Sword of Sorrow
The Sword of Sorrows
Chapter 1:
The Reawakening of the Sword
Here on our world, there is a sword. Not just any sword, but a special sword. They say this sword can destroy, and yet can also create; it can take, and it can give. The legends speak of these things, that the sword can grant men power beyond there most wildest dreams. So for hundreds of years, kingdoms waged war against other kingdoms, mankind versus mankind, just to claim ownership of this sword. Yet, when the kings and queens sacrificed the lives of their citizens just for this sword, they found it to be useless. They tried everything to unlock it’s mysterious powers, but before they could figure out what the secret was, another kingdom took it. And so the cycle went on, until finally the people of the land gave up on the legend. They locked the sword deep inside a cave, so that hopefully they could forget about the bloodshed that this useless sword caused. The sword lies deep in the Cave of Sorrows, named after the emotion that the sword gave to the people over the many years of war. But little did the people know that this legend was true, that the sword they hid away from themselves is the answer to their needs. This sword had a clever lock on it, for it could not be unlocked by magic, sorcery, or any form of magic. The sword could only be unlocked by a certain human emotion.
- - - - - -
“Hey, Casey, where are you going?” said Deja.
“I’m just going for a walk in the forest,” responded Casey.
Deja watched Casey walk into the forest, so without hesitation, he decided to follow him.
“I’m coming too!” shouted Shamus, “Wait up!”
Casey and Deja were cousins, but if you looked at them from a short distance, they would look like twins. Wherever Casey went, Deja would follow; wherever Deja would go, Casey would be there right beside him. They both lived in Tayda, a town on the edge of the Forest of Remorse. Tayda was once just a small inn for visitors who wanted to see the Cave of Sorrows, which was hidden deep inside the Forest of Remorse. But soon Tayda flourished because of the “magic beans” found in the forest, which could cure many common diseases. Because of these beans, travelers from many lands moved to Tayda for relief from these bothersome diseases. Trading in and out of the city was booming, and the citizens of Tayda used these beans to trade for wood, steel, iron and clay. With these materials, Tayda became a city full of beautiful monuments and great structures.
“Are you (gasp) going to get…some magic beans?” questioned Deja, after walking up a steep hill with bumps and cracks to reach Casey.
“No,” answered Casey.
“No?” said Deja, “Not for magic beans? Then why are you going into the forest?”
“I’m going to check out the cave, I’ve never seen it.” said Casey, jumping over a small stream.
“You have to be joking,” said Deja, “You haven’t seen the cave because you have to hire bodyguards to protect you from the evil in that cave! No one dares go in there unless they have protection. You know there are monsters in there, right?!”
Casey was already out of sight before Deja could finish his speech. Deja sighed, and ran through the forest along the beaten down path. You could tell that this was the selected path for visitors to the cave, because there were small signs pointing the correct direction and moved obstacles along the way. After climbing over a small ridge, Deja spotted Casey, and finally caught up with him.
“Well, it looks like there is no stopping you,” said Deja.
“Don’t worry, the cave probably has no monsters in it,” said Casey.
“How can you be so sure?” Deja said quickly.
Casey pondered for a moment, and turned to Deja, “Because this whole monster thing is probably just a myth created by our parents and older friends to keep us away from the cave. They believe that they are the only ones who can enter the cave.”
“It could be true, but why take the chance? I’d rather believe the adults, and stay away. Even if the monsters were not real, we will just waste a few hours to look at a cave and then leave.” said Deja.
“I’m not just going to look at the cave, I want to find the sword,” Casey said.
Deja’s jaw dropped, and his concerned face became a troubled face.
“The…s…sword?” muttered Deja, “What evil demon possessed you today, that you will be doing such reckless deeds?”
“You sound like my mom,” Casey joked.
Deja groaned. Being Casey’s friend, he had to follow along, for like the saying before, wherever Casey went, Deja would follow.
- - - - - -
“Have you found the book yet, you worthless old rat?” said Lucid.
“My name is not old rat, master,” said Gorgon.
Gorgon searched through the old books, wiping off the dust on each book to see the title. Gorgon could not read though, for he was an orc, so he would dust off each book, and hand it down to his master, Lord Lucid. Once a ruler of the mighty Fylians, Lucid has since craved for the Sword of Sorrows after losing his kingdom to his brother. He wishes to find the secret behind the sword, and destroy his kingdom that he helped create, just for revenge against his brother. He lost the kingdom to his brother because he killed a peasant on the street, a poor man who asked Lucid for one gold piece. Since he was a mighty king, he was above the law, but he was not above his father. His father banned him from the kingdom, and he was left with the clothes on his back, and his faithful servant, Gorgon. But in the years as a king in Fylia, he studied, day and night, about the Sword of Sorrow and it’s secrets. He managed to grab his study notes before he was forced to leave the kingdom where he grew up, and from his notes, he has discovered that there was a way to unlock the sword. It has led him, ironically, to the Cave of Sorrows, where the sword rests. But it is not the sword he is after, not yet, but a book which has not been read for thousands of years, the Book of Jade.
“Keep looking, I know one of these books is the Book of Jade,” said Lucid, throwing a book at Gorgon.
“Ouch! Master, I will find the book (snort), but it will take a long time because this library is very big,” said Gorgon.
Inside the Cave of Sorrows, they found an underground library, which seemed to be empty of life for centuries. The library looked to be a secret underground meeting place for some of the most honorable mages, masters, and lords of the past years. Yet the library was in disarray, for there were torn pages scattered about, claw marks on the walls, and broken furniture lying on the ground. It seemed that this secret library had been found long ago by someone, or something, and they did not approve of it’s existence.
“Here you go master, this is the next book,” said Gorgon, handing Lucid the red book.
