Part 1: The Fell Swamp
Hello reader if you are reading this then I must have completed this book in due time. I will tell you a story of my old home: Sunland. It was great there as you may now from my previous book. However it died slowly, this is a story that takes place during the height of the 2nd Epoch.
It all started when the homeland fell. Haggard the glorious bastion of civilization and hope, fell to the Prankster cultists came and destroyed what we held dear. The great city had fallen to the might of anarchy and it was me to blame. I was the Lord-Proprietor of Haggard and the King of the Aristotle Union. Salem, Aristotle, Orilon, were all under the rule of my honorable kingship.
It was only when the barbarians came from the desert into the ruins of Haggard did my honorable temper fail me. Haggard was a place of solidarity and peace, a place of a worship and thought. Anyone who dares to enter with no such intent was one that must be dealt with in my eyes.
The Union was strong with many people living in Aristotle. Many people to help take back the homeland from the barbarian scum. However, my War Chief thought overwise. She deemed it to risky to the people of Aristotle and not needed as we had all we needed here.
If Aristotle was not willing I would have to rally the people of Salem (who were much close to Haggard) to help. The Governor of Salem saw it as an interesting move but she needed time and intell. Salem, who was the Governor and the namesake, decided that's armed soldier and me and herself were going to march into Haggard. I was to go with Salem before the soldier do to scout out the now inhabited ruins of the blessed land.
I traveled by the Mud Road as going by boat through the Gulf would be to risky. With my partner Salem we made our way thru the swamp of dismay and stumbled upon an old settlement. The wood planks that lined the muddy landscape rotted from time. It seems to be that the planks were meant to make it easier to walk on. Unknown to us, as we thought were were to have a break from our challenges from the swamp as we set foot on the rotten planks we heard a mush and a fel gargle spooked us.
As we looked around we saw nothing in the night’s eye, but however. The gargling turned into a load moan of a creature below us. I took a step. Then another, but before my second set foot we were already falling. We fell into the muddy pit that we neglected to obverse in the midnight’s embrace.
Our fall was broken by the soft earth below us, to are grace we only fell maybe 10 feet.
It was a weird sensation the crawling of bugs went up and down my arms. Salem didn’t hesitate to scream. I struggled up and the warming and the crawling could be heard all about the pit. I slide my hands down my arms to get the wormy things off me. Our touches had went down when we fell so I attempted to get a glowstone from my satchel.
As the crawling bugs went around my hand I took the lighting stone out of my beg, and to my horror I found upon me a beast as large as 4 cows. It was a pulsating mass of silvery gray, its mouth salivated as its small brush like teeths moved with the wetness of soggy cloth. Salem got and cover her mouth. We were both covered in mud and the creature couldn’t see us, but it could definitely see the light.
The creature moaned at the light and its small babies what were now clear what they were crawled up to cover the light. Silverfish, the nasty things, we have caved into a Silverfish nest. With my cunning I threw the bright stone to other end of the pit, the creatures and the nothing wincing at the light traveling across the room. They all gravitated towards it and I grabbed Salem’s hand and told her to climb up. Using my body as leverage Salem managed to get out of the pit and help me out. We breathed with relief and got out of area as the being of that pit moaned at they realized our escape. We dashed for the rest of the night only making camp at the break of day.
Part 2: The Encounter
Me and my partner Salem slept the night on the beach of the Gulf. The night prior was a worrisome one. Me and Salem were still covered in mud. The dirt stuck into our armor and clothes, our nails and face were covered in the soggy dirt. We took turns cleaning ourselves in the beach water and collected ourselves.
At last we made out way out to Haggard. If my maps were right we were only a few miles away and it would not take long for us to reach the delta of the Haggard River. As she saw the delta we spotted the Arrow of Guidance. This arrow was built by an old colonizer of Salem to show where the land was. Back then they thought Salem was its own continent, how things have changed.
However my glance looked over to the tall structure of the Arrow and looked wary. If it were not for my feline vision, I might have not glanced the slight of a grinning fellow upon the stone trapeze. Her figure was slovenly woman whom looked down at us from her position on the worn battlements with a smirk of unspeakable question.
“Whom be the woman from upon the relic of time?” I asked her referencing ancient structure from decades ago.
“Not the fool that approached a disciple of the Prankster, Greene,” The woman said now standing. HEr position was wise legged her clothes were now clear. They wore a maroon cloak with a long capped hood. She was armed with a sword of blue radiance and gauntlets of strange conquenderies. They were that of boundering proportion.
“For it is really Greene? Lord of Aristotle? Why don’t you come here and fight the one that made you cry during the attack,” the woman mocked her finger making a fake tear down her shadowed face. Her sharp teeth glistened beneath the shadow of her hood, showing a grin of the Prankster; a cunning stab for any mimic of a foolish god such as them.
I knew once they taunted me with such vile words that I was going to be assailed by a woman of the Prank. I flashed my sword point it at her with a viger of hatred.
“Watch your tongue wretched whore, for my sword will slice the dirty thing that you speak with to taunt me with your heresy!”
“Heresy? Don’t all gods fair well in the combat of eternal madness that is the creation of life and being!” the cultist spoke raising her arms in the air as her voice trumpeted like a insane jackal on the prowl.
Salem looked over to me worried. She knew my condition was I already inraged their was nothing to be gone. Salem wasn’t one to give in to fate, she grabbed my hand tightly using her other to grip on shoulder to calm me.
