Sunday, March 13, 2011
Chapter One
"You know, we should go on an adventure!" A tall, lean boy of about eighteen years stood atop a large hill, peering down at the small town below. "A real long adventure, like the ones we heard as children! One where we leave Samen behind, wage war against fearsome enemies, and don't came back until we're men! I just heard a story today about a man who traveled the entire continent of Malfur!" Exclaimed the boy as he spun around, spreading his arms for emphasis.
"Calm down, Cal. You'd probably die." Cal laughed out loud. Although the boy was a head shorter than Cal, there was no doubt that Sev would be more than a match for Cal. Sev stumbled into Samen two years prior, the only survivor of a raid on his small, isolated village, Darma. Cal's parents took him into their home and treated him as a second son. Since then, Cal and Sev have been inseparable since.
The two started towards the village to meet up with the rest of their group of friends.
"Ha ha, very funny, brother. Keep talking like that and I'll give you another big bruise." Cal teased, ruffling Sev's long, black hair. They had gotten into a fight earlier, and despite Sev being a skilled fighter, the fight abruptly ended when Cal stuck him in the ribs with a broomstick. "Besides, I'm tired of this place. I want to see the world." Cal continued. "All of this boring peace this village has. I hate this place."
I don't know. I like the peace and quiet. It's relaxing." Sev replied happily.
"Nothing happens here!" Cal stopped short in front of a merchant showing off his wares but kept moving. "I mean travelers and merchants from time to time tell us of their travels of being attacked by bandits and some hero comes s and saves them. I want to do that in places I visit."
"What, be attacked and saved?" Sev laughed loudly.
Cal continued, ignoring Sev's comment. "Too bad I wasn't older and traveled during the Great War or even during the war with Dres'na. I would have so many stories to tell." Cal paused and dreamed about his non existent adventures. "You came here about at the end of the Dres'nan war didn't you? You're old village must have been quite a trek from here. Did anything exciting happen?"
"Not really. Just a lot of walking and thoughts about how everyone I knew died." Sev went quite for a moment. "No, not at all."
"Sorry. I didn't mean to..."
"It's ok. It's been awhile since that happened. I've moved on." Sev looked at Cal and gave him a reassuring smile.
Sev and Cal walked along a path through the village to Seth's house which lied in the middle of the village. Seth, taller than Sev and Cal, is a lanky figure who had short curly brown hair. Seth was sitting on a stump sharpening a stick with a knife.
"Hey guys, you ready to get Saya and Anya?" asked Seth.
"Yeah, get off your butt. We're kinda late." Sev replied.
Yeah, I know. I've been sitting here for awhile." Seth smiled as he got up and walked towards them with Trinity trailing behind him.
The three men set off to Anya and Says's house on the outer part of the village. Saya is the second tallest of the group and has long dark brown hair. Anya is a little taller than Sev (leaving Sev the shortest) with light brown hair at medium length. Saya and Anya are sisters who were born with unnatural powers. Saya is able to conjure water and Anya can conjure fire, which proved to be difficult to master. Growing up was also an obstacle to overcome with the prejudice from the people in the village. But as the years went on, the two girls earned the acceptance of the village, and their elemental powers developed into their personalities.
"Finally! Took your sweet time!" Anya looked angry coming off her lawn, Saya following close behind. "What took you so long?"
"Sorry, this kid got sucked into a traveler's story on the way to meet me." Sev pointed to Cal, who was now hiding behind Seth.
Cal gave a guilty look. "I can't help it. I just get so enthralled by their tales. I want to go on an adventure!"
"This whole adventure thing is all you have been talking about for months already. Do you really want to go on one this bad?" Saya asked.
Cal gave and enthusiastic answer. "By the gods of Malfur, yeah!"
"Ok, we'll ask our parents and see if it's ok. And if they say yes, then we can go after I turn eighteen!" Anya compromised. "It's only a few months away. And that way we can start preparing early." Anya got all giddy from her deal she made.
Saya noticed Anya's behavior. "You really wanted to go on one too, didn't you?" she accused.
Anya smiled and shrugged her shoulders.
"Ok, so we agreed that we will do this, right?" Cal asked for reassurance.
Everyone agreed and Cal leaped in the air and pumped his fist. At the end of their discussion the group headed off to the creek to enjoy their day like they always did.
"What, be attacked and saved?" Sev laughed loudly.
Cal continued, ignoring Sev's comment. "Too bad I wasn't older and traveled during the Great War or even during the war with Dres'na. I would have so many stories to tell." Cal paused and dreamed about his non existent adventures. "You came here about at the end of the Dres'nan war didn't you? You're old village must have been quite a trek from here. Did anything exciting happen?"
"Not really. Just a lot of walking and thoughts about how everyone I knew died." Sev went quite for a moment. "No, not at all."
"Sorry. I didn't mean to..."
"It's ok. It's been awhile since that happened. I've moved on." Sev looked at Cal and gave him a reassuring smile.
Sev and Cal walked along a path through the village to Seth's house which lied in the middle of the village. Seth, taller than Sev and Cal, is a lanky figure who had short curly brown hair. Seth was sitting on a stump sharpening a stick with a knife.
"Hey guys, you ready to get Saya and Anya?" asked Seth.
"Yeah, get off your butt. We're kinda late." Sev replied.
Yeah, I know. I've been sitting here for awhile." Seth smiled as he got up and walked towards them with Trinity trailing behind him.
