The Staff of Kyade

by James L. Craig

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Book Details

  Dedication

  The Staff of Kyade

  About the Author

  The Staff of Kyade

  James L. Craig

  The Bestiary

  When royal soldiers attack his village in search of a magical relic, Kenji watches in horror as all that he loves is destroyed. Determined that they will not get what they want, he takes the staff they seek and flees, vowing to avenge those he lost as soon as he can.

  Book Details

  The Staff of Kyade

  The Bestiary, Volume One

  By James L. Craig

  Published by Less Than Three Press LLC

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission of the publisher, except for the purpose of reviews.

  Edited by Tanni Fan

  Cover designed by Megan Derr

  Internal Illustration by V. Rios

  This book is a work of fiction and as such all characters and situations are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual people, places, or events is coincidental.

  First Edition November 2012

  Copyright © 2012 by James L. Craig

  Printed in the United States of America

  ISBN 9781620040492

  Dedicated to My father, Jimmie Lee Craig

  The Staff of Kyade

  "Mamaru, what are you still doing up? You should be asleep, young one." She said to her grandson. He was walking around his room with a stick, stalking the area.

  "I am training to be a big, strong hero for Kyade like cousin Haruka. He fought off a wild bear!"

  "Ha, I see. Well you do know that to be a hero does not necessarily mean you have to be big and strong.” She said to Mamaru, who was still in his pretend warrior stance.

  "You don't?”

  "You know the village of Kyade was once the scene of a terrible tragedy, but the courage of a brave young boy helped save it and eventually returned it back to the land of beauty that we enjoy."

  "Really? Was he young like me?" Mamaru asked while sitting down on his bed.

  "Yes, he was. I will tell you what—how about you get into bed, and I will tell you the legend of your great ancestor and how he saved this land, as well as the world, from evil. I'll tell you how he did it with nothing more than a courageous attitude and a pure heart."

  "Ok, grandma." So Mamaru lay down in his bed and his grandmother sat by his side and began to tell him the story of the history of the village they lived in, the village known as Kyade.

  "You see, long ago there was a village called Kyade and it was as beautiful then as it is now. The people were just as friendly and the land was just as peaceful. It was the closest to paradise that anyone could come. The land was known throughout the world as a sanctuary and anyone who had a sickness or trouble of any sort could come to the village and they would be taken in as if they had been born there. The village seemed like a holy place, but in all actuality, it was just a common village. The people farmed and traded and worked for everything they had, but there was something special about this village that set it apart from the others."

  "What was it grandma?" Mamaru asked with anticipation."

  "It was a staff. The staff, like the village, had been in the world as long as the people could remember. It was a long metal staff that had two specific features: it had two gold intersecting rings on top with a white seal in the middle. The legend stated that there was a guardian connected with the staff known as the Ujiima, who was the protector of the world. The staff was believed to be the tool used to make contact with the creature. Since Kyade was where the staff was kept, the village prospered through the connections of the Ujiima. Legend stated that part of the Ujiima's spirit was sealed in the staff. The Ujiima was said to have a plethora of mystical powers and is believed to be the sole effect of anything good in the world.

  "The Ujiima was said to take the appearance of a beautiful white unicorn that glowed with a celestial bright light. Its mane and tail flowed in the wind. This is what the legend was at that time, but before then, no one really knew for sure what the Ujiima looked like."

  "Wow, grandma, that sounds amazing. But if the Ujiima protected the village, then how did tragedy strike?"

  "I am getting to that, sweetheart. The village of Kyade was left alone in its beautiful glory for years. That is, until a certain man started having nightmares. On the other side of the world, in a country called Teras, lived an evil emperor. He was greedy, mean, deceitful, and his lust for power was overwhelming. He would kill anything and anyone to get what he wanted. His name was Tokufumi.

  "Although Tokufumi was a very bad man, he did have one fear. He was afraid of losing his empire. It meant everything to him and he hated the thought that someone would eventually overthrow him. What he was not smart enough to know was that his people feared him so much that no one had the nerve to ever rise up against him. Nonetheless, his fear of losing his empire grew. One night in his dream, he heard a voice call to him …

  *~*~*

  'Tokufumi … it's time,' said the strange voice.

  'It's time? What is it time for?' The emperor asked fearfully.

  'It is time for you to destroy Kyade.'

  'Kyade? Why should I destroy it? That measly village is far away. It is of no threat to me … is it?'

  'Yes.' The voice whispered. 'This village will be the end of you. There is one in the village who wants to be emperor and will take your place unless you destroy everything.'

  'What about the staff that is believed to be in the village? Should I destroy that, too?'

  'No!' said the voice in a scream so loud that it seemed to shake the very earth.

  'You destroy the village and bring the staff to me.'

  'Who are you?' Tokufumi asked.

  'You need not worry about that right now, but when the time is right, I will reveal myself to you. Now sleep tight, my emperor, and when you awaken, let your will be done!'

  With that final whisper, the chilling voice faded into the wind, but Tokufumi was no longer able to sleep. He was afraid of what the voice had said, but he was also fearful of where the voice was coming from, and he would not disobey it.

