What's going on guys??? I'm The Realist Writer and I have started a new heroscape fanfic. I posted it on deviantart originally but have decided to post it here so that it gets the love it deserves. Tell me if you guys think I should continue. Ok here's the link: http://RealistWriter.deviantart.com/...dier-311683517
Or if you want to read it here instead, here it is:
Spoiler Alert!
"All right fly boys, listen up!" Sgt. Drake Alexander walked into the abandoned house, and looked around. Broken furniture was strewn across the floor, and the two windows on either side of the room, were shattered but other than that, the room was completely empty. "Damn it," Alexander whispered, pulling out his pistol. "I told you guys to stay in one place."
Holding the pistol ready, Alexander looked around the ground floor. Finding no one, he slowly stepped towards the stairwell. "Smoke? Joker? Are you guys still here?" Without waiting for a response, he silently started up the stairs. Once he reached the top, Alexander found himself looking down a long, dark hallway. There were no windows here, and all the doors in the hall were closed, so the only light came from downstairs. "Hunter? Robin? Pyle? Come on. If you guys are here talk to me." Still no answer.
Alexander moved down the hall, listening for sounds in each of the rooms. As he got closer to the end of the hall, Alexander swore that he could hear a group of people whispering. "Alright guys, is that you?" The sounds died down. Moving to the very end of the hall, he put his ear on the very last door. There were definitely people inside. Alexander spoke again, but the time in German. "I am going to walk in the room now. I would ask that you refrain from shooting as soon as I open the door."
Alexander moved away from the door, slowly turning the knob with one hand and holding his pistol in the other, ready to fire. Cautiously, Alexander let the door swing open and entered the room.
"Hey boss!" Alexander instinctively fired at the corner of the room where he heard the voice. For a second, there was only silence. Eventually, a nervous laugh came from behind the bed "All right boss. We get it. That wasn't too funny. Now we're going to come out, and we really hope you don't kill us."
"Joker! Pyle! What the hell do you think you're doing?" One of the men, a skinny youth with light skin responded. "Oh come on boss, we were just having a little fun." He yawned. "You were out there forever! You were gonna bore me to death." The skinny man turned towards the wall and pointed at the spot where Alexander had fired. "Damn boss. You could have shot me!"
Alexander rubbed his temples. "Joker, if you were standing up, I would have. Now where are the others?" He needed to have a word with them.
Private Pyle, the second of the two men, nervously pointed a chubby finger towards a closet in the corner of the room. "T...they are in there sir." With that, three similarly dressed men walked out of the closet.
"Hunter, Robin, Smoke." Alexander began with a sigh. "I'm not going to pretend to know what the hell you all were thinking." Joker spoke up. "Well boss, I already told you. We were just having a bit of fun."
Alexander glared at him. "And if I would have hit you right then, would that have been fun?" Alexander shook his head. "Damn it guys we don't have time for games like this. Unless you haven't realized, the whole countryside is infested with those Nazi bastards. We aren't back home in America where we can slack off! This is their land!
"Sorry Sarge." It was Smoke, small, mousy man that spoke. Another voice chimed in, "Yeah. We didn't mean any harm." It was Robin, an intimidating, bear of a man. Alexander threw his hands in the air. "Whatever. Just don't let it happen again."
Alexander looked at the men. Ever since these five had parachuted out of an airplane two weeks ago, he was supposed to be in charge of them, a task that he found nearly impossible. Back in the States, they were known as the Airborne Elite. They were supposed to be the best that America had to offer. Alexander had to admit, they proved proficient in a firefight, but they simply refused to follow his orders outside of battle.
"So while you guys were here playing around, I was doing a bit of scouting. I found a town about a mile north of here. The place is filled with Hitler's SS, but I talked to some of the civvies and they told me that they should be leaving tomorrow morning." He looked at his men. "There are at least a hundred of them, so we will not be trying to fight them. We'll just slip by them tomorrow, but for now, let's set up here for the night. We wake up tomorrow at sunrise." Alexander pointed at Hunter. "Everyone else can go, but I need to talk with you."
Hunter gave a silent nod, and the room began to clear out, leaving only Alexander and Hunter. Sitting down on the filth-stained bed, Alexander sighed. "What am I going to do with you guys? Here I am chin-strapped and all of you still have energy for pranks." The lanky soldier responded with a shrug. Alexander looked at him. Two weeks and he still couldn't get the man to talk. "Anyways, I needed someone trustworthy for this night shift. I want you to stay up here tonight and wake us if you see any Nazis wandering too far this way. We definitely don't want them to find us here." He stood to the bed and walked to the door. "Oh yeah, and try not to shoot anyone. You do that and the whole swarm will be on us. Dinner's in around an hour so you can come downstairs then."
Alexander went downstairs to meet with the rest of the group. "Hey Boss! We just started a poker game. Want to play a hand or two?" He smiled. "Sure Joker, why not?"
