The Amulet

Prologue:

In the grand and bright city of Hiragis, a mighty king fell ill when a terribly wicked sorcerer cast a spell to wipe him out. The black clothed sorcerer wanted to slay the great king because he sought to conquer the city and rule the ruling country of Emble. With the greatest power defeated, he could easily route the weaker armies of the world and claim the land, resources, food, water, and the animals in the entire biosphere for himself. The power that stood in his way wasn't related to the armies Emble held, it was a special object held by the king of Hiragis, a magical amulet. With the amulet, the king could drain all the power from the sorcerer. However, if the king goes ill, the power would go ill and die with him unless he passed the power of the amulet to one of his heirs with his remaining strength. The power would grow as strong as it's bearer. However, its owner could only use the amulet's strong capturing power once unless it was to be transferred to another bearer that would awaken the power inside the amulet. The amulet could easily be destroyed by a strike from a sword or by the tip of an arrowhead. As the King was spending his time lying on his bed battered with sickness, the evil magician's army of goblins, dragons, wolves, bears, ogres and trolls were closing in at a fast pace towards the city to wash away the greatest power that existed on all of earth.

Chapter 1: The Power

"Miiillllllllllaaaaaaatttttttttttteeeeeeeeennnnnnnn, enter the room," The king stated in his hoarse, raspy, and quiet voice. Milaten was a boy with dark brown hair, beige skin, brown cotton clothing, black leather shoes, and deep green eyes. The twelve-year-old boy pushed the large granite stone doors to the side as he entered his father's room. His father had wispy gray hair and a pale, wrinkled face. His skin had a peach like color that was slowly paling at every second. " My body is very ill and my strength is fading. However, I have a very special gift to deliver to you before I leave." As the solemn, quiet, and unknowing boy closed his eyes mournfully, he was suddenly caught by surprise as he looked in the center of a small wooden box that was held in his father's weakened hand that nudged him to open his eyelids. Inside was a fragile amulet that was decorated with carvings of a red dragon on the amulets gold coating. A strange glow was also flashing inside the red gem in the center of the amulet. A strange yellow spiral was carved onto the back of the amulet's gold coating. "Father, it's your magical amulet!" Milaten exclaimed. The sharp cries of joy emitting from Milaten's beige face made the king smile as proud as the sun at dawn. " Father, why give away your amulet when you can use it's fierce magical powers?" Milaten questioned with a puzzled expression on his pale beige face. The king answered," Son, I have given you the mysterious power of the amulet because it is the key to defeat the evil sorcerer of the northern mountains. I have already assigned you on a mission to go on a journey with a group of strong companions to the sorcerer's home in the mountains and to drain his powers with the amulet. His savage armies will be pulled into the amulet and will be permanently sealed shut inside their prison. Milaten, you must hurry because it is only a matter of weeks before the huge armies arrive. You must also be very careful and cautious because the sorcerer knows that someone has been sent to slay him and has sent bands of cruel creatures to destroy the bearer or the amulet he is bearing. As I was preparing to give away the rest of my power, I referred to the ancient book that came with the amulet and it told me to recite a poem that would transfer over the powers through the air when read out loud." Quietly, he began reciting the few lines of the poem:

As the poem reached its end, Milaten felt a sudden burst of energy shoot up through his entire body. He felt strong and bright as the sun while his father was desperately trying to save up some last moments of air. " Before I take my departure, I would like to deliver one more object to give into your care." Slowly, the great king pulled out a sheath with a long sword kept inside it. Milaten gratefully took the sword and drew it out. The sharp blade showed bright in the morning light and he made a few jerks of the weapon to test it out. The weapon's handle was covered in green, red, blue, and yellow gems.

" Orclain, the fierce eagle," the boy murmured in an excited whisper.

"May it keep you well," commented the king of Emble. He started to relax out and prepare for his last visions of the world.

" May your soul rest father," Milaten stated softly as he watched his father, the slain king of Emble, slowly close his eyes that would never open again.

