Goranol's chosen

Ok here's the first part of the chapter so it will be less confuzing:

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1

e The sun rises slowly from the Dragonpeek mountains. With it, the bustling town of Haldemberg awakens from its sleep. The rooster below Korvan’s window started to sing his morning melody. This awakened him. Yet, he was late. One hour ago he was supposed to be in the temple of Goranol. But he was not worried. He was more concerned about the dream he had last night.
Goranol appeared to him. His figure was blurry and fading in the dark. He spoke to him:
“Korvan my faithful servant. You have been loyal to me for many years and I am very grateful to you. Yet a dark hour is about to come. I am dying. I know that my people are in need of me. Yet I cannot venture into this world no longer. So I have appointed a successor to my rule. A mother is about to give birth to a human child, a boy, here in this town. You must take the child, protect it, and carry it to the Scions, north in the frozen lands of Deathshead where I have left instructions for his upbringing and education. They know of your arrival and what to do after. Don’t despair about me though, for this child shall be your new guardian. A new Stormlord. Korvan, very few must know about this. Don’t put your trust in everyone. I shall do everything I can to help you protect the child. Yet my power is weakening and I don’t know how long I could protect you both so don’t rely only on my powers Goodbye…forever…I…”and as quickly as he appeared he vanished into the darkness. And that was it. Goranol was dead. This thought worried Korvan. How can a god die just like that? He was a cleric of Goranol. Wouldn’t they be warned? Wouldn’t they felt it somehow? And why him? Why would Goranol put his trust in him, he was only a cleric like every single one that worshiped Goranol. He dressed his robes in a hurry. His mind was too confused and scared to think about food. As he was walking down to paved road now filled with young children, for a moment he looked in his books, and he saw Goranol’s symbol.
“What is going to happen now, when the guardian of the Humans has died? I look at these children and in my mind I see them dead. I see ruins, fire, corpses. I see the temple defiled, covered in blood…” when suddenly…
“Abandon the city, run for ye lives, orcs and goblins are marching towards Haldemberg. They will be here in two days!” a peasant shouted running wildly down the street. Korvan was right. This city is going down. Suddenly the people panicked. He started running towards the temple. It was a beautiful and lavish building made of marble, with Goranol’s symbol on its top. Inside everyone was confused.
“Korvan, where have you been by now? We need your help!” one of his fellow clerics told him. ”We already sent word to Doran, Kara and The Grand Marshal’s keep to send us aid. This entire town has turned in to a berserk mob of peasants!”
“No, John listen to me. We must abandon the city as quickly as possible. We can’t stay here to fight.” Korvan told him with fear in his eyes.
“Out of the question. It is too late. Where will we go? We were not warned earlier. By the time we set our Pioneers the army will be here. And by the way, by tomorrow the armies of the neighboring cities will be here.”
“No, you don’t understand. We must go now!”
“By Goranol’s grace are you feeling all right? You’ve look like you’ve seen your own death.”
“John, I know, last night I…”
“Help! Make room she is going to have a baby!” a young human pair entered the temple, the young women covered in tears, as her husband screamed for help. Korvan rushed to them, took the young women and led her to a small room. He laid her on the bed, and pointed to John to the healer’s room to take supplies for the young women. She was screaming in pain and her husband was standing beside her, confused and with tears in his eyes. John came with towels and warm water, and the coming of the child was ready. As the process was going, Korvan knew in the back of his mind that this was the child that Goranol predestined to be the new Stormlord.
The birth was heavy and painful but among the tears and the blood was a beautiful young baby. His parents were very happy.
“How will you name the child?” John asked.
“Invictus…”the young mother said.
