A World Without

Hunting

   My eyes snapped open, I was sitting in the darkness. He had known I was coming this time. I was in his now previous hideout. So close, I had been so close to catching him this time. Every time I struck I came closer, but he always escaped, always Walking away. This time though he had finally set a trap for me. I had escaped, but barely.
    I stood and checked for my swords, my half plate klinking as I got up. One was on my back, and the other by my foot. I picked it up and sheathed it at my side, looking around for the time, in this world they had strange discs on their walls that told time. Not seeing any I slowly found my way outside. It was dark out, the sun already beneath the horizon. Large building were lit up just across the river. What did the locals call them? Skyscrapers? So different than my own world, before him.
    The Dark Mage had escaped this time. Mage, a high magical ranking on Alaera. This world had no magic unless others brought it with them. With someone like the Dark Mage loose, nothing good would happen. If he really was a Mage.
    I closed my eyes and felt around with my magic. There was nothing, any trace of the Dark Mage was already gone, meaning I had been unconscious for hours. I cursed under my breath. The trail had gone cold. Again. Or he had hidden his trail with his shadow magic. Curses! If he had done that then he really was a Mage!
    It was time for me to Walk home, an ability I had gained in the destruction of my world. Fire started to swirl around me, enveloping me, warming me. I thought of Alaera and the fire took me there. I still wasn’t sure how, but when the flames calmed and died away I was standing on Alaera, or what was left of it.
    Alaera, my home. I remembered green fields, large cities, peaceful nations, odd but familiar people. The view before me was Alaera as it currently was: a wasteland. Just sand and rock, with tainted pools of water. Even the air felt dead around me. No fire could rejuvenate the land, no light shone on the rocky surface and the darkness couldn’t seem to find its place either.
    I turned around. Behind me was a large stone structure, half toppled. I walked in. Only this main room of the tower had survived the devastation. Inside I had turned this scorched, barren room into my new home. How I hated this place, this is where it had all ended. Or started. I sat down on the cool stone and got lost in the history of the room.
~ ~ ~ 
2 Years ago
    I ran into the room, swords drawn. I would need all of my strength to fight Vesic. Behind me my brother Aquan ran in, magical trident in hand. Both of us wore our primal stones. Besuma was ready for us, the shade’s magic flew at us like arrows.
I quickly pulled my shield arm up to stop the magic missles. Aquan dove behind me, letting me block the magic attack.
“It’s over Elves!” Vesic roared. “The spell in nearly complete!”
    We had to stop him. We were Alaera’s final hope. The Human, Elf and Dwarf armies were fighting outside against Vesic’s horde of revived spirits. While they fought so would we. I pushed forward against the magic missles. In the blink of an eye the missiles stopped and I was thrown to the side by Vesic, who had rushed us.
    Aquan however wasn’t taken by surprise and managed to fend off the shade. Out of the two of us I was the better fighter, while Aquan was the better magic caster. He couldn’t hold out long against this shade.
    I scrambled to my feet and lunged at the shade with my sword. Direct hit, except my sword ran right through the shade. Non-magic weapons couldn’t hurt him. Slowly Vesic turned to face me, a cruel smile on his face. Aquan backed away, trying to catch his breath.
    Vesic blasted Aquan with his magic flying out of his outstretched arm. He was still looking sadistically at me. Then he raised his other arm towards me. I readied my shield for the blast. It never came. Instead Vesic had rushed me again, reaching around my shield to slash my arm. He ripped the shield off of my bleeding arm and sent my flying with a point blank range blast of magic.
    Once I hit the wall I crumpled and slid down to the floor. I can’t stop! I slowly got up onto my hands and knees., everything hurt. I had to fight, I couldn’t leave Aquan all alone, he needed me. Just like I needed him.
    I could see my blood dripping from my arm onto the stone floor beneath me. That… Is a lot of blood. I hesitantly looked down at my arm to see that Vesic’s attack had left a large laceration. I couldn’t feel it, probably not a good sign, but I slowly pushed myself to my feet.
    Vesic had trapped Aquan into a Shadow Circle. A magic circle seal, nothing could get in or out, without turning into shadows. He was trapped. I reached down and picked up my sword off the ground. This was it. I silently charged, sword point towards Vesic. I ignited the sword blade into a Fire blade, one of the more powerful Fire enchantments.
My sword ran through Vesic again, this time though it left some lasting damage. With my sword still in his side he turned to look at me.
“Foolish Elf” He muttered, “I already told you it’s too late.”
“Y-you’re coming with us then.” I stammered, fighting for consciousness.
    I think I had lost too much blood. The cut on my arm must be deeper than I originally thought. I fell to my knees, losing my fight to stay awake. Vesic stumbled over to his place of power, my sword still protruding from his side.
“You… have lost elf” he taunted, “But I was always coming with you to oblivion.”
    With that he activated his drawn magic circles. The circles of destruction. A wave of destructive magic rippled away from Vesic, destroying everything that it touched. Vesic was the first to go. Fire started swirling around me on the ground, rising up around me. I watched what I could through the swirling flames.
    These flames weren’t mine, as least I didn’t think they were. They felt like mine.Once the fire had completely obstructed my view they started to recede back to the ground, it was the first time that I had Walked. When they did the landscape had changed. I was surrounded by tall metal and glass buildings, people in strange clothing walked by a stone street with metal chariots of sorts zooming back and forth.