The three men set off to Anya and Says's house on the outer part of the village. Saya is the second tallest of the group and has long dark brown hair. Anya is a little taller than Sev (leaving Sev the shortest) with light brown hair at medium length. Saya and Anya are sisters who were born with unnatural powers. Saya is able to conjure water and Anya can conjure fire, which proved to be difficult to master. Growing up was also an obstacle to overcome with the prejudice from the people in the village. But as the years went on, the two girls earned the acceptance of the village, and their elemental powers developed into their personalities.
"Finally! Took your sweet time!" Anya looked angry coming off her lawn, Saya following close behind. "What took you so long?"
"Sorry, this kid got sucked into a traveler's story on the way to meet me." Sev pointed to Cal, who was now hiding behind Seth.
Cal gave a guilty look. "I can't help it. I just get so enthralled by their tales. I want to go on an adventure!"
"This whole adventure thing is all you have been talking about for months already. Do you really want to go on one this bad?" Saya asked.
Cal gave and enthusiastic answer. "By the gods of Malfur, yeah!"
"Ok, we'll ask our parents and see if it's ok. And if they say yes, then we can go after I turn eighteen!" Anya compromised. "It's only a few months away. And that way we can start preparing early." Anya got all giddy from her deal she made.
Saya noticed Anya's behavior. "You really wanted to go on one too, didn't you?" she accused.
Anya smiled and shrugged her shoulders.
"Ok, so we agreed that we will do this, right?" Cal asked for reassurance.
Everyone agreed and Cal leaped in the air and pumped his fist. At the end of their discussion the group headed off to the creek to enjoy their day like they always did.
Chapter Two
June came slowly and with it Anya's eighteenth birthday. The group celebrated the even by throwing a village party. It was a huge turnout. Everyone was drunk with wine and merriment. A few days later the group planned to camp out in the fields just outside of the village. It was late afternoon by the time the group had reached their usual campground and night was slowly falling. After their campsite was set up, they had a large fire going when Cal brought up the group's deal to explore Malfur.
"So..." Cal said, unsure how to word his question.
"So what? If you want to say something then say it." Saya said with a hint of annoyance.
"When will we go on our adventure? We got everything packed and planned out. And it's been a few days after your birthday already."
"Seriously?" Saya gave a lethargic expression.
Cal became discouraged and looked to Seth for suport.
"We did say that we would go after your birthday." Seth looked at Saya with a begging look.
"Since when was it up to me? We all talked about it." Saya replied.
Anya quickly interjected, "Let's go tomorrow! Or the day after. I really want to go on our adventure."
Cal exclaimed excitement. "Well it's official. We are going to travel Uutana."
"I have my old map my mentor gave me. My mentor gave it to me during the war with Dres'na and it's pretty detailed in drawing. Sev trailed off starting to wonder where he last left the map.
"You know, we could just buy a more recent map from a trader." Seth stated. "That way we won't miss anything that could help us. Like a newly founded village or something."
Sev laughed before he spoke. "My map is still going to be better than any map from a trader. My mentor and I added hunting trails, hidden roads, and anything that we found useful. Plus I added some landmarks on my way to Samen."
"So where do we go first?" Cal asked.
Sev thought for a moment before answering. "If I remember correctly I came through a forest from the East. We could go through there or go in the northwest direction. But that leads to the mountains and out of Malfur. I don't have any illustrations outside of Malfur."
"I choose forest," Saya said "I don't like the idea of climbing up mountains."
"Alright, forest it is then." declared Sev.
"Wow, I can't believe we are actually doing this." Cal, lying on his back, looked up into the night sky. Dreaming of the adventure that is about to happen.
The group lied in a circle enjoying each other's company out in the fields. Night had come and stars littered the blanket of darkness. The moon was nowhere to be seen. The land was black with night, but it was peaceful and non-threatening.
Sev exhaled loudly from his relaxing state. "You know, being out here are one of my favorite times. It's quiet and I'm here with my best friends. No noisy people around me and no parents always checking to see if we sneaked off."
"But my parents don't tell you what to do." Cal said. Believing that he got most of the chores.
"Yeah they do, considering I live with you. They wouldn't just let me live there and not have to do anything.
Don't get me wrong, that would be awesome. But I gotta pull my own weight, you know?"
Cal thought about his reply before answering. "Yeah, true. But I do know what you mean by not having to worry about being caught. At least they let us camp out from time to time." The group nodded in agreement.
"My house is pretty loud. Everyone seems to be so busy or likes to talk a lot, right Saya?" Anya was swaying her head to music she played in her head.
Saya, lying next to Seth wasn't paying attention to what Anya said.
Cal laughed and pretended to be Saya. "Yeah, I totally know what you mean. But you talk more than anyone."
Sev laughed loudly from Cal's joke. Anya picked up a pebble and threw it at Cal. The pebble hit Cal in the face and Cal jumped up in surprise. Both Sev and Anya laughed. The group settled down and talked about the past, reminiscing in good memories they had together. As the night went on, the fire died and the group gradually fell asleep.
"So..." Cal said, unsure how to word his question.
"So what? If you want to say something then say it." Saya said with a hint of annoyance.
"When will we go on our adventure? We got everything packed and planned out. And it's been a few days after your birthday already."
"Seriously?" Saya gave a lethargic expression.
Cal became discouraged and looked to Seth for suport.
"We did say that we would go after your birthday." Seth looked at Saya with a begging look.
"Since when was it up to me? We all talked about it." Saya replied.
Anya quickly interjected, "Let's go tomorrow! Or the day after. I really want to go on our adventure."
Cal exclaimed excitement. "Well it's official. We are going to travel Uutana."
"I have my old map my mentor gave me. My mentor gave it to me during the war with Dres'na and it's pretty detailed in drawing. Sev trailed off starting to wonder where he last left the map.
