Victor Deus (Heritage of the Blood Book 1)

by Brent Lee Markee

  The old bard walked over to the man and clasped him on the shoulder. “Well spoken friend and every word of it rang with truth in my ears.” His vocal tone and sudden movement managing to gather all the eyes in the tavern to himself. “See, this is what I was trying to tell you, one of the greatest men you have heard of in this area, and he was outdone by a simple guard.”

  He saw the arguments coming from the posture that some of the men had assumed, and he put up his hand to forestall the comments. “Hold friends, I am not trying to demean you, and I do not wish a fight. My duty is simply to inform and to carry the truth amongst the common folk of the land. Have no doubt, that the soldier who accompanied this man's grandfather into those lands was an excellent warrior, but rank in Protectorate is determined by prowess and the deeds you've accomplished. This man may not have been a low guard, maybe he was a sergeant or a lieutenant, but he asked his captain if he could go, and his captain is even better than he is, and the line continues up the chain of command.”

  “But how is that possible?” another man who was sitting at one of tables asked resignedly. He looked around at all of the other men in the room. “I don't think there is one of us in this room who doubts the word of his grandfather, but how can men be so strong?”

  The old bard scanned the room, noticing that the person in the corner now had their head fully up, but he still couldn't catch the visage of the person inside the darkness of the hood of their cloak. “Now, that's where the real story begins.” He said with a grin and a flourish.

  Now that he had everyone's attention, it was time for the main event. “About five thousand years ago, the world was in upheaval, evil was growing stronger and seemed to be overrunning the civilized kingdoms. That was when the leaders of the nations, got together with their military commanders and the wizards guild. They concluded that the evil had to be stopped at all costs before it overran all of Terrazil. The wizards argued that they could not simply wipe evil from the world, because that would upset the balance, and somehow they persuaded the nobles and the military that that was the truth of things. So instead of wiping their enemy off the face of the planet, they managed to capture most of the enemy's armies in barriers and send them through temporal displacement traps, or teleport traps as the general public likes to call them. They were sent to the continent of Terroval, whose only residents at the time were several large tribes of Orcs and some goblin-kin. Those that they couldn't catch in their traps, or that didn't go to the continent when given the choice, were eradicated.”

  “Everything went well for a time, and even crime was down to a low that no one had even believed was possible. It seemed to those foolish enough to believe so, that evil was losing its power, but that wasn't the case in Terroval. All of the creatures of an evil nature or malicious intent had been sent to live on one continent, and it became a proving ground. Kill or be killed became the new edict of Terroval, and only the strongest would survive. The wizards had been monitoring the situation sporadically over the years, and finally realized that something had to be done. So, a thousand years after the creatures had been sent away, the same three groups that had worked together to trap the evil, came together again for a conference on what should be done about the new situation.”

  “That was when the Terrazil Protectorate was formed. It was comprised of the wizards, to be the guiding force, the military, to be the physical might, and the nobles, to be the face of the Protectorate. The wizards would come to be known as the Mages of Terrazil when they started allowing other magic users into their order, and the military would soon become the Knights of Terrazil. Several royal houses had come together during that time, and they had somehow figured out the pecking order, and from that the royal house of Terrazil was born. This whole process took about two hundred years to complete before the first true members of the Protectorate touched Terroval soil.”

  “The first few years on Terroval were tough, and many men were lost. The members of the Protectorate could see that they were fighting a loosing battle, but they fought on. It has been whispered that the good dragons of the world took note of these men's courage and tenacity in the face of certain doom. The dragons knew that their own time was soon coming to an end, because there had been fewer and fewer of their kind being born every generation. They knew that in 10,000 years there would be hardly any of their kind left to watch over the world as they had been doing since the beginning times.”

  “Those that believe these stories say that the great Golden Dragon Elyalyas was the first to come forth with a plan for dragon kind, and the future of all of the races of the Protectorate. The council of nine decided in secret that the dragons would mix their blood with the good creatures of Terroval. The dragons who agreed to this all willed themselves to permanently take the form of the race that they held in highest esteem, thereby changing their base structure, and allowing the blood of the mighty dragons to flow through the veins of the lesser races, while still maintaining the chosen race's visage.

  *****

  3750 years ago

  750 years BGD (Before the Great Disaster)

  Continent of Terroval

  City of South harbor

  Alexander Dalton was surprised to see ships sailing into the bay of South harbor, there were no ships expected, and thus far surprises on this continent had been anything but good. Two dozen large ships coming into view on a hostile coastline was in fact not something he was equipped to handle. Immediately he issued orders, all of the guards that didn't want latrine duty for a month would report to the courtyard in ten minutes, battle ready. There was no hope of sending for a Mage before the ships were in firing range, and it was too early to rouse the King of any of his lackeys. He hoped such a display of readiness would dissuade any hostile actions.

