REVIEW ME PLEASE GIYS AND GALS!!!!

Hey guys can you please take a look at my storey im in the process of writing. Im completely new to writing, and thought id give it a go. I really enjoy writing, and was considering taking it more seriously. Please be honest with me (but not insultive)

Id like to describe my storey as an accesble fantasy storey, as its not too deep (I think). I take inspiration from Dan Brown. I love his storeys as they are easy to read, and the way he gets a cliff hanger going on every chapter. Also the grammer isnt great, so sorry about that. Im also love fantasy storeys, but find them to be a bit heavy at times (like Lord of The Rings)

Thanks

Introduction:
The giant peaks of the Acrusian Mountains overlook the plains from the white snowy heavens. They brought with them snow and ice in the dark months, and the rains in the light. Their springs quenched the thirsts of the lush green landscape. The cool rivers fed the grass, the trees and all the wild beasts that roamed the valleys. Water would flow all year round, providing the nourishment needed for growth. The sun would rise above the peaks every morning, bringing a torrent of warmth and light. These Mountains gave life to these lands. Everyday, every month, every year they fed and warmed and watched over this land. As a father would for his child. They had watched as forests rose, and than fell. The grass grew and conquered the earth. The air cooled and beasts grew. They watched as Man conquered, and began to build. The men took stone from the mountains and built homes. They built walls to protect themselves from other men, and weapons to kill. The men fought each other in great wars where death would cover the lands. The killing would stop, and man was peaceful. The mountains watched as peace endured, and freedom prevailed. The oldest and wisest ruled the young, and man used the land for food and shelter. Man built roads that spanned the land, and they traveled freely along them. They chopped down trees; they made fire and forged steel for machines and weapons. Man had built an impressive society with a shared culture, language and custom. Where the men who did wrong were punished, and the men who did good deeds were rewarded. This empire was now born, and it was named after its father, The Acrusian Empire.

The eastern Gate of Atriop seldom got used these days, and manning it was a dreary task. Goods came mainly from the capital city to the west, so activity on this side was non existent, as what lay beyond was the mountains of Acrusia, its border. The wooden walls surrounded the town protecting the citizens from any external threat, which the valleys surrounding may possess. As war was a distant memory wild animals and the odd thief were the only current problems the guards had to contend with. At stages in the wall guard towers stood, where archers and swordsmen could watch the land outside. The eastern guard tower stood just over the gate so as to observe anyone that visited from the East. As nobody visited Acrusia these days, no-one used this gate. Its hinges had become rusty by the sheer lack of movement. Atop one of these towers stood Lucious. He was an Archer, but was also handy with a sword, and he was bored, cold and wet. Lucious had done this duty now for a year, and not once had anything interesting occurred. He cursed himself for his desire to pursue a career as town guard. He was an idealist, and had large plans to be town guard ' fight for the Arcrusian Empire and slay the enemy who would come from the east, just like in the great wars of days past. He dreamed of the hero's return where'd he make passionate love to the towns most beautiful women. He still remembers the day he put on his uniform, the fur greaves, the boots and the large vest with the green snake insignia of Atriop. He had read out the guard's oath in front of all his friends and his older sister Liberty, his only family. He was awarded his sword, and bow, and promised to only use it to defend the empire. Such a proud day, full of hope for the future. The grim reality Lucious found was surprisingly different, as tonight demonstrated. He cursed himself again. Why hadn't he become a blacksmith, or a farmer? He thought to himself. He would be earning a lot more money, like all of his friends, and wouldn't have to sit on this tower every night. Lucious trained daily to rise in rank so he could put this task behind him. Interesting jobs were only reserved for those of higher rank, and they also got the best women.

