This enraged Brolim even further; the other dwarves were laughing at him, and then he saw her.
Ludmilla. He walked up to her and grabbed her by the arm.
“Is this your champion? He doesn’t even have a wife, nor could he get one if he wanted.”
He ripped Ludmilla’s dress with his hands, leaving her naked for everyone to see.
Ludmilla was so embarrassed she could not even open her eyes.
Stundroff grabbed the table so hard he left his finger marks on the wood.
“What happened, little brother?” Brolim asked. “Isn’t this the girl you like? Why don’t you come and save her, Stumpy?” He roughly grabbed one of her breasts.
Stundroff exploded in rage.
He broke the table in front of him with a single swing of his arm and began to change.
His eyes turned red like blood and he began to grow in size. His muscles tripled in mass, and even the ground beneath him seemed to suffer from his new weight.
“I said... My name… is STUNDROFF! And you will leave her alone.” He jumped towards his brother.
But Brolim was prepared for this.
He threw Ludmilla out of the way and took out his Bronium shield to block his brother’s punch, in hopes it would break his hand and leave him defenseless.
But Stundroff’s punch was so strong it bent Brolim’s shield and sent him flying across the tavern. Stundroff jumped after him.
In despair Brolim raised his shield, as it was the only thing that could save him from Stundroff’s incredible punches. Yet for all his rage and strength, a small piece of Stundroff knew that it was his own brother who he was punching.
And that just one of those punches could take his life, so he kept punching the shield sending his brother flying out of the tavern and rolling all over the city.
Brolim’s only response was to raise his shield only to be punched again by Stundroff and be sent flying away.
That kept going until they reached the quarry.
Brolim raised his shield one last time and Stundroff punched it so hard, it broke in half.
Stundroff managed to stop his fist less than an inch away from his brother’s face, saving his life in the process.
The now broken, exhausted and defeated Brolim kneeled in front of his little brother.
“Please little brother, spare my life and let’s go home. I promise I’ll apologize for what I did in front of everyone and I will never mess with you again.”
“There is no need for that,” replied Stundroff. “I am done with you, with the dwarves and with these caves.”
And taking a few steps to the edge, he looked down.
“Goodbye brother.”
At the bottom, he jumped into the hole, and collapsed the walls behind him, sealing himself off.
He stumbled through the dark cave for what seemed like days – there was no light to be found this time.
In his desperation, he placed his hand against a wall of solid rock, crushing it as he closed his hand.
That’s when he realized that he didn’t need to find the exit; he would make one.
And so he started to dig through solid rock with his bare hands as if the rock was no more than sand. He was no longer sure what direction he was headed so he aimed upwards.
It took him days of digging and as he became hungry, his strength diminished. But when he was about to give up, he felt something cold on his hand; it was a white powder that turned into water on his hands. He began digging faster and then he saw a brilliant white light that blinded him at first, but for the first time in his life he felt the pure mountain breeze on his face.
He then knew there was no going back to his old life, his family, his friends or even Ludmilla. It didn’t matter.
Because for the first time in his life, he was free.
Chapter 2
The Elf
For months the Elves drifted from one place to another, after they abandoned their beloved city of Cylarias, hiding from both men and Orcs.
This was no way of living, for the high and mighty Elves.
So they decided to go farther south than anyone had ever gone before.
They passed Nel Badhur and the mountain chain behind it in a long and treacherous journey, until they reached what was known as the Great Wasteland Beyond, a huge desert that spread endlessly ahead.
They walked until they could no longer see the mountain chain behind them. It was there they would build their new city.
It took months for the Elf High Council to prepare the terrain, since they were the only ones who could still use nature magic. But eventually they turned the sand into a place where you could grow plants and food. And around this new oasis, the new Elf city of Alagossa was constructed.
Named after their now deceased queen, this new city was bigger and more beautiful than Cylarias.
In the center was a memorial to the fallen Elves lost during the war - the biggest of the statues was of Queen Alagossa herself, a beautiful piece of art that managed to capture her beauty and grace, for there had never been a more beautiful female, since it was known her beauty could make any male regardless of its race fall in love with her at first sight. And next to this memorial were the training grounds, where the Elf army would train every day for the next two thousand years.
It is in these training grounds that our story continues.
Licius, the once High General of the Royal Elf Army, had spent two thousand years training the troops.
Day in and day out he trained them, in hopes that one day the high Elf council would decide to reclaim the world that was once theirs.
But as the years went by, Licius’ spirit began to fade. Two thousand years had passed and he was now convinced that the entire Elf race would spend their entire lives inside the walls of their new city. And since it was impossible for an Elf to die of old age, this would mean for eternity.
Licius, once proud and brave, was in a deep depression - his only motivation was to fulfill his duty as trainer, for his honor demanded it.
One morning, as the soldiers ran laps around the training grounds. Rallec, the new High General of the Royal Army, approached Licius.
“Hello, old friend.”
“Oh, you surprised me.”