"You know, we could just buy a more recent map from a trader." Seth stated. "That way we won't miss anything that could help us. Like a newly founded village or something."
Sev laughed before he spoke. "My map is still going to be better than any map from a trader. My mentor and I added hunting trails, hidden roads, and anything that we found useful. Plus I added some landmarks on my way to Samen."
"So where do we go first?" Cal asked.
Sev thought for a moment before answering. "If I remember correctly I came through a forest from the East. We could go through there or go in the northwest direction. But that leads to the mountains and out of Malfur. I don't have any illustrations outside of Malfur."
"I choose forest," Saya said "I don't like the idea of climbing up mountains."
"Alright, forest it is then." declared Sev.
"Wow, I can't believe we are actually doing this." Cal, lying on his back, looked up into the night sky. Dreaming of the adventure that is about to happen.
The group lied in a circle enjoying each other's company out in the fields. Night had come and stars littered the blanket of darkness. The moon was nowhere to be seen. The land was black with night, but it was peaceful and non-threatening.
Sev exhaled loudly from his relaxing state. "You know, being out here are one of my favorite times. It's quiet and I'm here with my best friends. No noisy people around me and no parents always checking to see if we sneaked off."
"But my parents don't tell you what to do." Cal said. Believing that he got most of the chores.
"Yeah they do, considering I live with you. They wouldn't just let me live there and not have to do anything.
Don't get me wrong, that would be awesome. But I gotta pull my own weight, you know?"
Cal thought about his reply before answering. "Yeah, true. But I do know what you mean by not having to worry about being caught. At least they let us camp out from time to time." The group nodded in agreement.
"My house is pretty loud. Everyone seems to be so busy or likes to talk a lot, right Saya?" Anya was swaying her head to music she played in her head.
Saya, lying next to Seth wasn't paying attention to what Anya said.
Cal laughed and pretended to be Saya. "Yeah, I totally know what you mean. But you talk more than anyone."
Sev laughed loudly from Cal's joke. Anya picked up a pebble and threw it at Cal. The pebble hit Cal in the face and Cal jumped up in surprise. Both Sev and Anya laughed. The group settled down and talked about the past, reminiscing in good memories they had together. As the night went on, the fire died and the group gradually fell asleep.
Chapter Three
The next few days had gone by and the five friends had made their final preparations for their adventure. They each carried a sack full of food, necessities, personal belongings, and a bundle of blankets. The group said their long goodbyes to their family and friends and met up with each other outside the village. As soon as they met up, they started down the dirt path leading away from Samen and towards an adventure they will never expect.
"Alright, I planned this out. We are heading to the forest and once we are out of that we are going to head northeast towards Caltier, the capital of Malfur. After the forest is the Fallen plains then a straight path to Caltier." Sev held his map, examining the many different illustrations of roads, landmarks, and personal notes. "Oh and there is a little outpost in the plains where we can rest for a bit."
"How far is the forest? And how far is Caltier from there?" Cal asked.
Sev put his map away carefully before answering. "The forest is days walk and from there Caltier is only half a day away too. The forest should take about a day or so to get through."
Cal, Seth, and Anya were walking merrily side by side on the dirt road leading them away from a home in which they had never left. "I can really enjoy this." Anya said, walking in the middle. "And it's only the first day! Oh my god I'm so excited." exclaimed Anya, as she bounced with excitement.
Sev and Saya, on the other hand, did not look so enthusiastic. They had all gotten up early to make sure everything was packed and ready, but Sev and Saya are not early risers. Saya looked like she was going to murder someone for bringing her on this trip and Sev stayed quiet and seemed to be half sleep walking (one would think going on an adventure would hype the two up more.)
The group traveled on and managed to reach the forest just before the sun had set. They had decided to camp for the night and head into the forest when the sun was up. Their first night was full on fun. Sev and Saya had finally lightened up their mood. As Anya conjured a small fire and started preparations for dinner, the others set up camp right outside.
"See! This is fun!" Anya was delicately eating her salted steak, stuck on a stick, and beef stew she had prepared for everyone.
"I never said this wasn't fun. I just wasn't having it when we started. Just way too early for me." Sev, like Seth and Cal, was devouring his meal with great hunger.
Saya agreed with Sev's answer and continued to wonder what lied ahead for her and her friends. "I wonder what we will see. What are we plan on seeing after we reach Caltier?"
"I don't know. We could go anywhere we want. We make our own path." Cal said excitedly. His eyes gleaming from the fire. "I wonder if we would be able to some how get to that floating city. You know, the one we heard about in stories."
Seth looked at Cal with disbelief. "You don't really believe there is a floating city, do you? That's only a story."
Seth had failed to break Cal's determination. "I don't know. I bet we can find it. I know it's real." Still, Cal's real excitement remained on the fact that he had his closest friends to experience this journey with him.
The five discussed their adventure and what they planned to do. They grew tired as the fire started to die and went to sleep. All of them had the similar dream of great exploits from the days to come.
The next day, the group got up early and packed up their camp. After they had finished packing everything, they decided to eat their breakfast on the go, which consisted of bread and salted jerky.
Cal charged on forward beckoning everyone to quickly follow him. "Come on! Let's go!"
"Why are you in a rush? It's not like we are limited on time here." Saya said, as she sluggishly started walking.
