If any mods are reading this, I think Chapter 20 is still pending approval. It hasn't been that long, but Chapter 21 is already up and I posted that afterwards.
If any mods are reading this, I think Chapter 20 is still pending approval. It hasn't been that long, but Chapter 21 is already up and I posted that afterwards.
Thanks for telling us! All of your chapters are now approved!
If any mods are reading this, I think Chapter 20 is still pending approval. It hasn't been that long, but Chapter 21 is already up and I posted that afterwards.
Thanks for telling us! All of your chapters are now approved!
-last edited on Apr 2, 2017 17:35:52 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Apr 2, 2017 17:34:04 GMT
Chapter 23
The wind rushed past Skrag’s face as he soared through the early morning sky. He laughed, and Zargan laughed with him. Since he had first met the dragon in the mountains, Skrag had never felt happier. They had quickly become friends, working together to survive in the world. It had been a month, but this was only the second time they had flown together. It was a feeling like no other. Up in the sky, everything was calm, peaceful, and exciting.
When they landed, Skrag hopped off of Zargan’s back. They were on the edge of a tall cliff, overlooking a wide river, beyond which was an endless plain. Skrag sighed, “I’ve been thinking. I think it’s time to leave the mountains. We must continue to new adventures beyond what we already know.”
Zargan nodded his large, scaly head. “You are right. It is time to move on. Where should we go?”
“Anywhere we like,” Skrag smiled. The two of them set off into the great unknown, ready for whatever waited ahead.
Meanwhile, a boy shivered in the cold. He hadn’t left the mountains since the day his father was smashed by that horrible beast. He had been unable to find that dragon, or the green, but now was finally his chance to get what he needed. Hithrol Jiwovz slid Scalblas out of its sheath with a slight ring. He was at a known dragon nest. A hermit had told him that a dragon resided here, and so he had come here to get his revenge. He continued forward, his breath visible in the frozen air. He stepped into the nest, and stopped. There was a dragon here, but it was not alive. A horrible, rotting smell emanated from its decomposing form. What happened here? He asked himself. Hithrol examined the nest, but he found no sign as to what had taken place. Then he heard a squeak, almost too quiet as to be audible. He moved over to where the sound had come from, and saw a large, black egg. It was a dragon egg. He raised Scalblas over his head, prepared to destroy it, but he found himself unable to follow through. There was a living creature in that egg- a living creature that needed his help. Hithrol put Scalblas away, and picked up the egg. He picked up his egg.
When I first started on the LMBs, I was mainly interested in Hero Factory. Then, a new theme came out called HEROICA and I got interested in it, even though I didn’t get Waldurk Forest (the one set I have) until after it was discontinued. On the HEROICA forum I joined a roleplay topic called The Elite Hero Monster Questing Arena, made by Dragonfj5. In it, people could join the heroes or monsters; choose two classes from a list of 15, and battle. I joined the monsters with my character Skirj and his red dragon named Marrzak. Many people came and went, but the only person who really participated long term was sydney817, whose character fought for the heroes and also had a dragon. Eventually, since it was so empty, I gave up on the topic as dead. I decided to make my own roleplay as a sort of revival of it, albeit with a very different format and rule set. It is called the Elite Heroica Questing Arena and can still be found on the Classics forum today. From that point, Skirj split off in two different directions. One version of him kept the name and became 2ic of the Moria Orcs on the Lord of the Rings roleplay. I have since left that roleplay. At roughly the same time, on the Kingdoms roleplay, my new character, Skrag, and his dragon Zargan joined the inactive Dragon Riders HQ. Soon, I was joined by another user, who took control of the HQ, while I became, once again, 2ic. My brother, f91zm, was the third member to join. The Kingdoms roleplay soon became my favorite roleplay, and it remained so until it closed. Sometime before it closed, I began contemplating the idea of writing a story about my character, who already had a very in-depth backstory thanks to various events throughout the Kingdoms roleplay and others. It took me a while to finally begin writing the story, but when I did I posted the prologue in the "Medieval lovers chat room" before continuing the story into the LMB topic. After the LMBs closed and I moved here, I began reposting old chapters so that this topic contains all chapters when I finish.
-last edited on Apr 4, 2017 21:21:14 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Apr 4, 2017 21:20:01 GMT
Part One Summary Skrag, a young half-goblin, is taken in by a goblin tribe, but shunned and friendless. When the chief who brought him in passes, the new chief takes this opportunity to exile him. Before he leaves, though, his power-hungry adopted father smashes the chief and frames Skrag, forcing him to flee.
