Category : Books-Fiction

Sub Category : Fantasy

An Eight Realms Pome 
Written By Thaumus the Bard 


The trees were many and the canopy was thick
No light penetrated the Woods of the Creepy Dark 
The night grew colder and more sinister
The vegetation more sickly
The closer Hoo got to the Wood's heart

Dangerous creatures called these dark woods home
Many an adventurer entered only to disappear 
But Hoo wields powers of the half-life and knew how to fight 
It was rumors that fragments of the Mad King roamed these woods 
That caused Hoo to fear

Lost in thoughts of prophecies, rumors and tall stories galore
A lone beastly horgrim caught him unaware 
Where there was one, there were usually more
So Hoo summoned the heroes two from the half-life
With Digur and Ghastor once more by his side, he was not scared

Even so, slaying a horgrim was no easy feat 
As you had to steer clear of their poisonous breath 
Breath that causes pain unbearable
Scars you from this life and beyond 
And even make the air bleed a little bit of death 

Digur dodged to the right while Ghastor swung to the left 
Leaving Hoo to take the center ground 
Taking a closer look at the horgrim 
They could tell that it was sickly and alone
So with a nod of their heads, they killed the beast without a sound

Wiping clean the blood and gore
They put their blades away 
They had to continue and rest later
For the fresh scent of blood and death attracted another 
Echoing through the woods was the whargols bay

Reaching the heart of the woods
An eerie quietness settled all around
No winds blowing through the leaves
No insects buzzing in the night 
Not even their own footsteps made so much as a sound 

The heroes two slide swords from their scabbards
While Hoo brings forth his mighty staff
A malevolent shimmering in the darkness 
An echoing of infinite madness 
And a King lets loose a laugh

One by one the Mad King saddles up beside them 
Cracking each upon the head 
But with a flash from Hoo's staff
More heroes emerge from the half-life
Had it not been for Hoo, they all would have been dead 

Wiping blood from their heads
The heroes two stand their ground 
Joined by Orek the Brave, Rhedyn, and Two-Hands Sam
The heroes two now become five
Together, with Hoo, the Mad King they surround 

The battle is truly cataclysmic 
And a terrifyingly nightmarish sight
In the settling of dust and exhausted magic 
The Mad King disappears in a cackling flash
Wraithlike, the heroes return to the half-life

Wounded, limping and weary
Hoo takes a ragged pain filled breath 
Drawing his reserve strength inward
Half-life magic seeping from his fingertips 
He staves off his untimely death 

Planting his feet firmly upon the ground 
He draws intricate circles in the air
Spiraling outward and then back inward
Overlapping and inverting
One by one, he breaks down the wards that were placed there 

Knowing that danger is still out there 
He has his own protective shields put in place 
As if on cue there is a turbulent rustling 
A high pitched piercing wailing 
And there in malignant anger, the Mad King inches from his face 

Twirling his staff above him
He raises his voice to sing
Then slamming his staff into the dirt
Hoo brings forth from the half-life
The powers of Algarion, the Eight Realms first king 

Howling in desperation 
Furious in his anger and pain 
The Mad King throws himself at Hoo's shields
Frantically looking for cracks 
Screaming again and again 

Remaining calm and collected
Hoo recites words that until now to him were unknown 
The Mad King's attacks start to diminish 
Though his screams intensify in their shrillness 
Into the Tapestry of Fate his demise was sewn 

There was a rumbling followed by a mighty explosion
And once more dust and exhausted magic filled the air
Weakened, Hoo stumbled to the ground 
Using his staff to steady himself 
There was a sense of peace echoing everywhere 

One by one the ancient wards and barriers fell
And much to Hoo's surprise 
There was a whoosh followed by a silence
Like a curtain of shadows being drawn
Ruins of the Mad King's citadel appeared right before his eyes 

Slowly standing up, he stares at the citadel in awe
Nervously peering through the slightly unhinged door
Cautiously squeezing through
He winds his way to the library 
Books tumbled upon the musty carpeted floor 

Not knowing where to look, he hears a slight melody
Zigzagging through decrepit aisles 
Climbing over book and tipped over shelves
Stumbling around a bend
Hoo comes upon a statue of a great crocodile 

As he stops in his tracks, the melody dissipates
And a soft glow fades from its eyes 
The reason for his quest
The Tapestry with dark prophecies 
In the maw of the crocodile lies

Climbing a small pile of books that lie at the statue's feet
Hoo gingerly wrestles the rolled Tapestry free
Sliding back to the floor, he puts the Tapestry in his satchel
He sighs as he dusts himself off
Relieved to be making his return journey 

Hoo made it back to Faery-Town and the Great Castle 
Without so much as a fight
Deep into the midnight hours
In the chambers of the Shadow King 
They poured over the Tapestry by candlelight 

The connection of the malevolent Shroud with that of our beloved King
Was woven several centuries before
The Tapestry didn't tell us everything 
But it prophesied just enough 
To let us know what we had in store

Rolling the Tapestry back up, and putting it away
There is a heaviness that permeates the room
Everyone goes their separate ways 
To try and get some restful sleep 
For war is coming to the Eight Realms soon...

Written By Thaumus the Bard.