Chapter 1
Episode 2: ARRIVAL.
RECAPE FROM EPISODE ONE:
She continues to read from the scroll, and the Grand Mages all raise their arms and point their palms toward them. The flames are rising higher with each passing second. The Grand Mages project glowing particles from their palms as energy slowly making its way into the circle, and begin as a choir to repeat after the Female Grand Mage, and they begin to feel the dirt move like sea sand beneath them and rocks floating up from the ground and higher up. Emily looks extremely frightened as she looks at Gareth and shouts loudly…
Emily: “What are they saying I can’t hear anything with this loud wind?!” Gareth can see she is talking to him but he can’t hear her either. He shows his hands to his ears, indicating he can’t hear her. They all begin to float up as gravity becomes none existent. Some try to cling on to the grass in the ground, but the pull is too strong and loses grip and some are screaming while others are crying and trying to resist but all their efforts are in vain. They are becoming more scared as lightning and the sound of thunder clash within the fast spiraling air; a sudden deafening sound ring in their ears and they all see a blinding light.
Continue:
In blindness and confusion, they all find themselves on solid ground, unable to hear or see anything and stand up, some vomit and some struggle to move at all. This continued for nearly 60 seconds before their senses started to balance again, and the first thing Gareth noticed is the atmosphere and climate; slowly his vision is returning and seeing people all around him but can’t make out a lot mostly just figures in clothing and people chirping about. Gareth regains some strength and sits up with his head hanging between his legs and arms dangling off of his knees.
Gareth: “What’s going on? Are we still alive?” He says weakly while remaining still in the current position.
Raven: “If we were dead we’d not feel this damn sick and someone is going to get a serious beating after this…” She says weakly too with irritation.
Michael: “I’d rather be dead…” Before he could finish his sentence he begins to vomit.
Gareth looks down on to the floor and sees it’s some kind of white limestone that’s been carefully refined, and can see a women’s feet in brown open sandals, and the bottom of the skirt that’s a deep soft white material with green leafs in them. She kneels before him and bends his head back slightly and places the tip of a small flask with green liquid in it. He faintly hears her soft yet strong voice…
Queen Ember: “Drink this, it will help.” She says to him. Gareth drinks it slowly as she holds his chin up, she looks up at the human servant ladies, all wearing a long white dress, brown sandals and long black hair, and golden wrist bands; the servant ladies attend to all of them. Queen Ember steps back, holding King Aloof’s hand. They all begin to regain their vision, and feeling the sickness slowly go away.
Gareth looks around him and sees dozens of people, demi-humans and beast-like creatures all around. They all staring at them with widen eyes; some has joyful and exciting expressions while others have grim, distrusting expressions and some have none. There are soldiers all around them, wearing full armor and holding long spears and shields with sheathed swords.
Emily: “Euw… this is disgusting!” She shoves the servant’s arm away, and the empty bottle falls and breaks… “What the hell is that and can someone explain why we can’t see anything?” She says angrily and demanding.
Queen Ember: “Please be calm and patient. Your senses and visions shall return to normal in a brief moment. You each drank a minor restoration potion to restore the senses that becomes dull with each portal jump.” She says softly.
Gareth: “Where are we?” His vision is nearly back to normal, coming and going with brief seconds. He acknowledges the medium golden crown on Queen Ember’s head and King Aloof’s. He immediately notices that they are the King and Queen and suddenly he feels a sense of anxiety, fear and somewhat excitement.
King Aloof: “You are all in Crystal-Wood Kingdom, in the land of Shimmer Field, and on the continent of Lore.” He says with a deep, clear voice and looks Gareth straight in the eyes. “As a Kingdom and on behalf of the 8 Kingdoms, we welcome you, and look forward to speaking with you once you’re all better.” He clears his throat and smiles faintly and continues, “I am King Aloof and this is my Queen Ember and beside her is my daughter, Lora.” They all sit down slowly on their marble stone carved chairs, and King Aloof waves his hand slightly and more servant ladies behind him walk in from behind with glasses of chocolate milk and sugar cubes; they offer a glass and a cube to each one of them and slowly leave from them and return to their post.
Queen Ember: “Drink it and then eat the sugar cube. It will help with replenishing most of your energy.” She says softly as she smiles. They all drink it fast. Gareth looks up at Princess Lora and is instantly amazed by how beautiful she is, but can see her interest is far beyond the clouds and not paying much attention. They all stand up slowly, slightly off balance, but holding up well on their own.
Emily: “Excuse me, King Aloof, you send some freaks after us to drag us to this world through kidnapping us and then pretend it’s all alright while having armed soldiers surrounding us… You have an odd way of welcoming us.” She narrows her eyes as she looks at King Aloof, waiting for his response. Queen Ember acknowledges her displeasure and looks at the other heroes, they all seem upset. King Aloof sighs softly, realizing he has explaining to do.
King Aloof: “Yes, I sincerely apologize for what may appear to be the worst. We had hoped for a better response from most of our candidates… Unfortunately there is not much time left and cannot afford delays or attempt other means to procure the resources to find others.” King Aloof pauses and looks at Queen Ember as she speaks softly,
Queen Ember: “The Grand Mages we ordered to find you were given permission to take you through force if you objected to the proposition. Time is against us, and we need to make quick decisions that will benefit our entire realm and prevent an apocalypse event.” She sighs faintly and speaks with tiredness in her voice, “The battle that lies ahead is too great for us to handle alone, thus, we need your power and skills you shall find and receive in your journey’s to come. We promise if you’re successful, you shall be rewarded beyond measure…” King Aloof looks at Queen Ember and smiles softly at her and then returns his attention back to the heroes.
King Aloof: “Do not be alarmed by the royal courtyard soldiers you see here. They are merely a precaution. As you had seen in the visions, we have many enemies and it’s our responsibility to ensure all life is preserved and protected no matter the individual. Portals can be unpredictable and rarely very messy.” He says with a vague expression.
Raven: “I suppose it’s reasonable and can understand it.” She says calmly but serious in her tone. She looks at King Aloof and asks, “I…” She pauses briefly and looks at everyone, then resumes while smiling slightly, “We are called to your world to fight your enemies. This is all we know. Can you explain in detail further to us and can we return to our world?” All the summoned heroes look at the royal family as they are eager to know the answer to her question.