Part Two Summary Far to the north, a dragon named Marrzak begins hearing a voice in his head, which convinces him to smash another dragon. He flies away, along with his brother, Zargan. Skrag sees the two and follows them to a house, where Marrzak smashes a man and continues flying away. Zargan is pursued by a group led by the man’s son, but Skrag saves him and the two become friends. The boy, Hithrol Jiwovz, finds a dragon egg in the mountains.
Characters Skrag- The Half-Breed, best friend of Zargan and adopted brother of Skirj, our protagonist Skorj- Warlord of Skrag’s former clan, father of Skirj and adopted father of Skrag, smashed Gorle and framed Skrag Gorle- Chief of Skrag’s former clan, smashed by Skorj Trok- Gorle’s deputy Skirj- Son of Skorj, adopted brother of Skrag Kalkuzar the Golden- King of dragons, father of Darkaraz Darkaraz- Son of Kalkuzar, father of Zargan, Marrzak, and Lyzara Marrzak- Son of Darkaraz, brother of Zargan and Lyzara, smashed Kurukin and Dernis Jiwovz Zargan- Son of Darkaraz, brother of Marrzak and Lyzara, best friend of Skrag Lyzara- Daughter of Darkaraz, sister of Marrzak and Zargan Kurukin- Member of Kalkuzar’s tribe, smashed by Marrzak Hithrol Jiwovz- Son of Dernis Jiwovz, brother of Alis Jiwovz Alis Jiwovz- Daughter of Dernis Jiwovz, sister of Hithrol Jiwovz Dernis Jiwovz- Father of Hithrol and Alis Jiwovz, smashed by Marrzak
-last edited on Apr 5, 2017 20:37:23 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Apr 5, 2017 20:35:55 GMT
Chapter 24
Two years. Skrag and Zargan had been wandering, exploring learning for two years. Skrag was seventeen now, and his old life with the goblins felt like a somewhat unpleasant dream that he could never forget for too long. The things he had seen and discovered in the past couple years astonished him. He knew where there were mountains, forests, and hills; where there were humans, elves, and dwarves; and where the great ocean could be found, across which, he was told, there were many more lands and creatures. However, despite all this, and despite his great friendship with Zargan, something was missing. No matter how he tried to suppress it, there was always a part of him that wanted to settle down, find a home, and find a place where he could belong. The problem was that there was no place he had seen or heard of where he thought he would be accepted, especially with Zargan. Until now, he had kept those concerns silent, but, today, he had firmly resolved to tell the dragon of his worries. Maybe he could help, and, if he couldn’t, he could at least understand.
When the conversation completed, Skrag sighed and leaned back against a tree, “I just don’t know what to do? Where could we possibly go?”
Zargan sighed with him, “I-,” he stopped, “What’s that on the tree behind you?”
Skrag turned around, and, sure enough, there was a piece of paper nailed to the tree. It was faded and worn, and his ability to read the common tongue was not very good, but he managed, “All fighters wanted… the City on the River… test their skills… become a gladiator… great riches… accommodations.” Skrag thought to himself, A gladiator? Yes, I could be a gladiator. What could be grander, more heroic, and more respectable? The more he thought about it, the more he realized it was what he wanted to do, what he would do. He had found a place.
-last edited on Apr 6, 2017 20:40:11 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Apr 6, 2017 20:39:53 GMT
Chapter 25
The City on the River also overlooked the mountains. In fact, it wasn’t terribly far from where Skrag and Zargan had met. The City itself was surrounded by brown stone walls that provided a resilient barrier against the strong gusts of wind that blew along the plains towards it. Inside, it was divided into three districts. The first was middling size, but the buildings in it soared up into the sky, many reaching above the walls. That was where all the government officials and important citizens lived, in comfort and luxury. In the middle was the business district. It was by far the largest area and was filled with shops and the homes of their owners. It also contained the Arena, a circular building with a large circle of dirt and sand taking up most of the interior space, living quarters for the gladiators underneath, and spectator seats all around the side. Finally, there was the main residential district. Though it was easily the smallest, over two thirds of the City’s population lived in it. The living conditions were atrocious, and many people lay, sick and hungry, in the streets, without any home at all. The City was governed by a greedy, vain, heavy-set man named Gormund Crux , who sought to gain as much power as he could over the city and its inhabitants with as little effort as possible. He also harbored deeper ambitions for land beyond the City, but that could come later. For this reason, the only entrance to the City was a large gate, constantly guarded by only Crux‘s most trusted servants. Only those with officially sanctioned business were allowed to leave, and only those who were approved were allowed to enter. The city guard was fiercely loyal to Crux, but mostly just because he paid them well, and granted them good housing. Several years earlier, Crux had had the idea to form an elite fighting force that he could use to his advantage in the future- the guards were good, but few of them had extensive training or skill. For that purpose, he had created his grand Arena, gathering both gladiators who were willing to fight for pay, and slaves that he could force to fight, along with several dangerous beasts to liven things up. The Arena also brought in heaps of revenue for the City, most of which went to Crux for personal use.
