Ancient Library of Balor: Lost Tomes. The Story of Passing Years - Chapter 1

[Sleeping.Dragon]

The Lore master Xantese Zerylliom with a humble help of Sleeping Dragon presents:

Ancient Library of Balor: Lost Tomes

The Story of Passing Years: Chronicles of the Shadow Crystal Wars, recorded by Archmage Loest.

~ Chapter 1: Training day ~

When I first saw the new heroes, Commander Skullcrusher and I shared a look of confusion. He later recounted his initial impressions of them, which have hereafter been recorded with the results of their first day of training.

Boris sniffed, eyeing the newest "heroes" joining the camp. None of them would survive against the Shadows, not without some serious work, at least, and none of them was ready for the mission he had no other option but to send them on soon. The humans' resources were spread too thinly across Balor, and as good as Loest was at strategizing and keeping records, always scribbling away with his feather quill in that giant book of his, it wasn't enough to stop the Shadows from growing. They had to have fresh blood or they'd die out. Boris briefly eyed the mage with his giant quill, scribbling notes as always, though this time he was surely recording the look and possible abilities of these new heroes (he always had a knack for identifying these kinds of things; Boris didn't quite understand it), then turned his gaze to the newcomers.

He shook his head at one of the new recruits, a girl - she must have been a teen, as young as she looked - who was actually talking to her staff. Like it could listen.

He turned his gaze to the other woman in the group, this one not much older, but at least she was in battle gear and seemed to have a decent head on her shoulders. She might make it. With luck.

One of the men was always talking with others in the camp, an enthusiastic and sociable fellow, Boris supposed. He had a good relationship with everyone, it seemed, so he may make a good leader yet. That one had hope.

On the other end of the spectrum was an odd fellow, always hiding in the shadows, brooding, perhaps. Now he leaned against a tree, listening intently to the sounds in the camp: the clanging of practice weapons, the shuffling of soldiers, the crackling of the fire. If he could stay alert in battle, he'd do well.

And then there was the priest. His outfit wasn't practical--the white would stand out in the battlefield and provided little protection against the flying arrows and slashing blades and claws and whatever other appendages the Shadows might have. Yet this seemed to have little effect on him. He always claimed some sort of "divine protection." Horseshit, Boris thought. This guy might even be the first to die with a head like that on his shoulders.

Still, he had to find a way to get this ragtag group ready for battle. He didn't like it, but they needed all the resources they could get, and these were supposedly the best they could find.

He really didn't like that thought.

"Listen up!" he shouted, halting the conversation Mr. Sociable had struck up with Ms. Sensible, though Ms. Delusional kept on talking with her staff as if nothing had happened, Mr. Silent-Type barely acknowledged him, and Mr. Holy barely turned his head. That struck a nerve, sending purplish energy rushing through him in his rage.

"Enough!" The blast that accompanied his exclamation made everyone pay attention, including Loest, whose attention was usually so focused on his writing that he wouldn't have noticed Amber dancing naked in front of him.

"If you don't treat this seriously, you're gonna get yourselves killed, or worse, get others killed under your command." More than one of the new recruits looked down with shame.

"Don't let Stick-Up-His-Butt startle you too much," said a woman, whose garb made the priest turn his head away. "Name's Gwenneth Truesight, and this is our resident Brawn-Over-Brains, Boris."

Boris grunted.

"He's right enough about the way you were acting just now, but we'll work on that. You need training first. A lot of it, by the looks of you." Her gaze fell on the archer in the group. "Especially you, hun, if you think that crappy toy bow of yours is gonna do much for you."

Gwen and Boris looked at each other and smiled, something they didn't do often anymore. Boris figured it was time to get back to business, though. These moments never lasted long.

"Zhanna seems to think you all have potential, and I guess we just have to trust her." Boris was especially worried about that girl having her hide handed to her in battle, but Zhanna said even she might be capable of aiding them. Guess they'd take what they could get. "So, we need to train with you. Gwen and I, that is. If you can beat both of us, we'll assume you're ready to go for some of the easier missions. If not, we'll have to see what happens."

By this point, Loest had gone back to jotting down notes in his tome, surely preparing to record the events of the training session.

