Chronicles of Slyfar Blaze (Series Book One: Origins) Page 2
Being a level 6 Maximus creature, Blade was stronger and healed faster than the other Guardians. Just like the Sentinels before him, the Syt ability of Suma gave him control over the element of fire. As with all Guardians, the Sentinel can focus his or her will, absorb universal essence, and ascend to a state of higher control. This state is called Ren.
The Sentinel possesses the peculiar ability of been able to trap souls within objects. The stronger the soul, the more powerful the object has to be. Citizens of Cynax are very similar to those of the USA on Earth; especially in terms of appearance and speech. However, it has a large untamable wasteland next to its only sea called Dakhat; a wasteland so swept away in darkness and ruin, it seemed the sun had abandoned this part of the continent.
The Sentinel's wife, Zara was a pretty lady whom many called "the fun side of fire". Perhaps their shared level of seriousness was what made Blaze and Blade such good friends. Slyfar loved to look at Blade's red eyes and would occasionally ask him why his hair was the colour of red snow. Jimmy, on the other hand, would always try to get his hands on the Sentinel’s red white beard; a beard he shaved off after the death of his wife. Slyfar had just clocked twenty and was about to begin his 1st trail when this happened.
After the death of Zara, Blade ended his weekly lessons with the Prime Heir and was never seen within the walls of Prime Castle again… until the day after his best friend died.
…
Jimmy, having spent most of his life under the tutelage of Aunt Lima, never loved to move around with guards. Right from the age of eleven, he had devised an effective method of losing them whenever he chose to do so. Now that he was eighteen, he was near impossible to keep an eye on. Being a secret student of Slyfar and a level 3 Maximus Prince blessed with both Suma and Elemental Syt abilities, he was pretty confident that he could take on anyone who posed as a threat to his life during his expeditions as "Jim the Adventurer."
He had planned out every detail about how he was going to celebrate his birthday and the icing on the cake was to be the spectacular event he had just acquired his mid-row ticket to see. According to the ticket retailer, what he now held in his hand was the last of its kind. Jimmy had had to pay ten times the original amount just to buy it from him. This ticket would allow him the opportunity to watch the greatest warrior on Buldo battle the Twin Barbarian Nobles of South-Haran in the Arena of Valor.
Buldo is the biggest and most populated kingdom amongst the seven and is home to the finest blacksmiths, pilots, mechanics and tailors in all the lands. It is also credited with being the only nation allowed to create the Armor of Guardians. An armour created from the weaving of Haris leather, Canis cotton and the mystical Kelkis metal.
The rare metal of Kelkis can only be found on Buldo and any piece of armour it is used to create not only becomes near indestructible but also changes its colour to signify the powers and rune of the individual that wears it. It turns blue, red, orange, green, dark blue, white and gold according to the eye colour of the Guardians of Arvilon, Cynax, Buldo, Ratasu, Seva, Prime Star and Xadonia respectively. The grey runes which are naturally and permanently marked on the left neck side of every Guardian also glow with the same colour as the eyes of a Guardian whenever he or she moves into the state of Ren or Phoenix.
Buldo is governed by whoever is currently the most powerful warrior on the continent.
Now, even though the Crown Noble is inarguably the most powerful, this doesn't stop a few hopeful nobles from getting the feeling that the throne is their birthright. To settle all conflicts pertaining who should or should not sit on the throne The Crown Noble of Buldo, during the 60th Era, built the "Arena of Valor". Where nobles and other warriors who believed they could do better as a king could settle their differences.
Various parts of the elliptical amphitheatre were made out of pure gold, Venus Wood, concrete and stone. It was the size of two standard football fields and stood a whopping twelve storeys high. It had a four hundred and fifty thousand seating capacity and eight large video screens were placed floating high at the centre of the arena on a large octagonal Jet Holster consisting of sixteen powerful, yet noise free, jet engines.
Every year, on average, two to three nobles of Buldo challenge whoever sits on the throne. To date, no one has ever defeated the Guardian of Buldo.
