The Adventure of Altainius

PART 1: The Great Beginning

“But… I want to explore the mountains, the deserts, the tundras. The sea, the sky…. Everywhere!”

“No, Mr. Jack Stetler, for the hundredth time, no one may leave the borders of our safe little village, especially a little kid like you! Into the land of dangers and mysteries. Strictly forbidden, that is. Staying in our village, Dundee.”

“I’m not a kid, I’m fourteen!” he responded angrily. He rattled the bars to try and force his way out half-heartedly.

This happened quite often. Whenever Jack was feeling particularly antsy, bored, or energetic, he ran to the barbed fence, blocking the only entrance, and exit, only to be shut down by the ever-more growing impatient guard — named Samantha.

“Uuuuuuuggghhhhhh. I’ve never even been past this cruddy fence! C’mon… just for a tiny bit?”

“No, now leave, Mr. Stetler, or I will call the other guards who don’t take your ignorance as lightly as I do.”

And Jack left, now more than ever needing to break out of his claustrophobically small village, overpopulated, and under- creative.

“Never gonna get out of this stupid village… Or away from my stupid family… '' Jack murmured and rambled and mumbled to himself for the two minute walk home aaaaalllllll the way across the village, that was way too small to contain the population. He wondered why no one else wanted to leave. Someone with much darker intentions was watching him, and needed him to escape aswell.

“Psssssttttt pssssst psssssssssssst” came a strange voice, out of sight to Jack, after he walked home after what felt (and was) over his hundredth attempt to leave his village, and best of all, family.

“Who is it?” Jack asked the voice

It was a voice Jack didn’t recognize, and he thought he knew almost everyone’s voices in the village.

“A friend, who wants to leave the wretched place as much as you do,” said the mysteriously unfamiliar voice. It was eerily smooth and calm.

“Who are you? I know everyone here!”

“Well, it would seem that you don’t”

“Okay, but how do we escape?” probed Jack, eager to get to the point.

“You will see….” Out of the shadows came a casually dressed, teenage boy, about the same age as Jack. He had long, black hair, pale skin, a gold chain necklace, with a blue amulet that sparkled, and a skinny structure. He had an atmosphere about him that was chilling.

“Hi, my name is Aaron,” Aaron said, as he walked towards Jack. “And I’m ready to leave this place.”

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“Okay, here’s the plan-” whispered Aaron, as Jack walked with him towards Aaron’s home.

Before they could say anything more, Aaron stopped.

“This is it.” he said.

Aaron’s house was a normal-sized home, but it looked rustic and sleek. Inside had the same homey feel with dark chestnut wood floor and smooth oak walls, it astounded Jack. Up in his room in the attic, they began planning.

Aaron explained the plan. They would wait until nightfall, and sneak next to the guard. Because there was a tripwire and net capture system — Jack knew nothing of this — they needed permission from a guard to enter, or rather exit. There were two possible routes, tricking the guard, or climbing over the fifty foot wall without being noticed. After an entire night of trying, they determined that climbing over the wall was not, in fact, possible in any way, shape or form. Because they spent an entire night of exhausting work and a whole lot of “ow!”s and “oof.”s, they decided they should relax at home for a bit, and plot again at night.

“Bye Jack!” called out Aaron.

“See ya!” yelled Jack as he walked home.

After an entire half of a minute, he got home, and that was with him practically inching forward. He got to the front door of his house and sighed. He slowly pushed open the door and walked in, dragging his feet.

“WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?” yelled his dad, red in the face. “ME AND YOUR MOTHER HAD TO COOK AND CLEAN UP BY OURSELVES! DO YOU KNOW HOW SORE I AM?”

“No father.” said Jack, his head hung low, facing the floor. He walked briskly to his closet, got the mop, and started cleaning. Like so many other nights, the yelling and the chores only reminded Jack how much he needed to escape, but also filled him with renewed hope. He would escape this nightmarish household, once and for all! He would explore the world! He would see the most beautiful sights in the world! If he so wished, he could see if the legend of the scrolls were true, and hopefully, find out more about it…

“BOYO! IT’S LIGHTS OUT.”

“Ok...” Jack snuffed out his light, and immediately jumped out the window, and ran to his friend's house.

Twenty minutes and twenty plans later, they were ready. It was Samantha’s shift, and their plan was set into motion. Jack was coursing with adrenaline, he got into his hiding spot, heart and mind racing with the fact that he would finally see the outside world. What would he do? Where would he go? So many questions that were about to have answers. He felt more excited than he ever had before, but amidst all the excitement was a drop of fear. What Jack didn’t notice was that his body glowed a faint blue. Blue, the color all the people of Altanius knew was associated with destiny and fate. A belief so widespread even Jack’s village lived by it.

“Hi Ms… what’s your name?” said Aaron, walking up to the entrance but being careful to stand to the side opposite to the button that disabled the trap.

