The Fall of The King

The Trials of the Drylands

Chapter 25

The cool breeze running through the mountains felt lovely against my skin, the heat hadn't yet came to us but I had no doubt that once we got farther into the drylands the heat would be almost unbearable. As we walked I could hear the air being sliced at as Roan swung his new found sword. Its gleaming edge shining in the bright sunlight. Amicia also had her bow drawn but she only had it hanging over her shoulder, she must not enjoy the idea of summoning her bow whenever she needed it. Artur just walked along us quietly with his eyes set on the distant horizon. Our next destination would be to make it across the drylands to get to Beleva. Beleva is a desert kingdom that has thrived in the desolation of the drylands, after my father took over the kingdoms her conquered Beleva first since it was closest in his travels. Beleva was like my fathers second home, and I knew that if we took it over my father would begin to get nervous about us being more than halfway through uniting the kingdoms.

As we walked on the heat began to become less and less bearable, but the distantly in the horizon I saw a structure that looked inviting despite its old look. As we approached it I saw that it was made of sandstone that seemed to be untouched by the heat of the drylands. Artur looked at me before we got more than 10 feet near the building, "Lord King Slayer are you sure you want to go inside this building? You remember last time you tried to go into a building you attacked us, not to mention Amicia jumping your bones." "It should be safe, I don't feel what I was feeling in the Deep Caverns. Besides we are only going into the building until nightfall so we can cross the drylands in the cool night." I replied as I began to walk closer to the building.

As I entered the building I could feel the cool air in the place against my skin, as though there was a breeze rolling through the building. At first the room was dark, but Roans blade lit up the darkness as if he was holding a flame itself in his hands. "Looks like our weapons can be used for more than slicing apart Arisen." Roan said with a smirk. As his words left his mouth it echoed through the building as if it were larger than it really was. With the light now in the room I could see that it was covered in runic symbols, coming closer to the symbols I saw that I could understand what was written on the walls with ease. "The weight of the world rests on your shoulders, only you can stop the onslaught that will come from the thousand years of war. King Slayer I hope that you know the perils that you will face on your journey, time itself depends solely on your success against the Demon King. As you may know that there are sins that everyone suffers from and I must ensure you don't fall victim to the same sins your father fell into. Good luck in your trials and know that when all else seems lost trust your instincts." I read aloud from the symbols on the wall. "What is that supposed to mean?" Amicia asked as she looked at the symbols on the wall. "It means that the Lord King Slayer cant end up like a massive asshole like his father did and if he does well then all is lost, we cant have two Roan's running around." Artur said with a smirk as Roan shot him a look of anger.

As we sat in the room I slowly started to drift off into sleep as Amicia layed her head against my shoulder. Her head felt so perfect against my shoulder and she soon fell asleep on me, obviously feeling comfortable. I closed my eyes and slowly began drifting off, then I heard a faint click very close to me. When I opened my eyes I saw that I was alone in the room and it was lit by a small torch. I stood up and looked around the room with worry as I called out for my friends. When there was no reply I saw a hallway that was dark, but it was my only way from the room that I was currently in. Grabbing the torch I walked through the hallway I saw nothing that could tell me what happened to everyone. Soon I found myself approaching a room that was glowing a light pink color. As I entered the room I saw a large bed in the center of the room and near the bed stood Amicia looking in a mirror as she ran a comb through her long flowing hair. She wore a small nightgown and when she heard me enter the room she turned to smile at me. She walked to me and kissed me. Then she looked at me with a smile and giggled as she dragged me to the bed. I felt my emotions taking control as I laid down on the bed. She slowly slid off her dress and let me take in the sight of her perfect body. I felt my breath come out in short ragged bursts as I felt my body react to her beauty. She slowly came to the bed and laid down next to me as she ran her hand across my face and kissed me again. I felt my body tense as she began to take my shirt off. I felt all my senses at attention as I slowly ran my hands across her body and felt every curve of her. She smiled at me as I brought my lips onto her body, but as I did his I felt something was wrong. Deep inside I could feel something urging me to stop, but the urge to be with the woman I love was stronger. Soon my pants were off and I was on top of Amicia, but I didn't want to make love to her just yet. I would savor our love for as long as I could, then I felt that feeling of urgency for me to stop. As I looked at Amicia I saw something flicker in her face, looking closer I saw her face change. Sitting back I saw her smile turn into one filled with rage. quickly I got up as she drew her bow. She loosed five shots at me, but I had already dodged them. Looking at her I saw her for what she really was, she wasn't Amicia but a demon who tried to trick me into giving her my soul. I quickly summoned my spear and threw it at her before she could fire more arrows. Her angered screams of pain entered my ears as I watched her fall on the bed dead.