The Crown Noble of Buldo has the special ability of Dynamic Syt which enables him or her to manipulate energy. He or she can also absorb energy from the core of a planet and this ability is peculiar to the Crown Nobles of Buldo.
After being disappointed at how the first five plans on his checklist had turned out, Jimmy decided to skip the sixth and head early to the Arena. Settling into the crowd of spectators Jimmy discovered he had forgotten his bag in the Hover Taxi that had just brought him to the Arena. Staring blankly into the air, Jimmy arrived at a conclusion that this was going to be the worst birthday ever.
Now while Jimmy was busy cursing and throwing insults at the cheating Barbarian twins, he failed to notice that a young man wearing a grey, double-breasted, hooded, trench coat had walked up to him and was now staring intently at the young prince.
“Must you always skip town just to celebrate your birthday?”
Startled Jimmy blurted out, “Dad sent you, didn't he! By the way, isn't our home like an entire kingdom away, how did you find me?”
“Well, one: I'm Prime Heir, which means I could track your Maximus spark even if you were on another planet! And two: I know you never miss a chance to see my best friend knock someone's teeth out!”
“So, you're here to take me back home, huh?”
“Of course not!” Exclaimed Slyfar, “I'm here to watch Max rough up some barbarians with my kid brother.”
Slyfar gave his brother, who was now smiling like he had won a lottery, a friendly punch, and popped open the bag of Merry Pops he had brought along with him. Several minutes after he had settled down next to his brother to watch an entertaining grudge match, Slyfar noticed a young lady seated a considerable distance away from him, in the uppermost-left corner of the arena, who was wearing a blue, double-breasted, swing coat and a black scarf. She had slender long legs covered in skinny black jean trousers and though he couldn't really see her face clearly, even after enhancing his vision, as it was partly covered by her silky black-blue hair, he imagined that the lady behind the coat would definitely be someone worth meeting after the match.
Barely two seconds after their eyes met, the crowd jumped up in a jubilant roar as Max had just knocked off a twin's tooth.
When the crowd settled, Slyfar searched with his eyes for the lady in the blue coat but she was nowhere in sight and her seat was now empty.
After the match ended, Slyfar remained seated for a while. Closing his eyes he tried to use his senses to track the lady he had seen. He searched his way through the various sparkles of blue and white lights that were now exiting the stadium. The moment he located her spark, which was incredibly powerful and also near impossible for an average lady to have, it started floating towards a dark alley and vanished.
On their way to Max's room at the Home of Champions, Jimmy began to talk to his brother (who was still thinking about the lady in a blue coat), "Your 1st trial begins tomorrow right?"
"Yeah!" his brother replied giving off a tired sigh.
"Scared?"
"Nah! I'm a little worried you might find a way to put me in trouble while I'm away though."
They looked at each other and burst into laughter as they pushed open the large, highly technologically modified marble door before them to meet the golden champ.
Chapter 5
Joreh's Sting
"Be at one with yourself; let your ears extend themselves to the far reaches of the Arvilonian lakes. Listen to the fish as they swim Listen to the hiss of the Fladore as it stalks its prey. Listen to the footsteps of the one sneaking up behind you and never lose focus, for if you do, you'll find yourself at the mercy of your e
nemy and they, unlike me, will offer you none!"
Slyfar pulled down the cloth tied around his face to see the giant sword of his uncle pointed at him. Soon it was replaced with a hand meant to lift him off the ground.
“You have to understand son, not everyone is born with the gift of Syt or Myt but there are some who choose to learn the sacred texts. Their sting, my dear, can be just as painful. You have to be ready at all times, for as a Guardian you can only sense the spark of those born naturally with gifts, but Drako's Flame in the hand of an ungifted foe will still end your life.” Blade cautioned.
“Uncle, after the battle, who was tasked with hiding the dagger?”
