Please do not post here. Thanks. Vocabulary of Akinos Akinos- The planet in which the story takes place Yun- the Under World of Akinos Hero- a paladin of good whose life is devoted to killing the Foe Foe- a villain whose life is devoted to destroying Akinos, or dominating it ikut- an idiot. Normally used to describe incompetent apprentices. akth wei dank, ki gehn uas fem semas- an akinosanian saying meaning "Your soul departs, we shall protect you from Darkness" kezimet- strings set on fire by a trip wire, the primitive form of lasers. Guardian- a stone figure that moves, fights, and talks when it's home is in danger. Massively strong and virtually un-killable by a single person. Prologue "Once, every millennium, it is said that a Hero shall rise to smite all foes of thy Kingdom, to spread Justice throughout thy land, and to be a Savior to thy kin. Yet, he shalt not go unopposed, for a great Foe doth grow for him to do war upon. Thus is the cycle of Akinos, the World of all Worlds. Should there come a time in which neither Hero nor Foe shall rise, know that all is at stake, for the One shall be chosen by the Gods to doom man, or to save him, and shall be named by the birthmark on his palm." -Prophecy of the Heroes Chapter One Til Death Do Us Part With a heave of his claymore, Dalen killed his archenemy, the deadly Hydra. Or so he thought. One final head lay on the ground, making no sound as it slithered across to the wounded Hero. Dalen didn't even have time to think before a giant mouth swallowed him whole. "Blasted Foe! Knocked aside my claymore!" Dalen spat as he moved closer to the beast's belly by the Hydra's throat muscles. Dalen reached into his boot and pulled out a curved dagger. ~Measly butter knife...~ a voice in the Hero's head muttered. "Oan, why don't you use some of your power to help me!" Dalen screeched, trying in vain to slash his way out. ~As the Adviser to the One, I can't do that, Hero Dalen.~ The bloody warrior's eyes widened as something dawned on him. "You mean...I'm not the One?" ~Of course not you idiot!~ Dalen wildly swung his dagger, cutting open the beast's neck. Yet as he did so, Oan appeared in front of him. Dalen had never before seen the spirit, and gazed in awe at his ghostly appearance. Oan conjured a wicked scythe with ancient runes carved onto the blade, saying akth wei dank, ki gehn uas fem semas. Dalen threw his blade at the spirit, but Oan sent a gust of wind blowing it aside. "After all I've done, it's time for me to die?!" Dalen screamed as he fled from the deadly revenant, picking up his claymore. Oan showed no expression as he responded. "The Gods have found a new pawn for their games. She shows quite promise." "SHE!?" Dalen charged his former master, parrying blow after blow from the great scythe. "There has never been a woman Hero!!" Oan smirked. "And there won't be. She is the One." And with that final note, Dalen OakenShield, Slayer of the Hydra, Hero of Akinos, was killed.
Chapter Two Denial Lurking in the shadows, no one saw her until it was too late. The girl had her dagger on the bank guard's throat, gripped by a tan hand in a fingerless glove. The guard, startled, had just awoken from his slumber. He could almost hear his Captain saying "Told you not to sleep on duty,Mel!" He snuck a glance at his partner, Hyl. Hyl had a suprised look on his face, which was deathly pale. That's when the guard noticed the crossbow bolt in Hyl's chest. "W-who are you?" Mel stammered. "I am your worst nightmare. I am Hawk." a sinister voice from behind stated. The last thing Mel remembered before blacking out was the dagger's pommel being slammed into his head. Hawk sheathed her dagger, then reloaded her crossbow. Her dark hair cascaded down her back as she sprinted to the vaults. Hawk examined the floor and found a tripwire, just as she suspected. She carefully cut it with her dagger, then lept backwards as lines of fire shot down from the walls, creating a complicated maze of kezimet. Hawk did a somersault under the first flames, then suddenly jumped up and landed like a cat. She did a cartwheel, then quickly dodged an arrow shot from the ground. A minute later, Hawk was across. She was in a yellow room, and in the middle was the prize: a diamond the size of a man's head. ~You'd think they'd guard it better, wouldn't you?~ Hawk spun around, trying to find the voice's location. Just for a second, you could see fear flicker in those amber, cat like eyes. ~Don't be such a stranger, Hawk. We're going to be together for a very long time.~ the voice chuckled. "How do you know my name?" by now Hawk was concerned. -Did the bank have a Guardian? If so, I might as well walk myself to Yun.- Hawk thought as she surveyed her surroundings. The only cover was the pedestal where the diamond was kept (which was useless), and she couldn't go through the kezimet while in combat. ~I saw your palm, Hawk.~ the voice seemed as if it came from inside Hawk's own head. She forced herself to not listen to the voice as she snatched the diamond. Hawk examined the floor. Colored lights beamed out of the stained glass window, forming the famous Prophecy of the Heroes. "I hope who ever came up with that old tale is in Yun," she muttered as she examined her palm. "Stupid hawk birthmark."