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More from JamestheMage
We welcome in arms to the archives of Rynmir.
Here in the halls of the great, we share our tales
of blood and joy of what has been, and what could yet be.
Our story has concluded, yet we know little of our future.
We hope by sharing the tales of old to you, that one day
the mistakes of our times will be prevented.
So listen closely, dear friend. For we have many tales
to share with you. From the battles across the lands of
Marzanla, to the heroes of old and the magic spread across the sky and sea. These are the Rynmir Chronicles.
Tales for you, to one day learn from our failures, our successes, and what can be done to prevent such horrors ever again.
The world has grown cold, and distant from its own past. What once was a world that reveled in magic, now see the halls of the great scholars empty. The Drake Empire now rules the lands with a tight grip, seeking to spread the glory of their ultimate power to anyone they can while fighting those who would seek to shatter them.
Unable to truly defend themselves, more and more towns and cities fall to their power, their greed and their promises, all in an attempt for a better life than to be slaughtered. Cruel and unjust, the world falls more and more into a dark era, where no Mage or Witch can protect the defenseless.
Now, magic has been considered outlawed, and only a select few from the high powers of the crown and coin may bend the rules in favor of their lives. The voices of the Dragon and Phoenix grow quiet as the years move on. Yet there are still some who try to still survive in the cold world, hiding who they are to scrape by…
Sintello, Castle Ravenloft outskirts
Nightfall
Year 953, 10th day of Autumn
Castle Ravenloft has fallen. Its once decorated halls of blue and grey stone, its many towering buildings once seen as grand architects of the island of Sitello, and the many lives who walked the grounds of the land, have all been silenced in a single night. The Drake Empire has taken the claim of Sitello, now having destroyed the sacred place of House Caine to the ground. The Lady and Lord of the house have been slain, their servants to follow, and their many knights sworn to defend were now gone. And amidst the chaos and bloodshed, the young prince was made to flee from the scene.
Fire glowed in the night sky, banishing the dark from its presence in the wake of its destructive power, the screams and guttural sounds of death rising in the air around, as the prince could only shudder in horror of what he heard. He had made it outside the castle walls, and was taking a path down into the forests, until he saw a glint of blades from the flame against the darkness, and eyes that caught him in the shadows, glaring coldly at him. So then began a chase, deep into the woods of the night, and after the young man who was already cut up from nearly being killed many times tonight.
Nothing made sense anymore. Nothing was going the way it should, and only dark thoughts clouded the young man’s heart as he ran through the forest. All that he could think about was where it went wrong. The young silver furred fox-kin was fixated on it, despite the fact he was bleeding from his shoulder, clothing was tattered and soaked red, and he was absolutely winded as the cold breeze didn’t make things any better. But despite all this, he could only rush on as he headed towards an unknown destination, in a desperate bid to flee. He could hear them chasing after, their armor clanking loudly and their commands loud in the air, the soldiers wielding their blades as they did their best to keep up with him. He didn’t dare to look back, knowing that at any moment, any second of focus lost, and he would be cut down without knowing it.
Due to the strange soil of Sitello, the trees were denser than most others known in the world. Their oak was hard to cut through, and they were as tall as the castle walls itself, which were nearly four stories high. He used this knowledge, and the terrain being declining from the castle, in the hopes to trip up the pursuers and maybe get them to give up the chase. He himself took a few thumps against his body from running too fast, hitting the trees every now and then and earning a few bruises. But so were they, from the sound of it, hearing the soldiers grunt and groan every time they slipped up. He may have even heard one of them tumble and hit their head along a stump.
He ducked and weaved through the forest, trying to find any spot that he could use to hide and lose the pursuers. But he was running out of options, as his body felt winded and beaten from the amount of falls, tumbles and cuts he received from the pursuit of his attackers. He had no weapon, no means to defend himself, and was alone. All he could do was flee. He soon made it near a shallow ravine, the waters flowing gently downstream. The ravine he found was a familiar one, and he knew which way the waters flowed, meaning he could follow the path to safety.
The Prince did his best to make his way down the slope, stumbling into the waters and hitting his arm against a log that was lodged against a rock. He felt the pain radiate in his arm, and felt sharp splinters dig into his skin. He slowly stood up, trying in vain to ignore the pain he felt all over his body as he made his way down the shallow waters, feeling rocks dig into his feet. He winced and grunted, biting his lip to keep his noises away while he ran, his eyes growing heavy as he felt his energy waning over time.