-last edited on Apr 7, 2017 21:16:39 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Apr 7, 2017 21:15:12 GMT
Chapter 26
Skrag gripped his walking stick a little tighter and began to approach the gate. Zargan had left him a mile or so out, and had taken most of their supplies with him, leaving Skrag with some clothes, his walking stick, and his knife. They had agreed to meet outside the City once a week, but Skrag still felt just a little bit nervous. Something could easily go wrong for either of them, and neither would be able to help the other. As he approached the gate, he saw two guards standing outside it, and four more on the wall above. Each of them carried either a pike or halberd, wore simple armor, and had a sword in his belt. Skrag hesitated for half a second, but kept going.
As he reached the gate, one of the guards said with a sneer, “What’r you doin’ here? We don’ take in beggars.”
Skrag furrowed his brow and curled his lip, rising up an inch, “I’m not a hermit. I’m looking to enter the Arena, so, if you wouldn’t mind, please let me pass.”
“Are you sure ‘bout that? You don’ look like a fighter t’ me.” The guard lifted his pike, pointing the tip a Skrag’s chest.
Surprising even himself, Skrag lifted up his walking stick, knocked the pike out of the way, and brought the end to the guard’s throat, before the man could even react. The other guard laughed at his companion’s red face, “Just let him in, before you make a bigger fool of yourself.” Skrag gave a sigh of relief as the gate opened. He lowered his stick and entered the City. As he was walking forward, he heard the first guard mutter, “’E wouldn’ last a minute against Garfell.” A small shiver went down Skrag’s spine at the name, but he ignored it and continued walking. It was time to test himself, but first, of course, he had to find the Arena.
-last edited on Apr 9, 2017 14:56:53 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Apr 9, 2017 14:54:31 GMT
Chapter 27
The Arena took only a few minutes to locate. It was practically in the center of the City. All around it were shops, with tall, sturdy buildings on the right and small, decrepit ones on the left. The Arena was a large circular structure made out of the same brown stone as the outside walls and many of the buildings. There were several arched doorways around the sides, each with a guard standing in front, and door with two guards. A couple dozen feet away was a small building, just three walls and a roof, covering a staircase that led beneath the ground, in the direction of the Arena. The sign above it read “Gladiators”. A man stood outside, in armor slightly finer than that of the guards at the outside gate and a sword in his belt, also slightly finer. In his hands he held a scroll and a quill- presumably for writing down information about the applicants. He looked up as Skrag approached, “What do you want?”
The tone on his voice reminded Skrag of the guards, but he kept calm, “I am here to apply to be a gladiator.”
“I see,” the man looked him up and down, “Name, race, age, and gender, please.”
“Skrag, my father was a goblin and my mother a human, seventeen years, male.”
The man scribbled several things down on his scroll, “Do you have any equipment?”
Skrag shook his head, “just my dagger and my walking stick.” The guard nodded, wrote down a few more things, and motioned Skrag towards the staircase, handing him the part of the scroll that had his information as he did so. “First door on the right. Tell them you’re an applicant and give them the paper.”
The passage was dark, and it took Skrag’s eyes a few minutes to adjust. When he was ready, he began to walk, taking a deep breath in preparation.
-last edited on Apr 9, 2017 16:54:35 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Apr 9, 2017 16:53:53 GMT
Chapter 28
The door was simple and wooden, but there was no knob on the outside and Skrag was unable to push it open. He knocked, and, a few seconds later, it was opened by a young boy, “What do you want?”
Skrag showed him his paper, “I want to be a gladiator.”
The boy nodded and ushered him in, “We have a new applicant!” The room was very hot, filled with crates of metal, weapons, and armors. Several forges were set up all around the room, and a man in a heavy apron pounded on a piece of red-hot metal, shaping and forming it.
