Aldrest

The morning rays bounced off the clouds that were accumulating on the Eastern horizon after the dark day the hunter community had suffered its greatest lost and defeat. Yesterday seemed like a nightmare that was not going to fade anytime soon. It seemed almost impossible to think two-thirds of the hunting community (licensed hunters and students alike) had been wiped out in the hands of their deceived comrades, and yet it was real, as real as the wounds that were slowly healing in my body and in my heart.

My thoughts felt numb as I watched the peaceful and serene expression in Candravar’s face as he was being taken back to the Academy, oblivious of our victory. Shizuma’s was torn apart inside, and I held her together as she cried in my chest. Even the day mourn that early morning. The progression to the academy was slow, filled with many curious eyes from the normal inhabitants staring at us and whispering sadly among themselves. They too heard the news of Candravar, and as a sign of respect, they had lined up a path toward the Academy.

Salazar wasn’t killed, as much as I wanted to. Instead, a hunter, and prison guard, decided to take him and lock him in the most solitary and rotten cell along with his servants and everybody who had surrendered or defeated when the scroll was destroyed. Hunters loyal to Candravar would take care of them before attending the funeral.

The funeral that was the moment I dreaded, watching Candravar’s coffin descend into the earth, somewhere he didn’t belong. The funeral would take place in less than an hour from now and I hadn’t heard anything from the others. Only Shizuma was with me, her eyes too wearied to produce another tear. We were standing in the Foyer dressed in black. The traditional procession wasn’t going to take place; there weren’t many hunters knowledgeable on the process to do so, and they needed all the help they needed. Many of the nearby farmers came to offer their help with the preparations and the food, which we gladly accepted.

I heard the trampling of feet behind me. It was Rothus, the father of a classmate who had died; he walked to us and stopped, staring us in grave silence.

“Mr. Rothus,” I started, but he stopped me before I went further.

“Aldrest, I know this isn’t the best time to say this, but,” Rothus seemed hesitant, and we both knew what was coming from this conversation. “Our numbers had diminished greatly; all those hidden criminals will crawl out of their hellhole and create havoc, something we cannot afford right now.”

“How dare you,” Shizuma snarled. “You were right; this is no time to discuss this. We’re about to bury Candravar, can’t that wait.”

“Shizuma is right,” I said, wrapping an arm protectively around her shoulder. “I’m sorry Rothus, if your concerns are about the future of the hunting community, don’t worry, we’ll figure it out. I believe the only thing Candravar wants is for us to remain strong and together. We’ll discuss it after the funeral.”

“Very well,” Rothus said, nodded once and turned to leave.

“Aldrest,” Shizuma whispered, “What is going to happen to the Academy?”

I remained in silence, pondering about the fate of my most sacred and only home. “We’ll restore it.”

…

Every hunter was gathered on the grounds of the academy, where the tombs of all the Elders were located. I glanced at my grandfather’s gravestone and prayed for him to transfer some of his knowledge to me and help me lead the hunting community that was threatening to fall apart.

“Aldrest!” I heard a voice shout behind me.

Startled, I turned around, and much to my surprise, I beamed. “Well, I guess you’re tougher than what I give you credit for.”

“I am alive,” Axel boasted, extending his arms out. “That stupid scroll wasn’t going to defeat me.”

I nodded, “I’m glad it didn’t, because we have a pending fight.”

I was happy to see all of my friends gathered together, alive and well. We would survive what was coming, what was left of the community will.

The funeral proceedings were full of tears and silent remembrance and gratitude, for Candravar was the greatest of the Elders and he proved it even in his last second of life. We watched the coffin descend on the ground, certain that Candravar would rest in peace, watching us from somewhere along with the other Elders that had gone through the path of Death before him. We offered him more than five minutes of silence, before the crowd started to disperse and disappear.

The only thing we could agreed on was that we needed to look for the bodies of the murdered hunters and give them an appropriate burial, and hold a meeting tomorrow with what was left of the hunting community to decide its fate.

Walking through the academy’s grounds was like walking through a broken dream, the walls of the academy were inscribed with Candravar’s spiritual energy. His loss felt terrible in my heart, like dropping a stone into an abyss with no bottom, just falling and falling without never hitting the end.

