Guild Wars 2

Hi there.

I just wanted to advertise this little project I’ve been writing.

Let me know what do you think.

Journeys into the mists

Edit: I’ve been asked to post the actual text here. It’s a little extensive for a forum read, but I’ll do as requested.

I advise you to follow the link if you can, since the text has better format and there are some images there.

Journeys into the mist: Intro

Dear Steward Gixx,

Two weeks ago I came across an old Orrian manuscript. I think I’ll translate what I can in my spare time.

All stories have some truth in them some more than others. I don’t really know if this is a historical text or just some fantasy devised to entertain the old inhabitants of the once holy, now unholy peninsula.

This particular tome was called “A Soothing Voice” but I believe that it belongs to a larger compendium. Since we recovered many books from our last trip and some of them shared their format with this one.

I’m not able to translate much right now, but the book starts with a short poem. Sadly the metrics and rhymes weren’t able to endure the translation:

Are the mists that form us all

Are the mists that make us live

It’s from them that bounty comes

And ruin that can consume all we hold dear

Journeys into the mist: A Soothing Voice I (part 1, post length exceeded)

A beam of greenish steam came out from a crack in the cave wall. A middle aged man fitted in full armor went through it as if it wasn’t even there. He was used to the noise, the sickening steam and the overwhelming scent of rot and smoke.

He descended to the depths and found the beacon of hope he was looking for. It was round and glowing with the same greenish steam that was all over the cave. It was big enough to fit a whole cart through it. But the place it led wasn’t fit for carts nor donkeys. He was in full armor and it was for a reason.

As he marched forward the world around him changed completely. The cave ceiling gave up to a faint glow in a cloudy sky. The twilight like light faintly lit an eerie landscape composed by red hills with brown grass and bright turquoise rivers.

He arranged a set of stones to form a circle. He sat there and closed his eyes. The earth surrounding him started to mound and crack as rubies started to emerge. Emeralds followed them, then golden items of all sorts. After a while he was surrounded by all the treasure he could have hoped for. He was quick to grab a couple of gems and a golden item and to run towards the exit.

The ground started to rumble as screams and ear rending screeches came from it. Hands popped from the ground and the treasure mound behind him started to move and take a lizard like form. All the gold melted into scales and flesh.

He grabbed his sword and cut two out-worldly warriors in half. An arrow bounced at his armor and fell to the ground. But it was too late for the mists to claim him. He made it to the exit and he was back at the smelly cave again. Amarnath put his bounty inside a pouch that he left near the portal.

No one would even bother trying to enter that disgusting pit. They just left corpses there to rot from time to time. The place was considered unholy by most of the town’s folk. Screams and screeches came from it and the greenish vapor didn’t make the place any more popular.

Amarnath had come across that particular spot when he was serving in the military. He chased one soldier of the Murubian armada there.

The poor man had been injured and hid wherever he could; but Amarnath was a good tracker and followed him to the pits. The Murubian crawled towards the portal, seeking refuge. But he found even more than that. As soon as he laid down into the ground, a spring of fresh and glowing water emerged from beneath him. His pain stopped immediately and his wounds started to close. A gentle voice echoed from nowhere and from everywhere. “Rest now, child, you’re safe with me.”

“I know of your deeds, young one. You’ve only been forced into this fight, but you’re gentle enough to not having injured anyone, even the fiercest of your enemies. I’ll protect you and I will heal you. Fear not, for I am with you as long as you remain in this realm.”

The approaching warrior was bound to kill the Murubian, but his bloodlust waned as he heard the soothing voice. “Who are you, little one? Why do you bring death to this place?” Asked the voice.

“I’m Amarnath, sell-sword for the 9th legion of the northern Brakkan frontier. I bring death to the Murubians to get bread to my table.” Replied Amarnath.

“So is bread what you really seek? Why don’t you grow it in the land? Is your land sterile?” Asked again the voice.

“Not at all, but I’m no farmer. I’m a warrior, all I know is fight and blood and iron. I live by my sword and my armor. I’ll get this worthless Murubian scalp to my command and I will earn a week of salary.”

Journeys into the mist: A Soothing Voice I (part 2, post length exceeded)

“I see your mind is set and you won’t stop at nothing. There’s no use on trying to scare you. But I can offer you a bargain for the life of this man. I’ll show you a place in which you can have all the treasure you want, but you’ll have to fight for it every time.”

A grassy path started growing; it led to a valley between two red hills with a turquoise creek between them.

“Trust me, child. This is worth more than a week’s pay.”

Amarnath took the path and let the Murubian alone. As he approached the end of the path, he could see that a sword and an armor set were lying on the ground.

“Take this sword and armor, warrior. You’ll need them.”

That memory seemed so far away now. The challenge of obtaining the voice’s offering was growing as swiftly as his hairs were growing gray. Amarnath would have to revolutionize his routine if wanted to maintain his substantial income. Even though the arrow had done nothing to his armor, it had made a huge blow to his confidence.

The aged warrior let out a sigh and removed the armor from his sore body. Amarnath took the armor and dressed it on one of the skeletons that abounded in the cave, taking care to hide it beneath a bed of rocks so it would resemble a tomb. As Amarnath departed, he glanced back at his mockery of a tomb, wondering if the skeletons of the past had buried and unearthed each other as many times as he had.

Journeys into the mist: A Soothing Voice II

As he approached the city, he could see the smoke from the stoves and the ruckus from the city market. Everyone was trying to offer the best deal; they sold food, armor, clothes, jewelry, weapons, furniture, cattle and other sorts of objects proclaiming to be magical. An old woman poked him on the shoulder.

