Category : Books-Fiction

Sub Category : Fantasy

Prologue

I am going to introduce a story to you.  This is the age of the first sun and one of the earliest times in this Earth.  This tale takes place in an alternate world, not so different from our own today, but having all the hallmarks of a place that existed long ago.  There are trees, skies, animals like rabbits, deer, cows, chickens and pigs.  Anything you could find in a vast and lush world that is heavily populated by many kids of creatures that are common place.  The world is set into two plates.  The East Plate is by far the richer part of this land mass.  Within the East Plate lies a King & Queen and their castle.  Forged hundreds of years previous by King Franco, this castle is a towering and impressive structure.  Guards, Servants, slaves and Servants are plenty and prosperous, in their own way.  For miles around, the soils are rich with the magic instilled into these lands eons ago, by some creator.  Many have speculated about how these soils gave birth to generations of plant-life, animal-life and creatures of great & terrible proportions.
 Each season brings about its own unique rain.  This life-giving rain contains the seeds of magic that spring forth life from the ground.  Nature is the parent of every living thing.  Yet, man procreates in his own usual way.  Men fall in love but, sadly, much that springs forth from the ground is rarely free.  It’s almost as if the soil in the East gives up life that is foul and corrupt, depending on the seasons.  Dark & gloomy weather in the Winter & Autumn produces foul creatures made for a purpose: Servants of War.  The most commonplace among these creatures, born in the East are the ‘Varmint’.  (Varmint is the name given to these creatures by the West folk, who treat these creatures as pests.)  Word has spread of their existence in huge numbers. These ‘Gruntak’, which are the official names of these small, troll-like creatures are born from the ground as aggressive, rancid-smelling and disorganized members of a forgotten society run amok, until they are trained by the King & Queen to be fierce & loyal warriors that can destroy towns and villages in minutes.  The King & Queen thrive on enslavement, sorcery and corruption of minds, to do their bidding.  This can come in the form of soldiers, farmers and servants.  These things are a nuisance, without training, and are likened to overgrown rats.  The rich here, live a lavish & lazy lifestyle.  They are aware they are rulers of these two plates.  The skies above the Earth, according to mythology, have been blessed with magic that gives life.  The darkest days, bring the darkest creatures, much of which we will see later.  Ogres, serpents, Cerberus and the leviathan are all born of dark skies and thunderous rain.  The Leviathan is born every 500 years, or so.  This terrible beast has never been enslaved, it has always been killed.  Thus far, all attempts to domesticate the leviathan have failed, resulting in the deaths of many of the Gruntak and once, the King’s best and most loyal servant, Griggs.  The East is a bustling place, filled with wise-men and troublemakers and all creatures great and small.  Yet, this is a place mostly without a heart.  The kind-souls of this Earth are living with the poor in the West.
 
The West Side, lies 1,000 miles away from the King’s landing.  This poorer side lacks a lot of what the East Side has, but it is not without it’s times of joy & peace between all residents.  The towns are populated by blacksmiths, fishermen, farmers, hunters and a small garrison.  Having little rain in the West means that few things grow.  Fish are born from the salt in the oceans and sea-life is raised up from the rocks and volcanoes at the bottom of oceans.  Crude nets are used to catch the fish.  In the East, the animals on land are so abundant, that there is never really a need to go to fish, with the ocean waters on the East Coast being treacherous.  However, there is a largely unexplored Island that lies to the furthest end of the West coast, about 200 miles out to sea.  It is rumoured that this Island contains a banquet and treasure trove of animals, plant life and maybe other humans too.  Without the knowledge of any maps, things were discovered simply by sticking your arm out, until you hit something.  There is little system of order amongst the people of the West.  They rely on their good-will and hard work to make a life for themselves.  This Island of supposedly untold riches may be a salvation for the people of the West.  Many times, have they begged for help from the East, only to be declined, time after time.  The rich have no time for the lesser-off people of the West, who, upon arrival at the opposite coast, are treated like beggars and dogs.
A war is coming to the East Coast.  Spirit & heart won’t last long against the King’s hordes and might.  It is by chance that Braxton finds a golden orb, in the shape of a ball amongst the dead Varmint who have wandered onto lands that are not their own & have been killed.  Braxton is a poor man with a wife, Bryanna, & a son, Colton.  Colton is barely old enough to fight yet wants to follow in his father’s footsteps.  Braxton is a poor man, who has a good heart and has sacrificed much for his family.  He has the physique of a hard worker and a strong body.  His own opportunism & complacency may be his biggest flaw.  His wife, Bryanna, is a devoted mother with a kind soul who, put by her husband, ‘is a far too naive soul, for his liking’.  This can be a dangerous world & it is important to always have your wits about you.
As it stands, an attack on the King would only serve to destroy much of the West & leave their homes open to be raided by the King’s men.  The poor have no chance, as it stands but perhaps Nature will turn the tides this time.  This story serves two purposes.  The first purpose is to show the complacent, denial of man, how a lack of wisdom & gratitude may be your downfall.  The plot focuses on Braxton and his family, getting to the uncharted Island, 200 miles off the coast and harnessing the great power of the Orb he finds, by chance, to destroy the selfish and tyrannical king in The East.