Prologue

The tales of Tsundar are eclectic and many, from roaming barbarians to Blademasters that challenge the darkest beast of the night.  They aren’t heroes in as much as people trying to live their life as best as they could.

Kurag for example was a common run of the mill Barbarian who lives to challenge everything that existed, to justify his own existence.  Brother Ding was just a monk who lived his entire life inside a monastery who stepped up to the plate when circumstances demands.

Tsundar is a world much like our own with one sun, one moon, and many stars in the sky.  The only difference, well it has magic, or at least the fact that people can readily accept magic there, whereas in our world, magic is for the insane.

In Tsundar it is not the case, people spend much of the time using magic, living with it, seeing it, feeling it, and most of the time the protagonist spend much of the time trying to avoid the results of these magic.  Much like in our world we try to avoid the results of badly used science.  Atomic Bomb is an example of this.

Whatever the case may be Tsundar is its own world; fill with its own denizens of fabulous creatures to terrible monsters and most of the time some very annoyed protagonists.

The Legend of Kurag Sunkiller

As the sun rises in the East, Kurag stare at it half awake, half asleep, he heft the heavy axe in his right hand and throw it with all his might and the rising orb.

‘Thwack’ and the sun sink noticeably back down in the east, bleeding all the way down.

That was the dream the Shaman of Jagged Wolf Clan had, on the night Kurag was born.  Thus during the ceremony he became known as Kurag Sunkiller.

Kurag grow up just like any barbarian child, walking around bare chested, and killing wolves with his bare hand.  It only go to reason that eventually he will kill a few dragons, and maybe have a chance at taking out magicians and demi gods.

But Kurag live mostly in his dreams, always looking up at the sky, wishing to soar up high like a monkey eating eagle with flesh monkey entrails in its talons.  That was his dream, to fly free while potentially massacring an entire town while at it.  After all he was a healthy boy of fifteen summers.

One day while out picking fruits and beheading snakes, he found a secluded temple which sets off a chain of events.  Seeing that no one was about (not counting evil priests, and sacrificial virgins) he decides to head in and take some unneeded stuff (pillage the place).

The temple belongs to the Snake God, Katarzz, which really explains why there were so many snakes slithering about the place.

Kurag waltz in to the unoccupied temple (beheading and gutting a few priests, without taking notice of the scream of pain he left in his wake).

Take some rock from a dais (a 50 pound ruby, while rescuing and ravishing the sacrificial virgin) and had a fight with a big snake (This thing was actually gargantuan in size 40 feet in length and its head the size of the room he was in, and is also the pet of Katarzz.)

Katarzz was obviously displeased (eye bleeding angry) and ordered the massacre of the entire Jagged Wolf Clan (maiming, raping, pillaging, dismembering, quartering, beheading and so forth).

So when Kurag went back to his tribe after revisiting the sacrificial virgin a few times, he found to his displeasure (…) the remainders of his tribe (a limb or two).

Kurag Sunkiller was the sole survivor of his family, friends, and all there ever was of the Jagged Wolf.  Kurag thought of adding of the Jagged Wolf to his name but he reason that Sunkiller was much more awesome and stuck with that.

Kurag walk a bit (wanders the lands) to search for clues (ask many questions, stab a few people, mostly dark evil priests of various sects) finally with the conclusion of who killed off his tribe (Katarzz).

Eventually he found his way to the God himself.  Where upon he got his ass handed to him by the Snake God, and was cursed to wander the lands without any memories of his life beforehand.

And that’s where the real story starts.

Blearily he opens his eyes, and scans his where about trying to make heads or tails of his situation, he does not remember his name or where he was from, but he knew that his body is strong.  He got up and sees that he was in the desert and vultures hover before him.

The sun was hot, and it takes a toll upon him as he walks it, but for some reason he felt he could make it, as if he has done this before many a time.  He needs shelter, but first he needs water.

Both of which he does not have, so the only thing to do was walk, the vultures continue to follow his path as he makes his way to nowhere.

Walking in the desert with no name, sounds like a good song, he thinks to himself, maybe he was a singer and got robbed by bandits and put on the trail in the deserts.

The sun was unforgiving and took a lot of toll on his body, his body though tough was becoming red and blisters were forming from the heat of the sun.

But he needs to keep walking, in front of him, an insect suddenly appear from the ground beneath.  He examines it for a while then realizes the insect will be his food for now.

He was about to launch himself at it when the ground a few feet away suddenly opens up and out of it shoots a giant sand worm leaping in an arc and taking out the little insect and disappearing back into the sand below.

Sand worm was a nasty bunch, if not careful even humans could become its lunch, what he had just saw was just a baby about 6 feet long.  Where there is a baby sandworm, there is a mother sandworm.

He felt the ground beneath him moves, he realize then that he was being hunted.  He listens with his feet, feeling the tremor beneath as the sandworm moves, he leaps to the side just in time before the mother sand worm appear almost taking a chunk out of his side and back into the ground.

He ran for it.  He does not know where he was going, and he was being hunted.  This was not a good situation, and he needs to get out of it.  A half-naked man against a sand worm does not have a very good chance of surviving, but a chance is still a chance.

He continued running, while the worm chase him by jumping out barely missing him as he dodge and weave his way along the sand.  He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his feet and could see blood, he had step on something.  It was a blade, a blade! He could use this, but his feet are now bleeding.