Chapter 2: The Sorcerer's Army

" Charge!" the gnome general shouted as they continued their continued advance towards Hiragis. A sound of stamping feet could be heard off in the echoing slopes of the Mystical Mountains. A small fort was easily ambushed and destroyed by armed trolls. The few troops that guarded the place were caught off guard and were slain by the ascending army. A large goblin cavalry regiment was deployed at the head of the charge and was armed with shiny night black spears mounted on black broncos. Their gruesome green and yellow skin showed in the afternoon sunlight and their black capes flapped in the northern gale. They also had short, pointed ears and rows of pointed teeth. Following the cavalry were hordes of trolls with heavy, wooden clubs covered in jagged teeth. Their green skin was rough and their brown clothing muffled in an eastern breeze. Multitudes of goblins carrying arrows, bows, swords, shields, daggers, and cross bows were scattered upon the ranks of beastly soldiers. Waves of ogres with dark green, peeling skin followed suit after the goblins in black pants that fluttered in the eastern wind. The leader of the charge, the wicked sorcerer, was back in his dark and mysterious cavern shouting orders into a crystal ball that would be heard by the goblin captain through a crystal ball on the battlefield.

It was only a matter of days ago when the bears, wolves, and dragons decided to join the sorcerer's army because they believed the humans of the world had occupied too much of the earth and therefore wanted to drive them out. These creatures became greedy and evil when the sorcerer told him his plans of conquering the world back at his mountain headquarters. The sorcerer gave them orders to split up and watch out for a human being carrying an amulet with a glowing red gem in the center and a carving of a red dragon on the outside. A small division of trolls was ordered to guard the captured fort. One more fort lay between the army and the city of Hiragis. The sorcerer seemed unstoppable with his humongous armies. However, the sorcerer was still aware of one danger at hand that gave him nightmares all night long, an image of a mighty warrior clutching the amulet in his hands as it glowed and swallowed the sorcerer into it's clutches.

Chapter 3: The Troupe

Milaten watched sadly at the lifeless figure of his late father at a large memorial service in the heart of the peaceful plains. A silent crowd listened to the bugle that played at the service.

After a few hours, the crowds left quickly to prepare for war as swordsmen sharpened their swords, archers sharpened their arrows; cavalry members readied their horses, and knights polished their armor. Milaten was inspecting the other soldiers as they readied for battle when a messenger who told him to report to castle entrance immediately disturbed him. He mounted the messenger's stallion and arrived at the entrance to the king's castle in a matter of minutes. When he arrived, ten armed soldiers were waiting at the front of the large wooden doors. A man with rough, and sleek coffee brown hair with peach colored skin came up and commented, " Hello Milaten. We here are the members of your band who are to protect you from dangers during the odyssey to the sorcerer's cavern. Clad in yellow brown in yellow hair is Lengon, the skilled archer. Here dressed in light brown is Galadir, the cavalryman. Here with the shining armor is Craomir, the brave knight. The two soldiers with crossbows and clad in iron mail are Renli and Goron, the sharp shooters. The three golden haired swordsmen on the right are Cromtil, Lengil, and Srouden, the fearsome trio. The soldier in coal gray is Amagron, the silent warrior, and I am Rogen, the skilled swordsman. We have come to tell you to make your final preparations before we set out at dawn to begin the odyssey tomorrow at dawn."

Chapter 4: Thriving Flames

" Fire!" A desperate guard shouted loudly. " The fort is on fire!" Many of the enemy troops from the Magician's dark army were sent to assault. The swordsmen and archers guarding the fort clashed with goblins and trolls. Sword blades struck hard against each other as sparks emitted from the raging weapons. Trolls with torches secretly burned down the back walls of the fort as it burned the walls to a smooth crisp. None of the warriors guarding the fort noticed the torched trolls because they were concentrating on driving away the incoming goblins. In the meantime, arrows flew over the fort's stonewalls and many foe and friend alike fell because of the power of the piercing arrowheads. Finally, a wall burned down causing the foundation to become unstable and caused it to collapse onto the bodies of the human soldiers. The few surviving swordsmen were taken prisoner by the goblins and were brought to the head of the charge to carry heavy bags and become slaves for the creatures. The victorious, sorcerer run, army scored a great victory as they demolished the last defense of the towering city. A clear path was uncovered for the goblins. In the distance, the soldiers of the dark army could see a city just below the horizon line.

" Charge!!!!!!" screeched the goblin general as the wave of troops scurried down the slopes of the Mysterious Mountains down into the tall grassland below.

