by Brandon Chen
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Behind Silver Bars
Alone with the Moon
Fellowship
Treachery
Chasing Fairy Tales
The Vile Taste of Vengeance
Don’t Lose Your Way
Becoming a Beast
Druid of the North
The Accord
The Quest of Peril
Witness the Secret
The Creator’s Wall
The Awakening Dead
Native
Fire and Ice
The Trickster
The Fall
The Shadow Realm
Any Price for Power
Second Chance
The Beginning of the End
A Taste of Freedom
The Soul Within the Shell
Survivors of Oblivion
The True King
The King of Horux
Ghost Wolf
Brandon Chen
Ghost Wolf
Ghost Wolf – Copyright 2018 – Brandon Chen
All rights reserved.
Researched and written by Brandon Chen
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under the copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in, or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission.
For permission requests, please contact:
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While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and legitimacy of the references, referrals, and links (collectively “Links”) presented in this e-book, Brandon Chen is not responsible or liable for broken Links or missing or fallacious information at the Links. Any Links in this e-book to a specific product, process, web site, or service do not constitute or imply an endorsement by Brandon Chen of same, or its producer or provider. The views and opinions contained at any Links do not necessarily express or reflect those of Brandon Chen.
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Behind Silver Bars
The massive gates to the arena groaned as they swung open, and the sun’s beaming light shined into Yuri’s turquoise eyes. The young man brushed his flowing black hair from his face as he sauntered onto a dirt battleground, surrounded by large grandstands filled with affluent citizens and nobles alike. They cheered like barbarians, their formality absent in the coliseum.
Yuri, dressed in the tattered clothes of a street rat, pressed the soles of his bare feet onto the scorching dirt, his skin tingling from the heat. Dirt and grime was smeared across his ripped clothing, from his grey shirt to his torn pants.
Yuri felt the puzzled looks of countless nobles burning into him. After all, what was a boy from the slums doing in Horux’s Noble Arena?
The Noble Arena was a coliseum that hosted an annual competition between the various Houses of the nobles. Each House chose a fighter that would participate in the brawl and battle for their faction’s honor. It was typical that most noble Houses opted to hire professional fighters, trained warriors, or skilled heroes to fight on their behalf. But the group that Yuri represented picked a destitute boy from the grim corners of the ghetto.
Yuri scanned the crowd and eventually caught sight of his best friend, Asmund, of the Wolf Noble House. The boy brushed his curly blonde hair from his sky-blue eyes. He wore vermillion garments coupled with golden necklaces that dangled to his chest, flaunting his wealth.
It was Asmund’s father, Beo, who’d enlisted Yuri for this prestigious contest. The winning House of the competition was awarded tremendous amounts of gold, wealth that each faction wanted in their treasury. Many were bewildered by the noble’s choice of Yuri as the Wolf House’s champion, but Beo seemed confident in Yuri’s skill.
The other four combatants were all shirtless, revealing their rippling muscles and toned bodies. They all had their eyes trained on Yuri, whom they believed to be the weakest of the brawlers. It was clear that their plan was to eliminate the young man first.
Yuri licked his bottom lip and smirked at his opponents. He cracked his neck and hopped about, trying to get his blood circulating. Any ordinary boy would’ve been nervous in his current situation, being thrust into an arena against experienced warriors. However, he didn’t feel anything but the electrifying sensation of adrenaline channeling through his veins, filling him with excitement. He slammed his fist against the palm of his other hand, a smile spreading across his face. I’m ready.
The announcer’s voice reverberated through the stadium: “Hello, ladies and gentlemen! We’ve gathered today to witness the annual battle in the Noble Arena of Horux! We have our five contestants, each representing their Noble House! Now, brawlers, you were frisked before you entered the arena, and you know that you will fight using only your body. As this is a friendly match, murder is prohibited. You are to battle until there is only one man left standing! The winning House of today’s event will receive three tons of gold and the victorious champion will be invited to dine at Horux’s palace with the royal family!”
Yuri blinked, his arms drooping to his side. Suddenly, the roars of the crowd became muffled. He found himself staring at the king, who was seated on the far side of the stadium beside his beautiful daughter. The winner gets to have dinner with the royal family? He looked to the graceful princess, whose beauty mesmerized him in an instant. It took all of his willpower to pry his gaze from the highborn woman and turn his attention back to the overly-confident fighters before him. The boy’s hands balled into tight fists at his side, his knuckles cracking. His eagerness for victory was now enhanced tenfold.
“Get ready!”
Yuri acknowledged his first target, the man to his right that was nearest to him. The opponent was about fifty meters away, so it would take a brief sprint to reach him. Yuri knew that he would have to knock that man out quickly before the other three fighters reached him. Would he get there fast enough?
“Go!”
“Get them, Yuri!” Asmund called out, his voice somehow standing out amongst the countless cries and shouts that shook the stadium.
Yuri dug the tip of his right foot into the ground and took off, racing across the arena with incredible speed. The wind pounded into his face, blowing back his hair, but his confident gaze stayed locked on its target. The crowd watched in awe as the young man reached his opponent in six seconds, moving at such a fast pace that it didn’t seem like he would stop. And he didn’t.
