Saurana and Vanarax
Prologue
Geordam carefully walked the steps up to the chamber holding the Book of the Dead, the Libra Mortis itself. As he walked up he thought about the power that he would attain by releasing the power that the book contained. He knew the risks, but the benefits outweighed the risks in his opinion.
He sheathed and unsheathed his own personal weapon that he carried everywhere, the Blessed Blade. With this even a Chaos Daemon would be hard pressed to kill him.
He reached the top of the stairs and stared at the door of the Chamber Unbreachable. It was a marvel of engineering technology, with the gears and levers all carefully in place, ready to stop anything that would try to open it. All the gears connected together in such a way that it was impossible to open from the outside once it had been locked from the inside.
He put his hand on the door handle and prepared the last of his magic to dispel the demons that would consume him. He knew from previous tales of this book that he would be tested beyond mortal reckoning before he gained the secrets of the Book of the Dead. He touched the sword at his belt and was reminded of his former teacher that had taught him in the skills of the sword. How he had laughed when that man had gotten too far ahead of himself when he tried to summon the N’kari, Keeper of Secrets, and had overstepped the boundaries of the protective circle. Remembering this he was called back to the task at hand. He turned the handle and heard the clicking of the mechanism in the door. Sweat gathered on his brow. He heard the callings of the demons in the room ahead of him. He battled within himself over trying to decide to go in. His heart pounded. His shoulders trembled. He opened the door.
The Book lay on the table, innocuous as ever. He carefully walked up to the pedestal. Remembering something, he turned back. Closing the door of the Chamber he again walked back to pedestal. Looking at the cover, he could see the unholy scriptures of the book. He touched the Book, and he screamed. The door was blown off the Chamber Unbreachable. He put his hand toward his holy sword, but it was too late. The spells in the book were summoning spells for various daemons. His sword would not harm them when they kept on coming from the books awesome power. They flew towards him, and the skin was wrenched from his body. The daemons consumed his flesh. The last of what Geordam was dripping from the mouth of a Bloodletter. What remained of his soul tried desperately to flee, but a Lord of Change walked up to it, for with its wizard's sight he could see Geordams soul. The Daemon trapped the soul in a soul trap, and was sent to Mousillon in the north of the realm of Brettonia where it was placed in the body of a recently dead knight who was risen with a desire to kill all mortals.
Chapter One
Two weeks after the death and rebirth of Geordam, a middle-aged elven mage was sending her class of apprentice's back to their homes...
"All right class, remember to bring your scrolls tomorrow if you want to be able to inscribe a spell. You have all been making progress with the clay tablets, but those are no way to cast." Saurana breathed a sigh of relief as the class filed out. She had nothing against these human pupils; just sometimes they could be a bit trying for her. They took a day what an elf would have learnt in two hours. However, they were so willing to learn. They would also try again and again to get those things that an elf would get in two hours. Never discouraged, they were. She often wondered why she was here teaching, not in Ulthuan where she should be, and whenever she did, she remembered they’re eagerness to learn up to their potential. And, she thought, it is also that travel bug that makes me go overseas. There are far more events that could happen with humans around than there ever could be in her homeland. Her thinking was broken by the sounds of a horse galloping at full speed towards the temple/classroom that she was in. She hurried outside where she could see the rider, in the plate Armor of a Brettonian knight, crossbow bolt stuck in his side, nearly falling off his horse. She ran outside, trying to remember that heal spell that she had just learnt. As she ran up, she realized that the rider was no one other than her friend and long time traveling companion, Vanarax Mocalin! She ran faster and caught him just as he was sliding off his horse. "What happened to you, old friend?" she asked worriedly.
"Is there a way that you can help me, Saurana?" he replied with a weak voice. He looked up at her with pain filled eyes. It was clear that he was in serious danger. Normally he was one of the knights who would lie down his life for the right cause, so seeing him begging was a sign of severe wounding. She pulled him off his horse and lay him on the ground. She wove the spell of healing over him, and sighed in relief when the wounds in his body closed over, and the crossbow bolt fell out. Then she cast a spell of discerning; for she needed to know if the barb was poisoned. Thankfully, it wasn’t, so Vanarax was, for the moment, safe. "What in Asuryan’s name happened to you?" Saurana queried.
