yes, I hope you can someday return to a life of laziness and a total lackadaisical attitude about life in general. ^^
Originally posted by Chris-chris
yes. I can understand that… heck, my first long story was pretty trebble, wasn’t it Weiila? (A lot of past tense, presten tense, spelling, grammar, and stuff) Boy, she even had to send someone to save me from the tenses… (.#.) I was bad…
Don’t say that! A few minor adjustments and it will be PERFECT!
Okay, since I haven’t posted in NEAR FOREVER, I thought I’d explain my absence: My finals are next week, and for the past two weeks, I’ve been getting so much work it isn’t funny. After next week, summer begins for me, so you can expect some more then.
Take your time and don’t worry about us. Just pass all your exams and relax a bit befor sending it in. We can wait. 
Take your time.
Nice story so far.
Sorry Omega, I have to unstick some stuff and this doesn’t seem very up and about lately.
I’m working on the next chapter tonight, so…yeah. 
gasp Chapter 2 is finally up!
By the way, I’m remodeling my character’s looks…which I will get back to as Chapter 3 goes into motion.
Chapter 2: Companions’ Journey
Jurien and I raced out of the ship, weapons drawn, to find that the harpies had already struck. Small arrows, all of which were on fire, surrounded the camp that the shipwrecked passengers and crew had set up. I could see Captain Stolman and another crewmember holding a stretcher that bore a wounded crewmember over to an enclosed tent. Numerous torches were around the camp, all of which were burning brightly. Campfires, which were also numerous and also well lit, dotted the camp.
I also noticed the human who had been with Jurien and I; he was helping two crewmen to unload supplies from the crash. Upon our exit of the ship, the human noticed us almost immediately and ran toward us. He looked rather shaky, probably from the crash, but stood firm.
“Where were you two?” He demanded. “The harpies struck while you were gone. Six crewmen and four passengers were killed, and about a dozen others wounded.” “I was thrown off the ship, but I got back in time to repel them. The crewmembers used burning oil to take care of ‘em; harpies hate fire.”
I could see the logic in the crew’s strategy. More than once, because of hot weather, I had seen a harpy nest catch fire, often burning the eggs; or nestlings; within. Fire was a bane to harpies; they both hated and feared it.
“What’s your name?” He asked, much more casually. “I’m Garrek.” Jurien and I introduced ourselves.
“Listen.” I began. “The captain of this ship had a request for us.” I filled in the details of what we had been asked to do, making sure not to miss anything. Garrek seemed interested; several times during the briefing he cocked an eyebrow or nodded.
“So this is it.” He laughed when I had finished. “I’m in on a mission now! Just when I board a ship to-” he gave a sudden stop when Jurien and I were staring at him. “Er, it’s nothing.” He said, staring at the ground. “Come on, I was holding onto my bag, so I have it.”
As we began heading down the mountain, Stolman nodded at us. “Farewell, and good luck.” We returned the goodbye.
Soon enough, Garrek, Jurien, and I were walking rather quickly down the mountainside. A small sliver of orange and gold marked the coming of dawn. We wanted to get to Marunkan as soon as possible so we could get Stolman and the shipwrecked crewmen and passengers out of danger. We walked silently at the beginning of the journey, but we were soon chatting like we had known each other for years about the ship incident, commenting each other on our fighting skills and pointing out what could be improved upon.
“So…” I decided to ask a question that had been lingering in my mind for some time. “What were you doing on that airship, anyway?”
Jurien answered almost instantly. “There was a rumor of a Drow elf riding on that ship that had stolen a rare artifact from my people. So, I came here and boarded the airship in hopes of finding him. It seems as if my search as been in vain”
Jurien and I turned to Garrek. “How about you?” I asked curiously. Garrek looked uncomfortable. “I, er, stowed aboard and into that compartment, to-” His eyes widened when he saw Jurien and me frowning at him. “No, No, I wasn’t stealing!” He waved his hands quickly in front. “I-I was just…” Garrek looked, if possible, even more uneasy. “It’s a personal matter.” “Very well.” Jurien eyed Garrek for a moment with what looked like doubt, but it passed and Jurien continued.
I had said nothing. Garrek seemed a little roguish, but stealing? I could tell it wasn’t possible. Garrek was a decent person; he had helped Jurien and I fight Leon and his two thugs and he had helped the crewmembers fight off the harpies while Jurien and I were inside. What would he be looking for in a private compartment in an airship?
My contemplation was interrupted by Garrek. “Wow, we’ve gone pretty far already.” He mused. I looked up to see that the airship was completely out of our line of vision. It might have just been hidden by the boulders on the mountainside, but we had still gone quite far.