Korvan was stunned. His face was pale. He couldn’t believe that in his hands he held Invictus, the heir of Goranol, the guardian of the Humans. For a moment Korvan forget about all the chaos outside the temple, and in another vision he saw himself very aged and old, walking together with Invictus, as a young handsome man dressed in royal clothes made from the finest blue silk and with a diamond staff in his other hand. But yet, something was wrong, when they turned, behind them just a few paces away were his parent’s graves. Korvan was scared. Suddenly, the vision was shattered again by an explosion and screaming from the outside.
“What is going on…Jason…my baby…”the young mother turned towards her husband and looked back to Korvan.
“I’ll go out to check.” John said quietly uncertain of his doom.
“No.” Korvan said sharply. “You guard the room and I’ll go. Korvan again new what was going on outside, he new that someway or somehow the Orcs have arrived. He stepped outside the temple and faced the horror. It was impossible. The army was at least one day far from the city. Blood, corpses and ruins were all over the place. The army was two days away.
“HELP! A SORCERER HAS BLASTED THE BLACKSMITH!”A man was shouting, ashed and burned. All buildings around were leveled down to nothingness. Korvan saw one of the priests trapped beneath the burned pile of woods, trying to get inside the temple. Everyone was scared and running for their lives, that Korvan could barely reach the poor man. But when he did, he was pushed forward by another tremendous explosion. A moment later, Korvan turned back and saw the temple burning.
“Nooooo! Goranol why, what have I done…the child…the priests…John…all dead!” Korvan felt like the explosions had struck him. He rushed to the demolished temple, and almost immediately forgot about the old priest who was already dead.
Korvan entered inside the burning ruins. The shrine was the only thing standing, barely. The burning roof was starting to collapse. Korvan runned to the small room, and saw Jason and John dead and the mother was covered in ash and blood.
“Help…please…my baby…”she was barely talking. She didn’t have the strength to cry. Korvan was standing beside her.
“The child…is it…dead?”
“No.” there was a gentle smile on the burned face of the weakened mother. ”Look…” She slowly opened her arms and amidst the gray blankets was the baby, so small and fragile that it was a pure miracle that it survived.
“Goranol gave me strength to survive…but now I can go…please…take care of him…farewell…”and she closed her eyes. She was dead. Immediately for the first time the baby started to cry, like it sensed his mother’s death.
“Let’s go child…Invictus, guardian of Men.” Korvan smiled. He slowly walked to the exit of the temple, not realizing that the temple was about to be completely ruined. As he walked out of the burning ruins, with one single step out of the scorched gardens of the temple, the building collapsed. Korvan looked at the sad ruins, and started to cry together with the poor child. Haldemberg was completely destroyed. There was not a single building still standing, not a single cry for help, only the air filled with ash, and the eerie sound of the wind blowing through the ruins. Korvan quickly realized that they were the only survivors. Every single one was dead. The boats in the distant sea were burning, and the carts of the fleeing people in the nearby distance were too either burning or destroyed. It was a very sad sighting. Two things could have done that. Either is the Fire Elemental that was arrested last night for showing off his “flaming” abilities, or…yes…it could be Glemesh Sorcerer. Minutes later Korvan looked towards the sky and he saw a huge red dragon flying towards him.
“How is that possible, nobody has mentioned anything about a dragon.” He realized immediately that the dragon was responsible for this destruction.
The enormous beast was closing upon him. Korvan didn’t know what to do, but suddenly the sky opened and a huge lighting bolt struck down the beast. Korvan was stunned, he looked at Invictus and blue light and small shards of lighting were coming out from the eyes of the little baby. Korvan was shocked.
“But the dragon…the thing…you…are still a baby…Damn it!” that was the first time Korvan said that word. He believed that Invictus was a god child but this was simply amazing. Korvan was standing silent for several minutes gazing at the godly child. The baby was looking at him too, silently and calm, like it is trying to say to Korvan that he must not worry because there were many more miracles yet to come. Korvan started to walk to the cave of the Dragonpeek mountains. It was believed that there was a tunnel that was leading beneath the mountain all the way to Kara, the nearest city. In the distance he could see the orcish armies swarming down from the hill like black locusts. He was walking to the cave of the Dragonpeek mountains, thinking why would a red dragon attack them. There hadn’t been a dragon in these parts for over 300 years when the barbarian Yunero Bonegnasher swarmed these mountains and killed every single dragon that was living in the mountains.