"I was riding to visit you when a group of assassins ambushed me. I killed most of them, but not before one of them shot me." His voice was becoming less shaky as he regained his strength and he started to sit up. "They were just a way back. I didn’t get to search their bodies. I must go and find them to redeem my honor!"
"Vanarax, rest. Just rest and I will go and search." He started to rise his head in defiance, but then lowered it in exhaustion. She let him lay there and went into the classroom to get some protection for him. As she entered she saw out of the corner of her eye a flicker of black, but when she turned it was gone. She dismissed it as her own imagination. She went to her desk and opened the drawer. She moved away the papers and books that cluttered it, to reveal a secret compartment. She opened it and took from it an amulet that was completely black. She did not like the item, for it was steeped in dark magic, but it had it’s uses, for it was useful to use when demonstrating her only magical item to her class for a lesson. It also turned away blows without any effort of the wearer. She held it in her hand and, for a moment, it felt as if she was being stalked. She dismissed it as her imagination and went back outside to place the amulet on Vanarax.
As she walked up to him, she noticed the fields of black power cover the amulet, and she knew that he would be safe when he wore it. Vanarax was, by this time, sitting easily and starting to take off the battered Armor that he was wearing. Seeing Saurana, though, he started to stand.
"Saurana, reconsider. I would be useful to you when you go searching for these assassins. They were looking for me, remember?" She firmly shook her head.
"No. You are too weak to even stand properly, let alone fight these well trained warriors." Looking at the longing in his face, she added, "I will, however, give you some protection if they choose to come around and attack you." She went to him and placed the amulet carefully around his neck. Or tried to. When it hit his flesh, it made a sizzling sound and it scorched his skin. She quickly threw the amulet away and then looked at the mark that it had made on his skin. It was scorched and burnt, and a smell of sulfur was hanging in the air. She touched the wound, and then quickly threw her hand away, as it was still excruciatingly hot. She heard a groan from Vanarax, and realized that he was still conscious. She had thought the he would have passed out with the pain by now. She quickly dragged him to the classroom and placed him on a hammock. She then hurriedly turned away and got some herbs to administer on him. When she turned back, though, the burning had gone and he was sitting up comfortably, although with a slight look of pain on his face.
"What in the Seven Hells... What just happened to you there?"
"I have no idea, somehow. Is it just me or did you try to kill me just then."
"How can you think that I would try to kill you after healing you just then!? I imagine that the evil magic inside the amulet must have burnt you because of the goodness that the lady of the lake must have given you when you swore your questing vows. It seems to have healed you, anyway. You might as well come along now." She turned and walked away, still trying to figure out what had exactly had happened. Vanarax ran to catch up.
"If we are going to catch these assassins of yours, then we will have to use stealth and agility rather than brute force to find and interrogate them. I have a plan, a cunning plan. A plan so cunning that people on horses will want to chase it around fields for days. Okay, it is not that cunning. But it is good."
"Okay, here is the plan. You go searching around the woods near here to draw them out of here. When they attack (and they will the arrogance of Dark Elves is immeasurable), you fight but quickly appear to be losing and fall to the ground. They encircle you, and right then I step out of the woods and freeze them in time. How does that sound?"
"I get it, but I’m still searching for the ‘cunning’ part." Saurana took a friendly swipe at him and quickly regained her seriousness as they split up and prepared to fight.
Chapter Two
Saurana was patiently hiding in a small copse of trees near where the counter-ambush was set. She carefully made sure that her wards around the area were fully set up and activated, otherwise Vanarax would go to a quick death. As if that thought had been a signal, one of her wards was activated, signaling that the assassins had attacked. Using all of her agility, she ran out of the woods and into the band of assassins. Fast as quicksilver, she incanted a spell and the group were completely frozen. Then, she turned and saw Vanarax. She thought he would be a least partially injured; after all even with immediate help a larger group of assassins would do some damage. However, amazingly he was completely unharmed. He was in fact trying to see if any of the assassins had any equipment worth taking. He found a long gleaming blade on one; on another there was a strange crossbow-like device, like what the Empire’s men used except when he tried to fire it, two small bolts fired instead of one large one. On the last one, however, there was the biggest find. A potion that smelled of trolls blood. Vanarax motioned for Saurana to examine it. She took a quick whiff and withdrew her nose quickly.