“He’s over there!” He heard one of the soldiers call out, the group following him down the ravine after him.
“One of you shoot him, now!!” Another cried out. He felt his heart lodge in his throat at the sound of that, as he continued to run as fast as he could. Only to have his entire body shoot up in pain, as he felt something sharp lodge into his tail. He fell down into the cold waters on his side, the pain aching all over as he looked to see an arrow lodged in his tail, and into the ground. He whimpered in immense pain as he slowly got up to run, only to meet face to face with a blade pointed at him.
“Finally got you.” The soldier said, who appeared to be of a hyena-folk. He turned to see the two others, who were also a fox-kin and a lizard-folk in leather armor with a bow drawn at him from the fox, and the lizard holding a sharp spear right at him. He could only quiver in fear, knowing he was a breath away from being slaughtered.
“P-Please…Please stop…why are you doing this?” He begged in a pained voice. “We did nothing wrong!” He could hear his own heart thumping in his ears from fear.
“Oh don’t act so surprised, pup.” The hyena said as he knelt down, blade pointed at his throat. “Your family knew the law. Only fair to cut them down for such treason.”
“See if he has anything on him of value.” The lizardfolk woman said. “If he moves, put an arrow in his head.”
The prince could feel the hyena reaching up, feeling at his torn clothing and pockets, seeming to be checking if he had something of value. The hyena stood up, taking what seemed to be a small pouch from his left pocket. He opened it to examine the contents inside, and he had a puzzled look. He pulled it out, and examined the strange item closely. It was a colorless gem that wasn’t refined or carved in any way. It was a special gift to him, and he felt his heart race more in fear that they would take it away before he had a chance to hold it one more time. “Seems worthless.” The hyena said, tossing it to the side as it landed in the water. He winced, wanting to make a move to grab it, but remembered the archer that was right behind him.
“Do we take him back?” The hyena asked the lizardfolk. “Could be of some value-”
“The commander was clear on his orders.” She bit out. “The only ones for certain that are to die are the lord and lady, and their child…therefore, he must be silenced.”
With a nod to her, the hyena made a quick glance to the archer. “He's yours.” He said, taking a step back with the blade still aimed at his neck.
The fox felt his mind stir faster than ever, images of his life flashing before him as he heard those words. He felt his heart crash against his chest at the idea that this was the way he would die. He felt his eyes well up, wanting to scream for help, but knowing if he tried would just make them cut his throat right there and then. He imagined the archer was aiming carefully at the back of his head, ensuring a clean kill. He closed his eyes, accepting the reality of the moment.
This was it. This was how he would die.
—
“Young Master!!” Richard yelled out, the froglin running as fast as he could through the forest with his hand clutched tightly on his wooden staff. He hobbled as fast as he could, ignoring the cuts he received from the recent clash he endured. Despite his many years of swordsmanship, Richard never felt prepared for such a fight like tonight. The endless amount of soldiers coming at him time and again, the comrades he knew falling left and right to fight off the attackers, all of it was weighing heavily upon his mind of how fast the attack happened. But right now, he had to push those thoughts away to focus on the current task at hand. He had to find the fox prince.
During his last bout of blades, he noticed a group of warriors give chase outside the walls, and he noticed it was the prince they were after, and they ran deep into the forest, far away from Castle Ravenloft,
the glow of the fires vanishing the further in he ran to find him. He felt exhausted, and was profusely bleeding from his left arm from a nasty slash of a blade. He was no stranger to battle, yet this night made it seem like he was from how he fumbled here and there. A misstep here and poorly timed attack there, and he nearly lost his life again and again. Though tonight he was subduing one element of his combat tactics he usually would employ, because if he did, he would have been made a massive target for all. It felt like a crutch, not being able to use it. His magical prowess, his own gift from birth, and a power he used during the golden days. Before the Empire took over, and silenced all who could use said magic, before the purge claimed so many he called brothers and sisters. But that was a different time, and right now, he had
to focus on the here and why.