Two days later, all the bodies were recovered and buried, and the meeting had held place. The surviving students had formed an alliance and resided in the academy, with me as their leader and Albert as an adviser. It was a task too big for me, but I promised to remain focused. We were all promoted to black soul hunters, even our youngest students, because we all earned it. We were marked like the rest, on our right shoulder, to prove our allegiance to protect those who cannot protect themselves. The temporary head hunter was Rothus, for he was the oldest amongst us all. I didn’t quite trust him, but he was a respected hunter in the community since I started my training as a hunter.

This afternoon, I sat under the weeping willow in the main academy ground, just below Candravar’s office, which was mine now. It was depressing being there. Shizuma had found me, as she always did, and kept me company. Candravar’s death had been harder on her, but she was strong.

“You’re a good leader, Aldrest,” she said.

“I’ve only been leading the students…hunters, for the last twenty minutes,” I said.

“You will do great things Aldrest, we all trust you.”

I stretched, not knowing what to respond. Something was bothering me; it was something Salazar had said before he stabbed me in a desperate attempt to kill me. He said he was only a pawn in the game, was there a bigger threat? I didn’t want to think about that. The moment Axel stepped into the courtyard; I knew he would be the best distraction of my eerie thoughts.

“Hey Aldrest, if I see you’re slacking off in your duties as a leader, I’ll be sure to beat the hell out of you.” Axel grinned confidently, shouldering his shining Maelstrom. His sword looked as good as new, inviting.

I moved into the center of the courtyard, reaching for my twin swords. “I believe you came to finish off our battle?”

“Why not?” Axel shrugged. “We’ve been postponing it for much too long.”

Shizuma sighed, “Kids. When are they ever going to grow up?”

A crowd had gathered around them now.

“Be sure not to lose Aldrest,” Axel said, “you wouldn’t want this crowd to witness their leader lose against a commoner like me.”

I grinned. “If I’ve learned anything from you Axel, is that you’re not common.” I flared my swords with spiritual energy and in a split of a second, blue and orange spiritual energy arcs clashed.

THE END OF BOOK ONE.

RATE THIS CHAPTER!

Author guidance for This exercise

Hello :)

"There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter."
-Ernest Hemingway

Topic: http://www.protagonize.com/group/planning-brainstorming/topic/2654/2

BOOK ONE IS FINISHED. BOOK TWO IS ON ITS WAY.

Azahla- name of the world
Cirdetre- main state of Azahla
Battle of Cirdetre- appearance of the beings and birth of the wielding of spiritual energy.

Characters

Aldrest Wilcaust
*Age: 17
*Appearance: 5'10", fit and built body (not way too muscular), ruffled black hair and deep black eyes. Quite handsome.
*Personality: Quiet, observant, solitary, disciplined, sometimes insolent, great warrior and hunter. He underestimates everybody else (due to his dark past).
*Specific abilities: dexterous, marksmanship, light foot, stamina, silent shadow.
*Weapon: twin reverse-blade swords (katanas)
~~~LuneXian

Axel Chaos
Age: 16
*appearance: 5 ' 10 , hugely muscular, Blood red hair which is brought back and spiked, his hair reaching down to his shoulders. orange eyes, His skin is slightly tanned. Would be considered handsome if not for his reputation of being a loser.
*Personality:Loud, obnoxious, fearless. Strives to be noticed by everyone, and does not give up whenever he says he is going to do something. Has a short temper, and hate how mostly everyone views him as a loser.
*Specific abilities: Super strong, Strong skin and bones (sorta invincible but not really.) Agile, and lots of energy.
*Weapon: An oversize sword which is about 4 feet long and six inches between each blade. He calls it the blade Maelstrom. It is capable of falling apart into 4 different blade each having different shapes, and sharpness as well as weight.
~~~chimerakiller2