“Excuse me, son, would you be so kind as to help an old woman carry some jars home?”

Before he was able to answer her, a child pushed him aside, glaring at him. Amarnath knew what all of that was about; once children were strong enough to carry jars, bags and other heavy merchandise, they went to the market and helped anyone they could for a coin. They didn’t look fondly on anyone that might get their job done for free.

“Go on, sir. I’ll take care of granny.” Said the child. Amarnath went on his way. He had no intention to aid the old woman anyway, he had to get rid of his treasure as soon as possible.

Two kids were eagerly waiting for him at the door to his house. They ran towards him, doing their best to tackle him down. “How did the hunt go, papa?” He rustled the hair of the kids with a smile and went inside. His wife welcomed him with a piece of bread and a refreshing pint of ale. Everything in his life was secure. He had the finances to keep this home running and he had no need to worry his new wife would die giving birth like his last wife, Rachel. Her womb went dry two years ago. He just had to worry about his children now.

He eagerly drank the brew and ate the bread. He hugged his wife, lifting her in the air as she let out a loud giggle. “I’m heading to the arena. Who’s coming with me?” He said as he let her gently to the ground. A light of excitement entered his children’s eyes. It had been a while since his last trip to the arena and an interesting fight was taking place today. A huge Murubian warrior that had been captured on the border was going to try his fate. The hate Murubian’s had for the Brakkan made their fights in the arena particularly compelling.

The evening was bright and the summer breeze kept them warm and refreshed. The dirt of the road slowly became speckled with stones until it was a full cobblestone avenue. Carts raced to and from the arena. It was time for the big event. Everyone was waiting to see Salman, the Murubian. Cheers could be heard from all around the humble coliseum.

“Hurry boys, the fight is about to start” Said Amarnath as he rushed to the betting table. He pointed the boys to the noblemen’s entrance. They gave him a confused look. They thought well of themselves, but they certainly were not of noble blood. Nerveless, they sauntered over to the noblemen’s entrance.

Amarnath took a golden chalice brimming with gems out of his satchel and passed it over the table. The man in charge of bets greedily snatched the chalice, savouringly inspecting each gem within as though they were tender cutlets of meat. He then made a sign to the guards and to let the boys inside.

“What are the odds, old man?” Asked Amarnath. The old, single eyed man grinned from the other side of the table.

“Ten to three in favor of my boy. The Murubian doesn’t stand a chance.”

Amarnath had heard this rhetoric before. The old geezer always did the same. He put the odds in his favor to bet himself and win. “I’m taking my chances with the Murubian. He has the body of an ox.”

The old man took the goods and gave Amarnath a ticket.

Journeys into the mist: A Soothing Voice III

Amarnath raced to his designated sit. As he entered the stadium he could hear the announcer telling the names of the fighters. “Right from the dry lands of Murubi. Salman, the beast!” The audience booed and spit to the arena. They had no love for any Murubian, they were just a challenge for their favorite. In the end they all wanted him to die. They also expected it. Getting to the arena was intended to be a death sentence which the victim wasn’t aware of.

A metal door opened from the other side of the arena and a full armored warrior came from it wearing the colors of the Brakkan armada “From our local military barracks. Jason, the brave!” The titles the announcer gave the warriors meant little or nothing, but the people liked them and were part of the tradition. The coliseum let out a huge cheer.

The soldier approached the Murubian at a steady pace while the huge foreigner only glared at him. Jason put his shield before him and made a sword blow that, for his own confusion, only hit the air. Salman was back to back with him and with a single move, took one of Jason’s dirks and stabbed him in the neck through an armor opening.

A loud shout was heard from within the warrior quarters “I told you not to let fresh men fight this one!” The man that said that was well known in the arena. Pollux was a gladiator on the peak of his career, he knew all that had to be known about the arena to the point that he had forbidden to let his predictions be known out of the arena before the fights because he was always right and that was bad for the business.

Jason fell on his knees and all his blood was spilled on the ground as Salman unceremoniously claimed his sword and shield as his own. His captors let him into the arena only with his sandals and a rag that barely covered the essential. He tried to put on the helmet, but it was too small for him. All the armor was.

The audience went crazy and they started throwing objects at the Murubian. A second door opened and it let out two lions. It was time for Salman to die. The beasts charged to the warrior only to fall to the ground, one of them dead, the other only confused. As the remaining lion went up, it saw its fallen comrade and cowered to one side of the arena. Salman chased it to its pen and made a sign to the organizers to close the lion’s door.

The public went silent. They weren’t expecting such display of power and compassion. The gladiator’s door opened again and this time a man with two swords and light armor came from it. “Let the warrior rest!” Someone shouted from the grades. Another one coughed and all the arena went silent. “Let us place our bets!” The arena went noisy again, everyone wanted to bet for the undefeated champion and some wanted to bet for the Murubian.

Amarnath took his ticket and went down to the betting table. The old man took the ticket, glared at Amarnath and said “Are you leaving us now?” But Amarnath knew better. He couldn’t leave now, lest he would be forbidden from betting in the future. It was some kind of unwritten rule. You had to bet your way to the end of the battles. “Of course not, old man. But now I have ten times the money I had to bet when I started. I’m putting my money on Pollux this time. I’ve yet to see the day in which that monster loses a fight.” Amarnath took the new ticket and went back to his sit just as a torrent of people came out to place their own bets.