Tonight was a particular bad night. The weather was terrible; the rain had not stopped now for three days with the winds fury savagely beating the town's wooden walls. The altitude of Atriop meant the wind was bitterly cold and the guard tower swayed and creaked to Lucious's severe displeasure. The rain was thrown sideways under the canvas top of the guard town, so staying dry was impossible. He wrapped himself tighter in his dark green guard's cloak, looking out over the darkness of the green valley beyond the walls that lay before the huge peaks of the Mountains. Thunder and lightning danced across the sky, never reaching ground causing a light display rarely seen in Acrusia. It was a great sight Lucious admitted, but he'd still rather be in bed. His thoughts were interrupted by Captain Garic's bellowing voice from the town floor. 'LUCIOUS!' he shouted. 'Lucious are you up there?!' The guards loathed Garic. He was fat, lazy, and incompetent, an embarrassment to the soldiering profession. Lucious considered himself a good Guard. Even though he hated watch duty, he still took his role seriously. 'LUCIOUS, you had better not be asleep up there, its freezing and I want to get back into the fort. There's lots of paper work to do'. Lucious almost laughed out loud 'Paperwork' he thought, yeah right. All Garic did was sat in the confines of the fort ' the only concrete building in the town and put his feet up next to the fire. Lucious stood up slowly from the watch bench, his bones creaking from the cold in the process. He walked to the edge and peered down at the unattractive man below 'Yes Garic, what is it?' Garic stood there with a fur jacket on and a lantern shuffling on the spot in the cold. The wind meant he had to raise his voice to be heard. 'Anything to report?' the Captain asked. Lucious detested these ridiculous questions. It was plainly obvious there was nothing to report, or the bell would be ringing. 'No Garic, nothing to report'. 'Ok Lucious, carry on'. The unpopular Captain waddled off to harass the other eastern guard tower, and would undoubtedly return to the fort to warm up on the fire ' 'fat bastard' Lucious muttered. The only reason 'Captain' Garic held such rank was because his father was a town elder, and that ensured a high ranking, highly paid job. Lucious perched himself back on the bench tightening his cloak around himself, and crossed his arms, rubbing his torso. He could see his breath as he exhaled, and he knew an illness was on its way. Three more hours to go and he could return home to sleep half the day away. His sister Liberty would make him a good meal for when he woke up, as she always did. With that positive thought in mind he looked back out across the darkness of the green valley, and as a flash of lightning rippled across the overcast sky ' he saw something.

He was unsure as to what it was; it looked as though a large figure was standing atop the valley amongst the sparse trees. The outline only became visible as the lightning's electric ripples passed across the sky, illuminating the horizon. Every few seconds the 'thing' became visible than as darkness returned, it was hidden again. Lucious stood and went to the edge of the tower. He strained his eyes to see. It was too large to be a human ' yet it had a man's outline. It looked as though it was about 10 ft tall just standing without moving, its large cloak flapped in the wind. It couldn't have been a traveler, as no one traveled after dark in Acrusia. It was illegal for one, and there was nothing to the east except the mountains, and beyond that ' no one knew. Unsure as to what to do he looked to the other tower gate tower. The wind and rain meant he couldn't shout to Michael to see if he saw it, he looked to the bell, pondering whether this was the right time to ring it. The bell very rarely gets rang; the last time was around 10 years ago when Lucious was a child and it turned out to be a lost mountain lion that the Archers efficiently disposed off. This figure on the other hand was no lion, and it just stood there, looking over the town. Lucious was becoming slightly worried. Nothing ever happened in this part of the empire and Guards had stopped patrolling the land outside the town for many years now. Lucious continued to watch, for all he knew it could have been some sort of new unseen animal from the mountains, nothing to worry about, or maybe a lost traveler. For some reason he knew this was an optimistic thought. His instinct told him that this was not so innocent. At that moment it began to move.

