The Quest for The Aegis Stone

A Story by Shafeeq Khan

A man must embark on a treacherous quest to bring back a scared artifact.

The Quest for the Aegis Stone

There was always something inside of me. Something I could feel like a fire, guiding me to my destiny. But today, things were taking a turn for the worst. “Unless you have my payment by sundown, you two are going to be homeless!” A loud disrupting voice bellowed through my home. My wife nearly jumped from her seat. I stood up immediately “Listen Theodore. I can get you your payment.” I paused. “I just can’t get it right now! I just lost my job! Please give me more time!” “NO. I’ve given you plenty of time Arion! By sundown or your asses are outta here!” Theodore stormed out the door.

“Great way to start the morning.” I say under my breath. Then a man crept to my door. He wore a charcoal cloak with the hood up. Only his slender opaque face was shown. “So..” he said. “I heard about your little financial issue. Sounds like you could use some coin.” I scanned the strange man, wondering what he was getting at. “Here’s a map, on it; are directions to a hidden temple that time has left behind.” The man continued “In the temple, there is a scared artifact called the aegis stone. Bring me the stone and I shall pay off your debt.”

It took a couple seconds for that to sink into my head. My mouth started to move “What’s the catch mister..?”

“My name is Sigmund and I can assure you there is no catch.” He said with a mild grin across his face. I looked into his light leaf green eyes searching for any signs of deceit. “Honey..” My wife Shrilena sat in the chair. Her long auburn hair almost ran down her back. Her brown eyes locked on me in a state of worry. She started to speak “Are you sure this is a good idea?” I hated the idea of being homeless. I couldn’t put Shirlena through that. “I’ll do it.” My wife wore a look of worry on her face as Sigmund handed me the map. I kissed my wife on the cheek and walked out the door.

Everyone in the village was already up. I’m greeted by the soft rays of the morning sun. I trotted past the worn stone path that divided our village and the rest of the world. Ahead of me, was a tall cluster of mountains with the sun resting over its shoulder. The air was warm and moist. After a couple of minutes of walking I decided to take a look at the map. The map was a worn piece of parchment with barely visible etchings.

“So, past the mountains and beyond the lake.” I thought to myself. What was so important about this stone? That question drifted in my mind as I advanced. Around this time the snow was almost completely melted, revealing the deep shade of green in the trees that surrounded me. While passing the mountains I noticed 3 ragged marks.

The marks were somewhat spaced near the top of the mountain. What could these markings be? Mountain lions could never scale a mountain of that height. I cautiously walk by and headed towards the lake. Rocks of all shapes and sizes cascaded the mud near the lake. The water rippled as it was pushed against the rocks.

A certain feeling of serenity had come over me as I walked along the pond. It was like I forgot what I was doing. I had to shake it off, as the sight of worried Shirlena surfaced. I walked along the lake to the very end.

The only thing I found there was a barren cave. Moss corroded from the cave, blanketing the stone in a forest green. It was the only thing in sight here. It had to be the place. Walking through the cave I felt a feeling of fear pulling my legs from moving.

Yet they trudged through the mouth of the cave. Stalactites dangled all throughout the cave. It resembled a green monster with his fangs out. I slowly unsheathed my dull short sword. I observed it for a second, looking at my reflection in the drab metal. “Should I really be doing this?” I thought. “Yes.”

Another voice emerged from the darkness in my mind. “You need to pay off your debt or you’re going to be homeless. Does that mean anything to you?” It did. To answer that question, my legs moved faster.

I wore a look of seriousness, emotionless, but determined. I started to notice torches with blue flames scattered in the different corners of the caves. My eyes squinted at the illumination of the lights. My feet stepped on the uneven plane making my way to the back of the cave. On one of the walls there was a message in a white ashy material. It read: Leave. There is nothing here for you traveler. I stubbornly discarded the message and looked around in the cave. After a while, I noticed a stone that looked out of place. As I tried to pick the stone up I felt resistance with my pull. “What the..” I kept tugging but it wouldn’t budge.

Only one side would move up. Suddenly a rock descended into the floor leaving another opening. A dumbfounded expression came upon me as I looked at the opening.

I gripped the hilt of my sword as I walked forward. Things were getting weirder with every step of my progress. The only thought that kept me from hitting the breaks, was the heaviness that came with the word homeless. While entering, the ragged stone that made the cave had been chiseled and smoothed. The opening became a hallway that extended further down. As I grew closer, I noticed a pedestal at the end of the hall way. Ivory white columns surrounded the pedestal. I could start to make out an orb like object on the pedestal.

