Songs of War - The Unsung Heroes: Volume 1

Chapter 1

"Where's Val?" asked the younger Ardoni.

"Who's Val?" asked Tempest, still focusing on running through the forest. He looked back while Airiox ran under the shelter of his arm.

"I thought she would've sent you to help me. She doesn't think I can do anything on my own yet."

Tempest stopped running. "Alright, I don't know who you are, or who Val is, but the Voltaris are returning, okay? We need to get you back to your home. What's your name and where do you live?"

"I'm Airiox Sendaris," he said. "Val is my mentor. I want to be the Ardoni champion one day, so I train with her. I live in Ataraxia."

"Ataraxia?"

"Yes, Ataraxia," Airiox replied.

"That's so far away from here! And I can't lose the Voltaris; as champion, I'm on a mission to track them!" Tempest exclaimed. He stopped and thought for a while. Airiox looked back, paranoid that the Voltaris had followed them, but Tempest then made his decision. "Well, I guess you're stuck with me for a while."

Airiox was surprised by this. "I'm hunting Voltaris with you? AWESOME! It's just like being champion!"

Tempest was exasperated at Airiox's childishness, even though Tempest himself was barely old enough to be Ardoni champion. "Look, from now on, you have to do everything I say, got it?"

Airiox liked the sound of that less, but went with it. "Alright."

They continued running over the forested hills, but at a slower pace. The Voltaris hadn't followed, luckily. Or so they thought.

In reality, as they headed westbound towards the capital of Ardonia, Crown Peak, the Voltaris were tracking them stealthily (and also ironically since Tempest should've been tracking them) above the treetops, taking special care to not make a sound.

Tempest cracked a few twigs as they broke out into a clearing. Airiox was tired and was glad to have a rest.

"So, uh, what was your name again?" Airiox asked. He had forgotten it after all the havoc with the Voltaris.

"Ah." Tempest looked relaxed only now, but he kept glancing around the pine forest. "I'm Tempest. Tempest Sendaris. Ardoni champion, slayer of - you know the drill." he refocused on the pork he was roasting.

"You're the Ardoni champion? I thought that was another guy from our clan. What was his - oh yeah! Thalleous," said Airiox, the name popping into his head.

"You haven't heard?" asked Tempest, looking at Airiox directly for the first time. Tempest was, in truth, not really listening very well to Airiox, as he figured he had better things to worry about.

"Uh, heard about what?"

"Thalleous died three months ago."

Airiox was a bit shocked, because he had known Thalleous was an excellent fighter and amazing strategist and Songwielder. He hadn't known him personally, but he wondered how anyone could have killed such a legendary hunter.

"Thalleous was... slain by the Voltaris. The Voltaris' old second-in-command during the Great War, and the former Voltaris leader - Tygren."

"Former?" asked Airiox.

"Yes. Former. I wouldn't expect you to know this, but... a great threat has returned. One that was the cause of many perils, many deaths. And another great threat may soon follow. It is my job to protect the clans from this."

"What's the threat?" asked Airiox, pestering.

Tempest sighed. "He is known to most as the Deathsinger."

Airiox recoiled in shock. "The De- he returned?!"

"Yes, Ingressus Voltaris has returned. However, he is not yet ready to strike. He doesn't have the confirmation of the Enderknights' dissipation, he doesn't have the Nether on his side, and most importantly - he doesn't have the Prime Songs. Unfortunately, no one except a few Ardoni were trusted with the locations to the Primes - even I don't know where they are. I have suspicions where he hid some - for example, it is likely he hid one in the Vault, which is just about northwest of here."

"That doesn't seem like he was a great hider, then," said Airiox, smirking.

Tempest gave him a quick glare. "We'll soon be meeting someone - not here, but in Crown Peak."

"Who?" asked Airiox, beginning to become annoyed. He seemed to be needing to prompt Tempest to give him all the answers.

"My old master, Firenis Kaltaris. It's a wonder how he is still alive, but he's helping me. After we get this business over with, and we track the Voltaris to their new base, we're going immediately back to Ataraxia to get you off my case."

Airiox felt offended but didn't show it, and resumed roasting his steak. Both of their things finished at the same time and they ate to the soundtrack of wolves howling in the dense taiga around them. The wolves began to quiet around midnight, and Airiox had gone to sleep, but Tempest was still wide awake, thinking about his new duties as champion.

It was then that he heard a snapping of a twig in the taiga on the edge of the clearing. His thoughts jumped immediately to VOLTARIS, and he grabbed his sword. He waited tensely for almost twenty minutes, but nothing emerged. He placed his sword down, still on guard, but went back to thinking.

Finally, after two hours, he couldn't stand it anymore and started drifting off... The sound of twigs then increased, and Tempest shot awake to the sight of six Voltaris surrounding the clearing.

A/N hi does this work? Oh yay it does. Alright. Um well, idk really how these Author note things work, but I saw a few other peeps use them on fanfics so here goes. Welp, hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Remember this was written by myself, Airiox, and my friend Tempest Sendaris. We agreed to post it on my account for the time being. We've finished writing all of it and we'll release it on here in the coming days. Hope you like it!