It was the early in the spring, the brooks and trees were starting to return to their lively state. The air was cool on the horizon, and in the distance a figure rides on their horse out of the brush and onto an open plain. He is dressed in dark greens and blacks with a sword at his side and a hood over his head. Though underneath, his hazel eyes flicker with a flash of gold. His dark hair hangs just above his shoulders, and his stature is tall and proud. He is one of the Napaya, last of their group and son of the lord of Ouban. His name is Ilitatos. It has been a long time since the destruction of Ouban, and it left Ilitatos in a situation that is now unavoidable. He has been searching for many months for any others of his kind, and many months without luck. He had been riding from region to region but anytime he came across anyone, they couldn’t help him. He looked long and hard across the landscape so as to decide where to ride next. But after a long thoughtful process, decided to return back to Glanodo. He knew that at least one person there would welcome him. So turning his horse to the south, Ilitatos made a hasty ride back to his home in Glanodo.

Darkness had fallen by the time Ilitatos reached Glanodo, and he was more than ready to stop to allow himself and his horse to rest. He slowly rode through the dirt streets that lead to his small house out away from the rest. There was a light on in the house and smoke coming out of the chimney. As he finished tying his horse to a tree, the old wood door on the old stone house burst open, and light poured out into the night’s shadows. “Well, well, well, it took you long enough for you to decide to come back.” In the door way was an old man. His hair was long and white, and his body slightly hunched over with age. “I thought you would have been back months ago. But, your determination to find our people is quite remarkable.” Ilitatos approached the old man and placed a hand on his shoulder, “I thank you for taking care of things around here Relib. I know that everything back here would be in good hands.” The two friends embraced as Relib welcomed Ilitatos back to his home.

Over the next few days, Ilitatos took time to rest and practice his sword skills before he set out again. But his decision to leave was quickly changed. Relib had fallen ill, part from that and his old age, it was certain that death was near for him. In his last few moments with Ilitatos, he shared something with him, “After I am gone, do not wait around for something to call you away. Go to the Quanje city of Cenebreth. There you will need to get an audience with their king Korover.” Whispered Relib quite strained. “But how can I? There is nothing that proves me worthy of his presence,” said Ilitatos. “Certainly the Quanje will not allow me access to their king.” At that time, Relib pulled out a dark wooden box, probably of mahogany and richly carved on the lid. Relib handed it to him and said with his final breaths, “This is what you need for access, the Golical of Ouban. It should have been given to you long ago, but I did not see fit for you to take it just yet. This was your fathers, and now it…is…yours…”with that, his breaths ceased, and his eyes closed into the endless sleep.

The pain of losing his one and only friend was very painful to Ilitatos. Relib had been the father figure to him that he was denied so long ago. Even though Relib did not tell Ilitatos about the history of his bloodline or the significance of the Golical, he was determined to follow his friend’s last request. Since he knew that there was no reason to come back, Ilitatos sold his house and everything in it. He took the money that he made from it to buy supplies for his long journey to Cenebreth. He saddled his horse, packed his gear, and set off before the fall of night.

Many days and nights had come and gone since Ilitatos had set out for Cenebreth. He had passed the Modocho River many nights ago as well. He had never seen the great city of Cenebreth, but he had heard many stories from Relib about its grand power and majesty. He did know that if he followed the tree line of the Jaya Forest, it would run into the Althe River which he would follow the west riverside straight into the city. Though all of that is easier said than done. It took about a fortnight to even find the Althe River. Yet once he found it, he pressed on without sleep. He and his horse were deathly exhausted, but Ilitatos had a promise to keep and he knew that he was so close to fulfilling it. Sure enough, by first light the next day, he had reached the gates of the great jade and silver city of Cenebreth. He was blocked by those appointed to guard the entrance. “Who are you and what is your business for coming into Quanje territory?” they asked him quite sternly. Ilitatos leisurely lifted his head to them, “I have come to seek audience with your king.” And with that, he collapsed from exhaustion. The two guards looked at each other before getting someone to take Ilitatos to their healing house.