The man looked up- his face was blackened by ash and he blinked a couple of times before speaking. “A new applicant? Let me see his paper.” The boy rushed over to hand the man the paper. The man looked over it, and handed it back, “Go ahead and take his measurement. You know the procedure.”
The boy nodded, taking a section of rope out of his pocket, along with a small, sharp knife. Skrag stood still as the boy wrapped the rope around his wrist, cutting it off where the end met the middle. He took the cut section of rope and compared it to a chart on the wall. He then ran over to a crate and rummaged through it, taking out a simple iron bracelet with a hinge and a clasp. Then, the boy ran back over to Skrag and fastened the bracelet onto his wrist. It fit comfortably, and Skrag took the opportunity to ask, “What is this for?”
The man looked up again, “It signifies you’re a gladiator. Now, as you don’t have any equipment, our next task is to get you some. What do you have in mind?”
Skrag had to think for a minute- he hadn’t put any thought into it before, “Maybe a spear,” he suggested, thinking about how he had fought with his walking stick before, “And some blades. As for armor, I want to be protected, but I also want to be able to move quickly.”
The man nodded, “Boy, grab a spear and two cutlasses, with something to carry them in, and some leather armor.” The boy nodded, grabbed the items, and brought them to Skrag, who took them one by one. The man spoke again, “Show him how to put that on.” The boy showed Skrag, and he soon figured it out. “Now, show him to his room- there should be an empty bunk in room seven. As Skrag was led out of the room, he thought of Zargan. Hopefully, everything was okay. Either way, he would be able to find out soon.
-last edited on Apr 9, 2017 21:05:15 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Apr 9, 2017 21:04:47 GMT
Chapter 29
The boy led Skrag down the hallway and into a large, circular room filled with tables and chairs. Including the one they had come from, four passageways branched off from it, like the spokes of a wheel. They went forward, into the one immediately across from where they had entered. There were many doors in this hallway- five on each side, labelled one to ten. Skrag was brought to number seven. Inside, he found two beds- not too large, but they appeared quite comfortable- along with a dresser to accompany each one and a small table with two chairs. One of the beds was ruffled, and it was clear it had been used recently. A small piece of wood sat on the dresser, like it was something special. Skrag turned around to ask what he should do, but the boy was gone. He opened the door and looked in the passageway, but it appeared the boy had left in quite a hurry. Unsure what to do, Skrag sat on the neat bed, setting his armor on the dresser, along with his sword holder, and leaned his weapons against the wall.
It was over an hour later when he heard the door open, and saw a human man enter. He was about Skrag’s age, wearing a brown shirt and carrying a halberd and shortsword, and his ragged brown hair framed startlingly blue eyes and a slight frown. He stopped when he saw Skrag, but soon recovered, “I’m Arik. You must be the new gladiator. I think I heard something earlier. Have you been waiting long,” he held out a hand for Skrag to shake.
Skrag surprised by the friendliness, got up and shook Arik’s hand after a moment of hesitation, “I’m Skrag. Would you mind telling me what I’m supposed to do? The boy who showed me here sort of neglected to.”
“Of course. The same happened to me on my first day. The only difference was I didn’t have a roommate to tell me what was going on, so I had to wait for someone to come and tell me.”
-last edited on Apr 9, 2017 23:01:41 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Apr 9, 2017 23:01:14 GMT
Chapter 30
“Let’s see,” said Arik, “we practice five days a week, with one day to relax and one day for fighting. It’ll be a week or two, though, before you get any fights. They’ll want to hone your skills a bit first. There is one bell every morning to wake us up, a second for breakfast- we eat in the common room, you would’ve passed through it on your way here-, then another to begin training, bells for the beginning and end of lunch, one for the end of training, and, finally, a dinner bell. We usually go to sleep after dinner, since it’s a long day, but sometimes we stay up a while. On free days we can leave the Arena to go wherever we like, and, on fighting days, we get to watch from the stands if we don’t have any that day. Fights usually stop when one of us is unconscious or clearly defeated, but some people take it all the way. Those are the ones you don’t want to be up against. Even some of the slaves, if they get the opportunity, will smash the paid fighters.”
“Hold on a minute,” Skrag said, interrupting his new friend, “There are slaves here?” Goblins, as a rule, detested the idea of slaves. They were largely a human invention and, while some orkish clans practiced slavery, it was usually humans who were the masters and goblins and others like them who were the slaves.
