Chapter One
From Lothrin
Our story begins in the small village of Lothrin, the home town of our hero. Lucerin a simple student of magic, he was wholly unaware of the destiny that lay before him.
Lucerin awakens one early morning to resume his training, when suddenly he is filled with an unknown foreboding feeling. He walked out of his small home to wonder around the small town, alas nothing was amiss. The villagers were going about their business as normal, the birds were singing in the trees, and the dogs barking playfully. Lucerin put his feelings behind him as being simply paranoid, and began towards his school where he studied the arcane. As Lucerin walked up the steps to the school he was again filled with the sense of foreboding. His hand trembled as he touched the door handle, he hesitated to open the door. The door creaked open with normal sounds, his mind was put at ease as he saw the other students and masters carrying on as normal. Joyful in their pursuit of arcane knowledge, they were all ignorant of the same sense that Lucerin had possessed. Once again, he pushed his feelings away and stepped inside to greet his friends and begin another day of learning.
"You're late Lucerin, aren't you normally the first of us to arrive?" Called out a young charismatic voice.
"Yes, I am normally. But this morning I had an odd sense of foreboding, so I thought to stroll about the town to ensure all was normal. Anyway, how are you Frey?" Lucerin responded.
"I am well my friend; come we must hurry to our class." They walked to their class room talking idle chit chat along the way, until they reached the room and proceeded silently to their seats. The master began his lecture on the proper use of healing magic's. Lucerin never paid much attention in healing classes, but Frey on the other was always excited to learn new spells to heal the injured and weak. She was after all a very kind soul, who only wanted to see others happy. Lucerin, however was the complete opposite, he preferred destruction magic and the very forbidden art of necromancy. Different as the two are, they make the best of friends, nigh inseparable. As the day droned on and the classes passed by, Lucerin's feeling only grew stronger and stronger.
"Lucerin? Are you okay?" Frey asked.
"Honestly? No, I am not, I have had this terrible sense of foreboding horror ever since I awoke this morning." Lucerin responded with an exceedingly stressed tone. Before Frey had the chance to respond a loud explosion could be heard from just down the road from the academy. The two leap from their seats bolting toward the door, the commotion coming from outside was far more than the tiny town was used to. Arriving outside the pair find a group of three mages wreaking havoc around the town, killing all in their path. The valiant towns people, and college students that they might hurling magic and pitch forks at the overpowered intruders. But alas it was to no avail, the trio of trespassing ingrates easily destroyed all who approached. From amidst the smoke and chaos a gallant stranger appeared wielding a black blade cloaked by white lightning. This stranger chased the trio back into the woods and vanished without a trace. Lucerin and Frey looked about still wide eyed with shock, as far as they could see none were left alive as the village burned around them. Frey let out a bone curdling scream, upon the stark realization of what had just happened within only a few moments. She collapsed to the ground sobbing uncontrollably as Lucerin stood unmoving at her side. Whether out of fear or pure shock he was frozen unable to shake himself from the horror before him. Lucerin's every thought screamed at him, if only he had listened to his feeling of foreboding doom, he could've convinced the towns people to run and no one would've died.
A few weeks later Lucerin and Frey finally wonder into the city of Godshelm, home to the great hero king Onslaud The Noble. The two friends had come to the city to request the kings aid in capturing these criminals and putting them to justice. However, upon arriving they find the great gates to the city splintered and broken upon the ground. Passing through the massive archway their eyes widen once again to the horror they had seen in their village just weeks ago. Buildings still smoldering, faint sounds of despaired crying in the distance, and the rancid stench of burning corpses poured into their senses from all around. Lucerin gagged quickly covering his nose with his sleeve, while Frey collapsed to the ground vomiting.
"What horror is this? Could this have been the same three who attacked our village? How can three sorcerers destroy the greatest city in the kingdom?" Lucerin mumbled not really expecting to have an answer.
Just as he finished asking himself this a ragged old blind man appeared behind him and spoke, "to find the answer you seek, you must head to castle and peer within its majesty." The old blind man disappeared upon finishing his sentence.
"Come Frey, let me help you up. We should head to the castle and see if the king is still alive." Lucerin said softly as he helped Frey to her feet, she only nodded in response to him. The two walked closely together through the city, Lucerin still holding Frey's hand.
As they venture onward toward the castle, they begin to draw the attention of the survivors, angry and filled with despair these citizens could not tell the difference between the strangers now and the ones from before. Fearful the two begin to walk faster and faster ever eager to reach the castle gates and the palace within. The Angry mob growing ever larger and ever louder quick on their heels, but too cautious to get too close for fear of magical power the sorceress intruders may possess. Lucerin and Frey finally reached the ruined castle gates an proceed within. Just after passing through the gates a sudden power can be felt behind them, they turn to peer at the powers cause to their surprise a magical barrier has sprung up behind them instantly. With no choice but to proceed Lucerin and Frey turn back to palace and advance through the plundered golden door into the demolished ruins of a once great castle. Inside the palace sit three figures upon the throne, Frey stammers and freezes in place.