The lone eastern town guardsman continued to watch intently as the figure began to raise its hands to the heavens. He stood and walked to the town bell, the infantry division of the Guard then could have a look. But what happened next stopped him in his tracks. As the figures hands were raised the lightning from the sky began to increase in frequency and energy, it seemed to be affecting the weather. The wind suddenly increased in speed and strength and began battering the tower, causing it to rock with more ferocity. Lucious held onto the wooden rail for balance and continued to stare at this display that began to unfurl before his very eyes. The clouds in the sky began to move at an increased rate, and started to swirl around above the town. The lightning than began to behave strangely as it started to concentrate itself onto area, just above the area where the strange figure was standing. What happened next caused Lucious to jump backwards a step. The lightning suddenly began to hit the ground just around the feet of the figure as each strike caused a huge explosion of bright light and a deafening roar reverberated around the valleys. An echo bounced off of the mountains only to return amplifying the already horrifying noise. The entire world seemed to become alight with bright flashes of sound and light. Michael at the other guard tower became aware and he peered across the valley also. He held his hood atop his head as the speed of the wind increased to such a point that the towers were now rocking at an incredible rate. Lucious feared falling so he crouched down and held the rail so tight his knuckles began to whiten. The southern tower became alert to this sudden weather change and began to ring its town bell, followed by the northern bell, and the western bell. The eastern still did not ring as Lucious and Michael were captivated by the site in front of him. Lucious's skin began to tingle as the sheer quantity of energy being produced. The lightning was now angrily pounding the ground at a constant rate as the clouds in the sky were swirled around this figure. It seemed as if the weather was being drawn to this lonesome figure on the valley. In the town some people began to come out of their wooden houses to see what was going on. Confusion was clearly on their faces as they stepped into this blizzard of wind, light and loud noise. Nothing had ever happened like this in Atriop ' until tonight. The figure than lowered his hands, and as quickly as it started ' everything stopped.

The tower ceased to rock as the wind stopped. The rain had stopped pounding the earth. The lightning had stopped entirely and the now clear sky revealed a sea of stars that lit up the world. Lucious let go of the railing and looked to the sky in disbelief. 'How could this of happened?' The weather had disappeared completely, and now all was calm and clear. He than looked back down into the valley and his heart froze. What he saw before him caused the hairs on his body stand on end. On the valley the figure still stood there. He was cloaked. His face was hidden, but one feature stood out and this is what caused Lucious's fear. His eyes. They were lit up like bright torches, and the expression in them was clear. This was a man, a very tall man and he looked upon Atriop from the high valley with sheer hatred and disgust. They were filled with purified hate, and f all that had happened so far, this shook Lucious to the core. This expression contained such raw emotion, such raw hatred, and it was directed at this innocent small town. At that point Lucious knew something terrible was standing atop the valley. Something that was a threat to this town, and its power had clearly been demonstrated by the awesome display that had just passed. Lucious's soldier instincts seem to surge from within and he grabbed for his sword. He threw down his cloak and stood poised, battle ready. He had heard of powerful magicians before, and the town had some magical healers, but this was something very different. The power required to do what he just did would be more than anything Lucious of heard of before, or dreamed about. The figures hands were sparking as if the energy contained within them were immense. Behind him in the town the other guards began to assemble at the gate in response to the town bell, some still putting on their amour. Garic came storming out of the fort, with a chicken drumstick in his hand. He peered into the now clear sky. Only moments ago he had been out here and it was a thunderstorm. 'What in gods name' he whispered to himself and he waddled quickly towards the eastern tower 'What in Acrusia is happening up there'. 'Garic' Lucious replied 'get the towns folk into the fort', his eyes stayed transfixed onto the bright eyes that were on the valley. Garic just stood there 'What are you talking about?' he ordered. Lucious raised his voice; he hadn't the time to answer Brant's impertinent questions. 'By the Great Elders of Acrusia, get the townsfolk into the fort NOW!' The figure than raised his arms and his head once more. Lucious watched as a giant ball of orange and yellow began to amass between his hands. The intensity of the light increased quickly, and so did the size. It was a huge swirling ball of fire and light rotating around the head of the dark figure. The heat could be felt on Lucious's skin, and he had to look away from the brightness. Only Lucious and Michael could see directly what was occurring, but the light was so bright the people in the town knew something was happening. Garic saw the light and started shouting orders at people. He told the townsfolk to go inside the fort and wait. Not everyone had been alerted to this event, but those that had began to make their way towards the fort. People of all ages began moving towards the apparent safety that was the town fort. Many people still wore their nightclothes, as they shuffled out of their houses into the town square. Back in the darkness beyond the gates the figure looked towards Atriop again and in that split second Lucious saw a little smirk come across the figures mouth, as he flung his arms at the town. As he did so, the huge ball of fire suddenly began to hurtle itself towards the town. Lucious ducked down, as a giant ball of flame flew from the mans hand at an amazing speed towards the town, it caused a surge of hot wind and light as it passed between the Eastern Towers, and raced to the centre of the town. The fort was its target, and it hit with an amazing explosion of sound and bright light. The people in the square dived for cover as the ball caused fort's concrete wall to collapse. Bricks fell away form the fort, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the structure. The entire structure began to collapse, and the fort caved in, creating a huge pile of bricks and debris in its place. Panic erupted as the towns people began screaming, and running away from the remains of the only concrete building in Atriop. The fort was the agreed place for people to hide if a siege ever occurred, and it was destroyed in an instant by one man. The shock on the infantry's faces was obvious. Nothing had the power to destroy concrete building so easily. Only armies could do this. Lucious and Michael exchanged extremely worried looks between the two towers, and at that instant another fire ball exploded into Michael's tower causing the wooden structure to explode into thousands of splinters. Michael's body was flung through the air and landed in between the gate and the other guardsmen. There was shock from the other guards as the burnt body landed feet from them.