"So, let's get to it, recruits!" Gwen said. "Oh, and one more thing. We're only giving you training weapons. No real-deal stuff for a while. Of course, we'll be using practice weapons, too. Now, let's get to work."

~ ~ ~

[Sleeping.Dragon]

As Commander Skullcrusher and Lieutenant Truesight chose their weapons, I noticed a certain focus that seemed to be lacking in each of the newcomers. Tala seemed unsure of herself as she handled the practice weapons; clearly weapons were not her specialty, though perhaps she could bring other skills with her to assist us. Aramia, on the other hand, hardly glanced at the sparring weapons lining the walls of the duel hall into which we had moved, and she continued to whisper to her staff as if convinced it would whisper its secrets back to her. Ythan begrudgingly set aside his bow and fiddled with the strings on the practice bows, practically glaring at Lieutenant Truesight, no doubt because of her comment to him earlier, as she was naturally in the same area handling another bow, nocking arrows and pulling the string back, testing how it felt in her hand. Garth perhaps was confused by the large weapons available, unsure of why anyone would choose to openly wear a weapon when they could easily conceal throwing stars or an anklebreaker, or perhaps he'd already surveyed the place and knew precisely what he wanted. Garth is certainly difficult to decipher, even for one such as I.

Threbin, possessed with a confidence to rival even Victor (whom I refuse to call by the title "Lieutenant" for his lack of tact), opted out of using a weapon altogether and immediately challenged Commander Boris.

"Don't get your hopes up, hun." Lieutenant Truesight had finally chosen a satisfactory bow and had turned her attention to the white-clad priest. "I'm going to test your mettle first. No need in wasting the Commander's time if you can't even beat little old me." She added a kissing motion with her face, presumably just to fluster the man. If this were her intent, it certainly worked wonders as he was so swiftly disposed of I hardly had time to look up from taking notes. (I must add that I pride myself on being able to take notes and notice my surroundings, contrary to what Commander Skullcrusher seems to think of me.)

[Sleeping.Dragon]

"Who's next?"

Silence filled the hall as Threbin returned to his feet. He let out a groan, rubbing the back of his head vigorously. Perhaps he had been thwacked readily about the pate by Lieutenant Truesight's bow.

Tala shifted forward, face determined but clearly hesitant. She held a sword in her hands that easily swallowed her frame, its unwieldiness apparent by the way she shifted it uneasily in her hands. She had seen the danger Lieutenant Truesight presented and was preparing herself.

Tala lifted her sword and ran at the archer, a rookie mistake if ever I saw one. Lieutenant Truesight's movements in battle are truly a sight to behold: a swift push off the ground with her left foot sent her soaring into the air, during which time she readied a blunted practice arrow and shot it at the warrior's body. Unlike Threbin, who was clearly taken by surprise, Tala was able to deflect the shot and lunged at Lieutenant Truesight as she lighted upon the ground. As I said before, though, her movements are quite a sight, and with the dexterity of an ape and the grace of a swan she flipped back and out of Tala's sword's reach, firing off more arrows as she did so. Tala deflected several more with her sword, though each attempt was awkward as the sword swung almost out of her control. Lieutenant Truesight clearly tired of showing off and, realizing she still had three more challengers to go, she swiped her bow at Tala's feet, throwing her off balance, and readied an arrow almost in the same instant.

Tala was intelligent enough to know that when an arrow's pointed at your face, you've lost the battle. She dropped her sword, and Lieutenant Truesight offered her outstretched arm, beginning to form beads of perspiration, and helped her up.

[Sleeping.Dragon]

Tala rubbed her back as she filed back in line. "Enough showing off. Surely one of you can provide a challenge."

Garth stepped forward from his seemingly disinterested position, kicked back against the wall as he had been. He lowered his head, eyes closed, then opened his eyes, a fiery intensity in them that was both disconcerting and invigorating.