“By the gods! I’ve found it!!” I shouted as I raced towards the columns. My excitement stopped abruptly as I noticed burial tombs on the left and right of me. Tombs? For what? The orb was levitating on the pedestal, underneath it was a pit. A barrage of colors lied under the orb. Florid red, jade green, ocean aqua, and iris purple. All the colors moved around the pit in a very slow, tranquil motion. I began to extend my arm as I reached for the orb. The tombs began to quake and move violently.

An arm shot out one of the tombs. “You shouldn’t have come here.” A wicked ghostly voice was heard from one of the tombs. “You were warned traveler..” said another. All of the tombs began to speak. I was hoping I was going insane or this was a bad dream. They started coming out of the tombs one by one. All of them were armed with decrepit daggers, swords, and maces. They all began to shift into battle stance as they surrounded me. So did I. All of them wore faded out, tattered clothes. Their skin was frail and murky. “We are the protectors of the aegis stone. Prepare yourself for combat traveler.”

One of them spoke. Adrenaline began to course through my veins, my heart was moving at a sharp rate. “COME ON THEN!!” I growled. I tackled the guardian in front of me into one of the columns. He started to squirm and struggle to get up.

The others slowly closed in. I never really thought I’d be fighting anyone when I woke up this morning. You train so many hours for the one moment you hope doesn’t happen. My sword made a diagonal incision on one of the men’s jugular, knocking his head off. The others paused with the sight of their fallen soldier. One of the ghouls rushed me with a mace wailing it in all directions. I ran at him with my head and body low as I stabbed him.

My blade penetrated through the man’s back as I slammed him against the wall. Two more soldiers of resistance were behind me. I squeezed the hilt of my weapon trying to get my blade out. However it was no use, it was logged in the man’s body. I grabbed the mace from his motionless body and hit the person on right. He had dropped the small dagger from his handed as he staggered to the ground.

Next was the man on my left, that welded a sword. But this one was different from any sword I had ever seen. The sword reminded me of a clocks hands. There was a long blade in the center and two smaller blades on the left hand side that levitated as the sword swung in my direction. A mage must have forged that weapon. The sight of it intimidated me as I started to walk backwards toward the wall.

The ghoul started to develop a smirk on its lifeless face at the sight of my fear. I started to walk towards him in my battle stance. I began to wind up to hit him when I felt 3 blades claw at my side. “S**t!” I screamed holding my wound. So much for a “no catch”. Anger spouted from my voice as I rushed the marauder, tackling him to the ground.

As I laid on top on him I hit over and over with my mace until there were no signs of life. The room grew very silent. I looked around to find everyone lifeless. I didn’t want any of this, I just needed the stone. I grabbed the tri-bladed sword and put it in my sheath. “I could use a new sword.” I thought to myself.

Finally I went toward the pedestal. I extended my arm one more time and paused. I looked around for any other threats in the area. No sign of any threats. I nodded and grabbed the stone. The pit below began to glow and shake. I stood there with a vacant stare, peering at the pedestal. Then the columns began to shake. “I think now is a good time to leave.” I stuffed the stone in my satchel and began to run out of the cave. I hear could the hard smack of the columns falling down. “What the hell is going on?!” I screamed in a panic.

Winged lizards shot from the roof as there roars pierced the blue sky. The creatures flew through the clouds in various directions. In a panic I went in a full out sprint back to the village. A lot of the homes had been badly damages upon my arrival. Everyone was in a pure state of hysteria except for one. It was a man a little taller than the people in the village. He was in his late 60s with long grey hair. The deep indentations of his wrinkles proved my guess on his age to be accurate. Through all the disarray and madness that had swept the village he remained calm as he walked towards me.

“You…” he spoke. “You were the one that took the aegis stone.” “Yes. What happened to the village?” The bearded man studied me, he spoke in a faint yet audible voice. “The dragons attacked the village. It’s been some time since their last appearance.” He pointed his boney finger at me. “You disrupted the natural order! You must rid this land of the dragons!” “What?! We would need a armada just to handle one of those things! How do you expect me to defeat them??” The man looked down at my sheath and his eyes exploded with amazement. “That sword..Where did you find it?” He said pointing at my weapon. “I found it in the same place I found the stone.” A few seconds passed “Why?” I added.