As people returned to their sits, the announcer cleared his throat. The sun wasn’t setting yet, but was low enough to let the coliseum to cast a shadow over the arena. The wind blew, carrying with him the sound of a world outside, the birds, some children playing, a merchant advertising her goods and some other noises. Salman wanted to get out of that bloody arena, but for the looks of the situation, that might never happen.

The announcer shouted “From our arena, our beloved, the invincible: Pollux!” The coliseum shouted and cheered while Pollux started approaching Salman.

Journeys into the mist: A Soothing Voice IV

Pollux spit into the ground and grunted “You’ll pay for what you did to our soldiers in the border and you’ll pay for what you did to Jason.” Pollux wasn’t small himself, but Salman was higher than him by a head and a hand. Pollux was amazed by Salman’s speed, he was too fast for his size. He didn’t know which would be the outcome of the battle, and he hadn’t felt that thrill for years. “But I thank you for this fight, Murubian.” He grinned and leapt in the giant’s shield, flying to his opponent’s back. The audience cheered as he flew over the Murubian’s head.

Ruben was old enough to begin his training in the arena and he was eager to start. Amarnath had brought him just a couple times to the coliseum but it had been enough to fall in love with the fight, the sweat, the blood and the thrill. Amarnath knew that he was an impressionable boy and he wouldn’t allow his child to become a gladiator if he could help it. Amarnath looked at his cheering son, he was just so happy there. But he knew of the dangers of the arena. It was better to have his son in the public than having him as the main attraction.

Being Amarnath immerse in his thoughts, he realized that the audience had went silent. He did a mental double take when he saw Pollux unconscious in the ground. Salman grabbed Pollux’s body as if it was a sack of potatoes and let him in the one side of the arena. He took Pollux’s right sword and let a huge roar out. A little army of guards came out of the gladiator’s pits and grabbed both Salman and Pollux. Nobody expected that. Everybody’s pride was injured, but they were too shocked to do something about it.

The show was suddenly over, everyone was leaving and the guards were directing the shocked audience to the exits. An appalled Amarnath took his sons to the streets. It wasn’t only a matter of pride. He had lost all in that final bet. They walked home with their heads down.

The old man in the exit was as shocked as everyone else. He had put his bets to Pollux too, and he lost. The people who had bet for the Murubian, went to take their money unceremoniously as they didn’t want to be victims of the patriotic grudge that was inside everyone else’s heart at that moment.

When they got to their house, Amarnath sent his children to their room. He had a quick word with his wife, a mere formality, his face said it all. Nobody wanted to speak that night about the events in the arena. They were all shocked, poor and hungry.

That night Amaranth’s mind razed through his possibilities. He could go to the forests and try to hunt for something, but that was a wild card. The forests had become very empty lately. The city had grown very large. He could try to steal something back from the old man at the arena, but that was both risky and cowardly. He had to find a way to earn some money back without abusing the mists. He needed some long term profit. But first of all, he needed a way to provide his family a meal for the next day.

It was decided, he was going to go to the cave one last time the next morning, and he had to make it count. He finally fell asleep, thinking of his three children. Life was hard, but he was up to the match.

Journeys into the mist: A Soothing Voice V

Amarnath woke up early that morning. It was still dark but he knew his way through the woods. The morning breeze got inside his lungs and he was full with hope again. He left his house unnoticed and traversed the forests that reached to his backyard. He set a couple of rabbit traps on the way. Amarnath was aiming for a big bounty this time, so he took a mule with him.

The journey was as smooth as it could be. The only noise he heard was the wind over the trees and the only moving thing he saw was the sunrays filtered by the forest’s shadow. He passed a dry river and he was already able to hear the humming of the cave. It gradually became a moaning and the glowing fumes started reaching his ankles. The mule was becoming upset, so he just tied it to a tree there.

His armor was still inside the cave, guarded by the corpse of an unsuspecting victim of the horrors of the cave. Amarnath look at the guard of his armor a little closer this time, he wore a sigil with the emblem of the Murubian armada. “Cursed Murubian!” He groaned as he ripped the armor from the body.

He put on the armor and headed towards the end of the cave. The screams and screeches where there again. Although they were familiar, they were never pleasant. He entered the portal as resolute as he ever could have been. With a steady pace he reached for the turquoise creek between the red hills and he sat there. His mind wasn’t as calm as usual but he had never needed a calm mind to do this, it was just the way things had been before. Maybe it was time for a change.

The wind blew around him and the earth began to crumble. Treasures came from it as always. They began to pile and grow and then, the flow stopped. He didn’t take a thing. They merged together into a golden lizard like creature with ruby eyes and silvery fangs. The beast was twice the size of Amarnath and his eyes were fixed on him.

“You should’ve taken what you needed as always, outsider.” Said the lizzard to Amarnath’s awe.

“I won’t be intimidated by a jewelry animal, even if it can talk!” Replied Amarnath.

“This is not one of your petty arenas, human. This is going to be the end of you.” Grunted the giant beast as he charged towards the warrior.
“We’ll see about that.” Said Amarnath as he drew a spear.

Amarnath fixed the blunt end of the spear in the ground as the lizard approached, hoping that the beast’s momentum would do the job for him. The spear went right through the chest of the beast and inside its body. The beast stopped for a moment. Amarnath heard the sound of wood cracking. The beast spit the splinters of the spear’s pole to the ground and the head of the spear started to rise from the middle of the it’s head. The beast had made a horn with it.

Amarnath looked around in despair. That beast couldn’t be slain by any physical mean. He had to find a way to kill it, or at least a way out. He ran as fast as he could to the exit while the mist warriors began to appear as they always had. But this time he had given them more time to gather. He killed his way through them with his sword and went straight to the exit.

