ISBN 978-0-557-49680-8
90000
9 780557 496808
ISBN 978-0-557-49680-8
90000
9 780557 496808
Brotherhood: The Chronicles of Tiberus Fabius, Saphron Spatha, Cassady Moores, and Aric Girdersen.
Book 1 – Rise of the Necrolord When the Northlands are in danger because of the Western Raiders, three warriors: Tiberus, Cassady, and Saphron, have to struggle to keep their country united against the oncoming horde. Their battle against the Raiders takes a turn when Aric’s kingdom interferes and decides to attack anything on its path. But to Saphron, the true conflict is in his dreams. His premonitions show him a dark man that looked a lot like Cassady, destroying the Northlands with dark powers. What if his visions are certain? What if Cassady really turns into a dark deity? What is this strange, demonic force behind the War?
Brotherhood: Book 1 – Rise of The Necrolord © 2010 by Adalberto Hernández Rivera ISBN: 978–0–557–49680–8
Contents
I – The Cataphracts II – The First Raid
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III – Short on Resources
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IV – Talk–Before–a–Kill
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V – The Army of Darkness
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VI – The Necrolord
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VII – One Year Later
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I – The Cataphracts The cloudy, black night sky cleared out, as Tiberus Fabius assumed guard position above the walls of Cadelia. Although he was Captain of the Guard in the Northlands, he felt it was more dutiful to be the actual guard. His pale face, which shone paler with the moonlight, squinted to the far edge of the Northlands, watching… and waiting…
The prince of Cadelia woke up suddenly. Saphron Spatha had had another nightmare. “Oh, gosh. That was weird.� His dream was one that he always dreamed. He was on a barren wasteland, a few meters away from a tall, dark figure. Tiberus and Aric Girdersen, Prince of the southern part of the Northlands, were also around the figure. This dark person, with eyes as pale a tone of blue as the tone of his skin, gray hair, black suit, and dark cape, was none other than the King of the Northlands himself, Cassady Moores.
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However, this Cassady was too dark to be the good King. He wielded a dark falchion, and used it to slay Aric in a split-second. In an instant, Tiberus was also killed and tossed aside. Then, as the lord Cassady faced Saphron, he grinned, showing even whiter teeth…
“Hostile forces are coming!! Run to your stands, men!” Tiberus had caught sight of a horde of cavalry in shiny armor heading towards the castle town. They were Cataphracts, the elite of the Western Raiders. He donned his blue armor, put on his cape, and sheathed
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his sword. He climbed down the castle walls with 25 swords behind him, opened the gate, and ran to encounter the oncoming raid. The Cataphracts were too strong for Tiberus’s squad. One by one, the light footmen were killed by their long spears. When Tiberus was surrounded by six pointy lances dripping with blood, an infernal blast wiped out half of the circle. Saphron had come. Saphron was an elemental mage. He could create and control fire not only with his hands, but also with his sword. He scorched the rest of the Cataphracts, except for one who ran away screaming. Saphron ran up to Tiberus.
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“Are you all right, Captain?” “Just a few scratches. I’ll be fine.” Saphron helped Tiberus to his feet. Tiberus swept out some grass from his armor and his cape. His cape was about two years old and war–torn. Tiberus thought this was a sign of a true war veteran, so he never changed it. Cassady then arrived, riding his horse. “Don’t tell me I have missed the fun!” Then Cassady and Saphron laughed, but Tiberus kept staring at the trail left by the escapee.
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The blood–stained equestrian had arrived at the palace. He knelt at the stairs of a hall, and a dark figure appeared. “Did you do what I sent you to do?” “Milord, they were too strong, even for the Cataphracts!” “Who dares?!” “It was the prince, milord. And the King arrived too.” “So it was Cassady, eh? That boy is of much interest to me. I have one single duty that you and your men will fulfill.”
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“What is it, milord?” “I won’t tolerate a sword touching him. But as soon as you have him, leave him to me.”