From far off, he heard a loud yell of pain from someone further in the woods. He turned to the direction, and made a sprint towards the sound, a fleeting hope crossing his heart that it was the prince. He reached the edge of a ravine, hiding behind one of the trees as he leaned around it to see who it was. He felt relief, then horror took hold as he saw it was the prince, and the three soldiers from before, and an arrow lodged in his tail and in the river bank, holding the young master down as they were preparing to kill him. He knew then and there, he couldn't hesitate for a moment. He had to save his life, by any means necessary. He promised the Prince's parents, and swore an oath to ensure his safety. He quickly glanced between the three, deciding who was the best to attack first. But before he had a chance to decide, he noticed the archer was taking aim to fire an arrow at the prince, his blue skin turning pale at the fear of losing him.
The froglin didn't hesitate for a moment, using his powerful legs to leap high from his position, rapier drawn in his free hand, and landed on the archers back with the blade plunged into the fox's neck, blood spilling out as his body hit the ground, his body limp and lifeless. The other two didn't even have a chance to react, before the froglin went to aim his staff at the hyena, a powerful blast of fire erupting from the tip as it lunged at the hyena. He barely had time to leap back, the fire-ball hitting his chest and knocking the soldier away from the prince, gasping in pain. The silver fox's eyes widened to turn to see him, as the froglin turned to the lizardfolk, blade drawn out in a defensive manner.
“Hide!!” Richard called out to the prince. “Get away from here!”
“Rotted fang, he’s a mage!” The lizard called out, lunging right at Richard with her spear. Richard used his staff to parry away the spear, pushing it outward to hit the ground as he thrust his rapier at her shoulder. The blade punctured through her armor and skin, causing her to cry out in pain. She pulled away, taking hold of her spear to jab at his left leg, the blade cutting deep into it as he grunted hard. He used the momentum to drop his staff, grabbing the spear to hold onto as he went in for the lolling blow, stabbing at her head with the sword.
Her body went completely limp, slumping over into the water alongside the fox's corpse as he pulled the spear out of his leg. He winced immeasurably in pain, grabbing the staff before turning to see the prince was gone. He looked around to see where he would have gone, before he noticed the hyena was standing up. He looked to his fellow soldiers, his eyes gazing at Richard with hate in them.
“You are going to regret this.” The hyena-folk snarled out, both hands holding his sword as he got into a defensive pose. Richard pointed his blade out to him, his staff close by in his grip as he simply replied to him, “Turn away now, or you'll be joining them. I don’t want anymore blood spilled on my account”
“You got lucky with those two.” He bit out. “I promise you, I won't fall for your tricks.”
“We'll see about that.”
The froglin lunged at him, aiming the sword to cut at his chest with his blade, only to have the hyena quickly parry it to the side and go for a thrust with the longsword. Richard barely had time, swiping his sword downward to push his sword away to deflect the incoming attack. The blade cut at his chest, causing him to grunt and move back to get distance. The cut wasn't deep, but it still was immensely painful. He was getting too tired, the events of tonight starting to drain him more and more. The two would exchange blow for blow, slashing, parrying and attacking at every given chance. As it went on, the froglin lost more advantage in the fight, getting bruised and hit more than he could attack the hyena. He was losing this fight, horribly so to add.
He would aim his staff right at the hyena, casting a ball of flame at the soldier, but would end up missing as he dodged left. The hyena lunged his sword forward, aiming to try to stab at the froglin’s chest. He barely had a chance to leap back, the blade’s point barely cutting him as he let out a low grunt of pain. He was getting tired, his own magical abilities not helping him despite it all. He would aim again, but this time the hyena didn’t give him the opportunity, slashing the blade near his head, causing Richard to need to duck quickly. He barely managed to keep his head from being lopped off, as he backed away in frustration, trying to regain his composure.
During their bout, he could see far off that the prince was hiding away behind some trees, watching the scene unfold. He knew if this went on, he would die, and the prince would have no chance to escape. He was running out of options, and fast. This hyena was far too strong, and his armor fully metallic to do any real damage. He barely had a chance to cast a spell from his staff to even do anything. What's worse, is that if he did cast another powerful spell, Richard knew it would probably knock himself unconscious due to the need of energy required from the caster. Despite this, he knew what needed to be done. If these were to be his last moments, then he would do it his way.
With one swift movement, right as the soldier went to slash at him, he slammed his staff's end at the river, causing the water to suddenly burst into a massive cloud of steam. The hyena yelped in pain, his body burning up from the intense heat as he backed away, eyes covered with his arm to not get his sight burned. Richard quickly used the cover to his advantage and ran straight at the prince while the hyena recovered.
The Prince stepped out, looking at him with shock.
