much more welcoming than Jarkas. Within fifteen minutes, I had explained to him the situation and I was in business.
The final soldier on the list was Fyraal Venai, an old friend of Brigadier Tyrell. Venandi had some... special abilities. Venandi could create a perfect illusion of himself within a 20 ft. radius, allowing for some almost perfectly placed distractions. No one really knows how Fyrall inherited this ability, as he has had it since birth, but I was not concerned with that. I was concerned with getting him into the operation, and after I offered a high enough price to come back out into the field, he accepted.
We were ready. Aklar would be employed in the forge as a native Ucruan. He would be our mole and make maps of the building. Fyraal, Jarkas, and I would break into the place quietly late in the night, which would be thanks to Aklar volunteering to do a night shift. We would meet up with him, trash the place quietly, and make it out while we still could. It would be a piece of cake.
Chapter 9: The Heist
Night was falling. The beautiful crimson colors of a Ucruan sunset across the ocean were slowly fading into a black night under a new moon. It was time to finish what I had been planning and organizing for almost 3 months now. Everything was set. Aklar was settled into the Forge like a mole burrowed into the most abundant of soils. Jarkas, Fyraal, and I were ready, and I had made sure a thousand times over that we could not be traced back to Algos, even if we were captured. “Are you ready?” I heard as I opened my eyes to see Jarkas in the doorway. “Ya, I was just thinking a little.” I answered, caught off guard but quickly regaining my composure. “I just wanted to tell you that even if we are captured or even killed, I really like you. Not in a weird way, but I just wanted to say that when we first met, I was wrong about you. It’s been a pleasure.” I was taken aback. Jarkas was the last person in the group that I expected a sudden and unexpected compliment from, and it filled me with a sudden feeling of satisfaction. “Thank you!” I simply replied, but there was so much more I wanted to say.
The Final Chapter
All dressed in black, three dark figures huddled together snuck over the fence surrounding a large Ucruan forge, the center of all forgery in the great Dwarven nation. No one knew who these people were, who they worked for, or why they were there, but no one saw them come in nonetheless. They met up with a fourth figure, a Dwarf which had falsely posed as a worker there at the forge, but his identity had been falsified. They somehow snuck through the Forge’s multi-layered security checkpoints and destroyed much of the Forge’s products, including weapons and armor which was to be sent to Khazan to reinforce their armies. Many of the neighboring Goverments were questioned about such an operation, but Lorkain and Algorian military denied having controlled such a stealth operation. The group of saboteurs was found out, however, and were run out of the compound with a manhunt hot on their tail. Three were caught and killed, including a Female Drow, Male Dwarf, and Male Human, but the fourth never was. The fourth dissapeared to an unknown fate. No one knows exactly who that thief was our what happened to them, but we are sure that the fourth died in the wilderness...
Epilogue
My breathing heavy, I crashed through the underbrush of a forest primarily composed of conifers. It had been a week since I had lost the search party which had captured Jarkas, Aklar, and Fyraal. Their fate I did not know. I had to find food and water or I would die of thirst or hunger. The last meal I had had was some water droplets from a storm that had swept through the area a day ago, and some questionable wild berries the night before. I had no idea where I was, or if I was even in Ucrua any more. Since the operation had failed and we had been on the run, my mental state had slowly deteriorated. I was haunted by memories of Galvyn, of Tyrell, of all that I had been through. I was ready for the end. If I had the chance, I would take it freely no questions asked. As if the Lords had heard me, I heard a sudden thunderclap crack through the air. I looked up, but there were no thunderclouds, no sign that any storm was coming, then I realized, the sound had come from BENEATH me... The earth split open before me, a chasm opening almost 35 feet wide. What was happening? The chasm widened even further, and a rush of water could be heard far into the chasm, and I realized that this crack in the world spread much, much further than just across a fraction of a mile... I suddenly heard a strange noise resonate from the within the chasm, something like a mutualitied cry of a wild animal. A green light starts to come up from the bottom of the chasm, growing closer and closer. I fell onto my knees, laid down my weapon, and accepted my coming doom...
The End?
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