The Spiritguard

By the time I am finally done training with my father's sword, Crossed Heart, the sun is setting and I am completely worn out. The effects of the Vitarine elixir were able to keep me going for much of the day, but it's clear that I am spent.

 I collapse to the ground, and Crossed Heart clatters to the earth next to me. I look up at the sky for a while as I see the fiery glow of the sun disappearing beyond the horizon. It's about eight, I assume. I'm not familiar with what time the sun sets, but since it is June 17th, I imagine the day is about as long as possible.

 I struggle to catch my breath as I think back to what I accomplished today. For whatever reason, my skills with the sword seemed about three times as good as normal. I wonder if this is because I'm psyched to be able to join the Spiritguard, or some other reason entirely. Maybe it's just all of my hard work paying off.

 I know that the Spiritguards mostly use swords, and other types of weapons are harder to come by. There are spears and staves that they have available, in limited quantities, but even if those are someone's preferred weapon most of us have to stick with swords. They have one axe at the barracks, from what I've heard. I hope nobody is coming from a tree-cutter village, because they're going to be S.O.L.

 I scoop up Crossed Heart next to me and sheathe the blade in its case. I stop to ponder the brilliance of Crossed Heart's white blade and the beautifully ornate silver hilt which bears the ruby red heart insignia. As I slide the blade into the asphalt-gray sheath, I can't help but feel a type of inspirational power come from within. As I walk back over to my house from the backyard, I feel empowered.

 I enter my house through the back door into the kitchen, and I set the sword down on the counter as I turn on the light.

 My kitchen is plain, and sort of dirty. Neither my mother nor I are 'cleaners', so we don't straighten up much. As such, there is a certain level of dirt on the floor of my kitchen. It's nothing gross, but it's not spotless either.

 I gather together a few vegetables, chop them up, and then throw them into a salad, because that's all the ingredients we have. Honestly, I eat too much salad for my own good. Can't get enough of it, though. If I'm not going to be addicted to Vitarine elixirs, I'll be addicted to salad.

 I've been a vegetarian for eight years, now, contrary to what one might think of a 'soldier'. It isn't that I have anything against meat, but I absolutely positively hate the taste of it. I'm a picky eater, and I only really like fresh vegetables…

 I tear through my meal, a nice blend of cucumber, tomato, and lettuce. After that, I eat two oranges, and then I finish it all up with a piece of bread and some olives. If that sounds strange, oh well.

There's a merchant who travels back and forth between my village and the next town over, Greenwald. He comes about once every two to three months because he goes around to all of the villages in the northwest that don't have railroads and trades back and forth between them and Greenwald. He always brings a bottle of special salad dressing with him that's made far to the north. He brings it just for me, and he always sells it to my mother at an incredibly low price, considering how far he has to travel with it just to get it here. It's the best thing in the world, and I use it up so quickly that I normally have to go two months without it, but I always eagerly await it. That merchant is due to come any day now, but since I'm going off to the Spiritguard Headquarters tomorrow, I won't be around when he gets here. Hopefully, he'll have come within two weeks from now, so when I can come home for my first visit I can have the best salad in the history of salads.

 After I eat, I rinse off my plate and decide to retire to my room for the night. Before I go, I make a conscious effort to put Crossed Heart back in its proper place. The sword is kept above our fireplace, on the mantel. If I forgot to put it there, my mother would have a heart attack when she got home, and she'd think someone busted in and robbed us. I don't want to do that to her, so I make certain Crossed Heart is always where it should be.

 I lay down to sleep, and once again find myself staring up at the ceiling above me. As I close my eyes, the intense weariness I've accumulated from training hits me, and I'm asleep within minutes.

…

 Within a dark forest, in a circle of burned, destroyed trees and shattered roots, an obelisk of glowing panels of light exists. Two travelers approach it, looking at it with intense curiosity.

One of the travelers steps forward and ushers for the other one to stay where he is. The subservient traveler bows his head and retreats into the darkness.