His hand darted into his cloak, grabbing out dull throwing stars he must have eventually found among the assortment of weapons he'd pondered and tossing them toward the archer. Her instincts kicked in and she darted to the side, readied and arrow, and loosed it toward the assassin. He certainly put up a fight, and his movements were like those of the Lieutenant's: swift and purposeful. He easily dodged her arrows, though she continued firing them almost as soon as she'd loosed the last. Garth seemed to be fumbling in his cloak at this point, certainly perturbed by his inability to find his usual weapons and apparently unable to locate the practice weapons he'd acquired, either. Eventually, unable to find the weapons he'd chosen (or perhaps they were stuck somehow? It's difficult to tell), Garth let his guard down just enough for Lieutenant Truesight to loose an arrow in advance of his movement, anticipating his pattern of darting. He finally tore the throwing stars (yes, they must have been stuck if he could so easily locate them now) out of his cloak and tossed them aside as he went to grab his usual weapons. He sank back into the shadows, one foot propped against the wall, arms crossing his chest, and head down in contemplation.

[Sleeping.Dragon]

"That feels almost like a cheap win, but you didn't show proper grace, poise, and concentration. A pity, considering your line of work." Garth merely huffed at this.

Ythan boldly stepped forward. "No, no, hun. You get back in line. I'm saving you for last."

Ythan looked confused but stepped back in line nevertheless. Aramia continued to talk to her staff, oblivious to the world around her. "Girl!" Lieutenant Truesight shouted firmly, but certainly not in anger. She has a kind heart beneath that rough act she puts on around most people. "You're next."

Aramia stood, said a final word to her staff as if in apology as she set it down, and walked to the middle of the sparring area. She had no weapons. "Wouldn't you prefer if you had something to spar with, girl?" Aramia shook her head. "Your funeral, I guess," Lieutenant Truesight said.

Aramia stood there, almost motionless, hardly even daring to breathe, it seemed. Finally, she calmly walked toward Lieutenant Truesight. The archer loosed an arrow, and just as I saw it near Aramia, a headdress appeared as if out of nowhere in a tuft of purplish mist to protect her head. It was among the most astonishing and bizarre moments in my life. This girl, who had just finished speaking with her staff, now made a headdress, of all things, appear upon her head just milliseconds before she was struck with the arrow flying toward her.

I hadn't seen my fair share of insanity yet.

The headdress flew off with the force, collapsed in a feathery mess on the floor, and then disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Now she had one of the practice staves from off the wall appear in her hands and Lieutenant Truesight must have been as flabbergasted as I was because Aramia's staff almost hit her in the face. She darted out of the way just in time to have it only scratch it, and certainly not with enough grace to ready an arrow.

Aramia kept a flurry of strikes coming at Lieutenant Truesight, though now she was more prepared to dodge them. She was finally able to ready more arrows to fire at Aramia, though objects kept appearing out of nowhere to deflect them. I can attest to the strangeness of the situation as even Commander Skullcrusher had taken a particular interest in this fight. He'd barely been involved with the others before this, but now he watched the battle with the sort of curiosity one would expect of a small child, not a hulking figure like the Commander.

Eventually, once she had gotten over the shock of the battle, Lieutenant Truesight decided on her plan of attack and opted to use her bow as a physical weapon, knocking Aramia back and then firing an arrow at her while she was down. Caught off guard, Aramia didn't have enough time to conjure an item to block it and was hit squarely between the breasts, a shot that otherwise would have pierced her heart.

[Sleeping.Dragon]

"That's an interesting ability, girl." Commander Skullcrusher had stepped forward. "And you seem to have pretty good control over it. But it's not enough. You're going to need to get smart in battle." He stretched out his calloused hand to her, and she clasped it as he pulled her up. She returned and grabbed her staff, although she stopped whispering to it. (I still do not quite comprehend this. Perhaps she was strategizing? Does she have a connection with items? I will investigate this matter more later.)

"Archer!" Commander Skullcrusher's voice startled Ythan. "You're it. So far, everyone needs more work, and I get the feeling Gwen's going to make it real difficult for you."

Lieutenant Truesight smiled. "Let's go."

Ythan grabbed his practice bow and stepped forward. "I'm ready. Don't think I'm weak."

Lieutenant Truesight laughed. "Don't disappoint me."

