A Demon's Quest the Beginning of the End the Trilogy Box Set

by Charles Carfagno Jr.

  It was around mid-afternoon when Norice’s horse was struck by an arrow, which sent Norice flying headlong into the woods. The attack came from a pair of Chatar. They were hiding in thick bushes, waiting to attack anything that passed by. After firing several more arrows in the rider’s direction, they left the bushes and gave chase, eager to capture their dinner.

  ****

  Surprisingly, Norice didn’t get hurt after he was thrown from his mount. More arrows sailed past his head, then he scrambled to his feet and ran deeper into the woods, fearing for his life. The cat-and-mouse chase went on for a half-hour and ended when the ground beneath Norice’s feet suddenly gave way. He plummeted into the darkness below, bumped his head on the ground, and was rendered unconscious.

  Norice dreamt that he was standing in a dense forest with a crackling fire only a few feet away. A thick, leafy canopy blotted out the sun, giving off the appearance that it was twilight. A slight wind suddenly blew from the east and carried the sound of children crying. He listened for what seemed like an eternity, until he heard the distinct voice of his eldest child crying for him. Norice whipped out his hunting blade and ran off in the direction of the cries. He navigated his way through a maze of trees, thick bushes, and across streams, trying desperately to reach his daughter. Just when he thought he was getting closer, her pleas changed direction. Quickly, he followed, running faster than before, until he came upon a large cave with his three children tied to a post near the entrance. Together they turned toward him and pleaded, with tear-streaked eyes, for his help. As Norice stepped closer, an enormous black-horned being, dressed in battle armor and carrying a large pike the size of two men, came lumbering out of the cave on hoofed feet.

  Norice recognized the creature from his dreams, and stopped advancing when the fiend hissed at him. The children cried for their father again. Norice looked at their terrified faces and the fresh tears running freely down their cheeks. The creature moved next to his children, and Norice gathered his courage and charged after him. The fiend waited until he was close enough before bringing his mighty weapon about and slicing his eldest child in two at the waist. Norice screamed and plunged his long stiletto several times into the fiend’s side, trying desperately to stop the beast. The creature straightened, laughed at his feeble attempt, and brushed the puny mortal aside with a stern backhand. The fiend grabbed his youngest child by the head and ripped it off his shoulders. Norice’s heart exploded with sadness as he got up and repeatedly struck the fiend with the dagger. The fiend hissed a horrifying sound of delight before backhanding Norice again, sending him hurtling through the air.

  Norice looked up in horror at the fiend, smiling in delight, beside his mutilated children.

  “Come, human, it’s your turn,” the creature said in Norice’s tongue and slowly approached him.

  A few feet away from Norice, something glistened and caught his attention, causing him to look over. Sticking halfway out of the ground was a glimmering two-handed sword. Something told Norice to grab the weapon, and in one motion, he took hold of the hilt and pulled the weapon free.

  Immediately, the sword spoke into his consciousness, “I am Celthric, and I alone can defeat this fiend which haunts you. Allow me to take control.”

  Norice obeyed his wishes. His arms were moved to the middle guard, as he bravely stood before the demon, poised and ready to strike. Meanwhile, the demon sensed the sword as well and approached the inferior creature that stood before him.

  “Know this, mortal. Your kind is doomed, and my brethren will be here soon enough to enslave you all.”

  The fiend relaxed his guard and invited his opponent to attack. Norice did just that by charging forward. The melee lasted for several volleys until Norice finally broke through the fiend’s guard and pierced his chest. In a final effort, the demon grabbed Norice’s head with his massive hand and squeezed. Norice awoke with a startle. The dream felt all too real to him. Despite the horror, he realized that the sword would give him the necessary confidence to defeat the demon, if it was something tangible.

