Chapter 1 part 4

The dream began as it always had, with ‘Goodbye’. We were saying goodbye for the summer. The Adventurer’s Guild was taking a break after our long travels. It was time to return to our families and relax. Johanish, having been raised with me, would return to Skyguard Keep first and then to my home with Natasha in the Wylds. I had to visit my family but desired dearly to spend MUCH time with my beloved wife.

Skyguard was near the mountains on the south eastern border of the Wylds. The aerial keep was anchored to one of the mountains of a large unexplored valley because it was time to restock the larders. Hunting would be plentiful, and I loved a good hunt. I loved working with a bow, and as an Elven community, bows were our specialty. The Hunt was something each resident of Skyguard Keep looked forward to.

It took us almost four days for us to reach Skyguard Keep by teleportation spells and dimension doors, sleep, re-memorizing the spells, and casting them to move on. I was going home and it was a time of rejoicing for me. I knew that sweets, Holyberry wine, and much more would be in store for Johanish and me. They were treats that I was definitely looking forward to and knew that Johanish was equally reveling in.

Three days of travel from Azadmere’s western border to a little known path that would link to another more obscure path taking us to the mountains that Skyguard keep would be anchored to. Three days of anticipation balled up between two lifelong friends. The travel went fast.

Halfway up the anchor mountain, the bridge to Skyguard was clearly visible, shimmering with the light of the setting sun behind it and slightly shifting with the more than subtle breeze that was blowing of the mountain’s peak. Music and the aromas that signaled proximity to an Elven community wafted on the breeze, as well. It was the welcome of the ages, as far as Johanish and I were concerned. Yet. There was something in the air other than the smell of Holyberry wine and candied tramna. Something was not right, or about to happen. I just could not place my finger on it.

Johanish in his perpetual state of enthusiasm began to run toward the anchor bridge. I must admit, his enthusiasm was contagious enough to make me quicken my pace as well. Actually, truth be told, I was step for step with him from the moment he decided to stretch his stride to a well conditioned lope.

HOME. The word itself sent a shiver of delight through my veins that not even the magicks I wield could duplicate in my most arcane spell. For those of you who have not found where you belong, all I can do is hope and pray you can understand this feeling that is all summed up in this one simple statement ‘home is where the HEART is’.

At the top of the bridge, we took the first left and moved toward the Art District, where my family made its home. Mother was a wielder of sculpting abilities like no other. She could literally hold her hands out and whatever crossed her mind, the stone before her would become. Many of her statues, figurines, pottery and whatnots were displayed across Skyguard and even in Azadmere and Khindenkheim. Father’s paintings were legendary. His magick only seemed to work when applying paint to canvas of some sort which made me wonder where exactly mine had come from sometimes.

We made it to the manse that was my families centralizing foundation and were welcomed immediately by my youngest brother, Graicin. Young, even by elven standards, and yet making news among the community as one of many whose magicks keep the city aloft. He worked, whenever his young nature didn’t pull him away to something ‘equally important’, in the lift wells, focal points of magickal energies that kept Skyguard Keep airborne and floating from one location to the next until the need for supplies forced the city to anchor somewhere and trade with nearby neighbors.

This trade with neighboring communities, solitary clans, and even the dwarven nations was what produced the livelihood of Skyguard Keep’s people. My family, as with the rest of the aerial community, celebrated life to the fullest, having little cares and avoiding all things mundane. Sometimes I feel this is a shame, however, seeing the true joy spread on each and every face within the community, I knew that this was the best thing for the residents of Skyguard Keep.

Days passed and Johanish and I knew that it would soon be time for us to depart the company of my family once again but we wanted to do one thing. We wanted to join in on the Hunt. A large gathering of warriors, mages, clerics and thieves bent on the trail, tracking the game, and the final strike as the game was brought to the ground. It was a way for all the adventurers that had strolled back to the aerial city to come together and pay tribute to each other, as well as provide for the place that had spawned us.

Four days later, there was enough of the wayward adventurers home to actually pull together a grand Hunt. I adopted to use my bow, while Johanish pulled his sword and his sling and still others who pushed the envelope with everything from throwing darts to slings to swords and bows. It had shaped up to be quite the Hunt this time, and here I was, with this growing sense that something just was not right with the world. Does this make sense to anyone other than me? Has anyone else gotten this nagging feeling that their world was about to be torn asunder and there was little to nothing that they could do to prevent this even with the most powerful magicks at their disposal?

Some twenty of Skyguard Keep best and brightest made for the mountains to hunt, fish, track and trap. I can only speak for myself here, but I was truly happy then. Knowing that I was helping those of my family that remained behind always filled my heart with joy.

It was well after noon when those of us on the Hunt began to notice that the air had grown thick in the mountains. The very trees seemed to drip with this new, darker air. I remember looking up and seeing a line of pitch black clouds screaming across the sky, leaving behind them a dark covering of clouds where once the sun shone brightly. I KNEW it was a magickal creation. I knew that it was a creation of the blackest magicks known to life. The very magicks that I was born with told me this was true.

The warriors of the Hunt were the first to respond to the change in the air. Drawing out their best weapons, they moved quickly towards the sky-bound city. The rest of us were quick to take up the chase. My bow was already drawn, and I had the sense that it was even shivering with both anticipation and fear. I noticed that Johanish was at my side.