He tug on it and pull it from the ground, stuck on it was a skeletal hand of a remain that may have been eaten by sand worm.  With the rusty blade in hand he was finally feeling more secure.

He limp about trying to steer clear of the sandworm, for some reason even though he was wounded the sandworm was missing him by a few feet.  Realizing suddenly that a his wounds makes his pace uneven, thus making it more difficult for the sandworm to detect his movement, he realize then that he could turn this around.

Feeling the tremor under his feet he managed to triangulate where the worm will appear.  Standing a few feet away from the spot, he waited.  The Sandworm suddenly jump out and launch itself at him, but because he knew where it would come from, he side step it and at the same time, slashing in mid-air cutting the 10 feet long worm in half.

The dying worm writhe about and he look at it grimly.  He was tired, bleeding, and in desperate need of liquid.  He slices through the worm, spraying goo and blood everywhere.  He took up the worm and began to drink the blood.

The night came quickly but he knew that he was far from safe, he needs to keep travelling or the other beasts will get him.

The stars appear, and from some stories he heard as a kid, he remember to head toward the place of many fruits one must follow the three wise men (three huge stars in the sky).  Despite suddenly recovering some memories he still could not remember his name and where he was from.

It was surprisingly lit as he walks the desert guided only by the stars.  Then he saw it, the place with many fruits, a natural oasis in the middle of the desert.

Surprisingly smoke was issuing from somewhere in the oasis.  Someone must have made camp there.

As he limp forward the oasis, he could smell something being cooked.  In front of him an old man sits at the camp fire.  “Hello there weary traveller, please take a seat and some food, while you recover”.

He was in no shape to argue so did as he was bid.  The old man looks weird, or rather he feels weird, and he seems to glow slightly in the darkness.

The old man hands him a bowl of stew like substance.  He sniffs it a bit then decides to wolf it down.  He found himself famish in an instant.  The old man then says “will you hear my tale?” he nods in ascent but before he knew it, he fell asleep.

In his sleep he found himself hearing the old man’s voice as the story seemingly unfolds around him.

I see you are on a journey of self-discovery, your memories are shattered and in much disarray.  I, you may have notice by now am not ordinary.  I am a God, and I seek your help, if you could do me a task I will mend your memories for you.  In the halls of darkness, there exists a poisonous spear, so poisonous it could kill a god, if you recover it for me I will mend your memories.

He nodded.

Very well indeed, when you wake up, you shall be there at the entrance, you must make your own way in and bring me Godkiller and then your memories shall be returned.

When he awakened as promised he was there in front of a dark tunnel leading downward into the dark abyss.

He felt that if he was not careful, he could die here.  The old man was nowhere to be found.  Slowly he descends into the tunnel.  There was no light but he knew he was walking in the right direction.

Then he heard them, the baying of hounds, he could not see them, but he definitely could hear them, and he knows they could smell him.  His pace quicken while his hands tighten around the hilt of his blade.  Despite the baying of the hounds, the sounds never came any closer.

The darkness disappears and he realize he was at an altar, cover by light.  On the altar was a glowing green spear ‘Godkiller’ he thought.

He looks around trying to uncover traps but he found none, he reached for the spear, and took it from its pedestal.

As he did so, a bright white light suddenly appears, and cover him from head to toe, filling his head with images and texts.

The way back was safe, and the darkness dissipate and the hallway was lit.

Outside the old man waited, and he looked on him with glee.  “Give me the spear” and the old man reached out for it.  He start to give back the spear, then twist it in his hand changing it into a thrust and stabbed the old man through the chest.

The old man stare at him, surprise on his face “How?” “I remember who I am, Katarzz, if not for the spells I placed on my own spears would I have not discovered who I was, I am Kurag the Sun God, and you slew me while I slept, taking my place as the Sun, it was only through trick of fate was I saved, for no God could be truly killed except with this spear”

Katarzz lay dead on the ground, and start to dissipate.  Kurag Sunkiller lived his name well, he had killed off the Sun God however false.  As a failsafe he had placed magic runes around the spear so that if were to recover it, his memories would be mended and he would know his way.

With Katarzz the Snake and Sun God dead, the sun would not rise, unless he reassumes his place, neither would there ever be snakes with Katarzz gone.

So with his newly recovered powers, he picks up the scent of the sacrificial virgin he had saved and made her the Snake Goddess knowing that the world still needs snakes, and he reassume his seat as the Sun God, making sure that the sun would always rise in the East.  He dropped Sunkiller from his name though, because it would connote him killing himself, and he became just Kurag the Sun God.

Brother Ding and the Time Dragon

Brother Ding sits at the table studying the huge tome inside the Monastery’s library.  Its title “Path of Enlightenment”, despite the interesting nature of the content he found himself falling to sleep.  It was required reading as an initiate of the Way, but yet he found the way rather long and tedious.

If only the way could be reached in the blink of an eye, the perhaps life would be much more interesting.  This was what he felt, and as a result his life would never be the same again.

As if hearing his thoughts, Brother Dong approaches “Brother Ding, you know? The time dragon controls the fabric of time, if one were to approach the dragon and make a request perhaps that book you are reading can be finish in no time”.

