David Bishop and the Legend of the Orb

by T. C. Crawford

  “As I continued to read, I realized there was a part of me that already knew what it was, for I had already become intimately familiar with it. It was the same birthmark that I had on my arm – ‘a small discoloration, in the shape of a spiral’. That is what the text said. Can you believe it? So subtle, yet unique enough that not another soul would have it. And there it was, on my arm the whole time, daring me to find the truth!

  “Now it all made sense, why he never told me the truth of my heritage. The King didn’t raise me out of the goodness of his heart! He raised me because I was the heir to the greatest threat his kingdom had ever known!

  “My father, the Southern King, must have taken me with him all those years ago on that fateful day in the Battle of the Northern Pass. When he was defeated in battle, I was left, cold and alone in my father’s caravan. A caravan he expected to bring to Eldergate in his march to victory. Instead, there he left me, alone and in the mercy of my enemy.

  “King Eldergate kidnapped me and raised me, filling me with lies that I was some nobody, a lost orphan boy who had wandered into his life through the kindness of his dying wife, so that I would never grow up to know who I truly was. He was afraid that if I knew, that one day I would challenge his rule and aim to conquer his kingdom like my ancestors should have done!”

  The Elders stood dumbfounded at the rage of the General, a rage that seemingly burst out of nowhere.

  “What you say is partly true, but your anger has distorted it into something it is not!” replied the Master Elder calmly. “He could have left you there to die, Octavian. Instead, he had compassion on you, the son of his greatest enemy. He raised you as his own, to give you a life worth living. A life you never would have had without his kindness and mercy. An act you’re now choosing to repay with blood and vengeance!”

  “LIAR!” shouted the General, rage distorting his face.

  His fury disappeared as quickly as it came, a sign of the man’s clearly unstable mental state.

  General Octavian Krauss stood for a moment, apparently collecting himself before continuing.

  “Once I knew who I truly was, I made a vow to never let my lineage be forgotten. To one day rise and take my rightful place as leader of the Southern Kingdom once again and to rebuild my nation back to its rightful glory! This fueled my search for answers with such passion, such fury, that I seemed to never tire.

  “I looked for a way to overthrow the King. I knew he had no heir, not since his only son was killed in the battle with my father, so it was only a matter of time that his rule would come to an end. So…at first, I waited, plotting the ways in which I would take his place on his death bed.

  “I realized, if I could keep his good grace, he might just leave me the Kingdom when he passed. But then, I heard of a rumor. A rumor that he might have a living heir, a daughter from a passing romance with one of the maidservants while his wife, my adopted mother, was on her deathbed. I knew that if this were true and word got out, this girl would rightfully inherit the kingdom when the King passed.

  “I was furious, but determined not to be defeated, I searched the royal records for anything that would lead me to find who this woman was. I only just recently discovered a clue that would lead me to that answer, but…in my search through the archives, I found something far more helpful to me at the time – a source of power so magnificent, so intoxicating, that I could hardly believe my luck!

  “I found the ancient manuscripts from the leader of the Order of the Abyss – a tomb compiling the thoughts and spells of an ancient organization dedicated to the worship of the Defiant One – the Mystic of Death himself!”

  “That is a very dangerous text, Octavian” warned the Master Elder, “It was locked away in the Archives for a reason!”

  “Yes, yes that is precisely why I took it and absorbed every little detail that I could!” replied the General, a mad flicker in his eyes.

  “And I quickly found that the power that it promised was real.”

  He held out his hand and a green light started to flicker in the air, at first small, but then growing with intensity until settling as a large, glowing ball of neon green energy. He put forth his hand and released it, causing the wall of the room to burst into pieces, falling into the cool night air and crashing in large pieces onto the palace grounds far below.

  “You see, Elders…you’re no longer needed here. I have a power far greater of my own, and unlike you, I’m not afraid to use it to get what I want!”

  The Elder’s looked at one another, a deep fear rising in their hearts for the first time since the onset of the last great war. They suddenly knew what they were facing, and not one of them was equipped to handle it alone.

  Together they were strong, but they were already missing one of their own – Tyrius – and they knew without him they didn’t have the combined strength to confront this powerful dark magic. Only one truly did, and he was hopefully already far away from there on his way to West Post.

  “Octavian…. you do not know what you are doing. By using the Defiant One’s powers, you are pledging yourself to him. You will be bound to him as a slave is bound to his master. He will use you like a pawn and stop at nothing until he is freed from his prison!” cried the Master Elder, trying to convince the General to abandon his mad pursuit of power.

  “It’s not too late, you can end this still! You will be forgiven if you just stop this madness!” he pleaded desperately.

  “I know exactly what I’m doing, Elder! Do not lecture me as if I am not capable of understanding! I will release the Defiant One! He has promised me a power greater than you could ever imagine and endless control over the kingdoms of Hurea.

  “He has no interest in ruling the world of mortals. All he wants is revenge on the ones who locked him away. He wants to destroy the last living remnant of the Mystics of Creation – their Orb of Power – so that they can never again return to this world!” replied the General.

