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Silver Xoven -> (DF) Before the Dawn (4/11/2011 12:11:31)
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This is my first fanfic, so be gentle with it.[:D]
Commentary thread will be up ASAP.
Before the Dawn
Prologue
This is a story before DF actually "started"
A lone figure stood on a cliff just outside the DoomWood forest. The stranger was tall, and a sword hung by her side. Behind her, wolves howled in the forest, hungry for blood. The woman ignored them. She had a small backpack strung up her shoulders, and she wore a leather outfit, much like a Ranger's, but much more loose, with no stiff shoulderguards at all. She had a knife strapped on her belt, and another one by the side of her left leather boot. She had a cloak, and a hood over her head, revealing only a small part of her face. The woman was looking down at the village before her. It was night, and the full moon was hidden by dark clouds. There was little life in the village by this time of night, which wasn't a big surprise. Recently, there had been lots of undead attacking almost every town in southern and central Lore, and people were afraid for their homes and families. She saw a few guards standing at the gate, guarding the entrance to the village. A small banner of Moonridge waved in the tender winter air over the wall of the village. She jumped down from the cliff, and landed on her feet. She didn't even flinch.
The woman arrived at the gate, and the guards let her in. She drew the hood even lower as she passed through the gates, and into the DragonFang Inn. The Inn was crowded with people, celebrating the nighttime, which was rather surprising for the hooded woman, knowing about the undead attacks. She sat at a bar stool, watching the people drinking and laughing around her. There were two Rangers sitting at the corner of the bar, talking quietly. A small group of Paladins were noisly drinking beer and laughing and telling each other tales. The bartender just quietly sat behind the bardeck, cleaning mugs of beer and giving refills for whoever wanted it. The woman sat at the bar and pulled down her hood. She was a beautiful woman, just turned 17 and into adulthood. Even though she was so young, sadness filled her eyes, and they were unnaturally black. She had a scar under her left eye which stretched all the way down to her chin. Her long black hair flowed down to her shoulders. She looked hardened in battle.
"I'd like to rent a room. And get me a beer, please", the woman told the bartender. The bartender eyed her suspiciously, but then handed her a beer and her key to her room.
"So where have you came from, darlin'?" the bartender asked as the woman took a sip of her beer.
"None of your business", said the woman, softly.
"Alrigh', it's not my business, then", the bartender replied to the woman. He went back cleaning another beer mug.
A moment of silence passed before the woman spoke again: "I have travelled far. I came from a little village north of Dragesvard." The woman took a sip of beer before she continued: "I ran away from home because I wanted to help fighting the invading undead."
"And how are you supposed to help with that, darlin'?" the bartender. "You're a young woman, you would be dead in a matter of seconds if you faced an army of undead."
"I can fight", snapped the woman. "I've fought dragons when they attacked our village. I've battled undead before. I won a wrestling match against a gorillaphant; I broke its tusk and shoved it in his heart. I. Can. Fight."
"Okay, darlin', just pointin' out", the bartendeer said, still cleaning the beermug. "If ye'r lookin' for an army to recruit in, go ahead and join in the Moonridge army. They'll give ye' more armor and you can fight the undead."
"Thanks for the tip", the woman said. She tipped the bartender with a gold coin.
"No, thank you, darlin'", the bartender said and shoved the coin inside his pocket. "If I may ask, what is your name.
The woman stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned back towards the bartender. She thought for a while and said:
"My name is Xoven", and then walked up the stairs.
"Whatever you say, darlin'", the bartender muttered to himself and handed another beer for a thirsty adventurer.
***
Xoven arrived at her room, and took out the key from her belt and unlocked the door, stepping inside. She immediately closed the door behind her and shut it with the key. She lay down her backpack, and took out her sword and its sheath and lay it down on the table just next to the bed. She took her knife which was on her belt and carefully put it under her pillow. Then she took off her boots and went to sleep.