Albert White
Age:22
*Appearance: Five foot eleven, uses daggers in combat
*Personality: Furious, Snaps quickly
*Abilities: Shifts light to cloak himself, quick in combat, can track anything, extremely creative in combat
*Weapon:Short sword and a knife
~~~Dyerz

Shizuma (no one knows her last name)
Age: 17
*Appearance: 5'6, pale skin, long grey/silver hair which flows down to her hips. Crystal blue eyes and long dark lashes, making her incredibly beautiful. Slender and toned. Wears high trousers and shirts or dresses, but mostly all in the colours black or blue.
*Personality: Cold to those she does not like, charming to those she likes or wishes to please. A bit of an outsider, but high up in the class and respected by almost everyone. She trusts no one, but underneath her layers of rigid mistrust is a loving kind woman just waiting for someone she can actually trust with her life.
*Specific abilities: Flexible and well versed in theft techniques which she learned in her childhood.
*Weapon: Whip and throwing discs
~~~Stargazer

Kyre Lenai
*Age: 15
*Appearance: very pale skin, Pink eyes and white hair that is in an emo cut. He wears black clothes (black jean jacket, Black skinny jeans, Black Arm gloves and Black and Purple striped socks that go over his pants, Black converse shoes) He wears black eyeliner and black nail polish. Also has snake bites and a tongue piercing. two piercings on the lobe of his right ear and three on the top of his left ear. Very skinny. Albino.
*Personality: used to keep to himself when he was little which lead to him being a loner. Has only a few friends but he doesn't mind meeting new people. He is also very shy. Since he has very little friends they can't distract him in school so he is very smart, and he has good athletic skills he just doesn't show them. He wants to so badly to be a Black Soul Hunter.
*Specific Abilities: Intense reflexes (very fast), Very good with technology, Very good senses. Can steal very well just doesn't like too.
*Weapon: Dual Daggers.
~~~Hikaru101

Joanne Raine
*Age: 15
*Appearance: 5'7, tanned skin, long wavy auburn hair tied into a bushy ponytail or long braid. Piercing green eyes which make her seem a bit foreboding and mysterious. Tall and lanky. Wears shorts and a shirt with boots but also likes to go barefoot.
*Personality: Has a bad temper but is usually quite cheery. She seems immature but is serious when she needs to be.
*Specific abilities: Nimble and good at sneaking around. Has good aim and is a good climber. She usually shoots people from afar and/or catches them by surprise
*Weapon:Birch long bow. She also has a silver dagger for close combat but usually relies on the long bow. When she channels energy into the long bow it shoots energy. She can't channel into the dagger so she avoids close combat.
~~~iamkathybrown13

Koemi Adachi
*Age: 17
*Appearance: 5'7, pale skin, athletic body, elegant limbs, dark blue eyes and long jet black hair, which is usually tied back into one long plait down her back to her hips.
*Personality: Incredibly driven and will stop at nothing to get what she wants, black soul hunter status. She makes friends fairly easily and is loyal to them, willing to do anything for those she trusts. Can be seen as quite shy but should not be underestimated, she can be pretty feisty when she needs to be.
*Specific abilities: Incredibly agile and can squeeze through shockingly small spaces.
*Weapon: Katana Sword
~~~dottylotti

Candravar
*Age: unknown
*Appearance: upright figure, sky color eyes bright as the moon, pale and smooth skin, has white hair that reaches past his shoulders and a white beard that extends to his chest.
*Personality: Pacifist, wise, caring
*Specific ability: an Elder, despite his age he is still strong and agile but not as before.
*Weapon: chains
*******************************************
Bad guy

Salazar Dreix
*Age: Unknown
*Appearance: Tall and muscular man, a deadly pallour gives him a ghastly appearance, he has a shaved head with an enourmous dark mark of a snake that starts on his temples and runs along his spine. He wears long dark cloaks, beneath it he hides his true hunting garment. His eyes are bloodshot and pitch black colour and his lips cover bone-white teeth.
*Personality: cold, greedy, has no compassion nor humbleness, bloodthirsty, his only joy is the sound of murder in his own bare hands.
*Specific abilities: well-trained and very strong with superhuman strength, agility, and velocity. He can sustain a fight without using his spiritual
energy.
*Weapon: a cross between a whip and a sword

updated Sep 18 '11 by LuneXian