(The house reeks of stale alcohol, and the walls are lined with empty bottles. Damon sits slumped on his bed, a half-empty flask clutched in his hand.)
Galen: (wrinkling his nose) “Mr. Damon, what kind of place are you living in? I’ve been searching for you everywhere.”
Damon: (slurring his words) “Why are you bothering me? And who's this lady? She looks like she stepped out of a royal court. You finally found yourself a lady friend, huh? What a show-off.”
Galen: (irritated) Cut the nonsense. This is Princess Seraphina from the Eldoria Kingdom. She has something important to tell us.”
Seraphina: (standing tall) “My name is Seraphina, and I’m from the underground kingdom of Eldoria. My home was attacked by King Elowen of the Sylvara Kingdom. He must have been manipulated into striking at us. He attacked at night, catching us off guard. While our soldiers held off the attackers, my father wrote a letter for Master Orin. He handed it to me, telling me to deliver it to him. Then he called for his Pegasus, whispered something in its ear, and I ended up right at Master Orin's doorstep. Orin read the letter and left in a hurry, telling me to find you both and bring you to Eldoria. He said you would help, and that he would meet us there.”
Damon:( raising an eyebrow, skeptical) “An underground kingdom? Is that even real?”
Galen: (shaking his head) “I’ve heard whispers about it, but I always thought they were just stories.”
Damon: (grumbling, rolling over on the bed) “So you came here for this? I’m fine where I am. After what happened to the Renegades, I need to stay here and figure things out.”
(He lies back, closing his eyes, trying to block out the world.)
Galen: (frustrated) “Stop joking around. This isn’t a game! You think you can figure anything out by drowning yourself in booze? Don’t be a fool—come with us.”
Seraphina: (pleading) “Please, Damon. We need your help. This isn’t just about you anymore.”
Damon: (sitting up, irritation in his eyes) No. You can leave now or wait until morning. There’s food over there if you want it. Just don’t disturb me while I’m trying to sleep.”
Seraphina: (her voice firm) “It’s your choice. But if we don’t act fast, all of Subterra could fall under his terror.”
(Damon’s eyes flicker with concern at the mention of Subterra, but he quickly masks it.)
Galen: sighs deeply “Forget him for now. I’ll help you, Seraphina, but only for that old man, Master Orin.”
(Galen and Seraphina leave Damon’s house and step into the cool night.)
Seraphina: looking around nervously “Isn’t it too quiet for a forest?”
Galen: nodding slowly “Yeah, it is. We need to be careful. No one from the village dares to enter this forest—it’s dangerous.”
Seraphina: curiously “Do you know the way? I don’t even know how I ended up in this world.”
Galen: “I think so. It’s on the other side of the forest, up the hill from the river. There’s a cave blocked by a big rock. People say it’s the entrance to another world.”
Seraphina: her eyes lighting up “That must be Subterra! It’s our world, made up of five kingdoms.”
Galen: “Alright then, let’s keep moving.”
Seraphina: hesitant “And what about these Renegades? What happened to them?”
Galen: (sighing heavily) “About five years ago, Damon fell in love with a woman from Vandros Kingdom. He went there to marry her and bring her back, but the kingdom was in chaos—King Draven was a tyrant. People were suffering and dying, too beaten down to fight back. Damon stayed behind to lead a rogue group called the Renegades. They gathered strong warriors and fought for peace. Damon wore a ring as a symbol of their fight for freedom.
Seraphina: Yeah! I noticed his ring, it was quite shiny.
Galen: But two years ago, the entire group was wiped out in one night while Damon was away. After that, he lost his spirit, his will to fight, and he’s been hiding here ever since.
Seraphina: (softly) “So that’s the tragedy he mentioned. What happened to his wife?”
Galen: “He left her behind. She’d be in danger if she were with him. Old man told me about it when he visited Damon.”
Seraphina: (thoughtfully) “What do you think Damon will do now?”
Galen: (shrugs) “I don’t know. Leave him be for now. He can do what he wants. I’ll help you find the old man first.”
(As they walk through the Shadowmire Forest, the air feels thick with tension.)
Seraphina: (frowning) “Even in the dark, we can still see the path. How is that possible in such a dense forest?”
Galen: (glancing around) We’re not deep in yet. The moonlight is helping, and these trees are shorter, letting some light through.”
(Suddenly, Galen stiffens, sensing something massive approaching.)
Galen: (urgently) Stay close to me. Something huge and dangerous is coming our way.”
Seraphina: (whispering, anxious) “What? I don’t hear anything.”
(Suddenly, heavy, rapid footsteps echo through the forest. Both of them now hear the thundering approach. Bright, glowing eyes appear, charging towards them through the trees. As the creature comes into view, they see it—an enormous beast with the body of an elephant, the head of a wild boar, and the speed of a horse. Its eyes glow red, radiating a sinister energy.)
(Galen clenches his fists, ready to face the beast head-on. Just as the creature charges at him, a shadowy figure bursts from the darkness, slamming into the beast and sending it flying 50 yards away. The two figures clash in the darkness, the sounds of their battle echoing through the forest. The shadowy figure swiftly overpowers the creature, hurling it off a nearby cliff.)
(As the dust settles, Galen grins as he recognizes the shadowy figure.)
(The figure steps into the moonlight, revealing itself to be Damon.)
Damon: (panting, determined) “I need to find someone from Subterra and settle a score. Let’s go.”
Galen: (nodding) “Alright then. I think our journey will be interesting .
YOU ARE READING
Subterra: Dark Relm
Adventure**"Subterra: Dark Realms"** In the hidden world of Subterra, the legacy of a past conflict still looms large. A young warrior, Galen, searches for his missing master while joining forces with Seraphina, a noblewoman from a neighboring kingdom. Toget...