  The cavern’s damp earth was a welcoming feeling, as reality set in as to where he actually was. His head hurt, along with the rest of his body, as he moved his limbs, one at a time, to make sure nothing was broken. Satisfied, he stood up on shaky legs and checked his body for obvious injuries. When he was through, he lit a glow rock and scanned the area until his eyes adjusted to the darkness, enabling him to identify the outline of the cave. The cold, damp cavern stretched as far as the eye could see, and somewhere up ahead, he heard a constant drip of water reverberating off the walls. A chilly breeze blew from the north and spurred him to wrap his worn, and now tattered, cloak tightly around his body. Gazing skyward at the opening, he realized two things: it was dusk, and his only chance of escape would have to be by other means than the hole he fell through. Without something hanging down from the hole, there was no way he was going to leave the way he’d come. After taking out his knife, he began walking.

  Chief Weis, and the rest of the men from the town of Solarce, found Norice’s horse shortly before nightfall. Tranter examined the scene and figured out what occurred, then he found the hiding place the boarmen used to launch their deadly attack. Following this path, Tranter led the men until they reached the hole.

  “What do you think?” Chief Weis asked Tranter, after he studied the hole.

  “It looks like the ground gave way beneath his feet, and he fell in.”

  “Do you think we should go after him?” Granit asked the chief.

  “I’m not giving up until we either take him back alive or find his body. I need four, or five, volunteers to go below and search for him. Who wants to go?”

  Granit, Rhanh, Timol, and two others raised their hands.

  “Good. I also want someone to stay with the horse while everyone else comes with me,” Chief Weis said and left with the others following close behind.

  Rhanh dropped a torch into the hole to gauge its depths. He grabbed a fifty-foot length of rope, secured it around a tree, and dropped the other end into the hole. Afterward, the men descended below.

  ****

  Norice’s glow rock eventually diminished and went out. He was left alone in the darkness with only the wall to use for guidance. He began to feel hopelessly lost in the cavern until he saw a faint glow of a torch emitting from behind. He had a feeling that whoever was following him wasn’t friendly, so he moved along the wall until he found a niche large enough to conceal him.

  It didn’t take long for his pursuers to pass his hiding spot. Once they did, he recognized their uniforms. He knew now they were from Solarce. He figured they must’ve left rope hanging, in case they didn’t find a way out and decided to go back to where he fell. Stumbling through the darkness, he reached the hole and was delighted when he saw a rope dangling from the entrance above. He listened for voices, and when he didn’t hear any, he climbed up.

  He was halfway to the top when someone said, “Did you find him?”

  Norice replied that he’d be right up. He pulled his knife, clenched it between his teeth, and continued to climb. As he neared the top, a face suddenly emerged, along with a hand, reaching down to assist him. He realized the individual couldn’t see his face and was grasping blindly to assist.

  Holding the rope with his left, he grabbed the knife with his right hand and said, “A little lower.”

  The guard reached down further. When he was close enough, Norice plunged the weapon into his throat. The guard fell away, choking on his blood for a few seconds, before dying. Norice finished climbing out of the hole. Realizing he was alone, he cut the rope, so no one could follow him up, then he put on the guard’s gambeson, took his sword, and proceeded to kill all of the horses, except for one. Adding insult to injury, Norice took their supplies and left.

  ****

  About an hour later, Granit and the four men emerged from the cave. They approached Chief Weis and the others.

  “Did you find him?” Trant
er asked them.

  Granit nodded.

  “You must have missed him, because we didn’t see him come out.”

  “Now what?” Timol asked.

  “Go back in and check again,” Chief Weis ordered.

  Tranter’s face turned white. “Damn him!” he exclaimed, then ran where they left the horse.

  “Wait here until we come back,” Weis said and followed the tracker.

  When they arrived at the top of the hill, they saw the body near the hole, the cut rope, and the dead horses.

  “How far ahead is he?” Weis asked.

  Tranter bent down and checked the dead man. “No more than a half-hour.”

  Weis counted the dead nags. “That bastard killed all the horses except for one.”