Lucious knew what was going to happen next and quickly dived towards the ladder leading down the tower, as he was lowering down it, a ball of fire impacted and he was flung from the site of the explosion. Wood rained down and he covered his head with his hands. He clambered himself up and dusted the off. He looked across the town square towards the wreckage of the fort. He looked beyond the fort to his home. Lucious saw his sister watching the scene from the doorstep of their home, a hand over her mouth. He wanted to ensure she was safe before anything, he had promised his father that when he was a little boy. He began sprinting across the square towards her, as he did he heard another explosion rip into the town. To his left the northern tower also exploded into pieces and began to topple over. As it fell the guardsmen jumped from the doomed structure and fell to the ground. He died instantly. Reaching his home, he grabbed his sister's arm pulling her inside. She still wore her night gown, and had clearly been awoken by the chaos beginning to unfurl. 'Lucious, what on earth is going on. Is it a fire? Is Michal OK'. When he was inside, he closed the front door quickly. 'There's no time to explain Liberty, you need to get to the basement now'. And at that he walked her to the trap door in the floor. 'Please, what's going on out there'? He opened the wooden door and led his Sister walk down the steps. The basement was for the storage of beer, and some food. Liberty worked at the inn so some stocks were stored in Lucious' and Liberty's home. 'Ill explain later, just please stay in here, and don't move Liberty'. She could see the fear in Lucious's eyes, and knew she should co-operate 'be careful Lucious' was her last words, and were drowned out just as he slammed the trap door behind her plunging her into darkness. He covered the trap door with the rug and the clothing drawers. He than went to go back outside. He opened the door and looked across from his home to the town gate. To his horror the town gate had been completely destroyed, leaving the remains of the Eastern gate scattered around the site of the explosion. The figure was feet from the town gate and began to walk into the town itself. He had no fear in his walk. Only angry determination was in his eyes. The first guardsmen attacked, and as they did so the man pulled a large Battleaxe from beneath his cloak. He hacked the first guardsmen down with ease. He was so much taller than the guards, and more powerful. The guards all tried in vein to stop the cloaked man as he advanced, but they were too weak. One by one he chopped, and he hacked. Screams of pain were heard from them, as the axe impacted into their amour splitting it at an instant. The thin steel amour was no match for this awesome power, and it shattered at every impact. The men's flesh behind was ripped. Blood oozed and sprayed from the men splattering onto the attacker's dark cloak. He held no mercy and chopped and hacked at all 12 of the Infantry until their bodies littered the ground around him. Screams of pain and agony flooded the square from the men. Towns people looked on with fear and sadness as these young men were slaughtered without mercy by the ruthless killer. Lucouis looked on and could see the utter glee in the figures eyes as he removed the axe from the last man's head.