King Aloof: “Yes, of course. Our realm, Lore, has been in constant war with a variety of mindless monsters and we have referred to a legend given by celestial that is no longer present in our time to call on the aid of heroes that are summoned from another realm outside our own universe; these heroes are gifted with tremendous amount of power and they have saved our realm countless times over the decades. They have done so much for us in the past and it is thanks to them that many of us are still alive today. There is much that will weigh on all of you and much you will experience and discover throughout your journey across the land.”
He smiles faintly and squeezes his wife’s hand softly, as to affirm he is in control and can handle everything. He resumes, “Yes, you can return home, only after you had defeated the enemies or wait five years before we can re-open a portal; do not worry as your world’s time differ from ours and time here moves more quickly than in your world – You shall learn more tomorrow.” The royal family rises up and looks at the heroes, and King Aloof points north-east and everyone looks into that direction; they see a large landing platform in the distance, and large plants and trees covering most of the area. It’s almost twice the size as the courtyard in which they stand now. “We have two prized jewels in Crystal-Wood, first is our daughter…”
He smiles and looks at Princess Lora, and then looks at the landing platform in the garden square and says, “The second is our dragon, named Furion.” The heroes all focus deeply on the garden square but cannot see the dragon and they all seem surprised and shocked at the same time. “You shall meet him tomorrow.” The Queen Ember smiles softly and says,
Queen Ember: “Please introduce yourselves if you don’t mind?” A journalist in the crowd places a crystal ball into his large pouch on his waist and removes another one, waiting for them to speak. They look at each other and see who will speak first but there’s a brief silence and hesitation and Raven starts.
Raven: “I am Raven Kouno, 21 years old and I’m from Japan.” She says confidently. (She is intelligent and adventurous; critically correct, refined and has keen senses; she likes to help people and often times it doesn’t work out as she would like and because of her well-mannered emphasis she seems controlling to her peers).
Emily: “I am Emily Chase, 24 years old and I’m from Ukraine.”(She is open-minded, self-guarded and independent. This personality trait can often times seem as though she is arrogant, rude and un-approachable; she is generally distrusting of others, thus, she is a difficult person to befriend).
Leila: “I am Leila Lynn, 20 years old and I’m from America.(She is friendly, shy and self-conscious, doesn’t talk a lot but likes an intelligent and fun conversation especially conversations involving conspiracies and theoretical ideas, most often regarded as boring and lacking ambition by her peers).
Jasmine: “I am Jasmine Reece, 26 years old and I’m from Greece.”(She is adventurous, strong and athletic. She talks a lot and loves sport activities. She is rather self-centered and brags frequently about her accomplishments and often times she seems narcissistic or inconsiderate of others feelings).
MicheIle: “I am Michelle Roth, 18 years old and I’m from Scotland.”(She is a typical outgoing person, people love her energy and makes friends very easily, and she doesn’t care much for serious life problems and usually ignore them; can be airheaded sometimes and often times it makes her peers think she is oblivious to real life situations and seem careless which makes them think she is reckless with her life).
Michael: “I am Michael Guil, 28 years old and I’m from Ireland.”(He is a typical bar brawler if provoked, has a large friend circle and is a family orientated person and loves his drinks and barbeques with friends and family; he can often times seem arrogant and reckless, his tough personality traits has people straying away or provoking fights because he is often misunderstood).
Cabal: “I am Cabal Mohammed, 24 years old and I’m from India.”(He is a committed student and forensic researcher and is obsessed with modern science, he is not much of a people person and mostly keep to himself during any events; he often stresses about the importance of critical knowledge and overly cautious, he can be very indecisive too but he is quite smart and strategic. He is often times mistaken for a loner or a stuck person and his peers think most of the time that he believes his intelligence is more superior. As such he has a hard time fitting in).
Gideon: “I am Gideon Vladimir, 18 years old and I’m from Russia.”(A straight up slacker, he prefers to party and cares very little about his future and don’t care about anything that is important – He survived and overcome brain cancer but believes it will come back and he might not make it this time. So he believes it is all pointless and enjoys life carelessly. As such his peers think he is spoiled rich because of his parent’s wealthy status and takes everything for granted but they always enjoy his parties).
Lucien: “I am Lucien Dune, 29 years old and I’m from Egypt.” (He is a straight A student and pursues a corporate career, he loves new challenges and is very ambitious and career goal orientated; his brain for business is something he takes pride in, and this often times makes his seem selfish and a money-grabber and his peers often times think he buys his way into people’s lives… even with all the money he had earned from a young age, he still has very poor luck in just about everything).
Gareth: “I am Gareth Halt, 23 years old and I’m from South Africa.” (He is a universal person, his personality is not grounded and most of the time his head is in the clouds; he is very passionate, friendly and open to nearly anything. However, he had lost a lot of important people and most recently lost his mom to cancer; he became a loner and decided not to be affectionate toward people as to protect him-self and others which is a mental state of depression. Often times he seems like a stuck up person simply because he doesn’t make friends and shove people away from him, and he has almost no friends and prefer to play online games or spend time in nature).
King Aloof: “It’s our great pleasure to meet you all and we are glad you’re all here and we look forward to see you all succeed.” He grins and says loudly with strong optimism as he stands up, and raises his arms slightly up at the people; Queen Ember smiles softly and Princess Lora smiles slightly too, the people begin to cheer their arrival – The news spread quickly throughout the Kingdom and reaches all other Kingdoms around the continent. The Heroes are all in shock, surprised and completely mesmerized by the sudden outburst of excitement from the people. “Let’s celebrate!” King Aloof announces loudly, and they all start to get ready to celebrate their arrival through the Kingdom.
Queen Ember: “Please head into the castle our royal guard general Markus shall escort you; we shall resume over lunch.” She says softly as she smiles. They wanted to ask more questions but didn’t push on. Markus walks in from beside Princess Lora and bows slightly, and hold his right hand fist against his armor, nearly crashing his fist.
Markus: “It’s an honor to meet you all.” He says with a deep, rough voice. They still remain speechless and can barely see his rough, scarred face through the openings of his helmet as he stands up straight, turns and begins to walk. The Heroes form two rows and they follow him, leaving the courtyard and walking on a narrow limestone pathway behind Markus. He continues to speak in a deep, rough and cold voice, “I shall now escort you through the main hall of the castle, and from there to your private rooms where you will stay for a short duration.”