They played a few games the sun started to set, at which point they opened up a few cans of rations. After a while, Smoke stood up and said, "I'm going to go bring Hunter some grub. He hasn't eaten all day." Alexander got to his feet as well. "I might as well go too. Don't want the man to get lonely."
They walked up stairs together with a few cans of rations. They found Hunter sitting on the bed, staring intently out the window. "Hunter, my man!" Smoke said. "Me and Sarge were getting worried about you. Even you have to eat at some point." Hunter looked up gratefully at the two of them and took the food. "What are you looking for anyway? There's nothing out here."
"I asked him to take a shift tonight. He was making sure that the Nazi's didn't get too close to the house." Smoke walked up to the window and peered out into the darkness. "Well," He started. "He wasn't doing too great of a job at it. I can see a light from here."
Both Alexander and Hunter rushed towards the window. Sure enough, there was a light not too far off. "Wait a minute..." Alexander whispered.
"Uh, Sarge!" Smoke said, backing away from the window. "The light's getting closer!"
"Damn it! It's a jeep!" Alexander shouted, rushing out the door. "Guys! Pick up your guns and get ready! We might have company real soon!" Within moments, everyone was downstairs with a rifle in hand. The sound of the jeep was close now. A minute passed and the sound was at the front of the house. Suddenly there was a knock at the front door.
"Citizen!" A gruff voice called out in German. "We have been informed that there were American soldiers in the area. We are patrolling the land in search for them. Would you mind opening the door so we could have a look inside your home?"
Alexander swore under his breath. As he gestured for his unit to be silent, he replied, "Yes sir, we saw those American hooligans! They wanted to stay in our home tonight, but we refused. You see, we barely have enough food for ourselves."
The man outside snorted. "Yes well, we would still like to take a look for ourselves."
"But sir…" Alexander began to respond, before he was interrupted by a shrill cry. "Sir! Sir!" They turned towards a window where they saw a man in a navy SS uniform. "They are the Americans!"
Alexander wasn't sure exactly who shot first, but within seconds he found himself in the midst of a storm of bullets. "Get upstairs! We could hold them off from there!" One at a time, his men started to run up to the second floor. Soon enough, it was only him, Pyle, and the Nazis. Taking cover behind a wall, Alexander called out to the Private. "Pyle! Get your ass upstairs!" Reloading, Pyle looked back to him. "Y…yes sir!"
Pyle turned his back to the window and ran to the steps. But when he reached the base of the stairway, he suddenly toppled to the ground. "Pyle!" Jumping out of cover, Alexander grabbed Pyle and brought him to his feet. "Come on now! We can do this!" Dragging him to the top the stairs, Alexander handed off Pyle to Robin. "Put him on the bed. I think he's hu…"
There was a bang, and all of a sudden, Alexander's vision went white. He felt himself rolling down the stairs. There were two more bangs and then, silence. "Oh ****! Boss! Get him to the bed. The bastard shot him too! Damn it, I see another jeep outside! ****!" Blood began to rush to his ears. Alexander tried to move, but a sharp pain ran through his body. So, this is it.
Alexander felt his breathing slowing down, and the pain starting to fade away. The white he saw started to brighten. Maybe Heaven won't be so bad…
"Don't worry my brother." A soft voice whispered in his ear. "This is far from the end…" With that, everything went black.
"My dear Kappi!" Thorgrim looked up lazily from his map. "What is it Mjoll? Can't you see that I'm busy?" Mjoll nodded apologetically. "I am truly sorry, but there are two strangers here who wish to speak with you. Should I let them in? Thorgrim sighed heavily. "Do I really have a choice? Show them in." Why does everybody feel like interrupting him today?
Mjoll walked out into the hallway and seconds later returned with the two. The first was a ferocious looking man with a mighty war-axe on his back. A large, beard covered most of his face from view and his beady eyes darted back and forth about the room. The second man stood tall, his muscles bulging beneath his thick chainmail armor. He had a clean face and handsome facial figures.
The bearded man grunted. "We're away for eight ****ing years and all you can do is stare?" Thorgrim smiled and let out a hearty laugh. "It is good to see you too Eldgrim." He turned to the other. "And by Odin's Beard! Finn, you have grown! I scarcely recognized you." Finn gave him a cocky grin. "I was bored with fighting with the southern clans. When I heard that Ulrick was staging an attack on your forces, I traveled back up north with Eldgrim and our men."
"And I thank you for that my brothers." Thorgrim turned to Mjoll. "Damned woman. Don't you recognize my brothers when you see them? They don't need permission to walk the halls of the Tarn Castle! They are Kappi and warriors of Tarn, just as I am." He pointed out into the hallway. "Leave us. My brothers and I have much to discuss." Mjoll nodded and quickly left the room.