“Yeah, there are slaves,” Arik replied. “I can’t say I’m a big fan of the idea either, but, when it comes down to it, the slaves who survive here are the ones who enjoy fighting and injuring others, to the point that many don’t even care about their situation. Anyway, let’s move on to the other paid fighters. We have Go, the samurai, he’s friendly; Syldar, the healer, who doesn’t really fight, but takes care of the injured; Rennar, a freelance knight; and Luke Tunstall, a warrior from beyond the mountains. There’s also Dwalin, the dwarf; Ishal, who got here just before I did; Leidiriv, a half-elf who fights mainly with daggers, though I’ve seen him demonstrate magical capability as well; and Brain- he’s a bit of a jerk, always willing to fight anyone for the slightest reason. Finally, we have Zelfern, some sort of elf, as far as I can tell, who’s been here as long as the Arena itself; Shadowwrath, who’s never seen without his black armor; and Ishappa the executioner.” Arik shuddered as he said the final name.
-last edited on Apr 10, 2017 14:21:09 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Apr 10, 2017 14:15:45 GMT
Chapter 31
As Arik finished and Skrag tried to recall all of the names he had listed, a question came into his mind, “Who is Garfell? I heard one of the guards mention the name.”
Arik grimaced, “He’s one of the slaves, and a something of a leader among them, from what I’ve heard. He’s in a constant power struggle with Re’zar, a lizardfolk fighter. Each commands a group of followers and each is constantly trying to gain the high ground. The guards know it, too, and they’re careful not to pit members of the same side against each other in battle. Enough about that, though, why are you here? I don’t mean to be rude, but I’ve never seen someone who looks like you before.”
Skrag sighed, “I’m here to prove myself, and to try to make a life. I’ve been living in the wild for years; ever since I was banished form my home. As for what I am, my father was a goblin, and my mother a human. If you know anything about the relations between the two races, you’ll know it didn’t work out well for either of them, or for me. What about you? You don’t seem like a big fighter.”
“I’m not, really,” Arik replied, “It was the only well-paying job I could find. My goal is to raise enough money to pay for passage to my homeland, far across the sea. These weapons were given to me by my master- I was apprenticed to be a cooper- so that I might protect him if need be. We were sailing across the sea to market, when our little boat capsized, leaving me stranded on the shore. That fragment of wood on my dresser was a piece of our boat, and one of the only things I have to remember my old life by. Once I have the money, of course, there will still be the problem of how to leave the City.”
“What do you mean?” asked Skrag, “Why would leaving be a problem?”
Arik looked at him, “You didn’t know? No one leaves this city unless on official business for Gormund Crux himself.”
-last edited on Apr 10, 2017 16:13:13 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Apr 10, 2017 16:11:21 GMT
Chapter 32
Three weeks passed, and Skrag still could think of nothing but Zargan. If he couldn’t leave, they might never see each other again. Somehow, he would have to find a way. In the meantime, he would continue to train and fight, just like all the rest.
Skrag’s first meal, dinner, had given Arik the opportunity to introduce his potential opponents. Most of them were friendly, certainly more so than he’d expected, and, in another situation, he might easily have been able to call them friends. One thing he had noticed, though, was that Ishappa seemed to incite great fear in the others, though she had not fought once since Skrag had arrived, and she and the black knight Shadowwrath rarely emerged from their room, and, when they did, it was not for long. Training went well, as Skrag showed his prowess and improved his skills. However, he had only had a single fight so far. It had been against Luke Tunstall, the Iron Wolf Warrior, and, to his surprise, he had won, though it was by a small margin. He had let Luke live of course, he was not cruel.
On the 23rd day of his life in the Arena, Skrag awoke to the bells, and went to breakfast with Arik. Everyone ate quickly, for today was a free day, and all were eager to explore the City. As everyone else filed out of the common room and into the fresh air, Skrag remembered that he had left his money in his dresser- he would need it if he wanted any lunch today. When he arrived outside, everyone else had already gone their separate ways and Skrag realized he would have to find a way to occupy himself alone. Normally, the fighters stuck around the business district, but today Skrag felt a sudden urge to go to the slums. As he did so, he saw a cart pass by- a slaver’s cart- and his eyes made contact with those of one of its “passengers”. Skrag shuddered at the horrible sight and continued towards his destination, unaware that things were about to change for him.