The narrow pathway is now high up in the air without pillar support and a huge arch over their heads with all kinds of wild flowers blooming over their heads; they look down and see the city’s wide cobblestone streets and hundreds of citizens minding their own and can see thousands of buildings stretching for miles on either side and all manner of flying creatures going about close to the castle.
The rest of the guest’s in the courtyard slowly leave to make preparations for the celebrations, and the King and Queen is finally alone with their daughter. A Grand Mage slowly appears not too far from them through a portal, holding a scroll, and walking up to them.
King Aloof: “Yes, Lucas?” The King says wearily as he sits down.
Queen Ember: “How great are the casualties?” She asks with a sigh and sits down too. The Grand Mage bows slightly.
Grand Mage: “The casualties are enormous. Seven heroes lie dead beyond the North Wall, two are critically wounded and suspect they might not make it but our best clerics are busy healing them the best they can and one is also critical but in a comma.” The King begins to cough ceaselessly and holding his chest.
Princess Lora: “Father, please, calm down. Drink some water.” She pours him cold water from a crystal jug into his silver-ruby coated glass, then puts it into his right hand and helps him hold it. “Please drink father.” She says worriedly. The Queen holds his left hand and rubs it gently. He drinks slowly from the cup…
Queen Ember: “The two that are in a critical state, are they somewhat responsive?” She looks at the Grand Mage with concern but slight hope.
Grand Mage: “They frequently lose consciousness but every now and again they try to speak but their voices are muffled… it’s unclear. The healing process is delayed due to broken or fractured bones, organ failure and internal bleeding. The potions they used on them are sufficient but it is only healing organs and physical wounds at a slow rate. The spells are currently keeping them alive, for now.” He looks really worried and can see on his facial expression beneath his hood there is not much hope for them.
King Aloof: “How did this happen?” He asks angrily as he looks at the mage.
Grand Mage: “The elder Grand Mages collapsed, and the dragons did step in for them but it drained them a lot. We ordered several dragons to stop or else we can lose them because of mana depletion; their mana would then convert to life essence and high risk of death. The portal wasn’t strong enough to transfer all the heroes to the courtyard upon entry. The sudden closure of the portal must have relocated them, and shoot them out behind the walls and that’s how they fell.” He says fearfully.
Queen Ember: “Okay, thank you for the report. You are dismissed.” The Grand Mage bows slightly, turns around and opens a portal and leaves the courtyard. “We cannot blame them, Aloof.” She says, smiling softly as she holds his cheek and look him softly in the eyes. “There was no way of knowing this could happen, as this is the first time we did something so quickly.”
King Aloof: “Yes, perhaps you’re right. We should have taken better steps for preparations.” The King sighs softly and rubs his forehead off with the back of his hand. He looks at Queen Ember, and speaks seriously, “How far is the progress on the resurrection pool?” Queen Ember sits up straight and rests both her hands on her lap beside King Aloof. She looks down, frowning slightly.
Queen Ember: “We can’t use it yet. The Wisp’s and Dryads are busy working on the repairs.”
Princess Lora: “I’ve spoken this morning with them.” She says as she stands next to her father, holding the jug of water in her hands. “They said they are still a long way from restoring it back to its full power. They need three main ingredients.”
King Aloof: “What are these ingredients?”
Princess Lora: “They need one angelic golden feather, one angelic tear dipped in moon water and a mermaid’s first tear of love.” She places the jug of water on the glass elven table beside her, she sits down on the chair and crosses her ankles as she rests her arms on her lap. She speaks softly, “We can ask Arch Mage Goth to help us obtain the feather and angel tear but the problem is we’ll need to get a mermaid to fall in love or cry out of love for any person. They have migrated to the eastern sea borders, deep underwater and there are no cliffs nearby to sing a song in order to draw them out. We’ll need a horn and a boat that can handle those unpredictable high tides.”
Queen Ember: “The Pool of Resurrection is one mile out from our walls in the southern forest of Hail Barry, and it is currently defenseless. I need to send soldiers to protect the temple outside; the scouts recently reported there has been another swamp troll wandering around there, we can’t risk another attack or raid on the temple it will be a major set-back and more loss of life.” She sighs as she holds her head wearily.
King Aloof: “Alright then. You send reinforcements, my love.” He looks at Princess Lora and smiles slightly, “I am going to give this task to you, Lora. See what you can do to get these ingredients they need. We need to get those heroes back, we can’t afford losing them now or else it might be the end of us all.” Princess Lora stands up and smiles at her father.
Princess Lora: “Yes, father, I’ll do my best this time.” She smiles and hugs her mom and dad, “I’ve got some errands to run.” She rushes off.
Queen Ember: “I wonder where she keeps running off to.” She looks suspiciously at Lora and then focuses her attention on King Aloof and smiles softly, “I love you, dear.” She kisses him on the forehead while holding his cheek and brushing his cheek beard with her thumb. He returns the smile.
King Aloof: “I love you too, my Queen. Let’s get inside and eat something and see if they need help in the hall.” She agrees as she stands up from his lap and holds his hand. They walk together, and King Aloof stops next to a rose bush, he plugs one white rose and gives it to Queen Ember. She smells it and smiles softly, and kisses King Aloof.
The Hero’s casually and calmly walk up granite steps, and upon reaching the top they see a large limestone fountain and a brick path around the fountain leading to the obsidian doors; there’s beautiful green grass on either side of the fountain, they stand behind Markus in front of an enormous obsidian two-door. The royal guards open the doors for them and Markus leads them in.
Immediately they notice the large 10 pillars, red velvet carpet and solid floors made of granite. There are large windows high up the walls and the blue sky reflects on the granite floor; in the distance they see three throne chairs, and two royal guards on opposite sides of the chairs with spears. They notice the two women sitting under one of the windows on a small bench and having a private conversation. The two women wear the same clothes, and can tell they are the maidens of the castle and probably on lunch. The walls are covered with banners of each nation, hanging all the way from the ceiling down to the floor on the walls. The pillars are neatly decorated with vein flowers growing up in a spiral around them.
Small like orbs float around the hall and gives light each having a variety of changing colors but reflects the same dim light like that of a candle just slightly brighter; behind the throne is a large living map of the land and record many activities known to the leaders and politicians of the continent or adventurers. The map is still incomplete due to harsh terrains, lack of mobility by land, sea and air and hostility. These maps are scattered throughout each major city and usually located in districts of a city.
Markus: “Welcome to the Grand Hall, but I warn you to be careful.”