“So we’re going straight to Marunkan?” Garrek asked. “I’ve heard there’s a village some distance from it, and it’s in our direction once we get out of these mountains.” I shook my head. “I don’t want to force Stolman to spend too much time up there. There a lot more than harpies. Dragons have been spotted up there on rare occasions.”
Jurien entered the conversation. “I’ve also heard sightings of-” he was cut short as what looked to be a giant mass of boulders actually leapt up and landed in front of the three of us with a loud smash. I realized it wasn’t a group of boulders, but just a small number of them that formed a large body that was at least twelve feet tall. “…Golems.” Jurien finished.
“Look out!” I leapt out of the way as the golem hurled a fist toward us. It smashed into the ground, leaving a large handprint in the stone. All three of us leapt in different directions. Garrek leapt onto the golem’s back and started attempting to dismantle its limbs with his triple bladed daggers, but the golem shook itself and sent Garrek flying.
He got up and shook his head to steady himself. “It’s no good!” He shouted. “The golem’s too strong to tear apart limb by limb!” “Stay back then!” I called. “I’ll have to use magic!” I had just opened my mouth to start a spell when I noticed Jurien had been muttering quietly. An incantation?
“VAPOR BLAST!” Jurien roared. Instantly, a jet of water formed at Jurien’s palms and raced toward the golem like a cannon. The water hit the golem full in the rocky chest and blasted it backward. The golem slammed into a wall, coming apart like a toy being broken.
I stared at him. “You can use magic?” Jurien nodded. “I’ve become skilled using magic as well as being skilled with a bow and arrow.” I was impressed. Jurien had known that weapons wouldn’t work against a stronger golem, so he had resorted to magic as a strategy and had not wasted time firing arrows. “Let’s keep going. Come on, Garrek.” I nodded to him.
About an hour later, we came out of the Turaikt Mountains. The sun had just begun to shine on the Earth.
Garrek stretched his arms. “Ah! The sun feels great after that night, doesn’t it?” Jurien and I nodded and laughed. It was great to see the sun out.
Another half hour of walking brought us to the village Garrek had mentioned. It was a simple farming village; no gigantic castles or guilds dominated the city, and men, women, children, and various animals either walked through the village or remained on farms that were being tended by their owners.
All three of us attracted attention, being outlanders. Garrek, for one, had two daggers that were rare in small farms. I had my katana, another rare sight, and Jurien got many excited whispers behind his back; elves were a rare sight in such small villages.
I noticed that one of the horse stables was renting horses to travelers. I pointed it out. “What do you think?” I asked. “We could have them returned to this village when we’re done with them.” “Well, it may be able to cut our time down.” Jurien agreed. “Yeah, and my legs are killing me!” Garrek added, stretching his feet.
We approached the highly anticipating horse rancher, apparently thrilled and astonished to see an elf, let alone three outlanders equipped for adventure.
“T-Three horses?” He asked in a small, excited voice. The rancher was a skinny little man with a bald head and a dark brown beard around his chin. The three of us nodded. The horse rancher nodded energetically. “Can you pay for them now?” Garrek and I both started to say something, but Jurien stepped forward first. “Allow me.” He said, handing a several small silver coins to the little farmer. He gasped. “Elven coins!” He cried. “These are impossible to find in a place like this!”
The little man happily directed us toward our horses. I mounted mine, a brown one named Gale. Jurien had a gray horse named Cloud, and Garrek mounted a black one named Star. The small farmer opened up a gate, leading outside of the village and to the road to Marunkan. “Farewell!” The farmer waved furiously with a grin on his face as we rode off, all three of us in a gallop.
“This sure beats walking!” Jurien laughed. “Yeah, and it’ll get us to Marunkan a lot faster!” I added. Garrek was too busy enjoying the ride and letting out the types of war cries horse riders usually do to say anything.
Within what appeared to be minutes, we reached Marunkan. As we approached the gate, our horses slowed when we saw the numerous people entering and exiting the city.
Two guards in standard soldier armor stood vigilant at the gates, spears in their hands. My friends and I walked through to a bustling city that was nothing like the farming village. Enormous stone and granite buildings covered the city with shops, and the roads were lined with individual tents and much smaller shops where merchants yelled and waved for the people to see what they had in stock.
“I’ve never been to such a place.” Jurien breathed. “I haven’t been here in a while either.” I added. Garrek shrugged. “I’ve been here plenty of times, to trade or sell things. It can be a gold mine if you have the right products.” He said matter of factly.
“We have two objectives here.” I said to them as we stopped along the side of the road, still on our horses. “First we need to find Harrborn and Drevius, and we need to get help for Stolman and the crewmembers. We should ask a guard.”