Ilitatos woke up strangely well rested and rejuvenated. He figured out right away that he was most defiantly not at his home or out side under the stars. The room around him was dark, save a few rays of sun that broke through the curtains on the windows. Not long after he awoke, one of the Quanje guards came to him, most likely to question him. “How do you feel friend?” asked the guard kindheartedly. Ilitatos looked at him carefully, “Quite well, actually. But it is pressing that I see you king immediately.” Ilitatos moved toward the guard. At this the guard looked at Ilitatos closely, as if to read his mind. After a few minutes, he seemed satisfied with Ilitatos, “Very well. I shall arrange for you to gain an audience with him.” That was a lot easier than Ilitatos though it would be. The guard left only for a short time before returning to the healing houses. Together the guard escorted Ilitatos to the great Tower of Cenebreth. The colors of the jade and silver reflected the sun in such a way that the tower seemed to glow. It was such a sight that even Relib would not have fully been able to describe. But Ilitatos was going to have his chance, a chance to meet with the king Korover of Cenebreth.

The halls that surrounded Ilitatos were astounding to say in the least. Engraved in the walls were the stories of the past. Ilitatos notices many of the pictures had Dragons on them. He had never seen a real Dragon, but he had heard many things about them. Following the guards, Ilitatos was lead to a great set of wooden doors which lead to the throne room. The ceilings were vaulted to that you could hear every thing that happened in the room. There were vines of ivy hanging from the walls and from the ceilings as well. There were great wooden beams that ran across the room with chandeliers hanging on them with many, many candles. Ilitatos was so amazed at what he saw that he did not even realize that he was now stopped and standing before the king of Cenebreth himself. “My guard said that you had wished for an audience with me and that it was important.” Ilitatos, shocked by the sound, turned to face the king. Korover was very tall with long black hair that hung from his crowned head. His robes were long and made of red velvet or other soft red materials and were embellished with pure gold thread. His face showed no sign of age, but Ilitatos knew better. This Quanje was more that 2000 years old. “So, what brings you here with such urgency that you traveled yourself unconscious?”

Ilitatos looked at Korover and gave him a great bow of respect. “Hail to King Korover, lord of the land of Cenebreth. May your crown ever stay bright and your life lived long!” He cried, “You have let me in your house of old, for I am here to fulfill a promise to an old friend by the name of Relib.” Korover was impressed at the manner of this human and was quite interested at the name of Relib. “Ahh, Relib, a very fine warrior of the Napaya. How is my old friend these days?” asked the king. Ilitatos’ face fell at the thought of his friend, “Sadly my king, he has passed from this world, and thus my presence before you now was his last request for me.” Korover’s face filled with sadness, “Well then there was something significant about you being here. Why did he send you here? Did he give you anything to bring here?” Ilitatos though for a minute before he remembered the box that he had been given. “I was my king, but it is strapped onto my beast that I came here with.” At this the king ordered the horse to be brought into the throne room.

Once the horse was in the throne room, Ilitatos carefully unattached the wooden box. It was too big to just hold in one hand, so Ilitatos set the box on the floor. As he looked at the king, he noticed a look of wonder in his eyes. Ilitatos opened the box, and a bright light shot out of the open container. He reached in and lifted out a glowing sphere that almost seemed to be made of crystal and glass with a light trapped inside of it. All who were in the throne room gasped in amazement at the sight, the king included. “Everyone,” Spoke the king in a loud voice, “Clearly this is the time that we have been waiting for, and this human is the heir of the lord of Ouban! We now know that he is not one of the deceitful Nukitez who have deceived us before.” Looking at Ilitatos he said, “I need some time alone with him. All of you leave me.” The room cleared in a mater of seconds. Now it was just Ilitatos and the King Korover.