Gareth: “Oh why is that?” He asks as he continues to stare at the hall in amazement.
Markus: “This castle is one of the biggest castles on the continent, and these halls can be very misleading and get lost quite easily if you’re new to it – Fear not!” He says with a slight grin barely visible through his helmet, “There are maps on the walls showing you where you are.” He continues to walk as they follow him and he continues to talk, “This castle is still expanding, and these castle corridors or halls has many rooms and more rooms behind those. There are maids and butlers roaming about doing their daily duties, if you get lost, just ask them to help you.”
Emily: “I bet there are plenty of secrets in this castle, right?” She grins with enthusiasm. Markus looks at her and nods with a smirk.
Markus: “Yes… and this castle is over 300 years old. It started as a small village house and had been rebuilt over and over again. Beneath the castle is an open catacomb, being carefully watched over by servants but it is said there are deceased that come back as a spirit. If the spirit likes you, then they may reveal where they buried treasure or hidden a will of great wealth and can be claimed by one that finds this will, and with powerful magic and other relics as well as powerful weapons and armor.”
Lucien: “Has any of these stories been proven?”
Markus: “I simply don’t know. There were disappearances over the years of maidens, butlers and royal guards and some resign their position with great joy and others out of fear and terror. Entrance to the catacombs is only allowed for a privileged few, or if there are a serious matter that requires us to investigate a body.” They walk down the hall, and one of the guards salute Markus as he walks pass him. “This is the West Wing, and this is where your rooms will be for the duration of your stay here and the dining hall is on the opposite side of your rooms.”
Michelle: “This is pretty awesome… wow… I’m no longer pissed as I used to be. I can like this.” She says as she smiles broadly.
Markus: “Well, I’m glad you all like this. This is where I will take my leave. You may pick rooms individually or share if it’s more convenient to you. Each room is the same and a guard will patrol these halls every couple of minutes. I believe your lunch is nearly prepared. Once you’re done head to the dining room. Have a wonderful day.” He bows his head slightly, turns and then leaves…
Leila: “I guess I’m going to take the room on the left. They brought us without giving us time to pack anything. All I have is the clothes on my back.” She frowns and looks to see if anyone is carrying something but only see Gareth and Emily each with a backpack.
Gideon: “Well, I’m starving so I am going to check out the room on the right and head over to the dining hall. I’ll see you guys in a bit.” He turns and walks into the room, and the others do the same.
Gareth opens the wooden door, and an orb begins to glow bright and lights up the room. He sees a queen size bed under a large window and a beautiful fountain in the right corner and a flower pot with a wild flower in the other corner; a large cupboard against the wall and another small room for the bathroom. The puts his backpack on the bed and sits on the edge of the bed, he breathes in deeply and looks around the room. A few tears run down his cheek as he exhales a sigh and rubs his face off when he heard the knock on the door.
Gareth: “Come in!” He says loudly. The door opens and Raven and Emily walks into his room. He stands up and looks at them as he smiles slightly, “Yes?” he asks.
Raven: “We were just curious if your room looks the same as ours. It’s quite large.” Emily opens a small piece of paper and shows it to Gareth. “Don’t say anything out loud.” She says softly at Gareth while looking at him. Gareth narrows his eyes as he looks at the piece of paper and Emily closes it quickly.
Gareth: “It is expected and doesn’t surprise me, castles are full of secrets and sometimes walls have ears.” He searches the room with his eyes and not directly looking at anything in particular. “I see.” He says looking at them both.
Emily: “I guess he was telling the truth. All rooms are identical.” She says as she winks slightly at him. Gareth now knows there are small holes in the ceiling that they can be spied on.
Raven: “Alright see you later.” She says as they walk out and closes the door behind them. Gareth sighs and looks suspiciously at the mirror above the cupboard against the wall. He walks over to the mirror, and hits it softly with the back of his hand to hear if it is hollow or wobbles, like a secretive room but there’s no indication that it’s a two-way mirror. He walks over to his bed and pours out his backpack. A cellphone, laptop, pain pills, ID and random exam papers falls out. He picks up the papers and sees there are a lighter and a matchbox and he remembers the fishing trip he was on with his friend Jason. He puts it aside. He then picks up his phone and switches it on, and see there is no signal or inbox messages.
Gareth: “Maybe I can sell this thing when the time comes that I need money.” He thinks to himself. He puts the rest of the stuff back in the backpack, and walks over to the cupboard and stashes his backpack in there. He then walks over to the bathroom, and see there is a modern world toilet and shower with a washing tab. “This is odd. At least it’s not a bucket…” He thinks to himself again. He faces his face and stares at himself in the mirror, recalling sad memories that are very recent… He suddenly notices his dark brown eyes changed color, and is now a lime green color. “Odd.” He says while inspecting his eyes.
He hears the knock on the door, and Raven’s voice saying they are heading to the dining hall. He finishes up in the bathroom and heads to the door, and closes it behind him as he leaves. He walks down the hall and see everyone is already around the table, he casually walks in and sits down on a wooden chair. They all can smell delicious food coming from the kitchen, but as he sits down a maiden lady walks over to his side, she picks up the silver glass and pours in red ruby wine and gently puts it down. She slowly walks back at the entrance in the corner and waits for any requests.
They are all quiet around the table and looking each other in awkward silence. Gareth notices three reserved seats around the table and he suspects the royal family will join them for lunch where they can ask more important questions and receive informative answers. A young beautiful servant lady walks into the room from the kitchen and smiles politely as she talks softly.
Servant: “Good day, Heroes.” She says politely and bows slightly, she looks up and smiles, “I sincerely apologize for the delay. The main course is nearly finished; the sauce was unfortunately overcooked but I promise it’s worth the wait.” She says softly and they can tell from the expression on her face she is embarrassed and sincere. She quietly returns to the kitchen.
Michael: “Well, the girls here are damn cute…” He says with laughter. Lucien and Gideon nods as they agree and laugh slightly with them.
Emily: “urge… men…” Raven frowns with Emily and Leila looks confused at them.
Michelle: “At least the awkward silence is broken…”
Cabal: “Yeah. So, we’re not going to talk what’s happening here and how are we going to get out of this mess?” He says with a serious tone.
Raven: “What is there to talk about? It’s quite clear that we are trapped and we can’t open a portal to travel back to our world. I think it is absolutely pointless to try.”