When the group entered the forest the sunlight dimmed. They continued walking on the path laid out before them. Pairs of eyes constantly peered through the dark bushes, examining the foreigners. Distant howls and cries of all sorts of creatures could be heard ever now and then. The group was mostly quiet and barely noticed that the forest grew darker with time. Anya lit a lantern she had brought with her and unknowingly welcomed giant flying insects, hypnotized by the dancing flames. Anya and Saya tried to keep the bugs at bay by either incinerating them or blasting them spheres of water. Eventually the two became fatigued from the constant use of their powers and had to put the lantern out and stop for the night. The group went to sleep instantly with one person keeping watch on shifts. The first person on watch was Sev, followed by Seth, Anya, Saya, and lastly Cal.
The next morning, or so they hoped to be because it was so dark, the group packed up and started on the trail once again.
"That was not fun. Did you see how big those moth things were? They were bigger than my head!" Anya had dark bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep, as did everyone else. They were not used to having to stay up on shifts.
"I got really jumpy last night. I kept seeing dark figures and bright eyes looking at me." Saya got the chills from just thinking about it. "I think we need to acquire some weapons to defend ourselves. I mean Anya and I have our magic, but we can't protect everyone."
Sev pondered for a moment. "Well, we all have hunting knives or some sort of knife. But you are right. We need real weapons. But we don't really have the money for them."
"How do we get weapons then? Steal them?" Seth said with sarcasm.
"We could." Cal said, earning everyone's shocked expression. "It could be our first 'daft' idea! Steal swords and bows and arrows. Maybe we can even get those new things, what are they called." Cal was puzzled and could not figure our what the weapon he had in mind was called.
"Guns?" Sev answered. "Only the Malfurion army has guns. They keep that stuff on tight lock. Only officers have them."
"Damn. Well, we could still steal swords." Cal said glumly. The group ignored this idea and kept walking.
Hours later the group were still in the forest and were still feeling glum.
"I think we are lost." Sev said, looking at his map. "We should have hit a river by now. I don't remember taking this long to walk through the forest. Unless it somehow grew in two years."
"Are you kidding me, Sev?! You have the map!" Saya yelled.
"And you said you came through here before!" added Anya.
"That was two years ago!" Sev said defensively. "And look here." Sev pointed on the map where Samen was and trailed his finger on the road to the forest. "See, we followed the right path. But we haven't hit the river yet." The entire group carefully studied the map, trying to find some error in Sev's navigation but could find none.
"Maybe the forest did grow. But I don't see how trees can grow so fast in two years." Seth said.
"Neither do I, but let's just keep going. I want to get out of here as soon as possible. I don't know how many nights can deal with in here." Saya said, with Anya nodding in agreement.
The five friends continued on and still have not reached the river they so desperately wanted to find before nightfall. The group didn't even try lighting a torch or a fire when they stopped, rather just fell asleep with one Sev on first watch. Just like the night before, the five friends traded shifts and each of them heard the same creepy howls and gleaming eyes. Except, this particular night, there seemed to be more pairs of eyes watching them although none of the five noticed.
The next morning was worse for them than yesterday. The group didn't get start their walk early, rather sat and ate their breakfast with a tired silence. After their breakfast, they forced themselves to move despite their fatigue.
"I think I'm gonna fall over and pass out. I don't know why I'm so tired." Cal said sleepily.
Half the day went by until they reached the river. As soon as they heard the flow of water, the group sprinted forward ecstatic that they had found the river.
"There it is! I guess maybe the forest did grow." Seth's mood, along with the others, lightened up now that they had found their first landmark. "Ok, Sev, how long before we reach the end of this forest?"
"I don't know. I'm pretty sure it only took me two days to get out of here. And we've only reached the river. I think we may have another night in this forest." Sev cursed at this assumption. "Screw this, we are getting out of this forest by the end of the day. We will even keep travelling at night until we reach the end of this forest."
"Can we even make it that far before we pass out and die?" Saya sarcastically said to Sev.
Sev ignored Saya's question and pushed forward, with his friends behind. Sev ignored his friends' complaints as he kept their speed. Determined to get out of the forest Sev only let the group stop to rest. Even when nightfall came he still pressed on. Cal, being the one who suggested this adventure kept his determination leveled with Sev's, pushing his friends to keep going. Anya lit a torch and surprisingly, no giant flying insects swarmed them.
"Sweet, we are almost out of the forest." Seth stated. "It would make sense that the bigger creatures and insects live deeper in the forest."
Only few short hours past and the group had finally made it out of this forest. The group whooped and exclaimed their happiness as they surveyed the flat plains in front of them. The moon shined brightly, giving light to the land. The group could barely make out the outline of Caltier.
"Caltier must be huge to be able to see it this far." Anya said in amazement. "It's got to be miles from here. Have you been to Caltier, Sev?"
"No. I've only seen it about this distance. I came from that direction." Sev pointed in the opposite direction of Caltier. "Alright, now that we have successfully made it out of there, let's camp here and sleep well tonight. No longer will we have to keep watch and deprive our sleep."
Instead of falling asleep, the group lied awake and a history lesson was taught by Sev.
"Why is it called the Fallen Plains?" Anya asked.
"It's called the Fallen Plains because about five hundred years ago, Malfur was a vast and powerful empire. The people of Malfur loved their king, Kane, for he brought them power, expansion, and wealth to the empire. But Kane's military general, Beck, was Kane's brother and wanted more than his own fame for bringing victory to his king. He wanted to rule the empire. Beck, being the general of Malfur's army, had many followers but not enough to defeat the soldiers loyal to Kane. So Beck took some of his most trusted men and set out beyond the borders of Malfur. No one knows why or where he traveled to. A year passed and everyone assumed Beck to be dead, even his own followers, hiding and deceiving among Kane's army. But Beck came back, with an army of thousands. He waged war against his own nation, slaughtering the very people he swore to protect. Beck won many battles against Kane by the advantage of his hidden followers. Beck's army was far more superior and larger than the king's and therefor the king pleaded to his allies for aid. This plain is where the final battle took. Malfur's last stand against Beck's unstoppable army. The battle raged on for three days before Beck's army fell and Beck was captured and beheaded. But before he did he swore he would be back to take back what was his."