Legend says that deep within these mountains long ago there was a dragon city Zarratu. All sorts of dragons were living in this city and legend has it that this city had an entire mountain of gold and riches beneath this one. Above this cave the core of the mountain was believed to be hollow and inside the dragon city of Zarratu was a sanctuary for the dragons and in this sanctuary the streets were made of gold, hills of gold coins and jewelry were rising above the buildings and nests of these beasts. What was more intriguing was that there was no way inside the city, and no one knows how Yunero Bonegnasher went inside and battled the dragons that were jealously guarding their treasures. Black, red, green, blue and even silver, gold, and jewel dragons were standing side by side attacking the mighty orc and his party with all sorts of magical energy. Everyone of Yunero’s army was killed almost immediately, and none of the dragons had died but before Yunero died, from his bag he pulled The Chromatic Rod and in a single wave of the rod he killed all the dragons and he consumed their life force to heal himself. But in the process Yunero turned in an abomination, because the blood of every single dragon mingled inside his own, like fire and ice everything started to mix inside him, until he became a Krast-a vampire orc, a hideous creature who looked like a dragon, had orcish features and lived like a vampire, and was damned by the gods to stay imprisoned in Zarratu, forever together with the gold he loved so much.
As he was nearing the cave, in the nearby woods he heard a voice. A female voice to be more exact. It was coming right in front of him. It was more like a song, an elvish song. Korvan neared the three trees that concealed whatever of singing in this moment of grief. Bundling the small child with every single step, he slowly pushed aside the branches, and saw a she-elf. She was in some sort of a trance, swimming gently in lake. Her red-gold hair was waving in the waters, and her eyes were closed, her serene face turned towards the sun. And she was completely naked! Korvan was stunned, mouth opened and eyes widen. Suddenly the child started to cry, maybe trying to bring back Korvan in the world of reality. The she-elf waked up from the trance and saw Korvan with a confused look. Her hazel eyes runned across the woods seeing the smoke that raised not too far from here.
“Oh-oh my-I…”she rushed from theaters and immediately dressed her robes, confused and scared “Sir, I’m so sorry…I forgot that Humans are not too fond of nudity…what have I done! Sorry sir…I-I…”
“No…madam…calm down”Korvan tried to calm the girl, with a fixed smile on his face.
“No…I should have known…that….this is human territory”
“No…just…just…calm down” The baby AGAIN started to cry. The three of them were like competitors of who will “talk over” who. Finally:
“I’m Korvan!”He said, breaking the competition that started to get to everyone’s nerves.
“I’m Star! Well Star Goldleaf…”The girl said confusingly.
“Well…Star…I’m glad to meet you”
“Me too.” Star said smiling.Sudenlly she jolted back to reality, as she noticed the smoke rising up, not too far from here:
“Wait, wait a second…Is that what I think it is? Is that Haldemberg?!” Star said terrifying herself.
“Sadly, yes…We are the only ones that survived…”Korvan said with tears in his eyes.
“No, this is so not good. It can’t be…The child, the child has died! DIED!”
Korvan was shocked, as Star said falling down on her knees. “Invictus! This is not possible! How could I’ve been so foolish?”
“What are you talking about…”Korvan started to approach her with a menacing look. “What do you know about Invictus?”
“I…I was sent by the House of The Noble Elves to save the child! I swear it! On my mothers grave! Please!” Star crawled away from him, tears spreyingfrom her eyes.
“It is not possible…”Korvan slowly came to his senses.
“I swear. The House told me to come to Haldemberg, to find a child named Invictus. I was told that he would become the new Patron God of the Human Nations. Please, Korvan trust me”
“But I thought that…Goranol came in my dreams he warned me…”Korvan was in trance.