“Samantha, how are you Mr...”

“Good, wait, I am good, my name is Aaron, not good. Hahaha….” Aaron said, trying to keep Samantha’s attention on him.

Jack silently crept up and soundlessly touched the button that deactivated the trap. Then he snuck out and threw a rock next to the button, and Samantha swiveled around, they both quickly and soundlessly slipped around the wall, and onto the other side. They had done it, and heard the satisfying *snap* of the system fixing. They had actually, actually done it.

“I can’t believe we did it!” Jack whisper-exclaimed, after they sneaked far out of earshot. Jack took a deep breath of fresh air and absorbed the surroundings. It was just as beautiful as he had imagined. He walked away with his new friend into the blazing sunlight.

It was a hard week’s journey. They had traveled past hills and mountains, and even a desert, before Jack thought to ask his companion where they were even going.

“Where are we even going?”

Said Jack.

“But… I thought you were leading me?” stated Aaron.

“WHAT!”

“Just joking. It was a long hike up this peak, but now we are safe from animals, have a great vantage point and view, and can set up camp safely. You…. you're not a sleepwalker, right? I don’t want you falling down there.”

“Not to my knowledge” Jack said. “Atleast, I really hope I don’t. You got the cooking stuff?”

“All of it except for firewood,” said Aaron as he began to unpack and set up the cooking stuff. Luckily there was a tree right next to them, so they didn’t have to descend aaaaaallllllllll the way down the mountain. While Jack got wood, Aaron made the tent and eating area. He spread clean cloth over an area, and got the bowls over the cooking area ready. Jack came back with wood and lit a fire. Then he started cooking. The aroma of it was delicious.

“It’ll be an hour or two before you can eat, but it should be healthy and delicious!” Said Jack, adding a few spices.

“Perfect! What is it?” asked Aaron, getting the sitting area ready. He swept the leaves away and turned his attention to Jack.

“Curry! It should be alright, I hope. My uncle taught me a few things before he passed.” Jack said sadly, lowering his gaze. “And cooking was one of them.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.” said Aaron quietly “What was he like?”

“He was amazing. He was an excellent chef, he loved to make me laugh, he was a skilled warrior.”

“What happened to him?”

“A while back, our village was overrun by savage orcs. They overwhelmed our town’s guards, so my uncle bravely led the town guards to victory! Even though he lost his life, he stopped the orcs from killing the entire village, and stealing its scroll of magic” Jack went on some more, and Aaron listened patiently. “I don’t know what the scroll was, or why it was so important, but the town decided to get rid of the scroll, for it had endangered an entire town, and halved the town’s population. The elders told a select few people to go out and find a place to hide the scroll and return.

“A month passed — then two. People became more and more certain that nobody would return. In the meanwhile, the elders instructed that they make a giant stone wall to block out any future invaders. Once a massive dragon flew overhead, and scared the people of the town so much, they decided to make a barbed ceiling of a kind of extra-strength glass, to protect from aerial invaders,”

“My family,” said Aaron out-of-the-blue.

“Pardon?” asked Jack.

“My family were the ones who went on the quest to hide the scrolls. They only left my older sister, and four year old me. My sister was twenty at the time, I think, and she left me in the house alone, and never returned. Eventually a kind old lady found and raised me. She was called Dawn. It was fitting, because she was bright and shining, despite her old age and appearance. She told me about the world beyond, and how she used to be an adventurer. She told tales about fighting orcs, monsters, bad people, and more. She also told me about the beautiful scenery and the Mountain/Ocean Magical Scroll-Barrier.”

“Scroll barrier?” asked Jack, who had just started to stir and add more yummy yummy spices to the mix.

“The scroll barrier is a weird element. If you go too far over the mountains or too deep in the ocean, it’s kind of like a sphere. You fall down, but up, and you cling to the roof/ground, before popping out at the top, but the opposite side from which you came.” Explained Aaron.

“That’s really interesting, but also confusing. Anyways, dinner is ready!” Said Jack excitedly. “I hope you like it, my uncle taught me how to do it, and I think I did alright.”

Nom nom nom “THIS IS THE MOST DELICIOUS THING I’VE EVER TASTED!” exclaimed Aaron

“If you like this, you would love my uncle's cooking. It’s one hundred times better… But this is good, if I do say so myself, which I do!” Jack said happily “Did Dawn ever tell you about the scrolls? What’s the big deal with them? Why did the orcs want them?”

