Aruthral: The Broken Ones

The Victory Staff

        Mikey was sweating fiercely due to the blazing heat of the desert. Luckily, he found an oasis and decided to take a short break. “Where did the others go?” Mikey wondered. He took a sip of water from the oasis and felt energized. “Wow” Mikey said as he took more sips of the water until he could drink no more. The water energized Mikey and gave him enough energy to keep on going.

        “Thanks for the water Mr. Oasis,” Mikey said as he moved on to find clues on where he is. Mikey wore shorts, a hat, a shirt, running shoes, and carried some type of staff that had  a crescent moon with an emerald embedded in it at the top of it. The stick was an inch shorter than Mikey. “What does thing even do?” asked Mikey.

        He waved the stick around thinking it could be used as a sword. Next he tried throwing it. The staff landed really far. “Well then…….I guess I am pretty strong” he encouraged himself. Mikey went on to find where the staff landed. After 20 minutes of walking, 10 minutes of getting lost(don’t ask how he kept track of time, but he did. Probably had a watch on him somewhere…)and backtracking, he finally found the staff wedged between two boulders.

        Mikey looked at the staff, then at the boulder. Staff, boulder, staff, boulder, staff, boulder. Mikey shrugged and left the staff with the two boulders. “Get over here you scum!” yelled a very deep yet soothing voice. “Ey who said that?” demanded Mikey who was looking around frantically for the voice. “That’s an awesome voice you have by the way,” Mikey added.

“Why, thank you good sir. It is very awesome, hehe,” the voice bragged.

“Anyway, get over here and take me out between these boulders!”  the voice demanded.

“Wait, wait, wait, you’re the staff?” asked Mikey in a very confused manner. “Nah, my name is Sylvia, your dream girl, talking to you telepathically.” the staff said with very heavy sarcasm.

        “H-h-how do y-y-you know about? HUH?!” Mikey stammered. “Well ever since you picked me up from the Temple of Rahadun, we’re practically tied together mentally.”  said the staff in most casual way possible. “Ahhhh…...that makes sense,” Mikey replied. Mikey went back to the two boulders and got the staff unstuck. “So do you have name?” asked Mikey. “I do indeed. I go by many names suc- “I’m calling you Snuffalafagus if you don’t give me your real name in 5, 4, 3, 2- “That...is my real name...sadly” the staff responded who sounded a little embarrassed.

        Out of pity for the staff, Mikey came up with a name for it. “I'll change your name to Katsu, japanese for victory,” Mikey announced. The staff repeated the name, sounding happier as he said over and over. “I like it. It has a nice ring to it,” Katsu said. The two conversed with each other occasionally getting lost. “So how’d you become...well a staff?” asked Mikey.

        “Punishment for fighting with my mother. Don’t get me wrong, we both love each other, but we argue a lot until we fought. I became overconfident with my control with Celestial Fire and thought I could best my mother, the Queen of Nuria.” Katsu grimaced as he remembered those bitter memories. “I made a bet with my mother that if lose, I would become a stick, only able to turn back every 35 centuries,” Katsu explained.

        “So you’re mom was a God?” asked Mikey. “A God? Hah! Only fools would mistake us and every other Desokahns as Gods. We were better than them.” Katsu said. “Alas, there are barely any of us left.” Katsu grimaced. “Why? Something happened to them?” asked Mikey. “You ask a lot of questions,” Katsu commented. “Hey, its good to learn things, especially about a place I don’t even know about until now.” Mikey argued.

        Katsu grunted and continued with his story. “Centuries passed, until finally I could turn back into a Deshokahn. As I left my room, our castle was being attacked by unknown beings. I saw two of our guardsmen get mauled to death by these creatures. I was still in shock and then I heard my mother’s voice. I couldn’t recall what she said, but it seemed to create a shadowy and tentacle like fire pulse. I saw at least 100 of those creatures disintegrate. It was when my mom least expected it, she was attacked by what I thought to be the creature’s general. I tried to warn my mother but it was already too late. The general slaughtered her with his claws and razor sharp teeth. I passed out because the sight was too horrid. I woke up in the Infirmary of Aruthral.

        Things went down-hill after that. Most of the Desokahns argued and fought a lot. The others lost their sense of reason and just fought. Our kind, the Desokahns, became more violent until we could no longer be called Desokahns, but instead as the Broken Ones. Some Desokahns however still had some sense into them. They were my best friends. They even took the same punishment I had of their own volition.” Katsu finished. “So, they’re staffs?” asked Mikey. “No, the twins became swords, and other became a gauntlet.” Katsu replied. “I see, but enough talking. I’m tired. We should rest inside that temple over there.” Mikey pointed out. "All that talking did tire me out" Kastu agreed. With that, the two went to the temple not knowing what danger that temple hides.