"She's never liked the two of you." Thorgrim grumbled. "When we were married two years ago, she tried to convince me to denounce you as exiles and give her brothers your positions as my Kappi." Eldgrim shook his head. "I told you to get rid of that power-hungry *****. Had you listened, her father would have his filthy ****ing fingers all over our land."
Finn nodded in agreement. "Brother, I thought that your marriage to Ulrick's daughter meant peace between we Tarns and his Dreadgull army. Why is he breaking his word now?"
Thorgrim sighed. "In all honesty, I don't know. He's had all this time to strike. He could have marched his army here when you two were busy down south or he could have had Mjoll put a dagger into my heart in the middle of the night." He shook his head. "So why he put off until now?"
Eldgrim grunted in impatience. "Well it doesn't really matter why he's attacking you. The bastard is here and we have to stop him." He started to stroke his beard. "But what are you going to do? Ulrick and his Dreadgulls should be coming from the north. Are you planning to meet the ****ers head on, away from the castle?"
"I'm not sure if that's the best idea." Thorgrim pointed at a spot on the map. "If we were to do that, our men would be trapped between the Korland Woods and the Skycutter Mountains. Ulrick definitely has more men than we do, but I'm not exactly sure how many more. We could be walking straight into an ambush."
"Brother," Finn started. "You have been in charge of the Tarn for quite some time now and it is no secret that you are very hesitant to be the first to attack." Thorgrim looked up at his brother. What he was saying was the truth. Thorgrim had always had a very cautious approach in his battles. Finn continued, "I believe that Ulrick is planning on you to stay here and defend the castle and if that's the case, we should surprise him. Allow me to take a group of my men to attack Ulrick before he gets here. If worse come to worst, we can disperse in the Korland woods and meet back here."
Thorgrim chuckled. "Am I really that predictable? Perhaps you are right. I'll ride with you and lend you my sword and some of my men for this attack." He turned to Eldgrim. "Brother, you are in charge of my men here until we return. Do as you see fit to prepare the castle for an attack."
As Finn and Thorgrim began to leave the room, Eldgrim's voice called out to them. "You just have to promise me one thing." Thorgrim looked back at his brother. "And that is?"
A smile appeared underneath Eldgrim's massive beard. "Be sure to kick Ulrick's ass for me."
•———————————————————————————————————•
"Hurry up brother!" Finn called out, stopping his horse. "You're falling behind." Thorgrim swore underneath his breath. He had never been the best rider, and usually preferred to walk the rocky terrain. But right now time was of the essence. He touched his heel to his horse's flank and it started to trot a bit faster.
"I'm not sure what to think of this." Thorgrim said, catching up with his brother. "We are nearly at the edge of the woods and we have not run into any of Ulrick's scouting parties." He frowned. Ulrick was not known to be so careless.
"Lucky for them!" Finn laughed, brandishing his sword. "I would like to see them try and report back to him with this bit of iron in their back!" Finn pointed his sword towards the woods. "My scouts said there should be a ridge over there. Ulrick and his men should be set up at the bottom of it."
Thorgrim grunted. The sooner they got this over with, the better. "All right men! Archers, I want you to stay in front of me. Shoot as soon as you have them in your sights! Everyone else, ready yourselves for a ground assault." As his men moved into position, Thorgrim eased his horse towards the edge of the ridge and looked down... and found the canyon below them completely empty.
"Sir!" One of his archers shouted. "No one is down there." Thorgrim pulled back on the reigns of his horse. "Damn it, I can see that!" He rushed over to Finn. "Brother! Which of your scouts told you that the Dreadgulls were here?"
Finn opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a shout. "Kappi!" The brothers turned to see a man galloping towards them. "Tarn Castle is under attack!" Thorgrim looked out into the distance and saw smoke rising from behind a hill.
"No." Thorgrim whispered. "No! NO! Men! To the castle! Quickly!" Ulrick must have spies among his men. But whom? Thorgrim began to ride with his brother ahead of their men. Once they reached the top of the hill, Thorgrim looked down at the field of devastation below. His Tarn warriors were completely surrounded by a sea of black Dreadgulls armor. In the midst of the chaos, Thorgrim caught a flash of Ulrick; his distinct bright red armor standing out among the crowd. The leader of the Dreadgulls sat upon a terrifying black stallion, slashing through his men like a hot knife through butter.
"Brother!" Finn shouted over the sounds of battle. "We have to get down there and try to stop him. I think I saw Eldgrim down there. He was gutting some of Ulrick's dogs." Thorgrim hopped off of his horse, readying his sword and shield. "All right brother. I'm ready when you are."
Thorgrim ran down the hill, yelling in frustration. No one attacks my home. A Dreadgull turned towards them and tried to take a stab at Thorgrim, but was too slow. A counter-stroke caught the man in the neck, nearly decapitating him. Thorgrim turned his attention towards a group of his men. They were having trouble with about a dozen Dreadgulls. He rushed towards them and stuck his sword through the back of a Dreadgull. Ripping it out, he and Finn swept through the Dreadgulls; parrying a stab here, taking a slash there and continued until the Tarn were safe from harm. Without taking a breath, Thorgrim began to engage the next group of Dreadgulls.