Aaron proceeded to explain what the scrolls were. According to him, the scrolls were ancient, much, much, much older than him and Jack combined. They were made by three people. A wizard, a witch, and a druid. The three magicians infused their power into three magic scrolls. Each took one and locked it in their homeland. Their home was that of the wizard. The wizard’s familiar and pet noticed something peculiar one day. The familiar was a crystal falcon with wings that shimmer in the light. A bunch of orcs had gathered on the horizon. The orcs charged, but the falcon warned the wizard and the army just in time. The battle started. The good guys gained a lead, for they had a powerful mage on their side, but the tables were going to turn. A horrible sorcerer, Corvius joined the orcs, and made the battle even. As the armies clashed, the wizard teleported himself and Corvius to a barren wasteland far away. A battle ensued, and the wizard won, but used up most of his energy. He retreated to his study, where he is to this day, slowly gaining his power back. Or at least that’s what people think….”

“Neato!” Jack exclaimed, getting comfy in his sleeping bag.

“Well, goodnight,” yawned Jack sleepily.

“g‘night” replied Aaron.

They drifted off into a deep slumber.

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It was a new day and, rested and energized, Jack and Aaron set off on their quest to explore. After jumping down the mountain, (and doing cool slide moves) they started walking West, following the traveling sun.

After a day of traveling, Jack and Aaron set up camp in a particularly flat area free of foliage. Suddenly Aaron noticed something in the distance.

“Can you see that Jack?” Aaron asked

“See what?”

Aaron pointed Northeast “the… town?”

“I can kind of see that. Is it a town or some rocks?”

“Not sure… I wonder who is there if it’s a town. Let’s check it out in the morning.” Aaron pondered aloud.

“Yes, let’s.” Jack echoed.

In the morning, they set off towards the village. But they both felt uneasy, as if something wasn’t right. “I feel uneasy, as if something isn’t right.” Said Jack,

“You're right, something is very wrong.” Aaron agreed.

“Ick!” Jack said as he jumped away from the wall. He’d try to lean on it but it was sticky with…

“Blood” Aaron said as he inspected the green sticky substance.

“But it’s green? OH NO.” Jack said with a realization.

“Orc blood” they both said together.

They continued to look around, and they were certain a battle took place here. Blood from orcs and humans could be seen drying on the walls and ground. Carts for merchants were overturned, and there was smashed windows, the houses looked like people evacuated in a hurry, and structures were damaged through battle.

“What… what happened here?” Jack wondered in shock.

“It looks as though there was a battle, and then something else chased everyone away...” Aaron mused.

*Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr* A low growling sound vibrated the air around them. The trees that bordered the village shook, and the bushes rustled.

“That’s not good.” remarked Jack.

“RUUUUUUUNNNNNN!!!”

A pack of coal-black wolves, three times the size of normal wolves and with glowing red eyes burst out of the trees and leapt towards Jack and Aaron. Their fangs sharp and glinting in the sun, they scared the cripes out of Jack and Aaron.

“They’re right behind us!” Jack said. But he turned his head, so he tripped over a lost sword, and sent them both sprawling.

“Crud!” Aaron said. He picked up the sword as the beasts surrounded them.

“Hah!” he said as he swung his sword toward the beasts.

Suddenly a blur of fur swooped by and tackled two of the beasts. The remaining three stricked, leaping at the two kids at the same time. Aaron’s sword struck one of them right in their forehead where a tiny jewel was. The monster turned into black smoke.

“Aim for the jewels on their forehead!” Aaron exclaimed “it turns them into smoke!”

“On it!” Jack picked up another discarded sword and sliced through one, turning it to smoke. “Take that!”

The remaining wolf looked at them and spoke “Well played” and left.

“I’m ignoring the fact that the wolf talked.”

“Yeah, that’s for the best.”

The furry blur walked up to them. It was an orange fox, with glowing sky blue eyes, and a bright blue sapphire in his forehead, much like the wolves but kinder, gentler. He somehow took out those shadow wolves, so Jack was suddenly a bit wary. The fox had speed and strength for 10 of their size!

“Hey lil’ feller, it’s okay, thanks a ton for saving our butts back there.” Aaron said in a kind tone “do you want to- Hey! Hahaha! You’re soft and tickly!!!” The fox jumped on him and nuzzled him.

“He likes you! Can we keep him as a companion?” Jack asked.

“If he’s okay with it.”

The pup yelped and hopped as if to say yes.

“Yaaaay!” Aaron exclaimed “Blade. Can we call you Blade?”

The wolf seemed to like that name that the humans gave it.

“Well, we got a pet, we killed magic talking wolves, and we are pretty far from home.” Jack recapped.

“We should keep going West. We’re going to explore the world,” Aaron said dramatically.

All three of them looked at the sun, dipping below the mountain range in the distance, painting the sky a mix of blue, red, pink, yellow, and orange.

A small flash of blue crossed the sky, but it went unnoticed by the three.

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Chapter 2: The Big Baddy Comes

Jack was tired of tumbleweeds. Every mile small tumbleweeds blew across the ground and stuck to Jack. Three in the face, two in his pants, and four in his chest. Now he looked like a hillbilly, covered in tumbleweeds.