"Jo, stick with me, I have the feeling that this is going to get very ugly, VERY quickly." I stated knowingly. Little did I imagine how true this statement was going to be nor how quickly.

The first warrior to fall hit me red hot arrow of fire directly in my mind. His death was grizzly and his death screams reverberated off the mountains and down into the valley below. Johanish whitened. Although a seasoned fighter, there was nothing like the death knell that assaulted our ears.

There was something buzzing at the back of my mind. Something that was triggered by the way the warriors had fallen. Something remembered from a childhood long gone. It came to me in fragments. Tripping through my mind with each cry of terror. It started up with each new death that touched my mind. Fragments of a childhood ditty used to enslave children to be good and practice their lessons.

‘Dawn comes we depart, leaving death in our wake

Like unfamiliar works of art or toys about to break’

Two more warriors fall prey to this menace hunting us, as we come to the body of a third splayed next to a tree. Her throat had been ripped to shreds by an animal from the look of the wound. As we pulled away from the fallen companion, we heard another death knell, and I received another part to the mysterious little ditty flitting through the background of my mind.

‘Search for us both high and low; look with all your might

We are the fear that you’ve come to know, the source of every childhood fright’

"Leave her," I commanded and followed up with, "If we can come back for her we will give her proper send off, but for now, we must try to save as many as we can."

"But Zaar, what is it that is waltzing through our bravest and brightest warriors" Johanish asked?

"I don’t know yet, Jo. I do, however know, that it is bad, and I don’t think we really thought they existed."

Together with another warrior and an archer we ran like cheetah over the rocky surface of the mountain trail. Weapons drawn, I called a halt to our little band. Before they could ask question one, I began an enchantment that caused the weapons to burst aflame. Swords, daggers, elven bow and arrows all were lit aflame. "This will help, I said."

"We are the ones you know by name; who’ve missed our funeral pyre

Remember the holy, the sun, and the flame will turn those you call"

"VAMPIRES!!!" I shouted with a mix of shock and certainty. The warrior and archer grew pale as I shouted out this information.

"Zaar, call it out... Let everyone know... Send it to them..." Johanish said between huffing breaths and I did just that.

Of the 20 companions set out for this days hunt, only 8 of us remained. Such damage, and I blamed myself for being quick to recall a childhood rhyme that I hadn’t heard in more than 100 years. "Most are already fallen, there are 2 trapped to our right 20 paces, through the thicket of Holyberries"

Our steps changed to intercept the trapped Hunters as we crashed through the Holyberry bushes and made for them. Our noisy entrance caught the attention of a band of strangely clad creatures (one of which appeared to be a pin-cushion from the amount of arrows protruding from him)

"Marcus, add one of your arrows to him," I commanded. "Trebin take down the closest individual to you, Jo do your thing, my friend... We need you at your best. I will make my way to the others and add my magicks to their weapons. *mental note to self, boost the others weapons as well*

I took the liberty to also send to the remaining 2 of the Hunt where we were and that they should make their way to the nearest Holyberry patch and latch down. The rhyme said that the ‘holy’ would turn them. There were no questions thought back to me. It seemed to me that these remaining members of the Hunt had indeed seen what was ahead.

I glanced up at the sky. I had to draw in a breath and it was befouled by the beasts near me, but the initial drawing was due to the inky black substance that blocked all sunlight from shining. It covered so much of the sky that the mountain we were on, the next two on both sides and Skyguard Keep was swallowed by unnatural night.

"Zaar, can you do something about this damnable darkness," Trebin asked. As per his request, his weapon began to glow with a brighter flame, forcing the Shahahnehtah back by a good five feet. (For the benefit of those who don’t speak my native tongue, Shahahnehtah means ‘the Forsaken Ones’)

Marcus had taken care of three of the attackers, who were now laying in a smoldering pile of rotting flesh and clothing. It seemed our little archer, though terrified out of his wits to make comment, could well indeed fend off even this bastardized version of life. There were only a handful more for us to deal with, and I got the thoughts sent to me, that we would not have to rescue the other two members of the Hunt. They had planted themselves in a particularly large patch of Holyberry and were not intending to move until it was safe for them to.

"We six are all that need to move, we are not safe here," I announced. "We need to head for the city, but must do it through as much Holyberry as possible. It will keep them at bay and us safer than without, despite the thorny leaves and spiked stems."

"Zaar," Marcus asked. "What are these creatures that have drained the color from your skin?" (Always the eloquent one, eh?) "Unfortunately my magicks will not even begin to touch this ‘darkness’. It is beyond anything I have learned thus far."

Suddenly the whole of the Nursery Rhyme hit with the all the force of an avalanche.

"Dawn comes and we depart, leaving death in our wake.
Like unfamiliar works of art or toys about to break.
Search for us both high and low; Look with all your might.
We are the fear that you’ve come to know, the source of every childhood fright.
We are the ones you know by name, who’ve missed our funeral pyre.
Remember the holy, the sun and the flame will turn those you call...

VAMPIRE!!!"

End of Chapter 1 part 4

Written By: Belfazaar Ashantison

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