The stunned man stood, stupefied by the boy’s sprinting speed. Yuri leapt forward and clobbered the man across the cheek, sending the brawler spinning to the ground. The opponent was unconscious before he struck the dirt. Yuri skidded to a stop, turning to see that another participant was quickly approaching him from behind. That’s one down.
The street boy swung his body around, bringing his leg upward and kicking the man right in the throat. A gasp escaped the man’s lips, but Yuri couldn’t afford to give him a moment to catch his breath. He grabbed his enemy by the head and relentlessly smashed his knee into the fighter’s skull. The crowd roared at the resounding crack that split air. That’s two.
Yuri released his fallen opponent and allowed the limp man to collapse to the sandy ground, blood streaming from a massive gash on his head. The boy turned around and received a solid punch to his face, sending him staggering backward. He twitched his aching nose and ignored his spinning vision. He’d taken plenty of punches before; this was nothing. But wow, this guy really knows how to punch. He glared at his next foe, a bulky man of massive proportions.
Yuri shot forward and unleashed a barrage of fast p
unches that pounded against the man’s forearms, which he held up to protect his face from the oncoming flurry of blows. Yuri brought his knee upward and sank it straight into the man’s genitals. The color drained from the man’s face as he exhaled painfully through his mouth. His arms instinctively lowered to protect his private area, leaving most of his body open to attack. Yuri launched a powerful blow into the brawler’s cheek, driving him straight to the ground. And there goes three — one left.
The boy waved his aching fist in the air, wincing at the bleeding cuts on his knuckles. At that moment, he received yet another punch to his face, sending him staggering sideways. Yuri groaned, the metallic taste of blood flooding into his mouth. He eyed his last enemy, the final obstacle standing between him and his dinner with the princess. Not to mention winning honor and riches for his best friend’s House.
Yuri shook his head, trying to clear his dizziness. The corners of his vision were already starting to blur after receiving such a fierce strike to the face. “Yeah, that’s a nasty punch,” he spat, watching as his enemy bounced back and forth, patiently waiting for Yuri to make his next move. It doesn’t matter though, I’ve probably been in more fights than you can even dream of.
Yuri brought his right leg in a sweeping kick that rushed upward towards the man’s ribcage. The brawler swept his arm to the side, perfectly prepared to block the attack. You’re finished. Yuri halted himself and brought his leg back, swinging his entire body in a spin so that his kick cut around from the left instead of the right. Shock and disbelief registered on the fighter’s face as Yuri’s heel cracked straight into the unprotected side of his face, sending him crashing to the dirt ground.
Like a starving wolf, Yuri pounced on his prey, sitting on his opponent’s stomach as he mercilessly rained a bombardment of heavy blows on the man’s face. Blood splattered onto the dirt around him and Yuri felt the warm liquid sticking to his stinging knuckles.
Realizing that his opponent was unconscious, the boy lowered his hands to his side. Gasping as he staggered to his feet, he towered triumphantly over the defeated participants. A prolonged silence dragged out as the spectators stared at the arena’s champion.
An uproar of mixed reactions suddenly erupted from the crowd. Some were angry that Yuri had won, believing that he’d used cheap tricks to win. Some were surprised, for they didn’t expect a young man from the slums to be able to compete against experienced warriors that had participated in real wars. And the rest were of Asmund’s Noble House, overjoyed that their chosen participant was victorious.
Yuri could feel the ground beneath him quaking from the roaring cheers and he turned to look at Asmund, who grinned like a child on his birthday. The victor chuckled and then turned his gaze to the princess. Now, he was finally going to have the chance to talk to her.
***
“Ow, ow, ow,” Yuri grumbled as one of Asmund’s servants pressed a bag of cold ice to his swollen eye. He snatched the bag away from the woman, who retreated several steps. She seemed startled. “I can do it myself.” The boy sat on the edge of a large bed, wincing as he watched Asmund pace back and forth excitedly.
“I can’t believe you won that!” Asmund exclaimed, throwing his arms into the air. “That was incredible. I mean, I know that you said that you were really good at fighting, but I didn’t know you were that good! Outstanding, and the fact that you just took those punches and kept standing … I would’ve been knocked out from the first one!”
“That’s why you wouldn’t last a day in Horux’s slums,” Yuri said, laughing. He lowered the bag of ice from his eye and pointed to his face. “Let’s forget the arena for a second and focus on the important issue here. How am I going to fix this eye before my date with the princess?”
“You realize that it isn’t a date, right?” Asmund said, folding his arms as he smirked at his injured friend. A small smile crossed his lips as he looked at Yuri’s swollen face. “The king is going to be there, along with dozens of knights, so you won’t have any private time to enchant her. I doubt you’ll even get the chance to hold her hand.”
“Who knows? I’m a sneaky guy. I’m sure that I’ll figure something out.” Yuri winked. “Don’t underestimate a thief. I’ve been stealing my whole life, especially the hearts of fair maidens. My charm will indefinitely claim her love.”
“What charm?” the noble jested.
“Oh, shut it.”