“Again?” Jack said as he was hit in the back with a tumbleweed.

Aaron had somehow dodged every tumbleweed and was enjoying it, as if it was a fun game. Their pet fox, Blade, was equally annoyed and fascinated by the tumbleweed, because whenever he was hit by one, he rolled around trapped in it, yipping with delight.

“You should try to dodge them, headbutting them doesn’t really help,” Aaron said, trying not to laugh.

“Do I really look that ridiculous? Like a man trying to milk a chicken? Wait… what’s that?”

“What’s what?” Aaron asked.

“The blob on the horizon. What is that? Is it another village?”

“Can’t tell. Let’s be careful, because if there are more shadow wolves…”

“Eeehhh, Blade will just take care of ‘em. Won’t you, Blade, who’s the best boy? You’re the best boy, ” Jack managed a small smile, but the shadow wolves made him realize that this quest was way more dangerous than he thought, which terrified him, but also stirred up a bit of the adventurer inside him, which had been straining inside for too long. This is what he wanted, where he belonged. Not in some village, cooped up and bored.

“Let’s camp here.”

“Ok, then let’s investigate!”

Jack cooked an amazing meal which would have made chef Rordon Gamsey from back home in the village jealous, and then went to bed, Blade lying next to the dying fire, with his busy tail being the world’s most comfy pillow.

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The next day as Aaron cleaned up the tent and fireplace while Jack did some scouting.

“So, it is a town, no baddies in sight, pretty much abandoned, but you should, we should be careful. We don’t want to get ambushed again.” Jack warned.

“Agreed. But I think we should still go soon. We got Blade to protect us!”

“OK, let’s-a-go!”

Twenty minutes later, they got to the village. It was overgrown with weeds and plants. Grapevines inched slowly up the sides of houses, changing the walls to green.

“No…” Jack said, his voice gravelly and weak.

“Orcs. And shadow wolves too. Claw marks everywhere. Also… talon marks?” Aaron said bitterly.

“Like from birds. Shadow vultures too?” Jack asked

Aaron was about to answer that he had no idea, when he saw dual swords, stuck in a rock. He pulled them out, then read the inscription in the hilt. It read:

You hold the right hand of Lycion, hero of the ancients. Witness its strength but beware the cost it brings you.

“Well, I’m just going to… yoink these!”

The swords were heavy, with silver blades sharp to the touch. One had red lines like veins running down it, whilst the other had blue lines. Each blade was wavy like a snake, but too heavy to hold at once.

“Hey Jack, I found us a weapon,” Aaron said.

“Whoa, I call blue!” Jack said in awe.

“I found them, I call! But I wanted red anyway.”

“This is cool!” Jack said, swinging it around. As he jabbed and parried the air sparks flew out!

“What just happened?” Jack said, suddenly wary of the sword “Aaron, I got an enchanted sword! When I sliced it…”

“Sparks flew… I saw. But… do you like fire?” Aaron said, slashing his own blade upward in an arc, a thin line of flame followed the tip. They had magical weapons.

They continued to search the village, but soon Jack’s excitement faded.

If the pillaging of this village happened… say, two weeks before the first village they saw, then the village behind them was pillaged, and in that direction, beyond the first village, was Jack’s neighborhood. As he pieced this all together, he got more and more scared of what was happening, while getting more and more certain.

“They’re going in a line,” Jack said, his voice quivering.

“What do you mean?” Aaron asked. He was picking at some daisies that had grown in the corner of a house.

“T…the wolves, the orcs. They attacked this place first, then they attacked the village with Blade. They are going in a line, from somewhere beyond here, to here, to Blade’s village. What’s next in that line, Aaron?”

“Dundee. Our village.” Aaron said bitterly.

“We have to go save it!” Jack exclaimed.

“Why? They did nothing to help us, they just tortured us! They were bullies, so why should we help them?” Aaron ranted angrily, waving his arms wildly.

“There are still some good people in there. Samantha the guard, Rordan Gamsey, and you should know this! Dawn lived there!” Jack said “Even though some people are bad, that doesn’t mean they should suffer. Especially if you can save them, that just lands it on your shoulders.”

“We would barely make a dent in that army? We just have a fox and two swords. What could we even do?”

After a long pause or hesitation, Jack reluctantly agreed

“You’re right. We would just get ourselves killed. But promise me this; if we get an army, we would try with all our might to save our village.”

“Deal.”

“Let’s… let’s camp here.”

“We should.” Aaron said “Oh, there is also an abandoned tower that has a forgotten crypt underneath, innnnnn that direction. That should be… fun” he pointed Northwest, and then set up his sleeping bag.

“Also quite dangerous.”

“Night.”

“Night.”

