IC novel: He who has returned (part I)

[Signatus]

My eyes...

I almost forgot... The sand, the treacherous cliffs, the rage of the beasts... and the sun... my beloved land, place of my ancestors and ground of heroic alliances, home of the bloodthirsty Ignean races.

How long have I dwelled in the lost palaces of exile, me, the proud son of the Inumata, the finest Altaruk's Esquilos hunters, The Sons of the Burning Wind, was it a year? No, not as much but... it seems for far too long. Somehow I feel strange, or is it Ignis that is different? I do not see friendly faces, has it all been lost to the clutches of time?

The legends of our land, whom I proudly served, are they gone? Have we been invaded? Is Menirah at the hands of the horned goats, is Samal at the hands of those HERETICS, blasted... I failed. I sworn to protect my land, to bring death upon our enemies, to dedicate my talents to the master of my clan... but... no, we have not been invaded... there is a chance but...

I cannot.

I feel my hands tremble while I head to my modest hut... the door is still closed, for Gothos, everything is in it's proper place, quickly... yes... my closest friends are still here... the Death Pact and the Doombringer... "one long and one short, when properly used can slash the thickest of the horned goats" used to say my father... yes... my dead father...

I feel it again, my blood boils with the rage of the Ignean winds, I WANT WAR, I WANT A PREY, I WANT TO HUNT THOSE GOATS DOWN AND BRING DEATH UPON THE HERETICS...

But I cannot

Not yet, first I must learn again... so much has been forgotten, and I cannot be the mockery of these young fools, not me, once one of the finest Regnum hunters (although few have survived to acknowledge it!). I must learn The Ways:

The Way of The Burning Wind: only heretics and dwarfs use the ways of the wind to evade battle, cockroaches without honor that seek to deceive their written destinies, to be crushed by the might of the Ignean Army. The Way of the Burning Wind is to use the wind to bring death upon our mortal enemies striking them at the speed of a thought, the last of their filthy lives.

The Way of the Pathfinder: what is of a hunter if he doesn't find his prey? He becomes the hunted. And there is no greater dishonor to a Ignean hunter then to be caught by surprise by a goat or an heretic!

The Way of The Beast: Frequently overpowered by what truly is, to use stupid and minor beings to do the work of a resourceful hunter, engage war. But I'm not as fool as I seem, even I think that this Way prove his worth in battle, although not bringing much honor upon his master. I rather use a Molok Barbarian... they are not that different from Tol-Tars.

The Way of the DeathPact: Using a long bow might be a trademark from a marksmen, but is also the Way of the expert hunter, when a hunter bleeds for the first time his prey there isn't much doubt about the outcome, the delicious aroma from the blood of our enemies is a scent that we are used to follow... and track until the job is done.

The Way of the DeathBringer: It is true that the hammer of a barbarian goat only needs to strike once, but it is also true that between the time that a mindless barbarian raises his weapon and the time he takes to strike it down we have already recovered our arrows from his corpse.

The Way of the Trickster: It is undoubtedly a form of art, one that I much esteemed. There is no greater pleasure then hacking the face of an enemy with a mighty blow and count his teeth from our fist, or confuse a conjurer in the thick of a battle and see him abandoning his fellow comrades or even, surprise, to ambush a barbarian when he runs against his enemy and take a picture while he lays down merciless. But to suddenly strike a knight, well, lets say that it makes them believe that hell exists.

These are the ways that I must master once again, and this time I must master them all (no young fool will laugh at me, I stil have a trick or two).

Then perhaps I can rejoin the clan and ask mercy from Master Twix for abandoning my post, then perhaps I can rejoin Master Tiamat, Master Zordak, Master Hollowpoint, Master Froste (with an "e"), Master Gpomal (he would laugh at my inability to properly use a longbow), Master Maxwell and Master Boger in their bloodthirsty, paindeliviring hunts. Perhaps I may be able to engage war side by side again with Master Legolas, Master Mario, Master Icarus, Master Demon and Master Nazgul... perhaps.

They might be dead already, there were legendary foes in my time...

Perhaps my name will be once again whispered in the mountains of the frozen North, a name that was said to be the name of death, a name that rallied countless parties in a vain attempt to convert the hunter in a prey.

Perhaps the forests of the south will tremble again before me, I whom carried the burning Ignean winds at my feet will again drink the blood of those who casted the true learnings and exiled our people in the Dune Sea.

In time...

But enough of these considerations, it's time to spill some blood.

[NightTwix]

wow im stunned. I wont even try to write on that level.

Sadly Hollowpoint and Froste stopped playing. Duo too i think.
You are welcome back among the circle of The Immortal Legend of course.

I send you a PM with further details

[Godofsilver]

[Miraculix]

Hey this could be made into an awesome page for the regnum comic

*pokes piz*

[misaccc]

oh my...awsome dude!awsome!!!!althought u didnt put my name with the other masters

[Signatus]

Originally Posted by Miraculix

Hey this could be made into an awesome page for the regnum comic

*pokes piz*

I would be honored to provide the argument to any of the many skillful drawers of our community, my drawing abilities are, let's say, pathetic (and I'm not being modest).

Originally Posted by misaccc

oh my...awsome dude!awsome!!!!althought u didnt put my name with the other masters

My humble apologies sire, there are many more who, like you, deserve to be mentioned... perhaps in other chapters?!

[misaccc]

Originally Posted by Signatus

My humble apologies sire, there are many more who, like you, deserve to be mentioned... perhaps in other chapters?!

sure

[Signatus]

The arena!

