The Blade of the soul Xigvar closed)

[Orcleous]

Legends, those are the things that drive men. Legends spur the normal to be abnormal. They inspire men to do more than what they once thought possible. A legend is a powerful tool to push men forward, and it is also a good weapon to send men to an early grave. There is a tale of a blade forged in the heart of a mountain and cooled in the blood of a dragon. Xigvar, was the name given to this blade. It was said that his blade shifted to match the soul of the wielder. At time it was a blade of pure light that shinned radiantly. At others it was a black sword that created darkness that could consume the flesh of a man. Some men who held fit found nothing but Iron sword while others found a blade capable of cutting a dragon.

A blade like this would obviously be sought as men judged themselves and thought their soul was worth, but alas in the day old there were many great wars. The blade Xigvar was lost in the sands of Nabata like so many ancient treasures. Many Heroes and would be champions ventured into the desert searching for this fable sword, but only few of them returned, each one laminating their failure to locate the blade and horrors of the sand. However that has never stopped adventurous souls from trying. That has never killed off hope. Another fool enters the great desert searching for a blade that would give him what he desires.

“So this is the great desert”, spoke Orcleous as he stared at the rolling sands. The sun beamed down from above heating the cloak the boy wore.

[Orcleous]

“Ok all I have to do is follow the legend and I should be able to reach the sword”, spoke Orcleous to himself as he began his journey. In his hand was a map, but not just any map. It was a map he bought from an old one eyed adventure that was also half crazy. The old man told him told him of the time he nearly lost his life in that dessert. How he searched for the sword Xigvar. According to the old coot he found it too, but could not take the blade because the bodies of the dead guarded it. The tale was passed over by man, but not Orcleous. Orcleous was desperate to become stronger. He needed to catch up with her.

“Let’s see”, spoke orcleous as he looked at the map. The first marker was a stone that stood high above the sand. The stone was quite easy to find actually. There was a huge rock formation that stood out above all the sand. The problem was that it was so far away. Getting to it was going to take a while. The novice had stocked up on supplies and had a huge supply of water. The extra supplies would weigh him down, but he would need it in the desert. There would not be another water hole to supply up till he reached the rock formation, and by foot it was going to take a long time.

“Well getting nowhere just by staring”, spoke Orcleous as he began his journey to the stone.

[Orcleous]

Orcleous trip to the stone mass was a hard one. The sloping hills of sand ad improper footing made caring the extra supplies he had brought very difficult. Still Orcleous knew he would need them and had to endure the extra weight. It was not helping either that his cloak was black and seemed to gather more heat from the sun. Orcleous was starting to think that the color black made one hotter, but with no true proof to back up his idea he did not even bother writing it down. That was a job of a scholar, and nobles with to much time on their hands. Orcleous was an adventure or Assassin in training one of the two. He was not really sure what he was. He made coin from looting would be robbers and snuck around just to see if he could. None the less the work of letters and pages were up to the mages and nobles who though it was important to write it down. People like him worried about real problems. Like how to grow more food, or how to kill a wolf effectively. Sure the intellectual pursuits had their own points. Orcleous was not an ignorant savage. He just believed that people could find more productive things to do than read up on magic all the time.

Magic never really helped men in his eyes. Sure it healed some wounds and cured some diseases. Hmm, orcleous was starting to see the flaw in the way he was thinking. Magic was not that useless after all, but studying ancient magic was. That he was sure of. No man really needs to know how to manipulate souls and control the dark energies of the world. There was never a true need for that kind of power. Only men with twisted hearts and evil minds wanted to do such things. Most of the problems in the world came from such people. Many of them killed the many would be farmer and brought death to those brave enough to explore the outer corners of the world.

Then again there has been some use to that type of magic. The great heroes of old weapons were said to be made by such a user, and possibly without such power those weapons could not have been forged. Then they would have to live in a world filled with dragons. Orcleous shuttered at the thought. He remembered the beast that nearly took his and Lisa’s life. That thing was beyond what any man could stand to fight. The old heroes must have been dimi gods or something.

