Young Writers Society

Adam

"Then climb down the ladder and get in here," Adam called back lazily. He moved across to a drinks cabinet that leaned against one wall of the room and poured himself some fruit juice. The supply was running low. There was a moment's silence from the adjoining room as the intruder found and tested the ladder, a moment's hesitation and suspicion of better laid traps. So predictable. But then came the soft thud of two feet landing on the floor and the pad of footsteps. He was making himself heard. How... polite.

"Straight through the door in front of you, just don't turn the handle past a quarter turn and then you're home free. No more traps until you try to leave," Adam called out, flicking a switch before moving back to the middle of the room with his drink. A bulb above the door jumped into life, a harsh white glare directed toward anyone about to enter and the other lights dimmed themselves, throwing Adam and Adrian into obscurity. A thin, long haired boy let himself into the room and left the door slightly ajar but didn't jump in the slightest when the spring pulled it closed of its on accord.

Squinting in the harsh light, the boy checked out as being young and mildly dangerous but not of the assassin variety so casually, Adam moved back to the drinks cabinet, poured himself more fruit juice and flicked the switch again. The lighting returned to normal.

"Forgive me," Adam drawled. "I like to see people before they see me." He watched the boy's eyes take in the room, landing on the ten visible doors and a few of the exits that were hidden. He missed only three or four. He didn't have a lot of gold in his pockets, the way they sagged told Adam that much. But he moved closer to shake the slightly surprised boy's hand and had a closer check. He took half the coins for some practice and was glad to see the theft went undetected. If Adam was good at anything, it was stealing.

"I'm here to talk," the boy repeated, trying hard to not stare at Adam's guest. The famous Adrian certainly drew a person's eyes that way.

"Then how about a trade? Give me the name of whoever sent you and I give you your gold back, fair yes?" Adam grinned, drained the last of his fruit juice and set the tankard down on the floor. The boy was discreetly searching his pockets and deducing how much gold was gone.

Balaes

"Then how about a trade? Give me the name of whoever sent you and I give you your gold back, fair yes?"

Adam's words - and what he claimed to have so easily done - shocked Bal so much that he momentarily forgot to wonder what such an important person as Adrian Arakor was doing here. Bal had only seen Lucas Arakor once or twice in his life, but his deeds were known throughout the city, throughout the world as far as Bal knew. Even his own father, Anuron Raan, had spoken highly of the general, though he'd never met him himself. He'd spoken even more highly of Adrian's mother, however, which wasn't surprising. As probably the most accomplished mage in the world, Raven commanded a lot of respect from Bal's father, although she'd probably never find out. Nor, no doubt, would she want to. Few looked on necromancy as a noble art, and most mages Bal had encountered seemed to regard it as a corruption of magic's purity.

Mentally shaking himself, Bal nodded, "Very well, seems fair to me. My name's Balaes, I work for a man named Flicker - I'm not sure if it's his real name, so don't ask me. He's the local crime lord, and he wants you to work for him. You know, like taking a cut out of your profits on his turf."

It was the exact thing Flicker had told him to say, the exact thing any boss would have said to a new thief. But Bal was watching for any sign of reservation - he wanted a chance to get out of this life, running around on the streets lie a common rat wasn't for him, although he wouldn't say so to someone who had made it a way of life by choice, as he guessed this Adam Scotch boy was. Certainly he wouldn't say it when Adam seemed to be friends with the son of the general and the mistress of the Arcane University.

Kai smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry about the time; my little sister...well, sometimes she can't sleep and just wants to go walking around." He watched as Enya tentatively entered the room, passing Reon with a respectful nod and word. "She's always had an interest in magic, especially healing."

Even as he said it, she wandered over to where the potions were displayed on the counter. "What are these for?"

REON

"those potions are weapon enchanter potions, you pour it on it and then it will be better in the aspect the potion deals with. If your interested in healing i have a few cure potions over there" He said pointing to the left wall. "and i was planning on looking for an apprentice tomorrow, if you want to learn about healing you could apply i was going to teach beginner potion making."

(Hey, Ayumi? Have you thought of what skills you want to spend your first 5 skill points for your characters on?)

Adrian

Everyone tensed at the sound of a sword being pulled out of its sheath. They turned to see Adrian pointing his short sword at Balaes. "Tell me where this crime lord of yours is, now."

Balaes slowly began to reach for the dagger hooked onto his belt. Even if this kid was one of the most important people in the city, he would defend himself if he had to.

"Raise your hands over your head," Adrian told him before Baleas could get to his weapon. "I will not hesitate to strike you down if you grab that dagger of yours."

Balaes did what he was told. Although he didn't like it, if it came to it he could use his magic. Word on the street was even though Adrian Arakor was living in the Arcane University with his mother he was inept at using magic. Balaes had the advantage.

"I have no quarrel with you, Balaes," Adrian explained, his sword still poised to strike if necessary. "The crime lord you work for has caused much trouble for this city. Many people have lost their lives because of him. If you come with me to report his whereabouts to the City Watch, I will make sure you're properly protected."