Next morning
In the morning, Xoven rose up slowly from the bed. Her body was stiff from the bad sleep. She almost fell down the bed when she was sleeping. She rose up, put on her belt and her weapons in their respective places, and pulled the hood of her cloak to the top of her head. She went down the stairs and out of the Inn, wincing as the sunrays flashed at her eyes. The village had much more life in the day than in the night. The streets were crowded with people, mostly buying and selling needs at the marketplace. She walked towards which looked like the militairy headquarters, and went inside the wooden doors. She saw a person in armor which looked like a captain of the people around him. She watched at the door as the captain talked about the recent undead attacks and what the knights had to do to prevent them from attacking. She watched as the general appointed soldiers to the outer side of the wall that was protecting the town from invading forces, and appointing archers to the tower that loomed over the walls, and archers were also sent to the wall to shoot their enemies.
As the captain had given his orders to the soldiers and they were surging out of the wooden doors, Xoven approached the captain.
"This is the MoonRidge militairy headquarters, restricted from outsiders", the captain said as Xoven approached him, still glancing at his strategy maps.
"I am looking for a job to fight", Xoven said softly to the captain. She looked him fiercely in the eyes when the captain glanced her suspiciously.
"Are you sure you are able to fight? You're barely just a woman", the captain said unkindly.
"I can prove it to you", Xoven said. When the captain looked at her questioningly, she continued: "Take a sword fight against me, and then you can see if I am qualified for the job."
The captain glared at Xoven for a long time until he responded: "Very well. I shall finish this quickly." Then he turned around and went through a pair of wooden doors which lead to the battle training arena.
Xoven followed the captain to the battle arena and looked all around, amazed. The battle arena was very big, the ceiling was over thirty feet above. At the left there were target boards where the archer could shoot their arrows at. There were dummies made of wheat and iro equipment for training close combat with swords, daggers, and spears. There were sparring areas where soldiers could battle each other. That's where the captain of the soldiers led Xoven to, and he stepped inside one sparring arena, waving Xoven to come in with him. She stepped inside the arena.
"Alright, show me what you've got", the captain said, grinning. Then he lunged toward Xoven.
Xoven just had enough time to draw her sword and and sidestep the captain's strike and make a counterattack at his back. The captain dodged it and charged against Xoven. She blocked his strike and tried to stab him in the ribs, but the captain blocked the sword and tried to strike at Xoven's head. She blocked the sword, barely in time, before the captain lunged again. She sidestepped and when the captain missed her and she managed to cut at the captain's elbow. The captain was startled by the attack, and that gave Xoven enough time to attack him. He barely dodged her sword, but then she kicked him in the ribs and he crouched. She was just about to strike him, but he rolled away and almost managed to hit her on her back, but she tackled the captain. Having him startled, she made a flick with her wrist and disarmed the man.
Panting hard, the captain looked at Xoven, and said: "Very well. You're in."
***
In the evening, after a day of filling in forms and training in the arena and getting some equipment from the armory, Xoven moved her stuff from the Inn to the soldier's bunkplaces. She had three "tentmates"; Fred , George, and Mike. They shared a tent together, and Xoven got bunk from the farthest part of the tent to get her some privacy. She lay down her armor on a wooden chest and lay down her backpack on the bed, and started unpacking. She didn't have very much belonings; some clothes, a small ring, and a small pack of cigarettes and a lighter in a small cupboard. She threw the backpack on the floor, and lay down on the bed, and fell asleep.
***
She was walking down the street, with wolves howling all around her. She saw twisted figures all around her; on the houses, casting shadows all over her. She saw a tall figure in front of her. It was a cloaked man; his face was covered by a long hood. Matter fact, his entire body was covered with a long, black robe.
Come to me, Xoven, a voice rang through her mind. Come to me, and I shall reward you.
Then the cloaked figure turned into a horrible, undescribable monster that hauled over Xoven and she fell under the darkness..
***
Xoven woke up screaming. Her tentmates looked at her and asked what had happened. She didn't answer, and after a while, she fell back into a restless, but into a dreamless sleep.
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