The last Duel

            Sir Williams traveled alone an empty road on his horse. He was sent by the king to investigate a sinister looking keep. This large stone building was old but sturdy and normally would be left alone. It was said the Keep was haunted and a black knight on a ghostly horse would ride out of it every night and prey on helpless travelers. Sir Williams didn’t believe in ghosts, but it was entirely possible that a disgraced knight lived there.

            The sun slowly set over the hills as Williams approached. All was silent except for the nervous sounds coming from Williams’ horse. The keep stood up ahead, being old and made of dark stone, it was easy to see why people were afraid of it, especially at night. The sound of another horse could be heard, the slow trotting of the horse and then the clinking of heavy armor from the rider. Just as the towns people said a knight in black armor riding a pale horse came out of the keep and like a ghost appeared on the other side of the field. The two knights looked at each other. The Black knight shouts, his voice sounds like a lion’s roar. It certainly wasn’t a noise human’s make. Williams is stunned for a second, by the time the shock of the roar wears off, the evil knight is half way across the field. He put his sword out stretched, ready to strike when within range. The Dark knight’s sword was a jagged blade with a slight curve. It could make a messy stab wound or cause a slice strong enough to take off an arm.

            Sir Williams charged forward his sword raised up above his head. His sword was brilliantly shiny steel, with a gold hilt. This sword wasn’t legendary or magical. But it was made by the best blacksmith in the land and was given to Williams as a reward for all of his bravery and service. The two knights charged forward, the horses ran faster and faster at each other. Sir Williams readied his sword and at the last second swung it downward at the Black Knight. Both of their swords clanged together with such force it almost threw Williams off his horse. They both continued to run in opposite directions for a moment to recover. Then, as if they had rehearsed this, they turned around at the same time and when in for another charge. Sir Williams lifted his sword again ready for another strike. The Black knight veered off to the right and began whirling his sword around in the air like a madman. Sir Williams slowed down and turned his horse to face the Black knight. the dark knight’s sword began spinning quickly through the air as it did, the shadows around him began to grow. The shadows stretched out and began reaching up from the ground. In seconds the shadows pulled themselves from the ground and now floated above the Shadow-summoning Knight.

            Sir Williams barely had a chance to react before the Shadows flew straight at him. They howled a ghastly noise as they flew. They outstretched their arms and attacked with claw like fingers. Williams pulled back on his horse to avoid the strike, but his horse was scare and reared up on two legs, throwing Sir Williams off. His horse ran off and he quickly got to his feet as the shadow creatures circled him. Then he heard the shadow knight galloping on his horse. In a fair fight two knights would fight with lances or swords on horseback and if one rider was dismounted a noble knight would also dismount and engage in ground combat. This was not a fair fight, and Williams did not expect the Shadow knight to dismount.

            To even the odds, Williams reached into his boot and pulled out a dagger, which he quickly threw, striking the knight with such force that it made him lose his balance and fall off his ghostly horse. Without a rider, the horse simply vanished into thin air.

While the Shadow knight was disoriented, Sir Williams dodged the oncoming attacks from the shadow creatures. He swung his sword in the air, slashing at the shadows as they swooped down, but he was unable to hurt them. He would have to defeat the Shadow Knight to get rid of these minions. The Shadow knight stood up and lifted a flail and began swinging it. The spiked metal ball spun through the air, building up speed and stopping power.

            Sir Williams got his sword and shield ready. He moved in closer, dodging shadow claws and holding up his shield to block any flail attacks. He ran forward, knowing if he was going to strike, he would need to strike fast. The Shadow knight swung his flail down on Williams, luckily Williams blocked it with his shield, unluckily the force of the strike broke several bones in Sir Williams’ wrist. He winced in pain and dropped the shield. His eyes grew wide as the metal ball came back around toward his face. Sir Williams leaned back and moved his head just in time to dodge the attack. While the Shadow knight recovered from his last swing and before he attacked again. Williams lunged forward with his sword, striking an opening in the Black knights armor. Sir Williams managed to stab in the space between the chest armor and the bottom of the helmet, a tiny little slit that leads right to the throat. With one final move, the Shadow knight struck Sir Williams in the chest with his might flail and at the same time the shadows all attacked at once. Sir Williams had his armor ripped and his back scratched up by the shadows and the flail dented his armor and broke a few ribs. the strike to the ribs knocked Williams off of his feet and from the ground he saw the Shadows fade away and the Shadow Knight let out another roar before he too faded away. No trace was left of the enemy, as if they never existed at all.

            Sir Williams was badly injured, not near any town and was without a horse. He traveled for days on his own, heading back to town, but he never made it. The king was informed that Sir Williams defeated a knight in black armor, and then died in battle. In the report the black knight was just a rogue knight without a king. The truth was the Black knight was much more than that and was more of a ghost knight or some kind of evil spirit. As for Sir Williams, he didn’t die in battle. He walked for days, injured and alone, until he found a small farmhouse. The family there took care of him and nursed him back to health. Once he was healthy again he decided not to return to his kingdom. He was tired of war and fighting and figured that after his last battle he deserved a break.