Michelle: “We need to focus on staying alive until we can find a solution for this.”
Gareth: “It’s not just about staying alive. We need to gather enough information and learn as much as we possibly can if we’re going to make it.”
Lucien: “Yes, exactly. Information is something we’re in dire need of to understand the situation we are in. I was taken by force and knocked unconscious before I could blink… So, it’s best we place little emphasis on resistance and comply as best as we can.”
Gideon: “I think the best we can do now is by moving by ear and see for ourselves. This world has much to offer and there happen to be quite a lot of that.”
Jasmine: “This world has real magic too. This world also has old school weapons and methods of combat. I think our survival will depend on our skills and the information we obtain. I suppose we’ll go through rigorous training as well.”
Raven: “It’s all very interesting and very exciting. I’m not going to deny that this world has my attention, but they said we are expected to fight a massive army and we can return home if we survive the war. In our world, most wars last years and in very rare cases only a few weeks.”
Gareth: “So we can expect to stay long here until we find a way back home.” They can hear heavy footsteps of steal clinging together coming up the hallway.
Lucien: “It’s probably one of the guards with the King. What do we do when they walk in – Do we stand up and bow or remain seated?” Everyone looks confused at each other… Markus enters the room and stand guard by the entrance against the wall. King Aloof walks in with Queen Ember and Princess Lora behind him. They smile warmly.
King Aloof: “You can remain seated.” He says as he walks in. “We are family here, and I expect you to treat us as such.” He laughs as he sits down slowly. Queen Ember and Princess Lora sit down on the opposite side of each other. “In private we are family in public I am King and I must uphold appearances, and please… Call me Aloof in private…” He says with a slight seriousness in his tone but also friendly. The Heroes all begins to slowly relax a bit more.
Queen Ember: “We aren’t as uptight and dead serious as most leaderships, you will come to find us a little free spirited. Life is far too short to walk with a frown all day or a serious face. You have any idea how much energy it takes and how your facial muscles feel afterwards?” She laughs softly. Princess Lora remains still and observes the Heroes.
Raven: “No, I cannot imagine.” She says with a soft smile. The servant girl by the door brings the jug of wine over to the table, and pours wine into the cups for the royal family; she circles the table and refills everyone’s glass.
Queen Ember: “I am starving. I wonder if the lunch is ready?” She looks at King Aloof as she asks. The servant girl offers to go see. “Thank you.” She says friendly to the servant lady. “Well, I guess you all have plenty questions. This is why we are holding this private lunch. So we can get to know each other and explain our side as best as possible.” She smiles warmly and takes a sip of the wine. Emily doesn’t hold back and asks immediately, her tone is slightly rude.
Emily: “Yes, a lot. You ordered your servants to assault us and kidnap us and then drag us to another realm. What the hell is going on here?” She narrows her eyes slightly as she looks at the Queen and scans her for suspected lies or emotions. Queen Ember smiles softly and rest her arms folded on the table. Princess Lora gives her a quick look and then returns her gaze to the glass as though she is in thought.
Queen Ember: “We sincerely apologize for any mistreatment or injuries sustained.” She says seriously while looking at Emily, still holding a graceful and calming smile. “We did not give such an order. The Priest or Priestess in charge or individual leadership must have made critical judgments due to the urgency of the matter we are facing.” She pauses briefly and breaths in softly. “You all have seen the visions, no?” The Heroes all look down, and nod their heads. “These are events that happened decades ago.” King Aloof continues to speak,
King Aloof: “Soon we will face another event like this. There were brave Heroes before you in the last war, and we consulted the legendary scriptures and summoned others like you. And because of their bravery, courage and sacrifice we managed to defeat the enemies with a lot less casualties than we had before we used the scriptures.”
Gareth: “I don’t understand something… How are we going to make a difference? How does this battle hang in the hands of the so-called Heroes if you have armies at your disposal? How do we fit in this?”
King Aloof: “The archeologist and a small militia was sent on an inquisition in the far remote desert after mages seen on a crystal ball a magical aura resonating beneath an abandoned and ruined structure; they dug for several weeks and stumbled upon a cave, and found a large water source with amazing healing properties that aided in the advancement in potion restorations.” He smiles faintly, and looks at the Heroes and continues to explain, “By some luck, a water elemental attacked the archeologist, fortunately the mages controlled the situation and another part of the cave fell in. They saw a tomb in pristine condition, and had a magic seal upon it. It took them some time to remove the seal, and when they opened the tomb’s lid, they saw something nearly unbelievable.” He grins in excitement and adjusts himself in his stool a little as he sits up straight and rests his arms folded on the table and looks at the heroes,
“It was an arch angel, whose name we do not speak for security reasons, but this angel held a scroll, a book and a sword.” He smiles faintly, “At the time of the discovery, we did not understand the language or the symbols because it was written in Enoch and had Rune symbolism. The language is so old it was only known to our ancestors, and the records we had on our ancient history were mostly destroyed during the enemy’s invasion. So, after years of searching, we had no choice to go to the dragons and create a social bond that later developed into something more over the years. The dragons assisted us in creating 4 key portals to travel between realms, and one of those realms was yours, Earth. There we found our ancestral heritage and other valuable documents. We then found a way to translate the language and symbols and discovered a summoning ritual in the scroll and also a sacred island in the book of the angel.”
He clears his throat and drinks from the cup, he looks down at the wine as he speaks, “A year after the dragons opened the portal the invasion started without warning and we were not prepared… and the only thing we could do was order the dragons to close the portals permanently, but before we could do it a few daemons escaped to your realm among other monstrous beings but luckily we still had grand mages stationed on your realm but they too were unable to return.” He drinks from the cup again and sighs as he speaks, “In desperation we summoned them, and they got strong and drove them back.
It was a hard 12 day battle and most of them had no chance for rest and had to eat and drink while in battle. Some died consuming potions, completely thinned out their blood until there was nothing left and eventually their organs collapsed and ceased to function entirely. After the victory, they were sent back home but some remained behind and died by old age and some not so lucky. The years continued on, and had many more battles and some heroes continued to stay here and had families of their own. Today they are referred to as Demi-Heroes, but lack most potential than the original summoning but they are very capable just in hiding for unknown reasons. We are approaching the 50th year, and every 5 decades they launch an invasion. There’s 5 years remaining.” King Aloof has a grim look on his face, almost dreadful. Queen Ember takes his left hand in her hands and rubs the back of his hand with hers as she smiles softly and sympathetically at him, she looks at the heroes and speaks in a low tone,
Queen Ember: “Now that you heard a brief history of our past you now understand the reason we summoned you.” She smiles faintly, “You possess a great amount of power you will later discover as you progress in time, but make no mistake… You are not invisible or immortal and enemies of all sorts will target you in ways you cannot begin to imagine. They have strict orders to kill anything that resembles a heroic aura and will kill them-selves in the pursuit to kill you.”