  In truth, there was no one in Kyade who wanted to be the emperor of Teras, but the voice knew that Tokufumi held his empire in deep regard. Tokufumi was manipulated into doing something wicked, and because he was wicked himself, he went along with the evil plot for his own benefit. He was going to destroy Kyade and everyone in it. He was going to seek out the staff and take it back to his empire.

  As the sun started to fade, Tokufumi ordered his men and their dragons to attack. The men flew through the village on dragons that were so ferocious the moon itself trembled with fear. The dragons set ablaze all there was in the village. The only sounds that drowned out the crumbling noises of the homes falling and burning to the ground were the screaming of the villagers being burned alive. Everything was destroyed; all the crops and animals were scorched and turned to ash. The people of Kyade never thought they would have to defend themselves from such a situation, so they had no way of fighting back. The village was quickly and easily reduced to rubble.

  In the midst of all that, a young boy named Kenji watched in horror as his parents, sister, and neighbors all burned alive. He heard one of the invading warriors ask a villager for the staff, and he knew that had to be the reason they attacked the village. He quickly ran to the special hiding place of the staff and took it away. As he was leaving, he was startled by a flame that started a few feet away from him.

  Kenji had been spotted. He darted into the forest, but the warriors were already in pursuit of him. The dragon set a fl
ame to some of the trees, but that backfired because it created smoke which obscured their vision and allowed Kenji to escape. He ran and ran until he could no longer hear the screams of the villagers, nor see the flames in the forest.

  As Kenji ran, he thought about why the dragon and warriors were in Kyade. He had thought that as long as the staff was in Kyade nothing bad could happen. He wondered if the legend had been a lie or exaggerated over time. He decided that there was only one thing he could do. He would find the Ujiima, and hopefully the Ujiima could restore his land. Since he believed the staff was connected to the Ujiima, he did not think the creature would be hard to find. He knew that if he could just find the Ujiima that he would get all the answers he needed. The Ujiima was said to be so powerful that it could control the very essence of time, control aspects of nature, and even revive the dead.

  Even as exhaustion started to set in, he never stopped moving. He finally came across a body of water that was so vast he could not possibly swim through it. Even so, he tried. He put in a valiant effort, but already exhausted from the running, Kenji passed out.

  On the other side of the country, the Emperor Tokufumi was displeased to find that the staff had been taken away. He ordered his men to go back to Kyade every day in hopes that the boy would return, but to no avail. Tokufumi went to sleep one night and once again, the voice came to him.

  'Where is the staff?' The voice whispered.

  'It is gone.'

  'I thought I told you to bring it to me.'

  'I tried but —'

  'Silence!' The voice roared and froze Tokufumi's soul.

  'You have failed me emperor! You do not deserve to live.' The voice said maliciously.

  'Please don't hurt me.' Tokufumi begged. 'Everything in the village is destroyed and a mere child has the staff. He is no threat, I assure you. He was chased into the forest and he is surely dead.'

  'For your sake emperor … he had better be.' The voice faded away and Tokufumi was left in bed with nothing to soothe his mind. He was terrified of that voice, but he was certain that there was nothing the young boy could do, even with the staff.

  Kenji awoke to find himself blanketed in a small cabin. He looked up to see another young boy who seemed to be the same age. Fearing for his life, he tried to jump up and run away, but his body, still heavily fatigued, did not allow him to do so. He fell back down.

  'Please, don't be scared. I won't hurt you, I promise,' the boy said, reaching out a hand to Kenji.

  'How did I get here?' asked Kenji.

  'I fished you out of the water, put you in my boat, and brought you here. I couldn't just let you die. I have to say that I was surprised you were still breathing when I pulled you out. How did you end up in the water like that anyway?'

  'My village … my village was attacked and I fled,' Kenji said sadly as he remembered all that had happened.

  'I see. Well, you can stay until you get enough strength to do whatever you need to do.' The boy said with a smile on his face.

  'Thank you … for everything, but if you don't mind—please tell me what your name is.'

  The stranger's smile got bigger. 'Oh, my name is Shin.'

  'You're … You're my age. How do you have your own place and a boat?' Kenji asked, a confused look on his face.

  'My village was attacked years back by a group of harpies. They devoured all the men in my village and enslaved the women. My mother was spared because she was with child—me. Using one of our boats, my mother escaped and gave birth to me in the boat. We eventually made it to land, where my mother met a merchant trader. He fell in love with her and though my mother did not love him, she agreed to stay with him because he provided us with food and shelter. He taught me to fight as I grew up. I spent all my days training for when I would come in contact with those harpies again and make them pay for what he did to my family.'

  Kenji's eyes widened. 'What happened to your mother?'

  'My mother eventually died of a broken heart because of the memories of seeing her husband and father killed. Then my adoptive father died from a broken heart over my mother. This is where we lived, and I learned how to go into town to find food and make it on my own. I had no other choice.'

  'I am sorry to hear of your struggles. I am on a journey to avenge my village as well; maybe we can work together and help each other out. It would be a lot easier and less scary if we each had someone watching out for us. '

  'I think that would be a great idea.' Shin said joyously.