"No! This can't be! That trickster old man must've lured us here to die!" Frey exclaimed shaking with fear. Lucerin had no response, he could only hold her hand a little tighter as they began walking toward the throne. Upon getting closer one of the figures stands barely visible and draws a sword, a black blade cloaked by white lighting. Before the shadowy sword-master can attack the second figure stands placing a hand on his shoulder. He sheaths his swords and goes back to tending to the third figure. The second figure begins to hobble toward the weary friends. Frey squeezes Lucerin's hand shrugging behind him as much as she could. As the old man got closer Lucerin could make him out as the blind man whom had told them to come to the castle.
"Why did you tell us to come here old man?" Lucerin questioned.
"I asked you here to answer your questions, but before I answer yours, you must first answer mine." The blind man responded, "why have you come here to Godshelm?" Lucerin thought carefully for a moment and responded with the only answer he could think of.
"I... we have come to seek the aid of the great hero king. Three sorcerers attacked and destroyed our village of Lothrin, we want them brought before the headsman for their crimes." Lucerin now filling with anger thinking about all that has happened, all that they had been through just find the great city no better off than Lothrin.
"I see. So, you came to have the king hunt down some petty criminals?" The blind man asked tauntingly.
"Petty criminals?! Those three sorcerers destroyed an entire village killing four hundred people!" Lucerin screamed at the blind man enraged at what he said.
"Enough! Cindren, stop toying with them. You brought them here now get to the point." The third figure commanded.
"As you wish my king." The blind man bowed in response. "Alright then, you two come this way, I will answer your questions as best I know how." Cindren led them to the kings' throne, that Lucerin and Frey would have their answers. After what seemed to be hours of questions and useless answers the king granted Lucerin a powerful gauntlet to amplify his destruction magic, and to Frey an enchanted staff to aid her healing magic.
"I grant you these gifts to aid in your journey for these three monsters, may they serve you well. The sorcerers you seek make their home in the Terran kingdom, namely in the city of souls. I cannot offer you anymore company or help for this journey. Good luck and may the divine watch over you." Lucerin and Frey bowed before their king and parted from the city, their journey to the Terran kingdom would be long and very difficult.
Departing the city Lucerin and Frey felt hopeful for the first time in weeks. Lucerin senses a terrible power emanating from the city behind him, a yet unseen foe lurking in the shadows. Unknowing of the power's origin Lucerin continues onward away from the ruined city. Forty miles from the nearest town or village and twenty miles from Godshelm Lucerin and Frey make camp for the night. They would need to make a fire and shelter before dark or the monsters lurking in the woods would descend upon them without hesitation.
"Frey, if you would wait here in this clearing and set up our tent, I will get wood for a fire." Lucerin said.
"Very well, but do not be over long. I feel eyes upon us friend." Frey responded with uncertainty. Roughly half an hour passes before Lucerin returns with the wood for the fire. In the clearing the tent is set up and ready but Frey is nowhere to be seen, Lucerin drops the fire wood at his feet and screams for Frey. In a panic Lucerin takes off into the woods hoping to find his dear friend quickly. Just inside the brush he finds tracks leading away from the clearing looking as though the creatures were dragging a heavy load being them. He followed the tracks to another clearing near a river, upon gazing into the opening Lucerin has a clear view of a small goblin camp. Ten goblins surrounded a large bonfire, with a massive bear laying just on the other side of the fire, yet no signs of Frey. Suddenly from behind a gentle hand grabs Lucerin on the shoulder
"Ssshhhhh! Stay quite they don't know we're here." Frey whispered to Lucerin. "I saw the tracks and you had not yet returned; I feared the worst thinking they had caught you but I see that you thought the same as I had." She said with a look of relief.
"I had truly thought the worst dear friend, come let us go back to camp." He responded looking relieved. Lucerin and Frey returned to the camp quickly and just barely before nightfall. Lucerin got the fire going as Frey went inside the tent, as it had been a long day and she was tired. Frey stripped down to her undergarments and climbed into her fur blankets. Lucerin followed suit not long after, he just had to make certain the fire would last through the dark night ahead. Frey tossed and turned all night to the sounds of monsters and creatures of the night fighting amongst themselves over the prey lying gently by the fire. Slightly before the sunrise the monsters rumbling began to fade into silence as the sun peaked over the trees. Lucerin rolled over gently nudging Frey awake.
"Good morning my friend." Frey said with a sly smile. Sitting up, the blanket fell down revealing Frey's undergarments. She blushed and quickly grabbed the blanket up around her chest.