“Richard, What are you doing?!” He asked with a tremble in his voice. “You’re wounded! You-”
“I'm sorry young master, but there isn't time.” Richard panted out, his breath shallow and harsh. “You have to get away from here. Far, far away.”
“Where?” He asked with dread in his voice, ears knelt back. “They've taken all of Sitello..”
“I know somewhere I can send you.”He held his staff tightly, jutting it out towards the silver-fox as it glowed at the tip. “I only have enough energy for this last cast. When you arrive, look for someone named Hazel. He'll help you.”
“Wait, what are you doing?” The prince asked with eyes wide, holding his hands out. “Stop!”
“I'm sorry…but this is the only way. I'm sorry I failed you. I…I’ll miss you, dear friend…thank you for being part of my life.” Richard felt tears well in his eyes, knowing this would be the last time he would see the young man. He had helped him during his most difficult times of his childhood, always tried his best to cheer him during those moments, and always lent his mind to help the young man. This would be the last time he'd ever see him, or anyone for that matter. Guilt, shame and despair rushed through his heart, as he called out loud to him, “Tropelet Latnevim Ytic!”
Energy swirled around the prince, gold and black colors swirling around him faster and faster, as the prince began to disappear right before him. The silver fox's eyes filled with tears as he reached out, trying to stop Richard from doing what he did, but it was too late. The prince soon was gone, a sliver of light beaming into the air, and away from this nightmare. The froglin felt relief in his heart, and his mind began to fade as he prayed for his safety. Slowly, his body began to slump backwards, the energy required for that took everything he had in him. His world went black, figuring that this was his end. The prince was safe, and that was all that mattered to him.
Only…something strange happened. He slowly woke up, and saw he was being dragged by two others to somewhere. He looked around, seeing the rubble of the castle around him and the dead of his friends all around. He wasn't dead? Why? He quickly looked up, and saw why that was. He saw him. And when he did, hate burned in his body. Markus, Commander of the Drake Empire, and sworn enemy to all magic users, standing on a pile of rubble. “You…” was all he could say.
The red lizardfolk looked down at the froglin, his cold gaze sending a chill down Richard’s spine. “Hello old friend.”
Here in the halls of the great, we share our tales
of blood and joy of what has been, and what could yet be.
Our story has concluded, yet we know little of our future.
We hope by sharing the tales of old to you, that one day
the mistakes of our times will be prevented.
So listen closely, dear friend. For we have many tales
to share with you. From the battles across the lands of
Marzanla, to the heroes of old and the magic spread across the sky and sea. These are the Rynmir Chronicles.
Tales for you, to one day learn from our failures, our successes, and what can be done to prevent such horrors ever again.
The world has grown cold, and distant from its own past. What once was a world that reveled in magic, now see the halls of the great scholars empty. The Drake Empire now rules the lands with a tight grip, seeking to spread the glory of their ultimate power to anyone they can while fighting those who would seek to shatter them.
Unable to truly defend themselves, more and more towns and cities fall to their power, their greed and their promises, all in an attempt for a better life than to be slaughtered. Cruel and unjust, the world falls more and more into a dark era, where no Mage or Witch can protect the defenseless.
Now, magic has been considered outlawed, and only a select few from the high powers of the crown and coin may bend the rules in favor of their lives. The voices of the Dragon and Phoenix grow quiet as the years move on. Yet there are still some who try to still survive in the cold world, hiding who they are to scrape by…
PROLOGUE
Sintello, Castle Ravenloft outskirts
Nightfall
Year 953, 10th day of Autumn
The PrinceCastle Ravenloft has fallen. Its once decorated halls of blue and grey stone, its many towering buildings once seen as grand architects of the island of Sitello, and the many lives who walked the grounds of the land, have all been silenced in a single night. The Drake Empire has taken the claim of Sitello, now having destroyed the sacred place of House Caine to the ground. The Lady and Lord of the house have been slain, their servants to follow, and their many knights sworn to defend were now gone. And amidst the chaos and bloodshed, the young prince was made to flee from the scene.
Fire glowed in the night sky, banishing the dark from its presence in the wake of its destructive power, the screams and guttural sounds of death rising in the air around, as the prince could only shudder in horror of what he heard. He had made it outside the castle walls, and was taking a path down into the forests, until he saw a glint of blades from the flame against the darkness, and eyes that caught him in the shadows, glaring coldly at him. So then began a chase, deep into the woods of the night, and after the young man who was already cut up from nearly being killed many times tonight.
