He crept through the rubble of the burnt buildings poking through the ashes looking for anything that had survived. He tested the air and satisfied that the raiders were gone he continued to explore, another shadow in a land of death. Then his stomach growled reminding him he should be hunting for food. He came around the side of a building, whose walls still stood, and quickly stepped into the shadows where he would be hidden from view. Standing a few feet away from him was a young elven child, wearing gold chased ebony armour that looked like a relic. The child’s face was grim and determined.
The Child Placed the Helmet over his head, picked up a sword that was lying on the ground and strapped the ancient scabbard over his shoulder. NightWolf, as he was known to his few friends, sensed a great power radiating from the armor. He stepped out of the shadow and stood up to his full height, keeping his hands where the child could see them. The lad spun around, so quickly he nearly fell over, and his sword materialised in his hand. As the child’s eyes fell upon NightWolf, he dropped the sword and stumbled back. falling to his knees, his face draining of colour.
Night felt sorry for this child, who’s parents and village had just been destroyed in front of his very eyes. Not being able to speak, Night tried to speak to the boy through his mind. He quickly searched out the boys name, age and anything else that might be useful. The Child name was Gilthanis and he was only 7 years old, like he had suspected the boy had witnessed the whole raid.
Night Glanced around the devastated village once more and he knew that Gil wouldn’t survive here, or in the outside world alone. Night Concentrated on the child sending the thoughts, "Child, Please do nae fear me. I will nae harm ye. I wish to help. Gil Jumped and stumbled to his feet but only made it a few steps before he fell again. A single thought crossed the boys mind that blocked out all others, "WEREWOLF!!"
Night looked at the child then picked up the fallen blade and offered it back to the boy hilt first. Gil tentatively took the ancient blade back and resheathed it. NightWolf looked at him and wondered what he could do to gain the boys trust. After pondering for a few moments He pulled a Moonstone pendant out from under his tunic, his most precious possession, then went down on one knee in front of the child, bowed, offered the pendant to the boy and mentally recited an oath.
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Gil stared in awe at the creature after he recovered from the shock of hearing a voice in his head. Gil took his sword when it was offered and resheathed it without a conscious thought. Then He heard the wolfs voice in his head again as it went down on one knee, bowed in front of him, offered him a pendant and recited a knights oath mentally. "An oath to protect Me," Gil thought to himself, "why would any creature vow to protect me?" Gil took a tentative step forward and took the pendant cautiously placing it around his own neck. Gil smiled Grimly but still wouldn’t say a word. The horrible things he had witnessed still fresh in his mind. He scratched the wolfs head softly and some colour returned to his face.
**************
The 2 of them left the village soon after, travelling towards the nearest knights castle, near the gorge. By foot is was a 10 day trip, by horse only about 2 days, But as they travelled Night taught Gil swordsmanship, with another sword they had salvaged, and woodlore. By the time they reached the keep, Gil was a very adept hunter and could wield a blade moderately well, but he still wouldn’t speak. Gil strode up to the gate alone and Night hid in the shadows, thinking if the guards saw him they would not open the gate. Gil knocked on the gate and it swung open almost immediately, A guard stepped out and walked over to Gil.
"Young Lord Gilthanis," the guard said with a bow, "What brings ye to this keep without your father? and on foot at that?"
Gil still refused to talk but instead handed the guard a scroll on which he had written all the important information. "And where is this Guard of yours young lord?" inquired the guard courteously.
NightWolf Muttered to himself, wishing he had taken the time to read the scroll, but stepped out of the shadows and walked up behind Gil all the same. "I am the lads guardian," he mentally told the gate guard who had paled and taken a few steps back when Night had stepped out of the shadows.
The Guard quickly recovered and bowed, "follow me I will take ye to Sir Harold Right away," the guard replied with an edge of fear in his voice. He left them outside the door and went in to talk to the knight. a few minutes later the guard left the room motioning for them to enter. The Knight looked them both over with a critical eye and nodded slightly as Gil and Night bowed simultaneously.
"Greetings Gilthanis, I am sorry to hear what happened to your village and your family," Sir Harold said sadly, "Your father, He was one of our best knights. I am Sir Harold, Welcome to my keep. I understand ye wish to become a knight like your father?" when Gil nodded he continued, "Your `Guard` too?" Gil nodded again and Sir Harold continued, "Ok Ye will have to start as a squire, both of ye, but all knights have to go through all the training." Gil smiled and Sir Harold went through getting all the paperwork completed.
