That one story...that isn't done

PROLOUGE

In
The eighth recorded century of the land of Thergrim, man arrived at
its shores. Driven from their previous homes because of war, they
spent three and a half long years at sea. All ten ships would stop at
every sight of land for the hope of fresh water and a place to stay,
but rarely found either. Over time, their resilience began to fail.
Two ships were sunk, one by a terrible storm, and the other by a
disease-ridden band of pirates. And a third ship attempted to turn
back in fear of sailing off the end of the world. So by the time the
remaining seven ships arrived on white shores of Thergrim, they had
become just as bitter as those who slaughtered their people and drove
them out.

The
sailors landed in the port town of Thuelin. They were met in peace by
the kind hearted native races, among which were elves and dwarves.
They welcomed the humans into their land gladly and offered to help
them for as long as they wanted to stay before setting sail again.
However, when the humans realized that this land wasn’t just
another island, they decided it would be theirs. They enjoyed the
hospitality for a few months but before the end of the year they
claimed the land as their own. Because the inhabitants were such a
peaceful people man quickly decimated them, killing off almost the
entire population in just a few weeks. Now it is considered
immeasurable luck if ones travels should bring them across the path
of an ancestor of a Thuelin home for there are so few of them left in
the land.

After killing the
Thuelin, man continued in their conquest and many battles were fought
and won. They drove out the inhabitants that lived in the coastland,
and continued to push them back until man was satisfied with the
amount of land they had taken. They the established seven tribes for
the seven boats that first landed in the shored of Thergrim and were
named after the seven families that owned the boats: Derias, Searim,
Dumier, Boderan, Haderin, Thurail, And Barul. As the years passed
they solidified these seven tribes into seven countries. The country
of Derias as the northern guard, the country of Searim at the
northwestern shore, the twin counties of Dumier and Boderan watching
over the south west and south eastern shores, Haderin keeping guard
in the west, and in the center, the industrious and wealthy countries
of  Thurail and Barul.

The humans shared
the land of Thergrim with Elfs, Dwarfs, Dragons, and a number of
other, lesser species, but their violence and greed drove the other
races out to the furthest parts of Thergrim. Over time they became
myths and were soon forgotten in all but the oldest of legends and
bedtime stories. The Seven countries then entered a time of peace,
living completely cut off from all else. However, the hearts of men
are greedy and after nearly five centuries of living within their
borders, the lust of riches has been re-awakened in them and seems to
never cease to obsess them. It was once again time for man to go to
war.

CHAPTER
1

	“In and out
of the city before the sun rose to its full height” That’s
what he had said. Arthos snuck along the streets of the city. He was
very careful not to be spotted; he had even wrapped parts of his
armor in layers of cloth so he would not make noise as he traveled.
He was dismayed by the time it had taken him to reach the center of
the city. As he approached the tower he saw two guards posted at the
door, the guards of the city wore silver cloaks over their armor.
They had hoods over their heads and silver cloths covering everything
under their eyes. They needed these to protect their faces from the
sandstorms that blew in. Both of them were armed with spears. He
wondered why only two guards where chosen to guard the tower,
especially with the threat of war right outside their gates. As he
approached tower the first guard spotted him and stepped forward.

	“Halt,”
his booming voice shot through the air. “The tower is not
opened for civilians at this time.” Arthos paid them no
attention and kept walking. “Stop, or we will have to use
force.” He just kept walking. The man who spoke was the first
to move, he charged Arthos spear raised. As he swung down Arthos
rolled out of the way and stabbed him with his short sword. The
second man was already charging before the body hit the pavement.
Arthos pulled the spear out of the ground next to him and drove it
through the man’s chest. Arthos hid the two men in an alley and
walked inside.

	When he entered he
saw why there where only two men outside, everyone else was inside.
Soldiers where on every floor and everywhere in between. The only
difference between these soldiers and the ones outside was that these
men did not have their hoods up and they were not wearing cloths over
their faces. The first man to give Arthos any attention was a soldier
about fifteen feet away from him; he let out a cry and charged him.
Arthos ran at him, slid past, and stabbed the man in the back. When
he turned he saw that every soldier knew of his presence and was
charging down at him. He fought his way up the spiral stairs; he blew
past the first people with ease. He was stabbing, slashing, and
pushing people off the stairs, but as he fought higher up the stairs
the harder the enemies had become. They where better trained,
smarter, and he was quickly running out of stamina. All of a sudden
he was pushed backwards into a small candle lit room. When he gained
his balance he saw that several dozen men surrounded him. They slowly
closed in on him, spears at the ready. He raised his hands above his
head. “Now gentlemen cant we talk about this?” As he
spoke he took a step forward, when he did the man closest to him
flinched; exactly as Arthos wanted him to do. He reached down and
grabbed a black egg, a hollowed egg filled with sand, flower, and
glass, crushed it and threw it in the man eyes. The man doubled over
in pain clawing at his eyes. Arthos leaped over him and put out the
candle, leaving the room pitch black. The soldiers stumbled in the
dark trying to kill him. He quickly jumped out of the room and barred
the door shut. He ran up the stairs fighting the few remaining
soldiers. Then he came to the end of the stairs, to a pair of huge
wooden doors that were painted red and had black strips of iron
supporting it. Arthos Paused for a moment, his orders rang in his
head “kill the general and the army will not fight.”
Arthos looked out of the window to check how much longer he had, time
was almost up. He took in a deep breath and opened the door.

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	“In and out
of the city before the sun rose to its full height.” That’s
what he said. Amos now looked down on city wishing he hadn’t
said that. He shouldn’t of let Arthos go into the city alone,
and now he regretted giving him such limited time to carry out his
orders. The Derias war council was reluctant to bring Arthos on to
the planning of the attack because he was not a warrior in Derias
army, he was an assassin trained to do the things that the army or a
large party couldn’t. They had finally agreed to let Arthos
have a head start and take out the Duke of the city, but since it was
a Haderin army town the duke was also a highly respected general.
Amos was worried because the Haderin generals where notorious for
their expert training, and it was said that their Armor and weapons
where made out of a metal that was strong enough to cut through the
scales of a dragon. But now Amos could not do anything but prepare
for the siege and hope Arthos would make it out alive. Amos watched
the sky as the sun rose higher and higher, he wished he could buy him
more time but the council had made up their mind.

	“Sir Amos.”
He turned to see a young man running towards him. “The other
members of the war council are ready to start the final preparations
for the siege, they are waiting for you.”

	“Thank you,
tell them I will be there soon.” Amos wound his way through the
array of tents. Men where scrambling around getting their gear ready
for the day ahead. Amos found his way to his own tent and retrieved
his gear: A javelin, a broad sword, and a dagger. He exited his tent
and made his way to the council tent. When he arrived he saw eleven
men crowded around a huge map.

	“Amos, so
nice of you to show up.” One of the men said in almost a snarl.

	“All right
you two,” said another. “lets get down to business. Amos
before you entered we where discussing the possibility of a multi
level attack on the northern and western gates.”

	“We wont have
to,” Amos interrupted,” “we have our best man
inside the city ready to take out the duke. You said it yourself, cut
off the head and the body will die. All we need to do is give him
more time.”

	“We can’t
depend on him.” The man across from him yelled. “Amos,
you are one of the best generals in the council, and we can’t
have you wasting your ability waiting for your friend. Now we need
you to think clearly and help us.” Amos sighed and studied the
map.