The air was a dead quiet, as Korover looked over Ilitatos. There was obvious speculation about the whole situation. Ilitatos decided to speak first, “My lord is there something I can help you with?” Korover just looked at Ilitatos’ eyes. “It amazes me how I couldn’t have seen the resemblance before. Though you don’t look exactly like him, you are your father’s son.” Ilitatos did not quite understand, “My lord with all due respect, I never even knew my father.” “No,” Korover replied, “I don’t suppose you would.” He signaled for Ilitatos to come and sit with him. “Your father was once the lord of the Ouban Island. He and I created a pact over 1100 years ago to keep an alliance with each other. With this new pact, the two of us created the two Golical stones. They contain a power that even I can not describe. They were kept in secret places that only he and I knew about. I kept mine hidden in this very tower, and I never knew where he hid his. But once the Golicals were in their sacred places, they were not to be removed or else the power of the Golical stones would not be able to protect our alliance from attack.” Korover paused with a tragic sigh, “Unfortunately, this happened at just the wrong time. Something went wrong, and the Golical of Cenebreth was taken by an unknown individual. Soon after, we were attacked by the west Dragons, the Zekardec. They usually attacked races that were close to their homeland, but for some unknown reason, attacked the island of Ouban. Your father risked his life to protect your mother, and you and must have found a way to hide the remaining Golical because here it is.”

Things started to make sense to Ilitatos, but he was still curious. “What does this have to do with me? I do not fully understand any of this.” Korover put a hand on his arm, “You are here because you are the heir to the throne of Ouban and therefore are the protector of this Golical. We, the Quanje, have been waiting for an opportune moment to attempt to attack the Zekardec and try to try and recover the lost Golical. We tried to send a party out right after the Golical of Cenebreth was taken,” the king turned away in silence, “One of them was my son. I have not seen him since and can only assume that he is dead. For it has been over 900 years since then.” Looking back at Ilitatos he said, “Despite our efforts, we have not successfully attempted to retrieve our stolen treasure. But things are now in motion that I have foreseen. There is an alliance now formed with the east Dragons, the Acoeppo, and that will significantly help us in our struggle to fight the Zekardec who have allied themselves with the Nukitez.”

Ilitatos now understood; there was going to be a battle. More like a war among the peoples of all the regions. “What must we do to prepare?” asked Ilitatos readily. Korover was pleased with his eagerness to assist in the war. “There is to be a meeting with the leader of the Acoeppo and myself as well as you, of course, seeing that you are the one entitled to the throne of Ouban.” The council was going to meet in three days time. This gave Ilitatos a chance to learn more about the past. He started asking questions that even the king did not know. Such as “who was the new leader of the Zekardec if Sontesh was killed?” and “How tough are the forces we are going to face?” Before anyone knew it, the day had arrived for the council meeting with the leader of the Acoeppo. Ilitatos and Korover stood outside the Tower of Cenebreth and waited. It did not take long before the shadows appeared from the sky.

The earth shook as the two large creatures landed on the ground in front of the two lords. Ilitatos was amazed at the sight he saw before him. He had never seen anything so spectacular in his life. Two real living breathing Dragons were standing before him, one larger than the other and gold. The other was smaller and silver. “Greetings great Korover, it is a pleasure to finally be in the presence of such a great master of war,” said the gold Dragon as both Dragons bowed low. “I am Amarasu, leader of the Acoeppo. This is my brother and second in command, Amras.” The silver dragon nodded his head in the direction of the king. Korover looked pleased, “Yes, it is also a pleasure being in the presence of such magnificent creatures as yourselves,” said Korover bowing low to them with Ilitatos quickly following. Amarasu looked quickly at Ilitatos, “And who is this? I do not remember anything about a fourth party at this council.” Korover laughed slightly, “Neither did I, this is our newest edition to our cause. He is the son of the lord of Ouban and the protector of the Golical of Ouban. This is lord Ilitatos.” The Dragon looked astonished at Ilitatos, his eyes full of wonder and questions. “It is amazing that one of the old Obian race still lives.” Ilitatos spoke up, “They changed their name to the Napaya. So, if you have heard of them then those are the old Obian people.”