    I was immediately spotted by the people, most of whom ran. I looked back down to the ground. Laying there in front of me were two swords. I recognized one: Excalibur, and the other, the Sword of Fire?
~ ~ ~
Present
    I looked back up at the wall, still in Alaera. In the room where Vesic had destroyed the planet. When he told the elves about his power we had believed that the world itself would cease to exist. We must’ve been wrong. I was on Alaera in the Stonehold, Vesic’s stronghold.
    Shadows crept along the walls, shadows that shouldn’t have been there. I leaped to my feet and drew the Sword of Fire, letting flames rise from the blade, illuminating the room. Someone else was here. Could it be, that he had come back? Almost as soon as the presence had arrived it faded away.
“Not this time” I muttered, mostly to myself. I started to Walk myself, following the trail that they left behind.
    I had blindly Walked to this world, right behind the Dark Mage. I didn’t see him immediately, so I looked around, getting a feel for the world I was now on. Walking between worlds could be messy business. Tall buildings surrounded me. It was later in the day and not many people were about on the streets. If I were to guess, Earth.
    Earth seemed to be the Dark Mage’s new favorite world. All of his hideouts had been on this planet. Along with all his mischief. I didn’t get why he kept coming back here. It seemed useless to me, this world no longer had magic. In its history it did, but it has since become lost.
    He walked out of the shadows. He was here, and vastly different than I had imagined. I had thought that the Dark Mage would be a powerful magic caster with a billowing robe. But he was actually an assassin dressed in black leather armor with knives dotting his belt. He was also younger than I would have thought. In his hand was an obsidian helm.
“You finally caught me.” he said blandly.
“You let me”
“Maybe” he taunted, “You know, I’ve always wanted to fight the Flaming General from Alaera. I thought it would actually be interesting, but seeing you now. . I’m kinda disappointed. I had expected. . . . More.”
“Try me.” I growled.
    The Dark Mage laughed. “I intend to” he replied, putting the obsidian helm on his head. Once on his head it seemed to melt away until he had no helm. Or rather it seemed that way.
“Did you ever learn of my actual name General?”
“No, and it appears that you never learned mine.”
“Valdor” he said.
“Why would you tell me?”
“We’re the last of our world, and about to enter a deathmatch. We can at least know each other's real name.”
“Pyron” I said reluctantly, slowly drawing Excalibur from my side.
    Valdor then drew his own blade. We rounded each other for a few moments before I moved in to strike. He parried. Not too surprising, it was a weak attack. He then attacked with a flurry of his own attacks. Surprised, but unfazed I blocked all of the strikes. We continued to exchange blow for blow, strike for strike.
“I don’t understand” Valdor started, “How has your blade survived?”
“Why wouldn’t it?”
“Because this sword will rend all other swords. I found it here. A great artifact of magic!”
“Why would it break my sword?” I asked.
“Because this is Excalibur!” he yelled, “It will destroy all other swords of lesser magic!” I only smiled in response.
    He was an excellent swordsman. But something felt off. He fought like a rear guard would, not to win, but to buy time. Buy time for what? I thought about it as I parried the volley of incoming attacks from Valdor. Then I heard why, the soft thump of boots followed by a sword quietly drawn. Ambush.
    I dove out of the way. A black sword flew through the air where I had been. That was why Valdor had been stalling. He had help. I quickly stood up and saw both of my opponents. Valdor and the Death Knight. When and where had they joined forces?
     Death Knight was a human from this world who had found an artifact of black magic. Instead of getting rid of it, like any sane person, he embraced it and let it consume him. The result was what I saw before me: A hulking man in black armor wielding his darksteel blade. I had fought him several times before. Alone he was no problem, but with Valdor. . .
    Death Knight attacked me again. I dodged, stepping to the side, only to be hit by the Dark Mage who had been right him. I had to do something. I couldn’t fight both of them at once. I got up, only to be knocked down again.
    There had to be something I could do. I couldn't just let them beat me like this.  They knocked me over again. I rolled into my back and raised my hand. In an instant I formed and imploded a fireball in my hand.  The resulting flash of light blinded Valdor and Death Knight, or at least I hoped.
    I scrambled to my feet and lunged at Death Knight with my sword. Success, of sorts. My sword was caught in Death Knights stomach. I quickly pulled it back out, drawing out the black smoke that had replaced his blood. I looked over at the Dark Mage. He had shielded his eyes.
Once the Dark Mage saw that I had defeated Death Knight he started to run. I looked back over at Death Knight. Satisfied that he wouldn't be returning to the fight I gave chase after the Dark Mage.
    He ran down the streets of the Human world, their metal chariots screeched around him. Humans yelled at him angrily. If I knew human than I would know what they were saying. Accompanying the angry yells were odd looks. In this world people like Valdor and myself stuck out. A lot.
    The Dark Mage didn’t seem to know where he was going. But I gave chase anyways. I could get him this time. He ran right into a narrow alleyway. As soon as I entered I saw that he had made a mistake, the alley was a dead end.
    Valdor turned to face me as I drew my sword. He muttered something under his breath that I didn’t hear. Probably a curse.
“It’s over Valdor!” I yelled
    He raised his arms. Then darkness started to swirl around him, he was Walking away! I ran at him. I had to get to him before he got away. I closed the distance quickly. I was able to brush his leather armor before he faded away completely. When I did I fell into an inescapable darkness. . .