"Why, I’m no alchemist, but this would be a potion used by the barbarians of the north plains to increase their strength far beyond the normal bounds of strength. I expect that he was going to use this on you as the final deathblow. However, if you take it it could be the thing that saves your life. Anyway, onto more serious matters; why did they attack? I must unfreeze and interrogate him to find out his-their intent. Hold on a minute." She waved her hands and spoke a few words and one of the assassins- the one with the potion- stumbled out of the enchantment. He stumbled and nearly completely fell over. He glanced at his other, frozen, companions, and just gaped.
"What the hell... What happened to them.? And who are you?" He looked quite hostile for an outnumbered, outfought, out magicked warrior.
Saurana replied calmly, “ I would recommend that you answer our questions without hesitating, completely and fully, and without lying. You spawn of Naggaroth lie whenever you can, but I assure you that in this situation it will only kill you. And, that would be a shame as it would prevent you from reaching justice.”
The assassin stared at her with disgust. “Yes. Scum of Ulthuan. I thought you were one of those tree hugging fools in Loren, but Ulthuan, I can see that now,” he sneered. “I am surprised that you weakling caught me, but now that I am released you will pay. I have quite a reputation among your colonies I understand. My name is Shadowblade.” Saurana gasped. This was Shadowblade, the master assassin. Shadowblade, the murderer of the ruler of Tor Achre. Shadowblade, the assassin who killed the entire crew of the Galleon Hawkship. This was only touching the surface of his black-hearted deeds and acts. She stared at him with fear and hate, and tried to figure out how to take him to trial without him killing the judge. However, filled with arrogance, Shadowblade spoke.
“I was sent here by a mysterious warrior all cloaked in black with a monstrous steed. He told me to come out here and attack two beings, a scum of Ulthuan, and a knight. He told me that you had to die so that his plans could go through. His plans were to drain the magic out of the woods and transfer it to him. This would let him to create another Realm of Chaos in the south. He was wise in who he chose for this mission. He was about to-” Shadowblade was cut off when Vanarax, who was getting angry with his speech, drew his sword and swung at the master assassin. For one instant Shadowblade had a look of surprise and fear on his face, before crumpling to the ground. Saurana turned to Vanarax. “What did-” she began, but was immediately knocked over by an explosion from the direction of the assassins’ body. She flew through the air towards Vanarax, who was also flying, albeit at a slower speed to Saurana. They hit the ground together , but Vanarax recovered almost immediately from the shock. Saurana, however, had split her scalp from the impact and blood was oozing out of a large cut in her head. Vanarax had other problems. The assassins that were accompanying Shadowblade had unfrozen, and were recovering and advancing towards him. Vanarax scanned the ground for his weapon. It lay two meters away, and the assassins were advancing from that direction. Sighing, Vanarax searched for another solution. Suddenly he spied the longsword that he had taken from one of them on the ground, along with the crossbow. He made a sidewards dive and grabbed the first thing that touched his had, the crossbow. He pressed the trigger and two darts came out and hit the lead assassin. He made sound of pain and slowed, but did not stop. Vanarax grabbed the longsword and brought t in an upwards slice to cut through half of the injured ones’ arm and torso. He ran to the next, and neatly dissected his belly. He watched him scream and the guts poured out like a waterfall. The others, seeing the gruesome death of their companion, almost turned to flee, but one of them charged him and the rest followed suit. The first one quickly avoided being impaled at the end of Vanarax’s sword, and the next stabbed at his sword hand. He nearly dropped his weapon, but instead transferred it to his left hand and took a swipe at the assassin on his left. This took off his hand, and Vanarax’s next blow took off his head. however, the last assassin snuck up behind him and sliced his back. Vanarax screamed and fell to the ground, writhing in unimaginable agony. He had nearly passed out when one of the assassins bent down to finish him off. Just then a hunting spear tore out of the woods and impaled the last remaining assassins. Vanarax looked at the corpses and passed out. A figure ran up from the direction that the spear had come from and dragged the bodies of the two and, putting them over it’s shoulder, ran back into the heart of the woods.