  “You fool!” yelled the Master Elder. “You’re too blinded by your own greed and ambitions to see that you’re being used! If you unleash the Defiant One, he will cast you aside like the tool you are and do nothing short of destroy the world as we know it!”

  The general erupted in rage, his face distorted with every word that he spat, “YOU KNOW NOTHING OF WHAT YOU SPEAK OF!”

  “No, General, it is you who knows nothing, and you are truly lost!” cried the Master Elder.

  He spun his staff around, pointing it directly at General Krauss. A massive bolt of lightning shot from the staff and darted toward his target, but the General was too quick. He vanished and reappeared behind the Master Elder and swiftly bashed the butt of his sword into the back of the Elder’s head, and simultaneously caused a shockwave to blast the remaining Elders backward and against the bookshelves lining the walls.

  The men cried out in agony as they fell to the floor.

  The Master Elder swiftly got to his feet and raised his staff above his head, spinning it wildly while chanting an incantation under his breath.

  Suddenly violent winds began spinning wildly around him and a great darkness filled the room above the fight. Just as quickly, General Krauss began darting toward the Elder in an attempt to stop his spell, but he was too late. The spell was completed, and the winds rushed downward and shot forward in a tornado-like spiral, focusing at a single deadly point.

  The tip struck General Krauss’s shoulder and he was violently thrust backward, spinning wildly through the air until he crashed into the back wall. General Krauss quickly gained his footing and wiped the blood from his brow and mouth.

  “I see you haven’t lost your touch, old man.” said the General with a wicked smile. “But you haven’t seen what I can do yet!”

  General Krauss let out a grisly growl and threw his hands together, palms facing outward. He began chanting under his breath and slowly a green glow began pulsing from his hands. His eyes began glowing the same eerie green light and suddenly a beam of light shot from his hands, r
acing through the air towards the Master Elder.

  The Master Elder tried to divert the spell, but he was no match for this type of magic. The other elders joined in, sensing the desperation of the struggle between the Master Elder and the evil king. With their combined efforts the Elders were able to create a shield of energy surrounding their leader before the dark energy struck.

  Brilliant shards of light flew in all directions as it shattered the energy shield like glass before deflecting off into the wall behind the Elders. The blast was so powerful it blasted straight through the wall leaving a large charred opening out into the air.

  The Elders gathered together in front of the opening near the edge of the precipice, the wind flapping their cloaks viciously around them, knowing they were outmatched by the dark magic the General now wielded.

  “We have lost....” said the Master Elder, catching his breath.

  The evil king laughed and raised his hand upward, gathering energy for another powerful blast intending to finish off the helpless Elders. Quickly, the Elders gathered what energy they could spare, and just as the spell was released, the Elders vanished into thin air.

  Chapter XI

  David and the others had been trekking through the forest for hours and were utterly exhausted. The sun had been gradually moving lower and lower in the sky and they knew it wouldn’t be long before it would set, leaving them in darkness.

  Deciding they had gone far enough for the day, the company moved to prepare a makeshift camp off the beaten path near a little stream that ran from the direction of the mountain. It would provide them much needed fresh water so they could refill and refresh for the night and the next day’s journey.

  David and Erin set out gathering firewood while Rex went hunting for something to feed the hungry crew. Orin sat down and rubbed his feet, enjoying the moment of rest and the peaceful noise of the surrounding forest life.

  Orin had always enjoyed the wilderness, after all, he was practically a part of it. Being gifted in the ways of magic left him connected to the world around him. He was able to feel the heartbeat of the world, its breath in the wind, and its comfort in the solitude of the desolate areas of the world. That is why he enjoyed the forest so much, and why he preferred living in isolation.

  When he was younger, he had moved closer to the city at the behest of the First Elders. They had taken a keen interest in his abilities, and so he moved closer to the city so he could train them in the ways of their new gift of magic and prophecy. He had also helped them hide the orb and conceal it within what became known as the Forgotten Temple, although back then it was simply the Temple of the Orb.

  He sat there silently recalling the events that led up to the moment the orb was created. The horrific battles between the armies of the Defiant One and the world of the living. His people had been on the right side, fighting for the sanctity of life itself, but their foe was great, and he was very powerful. One by one they died off, until only he was left in the end. He decided then to dedicate his life to protecting the world, to honor those who had fallen before him.

  That is why he decided to help the Elders conceal the orb and keep it safe within the temple, deep within the Outer Woods near the base of the Mystic Mountain. Safe until the day when the destined warrior of prophecy would return to find the orb and unite with it, to one day restore his rightful place as a Mystic of Creation and bring balance back into the world.

  Once he knew the Elders were sufficiently learned in the art of magic, that they could indeed protect the Kingdom, and therefore, the orb, from external threats, he decided to move back into seclusion. He packed up his things and moved to the outskirts of what eventually became West Post, far away from the bustling commerce of the growing capital, where he chose to live a life of solitude – living off the bounty of the land in peace so long as he could. But that was all over now, and he wasn’t sure he was ready for it to end.