“Man I sure am thinking a lot”, spoke Orcleous aloud. He looked up and realized that he was only half way there. No wonder so many adventures failed. He had a map and he was already being pushed. Most of the poor souls just simply wondered around looking for the sword in this sea of endless sand. How in the world was he supposed to find this sword anyway? For al he knows the sand could have buried it by now. Wait why am I talking myself out of looking for the sword. I said I was going to find it. Orcleous looked up at the sun that seemed as if it had not even moved. “It is the heat”, he spoke aloud. I am letting the heat get to me. The novice pulled out a flask from his bag and gulped down some of the cool liquid. He then resealed it and placed it back into its old position. “Got to keep moving”, spoke orcleous. “I have to reach the rock before it gets dark.”

[Orcleous]

With water back inside of his system Orcleous began to pick up the pace. After a quick reexamination he noticed that the sun had actually moved. He was losing time. The old man told him that once the sun had fully set then the death would descend unto the sands. He old man’s words rang through Orcleous head as he walked through the sand.

“Once the sun sets and the last light fades death himself will descend upon the desert. Like a speeding chariot he will cross the streach of domes and sand cutting down all who were unprepared to face him. No place is safe from his grasp except one however. There is one place in the desert that you can hide. One place you can take shelter. The rock, the rock boy, flee towards the rock there you ward him off with fire, but I warn you lad. Death is not alone. He has servants the scour the desert searching for those who fight back against their master. Their wings are black and their load is heavy. Screams are all that is left form their descent. The lights flicker out one by one as adventures vanish one by one with no trace of their existence.”

From what Orcleous could tell the old man’s tale spoke of the cold rather than a actul spirit of death. He had heard of the desert getting cold at night from one of the shop keeps trying to sell him a blanket. At first he laughed at the idea, but after hearing the old man’s tell he returned back to that shop and bought the thing. As for death’s servants he had no clear idea. From the old coots story they sounded like wyverns. Though he never heard of wild Wyverns in the desert, but then again it could not be wild Wyverns. It could be a clan of warriors. Yes that would make sense. If he was a brigand living in the desert he would want a flying mount as well. Not only dose on have the advantage of avoiding the walking through the sand, but they also had the element of surprise. The travelers who set up a camp to fight off the cold of the desert light up the black night. The Wyvern riding bandits see the flame and swoop down upon the unexpected adventures. It was easy prey to find and easy money to make. Their casualties must be low thanks to this. Still Orcleous could not help, but wonder why the rock formation was safe. If the bandits flew over the night sky they would probably see the flames coming from the rock.

“Ouch”, cried Orcleous as he walked face first into the ancient stone. He was so engross in thinking that he was not paying attention. He had finally reached the rock, his very first land mark. Just in time it seemed as the sun was begging to set. Orcleous needed to hurry up and find a place to set a fire. He needed to make sure to find a place where the light would not be seen from the night sky. “Hopefully there is a cave”, spoke Orcleous, but his own voice was muffled by the sound of beating wings. He looked up into the air to see black wyverns take to the sky. There were many of these beast. Their assent almost sounded like thunder. From Orcleous vantage point he could see a few men on the backs of the beast. His hypothesis was right. From what he could tell they were coming from the top of the rock formation. The warriors must have set camp there. As he stared at the flying Wyverns the sun dipped under the horizon small lights began to appear in the desert as other adventures made camp to fight off the cold. Unknown to them their doom had already taken flight. I better find a spot thought Orcleous as he moved into a cavern in the rock formation.

[Orcleous]

Orcleous set a flame up in a cavern were the smoke could rise through the roof. On that very spot he saw scorch marks from the fire the old geezer must have set. So far he proved to be a good source. His words were true, and like he said death swept over the desert. From the cavern Orcleous could see the light flickering in the darkness. One by one they vanished as death’s servants descended upon the unexpected travelers. The sight of it both feared and angered Orcleous. The raiders were picking on the weak and stomping out the dreams of those would be adventures. Still there was nothing he could do. He was too tired from his trek and too weak to slay them all. It was best to just get some sleep. Orcleous still had some ways to go on his journey. This was just the first marker and he needed to reach the second one before the next sun down, or he might end up like the other adventures.