The group looked at Sev as if he had made up the whole entire story. Sev saw their expressions and laughed. "You think I'm kidding?"
"Almost, but I have a pretty good question." Anya said, testing Sev's story. "How did Beck gather such a massive army after one year?"
"No one really knows how." Sev replied.
"How do you know this?" Cal asked.
"My mentor made my study history, among other subjects, of Uutana." Sev rolled his eyes in his loathing of history. "We should get to sleep. We have a whole day before we get to Caltier." After that the group quickly fell asleep, unaware of how tired they really were.
"Alright, I planned this out. We are heading to the forest and once we are out of that we are going to head northeast towards Caltier, the capital of Malfur. After the forest is the Fallen plains then a straight path to Caltier." Sev held his map, examining the many different illustrations of roads, landmarks, and personal notes. "Oh and there is a little outpost in the plains where we can rest for a bit."
"How far is the forest? And how far is Caltier from there?" Cal asked.
Sev put his map away carefully before answering. "The forest is days walk and from there Caltier is only half a day away too. The forest should take about a day or so to get through."
Cal, Seth, and Anya were walking merrily side by side on the dirt road leading them away from a home in which they had never left. "I can really enjoy this." Anya said, walking in the middle. "And it's only the first day! Oh my god I'm so excited." exclaimed Anya, as she bounced with excitement.
Sev and Saya, on the other hand, did not look so enthusiastic. They had all gotten up early to make sure everything was packed and ready, but Sev and Saya are not early risers. Saya looked like she was going to murder someone for bringing her on this trip and Sev stayed quiet and seemed to be half sleep walking (one would think going on an adventure would hype the two up more.)
The group traveled on and managed to reach the forest just before the sun had set. They had decided to camp for the night and head into the forest when the sun was up. Their first night was full on fun. Sev and Saya had finally lightened up their mood. As Anya conjured a small fire and started preparations for dinner, the others set up camp right outside.
"See! This is fun!" Anya was delicately eating her salted steak, stuck on a stick, and beef stew she had prepared for everyone.
"I never said this wasn't fun. I just wasn't having it when we started. Just way too early for me." Sev, like Seth and Cal, was devouring his meal with great hunger.
Saya agreed with Sev's answer and continued to wonder what lied ahead for her and her friends. "I wonder what we will see. What are we plan on seeing after we reach Caltier?"
"I don't know. We could go anywhere we want. We make our own path." Cal said excitedly. His eyes gleaming from the fire. "I wonder if we would be able to some how get to that floating city. You know, the one we heard about in stories."
Seth looked at Cal with disbelief. "You don't really believe there is a floating city, do you? That's only a story."
Seth had failed to break Cal's determination. "I don't know. I bet we can find it. I know it's real." Still, Cal's real excitement remained on the fact that he had his closest friends to experience this journey with him.
The five discussed their adventure and what they planned to do. They grew tired as the fire started to die and went to sleep. All of them had the similar dream of great exploits from the days to come.
The next day, the group got up early and packed up their camp. After they had finished packing everything, they decided to eat their breakfast on the go, which consisted of bread and salted jerky.
Cal charged on forward beckoning everyone to quickly follow him. "Come on! Let's go!"
"Why are you in a rush? It's not like we are limited on time here." Saya said, as she sluggishly started walking.
When the group entered the forest the sunlight dimmed. They continued walking on the path laid out before them. Pairs of eyes constantly peered through the dark bushes, examining the foreigners. Distant howls and cries of all sorts of creatures could be heard ever now and then. The group was mostly quiet and barely noticed that the forest grew darker with time. Anya lit a lantern she had brought with her and unknowingly welcomed giant flying insects, hypnotized by the dancing flames. Anya and Saya tried to keep the bugs at bay by either incinerating them or blasting them spheres of water. Eventually the two became fatigued from the constant use of their powers and had to put the lantern out and stop for the night. The group went to sleep instantly with one person keeping watch on shifts. The first person on watch was Sev, followed by Seth, Anya, Saya, and lastly Cal.
The next morning, or so they hoped to be because it was so dark, the group packed up and started on the trail once again.
"That was not fun. Did you see how big those moth things were? They were bigger than my head!" Anya had dark bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep, as did everyone else. They were not used to having to stay up on shifts.
"I got really jumpy last night. I kept seeing dark figures and bright eyes looking at me." Saya got the chills from just thinking about it. "I think we need to acquire some weapons to defend ourselves. I mean Anya and I have our magic, but we can't protect everyone."
Sev pondered for a moment. "Well, we all have hunting knives or some sort of knife. But you are right. We need real weapons. But we don't really have the money for them."
"How do we get weapons then? Steal them?" Seth said with sarcasm.
"We could." Cal said, earning everyone's shocked expression. "It could be our first 'daft' idea! Steal swords and bows and arrows. Maybe we can even get those new things, what are they called." Cal was puzzled and could not figure our what the weapon he had in mind was called.
"Guns?" Sev answered. "Only the Malfurion army has guns. They keep that stuff on tight lock. Only officers have them."
"Damn. Well, we could still steal swords." Cal said glumly. The group ignored this idea and kept walking.
Hours later the group were still in the forest and were still feeling glum.