Most of the guards Lucouis knew well, they had all graduated from the Academy in the Capital city, to return to their home towns. Lucouis stood in the doorway and watched this horrendous site; tears began to well in his eyes. They were all being slaughtered in front of him like they were pieces of meat. This man had no mercy as he indiscriminately killed them all, one by one. Overtime he had killed he struggled to remove the blade from the bodies he was creating. He had to be stopped, and at that Lucouis began his dash towards this murderer. The figure returned his axe it to under the cloak and looked around the town and its people in disgust. Many people cried as they stood in fear for their won lives as well as their families, they were defenseless against this brutal man that had invaded their peaceful town. He raised his arms once again and amassed a ball of fire, which he fired towards a one of the houses. The wooden houses of Atriop had no chance against the awesome power that the figure could deliver. It exploded into thousands of pieces of wood and ash that rained from the sky. The people who hid inside would certainly have been killed as he than repeated this and destroyed the second house, than the third, than the fourth. The sheer hate he had for this town was clearly visible, and he wasn't going to stop till everything was destroyed, including the people that lived here.

Lucouis took his sword out and as he got close to the figure he began to raise the sword and swung to hit, the figure stepped aside and Lucouis missed. He raised his sword to strike again. Lucious mustered all the power he had to strike this man. The man casually grabbed his arm. They were face to face, and Lucious could not make out the features of the man, except for the eyes. The strength in this mans arms was nothing Lucious had encountered before; he had no chance and was thrown to the body strewn ground. He landed atop another guard, and felt blood begin to soak into his uniform. The cloaked man put his boot on Lucious's neck and unsheathed his battleaxe raising it to the heavens. The sheer hatred still in his eyes remained as he began to descend the blade towards Lucious's skull. This was the end, and he closed his eyes.

Lucious had always been told that you're life flashed before you when you was about to die. He could still hear the whimpers of the guards around him. He could still hear the crackling of the fire. He could smell burning wood, and the pain of the boot pressing against his throat. He could feel the heat on his face from the fires, and could see the light at the back of his eyelids. At that moment, he knew he was still alive and slowly reopened his eyes. What he saw before him was not what he expected. Under the cloak of the figure, the hatred filled eyes had subsided and were replaced with caring sad eyes that looped upon Lucious. These were the eyes of a human, and were nothing like those eyes Lucious saw looking over the town from the valley. The figure removed his boot and took a couple of steps back, dropping his axe to the ground. Lucious immediately rolled back and stood up again. He was now only feet from the man who was destroying his home. Fire ravaged everywhere around them, and the man spoke. The voice was not what Lucious anticipated. It could not possibly belong to the man who caused all this destruction. The eyes were still lit up but there expression had become sorrowful. 'I know you' the figure said. Lucious just stood, thinking of how he could possibly stop this man. All sorts of different strategies formed, but the power of this figure was unstoppable. The figure seemed to ponder for a second, speaking slowly he spoke. 'Lucious¦. you have grown well'. The shock hit the young guard more than any weapon could. 'How could he possibly know my name? How could this beast know my name?' he thought, continuing to stay silent. All he wanted to do was to kill this man right now, to chop his head off and display it on the walls of the eastern tower as a warning to never try and harm his town again. He looked around at the bodies of his friends. The man just looked upon Lucious with pity in his eyes 'you're mother would be proud of you'. Lucious still stayed silent. The man was speaking to him like they were friends, the same man that just killed many of his friends and was destroying his home. The figure than raised his hands up to the heavens, and again he amassed a ball of fire. The spherical mass of glowing fire was held suspended in the air and the light from the ball revealed the man's face under his dark hood. To Lucious surprise the man looked like any normal man of Acrusia. He had a gentle face that was tarnished with the blood of the men he had killed. The face was familiar. He spoke again 'I'm sorry¦' the man paused for a second and they held eye contact momentarily, and at that moment Lucious understood who this man was.