  “We’ll have to get more if we want to have any chance of catching him.”

  “There’s a town a few miles away. We’ll get them there.”

  “He’s becoming a real pain in the ass,” Tranter stated.

  Disgusted, Chief Weis gathered the men and left the area.

  By midnight, Norice arrived at a small deserted and dilapidated town. He was really tired, so he knew that he was going to spend the night. After surveying the area for any signs of danger, he proceeded down the snow-covered road while remaining vigilant as he passed the buildings.

  When he was halfway down the road, one building, in particular, caught his attention, and he stopped directly in front of it. The sign, cracked and hanging by one fastener, read “Trint’s Supplies.” Norice felt compelled to enter. He ruffled through the horse’s knapsack until he found a glow rock. He activated the little device and dismounted. He withdrew his sword, looked around once more, and walked up to the door. He was about to enter the building when he felt someone, or something, watching him. The intense feelings caused him to turn around and stand ready. For several long minutes, he remained poised, and when nothing presented itself, he walked into the store.

  From across the street, an angry entity watched the mortal enter the store. It wanted to destroy him, but cursed the living instead, because he had no means. Its loathing gave way to prospect and thoughts of opportunity that maybe It could use him as a host and leave this retched place of loneliness. The entity knew It would have to be careful given Its other failed attempts. It now desired to remember Its past, but found it couldn’t. It grew angry again and followed the mortal inside.

  Norice found the room in complete disarray. On either side, broken tables and chairs littered the floor along with torn parchments, shattered jars and glass containers. To the far end of the room, a counter stared back at him, and slightly to the right of that, stairs leading upward. As Norice moved toward the counter, he once again felt the same presence. This time, it felt very close and directly behind him. Without pausing, he whipped his body around as he swung the blade. To his surprise, there was nothing there. He remained poised for an opponent that never appeared and waited until the sensation passed before moving to the counter.

  Behind the counter, he saw the skeletal remains of a humanoid dressed in a torn black shirt and leggings with arrows lodged in between its ribcage. A rusty saber was still gripped tightly in its bony left hand and a dagger in its right. There was nothing of value, Norice decided, and proceeded up the creaky stairs.

  After reaching the top landing, he saw three closed doors down the hallway. One on his left, another on the right, and double doors at the far end. He listened carefully for anything out of the ordinary, then he quietly approached the door on the left, pressed his ear against the wood, and listened. Beyond the door, nothing stirred, prompting him to open it and hold the glow rock higher in the air. The room was empty except for a broken-down bed and a fireplace with a few scorched logs. He was about to enter when a chill unexpectedly raced up and down his spine, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Quickly turning around, Norice was greeted by an empty hallway. He was positive more than ever that something was following him even though he couldn’t see it.

  He called out to the empty space, “Whoever is here, I mean you no harm and will be gone by morning. Please leave me be.”

  He felt foolish talking to an empty hallway, but his mother always said that if you ever felt like someone was watching you, then most likely it was a restless spirit that refused to leave their place of death. She also said that if you tell them your intentions, it should be enough to ward off any harm. The eerie feelings lingered for a few more minutes before dissipating. He silently thanked his mother for her advice and walked over to the room on the right.

  This room was in even worse shape than the last. The bed and dresser were smashed to pieces. There was a skeleton inside of the fireplace and another in the corner with a spear wedged inside of the stomach cavity.

  Norice moved on to the last room. After listening to the silence, he opened the door. To his surprise, the room was tidy, and the furniture was in perfect condition. In the center was a small round table with chairs. Off to his left was a bed big enough to sleep several people comfortably. Beside the bed was a dresser and nightstand, and opposite of the bed was a fireplace with logs placed into a bucket. A lone window to the right provided very little lighting throughout the room. He walked over to the fireplace, added a few logs and tinder, grabbed two pieces of flint and struck them together until sparks ignited the tinder.

