Tales Across the MultiBurst

A King's Ransom, Part 5

In which the end is near.

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Centuries ago, long before the kingdoms we know now had been formed, there was no realm beyond ours. Those who died were forced to spend their afterlife watching the world go on without them, watch their families grow or die without ever being able to interact with them. Death was welcomed by none, as it only meant an eternity of suffering and sorrow.

At this time, there were also two certain brothers who lived in an orphanage. The oldest was a reserved boy who spent quite a bit of his time reading stories about the Dark Realm and the creatures who lived there. He had skin as white as snow from his days spent in the dark, hair as black as ebony that stood up like a controlled flame, and shadowy eyes that were purple in color and could see straight through someone.

The youngest had his brother's hair and eyes, but he loved to play outside and go on adventures. Despite their different personalities, the two brothers were the best of friends and loved each other unconditionally. If you saw one, then you saw the other.

But one day the younger brother grew deathly ill. The older brother took him to every doctor he could find, but none of them had any cure for the boy. They simply advised him to stop looking and just accept his brother's fate. The older brother couldn't so he kept trying and trying...

Though it was to no avail. The younger brother soon passed on to the next life too soon and too young.They say that when it happened, it was like the older brother's heart shattered into a million pieces. He was inconsolable, it seemed like he would soon die of heartbreak and loneliness...

Then he had an idea. He'd read story after story about the Dark Realm and found that a recurring theme was the existence of the Stone of the Future and the Stone of Life. They were said to be impossible to wield, anything or anyone who tried perished, but if he could get the stones... There would be hope for his brother.

He packed his few possessions and a book filled with the Dark Realm stories he knew and set off. He rode with farmers, nobles, merchants and even a snow elf to get to the gate to the Dark Realm. Once there, he approached the guard dog of the gate, Kerbeus, and asked for entry.

Some say Kerbeus mistook the boy for a creature from the Dark Realm. Others say Kerbeus let him in because it saw potential in him. Regardless, the boy got into the Dark Realm, and he continued his quest without letting anyone get in his way.

About five strange and horrible creatures had confronted the boy on his way, but once he told them his story they had a change of heart, joining him on his journey to the temple the two Stones were in and convincing the other fiends of the Dark Realm not to attack.

The first had been Rivvnagruk, a large bipedal creature covered in shaggy, black fur with horns on his head and hooves on his feet, with claws and beady red eyes. He always smelled of soot or ash and loved to give hugs. His fur was dirty with a black grain that was possibly soot.

The next had been Vayakik, a tiny bipedal creature that had six legs, six eyes and two heads. His fur was dark blue but glowed bright yellow in the dark, he had tiny paws on all his feet, and his eyes we all yellow but glowed dark blue in the dark. He didn't speak, he just chittered and hopped from one foot to the other. He was quite excitable.

The third was Worrevern. She was a large quadruped creature with purple scales and two blue eyes. She a tail and four blue wings. She was very mature- unless it came to Rivvnagruk. They argued like little children and the older brother was constantly trying to calm the two down.