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II – The First Raid “What the––” Tiberus was awakened by an explosion. He quickly ran up the stairs to a tower, and saw them. Catapults. Large catapults loaded with flaming boulders, accompanied by a number of siege towers and topped of with an army of over 9,000! Tiberus rang the alarm.
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“Hold your lines!!� Saphron was at the top of the walls, along with 50 archers. He kept throwing fireballs at the onslaught of enemies, burning the ladders that were raised, and lighting some of his men’s arrows. A siege tower crashed into the wall and the troops emerged. Saphron was too late: the enemies ahead of him were too much to make it on time, considering that they would be replaced faster than he could eliminate them. When he was about to surrender to the overwhelming forces, the siege tower was suddenly crumbling.
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Tiberus had burnt the wooden wheels of a siege tower, which gave into the fire and leaned over. “Got this one!!” Tiberus ran away from the falling pile of burning wood and leather. He slashed his way through a horde of foot soldiers in front of him, and he left a few aside to be crushed by the tower. With an astounding boom, the huge and now charred remains of the tower exploded over an unlucky fraction of the army.
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“Woohoo!!!”
Cadelia was breached. Cassady rallied the remaining troops from outside and led them in the main courtyard. “Take your stand, men, no matter if it’s the last!! Make it your best assault!!” One after one, enemy troops kept coming. And, one by one, they were taken down by Cassady’s soldiers. It was all under control until: “Cataphracts!! Armored Cataphracts!!”
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The Cataphracts shone in their armor as they stormed into the castle gates –which no longer existed– slaying everything that stood in their path. Cassady then mounted his horse, and five other men behind him followed suit. “Kascus! Cover my back and the rest of the horsemen will follow us.” The new group of cavalry rode towards the Cataphracts, and Cassady lifted his sword.
Saphron was running down the wall stairs and around the town, aiming to help the troops at the castle
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gates. When he arrived, he found Cassady, Kascus, and another soldier, all three mounted in horses battling Cataphracts. He drew his sword, and conjured a fire wheel. One, two, three, and four fireballs spurted out of the tip of the blade, and started to spin on it. The swirling flames were spinning faster, revolving around the tip of his sword. He slashed in the Cataphracts’ direction, and the fire wheel rolled at high speed towards the enemy. The wheel exploded on contact, hurling the Cataphracts (And Cassady, Kascus, and the extra soldier) off their horses and to the floor. When Cassady realized that the Cataphracts, strong as
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they were, were powerless without their horses, he swiftly killed them one by one.
The enemy was backing off. Tiberus kept pushing with his own army at them. They finally retreated. “Victory!! We have achieved victory!!” Tiberus ran back to the castle gates and bumped into Cassady and Saphron. “They are backing off. We prevail once again!” They laughed and hugged.
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The tavern at Grotto’s Shack wasn’t the best place around Cadelia, but its liquor’s quality was the highest. Tiberus, Saphron, Kascus, and Cassady were sitting around a table, each with a half–full mug of golden grog. Saphron was the first to speak. “I was overwhelmed by a wave of troops that swarmed from a siege tower. I was about to give in when suddenly the tower crumbled!!” Tiberus’s full mouth spat the liquid all out with laughter.
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“Hey, Saphron, I might just kick you out of your spotlight. That one is the one I burnt!” All men broke out in a laughter that filled the tavern. A man with dark clothes looked from a table on the other side, his eyes fixed on Cassady…
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III – Short on Resources Meanwhile, Prince Aric was training with his daggers. His sword might be small, but his talent as well as his temper showed the best of his skill at twin daggers. He sliced three hay–dolls in half and two others in pieces. He was so engrossed in his art of fight that he was about to slice his courtier’s head off. “Whoops! I am truly sorry.” “Lord Aric, your people are troubled. The Northlands are in utmost danger, and our city is defenseless. We are 19
out of resources, and with the upcoming war I doubt we can survive the next–” “War? What war are you talking about?” “Cadelia was under siege just now.” “Cadelia? What has Cadelia to do with my people?” “Lord Aric, they fear the war may be carried here.” Aric’s face went from skepticism to concern. “We are unprepared.”