Chapter 5: The Quest Begins

It was a little before sunrise when Milaten was rudely awakened by the sound of clasping armor and kitchen knives. He quickly put on a layer of steel mail and walked out onto the long hallway until he reached a large family room where the members of his party greeted him. When they exit the giant gates of the city, many heroic warriors (including the great leader of the city's defensive charge) were at the front to bid them good luck and hope they have a safe return journey. Eleven swift horses waited to be mounted as the members of the group hopped on and traveled quickly over the vast plains. The small group then stopped at the entrance to the Fiery Forest. Everyone (except for Galadir) dismounted their horses and went over to a flowing stream to fill water in their animal skins. As the soldiers took their break under a tree's shade, Rogen whistled a sharp note to the horses and bid them farewell as they rushed back to the city. The sun was setting now over the horizon as the party quickly created a small fire and hunted in the forest for food to eat. The skilled archer decently shot down a rabbit from a far distance and brought it back to camp as dusk settled upon them. The soldiers quickly devoured the roasted meat and took turns during the night to stand guard and survey the area. At midnight, Craomir was on guard and carefully scanned the surrounding woods for shadows. As he was inspecting the land west of their camp, a small rustle in a nearby bush startled him as he quickly drew out his ferocious, swift, and staggering long sword from it's sheath and bravely treaded over only to discover a clawed hand poking out. The claws clutched him tight and dragged the soldier into the forest where many nightmares are alive.

Chapter 6: Hidden Among the Trees

" Gartron, the terrorizing tiger!" Shouted Craomir as he launched his blade at the horrifying monster. It slashed its red scales and merely cut his flesh, but the beast quickly gained footing and lashed back with another swing of its claws. Cling! Craomir swiftly blocked the assault from the sharp claws. The sound of clashing metal awakened Lengon as he quietly sneaked into the woods with his bow and arrows. As he hid behind a tree, his keen eyes caught the sight of a dragon and discovered a bare patch of flesh on his chest. Silently, He carefully aimed an arrow at the creature. Slack! The arrow flew silently on its path and struck right in the middle of the dragon flesh. The monster dropped on the ground with a thud as Lengon quickly discovered a small charge of goblins hidden among the abyss in the dark forest. Dawn's early light revealed miles across the barren land as the other troops were starting to stir in their sleep. Craomir noticed the dark shadow of Lengon staying at a safe distance away from him and decided to battle the goblins on the right so Lengon could take down the ones on the left. The angry cries of the dark goblins trampled through the forest as large groups continued to advance forward. The brave knight's mighty sword quickly cleaved the bare necks of the savage creatures while the archer shot down the goblins one by one. As the last goblin fell, a rumbling ahead was heard as two giant trolls emerged from the darkness. At the same moment, the other swordsmen and cross bow shooters arrived in their full set of armor with their weapon in hand. " Destroy them!" shouted one of the trolls in their low, scratchy voice as arrows pierced and swords attacked. The troll's clubs were wielded high over their heads and swung recklessly onto invisible targets. Suddenly, Galadir arrived on his swift steed with Milaten on his back. Milaten quickly jumped off the swift bronco as he hurriedly chopped off a troll neck and watched it fall to the ground. At first, he didn't feel he had the courage to go into battle. But then, he remembered his father would have been proud for him to build up courage to go into battle. The cavalryman recklessly slashed across the temple of the second troll and knocked it down. The arrows of Lengon still were capable of shooting the throat of the troll as the last of the remaining trolls fell. The troupe now had access to the exit of the dense forest.

Chapter 7: The Defensive

The swift steeds of Emble were delivered to the capital of Hiragis as cavalry soldiers were mounted onto swift stallions as they prepared for the upcoming battle. Craftsmen were busy building weapons for the war while masons were busy constructing catapults to fire at large waves of goblins. Meanwhile, the king's messenger was sent to the city of Triamleden to ask for support in the great battle. Every man or strong boy who could carry weapons and armor was needed for the Great War. Many troops were issued to the nearby Olden Woods and large groups were ordered to ambush enemy soldiers. The soldiers were armed with bows, arrows, spears, swords, and shields as they waited at their certain posts for the battle or rode swiftly to their destinations as assigned. Bands of ravaging cavalry were sent to the woods for their ambush while a large wave of foot soldiers would be hidden in the tops of the Howling hills armed with bows, spears, and swords. The final preparations were completed as the troops calmly watched the swarm of black dots heading their direction. The citizens of Hiragis were brought south of the city to thrive in fodder filled caverns for refuge. The people of Hiragis were prepared to weather the harsh storm, and in hopeful prayer that the amulet bearer would be able to slay the evil magician before the outnumbering enemy breaks through the city's defenses.