  After the logs caught fire, Norice removed his gambeson and climbed into the bed. The warmth from the fire and the comfortable bed allowed him to fall asleep within minutes.

  Norice’s dreams began peacefully. He was at home with Tiana and the kids, and they were sitting around the hearth singing songs. They were halfway through their third song when they heard a knock on the front door, prompting his eldest child to get up and answer it. A cloaked figure, dressed in black, quickly stepped inside. He was a tall, thin, young man with a scar running down his left cheek and wore his long, dark hair tied neatly into a ponytail. The man walked over, sat down beside Norice, and introduced himself as Celthric. Norice spoke with him, and Celthric told him of things to come, and how he must travel north to an ancient battlefield. There, they will meet, and together they will face his fears and save his family. The conversation lasted until the loud sound of trees being knocked down, or thrown, erupted from somewhere outside. Norice knew who was coming and began to panic. Celthric reiterated what he needed to do. Norice got up and moved toward the door just as something crashed into the house.

  ****

  Norice awoke with his arms and legs flailing. It took him several seconds to calm himself and realize that he was only dreaming. He listened to the darkness and then reached for the dagger under the pillow and pulled the weapon close to his chest. He looked at the fireplace and noticed the fire was reduced to embers, prompting him to leave the warmth of the covers, walk over, and place two more logs onto the dying fire. He stoked the embers until the wood ignited, then returned to the bed and began thinking about his dreams. They were beginning to feel more real every time he slept. He was so afraid, not only for himself, but for his family as well, and it made him sick knowing that they could get hurt. What did his dreams mean? Who was Celthric? Was he a god, a demon, a part of his consciousness, a figment of his imagination, or was he going insane? His thoughts shifted to the family he murdered, how he killed innocent people for his own selfish reasons. Deep down, he knew that he’d have to atone for his actions, but he hoped to save his family before that day came. The warmth and crackling of the fire brought a sense of peace to him. Soon, his mind drifted to another time and place, and his eyes began to flutter until he was overwhelmed and fell asleep.

  From the other side of the room, the Presence lost Its opportunity to enter the mortal’s dreams when he awoke abruptly. It was busy thinking about the mortal’s free will and cursed him for the lost chance. Its anger gave way to calmness when the mortal fell asleep again, and it entered his dreams shortly thereafter.

  Norice was dreaming that he was standing on a bloo
dy battlefield with dead bodies stretching as far as the eye could see. He recognized some of the dead as Tay, the stable boy; Rollen and his family; and Chief Weis with his wife and children. He began walking east, through the dead, when a voice called to him from the west.

  “Norice, come to me,” the voice said.

  Norice stopped abruptly, turned around, and began walking west. The voice guided him until he came upon a clean-shaven, gray-haired old man wearing black robes.

  “Who are you?” Norice asked, standing before him.

  The old man smiled and said, “I am Celthric.”

  “Why are you old this time?”

  “I can be many things.” Celthric shifted to the appearance of a child, then a sword, and back to the old man.

  “Are you a god?” Norice asked.

  “No, I am here to guide you to me. There is a great evil afoot, and it hunts for you and your family.”

  “Why me?”

  “You’re special.”

  “In what way?” Norice asked, even though he was afraid of the answer.

  “The fruit of your loins holds the key to mankind and his salvation, and they must be kept alive.”

  “Which one?”

  “I do not know.” Celthric shifted his stance and suddenly turned his head toward the north.

  Norice followed his gaze. “What is it?” he asked.

  “Another Presence is here?”

  “The fiend?”

  “No, something real, and very dark, and not part of this dream.”

  “Where?” Norice anxiously asked, looking around frantically.

  “There,” Celthric pointed, “follow me.”

  From further away, the Presence studied them. It knew the old man was not part of the dream, and when they began walking toward It, the Presence read Norice’s mind and left the dream before they arrived.

  The old man suddenly stopped and said, “It’s gone. The intruder has left.”