Blood in the Dirt

Prologue

Just outside of Yarie, a treasure hunter was excavating the ruins of a lost civilization. Chills of excitement ran up and down his spine. His aim was to find out how such a great empire could fall. He searched for hours, but his results were fruitless and his only reward was dust and cobwebs.

When he grew tired of exploring empty rooms, he turned to leave. But as he exited the ruins, he spotted a chamber he hadn't noticed before. The man gave a shrug and decided to examine the place in a final attempt to find something of value.

He walked in through the opening in the wall that he considered was the door. Sunlight shone through cracks in the moss covered ceiling. Rays trickled down and landed on a tablet. After all the time the man had spent, he had found an item.

The man went to retrieve the tattered scroll and saw that there was nothing on it. It was a blank piece of paper! He flipped it over in outrage, and uncovered a polished stone. Without thinking, he grabbed it, only to drop the stone and thrust back his hand in pain.

Pain seared throughout his palm, reaching out to the ends of his fingertips. His blood boiled, and fire shot through his veins. The polished stone turned crimson, casting red light onto the scroll.

The light caused writing to appear on the paper. "Ah! So there are letters!" He said to no one.

He ignored the pain that was now surging through his arm and began to read the inscriptions on the scroll.

"In the near future, a war will commence. This war will cause thousands of fatalities, many of which will be those closest to you. The power to end this fight lies in one of your own. If they are not trained they will fail, and will not have the power to perform this task. No one else can put an end to the decimation this conflict will bring. If this battle is not ended, the Sanctum will cease to exist."

The stone dimmed and returned to its original dull black color. He brought his hand inches from the stone, pushing his fingertips towards it. The closer his hand was, the brighter the stone shined. "Intriguing..." The man picked it up with his handkerchief and placed it with the parchment in his pack.

After examining the room for anything else, he left in a hurry for town. The parchment and stone weren't of value to him, so he went to sell it to a group of people who would know what to do with the items. The Nobles.

Before he went to the Nobles, he spent the night in the town's hotel and arrived at their temple early the next morning. He requested an audience with them, but the guards wouldn't let him in, claiming they wouldn't grant him access because the clinking of his coins against one another in his pocket was much too loud. He complained they were extorting him, but forked over his change in the end.

He walked in and was surprised that the Nobles' temple was so large. The candles in the chandeliers were lit and cast golden light on the marble floors below. As soon as he stepped through the entrance way, a red silk runner led from the door to the platform that held the Nobles' thrones. His nostrils burned at the smell of the place. As clean as it looked, its aroma told the truth, and brought the taste of vomit to his tongue.

He stood stock still with his firsts pressed firmly against each other behind his back. He bent his head in salute and waited. The platform in front of him had thirteen seats, for the thirteen Nobles. When they were all seated, the Head Noble spoke, "You may rest."

The man raised his head and began to speak. "Greetings, Nobles. I am here today to offer you my recent findings."

He went on to tell them his reason for believing the scroll spoke of the truth. The eyes of the men lit up, bringing relief to the traveler. He now knew he had their attention. Their minds were craving anything with a tad of mystery to it.

The Head Noble asked to see the objects. The traveler walked towards him, dropped to one knee, and allowed him to take the objects. He warned him about the stone, and how it would burn his hand if he wasn't careful.

Taking the travelers advice, the head Noble asked him to demonstrate instead. He showed them how to use the stone to read the tablet, and they all began wearing faces of awe. The traveler read the scroll aloud. Once finished, he fell silent and waited for the Nobles to respond.

They talked amongst themselves. They decided on a price, which was higher than the traveler had expected. The traveler bowed his thanks and left.

When the door had shut behind him, the Head Noble began discussing the inscriptions with the other Nobles. "So we have come to an agreement?" He watched as each Noble nodded in succession. "All males must train."