//------------------------------// // Prolouge // Story: Moving Forward, Wrought with Danger // by Odayama //------------------------------// “So, a wild mage is causing trouble, eh?” An elf was sitting at his desk, watching a mayor of a small town called Felton fidget in his presence. “Y-yes. You see, this mage was very open about her magic. She called herself Tia, the wild mage. We probably would have kicked her out, but she had protected us. She guarded us from some hobgoblins that attacked us, sending them back to their damn holes.” He looked at the elf, still intimidated. “But…one day, a small boy went to visit her. He came back with his arm missing. He told us that a demon was there. We evacuated immediately, coming to this city.” Regretfully, the mayor of that small town placed a large bag of coin on the desk. “…This is all we can afford to give you. Please, get our home back.” The elf stood up. His blonde hair swept over his left silver eye. He wore a breastplate over his robes, his symbol of Odin was resting on the plate. His look on his face was deep in thought. This elf wasn’t tall, being only above 4’5”. But the mayor was still intimidated by this elf. It wasn’t because of what this elf looked like, it was because of who this elf was. This was Tom Odayama, head cleric of Odin, and the leader of a guild of mercenaries who will do any job for the right price. His reputation exceeded expectations, but he wasn’t the friendliest of people. There were less known reasons why he was cold hearted to most people. Tom wasn’t always known as Tom, though he had abandoned his elven name. When he was young, he had lost his parents in a battle in a town that the three had traveled to. A power-crazed Lich had boldly attacked the town, but Tom’s parents were there immediately to stop him. Though the battle was fierce, it ended with Tom watching his parents’ death. Tom took up his father’s sword to finish off the wounded Lich, and the battle was won that day. The survivors of church of Odin had seen the bravery that Tom had shown, and took him in as their own. Raised in the church for the rest of his childhood, Tom picked up his name there and became a cleric of Odin. Tom emptied out the bag on the desk, spilling all of the coins over the desk. Tom grits his teeth. “If you had warriors in your town, you’d be able to keep your money and take your town back from this demon. The fact that you’re at my doorstep, begging me to do this, is pathetic.” “Now, Tom. Not everyone is a warrior. You know that.” A voice called out to Tom from behind the mayor. The mayor turned around to be surprised at what he saw. The first thing you would notice of this person would be his silver scales. He had elven features, but his scales showed that he was a half dragon. Half silver, to be exact. His blond hair was kept neat, his baby blue eyes showed kindness from beyond his draconic features. He wore neat clothes, for unlike Tom, he didn’t wear his armor inside the building. This was Newtolm, Tom’s second in command of the guild, and second strongest member of in pure strength. A Psychic warrior with the power of a silver dragon. He was a kind hearted elf, who considers Tom his friend. Tom only considers him a comrade in arms, but there is something about their interactions that show that Tom actually cares about what Newtolm has to say. Unknown to the rest of the guild, Newtolm was actually giving Tom lessons to control his anger. Only Newtolm could convince him otherwise. If it wasn’t for him, Tom would be even angrier to everyone around him. Newtolm’s story is not as sad as Tom’s. He was born and raised in the mountains, where his father kept his mother safe. As a powerful silver dragon, he kept his family and friends close and away from harm. Newtolm grew up with one other half dragon; a half brass named Charzaliax. The two were close friends, even though they were not of the same clans. Until Newtolm became old enough to leave the place he called home, his father had approached him with a simple, but harsh philosophy almost every few months. 'As the lines of the next generation come into the world, they lose what their fathers would give them. Even though you are my son, you will never reach the power I hold.' His father never really believed that dragons were the end all power. There were people who had taken down dragons single handedly. But this still woke something up in Newtolm. He took his father’s words as a challenge. Newtolm started visiting a psychic warrior in the village at the bottom of the mountain where he grew up. To make sure that Newtolm was accepted in the town, his mother had crafted him a hat of disguise to hide his dragon features. From then on, Newtolm learned how to fight with blade and mind, able to take down the mightiest of enemies. Newtolm’s presence startles the mayor, but then he saw that this half dragon wasn’t actually as tall as he looked. He looked like he was well over 5’, but he was actually a foot off of the ground! Newtolm walked over to the desk, not making a sound of footsteps. “And not every man can fight demons. Most town guards only have to deal with the likes of bandits and wolves.” Tom let out a short breath. “Humph. We’ll take this job, but only because this demon is so close to the city.” Tom started to walk out of the room. “Newtolm, see this man out, then get George to sort out the gold. Tell him that if we’re not back and the job is not complete, then give only half the gold back.” The mayor looked at Tom, about to say something, but Tom had already closed the door behind him. Newtolm patted the mayor, trying to comfort him. “It is alright, sir. We will handle this. You will have your town back in no time.” Newtolm opened the door, holding it open for their guest. Tom walked down to the main floor where the common room was, where everyone had made it the gathering place. Tom went straight for the bar that the guild had set up. The one who was holding the bar was the only aquatic elf in this port city. He was a cleric of Thor, but more like an acolyte compared to Tom. He saw Tom and had a drink already for him. “Hey, Tom. Got a mission for the troops? Or are you gonna take this one?” Tom took the drink and downed it. Wiping his mouth, he looked at the aquatic elf. “A demon and a wild mage. Too dangerous for me to leave