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extreme wizard -> (DF) Climbing the Ranks: Hero of Life (5/29/2011 20:41:45)
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Chapter 1: Chosen
For Devlin, basic training was hell on earth. Devlin was nineteen years old, tall, and thin. His black hair drooped down over his left eye, or at least it had until the knight captain Rolith had it cut to regulation length. Regulation length... Devlin thought. Because my hair will end up killing me at some time, of course it needs to be cut. He rolled his gray eyes as he waited in line for the obstacle course. Captain Rolith walked down the line, scanning the faces of the trainees for any sign of fear or exhaustion. He glanced at Devlin's pockmarked face, then moved on when he saw the cold steel in his eyes. He could tell the trainee was hating every second of basic training, and with good reason; this was his fifth run down the obstacle course and he had already completed the other four runs in near-record time. I wonder just what this kid's limits are... wondered Rolith.
Devlin approached the front of the line and glanced down at his tattered green combat fatigues. They consisted of a simple green tunic and brown pants, now speckled with dirt and mud. The trainee stepped up to the platform that marked the beginning of the course and began to climb the hundred-yard mud pit. Devlin moved lightly, slipping his heels quickly out of the dirt and leaning into the next step, never keeping too much weight in the same place in an effort to avoid becoming stuck as several other trainees had already done. Piece of cake. Devlin thought as he exited the pit and moved toward the agility portion of the course.
Devlin sighed in boredom as he climbed into the first tree of the course, a thick oak, and proceeded to leap from branch-to-branch and tree-to-tree until dropping out of the leaves two-hundred yards away from the starting point. Why am I still here, in Oaklore, when I could be in the field? Devlin thought. The young man swung across seventy-five wooden bars for the next test with seemingly no effort, then started the ten-mile hike through Surewood Forest.
Rolith stood at the top of the Oaklore tower with the famous Paladin, Artix, and watched the trainee breeze through every obstacle with record speed. As the young man finished the course, Rolith checked the time on a magical disk Warlic had crafted to keep time. A pocketwatch, that was the name.
"He's a piece of work, eh?" said Rolith with a smile. He showed the timepiece to Artix and the Paladin's eyebrows rose in appreciation.
"He beat the old record by nearly fifteen minutes...do you think we should recommend him?" Artix said.
Rolith nodded slowly. "He's rebellious...but he has so much potential that we would be stupid not to."
Artix turned away from the knight captain and said, "I'll take care of it then, and since we have made our choice, I can head back to the Necropolis. Correct?"
Rolith chuckled. "Yes, you can go slay some more undead, but take care of our soon-to-hero first."
"Of course." answered the Paladin. "Hero of FalconReach...that has a nice ring to it, I think that boy will do just fine when he gets a title like that." He began to walk down the old stone steps of the tower as Rolith turned back to look at the training field behind the town of Oaklore. Devlin was leaning against a tree at the end of the obstacle course alone, he watched the other trainees with dark eyes and brushed mud from his fatigues. The boy may have skill, but for which side will he use it? Rolith thought.
Three days later, Artix arrived at the capital of Lore, Swordhaven. He approached the King's private quarters and knocked on the thick, wooden door. "Who's there?" a voice called from inside.
"I just had to resist an extreme temptation to tell a knock-knock joke, I hope you know that, dad." said Artix.
"Ah! Artix! Come in!" said the King.
Artix opened the door and walked into the rectangular room that served as the King's bedroom. A large bed dominated the space, with a desk to one side and an easychair to the other. The King sat at the desk, which was cluttered with documents and an inkwell, into which the King dipped a quill pen to write notes. The King wore a comfortable blue robe over a white shirt and black pants and his crown lay on the desk in front of him. "What do you need, son?" He asked.
"Rolith and I have made our choice." Artix replied.
The King's eyes widened and he spoke, "Who did you chose?"
"There is a boy," Artix began, "he is secluded, but he has such talent that there really was no way we couldn't chose him."
"How did he do in basic training?" The King asked.
Artix smiled as he imagined his father's expression when he revealed the next bit of information. "He beat the obstacle course record by nearly fifteen minutes, he completed last weeks twenty-mile run in two hours and twenty minutes, and he has yet to lose a sparring match with the other trainees. He also scored higher than any trainee in history on the final exams for battle strategy, tactics, craftsmanship, magic lore, Lorean history, and ballistics. To put it simply, he is the most talented young man to ever take part in our training and assessment programs."
The King's jaw sagged slightly and his eyes widened. "I myself set the previous records for nearly all of the accomplishments you listed, and he broke...all of them?"
Artix now grinned widely. "Yes, yes he did."
King Alteon stood up and said, "We need to get him started immediately. Who should we send for?"
"Lady Celestia has always been reliable, I mean, she trained me. She is the best choice." Artix answered.
"Right, I'll send a messenger Griffon to town and he can begin to grow into his position in a few days." Alteon turned back to his desk and began to write on a parchment.
Artix touched his father's shoulder. "There is one problem though..." he began to say.
King Alteon turned back to his son with uncertainity in his eyes. "What is it?"
"This boy, Devlin is his name, by the way, he...is, um, dark." Artix started to say. "And he may not be as purely good as the heroes of other towns. In simpler terms, we aren't sure if he will use his talents for good or evil."
"We will find out soon, then." said the King. "Because I recieved word yesterday that there have been disruptions in FalconReach bay, we will need to send a hero to investigate."
"What kind of disruptions?" asked Artix.
The king sat down heavily and looked at Artix with pain in his eyes, "I'm not sure how reliable the reports are, but it seems that Kathool Atchoo has woken, and he is not happy."
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