They creep like shadows,
slay like barbarians and
feed of flesh and skin as they are the
warriors of torment.

Chapter 2

Burns on the Soul

It just seems to get more beautiful by the second and because it's spring, it's kind of a bonus. We started through the Tangled Wood, talk about claustrophobic, the trees were wrapped around each other and the roots seemed to link together like chain. It took a while to squeeze through the gaps between the roots, but this was where my first sketch on this trip was done. After that we headed to the Jade Fields, it seemed that these fields were carved out of the precious stone itself; it was getting dark but I wouldn't sleep until I captured this moment, fields lit yellow by a sun set, I drew the last line and fell asleep.

It was an early start as Rytner forced me into another crappy duel, by the time I woke up he’d done a five minute jog, killed two fiends, had their carcases on a rotating spit and packed the tent ready to carry on the journey, no wonder I was cold that night.

"Get up, get up." He kept nagging, kicking me in the ribs. He kept going on saying, "What would happen if we were attacked right now, this second?"

I couldn't really give a damn, but it was no use as I found my self being dragged out of my sleeping bag by my arms. He threw me my sword as I struggled to my feet.

"Now, fight me" he said with confidence. I decided to not try, so I could go back to bed.

I drew my blade and started attacking like I normally do, but something seemed odd. Rytner didn't disarm me yet, in fact it seemed that he was too busy blocking my strikes to the head and torso. I didn't get it; I was striking with such speed and accuracy. It got stranger as I struck him, disarming him at the same time, I tripped him up and pointed my by blade to his neck. The thing is I would of done it, ended my brothers life. Before I had chance to react, I threw my sword to the ground feeling sick and guilty. It was like a voice told me to do it. Rytner didn't know anything; he thought I’d trained through the night.

"I knew you had it in you," he said, slapping me over the back.

I couldn't tell him so I didn't bother; I just started on breakfast trying to forget about it as I tore the meat from the roasting carcass. We walked over the fields searching for scenery, and came across a cliff over Turquoise Ocean where we just sat on top after we’d trekked over the fields for miles. Rytner got a fire going and I rustled up some bread and cheese for our lunch. We just sat there eating, talking and joking, till Rytner came up with …

"Do you like anyone?" Knowing what he was on about, I automatically told him to bugger off; but he kept asking and asking.

If he wanted he could beat it out of me with a tree branch. I still didn't say anything as there wasn't any girl I had my eye on, Rytner didn't believe that so he got me in a headlock slowly chocking me. He finally let go knowing I didn't fancy anyone, after gasping for breath I asked…
"What about you then?"

Rytner produced a smirk on his face and came out with, "That.....girl across the square.

"Ooooooooooo" I shouted, he got me into another headlock shouting "You better not say a word!" After I stopped laughing, I swore I wouldn't say anything. It was weird but we never talked like that before, I guess it’s like a brotherly bond or something.

Rytner doused the fire as I finished my sketch of the ocean. "Let’s head back." He said.

I nodded as I picked up my rucksack and took a few paces until something caught my eye. I looked along the beach below and saw a cave.

"What's in there?" I asked pointing to the cave.

"Not sure," he replied, "I've never seen it before."

I started climbing down the cliff, "What the heck do you think you're doing?" he screamed.

"I've never drawn a cave before," I replied as I finished my climb.

Rytner climbed down after me, he walked up to the cave and pulled out a yellow gem and enchanted "E na ecanea." The gem pulsed out beams of light filling the cave with a dim glow. We both walked in, it was eerie. The only noise was the moisture dripping. The stalactites and stalagmites looked like teeth of some veracious fiend.

"Perfect!" I shouted and it echoed several times. Rytner was puzzled.

"Perfect? Its a cave," he said. I was too busy looking around to listen.

"This bit here would be good for a picture," I said, pointing to an area of the cave where the light shone through making the stalactites and stalagmites sparkle. I walked to the other side of the cave to position myself for the picture, this was where everything went wrong.

As I walked over, when I took my seventh step the earth below me crumbled. All I could see was myself falling through the hole.

"Raven!" Rytner screamed. I'm not sure how far I fell but I know this, the impact when I hit the floor must have knocked me out. I finally woke in serious pain. My head was cracked open with blood trickling down my forehead, I was coated in cuts and bruises as I must of ricocheted of the rocks from my fall; and to top it of my leg seemed broken. I looked up from where I fell but it was blocked up with rubble.

"Rytner!" I screamed. No one answered.

"Anyone!!" I screamed. No one answered.

"Helppppppppppp!!" I screamed. Still no one answered.

I was on my own. I tore two strips from my jumper and used one to wrap around my head and the other to hold my leg with a piece of wood to hold it in place from my rucksack, and two metal poles I found lying around as crutches.

I could now pick myself up, there was no light but the tiny specks from the blocked up opening. Luckily I had a yellow gem used for lighting dark areas. I held it in my fingertips and chanted "E na ecanea" and waves of light came from it. I walked around trying to find a way out but all I saw was a wall, another wall, another wall till I found a giant wall, four times the size of me, with a crack in it. It had strange markings with one huge one at the top, for some reason it seemed familiar but before I could work it out, I felt a tugging on my neck. I looked and saw my pendant floating, dragging me to the crack in the wall. It glowed green three times till the crack in the wall opened, it was some sort of door. I slowly and nervously walked with the pendant pointing to something in the darkness.

After several paces I came to a ledge, I held my yellow gem up and it revealed some sort of great hall. A jumped down from the small ledge. When I landed some kind of army was revealed by the light. There were thousands of them on each side of the hall. I walked up to one of them and saw they were made of stone, stone statues. Mustlar, seven foot warrior coated in thick armour with sharp long shoulder protectors. For some reason, once I looked at the head, it had no face just a head with no expression or features like eyes and a mouth. It was the same for all of them; all the statues looked the same. I imagined it must have been some tomb to a great ruler or king.

My pendant glowed, pointing to something in the middle of the two armies. I walked towards it and discovered a giant tombstone with steps leading up to it. As I walked up, the pendant glowed stronger. I got to the top, on the tomb there was the same symbol I saw on the giant door. It finally hit me, the symbol was the same shape as my pendant, that was why it was glowing. The symbol seemed to be engraved in the stone, like something was meant to fit inside it. I took off my pendant and slowly placed it in the tomb, it fitted perfectly. I kept pressing it in with two fingers. Nothing happened so I tried to pull it out but my fingers wouldn't separate from the stone. I kept pulling but it forced my hand onto the stone instead. It seemed like it was glued on, I continued pulling on my hand but nothing happened. The stone then shone with a blinding green light, the ground started shaking but I was more bothered about my hand.

Smoke came from my hand; it was burning! It was agony. I struggled, trying to get free but the more I pulled, the more the burning increased. It got worst, the burns came up my arms while the pain increased. I finally screamed in agony when I felt two long burns down my back. The burn hurt more and more. I carried on screaming and closed my eyes, then an image came to my head, it was a shadow in the shape of a man with two huge bat’s wings. It jumped and flew towards me. I opened my eyes suddenly, the pain stopped but I noticed I was falling backwards down the steps and on to the stone floor. I felt weak, it seemed I was just about to die as I closed my eyes again.

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