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As the tower in the distance drew near, dark thoughts of what might happen in his village lingered. Occasionally, horrible images of a village in ruins with the sound of screams reverberating in his skull.

“What if I could save them?” Jack thought.

“You couldn’t. It’d be you versus an army” His mind fought back.

“We have the sword, and Aaron and Blade are here to.”

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he walked right into Aaron. “Oof. Why did we stop?” Jack asked

“We’re here.” Aaron said, his voice grim.

Suddenly Jack’s brain tingled. Every nerve in his body screamed “RUN!”

“Aaron?” Jack asked uneasily

“I’m sorry,” Aaron replied. He took off into the tower, and two orcs suddenly appeared behind him.

“Yum yum. Human,” one said, in a gravelly and deep voice.

“Yes. yum yum.” replied the other.

Jack was too terrified to speak, instead, his instincts kicked in. He dashed to the side, whipped his sword out, and sliced through the orc. He swung the sword above his head and a lightning bolt flew out from the tip and landed on the second orc’s head, turning him to ash.

“Ew.” he said, wiping the orc goop off his clothes. He immediately took off running in the opposite direction, when he heard a p-twang of a crossbow, and leaped to the left. The massive bolt grazed him, drawing blood., but then a weighted net got thrown over him, and everything faded to black.

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Jack startled awake, being carried. He was unable to move and was tightly bound in rope. His head hurt, and his rucksack and supplies were gone. He couldn’t see anything because his head was covered in a potato sack. The footfalls of his captors echoed through the stoney hallway.

Suddenly, the world got brighter, as the sack was ripped off his head, and, along with Jack, was thrown to the ground.

“What? Hey! Let me go! Where’s Aaron? AARON? AARON?” Jack yelled. Suddenly, it dawned on him that Aaron had left him when the orcs attacked. “No… he would never abandon me…” Jack whispered miserably.

Suddenly, a hallway appeared out of nowhere, and out of it came Aaron and an old wizard who Jack didn’t recognize. He was dressed in loose black wizard robes and had gleaming red eyes. In his hand was a jet-black wizard staff, with a red crystal that emitted a horrible evil light. The presence alone of the wizard made Jack want to flee and hide. He was talking with Aaron when they wandered in.

“...and then I abandoned him” Aaron finished.

“I will think about your travels for a bit. I can’t imagine you could have any adventures that I didn’t, as I did almost everything…” He went quiet for about ten seconds. “Alright, I’ve thought it over.”

“Already, sir? That was months of travel and harrowing stress!”

“Don’t talk back to me, boy. I could deep fry you in an instant! Or, I could possibly turn you into a chicken. I am in the mood for some good roast pork.”

“Pork comes from pigs, sir.”

While they were talking, Jack was wrestling with his emotions. He had barely comprehend what just happened. Aaron? As the villain? He expected to feel an uncontrollable surge of anger. Heck, he wanted to feel angry. He wanted to hate Aaron. Despise him, even! But there was no anger inside him. The only things inside him were regret and loneliness.

How could he have been so stupid? He trusted this stranger who just showed up and brought himself hundreds of miles away from his home. He had been so naive to trust Aaron on a whim.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the prophecy child. The ‘Chosen One’.”

“What?” Jack responded smartly

“Sir, he doesn’t know about the prophecy yet.” Aaron said

“I do now, you backstabbing piece of-”

“SILENCE!” The man is black yelled. Jack suddenly felt his mouth closing down, and for a second, he couldn’t speak.

“You’re… you are Corvius…. the Wizard of Suffering.”

“Indeed I am youngling. I once tried to take over the world, only to be rejected by that old arcanist. You shall rot in this room, for now, then I will deal with you. I live up to my name.”

“... Corvius?”

“No you dolt, the Wizard of Suffering”

He walked to the wall, and a hallway appeared. He stepped through with Aaron lagging behind, then the wall solidified and Jack was stuck.

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Jack scanned the room. There were no windows, just three walls and the prison bars. Hardened iron spiraled its way up into the solid stone wall. Jack pounded his fists on the wall, but the only damage done was to his hands.. Then he got thinking.

Corvus said he was the “chosen one” of a prophecy. Maybe he had some sort of ability. He hoped he could work the same magic on the wall that Corvius did, but what if he couldn’t? What if he was stuck here forever? Out of sheer desperation, out of pure hope alone, he pressed his hand against the wall and imagined with every fiber of his being that it was a doorway. He did not know how long he stood there, concentrating, but suddenly he felt a tug. He stepped back in bewilderment.

“It… I… I felt something…” he whispered to himself quietly

He refocused and felt another tug. He focused and felt a jolt of electricity surge through his veins. He focused, and suddenly with a mighty flash his electric sword appeared in his hand, fully charged.

