Chapter 1: A Journey Ends, and Another Begins
The bushes behind Matt rustled, and a brief look over his shoulder caused it to stop. It had been like this off and on his whole trip through the Evergreen Forest, and now that he was preceding out of the woods and around the mountain side he had hoped that it would stop...
The people of his village, Creet, had stories about unexplained rustling within the Evergreen. His mind faded back his father's story of the Evergreen, and the strange creatures within:
"Thousands of years ago, a race who's name was to be stricken from history ruled the lands with an iron fist. They were the Ran'kai as the humans called them. The evil in their hearts had no bounds! When the saviour Thelios saw this, he swore to strike down the blight that was their race and so the glorious Thelios called his people into battle, and their numbers swelled. Seeing this and the hope inspired by Thelios, the other races united arms in an alliance. And So they struck down the Ran'kai in the Evergreen, slaying the species and their wickedness forever... but their blood was so tainted that they poisoned the ground and all manner of creatures sprang up." The story went on to glorify Thelios, and his eventual ascension to godhood.
"Dad... I wish I had you still..." Matt choked back the tears as he rounded the corner along the Crevice that split the Evergreen Forest's mountain range in half. "But know that your murderer has been slain with the blade you gave me so long ago. That I return to our hometown to live out my days victorious, but alone-- My call to arms has been lifted."
He paused for a moment, noting that the bridge over the crevice in the distance had fallen. "Well damn it all, Jekar, some bridge-tending you've done." His heart skipped a beat in fear as he quickly realized upon closing the gap that the new cords holding the bridge had been sliced by a bladed weapon of sorts. He had no choice now! To backtrack and go around the Evergreen would take a few hours if he was cautious, but his town needed him now!
He raced back to the edge of the forest, almost wondering if he was fool-hardy enough to charge into the Forest and along the trail of Crimson. It would cut down his time of traveling into a mere hour if he ran. It was dangerous; he knew the trail well for it had almost taken his life as a child. Swallowing his fear, he ran along the trail, occasionally hearing the damn rustling, but his mind was too focused upon the town of Creet.
Rushing down a steep decline, he found himself in a low valley, where stood two guards. A captain and his messenger, the symbol upon his chest was that of Heldar, the incitor of the civil war that took his father's life and nearly his own.
"Halt this area is under occupation!" The captain raised his guanlet. "None shall pass here as per the orders of King Heldar."
"You mean the betrayer and murderer of Kings!" Matt hissed back as he tore his sword from it's sheathe.
"You're one of those people, I--"
A deep beastly roar tore through the forest sending birds flying and rabbits scurrying about in terror. It was followed by a deep grinding sound, as the forest was sundered. A creature rose nearly three stories tall over the trees, and came barreling after them.
The guards seemed completely unaware.
Matt leaped out of the way as a claw came crashing down upon the two soldiers, crushing them with no effort, but now it had it's sights on him. He sprinted down the trail, secretly cursing himself for EVER thinking things would be easy in the Evergreen.
The thunderous thuds, and sharp crack of wood behind him, meant it was close. He could feel it's hot breath down his back as he took a sharp turn just as the claw came down and left it's imprint in the ground. He leaped again as the second claw came down nearly upon him, but his luck ran out as he slipped upon a patch of thick mud.. The creature was upon him...
The area around it's maw was stained with fresh blood; each row of razor sharp teeth displayed as it growled with great pleasure at the warrior it had captured and was about to consume. It's red eyes, and deep black scales sent shivers of terror through his mind. He watched it raise it's claw to crush him...
"I will see you sooner than I thought, Dad."
It happened in a flash. One moment he was about to be crushed to death, then next he saw a human wrap his arms around him. The blode haired male inhumanly leap from under the creature's claw right as it clashed into the ground, and hid behind the rock just to the right of the creature. The human put his hand across his lips. They both sat there struggling to breathe as quietly as possible. The creature let out a startlingly loud roar just over their heads before turning back towards Creet.
