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Walf's AdventureChapter 1: A New Friend
Jos didn’t know how long he’d been out, but when he came to, the first thing he heard was Walf.
“Hey guys, I think he’s coming around.”
Jos opened his eyes. It was blurry for a second and then, everything snapped into focus. Everything, including the sharp pain in his side.
“Aarrggghhh!” Jos yelped in pain as he groped vainly for the spear that he thought must surely be skewered in his side.
“Easy now, Jos.” Alex was at his side, “Just you lay still now, alright?”
Jos nodded, gritting his teeth as the pain eventually became bearable. “So, what did I miss?”
Walf smiled. “Not much. But it is great to see you awake. We didn’t know if you’d make it there for a while. The last few days it’s been-”
“Days?” Jos questioned.
“Yep. If it wasn’t for…hmm…maybe I should start from the beginning. Back when we were still fighting for our lives.”
Walf dropped to the ground, clutching his wrist. The tall Aryan certainly had a strong arm with the sword. Walf’s wrist hadn’t been hit, but it smarted from the vibrations of the last blow. The same blow that had knocked the cutlass from his hand. Walf was defenseless now. He knew that the knight would finnish him off before he could even move.
But Walf was wrong. For at the same moment that the blow would have been delivered, something happened. A tongue of black flame suddenly appeared between Walf the knight. This was no ordinary teleharm. The Aryan knelt on one knee. “What is your will, my lord?”
A voice spoke from the fire. “Greetings, Lucius. You and your men have been called to the aid of Orion. Report to the Yellow Castle at once.”
In a black flash, the flame vanished and Lucius, now turning around, saw that his opponent had vanished as well. Walf had already snuck away.
“Soldiers!” the commander shouted, “Leave these country rabble and follow me. Our lord has need of us. We will converge with the other divisions and head north.”
“So they just left you?” Jos interrupted, “What about Alex and Urgun? And Logon. I don’t see him here.”
“Relax Jos.” Alex said, returning to with fresh bandages, “Logon is out scouting and hopefully finding some food as well. Now let’s see. What happened on our end of the stick after you were hit? Oh yes…”
The remaining knights charged for Alex and Logon. It was nine against three if you counted the wolf.
“Get up behind me, Alex!” Logon shouted, “If we can’t beat them then we’ll run.”
Alex did as he was told, jumping up on the horse and launching his spear at the nearest knight. It missed. Luck had turned against them. But Logon was resolved not to give up until it was their last choice. They fought a losing battle, however and when Logon saw that they were making little progress, he wheeled his horse and broke away from the knights. Urgun was there too, helping them get away, but just as they were about to escape two things happened. First they realized that they had lost someone.
“Where’s Jos?” Alex shouted.
Second they realized that they weren’t being pursued. The remaining knights were leaving. Following their commander out the other side of the town. It didn’t take them long to find their fallen comrade.
“What do we do?” Alex cried, franticly.
“How do I know?” Logon snapped back.
Jos had lost a lot of blood. The two men weren’t even sure if he was alive. Then, Walf was there.
“Oh no. Is he...dead?”
Alex shook his head. “I don’t think so, but...he might be soon. I’m not really trained in healing. Logon’s burns were one thing but this...I think it will require stitching and...oh, I don’t know what to do.”
“Let me take a look at him.”
A voice that no one recognized was speaking.
“I can help.”
Turning around, the three companions stared at the new speaker. It was-
“Aargghh!” Jos yelled in pain as Alex pulled back the old bandages.
“Easy now. Easy. If we change these now then we won’t have to do it again, for a long while.”
“Yessir Doc.” Jos said with his teeth on edge.
In another minute Alex was finished. “Now, where was I?”
“I think you were about to tell me who it was that patched me up.”
“Oh yeah, well I suppose you could actually meet him if you like. Although I don’t know if it would be wise, considering your current state. Why, he even gave me a start when I first met him.”
“Well I think I should thank him if he saved my life, like you say he did.”
“All right, but you’d better brace yourself.”
Alex shouted something to his left and then turned to face Jos.
“Here he is Jos.”
And Jos stared with wide eyes and an open mouth at the ethereal form in front of him.
“This my friend, is Dale.”
“But...but you’re a...a ghost!”
After Jos got over the initial shock of finding that his savior was a spirit, he began to think that the whole scene was rather surreal. Seeing Dale’s ghost in broad daylight wasn’t very frightening at all. Jos, of course, didn’t know anything about Dale or how he had died. Among the company Alex alone had known Dale before his death and even then they had little interaction. Because of this, there were many questions. All of which Dale patiently answered.