"Brother!" He shouted, blocking a blow. "We have to get to Ulrick! Once we kill him, his men should retreat." Finn finished cutting a Dreadgull nearly in two, and turned to his brother. "Come on then!" He grunted. "This should be fun."
Thorgrim looked around the field, peering over a group of Dreadgulls. His eyes widened in anger as he caught a glimpse of Ulrick's stony face. "Over there!"
And so they began to work their way towards Ulrick, their enemies scattering at the sight of the two brothers. "Ulrick!" Thorgrim shouted. The Dreadgull leader turned his head towards him.
"So if it isn't my son-in-law!" Ulrick cackled, his white hair flowing in the wind. "I don't suppose you would surrender now would you? I might even let some of your men live!" Thorgrim lifted his sword "Never Dread-Knight!"
Ulrick shrugged. "Fine by me. No one can say that I wasn't trying to be merciful. Take them." Thorgrim felt himself toppling to the ground, his sword flying from his hand. When he got to his feet, he looked around. The Dreadgulls had formed a circle around not only him, but many of his men, each of them weaponless. "Eldgrim?" He whispered, looking at his bearded brother. "They have you too?" Eldgrim nodded. "I killed a bunch of those sorry ****s, but they eventually ripped my axe away from me."
"How touching." Ulrick mocked. "A great big family reunion." He laughed. "I couldn't have done this without you all. Finn! You're men we're too easily bought! One would think that honor was worth more than gold to you Tarns but I guess I was wrong." The Dread-Knight cocked his head. "Perhaps I will start with you Eldgrim. You never really had any use." Two Dreadgulls grabbed Eldgrim and dragged him over their leader. Ulrick grabbed the top of Eldgrim's head, pulling it back revealing the soft of his neck. Unsheathing a jeweled dagger, he put the end of their blade to their brother's throat. "Any last words?" The wind began to pick up, blowing Thorgrim's hair in front of his face.
"Hey." Finn and Thorgrim looked to their brother. "Don't worry. Perhaps one day, we will meet again in Valhalla." Thorgrim nodded, squinting in the white sunlight. "One day."
Ulrick laughed maniacally, "Don't worry. It won't be too long before you'll see each other again!" Thorgrim looked at the Dread-Knight, but found it hard to keep his eyes open. The suns beams seemed to be getting stronger, and in seconds Thorgrim only saw white, the noise around him dying down.
"Fellow warrior." A soft voice seemed to whisper in Thorgrim's ear, but it was not one that he recognized. "Who are you?" Thorgrim called out, shielding his eyes from the light.
"There is no time to explain," The voice said in a hushed tone. "I can save you, but you have to trust me. I have slowed down time so that you can tell me what you want to do but you must hurry. I can protect you and and maybe four or five of your men from the current danger." Am I imagining this?
"Can you save my brother Eldgrim?" Thorgrim whispered. It was getting harder to breath and he felt his strength fading. "I'm not sure." The voice said apologetically. "The men I save will be transported to Valhalla, but I cannot choose exactly who goes. All I can promise is that a few of the men whom are physically closest to you will be saved. Now you must hurry and decide!"
"What's... in it for you?" The words barely came out of Thorgrim's mouth. "You and your men will fight for me in Valhalla against the evil that plagues our land."
Thorgrim wasn't sure if he could trust this voice, but if it meant saving his men's lives, he would be willing to fight. "Fine... but... who are... you..." Thorgrim wasn't sure if he could speak another word.
"You have made the right choice. I am the Archkyrie Jandar." When the last word was spoken, the light started to fade, leaving Thorgrim in darkness.
First Encounters: The Archer
Spoiler Alert!
First Encounters: The Archer
“So the Queen finally wants to see me, huh?” Syvarris laughed. He always knew that she would take notice of his talents sooner or later. “She should have called for me earlier! You know, before I had my fill of ale.” He gave the soldier a wide grin. “So where is Her highness now? Waiting for me in her throne room, I suspect.”
Unimpressed, the soldier shook his head. “Waiting for you?” He snorted, “When the dead rise from their graves!”
Syvarris lifted a long, skinny finger. “Actually…”
The soldier shoved a piece of parchment into his hands. “You can go and bother someone else. My job is done.” With that, the soldier abruptly turned and left the tavern.
“What? No goodbye kiss?” Syvarris muttered, examining the parchment. “My my, what do we have here?” He swiftly unraveled it and started to read it to himself. When he finished, he put the parchment down and began to rub his large, almond eyes. “Now that could be a problem.”