	“Here,”
he pointed to a spot near the northern gate. “we need to place
the catapults here. We don’t go for a multilevel siege like we
have in the past. Normally we choose a wall and siege the gate and
use our machines to gain access to the battlements. But they will
expect that, we have tried that too many times. They are also a
military town, if they are grouped together they will be stronger
they will be able to watch each other’s backs. We need to hit
them low at the east gate and use our siege towers here on the west
side. On the north we will have a battalion accompanying the
catapults hitting high and low. That way their troops will be spread
out, and there will be the fear of a southern attack.”

	“I like it,”
Everyone was now nodding. “but an attack like this would need
to synchronized, but we cant use a horn because they will know we are
attacking differently.”

	“Easy, I will
shoot a guard.” One man stated. “When you see that,
attack. This is the best option because they will be drawn to the
side the shot is fired from. Then you can come in and attack from
behind.”

	“Alright, get
your squads, Arthos’ time is almost up. Move, get into
positions.” The council members left the tent to go spread the
word that they where moving out. Time had run out for Arthos.

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Arthos
found himself in a cathedral with huge stained glass window on each
wall. There, standing in the middle of the room was a soldier with
his hood on and cloth up, but this soldier had gold veins shooting
around his cloak. Arthos knew that this must be the duke of the city.
Sir Rearden was his name. “Rearden,” he shouted out, “the
Derias army is right on your step. You won’t win a full on
attack, your only chance of survival is to come as a prisoner back to
camp with me.”

	“I would
rather die.” The dukes voice was low and gravely. The duke ran
at Arthos he was armed with a battle-axe and a shield. The duke
raised his axe high to bring it down on Arthos. Arthos saw this
gesture and raised his own sword to deflect the blow, but the duke
did some thing unexpected. He jammed his shield into Arthos’
rib cage. Arthos landed on the ground with a thud and quickly rolled
out of the way as the duke brought down another blow. Arthos stood
up, but the blow had disarmed him of his sword so he grabbed the two
daggers he had with him and ran at the duke. Arthos swung high with
one and low with the other, but despite his efforts the duke easily
maneuvered around his blades and was able to cut Arthos’ arm.
Then tides of the battle were turned. The cathedral shook violently;
the siege had begun. Boulders smashed into a single side of the tower
near the middle. This caused the top of the tower to fall forward.
The top of the tower caught on some of the smaller towers surrounding
it; keeping it from smashing into the ground. Arthos stood and
regained his balance; he had lost one dagger when he fell. He saw the
duke starting to stand, so he charged hoping he could get to him
before he regained his wits. The duke regained his balance just in
time to roll out of the way. Arthos ran at the duke again but this
time ready to defend himself. As he got closer he was blinded by the
colors dancing beneath him. He looked down and saw that they where
now standing on one of the stained glass windows he was admiring
earlier. He didn’t have much time to show amazement because the
duke had regained his balance and was running at him. Arthos faced
him and blocked the blow but the duke’s axe swatted the dagger
out of his hand. Arthos just acted on instinct now. Without thinking
he charged; this caught the duke by surprise. Arthos grabbed the
duke’s shield and ripped it out of his hands. Arthos ran to
gain some distance between them. He turned just as the duke launched
himself into the air and was coming down on him. Arthos raised the
shield and brought it down on the glass beneath him sending both men
falling.

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	Amos was among the
three members of the war council to lead the battalion on the
northern wall. He was hoping that Arthos had made it out. “Alright
men.” He shouted, “On my mark we advance the battering
ram first, that will be followed by the siege towers. At this time
the catapults will release sending in their first set of boulders.
Men I can’t promise you will make it out but that doesn’t
matter because we fight for honor.” The men let out a cry. “We
fight for valor.” Another cry came from the men. “But
most of all we fight for our fellow country men, and we fight for our
home.” On last cry came from the men, this one was longer and
louder than before.

	“Sir”
one of the men yelled. “the signal, it just went off.”

	“Charge”
he yelled and the machines rolled forward. Amos saw the boulders fly
overhead; sending in their first wave of destruction. As they got
closer to the wall they saw archers lining up on the battlements.
“Get in formation.” Amos yelled. The men grouped
together. All of the men who weren’t pushing any of the
machines lifted their shields overhead to create an iron barrier to
block out arrows. Finally they reached the gate. The siege towers
reached the wall a moment later. The battering ram pounded the door
several times as the men climbed up the siege towers waiting for the
order to advance. With one last swing the battering ram shattered the
door. “Now.” Shouted out Amos. The doors to the siege
towers opened and the men flooded onto the battlements. When they
entered the city they saw the enemies forces running at them head on.
Amos and his men in the front lowered their shields in front of them
to create a box. But then the enemy did something new. Men that they
didn’t see because they were laying on the roof stood up and
jumped down on top of the men holding their above their heads. This
allowed them to stab the surrounding soldiers before they knew what
was happening. The Derias forces had to break formation. Amos was
startled by their bold moves, but his men where highly trained and
were not discouraged by their fallen comrades. Amos stabbed one
soldier then stabbed another sneaking up behind him. He turned and
hurled his javelin at man ten yards away. The javelin traveled right
into the man’s stomach. Amos ran forward and ripped the javelin
out of the man, stabbing him with the sword in his other hand. He
hacked and slashed men as they ran. He wasn’t afraid of the
enemies behind him because he knew he had some of the best men
watching his back. They fought their way further into the city until
they saw what the boulders had done to the massive tower. Amos said a
prayer hoping that Arthos made it out alive.

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Arthos
and the duke spiraled down wards. Arthos turned his body to face the
duke. The duke was closing in on Arthos and in one last effort to
kill him he threw his battle-axe at Arthos. The axe glanced off of
the shield. “I don’t get it?” The duke screamed in
frustration. “Why wont you just die?” He angled him self
towards Arthos and bear hugged him. Arthos knew this was the end but
he was going to carry out his orders so with all of his might he
pushed the duke up against the wall of the tower. The duke let out a
scream, but his screams soon ceased. Smeared blood was all that was
left of him. Arthos continued to free-fall, he tried to calm his mind
and except that he was going to die. But then a flash caught his eye,
several feet below him was the duke’s axe. He remembered what
was said about Haderin Generals; how they had weapons so sharp they
could cut though dragon scales. Surly dragon scales where tougher
than stone. Arthos flattened his body and gained speed toward the
falling axe. He reached out and took hold of it. He then turned and
drove into the side of the tower. His arm felt like it was about to
come off when the axe entered the stone. It felt like fire burning
the muscles under his skin, but it did slow down his descent. For the
first time he noticed what was going on down below him. He saw the
soldiers of the two armies scrambling around and fighting whomever
the came across. For the most part it seemed as if the Derias army
was winning the battle, but not without heavy losses. When Arthos was
getting close to the ground he saw a soldier cornered by three
Haderin guards. Arthos pulled the axe out of the wall and dropped
down landing on one of the men. The other two men took their
attention off the soldier and faced Arthos; when they did the soldier
stabbed both of them. Arthos turned towards the man. “Where is
your commanding officer, Amos? It is important that I talk to him.”

	“Last I saw
he was near the market place down that way.” The man pointed
the road to his left.