 The remaining traveler glides up to the obelisk. His light pink lips curl up into a smile as two of the fingers on his left hand stroke the iridescent panel of the crystal. He opens up his mouth to speak.

 Before he can say anything, the panels begin to flash and spark. The man steps backward and looks at the scene that is occurring. The panels begin to shift and open up, revealing a stairway that leads down to a passage deep within the ground.

 The closer traveler looks down into the passageway and sees a light at the bottom of the stairs. He nods and begins to descend. The other traveler does not accompany him.

 The traveler's footsteps echo down the stone walkway as he climbs deeper and deeper into the crumbling earth. As he reaches the chamber below, he finds that it is a perfectly empty and illuminated room. There is nothing within it, with the exception of a strange, distorted light that is on the wall opposite of him.

 The man recognizes this portal as a gateway from the Spirit World. He kneels before the portal and removes his hood, to show his presence. His long yellow hair falls out from his hood as he eyes the gateway before him.

 After a brief moment, something begins to emerge from the distortion.

 First comes a claw, encrusted with dirt and blood. Then comes the rest of the hand, which is fleshy and wrapped in a wrinkled, gray, makeshift skin. A scaly elbow appears, followed by an emaciated and bent leg. Then the rest of the creature pops out. It has an odd, alien-shaped head, with two bulging orange eyes and a long mouth that stretches from ear to ear. Large elf ears protrude from the back of its oval head, and it sniffs around with two holes that burrow deep into its skull and serve as nostrils.

 "Mmm…" the creature moans as it adjusts itself. "Mmmister Maderrra…"

 The man lifts his head up and rises before the creature. It is small, only about three feet tall, and also very thin. It doesn't seem like it has much physical power, but the being is grotesque to look upon.

 "Tell me what you know, Count Vuranya."

 The creature's eyes fixate upon the man as its name is said. "My name sounds strange when pronounced by a human, mister Madera." It then makes a sound, presumably of how it originally pronounces its name.

 "Vhe-your-vhai-yuh-narh."

 "Vuranya will do. I'll have no pleasantries with you, Imp. Tell me of Merava."

 "She is ready, but the portal is not. Two years from now. In just two years from now, she will be ready, mister Madera. On the Day of Darkness. In Arc—"

 "Arc?" the man referred to as Madera asks.

 "I feel…as if we're being listened to," the imp shivers. "Strange feeling. Cold feeling. You are trying to trick me. I should go back."

 "Not until you tell me where the Imp Queen Merava will appear, you delinquent imp."

 "Ah…Arcona Village."

 "Oh, really?" the man smirks. "Right in the Spiritguard Headquarters, hmm? Does Merava have a death wish?"

 "No…she has…no other option. She has been planning this for…twenty years."

 "I see. Well then, Vuranya, thank you for the information."

 "You're welcome. Anything to be free," Vuranya smiles. "It's been a long time since I've been free. I managed to open up this por…tal, but until that obelisk up there is opened, I have no way of getting out."

 The imp pauses to yawn. A hideous sight as the craven monster's lower jaw unhinges and exhales hot, stinking breath. Vuranya reaches up to snap his jaw back into place before looking up and smiling at the man through bloody teeth. "Why did you come now, mister Madera?" Vuranya asks. "Those…up above…know of Merava's plan. Why not ask them?"

 The man shrugs his shoulders. "I require a certain level of anonymity in the human world. Some people, some places - I should simply never be seen around. The details, you know? But in a place like this, you see...I have full discretion. The Day of Darkness, two years from now, in Arcona Village. Good. Very good. Thank you, Vuranya. As a gift, I will allow you out into the world. Feel free to go about whatever evil it is you wish."

 "Not evil, mister Madera, but I love…Vitarine elixirs…"

 The imp begins to hobble up the stairs, and Mr. Madera follows him. As they reach the top, the imp sprouts long, jagged wings and takes flight into the night. The man turns to his accomplice, who he'd left waiting outside.

 "Arcona Village, two years from now," the man says to his accomplice. "It's been confirmed."