Paying the bartender, Syvarris grabbed his wooden bow and walked to the door. He looked out, admiring the beauty of the forest around him. Myriads of trees stood, towering above him on all sides, their vibrant green leaves blocking those on the ground from the sun’s powerful rays. Bridges swung high in the air, connecting the treetops together turning the forest into a bustling city. It was a thing of beauty.
Syvarris rushed over to a pool of water in a nearby tree root. There was nothing like fresh water to get a guy sober. Kneeling down for a drink, Syvarris looked at his reflection in the shallow pool. He looked like nothing spectacular, as a matter a fact, he was quite plain. His pale skin was caked with bits of dirt and dry mud, and his clothing was a complete mess. Two delicate, pointed ears peaked out from his flowing brown hair. Syvarris smirked. He was not the average run-of-the-mill elf, even if he looked like it. He was…
“I’m guessing that you’re supposed to be the replacement.” Syvarris spun around and found himself looking up at three armored elves. Each wore an elegant green cloak, and carried a bone-colour bow on their backs. “You don’t look so special.”
Syvarris stood up from the dirt. “Funny. I could say the same about you three.”
The tallest of the three glared at him. “Do you know who we are?”
“A bunch of fools? Who else would be dressed in such thick clothing in this weather?”
The tall elf’s nose flared. “How dare you speak to us that way?” He turned to his two companions. “Look at this. The elf wins a few tournaments and he thinks that he can speak down to the Aubrien Archers.”
Syvarris’ eyes widened with feigned surprise. “Oh my lords I didn’t realize that it was you!” He bowed mockingly. “I also didn’t realize that the Aubrien Archer accepted any three misfits with a bow!”
The tall elf raised his fist at Syvarris. “Why you little…”
“Aesar!” A voice shouted. One of the Archers stepped forward. She was a smallish elf with hair the colour of the sun, “You shame us with your actions. We do not strike our comrades.”
Aesar shrunk back. “Pardon me Vanya. I went too far.”
Shaking her head, Vanya turned to Syvarris. “You must be quite bold to speak to us that way.” She shrugged. “Or suicidally stupid. Either way, I would avoid doing it again.” She cast a sideways glance at Aesar. “Your new friend here isn’t exactly known for his kindness.”
Syvarris chuckled. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. That is, as long as he remembers that I am the best archer Feylund has ever seen.” He pointed at the last cloaked elf. “Now what’s her story?”
Vanya smiled. “Her name is Hantale. She doesn’t talk too much… Actually, she doesn’t talk at all. She was born mute.” Vanya cocked her head. “Don’t let that fool you. She is one of the fiercest fighters that I have ever seen, and a loyal friend.”
Aesar spoke up. “Now that introductions are out the way, can we get this over with?”
Vanya sighed. “Patience Aesar. I was just about to get to that.” She turned to Syvarris. “I assume that you already know why we are here?”
He nodded. And pulled the parchment from his tunic. “I received this note from the Queen not ten minutes ago. So tell me. Is it true? Are we really hunting…”
“Werewolves.” Vanya sighed. “Anubian Wolves to be exact. Our scouts have spotted a group of around ten of them at the very outskirts of the city.” She shook her head. “Our treaty with the werewolves doesn’t allow us to attack as long as they stay outside of the borders. They’ve been in the same place for a few days now. Normally we would have to just deal with them staying there…”
“What changed?”
Vanya gave him a scowl. “Maybe you need to learn a bit a bit of patience too. What changed is that now they have a Darklord with them”
“They have a what? Oh damn. That was not good at all.
“Khosumet the Darklord, the werewolf leader is with them.” Vanya looked into the sky. “The bad news? The most fearsome, bloodthirsty werewolf of all time is right outside the city. The good news? We can legally attack them without breaking our treaty with the werewolves.”
“To hell with the treaty!” Syvarris threw his hands up in the air. “Werewolves and elves have never been friends! Nothing good can come of werewolves right outside the capital city! What, did you expect them to stop by and say hello?”
“I wouldn’t expect a commoner to understand the subtleties of politics” Aesar scoffed. “No matter what you think, you’ll never be as great as trained warriors like us.”
“Is that so?” Syvarris fumed, readying his bow. “How would you like to back up those words with actions?”
“Oh will you two stop it!” Vanya looked furious. “Or were you going to pull down your pants and compare the size of your…”
“Okay! Okay! You’re right. We should be worried about the werewolves right now.” Syvarris shook his head. “But can you explain to me why we are the only ones going out to fight them? Shouldn’t the Queen’s Army be doing something about this?”
Vanya chuckled. “Have you ever seen what a werewolf can do to an elf in close quarters combat? No, they would rip through our soldiers like a knife through butter. We need to catch them off guard. There is one more Aubrien Squad already scouting the area.. The only reason that we need you to help us is because Faendal is injured.” She gave Syvarris a curious look. And rumor has it that the Queen had a vision of you into his fight. You were supposed to lead us to victory.”