“You’d better hope this is the book,” said Lucid, glaring at the poor orc.
Lucid studied the book, and saw that it was written in an ancient language. The letters of the title were smeared, so he opened the book slowly, preventing any torn pages. Lucid studied the words on the pages, looking at each page for what seemed like an eternity. Gorgon saw his chance to take a break, but before he could climb down the ladder, Lucid gave him another cold stare. Finally, after reading pages upon pages of the unknown book, Lucid eyes widened. His frown turned into an evil smile, and his grip on the book tightened.
“Gorgon, you’ve found it!” screamed Lucid, echoing through the cold, dark cave.
“I did?” said Gorgon, with a puzzled look.
“The Book of Jade, this is it!” said Lucid, “I’ve dreamed of finding this book, and now it is in the palm of my hand!”
“Can I get down now, Master Lucid?” said Gorgon, hoping that Lucid’s new mood would grant his wish of rest.
“Yes,” said Lucid, “But you cannot take a break, for I need you to fetch me my notes.”
“(sigh) Yes…master,” Gorgon said in an exhausted tone.
- - - - - -
The duo of Casey and Deja reached the mouth of the cave, and for a half an hour they stared at the wonder known as the Cave of Sorrow.
“Wow, I didn’t know the entrance to the cave was so vast,” said Deja, “Never did I hear a story from the adults about it’s entrance.”
“I bet our city could fit in there,” said Casey.
They approached the mouth of the cave, jumping over rocks and stumps blocking the path. The cave’s entrance included a small waterfall on the eastern wall, which created a stream that flowed out toward Tayda. It was really a sight to behold, for the waterfall was covered by large flowers, some six feet tall, which flourished because of the crisp, clean water. The flowers ranged from green, to red, almost like a rainbow on the ground. The boys were captivated by it’s beauty, so they approached the small waterfall, their eyes fixed on the flowers.
“This waterfall is stunning, and the flowers are almost as tall as my dad,” said Deja, being cautious by keeping his distance from the waterfall.
“Yeah, and the waterfall is making me thirsty,” said Casey.
“You are going to drink that stuff?” said Deja, “It could be poisonous!”
“Well, the flowers seem to be enjoying the waterfall, they are ten times larger then normal flowers,” responded Casey.
“Well, then the water could be some sort of growing water, making things bigger than they should be,” said Deja, “You could become a giant or something!”
Casey moved a flower which was blocking his way from the small stream, and suddenly the flower pushed him back onto the ground.
“Ugh…what was that?” said Casey in a daze.
The flower rapidly opened it’s mouth, full of razor sharp teeth, and lunged at Casey. Casey quickly rolled to his right, dodging the flower’s attack. Casey got up on his feet, and seeing that the flower was rooted to the ground, he moved back away from it so that the flower was out of reach for another attack.
“What is this thing?” said Casey, shaking from the event that just occurred.
“This must be those monsters!” said Deja, “I told you there were monsters!”
“Well, no worry, he can’t reach us if we keep our distance away from…” said Casey.
Before he could finish his words, the flower let out a cry, and it’s stem jolted from side to side. With it’s leaves, the flower pushed itself out of the ground, and used it’s roots to move. It couldn’t move very fast, because roots aren’t made for walking, but it was fast enough to catch slow prey. Casey and Deja looked at each other, thinking that this was the end of their young lives. Finally, Casey broke the silence, and let out a yell.
“Run! Run into the cave!” Casey yelled, already running from the monster.
- - - - - -
“What was that noise?” said Gorgon, after hearing the bloodcurdling shriek echo through the dark cave.
“Something must have fallen prey to the flowers,” said Lucid, his eyes focused on the book, “The prey thinks they found the perfect drinking spot, when suddenly they are swallowed whole by a monstrous flower. Nature is great, isn’t it?”
“Uh…yes, master,” said Gorgon, still frightened from the flower’s yell.
Lucid had been studying the Book of Jade for the past hour or so, reading each word on every page, trying to soak in all of it‘s secrets. The book was a very powerful book indeed, for it not only taught a man the ways to unlock the mighty sword, but other mystical spells as well. He was mesmerized by the book, it keep him captivated from page to page. Gorgon tripped and fell, crashing into a dusty, old desk, smashing it into pieces. Even through all the racket, Lucid’s eyes were focused on the words, the words of the Book of Jade.
“Ah, here it is, the Secret of the Jade Sword,” said Lucid.
“I thought it was the Sword of Sorrows, master,” said Gorgon, getting up from his unfortunate fall.
“That’s what foolish men call it, but I, I know it’s true name,” said Lucid in an evil tone, “This sword was once used twenty thousand years ago to stop the evil god, Jade, and thus, the sword received it’s name for saving the lands from the god’s wickedness.”
“Will you use the sword to stop Jade again, master?” said Gorgon, confused by the whole story.
“No, you fool, I will use this sword for revenge against my disgusting brother, and my father shall also feel my wrath!” Lucid said in a raised voice.
“Now, I must find the secret to the Jade Sword,” said Lucid, moving his eyes back to the book, “So keep quiet, Gorgon.”
He read the book again, this time for another twenty to thirty minutes. By the time he was done, Gorgon was half-asleep, lying near the desk which he had broken.
“Gorgon, we must leave now,” said Lucid, waking Gorgon from his peaceful slumber, “I believe I hold the secret to the sword myself.”
- - - - - -
“You almost got us killed back there, Casey!” said Deja, “We would have been it’s supper! Look what you have dragged me into!”
“You had the choice to stay at Tayda,” Casey said, “I did not drag you into anything.”
Deja kept quiet, for Casey was right about his choice. But he had to go with Casey, for he is his best friend, and he must look out for him. They were now in the Cave of Sorrows, their only light coming from the outside.