Nothing made sense anymore. Nothing was going the way it should, and only dark thoughts clouded the young man’s heart as he ran through the forest. All that he could think about was where it went wrong. The young silver furred fox-kin was fixated on it, despite the fact he was bleeding from his shoulder, clothing was tattered and soaked red, and he was absolutely winded as the cold breeze didn’t make things any better. But despite all this, he could only rush on as he headed towards an unknown destination, in a desperate bid to flee. He could hear them chasing after, their armor clanking loudly and their commands loud in the air, the soldiers wielding their blades as they did their best to keep up with him. He didn’t dare to look back, knowing that at any moment, any second of focus lost, and he would be cut down without knowing it.
Due to the strange soil of Sitello, the trees were denser than most others known in the world. Their oak was hard to cut through, and they were as tall as the castle walls itself, which were nearly four stories high. He used this knowledge, and the terrain being declining from the castle, in the hopes to trip up the pursuers and maybe get them to give up the chase. He himself took a few thumps against his body from running too fast, hitting the trees every now and then and earning a few bruises. But so were they, from the sound of it, hearing the soldiers grunt and groan every time they slipped up. He may have even heard one of them tumble and hit their head along a stump.
He ducked and weaved through the forest, trying to find any spot that he could use to hide and lose the pursuers. But he was running out of options, as his body felt winded and beaten from the amount of falls, tumbles and cuts he received from the pursuit of his attackers. He had no weapon, no means to defend himself, and was alone. All he could do was flee. He soon made it near a shallow ravine, the waters flowing gently downstream. The ravine he found was a familiar one, and he knew which way the waters flowed, meaning he could follow the path to safety.
The Prince did his best to make his way down the slope, stumbling into the waters and hitting his arm against a log that was lodged against a rock. He felt the pain radiate in his arm, and felt sharp splinters dig into his skin. He slowly stood up, trying in vain to ignore the pain he felt all over his body as he made his way down the shallow waters, feeling rocks dig into his feet. He winced and grunted, biting his lip to keep his noises away while he ran, his eyes growing heavy as he felt his energy waning over time.
“He’s over there!” He heard one of the soldiers call out, the group following him down the ravine after him.
“One of you shoot him, now!!” Another cried out. He felt his heart lodge in his throat at the sound of that, as he continued to run as fast as he could. Only to have his entire body shoot up in pain, as he felt something sharp lodge into his tail. He fell down into the cold waters on his side, the pain aching all over as he looked to see an arrow lodged in his tail, and into the ground. He whimpered in immense pain as he slowly got up to run, only to meet face to face with a blade pointed at him.
“Finally got you.” The soldier said, who appeared to be of a hyena-folk. He turned to see the two others, who were also a fox-kin and a lizard-folk in leather armor with a bow drawn at him from the fox, and the lizard holding a sharp spear right at him. He could only quiver in fear, knowing he was a breath away from being slaughtered.
“P-Please…Please stop…why are you doing this?” He begged in a pained voice. “We did nothing wrong!” He could hear his own heart thumping in his ears from fear.
“Oh don’t act so surprised, pup.” The hyena said as he knelt down, blade pointed at his throat. “Your family knew the law. Only fair to cut them down for such treason.”
“See if he has anything on him of value.” The lizardfolk woman said. “If he moves, put an arrow in his head.”
The prince could feel the hyena reaching up, feeling at his torn clothing and pockets, seeming to be checking if he had something of value. The hyena stood up, taking what seemed to be a small pouch from his left pocket. He opened it to examine the contents inside, and he had a puzzled look. He pulled it out, and examined the strange item closely. It was a colorless gem that wasn’t refined or carved in any way. It was a special gift to him, and he felt his heart race more in fear that they would take it away before he had a chance to hold it one more time. “Seems worthless.” The hyena said, tossing it to the side as it landed in the water. He winced, wanting to make a move to grab it, but remembered the archer that was right behind him.
“Do we take him back?” The hyena asked the lizardfolk. “Could be of some value-”
“The commander was clear on his orders.” She bit out. “The only ones for certain that are to die are the lord and lady, and their child…therefore, he must be silenced.”
With a nod to her, the hyena made a quick glance to the archer. “He's yours.” He said, taking a step back with the blade still aimed at his neck.