Brother Ding upon hearing this, almost jump up in joy, but when he turned to ask Brother Dong, the where about of the Time Dragon, he was nowhere to be found.

So gathering himself up, he went to see Master Dang; Master Dang was a monk who had already reached the Way and as such he already know all the ways of the world, and has infinite wisdom and knowledge.  It was he who wrote “Path of Enlightenment”

Brother Ding slowly approaches Master Dang, and bow politely in front of him.  Master Dang turns and greets him “How fare you Brother Ding?” Master Dang inquired.

“I fare well” says Brother Ding politely “I wish to ask a question if I may?” Says Brother Ding.  Master Dang looked inquiringly.  “Out of curiosity sake, how does one find the time dragon?”

Turning around to face the window he says “well brother, the way to the Time Dragon is a dangerous path, it wounds inside the maze of Sing Wei, and across the lake of fire, over the chasm of infinite depth, and finally across the bridge of Nee Dong where huge dogs guards it and then you will find the Time Dragon in the cave of enlightenment where the time dragon resides…” Master Dang continues for a few more hours talking about the weather, current affairs, and politics of the worlds before saying “but the way is dangerous brother, why would you want to find it?”

Master Dang turn back to look inquiringly at Brother Ding who was no longer there, Brother Ding had made his escape after finding out where the Time Dragon was.

Brother Ding was on his way to the Maze of Sing Wei, riding on the fastest horse the monastery could provide.

When he got there, he enters the maze without a second thought, after wandering around for some times, he realizes he was lost and was sorely tired.  A bird flew by and he had a thought, if only he was a bird he would be able to escape this trap, but that was not possible for he has no wings, so he cannot fly.  So what then does he have in common with the bird? Both have sight, he realizes and with that realization if he were to look at this the other way he could easily traverse the maze.

He hefts himself up again and began to clamber up the side of the maze.  As he stands on top of the maze, he saw clearly his path, and the way he should take, he starts to climb down then he has another thought, perhaps walking on the maze is easier than walking in it? So he began to make his way across the maze, and in very brief time got to the lake of fire.

After crossing the maze he realize then the best method is not always the method which is seen, so he begins to look at the puzzles from a different angle.

At the lake of fire, sure enough could be crossed by jumping across but that way could also lead to his death, so he began walking along the side of the lake and examine it.  The lake extend for several distance but finally he spotted many stones set in the lava lake, though the distance across was greater, the stones did form a rough bridge across the lake.

It surely would take longer across the nature made bridge but it was surely safer.  Brother Ding crossed it with ease.

He realizes then, that the quickest route may not be of the best route, slow but safe could be the answer too.

He stands in front of the chasm of infinite depth, sure enough it was very deep, he threw a rock in it and could not hear it hit bottom.  After some time of looking at ways to cross it he spots a tree, a broken tree which lies on top and over the chasm.  He began to cross over it then the tree broke under him, and he nearly fell with it had he not clamber quickly enough back to the side of the chasm.

But the tree did not fell all the way down; some part of it hit the side of a bridge.  The bridge and the steps leading to it had been hidden underneath the fallen tree.

After seeing this he realize, the first solution, may not be the best solution and all ways must be found before finding the best method.  But traversing one way could uncover a better way too, so all should not be neglected and pursued.

Brother Ding was overjoyed, and now faces the bridge, it cross a pristine lake, he decided then to swim across it.  As he began to paddle inside the lake he realizes there were logs floating up toward him, realizing almost too late, he quickly paddles back to the shore.  It was full of crocodiles.

What way is there but to cross the bridge?  So he began to cross it with fear, then the guard dogs’ lungs at him and he almost dirtied himself in his robe, but the dogs did not reach him, it was tethered tightly to the pole, and on closer inspection he realize the dogs weren’t fierce at all, they were just happy to see him.

With this he realize that the way presented, is not necessarily the wrong way, and danger that was presented could actually be an illusion created by the mind.

With this in mind he headed in to the cave of enlightenment.

Inside sure enough he found the Time Dragon, and as he was about to make a request to slow down time so that he may read the “Path of Enlightenment” he stopped himself.

He looked at the dragon, who smiled knowingly at him.  “Thank you dragon, I have no need for the requests, for I have found my way”

On the back of his horse he decides to take the scenic route home, taking in the beauty of what was offered by nature and his own imagination.

When he got there, there was a serene look on his face; there was more than one way to reach enlightenment “Path of Enlightenment” was just one way but the way he has found was another.

He picked up a feather and some paper and began to write his own book and called it “The Other Way” and when he had finished it he began reading “Path of Enlightenment” for he realizes, that just because it is a presented way, does not mean it is the wrong way.  With “The Other Way” written, Brother Ding became Master Ding.

Suzie Bell, Monster Hunter

Suzie heft the broadsword over her right shoulder while in her left hand a head of some unknown monster, this was her method of earning an income.

Some monsters terrorize a town, forest, glen, mountains, caves, and etc. and she kills it and brings its head back as proof of her kill, and with it she gets the gold required to keep her alive.

In the hunters’ guild she collects her due, and look on the board for more jobs.  A giant boar in the forest of Tarnak for 20,000 gold pieces could be worth her while.  If she kills it, she could live on the gold for a month.

She took it from the board, and began to make her way to the forest on her stallion blazefire.  Like his namesake he took off as if his hoofs were on fire.

