KINGSLAYER: The Lord of Shadows

Prologue

A child born in the ebb of fire swallowed by darkness. The child of the fallen, rumoured to be slayer of the beast of end. Not all is known of his past. Raised by the Druids and Sylphs. Fashioned by the Elves and Armed by the Dwarves.

Few tells of his story in the inns and small villages. They say he is a creature of old, not a myth nor a parable of a song. He is an apparition, seeking for death and slaughter. Some say he seeks vengeance, some say he preys on the strong and some say he is just another madman.

In the pubs they say he was cursed by the Crones of Aragath and tortured by the Lords of the undead...what say you?

Artus became immune to poison due to the teachings of the Druids of Nakkar, he was also trained to enchant by the Sylphs. His fighting skills were honed by the elves and fashioning runes and artifices was taught to him by the Dwarves.

He speaks to the living and the dead, the material and immaterial - that's what they all say. The rangers of Isha-ar said that he hunts like a wolf and moves like a snake. Every target is seconds away from death, they added.

To the common folks of Ivar, Artus remains a ghost living in the minds of its prey. Every creature of the realm will squeal like a mouse or hiss like a snake once they hear his name. Robbers and Bandits will spit on the ground once he is named, and any known military man will grit their teeth and clench their fists because for them, he is an outlander and an outlaw of some degree.

Many seek to ask for his aid, and many seek to destroy him. Despite all their endeavours, they failed. "Who is this lunatic?" The noble spouted after gobbling a large cup of ale while looking at the corner of the pub.

"You must have gone mad, Harris! —Letting a mongrel in this establishment. Has the quality of this place gone low to such degree? Preposterous, I say!" The noble bantered while swinging his cup.

"My sincerest apologies my lord, but we strictly follow the treaty as ordered by the King." The man in the bar explained apologetically and bowed.

"Unacceptable! Do you not know who I am?!" The noble hissed with rage. The man named Harris was taken back with fear. "Answer me you bastard!" The noble shouted again and swung his cup towards the man in fear. Then grabbed the man's clothes like a child.

"My lord, if you allow me to explaa —ainn..." As the man was about to dispute, a flickering light passed through the noble's arm in a speed where an untrained eye cannot notice. Then, "Guhaaa!" The noble screamed in pain. The smell of Iron and ale filled the room, panic filled the noble's face and fear engulfed his teary eyes.

While the noble screamed in pain, the shady figure in the corner of the room stood up and spoke in a deep and dark voice. "Your voice annoy me..." the figure walked slowly towards the noble. "You're lucky I decided not to cut your head instead." He added.

"My lord!" The man named Harris spoked in a troubled voice. The noble was unable to respond due to the fear gripping his heart. He gathered all the courage he had left even after soiling his silk trousers. "You will answer for this!..." he spoke as he shivers in fear.

"Fool."The shady figure stared at the guards entering the establishment. "Come at me if you want to greet death!" He declared with arms wide open. The guards were hesitant to apprehend the man in front of them. As if they were stunned to see their master bleeding and cowering in fear.

As they closely inspected the figure in front of them, what they saw was a man covered in greenish dark-grey cloak enforced with black stained blade mail, holding a black sword engulfed in green and black aura.

"The Black Man!" The guards shouted in fear and ran for their lives. "I, חושך, the embodiment of fear and death, herewith take thy soul of my prey. Smite him with eternal damnation and suffering. Let he be succumbed by darkness and fear. Let be his flesh rot and bone be ground to dust. To thee..." The Black Man started to chant and the sword he carried began to howl, and the air in the room became heavy as he got closer to the bleeding noble.

"Any last words, oh great noble?" He spoke with mockery. "Swish—!" The noble died in an instant without the blade touching him.

"Do you even realise what you have done?!" The man named Harris shouted in panic. He gritted his teeth and opened his mouth to speak but was halted when The Black Man gave a sinister chuckle. "Fear not old man, what I did to him was his undoing. He should be thankful that I gave him a swift death. Though I'm sure he's now swimming in the pits of Argul."

"So it's true, and you've cursed this damned establishment." Harris spoke in sorrow. "Don't be a fool old man, your knowledge of me is far from truth. I'm not a witch nor a fool." The Black Man retorted and left without a trace.

...

"Hey old man, I heard The Black Man was here. Folks from my place were talking about it this morning. Is it true?" A large man wrapped in stained leather armour spoke to the barkeeper while looking around the establishment.

"I'm afraid I am in no mood for questioning, Garret. Leave me as I have things to do." Harris the barkeeper spoke in an agitated tone. "Tch—I've seen what he's done to that noble if that's what you want. But know this, he is not a man but a monster!" He added while shivering in fear.

"Relax old man, I'm not here for that. Besides," the man named Garret stared at a corner of the room and spoke. "I already have my answers." He then placed his hand over the barkeeper's shoulder and left without looking back.