Story rated M for mature audiences. This story may have content that may not be suitable for persons under the age of 18. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language. Viewer discretion is advised.
====
Spring. 450 A.D.. Year of the Dragon!
He landed like a cat, one leg outstretched, his fingers touching the earth beneath him as he pulled himself upright. Glancing around he could see why his father had wanted someone else to scout the area. There were others, but N’allo had chosen to go on his own to check on the disturbance his father, the Grand Master, felt. According to him there was darkness approaching, and yet N’allo saw nothing as his boots crunched down on the dead leaves that covered the volcanic crater that once was Mount Vanuviah. He had read about the great battle that had taken place on the same soil he now stood. How the Beast had returned, but the White Mage, the great legend of Vallorea, stopped the monstrous being by locking it away at the cost of his own life. Such tales were told through word of mouth and passed down through generations. N’allo was no exception to hearing of the events that had caused the eruption. Even now the crater was void of life. The trees withered, the ground rough and hard, as if the soil itself was dead.
N’allo gripped the bow tight in his hand as he stepped, being careful not to disturb the gentle ecosystem. Though it was void of life, there was hints that life could return to the crater and N’allo would do his best to carefully scout the area and make sure no darkness would threaten Vallorea.
Have you found anything?
The familiar voice filled his head as he closed his eyes and opened his senses. So far nothing stood out from the ordinary. There was no reason for the Grand Master to be alarmed.
Nothing out of the ordinary here. His response was quick, perhaps a little too quick as the sound of footsteps caused N’allo to turn. There, standing a few feet from him was a man dressed in dark robes.
“Who are you?” N’allo asked. The man’s eyes were dark red, blood like in color.
“How long it has been,” the man said shielding his eyes from the sun that poured down on the land. N’allo drew his bow and nocked an arrow.
“I warn you I will not show restraint, identify yourself.”
The man turned his attention to N’allo and a grin formed on his face. “Well well, as I live and breath, the great master has returned to us.”
“Excuse me?” N’allo questioned the man’s words, but the mysterious man simply smiled and nodded.
“I thought you lost to us, but I have managed to find you. Master N’Kai, as I live and breath.”
N’allo raised a brow and shook his head, lowering the bow and placing the arrow back in his holster. “I’m afraid you have the wrong man. My name is N’allo, not N’Kai.”
“Is that so? You are the spitting image of him. I am Murdoc. It would seem our paths crossed for a reason. Today there shall be no bloodshed, but I will see you soon N’allo,” Murdoc said with a toothy grin as he vanished in a whisp of black smoke. N’allo felt a heavy pressure vanish and the air around him felt lighter. This was odd. Why had the man mistaken him for N’Kai? He had questions but they wouldn’t be answered standing in a crater.
Pull out, there is nothing here. N’allo ordered those men who had accompanied him to Mount Vanuviah. He turned to leave, but an orb of energy crashed beside him sending him into the air. He landed hard, dropping his bow. Looking up, he noticed a demonic creature hovering towards him. “Wraith,” he said softly quickly sprouting to his feet and grabbing his bow. He unleashed three arrows, the last he muttered under his breath and watched as it glowed amongst the other arrows. There was an explosion of energy that caused the arrows to merge, transforming into a snake. N’allo watched as the ethereal snake struck the Wraith. The Wraith vanished, but more questions pooled in N’allo’s mind. Wraiths were a dangerous sign. They fed on emotion, they fed on the living. They were servants of darkness. The Grand Master had reason to worry, something was coming. N’allo turned and stepped through a spell circle that opened up, closing behind him.
Bookmarks