“Be careful, the Prankster is getting to you,” Salem spoke calmly.
At the time I thought this was nothing more than a woman word of irrationality. Clearly this heathen was the one that must be dealt with. Now I know the truth.
With a quick movement of her hand, the cultist threw a orb of purple luminescence. With a grinned she blinked to my side, a slash in my side. I took my claws and bore down into her cloak.
Salem backed away drawing her sword from her belt. The cultist looked around pushing my down with my wound making me lose my balance. Soon she under handly tossed a pearl under Salem appearing behind her with the dark magic it held. Soon she hacked her pommel hard her dead body coming before mine.
I let out a gasp realizing she had fallen to the cultist and I pushed Salem’s body over. The witch grinned running at her her fist of iron ready to punch me in the face. As she came after me, with no sword in hand I ducked and tackled her the pearls into her cloak braking.
We blinked with the dark magic's teleporting us only a few feet away as it does. Soon with her disoriented. I ran to my sword caution of of red with a bull. Soon she dashed her blade to mine. Then a parry, then a slide off and another parry. It was an intense fight we both blade blows on each other our armor taking the hit for us.
Her gauntlets offers her much from my swipes as her hands, while I merely wore gloves. My guard was well enough and I continued on remembering my training with the King of Haggard.
We had great training with one another. My skill was tested by our blades as was my witts against the heathens. I slashed and parried like if it were Lard himself.
King Lard, that was his name, the King of Haggard. He was my mento,, leader, and friend. I saw that night when he went missing, he was walking out of the town looking and pondering into the desert sky. How I wish I could have asked him where he was going, because I never saw him again.
As I remembered, my mind slipped and a blade gashed into my side negating my armor as it was in the creases. I limped back hopeless looking at the heathen before me. I thought that I was to go to the altar with my partner.
I thought wrong.
I saw an opening, and with a brave launch I stabbed the cultist straight in the chest. I left the sword there in the chest tackling her to the ground; a last moan of a breath letting out as she escaped her body's cage.
I unhooded the witch to see a rotten pale skin. A large nose of a mortal and the toothy grin of a Prankster. She was no immortal, she was dead. Bless her. At least Salem would be safer alone at the altar then with this heathen there.
Part 3: Old Friend
I drew my sword, I with my feline senses I smelled someone. As the smell became more obvious Iet it down and told Salem Chaos was here. It was odd to see him here, who would Chaos of all people be near the camp of the barbarians.
We made our way up a small hill. The landscape was dry and hilly and yellowish green grass waving in the wind. In a small valley laid a house. It have a pointed roof a sign that it was of great importance. This wasn’t something that the barbarians would have made; couldn’t have.
We made our way down, with my Sword of Sharpness in my hand I knocked on the door. The smell was ever present, Chaos was here. Chaos was an old timer of Haggard, he was there well before I ever was. He was a silent one, only speaking to those he seemed his friends. I didn’t know much about him, his ways still elude me. I had a great feeling that was only met with him opening the door that this was Chaos house.
I smiled greatly when I saw him. We exchanged hellos and we told him of our journey to Haggard and are plan to fight the primitive barbarians and drive them back to the Great Desert. We shared a good drink and laughed. He told us he came back because he thought people were rebuilding. I told him that it wasn’t because they were rebuilding, they were barbarians that took the ruins. Chaos understood gave us rations for the way to Haggard. He told us they he saw them building a tower, one high as Oculus Mountains.
I was worried this meant that could build. I nodded to Salem and we head out. Slowly we made our way out of the valley up a hill. It was tiring, we were tired from our journey even with the drink and the small rest. Salem looked over and spotted the bridge, Dragon’s Bridge as it came to be called. It went over Haggard River and was the the main way into the city.
We made our way down, we were confident the barbarians didn’t have the gear to take us on. We approached the bridge, to our left and right farms they used to feed the great population of Haggard. Then we saw him.
Donned in a golden chest plate and most likely god tier gear he raised his sword at us proudly and with bravado. He spoke with a deep voice, friendly, outgoing, not hostile or barbaric.
“Welcome to Haggard my old friend, I see you have finally come!,” he spoke his words welcoming.
“Speak not filthy barbarian, we know you stole this city from us. You heathenous pig!,” I spat my words like if I was spitting in his face.
“Is that the way you speak to you co-mayor Green?”
I was speechless. He new my name. Then I sniffed, my cat nose filled with an aroma of a friend. Was this not the barbarian I thought he was, it was not at all. It was King Lard. The King of Haggard. He had returned.
I went on my knees and Salem stood there oddly, she didn’t understand the situation.
“Green my friend there is no need to bow! You are here to rule the city with me once more are you not?”
My eyes watered it have been 100 years since I saw him the day he went missing was like a stain in my memory. He ruled Haggard with me many meny years ago. When he ment missing, I rose to become King and we expanded to Salem and then into Aristotle. All this ran threw my mind, then I was enraged when I remembered the cultist sacking the city.
“WHERE WERE YOU?”
Lard looked confused.
“WHEN THE PRANKSTERS CAME AND DESTROYED THE CITY, DEAD MANY PEOPLE LARD”
Lard looked worry. “I thought you abandon this place? I had no idea where you went,”
“WHERE DID YOU GO LARD, WHERE DID YOU GO?”