Suzie can feel the wind in her hair as the magical steed rush on the ground, covering much distance, leaving fire in the wake of where his hoofs landed.

When she arrives at the forest, she jumped down from her horse and unpacks her bow and arrows.  Tracking the boar would be easy, all she has to do was find big hoofs mark in the ground and there she would find the boar.  Killing it would be a bit of a problem, that’s why her bow was needed.  The arrow head was laced with poison; the first shot would affect it and most likely will enrage it, the second shot would stall it but the adrenalin would probably keep it going.  She guesses that it would take about four shots of her arrows if she does not miss to fell the giant boar.

The other problem is, the giant boar was a sacred animal amongst the elves, so she has to avoid those too, while hunting the beast and the best way to avoid elves was to carry metal, and metal she has in the form of her giant broadsword.  It’s not that Elves can be chased away by metal but rather that metal hurts Elves, anything made from metal can severely injured and kills the immortal beings.

With the sword strapped to her back she begins to track.  This would take some time, something of which she has.  Out of luck, she found the track.  It was of the Giant Boar, without a care in the world, the boar traipsed around the forest.  It stood at 6 feet tall, as tall as a man.  This would be easier than she thinks.  Then without warning, something rushes at her side, she dodges just in time any second late and she would have been gored by the huge tusks of the monster boar.  It stood 12 feet tall, and was very angry.

‘Damn this could not end well she thinks’ and she ran left and right in a zig zag motion to avoid the tusks of the giant boar, she needs to take this to higher ground, she clambers up the side of the tree like a monkey and was about to cock to shoot the beast, but the beast ran straight into the tree shattering it momentarily after she jumped to another tree.

This requires timing and speed; she cocks her bow and quickly fires a shot, missing the boar by just a fraction hitting a tree, of which begins to wilt away at incredible pace.

The boar heads towards the tree again, and she leapt toward another tree just in time.  She needs to wait for the right time, just before it crash into the tree, there would be a small opening, and at this small opening would she be able to shoot it.

So she watches for that special moment she cocked her bow, and shoots, hitting it squarely in the chest, but she did not leap away in time so the tree shatters underneath her, she sprawl to the ground with an enraged giant boar glaring at her.

She quickly got to her feet and ran for it, while running she shoots a stream of arrows, most missing but she knew she got it at least 2 more times.  But she was out of arrows though the giant boar severely wounded; it still has life in it, unsheathing her sword, she faced it head on.

The giant boar rush at her, and she braced for impact which never came, the boar skids to a halt and fell to the ground dead at her feet.

The reward was for the tusks of the boar to be presented.  Apparently the boar had raged across the forest killing a fair few woodcutters.  As she was about to cut off the tusks, an elven man land on his feet in front of her cutting her view from the giant boar.

She reached for her sword, but he makes no movement to step away from her kill, “You have killed your last boar of Tarnak hunter, this forest is ours”.  She unsheathes her blade, but before it came an inch out “I would keep that where it was if I were you” said the elven man, signalling to other elves that appear cocking their bow at her.

“You monsters hunters are all alike, killing the boar, for their tusks, this is the fifth boar killed this month, there will barely be any left to produce new offspring” said an Elven woman.

“What are you talking about, the tusks are proofs, that I have killed the beast, it had been terrorizing the woodcutters” Suzie says.

The elven man looks in total surprise when he discovered that she was not lying.  He then begin to chuckle then stop and look at her sadly “You know not, the harm you have caused here” he looks glumly at her “Tell me do you see any sign of woods being cut here? The trees of Tarnak are as sacred as the Giant Boar here, if anyone were to harm a leaf on these trees, they would immediately be killed”.

She looks on defiantly at the elves.  “Very well we will show you” and the elven woman wave with her hand at Suzie.

The world she sees suddenly disappears, and she begins to see life according to the trees.  The Giant Boars runs around playing in the glade of the forest.  Then the hunters came, and they kill the boar one by one taking their tusks as prizes.  Then the elves came and kill the hunters.  Which was normal, she thinks, for hunting was a dangerous job, and this was part of her job.

But then she heard something which sinks her heart, the hunters that came start to speaks, “This boar hunting is getting dangerous, how do we get the tusks if the elves keep getting in the way?”  “We lie” says another voice “there exists a hunter’s guild which specializes in hunting dangerous monsters, we post that on their board, and one will eventually take the bait”.

Then the scene shifts back to where she was, she had indeed taken the bait, and the monster she just slew was innocent game.  This was against her code of conduct, as she only hunts dangerous creatures.

The elves wave once more and she found herself in front of the forest leaving her with a whisper “Perhaps you have some thinking to do”

Suzie rode home crestfallen, her hunt had failed, and she had fallen to be nothing more than common poachers.

As she nears her guilds, she decided on her course of action, she would take this up with her guild master.  Her guild master was a man of ethics and he would clearly understand and would call off the hunting of these sacred beasts.

But when she arrives at the front of her guild master’s door she could hear the whisper behind it, “Well this is your share, Kurton, your guild got us some more tusks” and she could hear the laughter behind it.

She enters the room without invitation hoping to see that she was wrong, but Kurton merely looked at her and asks, “Tusks?” She stared back at him and said “We have a rule, Kurton, no hunting non dangerous animals”.  “So…?” he asked “all that matters is the gold pieces” and she slammed the door behind her and took her leave.