Gil an Night trained hard for many years. Gil Began to speak again when he was about 16 years old. Him and Night became good friends throughout the years of training side by side. They both progressed rapidly through the ranks, and when they were both Knights of the Rose they travelled to the Mage’s Tower, where Gil would study Magic until he was skilled enough to go through Paladin’s training.
Half-Way through his training Gil witnessed the creation of 4 Very Powerful blades: 1, an evil sword, Made of black crystal was destroyed almost right away when it turned on its creator, 2 of the others had Silver Blades and Gold Hilts, 1 of these had a perfect clear Diamond in the hilt, the other a blood red ruby, and the last blade was made of pure ruby, this was the blade created to destroy the others. The blades killed their creators, the Black one was destroyed and the ruby one disappeared. Gil took the other 2 swords and stashed them away in his treasure cave at Hawks Hollow.
When Gil successfully completed his magic tests, Night Became his familiar by choice. They once again set out adventuring, collecting many powerful artifacts in their travels. They fought many battles together over the years and miles.
They were the best of friends, So when Night got wounded and the only thing that could save him was a magic crystal in the Elemental Realm of fire, Gil had no qualms about going after it even though he had been supposedly cursed by a prankster. Gil was only allowed to take the clothes he was wearing with him, he couldn’t even take his armor with him, So he avoided any fights he came upon. He found the crystal near a black obelisk with a sword sticking out of it. Gil grabbed the handle of the sword thinking he could better defend himself on the way out, but as he grabbed the hilt he heard a voice in his head promising to rid him of the curse. Gil heard a shout and saw a Fire Elemental charging at him.
Gil Quickly yanked the sword out of the obelisk, grabbed the sword and ran back the way he had come. He felt energy flowing out of the sword and through his body, a burning sensation accompanied it. Gil dived through the portal and landed beside NightWolf just as the portal closed. Gil quickly placed the crystal on the wound, whispered a word and closed his eyes. Gil saw the flash of light even through his closed eyelids. When Gil opened his eyes NightWolf was standing in front of him, but something was different. Gil stood up and hugged Night, they were both glad to be alive, but neither of them knew what was different. They found out soon enough that NightWolf had become a shade.
Neither of them really cared. They were both alive, and Night was still solid matter, that was enough for them. Being Gil’s Mentor and Guardian, Night was very Proud that Gil had made it back from the realm of fire, but he was worried about the sword. Knowing how dangerous an intelligent sword could be, Night Tried to convince Gil to Return the Sword. Gil shook his head and said he was going to keep the sword. This was a bad idea, In the years that followed Elementals and shades were hunted down and killed because people didn’t understand their powers.
Years passed and they Travelled to all corners of the world, trying to avoid the persecution, and execution. They fought many battles to stay alive and killed many people they wished they hadn’t had to. One day They ran out of provisions and stopped outside an Inn. Gil read the sign, it read, "The Sword’s-Edge." Gil smiled and showed Night the sign, Night nodded slightly. They had been here before but this time was different. this time the Portal to the realm of flame was going to appear here, within the next few days. Gil craved to feel blood running through his veins again, instead of this accursed Fire…….
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Gilthanis stood in the shadows outside the inn, the gold chasing on his ebony armor glittering in the flickering light from the window. He read the sign one more time before walking in, hoping the Portal was open so he could rid himself of the Accursed Elemental war. `The Swords-Edge` was a friendly tavern which he had visited before in his years of travelling, He stepped in silently and looked around.
As He stepped through the door he was assaulted by a wall of sound that nearly knocked him over. He heard a Hawk talking on a tree outside over all the noise, and saw ^NightWolf^ in a heavily shadowed corner. He looked up as he heard a voice that was slightly familiar, and saw Legolas. Bowing to the lord of the inn, Gil walked over and found and empty table near the fire.
Gil looked at the fire, searching, as he ordered a fyre wine and found that the portal was already open, He would have to go tonight. Gil sipped his wine and looked around the room, seeing noone of interest he informed NightWolf of his plans.
Gil downed his wine quickly, closing his eyes as it burned down his throat, pulled a dagger from his boot and drew the tip across his palm. The Lack of blood coming from the cut didn’t surprise him, he had not bled for years, replacing the dagger in his boot, he stood and walked towards the fire. Crouching down in front of it, he took one last look around the room, then quickly shoved his burnt hand into the fire and quickly slipped through the portal into the realm from which he had been exiled.
Gripping his flaming sword, the Burning Brand, Gil made his way across the barren red landscape, skirting pools of lava and large volcanoes. He could see the onyx obelisk, his destination, in the distance. He came over a hill and was attacked, again, by a group of Flame Elementals and Lava Wolves. He had been expecting the attack, he had been attacked many times already in the past hours of his journey by such groups.