“Well… it seems age is finally catching up with you,” Rallec replied, “for there was no way to catch you with your guard down during the years I was under your command. Or is there something else troubling you?”
“To be honest, there is.”
“Well then, tell me; you know you can trust me with anything.”
Rallec was Licius’ first and greatest student, and the only one who could best him in battle, for Rallec had the uncanny ability to duplicate any fighting technique or style just by seeing it once. And he was the only elf in history who had defeated Licius in Bagrada, a sacred hand to hand combat ritual where no armor or weapons were allowed.
After the countless battles they faced together, their friendship grew into what could be considered family. And since they were both seven feet tall with dark hair and perfect facial features, most Elves would often joke that they were actually brothers, even when this was not true. In fact the only thing that told them apart was the scar over Rallec’s left eye, a scar he acquired while jumping in front of a blade to save Licius’s life in a battle.
“Well, I am waiting Licius, or is it your intention to make me die of old age waiting for your answer.”
“Oh! It’s just that I’m frustrated.”
“About what?”
“Well… about everything. I know you firmly believe in every word the high council says, but it has been two thousand years since we abandoned Cylarias and since the Humans took the life of our queen and yet there has been no attempt at retribution. We’ve secluded ourselves inside the walls of this new city in the middle of nowhere, and for two thousand years I have trained an army that won’t see another fight.”
He lowered his eyes.
“I can’t do this an
ymore; there has to be something more than this. And if the high council won’t send the army, then I feel that maybe is my duty to go alone and avenge her.”
“And how exactly do you plan to avenge her? Every Human that was involved in Queen Alagossa’s death, is surely dead by now. And even if you tried to track down their descendants in a selfish act of vengeance, there is no way you could make it alone in a world full of Orcs. So calm down, my brother, and rest assured that all Humans are most likely dead by now and only Orcs roam the earth.”
“Well, then I will go to the outside world and kill every last Orc. I will kill them all and claim the world back for the Elves and if I die in battle then so be it. Nothing can be worse than spending an eternity inside these walls waiting for a death that will never come.”
“Now you’re being foolish. I don’t care if you have a death wish, my friend, but what I do know is that I will never will I let you disobey an order from the high council. I am the high general of this army and it is my responsibility to maintain order and peace. And I will not let my first act of insubordination be perpetrated by you, so calm down and think twice. Because you are no more than a few words away from being discharged, so unless you are planning to spend the rest of your eternity in an even smaller cell I suggest you calm down.”
“You’re right, my friend,” Licius replied. “I’m not sure what got into me; let me finish here and I’ll see you for dinner tonight.”
Rallec nodded.
But as he walked away, Licius’ mind was consumed with the feeling that there was more to this whole thing; he’d never believed Bellestis about what had happened that night. And after two thousand years, he was ready to confront him.
Even if it would cost him his life.
Of course there was no way the guards at the chambers would let him pass and he could not simply storm in and fight his way through. And even if he could, it would mean the loss of innocent Elf lives, which was a risk Licius was simply not willing to take.
So, he decided to sneak in by climbing the walls.
To that end he dressed in dark clothing and waited for the cover of night.
Licius knew how to be quiet. But climbing those walls without being detected was difficult; the nearest window was twenty feet high, and not even the graceful Licius could jump that high. This meant he would need to use a rope and a hook – and would have to make sure he wasn’t seen.
He waited until the guards changed shift and then, knowing he only had a few seconds, he ran straight into the wall and managed to run five steps up the wall before jumping and throwing his hook.
The hook landed in the windowsill on the first try and he managed to climb all the way up to the window without anyone noticing.
Once inside, he began to search for Bellestis’ private chamber.
Quietly and slowly Licius, avoiding every guard patrol, worked his way onto the fifth floor of the tower, were he found the high council’s private chambers.
Once there, the Supreme Chancellor’s own chambers were easy to spot, since the pretentious Bellestis had his sigil made of gold engraved into the doors of his chambers.
But the two guards at the door presented a problem.
Conflict was inevitable and Licius knew it, but there was no way he was going to turn back now. He thought about what to do for a few seconds, before casually walking towards the doors.
“Master Licius, what are you doing here?” One of the guards asked.
“I have an important message for the Supreme Chancellor; it is of the utmost importance you let me see him.”
But the guards were no fools; they knew this wasn’t protocol. Only they could disturb the Supreme Chancellor and the order had to come from High General Rallec himself.
So they ordered Licius to stop, but in those few seconds he’d got close enough to strike. And in one swift movement he punched the right guard on the face with his left hand and using his right leg blocked the hand of the left guard as he tried to unsheathe his sword, then twisting his body in the air he kicked the left guard in the face, miraculously landing and catching both guards before they hit the floor.
He placed them quietly on the floor and entered the chambers.
Once inside, Licius prepared himself to immobilize the Supreme Chancellor before he could raise an alarm, but to his surprise the giant elegant room was empty and Bellestis was no were to be found.
