Journey of Sunew

[sunew]

Note: this is the same story I posted in the "introduce your chartecr" thread so if you already read it there feel free to skip. there are only minor word changes in this version. Mostly I wanted keep the story in place.

This is the stoy of how Sunew came to the newbe island and started his quest.

My name is Sunew, I'm a Tryker. I was born on Clear Water Island. Despite the island's Beauty I would look across the sea and wonder what’s out there. The Elders warned me repeatedly about the dangers of the other lands and forbid anyone from leaving. However their warnings failed. I felt my self being drawn across the sea. So I started working in the fields to earn the dappers I needed to buy a dagger and a pair of magic amps. After weeks of hard work, I bought my supplies. The next day I dressed in my work clothes and grabbed my bag with the dagger, amps and the armor-crafting tool I got for my birthday. My parents bought me it; in the hopes I would stay on the island, and become a fine armorer. I left a note telling them I was going to find my destiny. I avoided the fields, and made my way to the docks. There was only one reed boat left. I scanned the dock for anyone who might stop me, but the only ones who came to the dock were the fishermen, who already left to fish. After checking the boat for holes, I launched it and set off across the sea. As I sailed from my home, I sat there wondering if my decision was right. I could turn around and run to the fields, make up some excuse, but then I would still stare across the sea and wonder.

During the first few days, the sea air and the wind in my hair filled me with vigor and a sense of adventure. The next few days filled me with fear and self-doubt as my supplies ran low. When I finally saw land I was almost too weak to steer the boat. The boat ran aground and I crawled out. There I found a cave with a bright light coming from it. In the cave, there was a glowing flower. I stood in awe of how magnificent it looked, and how good it must taste. When I reached out to get it, I heard a voice.
"Do you not fear our wrath?"
I turned around and saw a short, tubby sand-colored creature with bug-like black eyes, and three horns coming out of the back of its head. The creature was a protector of nature, a Kami.
"That flower is a treasure of Atys and shall not be harmed,” said the kami.
"But I have to eat something" I pleaded,
“Aid us, and you shall be fed” I stood there shocked. The only thing more forbidden than leaving the island, was aiding the kami. If I helped them, I could never look upon my family, friends or my home without shame. If I didn't help them, I could never look upon my home again, for with out their aid I would starve. So I swallowed my pride, and accepted their task. I was to deliver a seed, of all things, but knowing the kami, this seed had to be inconceivably important. The seed needed to be delivered to a kami in a forest northwest of the city of Barkdell. Barkdell was in the center of the island I had landed on. After eating a meal of nuts and sugar water, the kami filled my bag with much-needed food and water. The food was nuts and berries, and the water was stored in a 3 ft-long, hallowed-out vine, with a thorn used as a stopper. The kami told me I would have to climb over a ring of mountains to get to Barkdell, and to watch out for kitins.

I left the cave and I tried to focus on my task, but one of the kami's words still burned in my mind, kitins! They were one of the hundreds of things the elders had warned me about, but the stories sounded too horrible to be true! Stories of giant bugs hundreds of feet tall, strong enough to crush stone with their claws and faster than any mektoub. The stories told of an invasion that destroyed the great cities and exiled the homins into the Prime Roots. The Great Swarming it was called, when millions of kitins erupted from underground. The Great Swarming happened three generation ago. Because my home island is so far out to sea, it was safe from the swarming; I was safe from the swarming. Now I’m in a land where these creatures run wild! I had no intention of fight the kitins, but I had already agreed to deliver a seed for the kami and couldn't return home without completing my task.

I traveled across the sandy Island resting under the occasional palm tree. After a day of walking, I found a small oasis, and splashed the cool water on my face. I sat there watching the ripples coming from the shore. Having lived by water all my life, I knew this wasn't right. The ripples seemed to come from the land. I looked in the direction the ripples came from and saw a monstrous creature. Based on the stories, I knew this terror had to be a kitin! I cowered behind a tree, so I wouldn't be seen. The kitin wasn't hundreds of feet tall, only 20 - 30, but I could see how someone could make that mistake. I ran to the water and swam as fast as I could. When I reached the other side of the oasis, I was spotted! I heard the most horrifying scream and saw the black eyes of the kitin focus on me! I ran towards the mountains with the kitin in pursuit. The kitins was about 40 meters away and the mountains were about 20 meters, so I might makie it. When I ran only ten meters, while the kitin ran 30! With the kitin running 3 times faster than me, I knew I wasn't going to make it. The kitin had caught up with me, and it raised its claw to strike! I stood there, paralyzed by fear, when a bright light came into view. The light came from a blast of energy, which flew over my head and hit the kitin. The blast sent me flying backwards into the sand. I looked up to see a robed figure with a mirror like mask. It was a master of technology, a karavan. The blast came from a cannon attached to the karavan's arm. I climbed to my feet and looked around. There were pieces of the kitin scattered in all directions. I turned to the karavan nervously, normally the tryker and karavan are allies, but since I had agreed to help a kami...
"Need a lift to Barkdell?" the karavan asked. I was startled when the karavan spoke.
"Huh, um yes, but how did you know I’m heading Barkdell?"
"The Trykers are gathering there to train in fight, magic, craft and harvest,
so they may defeat the kitins." I still had no intention of fighting the kitins, especially after almost being killed by one, but going with a karavan would be easier and safer then climbing the mountains. So I accepted his offer, and he led me to a strange hovering device. It was made of a strange shiny material and was as large as a ship.
"If you want to travel to Barkdell, stand over there." the karavan told me, and pointed to a spot under the device. I walked under the device, hoping it would keep floating, and stood there, waiting. A blue light came from the device and I felt myself floating. It took me a minute to realize I was being teleported, since this was
my first time. After the light disappeared, I found myself on a wooden dock, with an unfamiliar voice saying,
“Welcome to Barkdell."