He swung quickly as the first wolf charged and nearly cleaved its head in half, He pulled his sword up to block the swing from the first elemental as the beast fell to the ground. Gil wished he had been able to wear his armour in this realm, but it wasn’t part of this realm, so it sat in his armoury. He felt a burning in his arm and looked over to see a grinning elemental pulling its blade away from him. Gil Swung his blade in a downward arc and split the elemental cleanly in 2. He charged the remaining 2 cutting both down with a single stroke. He watched the bodies melt into lava and flow into a nearby stream as he tore a piece off his shirt and bandaged his arm.
When his arm was bandaged he looked over the tattered clothes he was wearing and the numerous bandages. He had been attacked 15 times in the 2 hours he had been travelling in this realm. Wanting to get out of here as fast as he could, he started jogging towards the obelisk.
An hour and many more fights later he reached the obelisk and quickly examined the base, quickly locating the small slit surrounded by runes. He set the tip of the Burning Brand in the slot and hesitated only a second before shoving it into the slot and falling to his knees.
Gil felt momentarily drained, when his power returned he stood up and started running back towards the portal. He dodged around groups of Elementals and wolves and kept running towards the Portal. The Portal came into view over a rise and he heard a chorus of shouts behind him. He kept his eyes on the portal, his agility helping him dodge around lava pools in his desperate dash for the portal.
Gil felt his lungs burning from exertion, The portal was only a few feet away, and he willed his legs to keep moving. Gil reached towards the portal and felt something hit him in the back, he fell to his knees to tired to notice the texture of the surface he landed on. Gil closed his eyes and waited to feel a flaming blade run through him. That blow never came. He opened his eyes and looked around to find himself back in Swords-Edge kneeling on the floor in front of the fire.
He quickly stood up, nearly fell again, and leaned shakily against the hearth catching his breath and telling Night what had happened. Gil Walked over to a table near Brooksong and Christian and sat down heavily. He greeted them both, and inquired if he could borrow a dagger for a short while. After asking what Gil wanted it for, he pulled out a dagger and handed it hilt first to Gil.
Gil took the dagger and proceeded to slice his palm open, smiling as he felt blood on his palm. He looked down and nodded slightly happy to feel blood flowing through his veins again. Brook looked worried so Gil explained to them how when he was a fire elemental he wouldn’t have bled and he had needed to prove his success to himself. He used the 2 cuts as examples.
"Well then at least let me heal it for you," said brook slightly less worried.
"If it would make ye quit worrying then go ahead," replied Gil then he ordered some Elven Wine.
Brook took his hand and a blue glow surrounded his hand seeping into the cuts and healing them. Gil looked slightly surprised when he noticed there weren’t even any scars on his palm. Though Knowing the workings of Magic well he smiles, thanked her and returned Christian’s dagger. Gil tried to remember what he used for a weapon then found he couldn’t remember much of his past.
Gil told them this thinking it must be remnants of the fire still clouding his mind. Gil’s nights, over the days that followed were plagued by odd dreams and his days by confusion. His mind cleared enough that he could summon his armor, The DragonsBane, and the DragonShield. He also remembered the quest He and Night has been on when Night had been wounded.
Thinking clearly for a second he pulled a map out of his satchel and searched it. His mind became very cloudy again just as he found the mark over Dragons Cave. So many years ago he had found the path into the cave and He started out again to finish his quest. Making sure to get a bow and quiver of arrows, He quickly travelled to the northern mountains and the cave Hidden High in their peaks.
Down the path from the cave he saw a group of bandits, sitting around a large campfire. Stringing his bow quickly he fired off 4 arrows each hitting a bandit with a dull thunk. Gil leaped out of the woods behind the last 2 bandits with a shout and swung his blade decapitating them both as they drew their blades.
Gil quickly retrieves what arrows he can and searches the Bandits pockets and packs for any useful supplies. He finds a Large battle axe with a razor sharp edge and a shiny mirror like surface on 1 of the bandits he shot. Taking the axe and its harness he quickly strapped it on and continued to search, cleaning his blade on one of the bandits tunic. He threw the bodies into the fire and freed their horses, picking up the supplies he had found he continued to the cave.
He travelled for hours in the cave, relying on his elven eyesight to see in the shadows yet seeming to know exactly where to go. After 3 hours of travelling through the darkness of the cave He walked into a large room with smooth walls shaped by magic. In the centre of the room, illuminated by a thin shaft of light, was a suit of armor made completely out of Golden dragon Scales with a matching helmet made of pure gold.