Chapter 8: A Warm Welcome

After the recent battle, the party then traveled north and discovered a small farming village up ahead as they made an exit out of the Fiery Forest. The people there gave warm greetings as they welcomed the soldiers of Hiragis. As night drew, they were offered tents to sleep in for the night. Delicious food was offered to them and a room in a small shack was given to them. The restless soldiers were able to have some rest before delivering the next blow. As dawn arrived, a strange scent was smelt in the atmosphere. The soldiers were sent to the town's armory to look around and found pieces of ancient armor and worn blades. However, Milaten found a bow and a stack of arrows he wanted and Galadir discovered a glistening spear with a thick, wooden pole to support it. The rest of the warriors took strong coats of iron mail with them. As they exited the town, the band of warriors heard a sharp cry arising from the east.

Chapter 9: Woodland Skirmish

Archers carefully armed their bows while cavalry regiments stormed into the Olden Woods in hopes of stalling the enemy advance for a few extra days to allow time for the Riders of Traimleden to arrive and support in the war.

" Attack!" Shouted the Goblin general as the Goblin archers fired menacing arrows at and figure uncovered in the light. Many of the soldiers were shot down by the wave of terrorizing arrows. As the goblins advanced towards the entrance of the woods, a shower of obsidian tipped arrows flew into the charging beasts each one of them fell down into the ground. Suddenly, the opposing archers were in firing ranch and many of the archers fell.

"Roar!" shouted the wolves as the riders they bore stabbed them quickly with their black spears. The wolf riders emerged from the back of the charge and took command destroying every last human in sight. In the midst of all the commotion, archers were gathered at a hilltop and bent their bows straight at the forest. As the swift wolf riders rose out of the forest, they were bombarded with arrows and many fell to its power while the remaining mauled some of the archers.

At the moment, three fierce dragons could be seen as they emitted burning fire from their tooth barred mouths. Quickly, they grabbed the helpless archers with their sharp claws and threw them down hard onto the ground. All of the ones grabbed by the dragon's claws died from the impact and the rest retreated to the City to regroup for the Final Battle.

Chapter 10: A Test of Skill

As the party continued their journey, black clouds blocked up the sun and the sky. A large downpour fell. The band had already trekked 10 Leagues from Tolk and were at the summit of the High Hills. At that moment, Everyone's eyes filled with terror as they looked down upon a horde of goblins riding on bears appeared. With such small numbers, the band had looked hopeless. However, using Lengon's eyesight, they discovered that a troll general with a horned helmet was leading the charge and decided that if they slew him first, they would be able to surprise the goblins and fire more arrows to make them believe a large army was at hand. Milaten, the prince of Emble, was assigned the task to shoot down the great leader. As Milaten surveyed the resting army, he was filled with disgust at the green skins of the goblins and ogres that he had never seen in his lifetime before. He slowly bent planted the oak wood arrow onto its hold and slowly lobbed back the string. He was told to tilt his head to the side to check the angle of the arrow. He then fired the arrow with a Twang! It soared through the air but accidentally hit the general's foot.

"Ow!!!" shouted the troll. " Destroy the archer who was on top of the hill!" Filled with extreme shock, Milaten quickly armed his bow and tried to launch it at the troll general. Finally, when a wolf snout was 1 inch away from his chest, He fired one more shot as it spun through magnificently through the air en-route to the general's heart.

Thok! A loud piercing sound could be heard as the troops moved down hill to see the condition of the general. During this brief moment, the party shouted loud calls as if a large army were approaching the goblins and fired many arrows with crossbow or bow at the curious group of goblins as they all were hit and dropped to the ground. A path was clear for the band to pass.

Chapter 11: The Final Hours

Gallop! Gallop! The steeds of Triamleden called as they galloped west towards Hiragis. The fleet footed horses desperately traveled swiftly as they hurried to make a strong defense during the war.

* * *

As the day wore on, the band ran north to quickly cross the Flaming Fields. They hurriedly crossed the land and entered the city of Rowon to take a rest.

* * *

Meanwhile, the enemy army continued to head south with mighty weapons and sleek footedly, ran up into the Howling Hills to set up their catapults and arm them with boulders to fire at the city. The Great Battle was bound to begin.