"I think we are lost." Sev said, looking at his map. "We should have hit a river by now. I don't remember taking this long to walk through the forest. Unless it somehow grew in two years."
"Are you kidding me, Sev?! You have the map!" Saya yelled.
"And you said you came through here before!" added Anya.
"That was two years ago!" Sev said defensively. "And look here." Sev pointed on the map where Samen was and trailed his finger on the road to the forest. "See, we followed the right path. But we haven't hit the river yet." The entire group carefully studied the map, trying to find some error in Sev's navigation but could find none.
"Maybe the forest did grow. But I don't see how trees can grow so fast in two years." Seth said.
"Neither do I, but let's just keep going. I want to get out of here as soon as possible. I don't know how many nights can deal with in here." Saya said, with Anya nodding in agreement.
The five friends continued on and still have not reached the river they so desperately wanted to find before nightfall. The group didn't even try lighting a torch or a fire when they stopped, rather just fell asleep with one Sev on first watch. Just like the night before, the five friends traded shifts and each of them heard the same creepy howls and gleaming eyes. Except, this particular night, there seemed to be more pairs of eyes watching them although none of the five noticed.
The next morning was worse for them than yesterday. The group didn't get start their walk early, rather sat and ate their breakfast with a tired silence. After their breakfast, they forced themselves to move despite their fatigue.
"I think I'm gonna fall over and pass out. I don't know why I'm so tired." Cal said sleepily.
Half the day went by until they reached the river. As soon as they heard the flow of water, the group sprinted forward ecstatic that they had found the river.
"There it is! I guess maybe the forest did grow." Seth's mood, along with the others, lightened up now that they had found their first landmark. "Ok, Sev, how long before we reach the end of this forest?"
"I don't know. I'm pretty sure it only took me two days to get out of here. And we've only reached the river. I think we may have another night in this forest." Sev cursed at this assumption. "Screw this, we are getting out of this forest by the end of the day. We will even keep travelling at night until we reach the end of this forest."
"Can we even make it that far before we pass out and die?" Saya sarcastically said to Sev.
Sev ignored Saya's question and pushed forward, with his friends behind. Sev ignored his friends' complaints as he kept their speed. Determined to get out of the forest Sev only let the group stop to rest. Even when nightfall came he still pressed on. Cal, being the one who suggested this adventure kept his determination leveled with Sev's, pushing his friends to keep going. Anya lit a torch and surprisingly, no giant flying insects swarmed them.
"Sweet, we are almost out of the forest." Seth stated. "It would make sense that the bigger creatures and insects live deeper in the forest."
Only few short hours past and the group had finally made it out of this forest. The group whooped and exclaimed their happiness as they surveyed the flat plains in front of them. The moon shined brightly, giving light to the land. The group could barely make out the outline of Caltier.
"Caltier must be huge to be able to see it this far." Anya said in amazement. "It's got to be miles from here. Have you been to Caltier, Sev?"
"No. I've only seen it about this distance. I came from that direction." Sev pointed in the opposite direction of Caltier. "Alright, now that we have successfully made it out of there, let's camp here and sleep well tonight. No longer will we have to keep watch and deprive our sleep."
Instead of falling asleep, the group lied awake and a history lesson was taught by Sev.
"Why is it called the Fallen Plains?" Anya asked.
"It's called the Fallen Plains because about five hundred years ago, Malfur was a vast and powerful empire. The people of Malfur loved their king, Kane, for he brought them power, expansion, and wealth to the empire. But Kane's military general, Beck, was Kane's brother and wanted more than his own fame for bringing victory to his king. He wanted to rule the empire. Beck, being the general of Malfur's army, had many followers but not enough to defeat the soldiers loyal to Kane. So Beck took some of his most trusted men and set out beyond the borders of Malfur. No one knows why or where he traveled to. A year passed and everyone assumed Beck to be dead, even his own followers, hiding and deceiving among Kane's army. But Beck came back, with an army of thousands. He waged war against his own nation, slaughtering the very people he swore to protect. Beck won many battles against Kane by the advantage of his hidden followers. Beck's army was far more superior and larger than the king's and therefor the king pleaded to his allies for aid. This plain is where the final battle took. Malfur's last stand against Beck's unstoppable army. The battle raged on for three days before Beck's army fell and Beck was captured and beheaded. But before he did he swore he would be back to take back what was his."
The group looked at Sev as if he had made up the whole entire story. Sev saw their expressions and laughed. "You think I'm kidding?"
"Almost, but I have a pretty good question." Anya said, testing Sev's story. "How did Beck gather such a massive army after one year?"
"No one really knows how." Sev replied.
"How do you know this?" Cal asked.
"My mentor made my study history, among other subjects, of Uutana." Sev rolled his eyes in his loathing of history. "We should get to sleep. We have a whole day before we get to Caltier." After that the group quickly fell asleep, unaware of how tired they really were.
Chapter Four
The next morning, the group woke up with their belongings spilled out of their sacks. Small pests from the plains have found their way to the group's food. They were completely crestfallen. The friends swore as they rummaged through the remains of their sack.
"What are we going to do now? Most of the food is gone!" Anya yelled as she threw her belonging into her ruined sack.
"At least we weren't robbed, or killed in our sleep." Seth said with poor humor. He had scared Saya and Anya with the thought of their throats being slit while sleeping.
"There is a military outpost not too far from here. No will be stupid enough to do that here. Rob us sure, but kill us I don't think so." Sev said to reassure the girls.
"Well, we are still low on food. That was a good few more days of salted jerky and bread." Cal stated with an annoyed tone. "We could buy more. How much money do you guys have? My parents gave Sev and I each a hundred imperial riits."