“...And that’s how I came to be trapped in Reno Regga’s sword.” Dale finished.
“Yeah,” said Walf, “He was in there the whole time, helping me when I fought the knight and who knows when else.”
Jos starred at Dale with wide eyes and a blank expression on his face.
“You’re afraid of me aren’t you?” Dale continued, “That’s all right. It means that you have a right sense of good and evil, for while you needn’t fear me, the curse that binds me is indeed evil. You see, I am trapped. Doomed to remain like this, on the edge of existence forever. Neither living in the light, nor resting in death. But if I can help someone like you Jos, or like Walf here, then maybe I’m not as cursed as you think.”
At that moment there was a rustling of leaves at the edge of the village and out stepped Logon bearing a deer on his shoulders.
“You found food!” Alex said happily.
“Aye,” said Logon, smiling, “But more then that, I’ve got news.”
“Mmmmm,” said Logon, swallowing a piece of the roasted deer, “Now, this is good eating!”
“No kidding!” said Alex as he laid down a raw piece for Urgun.
Walf nodded his agreement, but commented, “Didn’t you say you had some news, Logon?”
“Oh, yes,” Logon replied, “I had nearly forgotten. Now this may change our plans some so hang on. While I was on the hunt, I happened upon a traveler who was on his way south from the capitol city.”
“What did you learn?” said Walf, interrupting.
“Quiet, Walf.” Dale said from inside the sword. He had no need of food, but was still eager to hear the news.
“Well,” said Logon continuing, “The first thing I learned was that BloodVaine is dead and that the war is over.”
“What war?” Jos, inquired.
“I’m getting there, I’m getting there. Now, you know about the attack on Orion of course because you were there Jos, and Alex and I know about the great fire for the same reason. However, what you may not realize is that those attacks were only part of a larger war which BloodVaine was waging on the whole of Dametreos. Even those knights we encountered were only a part of his army. Anyhow, it seems that he's been defeated now in some big battle at the capitol.”
“The capitol?” Walf said, “Wasn’t that where the big blast came from?”
“Yes, actually the man explained that too. He said that it came form an airship or something. Anyway, he also explained what was happening in Black Knight land and why they blew the golden horn. Turns out that that they were under attack from Black Falcons. Unfortunately I’ve arrived too late to be of any help. The Falcons were driven back not long ago. However, this may be better anyway. You see I really didn’t want to go back. Not before my quest was finished.”
“Your quest?” said Alex, confused, “You never told us about this.”
Logon sighed. “Yes, well...why did you think I was at the Drullen Bell? Ah, it is an old quest of mine. I’ve been about it for more then a year. It’s a quest, well...for a man’s blood. About this time, last year, I set out from the Black Knight capitol with eleven men following me. We where supposed to hunt down a man called ‘The Lone Ranger’.”
“The Lone Ranger?” Alex questioned, “Who’s he? And why are you hunting him?”
“He is an evil man and for that reason I am hunting him. He killed King Sirion’s father while he still had the crown on his head. The Black Knights have spent years looking for him. That was 30 years ago, and after seeing him again in our country Sirion ordered 12 men be sent out to find him.”
“What happened to the twelve men?” Dale asked.
“We met him once and he killed all 11 men but me. Since then I’ve been tracking him down on my own. I’ve traveled far and lost many friends, but I eventually came to the Drullen Bell Keep where I joined up with you. I dare not show myself in my fathers eyes before killing this evil man.”
“So what’s your course of action?” Jos asked, “You’re not going to Black Knight land?”
“No Jos. As long as the threat to my country has been removed, I’d rather not. As a matter of fact, I believe that our best course will be to head to Orion. The traveler said that the city was being rebuilt. I assume that you and Walf will want to return there. Alex, you wanted to go there all along and as for me, I can see no better place to resume my search.”
“There is the difficulty of Jos’s condition to think about.” Dale piped up, “He’s in no shape to travel.”
“We still have the horse from the battle.” Walf suggested, “Maybe we could make some kind of liter.”
“Good idea Walf.” said Logon, smiling, “Then we’re all in agreement. To the capitol, eh, for the promise of a new path.”
“To the capitol,” Jos repeated, “To burry our countrymen.”
Walf nodded sadly. “Or our parents.”
“You can take me as well,” Dale added. “I have a feeling that there we will all find what we seek.”
But Alex was silent thinking of Aros and Reno.
A battle at the Golden City he thought. And what of my friends? If BloodVaine is dead then what about them?
Pushing back his fears for his friends Alex stood and said, “All right then, let’s go…”
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