  Five minutes later, all four thousand men, who weren't on duty at the walls, or bedridden, stood at attention in the courtyard in thirty two rows. Some were still donning their armor, but they were all there. Alexander Dalton was proud of his men, and the discipline he enforced amongst his ranks. He marched his men down towards the harbor, where the ships were waiting about two hundred yards off port, arranged them in four lines of a thousand and told them to have their crossbows at the ready. He didn't have to tell them to not fire until he gave the command; they were too well trained for that.

  A small boat was now making its way towards the shore. In the craft there were seven people, three who stood looking towards the shore, and four rowing the vessel. Alexander could see no weapons on board, but something made him feel uneasy. The woman in the boat caught his eye immediately, and he got the feeling that he had seen her somewhere before. She was stronger looking than most of the women he had known, but her curves declared to all without a doubt that she was a woman.

  Her hair reminded him of sunset, light red from one angle, and a darker red from the next, always changing. She looked directly into his eyes as the small craft approached. He was sure that she hadn't looked anywhere else before that, just straight into his eyes. The eyes that stared back were the color of a calm sea, blue with just the faintest hint of green. Those eyes tickled the wisp of a memory in the back of his mind, and the look she gave him was one of an old acquaintance too long unseen.

  “Excuse me but may we come ashore?” The question came from the man who stood at the front of the boat, whose voice sounded more used to oratory than to casual conversation.

  As if the man's voice was an alarm bell, Alexander Dalton pulled his gaze away from the woman to fully take in her companions. A small part of his mind rebuked him, good thing you looked for weapons before she looked up or you'd be a dead man. The only other thought that occurred to him in that brief moment was, She's gonna be trouble. The man who had asked the question was one of the largest Dwarves that Alexander had ever seen. The dwarf's skin was a golden hue, and his beard had a golden sheen, and he possessed arms that looked as worked by the forge as they were used to working one. The old dwarf looked from Alexander back to hi
s female companion and shook his head with what he would swear later was a slight grin.

  The third of the strange company was a tall and well-built Elf whose hair was like spun silver, and whose eyes were deep pools of mercury. Alexander waved them towards the shore. As they got out of the boat he noticed that they moved awkwardly, it reminded him of a butterfly just coming out of its cocoon, newly formed, and unused to having wings. He wasn't sure why that image came to mind, but it felt right. Except this time it might be the other way around. He shrugged that thought away, and assumed it was from their being on board a ship for too long.

  Given the signal, his lieutenant welcomed the party ashore and brought them over in front of the assembled knights. The lieutenant saluted sharply before speaking. “Gentlemen and Lady, I have the honor of presenting you High Commander Alexander Dalton of the Knights of Terrazil, last in the line of defense against the evils that would ravish our world.”

  Alexander grimaced at the last part, and all three of the new comers quirked their eyebrows at the statement, but no one argued the point.

  “Commander Dalton, it's good to meet you, I've heard many good things.” the dwarf said in his gruff yet commanding voice. “My name is Elyas, and this is Ranadin, and the lady Tyrdra. We've come to help you, and we've brought five thousand some odd men and women to do it.”

  “Five thousand!” the lieutenant said excitedly before regaining his composure. The three looked at him as if he were a fly under a magnifying glass.

  “You'll have to forgive Lieutenant O'hearly, we brought fifteen thousand here to begin the fight, and we've already lost five thousand in skirmishes across the plains here. How many of your men can fight, and where are you from?” Alexander grimaced at the losses they had suffered thus far, he wasn't happy that they had so underestimated their enemy.

  The dwarf put a grin on his face and tucked his fingers behind his belt. “Everyone, men and women both. We're here to help you commander and I think you'll find we make good soldiers, though I've been told about five hundred want to train with the wizards.” He seemed to grimace at that, though being a dwarf it was understandable, most Dwarves didn't enjoy thoughts of magic.

  Five hundred… Light! “That would be more than appreciated if they have the talent for it, there are currently only twenty five wizards stationed here, there were thirty, but we seemed to have bitten off a bit more than we can chew I think. I just want your people to know what you're getting into, should you decide to stay.”

  “Oh… lad we know what we're getting ourselves into, and we welcome it wholeheartedly.” a whimsically sad look came across his face. “If our peoples are to survive this has to happen.” At that sentiment, all three of them nodded solemnly, and Alexander couldn't help but feel like he had missed something in that quiet exchange.

  “Yes, it's vital work.” Alexander said, needing something to fill the silence, before giving the signal for his men to relax. The signal meant that they still needed to be prepared for anything, but hostile intent wasn't expected.

  As the ships docked and started unloading, every race Alexander Dalton had ever seen in his well traveled life seemed to come off of the ships. There were even Orcs, he almost commanded them to be held captive, but Elyas explained that they would be going into the hills and working with the Orc tribes who were also victims in this affair. Alexander couldn't quite think of Orcs as victims, but he was glad to be getting rid of them, and an Ogre! The forces at his command were comprised mainly of the populous races that were considered civilized. He was proud of the fact that his numbers included a few of the races that normally didn't mingle with humankind, but the variety of creatures coming off of those boats was staggering. He was watching that flow of bodies coming out of the ships when Tyrdra walked up beside him.