Soon after the formal introductions were concluded, the group decided to get down to business. Amarasu and Amras told of their attempts to find out who was now leading the Zekardec, but had just as much luck as the Quanje did. They had also heard of a new leader of the Nukitez army. Whoever it was, they managed to join in alliance with the Zekardec and grow the numbers of the army to twice what they had been before. The party continued to think of a plan for retrieving the Golical from whoever took it. Once they got that back, they could protect their forces and finish off all of their enemies. Ilitatos soon brought up the biggest question yet to be answered, ‘when would they strike?’ No one really knew. They had to make a clean sneak attack to even have a chance of winning a war against the Zekardec and the Nukitez. At that moment, one of the Quanje guards ran in who was out of breath. He ran straight for Korover and whispered something in his ear. Korover shot up and told the Council, “The enemy approaches from the north west of the forest.” This was the sign that the battle was about to begin.

All who were able to fight were quickly assembled to the armories to prepare for battle. Together the Nukitez and the Zekardec were a much larger force and little was known about them. As for the other side of battle, the Quanje and the Acoeppo were a smaller but stronger force. There were two armies on ether side of the battlefield. Both sides had their Dragons transporting troops so as to move them faster to the battle. The lines started to form, and the leaders were preparing themselves for the biggest war in the past 3000 years.

As soon as the lines were formed, the Nukitez started their assault on the Quanje. All you could see for miles were thousands and thousands of soldiers hitting swords. Steel on steel, bows twanging while their arrows whistled through the air and the battle became brutal. For just as quick as the Quanje were, the Nukitez could change their shape just as fast. Soldiers on both sides stared to fall like flies. Then, all of the sudden, there was a great roaring sound. The Zekardec had arrived. They flew in and started at the Quanje. Yet, in the nick of time, the Acoeppo joined in the battle and started facing off the Zekardec. The only ones not fighting were the leaders. They could not risk their strength yet because there seemed to be no leaders on the other side for them to face.

Then there was another roaring sound. But this one was different. This one sent a chill down your back, and made you want to flee for your life. Korover, Amarasu, Amras, and Ilitatos looked for the source of the sound. They soon did not have to look. The earth shook beneath their feet as a force hit the ground that made rocks split in two. They looked to see the largest dragon that had yet to be seen. It was black as shadows in the night. Its eyes were as red as blood with teeth that were as long and as sharp as double edged swords. The beast looked at the group of leaders of the south and east regions. “Who is the leader of the Acoeppo?” The Dragon hissed with such force that fire almost came from its mouth. Amarasu stepped forward, “I am. Who do you think you are?” he questioned. The black dragon roared with a laugh that made even Korover flinch, “I am Seregesh, son of Sontesh, also called Bloodfire. I am the head of the Zekardec, and I challenge you to a duel that requests one Dragon with an ally against another and their ally, one to the death! What could be a better way to end this pathetic thing you call a battle?” Korover stepped forward, “And who might your other being be? I have yet to see a commander of the Nukitez.”

A voice called out “That would be me thank you very much.” A figure jumped off of the back of Seregesh in the front of the group. He obviously was not human. Yet he wasn’t Nukiteshian either. He was a Quanje! His hair was white and his eyes were hazel and he was quite tall, though not surprising for a Quanje. “I am Chouja! I am the leader of the Nukitez.” Silence filled the air. Both armies had ceased fighting, seeing that their leaders were talking; they wanted to see what would happen. Korover stood in a total shock. Chouja spoke again, “The day after tomorrow you will send you best swordsmen and your best Dragon to Helqum for a duel. The stakes are for each others Golical stone. If you do not comply, we will be forced to annihilate you!” With that, he jumped back on to Seregesh, and they flew off. The armies separated and started to gather their wounded. The place of the final battle was set.