Edgar

Lucas, Edgar, and King Septim all made their way through the passage as quietly as they could. Lucas took point, scouting ahead to make sure there were enemies up ahead.

"Your friend doesn't seem to trust me that much," Edgar pointed out.

"Forgive him. He cannot understand why I trust you, for he has not seen what I have seen." The king turned to Edgar and asked, "Tell me, do you know of the Gods who rule over Arcadia?"

"A little," Edgar told him. "I know they're supposed to guide and protect us."

Uriel nodded. "Indeed. I have charted the course of my life through the stars in the heavens in which they reside. Each flicker of light is a sign, and they have shown me the end of my life. My death, a necessary end, will come when it will come."

Edgar heard something in a nearby corner. He faced it, ready to strike, but relaxed when he saw it was only a rat. He went back to walking beside the king. "What about me?" he asked.

"Your stars are not mine," Uriel told him. "My dreams have shown me many things. I have seen you and several others combating the forces of evil, and in your wake the light of the sun shone down to banish the coming darkness."

"So, you think I'm going to be some kind of hero?" Edgar asked.

"Perhaps. Only time will tell for sure."

"You're awful chatty when it comes to your own death. Aren't you afraid to die?"

"No trophies of my triumphs precede me, but I have lived a good life. My ghost will rest easy in the next life. Men are but flesh and blood, and the Gods have given me the gift of knowing the time and place of my death. It is inevitable, but I know that so long as the Gods guide you it will not be in vain."

"So, where are we going?" Edgar asked.

"Lucas thinks we will make it out of this place alive, but I go to my grave. There is nothing he can do to save me. You must follow us for a while longer, then we must part."

Adam

Watching with a measure of amusement, Adam pulled the stolen coins out from within the cuff of his shirt and tossed them one by one across to Baleas. The boy caught them cautiously, his eyes trained completely on Adrian.

"I'm an honourable thief," Adam said with little attempt to hide the disgust and contempt in his voice. "I don't work for murderers. But, I also know that boys make mistakes and both of you are making one now." He paused for the effect and waited for one to speak.

"Explain yourself," Adrian demanded.

"Gladly. Baleas makes the mistake of allegiance, he's probably so far in he can't get out. You are making the mistake of presuming you could find your way out of here and that bringing Flicker to justice would achieve anything. It would not. Someone else would replace him, perhaps the man outside this door who's keeping an eye on our new friend Baleas or maybe some other self proclaimed advocate of violence." Adam blinked. He had not meant to talk so long or say so much but now he shrugged. What I wouldn't give to have lived your life, Adrian. Is everything so black and white for you, everything so fresh? To see the world through such righteous eyes for just a moment would probably melt my brain. It's almost a crime to think that someone has to steal such precious misconceptions from your mind.

And of course Adam knew those were thoughts that came from his mother as his father would have said. And sometimes they were what kept him awake at night wondering who she could have been.

Balaes

He muttered a curse. So Shmet was here. Obviously Adam had some way of detecting anyone who came into the house, or maybe just near it. Either way, he was now dead if Shmet had heard them. And if he hadn't heard, Bal now had his chance to break free of Flicker's control.

He kept his hands in the air as he started talking, "Adam's right - I'm in over my head at the moment. But maybe you can help me out, Adrian. The man who's watching this house right now is probably Flicker's second in command, Shmet. He's as dangerous as the boss himself, and he'd be the one to take over if you captured Flicker. You'll find my boss in the basement of the Quiet Lion Inn, but I can't tell you how well-defended he'll be any more. Before today, maybe ten watchmen would be enough to take the Inn. But he...acquired a book from Boss Arri today. I'm not sure what it is, but he was pretty happy to get it."

Bal stopped, listening intently for footsteps. The knowledge that Shmet would almost certainly be able to move through the house without making a sound and without setting off a single trap was worrying, but perhaps he'd mess up at the trapped doorknob. He thought again for a moment, Probably not.

"You believe the book is magic?" asked Adrian.

Bal nodded, "So yes, you could probably get someone from the University to help you."

***Hmm...I would like Cure for Enya and...longswords for Kai.***



Enya beamed. "Really? That would be great! I..." then she remembered. Her parents. "I'd have to talk to my parents, though."

Kai chuckled. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind. You like healing, anyway, and Mother can't teach you; she's the master of Fire. And Father controls Ice."

Enya nodded. "I'll talk to them before breakfast, then I'll come by and let you know. Is that okay?"

"okay then, i was planning on having the lesson earlier but i guess i could teach you a little later, And would you like to come to, um sorry did not catch you name' Reon asked
"I'm Kai and this Enya" the boy said

(I'll get started on recording your characters' skills right now.)

Adrian

Satisfied, Adrian lowered his sword. "Then it's settled. We'll take you to the City Watch's HQ. On my honor as Lucas Arakor's son, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you get the protection you need."

"Well there's no point wasting time here," Adam said. "We can take on of the secret exits out of here so we don't run into your friend." He led them over to the passage that his father took.

Everyone froze when a voice from the shadows said, "I'm disappointed in you, Balaes."