"Three questions." Matt uttered between gasps of air. "One. What the hell was that? Two. Who are you? Three. How the hell you move that quick?"
The human brushed away his blonde hair with a smile. "Two of those questions I can answer, but the other one is hard to explain. What you saw was a creature from another plane; it is almost impossible to see as they tend to appear invisable to most."
"Hence why the guards didn't run..."
"Exactly."
"So why did I see it, and why did you see it?"
The human stood up and looked down the path cautiously. "It's hard to explain." He extended his hand to Matt.
Matt took his hand and was pulled to his feet, "Try me."
"This is not the time or place for that conversation. Now for your second question, I am Raylin."
"So that's it? A name and not much else?"
Raylin shook his head, "Afraid that's all you'll get out of me. Go now, I have a strange feeling that we are to meet once more, when you have found something that stirrs your heart." Once again with inhuman speed he raced up a nearly straight incline.
"But..." Matt watched him disappear into the thick trees. "Stirring in my heart?" The shock of being attacked by the monsterous creature passed; He realized where the blood on it's maw came from. "Creet!" He took off towards his home town once more, racing over hills, and rushing along the flatlands, he exited the path onto a tilled field. Where his eyes widened in shock, as he saw his town burn.
The sky was painted a fiersome black as billows of smoke rose from the town, and buildings were licked by the hellish flames. He heard the explosion of stain glass from the church that he had lived in. Slowly, he made his way to the town his hand resting upon his blade, but he found nothing but death upon the grounds. His friends, laid slain, their skin seared to their clothes. This hellish atrocity commited for what? Greed, Power? What madness drives them to create such pain! Matt faced twisted with anger. "Heldar, I have no doubt you brought that creature to this world." Matt squeezed his sword, "And for that I will murder you."
"A tall order, indeed, for a single man to do." Matt raised his sword only to feel a paw rest upon his hand, twisting it with a skillful motion, and disarming him. He jumped back in alarm and held up his fists to fight. Standing in front of him was a Verdest, cladded in blood stained robes. He had heard about them in tales about the lands around his own, peaceful, kind, but solitary. No doubt this was one of the Monks their kind was reported to have. Their dog-like faces always made him cringe...
"Then it was Heldar and the beast!"
The Verdest nodded. "Indeed, but it is puzzling that you knew of this beast. For none of your kin here, saw it nor even paid attention to my warning when I saw it. Do you not know what it is?"
Matt shook his head.
"They are the beasts of old; the granters of the Ran'kai's power. They have been resurrected, and I fear that great chaos is coming." He tossed the blade on the ground. "I am your friend should you chose, and your cause is something I too can relate to."
"So you are offering an alliance?"
"They say the Call to War can only surge in the hearts of humans, for good and ill, as this day demonstrates." He pointed to him with his paw. "Do you not feel it in your heart? That Heldar will die by your blade? If not, then the talk of killing him, is just that, talk!"
"I want him dead!"
"Then perhaps it was fate that we should meet. I, Athar ,swear upon My Gods, who grant me strength, that I shall see your quest to the end."
"As honored as I am, why do you so readily want to swear your loyalty to me?"
"The strings of fate tie all of us together. If I was not to become your ally now, I would have been at some other time."
"It seems fate has lined up a few allies for me I guess." Matt chuckled as he picked up his sword and sheathed it.
The Verdest, with it's long pointy ears, shifted it's head slightly, "What do you mean?"
"It's nothing I suppose. Lets go, if we hurry, we can out march them."
"No," Athar pointed off to the south, "The Caverns are the best hope."
"The Caverns? They go nowhere."
"No, there is a passage. It's hard to get to but.. I know how to get to it. It is a sin to show an outsider our home world, but I see no other choice to get you there in time. May the Grandmonk forgive me when I bring you before him."
"Why am I going to be brought before your Grandmonk-- whatever that is?"
Athar smiled, "If there is anyone in tune with the workings of fate, it is the Grandmonk. So let us see what fate has in store for you."