She was back to the forest of Tarnak, and the elves looked at her reproachfully “If you come back for the horns…” they cocked their bows at her.

“I did some thinking” she says “I want to hunt real monsters”.  The elves look at her questioningly.  “The poachers are the real monsters” she says “I want to help”.  The elves nodded their assent.

So begins the true story of Suzie Bell, Monster Hunter.

Joseph Chill against the Shadowy Creepers

Born from darkness are creatures of shadows, known as the shadowy creepers, they crawl around on their four limbs, like spiders but have the shape of men.  They feed on darkness and fears insides men’s heart with these negative thoughts they evolve into another form, known only as the breathing shadows.  Their breath can chill the spin of men, and their form become more physical and is capable of killing many men in broad daylight.

Joseph Chill knows these creepers all too well, for his family was killed by a pack of breathing shadows.  They hunt in groups, and can be found at sites where there are disputes and conflicts.  Families are their target prey but gathering of friends can attract them as well.

What confuses Joseph was that though the breathing shadows can make physical damage and feed on the negative thoughts of people they cannot incite it.  So something must be causing these fears and darkness in their heart to manifests in the first place.

Joseph knew that was certain because despite the trouble his family would cause toward one another, they always loved each other enough and discusses the differences out in the open which would dissipate the conflict.

So there must be a cause as to why, his loving family was sent in a frenzy to try and harm one another before the breathing shadow attacks and feeds on the negativity.

After the incident, he was taken in by Shadow Hunters, a special force that hunts the shadow creepers, at one stage the shadow creepers had almost been hunt to extinction.  But for some reason, their numbers now numbers in the thousands once again.

He was now the leader of his own group of Shadow Hunters and it was his turn to save the people that needed saving.

Kritor had given him that chance, and he would not disappoint him.  He unsheathes his blade from the back strapped scabbard and slunk in toward the camp site.  The campsite was full of laughter  but then it erupted suddenly in an argument and without them noticing it dark smoke began to raise from the campers bodies that were how the shadow creepers feed, pretty soon, the breathing shadow will join in feeding physically on the flesh of the dead men.

The campers took to arms and begin to take out their swords about to attack each other.  As one of them slash at the other with his sword, the breathing shadows attacked, and they come in numbers above a dozen, the previously fighting campers turn their differences aside and faces the onslaught.  Joseph motions his men who surround the area to jump in from behind.  Taking the shadow creepers and breathing shadow by surprise, one by one he slew them with his light sword, dissipating them into black smoke.

Kritor was right once again in telling him where the next attack will take place, but what faze him was that the campers were happy before, then they started arguing and for some reason try to kill each other, it was weird and perturbing to see this happen and he wonder if the same thing had happened to his family.

The campers thank him profusely for he was a shadow hunter and he had just saved their life.  He sheathes his light sword and walked back to darkness.

Kritor was waiting at base as per usual; it was Kritor who had saved him from the maw of a breathing shadow, and Joseph looks up to him as much as a man is able.  “I take it the hunt went well” said Kritor.  Joseph nod in his reply but added “something weird is going on” and Kritor raises his eyebrows.

“Well the creepers were feeding as per usual but the campsite was full of happiness and laughter before and then all of a sudden it erupts in an argument” Joseph says.  Kritor looks seriously at Joseph and says “Behind every laughing face, can lie an insincere heart of hatred”.  Joseph did not reply but merely nod to his superior, but something was still weird about this and he best keep it to himself.

“In the meantime merchants from the east is travelling here perhaps that is where you should take a look at instead of thinking about things that does not concern you” Kritor says.

Joseph had wanted praise but he was clearly receiving none, slunk his head down and head back to his sleeping quarters.

As day break, he woke up and prepare for the hunt once more, gathering his team and his weapons.  The light blade was a thing of magic, capable of cutting through darkness, but not of flesh, it will kill only darkness nothing else.

Once again waiting around the trees setting his men in wait surrounding the path that the merchant was travelling he notice they were laughing gaily by themselves, and then all of a sudden he saw it, a blink in the image in front of him and the merchants, they erupt in an argument and began to take arms to themselves.

This was weird, but he waited for the right moment just as he was informed by Kritor, and as the path was swarmed by breathing shadow his men erupted from the bushes behind them and attack the breathing shadow.  What in hell? He thinks, there were less shadow creepers than before and even more breathing shadows.

But despite his thought, he still ended up killing all of the shadow born.

This was too weird, so he had a plan.  He would catch who was causing this and finally earn respect from his superior.

When he got back to base, Kritor tells him as he had expected that the next target would be a circus coming to town, there they would perform for the King, nothing needs go wrong, or else.

Joseph nodded his assent but did not tell Kritor of his plan.  He pretended to take ill, a move which sets his plan in motion.  Kritor tells him he needs to rest, and that someone else will lead the team.

When no one notices, he left toward the travelling circus, and after speaking with the ringmaster, he landed a job as one of the supplies carrier.  He would blend in as part of the troupe and take actions when it arise.

Something or someone was causing the laughing men and women to become negative toward one another.

At the signal point where Kritor have stated where the team should wait, Joseph positions his pack mule in front of the troupe and waited.