Jurien hailed to a patrolling guard. “Yes?” The guard asked in a professional tone. “We need to find Minister Harrborn. We have important information for him.”
The guard raised his eyebrows. “Minister Harrborn is very busy. He cannot be disturbed. Furthermore, what is this important information?”
“Here!” I proclaimed, drawing the key. “This is the key to a treasure chest on an airship that was traveling to Marunkan, but the airship crashed over the Turaikt Mountains and now the people need help!” The guard eyed the key coolly. “I’ll see what I can do, but I can not guarantee anything.” The guard calmly resumed his patrol.
Garrek snorted. “He must think this is just a hoax.” I shook my head. “We’ll need to find another way to see Harrborn, and we also need to find Drevius.”
“Drevius, you say?” An elderly man, with a long beard, in wizard’s robes, and walking on a wooden staff overheard us. “Why do you seek Drevius?” “You know him?” I asked hopefully and eagerly at the same time. “We have important information for him and Minister Harrborn!” The elderly man gestured. “Come. I shall take you to Drevius so that you and he may talk.”
The old man first sent our horses to a stable, where they would be returned to the farming village, and then told us to follow him. He led us through the bustling Marunkan City, down long avenues lined with merchant tents and shops. Finally, after what seemed like a fair amount of time, we came to a granite building. “This is where Drevius lives.” The old man said. “Please enter.”
Tiled floors, granite walls, and hangings and paintings made up the inside of the building. Mana empowered lights were used to light the rooms up at night. The man led Jurien, Garrek, and I through a small kitchen, past an open door that led to what looked like an office, and into a private meditation chamber.
“Very well.” The old man said, shutting the door to the chamber behind them. “You may now speak to Drevius.” The three of us looked around. “Where is he?” I asked. The old man smiled. “You are talking to him right now.” The three of us gave a start. “You’re Drevius? Why didn’t you tell us before?” Jurien asked when he had overcome the initial shock. Drevius’ smile faded slightly. “I could sense your distress and not being able to see Harrborn or being able to find me, and I did not want to excite you. I can almost sense the importance of this information. Now tell me, what is it?”
I filled him in on everything that had happened since the airship. The treasure chest being stolen by an unknown assailant, the airship crashing, Stolman giving us the key to the treasure chest, and our journey up until now.
“Here it is.” I handed him the key to the treasure chest. He carefully examined the golden key. “Did you notice the markings on the side?” “Markings?” I repeated. He showed them to me, along the side of the key. The inscription was small, and in a language I could not decipher, nor either of my friends, by the puzzled looks on their faces. “No, I didn’t. What about them?”
Drevius had turned extremely grim. He clutched the key in his palm and told me the words that began the chain of events: “The three of you are in great danger.”
Whoo, I like it, Omega!
Must find out what it means!!! Keep updating it Omega! I love it!
Thanks, guys.
Very cool, must admit, it is definetly different from the usual stuff I read, but it’s just so cool.
Keep up the good work, Omega.
Chapter 3’s up! This is a shorter chapter, which explains a bit of the background of the history of the planes, which may explain the key. Don’t assume this is the EXACT history, though…
Chapter 3: Long Forgotten Past
I had no idea what to say in response; I was utterly speechless. Jurien looked as if he had seen a ghost. Garrek looked confused and slightly alarmed. “What…are you talking about?” I finally managed to ask.
Drevius was pacing back and fourth, shaking his head and muttering. “I can’t believe it, I just can’t believe it…” he looked frantic and worried suddenly.
Finally, he shook his head one last time and turned back to us. “Do you know who sent that treasure chest?” “No, the captain said it had just been left there with a note to give it to you and Harrborn.” Jurien responded. Drevius stared at the inscriptions on the key. “I have heard of this key in tales of myth dating back from thousands of years ago. Exactly the description: A gold, oddly shaped key, with two blue and red jewels upon it, and a runic language on the side. Come, we must talk.”
We followed Drevius into his office, where he sat down at his desk, and motioned for us to sit in three chairs in front of him. “There is much to say about this key. I became quite interested in the myths of what some referred to as “The War of Twilight.”
Drevius took a deep breath. “Ten thousand years ago, according to an ancient myth, orcs, goblins, and creatures known as orkurall overran this plane, and many others. How they entered other planes is unknown, but this plane is where they originated. I do not know the orkurall’s origins, either. They were supposed to be strong and agile. They were led by creatures called Blackfades, creatures three times as powerful as their orkurall servants. Many evil things across the plain, necromancers, undead, and orcs, joined them in their conquest. In the last hour, when all good races on the planes had finally began to surrender to the prospect that the end was at hand, they received help.”