Princess Lora: “They are mindless creatures…” She says softly beneath her breath. “They spare no one and nothing. If you let down your guard, they will kill you. Here’s another valuable lesson, if it appears innocent or too beautiful then prepare to kill it. It’s commonly a trap and lose a lot of guards and farmers in this manner. They eat them.” She says with disgust, she stands up and leaves as she says, “excuse me…” King Aloof sighs…
King Aloof: “I apologize for my daughter she recently witnessed the gruesome acts during a trip to one of the neighboring settlements to discuss political nonsense you don’t need to concern yourself with. She is right it is very dangerous and always stay alert.” Two servant ladies walk in with a small silver cart with their dinner on the cart and fresh wine. The ladies circles the table and placing everyone’s dinner in front of them as they passes everyone. “Thank you, the meal looks delicious, Jennifer. You may take a break.” She bows slightly without saying a word and smiles softly as she turns and leaves.
Michael: “We understand a lot more and less pissed off than before and I, for one, consider this as an honor to serve your realm, King Aloof and Queen Ember.” He says humbly and then asks, “Where are we to go? …and what’s expected in the first few days?” They all begin to eat their lunch and listen quietly.
Queen Ember: “You will receive a fair amount of gold coins to accommodate you in the city strictly to purchase armor, weapons and other essential things you may need. You will receive training in various things that is essential for your survival and combat orientation in magic, swords and other. However, you are free to choose your own weapon and combat methods once you’re ready to set out. Those will be discussed in greater detail while you’re going through evaluation and you’re going to meet Furion, our Dragon.” She smiles excitedly.
Leila: “Are you fucking serious?!” She smiles excitedly and is very anxious to meet the dragon… “Like a real life dragon?” She sits back in her chair and stares at her plate in thought as she smiles… The others appear just in shock as much as Leila.
King Aloof: “You think it’s exciting now wait until you stand in front of the dragon and hear him speak. There are many like Furion, but there are many like the monsters you will come to meet through your adventures.” King Aloof grins.
Raven: “It’s incredible I can’t even begin to imagine it.” She smiles as she bites her lower lip. “I assume the dragon is part of our training or evaluation?” She looks at King Aloof and smiles faintly.
King Aloof: “That is correct. There is a small evaluation and a brief history lesson, but not actual training unless Furion decides otherwise. Dragons are leaders of themselves and we have very little involvement in their decision making or choice of life. I am sure you will understand much more tomorrow.” King Aloof smiles and looks at Queen Ember, she speaks softly,
Queen Ember: “I am sure you all have more questions?” She says she smiles.
Gideon: “You sent us visions of monstrous beings attacking and in these repeated visions we saw our own deaths. What is that about?”
Jasmine: “Can you also explain what these monsters are?” Queen Ember nods as she smiles.
Queen Ember: “The visions I sent you wasn’t directly aimed at you or anyone in particular. I’m sure you already heard the process of how the visions came to you…?” They all nod in agreement and she notices it and continues, “I’ve shown you the most common front line monsters. You saw a zombie; it’s an undead and they are very common not just humanoid figures, and can be anything even skeletons – Undead is not the result of some biological weapon or virus as your world believes, they are the result of powers beyond our knowledge being exercised by necromancers across the realm.
A necromancer has a high bounty reward and can be claimed from any guild hall. Then you have the Draugr as you saw with their armor and weapons. They appear undead like that of a zombie, but it’s a little different in nature; draugr’s are humanoid creatures that are dead but the spirit is restless, bound and trapped inside the body. This can be the work of dark magic but the science division is still investigating this.
What they do know so far that these draugr stem all the way from your realm, and they become restless once their burial places are disturbed, raided or exploited for selfish gain and regularly we catch the looters or poachers desecrating the burial sites and the soldiers has orders to immediately execute them on sight. Then you saw your goblins, trolls and titans. It’s too much to go into detail we will be here all week trying to explain it all. It’s best you visit a library and do more research of your own.” She clears her throat and takes a sip of the red wine, she places the glass gently down and resumes, “The deaths you saw doesn’t necessarily mean it is how you’re going to die. Death in a vision or dream often indicates that something old in you is about to come to an end and something new is about to begin. It’s a visual representation of a spiritual awakening, and that is something you will realize on your own later.”
Gideon: “Well, that is a slight relief. I wasn’t looking forward to being crushed by a giant’s foot…” He laughs nervously and everyone looks at him as if he is strange.
Emily: “You all keep talking about experiencing some kind of horrific death but in my vision I was in complete darkness as the enemies attacked, they all glared at my ghost and continued to march on as if I don’t exist. In this dream, I felt an overwhelming sense of grief, depression and sadness and a deep craving for power, chaos and destruction. I wanted to destroy everything… and at some point I felt content with it all. Anyone else experienced this?” She looks worried as she frowns and looking at everyone. They all shook their heads quietly. Queen Ember’s facial expression is slightly grim, cold and distant and King Aloof looks at Emily and studies her closely. A few seconds pass as they eat in silence, and then Queen Ember continues to speak and smiles again to camouflage her true concerns….
Queen Ember: “In the previous summoning around 50 years ago, there were two Heroes that succumbed to their dark desires, and the darkness took a hold of their souls and used them as vessels. The daemons shared their knowledge of necromancy to them, and they led an awful attack against the civilians and soldiers and raised them to create a small army of their own. They started skirmishes across the land away from soldiers, and the more they killed the bigger their army became.
Eventually out of greed for more power, they ventured into the Forsaken Hills, and there they tried to command two undead dragons that remained behind for some reason, they failed to control them and were killed by the dragons. Luckily for us, a small boy followed them hoping he can rescue his family and made a journal of all their activities. When the fallen heroes died, their magic had no foothold and the people they killed dropped dead immediately afterwards.” She turns to Emily and looks at her, she smiles faintly and speaks seriously, “You must always resist and never succumb to any dark desires no matter how small or trivial. Once the darkness grab a hold of your heart, it’s nearly impossible to come back from it as it too fights to survive in you. It’s like a parasite.”