The man took the sword out and held it like a cradled it like a new born. “ This is the draco arma. A sword crafted during the great war to combat against dragons.Forgers used a rare type of metal that is strong enough to cut through dragon scales. With this, there might still be hope!”

The smell of burning wood poisoned the air of the village. Yet, there was hope that shined in the metal of this weapon. I guess it was up to me to end it. People were dying because of me. I couldn’t let their deaths be in vain. A agonal scream is heard from a woman pointing to the sky. “ONE OF THEM IS COMING BACK!!!! OH GODS!! NO!” The woman cried. It was at that moment I could feel gal force winds hitting my body, knocking me down. I looked up to the flying serpent that was above me. Everything grew silent as the wind ceased. The only sound you could hear was the air hissed underneath it, as the creature descended. Tremors hit the ground as the dragon stood right in front of me.

Scales covered its body like tiles on a roof, overlapping and covering every inch. I could feel the tension coming from its liquid amber eyes while it stared into mine. The creature huffed and smoke expired from its long snout. Then he roared a roar so loud it could be heard far beyond the mountains. I could feel the rays of his hot breath hit me. The rank smell of meat entered my nostrils. The dragon mouth opened once again but this time words surfaced.

“I see you’ve found my sword.” He said in a calm yet authraritive voice. “Uh..yeah. I found it in a cave.” I mumbled. A half smile appeared on the dragons face. “Why did you seek out the aegis stone? Were you aware of the actions you’ve performed?” “No!” I realized what I was talking to and decided to lower my voice “No, I didn’t know. I was just trying to pay off my debt.”

“State your name traveler.” The dragon said.“I’m Arion.” The dragon motioned a single nod and said “I am Rayquaza , the forger of the blade you possess. Prepare yourself Arion. You and I must set off to stop Xerium.” “Whos that?” “The dragon of dusk and evil. He’s the one that holds dominion over the other dragons. Xerium is also the same person that started the great war, decades ago. Arion.” Rayquaza paused. “We must defeat him before it is too late.” I guess I had no choice. I started this mess, I had to finish this. After all that was going on I couldn’t have time to think and process. It would only slow down my progress. A morsel of sand moved in the hourglass. Every second had to count for something. I stood before the dragon that towered over me. “We mustn’t delay then. Do you have a plan?” I asked.

The old man just stared at the dragon. Trying to grab some words to say but finding nothing in it all. “Get on!” The dragon shouted. I rushed on its back and he shot off into the air. The air was heated with the flames the dragons had created. The air coursed through my body. Rayquaza’s back was hard and stone like. I held onto one of the spikes on his back and we rode through the air. “Where are we going?!” I screamed. It was useless though, Rayquaza was too focused on the skies. “Oh no..” I said under my breath. He stopped in his tracks at the sight of another dragon. The feral creature had the look of madness in his eyes and he charged for Rayquaza.

My whole body was abruptly jerked as he dodged the dragons hit. Rayquaza’s spikes began to glow a strange ray of tangerine. As his jaws began to widen a somewhat solid liquid beam of energy blasted through, shooting the enemy out of the air. Rayquaza had no time to admire his abilities as we pressed on into the skies. After minutes of flying we reached the city. We weren’t too late. The dragons only just started terrorizing the area. Rayquaza turned to speak to me as I started to dismount off him. “Arion, you save the people. I’ll handle the other dragons.”

I was worried, there were at least a dozen dragons that enclosed the city. “Be careful Rayquaza.”

With that said, I sprinted toward the homes with the draco arma in hand. A saw a big boned bearded man in his late 40s that was hysterical, looking side to side; not knowing what to make out of this. I grabbed his shoulder “Sir! I’m here to get you and the rest of the locals out of here before it’s too late! Follow me!” One by one I began to escort the locals out of the area and into the forest. 5 locals later I returned back to the city. I saw a family in sheer awe as they witnessed there home slowly burning into ash. I grabbed the husband’s arm and said “Look, I know you’re worried about your home. But it can be replaced! You’re lives cant! Let me take you somewhere safe!”

The man nodded with approval. He went to his wife and said “We need to leave. It’s not safe here Linda.” The family followed me through the city and into the woods.

As I turned back to look at the city I saw Rayquaza was airborne, fighting another dragon. However this dragon was different from the others he had faced. This dragon was darker than night, with crimson red eyes staring Rayquaza down.