The lizard had gotten there first, taking advantage of the warrior’s difficulties. Amarnath looked at the warriors and then back again at the lizard. At least the warriors were killable. He ran to them and slaughtered them one by one. Amarnath could hear screams and screeches from beyond the hills. The things were not going to get better. He had to do something about that lizard, and soon.

Journeys into the mist: A Soothing Voice VI

All the warriors laid in the ground but Amarnath was exhausted. With an impending threat from the hills and an unsurpassable beast at the exit, he knew his end could be near. There was no use on hiding in the mists. He had to find a way through the lizard. He took his sword and shield, charging towards the exit. But the lizard had great reflexes and grabbed one of his legs with its jaws. Amarnath was fast enough to react and use his weapons to pry open the beast’s mouth and release his leg.

The lizard chewed the weapons as if they were cookies and Amarnath was not able to get his hand off in time. The top of his fingers were chewed too. A silver tongue came out to lick the blood.

“I’ll do this to the rest of your body, outsider. Limb by limb.”

Even the battle hardened warrior was afraid of the resounding metal voice of the beast. Those could be the last words he’d ever hear. The portal was just behind him and the lizard was not in the middle any more. He ran.

He did not have a plan anymore and adrenaline had taken over. He crossed the portal with the beast at his heels. He felt that something had struck him from behind and fell unconscious in the cave. For a while everything was black until he heard a voice that came from far away.

“Wake up, child. This is not the end of you. This cannot be.”

He woke up in the cave surrounded by huge amounts of golden artifacts, gems and all sort of riches. Much more than he had ever taken from the mists. He had lost some blood, but his fingers weren’t bleeding anymore. He took what his mule was able to carry and went back to his home.

Everyone was surprised by the huge amount of treasure but very concerned by his bloody hand. They wanted to go with him to take what was left but Amarnath would not risk his family knowing about such a dangerous place. The kids were way too wild and they would venture through the portal just for the adventure.

He had to take a cart to carry home everything else. If he had lost the tip of his fingers for this, he had to make it count. Back at home, he asked Ruben, his middle child to help him dig kitten in the ground to store the treasure. It took them two days to dig kitten big enough to store everything.

Amarnath rested for a while on his riches. He had to heal and he had to plan. Every week he took a coin or a gem and he bought just enough food to keep them going. He was no wastrel. He had invested an important amount of money in the past to send his eldest son, the only thing that he had left of Rachel, to get some political education to the Shell Port.

Menzies had neither the heart nor the mind of a politician. He was a warrior like Amarnath himself and the studies had not gone well. Amarnath realized that he was fighting against his very nature, the nature that he had given as an inheritance to his children. He would not repeat that mistake with Ruben. He needed to invest in something with better rewards this time.

He bought a pair of horses and took Ruben to a training trip.

Journeys into the mist: A Soothing Voice VII

They traveled to the north for many hours before Ruben gathered the strength to talk to his father.

“Where are we going, father?” asked a confused Ruben.

The trip took everyone by surprise and he had only the time to barely prepare for a one day field trip.

“We heading to pain and glory, my son.”

Amarnath’s cryptic response did nothing to ease Ruben’s mind.

They headed north, near to the new Murubian frontier and made camp in the wilds. Amarnath charged his son with fetching a proper fire while he picked some sticks and started producing crude spears from them. “Tonight, son, you’re going to begin your life as a warrior. I didn’t want this for any of you, but I’ve recently realized that was foolish to go against the nature you’ve taken from me” said a very serious Amarnath.

“You are a warrior, Ruben. Even if you don’t know this yet. That’s who you are. And I’m going to show you how to take profit of it as I have done since I have been able to swing a sword.” continued Amarnath as he kept transforming another tree branch into a spear.

“Don’t worry father. I have known this for too long. Menzies only went to the shell port because he wanted to please you. But he was not happy about it. Nor any of us would be if we were in his position.” replied Ruben. “I’m happy that you’re going to give me proper training, but what about Baly? He wants this as much as I do.”

“Your brother is of no age to come with us yet, but I will train him in time. Get some sleep now, I’m taking the first guard.” Amarnath ordered as he kept making spears.

It was the middle of the night when Amarnath woke his son to get some sleep himself. Ruben wasn’t happy about that but it was what had to be done if they wanted to survive in the wilds. The rest of the night went smoothly and the morning gently woke Amarnath from his slumber.

It was time for them to head further north. But they had to take one last stop in a little village aside Golon river. Many years ago that had been the last post before Murubian territory. And the river itself, the barrier that kept both Murubians and Brakkans from advancing. But the Brakkan always find a way or so it is the saying.

Amarnath and Ruben tied the horses and headed to the main plaza. The town wasn’t empty, but the plaza felt lacking in comparison with the one near the arena. There was only food, and some wicker crafts, the essential. But that’s what they needed.

“I’ll be kitten ed! Isn’t this Amarnath the crimson sword himself who pays us a visit?” Shouted a gleeful fat man with a big red nose from the en of the plaza.

“Dank? Is that you? I though you were dead. I mean, I just assumed. Given your lifestyle” Replied a surprised Amarnath.

Journeys into the mist: A Soothing Voice VIII

“You are rude as ever, Amarnath. Is that the way to greet an old friend?” Frowned Dank. “And who is that lad with you, mate? Don’t tell me that the crimson sword settled down with a single sheath.”

Amarnath looked to his side and plainly introduced his son, avoiding Dank’s eyes. “This is my second son, Ruben.”