	“Thank you.”
Arthos took off in that direction. When a group of soldiers
approached him he raised the axe and charged. When they saw the axe
of their leader in the hands of the enemy they where discouraged.
They did not resist when he struck them down. He walked out into the
market to see Amos and a few men surrounded by enemy soldiers. There
was no fighting going on; the men seemed to be giving Amos the option
of being a prisoner. Before Arthos was seen he climbed up into a
surrounding building and watched the whole thing unfold. The men were
still talking when Amos spotted Arthos. Arthos held up the axe of the
duke. Then he hurled the axe at one of the men striking him in the
back of the head. The man crumpled to the ground. Arthos leaped off
the building and took the spear from the man he had just killed. He
jumped back and stabbed a man who was running at him. Amos grabbed
his sword and slit the throat of the man nearest him. A soldier
wielding a hammer charged Arthos. Out of instinct he raised the spear
to defend him self, but the hammer broke it in two. So Arthos started
to punch the man. “Amos, throw me your sword.” Without
hesitation Amos tossed the sword to him and started hitting his guy.
Arthos caught the weapon and stabbed the man with the hammer. Then he
turned and threw it at the man Amos hitting. Amos ripped the sword
out of the man and cut into a man near him. Arthos wrenched the
duke’s axe out of the back of the man’s head. Arthos and
Amos stood back to back as more soldiers flooded the market place.

	“You ready to
go out in a blaze of glory?” Amos asked.

	“Sure.”
Arthos grabbed a torch off of the wall. He crushed some black eggs
and sprinkled their insides around the two men. When the soldiers
were getting close Arthos threw the torch on the ground igniting the
black egg’s contents. A wall of fire shot up around them. It
didn’t last very long but it gave them enough time to kill the
soldiers that retracted in fear. When the smoke cleared, the Haderin
soldiers were out numbered by the immense number of the Derias army.
Both sides fought fiercely in the middle of it all Arthos and Amos
were separated and fought with forces in different parts of the city.

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Chapter 2

The
battle was over by that point. The rest of the day was rounding up
stray soldiers and heading back to camp. Arthos hadn’t seen
Amos since the market place, but as he was heading back Amos caught
up with him.

	“That was
amazing. How did you do it” Amos was hardly able to keep his
excitement in.

	“First I need
to get some new gear, and then a drink. After that I need to report
what happened to the head of the war council.” Amos wasn’t
happy about this, but he told Arthos to meet him at his tent when he
was done. Arthos went to his own tent and retrieved his extra
equipment: one sword, two daggers, and a half a dozen black eggs. He
also grabbed the bow and arrows he forgot this morning. Then he went
to the war council tent; he brought the axe with him. When he entered
the tent he saw the three high council members sitting across the
tent facing him. He walked over and placed the axe in front of them.

	“Thank you,
you are dismissed we wont be needing your services any longer.”
The one on the left was the one speaking. “We need someone who
can carry out orders effectively.”

	“Last I
checked I did what you wanted me to do.” Arthos was angry that
he did their dirty work and they say that he didn’t do it good
enough. “I mean the duke is dead, isn’t he? And it wasn’t
because of a lucky shot from one of your archers.”

	“We said you
needed to be out by noon so we wouldn’t have to launch a full
scale attack.” The council member was now raising his voice in
an effort intimidate Arthos.

	“If it wasn’t
for me you would still be fighting because they had an expert leader
commanding them.” The council leader in the middle dismissed
the other two men. The men left the room and the council leader stood
and walked over to Arthos. He was an elderly man.

	“I haven’t
seen a battle in many moon cycles,” he spoke in a raspy voice.
“but one thing that I remember was that you carried out orders
to the best of your abilities. If you didn’t you were not the
only one you put at risk, you also put your countrymen at risk. Do
you under stand?”

	“Yes sir.”
Arthos was still angry but he was containing it a little better.

	“Now, not
getting in and out in time put your allies at risk. We took heavy
losses today because of your folly, and we can’t have that
becoming a normal thing.”

	“Sir,”
Arthos was choosing his words carefully now. “if I may say
something?”

	“Granted”

	“I think the
benefits of what I did way out number the losses.” Arthos’
anger was coming out again “You gained a foothold in Haderin
territory, a Haderin general was killed by an attack that you
planned, and you were the one who will go down as the leader of one
of the greatest planned sieges in all of history.”

	“Titles,”
the he shouted. “that’s all they are. They wont bring
back the men that died for your foolishness today.”

	“My
foolishness?” Arthos was now yelling, he could no longer hold
his anger in. “My ‘foolishness’ just won us a great
battle, and here I thought I should be thanked. Well I hope you do
better on your next siege, without me.” Arthos stormed out of
the tent and went to go find Amos.

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	Amos laughed as
Arthos told his tale about his experience in the city. He was
astonished when Arthos told him about the fight on the window and was
horrified when he told him about the fall. Then the two councilmen
from the meeting entered the tent with two soldiers. “Arthos,
you are under arrest for the murder of the high Councilman.”
The two soldiers grabbed Arthos’ arms and pulled him up.

	“Hold on,”
Amos was confused, “what evidence do you have that says it was
him?”

	“First of all
he was the last one seen entering the councilman’s tent. Second
the axe you took from the duke was lodged in his chest. Third, we
know that Arthos was mad at the council for dismissing him, and the
conversation was heated when we left. All the evidence points back to
Arthos.”

	“I didn’t
do this. Was I mad? Yes I was, but I didn’t kill him.”

	“But you were
the last one seen entering or leaving the tent. So that makes you the
prime suspect.” The two soldiers drug Arthos out of his tent
and several miles out of the camp. Amos followed them yelling in
protest. The sun was setting and the scorching dessert was starting
to cool down. The men took his gear off of Arthos and tied him up.
Then they rolled him down a sand dune and left him there to die.
Arthos lay there his final conscious thought was how uncomfortable
the sand was to lay on.

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CHAPTER
3

Arthos
awoke; he was lying on a mat inside a tent. He was unbound and his
dusty clothes were crumpled on the other side of the room. He was
wearing a clean shirt and pants that were too small for him. He
slowly stood and opened the flap of his tent. It was night outside.
About 5 yards away was a Haderin soldier with his back turned to him
warming himself with a fire. Arthos crouched low to the ground and
approached the man. When he was a couple feet away Arthos launched
himself at the man. Arthos pined the man down and took his sword. He
held the sword at the man’s throat. “Please sir, don’t
hurt me.” The man screamed, but the mans voice was not as
matured as a full-grown man. Arthos pulled the cloth off of the
soldier and saw that it was a younger man, no older than a winters
pass of his coming of age.

	“Are you the
one who took care of me?” The boy nodded. Arthos stood and
returned his sword. “Then I owe you my life.”

	“That’s
not necessary sir.”

	“Stop calling
me sir. The names Arthos, what’s yours?”

	“Lans.”

	“So Lans, why
did you save me? Don’t you know I’m a Derias?”

	“Yeah, but I
was out here and I saw you, and I’m not a part of the Haderin
army so we don’t have any beef with each other. Besides no one
should die alone in the desert.” Lans handed Arthos a piece of
meat.

	“ So if
you’re not apart of the army what’s with the gear and
armor?” Arthos said as he took a bite out of it. He was
overwhelmed by the delicious taste of the succulent meat.