“Not bloody likely.” Aesar mumbled. “If anyone is getting glory, it’s going to be me.”
Vanya shot him an annoyed glance. “If you have nothing helpful to say, would you kindly shut your mouth?” She turned back to Syvarris. “Though you don’t seem to be a great hero, the Queen trusts you and that’s enough for me. Which brings me to my next point. The Queen wants you to have a gift.”
Hantale stepped forward and held out a jungle green longbow. Syvarris set his own bow aside and gingerly took the new one from her. The bow was surprisingly light for its size and felt perfect in his hands, almost like the bow was made especially for him.
“It’s beautiful.” He grinned. What could be better than a brand new, kickass bow against the werewolves? “But don’t I need arrows too?”
“You have no idea what you’re holding do you?” Vanya sighed. “That is the legendary Bow of Ullar.”
Syvarris gave her a blank stare. “And… who is Ullar?”
“I honestly don’t have time to give you a history lesson!” Vanya exclaimed. “The short answer is that Ullar is one of the great Archkyrie in Valhalla. That bow once belonged to him, and to answer your question, no the bow does not need arrows! The bow is magical. Pull on the string if you need a demonstration.”
Shrugging, Syvarris gave a tug on the bowstring. Almost suddenly, a shimmering green light formed between the bowstring and the grip. Syvarris blinked. The light had shaped itself into a solid arrow.
“Wow.” Syvarris said with a grin. “A bow worthy of my skills!” He aimed the bow into the trees and loosed the arrow, sending it flying into the leaves. A second later, a sparrow fell from the branches, right at Aesar’s feet… skewered on the arrow.
Aesar smirked. “So you use one of the greatest weapons in Feylund to kill a defenseless bird. You are certainly a mighty warrior!”
Ignoring him, Syvarris turned to Vanya. “How about we go hunt some werewolves.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Taking a deep breath, Syvarris held tightly onto his tree branch, “Why don’t you attack from a tree Syv? You’ll be much safer.” He shook his head. “Damn you Aesar.” He whispered to himself, looking down at the forest floor. “This is not my idea of safe!”
When this was all over, he would have to have a little chat with Aesar. That stuck-up elf was trying to get him killed! He leaned back against the tree trunk and took another breath. Now all he had to do was wait.
After a few minutes Syvarris started to get bored. “I hope you guys didn’t kill all of them already.” Syvarris mumbled, playing with the rope that he had attached to himself and the tree trunk. “That wouldn’t be very much fun for me now would it?” He pulled on the rope, making sure it was secure. Waiting for the signal was boring, but falling from the trees was not Syvarris’ idea od a swell time.
“Wait a second!” Syvarris looked back down at the ground. He was at least a hundred feet from the forest floor. “Exactly how a I going to get down from here?” Oh well. Just another problem he had to deal with today.
“Well Syv. You got yourself into this, so you can get yo…”
Cacaw! Cacaw!
“That’s my signal.” He grabbed the Bow of Ullar from his back and readied it. Swinging his legs to one side of the branch, he begun searching for his targets below.
“There we go.” Syvarris spotted movement over to his right. A naked, elvinoid figure walked out of the shrubbery and sniffed around. The creature was completely covered in a thick brown fur and had long, sharp claws where an elf’s fingers and toes would have been. Instead of a mouth and nose, there was a large snout. But the most unnerving thing about the creature was its eyes. They seemed to glow a bright crimson. The colour of blood. The very thought gave Syvarris shivers.
“Well if I had to take a wild guess,” Syvarris whispered, pulling on the bowstring, conjuring an arrow. “I would say that thing is a werewolf.”
The werewolf sniffed the air around it some a bit more and slowly began making its way to Syvarris’ tree. “Sorry wolf,” He whispered, carefully aiming the arrow for the wolf’s throat. “I’m not interested in being puppy-chow.”
The arrow flew from the bow, whistling in the air. At the last moment, the werewolf looked in the direction of the arrow, almost like it sensed the danger. But by then, it was too late. The light arrow, pierced the wolf’s neck and it immediately dropped to the ground, clutching the wound. It whimpered a few times, in what seemed like an attempt to call for help. Syvarris grinned, That’s why he aimed for the neck. A quick and silent kill. Those years of hunting sure did pay off..
He didn’t take his eyes off the wolf until it stopped twitching. “Syvarris; The World’s Greatest Archer is now the Slayer of Wolves! Haha!”
Aroooooooooo!!!
“Huh.” Syvarris turned around. “That’s not a signal we discussed. He peered out into the distance. “Uh oh.”Three more werewolves stood some distance away from the tree, growling. “Maybe they don’t see…”
The werewolves started sprinting towards the tree barking loudly. “Of course they see me!” Syvarris muttered, firing two arrows their way. They slammed into the chest of one wolf, sending in crashing to the ground. Unflinching, the other two wolves kept running to his tree until they reached the base of the trunk.