The fox felt his mind stir faster than ever, images of his life flashing before him as he heard those words. He felt his heart crash against his chest at the idea that this was the way he would die. He felt his eyes well up, wanting to scream for help, but knowing if he tried would just make them cut his throat right there and then. He imagined the archer was aiming carefully at the back of his head, ensuring a clean kill. He closed his eyes, accepting the reality of the moment.
This was it. This was how he would die.
—
Richard Mirell“Young Master!!” Richard yelled out, the froglin running as fast as he could through the forest with his hand clutched tightly on his wooden staff. He hobbled as fast as he could, ignoring the cuts he received from the recent clash he endured. Despite his many years of swordsmanship, Richard never felt prepared for such a fight like tonight. The endless amount of soldiers coming at him time and again, the comrades he knew falling left and right to fight off the attackers, all of it was weighing heavily upon his mind of how fast the attack happened. But right now, he had to push those thoughts away to focus on the current task at hand. He had to find the fox prince.
During his last bout of blades, he noticed a group of warriors give chase outside the walls, and he noticed it was the prince they were after, and they ran deep into the forest, far away from Castle Ravenloft,
the glow of the fires vanishing the further in he ran to find him. He felt exhausted, and was profusely bleeding from his left arm from a nasty slash of a blade. He was no stranger to battle, yet this night made it seem like he was from how he fumbled here and there. A misstep here and poorly timed attack there, and he nearly lost his life again and again. Though tonight he was subduing one element of his combat tactics he usually would employ, because if he did, he would have been made a massive target for all. It felt like a crutch, not being able to use it. His magical prowess, his own gift from birth, and a power he used during the golden days. Before the Empire took over, and silenced all who could use said magic, before the purge claimed so many he called brothers and sisters. But that was a different time, and right now, he had
to focus on the here and why.
From far off, he heard a loud yell of pain from someone further in the woods. He turned to the direction, and made a sprint towards the sound, a fleeting hope crossing his heart that it was the prince. He reached the edge of a ravine, hiding behind one of the trees as he leaned around it to see who it was. He felt relief, then horror took hold as he saw it was the prince, and the three soldiers from before, and an arrow lodged in his tail and in the river bank, holding the young master down as they were preparing to kill him. He knew then and there, he couldn't hesitate for a moment. He had to save his life, by any means necessary. He promised the Prince's parents, and swore an oath to ensure his safety. He quickly glanced between the three, deciding who was the best to attack first. But before he had a chance to decide, he noticed the archer was taking aim to fire an arrow at the prince, his blue skin turning pale at the fear of losing him.
The froglin didn't hesitate for a moment, using his powerful legs to leap high from his position, rapier drawn in his free hand, and landed on the archers back with the blade plunged into the fox's neck, blood spilling out as his body hit the ground, his body limp and lifeless. The other two didn't even have a chance to react, before the froglin went to aim his staff at the hyena, a powerful blast of fire erupting from the tip as it lunged at the hyena. He barely had time to leap back, the fire-ball hitting his chest and knocking the soldier away from the prince, gasping in pain. The silver fox's eyes widened to turn to see him, as the froglin turned to the lizardfolk, blade drawn out in a defensive manner.
“Hide!!” Richard called out to the prince. “Get away from here!”
“Rotted fang, he’s a mage!” The lizard called out, lunging right at Richard with her spear. Richard used his staff to parry away the spear, pushing it outward to hit the ground as he thrust his rapier at her shoulder. The blade punctured through her armor and skin, causing her to cry out in pain. She pulled away, taking hold of her spear to jab at his left leg, the blade cutting deep into it as he grunted hard. He used the momentum to drop his staff, grabbing the spear to hold onto as he went in for the lolling blow, stabbing at her head with the sword.
Her body went completely limp, slumping over into the water alongside the fox's corpse as he pulled the spear out of his leg. He winced immeasurably in pain, grabbing the staff before turning to see the prince was gone. He looked around to see where he would have gone, before he noticed the hyena was standing up. He looked to his fellow soldiers, his eyes gazing at Richard with hate in them.
“You are going to regret this.” The hyena-folk snarled out, both hands holding his sword as he got into a defensive pose. Richard pointed his blade out to him, his staff close by in his grip as he simply replied to him, “Turn away now, or you'll be joining them. I don’t want anymore blood spilled on my account”
“You got lucky with those two.” He bit out. “I promise you, I won't fall for your tricks.”