Ruben looked at the old man trying to understand how than wreck of a man would dare call his father a friend.

Dank assessed the boy as he was trying to price a horse. “Good size, a little skinny, quiet, with a fierce look. This is certainly a son of yours, Amarnath.” Laughed Dank. “I doubt this is your second son. But it might be your second Brakkan son.”

Ruben faced his father with a glimpse of curiosity in his eyes. Amarnath seemed to understand that the question that fluttered inside his son’s mind wasn’t about his other possible brothers, but rather about why did they had to endure Dank’s disrespectful attitude.

“Come son, Dank knows his ways around this woods better than anyone. He will lead us to the Murubian border.” Said Amarnath firmly.

“WHAT? I’m not doing that anymore, Amarnath. Do you truly believe that you can come by without notice and just assume that I will get to you out of the safety of the empire?” Dank’s face was as red as his nose.

“Yes dank. That’s right what I’m thinking. And if you know what’s good for you. You’ll do it.” Said Amarnath looking straight to Dank’s eyes. Both Dank and Amarnath let out a loud laugh.

“It’s good to see you again. Old friend.” Said Amarnath. Ruben had not seen his father smile since the fingers’ amputation incident.

They spent the rest of the night at the town’s tavern, catching up and remembering old times when they fought together for gold and glory as sell-swords for the Brakkan empire.

The next morning, all three of them packed their things and headed to the west, alongside the Golon river. They took the ferry to cross it and Dank left them in the entrance of a cave that he said it led straight to Murubian territory.

The surroundings were moist and the forest scent was intoxicating. “This is the true beginning of our journey, son.” Said Amarnath. “From now on this will be dangerous, but every bit of sweat or blood you drop will be worth.”

They entered the cave and saw Dank walking away. “When you do friends in battle, they last forever. I never thought I’d see that kitten alive again.” Let out Amarnath.

Journeys into the mist: A Soothing Voice IX

Balthazar could not shake the feeling of been left behind by his father. But that would not stop him from chasing his dreams. He went into the forest to hunt for food, to chop wood for warmth and to train his body as much as he was able by himself.

He went to the city from time to time to run some errands for his mother and get the goods he wasn’t able to produce by himself at the forest, which were few. He had become strong and resourceful.

All the time the arena was there as a beacon that called for him. He yearned for a good battle, for the cheers and glory of a well earned victory. He had met all sorts of city dwellers. But among them, dogs intrigued him the most. They were able to gather and hunt in the open, yet they chose to stay where they were little more than garbage.

He didn’t usually run into trouble, but one particular day he was going back from town carrying an ax he had just bought at the market and he felt some steps behind him. A pack of dogs had followed him and they were getting closer by the minute.

The pack was still away when one of them just charged towards him, mouth open aiming at his leg with its fangs. Balthazar pushed the dog with the hilt of the ax, but that didn’t discourage the beast, nor its other partners. They quickly surrounded the boy and started growling and barking as they tried to make a snack out of him.

The hungry growls became whines and angry barks as he managed to chop a leg from one of the largest dogs in the pack. The forest was quiet. The dogs were on him. And as the fight went on, the remaining dogs realized that there was only two possible outcomes. They would walk from there as hungry as the were at the beginning, or mangled.

Only two dogs were smart enough not to attack the axed boy. And so he let them run for their lives. He took the corpses of the lest fortunate dogs that didn’t just lost a paw or a tail. He went finally home.

The day was calm, and the summer breeze still fluttered through the trees. The young Balthazar went home with his errand and his fight trophy. And as his usual greeting was not answered from the inside he began worry a little. He went upstairs to his parent’s room, only to find a bloody mess in the bed. He dropped the dog’s corpse and started analyzing the scene.

There were sings of struggle, and a blood trail that ended in the window. He didn’t want to lift the sheets to see what was in there. But he had to make sure his mother was fine. She wasn’t.

His instincts took over and he started following the trail. Whoever, or whatever, did this was going to pay.

Journeys into the mist: A Soothing Voice X

They spent the rest of the day going through the cave. The sun light made its way through cracks in the mountain from time to time. They only stopped when they saw the light at the exit. They made camp inside the very cave then.

Amarnath exited the cave only to find the arid landscape at the other side. He knew his way around those parts, but Ruben had never seen a desert nor was he prepared for the hardships it had in store for him.

They had to leave the horses at the other side. And journeying through the desert by foot was both a hard and perilous task. They couldn’t waste a single drop of water.

When the sun began to set, Amarnath woke up his son. “Wake up, Ruben. It is time to go”

“But it’s the sun is just setting!” Replied a confused Ruben.

“That’s what I’m counting on. With no sun on the sky we won’t have to endure the desert’s heat. Only its cold. Come son, we have a long journey ahead.”

Ruben followed his father obediently. He was only the apprentice after all, he reasoned. They traveled through a freezing night until a gentle glow in the sky marked the prelude of an unforgiving blazing sun. Amarnath fetched a tiny tent that barely gave them enough shadow to rest.

They went from oasis to mountain spring, to old forgotten well to oasis for weeks. Only travelling at night and resting at day. The dunes looked all the same to Ruben. All the water sources seemed to pop out of nowhere. They ate dried deer meat and yeastless bread for days .When they run off of that, they ate little rodents, lizards and snakes. They eventually switched to scorpions and anything that moved.

“Ruben, look at that” Said Amarnath pointing to the horizon. Amarnath was grinning an his eyes were wide open.

“What, father? What am I supposed to see?” Replied Ruben.