	“Well I just
became old enough to be enlisted in the army. My dad wanted me to be
a soldier so he enlisted me. They gave me my gear, but on the second
day of training I couldn’t take it and ran. This was three days
before the Derias attacked. I have been living out here since. Then I
found you, and here we are. So were you in the attack?”

	“Sort of,”
Arthos was careful with his words, he wasn’t sure if he could
trust Lans yet. “I was given orders to take out the commander.”
He told his tale about the tower and the battle in the market place
leaving out some details as to not upset the boy.

	“Wow.”
Lans was said in amazement. “If you did that why where you
bound and gagged out here?

	“Well in a
strange series of events the head of the war council was killed and I
was framed for it.”

	“Bummer, well
you can stay with me if you want.” The thing about Lans was
that he wasn’t the kind of person that was looking for who his
possible enemy was, he was the person who was looking for who his
possible friends were.

	“Sorry but I
cant stay here for much longer. If the Derias	army found out I was
still alive that would be very bad for me.” Lans shoulders
drooped when he heard that. “Your welcome to travel with me if
you want.”

	“Really?”
Lans looked surprised. “You want me to tag along?”

	“Yeah I could
use someone to talk to. But if you are going to travel with me you
need to learn how to use that sword because I seem to attract danger.
Ill teach you as we walk, but not until we reach the woods. We will
leave tomorrow, so get some rest. I’ll stay out here, you take
the tent.”

	“Thank you.”
Lans ran into the tent and Arthos stoked the fire. As Arthos lay he
took a long look at the stars. It had been a while since he had done
so. He didn’t have much time for it before. He saw that
brilliant colors that lit up the sky. There was the giant orange moon
up above; beside that there was purple, blue and red streaks in the
sky. Arthos stared at the stars until he slipped into
unconsciousness.

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The
next day Arthos and Lans tore down camp and packed their supplies,
except for the map. Arthos was studying the map with Lans. “The
nearest town that is safe to go to is Garik; it is located here.”
Lans pointed to a spot on the map in the middle of the dessert.

	“No we can’t
go there.” Arthos was studying the map intensely trying to plot
a perfect rout. “The desert is not a good place to stay. It is
too open; we don’t have any place to hide if we need to. We
need to go north towards Breamil, it’s the closest town that I
not wanted in. There the woods will surround us, and there also are
skilled black smiths there that can replace my old gear.”

	“After that
what will we do?”

	“I don’t
know.” Arthos didn’t mean that, he had every intention on
clearing his name.

	“We should
just go and see the world.” Lans had been thinking about this
long and hard since he met Arthos. He was hoping that he could help
him go places. It took Arthos and Lans the rest of the morning to get
ready, but as the day wore on they were ready to go. They started
their northward journey “To be honest Arthos I’m nervous.
I have never been outside of the desert; it’s all I have ever
known.”

	“Really?”
Lans nodded his head. “Wow that’s crazy.”

	“Have you
been all over the world” Lans felt silly asking this question,
but he wanted to learn more about Arthos.

	“I have been
to different parts of it, but not everywhere.” The two traveled
all day until nightfall. “Alright we’ll make camp here.
Tomorrow you’ll see what the forest is like. Then we will start
your training. ” Arthos taught Lans how to build a smokeless
fire and started to cook a meal over the flames. As they were eating
Lans turned to Arthos.

	“What’s
the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?”

	Arthos took a deep
breath in. “I’d have to say it is the snow in the forests
near the mountains.” Lans looked confused. Arthos forgot that
Lans had never left the desert. “Snow is lie rain but it is
white and solid. Then it clumps together and is powdery and wet. When
it is in the forest it clings to trees and the ground.” Lans
expression said it all; he was amazed.

	“You seem to
have forgotten that I haven’t left the desert, what’s a
tree?”

“You
know wood? Well a tree is where that comes from It is like wood but
in a circle and it towers up above your head.”

“That’s
amazing. Can we go see the snow sometime?”

	“Sure if we
are ever around that area.” They talked and looked at the stars
for most of the night. Lans was able to point out all of the
constellations.

“How
do you know all that?” Arthos asked.

	“Well before
I ran away I wanted to study the stars for a living, so I started
young. I learned what each one looked like and when they would be
visible.” Lans wanted to change the subject but Arthos pressed
on.

	“Do you know
how to navigate by stars?”

	“A little
bit, why?”

	“That might
come in handy. Well we have an exciting day ahead of us, you better
get your rest.” The two men didn’t speak the rest of the
night; they just slept.

____________ 
______________________________________________________________________
 ____________

Lans
awoke the next morning with a new excitement. He woke up Arthos and
they packed up camp and headed out. By the afternoon they had gotten
to where the dessert was ending. Little blades of grass began to pop
up out of the sand, and the sand was thinning out. A little while
after that they could see the edge of the forest. When they entered
Arthos relaxed a little; he was happy to be in a familiar
environment. Lans on the other hand was overwhelmed. He was amazed by
vibrant colors. The trees captivated him; He had never seen a tree
before. He thought the trees were more beautiful than Arthos had
described. Lans stood dumbfounded staring up at the trees. “You
can climb it if you want; we got plenty of time.” Lans’
eyes widened.

	“You can do
that!?” Lans was afraid but longing to do so.

	“Yeah just
grab onto a branch and pull yourself up.” Lans was scared and a
little clumsy at first but after a couple branches he gained his
balance and climbed higher. He stopped climbing a good deal up and
looked out over the forest He was stunned by the view. He could see
the endless amount of trees, but what took him away was the lake in
the middle of the woods. He had never imagined that a large amount of
water could group like that. He couldn’t take his eyes off of
the light dancing on the water. After a while Lans got hungry and
climbed back down. When he reached the ground Arthos was nowhere to
be found. Lans looked around for him. Just as he was giving up Arthos
ran at him with a large stick. Lans yelped and jumped out of the way.

	“What are you
doing?” Lans screamed as Arthos spun around.

	“Remember I
told you your training would start when we reached the forest. Well
here is lesson one.” Arthos ran at Lans again but this time
Arthos landed a hit on Lans’ leg as he rolled away. Lans
searched desperately for something to defend himself with. He
remembered his sword but he couldn’t find it when he reached
for it. He spotted a good-sized branch and picked it up. When he
grabbed it there was a pain in his side as Arthos had hit him again.
He rolled and tried to defend himself but he wasn’t a match for
Arthos. For the remainder of the day Arthos pounded Lans
relentlessly. Arthos would comment on his stance or his technique and
then hit him again. They paused for a moment catching their breath.
“Tomorrow we will work on protecting yourself.”

	“Why can’t
we do that now?” Lans asked in an angry tone.

	“Well this is
to show you pain, it helps motavate you to protect yourself.”
Arthos let out a breathy chuckle. “And frankly, I just like
hitting you. I am also looking at your natural fighting style, this
will help me when I am teaching you how to fight.” As the two
men sparred (and by sparred I mean Arthos hitting Lans repeatedly) he
was giving him fighting tips. “Your problem is that you start
on the offensive. Never make the first move; just defend yourself
until your enemy makes a mistake. That’s when you take the
offensive.  Arthos stood there for a second; and just as he expected,
Lans charged him. It didn’t surprise him that much though cause
he stepped to the side and hit Lans in the stomach harder than he had
hit him all day. Lans fell backwards; he lay there unable to breath
for a few seconds. “That’s enough for today,”
Arthos looked down at Lans. “I’m getting a little
tiered.” Even though it wasn’t getting dark yet Arthos
and Lans set up camp. Lans started a fire and Arthos went out to trap
dinner. Lans could of done this because he was handy with traps and
snares but Arthos didn’t want him wandering around in unknown
territory. That night they ate and stared up at the stars (a habit
they had been getting into lately.)