[sunew]

Part 2

The voice belonged to a female tryker by the name of Barth, Art Cathy. She was a Welcomer. A welcomer obviously welcomed people to Barkdell and helped them learn the basic skills. She told where I could find he trainer and the vendors. She gave maps of the island and of places I haven’t heard of, such as Aeden Aqueous and The Burning Desert. I walked around and found the entire city was sitting on a wooden platform with a bridge connecting it to the main land. After meeting the trainers and checking the vendors for weapons, I examined the map and found the forest that was north west of Barkdell. I thought about abandoning my quest for the kami, so I wouldn’t angry the karavan, but if I did that then would make me a thief and a lair. Besides I might need the kami to get home. I headed out of the city toward the forest. On the way, I saw yubos grazing and ybers grabbing fruit from the trees. It’s just like my home, very quiet and peaceful. I wonder what the islanders are up too, and what will happen when I get back.

After few minutes I saw a forest and check my map again. This was it the place where the kami is supposed to be. I walked under the palm trees looked around for a short little kami. When I got a few feet in the forest I saw bunch of dead branches, with one of the branches moving. This ‘branch” had four arms, floated in the air and the top of its head was on fire.
“Do you have the seed?” requested the branch.
“Are you a kami,” I asked
“Yes, a kami of the Burning Desert” it answered. I grabbed the seed and held out my hand. The kami lifted one of its arms and three vines sprouted from it. The vines wrapped around the seed and brought to the kami.
“Thank you homin, you have earned great favor among the kami.” With that the kami disappeared in a flash of smoke and fire. Finally with my task completed I can return home. I headed back to Barkdell, to talk with the karavan about teleporting home.

I walked up to one of the karavan bowed and showed all due reverence. I asked as politely as I could, for the karavan to teleport me to Clear Water Island.
“I can not, for this teleport is only for the city of Fair Haven.” The karavan replied. The look on my face was priceless, a look of shock, horror and of “this can’t be.“
“But, I want to go home,” I screamed
“All the Tryker here, even you, are needed to defeat the kitins,”
“I not going to fight to save a bunch of people I don’t even know,”
The Karavan walked over to me an leaned over so that its head blocked out the sun. then it gave me a haunting message.
“The only way for you to go home is if you can walk past the fallen homins with out stopping to help. If you can just watch your people lose a war for their lives, then you may run home.”
The karavans words cut me like a clopper’s claw. Out of pain and anger I ran from the karavan until I got tired, then I slowed to a walk. After an hour of aimless walking I stared to consider what the karavan had said. I imaged I was walking through a battlefield. Filled with homins calling from help, but I just kept walking. That was not something I could do, that was not who I wanted to be. I stopped for second then I turned around and headed back to Barkdell. When I got back to Barkdell I saw the Karavan by the entrance to the city. Even through the mask hid the karavans face, I got the feeling the karavan wasn’t surprise to see me again.
“Welcome back warrior Sunew, or will it be magician Sunew?” The Karavan said. I can’t be sure, but I think I saw smirk come from behind the karavan’s mask. This is when I started to get a creepy feeling from the karavan…

Ok first up I should practice with my dagger; a suckling yubo would do nicely.
This was going to be my first battle, and the yubo’s last. I charged out and slashed the yubo. It ran at me and jumped on my arm, then kicked me in the face.
“Oww…” I screamed! I think my nose is bleeding, that yubo is going to pay! We charged each other; the yubo dodged to left then to the right. It jumped on a young palm and bend the tree with its weight. The tree snapped back and catapulted the yubo. The yubo flew straight at me. It hit me in the shoulder and caused me to do a mid-air spin and fall to the ground. The yubo charged to finish me off! I quickly held up my dagger as the yubo jumped. When the yubo came down it landed on my dagger and died. I had won my first battle, and I had gained a fear of yubos.

