Legend of Parocaav: The Quest for Redemption (First Draft)

Chapter XIII: The Man with the Scar

The inside of the giant tent is bare of everything except a few chairs and a desk. Nothing more than a big open space. A soldier is passed out in a chair right next to the doorway. Drayk and Roku sneak by and towards the golden staircase on the other side of the room. They climb up it, trying not to make too much noise. The stairs lightly creek under their feet as they get closer to the top. As soon as Drayk can see the second floor he pauses, putting his hand out to prevent Roku from climbing any higher.

Drayk peers into the room, The top of his head poking up from the floor where the stairs enter the room. All is quiet. The only person in the room is facing away from the stairs sitting at a desk. The man appears to be writing something. He has spikey grey hair, just like the man Roku claims she has seen twice now. The man is sitting with his black completely straight. He appears to be wearing a royal Elite Soldier uniform. It is solid black with red shoulder pads. Drayk can see a quiver full of arrows in the floor with a longbow next to it. A purple cape is thrown over the back of the chair he is sitting in. The only ones permitted to wear a purple cape in Clans across the world are that of royal lineage.

This was no ordinary man! He wasn't even an ordinary commander. He is a king from somewhere. A man using his people in the name of Xivaac. Drayk carefully looks at the insignia on the cape. It's the symbol for Ice Mage Clan! This is Kraag! He is the ruler of the Ice Clan, and the ultimate master of Ice Magic. Drayk remembers reading about him when he first enlisted in the Resistance. Kraag has had over 900 years to master ice, and was chosen by Grimm to help create the Elite Forces nearly 500 years ago.

Then, the man believed to be Kraag stands up! Drayk ducks down below the floor level. He looks at Roku with a panicked look on his face.

"I think that man is Kraag, King of the Ice Mages," Drayk whispers to Roku.

"King?!" Roku whispers back in shock.

The man then begins to speak, "Yes. King."

Drayk and Roku get a sinking feeling in their guts. He knows they're there! The man chuckles loudly. His laugh deep and cynical. The two of them decide there's no point in hiding any longer. They are here to avenge Leon's death after all. The Bringers of Hope rise up onto the second level of the tent. The man looks straight into Roku's face. A surprised look strikes him but he shakes his. She couldn't be... could she?

"King or not... we are here to kill you!" Drayk hesitantly yells.

The man laughs, "You don't realize who I am, do you? I am Kraag! Master of Ice. Grimm has kept me alive for nearly a millennia, I'm not about to let two young adults change that!"

"I know exactly who you are you bastard!" Roku screams, "You're the man who has slain Leon! With no honor in his death whatsoever!"

Kraag reaches over to his cot and pulls a giant halberd out from under it. The blade on it looks like it is made entirely out of ice with a long black handle. Kraag moves his head side to side, cracking his neck in the process. Drayk draws his broadsword from the sheath on his back, as Roku draws her twin blades. Kraag has a look of excitement in his ice blue eyes.

"I haven't had to fight anyone hand to hand in many years. This'll be fun. It's been far too long since my halberd has drawn blood!" Kraag says humorously with a lust for death.

Drayk charges at the man at full speed. He pulls his sword downward towards Kraag's head. Drayk doesn't even see Kraag move. The next thing he knew, his sword struck the wooden floor; cutting a hole into it. Kraag was now behind Drayk! Roku rushes in bringing her blades in from the sides inwards. Kraag spins the massive axe parrying both of her weapons. Drayk tries to strike him now that his back is turned. Kraag does a backflip over his head, swinging his halberd right at him. Drayk moves to one side narrowly dodging the ice blade. The halberd hits the floor, turning it to ice.

Drayk shoots a fireball at Kraag. He just lets it hit his armor. It burst on impact and barely singes the chest plate. Roku jumps into the air, combining her twin blades into one sword. She jabs it downward trying to stab from above, but Kraag swiftly moves out of the way. Roku's weapon pierces the now frozen floor. It cracks loudly, then shatters into tiny pieces. Drayk and Roku fall to first floor. The pieces of the second floor snowing down onto them. Kraag lands right in front of them laughing maniacally.

"I don't know who you two are, but you're pathetic!" Kraag laughs.

"We are the Bringers of Hope!" Drayk and Roku yelled in unison.

The soldier hearing all this bolts out of the tent. Kraag looks at them with a pleasant look on his face. He cracks his neck once more, not breaking eye contact. He gives them a closer look. They do have the yellow eyes of Parocaav. He shakes his head in disapproval.

"There is no hope if you are in fact the Bringers! You two are weak! You'll never be able to defeat Lord Xivaac if you cannot even land a hit on me!" Kraag shouts loud enough for the whole camp to hear.

Drayk and Roku glance at each other and rush Kraag at the same time. Teamwork is all they can go off of at this point. They don't want to think Kraag is right. He can't be. They can't fail. Not here, not now! They both lunge their weapons at Kraag. He blocks both swords with ease, and in one swoop of his giant weapon. The very tip of the spearhead of his mighty halberd cuts Drayk's arm as it passes by. His shirt tears and blood drips from the open wound. Kraag, holding his halberd in his left hand, raises his right. The water in the air starts to freeze. Drayk quickly sheathes his sword and generates a flaming tornado. It melts all the ice forming in the air. Drayk pushes it towards Kraag. An extremely surprised look hits Kraag's face. Red Magic! He was too late in killing Leon!

Kraag, now a little panicky jumps out of the way. He lets his halberd drop to the ground. He is much faster without all the extra weight. He barely escapes the tornado's path. It continues forward, bursting through the back wall of the tent and catching the whole thing on fire. Just as Kraag lands to safety, he sees sharp shards of rock being thrown at him by Roku. This he couldn't escape. The shards pierce his armor, sticking out of his left arm and shoulder. One shard sticking out of his leg. Kraag yells in pain. These bastard kids! They can't do this to him. Blood starts pouring from the wounds as Kraag rips the pieces of earth out of his skin and armor.

Kraag knows he cannot fight them anymore. He must do something if he is to escape with his life. He'll be better prepared next time they meet. Kraag summons an intense blizzard. Chunks of ice the size of fists fly down from the sky. Drayk quickly encases Roku and himself in a veil of fire. The blizzard lasts nearly a full three minutes before it suddenly stops.

Drayk and Roku look around, Kraag nowhere in sight. The entire campsite destroyed. The tents were shredded to pieces by the storm and the commander's tent burnt to the ground. Kraag had given them the slip. He had even abandoned his subordinates. They were in mangled pieces all over the place.

"He seemed desperate to get away," Drayk panted.

"He couldn't defeat us and he knew it. We did catch him on no sleep. I think he chickened out," Roku joked while catching her breath, "We were nowhere near ready enough to face him.... just made it look that way."

"I know that's not the last we'll see if him. We better get moving. We aren't safe here."

"You're right as usual Drayk. Let's keep moving towards Oro."

A whisper rings in Roku's ears, "Well played Riinah. Well played."

Who's this Riinah person? Why would anyone call her that. That wasn't her name.... was it?