	As Lans stared up
at the stars he was uncomforted by the vast majority of stars he
didn’t recognize. “Do you know what that star is called.”
He said as he pointed to a big blue one.

	“Are you
kidding me? I couldn’t tell you anything about stars if it were
to save my life.” Lans looked disappointed but he didn’t
for long. He turned and propped one arm beneath his head.

	“So can you
tell me about the different countries in Thergrim?”

	“Sure.”
Arthos had to think for a moment. “Well, there are the seven
countries Derias, Searim, Dumier, Roderan, Haderin, Thurail, and
Barul. Barul is the country that produces most of the wood because it
has the most forests filled with the finest of woods. Searim is
located near the ocean so it depends on the wood that is produced by
the Barul people. Roderan has a large amount of mines so it produces
iron that everyone needs. Derias is the largest consumer of most of
iron. Dumier has many farms on it so it exports the largest amount of
crops and cattle. Haderin makes the finest of glass pieces so that is
their main export. Searim focuses on boat making and fishing. Derias
is a large weapon producer but it hasn’t exported any weapons
for a long time because they where preparing for war. The Thurail
does a little bit of every thing, but the thing that they are best
known for is their entertainment supplies. They make things like
fireworks, magic tricks, and toys made for creating illusions. No one
knows how they do it but no one really cares, as long as it makes the
crowd ooh and awe. They specialize in trickery and mischief. If a
full-scale war was to rage between Derias and Haderin I would guess
that Roderan and Dumier would side with Derias, and Searim and Barul
would side with Haderin. I think the Thurail people would get
involved and would only take action if the fight were brought to
their front gates.”

“What’s
beyond the seven countries?”

“I
don’t know.” Arthos hadn’t taken much interest in
what was beyond the border in each direction, he only worried about
the things that affected him. Some say mountains that are crawling
with dragons, others say dwarvin mines or elven cities. I don’t
believe any of those old tales though.”

“Gee
think about it.” Lans said with growing excitement “Dwarfs
and Dragons, that would be an exciting adventure to go on.”

“Alright
kid get some rest, it’s getting late.”

“Night”
Lans rolled over and fell asleep within a couple of minutes. When
Arthos was sure that Lans was sleeping he got up and walked a ways
form the camp. Soon he stopped and leaned up against the tree. He
needed some time to get his thoughts together. He thought about the
events that took place the in the past couple of days. He kept
thinking about the talk he had with the councilman. He imagined
himself back in that room. Going over everything that had happened,
trying to find a clue as to who it was that murdered him. After what
seemed like hours of thinking he hiked back to camp. He laid down by
the fire and was sleeping in a matter of moments.

_____________ 
____________________________________________________________________ 
_____________

CHAPTER
4

Amos
marched along solemnly; he hadn’t spoken much since they threw
Arthos out into the dessert. The war council saw how depressed he was
and ordered him to lead the march back to Falmis, the capital of
Derias, with the injured or sick. They had been marching for three
days. Every town the passed through, the citizens would line up along
the streets and the church bells would ring. They were about a half a
day’s walk till they reached Falmis. Amos marched at the front
of the line with his head down. He was angry that they killed his
friend. He was confused; he was wondering if their accusations
against Arthos were true. It didn’t matter now; Arthos’
carcass was lying out in a hot desert; waiting for the animals to
strip him of every thing he had left.

As
they approached Falmis they could hear the preparations the city was
making to welcome the returning soldiers. They crossed the drawbridge
into the wide streets that were decorated with banners and ribbons in
all different sizes and colors. The roar of the people was deafening.
There were children dancing and playing in the streets before them.
There were worried wife’s studying the oncoming mass hoping
that their husbands or children were not apart of the fallen. Amos
lead the men back to the soldiers barracks where they received
medical attention. Amos Left the barracks and went to give the full
report of the battle to the king and the other military leaders that
were left behind. As he entered, one of the high advisors approached
him. “Amos, we weren’t expecting you for another day. No
matter come we need to brief you on your next mission.”

Amos
eyes brows raised in confusion. “I thought I should give a
battle report first.”

“Oh
we will get the full report when the others get back. Come with me.”
The

Man led Amos down a
corridor into a small room where the king leaned over a table with a
map spread across it. Amos bowed and held his helmet close to his
chest, as it was accustomed to when entering the presence of a high
official of king.

	“Sir,”
Amos said as he rose, “you wanted to see me?”

	The king looked up
from the map. “Ah yes, Amos, I see you have made it back in one
piece.”

	“I was told I
have a new assignment.”

	“Yes I need
you to go to the Roderan and reaffirm the alliance we have with them.
We need them to side with us in this war. We already have a man going
out to Dumier. Twenty-four men will accompany you on this journey.
When will you be able to leave?”

	Amos was honored
that he had been chosen to represent the king to the Roderans. “I
could leave as early as tomorrow, I just need to get my gear and
whatever I’ll need for the trip.”

	“Remember, we
need their help. You have to get it whatever it takes. If you do this
we will have a fighting chance.”

	“It will take
a couple of days to reach their capital: Ronsworth.”

	“Get there as
quickly as possible.” Amos bowed again and left the room to
prepare for his journey ahead.

____________ 
______________________________________________________________________
 ____________

Amos
marched into Ronsworth with twenty men. As they marched through the
streets people were lining up along the sides to stare at the
soldiers. They were headed towards the citadel in the center. It had
taken them three fortnights to reach the center. They weren’t
very comfortable in the foreign land, even though they were in ally
territory; everything is unsettling in a time of war. After all,
isn’t that why they were here; to ensure their alliance with
the people of the foreign lands? 

As they
approached the citadel they saw that the giant green gates were
closed. Amos raised his head and shouted out. “On behalf of the
high king of the Derias land, we are here to offer up our resources
in exchange for your support in the war effort.” There was a
long moment of silence until the large doors slowly swung open. They
started to walk in but as the did a soldier accidently knocked Amos’
arrows out of his satchel he knelt down to pick them up, but his
soldiers kept marching. “Hey” he yelled enraged “get
back in line!” the soldiers just kept marching. “As your
commanding officer I order you to get back in line.” No one was
prepared for what happened next.

There was
a large blast that Knocked Amos back. When he stood he saw the giant
shards of rock that had crushed his men; the men that were not
crushed by the rock where being shot down by archers that lined the
wall. Amos flattened himself against the wall of the entrance. He was
glad that he had not entered the courtyard. Now he was hoping that no
one had seen him as he slowly backed up towards the doors. He looked
up onto one of the walls to see a man yelling and pointing right at
him. He wasn’t trying to be discrete any more he ran for the
door. He dove to get out of the courtyard before the large green
doors slammed shut. He barely made it out; he was franticly searching
for a way out because he realized that he couldn’t take on an
army by himself.

 He
heard soldiers flooding out of other entrances. He spotted a farmer
pulling a cart full of hay. He ran over and jumped in the bail.

