Vanguards Of Aetheria II: The Solace Rune

Prologue

               October 2nd, 1902 AE (After Earth)

The hooves of Keith's horse left tracks in the sand that belonged to the southern dunes of Solace. But as the wind blew, they were quickly consumed by the sands once again. Keith had been riding his horse for a few hours now, traversing the southern dunes. Keith originally came here to explore the ancient ruins of Solace, but he was also on the lookout for any remaining vampires that fled after the fall of The United Front. Up ahead, Keith saw a set of two large rock formations. He rode up to them and dismounted his horse nearby.

"Stay here." Said Keith.

Keith then walked up to the rock formations, and pulled out a journal. He began to turn various pages until he reached a blank one. He then took the pencil from in between the pages and began to sketch the rock formations onto the page. Once he was done, he returned the pencil to the spot in between the pages and closed the journal. After, he placed it in his satchel and walked back to his horse. He climbed up onto the saddle and pulled on the reins, and resumed their journey. A few hours passed, and Keith eventually reached a large market. The buildings were made of sandstone and supported by various wood beams and pillars. He rode to the stables, and hitched his horse on a fence post. He climbed down from the saddle and walked into the heart of the market. There were many vendors at stands, selling things from rugs, pottery, foods, and exploration equipment.

Keith also saw a vendor that was ran a weapons business. This piqued his interest, since he hasn't seen many weapon shops in the region. So he walked through the crowds of people and approached the vendor. The man at the stand wore a brown mouth cover and brown garments. He had black hair and his skin was a darker tone.

"Hello there, welcome to my shop. My name is Aryen, how may I assist you?" Asked the vendor.

"Hello Aryen, I'm Keith. I came here to look around, that's all." Replied Keith.

"Of course, take your time." Said Aryen.

Keith began looking around at the weapons that were on display. Some of the weapons being things like scimitars, daggers with wide blades, and some crossbows. While he was browsing, Aryen took note of Keith's hook swords that were on his back.

"You have a very interesting weapon, Keith." Said Aryen.

"Oh, these?" Asked Keith.

He turned around and looked at Aryen while he grabbed his hook swords.

"Yes, those swords are very unique. I've never seen anything like that." Replied Aryen.

"They're hook swords, but their real name is shuang gou." Explained Keith.

"I see. Where did you find them?" Asked Aryen.

"They were given to me by an ally up north in Aetheria." Replied Keith.

"Oh, you're from Aetheria? You're a long way from home. Tell me, what brings you to our region we call Solace?" Asked Aryen.

"Just sightseeing, I guess." Replied Keith.

"You've come to the right person then, sir." Said Aryen.

"How so?" Asked Keith.

"I've been to most of the landmarks and places people typically come here to see." Replied Aryen.

"Lucky me." Said Keith.

"Indeed. Have you visited the Rune Temple?" Asked Aryen.

"No. I haven't even heard of that place." Replied Keith.

"You're in for a treat then. You see, the Rune Temple is an ancient temple that houses the artifact known as The Solace Rune. Rumour has it, that whoever possesses The Solace Rune can manipulate every single thing in the region of Solace. Ranging from basic things like the weather, to every grain of sand and cluster of soil around us." Explained Aryen.