Altered Adventure: The Four Types of Royalty

Entry 091

It was the dead of night and the stars shown like broken lights illuminating the world. I was looking for a particular Guardian, who for now shall not be named. You could hear the caws of crows and the screeching of owls, but one noise sounded above the rest; it sounded like a taiga-jungle wolf among sheep a sound that made a heart lurch and thumps against your chest. Something about that infernal noise draws you closer until its malicious intent sounds like a sirens call drawing you deeper and deeper into its flame. As I went in farther it became fainter but gradually more persistent eventually waning to a wisp of a voice, and than, no more. Along the river, a serous current flowed from the husk of a boy. In his side rested a diamond dagger with a hilt that read Tayren the Just, by his feet were several arrows that must have been shot from a distance and on the forehead a stamp which read Power-born. In distant memory, he looked like my childhood friend and king, but his dull eyes said it 'twere lies. 

A terrified guard called out in the night- ¨Commander Tayren i-iḿ sorry, butI can't move the body. When I touch it, the corpse burns, oh how it burns! My hands are withering, and when I touched it my hand set on fire, and I can't get it off!¨ Another silhouette appeared against the twilight sky, ¨By the gods of Altered, why can't you do anything right?! Head back to base I'm sure they could use a defective soldier like you to stall the beast.¨ 

When I heard that I wanted to bolt, so I dove into the frigid murky waters as Tayren drew near, I sent a silent thank you to my love for teaching me how to hold my breath. Above I could make out the muffled words; ¨Little boy, I thought you only blinded people, apparently you can also maim someone by touch. How does that make you feel?¨

 He started to chortle at the corpse as if it were sentient. I don't know how he enraged me so, but I summoned a wind to float the body down the rapids. The man started to yell, chasing the river, but alas his efforts were in vain as supposedly another soldier ran up and seized his arm talking furiously about some beast. When the shadows above the river left I surged upward and let the air fill my lungs. Out of the water, clothes clung to my body, but I somehow managed to get on top of Bindi and rode after the boy floating downstream.

After about an hour dawn started to rise and I caught sight again. I managed to pull the boy up over the gravelly banks, and just as I was about to say the rite of passage to the afterlife, the boy started to wheeze again but fell silent. In an instant, I knew I had to get to the Wind Kingdom where there was medicine, but that also meant a race against time.