He was too
late though. A soldier had spotted him and was giving orders to the
others. The farmer had turned a corner right into the main market
place of the city. By the time that the soldiers made it into the
market, the cart was lost in a sea of vendors and excited civilians
spending their coins on trinkets or food. Amos let out a sigh of
relief. But his comfort was short lived because the farmer had
stopped and started to unload the hay. A large pitchfork glided
through the hay and stabbed into his leg. He let out a cry and leaped
from the hay. The surprised farmer started to yell and point at Amos.
The guards now knew Amos’ location and started to run that way.
Amos dove into an alleyway, holding his leg trying to stop the
bleeding. The soldiers charged into the alley. They could not find
Amos anywhere. Amos dropped from the ledge that had climbed up onto.
He landed behind the soldiers. The pain in his leg was too much to
bear and he screamed. The startled guards turned and charged him.
Amos ran out into the market pushing his way through the sea of
people. Amos had no clue where he was going; he just needed to put
some distance between him and the soldiers. Every step was more
painful than the last. 

He turned
the corner and found him self at the edge of a cliff. It dropped off
about twenty feet into smaller houses. The cliff separated the lower
class from the upper class. There were stairs that dotted the cliff
but he wouldn’t be able to reach them before the soldiers
caught up to him. He turned and faced the oncoming guards. They
lowered their pole arms and cautiously approached. Amos was forming a
plan, it would be painful, but it’s better than dying. He
jumped off of the cliff and landed on the roof of one of the
cottages. He expected a sharp pain in his leg but the adrenaline
blocked it out. The guards ran to the nearest stairs and flooded into
the lower city. Amos ran, the houses were so close together that he
could jump on to the roof. The soldiers were gaining on him. Amos
jumped to another roof, but this one could not hold his weight. He
rolled as he crashed into a room that appeared to be a bedroom. He
leaped out of the window into the streets. Some guards saw him and
yelled for the others. Amos ran through the streets pushing his way
through the masses of people. He ducked behind an abandoned food
vendor and waited for the guards to pass. This wasn’t his game;
it was Arthos’. Amos was the kind of guy who pushed through not
ran in the shadows. He peered out and saw the soldiers checking out
an area on the opposite side of the road. Amos got out of cover and
slipped passed them. He switched streets a couple of times to make
sure no one was following him. He found a stable near one of the
large city gates. He snuck into one of the stables and started to
untie and saddle a horse. To his surprise the owner of the stables
came in. “Alright Grace I’m feedin’ time.”
Amos hadn’t been spotted yet. He snuck back behind feeding
trough. The man approached the horse and found him saddled. “What
the?” Amos jumped out of his hiding spot and covered the man’s
mouth. 

“Listen
here, you make a noise, and you die.” The man nodded as much as
he could within Amos’ hold. Amos used the rope that was tying
up the horse to bind the man. He threw him inside one of the stables
and barred the door. He brought the horse out and led him through the
streets. He didn’t dare mount the horse until he was out of the
city. Then he rode as fast as he could back home.

____________ 
______________________________________________________________________
 ____________

	“And
you’re sure you’re the only one who made it out alive?”
The king and his men were horrified with the story. 

	“Yes
sir, I’m sure” The king turned to his advisors and they
exchanged words in quiet tones.

	“Sadly,
that was an act of war committed by them; it is clear were they
stand. We will have to find new ways to obtain the resources they
normally offer, but we can’t make up for the man power we would
have had with their help. As they were speaking another man entered
the room. He looked beat up and exhausted.

	“Sir,”
he took a bow, “I regret to inform that Dumier will not be
coming to our aid in this fight. He told his tale of what happened in
the city. His was similar to Amos’. The Dumier had killed his
entire squad.

	The king
slammed his hand on the table. “This is an outrage!” The
man cowered in fear. The king looked at the man and his face softened
“My apologies,” he said “I have forgotten what you
have been through.” He called in a maid, “Get this man
some food and quarters with a tub of water.”

	“Yes
sir.” The maid ushered the man out of the room
    The King rubbed his temples and starred down at the map with dismay. “How

can this be? Our own allies have turned against us, these are dark
days, Amos.”

	“Sir,
we could make a pact with the Thurail people the-”

	“I
will not deal with those shady people! They have never lived up to
any of their deals, and if they broke a deal in the time of war we
would be crushed. Let the cowards stay up on their mountains.”

	“Then
what do we do?” This was a question that has been growing on
him. Amos did not see the war councilman that was standing in the
corner. 

	“I’ll
tell you what we’re going to do.” He said as he broke his
earlier position and approached the map. “We play a defensive
game.” He picked up a feather dipped in ink and drew a rough
circle around an area in Derias, with Falmis in the middle. “We
build a barrier on this line. We put guards in every town and on
every road so if they are going to take Falmis we will have already
eliminated a large portion of their army.”

	The king
rubbed his chin as if troubled by this proposition. “What of
the people outside of the barrier?”

	“We
move them in.” 

	Amos
piped in “You say that like it is a simple task. Moving entire
cities of people into a small area, I don’t like it. They will
lose every thing.”

	“We
start moving them now, and after the war we will repay them whatever
they lost.”

	The king
looked at Amos, “Amos, this is the only way.” He turned
to the other man. “Get it done. Get every one moved and start
on that barrier.”

____________ 
______________________________________________________________________
 ____________

CHAPTER 5

	Arthos
and Lans entered the hustle of the streets of Breamil. They wound
there way through the city until Arthos came to a quick stop. “This
is it,” Arthos handed Lans a pouch of coins, “I’m
going to be a while. Don’t wander off too far.” Lans
nodded and ran off. Arthos threw back the crude curtain serving the
purpose of a door. The room was so dark that he had to stop and wait
for his eyes to adjust. When he was able to see he walked over to a
large man hunched over a roaring fire; the man was oblivious to the
fact that someone had entered his shop. “I'm going to need
weapons and a set of armor made out of the finest material you have.”

	The man
jumped as Arthos spoke. “What’ve I told you people,”
The man was obviously angry, “I’m done I aint making
anything until we settle down and I have set up the new shop, until
then I aint offerin my services to any one.”

	“What
if I told you that it was for a long lost friend?” 

	The man
raised and slowly turned. When he saw Arthos his face lit up and he
gave him the biggest bear hug he could. “Arthos!” the man
yelled. Both men laughed and pulled back to get a good look at each
other.

	“Its
been too long Garson.” Arthos couldn’t help but smile as
they hugged one more time.

	“I
thought for sure you were dead. Last time I saw you was in the battle
of Boathem in Barul back in the blood age war.” Garson was
talking a mile a minute, “We botched up that one job and you
got trapped in the castle surrounded by guards.”

	“Well
I can take care of myself now, I was just a rookie then. Now down to
business, like I said before I need a new set of amour and weapons.
You know what I use so I don’t think I need to make a list.”

	“May
I ask how you lost all of this? I mean you’re the kinda guy
that sleeps in his armor and is always armed to the teeth.”
Arthos told Garson everything from the tower to his encounters with
Lans. “So where are you headed now?” 

	“I
don’t know. Earlier you said something about moving, what was
that all about?”

	“Well
the king is ordering us to move further into the heart of Derias
because all of our allies have turned against us, and he wants to
keep tabs on us. So I’m packing up shop and heading out in a
weeks time.”