“That must Xerium.” I whispered. The two dragons began clashing into each other like bulls, hitting each other harder and harder with every strike. I ran back into the city. Both of the dragons hovered over the cathedral. A menacing evil voice began speaking “Why don’t you fight like your brethren? Why do you care for these insignificant souls? They’re nothing.. Just like you.” Rayquaza was breathing heavily and had marks of a warrior all over his body. “You forget that I was the one that brought you to your knees Xerium. Even while I was in my human form I managed to defeat you. What makes you think you could phase me?” The dragon rushed forward sinking his teeth into Rayquaza’s neck.

He screamed in sheer pain as he thrashed back and forth. Xerium propelled him into the cathedral. “Rayquaza!” I dashed for the cathedral when suddenly, I heard a loud thud behind me. Xerium. “You..” My bones were shaking inside as I heard the beast call out to me. I spun around. “Why do you bother fighting human? The very foundation of your race relies on soft tissues and frail bones. I see you have the draco arma.” He continued. “Do you plan on slaying me with that stick?” My eyes shifted to the ground.

A silence slowly grew but was abruptly broke by my voice. “Well it isn’t for cutting trees, a*****e.” I growled. I slowly adjusted myself into battle stance with both hands on the grip of my weapon. Xerium let out a thunderous roar. “Let’s see what you’ve got.” The dragon’s horns and spikes began to glow. Xerium shot a firey beam towards me. I raised my sword in front of the beam. In that split second the two smaller bladed made an x in front of the larger blade in the center.

The beam was powerful, but I stood my ground and put all my weight in front of me. I was so focused on the beam I didn’t hear the footsteps approach me from the side. In one swift motion I was on the ground. Looking up, to see Sigmund on top of me with a despicable smile. I could feel his hard fist jab at my face over and over. Blood poured steadily from my bruised nose as I tried to resist. Then the ground began to shake again. Rayquaza crashed through the front of the cathedral. This didn’t phase Sigmund at all.

As he began to throw another punch I grabbed his arm and dragged it to the right of me. With his head close to mine I headbutted him. He fell over and I went to reach for my sword. I stood up in a daze trying to recover. I saw a blurry image of two creatures crashing and hitting each other. I was swaying side to side. After I blinked a few time the image hit my eyes clearly.

“Arion! The aegis stone! Put it in the draco arma!”

I studied the sword and realized that was what the pit in the center was for. I reached for the aegis stone in my satchel to find nothing. “Looking for this?” Sigmund said holding up the stone as he stood up. “You’re gonna have to pry it from my dead body..” My eyes locked on Sigmund. He held a small dagger in his hand and the stone in the other. He thrusted the dagger forward but I quickly jolted to the side. I raise my sword and sliced his torso.

He shrieked and dropped the stone. I quickly grabbed it from the concrete and put it in the sword. Sigmund sunk to his knees. “I tried master.” He said in a cold whisper looking up at the Xerium. The dagger was forced into his stomach by his own hands.I was in shock but I couldn’t let that stop me. I looked in the air to find both dragons inner locked crashing towards the ground. The impact sent tremors through the concrete and my body. Raquaza laid on the ground hyperventilating. Xerium’s foot pushed hard on his chest. Rayquaza couldn’t scrape the energy to get back up. “Arion! The sword! Use it now!” He said. “Right!” I looked back at the sword to see that it was glowing the same glow Rayquaza spikes glowed. I raised the sword so that it was aimed to Xerium’s skull. The two smaller blades when on the left and right side of the sword. The liquid beam made its way to the tip of the blade, splitting it in two.

The bright beam shot through my sword and collided with Xerium. The very bonds that structured his body had been obliterated by the power of the aegis stone. “You did Arion!” Rayquaza screamed. Suddenly a deafening sound was heard from the skies. All of the dragons rejoiced in the air. They were free now. The winged lizards moved so majestically through the air. Peace had come at the end of the road.

It was so serene how the all of the dragons moved. They all ascended into the clouds in a graceful motion. Eventually, Rayquaza did to. But before left, he spoke to me one last time “Without you Arion, Xerium would have made this land his own. He paused. “The dragon race is going back up into the land above the clouds where we belong.” I nodded with approval. “Farewell Arion.” And thus he joined the other dragons.

Epilogue

Shirlena and I sat under a tree on a high hill looking over the city. After the dragon crisis, the city gave me a house there in appreciation for saving the locals. The wind blew through Shirlena’s long locks of hair. The aroma of flowers filled the air with the sense of peace I had back at the lake. There was always something that lied deep in the foundation of my soul. A feeling, guiding me towards a new day. Although I don’t know what the futures holds, I greet it with open arms.