Seth, Saya, and Anya counted their currency. Each had about a hundred imperial riits each. They all agreed that their situation was so dire that they would have to go right back into the forest and go home. So the group packed up and headed towards the small outpost before heading to Caltier. With the sun up, the five friends could see much more clearly than last night. The plains was a golden brown and few patches of grass. There were some large hills scattered sparsely among the land. They could see that they were really not that far from the outpost and could have made it there and spent the night. Unfortunately they did not realized this and cursed their fatigue to not go on. Instead of stopping at the outpost they decided to bypass it and make it to Caltier sooner.
"We can get a place to stay in Caltier tonight if you want. I don't know how expensive it is but we can check. But we definitely need to get supplies. And weapons if we can afford them."
They were only about half way to Caltier when they heard screaming. The group ran towards the source and came up on four large men armed with swords or crossbows. They were harassing a man, his wife, and two young sons who were riding in a wagon.
"Shut yer mouth!" A man yelled, who seemed to be the boss. "Now, you'll give us all you have and we won't hurt you."
The man was standing in front of his wife and sons, trying to shield them from the bandits but he still trembled with fear. He sputtered words as he spoke. "Please! We don't have anything of value."
The man giving the threat stepped closer, causing the family to flinch. "Well that's too bad. Guess we'll have to kill you, take your wife and two sons." The four men started chuckling and began to walk towards their victims.
At that moment Cal yelled at the four bandits. "Stop right there! I won't let you hurt them."
The four bandits laughed even harder after hearing what Cal had just said.
"Look kids, don' try and be heroes. Jus' go 'way and act like you say nothin'" One of the other bandits said. "We aren' concerned 'bout you."
Suddenly three arrows shot, from what seemed to be out of nowhere, penetrated the bandit leader's leather armor. The man was blown back from the consecutive arrows. Everyone turned their attention to where the arrows were shot from. On top of a hill was a tall, slender creature. It held a bow and readied for another shot. The remaining bandits attempted to ready themselves for the surprise attack but arrows rained down them. Another man went down in screaming agony, an arrow stuck in his chest. As soon as it started, it was over and the humanoid creature gracefully strode to the ones it has saved.
The five friends sat in the back of the wagon and examined their new weapons.
"So I kinda just realized this, but I don't really know how to fight." Cal said. "Like I don't know how to properly use a sword."
"Well, my mentor taught me a little bit of dueling. I can try to teach you guys what I know." Sev offered.
The four agreed to let Sev train them in the use of swords. All five of them were having conversations with the wife and husband about where they came from and what they are going to do in Caltier.
"Wow, so you guys are just on an adventure?" The woman said with wide eyes. "I bet that it has been a lot of fun."
"Well, not really. It took us three days to get out of that forest to the west." Cal said.
"You guys went through the forest?" The man asked. "You are all lucky. There is supposed to be something in that forest. Some evil creature that lives in there now. We've heard reports of people being found dead and torn up."
The group gaped at each other with the same expression and thought running through their heads. 'I can't believe we didn't die.
A few hours have passed and it was late afternoon when the wagon finally reached Caltier. The five friends thanked the family and said good bye before setting off. The group entered the streets outside of Caltier where merchants from all over Malfur came to trade or sell their good.
The five friends stood there, awed by the huge walls protecting the city. Tall spires touched the skies and were colorfully decorated, almost pearlescent. The top of the walls had slits where archers would be able to shoot from. At the end of the street was a large arch like gate where five soldiers stood guard.
As the group walked through the streets, they were marveled at what they saw. Exotic foods, jewelery, weapons, and many more caught their attention. Saya and Anya spotted a jewelry kiosk but Seth reminded them that they could not squander away their savings just yet.
"Man, we need to get more imperial riites. Think of all the things we would bring back to Samen!" Anya admired a gold necklace a red gem at the bottom.
Seth walked up to the stand and tripped, landing on the merchant's wares, scattering almost everything on the table. The merchant yelled angrily at Seth's clumsiness and Seth apologized humbly.
"You alright there? Having a bit of trouble walking?" Saya said, laughing.
Sev caught onto Seth's 'accidental' fall and saw Seth pocket a few pieces of jewelery. The girls, now wide eyed, marveled the jewelry and put them on. They both hugged and kissed Seth on the cheek and thank him for their presents.
As the group neared the gate four guards, clad in heavy silver armor, were armed with swords. One of them guards, who the five assumed to be an officer, was a pistol tucked in a holster on his waste.
The guard captain put hi hand up, stopping the group. "What is your business here?" His helmet blocked the man's expression, but he was obviously bored from the way he spoke.
"We are just passing through. Gathering supplies and a place to stay for the night." Sev replied.
"Ok, you can go through. Just don't cause any trouble. You will be stuck in the catacombs longer than you'll know." The captain stepped aside and waved up at the two guards controlling the gate. The gate slowly lifted, letting the five pass through.
The inside of Caltier was enormous. Crowds bustled in and out of shops. A statue of a man holding his sword in the air on a rearing horse stood a top of a large fountain where little children played along the edges. Every building was at least two stories high and were a clean cream color.
Once inside the group decided to split up and look for supplies and a place to stay. Anya, Cal, and Sev were a team and started towards the left side of the city where Seth and Saya went the other way.
"What are we going to do now? Most of the food is gone!" Anya yelled as she threw her belonging into her ruined sack.
"At least we weren't robbed, or killed in our sleep." Seth said with poor humor. He had scared Saya and Anya with the thought of their throats being slit while sleeping.