Chapter 12: Crashing Waves

" Very well, we will supply you with troops, and with a more than filling amount of food," the King of Rowan replied after the eleven troops pleaded for recovery. The swiftest riders were given as their wounds were mended and their food supply, nourishing. The striding army of 21 troops easily passed the wild woods after 2 days of riding as they finally found the entrance to the Mysterious Mountains. Milaten was trained by his fellow companions to use various weapons as he slowly built confidence to become a true warrior. Many small bands of goblin appeared which were destroyed by the bow of Milaten and the cavalry from Rowon. After enduring many waves, only one enemy awaited.

* * *

Crash! Crash! The strong walls of Hiragis were being battered to the ground by the strength of the sorcerer's wooden catapults. The goblin army advance forward to tackle the swordsmen as many on both sides fell. The archers could carefully shoot with the bright light of day as they shot targets in plain sight. Dragons took down many archers but many dragons were also destroyed before they could even reach them. A return round of catapult fire was aimed at the huge armies as the large boulders crushed them. Bears and wolves flew down the course clearing the way of swordsmen for many of the goblins who were using large logs to smash down the gates. They eventually broke in and they charged in and met many groups of armored soldiers. They fought long and hard as they clashed swords and clashed shields. Cling! Clang! Shwoo! The sound of cut flesh could also be heard. The wolves and bears made it into the city however, and the defenses were starting to weaken. Then just above the horizon, a proud cavalry regiment from Triamleden was seen charging down the plains as they pierced goblin skin and dragon flesh that were in the back of the line. They cut the strings from catapults and slashed the strings of bows. Swift strokes of their spears slew three goblins in one turn. Then, a large group of goblin archers were perched on top of a cliff and fired showers upon showers of arrows onto the galloping horses as they tumbled off onto the ground.

Just as the Riders were experiencing great peril, the swordsmen were no match for the outnumbering goblin armies and gave way as they produced a path for them to go. As they continued up, they met many archers who plundered them with arrows and spearmen who slashed at their stomachs or throats. The advancing armies then brought in another pack of dragons and they started throwing off archers while some dragons were killed before they even touched the city. Many dragons tore at the massive structures and damaged the city completely. With fewer spearmen and archers, the orcs were able to plunder the blocking armies and continued to advance up the stairs until they reached the castle at the top, the final place where soldiers were the soldiers of Hiragis thrived. The last fifty warriors including leaders and Generals were prepared to destroy any being in sight. The steel doors gave way as they opened with a creak and the troops went to meet the battle.

Chapter 13: A Late Triumph

The trek up the mountains wasn't very simple, but was able to be done. As they entered a dark cave, a strange darkness enveloped the soldiers as they fainted onto the floor. Only the amulet bearer, Craomir, Lengon, and the two crossbow bearers were still standing erect on their feet.

" You shall not pass!" the sorcerer proclaimed as he sent a shower of sparks to knock Craomir unconscious. Quickly the two crossbow men fired arrows at the evil magician, but the arrows were turned around by a streak of black lightning as they shot towards the bodies of the two men as they fell hard to the ground. Lengon quickly drew his sword and used sword fighting instead of arrow shooting but was knocked down by a sudden wind.

Milaten then drew his sword and skillfully slashed at the magician with many strong blows that the sorcerer blocked with his own sword. The boy shot up uppercuts, down slashes, and side pierces, but the sorcerer blocked all. Then, the magician slashed at Milaten and made a clean cut at the side of his stomach. He instantly fell onto the hard earth as the sorcerer tried to finish him off with a plunge with his mighty sword. Down the blade went until Milaten held up the amulet and pressed hard onto the red gem centered in the middle of the amulet. A huge dragon suddenly appeared with a yellow light gleaming and it grabbed the sorcerer and he was drained into the amulet. The enemy army was also raised into the air as they were startled by a yellow gleam emitting from the sun as the victorious army cheered on for Milaten's victory as a yellow glow took in the army. They had victory at last.

Epilogue

Crowds of people filled the grand hall to the throne room as Milaten walked across the golden carpet that was placed underneath his feet. He treaded onto the stone steps that led towards the king's royal chair. As he was crowned, the group who went on the adventure with Milaten was brought on to the carpet as they made a short speech for all.

" The giant waves of the evil sorcerer seemed invincible to destroy and many lives were lost during the struggle. However, lets celebrate this day in honor of King Milaten who conquered with bow, sword, and the magical amulet. Let us now salute to the new king of Emble!" Rogen said as everyone stood up and bowed towards the new king who would prevail for a long time.

The End