“We'll see about that.”
The froglin lunged at him, aiming the sword to cut at his chest with his blade, only to have the hyena quickly parry it to the side and go for a thrust with the longsword. Richard barely had time, swiping his sword downward to push his sword away to deflect the incoming attack. The blade cut at his chest, causing him to grunt and move back to get distance. The cut wasn't deep, but it still was immensely painful. He was getting too tired, the events of tonight starting to drain him more and more. The two would exchange blow for blow, slashing, parrying and attacking at every given chance. As it went on, the froglin lost more advantage in the fight, getting bruised and hit more than he could attack the hyena. He was losing this fight, horribly so to add.
He would aim his staff right at the hyena, casting a ball of flame at the soldier, but would end up missing as he dodged left. The hyena lunged his sword forward, aiming to try to stab at the froglin’s chest. He barely had a chance to leap back, the blade’s point barely cutting him as he let out a low grunt of pain. He was getting tired, his own magical abilities not helping him despite it all. He would aim again, but this time the hyena didn’t give him the opportunity, slashing the blade near his head, causing Richard to need to duck quickly. He barely managed to keep his head from being lopped off, as he backed away in frustration, trying to regain his composure.
During their bout, he could see far off that the prince was hiding away behind some trees, watching the scene unfold. He knew if this went on, he would die, and the prince would have no chance to escape. He was running out of options, and fast. This hyena was far too strong, and his armor fully metallic to do any real damage. He barely had a chance to cast a spell from his staff to even do anything. What's worse, is that if he did cast another powerful spell, Richard knew it would probably knock himself unconscious due to the need of energy required from the caster. Despite this, he knew what needed to be done. If these were to be his last moments, then he would do it his way.
With one swift movement, right as the soldier went to slash at him, he slammed his staff's end at the river, causing the water to suddenly burst into a massive cloud of steam. The hyena yelped in pain, his body burning up from the intense heat as he backed away, eyes covered with his arm to not get his sight burned. Richard quickly used the cover to his advantage and ran straight at the prince while the hyena recovered.
The Prince stepped out, looking at him with shock.
“Richard, What are you doing?!” He asked with a tremble in his voice. “You’re wounded! You-”
“I'm sorry young master, but there isn't time.” Richard panted out, his breath shallow and harsh. “You have to get away from here. Far, far away.”
“Where?” He asked with dread in his voice, ears knelt back. “They've taken all of Sitello..”
“I know somewhere I can send you.”He held his staff tightly, jutting it out towards the silver-fox as it glowed at the tip. “I only have enough energy for this last cast. When you arrive, look for someone named Hazel. He'll help you.”
“Wait, what are you doing?” The prince asked with eyes wide, holding his hands out. “Stop!”
“I'm sorry…but this is the only way. I'm sorry I failed you. I…I’ll miss you, dear friend…thank you for being part of my life.” Richard felt tears well in his eyes, knowing this would be the last time he would see the young man. He had helped him during his most difficult times of his childhood, always tried his best to cheer him during those moments, and always lent his mind to help the young man. This would be the last time he'd ever see him, or anyone for that matter. Guilt, shame and despair rushed through his heart, as he called out loud to him, “Tropelet Latnevim Ytic!”
Energy swirled around the prince, gold and black colors swirling around him faster and faster, as the prince began to disappear right before him. The silver fox's eyes filled with tears as he reached out, trying to stop Richard from doing what he did, but it was too late. The prince soon was gone, a sliver of light beaming into the air, and away from this nightmare. The froglin felt relief in his heart, and his mind began to fade as he prayed for his safety. Slowly, his body began to slump backwards, the energy required for that took everything he had in him. His world went black, figuring that this was his end. The prince was safe, and that was all that mattered to him.
Only…something strange happened. He slowly woke up, and saw he was being dragged by two others to somewhere. He looked around, seeing the rubble of the castle around him and the dead of his friends all around. He wasn't dead? Why? He quickly looked up, and saw why that was. He saw him. And when he did, hate burned in his body. Markus, Commander of the Drake Empire, and sworn enemy to all magic users, standing on a pile of rubble. “You…” was all he could say.
The red lizardfolk looked down at the froglin, his cold gaze sending a chill down Richard’s spine. “Hello old friend.”
Category Artwork (Digital) / Fantasy
Species Fox (Other)
Size 1055 x 1430px
File Size 1.51 MB
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