The Fallen Tower: Drake's Testament

It happened three months ago.
         The colors of the night shrouded us. As I leapt from one tree to another, the strong winds of Meridian would rush past me, giving me a sense of adrenaline I'd never experienced before. My heart raced and blood boiled as I prepared myself for the first of many missions I'd take for the royal family. Even as I drew ever closer to my objective, my mind still couldn't accept the fact that I was given this mission from not only King Soren himself, but his son Yuri as well. I still have the letter they sent me; it's become one of my most prized possessions.

         Despite me being the only person entrusted with this certain mission, I couldn't help but share this opportunity with my partner Willem, as he deserved to be more known than me at that time, for I was nothing more than a peasant who hardly ever saw anything beyond the great wood that surrounded me, while he was a traveling rogue who'd charmed and robbed many people from various lands. Hell, he not only taught me all of his techniques, but also gifted me with many a unique trinket, including my lucky blade. Truly a messenger from God he was. However, despite all of my senseless dilly-dallying about the past, I could tell from his eyes that even he was anxious about the task, as they swiftly darted from left to right, never once remaining solitary. " What is it lass ?" I shouted " Nervous are you ? Just think of it as another simple robbery, that's all it really is.".

         His eyes sealed themselves shut, and his brow started to sweat. " I'm afraid of having to...kill anyone." He said with a melancholic tone " What if they catch us ? We'll have no choice but to murder them. If we don't, they'll report us to the authorities.". The thought then sunk into me. King Soren and Prince Yuri only wished for us to steal from our targets, and not drop a single drip of blood. Then, a great spark thrusted my mind into gear.

         After what seemed like an eternity of near silent tree hopping, we came across our targets. Their garb was garish and so vibrant it literally gave off a strong incandescence, while the hilts of their swords were formed from pure nacre and shimmered with a sparkling array of colors. Suffice it to say, they drastically stood out from the predominantly gray tones of the vast forest. By that point, I'd hatched an idea that would've allowed us to take everything from their minuscule camp, including their apparel and blades. I turned to Willem and gestured, throw it over.

         At first he gave me a queer look, but he soon got the idea. He reached into his shirt pocket and took out a carved piece of wood, or rather a simplistic catalyst. My hands stretched out to retrieve it, causing me to nearly break and fall off the branch I was perched on. After grabbing it from his hands, I peered directly below me, only to see one of the men strolling down the road which separated the forest. My mind and body reacted quickly, causing me to suddenly throw out a fireball by accident.

         It just narrowly missed the man, but it was already too late. All of them spotted us and withdrew their swords. I didn't know what to do at that point, so I just sat there, completely frozen in the moment. Not before long however, Willem leapt from his branch and swiftly took out his own blade. My mind was gone entirely. I could hear and view the battle, but I simply couldn't bring myself to move at all.

         My near whole-body paralysis lasted for what I assumed to be hours as the clanking mess of swords overcame all of my senses. It only ended once the sharp, audible splashes of blood and screams rang in my ears. My eyes reluctantly lowered themselves to the distant ground. One of the men had been killed, his throat having been cut with incredible precision. Willem silently stood there, not a single droplet of blood on neither himself nor his blade.

         The other men ran like wild boars, hoping to escape whatever had taken their comrade, but they were unsuccessful in doing so. A silver streak dashed from the left to the right side of the forest. They then collapsed, with nary any blood splattering to the ground. Before I could attempt to comprehend what had occurred, a voice quietly screeched from seemingly nowhere. " Begone," it whispered with an accent that was completely alien to me at the time " you servants to King Soren don't deserve to tread in this sacred wood. Take whatever it is you seek, and leave. If not, well...".

         A deep silence then absorbed everything. Without blinking any of our eyes, we took the bags and satchels as well as the swords and clothes from every one of the men, and ran for our dear lives out of there. I'd never felt such dread before then and still to this day haven't come across anything that has left as much fear in my heart as that night did. I still get shivers from simply thinking about it. Thank God I managed to escape there with my head still on my
shoulders.

         After that, we ran home and threw everything on the floor. The two of us could hardly sleep that night, let alone think about what to tell King Soren and his son. All that mattered was that we were still able to wake up and see dawn once more. My mind fixated itself on nothing but streaks of silver as I could feel my eyes growing heavy. The sound of a waking bird echoed in my ears, and I steadily drifted into my slumber.

         That's all I can remember. The months that came afterwards have almost completely erased themselves from my mind. This morning I returned to King Soren with the treasures Willem and I'd received from that night oh so long ago, only to have him grow anxious at my arrival. Now, I'm scheduled to be escorted back to my home country in the east, where in which I shall be executed. The reasoning for this is completely unknown to me, but I will accept it without any fear in my heart.

         This is my testimony to the events that transpired that night, and perhaps the only one. Whoever is reading this, I urge you to speak with King Soren and discover why I'm to be killed. That shall put my soul at ease, and I may rest peacefully.

-Drake Korvir