	“Will
you have enough time to forge what I need?”

	“If
I make it an express order, yes.”

	“Tell
you what, you focus on the order and Lans and I will pack up shop.”

	“Alright,
so for your armor what are you wanting in terms of light or heavy?”

	“I
want mobility above all,” Arthos started, “but still
sturdy enough that I wont be ripped in two with a single sword blow.
Do you still remember that trick on how to make your armor silent as
you travel?”

	“Sure
do, I think I know what you’re looking for. And I’ll make
it out of my specialty steel. Trust me, it doesn’t get better
than what I make.”

	“Thank
you, could you also make a few things for the boy. Speaking of which,
I got to go find him so we can start packing for you. 

____________ 
______________________________________________________________________
 ____________

Lans
walked through the streets. He had just left Arthos in front of the
blacksmiths shop. He was like a kid in a candy store. His family was
too poor to ever go to the market and spend their money on trinkets.
He could never decide on what to buy. One second he would be looking
at a gold necklace, but then a ring would catch his attention. He
then realized how hungry he was, so he found the nearest pub. He
walked in and sat at the bar, and ordered bread and a drink. Lans
could see some men looking his direction out of the corner of his
eye. One of them eventually stood and walked over. He leaned down so
he could look right into Lans’ eyes. “Are you try’n
to start trouble son?” Lans had no idea what he was talking
about until he remembered that he was still wearing his Haderin
armor.

“N-no
 sir,” he was terrified, “I aint trying to start nothing.
This isn’t what you think it is.”

“Oh
its not?” the man said in a heavily sarcastic voice. “So
now you’re callin me stupid?” The man leaned close and
Lans could smell the beer that he had been heavily drinking. “You
know what I do to people who insult me?” Lans shook his head
unable to spit out any words. “Well then I guess you’re
‘bout to find out.” He lifted Lans out of his chair and
shoved him onto a near by table. He was on Lans the second he got
back up. He spun Lans around and punched him in the gut. This was a
mistake because Lans still had his chainmail on; this cut up the
man’s hand pretty badly and it gave Lans the opportunity he
needed to gain the upper hand. Instead of punching him, he elbowed
him in the face using his armor to do more damage to the man’s
face. Lans charged forward as the man fell back, he was not about to
give up his advantage. He kicked the man while he was down, but in an
unexpected turn of events the man kicked Lans’ legs out from
under him. The breath was stolen from Lans when his back hit the
floor. The man went to the nearest table and grabbed a glass mug and
broke the top on the edge of the table. He leaned down and stabbed
Lans’ right hand with the jagged edges of the mug. Lans let out
a cry. The man pulled the mug up, leaving broken shards of glass in
Lans’ hand.

	Lans lay there for
a little while unable to move, when he tried to get up the pain in
his hand proved too much for him to bear. He put his right arm by his
chest and pushed up with his left. He stood up and walked out of the
bar with his arm tucked up against his chest. He wound his way
through the shops back to the blacksmiths shop. As he was getting
close he saw Arthos wandering the streets. As he approached Arthos
turned and was shocked at the state of Lans’ hand.

	“What
happened to you” he took Lans” hand and inspected it,
Lans flinched.

	“I got in a
fight at the bar. You should have seen what I did to that guys face.”

	“Well bad
news, we can’t train until this heals which could take a
while.”

	A wave of dismay
washed over Lans’ face. “Then teach me how to fight with
my off hand.”

	Arthos was
surprised. “Are you sure? It will take longer because I have to
change my teaching styles.”  Lans nodded his head. “Alright
then.” As they walked back to the blacksmith’s shop they
filled each other in on the events that took place in the last few
hours.

	“So you guys
used to be in the army together?” Lans winced whenever his hand
was touched or moved.

	“Well sort
of,” Arthos explained, “we were a group of assassins. We
did the dirty work the war council can’t. There used to be more
of us, we had a group of about thirty or so. Over the years most of
us died off, we lost many in the great departure. Garson stepped down
after the blood age war. I was the only know survivor that stayed in
the order. Looks as if now though our order is all but forgotten.”
As Arthos recalled his glory days a wave of sadness came over him. He
quickly swallowed it and kept walking. “Since Garson is making
us new weapons and armor, and yes I asked him to make you a set, we
are packing for him. He is moving his shop further into Derias.”
When they came to the Blacksmith shop Garson was already hard at work
on their supplies. Lans and arthos spent the rest of the day packing,
training, and tending to Lans’ hand so it wouldn’t get
infected.

	The next morning,
Garson awoke to see Arthos leaned over studying a map. Garson stood,
but had to lean on the wall to prevent him from falling. When he
regained is balance he walked over to the table. “So where d’ya
think you’ll be off to after your nice stay in Breamill?”

	Arthos didn’t
acknowledge Garson at first but then looked up and said, “Thurail”

	Garson had a
troubled look come over him, “What on earth would make you want
to go up there?”

	“Derias needs
an upperhand, and even though they ‘killed’ me I still
feel a sense of loyalty to her, and if we can get the Thurail to side
with them that would give them the upper hand they need in this war.”

	Garson sat there
stroking his beard for a while, “You know what Arthos?”
Arthos raised his head in interest. “I was wondering if I could
tag along in this adventure of yours. That is, if you have room for
one more in your band of misfits?”

	Arthos grabbed
Garson’s arm “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Then Arthos looked a Garson in a strange way. “Misfits?”
Arthos said in a sarcastically hurt voice, “What do you mean by
that?”

	Garson chuckled,
“Come on Arthos. You’re an assassin who was thrown out to
die and was saved by a boy whose loyalty was to your enemy, he ran a
way from home and now you two are the best of friends, I think that’s
the definition of misfit. Then Garson got serious, “I had
another dream about it last night, the great departure.  Both men
stood there for a moment just letting the world hang heavy on their
shoulders.

	Arthos remembered
back to that day. Everyone in the order had gathered to see the
soldiers off. The headmaster walked the stairs to the podium. “As
you all know by now magic is a rare power that most men are not
gifted with, there are only a dozen who are still around. Luckily we
have 2 of those and they have came across the power to travel into
what we believe to be a different world” He gestured to a row
of men standing in the front, “These young men have agreed to
travel to this new world and establish our order there.” He
pulled out a scroll and unraveled it. “The men are as follows:
Dervin Highlin, Wreav Mary,” he went down the list until he got
to the last name, he then announced. “This last men has shown
his exceptional skill and will be the headmaster in the new world:
Farmor Wilem. Men, we wish that fortune would smile upon you in the
new world. The men turned and all walked towards a purple light. As
they drew close a mage shouted and the light exploded killing all of
the travelers and several people close to the light. Then he turned
and started to attack the headmaster speaking a mile a minute casting
all of the spells he could. This rouge mage was finally taken down,
but not before killing the headmaster. Arthos was on the crew that
had to clean up the mess. The travelers were buried in a special
burial ground, all but Farmor, he was right next the portal when it
exploded. His body was torn apart by the blast.

	Arthos and Garson’s
train of thought was interrupted by a very hungry Lans stumbling
around looking for food. Lans did not want to engage the men because
they seemed to be in deep thought. Although now it seems like he got
their attention anyway. The men turned and faced him, “Breads
in the cupboard by the wash basin.” Lans eagerly opened the
cabinet, but the swift movements caused the cuts in his hand to burn
with pain. He was so hungry though that he didn’t care; he just
sat there and ate his meal.

