Alliance of Heroes

Chapter 1 - Something New

Act I

Alliance 

"Team work is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results." 

-Andrew Carnegie

Chapter 1 - Something New

Jake Eno was dying. The room's dark walls pressed in on him, surrounding him. A man stood in front of him, hidden in the darkness, his cloak billowing around him.

The wounds covering Jake's face stung and bleed, and he could barely remain conscious. The sound of his ragged breathing filled the air, drowning out everything else around him.

The cloaked man stepped forward; a loud crack of thunder dramatized the scene.

"How many men have you killed, Jake Eno, how many men, women and children - just tonight!?"

Jake did not answer the question. He was afraid. Not of the man; he was scared because he didn't know the answer.

- Several Months Earlier - 

Birds sang and the wind whistled through the trees as Jake ran through the winding paths of Aroma Woods, the lush scenery and variety of wildlife passing him by in a flash. It was days like these he lived for.

Adventurous as always, he found any excuse to leave the busy streets of Gradi City and head out to the woods, as they were large and held many mysteries; he loved to explore far and wide through the trees and always regretted having to go back to the city when night came.

"Slow down!" The weary call of Tom, Jake's friend, came through the trees not far back. He had known Tom since they were both children, and now that they were sixteen, they both explored the woods in their spare time, along with James, the son of the blacksmith who worked in the city.

When Tom had caught up and had caught his breath, Jake noticed the sound of running water coming from nearby. The boy stood with his hand shielding his eyes from the sun, waiting for James, who had not bothered to keep up with the two of them.

Jake sat down on the soft green grass and pushed his brown hair out of his eyes. Staring upwards, he watched the clouds drift lazily above them, blotting out areas of the forest with their shadows.

He found it strangely comforting to sit here and listen to the rustle of leaves, the twittering of birds and the slow steady sound of the stream. At least it was, until James gave a loud yell.

"Look! Look!" he was shouting in excitement, mouth opened, a child gawking at the festival attractions. Jake jumped to his feet and saw that he was pointing at a small hilltop that was split by a deep pit in the middle, with a bridge connecting the sections.

"What are you pointing at?" Tom scratched his head, dark black hair flopping over his eyes; a trait inherited from his late mother, who had once been mayor of the city, and who had died two years ago, leaving him in the care of a foster family. "There's nothing there!" 

Jake searched the hilltop, eyes squinted for anything out of the ordinary, but found nothing of interest.

"Did you see it?" exclaimed James, running over to them, eyes alight. "It was a dragon! A blue dragon, flying around the hill!"

Jake laughed; this hadn't been the first time James had come up with some fantastic story, one featuring a mythical creature hardly broke his usual stride. "Come on James, you know dragons haven't been in Revek for over sixteen years. They left around the time King Yerga's rule began!"

Next to them, Tom's face darkened. He detested King Yerga, mainly because his father had been taken by Yerga's soldiers for selling supplies to the resistance fighters who fought the King; the event had been talk of the city for weeks afterwards, the extreme brutality and bloodshed on both sides causing a stir among the habitually docile people of Gradi. Not much was known about the resistance, except that they fought against the King with unbridled consistency and ferocity, and were always looking for new recruits.