Suddenly appearing in a blink, he saw the form of a man who threw something at the troupe, and begin to vanish, reacting quickly he slash out with his dagger, nicking the man before he magically disappeared.

The troupe erupts in huge arguments and in old fashion they start trying to harm each other, all of a sudden a swarm of breathing shadow jumped inward, and he took out his light sword and fight off the tide of shadows.  While at the same time teams of shadow hunters appeared from behind and cut down the shadows.

When he got back to base with the rest of the shadow hunter, he was not welcomed as he had expected from Kritor.  But rather he was yelled at for doing something so risky and he would have gotten himself killed if none of the shadow hunters were there.

He felt ashamed of his actions, but something niggle at him, he look at Kritor and then at the ground where he was standing, there was a hint of blood dripping on the ground, and it was coming from an elbow wound.

He was about to ask about the wound but stop himself, something wasn’t right, and he needs to find out what it is.

Kritor ordered him to stay on base until further notice, while he ordered the rest of the shadow hunter to head towards the dancing troupe arriving in town for the King’s Birthday.

Instead of going undercover again, he had another plan, he begins to follow Kritor.  If he was wrong, then that was a good thing but if he was right then he needs to have a long talk with his superior.

As he follows Kritor, who clutched at his newly patched up elbow, he notice that he went into a cave, next to the base.  Inside the cave, Kritor opens up a chest and took something from it, and quickly duck back out to base.

Still hiding Joseph makes sure that no one was nearby, he went to the chest and with his lock picking skill acquired from his previous line of work of a locksmith he dispatch the lock easily.  Inside the content shocks him, it was Shadow dusts, made from shadow creepers corpses before they dissipate.  Mages uses them to cause arguments and conflicts to easily bypass an area without any need of conflict on their part.

Kritor had been using these to put the citizens in danger and conjuring up the shadow creepers threat.  By doing so he would achieve accolade and monetary rewards from the citizens.

“Step away from the chest” he heard and he felt a drop in his gut, Joseph turned around and sure enough it was Kritor holding a sword, and pointing it at him, Joseph instead of stepping away from the chest, swipe the content of the chest and threw it at Kritor.

The dusts exploded on Kritor and something weird happen the shadows leapt to life from the cave walls and began to consume him.

Joseph ran from the cave, taking out his light sword, and hack and slash at the onslaught of shadow creepers, without knowing it Kritor had built them a nest inside the cave, and they had been following him because it was easy feeding.

The breathing shadows were plenty, and with a shout from himself, the shadow hunters appears in their numbers and attack with fervour on the breathing shadow.

Soon all shadow creepers and breathing shadow was gone, and the cave grew light.   There were glow worms inside the cave, he realize and that would have made the cave glow with light.

Joseph look at the mass of flesh that was Kritor and realizes that Kritor was so overcome by his own darkness did not realize the darkness that he had himself attracted until it was too late.

Joseph knew then that darkness will attract more darkness, and that only light can truly vanquish darkness.

Lurk not in shadows to hunt the shadows but walk in daylight and defend against the darkness.

Torc Bushward and the Sunspear

As the sun rises in the East, the light rays hit the top of the Chieftain Tent of the Tokar tribe.  Today was the rite of passage for many of the young men in the tribe.

The person who managed to traverse the desert with no name and brings back the biggest beast would be honoured with the Sunspear, and the person who holds the Sunspear would be the next chieftain of the tribe.  Jek the bravest of the tribesman was favourite to become the next chieftain but Torc had a more urgent need of becoming the Chieftain, by becoming chieftain he would gain the attention of a certain girl in his tribe who despite everything still favours Jek.  For Jek was tall and handsome, but Torc was lean and wiry.

The chieftain blows on his horn to signal the rites of passage.  As they heard the signal the men of age ran in a rush towards the desert with no name, each of them wielding a wooden spear as their primary weapons.

Sandworm was the biggest killable things in the desert, next biggest thing was a tsari tiger, on its head a horn juts out from it.  Not only could it kill with its bite it could kill with its horns.

Though not the biggest it was a much desired prize, so many would go for these.  The other things which not many would go for but Jek most likely will go after was a hooked fist Lizard, a highly intelligent Lizard standing on its hind feet with hooked claws, it was bigger than the tsari tiger but smaller than a sand worm.  Not many would go for sand worms because the corpses dehydrate fast and it is hard to ascertain when they died.

But the biggest thing out there was the Flying Gobli Serpent, a snake like creature with two pairs of 10 foot wide leathery wings.  The longest one was 20 feet in length, and the head the size of a boulder.  This would be the biggest prize but none would dare to take it down as the chance of dying was severely high.

So Torc knew that it had to be Sandworms, and the biggest one he can find, about 12 feet long is the biggest one that ever was found, he would have plenty to search for, for no one else would look for them going only for tiger or the lizard.

Jek past him with groups of supporter following, cheering him on as if he was already the winner, but despite all that, Torc knew that Jek had more than just bravado and he was more than capable of taking down a Lizard by himself.

Torc had no time for this, and began his own hunt, he listens on the grounds and knows where a sandworm was hiding, he starts to trample wildly on the ground but someone beat him to it, it seems he was not the only one who wish for the same.