“Haha!” Syvarris shouted. “What are you going to do now? Puppies can’t climb Now why don’t you take a few steps…”
One of the werewolves stabbed its claws into the tree trunk. It began to lift itself, continually putting its claws into the bark above it. The second wolf moved to the other side of the tree and followed suit.
“Really? Aesar has quite a bit of explaining to do.” Syvarris readied another arrow and aimed for one of the wolves. Finding a target, he fired at one of its arms. The wolf howled in pain as the arrow shot through its elbow, sending the wolf toppling to the ground. The wolf’s head smacked against a group of rocks when it landed, opening its skull.
“One more.” Syvarris looked around the tree. The werewolf was nowhere in sight. “Maybe it got scared and ran…”
A sharp pain shot through his leg. Looking down, Syvarris saw a clawed hand wrapped around his calf. “I really have to learn when to keep my mouth shut!” The werewolf was behind his branch, just out of site. Syvarris readied another arrow, but instead of aiming for the beast, he grabbed the arrow with his free hand. He stabbed the clawed hand over and over until it finally released its hold. Turning to his left, Syvarris noticed the wolf trying to inch its way towards him.
“Not today pal!” Syvarris slammed the arrow into the wolf’s snout and pushed it off the tree to join the other corpses.
“Well that was easier than I thought it would be.” Syvarris sat back against the tree and closed his eyes. Time to wait again.
“Hey!” Syvarris’ eyes shot open. Couldn’t those guys give him one minute of rest?
He looked down from his branch to see Vanya, Aesar and Hantale waving up at him. “Well you guys were a lot of help!”
“Did you kill them?” Vanya gestured at the broken bodies around them.
“You tell me.” Syvarris called out. “Do you know anyone else with a bow that shoots glowing green arrows?”
Vanya looked as if she were about to say something, but Aesar beat her to it. “How?”
Syvarris chuckled. “I’m sure even a dimwit like you can figure it out Aesar! You knock an arrow and then shoot.”
Vanya shook her head. “So far we’ve only been able to kill three wolves, and the other squad killed two. And That’s not mentioning the fact that we all worked together for each of the kills. Our arrows just bounce off of their pelts, so we’ve only been able to hit them in their eyes. So tell us, how did you kill these four?”
Syvarris shrugged. “Why don’t you tell me? You’re the ones who gave me the magic bow!”
Aroooooooooo!!!
“We can talk later!” Syvarris shouted. “For now, get ready for some company!”
“Two werewolves stepped out of the tall grass. The first looked like the rest of them, but the other was something completely different. Though it had similar features, it stood taller than any of the previous werewolves did. In one hand, the beast carried a white shield, and in the other, it carried a large curved sword, a khopesh. On its waist, it wore a simple cloth garb, and around its neck, wore a beautiful necklace, made of sharp red and blue stones.
“Syv! Shoot him! It’s Khosumet!” Without hesitation, Syvarris sent three arrows his way. The first was blocked by the shield while the others were cut in half by the Darklord’s sword. “Now that’s interesting…”
Khosumet casually trotted over to Syvarris’ tree, while the Aubrien Archers took on the other wolf. Syvarris let loose a rain of arrows, not stopping his assault, but the Darklord simply blocked the arrows or cut them out of the air. Eventually, the Darklord missed a swing, and the arrow flew into his chest.
Khosumet looked down at the arrow and pulled it out of his body, snapping it half as if it were nothing more than a minor annoyance. “Oh, you have got to be kidding me!” Syvarris shouted, firing more arrows.
He quickly glanced over to his allies to make sure they were okay. They seemed to be doing fine though it was obvious they had little luck aiming for the wolf’s eyes. Even so, it seemed to be slowing down and each swing of its claw took a bit longer than the last.
Returning his attention to Khosumet, Syvarris realized that the Darklord was at the base of the tree. “You can’t climb with all that stuff!” He shouted. “Why don’t you. Put your shield down so I can get a clear shot at your head!”
The Darklord took a few strides back and bent down, looking at Syvarris the whole time. His eyes widened as he realized what Khosumet was planning to do. “Oh damn.”
Khosumet jumped in the air with such speed that Syvarris had no time to react. When he landed on Syvarris’ branch the entire tree shook from the impact. “Oh damn. Oh damn!” Syvarris looked from the Darklord to the ground. “You can’t physically do that! Do you realize how high up we are?” Khosumet snarled in reply. “You know, you should really put that sword down before someone gets hurt.”
Balancing on the branch, Khosumet took a small step towards him. “And you know, you should really consider sports. You seem fit, and that’s a good, safe career!” Taking another step, Khosumet brought his snout to Syvarris’ head and sniffed.