"Ah, if you'll excuse me, I must be checking on things outside," Lucerin said as he quickly jumped up and out of the tent. Frey dressed herself and joined Lucerin outside for some breakfast. The two friends ate breakfast and set to packing up the camp as quickly as they could. Back on the road again they can hear a constant commotion surrounding them yet seemingly incredibly distant. The paranoia of a constant attack surrounded their awakened mind at every turn of the road, every rustle of the branches and shaking of the trees above made them tense up with a growing stress of fear. Rounding a corner, they could hear a goblin gang shouting incomprehensibly, as the goblins came into view Frey and Lucerin stopped to ponder their options.
"Well, I suppose we could simply go around them." Frey said almost questioning.
"Yes, we could, however that would surely lead us into the arms of more dangerous beasts lurking about." Lucerin responded, "I think we should put them down, after all we are on a mission to defeat the evil plaguing this land." He added.
"Fine, but we are healers. How is it you suppose we are to eliminate these goblins?" Frey asked inquisitively.
"Well, my dear friend that is where you are wrong, I am no healer." Lucerin stated confidently as he conjured flames in his hands. Frey backed away from her friend as flames grew and surrounded him. Lucerin smirked through flames muttering an incantation which turned the brilliant orange flames to a menacing green black smoke. He turned towards the goblins whom had now taken notice of the wizards, and motioned his hands to control the necromantic smoke to delve deep into the orifices of half the goblin pack. The infected goblins rotted and died but did not fall to the earthen ground, instead they turned towards their own and began to attack the remaining goblins with the ferocity of a tenacious lion fresh into the hunt. Goblin swords rendering goblin flesh, steel clashing, and screams of pain, anguish, and betrayal flooded the woodland air. As the last of the goblins fell Lucerin released his hold over the others and they too fell to the ground collapsing into piles of ash smoldering green and black from the necromantic magic's. Frey looked upon her friend with horror, for how could someone she had known so well and trusted above all other have held such a dark secret. Frozen with fear over what he might do next, fear that Lucerin would now turn on her.
"Do not be afraid my friend, for I could never harm you, the one I care most about in this world." Lucerin said with a calm and sincere tone. "Please do not be afraid of me…you have nothing to fear from me. I swear upon my own life." He added.
"I…. I do not know…. I cannot know what to do with this revealing knowledge of what you truly are. I…I would honestly run from here had I the courage to move from this spot." Frey responded with a shaky hesitation. "What will you do with me now that I know your dark secret?" She added.
"Nothing, you are my dearest friend. I have been wanting to tell you this secret for ages now. I just knew not how, or when would be an appropriate time to tell such a thing, but here in this moment we were in danger and I knew I could protect you if I used this magic. Destruction magic alone would not have been enough to save us both from the goblins." Lucerin stated sincerely with an air of hope, hope that she would trust him still.
"I do believe you, but why? Why would you be so afraid to tell me about something so important as this?" Frey asked.
"Because the look on your face when I used the spell on the goblins, it looked as though you would run away from me. And as though you were absolutely terrified of me." Lucerin responded rather timidly.
"Well just so long as you don't spring any more secrets upon me like this. Come we have only ten more miles before we reach the village." Frey responded almost cheerfully. Exasperated Lucerin and Frey returned to their march through the woodland, only now as they noticed the forest was silent. After the awesome display of magic power, the beasts of the forest hid themselves away from the wizards, that they would not befall the same fate. The rest of the march to village was mostly silent apart from a lone bandit or thief trying to wrestle gold from the two wizards. The village now insight Lucerin and Frey could see smoke and fire from atop the hill where they stood. The smell of fresh burnt wood and flesh permeating through the air, for hundreds of yards around the village.
"Come we must go help them!" Frey said exasperated. The two wizards hurried down to the village and discovered bandits still attacking, villagers running to the un-razed end of town. Lucerin began to cast his necromantic spell when a hand grasped his shoulder halting him.
"No! You cannot use that magic in front of villagers…they would turn on us as soon as the bandits had been defeated." Frey said to him hurriedly. Lucerin gave Frey a look and realized she was right, such magic will only gain them enemies. Lucerin's hands slowly became swathed in a crystalline blue white glow that seems to flow from his hands to the ground. The cold of his ice magic filled the surrounding air, the crystalline blue white circled around Lucerin as an ever-moving cloak. Lucerin then cloaked Frey in the same magic to protect her from the fires and bandits. The two cloaked wizards began to walk through the town, Frey staying as close to Lucerin as the cloaks would allow. Lucerin was using a frost spray to put out the fires as they walked through the village. One of the bandits felt a random chill and turned to look behind them, the bandit could see the swirling of the ice storms coming toward them and a constant stream of frosted air coming from one of the storms. By now the other bandits had taken notice of the phenomenon behind them, torches and swords in hand they all turned towards the blue white glow of Lucerin's ice magic.
