Shepard Chronicles ch 03 The arcane soldier
>You hover above a town, devoid of the people that once walked its roads. The stone breaks and wood rots and you see yourself walking amongst the ruins.
>Your face marked as one in thought looking at the buildings that break as you pass.
>suddenly to your right a skeleton shuffles out from a building but you don’t raise your weapon at it.
>It walks with you whispering things into your ear but no noise can be heard
>You respond but again no voice no sound only movement
>Outside the town are more corpse walkers most freighting are those of dragons now just rotting flesh and bone looming over the others.
>You meet with a creature robed in purple, he nods and lifts his hands and for the first time you are able to hear it.
>Screaming
>Cries of pain echo out from the town, buildings start to crumble and slowly the cries turn to moans.
>Bodies now walk from the town, life drained from their eyes as they join you and the other corpses
>Your face has no look of regret instead a smile as he shook the purple robed creature’s hand of walking off a companied by two heavily armoured men
>and you fade from the town
 
>oh bugger
>W: another one?
>Yeah
>L: party of the dead this time eh?
>There’s only one undead creature that knows how to party and he’s a pirate. Anyway we’re conscious check the outer sensors.
>W: arms active and ready
>L: legs are good to go as well
>Any injuries?
>W: we’ve got a chest pain but that’s all
>Lovely activating power stand by on the back-ups
>L: Standing by
>W: Ready
 
>You rise from bed multiple cracks come from your back, legs and feet as you begin movement
> Oh that feels good
>W: eyes adjusted to darkness sir
>Then we’re going
>Exiting the room you look down the hall, two doors on either side further down. One closed and the other opened.
>Going through the open one lead you into the bathroom
*ten minutes later*
 
>And down we go
>Walking down the stairs, each step creaking as you went pass, you find yourself on the second floor.
>Looking about you find what looks like the ‘living room’ and adjacent to it, the kitchen. A single light over the stove left on from the night before
>Would that be the right thing to say?
>L: If the night lasts forever then maybe, don’t know
>Well whatever a light was left on
>Looking out the kitchen window, numerous street lamps were lit showing activity from the men and women below
>Setting up or shutting down stalls, moving containers and such jobs were down under the cover of artificial light
>An eternal night huh? Interesting
>”Good morning.”
>You turn, spotting Star walk down the stairs
“Morning…I think.”
>”Don’t worry it is”
>She moved to turn on the lights partly blinding you as you cover your eyes.
>”Whoops! My bad.”
“No worries” you say rubbing your eyes as your vision begins to focus again
>”Hungry?”
“Not really but I’ll have some anyway.”
>She smirked as she went by you; you got out of her way and sat on her couch
>Returning a few minutes later she came out with toast for the both of you
>”We’ll be making a small detour before heading to the Wardens. Do you mind?”
>You simply shake your head
>L: It’s a trap!
>W: It’s most likely a trap.
>traps are fun. We’re going.
 
>After twenty minutes you both exited from Star’s house wandering down the street
>”You’ll want to explore the city when we’re done at the Wardens okay?”
“I’ll get lost you know that right?”
>”Don’t worry I’ll find ya.”
“Nope I’m pretty sure I’m doomed.”
>She chuckled as she led you to what looked like a joke shop
>leading you into the interior looked like a gilded cage, the stars on the outside and a small square room where you stood
>”Okay now run around this room three times then talk to me.”
“Uh why?”
>”Now Robert!”
”Yeah ok alright I’m going”
>You start to jog about the room
 
>Theories?
>W: checking your fitness
>L: Making you tender to cook you in a stew later
>W: seeing if you’re an athlete
>L: she wants your body
>W: that’s what I was gonna go with next
>L: If you want my body
>W: And you think I’m sexy
>Come on baby let me know
>L: If you really want me
>W: Just reach out and touch me
>Come on baby tell me so
>…
>Damn it guys that’s gonna be on my head now
 