The door opened and Yuri turned to find Beo sauntering into the room. The noble was dressed in a fancy black suit tailored from the most expensive cloth in Horux. He had a rose tucked into his front pocket and wore a buttoned white shirt underneath the jacket. Tapping his ebony leather boots on the marble floor, the handsome man smiled charmingly at the two boys. He ran his hand over his slicked-back dark hair. His brown eyes drifted over Asmund and rested on Yuri. “I’m impressed that you won, Yuri,” Beo said with a grin. “Those were highly talented warriors that you were facing. Most of the nobles bet that you would be the first one to be knocked out of the competition.”
Yuri smirked, pointing to his chest with his thumb. “Those warriors might have been on the battlefield once or twice before … but I’m on it every day.” He lowered his hand and grabbed his ice pack, pressing it back to his stinging eye. “Those brawlers did hit hard. But in terms of agility, they were lacking.”
“Hm, it would seem that the Lower District sure has trained you to become quite the fighter,” Beo said observantly. “No one from our Noble House had ever seen you in action before, so it was quite the delightful surprise that you were able to single-handedly defeat the rest of the participants. Even the king himself was impressed with your talent.”
“Did the princess say anything?”
“Not that I am aware,” Beo said, raising his eyebrow.
“Yuri’s got a little crush,” Asmund said to his father.
“Quiet,” Yuri muttered, his face beginning to turn beet-red. His face became even hotter when Beo burst out in merry laughter. “H-Hey! Princess Violet is one of the most stunning women in all of Horux,” he grumbled. “Either way, I don’t stand a chance if I don’t get rid of this swollen eye.”
“I know a relatively skilled magician in the marketplace that can fix you up quickly. She’s expensive, since she uses magic to heal her patients, but I’ll cover the expenses. It’s the least that I can do after today’s victory,” Beo said, walking over to a wooden table that had several sheets of paper stacked beside a quill and ink. The noble dipped the quill in the small container of ink and began to scribble on a piece of parchment. “Go and see her first thing tomorrow morning. If you hand her this, she’ll heal anything you present to her.” Beo held out the note to Yuri.
The boy took the piece of paper and put it in his pocket, nodding thanks to Beo. “I appreciate it.”
“It’s no problem. The king will send a messenger to let you know when your dinner with the royal family is scheduled,” Beo said. “We have a celebratory feast planned for tonight. Will you stay? The cooks are making exquisite dishes that I know you’ll love.”
“No, sorry,” Yuri said, standing up. He bowed his head in apology to the noble. “I should go home tonight. I haven’t seen my family in several days, but I’ll make sure to come by tomorrow.”
“I can give you your portion of the earnings then.” Beo smiled.
Yuri shook his head. “I don’t need the money. It’s fine.”
The noble blinked, surprised that the poverty-stricken boy was rejecting such a generous offer of wealth. “But with the gold you could—” Beo met Yuri’s gaze and sighed. “Okay, I understand. Perhaps we can talk about this later.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pouch that jingled with gold coins. It was probably enough to buy food for Yuri’s family for an entire week. “At least take this. Since you won’t be having dinner with us, you might as well grab something to eat on your way home.”
Yuri stared at the pouch for a moment and accepted it, knowing that Beo’s Hous
e was now rich beyond belief from the tournament winnings. The boy tucked the money into his pocket. “Thanks.” He grinned at Asmund. “I’ll catch up with you tomorrow then?”
Asmund smirked, raising his hand as he bumped his forearm against Yuri’s, forming a X with their arms. That was their sign of friendship. “Sounds good. Give Terias my regards.”
Minutes later, Yuri was strolling down the cobblestone path that left Asmund’s mansion. The manor’s front yard was the size of the entire street that Yuri lived on, a street that was home to five hundred people. But here, all this fresh grass was used for nothing but show.
Yuri narrowed his eyes, playing with the pouch of coins in his pocket. The luxurious lifestyle that all of the nobles lived was extremely unfair. He knew that. Many of the inhabitants of the Horux’s Lower District loathed Yuri, for his connection with Asmund’s family allowed him to benefit from a few of the luxuries that the nobles enjoyed daily.
In fact, Beo and Asmund both regularly offered Yuri money to help him and his family get by. Taking the bag of money from his pocket, the boy tossed the jingling pouch into the air and caught it. Most of the time, he rejected their generosity. Although, there were always exceptions.
***
Beo lumbered through the dark corridors of Horux’s abandoned jail, located two thousand feet beneath the city. The noble held a luminous torch, its vibrant light combating the blackness that swallowed the catacombs. Trudging forward, his heavy footsteps echoed loudly through the empty halls. Behind him, he dragged a heavy sack, soaked with blood.
He finally halted at a gigantic cell with hundreds of silver bars that touched down from the high ceiling. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a slab of raw, bloody meat. He tossed it into the cell, watching as the bait slapped onto the stone ground.
“Come out, Faelen,” Beo called out, his expression stern as he gazed into the darkness before him. He reached out and used his torch to light a small brazier beside the cell, illuminating the area. “There’s no need to be shy, it’s only me.”