"Your cloaks don't scare us mage! We know you're in there! Come out now and we might kill you quickly." The lead bandit shouted with an overconfident grin on his face. Lucerin began to laugh almost maniacally, the ice magic around Lucerin began to swirl faster and grow larger. The brilliant blue white of the ice magic began to twist and turn black. Lucerin's voice could be heard chanting from within the darkness, the bandits let out a loud war cry and charged at Lucerin and Frey. The dark vortex now shadowing all around it, the lead bandit reached the vortex first, the rest quickly followed. Inside the vortex the bandits were plucked from the ground, swirling around the dark pitch black of the vortex the bandits screamed in pain. Swirling around and around the vortex continuously rending the flesh from the screaming bandits, stripping them of life bit by bit. The vortex subsided dropping the tortured bandits to the ground. As the last of the fires were put out the frost cloaks surrounding Frey vanished as well, with fires out and the bandits dead the villagers came out of hiding to praise their saviors. However, the villagers halted at the sight of the mangled and shredded bandit bodies lying in pools of blood. Shocked and horrified by the grotesque sight the villagers backed away slowly shaking.
"Dear friends I am Lucerin of Lothrin this is Frey, we are simple mages and have only come to help you. We mean you no harm." Lucerin stated calmly.
"There was no dark magic used here only an elemental spell to create a vortex which the bandits themselves ran headfirst into. I am a healer, please let me heal your injured." Frey added.
"If what you claim is true then you may assist our wounded, but I will be watching you. So be wary of your tricks, that I won't have to try and put you down." The village leader stated still almost shaking from her earlier fear. "I am Gerna, Jarl of this village." She added.
Gerna lead Lucerin and Frey to the town hall where the villagers have already begun to collect their wounded. Frey walked into the center of the room and began to speak quietly to herself, all the while Gerna and Lucerin stood at the edge of the room watching Frey closely. Soon Frey's voice began to ring angelical throughout the town hall, and a brilliant golden glow surrounded her and began to fill the hall, with golden strands of magic power reaching out to touch every person within the building. The golden glow warmed the air and comforted all it touched, the strands of golden power wrapped around the wounded and mended all their ailments. Broken bones, lacerations, and even sickness all within the town hall were healed almost instantly. The brilliant golden glow receded as her voice quieted, Frey turned to Lucerin smiling with pure joy. "You have done well friend!" Lucerin said to Frey with a smile.
"I see now that I was wrong to doubt your intentions. You have truly saved our village; you are hereby permitted to stay here as long as you please." Gerna stated, contented with the outcome of the situation. "Thank you, Jarl. We shall resupply and be off." Lucerin stated. Frey and Lucerin stalked the village gathering what supplies they could. Conversing with the villagers as they went, receiving all manner of praise and gifts for what they had done. They had left the village feeling like heroes, with smiles on their face they began to march from the village toward the border to the Terran Kingdom. As dusk came Lucerin and Frey set down to make camp atop a large hill, from the hill as night fall came the two looked down at distant lights of the village.
"A romantic view don't you think?" Frey asked.
"It is quite amazing with the stars, and the distant fires of the village below." Lucerin said contented.
"My dear Lucerin why don't you come sit by me? I do not bite all very hard." Frey said somewhat seductively.
"Getting up from his seat across the fire Lucerin smiles saying, I was hoping you would invite me over Frey." I do so enjoy your company.
Lucerin sat down on the log next to Frey and gazed deep into the dull orange yellow of the small fire flickering in the gentle breeze. Frey slide closer to Lucerin leaning into his side, wrapping her arms around his. Lucerin looked over at her as she stared at the fire looking upon her with eyes shining full of love, he leaned closer to her planting a gentle kiss on her forehead. Frey looked up at him happily with the same eyes that he looked upon her with, and she snuggled as close to him as she could. Lucerin leaned in and kissed her gently on her soft lips. Frey wrapped her arms around his neck returning the kiss passionately, the two slide back into the tent for a happy night together. As the sun rose the next morning Lucerin awoke with Frey still in his arms smiling and happy, he kissed her forehead to awaken her. Frey opened her eyes and smiled brightly at Lucerin. Frey then sat up as Lucerin had gotten up to get dressed and headed out of the tent to make their breakfast, Frey got up and slowly dressed trapped in happy thought of her new relationship with her dearest friend. When Frey had finally exited the tent Lucerin had breakfast ready and together they enjoyed a delicious meal, after which they doused the fire and packed their camp.
Standing together on the hill in the light of the newly risen sun Lucerin and Frey set out on the five-day journey to reach the border to The Terran Kingdom.