Blaze started to respond “The dagger has been…”
Just then a servant appeared. Out of breath and speaking with great urgency he spoke directly to Blade, “My lord, you have to come quickly! Your wife... she's been poisoned!”
Slyfar could remember his uncle running towards Sentinel's Keep where his wife's lifeless body awaited his tears. That was the last time he had seen Blade and now that he was about to undertake his 1st trail what he wished for above all else was that his uncle would show up and say to him like he always had "…son; you've got this!"
...
Also called Green Paradise, Ratasu houses the highest population of varied plant and animal life in the Circle. At the southernmost part of the continent, lies the Red Forest of Ratasu. It is home to a rare species of trees called the red sequoias. The darkest part of the forest is also home to some of the most powerful dark creatures in The Circle.
The Crown Noble of Ratasu has the special ability of Suma and Elemental Syt which enables him or her to manipulate air, water, fire and lightning. A peculiarity of the Crown Noble of Ratasu is the ability to understand plants and animals and also give life to any dying creature. Most citizens of Ratasu look like the Indian citizens on Earth and are also considered the most hospitable of all the races on Prime Circle. The kingdom of Ratasu has a plethora of rivers.
...
The fact that all dark creatures have the Syt ability of Joreh makes them masters of the hunt. The trial, as always, would be taking place in the Red Forest of Ratasu and this was the only time the barrier surrounding the darkest regions of the forest was ever let down, for anyone. Whether or not the warriors who ventured into the forest with the Prime Heir would return would be determined by the success or failure of The Prince. Coming out of the red tent, where he had been preparing his mind for what he was about to face, he looked up to see seven of the finest warriors from each kingdom surrounding him and thought to himself. They believe in you and it's up to you to bring them back home in one piece.
Amongst the warriors that ventured into the forest with him where Ragnal Kalkrof; commander of the Armies of Arvilon and Max Odir, who had just been crowned Guardian of Buldo eight weeks prior, due to the sudden demise of his father.
“Thanks for coming Max!” Slyfar said as he walked up to his friend. “I still can't believe you ditched your own victory gala just to join me on my quest. I know how much you love a good party!”
“Heh! There're only good because your brother always finds a way to start a girl fight. You know, it's funny cause Jimmy's always the hottest guy at any party but he's also the only one that never goes home with a lady in his ride… I believe he says it has something to do with the eunuch he's got for a mentor.”
“Here we go…” sighed Slyfar through a grin.
“Every time I try to hook you up with someone you always find a way to blackmail me into letting it slide, but not tomorrow night. When we go celebrating your victory, at whatever sick joint your brother's got reserved for us, I'm gonna hook you up with someone, and you my friend, ah'gonna say YES!”
“You're full of dreams Max, full of 'em!”
Slyfar took a deep breath, then shot a blue flame high into the teleport circle he had created in the air leading to Shulninpe. This was a signal to the Guardian of Ratasu, who stood on the rooftop at the Temple of Nobles with a group of level 3 Syt priests. The moment the spelt walls came tumbling down a loud roar could be heard making its way to the boundary from the centre of the forest. This was where his prize laid in wait for him; inside the screaming doorway of Joreh.
Joreh was the 1st Guardian of Ratasu. His hunting skills were rivalled by none and his name was praised by all. Until one day he decided to take things to a whole new level. He decided to go hunting within the darkest regions of the Red Forest for The Bane of Syt. The Bane of Syt was a level 5 Myt creature the size of three fully grown triceratopses stacked on each other. What made this creature particularly deadly was its immunity to any attack launched at it using Syt abilities. Anyone who defeated this creature would have to do it using a combination of brute strength, incredible skill and agility as a single punch from this powerful beast could break even the bone of a red dragon.
After an hour of running and fighting (mostly running), Joreh brought down the beast, but as its dark flesh began to change to stone it drew in its final breath and whispered the words "Mirfa’goh Revateh". Which translates as "my soul now buried in the conqueror". As The Bane's body turned to stone so did that of Joreh, whose body was now being drawn towards the huge pile of rock to become one with it.
