Brent McCullough sat in a garden, his royal garden that he tended to, to make sure his mind did not wander to hunting bounties. An emerald patch of grass is bordered by thriving bushes and shrubs. A pagoda stands in the back of the garden, completely covered in climbing flowers. The rows of flowers are slightly overgrown, but look otherwise in great shape; they’re a delight for butterflies. The bushes and shrubs reach four feet high, but this is thanks to great care and a lot of effort. Here and there lies a stepping stone, giving people an elegant way of exploring the garden and all it has to offer. Grass and roots are sticking to their own domains for now, but are no doubt craving to stretch these boundaries.
Brent looked up and saw an aircraft land near the palace. Brent walked over to where the aircraft landed. He passed a mirror and looked at it for a moment. Black, shaggy hair neatly coiffured to reveal a chiseled, menacing face. Piercing brown eyes, set deep within his sockets.
Brent sighed as he looked at his royal clothing, his days of adventuring were long gone, but his son is taking up the mantle. A Lizardian approached Brent and bowed. Brent looked at him, “Has my son returned from his first bounty hunt? The airship that crashed down had a signal of a void beacon. My wife and I have been looking forward to arranging a marriage for him once he has completed his first hunt. He has kept his strict word to not be enticed by ladies in the capital.” The Lizardian did not respond, “Well, where is my son and his bounty?”
The Lizardian gulped a few times before answering, “I am sorry sir, your son is dead.”
Brent gasped, “What? He has the highest combat rating and power level in all of Stratos Isle after me! He has mastered four elements! This has to be a mistake, prepare the carrier while I get my wife.” The Lizardian nodded, while he walked away, Brent called out, “And bring the reader!”
The Lizardian turned around and bowed before walking away. Brent charged into the palace, into his room where his wife was working on making energy paintings. She turned around to look at Brent, Black, short hair slightly covers a furrowed, gloomy face. Squinting blue eyes, set a-symmetrically within her sockets. “What is going on my dear?”
Brent mumbled at first, “I am sorry to tell you this Lucy, there is a chance that our son Lance has died.”
Lucy got up, “That is not possible, prepare the carrier!”
Brent nodded, “I have done that already. The reader is coming with us.” Lucy nodded, together they went to their aircraft. They quickly went inside and walked to the bridge. They sat down and slowly waited for the airship to rise, it was a metal airship. It flew at top speed over the land and landed near the camp. Brent walked outside and looked at the exploded campfire.
He clenched his fists, “Goddammit who did this! I am going to swear on my grave that whoever committed this atrocity will pay with his or her blood. I don't care how lovely or innocent someone may look, but this was done But the void, by a monster!” He walked to the injury bay, hoping to find a survivor. Brent found three dead Lizardians, shot through their brain in cold blood.
Lucy called out, “Brent!?”
With a lot of pent up anger, he walked over to the prison and found his wife near his dead son. Brent kneeled, suddenly succumbed by sadness, “No, no! Lance!? How did you die?”
The reader walked in, a man in purple robes. “My king?”
Brent got up, “Read the room, I need to know who killed him, this instant, and then you are going to help me get whoever did this. We will, he let out a sob, we will return the favor.”
The man in purple robes nodded, he stretched his hand as Brent and Lucy carried Lance aside. A vision started playing in front of them. They saw Lance bringing in the bounty, and two other people. The void related woman seemed to be seducing his son, and he even allowed it. Brent sighed as they started kissing, the woman in the black skirt seemed to be very well versed in seducing him. Just as he thought his son would at least have gotten lucky before he died, she snapped his neck.
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The reader looked at the king, “I am sorry, I cannot make more or less of the current situation, that is how your son has died. This woman appears to be dangerous, she might only be 18 years old, but I fear she might also be involved with the death of your cursed father, the one you sealed in the unknown woods.”
Brent looked at Lance, “My son needs to be buried in the king’s graveyard, he deserves that, no matter how he ended up. Lucy?”
“Yes my love?”
“You need to take him to the capital, it is what I want for him, to be buried among his kin, his family. No one besides us has to know he failed his bounty, or how he died.”
She nodded, “Of course my love, I understand, what are you going to do?”
Brent removed his cape and drew a golden sword with engravings on it, it got infused with silver, holy, moon, sun, and fire energy. “I am going hunting for my last bounty. And I am taking the reader with me.” Lucy gave him a kiss, “Don’t kill her.”
Brent looked at her for a moment and nodded as he understood what his wife wanted, “You want to execute her publicly?”
Lucy sobbed and nodded, “She deserves to die, for what she has done to your cursed father, our subordinates, and most of all, our son, get her, I know you always get your bounty.”
Brent nodded and gave her a kiss, “I am leaving and taking the secret pass. The sun has just started to rise. If she passed through the volcano, she will have been slowed down by the vampires, she is now most likely at the dark river ruins. I am going to make my way there and ambush her. She needs to pay for what she did to our son.”
Lucy agreed with him and took Lance to the airship. Brent walked outside. He started ordering people around, to give the Lizardians a good grave.
After he was done, Brent started walking towards the secret path and the Reader followed him. He spoke up in an angry voice, “She is most likely seeking the artifact.”
“Yes, and it is powering our shield, protecting us from the void. The shadow world should stay closed, if it opens, we are not going to have a problem with that. Just as the void cannot attack us because of the artifact. If she manages to get the artifact, then she will open the shadow world, after exposing us to all dangers. The monsters from the dark, the monsters you must not look at are in the shadow world.”
Brent grumbled, “You know we cannot let that happen, right?”
The Reader nodded, “I know, and I am sure you will stop them, sir!”
“Yes, now march ahead, we are closing in, these bushes, and trees are not going to stop us.”
Brent slowed down and they walked into a building. Brent put his fingers against his lip. The Reader nodded. He pointed at the campfire. Brent whispered, “I see five people, two are injured, a man and a wolf person. There is an Insectine, he will not be too much trouble. Do you see that other woman?”
The Reader nodded, “Some kind of aura emanates from her.”
Brent took out a bell of some kind. “This is needed to subdue people like her. Does your aura tell where the energy line goes to?”
The Reader shook his head, “She is alone.”
Brent nodded, “Alright, it is important to subdue her fast, she might be the back-up, the brute force. She will be an extremely tough opponent unless we rush her. I might be able to take her. But this bell is going to stop her from fighting.”
Brent grabbed a small crystal out of his pocket, “This will disable that barrier. The one-handed man, he is injured, but he has a lot of reserve energy. He will be our second target. Now that woman, the one who murdered Lance. She is coming with me and I don’t mind inflicting pain on her. You will be my energy back-up. If beams fly at me, you need to deflect them.”
The Reader nodded, “What will you do once we have captured the woman?”
Brent smiled, “We will ask Lucy to come pick me up. Then we lock up that woman and prepare the execution.” Brent let out a deep sigh, “Alright Lance, this is for you.”