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“My King, you must be cautious. All that power will get you noticed by unsavory characters.” The royal advisor paced back and forth before the crowned head.copyright protection88PENANAjRJycfgcGR
“I have no intention of using this power for the wrong reasons,” the man said. “I never even wanted to be king. All I want is knowledge, I wish to continue learning about the world and all he has to offer for the rest of my days.”copyright protection88PENANA9KiS5hHi8M
“Be that as it may, there are many who do not take too kindly to there being a mage on the Rah’znyan throne.”copyright protection88PENANAFwLW2zQGr8
“I know this. I was born in this land just like every other member of this great society. All those who feel I should not be king are just envious that I was born into a royal family and they weren’t. That’s all that is, really.” The monarch sat down to contemplate his actions. “But, what shall I do about my quest for more magickal capabilities? The oracles of this realm all say the same thing. That the knowledge I seek is too volatile to tame.”copyright protection88PENANAzZl94ZbFqs
“Perhaps you will find guidance in Jeildrai. Have you heard of the Great Stag?”copyright protection88PENANAEtNggRV27f
“You mean the Legend of the Great Stag?” The king asked. “Of course, I have. It was a childhood story to ward younglings away from tampering with things they don’t understand. But, I am no longer a child. In all my forty-three years, nothing makes me believe that the stag is real.”copyright protection88PENANAOMPcUZOm0e
“Of all the things you have seen, of all you have learned over the course of your life... the Oracle of Jeildrai is what you choose not to believe?”copyright protection88PENANAniN5K4otiq
“Well... all right,” the king acquiesced. “But, if this is a ruse I will have your head.”copyright protection88PENANAR5rwo85CAP
“On the western tip of the Vale, deep in the Forest of Kish, you will find the Kaidrisian Oasis. There, the Great Stag will be waiting for you. You must bring a sacrifice, of that which you most hold dear. The blood of something absolutely precious to you, perhaps. Present this to the oracle and only then will you find the answers you seek.”copyright protection88PENANA6WM0Vr20SL
“Very well.” The king left his advisor in the throne room and made haste for his quarters. He had a voyage to prepare for.copyright protection88PENANAuM4S1tep9k
Vulcan the Great, the king of Rah’znya traveled for five months from his homeland in Ilyria to the northwestern tip of Oflaria. The western province of the Huilium Vale in the Jeildraiyan realm. Once he reached his destination, he trekked to the oasis where he would hopefully get the answers he desired.copyright protection88PENANAYKF4tyPDjU
Before he could even enter the precious haven and make his case to the oracle, the being began to speak.copyright protection88PENANAqVHhdJFxSZ
“Vulcan Andrei of House Kiritescu, why have you come?” The two-faced creature asked in many voices.copyright protection88PENANAreo3mHlpyw
“I have journeyed from the southern realm for your guidance,” the Rah’znyan king said as he lifted a bloody bag high into the air. “For you, oh ancient one, the heart of that which I most hold dear.”copyright protection88PENANABHmCFPpq4z
The oracle recoiled in disgust.copyright protection88PENANAAbFxH9Uoru
“How dare you come here and defile this pure place with your rancid offering. We reject you and the heart of your first son!”copyright protection88PENANAbzM28dWXkH
The king stepped back stunned.copyright protection88PENANABrcZFJqrKM
“Is this not the proper offering you require?” He asked. “Wait... my first son? What do you mean by that? Is the queen with-child?”copyright protection88PENANAZsRoefvzYb
“Never once have we asked for the heart of a child, you imbecile!” The Oracle grew in size as did its rage. “For your insolence and your disregard for life, your line shall forever be cursed. Your spawn will be condemned to Saju’Rah and doomed to take the form of sanguine-hounds, never to walk the terra of this world again.”copyright protection88PENANAiWOTLMHfXy
Its powerful antlers burst into flames first and the rest of its body followed. Soon the entire oasis was ablaze. The soot from the fire made it extremely difficult for Vulcan to breathe.copyright protection88PENANA6fWPbZnXCk