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“No, we are not. Go, my loyal friend. Travel around and gather the strong and faithful. If it is a war they want, it is a war they’ll get.”
Tiberus opened the large doors to the palace’s main hall and walked until he faced Cassady. “Milord, I request we rally up our best men. What if we are caught unprepared? What if the Western Raiders come back? This recent siege was no doubt a call for war.” Cassady turned serious, standing up and walking down the steps in
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front of the throne, and he stood faceto-face at Tiberus. “We will talk this alone.” He walked towards his private chambers, and Tiberus followed.
Saphron woke up. He had the same nightmare again. “Is this some premonition?” He got off bed, switched into his red uniform, and ran out to the courtyard, there to meditate over his dream.
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It was the same delusion as always: In a weary battlefield, a dark Cassady, surrounded by Aric, Tiberus, and Saphron, was suddenly killing everyone in a flash.
“Our resources are cut, Captain. We are unable to train more soldiers at your command.” “We cannot risk fighting defenseless. I will oversee the training grounds myself if I have to.” “You don’t understand, Tiberus. We don’t have anyone ready.”
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“We can take every man from every house in Cadelia and train them in two weeks!” “Tiberus, you need to calm down” “Calm down?! You are telling me to calm down, when just a day ago the most feared raiders in the Northlands laid siege on our castle walls. You are telling me to calm down when just ten hours ago we were overwhelmed by those squinty–eyed brutes. Mark my words, you’re telling me to CALM DOWN WHEN RIGHT NOW WE ARE PRONE TO ANOTHER–” A tremor shook the castle. The walls were moving around.
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Tiberus grabbed Cassady’s cape and pulled him out of the royal chambers through a secret escape route out to the courtyard. Saphron was surprised to see his friends in this place. “Saphron, we must get out and see what is going on!”
Three trebuchet and five thousand men were closing in on Cadelia. And the three heroes were unprepared!!
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IV – Talk–Before–a–Kill They had no choice; Saphron jumped off the wall, smoothing his landing with fire propulsion, then he ran at the oncoming army with a battle cry. The others didn’t know what to do so they followed suit –by running down the stairs, of course. When they found Saphron, he was charging up huge fireballs and throwing them at the army. His anger was outstanding, and both Tiberus and Cassady noticed that the angrier the hero, the greater his power. For as
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Saphron got more and more furious, his fireballs grew ever bigger…
Aric was shocked. Almost a fourth of his army was being toasted by a rare fire storm. He quickly shook his angered face away to see three people in the distance. “Three men? Against my army?!! They must be mad!” He drew his daggers and walked towards the three specks in the horizon, laughing. “This is going to be so easy…”
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“Saphron, WATCH OUT!!!!” Saphron ducked just in time as a dagger flew past his head. The weapon fell to the ground. Saphron turned around to see the attacker. The dagger–thrower, who was walking with the most ridiculous calmness, had no armor, just a white tunic and leather armguards and boots. Cassady knew the man with that kind of daring appearance. “Aric. What the heck are you doing?” “I thought I had an easy kill here, so I stopped my men. And it turns out that it is the Captain, the Prince, and
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even the King I have at my mercy. How ironic…” Saphron shot a fireball at the burlesque warrior, who dodged it by a split–second move. “Don’t get mad at me, guys. I just thought it great to have a first talk– before–a–kill!!” Tiberus and Cassady then lunged at Aric, swords in hand, but again Aric dodged, and counterattacked with a swift swipe that nicked the tip of Cassady’s cape and sliced off a piece of Tiberus’s. Cassady turned around. “What is the purpose of this battle, Aric? We have no grudge against you.” 30
“Your last battle sent quite a shiver up our spines, and I couldn´t risk a war on my kingdom. So I brought my best men. If there´s a war, I want to be in it, too.” All three of them looked at each other. Then Saphron spoke. “If you’re in this war, you’re with us. We were attacked by the Western Raiders, and this time they got a huge army and tons of siege towers.” “So you want me to help?” Cassady then had an idea. “Look, Aric. We are short on men, and it would be a great idea if we forge an alliance against the ever growing
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Western Raiders. We provide the plans and arms, and you provide the extra resources. What is your response?” Aric just smiled. The rest also smiled. An alliance was already founded.