“Shortly after the war had begun, the Gods began to do battle as well, fighting as hotly and as fiercely as normal men. They quickly became involved in the war, the Gods of darkness siding with the orkurall, and the Gods of light taking sides with the races fighting against them. Zeus battled Hades. Bahamut fought Tiamat. Odin dueled with Loki. Their battles shook the foundations of the planes themselves.”
“In the last moments of the final battles, when all hope had faded, a sword was forged. By whom, it is unknown. The purpose of it was also unknown. Many historians take the natural assumption that it was wielded by a great hero. Some even think it was wielded by one of the Gods. All that is known is that the sword somehow turned the tide of the battle, and that it contained power beyond anything imaginable. Entire orkurall armies died where they stood as white mana cascades flew over them. Blackfades burst into fire from the inside out. It seemed to revive the spirit and fire inside of fighting men, as well. Humans, elves, dwarves, and other races slaughtered entire orc, goblin, and troll armies without a single casualty. Life, serenity, and light came back to the planes. Though countless lives had been lost and many planes were devastated and shattered, they rebuilt and mended over time. The history faded to legend, and the legend faded to myth. Eventually, as the ten thousand years passed into today, the knowledge of this war is lost…for the most part.”
“Supposedly, the Gods of Light, after severely punishing their Evil God opponents, tried to find out what to do with the mystic blade that had saved them all. Some suggested destroying it. Others suggested claiming it as their own. However, Zeus, Bahamut, and Odin all agreed that they must keep it hidden from mortal hands. While it could bring a golden age in the hands of the proper wielder, the power it held could bring fourth another war if it fell into the wrong hands. So, the Gods hid it ingeniously from humanity. It is unknown how or where they hid it. The sword has been sought by many, but each attempt was in vain.”
“However, after doing a good time of research, I discovered that a volume in my basement dating back to almost eight thousand years ago spoke of a key that could lead to finding the sword. To this day, the location of this supposed key has been unknown. Now, it has been found. By the three of you.”
My friends and I stood there, mesmerized. Garrek’s jaw was hanging open and Jurien looked as if he was in a trance. Finally, I decided to speak up. “So you think that…that this key can lead to the sword you mentioned?”
Drevius shook his head. “I do not know, Omega. I do not have any answers. Even all of this is patched together from myths and unreliable rumors alone. However…” he looked thoughtful before he answered. “For weeks, perhaps months now, there have been odd happenings in this land.”
“Odd happenings?” Jurien echoed. Drevius nodded. “There has been news of goblin camps in various woodlands across this area. Goblin raiders have been raiding trade caravans, and soldiers have been reporting that they have been greater in number lately.” “But in this land, goblins haven’t been sighted outside of mountain ranges for two thousand years!” Jurien argued. “Why would they decide to come out and suddenly start raiding caravans?” “I do not know, Jurien. I believe that something is…motivating them. Minister Harrborn, whom I am associated with, has even muttered to me of “disturbing news” from trade ships and caravans that have come in from other lands. However, even though I persisted him, he refuses to tell me what that news is. He has been extremely busy for some reason, and I seldom see him even walking through the hallways of his official trade regulation building.”
I was becoming rather alarmed, and by the looks on their faces, so were Jurien and Garrek. “What are we going to do now then?” I asked. “We have no leads. The treasure chest has been stolen and we have no idea who sent it on the airship. What are we going to do with the key, assuming it is the key you speak of?”
Drevius looked grim. “We’re going to see Minister Harrborn, no matter how busy he is, and we’re going to try to decipher this code.”
Well, only having readed the First Chaper and the Prologue (And English being not my First language, By The Way), I must tell i really like the story, I haven’t found too much errors, and I find the Plot Interesting and Amusing, It really keeps me tuned
But one thing i noticed…I really don’t know if that is a Cliche…But I’m sure i’ve heard the “Giften Abandoned Guy” thing before…and It sounds sort of illogical…
Why will a Gifted Man b Abandoned (Maybe it’s explained in Further Chapters, but i haven’t read them all)
Keep The Good Work, Omega:P
Kor, that’s only what it looks like (especially considering I’ve only written the first three chapters). So your point is VOID!
Whoa…I Guess i’ll have to Read the Rest of the Story to complain again ^^;;;;;;
Hmm… I wonder if something is about to happen to Omega and his pals… I must know.
Oh right! Great story! Please continue to write it! I must know what happens next!
Originally posted by OmegaflareX
. The history faded to legend, and the legend faded to myth.
Let me guess, the tale survived on the wind’s whispers?
Wind Waker reference
Looking good Omega! Keep up the good work
Summer has evidently made me improve on my writing. Heh.