Now a sense of fear entered Licius’ mind, as he had wasted his one chance to confront Bellestis. After this it would probably be straight to a cell for him, to spend the rest of eternity in a dungeon.
“No! There is no way, I will let that happen.” Licius thought. “I am going to have to leave the city and venture into the outside world. And I can’t believe I won’t be able to confront Bellestis.”
The idea of passing eternity with that regret made him hesitate for just an instant. He lowered his eyes and noticed some marks on the floor, close to the wall. Could it be a secret passage? And if so, how could he open it? Licius wondered. He moved closer and inspected the wall, terrified that a patrol would pass by and see the guards outside on the floor. He slammed his fist against the wall in frustration, only to notice that it moved. Could it be so simple? No secret lever or magic password?
He pushed against the wall and opened the way to a secret stairwell that seemed to go down quite a long way.
Nervous about what awaited down stairs, but with no time left to lose, Licius rushed down the stairs and as he made it to the bottom he entered a small dark room in which was nothing but a pedestal with a golden metal cube on top of it. He hesitated, but before he could move he saw the Supreme Chancellor moving out of the shadows, towards the cube, talking to himself.
“For over two thousand years you have resisted me. I found you, I brought you here! Yet you resist me and deny the power that is rightfully mine.”
The Supreme Chancellor raised his hands and from them dark lightning struck the cube. Licius could not believe what he was seeing, as he had never seen this kind of magic before. Convinced that the source of this magic was evil in nature he decided to act.
Licius unsheathed his sword and, as he pointed it towards Bellestis, he said in a loud voice,
“Stop, you monster. I knew there had to be something more to what happened that night.”
Bellestis seemed surprised at first, but then he smiled.
“But if it isn’t Licius, the straight arrow that never lost his way. I thought your demotion to the royal army barracks would have been enough to discourage you, but it seems not even two thousand years of servitude can erase that self-righteous sense of justice you possess.”
“Nothing will erase my sense of justice and nothing will stop me from taking you down.”
“Oh, Licius, you shouldn’t have come here, but no matter. I will simply have to correct an error I made so long ago.” Bellestis raised his hands in the air.
And before Licius could say another word, bolts of lightning flew towards him from Bellestis‘s hands.
Licius managed to dodge the lightning attack, which cracked and burnt the granite wall behind him. Licius knew in that moment that if only one of those bolts reached him it would mean the end of him.
He looked around in desperation for something to defend himself or for some way to escape. But there was nothing.
Licius had to come up with something fast, so in desperation Licius started to run around the room as fast as he could.
It was then when he thought of something, despite the small space he started to run faster and faster and using his great speed he managed to run up the wall and into the ceiling of the room, for what it seemed a strike from above.
But the Supreme Chancellor was ready; pointing his hands upwards he sent a bolt of lightning straight towards Licius. Licius dodged, and the bolt of lightning hit the ceiling, cracking it and sending debris down on top of Bellestis.
Bellestis opened his arms and let out a scream followed by an explosion of energy that spr
ead through the room, sending Licius flying straight into the pedestal, the metallic cube falling into his lap. The Supreme Chancellor sent a bolt of lightning that would kill Licius once and for all. But before it could reach Licius, a brilliant white light emanating from the cube enveloped the room and the lightning bolt was deflected.
Licius had no idea what was going on, but the Supreme Chancellor did. And as Bellestis screamed “No!” in frustration, the cube began to transform and surround Licius’s body, protecting it.
By the time the light faded, Licius was standing up, but he was no longer dressed in his dark clothes. Instead he was wearing a full body suit made of the golden metal from the cube.
He couldn’t believe it; the armor was weightless and fitted his skin like a glove. With nothing more than two compartments over the top of his forearms and another at the top of his back, the armor covered his entire body including his mouth, nose and eyes, but to Licius surprise, he was able to see and breath perfectly.
“No!” Bellestis screamed in frustration again. “Why him? How could you choose him over me?”
“What is going on?”
A deep silence followed Licius’s question, then Bellestis replied,
“What you are wearing, you fool, is the cloth of Drigalis, a magic armor made of solid Bronium that I recovered from a cave in the mountains near Nel Badhur many years ago. I spent ages trying to get it to accept me as its owner, yet for all my efforts, the armor rejected me every time I tried to wear it.
“It has endless potential and I wanted it to protect me, so I could finally wield the stone, but as a cruel joke the armor has chosen you as its rightful owner. But this no longer matters. Because if I can’t have it, I will make sure no one does.”
Bellestis attacked Licius with another bolt of lightning, and even when Licius could have easily avoided it, he took the shot and simply deflected it, as if something in the back of his mind had told him he could do that.
The next one he chose to avoid, noticing that he had lost no speed or agility by wearing this armor. He then looked at his right hand and a solid Bronium sword, one of the Claws of Drigalis, emerged from the compartment that rested on top his forearm.
Scorched Kingdom Page 3