All the Quanje and the Acoeppo regrouped and were trying to think of what to do about the upcoming duel. “We obviously can not trust that whatever they said about avoiding our annihilation. They will try to do it anyway,” said Amras. “They have no reason not to attack us.”
“This is true but that is exactly why we will have the army for back up so that if that situation arises than we will be ready,” said Ilitatos, looking at all in the council. He had noticed that ever since the run in with Chouja, Korover was not the same. After the meeting Ilitatos questioned Korover about this, “My lord what is distressing you so much?” Slowly Korover turned to Ilitatos, “Chouja is my son, and if he is now leading the Nukitez that means that he was the one who stole the Golical from the tower.” All in the room turned silent, and nothing made a noise. “And being the best swordsman out of my company, I will have to face him and eventually, destroy him.” This did pose a problem. Ilitatos decided to offer another option, “Why not let me face him? I am a lord here too, and I have been one of the best sword wielding men that Relib ever taught. I could go and fight in your place so that if it did come to that then I would do it, and you would not be compromised with the feeling that your hands are stained with your son’s blood.” This seemed to make sense to Korover as well as to Amarasu and Amras. So it was an official decision that the battle would consist of Amarasu and Ilitatos.

The day scheduled for the duel had arrived. Amarasu and Ilitatos left at the break of day to set out to Helqum, though the journey did not take as long flying as it did walking or even riding a horse. “Is it nerve racking for you, only figuring out who you are a few days ago and now going to fight a battle that you would never have been apart of?” Amarasu asked Ilitatos. “No. I am at ease that I can help in anyway. I have no doubts in my ability to win this duel, and I just hope that I am not getting too over confident before all of this happens.” After about an hour, they made it to Helqum.

The pair entered a cave in the side of Helqum’s volcano. This was the chosen spot for the battle. As they arrived in the cave, they quickly found Seregesh and Chouja. The two were standing side by side, just standing there, waiting patently for the arrival of their opponents. “Ah, so you finally made it here!” Yelled Chouja. “Now you two are going to fight us and we will see who will get the last of the two Golical stones!” He then leaped up onto the back of the Dragon Seregesh and waited for Ilitatos to mount Amarasu. Not two seconds after he got on, the battle began. The evil pair shot forward toward Ilitatos and Amarasu.

The battle was incredible. The two swordsmen started attacking each other until the Dragons wanted to get in on the fight. Soon both swordsmen were on the ground, and both Dragons were in the air. “You will not win you old fool!” yelled Seregesh, but Amarasu just laughed, “You are still too young to under stand what true power is!” They continued to fight by air. The two men fighting on the floor were going all out. “Do you really think you can win?! You have nothing to gain by winning! Why not just give up while you have the chance?” said Chouja. Ilitatos looked at him with perspiration on his brow, “Because I fight for a cause that is to benefit everyone not just myself. And that is the best thing that I could ever win!” With that Ilitatos gathered all the strength he could muster and gave Chouja a lethal blow that left him unable to fight anymore.

Amarasu was soon toe to toe with Seregesh. They had to move their fight to the ground out of pure exhaustion. But in one instant the tables had turned. Seregesh with all his youth still did not understand the element of surprise. That is what got him in the end. Amarasu’s experiences gave him the upper hand, and by the end of the fight, both Seregesh and Chouja were slain. And as was promised, Ilitatos gained both of the Golical stones.

There was much joyous celebration for the victory of the allied foresees of the Quanje and the Acoeppo. They were able to gain both of the Golical stones and protect all free peoples from the annihilation of the Zekardec. Things started to work out for all groups after the Zekardec fled and were no longer heard from again. Ilitatos soon found a permanent home in the house of Korover as the second in command and the new heir to the Quanje throne. This was the end of the Battle of Bloodfire.