Morning came far too quickly for Orcleous. The heat from the sand woke him up. Sweat covered his face as he pulled himself off the hard stone. He opened his bag and pulled out the vial he had taken a chug from earlier. Half the water had seeped out of the side of the glass, but there was still some cool liquid left. Orcleous chugged the rest of it and placed the vial inside his bag. Inside the bag was another bag that was made from wyvern skin. Inside of it were six more jugs of water. Orcleous was prepared. He placed the empty bottle inside the bag and took one out. He then retied it and placed it back at the bottom of his sack. He then pulled out some bread and some deer jerky and began to have his breakfast.

[Orcleous]

Orcleous once again began his journey to his second destination. The crags of the rock formation was hard enough to navigate with his heavy pack, but the heat from the sun made it worse. The light shinned down upon the red stone heating it up to extreme tempters. Sweat from Orcleous head hit the ground and immediately evaporated. If the cold of the night was death then Orcleous did not want to know what the sun was.

Keep my head low and follow the crags thought Orcleous as he moved through the rocks. The old man stressed this by comparing his movements to that of a serpent. The crags were hard to navigate, but there was nothing for to watch out for. Sure you would come by a few scorpions from time to time, but lowering yourself would not help you at all. Orcleous was starting to believe that this was a metaphor for something else. Like the servants of death in his original comment he possibly meant for one to keep the noise they made to a minimum.

“Let go of me”, a voice ran out over the crags. Orcleous looked up to see where it was coming from, but the angle on the cliff blocked his view. “Let go of me”, the voice came again as he heard struggling. The raiders thought Orcleous as he looked up. Just like the old man said. Orcleous thought it was another metaphor, but it seemed like the raiders even took the travelers. That would explain how their screams could be heard in the night. The prisoners being dragged away screamed from atop their flying mounts. The old man was cautioning him about trying to save those that were captured. A snake does not care for those around him. He only cares for himself. It was the smart choice, to simply sit back and keep moving. Orcleous had a lot of ground to cover and very little time. Still the idea of leaving people to die without helping left a bitter taste in the novice mouth. He had blade and he somewhat knew how to use it .

“Ok”, spoke Orcleous as he looked around him. He saw a slope that lead up to the top of the cliff. The novice took off his bags and placed them on the ground. He was about to walk off and head up the cliff, but the idea of a bandit walking by and taking his supplies made him stop. Orcleous took out his blanket and covered his bag. He then threw a couple of rocks and sand over it to make it blend in. “Ok that is good enough”, spoke the novice as he walked up the path. He was not expecting to kill all the bandits, but at the very least see if he could not save a traveler or two.

[Orcleous]

Orcleous came around the cliff and spotted what the noise was about. Too his great horror he saw what these wyvern mountain raider looked like. They were hideous to say the least. Their gums were black and their eyes were small. They had large foreheads and thin hair. Most of their skin was covered, thank Hartmut, to protect themselves from the sun. In their hands were a mixture of lances and axes. The latter of the two were covered in blood. On the ground were the heads of their captives their eyes still held the fear they experience before death. In the corner orcleous could see of them feasting on the leg of a man and throwing his beast an arm. “Cannibals”, spoke Orcleous aloud. He looked to his right and saw a few of them holding a woman. They were pressing her down on a stone as another sharpened his axe.

In all there were five of them. One was sitting next to his mount enjoying his dinner. Two of them were holding the woman down. A fouth was sharpening his axe and the last was looking through a bag of the woman’s stuff. Orcleous had no idea where the rest of the great horde was that took the sky last night, but from what he could guess they were probably on the upper levels of the rock formation. It was clearly too big of a problem for Orcleous to handle, but the novice could not just leave and allow this woman to share the fate of the others.

Still as much as Orcleous wanted to help taking out five opponents was not something in his skill level. If he was going to do this then he would need to use stealth. However stealth came in a short supply with them all being on a flat plain. He needed to separate them. Orcleous picked up a rock and threw it at the one searching through the bag. The man immediately jumped when he was hit. He screamed out in a strange voice and that grabbed the attention of the other cannibals. This was bad thought Orcleous he only wanted to catch the attention of one of them. Still however the novice ducked his head below the even plain.