A flood of memories hit Lucious like an earth quake. He remembered being younger. He remembered his beautiful mother, and he remembered their home together. He remembered her cooking and her scent. He could hear her voice telling him to clean his face, or do his homework. They had lived in the same home in Atriop that he resided in now. Memories of sunny days playing in the fields with his only sister, him helping her to read, help to tie her shoes. Memories of when the whole family had been together round the fire and their father had told them fantastic storeys of adventure and heroes. The man that taught him to read, and to fight. The man taught him good and bad, and to believe in honor. He remembered the eyes of the man that loved Lucious and now these eyes looked at him from meters away, love contained within them. Life does flash before you're eyes Lucious realized, and he smiled. The next second, Lucious was dead.

1.
The Eastern road snaked its way across the lands of Acrusia. Merchants would bring their much needed goods from the cities from the west to the towns to the east in exchange for gold. The road had carried people for thousands of years and was witness to a wealth of stories, from tales of bandits to the magical tales of wizards. The road was a lifeline for the Empire, and held together the East and the West. Without this road, the Empire would simply not exist, as it was vital for trade and movement of essential personnel such as guards and magical healers. On this cold, clear afternoon it contained 4 horses, each sat a person. The elders had heard disturbing news from a lone merchant that there had been some sort of disaster to the east, at the border town. Perhaps the bearer of the news was insane, or he was a drunk. Even so, a Captain of the guard, a sergeant of the Imperial Guard, a magical healer and a scout were ordered to investigate. The scout was to report back instantly once they had ascertained what (if anything) had occurred. The 3 day journey had begun yesterday at the Imperial City, and Captain Bryant was becoming tired. With the sun high in the winter sky, he thought it would be a good time to stop. 'This would be a good time to rest, do you all agree?' He asked. He had been given leadership of the mission, and wanted to get back as soon as possible. The Rebels roamed these parts, and had no mercy for the Imperial Guard. A captain would be a good kill for them. 'Yeah..... This place looks good, ill get the food prepared' Marsha replied. As healer, she was to ensure that the soldiers were looked after. 'Thank the Heavens, I'm starving' Sergeant Michaels exclaimed. He jumped down from the horse, and quickly lay down on the e side of the road. The grass was soft, and he looked up you the sky, breathing out a sigh of relief. 'We still got some of that meat from yesterday, will that be ok with bread everyone?' 'Marsha, that will be great you're cooking is divine', Bryant raised a smile. He got off his horse, and stretched his legs a bit. Bryant was a large man, with light brown skin. He had bright blue eyes and had a unique appearance. His mother was from the Elderon Empire to the south of Acrusia and his dad was a local slum dweller in the Imperial city. They had met when his mother came to the city to find work as a cook, bringing with her strange spices and meats unseen in this land until recently. A mixture of races was rare in the Empire. 'Ill just have a check were ok here' Goldric the scout said 'We don't want any unwelcome visitors'. He left the other three to walk a large perimeter around them. Bryant sat down and lay back on the lush grass. All around was green fields of grass, and he knew no-one would attack here. He silently chuckled. Goldric took his role very seriously, as newly appointed scout. Every time they stopped for lunch Goldric would walk a large square perimeter that took most of his rest. Bryant had tried to explain he didn't have to do it every time, but he had insisted. Danger would not be a factor until they reached the woods later on tonight. At that thought he sat up again and looked to the horizon, He saw the woods they would have to pass through, and a feeling of dread went through him. The woods were where the rebel stronghold resided. Imperial Guard Intelligence had no idea as to the exact location, but they knew it was in the densely packed trees ' somewhere. 'Hey Bryant' Michaels asked. His thought turned away from the woods 'Yes, what's up'. 'Can I err... ask you a ... err¦ personnel question sirs, it's just that the guys back at the¦ err¦barracks have been talking, and they asked me to, well to ask you something' he paused 'if you don't mind of course sir'. Bryant lay back on the grass with a smile, he knew what it was. 