Chapter three
Saurana woke up dazed in a small hut with an elven nurse leaning over her, reaching for a vial of something smelling awful. As she straightened out, she noticed Saurana opening her eyes. “Ah well, so you wake. It’s been a long time since you were brought in here.” Saurana stared and gaped.
“How did I get here? Wait, what happened to those assassins? Who are you?”
“Easy. The people who were trying to kill you are dead, your companion is alive and well, recuperating in another part of the forest. This is the Loren Forest.” Saurana was barely listening as she tried to figure out what had happened. She remembered that murderous Shadowblade, and then she was flying through the air and she woke up here. Then she remembered what the nurse had said. She must be one of the race of Wood Elves, the distant kindred of her race that had stayed in the Old World when the colonies departed following the War of the Beard. It was her personal dream to one day explore those lost colonies and do a study to present to her pupils. However, as studies had caught up with her, she had never had enough time. The nurse speaking again interrupted her thoughts.
“If you wish I can get your friend to come and visit you. Or perhaps you would prefer to tell Lord Orion exactly what you had done to get those assassins trying to kill you just there. I suspect that he doesn’t want to get a bad reputation with Finubar over letting one of his subject's die. Or perhaps you could just stay here and rest. You took a nasty blow from whatever that was.”
Saurana considered. She should keep her loyalties to Vanarax and see him. But a summons from the King of the Woods was almost too much to think of. She decided on visiting Vanarax and asking him what had happened. She told the nurse and she sighed and went off in a door that had previously been concealed. Saurana felt her strength gradually some back and she tried to stand up. The room spun and she nearly completely fell. She grabbed the side of one of the beds and slowly lowered herself into it. She lied down and tried to rest while waiting for Vanarax.
A few hours later, she was waking up and feeling much better. She didn’t topple when going out of bed and she actually made it to the side of the room where she had seen the nurse go out. She looked out and gasped. She was at the top of an extremely tall and -to her eye at least- very wobbly tree. She carefully went back to her bed.
It was not long after that when the nurse came back with Vanarax. The nurse curtsied and quickly left. Just as she opened her mouth, Vanarax turned to her.
“I guess you want me to fill you in with what happened, don’t you?” Saurana nodded energetically, and Vanarax told her of everything that had happened up to him going unconscious. As he told her, she opened her mouth wider and wider until he put his hand on her lower jaw and forced it closed. She sat back down on the bed to consider what happened. While she had been sick the Wood Elves had to have been notified of this. She told Vanarax as such and he nodded.
“I already told one of the priests and he told me to tell Orion. I hear that you have a summons from him. I should go with you to tell him in full what happened after you were knocked out. It may not be much, but it should help. In the meantime, get some more rest. You took a nasty blow and it looks like you should get a nice long sleep.” At this he turned and went out . She was too awake to sleep now, however, and she kept on turning things over in her mind. How this mysterious warrior managed to think something like this up completely baffled her. And how, if he was a warrior, could he cast a spell of that greatness and magnitude? She decided that she needed to learn more so she silently climbed the rope outside her cabin down to the ground. In the time that she had waited, it had become dark and the moon was high in the sky. She looked at the village in the cool night air and tried to see the place she was looking for. Suddenly, she saw what she needed; the grove where the powers of Amber magic would be strongest. She padded towards it and tried to recall the ritual she needed to use. As she ran into the grove, a strange feeling passed over her and she felt more in tune with the world. She didn’t just feel the ground beneath her feet; she felt every contour and every rock. She felt this for a hundred meters or more.
She reached the center of the grove and sat cross-legged, trying to calm her body after the long run. She ran her hands through her hair, and concentrated as she started the ritual. She cleared her mind and began the chant to the woods, asking them for their powers and redemption. She felt the power run through her, and gasped as the knowledge of the magic of the woods ran through her head. All the knowledge of the spells from time immeasurable was implanted in her head, and she knew that this would give her immense power. For a brief moment, a smile passed across her lips as she thought of the new things that she could teach her pupils. Then she was back, trying to control this immense power running through her mind. She had a revelation that this power could make her instantly go insane with the sheer amount of it. It was a battle of life or death with her mind as the prize. Fortunately, the information finished entering her mind and she very nearly collapsed with relief and exhaustion. She suddenly remembered what had happened the previous day and resolutely went back to her hut to sleep until the end of the night.