it alone. I need to take this one on. Newtolm will back me up, but I’ll take Juno as well. We’re going to out muscle them, for even a demon will have trouble taking on Juno. Anyone else will be too much to risk.” Tom looked at the group of people at the table on the far end of the guild. There seemed to be a drinking contest at the table. Juno was in the middle of the drinking contest, most of the men were betting to see if he could drink three other guild members down under the table. They were half way through their fifth round when Tom shouted out. “Juno! Get over here!” The table quieted down. Juno got up, rushing over to Tom. His short brown hair was messy, but his brown eyes showed that he meant the best intentions. Juno was a lovable idiot, but had straight forward thinking when it came to battles. He was the strongest member of guild, even though he was human. Well, the reason why he’s the strongest, instead of the half dragon, is because that Juno is a were-bear. A natural born were-bear. He had free reign on his transformations. But because of his in-born talents, everyone was always scared for Juno. Eventually, Juno would one day lose control; the beast would take him over. Juno always told everyone else not to worry, but even through the fun times they have, everyone always has that one fear for him. When Juno was born, his mother had somehow survived the small were-bear cub tearing his way out. His father was the one afflicted, but he couldn’t bring himself to admit it until they had discovered that his mother was with child. Even though it was likely that she would die, they stayed together. It wasn’t a happy beginning for Juno, though. A corrupt steward knew about the power lycanthropes could give to his forces. Four years after Juno’s birth, his family was discovered and taken to the keep. There, Juno was trained to be the most ferocious warrior, while his father was chained to the jail walls. A collar was made for Juno, so he wouldn’t betray the steward. Though one day came where Juno’s mother, along with some of the servants of the keep, had snuck off the collar from Juno’s neck. Juno, enraged to know what had happened to him, picked up his weapons, and slew everyone who worked for the steward. He even got to his father before the steward could threaten to kill his father with a silver sword. Even with every precaution the steward took to make sure this killing machine would be his and his alone, Juno ended up with the steward’s blood on his claws. Juno took his family and those who helped him far away from that keep, giving everyone a second chance. But when he knew his family was safe, he left. He didn’t want his family to see what he had become, even if he had regained control. Juno stood in front of Tom. “Yes, Tom? Do we have a job?” Tom nodded. “We leave tonight. You, me, and Newtolm are heading to the town just three days south from here. There’s a demon that’s possibly enchanted a wild mage. Your speed and power will come in handy, so I need you to take the demon down personally.” Juno nodded. “Alright. I’ll just…” Before Juno could even turn around, Tom spoke out again. “As much as I would want to drink myself drunk as well, I said that we’re leaving tonight. We should gather our equipment for the trip.” Juno looked at Tom, who was already equipped with his entire gear. He let out a sigh. “Yes, sir.” Juno rushed over to the stairs, running to gather his equipment as fast as he could, if only to get back to the drinking game before they had to leave. Hopefully, Newtolm will take his time so he could have that last drink. --- The three day travel was uneventful, only because they were still close to the city. Any bandits or hobgoblins in the area were pushed back, so the chances of encounters were left to the wild life, which were scared away by Juno. It was when they entered the area of the town when things got interesting. There was a demon here, alright. It seemed that when he came over, he had brought over some friends. Imps were loitering around the town, scavenging items they could use, when they saw the three warriors coming their way. Tom drew his sword. “Let’s draw out this blasted demon and get this over with.” A massacre of imps had gotten the demon’s attention alright. He was waiting for those who were foolish enough to challenge him. At the center of the town was a demon, lounging on the fountain, holding a leash attached to a woman. “Well well… seems we have some playmates. Those who approach the demon Korthak will only become my slaves.” He looks at the mage under his control. “Have fun, my dear. But leave them alive for me to use.” Tom thought to himself. ...I know that name. Maybe I should have brought more men... The party of three lunged forward, attempting to stop the mage before she could get any spells off, but the mage was already casting. The magic that the mage had summoned up was supposed to be a fireball. Tom saw that. He had learned enough from the mages in the guild to know how fireball was casted. He had a spell ready to stop a fireball. But something was wrong with the effect. Instead of blasting the three with fire, and Tom’s spell canceling the fire, the small pebble that was launched towards them tore a hole in the material plane, right in front of the caster. The demon got up, surprised. “You fool! What have you done?” Those were the last words that were heard. Newtolm, seeing this, had grabbed onto his two companions. Their only hope of getting away from this tear was to teleport away. Newtolm opened his mind to generate the power… Nothing happened. The tear had some power, preventing him from using his psychic powers. The tear was expanding fast, for the three were engulfed into it as well. When the tear had engulfed the five creatures in the area, it had receded, leaving the town as quiet as a cemetery. This scene was witnessed by George, a gnome illusionist who fancies himself a fighter. He was on his magic carpet, making sure that the three wouldn’t get into trouble, but now he had watched in horror as the three of the most powerful members of the guild had…vanished. “…Juno? Newtolm?...Tom?” He started to panic. “I-I…I have to get the guild! We have get them back!” He turned around towards the city. At full speed, he zoomed through the sky to tell the others of this bad news.