My next couple of battles went very well and I used the money I got from quartering them to buy a new 1handed sword. With my new weapon and the experience I gained, I decide to try something a little bigger, a clopper. I charged a lone clopper and struck it with my sword and dagger. I didn’t have the strength to penetrate the clopper’s shell, but I fought on. The clopper slashed me with its claws. Two hits by its claws and I was almost dead. I tired running but the clopper was quicker and a final hit from its claw brought me down. I remember lying on the ground thinking I would die; in fact I think I did die.

[sunew]

Part 3

I slowly regained concisenesses and found myself on the beach near Barkdell. There was a karavan standing next to me.
“First time you died right,” inquired the karavan
“I died?”
“Yes,”
“But then how am I here, and why do I feel alive?”
“Your faith in the goddess Jena, has allowed you be reborn.”
“Reborn?”
“When you die in service to Jena, she recreates your body and strength and even return your possessions to you. You will need you defeat the monsters of Atys to repay her though. Don’t worry your first death is free.” With its message delivered the karavan departed. The last part of the message worried me, “your first death is free,” exactly how many times did the karavan expect me to die?

I rested until I fully healed. After that I battled ferociously to get stronger and take on the clopper again. All my fighting earned me the title of novice warrior. I found another clopper this time I snuck up to him. I was only few meters away when he turned around and charged! I used my dagger to parry his claws while striking with my sword. The claw strikes I couldn’t parry I dodge with a verity of flips and spins. I was feeling weak and could barely stand when the clopper finally succumbed, immediately after I fell from exhaustion. I rest for few minuets, got up and looted the clopper then used his shell to craft a new med armor Tryker vest for myself. That night I had clopper cakes with side of clopper legs, but sadly… I had no butter. Soon after I defeated enough cloppers to make the pants, gloves, boots and sleeves.

With the experience I got from fighting the clopper and the new armor, the battles start to become easier. Which made it clear, that I would have to leave this island soon.
If I left the island I might never be able to get home. With the Karavan refusing to help, I needed to find my own way home. According to the map the area I’m in is completely surrounded by mountains. If I could find a gap or a place where I could climb out, then it would only be a day’s walk to shore. I checked all of the mountains on the west and south walls they were completely smooth and were impossible to climb so was the east wall, leaving only the north wall. Most of the wall was smooth, except for one spot. At the base of one of the mountains there was pile of rocks, which looked like they broke loose from the mountain. I walked up the pile and started to climb up the mountain.

After climbing for hours I found a ledge, wide enough for me to rest on. I lied down on the ledge using my bag as lumpy pillow. I looked up at the sky and just realized it was night. Wow I must have been really focused to climb in the dark and not have noticed it, or really distracted. It’s been over a week since I landed here and four or five days since I left my home island. I didn’t even say goodbye, I just left them a note saying, “I was going to find my destiny.” What did I find? Monsters, the kitins, the “evil” Kami, and to top off I had actually got my self-killed. The Karavan did bring me back to life, but they didn’t help me get home. Of course neither did the kami. Both of them seem to want me to live, just so I can do tasks for them. The kami fed me so could deliver a seed, and Karavan resurrected me, so I could fight for them. Well at least my fellow Trykers haven’t turned on me yet…

I must get home. I stood up and grabbed my lantern out of my bag and started my climb. I was tired, but the thought of getting home and reuniting with my family and friends gave me strength. Even though the crack in the mountain narrowed and climbable ledge became few and far between I continued to climb to the end.

The end came when I reached the last ledge. The mountain from here on up was completely smooth like it had been everywhere else. I held on to the mountain and searched for a way up, but there was nothing. I pulled out my pick and slammed it against the rock to try and make a ledge. The more a pounded the more I could feel something coming loosing. I struck the mountain as hard as could and I felt something give way. It was my pick. The head came flying off and fell to the ground. I held on to the mountain, closed my eyes and squeezed the broken pick. I stayed like this until my body started to shake and I could barely hold on, then I climbed down back down to the ledge. I was too tired to walk back to Barkdell, so I set up camp and went to sleep.

As soon as I woke up, I climbed up to the spot where I broke my pick, to see if there was a ledge I missed in dark. There wasn’t. It was frustrating to know I had come so far, yet I was still stuck here. Looking up I saw it was only a few meters up to top, and I wondered if I could jump up to it. I ready myself for the jump. I rose up and got ready to grab the ledge above me, when I stopped. That’s right, I’m on a mountain, and if I jump I’ll fall. The rocks below may not pointy, but they are hard. I can’t believe I almost jump off a mountain, wow what was I thinking. I climbed down the camp and gathered my stuff and climbed down to the bottom. While resting at base of the mountain I found the head to my pick, don’t know what I’m going to do with it, but I put it in my bag and went back to Barkdell.

Back in town, I needed to decide, either I stay here and try to find a way out or head to that Fair Haven place. Well most of you have probably seen me in Fair Haven at least once, so you know what I decided. I bought a new pick and went to the karavan teleporter. I stood under the strange hovering machine, a blue came from it and I disappeared.