“That! In the distance, near the horizon line” Pointed again Amarnath.

“I don’t see any-” And then Ruben saw it. There was a mountain chain in the distance. The mountain chain was so wide, that it made the horizon line rise. It wasn’t an obvious part of the landscape. But once seen, it put all in perspective.

“We’re going there. To the Tortz lands.” Said a joyful Amarnath.

“The Tortz? But aren’t they just a bunch of mountain sheepherders?” Replied Ruben.

“Most of them, yes. But they’re who forged me into the crimson sword.”

Journeys into the mist: A Soothing Voice XI

The journey to the big mountain range took its toll on both men. They got thirstier every day and wary of the little food they managed to yank out of the hands of the desert.

Their tongues began to stick to their palate. They were weak, but they were at the skirts of the mountain. Finally. It took them months to get there. The smell or roasted lamb and the trees of the mountain gave them a heart-comforting welcome. It was a full moon night and even through the forests, everything seemed bright.

They chased the smell like crazed wolves through the forests until they found its source. A sheepherder was sharing the animal with his family. As soon as the Trotz saw the travelers they rose to defend themselves. Ruben went straight to the fire but Amarnath stopped him.

“I know you’re hungry son, but take this lesson as part of your training. You must not let your basic instincts take control over you.” Amarnath kneeled down, made Ruben do the same and asked kindly for a meal for him and his son in Trotz native tongue.

The family sat down and gave both Ruben and Amarnath a juicy lamb steak with onions and potatoes. Amarnath explained that they came all the way from Brak, that they had just crossed the Murubian desert because they were seeking enlightenment and training in Trotz’s lands.

The Trotz nomad introduced his family to them and let the foreigners through his land for a couple of weeks. They help with the herd, went for water to the near rivers and had a peaceful couple weeks. They went from glade to glade, always through the roads. The fended the herd from mountain lions, bears and wolves. They hunted boars and deer.

Traveling by day and sleeping by night was a good change. They journeyed to the upper parts of the mountain. The forest humidity became a thin mist, and then a thick one. The Trotz family said good by an told Amarnath that they wouldn’t go any further. It was too dangerous for the sheep from that point on.

The mists covered everything from their kneels to the ground, so they had to feel the ground with their feet before taking every careful step. It was challenging, but they were there to be challenged.

They reached to the end of the forest and they found the giant mesa that crowned the Trotz mountain range. The mist reached to their ankles now. There was a bright spot at the end of the mesa, Amarnath pointed towards it.

Journeys into the mist: A Soothing Voice XII

Two loud booms.

They walked for what it seemed were months through the plateau, but they did not get tired nor did the sun moved an inch from where it was when they began. The silence was loud. They could hear it as a deafening shriek, only interrupted by their own breading and their pounding hearts. Their steps were silent. So was the wind. But in the end of the landscape, there was a light, a beacon. Their final goal.

They could feel their sanity drifting away with every passing moment. It seemed like they just arrived there and at the same time, the memories of the outside world were so distant. Ruben looked back and there was nothing, only the plateau. He let out a muzzled sigh that broke the silence for an eternity or a second. He wasn’t sure anymore.

Ruben burst into a sprint and his father was left behind. Amarnath saw his son run towards the golden light at the end and disappear in the horizon. They kept walking. After a while, the Brakkan warrior saw a dot that had to be his son. He could hear the boy’s panting. He pressed forward and caught up with him.

“There is no use in rushing, Rubbs.” Every syllable resonated in the air like an eternal mantra. There was no thirst, no hunger, no smell, no touch, no sound. They saw the bright spot as a temple’s golden dome. A faint chant was in the air. And as the temple took form in front of their eyes, a monotone bell sound accompanied the chant.

The temple was made of stone. And from its entrance’s stairway, mists were poured into the mesa’s soil. The doors were open. Sheep laid inside. There was no chant, only a humming bleat. A man rose from within the sheep and the bleat stopped.

“Welcome travelers.” Said the man with a kind voice. “You’ve traveled a long way. No one reaches my home easily. Nor enters this temple without any help. Who sent you?”

Amarnath recognized his old master, he looked just the same as thirty years ago. The man didn’t know who Amarnath was. “It’s me, Amarnath. Don’t you recognize me?”

“You recently left so long ago, you cannot expect me to recognize everyone that steps through this gates.” Answered the man. “Don’t waste my precious time like this. What is that you want?” Said the man in an unnatural low pitch. The sheep weren’t there anymore.

“We want strength!” Eagerly answered Ruben. “We want enlightenment.” Added Amarnath.

“Alright! Let’s get this over with!” Replayed a now annoyed man.

Journeys into the mist: A Soothing Voice XIII

The strange looking man moved frantically from one place to another, unsettling the mists in the ground. The visitors were not able to see where their host was if it was not for his weird and pointy hair. He gathered books and produced many sorts of items that they had not seen ever before.

“Are you willing to pay a couple years of your life for this?” Asked the strange man. “No matter, the world won’t even notice. And no one will believe you anyway. And I have some commands to follow.” Talked the man to himself.

One book started to float in the air and glow. Then another and another, until the whole collection was static. Amarnath disappeared for a moment and returned with a different set of clothes. The same happened to Ruben.

“Fine, you’re set now. You’re enlightened and you’re stronger. Off you go. Try to take your time to come back. You left me exhausted. I’m getting old for this job.” Amarnath and Ruben looked at each like they would have been away for years. They blinked and they were outside of the mesa.

Ruben’s body was bigger, stronger. Amarnath had a different look in his eyes along with more wrinkles in his face and many more silver treads in his head. Both were different, both had changed. Both had aged, somehow. They were not sure how did it happened.