>As you walk back up to her you feel a rise in your body
“OK now what?”
>”Hold your arm out”
>You do so and you feel the rise again, as you uncurl your hand a current of water erupts from your hand spraying out on the ground
“Holy crap!”
>L: Generating water?
>W: Only crap we got magic here
>L: Over water? Lame.
>”Water huh? Interesting”
>You look at Star in confusion, before William and Leon could stop you; you pick up Star and start yelling at her
“WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?”
>Star only smiled and her head started to glow
>L: hey is that horn?
>W: You’d think we would have noticed that.
>Unfortunately for you, before you can react you’re flung at the golden fence pinned against by an unseen force
>Bugger
>W: balls
>L: shit
>”Are you three listening?”
>Three?
“Three? What are you talking about, I only see us.”
>”Robert don’t play dumb with me”
>Her horn brightened again this time putting you on the opposite wall
>Except you saw yourself on the other wall with flared red hair
>Another flinging left you seeing another you with matted blue hair
“Leon? William? How the hell?”
>William felt himself ensuring he was real as Leon started to punch the air
W: “Interesting”
L: “This is cool”
>Star cleared her throat causing all three of you to look at her
>”Those bodies only exist in this room.”
>Leon’s face sunk but yours and William’s facial expression stayed neutral
W: “You have my attention”
L: “Mine as well”
>You gave a simple nod
>”You heard that you are my first recruit due to a very special reason, I only recruit those with magical powers.”
W: “Technically we’re humans, humanity cannot use magic”
>”If that we’re true then how did Robert shoot water from his hand?”
W: “Well um easy you uh”
L: “She’s a witch; she’ll turn us into newts!”
“Shut up Leon and let her talk”
>”Thank you, but in truth not all worlds agree with what you say, some humans due have magic while others don’t. The difference is what’s in the blood.”
“Blood?”
>”Yes, your blood is what gave you the ability to use magic. I sensed it and reached out to you and you agreed to it”
W: “If Robert has magic, then by extension so do we yes?”
>”That is correct, just do what Robert did”
>William and Leon looked at each other before extending their hands but nothing came out
“Dudes aren’t you missing a step?”
W: “What?”
“Get running”
W: “Damn it”
L: “Come Will it’s good for ya” he yelled running pass him
>Three laps and an arm extension later
>Leon jetted fire from his arm while William shot an icicle
>”Your magic and William’s are similar but Leon’s is opposite. How strange.”
“Not really”
>”Now I’m going to get the leader of the Wardens, you three practise in here till I come back”
>As she left you turned to your counterparts
“Well?”
W: “She’s hiding something that’s for sure but I’m not sure what.
L: “Why bring us out if we can’t leave this room?”
W: “Perhaps for later.”
“Later?”
W: “She’s planning something; you could see it in her eyes.”
L: “So the important question is ‘do we trust her?’”
“… She stopped me from throwing my life away that earns points with me.”
W: “She taught us magic for unknown purposes”
L: “We’ll watch and wait.”
W: “Judgement is unknown.”
“All we can do is go with it for now.”
W: “True unfortunately”
L: “And if her plan spells doom for us?”
“Only one thing to do.”
W: “Death”
L: “It’s inevitable anyway”
“We are the judges.”
W: “The jury”
L: “And executioners”
RWL: “So let it be”
>You, Leon and William raised your fists together unleashing your magic upwards covering the walls in water, fire and ice
“And now we wait.”
 
(Starshine’s POV)
 
>You’ve done it
>you managed to get lost in a city you thought you knew
>Robert is going to get lost
>Those two with him, they don’t seem to trust me. Can’t blame them I did pull them out of his head
>William seemed to be the sense of Robert’s mind, if Will doesn’t trust me Robert most likely won’t either.
>But then what’s Leon?
>He seems out of place, a man not meant to be there
>As long as they don’t leave that room, it should be fine
>Ah here it is
>Before you lay the Warden’s den, a place where the Wardens recruited from and shipped people out from.
>Walking in you see a familiar human, black beard well groomed as always
“Duncan we meet again”
>The man looked up a fatherly smile marking his face.
>”Starshine an honour what brings a Traveler to our doors?”
“I have a new member for you guys”
>”We may need more bodies, but till I see him or her I’ll have to turn you down.”
“Then follow Duncan, I’ll show you him.”
 
>You both walk out leading back to the mage’s chamber
>”Who is this man?” Duncan asks while walking
“He’s a broken man, but a warrior who was in charge of the black ops of his world, according to Alain anyway.”
>”Broken how exactly?”
“He has three minds, two who don’t seem to like me all that much.”
>”Can you blame them, they are just as much strangers to you as you are to them.”
>you sigh in response continuing to walk back.
 
> Arriving back to the chamber you find the door a jar
>Figurativily speaking of course
>Walking in you find Robert sitting on the floor meditating
“Where’s Leon and William?”
>”Gone”
>Gone?
“What do you mean gone?”
>Robert doesn’t open his eyes as he points towards the door, “Gone just like me.”
>You were about to question what he meant when he disenagrated turning to a puddle of water.
>”Interesting” Duncan said while stroking his beard
>Walking outside you see Robert sitting on a bench across from the chamber, levitating a sphere of water.
>”Magic isn’t so hard if you concentrate on what you want from it.” Robert said molding the water to show a replica of his own head.
>”Concentration and focus are the keys to magic as all mages know. But you are also a soldier as well correct?”
>Robert gets up, dropping the sphere and walks to Duncan holding out his hand, “Aye, you must be the Warden leader. I’m new to magic but I’ll wield it as any weapon, with power and precision.”
>Duncan grips his hand, “We need able bodies like yourself, but we have rules in our order, one is no guns.”
>Robert smiles, “That’s fair, using a gun isn’t as fun anyway.”
>tossing his gun at you, he throws an arm over his sholder, “Now tell me about this job.”
>As those two walked off you couldn’t help feeling you were being watched still…well nothing to worry about hopefully.
 
>You are William and you’re watching Robert and Starshine leaving the area.
>”You ready?” Leon asked from the shadows
“Yeah let’s see what this capital is like.”