Chapter four
Saurana drowsily woke the next day to see Vanarax shaking her awake. She lifted her head and shook it clear as she sat up in her bed. Vanarax seemed to be excited about something. He burst out with what he was about to say a moment before she was going to ask him what it was.
“I spoke to Orion this morning, and he said that he knows from Ariel, his wife, where the area is that this warrior is. He says that she felt a disturbance in the woods, and says that there is no time to waste. He has lent us the services of his top scouts, a band of Waywatchers whose skill is renowned even among the scouts of Loren. They could well be the best mortal shots in the world.” He was calming down now, but he still looked like he was going to burst a blood vessel. “So, I was told to get you and get to this place with great haste.”
Saurana jumped to her feet very suddenly before realizing she was still in her thin dressing gown. Blushing furiously, she told Vanarax to avert his eyes while she was changing. When she had finished he turned back and she gathered up her scant belongings that she had with her. They ran down the stairs to find the bowmen already there and waiting for them. She gave them a quick nod, elf to elf, and she ran up to who appeared to be the leader of the band.
“So, do any of you know where exactly it is that we have to go?” she asked the leader impatiently.
“We know that it is on the boundaries of Loren, somewhere to the west. Apart from that we have got absolutely no idea. We were expecting you would know.” Saurana sighed exasperatedly. There she was trying to save the world, and he didn’t even know the coordinates of the evil. Well, it was too late for all of that know. She would just have to trust to skill and keen senses. Vanarax by then had gotten down from the ladder rather awkwardly and was looking keen and ready to go to this warrior. After being told the news, however, he moaned loudly and complained immensely. Saurana calmed him and assured that they would get to have a big fight soon. He became more placid not with the words, but with minor spell that she had learned on the night she had gained her magical powers. She silently thanked herself for having the strength of will to succeed that night. Calling herself back to the task at hand, she cleared her mind and focused, like her mentors had taught her. She led the group off to where the leader had pointed them, and they were soon off at a reasonable pace to where Saurana felt it would be. As she did so she outlined a plan to her companions that would surely point them to victory.
Saurana, Vanarax, and the Waywatchers neared the edge of the forest of Loren. In the distance they could hear chanting. Feeling that this might be where they needed to go, they silently neared the area that the sound was coming from. From a little way off, they could see it was a foul clearing. The trees around it were withered and old, with diseased sap running freely out of gaping holes in their trunks.
In the clearing itself was an altar with an unconscious human tied down to it. Several cultists in dark brown flowing robes surrounded it, and at their head was a man that Saurana was sure the ‘warrior’ was. He was covered completely in black armor and he carried a dark sword on his belt. Its edge was serrated and dripping with poison that hit the warrior but didn’t get through the thick soles of his boots. He lifted his head, and Saurana gasped. For his eyes he had nothing but flames, and his mouth was the same. He was the thing that lit up the clearing. Saurana held in her breath, trying not to make a sound for fear of him hearing her and spoiling the plan. She also motioned for the wood elves to go into the trees and for Vanarax to go to the other side of the clearing via a large detour. Then she motioned for the scouts to shoot.