  Hearing Shin's story made Kenji even more determined to find the Ujiima. He quickly realized that he may have found a great ally and friend in Shin. Kenji decided to stay with Shin and learned many things from him. Shin taught him how to fish and trade and, most importantly, how to fight.

  Kenji and Shin's friendship became greater with each passing day. They knew everything about each other. The only thing that Shin did not know was the origin of the staff of Kyade, but whenever he brought up the subject of it, Kenji refused to talk about it. Although Shin thought the staff was somewhat odd, his trust in Kenji became strong enough that he did not care. Shin even taught Kenji how to use the staff for battle with a fighting style called bojutsu, which had been taught to Shin by his adoptive father.

  Days turned in weeks and months into years until the young boys were young men in their twenties. They had spent all their days sparring with each other and training for when they would avenge their homelands. Kenji and Shin both knew that when they decided what their paths should be that they were still too young to complete their duty, but since they had matured both physically and mentally, they were ready to start their journey.

  Kenji and Shin decided to go see the emperor of the country, Tokufumi. Shin wanted to ask him for help with clearing out the monsters that had invaded his village, and Kenji wanted to ask if Tokufumi knew of a way to contact the Ujiima. It took them weeks to cross the country to get to the emperor's castle. When Shin and Kenji were near, they decided to get some rest. They did not want to be exhausted when they met the emperor, especially when they needed his help.

  Night fell and Shin and Kenji were asleep. In his castle, Tokufumi was also sleeping when once again the voice spoke to him.

  'Wake up, my emperor.' The voice said.

  'What is it?'

  'The staff, it is nearby. It is heading this way.'

  Tokufumi became very nervous. 'This cannot be. You must be wrong.'

  'I am never wrong!' The voice thundered, and Tokufumi's entire castle shook.

  'I am sorry, I am sorry.' The emperor pleaded fearfully.

  'The wielder of the staff is heading your way. You must make sure you get it this time.'

  'Yes, sir.'

  'Do not disappoint me, my emperor.' The voice faded. Tokufumi was terrified. He was afraid that he would lose his empire—or even worse, his life. He quickly ordered his men that if anyone came to the castle in the next few days that they were to be captured.

  Morning came and Kenji and Shin were closing in on the castle doors. As they approached, a bit of fear started to overwhelm them. Could they really restore everything back to the way it was? Could they avenge their homelands? Could Kyade really be restored and did the Ujiima even truly exist? Kenji was overcome with doubt.

  'Shin, I was wondering, do you think we are strong enough to restore our homelands back to the way they were?' Kenji asked.

  'I don't know Kenji, but could we live with ourselves if we never tried?'

  'We don't have anything, Shin. We don't have friends or family. We have nothing.'

  'This just means we have nothing to lose and everything to gain, Kenji.'

  Kenji stopped and looked at Shin as he placed his hand on Shin's shoulder. 'Shin?'

  'Yes, Kenji?'

  'I was wrong. We do have one thing.'

  'What is that?' Shin asked confusedly?

  With a smile emerging from Kenji's face, he replied. 'We have each other.'

  'Indeed, we do,' said Shin, who also s
tarted to smile.

  They found comfort as well as courage within each other. They did not realize it yet, but they had developed a bond from being together for so long and training together day after day. There was many a night when they would cry into each other's arms after a bad dream or reflection of the horror that was the past.

  'Shin … look!' Kenji said in awe.

  'What is it?'

  'The staff … it's glowing.' The staff had indeed started to glow. The two intersecting gold rings were becoming a blinding white.

  'What does it mean Kenji?'

  'I am not sure, but maybe it means we are close to finding what we are looking for.' Kenji and Shin ran towards the castle door thinking something important was there waiting for them. The Ujiima must be inside the palace, Kenji thought. As they stepped in front of the door the staff's glow disappeared.

  'What just happened?' asked a confused Shin.

  'I am not sure Shin, but let's find out.' Kenji knocked on the door. It opened, but no one was there. They decided to walk in anyway. The palace resembled a huge dungeon rather than an actual palace. It was grey and black and white and surrounded with bars and spikes. Kenji and Shin were both starting to wonder if they should leave, but there was no turning back. As soon as they got a few steps in, the door slammed shut behind them. They jumped in fright and turned back to look at the door—when they heard the roar of a huge dragon above them.

  'Who are you and why are you here?' A warrior sitting on top of the dragon yelled.

  'We came to see the emperor.' said Shin.

  'What business do you have with the emperor?' the warrior asked disdainfully.

  'We wanted to know if he could help us poor village people out.' replied Kenji.

  'The ruler of this country has no time for meager peasants like you,' said the warrior.

  'We are very sorry that we disturbed you; we will be on our way,' spoke a nervous Kenji.

  'I am afraid that you will not be leaving until the emperor has decreed you are not a threat to the empire.' The warrior motioned to his dragon, 'Kazu, capture them.' Kenji and Shin ran for their lives. Despite the dragon's large size, it was very quick. They dodged the first fire blast and then ran a separate way. The warrior, seeing the staff in Kenji's hand, followed him.