	“Lans,”
Arthos knelt down next to him, “Me and Garson were talking and
I have agreed to let him tag along with us in this little adventure.”
Lans was too tired to talk so he tilted his head in the efforts say
‘what adventure’ without opening his mouth. “We
have decided to travel to Thurail and seek help for Derias in this
time of war. I was wondering though if that would not be ok since you
are from a rivaling country.”

	Lans thought about
this, finished swallowing and opened his mouth. “Honestly, I
don’t care about Haderin at all.” Arthos was shocked. “I
know I grew up there but I feel no sense of loyalty to them.”

	“Alright
then,” Garson said as he stood, “looks like we are headed
to Thurail.”

	“Oh and one
more thing,” Arthos said, catching the attention of Lans, “We
will have to pass through mountains on the way, mountains that are
covered in snow.”

	Lans face lit up.
“Oh boy, really!?” Lans had been imagining snow in many
different ways, but now he was able to get the chance. As the day
wore on Garson worked on the armor while Lans and Arthos packed. Half
way during the day they all took a lunch break, and Arthos trained
with Lans. Arthos was having a hard time teaching Lans with his left
hand, but in time Lans was getting better. Three days passed when the
packing was done. They just trained all day until finally one day
Garson interrupted there training. “Boys, come inside I got to
show you something.” The men followed him inside where two sets
of armor were waiting for them. the sets included two sets of male
with strips of leather and cloth stretched across certain areas.
Garson Saw Lans observing them with curiosity. “The leather
helps to silence the armor so you make very little noise while
walking.” Also in the set were hoods lined with chain male on
the inside. “That was the brotherhoods trademark. Now Lans I
added something special for you.”

He
walked over and pointed to a slate of metal on the forearm of the
male. “This is something I added for when you are disarmed. All
you have to do is clench your fists twice and,” when he did,
two more slates similar in size protruded from the original. “It
makes a small shield. Now you can’t rely on it all the time, it
is too small for that, but it will protect you in dire times.”
He walked over to Arthos. “Now don’t worry I haven’t
forgot about you.” He twisted Arthos’ arm to reveal a
small contraption made of wood. “Hold your hand out, and give a
gentle shake.” When Arthos did the wooden contraption unfolded
and the end of it turned into a small crossbow that fit perfectly in
his hand. Arthos recoiled in shock, but when he did it sent a small
arrow flying into the wall next to Lans. The excitement knocked Lans
down and his new shield instinctively expanded. “Well its good
to see both of you gettin’ familiar with your gear.” Lans
slowly let his gueard, but not without one last quick flinch as
Arthos loaded and shot off another dart.

	The rest of the day
was spent in the market. Garson realized that if he were to travel
with Arthos and Lans he would have to get rid of a lot of equipment.
He was selling the possessions he couldn’t carry. Arthos was
wanting to relax a little bit, so when Garson entered the market he
grabbed Lans and slipped away while Garson wasn’t looking. “I
got something to show you.” Arthos lead Lans into a tavern. He
walked up to the bartender and mumbled something under his breath.
The bartender nodded to a staircase that was behind the counter.
Arthos motioned to Lans and started to walk down the staircase.

	“Alright
then,” Lans said as he caught up with Arthos, “where are
you taking me.”

	“Lans, have
you ever heard the term ‘work hard play hard’?”
Lans nodded his head. “Well that’s how these people are.
They spend all year planting and harvesting what little they can, and
on their free time they play a little game called Staffing.”
Lans opened a door that lead into a room with a wooden pen in the
middle. People crowded around the pen cheering on whatever was
happening. They pushed their way through the crowd until they could
get a clear view of the pen. Inside the pen there were two bruised
men who were swinging large sticks at each other. “The point of
this game is to get seven points; you get points by successfully
hitting or knocking your opponent down. A hit is worth one point and
if he gets knocked down that’s five. Most people try to knock
each other down, because it is the quickest way to win, but getting
hits is probably the best strategy. People come and place bets on who
would win, but most just come to watch people get beat.” In a
quick movement one man landed a hit on the other mans stomach sending
him flying on his back. There was a mixture of cheers and moans as
men exchanged money. Then a man stepped into the pen and motioned for
everyone to quiet down.

	“Alright we
have all seen his brute strength, now who wants pit themselves
against the champion for the title.” No one moved and inch.
Then before Lans knew what was going on Arthos had pushed him over
the pen wall. “Thank you young man.” The announcer was
shocked by the size of Lans but at least he had a fight. He threw
Lans a staff and yelled go. The man ran at Lans screaming. Lans was
also screaming, but out of fear. Lans rolled out of the way at the
last second. The staff hitting the pen edge made a loud crack. The
man ran again and as Lans rolled out of the way the crowd erupted in
laughter.

	“Lans,”
Arthos yelled, “remember what I taught you.” Lans
recalled the lesions he had been through. The one that stuck out at
this particular is the one about staying on the defense. Now Lans’
opponent didn’t think much of Lans, so he ran but not at full
speed as he brought his staff down Lans lifted his own. The force of
the colliding staffs almost knocked Lans down. He jumped around the
man to get a better angle at him. When he did he found his opponents
fault. He was so big that he stumbled a bit when Lans wasn’t
holding him up. As the man charged again Lans came up with a game
plan. The man brought his staff down and like he did before Lans
raised his staff, but this time he dashed behind the man quicker and
got two quick hits in to upset his balance and then swept his feet
out from under him. The crowd was silent. They were shocked that
their champion was defeated by a stranger. The announcer, just as
shocked as the rest, slowly walked to the center of the ring and
lifted Lans’ right hand in the air. That’s when he felt
it; the pain in his right hand was unbearable from the glass that had
been in his hand. He pulled it down to look at it. His hand was
swollen and red. He cried out in pain. Arthos jumped over the fence
and wrapped a cool, water soaked cloth around Lans’ hand in
order to sooth the pain. After a few moments the pain subsided and
Arthos led Lans out of the tavern and back to Garsons house.

	When they arrived
they found all of the bags by the door and ready to go. There was
also a small note. It read

	Arthos and Lans

Since you two ditched me in the market I thought I’d do the
same. You can find me several miles out of the city by the town
boulder mark. 

Have fun

-Garson

The two look
dumbfounded at the large amount of bags. “I don’t think
he took a single bag with him.”

	“Oh come on
Lans it can’t be that bad” Arthos said as he picked up a
bag to sling across his back.

____________ 
______________________________________________________________________
 ____________

“Ok
you were right, this sucks.” Arthos trudged the last half a
mile in a horrible mood. “Why did I agree to lighten your
burden by taking more?”

	“And I’m
not taking that back, but hey my load is still pretty heavy.”
Sitting snuggly  up against a large rock next to a tree was Garson,
who appeared to be in the middle of enjoying a nap.

	“Watch this”
Arthos aimed his crossbow. He was about to shoot garsons hat off
until he got a better idea. He got a second dart ready and he shot an
apple from the tree, he only skimmed it so it didn’t break
immediately. It gave him enough time to reload before it fell. He
then shot the apple mid fall. He didn’t draw the arrow all the
way back, so it didn’t slice through the apple. The arrow
instead went into the apple and then bluntly hit Garthos in the
stomach