Right in the rim of the forest very confused Ruben and extremely changed both men took a deep breath. “Father, are you all right? Are we?” Asked Ruben, warily. “Yes we are fine. We had what we asked for. We only had to give some years to the shepherd in the plateau. Just as he said.”

“It all seemed like a grog infused dream-” Started to say Ruben. “Now look at me, young boy and tell me what have you been drinking!” Frowned Amarnath. “No son of mine is going to dull his senses purposely with foul mixtures.”

“Father, look at me. Do I look like a boy anymore?” Ruben had a point, even though hours ago he entered the plateau as flimsy kid. He looked like a man now. “What happened to you when you vanished, anyway?” Asked Amarnath.

“It was exotic, to say the least.” Replied Ruben, but a sudden gust made a branch fall on top of them.

Journeys into the mist: A Soothing Voice XIV

Ruben was quick to grab the massive branch and protect his father from the hit. His strength had increased substantially and so had changed his stance. He was not the hesitant thin boy that he was a week ago. Or was it two years? Or ten? All the experience was perplexing, just like last time.

Ruben put the branch aside and continued with his answer. “I saw you disappear and return first, then I was in the middle of some kind of mountain. It was disorienting. I thought I was hallucinating. A man came and guided me to a humble hut. He didn’t speak our language but he managed to let me know that he wanted me to chop some wood. I stayed there for a couple months. Chopping wood every day. It was hard at the beginning but I got used to it.”

“Some day I wasn’t there anymore. I was in a Floater’s boat, the crew didn’t speak Brakkan, but the bosun and the captain did. I had to help with the sails and the ropes. It was very hard to stand and do all the sea activities, but I eventually got used to it.”

“I got moved again and at that point I understood the trend. It was my training, I asked for strength and I was getting it. The wizard ported me from town, to mountain, to jungle, to desert. He moved me all around the world, to places I didn’t even know they existed. I got even to the Shell Port and saw Menzies. I trained in his academy, he’s become some kind of a martial trainer there.”

“Years passed in my travels, I’ve calculated that I’ve been traveling for 4 years now. But father. What happened to you?”

Amarnath had been listening quietly to his son’s story. He answered. “I, the same as you, was ported around. But my journey was different in the nature of its challenges. I asked for enlightenment, remember?”

“I was put in the service of many masters, to learn from them. Politicians, philosophers, mages, engineers, artists, physicians, farmers, thieves and even beggars. I’ve been from low to high and back. I’ve seen the world, my son. I’ve seen it for what it really is. I understand so much now. And from everything I’ve learnt, there’s one thing that crowns it all. Every action matters and every life does.”

“I’ve also been commissioned with a task that I cannot reveal yet. This means that some of my actions will not make sense to you. But trust me, my son. All is for the greater good.”

Ruben nodded and went on walking down the mountain. “Come father, I just want to test my strength in the arena. All my training is been for this.”

Amarnath followed his son back into Murubian territory.

Journeys into the mist: A Soothing Voice XV

Years had passed since that fatidic day in the forests’ house. All seemed like a distant memory now. His mother, his errands, his voyager father and brother. It all meant little.

It did not take him long to track the burglars that ravaged his mother. And as they were already hurt, it was easy for him to end their lives. He had no were to go back then, but that was not important at the time.

He wandered the forests, lost, free, feral. He was not human anymore, he did not need such things, only rage and instinct. The sun came up and down as did the night sky. There was no track of time in the wild forest.

He had eventually run across some familiar creatures. The remnants from a broken pack, a pack he had broken long ago. They cowered at first, but they ended up following him. The beasts did not need names, Balthazar thought of that almost as an insult, a thrall’s mark. The three had roamed the forests for so long, they worked as a the pack he had ended.

Murubians and Brakkans were both their pray, along with deer, sheep and any animal that was unfortunate enough to cross their path. Stories about a forest’s big predator began to be listened in the city, but no one was able to find it.

A soothing voice run in the forests’ wind all the time, it said comforting words, shared her wisdom and warned Balthazar of trouble. He found it useful, but as he had left his old ways behind, he did not need any wisdom or compassion.

One day the voice urged him to hide in a cave. A huge Murubian army was marching south and he was no match for them. He took his dogs and went to the reeking cave with sulfurous fumes. The dogs were not happy, but it had to be done.

He heard the army marching through the forest and as they approached the cave, the voice came clearer as ever from the end of the cave, inviting him to cross what it seemed to him a giant green window.

Balthazar and his dogs found an eery gloomy landscape with unnatural colors and the window closed after them. A Murubian warrior greeted them. As Balthazar charged towards him, his dogs laid in the ground, fully relaxed. The voice told him not to attack the Murubian. The voice was no longer like a wind whisper, now it was like a clear creek in front of him.

The dogs approached the mysterious man and sniffed and licked his hands as he petted them. Balthazar thought it was wise to follow the man. He led them through the strange brown fields to a more recognizable land, with blue skies, green grass and crystalline waters.

Journeys into the mist: A Soothing Voice XVI

The trip through the desert was calm and they did not find a single Murubian patrol. The desert had shifted somehow. Deep inside, Amarnath knew why, but he was scared to acknowledge it. All the time the were training in the mountain was real world time. If that was true, the ramifications were plenty, and dire.

They hurried, as much as the desert would let them, to the cave and found it sealed by a dune. That was no problem for Ruben. He dug a new entrance through the sand. They rushed to the other side to see what had happened in the time they were gone. But when the night caught them at the other side.