Cautiously, and silently, Gil crept up to the armor, making his own armor return to his armoury. He reached out towards the armor then hesitated and glanced around the silent cave. Something was wrong, the cave was to quiet to be an occupied Dragon’s lair, and did it ever smell occupied. Gil considered this for a few seconds, deciding he must have been lucky and come when the dragon was out, he quickly put on the Golden armor. Gil whispered a word and he disappeared just as the wind in the cave grew and the sound of beating wings broke the silence.
Gil appeared in the Swords-Edge again, his mind chaos, and thought over what he had found on the bandits. He found an empty table and ordered some elven wine to clear his senses. When that didn’t work he started looking through his satchel, amazed at the capacity of the small satchel. He pulled out 2 vials of clear fluid which he knew, though the labels had long since worn away.
He knew that one was a herbal mixture made to clear his mind and the other was Drake venom. The only problem was he couldn’t remember which was which. An Archangel nearby offered to help, Gil handed him the vials, and he examined the 2 fluids. After examining the fluids for a few seconds, he looked up suddenly and quickly walked out. Gil followed not wanting to lose the chance to remember his past.
He found the vials just outside the door but the Angel was nowhere to be seen. He walked back into the inn and chose 1 of the vials at random and put the other away. He sat back down at his table, removed his helmet and right gauntlet, ordered another wine, uncorked the vial and mixed the fluid with the wine. He sat there for a long time gazing at the wine and glancing around the room. Then around midnight he downed the wine in a single swallow.
For awhile he felt a tingling sensation on his head, then his memories came back and his skin started to burn, and the table underneath his gauntlet and helmet started to smoke. It was so hot he felt that his skin must be melting from his bones. He stood up and leapt out a window, stumbling away from the inn and into the darkness of the night. NightWolf couldn’t keep up and stayed at the inn waiting. Gil cried out in Agony, only his head and right hand weren’t burning.
He fell to his knees and howled in pain as he felt his back explode. Then the world went back, his last conscious thought being that he had chosen the wrong vial, as he fell to the hard ground. He was unconscious for nearly a day, reliving the pain in strange dreams.
Gil woke up to the smell of earth, in a cold sweat, the pain still fresh in his memory. He realised he could feel the grass across his chest and wondered if some lowly rogue had come along and taken his armor. He tried to push himself up, cried out in surprise as he saw his left hand, and noticed there was on odd weight on his back.
Gil quickly stood up, nearly losing his balance from the weight on his back, and looked himself over starting with his hands. His right hand was unchanged but his left hand was deformed covered in golden scales, it looked like the forepaw of a dragon. He looked down at his chest and legs, they were also covered in Golden scales. He thought it must be the armor and reached up to his neck to remove it, but instead found only a seamless line where scales met skin.
Gil looked over his shoulder to see what the odd weight was and jumped as he saw a pair of Golden wings. "What has happened to me?" He thought aloud. After thinking for a few minutes he remembered that a curse had been placed upon him before Night had been wounded. Nearby he saw a large chuck of gold.
Feeling the fire still burning within him he picked up the gold and channelled the fire into it. He shaped the gold into a crossbow with no string and a lightning bolt engraved in the handle. He decided he would give this to NightWolf. When he finished he knew that he had none of the Elemental fire still in him. He strapped the crossbow to his hip and got his bearings.
He walked towards his home, Hawks Hollow, He went down 1 tunnel directly to the hotsprings and had a quick bath. then he went to his wardrobe and found A heavy black cloak, a black Tunic, a pair of black breeches, and a black glove for his left hand. After he donned the clothes He made sure the cloak covered his wings, checked himself in the mirror, wincing when he saw it made him look like a hunchback, and headed out the door towards the `Sword’s-Edge`.
As he walked up to the door he smiled as he sensed Night and informed him of what happened. Gil walked in Silently making sure his cloak shrouded his wings, and drawing a couple stares. He looked around, seeing Night sitting in a heavily shadowed corner, and walked over to join him, as he sat down his wings wrapped around his shoulder. When he was seated and had his Wine he felt someone thinking about him. looking around the room he saw it was a female drow elf, reading her mind he found out her name was Heatherwinds and she could tell he had wings. Gil felt many eyes watching him and chuckled to himself. Then a stranger walked in with a bared blade, all other swords were in the weapons closet, and felt his wings flutter in agitation. Gil muttered to himself knowing that had drawn more attention and watched the Stranger carefully.