Realizing what was happening he quickly cast a counterspell, but it was already too late. The counterspell, however, did work, though not as Joreh had intended. It transformed the pile of rocks into a cave with a stone gateway engraved with the face of The Bane. A face which screamed every 3 days to remind all that the dark regions of Red Forest could be tamed by no one.
Within the cave laid the weary soul of Joreh. The beast had the dentition of a carnivore with one hundred and sixteen teeth. The door would have to be opened the same number of times before Joreh could be free again. Anyone who wished to open the door would have to speak to the door and the spirit of the beast would be unleashed again to fight him. If the warrior won the battle, the door would open and the number count on the door would go down by one. A tooth from the mouth of The Bane would also drop to the floor before the victor and the pathway would then open. The victor would have only fifty seconds to converse with Joreh before being automatically teleported out of the forest with anyone he chose to go along with... who was still alive.
Ragnal addressed the group, "The prince is the most powerful amongst us. It'll be wise to stick close to him. That being said, it'll be unwise for anyone to go chasing the rumours of untold riches that lie within these parts. We're here to fight, not plunder. The Trial has begun. Move!”
The moment The Prince and his Men of Valour stepped past the barrier line, the barrier was raised again, sealing them off from the civilized world.
Chapter 6
Dark Regions of Red
"I thought the creatures here would be harder to kill, instead they're all trying to bore me to sleep!" Slyfar and Max chuckled at the song of the old commander and continued to fight off the dark creatures that had given them a screaming welcome the very moment they stepped through the barrier.
Ragnal had fought more wars than Blaze and had been a student of Kalahan the Great. Since the signing of The Peace Treaty which had been lead by Crown Noble Hazu, wars had ceased on the Prime Circle, leaving war heroes like himself with two options: to either hang up their gauntlets or teach large classes of bewildered students the sacred art of war. To Ragnal, this was just the kind of break he had been looking for to escape the duties of being chancellor of the War Study Arenas of Arvilon.
"I eat, lunch, you!" Things were about to get interesting for Ragnal as a bus-sized level 3 Myt Buldaraq was angrily making its way towards him, however, the commander's smile was cut short by a well-focused blast of lightning from Slyfar aimed at the now roasted beast. "Oh come on!" shouted the old man having caught sight of the source of lightning that had struck down his excitement.
"You're not dying on my watch grandpa." Slyfar smiled at t
he commander and flew away to get a hold of another dark creature.
After four hours of travelling and slaying of all sorts of nightmarish beasts, the warriors arrived at the entrance to The Plains of Dsadur where he would have to battle the Bane of Syt alone.
"It is time. Go make Arvilon proud!"
Slyfar smiled at his father's Decks on Boats partner, gave Max a nod, then began to make his way through the plains towards a large cave a few hundred meters from where they stood.
"Men, the battle is not yet over. The moment Slyfar unleashes that beast, all hell's gonna be let loose and it's up to us to ensure no dark creature gets unto the plains. No creature crosses this line! Ready your weapons!" After he had said this, Ragnal turned to Max and whispered, "Have you seen Jayti and Orix"
"The last time I saw Orix was the moment we moved into the dark regions," Max replied.
...
"The map led us straight to it Jay! Behind these very doors lie all the treasures of the fallen dark priests." Jayti's eyes went wide with excitement when he saw the small door which led to a cavern of gold rings, sapphires, diamonds and rare weapons made out of Kelkis metal.
This, aye this, would be his freedom from Low-Land. With the money he would make from this, he could afford a house for his wife and children in High-Land. Send his children to better schools. He could retire as a soldier and live the dream his mother always wanted him to have: life as a noble merchant selling antiques at the Foras Mall in High-Land.
Orix found the detachable block beneath the stone door and removed the second part of the scroll laid beneath the block which contained words written in ancient Arvilonian texts. He pulled out the first part of the scroll from his backpack, a piece of parchment he had carried with him for twenty years, ever since his father placed it into his hands.