There were signs of an old battle in the entrance. Scratches in the stone made by swords, black stains of blood that had been there for years. Ruben was confused because he remembered that nothing of that was there when they passed through the first time. Things were starting to make sense in his mind. He had his father’s same scary thoughts.

They headed back to the cave to spend the night inside. The Brakkan troops tracked them anyway. They gave them a rude awakening and took them to the local barracks as war prisoners. Amarnath was kept in the barracks and his son was put in the Arena pens.

Amarnath tried to explain to the soldiers that they were Brakkan citizens and they even had a house in the forests outside the city. The soldiers informed him that the house had been empty for years and that there have been stories that said it was even haunted. Amarnath felt his heart falling apart, he never thought he had to pay such a high price for his training.

Even with his newly earned strength, Ruben was too afraid to fight the guards, because they could kill his father in retaliation. He spent the night quietly in a corner with the rest of the gladiators. A guard spoke to him the morning. “I’m told your name is Ruben. You’ll be fighting Salman this evening, so say your prayers. You’ll either will be able to rid us of that stinking Murubian or he’ll be your executioner like he’s been to many other prisoners.”

Ruben had that name on the back of his mind, but could not say who was that Salman and why he thought the guard’s words were not empty threats.

Journeys into the mist: A Soothing Voice XVII

Ruben remembered the name over the night. It was all but a distant memory. A gigantic warrior that put the arena champion in the ground. How much time had passed since them? He had not the slightest idea.

He remembered the warrior as a giant, two times too fast for his size. Capable of humiliating the strongest men in the arena. Ruben could not place a name on the proud gladiator defeated that day. But it was a bad day, that one. He though.

The twilight gloom started to fill the sky when Ruben woke up. He was thrilled by the fact that he would be fighting in the arena. It was his childhood dream. Thought the circumstances were not the best.

He had a worthy adversary and everyone would be watching. He thought about his father for a moment, but that was not the time for that. He had to win that fight not only for their survival, but for the glory.

The guards gave him a plain and bland breakfast, but it was enough of a spark to ignite his fire. He chose trident and net as his weapons. He was focused, he was eager, he was ready. The pen’s door was opened.

Light came from outside, showing the filth within which he had to spend the night. Ignorance is bliss, he thought. He expected the cheers, but the arena was silent. He could see something coming out of the other door. “Hurry up!” ordered a guard. “We don’t have all day!”

He entered the arena and the door closed behind him. There was no announcer, no public and no cheers. Only a fraction of the arena sits were taken by some uninterested soldiers. Things had surely changed. But there was not the moment to ponder about his public. He had a fight to win. Something inside told him all was going to be fine.

On the other side of the arena. There was something not human. Salman had changed too much while Ruben was away. His skin was full of scars, his muscles had grown to unnatural proportions, he had a blank stare, yet his stance was relaxed.

Ruben knew something was not right. He was not going to be able to read his enemy’s movements. He had to let the Murubian attack first, and he knew that’s never a good start.

Journeys into the mist: A Soothing Voice XVIII

Salman just stood in the arena, looking through Ruben, until his eyes became white. He charged towards the Brakkan warrior, making the earth tremble with every step. He grabbed Ruben by the waist almost making his spine snap. Ruben was able to ease the grip that was over him by the sheer strength of his arms, just in time to feel his back hitting hard against the arena wall.

Salman’s eyes were still white and his muscles radiated a green aura. They were becoming even bigger, somehow. That caught the soldier’s attention. They began to speak to each other.

Ruben hit the brute in the shoulders, trying to aim for a weak spot. It only awarded him another hit against the wall. He broke Salman’s nose only to hear a crack in his own spine. He finally aimed to the eyes. He did not like that kind of dirty fight, but it was his only way out.

Salman released Ruben with a deafening roar. As the Brakkan fell to the ground, he tensed his muscles and could feel something snapping back into his place in his lower back. He saw his trident and net at the other side of the arena and made a run for them.

Salman’s eyes were bleeding, but just as his muscles, they radiated a green aura and started healing. Ruben threw the net at Salman’s feet and stabbed him in the chest with the trident. It all was useless, the trident’s head barely went through the flesh and did not even touch a rib.

Feeling the pain in his chest muscles, Salman broke the trident’s pole with his hands and shredded the net with a single movement of his feet. Ruben knew when he was outmatched. But he did not expect that to be so soon after his training.

In that moment he felt the same warmth an thrill he had felt before the fight. He was against impossible odds and that’s what it was all about. Ruben took what was left of the hilt and pried the head of the trident out of the chest of the Murubian. It came out with blood, skin and muscle.

The Murubian cringed on the floor. Ruben seized the opportunity and thrust the trident’s head trough his adversary’s skull and into the ground. The giant body shook up violently. Ruben jumped back as the body, glowing with a green aura stronger than before, charged towards him with its head hanging lifeless. He dodged it and it crushed open a sizable hole in the arena wall.

The soldiers were both cheering and in awe. They cheered for the golden warrior. Ruben did not understand why would they call him golden until he saw his arms. He had been radiating an aura the like of the Murubian’s but with a golden color.

Author Notes

This last chapter has a more explicit violence tone. I hope it doesn’t violate any forum rules.

If there’s any admin out there that doesn’t approve. Just let me know or delete it right away. I’m not trying to break any rule.

Other than that. I hope you get the hints I’m making. If you don’t, they will be revealed in future releases anyway.

As always, remember to visit the tumblr page for a full flavored experience.

I hope you enjoy