  Orin looked over to see David and Erin carrying enough wood to last them the night. They set up the twigs and kindling beneath a good stack of thicker branches to prepare the fire. Just as they were finishing up stacking the rest of the wood into a neat pile nearby, Rex walked into the camp with a massive boar stretched across his back, grinning ear to ear.

  “Think this’ll do?” he smugly asked.

  Everyone nodded eagerly and he immediately got to work preparing the boar for roasting. Orin took the hint and, opening his hands toward the firewood, began slowly mumbling something under his breath.

  The others looked intently to see what Orin was doing. Suddenly, little heat waves began to appear in the air between Orin and the fire pit, and then just as quickly the air ignited into a small ball of fire about the size of an apple. Orin pushed his hands forward and the fireball slowly flew into the gathered sticks and branches, igniting them instantly.

  Amazed, they all gathered around the fire anticipating the upcoming meal.

  As the meat sizzled and blackened over the dancing flames the group relaxed and quietly recounted the events of the day.

  “So, what exactly is that thing?” Rex said, pointing at David’s orb-hand.

  “It’s an ancient artifact that was in a way, created by the Mystics of Creation in ages past” answered Orin. “You see, after the Battle of the Mystics had come to an end and the Defiant One had been sealed away with his armies in the Dark Abyss, one of the Mystics had been killed in the fighting, and the others were mortally wounded.

  “The remaining Mystics decided their only chance was to give up what life they had left and combine it into a single, powerful object that would preserve their collective power after they were gone. That power is in the Orb.”

  “Wait…so, the Orb is the remaining life force of the Mystics of Creation?” asked Erin, completely absorbed in the fascinating history of her world that, until now, she had never been told in such detail. “I was always told it was an object of immense power, but I never knew how it was created” Her eyes were wide in wonder.

  “Yes, that is correct.” replied Orin before continuing his story. “Before they died, the Mystics passed some of their powers into a group of men. They later became known as the Elders. They were the first men to ever be gifted the ability to use magic and were tasked with the sole purpose of keeping the orb safe and secret.

  “They were told that one day the souls of the Mystics would be reincarnated into the world and could eventually reclaim their collective power and restore order back into the world. For they also knew that eventually their brother, the Defiant One, would one day break the spell that kept him trapped in the eternal prison of the Dark Abyss and once again wreak havoc on the land of the living.

  “It was the destiny of this warrior to stop this from happening so that life could continue to flourish, and the world could go on in peace, free from external threat and influence.”

  For a moment, the group sat in silence as they each thought about the newly expanded history of the world, watching the fire flickering as the fat of the boar dripped into the flames, igniting little showers that would sometimes land painfully on their skin.

  They all looked at David as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, trying to find the right words to say.

  “So, you’re saying that this thing responded to me because it thinks I’m a reincarnated version of the Mystics of Creation?” David asked, making sure he fully understood what Orin was saying.

  “According to the prophecy, you are, David.” replied Orin.

  “What makes me so special?” David asked, suddenly feeling a surge of anger towards the orb for consciously choosing him. “Was it the orb that brought me here, too?” he asked.

  “It would seem so, yes…” replied Orin softly, noticing the painful look on David’s face. “You have been given a rare gift, David, even though at the moment it may feel more like a curse given the difficulties you’ve been facing. But give it time….I think you will come to see that if you give it a chance, that curse will turn into a blessing and all
ow you to do many incredible things for our world.”

  He met David’s eyes and smiled gently.

  David knew that Orin was trying to make him feel better about being chosen by the orb, but given the circumstances he found himself in, it was very difficult to feel grateful that he was chosen for such a daunting task. How could he be responsible for the fate of the world? He felt so…. powerless.

  “Well, I hate to interrupt, but I’m thinking that dinner is ready, and I am starving!” Rex interjected, as he hacked a leg off the now perfectly roasted boar. He dug in viciously and unapologetically.

  Everyone shook their head at his grisly display of manners, and despite them all having just been filled with fear and wonder at the overwhelming task now laid out before them, they began to laugh hysterically before each in turn began helping themselves to the roasted pig.

  After they were through eating, the leftover meat was skewered and placed over the smokey fire to dry it out into strips of jerky. Orin went about preparing a perimeter of alarms while Rex prepared traps out of vines and sticks to place around their encampment.

  With a full belly and sleepiness starting to set in, Erin began preparing makeshift beds for her and David out of branches and leaves before laying their bedrolls on top. David decided it was a good time to speak privately with Orin, so he set off to patrol the perimeters with the old mage while Rex sat propped up against the base of a nearby tree, rubbing his very full and quite satisfied belly.

  When David caught up with Orin, the mage stopped, anticipating the question he knew he was about to be asked.

  “Orin, I need to ask you something.”

  “Go on.” he replied, knowingly.