“Please, I beseech thee.” The king fell prostrate on the ground with his palms facing the burning sky. “I did not know what was required of me. My advisor told me what to offer up to you, it is my own fault for not interpreting your will properly. I beg of you, please give me another chance.”copyright protection88PENANAxRwbry02CD
“No.”copyright protection88PENANApuTUOfUo0E
The king saw his life flash before his eyes, then his vision went black.copyright protection88PENANAaEY80GjAFR
The oracle had impaled him on its burning antlers and merely watched the flesh blacken in death.copyright protection88PENANA9aV2aZyPdj
As the smoke began to clear, the burning stag caused its flames to be put out before changing its form.copyright protection88PENANAh4BnWb9DJl
In its stead, stood a man and a woman.copyright protection88PENANAJ7ru6Nv65C
They dressed in godly robes and caused a mighty quake to shake the terra before they vanished, leaving the ashes of the mage king in their wake.copyright protection88PENANASoX8ySMN7p
As they traveled through the sky, they could see their destination. Rah’znya.copyright protection88PENANAmT7jiKDVcs
“Is it done?” The Rah’znyan advisor asked.copyright protection88PENANAQplDIZKsQw
“Yes,” Rheagi, the god of darkness and strife, said.copyright protection88PENANAN0NaAGF6xU
“I just don’t understand, sister,” the wrathful goddess of chaos stated as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Why did you use us the implement this king’s death? You are the only one who would send lambs to the slaughter in this manner. And why are you posing as a mortal?”copyright protection88PENANAwIGkvXiQgj
“All these questions.” The goddess of love and energy chuckled as she transformed into her true self. “All in due time, sister. All in due time.”copyright protection88PENANAyfVBih3tlS
“No, Jeloisa.” Rheagi stood to his full height thinking he could intimidate her as he used to with the goddess of fertility. “You need to explain now.”copyright protection88PENANADGHlN15ZJA
Jeloisa cocked her head to the side.copyright protection88PENANARjnqGR5c9d
“I am not Atlantya, you sorry excuse for a god. The goddess of love I may be, you will never be forgiven for what you did.”copyright protection88PENANA31tbVkXcS4
Suddenly, lightning struck the ceiling of the room they were in before three more figures appeared.copyright protection88PENANAh8IwHAbDsM
“Why have you summoned us here?” Rahaelon, the lupine god of creation and the dawn asked.copyright protection88PENANAmWUfEAVYgj
“The deed is done Rhaeus, my love.” Jeloisa greeted her husband, the god of war, with a smile first, then the others. “Atlantya, Rahaelon.”copyright protection88PENANASKR0SCzQz4
“Hello, sisters,” Atlantya said before turning to Rheagi and stabbing him in his nether regions.copyright protection88PENANA7hfZeJ1pls
“How many times do you have to cause me bodily harm before your revenge is sated?” He growled out in pain.copyright protection88PENANAjAQD0lGWIJ
“As many times as I want until the end of time,” she growled back. “You shouldn’t even be here and the only reason you are is because of your power. Don’t you ever forget that either.”copyright protection88PENANAnCD27TDv9y
“Now that your personal affairs have been settled, onto business.” Jeloisa walked to the center of the room. “It has come to my attention that a new power has been born into Sobos, a power not of my own making. If precautions are not taken, we will cease to exist.”copyright protection88PENANA5u5HGVV6PW
“So, what does this have to do with Vulcan the Mage King and his bloodline?” Atlantya asked. “They are no longer human, I felt your curse Ranja.”copyright protection88PENANA8C6FV47mtJ
“Vulcan had been accumulating too much power,” Jeloisa said pacing back and forth. “Our Lord blessed me with a vision and I foresaw the mage at the end of an epic battle, one where none of us survive.”copyright protection88PENANAEo9LcYRNbt
“What shall we do?” Ranja asked.copyright protection88PENANAtHTcfu76jx
“I- I am at a loss.” Jeloisa sighed in defeat.copyright protection88PENANAP566IuL6Md
“This is what we must do,” the god of war said. “We manipulate history.”copyright protection88PENANAu599a0iJhw
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