Balaes

He froze at the sound of Shmet's voice, spinning to see him standing in the doorway. The assassin continued, his hood drawn up, probably to prevent Adrian from seeing his face. "I'm not disappointed in you because you turned Flicker over, Balaes. That's very useful to me. I'm disappointed because you betrayed me and the rest of the gang." He sighed, as if actually regretting what he was about to do, "I regarded you as my protégé, Balaes. You would have been powerful in this city if you had followed me." He bowed to Adrian, "And not even you can save them now, son of Lucas Arakor."

He reached into his cloak and drew out three knives - two throwing knives held in his left hand, a long bladed fighting knife in his right. He closed with them slowly, keeping his eyes on Adrian's. A thief and a runner would pose him no threat, but the swordsman might.

Bal saw his chance and played the one card he had - that Shmet had no idea what he was. All the time he'd spent concealing his abilities from the gang was finally going to pay off. He held out his hands and concentrated, unleashing a powerful burst of dark magic. Shmet howled in pain and rage, stumbling backwards away from them.

Adrian

Adrian readied his sword to strike. Balaes stopped him. "He's more experienced than you. If you fight him, you'll die!"

Balaes was probably right. You didn't get to be second in command of a notorious crime syndicate if you weren't strong. He thought fast, trying to think of a plan before Shmet regained his composure. That's when he had an idea. He turned to Adam and asked, "That passage your father went down, can you close and lock it from the other side?"

Edgar

They continued to make their way through the catacombs, careful not to run into anymore ambushes like the one that took the life of Renault.With Lucas in the front and Edgar at the rear, they were able to get through most of the passage, until they came to a sanctum.

The large room had three platforms, with them being on the top. There was a staircase right in front of them that took them straight to the bottom, but it was narrow and easy for someone to drop in from above.

"I don't like the look of this," Lucas said. "Let me take a look." The general quietly made his way down the stairs. He was able to make it to the bottom without anyone ambushing him. He took a few moments to survey his surroundings before turning to Edgar and Uriel. "Looks clear." The two of them made their way down the stairs. As they walked, Lucas continued, "Come on, the sewers are just ahead. Once we get through them we'll be home free."

"What if they're waiting at the exit?" Edgar asked.

"Then we'll just have to fight our way through. I will not let them take the king's life."

They came around a corner to find a closed gate. Lucas went up to the gate to open it, but it wouldn't budge. "Dammit!" he said.

"What is it?" Edgar asked.

"The gate is barred up on the other side. It's a trap!"

Edgar looked around and saw another passage on the other side of the room. He pointed at it and asked, "What about that side passage over there?"

"It's worth a shot, let's go." They went into the side passage, only to find a small room and no exit.

"Well, what now?" Edgar asked.

"I don't know," Lucas said. "I don't see any good options here." The sound of shouts from the sanctum caused Lucas to draw his sword. "They're behind us!" He looked at Edgar and told him, "Wait here, and guard the king with your life!" He ran out the room to fight the assassins.

"I can go no further," Uriel told Edgar.

"What do you mean?" Edgar asked. "Your general is going to be fine, isn't he?"

"His efforts matter not, for my time has now come. You must go and stop the Prince of Destruction, before his darkness consumes this land." He removed an amulet from around his neck and handed it to Edgar. The amulet was a large red stone embroiled with gold. It was one of the biggest pieces of jewelry he had ever seen. "Here, take this."

"What is it?" Edgar asked as he took the amulet from the king's hands.

"It is the Amulet of Kings. Give it to Jauffre in Weynon Priory, he alone knows where to find my last son. Find him, and close shut the jaws of Oblivion."

"Close shut the jaws of Oblivion? What do you-" A sound behind the king caused him to stop in mid-sentence. A secret door had opened in the wall, and out came another assassin clad int he same armor as the one from before. The enemy drew a dagger and plunged it into King Septim's back. It happened so fast there was no time to react.

The king's body fell limply to the ground. Now the assassin's sights were set on Edgar, or more specifically, the amulet in his hand.

After a lovely conversation with the young man, the two teenagers returned home. Enya was exceptionally excited, a sign she was also getting very tired. Undoubtedly she would crash the minute they walked through the door...

But then...Kai paused.

Enya almost didn't notice him faltering. "And...Kai? What's wrong?" She frowned at the sight of him; his expression was not a pleasant one, being of alarm and wariness. His gaze was fixed on the town, just at the bottom of the hill.

"Something's wrong," he whispered. "Something evil is coming."

Enya gulped, instantly moving closer to her brother. "What do you mean? Kai, talk to me, what's wrong? What is it?"

He glanced down at his left hip; damn! His sword was back at the house! With their parents.

That's when it happened. The ground shook violently, the sky going from its beautiful midnight black to blood red. Earth rose out of the heart of Kvatch, rumbling and towering into a tall, stone arch. Magic as red as the sky shot out of the ground around it, like pillars, and filled the archway inside. Menace flooded the atmosphere.

"Bloody Hell," Kai hissed. "Enya, come on! Now!" He began to run, her not too far behind; he had to wake the city, to warn everyone, to get his sword.