Orion had been true when he said that these were the best shots in Loren. One of their arrows hit a cultist in the chest, right through his heart and impaled itself right through his chest. Another got a cultist right in his gut, before going through and hitting another in the leg. A further shot hit the warrior himself, but it bounced off an invisible shield that he must have created with his sorcerous powers. Two more shots were deflected in the same way, and Saurana gritted her teeth. If he had a protection against this, it would take time that she did not have to dispel it. She concentrated instead on casting a magical spell to distract him. First she cast a simple spell. She conjures up a hunting spear and it propelled itself directly at him. It hit in his arm and he turned and looked for the assailant. She prided herself over this small injury. At least the man could be hurt. Next she wove a more complicated spell. She began to grow in size, with her teeth becoming sharper and her muscles becoming huge. By this time another volley of shots had been fired and there were only a few cultist remained. However they were coming out of their shock of the ambush so Saurana motioned for Vanarax to charge them. He did so with great gusto and was ripping great holes in them with his blade that seemed to turn into two weapons when it struck someone. The warrior by that time had found out where the attack was coming from and was preparing a deadly spell. Saurana saw it coming and, realizing the deadliness of it, quickly unraveled a scroll she had been carrying to dispel it. She countered with an extremely powerful spell of her own, which buffeted him around and nearly knocked him over. He staggered about the clearing, and a he did so the cultists were distracted so Vanarax could cut down the last of them. He nodded to Saurana and together they charged into combat with the warrior. She was relieved to find that the spell he had cast only effected shooting at him, so she could still strike him with the claws in her new form. The spell that she had cast looked like it had done serious damage to him. As she watched, however, his wounds closed up and he regained strength. He gave them both an evil grin and advanced as the retreated. Saurana racked her brain for a way to combat this regenerating monster. Then it came to her. Regenerating! She had heard of monsters that had gifts similar to this being overcome by fiery wounds. She knew of a spell, possibly the most powerful spell in the world, that she had been taught as the final part of her training as a mage in her homeland of Ulthuan. As she prepared this spell, Vanarax, having gotten over his shock, was about to finish their plan made up before the battle. He grabbed the potion that he had taken off Shadowblade, drank it, and charged at the warrior. He casually lifted his dark blade and knocked him flying into the withered trees. Saurana forgot all plans of her spell as she saw Vanarax’s body festering in the woods. She started to run towards him but the warrior kicked her in the chest and she too went flying. Thinking that he had no more serious opposition, the warrior began to speak.
“A long time ago, my name was Geordam, and I was an acolyte to the order of light mages. However, I soon had heard tales of the power that was in the Libra Mortis, the book of the dead. I was convinced that I could brave the dangers of the book and gain eternal life. How wrong I was. I was utterly mauled by the daemons in the book. My flesh was pulled from my body and I was trapped by Amon’ Chakai, the greatest mage in the universe. They were merciful to me, though. They let me be resurrected in the Realms of Chaos and take the form of an ultimate warrior. They gave me spell casting abilities and promised far more when I destroyed the forest. This is the last pure area in the Old World, and once here is gone, we will be free to rampage across the world. You see now why I wanted to destroy this forest. Just by finishing the ritual, I will have the ultimate power.” Saurana let this sink in. This would be the deathblow to the crumbling foundation of the world. This Geordam has to be stopped. She finished casting her spell and every pore of Geordams body exploded in flame. He staggered around, and fell to the ground, writhing in agony. Saurana stepped away from him as he crashed to the ground. She ran to Vanarax and pulled his unconscious body over her slim shoulders and started to go. Looking around, it seemed the scouts had already left by then. She heard a crackling noise and turned and watched in horror as Geordams fire-stricken body set alight the woods. Desperately she ran with the heavy body of Vanarax over her shoulders. Suddenly, coming out of the woods she saw the Waywatchers coming out of the flaming woods. They pulled Vanarax’s body off Saurana’s shoulders and hoisted it onto their own. Sobbing with relief, Saurana very nearly fell to the ground, but found a spark inside her that demanded that she would carry on and get out of the woods. She struggled through the trees and finally reached the end of the woods. Then she collapsed to the ground and saw black.
Two weeks after Geordam had been killed and his plans were destroyed. Saurana attended Vanarax’s funeral and was trying to hold back her tears as a speech was being read out by the champion of his order, Dupre do’Emignion.
“Vanarax bravely sacrificed his life doing what he always did, serving others and protecting freedom. He died with honor, and he will be forever remembered. “ The service ended with holy water being scattered over the casket that held Vanarax inside it. Then the team of Waywatchers lifted the caskets onto their shoulders and carried it into the elaborate tomb that a team of architects had built for him. Saurana slowly walked up to the casket that held her dear friend and said, “Vanarax, my friend, I will never forget you.” Then she turned and walked out of the tomb. She had made plans to go to her homeland of Ulthuan, but she would have to hurry if she was going to get to her ship on time. Turning to the casket for a final time, she briefly saluted and walked out into the light.
Written by: Michael Sedgley