            Days went on, then weeks, then years and Williams never went back. Eventually he started his own farm, made his own family and changed his last name to Williamson. He and his family remained friends with the farming family that helped him and from that point on he led a nice peaceful life.

Jack's adventures - through the rift

Jack was a thief from humble beginnings and a complicated past. For reasons that I shall not get into right now, Jack had three unique traits. First, he was incredibly fast and agile and strong enough to pull his weight as he climbed the side of a building. Secondly, he had a voice in his head. Jack was unsure if this voice was his imagination or some kind of spirit that possessed him. Third, he had a short sword that he received from his father. This blade is sturdy and sharp even though it is a very old sword and the carvings on the blade are in an ancient language. Jack’s full story and explanations are being put into a book that I have been working of for years. Last five years or so, off and on.  But without further delay, let us enjoy a new set of short stories called. “Jack’s adventures”

In the distant hills of Garogh kingdom, a lone thief and traveler walked, muttering to himself. This man was Jack. He wore sturdy brown boots, black pants, white shirt, thick, fingerless work gloves and a green cloak. the cloak was the only piece of clothing that he had since he was a child. Two things Jack always had with him, were his sword and his cloak.

“I don’t know why I agreed to this” Jack muttered to himself. “Because of all the reward that await us, Jack” Replied a strange voice in Jack’s head. The voice was named Ack. Jack named ‘him’ when he first started hearing the voice.

Jack was on his way to a grand tournament, if he found a way to register then beat all of the fiercest warriors in the kingdom, he would get a magical artifact as a prize. Jack didn’t care about power, but Ack insisted that this item would help in their travels and keep Jack alive longer in these dangerous times.

The terrain was all hills and rocks even the roads were uneven. Jack was in good shape, but walking uphill all day on a rocky surface was starting to wear on him. The city of boulder ridge came into view. Jack would be able to rest here, then head onto the capital city of Gor.

“Are you a contestant in the arena?” Asked a tall man, standing between Jack and the city. this man was seven feet tall and weighed more than twice what Jack weighed. The Garogh people were naturally big though. “Who are you and why would you randomly assume that?” Asked Jack, trying his best to avoid trouble. “Name is Ulk and I am competing in the tournament. You are armed, you are foreign and your headed toward the city where the tournament is being held. Tourists wouldn’t come out this far. The land is too rough. This means we are both competing and though I am sure I could beat you in a fair fight, I would rather not take this risk. If you do not mind, I will have to kill you before you enter the city” Ulk replied.

Jack sighed heavily “I told you this was a bad idea” Jack muttered to Ack. Then he drew his sword, an ancient blade, but still incredibly sharp. Ulk didn’t seem to be armed and since Ulk only wore short leather pants and a tunic, he didn’t have a way to conceal a weapon. Jack wouldn’t go easy on the guy, Ulk mentioned not wanting a fair fight, so Jack was on guard.

Ulk charged toward an already exhausted Jack. The ground shook under the giants stomping feet. In an instant, Jack was gone. Like a wolf, he moved swiftly along the ground, running behind Ulk before the giant could blink. Jack slashed across Ulk’s legs. Instead of yelling or falling to the ground, ulk swung around and swatted Jack like a fly. Jack toppled backward, smacking against rocks as he went.

Ulk smiled “alright, enough fun. I will not waste my energy on you. I need it for the tournament in two days” He said. then from behind Ulk, more men came into view. They were smaller than Ulk but still large. They held clubs and axes and walked menacingly closer.

“This is bad” Jack muttered. For some reason Ack didn’t respond. This was bad because as a last resort Jack would depend on Ack for a quick boost in strength. Jack charged at the group, his out, ready to fight for his life. The group of men smashed their weapons down on Jack, missing each time. their attacks slowly got more accurate and Jack was running out of places to run. Dodge an axe, then he would slash one of them, then jump away from a club, then he would slash, then roll, then attack, then dodge. He kept this up but was getting so tired.

As Jack fought for his life, his sword began to glow a pale blue. Energy surrounded it and all of Jack’s attacks grew stronger. Each slash would send one of the giants stumbling, no matter were the strike was located. Blue energy then started to surround his body. The sword was protecting Jack when the situation looked dire. Despite having this new ability, Jack still wasn’t winning, just surviving. He injured a few men, but there were so many he couldn’t fight them all.

Then he heard thunder crack and clouds formed over Jack, then in a blink of an eye, lighting shot down, striking Jack and electrocuting the surrounding giant men, leaving only Ulk alive. Ulk stared in terror. Lighting struck, killing everyone and there wasn’t even a cloud in the sky.

Moments later Jack reappeared in a flash of light. Ulk ran off, afraid it might be witchcraft or sorcery. Jack stumbled along the ground, worn from the fight and now with a fresh wound. Someone shot a metal ball at him and it went deep into his arm. Jack had never seen such a weapon and hoped to never see one again.

Needing rest and medical attention, Jack walked to the town of boulder ridge. He made it safely there and had his wounds treated and mysteriously, no one wanted to fight him. Jack even heard about a few contestants dropping out of the tournament, Ulk being one of them.