The Temple - Chapter 1: Allegiance

Heroscapers.com recently held a writing contest in search of new writing talent for front page articles. Who 'dat is the winner of that contest with his piece of fan fiction entitled: The Temple. Here is chapter one, more will follow.
How could you question your loyalty to someone who saved your life?* Why would it ever be a question; especially when that someone not only gave you a second chance at life, but also a purpose to live?* Agent Carr had always considered himself to be a loyal and trustworthy man.* He had always been dedicated to his cause; whatever the cause was.* Why then, was he questioning the intentions of his General?* Vydar had entrusted Carr with this most important of missions for one reason; he trusted Carr.* Vydar had complete trust in him, and also knew that he had the ability to successfully complete the mission.* Carr had only been in Valhalla a few years, but in that short period of time had completed every task given to him, and defeated every army put in front of him without question.* Why now would he have second thoughts?* Perhaps it was because this mission could change the face of Valhalla, forever.
Carr trudged through the Durgeth Swamps with speed and stealth.* His trusted Krav Maga Agents followed as quickly and quietly as he did himself.* They swiftly made their way through the muddy stench of death that seeped from the swamp.* Few creatures could survive here.* The risk of being seen was very low.* Years of training in the art of Krav Maga had made the four of them the perfect candidates for such a covert operation.* Vydar had been adamant that no one was to know of what was taking place, even the Krav Maga Agents did not know what they were being led into.* To them it did not matter.* Carr knew they would follow him into hell if need be.* He also knew they soon would.* It had taken three extra days to get to the swamps.* The small group had to stay hidden in forests and mountains along the way.* Their orders were to not be seen by anyone, including allies of Vydar, or even those who actually followed Vydar.* Carr understood why.* The implications of his actions would reverberate throughout the known universes, and beyond.* As the group began to emerge from the swamps, Carr continued to wrestle with his loyalty.
They continued to move east throughout the afternoon and as the sun began to set, finally stepped out of Lindesfarm, and into Lower Bleakwoode.* They continued on until total darkness set in.* It was not hard to find an out of the way place to rest for the night, and all four agents began settling in.* Carr began considering the task Vydar had given him.* He considered the consequences of his actions over and over again.* They would reach their destination by sundown tomorrow, and once they arrived, there would be no turning back.* The agents finished eating there dried meat, and began meditation.* Followers of Krav Maga did not require sleep; a few hours of deep meditation would suffice.* The cold and the dark began to engulf them.* There could be no campfire tonight.* They could not risk giving away their position when they were this close.* Carr stared into the dark Valhalla sky, and began entering his own meditation.
The goal centered itself in his mind, and all possible scenarios played out in Carr's head.* He carefully planned out where to be, when to be there, and how to get there.* Carr accounted for as many variables as there were stars in the sky, and sorted through them all one by one.* Hours passed as the agent intently scrutinized every detail of the next day's events.* Everything had to be flawless.* If it wasn't, he, as well as his loyal agents, would parish in a heartbeat.* When he was finally convinced that he was as prepared as he could be, his mind began contemplating its previous question.* Should he do it?* It was known to everyone that Vydar had been having trouble calling forth beings from other worlds to fight along side him.* Vydar's army was the smallest by far amongst all the Valkyrie Generals.* Some believed Vydar only aligned himself with Utgar because he viewed Utgar as the most powerful General, and simply wanted to compensate for his own lack of power by being around a being more powerful.* Vydar was blatantly jealous of Utgar's dominance, and constantly struggled to obtain his own quests for equality amongst the Archkyrie.* All those attempts had failed, and Vydar remained at the bottom of the pecking order.* Unless Vydar could come to master his powers to summon others to his cause, he would remain at the bottom forever.
Carr meditated on this issue throughout the night, until he began to feel the warmth of the sun on his back.* He brought himself out of his trance, and slowly opened his eyes.* As he did this, one final vision flashed across his mind; it was the explosion that should have ended his life back in the New York of 2210.* He watched in slow motion as the flying debris made its way towards him, each small piece of shrapnel seeming as large as a bus.* Carr could remember closing his eyes and bracing his body for the onslaught of hot metal into his flesh.* The sensation he tried to prepare for never came, instead, there was an awkward sense of being alive when you know you should be dead.* He also envisioned the first thing that he had seen after the explosion; the glorious sight of Vydar the Valkyrie.
How could you question your loyalty to someone who saved your life?* The answer was simple, you could not.* Carr owed his life to Vydar, and in a few short hours would return the favor.* They would press on, all the way to Soulrazor Canyon; there they would find the abandoned temple that was the source of so many legends.* The power of the temple was Carr's goal.* He would harness it, and then bend it to the will of Vydar.* Carr would return the favor alright, and he would do it by making Vydar the most powerful being to ever exist.
TO BE CONTINUED...