“NO, NO, NO, NO!!! How can they forge an alliance?!” “I don’t know, milord. I’ve just heard it, and I can’t believe it myself.” “No. It is settled. I will create an army so large; it will never be beaten. I will crush the Northlands and bring them under my grasp!!!”
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V – The Army of Darkness At the training grounds, Tiberus was teaching the novice. He taught basic tactics; combat with sword, axe, and mace; basic defense, and survival tips. Aric was overseeing the process, always contradicting some of Tiberus’s lessons…
Five years passed, and nothing happened. Aric and Cassady had joined together to divide the Northlands with
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a strong wall Cassady named The Northlands Wall. The wall had been finished for only three days and the watchmen already detected an army of thirty thousand men and about thirty siege towers.
The Southgarde (This was Tiberus’s name for the army –or guard– he shared with Aric on the southern Northlands) had twenty five thousand men–at–arms. Saphron had trained a cluster of boys in the art of fire in a way that, after five years, each and every one of them became a full master at the fire element.
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The Southgarde was ready. The Raiders’ army was ready. And the dark cloud emerged on the horizon…
The Western Raiders were startled, but they suddenly felt the urge to attack the oncoming cloud. Cataphracts, siege towers, and all the thirty thousand men ran to the cloud, only that it wasn’t a cloud anymore. It was yet another army, but this one seemed to have very thin soldiers with almost no armor and rusted weapons. The Raiders kept running at the men in the horizon, but when they
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were about to make contact, something happened that surprised the Raiders and the Southgarde; not even Saphron expected it. The million skinny soldiers disappeared from their position and reappeared in front of the Southgarde, and they knew… The thin men were skeletons.
“Keep fighting!!!” Tiberus was tired. Although the bones crumbled, they always regenerated, which meant that this Army of Darkness was eternal. And
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both the Southgarde and the Raiders’ army were eliminated. He kept slashing and slashing until he fell, tired and unconscious, to the ground. The last thing he saw were the skeletons leaving him right where he was, to join the raging battle against Cassady… Why they would leave me alone?
Saphron was exhausted. He burned the skeletons in their tracks, but the ashes always regenerated. In a matter of minutes, Saphron noticed that the skeletons weren’t targeting him.
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All the skeletons were headed for Cassady, who was too engrossed in the fight to notice the Army of Darkness closing on him until it was too late.
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VI – The Necrolord Cassady was surprised when he learned that the skeletons would only surround him, not attack him. He sat there; trying to regain calm. He breathed deeply…
Saphron saw that Cassady was relaxing in a way he had taught him himself. He waited for any signs of retribution, but the skeletons stayed there. And then it appeared.
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A dark shadow, as large as the army itself, slid across the plains, slithered through the million boneheads, and then materialized in front of Cassady. The shadow had no form. It was a mere blob of pure darkness, a corrupting deity that killed the wildlife around it. It slowly closed in on Cassady Saphron gasped. The shadow creature was the one in his dreams!
Cassady drew his sword, and when he pointed it at the shadow’s throat, the shadow just laughed.
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“You don’t seem to know who am I, right?” “I’ll take you and your damned army down, even if it takes a thousand lives!!!” “Oh, but you don’t understand, Cassady Moores… We want something other than war here. We want something more valuable than your precious land. “We want you.” And with these three words the shadow broke down into a dark, simmering cloud of black smoke, and suddenly shot into Cassady’s eyes and mouth while he helplessly cried for help.
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When the shadow was fully inside Cassady, his body had changed. He turned gray, his skin turned white and his eyes blue. His look was a cold one, but his grin was striking.