'Yes Michaels, seeing as you've got the nerve to do so, I will allow you to ask me anything you would like'. Michaels was a brave soldier, too brave some would argue. 'Is it err... true you are from the slums sir? I mean brought up in the slums, when you was a child'. Marsha looked to Bryant with anticipation as she cut bread. She had wanted to know also, but she had too much respect to ask. Bryant had had this question many times from his peers, but this was the first time a lower ranking guard had asked. Its not that Bryant was feared, it was that he was greatly respected. He was tough, but very fair on the guards under his command. Most guards disregarded the rumors' as ridiculous 'How could a Captain be a scum bag like the lot' some of them would say. Bryant replied 'Yes Michaels, I was brought up in section 4 of the slums. My mother and father ran a kitchen there. They sold soup form my mother's homeland and bread very cheaply to the homeless, and that's how we lived'. Michaels than sat up, he was even more interested now. 'No way! , you, a captain of the guard ' a slum boy. This must be a joke'. Marsha cutted in 'Michaels, I think that's enough. 'No its okay' Bryant interjected, 'I ask you this Michaels, why is it so hard to believe that I am a captain. Why am I different to the other officers?' Michaels face looked confused, as if the question was ridiculous 'Slum people are lower intelligence than us in the decent quarters. And they smell'. Bryant laughed out loud, 'Ha. Do you mean to say I smell Michaels?' Michaels didn't know how to reply and an uncomfortable pause proceeded. 'Of course not sir, but you're not one of them. How can you be? You're an officer of the Imperial guard, not one of those pieces of riff raff'. The captain sighed, he had experienced this ignorance many times, but it did become tiresome at times. 'Michaels you have a lot to learn young man. I am from the slums, and will die a man from the slums. All because my family no longer lives there today, my roots will always be in the slum. Until the day that I die'. Michaels was standing now 'But sir, how can you¦..' He was interrupted 'The slum kids, are people to, like it or not the great peaks of Acrusia made me and you as equals. We are the same. You will never be able to patrol the slums until you realize this'. He relaxed 'enough of this anyway. Slum boy is hungry' and at that Marsha passed the captain a plate of the food. 'Smells delicious Marsha, thanks' Bryant smiled again, to Marsha's approval 'Yah Marsha, thanks a bunch' Michaels chipped in. He had got his answer and ate quietly. 'You are both welcome. Where is that fool Goldric? He will miss his lunch ' again'. Bryant sat down and looked back out towards the woods and ate the tasty dish he had. He chuckled again as he saw Goldric about ¼ of a mile away, sword in hand jumping around like some sort of action hero bush to bush. He also had a lot to learn. Bryant enjoyed the company of newly recruited soldiers. He found their naivety entertaining, and enjoyed teaching them. He had trained many young men to become professional guards that could defend the empire, if that ever was needed. His thought were interrupted again as just beyond Goldric's theatrical display he looked to the woods. The feeling of dread returned.

The 4 of them had started towards the woods and it was now early evening. The large orange sun began to dip to the west behind them, warming their backs as they moved. The sky remained clear and the ground was still damp from the savage storms of a few days prior. The trees thickened at every step, and the road continued to snake through the trees as darkness was closing in fast. The sky began to reveal a sea of stars, and the moon became visible. Bryant, Michaels and Goldric had disguised their armor by wearing grey healers robes, similar to Marsha's. They hid their swords by strapping them to the horses. Attack was rare, as the rebels had an unspoken understanding with the Imperial Elders - Live and let live. Even so, Bryant's natural soldier instinct caused discomfort at this. If attacked they could not respond quickly enough. Bryant knew this would be the most dangerous part of the whole journey and their destination was the imperial fort that lay at the centre of the forest. It was well guarded, and would be their place of rest tonight. The last leg of their journey would begin tomorrow morning. Atriop was becoming close, and at every step Bryant felt more and more uneasy. Something told him that some unknown terrible event had occurred in that small secluded town. Whatever it was, he would find out tomorrow.

