Young Writers Society

(Note: This may not make proper sense if you don't read the first part. It's a direct continuation which relies heavily on the events of Part I, but can probably be read as a standalone work as well).

The Epic of James - Part II

The Gates of Heaven fall, rendered dust among the ash of war and death. The Gods were no more, and in their place the kin of giants reigns. Yet giants shall fall to the loving embrace of mortality, and so too their time would end. James the Conqueror, the Defiler, the Wise, and the one of many titles walked the Earth with dread, his hands tainted with the blood of many. The age of those who stand above has ended, and the time of men ensues.

The legacy of James did not falter. His great deeds lived on, despite the merciless destruction of all he held so very dear. Banished he was, and yet he surrendered not to the grasp of defeat. The true gift of immortality would indeed evade him, though only by a single arrow's flight. He had been immortalized in the history of man, free of death, though in an unsatisfying manner. He took no joy in this fate, for he himself would perish, falling victim to attrition, and should he accept this sentence, the legend would die with him.

The titan, blessed with long life, ventured his world - the world he had conquered all those centuries ago. Men did not bow in his presence as once, however, for instead they hid, in hopes of avoiding the wrath of this fearsome king. Blood drenched the sands and earth, and all the things that crept within them. It smothered the land like a terrible plague, this memory of the great war that had devastated all that lay below, of the cruel nights that overtook all.

Fifteen decades had passed, a century and one half, and yet James stood amidst ash, with little left to give. The blood had gone on one holy day - the day of salt and gold - leaving behind the old coarse desert sands and grassy plains for mortal men to praise. Oceans turned blue, filled with salt, and the world set itself in motion once more.

Some say an ancient creature guards the great inland sea - a nautilus so great, the best of fishermen fear its cold retreat. It is believed that this nautilus, hidden within its jeweled shell, turns blood to salt, and tears to gold. And so it was. Men required no ships, for the very salt of the sea burned through wooden hulls and woven sails. Their tears filled the vast watery expanse, and so the oceans shone with gold. Hence the name, the day of salt and gold.

The nautilus heeds no word of man, and holds no regard for life.

As James the Titan ventured the vast, desolate wastes of his long lost empire, he found himself standing beside the most curious of sights - a mountain of raw steel, with no grass to coat it. James climbed the steep cliffs above and crossed the perilous ravines below, his hands shredded by cuts, gashes and other sorts of wretched wounds. He gazed down upon the great empty abyss from atop the conquered hill. Peaks of gold and gemstone glimmered faintly in distant land, yet James cared not. He sat upon this hill of steel, resting.

And so James sat for twelve short days and twelve cold nights, gathering his thoughts, grieving for all that he had lost. A gate of shining white gold appeared before him, upon it guards whose wits were sharp as the black arrows aimed at James.

"Turn back, Titan! We own not that which you seek!" the guards called, voices merged.

"I know not what I seek." James replied. "For I have lost all that gave me breath."

"Then answer me, Titan. What treasures lie within these walls of gold?" James fell silent. He did not know this riddle. After all, should he know what lies beneath the earth? Gold? Silver? Gems of old, perhaps?

"I do not know." he finally said, sorrow in his tone. "Then it is knowledge that you seek. You do not fear ignorance, yet wish to overcome it. Enter our halls, fair Titan, and find what power you had not found in your time."

James fell into the hidden realm, setting his gaze upon the last retreat of wisdom, this bastion of scholars and wary men. This world had remained concealed from his ruling hand, its people watching as the heavens and earth fused. A great library stood in its middle, built of stone and granite. Inside was a throne, and upon the throne sat the one in robes.

"I welcome you, friend, to the last known beacon of intellect." the old man spoke, his voice hoarse and broken. "I know of you, James, the one of many titles. My admiration for you is great. I shall bestow upon you a gift. Tell me then, valued guest, what is it you seek?"

James glanced down at his feet. "Knowledge, my lord. Knowledge I seek." he replied. "Wisdom? Do not let the guards fool you. Surely there must be something better I can offer, no?" his eyes sparkled with anticipation as James weighed his thoughts. "I must insist. I ask for knowledge, and that is all."

The gray-haired elder offered James many gifts on that day, from unbreakable swords to coats of bronze. He offered even his own throne, and yet James did not fall into the trap of greed. The elder lost his patience. His stare was fearsome, voice thunderous, and the rotting flesh upon his bones began to fade. Nothing was now left but a skeleton in its master's place, shouting insults, growing with every word.

"You would dare resist me? James the Fool! James the Unfortunate! I shall destroy you!" it chanted, voice full of seething hatred. Soon the ground beneath them began to quake, and the tall ceiling shattered. James escaped the wizard's grasp, though only just, as his very kingdom buried him beneath the earth. It struck James then that the world was now a place of darkness, where magic reigned free.

Many great warriors fell recklessly into the warlock's grievous trap, imprisoned for all eternity as he lived from their very souls, their possessions now treasures for the warlock to give. Such was the fate of those unwise.

A demon appeared before James on that strange day as he crept about the red dunes, its skin a mere cloud of black dust. The dark spawn spoke with great skill, fooling the desperate colossus into agreement. Truly, such persuasion was not of this Earth, for only the hells below had use for it. The demon glimmered with specs of light beneath its charcoal flesh.

"I has't for thee an offer." the creature spoke. Its tongue was foreing, and yet so very familiar. James had learned this way of speech, for his wisdom knew no bounds.

"I shalt grant thee one single wish." James' gaze lit up with excitement. A single wish, with which he may once more rule the Earth.

"I would asketh for the gift of knowledge, oh most wondrous creature, so that I may be who I once was." The demon caught flame, its body now a great raging fire.

"Aye, I sayeth, though payment is due. Thou shalt pledge thy mind and soul for those of highborn blood to reap. Thy mind is thine to give, good titan. Choose wisely..." James gazed at the blazing spawn with a furrowed brow, weighing his thoughts.

"I concur. I shalt pledge my soul and mind unto thee, at which hour all leaves falleth from the oak." A deafening roar thundered as the Earth quaked with might. The demon had gone, leaving only a heap of ash. And so, James the Wise, master of titles and giver of life sold the very essence of his being into the realm of eternal slavery.

No consequences came of these acts of heresy, for no Gods lived now to fulfill them, though James' dreams were filled with sorrow nonetheless. He dreamt of death once more, for he knew that not even his most cunning plan could help fend off the hellish fiends he had so desperately wished to break.

New knowledge blessed the fair Titan, for he now knew the path towards immortality. The nautilus, king of all waters, giver of gold and salt, and the last remaining God to gaze upon the Earth would soon come to blows with James the Conqueror. The road ahead was long and treacherous, and such was life.

"I ride to meet my fate, whether it be shine or doom, for I fear not the darkness. Wisdom shall enlighten that which knows not light, and strength defeats that which knows not reason."

(Quick self-critique: It's... Flawed. Pretty weak, especially when James clashes with the deceptive cultist. I'll admit, I've been writing this in segments (not chronologically), trying to glue them together in some meaningful way. The plot also changed a few times. I wrote the end first, about two months ago. Finished the rest today and yesterday.

Tear it to shreds.)