Saphron couldn’t believe it. He and Tiberus were at distance, but they could see everything. Tiberus and Saphron quickly drew their swords, expecting an attack… Suddenly, the cold–faced Cassady let out a hollow shriek, and pronounced, in a harsh manner:
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“I am the Necrolord, and I will rule this land!!!” Saphron threw a fire wheel at the Necrolord, while Tiberus leaped over their enemy and swung his sword with a battle cry. They both hit the Necrolord, but the wizard had engulfed both attacks within his dark realm. Then he ‘grabbed’ the two heroes with his dark powers, and swung them into the wastelands where their battle had begun. Aric was running, daggers in hand, to help the other leaders who seemed to take so long. But when he arrived, the Southgarde was gone; in
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its place lay an unconscious Tiberus and a bruised Saphron, both being attacked by a dark Cassady. Aric then leaped to battle, thrusting his right dagger through the Necrolord successfully. But the Necrolord turned around, drew the dagger out of the wound, and hit Aric with the hilt before throwing it away. His wound healed rather swiftly.
Tiberus stood up. Saphron stood up, too. Aric also stood up. They were surrounding the Necrolord. Saphron
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was scared, for he knew what would happen. However, to bend destiny, as the Necrolord lunged at Aric, Saphron lunged himself at Aric instead and placed his sword directly in front of him, blocking the dark wizard’s attack. The Necrolord was suddenly caught off–guard, and both Aric and Saphron thrust their swords into his chest. Tiberus also ran into the fight. And suddenly, as if he was saving his best for last, the Necrolord let out an explosion of dark waves, sending all three of the heroes about. The Necrolord materialized a falchion in his hand. It was a lot like Cassady’s original sword; only this was black and
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had a staring eye before the blade. He made for Tiberus, who dodged just in time to counter the attack, but the Necrolord was swifter than Cassady, so he blocked and countered. He hacked Tiberus’s hand off. The Captain let out a scream of instant pain. He was cut half–way through the forearm, and it was bleeding horribly. The Necrolord closed in, ready to give the final blow when Saphron intercepted. Then they engaged. The Necrolord swung with a downward slice, and Saphron blocked it and countered with a spin slash. The Necrolord blocked and countered with
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a side slam that sent Saphron tumbling to the ground. From the ground, Saphron made a fire wheel and directed it at the Necrolord, but the Necrolord whirled the flames around and around and directed them back at Saphron, who absorbed the fire. The Saphron started to get pumped. He quickly stood up and lunged at the Necrolord with fierce attacks. His sword was burning as he fought the Necrolord, and in his rage he actually broke the dark sword. The Necrolord was unarmed, but he did not run out of ideas.
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Before Saphron could deal the final thrust, the Necrolord was suddenly engulfed in a dark cloud. When the dark cloud dissipated, the Necrolord was not there anymore… Saphron relaxed, and fetched Tiberus.
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VII – One Year Later Epilogue Saphron was crowned King of the Northlands. He led his people wisely against the Western Raiders, who were finally defeated and banished from the Northlands, but while his face was cheerful with victory, his mind was concerned on the Necrolord. What if he comes back? Such thoughts troubled Saphron in such a way that sometimes he overreacted to simple event mistakes. He thought that he was going to get
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the strange dreams again, but he didn’t.
Tiberus groaned each time Ergos the blacksmith fastened one more screw down his new mechanical hand. He held in his breath, and squeezed his eyes shut, holding the pain as Ergos twisted in the last screw. “There you go. A brand–new silver mesh hand that can be shot and pulled back with a chain, just like a harpoon!” Tiberus stood up, looked at the silver material in his new limb, and ran out to try it. He pointed at a high
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place in the walls of Cadelia and shot his hand, which flew all the way to the watch tower. He grabbed the wall (he was surprised that he could move the hand even when it was detached) and sprang up, reeling the chain back to his arm. He landed with a soft thud on the tower. In his mind he remarked, ‘I could get used to this…’
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ISBN 978-0-557-49680-8
90000
9 780557 496808