The grand debating chamber in the Imperial City was an astounding site for those that entered. It was made of white marble bricks that were stacked up into an imposing room. The domed ceiling caused angry Elders voices to echo around the chamber for all to here. It held comfortable wooden benches, with grey cushions that surrounded the room in a circular shape, and could seat around 500 men. The huge ceiling was a rare architectural site in the Empire, and was a present from the Elderons when peace was made between the two warring Empires. Debating had gone on all day, and the elderly men and women were tired. No decision was made, and as all the Elders began to shuffle out. Two stayed behind to talk. The two graying men sat together on the bench at the centre. General Henry wore his military uniform with pride. He was a busy man and was in charge of the Imperial Guard. 'General Henry, good to see you, sorry to interrupt you're schedule, I know you've got that trip to Hifort today, but I though you maybe interested in what I have heard', 'Ok, what is it?', 'General, we've heard some strange news from the East. At first we thought it was a drunken traveler, but others have come bearing the same news', Henrys was clearly interested. 'General, apparently there's been some sort of disaster at Atriop, the border town. We've heard that citizens have been killed by some sort of outside party. We are not sure at all what it is'. Henrys looked out across the chamber; he pondered this news 'Is that all we know?' The junior Elder continued 'For now General, yes that's true. I took the liberty of sending 4 Imperial personnel to have a look, but they won't be back for around 5 days'. Henrys looked at the junior in shock 'You sent 4? Are you mad young man? Do you know where they have to pass through?!' 'General I know, the rebels ' but they have been inactive for a long time. Murders on the road thought the woods have ceased'. 'Hmmm' Henrys thought again 'I suppose you're right, but you should have consulted me'. 'Sorry, I will do so in future, I thought it may be just an insane traveler, but when the second man came this morning with ill news. I came to speak to you instantly'. Henrys suddenly looked into the juniors eyes 'Who is this man?' 'He is a merchant, and he lives in the Imperial City. 'Take me to him now'.

2.

The candle flickered softly in the room as air passed over it. Shadows danced around on the concrete brick walls like ghosts, and was the only thing keeping this cold and damp room from being plunged into darkness. There were no windows or doors and escape was only possible through a small wooden door in the ceiling, which was stuck. In the day a small amount of light would pass through the cracks of this door, but not enough to overwhelm the dark void of this room. All sorts of things were to be found in here, such as broken swords, old clothing and wooden toys. Barrels and crates littered the room containing goods such as carrots, potatoes, and fruit. They mainly contained beer. Some of the containers had been opened and its contents consumed. One barrel contained the fresh cores of apples, some potatoes skins, vomit and even human excrement. Fortunately this one had been sealed and the odor trapped inside. In the corner of this basement the candle sat atop a wooden crate, with an opened book next to it. It had been partially read, as the present reader found it hard to concentrate when their thoughts were consumed with worry. Worry for themselves, and the worry for many of their friends and family. Next to the crate sat the young woman. She hugged her knees and looked out into the void, her eyes damp. She had cried more times than she could remember, and had no idea as to how long she had been down here. She was scared of what had happened to her town, and its people. When a day had passed she knew her brother was dead. There was no way he would leave her in this terrible room to suffer alone like this. She had sat in the dark silence for almost a day before she found the candles and the lamp. There was no water down here, and all there was to drink was ale. She was not familiar to alcohol, and she had become sick, but as the days passed her tolerance grew. The food was beginning to turn bad, and she knew she had to get out of here before she starved. The sound of the huge explosions reverberated around her memories for days. The sound of destruction was obvious, and she knew the house above her had collapsed, surely sealing her in this room for eternity. Liberty was certain this cold basement was to be her tomb.