“Wait, you are THE CLERIC of Granol?”Star asked surprisingly, as she came back on her feet.
“What do you mean?”Korvan glared at her, eyebrow lifted.
“A cleric, that will rise,
A cleric, that will follow,
A cleric, that will save us,
And a God will grant us.” Star was staring at him, her eyes wide opened.
“That was written on a scroll that was found not long ago, in fact, it was found a month ago…yes…yes…a month ago in the Grand Library in Yr Galaden!”Star suddenly realized:
“So that means that….THIS IS BABY INVICTUS! Ah, I’m amazed! I don’t know what to say. He’s so cute! Maybe louder than aunt Delo, but still…I’M SO AMAZED!” Star’s eyes burst with happiness.
“Yeah, that’s him alright…”Korvan forced a smiled face, knowing in the back of his mind that if The House knows about this, many more will…or do…”Star, its getting dark, any idea where we would camp?”
“Here won’t be so bad. There are many trees, bushes, and a lake…it would be nice. At least there won’t be many drafts, ha ha…”Star said laughing.”Oh, and Korvan we so have to shut that baby if we want to get some sleep you know!”
“What are you suggesting?”Korvan asked, his eyes growing weary from the travel.
“Wait here.” Star said, rushing off to the nearby bushes.
“A star willow, my favorite, ha, a…ah…yeah some din weed, and…oh…water! How could I have forgotten!” she rushed to the lake, pulled a flask from her robe, and filled it with water. Then she took her backpack and from it she pulled a small caldron and some twigs.” now watch…”Star said, filling the cauldorn with water and weeds.
“Ignito!”Sudenlly a small lash of fire loped form her finger and igniteted the twigs.”Salmea, salmea, endo maya…”the cauldron started to churn up”…Eclo istra vindiba!”POW! The ‘concoction wanna-be’ exploded and the cauldron just broke down. Star was surprised and ashed. “Well…did I mention that I’m STILL studying potion-making?”
“Please, don’t mention it…”Korvan couldn’t take it any more and started to laugh. “What are you trying to do Star, turn us into toads or something?!”He wiped a tear from his cheek.”Uhhh…I think that Invictus ‘showered’ me with his blessings!”
“It suits you! HA HA HA!”Star ‘retaliated’. “Wait let me have it.” She brushed her face and hands and took the little baby in her hands. She put it on the grass and removed the dirty and…well…’browend’rags. She dropped them aside, and took a large towel from her backpack.” It’s clean…”Star said examining the towel. She dressed up the baby and kissed it on the forehead; she took a little wooden charm out of her stash, and putted it in the baby’s paw. The charm started to glow, and the baby lost conscience.
“What happened?!”Korvan rushed, scared.
“Oh, don’t worry, it’s’ a trick I learned from auntie Delo. Sometimes I stayed to look after small Teluria, and she thought me a trick or two about taking care of babies. He’s only in a very, very, deep sleep. Nothing would wake him up. Not even if these mountains would crash down onto us. You see, Elven infants are ‘baby like’ for 25 years! Do you think you would be able to stand the ever-lasting yapping, crying, and pooping of a little baby?!”
“Ohhh kaaay…I THINK I get the picture…”Korvan said confusingly, gazing in the sleeping baby.
“Let’s go to sleep now, I’m so tired…”Star slowly walked to a her backpack, pulled a very large rag, rolled it over on the ground, changed her clothes and fell asleep. Korvan just layed on the grass, and watched Star’s slender body. She was so beautiful as her graceful body, and her red-gold hair glittered in the night fire. Who was she, how did she came here, the nearest elven colony is 250 sentos away from here. Those kinds of Passes are very expensive. She can’t just charm the guards on every single Gateway she would come across. And finnay, why Elves would dwell in The Human Pantheon, especially Goranol? All these thoughts were rushing through his mind, as he slowly fell asleep…
“The first ward has been broken…”Korvan seemed to have another dream. He could only hear voices, strange and dark.