“THAT IS… oh wait, guards. That is so cool! Now for the wall”

He turned his attention back to the wall of stone. He set his sword on the side and put his hand on the wall. It dissolved into mist and he grabbed his sword before stepping through. He thought about his village, and then ran into the corridor.

He could feel the corridor in his mind. He and the corridor had merged mentally, he had become: CORRIDOR BOY! He willed the magic passageway to go to an exit. He couldn’t remember how he got in, but he had to have got in somehow. The enchanted walkway ended where a large, circular room began. It was beautiful, with golden laced pillars and marble tables with silver seats. He didn’t have time to admire the beauty of this place, as he saw the exit and sprinted to it. Suddenly, the low metallic ringing of a gong made the air molecules shake.

“Dangit, either that was an alarm, or dinner is ready. I didn’t even have lunch!”

It was, sadly, an alarm. Behind him the wall opened and four heavily armored orcs clambered towards him. He leapt onto the table and into the air. He spun around mid-jump and channeled the energy in his sword to blast two orcs in the face. One of them… melted, while the other was stunned. He ran and ran to the doors, narrowly avoiding crossbow bolts, and made it to the door. Before he could run away, his shoulder was grazed by an arrow. He dashed through the pain, and made it safely away. He ran for another 20 minutes or so, then stopped for a break. He caught his breath and, using some leaves, bandaged his arm. He got up and sensed something off. He turned around and Aaron had caught up to him. Suddenly, behind Aaron came something running towards them. It was too small to be an orc, or a shadow wolf. Wait… It was Blade! Jack was worried about him. Suddenly, his worry turned to hope, then back to worry. What if Blade helped Aaron?

“Aaron! Why… how… you betrayed me! Why? We could still save the village! Corvus is NOT the good guy!” Jack yelled

“I did what I had to. The prophecy guided us. You are a threat to lord Corvius’s plans.”

Blade suddenly ran in between them. He sampled the air in both directions, and shockingly, Aaron smelled more bad than good. You can’t doubt the nose. Blade hid behind Jack, and Jack unsheathed his sword and held it levelly towards Aaron. Aaron did the same, but his hands were shaking slightly. He lashed out, launching a line of fire at Jack. Jack calmly sidestepped and shot a weak jolt of lightning near Aaron. The lightning was attracted to his blade, so it coursed through it and shocked Aaron. He shot a flamethrower line at Jack, but he dodged and ran to his home and village, Dundee. Aaron stood still and gazed to the horizon in despair.

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After his encounter with Aaron, Jack had had no problems on his way back to Dundee. As he trekked through the village that he had claimed his lightning sword, he thought wistfully of his travel with Aaron. They had certainly had good times, and he was certain Aaron had some good inside. Blade thought that he was partly evil. Before the tower, he was good. Jack was sure of it. He strode past the village and through to the Pasture Of Tumbleweeds.

Meanwhile, as Jack’s luck held, Corvius had a problem. Aaron had returned, sure, and the orc and shadow wolves were under his command, but his powers and his staff were flickering. Losing their magic. The Wizard of Suffering had only one thought on his mind. Not the potential threat in a child, no, his magic! The only reason this could happen must have been that, over time, his source of dark magic was slowly running out. He was still powerful, but if Aaron knew and overthrew him… no, Aaron was not capable. He must take over Dundee quickly, then overthrow the world in search of a new and better power source.

“Aaron! Prepare the armies and the catapults. We will march at first light. Wait, is that clichè? No, it’s not. Prime the catapults, now!”

“I am on it, sir.” Aaron replied, then rushed off to do his master’s bidding.

At first light the next day Corvius ordered everyone to march out and to Dundee. He got dressed and got into a chariot pulled by shadow wolves. The catapults being towed behind him. Off they went.

Jack made it to the shadow wolf village. He thought back on how Aaron and him worked together to take down their first obstacle. As he kept walking eventually the mountain they’d camped on came into sight. It was already dark, but he made it to the summit. He still saw some of the burnt firewood on the ground they had used to make a fire and eat Jack’s stew. By first light, when Corvius had moved out, Jack was nearly at his village. He had memorized this landscape. He was nearly there! A surge of hope and joy rushed through him, warming him up and giving him renewed energy and life. He laughed out loud and ran up a hill. The gates were in sight! He was nearly there!

“We made it, Blade! Without… without Aaron” Jack exclaimed to his companion.

“Wait, who is that?” Outside the gates, was a figure, glowing with warm light. Jack walked closer, suddenly cautious of this human lightbulb. He sneaked around the hill and hid behind a boulder. The boulder must have not hid him well, because human lightbulb looked at him and beckoned him over. Jack nervously took out his sword and came closer, trying to look as non-threatening as poossible. Upon closer inspection, the human lightbulb did not look evil. She was old and shrunk from age, but her eyes showed that she had some fight in her. She had smile lines and a kind face. The magic lady (she was obviously magic) glowed a warm light, that of healing and the sun. Blade suddenly ran ahead and bowed at her feet, like she was a god.