I remember the first time I dueled inside this coal-blood colored building. I was so young and naive, so sure of my abilities, of my pets, of my quickness. So unafraid that I truly believed that a war could be won by the sole mastery of my bow, can someone be so stupid and reckless like a young soldier?

Then I learned the first of my two lessons that day, I was nothing but dust upon the wind. I was tossed around inside that arena, mesmerized by the cowardice of my pet (is that why I do not rely on them, is it because of that day?), and completely useless against his power. He was a dark elf, barely older then me in the arcane arts of the necromancers. How could it be? I could only strike at him once for each 5 times we engaged duel, and I was fast, and mastered my short-bow quite well despite my young age, I could evade his first, second and sometimes third strike but when I thought I had him within my grasp my own hands started to be a burden, like they were crude stone, and I could barely shoot my bow against him, I was quick but he constantly sidestepped me making me turn to face him over and over again, and meteors where casted upon the sky and the next thing I noticed my body was burning in fire, delivering pain in ways that not even the burning winds could do to a unprotected body...

And then he laughed at me and said "Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it, you have some potential... for a hunter." But I didn't hate him, his boisterous good nature (if there is such thing in a dark elf) made it impossible to! Then he told me "I've seen war you know, much more then you can imagine (and I only imagined war with me triumphant over the bodies of countless foes), and after you reach it you understand that your training among the desolated plains of Ignis is only a little step to the mastery of your battle arts".

And then I knew my path was a long and hard one.

Then I learned the second of my two lessons that day. What joy it is to slaughter entire areas of beasts without having to run or rest, what joy is to have your front covered by a knight, your flank by a barbarian, and the rear of your private army suported by a mystic healer, a warlock that spreads havoc, and a deadly marksmen. My only worry was the supply of arrows!

Brothers in arms, is there better gift in a battlefield?

Then I said farewell to that improbable friend, Fubarian was his name, and the last time I saw him he was decimating countless hordes of enemies with two times more mana than him... One wonders, if he hadn't lost so much time helping and instructing young soldiers like me, making friends in every corner of the realm, he would might have been the key for winning this endless war for good.

Those who have grown side by side with him, sharing the same studies in those arcane arts, indisputable Masters in my time, Master Stn, Master Demon and Master Froste used to say that one day he might come back...

[Signatus]

The Gate...

"There isn't such thing as Present, there's only Future: time is the ultimate mastery, the proper use of the tides in it's never ending fluid is what separates those who lead from those who can only follow."

I was packed with a group of soldiers rushing to reinforce our lines in Samal, we had been stationed for drills in Medenet and there was a scent of anxiousness for blood that drove us to fasten our pace. Shortly after leaving The Gate a goat battle party cut our progression... "GATE CAMPERS, TO YOUR POSITIONS".

"There is not One; but an Army of One: remember that the first casualties in war are the proud and the reckless soldiers who disobey their superior orders"

And there I was, running in the front lines, ignoring the "ARCHERS: SUPPRESSING FIRE" order and holding my bow as an axe ready to deliver a punch in the first barbarian that approached...

"There is no perfection, only mastership: do not try to be Him, that's an heresy, know yourself and you will know your enemy"

The captain yield "PHALANX FORMATION" but I ran as fast as I could against the wall of knights ahead of me howling in rage "Slay the Goats"...

"There is no such thing as anger, only trained will: he who fights in anger is prone to mistakes, control your instincts and focus your will, that is the first difference between hunter and prey"

I could smell his filthy beard, I would get my revenge, I would drink his blood! I could hear someone shouting "HOLD YOUR GROUND" 10 feet... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...

"In waking a white tiger, use a long stick: use your wits over your strength, study your enemy before you provoke him and only engage war after you have perceived all the possible outcomes of your acts"

And then I felt an atrocious pain spreading from my chest as my ribs where crushed, and barely being able to breed the last thing I saw was his hammer splitting my consciousness in a panoply of bright lights...

"Divide to conquer: do not hope to walk across a wall, make sure you use a door"

As I slowly awoke the first thing I heard was a shout near my ears:

- WAKE UP... oh but conjurers can heal can't they? So lets get pawned all the time because the only thing they do is heal their allies, lets just get killed because they can revive and who cares what they say, they never killed anyone before without their Zarkit by their side isn't it?

- Hollow, wha...

- Shut up and stand still, it's a miracle that I hadn't to pick your head in the other side of the wall, what where you thinking, that you could bash your WOODEN bow on Xecat's head and kill him in a blow? He has a 5 TON HAMMER on his hands and is twice your size WHEN HE'S SITED DOWN... oh, you thought he would wait 5 hours until you could actually make him some damage?...

- No but...

- Next time follow your orders, help the knights clearing the way and use your bloody bow for Ignis sake: IT IS SUPPOSED TO FIRE ARROWS REMEMBER?

Then he stood up and hushed back in the direction of the clanging metal. My head ached in more ways that I can describe, my bow was thorned apart and my legs shake in shame and dishonor... I picked a long bow from my stash and headed to the rear of the army to never leave it again in the coming battles.

"Know these lesson and you will know the basis of the Ynumata Kamikase Wind Technique: this technique is the pinnacle of Ignean battle hunter tactics and it is only to be used in times of great stress, by those who are worth of it and when properly orchestrated with the rest of the army, but enough of it."

"Please father teach me now" I said in an outburst

"Control your instincts..." he replied looking severely at me.

"... and focus your will. Forgive me, I shall leave you to meditate."

Yes, beyond The Gate awaits war... but I cannot, not yet.

[Angelwinged_Devil]

nice writing dude :O

but I killed froste yesterday so he didnj't stop playing o