“Now when Goranol has been destroyed, The Human Nations will be defenless. Once the patron God has fallen, so will the others will be slowly forgotten.”
“But still, we must be cautious, there is Invictus…”
“A small child with the fledging glimpse of a dead God cannot compete with the will of our lord.”
“This ‘child’ can be a very dangerous enemy. You know the Humans, in less then five years the child will become more and more intelligent. His will and understanding will grow, day by day. By the Abyss, he already killed a Red Dragon, without even trying!”
“True, true, but more and more people will know of him. There will always be a traitor among his kind, someone foolish enough to be lured by the intoxication of power and wealth. Orcs, Goblins, and even Yakas will rise against this babe, you’ll see.”
“Korvan, Korvan wake up. Korvan…”the dream blurred as Star’s gentle face papered before him. Suddenly, SLAP!
“Ouch! All right I’m up!”Korvan jumped on his feet.” You’re quite strong for an elf, even for a she-elf”Korvan glared nervously at her, trying to hide the bruise on his cheek.
“Ha! It seems that Humans will never ever learn the true power of the Elven people” said Star sarcasticly.”But let us continue forth. The child must be saved.”
“Of course let us continue on…But, what about the child? We will have to feed him eventually.”
“Oh, don’t worry. The spell acts as a stasis field, in a way, always keeping the child in this form. All those things as hunger or slumber are…disabled…in a way.”
“So I see…”
They packed their things, and Star gave Korvan new clothes to wear. The journeyed on, through the Haldemberg Meadows, behind them just a grim shadow of a scorched city. They will have to pass the meadows, then beneath the great Dragontooth Mountains, and after that come to the port city of Mara.
It was a beautiful shiny day, the sun piercing its rays through the clouds casting them down on the green grass, acting as an omen for hope for the both of them. Korvan and Star new full well, that from this day forth, that they will have a shared fate. Though a task nearly impossible, Korvan new that the Humans must not remain godless. They walked slowly towards the mountain, and as the shadowy cave gloomed in the distance, Korvan broke the silence:
“Tell me something more about you Star…”
“Well…what’s to say about me?! Oh well, here goes…I was raised in Yr Galaden one of the greatest cities in Aurin, a city of magic, knowledge, serenity, but not like Astraion, no, Yr Galaden is a place where the divine and the material combine, they mingle in our blood. Yr Galaden is a sanctuary of elvish knowledge and wisdom, a great city build on the coast of the Grey Seas, with towers and trees nearly blocking out the sun. Amongst the towers and the trees the Grand Library stood an archive of the world. I’ve spent my youth there, in fact my family was one of the strongest, in fact, and the Goldleaf were amongst the families to settle in this part of Aurin. I was a young novice in the Arcane Academy when both of my mother and father left for a diplomatic mission for Casssis, one of elvish colonies near the Scaraabian Dynasty. They had to go with an Air ship, father never liked them anyway. You see all the Gateways that day were temporary disabled by the Trading League, because someone stole a ton of mithril and gold right out of the Chambers of Commerce. Alas, the ship was attacked by Death Wyrms, not even the Topaz Archers could stop them. This particular air ship was very big and easily noticeable from afar. The ship crashed in the mountains, none has survived. My parents didn’t have a decent burial, an entire party of the Silvermoon guild went looking for the bodies. They searched them for an entire week, only to find them…they have manched to survive somehow, but they were hunted down by Rabid Wolves, eaten and gnawed upon while they were still alive! After that auntie Deloclya took care of me. She is my mother’s sister. She never had children of her own, and she raised me, together with Teluria…”
“Tis’ a sad tale…but don’t worry Star, beter things are to come, there is always sunlight after the storm.”
“Thank you Korvan, your words are soothing…”

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