“Uhh, should I bow too?” Jack asked. “No need to be nervous, boy. I am Dawn, Druid of Life.”

———————————————————————————————————

You don’t just introduce yourself as a Druid and then start obsessing over an animal, so of course that’s what she did.

“Your pet is so cute! Blade, is it? That’s a good name. You seem very healthy. How are you?” Dawn wondered

Blade made some normal fox noises in response, but Dawn nodded as if it made total sense.

“Oh… I see… Yes, you have had a hard life.”

“Excuse me, but what? Who are you? Are you magic? Are you the Dawn who raised Aaron, who betrayed me by the way. And did you just talk to my fox?” Jack rapid-fire asked

“I am Dawn, Protector of Nature, one of the creators of the three scrolls. Yes, I am magic, almost more so than Corvius himself, I did raise Aaron though, and I know he betrayed you, and yes, I did talk to your fox.”

“Okay, so you could save Dundee from Corvius.”

“Possibly. His invasion will arrive here by sundown tomorrow, so I strongly suggest you rally them to defend their village.”

“But, why couldn’t you save the other villages?” “They were out of my reach, young one” she responded. She then said “you better hup to it, I will return shortly” she nodded and dissolved into a warm light.

Jack took a deep breath and rapped on the gate with his knuckles. He shouted for Samantha.

“J…Jack? I thought you ran away!” Samantha answered on the other side of the gate

“He may look like Jack, but what if he is a shapeshifter!” said a male voice around the edge of the wall

“What? No! I’m not a shapeshifter!” Jack shook his head and remembered why he returned. “The village is in danger! This evil wizard, Corvius, is coming!”

“C…Corvius?” Samantha’s eyes widened to ten times the size of the sun at the mention at that name

“Yes, and he is coming to destroy Dundee!”

Samantha hastily let Jack in, who, in turn, briefly explained his adventure with Aaron. She led Jack to the armory, and said “If you are lying to me” she shook her head and quickly ran off to warn the citizens and army. For some reason they had dog armor just big enough to fit Blade, so they both armored up. Jack was getting antsy, so he set off to the watchtower. The watcher was surprised to see him, but after being alerted by Sam, was on lookout. Jack peered through the lens and saw the impending army far on the horizon.

The army was big, but not as big as he’d expected. Maybe Dundee had a chance! Jack quickly said his thanks to Dave — The watchman — and ran down to his house. Thankfully, his dad had not burned it down in a rage yet. His parents were nowhere to be seen, so he snuck in his house and grabbed some stuff. His stuffed animal and blanket his uncle gave him were still safe, so he took off towards town center. It was extremely packed, with nearly a hundred people there. He pushed through the crowd to the front and saw the mayor. The mayor, Mayor Mayer, was giving a speech about how threat is looming and the village would be destroyed. As he spoke, people became more and more frightened.

“Good work, Mayor Mayer.” Jack muttered sarcastically under his breath. He stood at the base of the podium, as the mayor finished. He stepped down, and Jack seized his moment. Within seconds, he had leaped up and around onto the podium/stage.

“Hello, I am Jack Stetler, and I have just returned from running away from the village. An evil wizard called Corvius is bringing an army of shadow wolves and orcs to destroy Dundee”

A fit of murmuring broke out, but Jack continued.

“We need our army to rise and do the impossible. We need our citizens to build defenses. If the enemy wins, our village and most of us will be…” he paused to take a breath “liberated.”

He regained his composure and “I have escaped from the capture of Corvuis himself. I have claimed the left hand of Lycion, hero of the ancients, and can summon it at will.” On his way back home, he practiced his lightning and summoning quite often. He summoned his blade – with a lot of oohs and aahs – and thrust it into the air whilst making a lightning bolt.

“We may have a chance, to save Dundee!” Jack finished.

There came a course of cheers.

“What if we can’t? What then?” A voice in the audience said boldly

“Then, the village is lost.” Jack responded evenly

“Actually,” A kind voice said, “Almost all human settlements would be destroyed.” Jack whipped around and saw Dawn behind him, no longer glowing. She looked around, as if realizing the whole village was listening.

“Sorry, bad time?” She asked.

“You all get ready for war, approaching soon.” Jack finished. The people disbanded to prepare. Dawn explained she had looked for help, but none came.

———————————————————————————————————

After much preparation, Dundee was as ready as they could be, and just in time. The army of darkness — It said so on the banners they carried — was approaching, and would be here at sundown. The warriors of Dundee were primed, like their one catapult. They had little time.

Jack was decked out in armor, and saw the army on the horizon. He scanned the crowd of enemies looming near, but could not tell if Corvius or Aaron was even there. He ran around, making sure everything was ready, and the people in the bunker — for protection — were okay. The barricades were set, and after some hard prep work in the sun, they had accepted the fate that ensnared them.