Emily looks more worried and loses her appetite and gulps down the wine, she sighs as she puts the empty glass down. She stares at the cup for a moment in thought and looks at Queen Ember and speaks softly, “So I can become evil if I’m not cautious…?” She looks down at the empty cup…
Queen Ember: “There is a chance anyone of us can change our alignment and walk the path of evil. It’s a choice in the end that no one can make for you. No creation in all of the universe and beyond is born evil. In fact evil is a practice, a conscious and intellectual pattern of personal believes, perspective and something of that nature is nurtured over a long period of time. Consequently these individual that succumb is well aware that it is not right. However, good and evil is subjective based on personal perception and awareness; it is entirely feasible of what is correct and what we understand of moral”. She smiles softly but can see on her facial expression she is concerned of Emily’s statement. Emily returns the smile as she looks at Queen Ember, taking in all she said as comfort and reassurance.
Raven: “If an evil person’s nature is based on conscious, intellectual intentions and not impulsive, then there is very little hope for a world of no evil at all. It’s illogical to think that all of evil can be stopped, because whomever is in the possession of such knowledge carry the seeds of suggestion and can easily be compelled by its own immoral emotions and thoughts; it festers like a cancer, and for all of it to really be defeated that means good has to perish alongside evil, in essence… all of creation must die and then be reborn without intelligence of our understanding”. Queen Ember smiles faintly and nods. She swallows softly and speaks,
Queen Ember: “It’s a natural way to reason that a genesis is the best approach but so much would be lost and nothing gained. All the joy, happiness and love will all be erased along with the priceless lessons life had taught us. Death is pointless. No matter the future confrontations we’ll each face alone, we will always come out a better being than what we were a day ago. To simply erase the knowledge from minds and books is to rip away the soul and cripple your own spirit, unable to grow beyond such a point.”
Raven: “I suppose you’re right. There are two sides to this but then again it’s all about personal perspective and believes…” She smiles faintly and drinks from the cup slowly.
Leila: “Erg… Let’s drop this conversation it is depressing as fuck.” She frowns.
Michelle: “What caused those summoned heroes to turn on the kingdom?”
King Aloof: “The last summoned candidates were careless and made many mistakes, but their bravery and courage made up for what they failed in. Some of them made powerful friends, created unbreakable bonds and some fell in love with the people of the land. So, they decided to get married to their wives on the same day and both were expecting a child. On the evening of their wedding, a large serpent scaled the unguarded walls on the east, and it attacked so quickly no one had time to respond. Most of the posted guards were drunk and passed out, and no recent city attacks in years, except that particular day. The wives were killed, crushed under its body, luckily our dragons were close by; they launched at it from the sky, clawed deep into its body and flew up with it and the serpent fell to its death.
The bones are still there… By the crash of the serpent it caused a small earth quake, causing some of the structures to collapse on civilians, guards and slaves. In the same hour, barely had the time to clear the dust, the invasion started without warning… The Heroes blamed the kingdoms out of grief and sorrow. They became mad, I think, with rage. They believed if they weren’t brought to our realm, they would have never known such horrors. So, they vowed to take revenge but instead end up dead”. King Aloof sighs as he sits back in his chair and rests his arms on the table, staring aimlessly in front of him. He says wearily, “This realm is ravaged by war, and is a curse to bare the throne sometimes…” Queen Ember looks at Markus, and he walks closer to her and stands between Aloof and Ember. He bends slightly and she speaks softly below his ear,
Queen Ember: “Markus, please go to see if Lora is alright… she drives me crazy sometimes.” Markus bows his head slightly and walks away to go see Princess Lora. She smiles softly and continues to speak as she looks at the heroes, “It’s a simple “be careful” - in my opinion it is good to create healthy, social relationships with the people to earn their trust and friendship but is can also be painful. You will learn the people you love the most are the fastest to die in this realm. Keep your eyes on the goal. Protect our realm and repel the enemy alongside the soldiers, win and go home”. She sits up straight and rests her arms folded on the table, and speaks in a serious tone, “You must understand, we cannot re-open a portal in the next five years, it’s too much energy and our mages and dragons are tired. Also if we risk opening a portal to your realm at any time before the enemy’s fall, they might find a way into your realm. Those bombs and guns will have very little effect on them. We simply can’t risk it”. She smiles faintly but her gaze is serious.
Jasmine: “Okay, it’s reasonable and makes sense. What I am wondering, if we die here, what happens to us then? Do we stay dead or return to our realm?” The heroes all sit back in their chairs and wait in anticipation for their response.
King Aloof: “If you die here, you stay dead. Unless…” He narrows his eyes slightly and looks at them as he pauses, realizing her spoke too much.
Raven: “Unless?” She tilts her head slightly and notices he is aware that he said too much. Everyone remains silent for a brief few seconds, and King Aloof resumes with a sigh,
King Aloof: “If you die we might be able to resurrect you at the temple, but the Pool of Resurrection is currently damaged and the Dryads with the aid of the Will o’ Wisp’s are working on repairs”.
Queen Ember: “We also require three important ingredients for it to work, but that task is very dangerous and you’re not ready for it yet. Once the pool is repaired, you can maybe take some risks, provided that your brain doesn’t get damaged in the process of death”.
King Aloof: “If you should die and we can’t resurrect you, your body will be consecrated and then destroyed solely for the purpose to prevent an undead imitation of your former self”.
Gareth: “What are the consequences of a resurrection?”
Queen Ember: “None that we know of. It’s only been used a few times in the past there isn’t enough information to go on”.
Lucien: “You also mentioned slaves earlier. Can you explain a little on that?”