Zef was trampling wildly just a few feet up ahead.  The Sandworm jumps from beneath the surface while Zef dodges deftly aside but he does not realize there was more than one, and another came from behind, Torc threw the spear in his hand at the 11 feet long worm killing it in mid-flight just before it impacted against Zef.

11 feet long wasn’t bad, and the Sandworm could do the trick, but Zef was having none of it and claim both worms as his, as it was him who did the trampling and he just happen to throw the spear at the sandworm.  While they were arguing which was not a good idea in sandworm territory the ground begins to shake.

It rears its head out of the ground; it must be at least 15 feet in length, the giant sandworm, it was bigger than usual.  Zef drop his spear and ran for it.  Torc can hear the sandworm rumble along its skin while screeching out a high pitch noise.  He grabs the spear that Zef had dropped, while taking up his own as well.  He ran, not away but rather toward it.  He threw one spear which stuck in its abdomen, which cause nothing to the sandworm, while with the other spear he dance about and jab wildly at the beast.

The worm thrashed about on the ground not bothering to hide its presence, took a swipe at him with its body, almost sending him reeling to the ground.  But he dodged just in time, and jabbed at it, aiming for its soft underbelly, just as when he thought he was winning a huge shadow loomed past him, and in one quick movement took the sandworm with it.  Unfortunately for him his spear was still stuck in the sandworm, his hand was still holding onto the spear.  It was fifty feet long, and had a wing span of 30 feet wide each; a gigantic flying gobli serpent had taken him and dropped him and the carcass onto its feeding young.

This was bad, very bad, he was at risk of being shredded to bits by the young, or killed off by this gigantic monster serpent.  So he did what he could do, he stab the spear at one of the young who screams, the mother who saw it all, did not know what to do for if she attacks him, she was at risk of attacking her young too, this was what he wanted, he jumped onto the back of the neck of the flying gobli serpent and hung on for dear life.

The serpent writhes about unable to neither dislodge nor get at him flutter its big wings and take off to the sky.

Jek in the meanwhile had taken down the Lizard, and in the process of dragging it back to the tribal camp, was suddenly overcast by a huge shadow.

Zef has got the biggest sandworm anyone did see, it was 12 feet in length, and clearly the biggest thing but Jek had the more impressive of the hunt had caught a lizard, which takes much more skills, and Zef with all thought aside, could have picked up a corpse of a giant sandworm somewhere.

Just when the old chieftain was about to make his decision, a mass of shadow falls from the cloud, everyone began to screams and runs aside.  But the old chieftain remain unperturbed, as the corpse of a fifty feet monster falls in front of him.

“I see you caught a big one, Torc” and he handed to him the Sunspear.  After that he was known as the Torc Serpent-killer and became the chieftain of the tribe, he never got the girl though.  The girl he was trying to win, well that’s another story.

Ransack, the Monster Child

As the sunsets the monsters comes out to play, one such was Ransack a child that neither belongs in the monster world, nor human world.  Born from the blood of human father, and a monstrous mother, he fits in neither here nor there.

Ransack had no friend to be call upon and he stood alone, but he was ok with that because since birth he had always been alone, so this was nothing new.

But what he did not know was that he had the power of both humans and monsters.   Capable of transforming between humans and can perform magic, and monsters that can cause high physical damage.

One day while traversing the forest, a cry was heard, it was a girl’s voice and she was being chased by a bunch of humans, they seemed pretty rough at her, tearing at her clothes, so Ransack steps in hoping to scare away the men with a roar.  The roar came out a meek cry, and the men looked at him and began to laugh.

Anger fuelled him, and he started seeing Red, but despite all that he was weak and could do nothing so he grabs the girl’s hand and ran away with her.  The men kept chase and bayed like hounds at their feet, finally they found a bush and jump through it.

They hid themselves away and tried their best to keep silent, they were coming near, and there was nowhere else to run.  Then through the bush they saw a large green feathery beast and an ogre jumps out with a squawk and roar in unison, this was not so good, but there was nothing Ransack could do but wait for the blow to come.

The ogre lumbers to where he was and said in a surprisingly gentle voice “You can come out now you two”.

Ransack got out pushing the girl behind him to protect her.  He glared at the ogre challenging it to get any closer.

The ogre sighs, then threw her arms up in the air as if in exasperation, then began to walk back into the deeper forest.  Ransack stare at the receding Ogre and realize he was in the wrong, then calls out to the Ogre “Sorry!” “It’s ok!” the Ogre shouted back.

But now the girl and he was alone and it felt uncomfortable, while she continue to cry at what has happened to her and snuggle up to him as she cried.

Ransack gave her his shoulder to cry on but that’s all he could do, as he was not accustom to anyone using him as that.  Then the ogre came back, and says “You two need rest, come back with me” the girl look inquisitively at him, but follow him, as he follow the ogre in deeper into the forest.

The ogre shows them a worn hut and point for them to enter it.  Ransack enters with the girl, but came back to sit outside with the Ogre “Why are you doing this?” Ransack asked.  “Well we look after our own and we monsters aren’t so bad, it’s the humans that can be a pain” Ransack was taken aback when he heard his secrets discovered.  “Don’t look so surprise” said the Ogre “I can smell the monster in you, a little scrawny but a monster nonetheless” and with that the Ogre chuckles and Ransack joined in.