Ythan nocked an arrow and fired, and the agile archer dodged, a feat he no doubt expected as he was already moving before she could loose an arrow of her own. Ythan proved to be just as dexterous as his foe, flipping, rolling, and sidestepping the arrows zipping past him while grabbing arrows from his quiver, nocking them, pulling the bowstring, and loosing the arrows in the Lieutenant's direction while she countered with movements just as elegant and complex. I can only imagine these two would be comfortable jumping through trees, swinging from their branches, and using them for cover and not lose an ounce of gracefulness, such was the intensity of their movements, the elegance of their bow fighting.

Incredibly, Ythan seemed to be keeping up with the Lieutenant. They were trading blow for blow, none a fatal strike. Finally, after some time, Ythan began to glow with the purplish hue with which all of us were familiar. He drew back his bowstring, though suddenly it was as if he was firing at Lieutenant Truesight from all angles. Though she tried to dodge, there was nowhere to go, and she was pelted with a barrage of practice arrows letting off a faint violet mist.

Lieutenant Truesight dropped her bow, sweat dripping down her face and breathing labored. "You didn't, huff, disappoint."

Ythan was only slightly less exhausted, breathing a little less frequently and not sweating quite as much.
Then again, he had only fought one intense battle. Lieutenant Truesight had run a gauntlet challenge of five.

[Sleeping.Dragon]

"You're spirited, I'll give you that," the Commander said, stepping forward again. "And you beat Gwen. I'm next."

"I've just finished a difficult battle," Ythan began. "Can't I--"

"Take a break?" The Commander's look was stern. "The Shadows won't give you a break just because you're tired. We fight now."

Ythan wiped his brow and fired an arrow, somewhat half-heartedly, it seemed, though it may just have been exhaustion. Commander Skullcrusher, for all his hyper-masculinity, is always one for a show, so instead of simply sidestepping the arrow, he took the massive axe he had chosen and chopped the arrow's shaft in half. Unlike Lieutenant Truesight, the Commander's showmanship had little to do with agility and everything to do with the sheer power he possessed. He grabbed a hefty axe from the assortment of weapons he'd strapped to his back, an axe that most warriors would have had difficulty managing as a regular battle axe, and tossed it like a hand axe. Ythan dodged, his agility his one saving grace from what would have been a painful hit, the axe nearly grazing his shoulder nevertheless. Ythan readied his bow and I noticed the same purple glow indicative of the use of an ability granted by the Shadow Crystals.

Commander Skullcrusher had seen what Ythan's ability was capable of, and he had prepared accordingly. He also began to glow, and as Ythan let his arrow loose, the arrow multiplied and surrounded the Commander, but the Commander unleashed his power, a burst of energy that knocked the arrows off course, making Ythan dodge his own projectiles. As Ythan did so, Commander Skullcrusher charged in with his axe and struck Ythan in the chest. Ythan flew backwards until he hit the wall. He was winded, but he was unharmed. The Commander knows how to restrain, though this was as light a strike as he could have made with his ability activated.

[Sleeping.Dragon]

Boris stepped forward, dropping his weapon, and helped Ythan back up. "Gotta work on that, hunter. Can't let being tired get to you."

He looked at the recruits. There had been many surprises. "For now, everyone but Ythan's in Scrub Camp. You're on dish duty and will have daily practice in addition to group training." Some groans from the new recruits. "Ythan, Gwen and I are going to have to talk about what to do with you. For now, you're going to group training and daily practice, but you can skip dish duty."

Ythan looked pleased, even if he was still having trouble breathing.

Lieutenant Truesight spoke up. "You did well. Let's go eat. Most of you will want to eat quickly; dish duty starts tonight, and our hunters have procured lots of game, enough that the cooks made chili, so there'll be plenty of caked on bits to scrub off."

Another wave of groans from the recruits, except Ythan, who seemed very pleased with himself.

I fear that if I write much more, these heathens will drip their chili all over my work, so I must stop now. I feel I have yet to record enough of my own opinions of these new heroes, but I feel, in time, they all will be worthy of that title.

[Sleeping.Dragon]

Ancient Library of Balor: Lost Tomes. Prologue
...
~ Interlude 1: Battle Plans ~

[Preybird]

Nice Well written and entertaining!