Advent

by Pthasse Amadeus

A TALE OF A CHAMPION

  "Magi and Drell, hear me! We are of the same bloodline and the essence of Vampyre is strong in our veins. Descendants and kin are we all and yet we still seek to destroy each other..." -- Asychis, King of the Magi

  In the land of Aleia all is calm and serene as the life giving star sets beyond the horizon, nocturnal creatures of all manner of being began to stir. The song of the Fae filled the night as they lulled the star to sleep and coaxed the night sky to emerge. A long roar escaped the mouth of a male Lyrex, signifying his readiness to mate. The plains rolled over hills and down into valleys, and over the mountains past the enchanted forests to the city of Pyre, where Aleia's dominant beings reside. Pyre is an imposing sight, it had towering walls that shielded the circumference of the city. Defence armaments were placed equidistant to defend the city from any incursions. The gates that signalled an entrance to the city were massive and heavy, they were made of materials devised by the city's sages; capable of withstanding great amounts of force. Truly the city of Pyre was known by all to be the impenetrable city of the Magi.

  A fleet of H.I.V.E twelve strong flew quickly and with purpose within the city, and yet sadly on this day Pyre's walls had been breached. The chaos within the walls was in sharp contrast with the serenity outside. The scene of the glorious city of the Magi was indeed one of devastation. The H.I.V.E fleet seemed to be the last drones in action and their numbers were quickly falling, the sound of projectiles and magical bolts had died down, and the battle had turned into a sword and fist fight, and any weapon a warrior could use that didn't require ammunition. Dead bodies littered the courtyard where pockets of warriors on both sides fought for victory. In the midst of this all, a glorious sight is seen; the King's champion waged battle against a dozen men on his own. Even as he savagely defended his wife and daughter, he cut down his assailants with mighty, swift, strokes of his long blade. As one enemy warrior fell two more came in his place, inevitable the attacking force overwhelmed him and his kin were felled maliciously.

  The champion paused for a moment transfixed in disbelief, as the culprit smiled a wicked smile. With a cry of rage, pain and sadness, the champion lunged at the culprit without regard to his own safety and buried his long blade into his body, through his heart and out his upper back. The dead mans body grips the blade as he fell, even as the other assailants closed in to avenge their brethren. The champion ignored his lost blade and unsheathed his twin short blades, three fell before they knew he was upon them; truly they could not withstand his anger. However, the number of defenders were dwindling and the overwhelming number of the enemy gained even more ground. Tears ran down the champion's eyes as he absently hacked his victims and thought of his love and their begotten. His arms began to tire as they should after fighting for five days, even his prodigious strength had its limits. All around lay bodies in piles of the enemy and further attempts to attack him were hesitant. He welcomed this as a chance to catch his breath, even as he struggled to keep his blades raised in warning. The enemy had encircled him but now they made a path and a man in unusual armour walked through.

  "Why do you still fight Ezra?" the newcomer asked. "Your King is dead, your family is dead, your city has fallen," he continued as he strolled dangerously close to Ezra, champion to the King of the Magi.

  "The time of the Magi has come to an end and we will take back what is ours," the newcomer added with a smile. Ezra said nothing but looked at his enemy viciously imagining how he would kill him.

  "Hahahaha, silent as ever. Well then come at me if you dare and when you are defeated you will watch as I execute your brethren, and take your King's throne," The newcomer said as he drew his claymore and discarded his rifle. With nothing but silence Ezra advanced his new enemy, their blades clashed and the ring of metal filled the courtyard as these two titans battled. The newcomer laughed as he silently drew Logos into himself and he cast a spell; a concussive blast hit Ezra with full force and he fell to the ground. The grip on his blades loosened as his strength left him, sapped by the newcomers attack. Ezra gazed at the sky wishing he had more power to keep fighting, to kill the enemy, every last one... Even as he wished this he realised he could not, he had no strength left to lift his blades and stand, let alone draw Logos, and so he lay there. The battle was over and the enemy was victorious.

  "Remember me Ezra? I am Kane your Lord and Master, and it was I who brought this destruction on your people," the newcomer said. "Ready the captives!" he added in command to the enemy warriors. Looking back to Ezra he said, "Now you will watch as I make your race extinct." Ezra was lifted and secured, and then he was brought to bear witness as his brothers and sisters cried for mercy.

  "No mercy," Kane said as he signalled his men to begin the execution. Tears rolled down Ezra's eyes as his heart filled with hate for Kane and his race of Drell, and then he was grabbed and taken to a holding capsule as ordered by Kane. Now contained in the holding capsule, he was carried by the warriors led by Kane, crossing the courtyard and making their way within the holdings; headed towards the throne room. Suddenly two mages appeared beside Ezra and they released concussive blasts and chaos ensued once more. One mage looked at Ezra through the glass and said words he could not hear. They began to collect Logos even as the enemy readied a counter attack. Kane could be seen screaming orders to his warriors; suddenly there was a flash of light and all was darkness.

  ************

  Alas, young Traveller, your journey of recollection has come to a pause and now I must leave for a short while. While I am away consider my words and if you want to know more, you may view the Akashic Records, they contain all that is Humanity that I have witnessed. Yes, well, Tiamat has stolen one of my records, The Book of Destinies, this account is not meant for the incarnate world and it cannot remain in the hands of the Confederation. So I must find her and remove it from her grasp, before she causes any more damage. I suspect that it is by this means she has created much dissonance in the fabrics. No, things will not simply return to normal once I have retrieved the book. What is done is done, it has already happened and will remain actualised unless it is by some other means unrealised. However, I suspect the fabrics will shear and a previously unrealised reality will be become a realised actuality and that reality will continue into its future as others will do. However, her control in that reality is such that she may cause other realities to be unrealised... Yes the situation is very complex... Suffice it to say, I must retrieve that book as soon as possible. I'll tell you more about Ezra later, but now I must be on my way. Be at peace Traveller.

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  You have now reached the end of the first installation of A Tale of Tales and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. You can visit my website to contact me, read more of my work or follow the link to my FaceBook page. You can also find updates on the second installation of A Tale of Tales on my website. Now let me present to you a poem, which highlights a portion from one story within the second book of A Tale of Tales, enjoy!

  RISE OF A CHAMPION

  In this tale before my tale,

  I tell of how I did prevail,

  In this place, called Doam,

  Demons did stretch an arm.

  They shriek and rage, as I scale,

  Up the face and down the trail,

  Free of my tormented cage,

  Never again, such a wage.

  Lo demons and spirits conspire,

  And nature unleashed its rage,

  More energy did I acquire,

  And thus escape my cage.

  I played my part, feigning fright,

  Much to the Drell's delight,

  But as the Drell rest in sleep,

  With their blade did I cut deep.

  Once a slave but now free,

  I sought shelter in a tree,

  It hid me from prying eyes,

  As the Drell circled like flies.

  Vengeance burning down below,

  But wit
hout direction it has no goal.

  Wondering, wanderer, wandered I,

  Find my kin, the great Magi.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  I would like to thank my maker, my folks and family who guided and supported me throughout my journey. I would also like to thank my other half, who encouraged me to put my words on paper. Special thanks to the Opuss community, you have all inspired me to keep writing. Last but by no means least, I would like to thank my friends, my fans and all those who supported and encouraged me to create this story.

  -- Pthasse Amadeus