"There is a military outpost not too far from here. No will be stupid enough to do that here. Rob us sure, but kill us I don't think so." Sev said to reassure the girls.
"Well, we are still low on food. That was a good few more days of salted jerky and bread." Cal stated with an annoyed tone. "We could buy more. How much money do you guys have? My parents gave Sev and I each a hundred imperial riits."
Seth, Saya, and Anya counted their currency. Each had about a hundred imperial riits each. They all agreed that their situation was so dire that they would have to go right back into the forest and go home. So the group packed up and headed towards the small outpost before heading to Caltier. With the sun up, the five friends could see much more clearly than last night. The plains was a golden brown and few patches of grass. There were some large hills scattered sparsely among the land. They could see that they were really not that far from the outpost and could have made it there and spent the night. Unfortunately they did not realized this and cursed their fatigue to not go on. Instead of stopping at the outpost they decided to bypass it and make it to Caltier sooner.
"We can get a place to stay in Caltier tonight if you want. I don't know how expensive it is but we can check. But we definitely need to get supplies. And weapons if we can afford them."
They were only about half way to Caltier when they heard screaming. The group ran towards the source and came up on four large men armed with swords or crossbows. They were harassing a man, his wife, and two young sons who were riding in a wagon.
"Shut yer mouth!" A man yelled, who seemed to be the boss. "Now, you'll give us all you have and we won't hurt you."
The man was standing in front of his wife and sons, trying to shield them from the bandits but he still trembled with fear. He sputtered words as he spoke. "Please! We don't have anything of value."
The man giving the threat stepped closer, causing the family to flinch. "Well that's too bad. Guess we'll have to kill you, take your wife and two sons." The four men started chuckling and began to walk towards their victims.
At that moment Cal yelled at the four bandits. "Stop right there! I won't let you hurt them."
The four bandits laughed even harder after hearing what Cal had just said.
"Look kids, don' try and be heroes. Jus' go 'way and act like you say nothin'" One of the other bandits said. "We aren' concerned 'bout you."
Suddenly three arrows shot, from what seemed to be out of nowhere, penetrated the bandit leader's leather armor. The man was blown back from the consecutive arrows. Everyone turned their attention to where the arrows were shot from. On top of a hill was a tall, slender creature. It held a bow and readied for another shot. The remaining bandits attempted to ready themselves for the surprise attack but arrows rained down them. Another man went down in screaming agony, an arrow stuck in his chest. As soon as it started, it was over and the humanoid creature gracefully strode to the ones it has saved.
The five friends sat in the back of the wagon and examined their new weapons.
"So I kinda just realized this, but I don't really know how to fight." Cal said. "Like I don't know how to properly use a sword."
"Well, my mentor taught me a little bit of dueling. I can try to teach you guys what I know." Sev offered.
The four agreed to let Sev train them in the use of swords. All five of them were having conversations with the wife and husband about where they came from and what they are going to do in Caltier.
"Wow, so you guys are just on an adventure?" The woman said with wide eyes. "I bet that it has been a lot of fun."
"Well, not really. It took us three days to get out of that forest to the west." Cal said.
"You guys went through the forest?" The man asked. "You are all lucky. There is supposed to be something in that forest. Some evil creature that lives in there now. We've heard reports of people being found dead and torn up."
The group gaped at each other with the same expression and thought running through their heads. 'I can't believe we didn't die.
A few hours have passed and it was late afternoon when the wagon finally reached Caltier. The five friends thanked the family and said good bye before setting off. The group entered the streets outside of Caltier where merchants from all over Malfur came to trade or sell their good.
The five friends stood there, awed by the huge walls protecting the city. Tall spires touched the skies and were colorfully decorated, almost pearlescent. The top of the walls had slits where archers would be able to shoot from. At the end of the street was a large arch like gate where five soldiers stood guard.
As the group walked through the streets, they were marveled at what they saw. Exotic foods, jewelery, weapons, and many more caught their attention. Saya and Anya spotted a jewelry kiosk but Seth reminded them that they could not squander away their savings just yet.
"Man, we need to get more imperial riites. Think of all the things we would bring back to Samen!" Anya admired a gold necklace a red gem at the bottom.
Seth walked up to the stand and tripped, landing on the merchant's wares, scattering almost everything on the table. The merchant yelled angrily at Seth's clumsiness and Seth apologized humbly.
"You alright there? Having a bit of trouble walking?" Saya said, laughing.
Sev caught onto Seth's 'accidental' fall and saw Seth pocket a few pieces of jewelery. The girls, now wide eyed, marveled the jewelry and put them on. They both hugged and kissed Seth on the cheek and thank him for their presents.
As the group neared the gate four guards, clad in heavy silver armor, were armed with swords. One of them guards, who the five assumed to be an officer, was a pistol tucked in a holster on his waste.
The guard captain put hi hand up, stopping the group. "What is your business here?" His helmet blocked the man's expression, but he was obviously bored from the way he spoke.
"We are just passing through. Gathering supplies and a place to stay for the night." Sev replied.
"Ok, you can go through. Just don't cause any trouble. You will be stuck in the catacombs longer than you'll know." The captain stepped aside and waved up at the two guards controlling the gate. The gate slowly lifted, letting the five pass through.
The inside of Caltier was enormous. Crowds bustled in and out of shops. A statue of a man holding his sword in the air on a rearing horse stood a top of a large fountain where little children played along the edges. Every building was at least two stories high and were a clean cream color.
Once inside the group decided to split up and look for supplies and a place to stay. Anya, Cal, and Sev were a team and started towards the left side of the city where Seth and Saya went the other way.
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