When daybreak came, the ogre was nowhere to be found, there was some ruckus out in the open forest, the ogre roar of pain can be heard, he rush towards the sounds, and to his dismay he can see the ogre wounded “Quick run!” cried the Ogre, but anger fuelled him now, and Ransack roar with rage, he too had taken on a bestial form and began to thrash about the cowering men, who fled in terror.  Without thinking he had embraced his monster side, and became one with it.  The girl came out and stares at him, but knowing that the girl would hate him now, he ran away from her.

After running a few hundred feet away from the site, he recovered and fell into himself, she wouldn’t like him anymore now that he is a monster, then he felt someone tugged on him, and he realize he was back to being human again.

She looked at him and says “Hi, I am Rochelle” and grins happily at him and gave him a big hug.  He realize then that being a monster does not mean it is a bad thing and neither does being human a good thing, it all depends on each individual to make that choice, and more importantly he was no longer alone, and he does not have to be alone anymore.

Wang Ko and the Blade that Cuts the Darkest Night

Water cascades down on and around Wang Ko, as he sits on the stone while meditating the way of the sword, slowly he got up with his katana in hand he slash upward slicing through the waterfall, splitting the water in half.  He then sheathes the sword in its scabbard.

He had reached new heights in skills and abilities, and he did it by way of deep meditation and understanding of the self.  Wang Ko steps lightly on the water and floats on its surface using energy to float his body on the water, he leaped and with a single bound landed on dry land.

But cutting waterfall is not enough, he needs a blade that cuts through everything so he venture into the land to find out the news.

It would seem that there is a cave of darkness that is haunted and many men are driven crazy and deranged after entering it.  He thought to himself what better way to test himself than to cut ghosts.

So he enters it with deliberation in his steps taking with him only his sword and sure enough he began to sense it.  Then he sees it, it was a warrior much like him, he reach for his sword so did it, and he swung at the same time as it did him.  In perfect mirror image, he had cut through the glass wall behind destroying the image.

He had panicked without thinking, but now he was calm there was nothing here, as he was about to leave, he felt the presence; it was full of malice and darkness.  It face him as a warrior of the way, but he knew that this was another mirror image, so did nothing yet the warrior swung the sword down and he dodge just in time, but when he turn to the source of attack the warrior was gone.

It seems this was what he must do.  Once again a new warrior appears and struck at him narrowly missing him by a hair breadth but when he deflect it with his sword, the sword goes through his like a mirage.  But yet he was struck in the back.

Though it did hurt, it hurt his pride more than his body, he was angry, he began to search for the whereabouts of his attackers.  When the next image came he chase at it, and if not for his balance he would have fell to the chasm.

He cuts off his sense of sight then by shutting his eyes and calm himself down, he stood there by himself in the cold darkness, he felt the air pressure suddenly changes and he spun around cutting through the form of his attacker.  As suddenly as he had struck the enemy, the light in the cave blinked on.

With this in mind he had now a sword that cuts through the darkest night.

The Fairy Lei Wing and the Moon Touched Blade

On top of the Zam Mountain lives many fairies and from time to time in order to protect the mountain and their King, they would fight against demons to keep the peace.

King Zhang was a good ruler, and made peace with many fairies clan ruling them in good grace and mannerisms.  And the fairies became happy with this under his rule.

Lei Wing was the attendant of the Moon Goddess, and it was up to her to keep her safe, for she was the betrothed of the King.  The Moon Goddess leads the moon tribe of fairies that when merge with King Zhang fairies would increase the power of the King.

On the way to see the King, the Moon Goddess Qing Wei was guarded heavily by all of her tribe so as not to endanger the wellbeing of the Goddess in any shape or form.

Lei Wing flies close by and expectedly the carriage was attacked by demons.  The fairies on guard use their swords skill to dispel the demon force but not before their goddess were struck by a poisonous dagger.

So the carriage was bought back to the moon tribe’s palace with a heavily injured Goddess.

It was said that only with the power of the moon touched blade can see be cure from such a poison.  But the blade was broken, and only through a moonlit night can it be reforged within the lake of fire and then doused in a clear lake.

But the next full moon was in three days, the Goddess had one day to live.  There was naught they could do, but there was still a chance, she thought of it suddenly, the Time Dragon could help.

Gathering the supply, she sped toward the Time Dragon only to find that King Zhang was there, she was just about to interrupt them, but she listen instead, the King asks the Time Dragon “I ask you again how will my reign become” but the dragon merely chuckles and the King left with a harrumph.  When she arrived at the dragon, she looks at him inquiringly “Do not worry young one it will all work out in the end”.

With speed she arrives three days into the future and took the blade under the full moon began to forge it in the lake of fire, when she has finish the blade she doused it in the pristine lake killing many crocodiles from the heat.

She then travel three days back and deliver the moon touched blade to the Goddess saving her life.  But when the Goddess recover it was told that it was an inside job, someone inside her court had stabbed her.

They found the attacker and it was discovered that King Zhang was behind it all, he had orchestrate the whole attack in order to gain more power for himself but before they could take up justice with the traitor, she slit her own throat and killed herself.

Lei Wing travels back to the dragon again, and this time travel a bit further and requested that she be in the carriage instead of the Goddess.

When the attack came, she caught the traitor red handed and subdue her, following this incident she took her to King Zhang who denied everything but the evidence was too great and the King reign was over.