King Aloof: “All Kingdoms across the world practice race supremacy and superiority. There are 80 races, and humans are second highest rank in race superiority”. King Aloof frowns and says with irritation, “The elves think of humans to be of lesser to them because we do not live hundreds of years and as intelligent as they are”. King Aloof looks angry, and says as he makes a fist and looks distant, “These darn elves think they are so special, but they are simply self-righteous, arrogant and ego maniac idiots with a superior complex”. He smirks slightly, and says with some satisfaction beneath his voice, “I’ve saved and killed a few of them in times of war long ago. They bleed and die like any man, and cry louder than woman… bastards”. Queen Ember grasp his left hand in her right hand and she looks at him, he calms down with a sigh and continues to speak calmly, “There are many different demi-humans of many species in the kingdoms and practically everywhere you go…”
Queen Ember: “You shouldn’t misunderstand us, being a slave in our city is prosperous to them and the economy. The slaves receive food, medical care and warm beds; the owners take good care of them, they aren’t being abused or used as target dummies. In some cases, as you might see, those who are treated poorly are convicted of criminal acts even if it’s just minor. These slaves are the backbone of our food and mining production, and some other activities.” She smiles softly and pauses as she takes her cup and drinks softly, then she continues to speak calmly while Aloof still look slightly irritated, “We are by no means mindless savages that disregard the value of another’s life, but the laws, traditions, customs and more it’s all a long and complicated heritage, and we have attempted to abolish some laws but it nearly caused a civil unrest of unfathomable damage and risk of life. In some households, slaves can be mistreated or abused perhaps disregarded as a mere animal because there are a few people as well as slave traders that do not care for them because they simply aren’t willing to use their greedy expenses on them, you will come to find money in this world is a problem. Rank and status affiliated with the wealth makes the meanest of people and other beings alike”.
Leila: “Are there laws in place that can severely punish slave traders or owners should they be found guilty of some kind of heinous crimes?” She frowns slightly while looking at Queen Ember.
Queen Ember: “In some cases, we can prosecute murder and sexual violation or assault on either gender. There is not much we can do as long as those rules aren’t broken. As I said, this is a very complicated heritage of laws, and we cannot abolish or install and replace old ones without the public agreeing. If we try to force it we can have serious consequences and our economy might take a hard hit. Just as we are in power, so too are we reminded that we serve the people, the country and it’s not a permanent position. We can be dethroned by the public and counsel.” King Aloof heaves a soft sigh and sits up straight and folds his arms on the table, he looks at the heroes and speak calmly,
King Aloof: “Lora once tried to purchase slaves, and bought them their green cards that indicate their free and no longer held accountable for minor crimes they may have committed. In this act she hoped they would find work and begin a new life but they end up becoming bandits, joining dark guilds or organizations working against the leadership; they become victims of some monstrous attack and among other things.” King Aloof sits back in his chair and holds his cup in his on the table, looking at it in thought… “As much as we dislike the heritage, it often times prove to better.”
Gareth: “I guess no matter how we look at it there’s pretty much nothing we can do to change the circumstances.” The others seem to agree in silence… “What else can you tell us about this country?”
King Aloof: “Realm of Lore is one of the great realms, and this realm is in unification with other realms. Earth and Lore is nearly the beginning and latest realms; unfortunately most realms have already been destroyed…” He clears his throat and sits up straight leaning slightly forward, just as he is about to speak Lucien interrupts him unintentionally.
Lucien: “What do you mean destroyed? Like an entire planet blown up?” King Aloof looks calmly at Lucien and don’t seem to mind the interruption.
King Aloof: “No, the planets or realms are still there, they are simply abandoned like your dead planet Mars that once were a thriving planet. The invasions, as we call it, had a major impact and most of them had no or very little defenses against such a force. Some are still there but we no longer have means to contact or teleport there because the portals are shut from their end. There is no mana link between these realms because it might draw the enemy to them. So, they are very well hidden. We can’t be sure if they even still exist either. Our realm is currently protecting your realm and if ours fall yours will be next. As for our Kingdom, this is Crystal-Wood, and one of the largest cities in the realm with the most exotic things you’ll come across in the entire realm. There are seven other kingdoms, and three kingdoms have been destroyed in the previous invasions and infested with all kinds of monsters as their base camp. Unfortunately the city Glowing Hills destroyed themselves through their research in mastering extremely sensitive magic, their research led to a great explosion of mana and blew up several villages and small towns surrounding them. There’s only an enormous crater left there now. It’s also a very haunted place, and some of the towns and villages were rebuilt and managed to survive most of the explosion, and became a stronghold for some races. Jupiter Kingdom simply vanished. No one knows anything, not even the dragons that can roam the astral plane at will. You will magic is an everyday tool and can be for any mundane means. It’s like breathing air. It’s not something you’re used to but will adapt.” King Aloof takes a break and drinks from his cup, Queen Ember smiles softly and speaks softly,
Queen Ember: “The cities are expanding rapidly and new discoveries every day with different outcomes. And because of our vast number of races in our country, you will see a variety of cultures, traditions and customs. You’re not expected to know all of them, and the citizens understand the mass confusion and culture explosion; it can be very overwhelming and very quickly. There are over 800 churches in our country based on different religions, and there are religious believes here as it is from your world. However, dark gods or destructive gods are forbidden and not accepted. Democracy has its limits here and such things aren’t tolerated.
There are endless opportunities and offers infinite possibilities. If you have imagination and willing then you can accomplish just about anything. The choice is all yours. We have a few districts that are divided and for obvious reasons. I will provide a guide book and a map of the city for you all to explore and get better acquainted with the people and the way of life here. I do recommend you visit the Security Magistrate and Magic Counsel building to enquire about joining a guild of your choice. A guild can provide plenty of work and other opportunities that will make your life easier here.” She smiles softly and looks at Leila as she gestures to speak,
Leila: “I am curious… Since we just arrived with no preparation or money, how are we going to survive here at such an early stage with no knowledge or experience?”
Queen Ember: “Each of you will be fairly compensated with an amount to purchase the necessities and receive a salary each month. For the time being, you will live in the castle until you set out. This is where a guild becomes necessary, once you join a guild some guilds already have grand halls prepared for new comers but those rooms are only offered to the most promising adventurer that can guarantee payment and an investment for the guild’s reputation. Some guilds do not have grand halls, but offer other means of living. That is something you will need to discuss with the guild leaders or receptionist to further information.” The Queen Ember looks behind her as she hears a knight walking up the hallway quickly with its clinging armor. The royal knight walks into the room and pause then he raises his fist to his chest and bows his head…
Royal Knight: “Yo’Majesty, Edward Javier has arrived. He says it is important.”
Queen Ember: “Alright. We’ll need to go we will continue to tomorrow so be up early and ready for your initiation.” Queen Ember and King Aloof stands, they smile and greets them goodbye politely. The heroes remain silent as they leave the dining room quietly and the royal knight follows them out.
To be continued on Episode 3: Initiation.
