The Quest

The Nightmare

Timothy woke abruptly. He was in a huge open field. He looked around and saw nothing for as far as he could see. It was just flat plains.

"I see you have decided to join me."

Timothy spun to see a spread behind him. There was dark mahogany table set for a meal large enough to fight an army. Turkey, ham, potatoes, breads, there was nothing left out. He took it all in but then noticed who sat at the head of the table.

There sat Zhen Su.

He was staring at Timothy, with deep purple eyes. They matched his robes perfects and his beard was trimmed so that it only reached to his mid-chest. He smiled warmly and lifted a cup of what looked like whine, as a gesture to sit. There was something about his smile that unsettled Timothy.

"Go and sit, the food isn't poisoned or anything, though I doubt you'll eat anything."

Timothy stood and stared at him.

"Okay not feeling talkitive, that's fine, I like to do the talking anyway. So I see your searching for the sacred sword with that fool Pendleton. I have Rusteel protecting a portion of it, so there is no point in trying to get it. So my question to you is how you plan on completing this foolhardy quest? Can't you see there is no point? Your only going to get yourself killed."

"Why?" Timothy said, barely whispering.

"Pardon?" Zhen Su said as he lifted a piece of buttered bread.

"Why would you bring me here? Why destroy a whole village?" There were tears in his eyes.

"I destroyed that village for the reason Pendleton gave, I lost the final battle there. And after that they have the audacity to build a village there as a gloat." He was getting angry. There was purple energy crackling around him.

He looked over at Timothy, and something crossed his eyes, and he calmed down.

"The reason I brought you here today, is to offer you a deal. You stop with this silly endeavour and I won't harm you in anyway or you continue and I'll tell Rusteel to take care of you and friend." He started to stir some creamer into his tea.

Timothy laughed.

He laughed and laughed, there were tears in his eyes when he got himself under control. He took a minute to catch his breath.

"You think that I would stop after you killed all my friends. You flattened my village, and you think you can get me to give up with a luncheon? You're not only evil but stupid! Me and Pendleton are gonna find the sword and the hier and we're coming to beat you and your whole army. That is a promise!"

Zhen Su angrily stood up. The purple energy was back swirling around him. His eyes were glowing with energy and he gre to double his normal size. Timothy stood his ground and looked up with defiance.

"I may not be able to strike you down now, but I'll plague your sleep. He zapped Timothy with a purple lighting bolt.

Timothy felt a splitting pain in his skull and he screamed. He held his head and he fell to his knees. The pain subsided and he looked up and he saw blackness. He was surrounded by nothing and he could see nothing.

He saw a light come close and become more defined. It was him and his mother. He was just a toddler and she was helping him walk from place to place in thier small house. He had been born a year before the end of the Sahalan Civil War. It was just him and her. Timothy didn't remember his father, but his mother told him stories of how he was a strong wizard. She wore spectacles and had graying hair in places but most of it was dirty blonde. She was always reading a book and always told him to read. He inherited his stormy eyes from her and he was always told got his blonde hair from his dad. She gave the best life she could for them, working at a local library. That changed when he was six.

The scene suddenly changed to him in his house. He was chopping up logs for thier furnace, and some were being stubborn and wouldn't cut. The axe got stuck and he pulled on it as much as possible. He fell over and laughed. It was cut short when he heard a commotion outside. He ran out and followed the crowd to the library. It was engulfed in flames. The townspeople had set up a bucket line to fight the flames but it was no use.

He watched until it was just a foundation and a few support beams. He sat there for hours afterwards. No one disturbed him, no one offered help, he just sat there.

Until, he came from behind him. It was Johnathan, who would become his master as a blacksmith. He just sat beside him and stared at the rubble with Timothy. It was an eternity before he spoke.

"Do you know where you plan on going tonight?"

Timothy just sat there and sniffled to himself.

"No."

"How about you come with me and get a meal."

Timothy looked up through tears. The man stood above him and smiled. He stretched out a hand to Timothy and he took it.

Timothy was woken by Pendleton shaking him.

"TIME TO GET UP TIM! WE'VE ARRIVED!"

Timothy was still shaken by his nightmare, but he came to his scenses.

"Where?"

"Port Ohahii." Pendleton said with a smile.