Jack was well rested and ready, so with Dawn at his side, the army followed him in formation, braced for combat. A quick estimate showed that the opposing army outnumbered Dundee’s 1 ½ - 1, less than expected. The orcs and shadow wolves stopped *just* outside range of catapult fire. The army marched closer, and heard the sickening laugh of Corvius, like speakers were everywhere.

“Now, it ends. Surrender your army and citizens to be slaves, and your town destroyed. If not, the same will happen anyway.”

“That’s a horrible agreement!” Jack yelled at the army.

“Not for me!” Corvius cackled cruelly, keen on installing fear in the army of Dundee — again, it said so on the banners — so they could win the mind games.

“We aren't afraid of you!” came a voice from behind Jack “We got a druid on our side!” a chorus of cheers came up at this.

“ATTACK THEM NOW!” Corvius shrieked

Adrenaline kept Jack un-maimed. As the two armies clashed, Jack tore through the crowd, zapping them to dust. After no time at all, Jack had made it past the army. He glanced back in surprise, only for a crossbow bolt nearly gave him an ear piercing, so Jack spun around and shot a lightning bolt that made a thunderous CRACK! that made the enemies hesitate before charging Jack, who threw his sword at a soldier who was loading a catapult and impaled him. He summoned the sword in his hand and tried to keep himself from dying as he charged to the back. There, he saw an awe-inspiring sight. Somehow, Dawn had disabled most of the catapults, and was fighting Corvius, magic VS magic. An epic duel occured, and Jack watched while lightning-frying all the enemies and catapults that he saw. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a red streak hurtling towards him like a comet. He leaped to one side, but the searing meteor skimmed his arm. He yelped in pain and dropped his sword, which skittered to the ground. Blinking back tears of pain, he heaved his sword up and looked square in the face of Aaron. He steadied his breathing and noticed that they both tried to display no emotion. His burn felt cooler, so he glanced down, and Blade was trying to lick it better, which warmed Jack’s heart. The crazy part was, it was working! He felt his arm being mended, and he looked at Aaron, and with Blade at his side and Dawn on their team, Jack realized 2 very important things. One; good will prevail this time, and two; Aaron could be redeemed.

“Aaron, don’t make me fight you. We were friends, and we still are. If you came good again, life would be better!” Jack exclaimed wholeheartedly “Jack, you don’t underst-” Aaron started

“We could be even better friends, with Blade at our side we will always prevail. We have magic swords that could protect us on adventures, and Dawn is here! And BTW, she is the Druid of Life and almost as powerful as Corvius is!”

Aaron looked at the battlefield. Orcs were retreating, catapults in ruins, cheers erupting from the Dundee force, — It said so on the banners — He realized that they had lost, and he had nothing. He looked into Jack’s eyes and everything that had happened shone.

“I… am so, so sorry.” Aaron said miserably “I ruined everything and so many people have been hurt.”

“It’s all okay, redemption is never far. You just need to know where to look.”

“Let’s go stop Corvius, and then get philosophical.”

“Deal.” Jack agreed.

———————————————————————————————————

Meanwhile, Dawn and Corvius were using the most force seen in millenia, and old-timey roasts. Corvius had the upper hand, being simply more powerful than Dawn, but they were surprisingly even in skill. Jack and Aaron ran in, Blade at their side, and saw the magic fight.

“Corvius! I am here to help you!” Aaron proclaimed, falsely

“Oh good. Shoot some fire at her, would you?” He said gruffly

“On it.” He said as he charged up a fireball at Dawn, and suddenly whipped around and shot it at Corvius. A lot happened at once. Jack shot a lightning bolt at Corvius, and Dawn, seeing her chance, shot a beam of energy at him too. Corvius could have teleported away, but hesitated at the fact that Aaron betrayed HIM first! The three forces struck Corvius, and in a ball of light, he exploded into pure energy. A bright blue light radiated from Jack and Aaron’s swords that spread to them. The light got brighter, and they laughed and high-fived. The outside light faded, but their inside lights were as bright as the sun.

Epilogue:

Over the next few days, repairs were made, nobody was killed, but many wounded. Samantha was okay though. Aaron gave a heartfelt speech that he was sorry, and was forgiven. Dawn disappeared quietly, and Blade got a new toy to play with. Jack and Aaron enjoyed a week of relaxation and fun, as they deserved it. They packed up their replacement supplies, and were going to leave the village. As they set out, Samantha stopped them, they were to stay for a bit longer. A festival was held in their honor, and they enjoyed it greatly. When they finally got out, they walked away with Blade into the blazing sunlight, ready for a new adventure. The tracks they’d left so long ago were indented in the ground, memories incarnate of times past.