The cannibal looked behind him and saw no one. He then turned toward the one eating and started speaking in a language Orcleous could not understand. However he could tell what was going on through there body language. The first cannibal accused the one of eating of hitting him. The one who was eating started to argue back with the first. The two holding the woman got distracted and in there distraction the woman was able to break free of their grip. Immediately she rolled off the rock they had her on. The two panicked and began an attempt to capture her. The one with the axe however remained calm. He rose from the spot he was sitting and began to walk towards the woman.

Better than I expected thought Orcleous as he rushed up and onto the flat ground the cannibals were camped on. He was now behind the cannibal with the axe. One of the two cannibals that were trying to recapture the woman saw Orcleous coming from behind. He screamed for the one holding the axe to turn around, but it was too late. Orcleous rushed forward and stabbed the cannibal in the back. He then ripped the blade out on the right side of his body. Immediately the cannibal fell dead.

With one cannibal now focused on Orcleous the frighten woman was able to gain the advantage. She punched the second cannibal in the nose and kicked him in the nuts. She then grabbed the cannibal’s lance, which was lying about, and stabbed the man through the stomach. The first cannibal rushed towards Orcleous with his axe as the maiden and his friend were struggling. He swung with a horizontal slash cutting through Orcleous black cloak, but stopping on the crimson armor underneath . The novice retaliated with a downward slash of his own cutting into the man’s chest. By this time however the two arguing cannibals had taken notice. They rushed over to Orcleous position and began to attack with weapons of their own.

A lance man first charged Orcleous and for a moment it looked as if he was about to run the novice throw. The maiden however prevented that by throwing her lance into the cannibal’s chest. The second cannibal was already upon Orcleous. He swung his axe horizontally like the first, but this time Orcleous was ready. He jumped back as the cannibal swung dodging the axe and then charged back forward slicing off the man’s left arm. Without giving him a chance to recover ran his sword through his chest finishing off the last of the cannibals.

[Orcleous]

Orcleous heart was still pounding. He could barely believe he was still alive. He was sure he was going to end up another meal for the cannibals. Still however he needed to leave. He was not sure when more of these monsters would return. He did not have the strength to fight them all.

“Thank you”, spoke a voice behind Orcleous. The novice turned around to see a woman who was around the same age he was. For a moment he had forgotten she was there. He was so focus on finishing off his opponents. Immediately the novice began to size her up, but his skills at reading people were still lacking. He could not determine much anything about her except that she had green hair, which was just a simple observation.

“Umm your welcome”, spoke the novice in a dry voice. The sun was starting to get to him again, and all the fighting was draining the water from his body.

“Come we need to hurry up and get out of this desert”, spoke the woman as she began to walk toward the path Orcleous came up from. “Do you have any supplies”, she asked.

“Actually”, spoke Orcleous cutting off her conversation. “I still have business in this desert. You can make your way back out from here.”

“What”, spoke the maiden as she rushed forward and cut the novice off? “Are you crazy, those cannibals will kill you? Even more so after they figure out what we have done. Look I saw the way you fought there. Your are a novice right. You don’t really know how to uses that blade of yours. Don’t deny it I can see it in the way you move.”

Orcleus grinded his teeth when the woman spoke. She was right on the money. Orcleous was a novice with the blade. Still it kind of ticked him off even more with the fact that she just succeeded were he had failed. His lack of skill was being shown. “I can handle myself”, spoke Orcleous as he forced his way past the maiden.

[Orcleous]

“Hay stop you idiot”, spoke the maiden as she followed the novice. Orcleous walked over to the spot where he hid his supplies. The size of the bag caught the maiden off guard. No one usually walked into the desert with a pack that big.

“Listen if you want to leave the desert that is fine, but I want to find the legendary sword. I have trekked to long through that burning sand to just turn back now. I knew there was going to be danger, and I knew I might die, but I am finding that freaking sword!”

“Xigvar”, spoke the maiden as Orcleous began to walk through the narrow crags again.

“Hay you idiot”, spoke the maiden as she followed behind. “Xigvar is just a stupid legend it does not exist”, she shouted.

Orcleous stopped for a moment and looked her in the eye. He then pointed towards the top of the rock formation and placed a finger above his lips. It did not take a mage to figure out what he meant. The woman immediately covered her mouth and Orcleous began once again on his trek. The maiden followed behind whispering her complaints.
End Thread