“You know, you’re probably hungry. I don’t taste very good. On the other hand, my friend Aesar…” The Darklord roared in his face, and smacked the bow from his hands sending it flying to the ground. The beast let out a rough barking sound and took a step back. Was he… laughing?
“I like you elf.” Khosumet chuckled. His voice was very deep and gruff sounding. The words came out in small barks. “I would have kept you as a pet,” Khosumet looked at his chest, where Syvarris shot him with the arrow. “But you dared to wound royal flesh! For that, you die!”
Khosumet put the edge of the khopesh to his throat. “Any last words elf?” Khosumet snarled.
“Yes. Three actually…” Syvarris looked the Darklord in his terrible eyes. “Go to hell!” Syvarris spat into Khosumet’s eyes and kicked him in the stomach, almost knocking him off the tree. Enraged, the Darklord swung his sword at Syvarris. Right as the sword was about to hit him, a flash of green light burst in Syvarris’ face.
Syvarris closed his eyes and yet the green was still there. Was this death? Slowly, he opened his eyes. He was no longer in the forest tied to a tree. As a matter a fact, he wasn’t sure where he was. The green light surrounded him on all sides and he seemed to be suspended in midair. In front of him, the Bow of Ullar floated in place, pulsing softly.
“Didn’t I lose you?” Syvarris asked the weapon, grabbing it. As soon as he touched the bow, a soft voice whispered in his ear.
“I must admit. That show of yours was awfully entertaining.” Syvarris looked around. “Who are you?”
The voice chuckled. “I guess I owe you an explanation. I am Ullar and I just saved your life”
“Ullar” Syvarris asked. “Aren’t you in Valhalla? How did you save my life? And what in the world is going on here?”
“It is true that I am in Valhalla. And what I did was pull you out of space and time. I pulled you out of Feylund right as Khosumet was about to cut you down.”
“You pulled me out of… Whatever.” That was not something he had to be thinking about right now. “Where is Khosumet now? And my pals, the Aubrien Archers? Are they safe?”
Ullar chuckled. “Questions, questions. Khosumet is either still in Feylund or with Utgar, another Archkyrie. No matter the answer, your friends are safe for now. They are with me in Valhalla. We already spoke.”
“All right then, Why did you save me? I’m pretty sure Khosumet has killed people in the past. If you can do… whatever you did to me and my paals, why don’t you just save everyone from death?”
Straight to the point. I like that.” Ullar made a humming sound. “Do you believe that it was chance that you were selected for this mission? Truth be told, although you may be the greatest archer in recorded history, you were still relatively unknown when I saved.”
“What are you saying? What do you mean by history?” By the Queen, this was confusing.
“Time had no meaning anymore. Don’t try to think about it too hard though. The concept still confuses me at times. What I did was pull you out of your time period and placed you in mine.” Ullar groaned. “I might need to have Jandar explain it to you. He always understood it better than I did.”
“Jandar?” Oh great, another name he didn’t know.
“I said don’t worry about. Back to what I was saying. It’s no coincidence that you were given my bow to fight the wolves. It was I who sent the Queen those visions of you. It was I who told her to give you my bow, and it was I who saved you.”
“That’s all very nice.” Syvarris interrupted impatiently. “But why did you do all of this.”
Ullar sighed, “There is a great war on the horizon. I have need of your skills in the days to come. I have been recruiting the bravest warriors, the best leaders, and of course the finest archers history has ever seen. Will you join me?”
Syvarris smiled. “Well when you put it that way, how could I refuse?”
“That’s the spirit.” Ullar chuckled. Now do me a favor and let go of the bow, so I can transport you here to Valhalla.”
Releasing the bow, Syvarris suddenly felt light-headed. “Hey Ullar. I don’t feel so…” And with that, Syvarris passed out.
Last edited by RealistWriter; August 8th, 2012 at 11:52 AM.
Reason: Minor changes to the story.
EDIT: An explanation. I do not have a Deviant Arts account, and I am not going to make one. I am sure many of us would love to read your works, but do not have a Deviant, you will draw more attention and responses if you do not link to an external site. Regardless, I do think you should continue.
Thanks Bothi. Quick question. How active is this community? I have my first fanfic out (as you can probably tell by my link) and I wanted to know if this was the best place besides deviantART to post the next parts of it.
This site is very active. As Bothi said, this is THE site for Heroscape.
Now, I will say however, that our Fan Fic is not the strongest in terms of numbers. (Which is why no one has really looked at your writing yet.) But I will get this mentioned to the Week@Heroscapers to see if I cannot help you get some attention for this thread.
I would also suggest that you tranpose your story introduction to your first post so that others can read it here too without following the link. That way they can either follow the link or read it here. Also, you will be able to type the story at DeviantArt and then copy it over here.
EDIT: Looks like you are already going to do it anyway.
July 6th, 2012, 09:00 PM
First Encounters: A Heroscape Fanfic
Looks like you are already going to do it anyway.
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