  “Shall we walk my lord?” she said in a sweet sultry voice, and eyed him like a butcher appraising a piece of meat. From what he could tell, she liked what she saw. He didn't see any harm in going for a walk, my goodness it is a nice day. Of course, he would be quoted later as saying that he never could think clearly when she was around, and he agreed to just about all of her suggestions. She was usually right anyway, whether he thought so at the time or not.

  “I am not a Lord, I was born in the country.” he said before offering her his arm.

  “Ah, but you are a commander of men, and a good one from what I've seen, thus making you a Lord of men; thus making you a lord.” she said all of this while smiling up at him with eyes that held too much wisdom for her age.

  By Arroval, she is Beautiful! he thought before replying aloud, “Well, be that as it may, you may call me Alexander.”

  “I would rather call you husband.”

  Instead of tripping over his own feet, which at the time was one of two options, he stopped and stared at her. “I'm sorry, I think I missed a step… can we go back to that?”

  “I said I would rather call you husband, and I think you would rather call me wife, I have known you for years, and you have known me.”

  I have known you… by the light we just met… how would I… His mind raced back to his childhood when he had first seen his guardian, a great winged beast, those that he described it to had called it a Dragon. The Dragon was a beautiful hue of amber, and it had saved him from a fall that would surely have ended his life. Forward his mind raced, to a dream that he had with a beautiful woman sitting on his bed telling him not to go into a battle the next morning for it was a trap. A dream that had saved the lives of not only himself, but those of his men as well. Forward again, to a familiar voice in the back of his head telling him to apply for the commission to the continent of Terroval to command the Knights, a position for which he thought himself unqualified. The sea danced at sunset as she smiled, knowing he had remembered.

  “See my love I've been with you since you were a child, and I shall be with you until you die. Our children shall be the salvation of both of our peoples, and your name will be remembered for as long as our blood flows through the veins of our progeny.”

  That night, the men and women of the Terrazil Protectorate had two things to celebrate, the arrival of five thousand men and women to help in the fight, and their commander, who they thought lived and breathed war, had found himself a wife.

  *****

  Back in the Lion's heart Tavern

  “Thanks to the newcomers, the Protectorates numbers grew, and their capability of fighting a vastly superior enemy seemed to be increasing exponentially. No one knew for sure where those five thousand and more people came from. Some speculated that they were the gods themselves come down to aid mankind. Others said that they were manifestations of Terrazil herself brought forth to aid in the battle. I for one, believe the story that the newcomers were in fact the good dragons of the world who had taken the form of the races of Terrazil. Which can be true we may never know, but either way those five thousand that came are what kept the people of what was then called South Harbor alive.”

  “For seven hundred and fifty years they defended the land, the city of South Harbor grew prosperous, and expanded greatly. They had produced enough men and women, and enough had come in from the mainland to bring their population to upwards of a million people. Three fourths of the cities population was in the Protectorate in one form or another and the other fourth provided the necessary duties to keep a city working efficiently.” The old bard looked at all the expectant faces, and smiled.

  “What happened next?” a kid who had managed to sneak into the bar without anyone noticing asked. A fact which made the room erupt into bursts of laughter. The bard ruffled the boy's hair, and grabbed a new drink before walking to the center of the room. The sound of chairs screeching could be heard as people moved so that they could see this grand spinner of tales more clearly.

  “Ah yes, what happened next? Well, we have all heard of the great disaster that occurred about three thousand odd years ago, and we know the upheaval that it brought, but the things that were faced in the civ
ilized lands were trivial compared to the disasters that were wrought upon the land of Terroval.”

  “Winter is a common thing in the land of Terroval, and the harshest winter was welcome compared to some of the dangers the people of the Protectorate faced. This however was unexpected, and as we all know it's the things that sneak up on you quietly that you need to be the most cautious of. People had begun referring to Terroval as the Anvil, and the creatures that inhabited the continent as the hammer. Over the last few generations, changes had become more apparent in the people that lived in South harbor. Since the land was harsh, only the strongest survived, and this had an effect that was unexpected by most. The people were getting stronger, faster, smarter, and more adaptable than ever before.”

  “The problem however, was that this phenomenon was also occurring amongst the enemy's numbers. In point of fact, they still had a thousand years and more of this effect than did the members of the Protectorate. They had been sending their weakest into battle against the forces that opposed them, and used their strongest to oppose the enemies from within. A semblance of calm had settled on the land, and the members of the Protectorate had seen this as a sign that they were winning their war. There were a few amongst them however that knew what was coming; they had innate abilities built into them from their parents and their grand parents. Some of them could feel the coming storm, and some of them could feel the approach of death.”

  *****

  The year of the Great Disaster

  City of South harbor

  “Greatest grandmother we have done as you have asked. The caves beneath the city have been cleared, and entrances have been made. Do you know what exactly will happen?” The young man who spoke was of good build, and he had the look of a man you could trust to do what needed to be done.