The lost book of Verraten's memories Vol. I

[Kampfer]

A bookseller from Highmarket arrived in the Chapel of Healing in panic and exhausted from running all the way to here. Asking to see the Patriach the acolytes opens the doors and allows him to enter. Once inside he nod to the old cleric and grabbed a book made of human skin from his bag and gave it to him. Offering a chair to the exhausted seller, he took some candles from the shelves and lighten them then finally took a sit and started to read.

...(Beginning of Vol. I)...

<Cover Quote> *From years the evil grows fast and strong and with it a name get a reputation, the most fearest ever known.* <Alors, Acolyte of Kron>

<Introduction>
Verraten was a young boy raised by the followers of Kron and blessed by the hand of Kron himself. The memories of a dark child of Kron is a serie of books about the birth of a supreme empire... our land of stone! We can read in those books the history of a young boy who grows as a legend, how he was trained, how he grew and how he became feared. <Fardeus, Scribe>

<1st winter> *...he looked at us with his promises eyes...* <Tenebra, Dark Priestess>
Born from a painful and exhausted childbirth of his mother, which almost killed her, he was so perfect physically, not to small, not too fat, just the right amount of everything and even more. His eyes were looking everywhere and each time he crossed our eyes, we could have noticed how much hatred he has toward us, his regard was saying: "Why the hell have you decided to make me alive!". Gradually, the following months were simple, the baby makes everywhere, like a punishement of god and he his the punisher. He will regret it soon enough.

<2nd winter> *Sharp! but don't worry kid, you won't stop there.* <Bastk, Dark Weapon Master of the fourth academy>
As usual, a future warrior without a weapon is not a warrior to be, so let make a choice. Letting a couple to weapon around him to play with, the choice will be decided by the time he play with them. The sixth month was the time, after the next six months we will decide. Playing with them for hours each day, he seemed to be attracted by everything but a little more to the blades, good choice, so lets start with this one.

<3rd winter> *...more intelligent than expected.* <Thakonis, The Warmonger>
We started this year by teaching him to write and read commun language. The first three months was far from our goal. The following months were cruacial, we forced him to read again and again, ten hours a day. After three months of this diet he finally shows us we haven't lost our time on him. Writing came pretty easily after that, couple of months was enough to teach him how to translate from speech to parchments. The last four months have been used to reinforce his vocabulary for the next stage.

...(missing pages, from 4 to 6)...

<7th winter> *...he was fighting venimous snakes and large scorpions in the arena, he was simply delicious to looking at rampaging like a storm.* <Bastk, Dark Weapon Master of the fourth academy>
All the year he was trained for this first test into the order of Kron. Learning blade movements, parrying, blocking and attacking from different angles, getting profit from a bad move of the opponent and how to win! The arena got prepared for the several fights coming up. All students are present for their first official fight and they will encounter different types of creatures during the night. It was the last and the most expected fight of all, a shadow entered the arena followed by the young boy everybody heard about since the last year. He was walking with the attitude of a conqueror, proud, strong and cold blooded. After a long moment, the crowd calm down and the signal was given by the gong, the action started. Two large doors were opening on each side of the arena and large spiders and snakes escaped from the opened doors. The lights from the torchs spreaded all around were throwing shadows all over the place by allowing good hidding spots for those creatures. The first group of spiders circled the dark kid and hid into the shadows while the snakes were rushing toward him. Standing in the middle of the arena without moving, not even a inch, waiting for the attack which came very fast. One hand raised in the direction of the first snake, just before the detonation we saw some smoke coming out of the snake. Then grabbing his blade he throws himself on the ground to roll beside the second snake and cutting his head as quick as a lightning. The move pushed him close to a wall and at this moment one of the spider tried to bite him on the back. Using the snake as a whip he make the spider moving back against the wall where she got impaled by his blade. Ferocious and fearless he used all the space available to execute the other opponents. In a glory explosion, the crowd goes crazy, screaming and cheering for this young boy, only seven and already have the spirit of a warrior.

<8th winter> *Through fire the enemies will return to ashes...* <Thakonis, Warmonger>
This year was concentrated on the handling of the fire realm... advanced. Controling his power is more difficult due to the high magical aura he possess. Easily he can control the power of a burn so lets try a fireball. The first month the kid almost died from it, he retained the fireball too much and exploded at a really short distance. Spending all his magical power without any improvement made me doubt about the real identity of this boy, is he really the one who everybody are waiting for? Only a chosen one could learn so much think that fast and with an incredible accuracy but this failure with the fireball casting kept me in the dark.

<9th winter> *Unleash the beast!* <Bastk, Dark Weapon Master of the fourth academy>
The failure of last year pushed us to redirect his skill somewhere else. I've continued to train the young boy on weapons and now a precious skill will be thaught to him, the rage. Each day I've asked him to show me his warcry and instead of that I heard a blind rage cry, which is impressive yeah but totally useless in a real fight. Several months passed and the warcry is more and more true, we can hear the inner strength of this boy and the determination he's filled with. Recently, the warcry I've asked months ago became a pure and raw feeling which as being transformed as a state of rage, pushing his body over his mind and keeping control of both to be as destructive as an hurrican... a true berserker!

<10th winter> *...its their warcries!! such a good music to my ears.* <Bastk, Dark Weapon Master of the fourth academy>
Perfecting his rage and his weapon skill we thought it was the right time for him to go for the second test, a raid into a monk school in the mountains. Three team of five young warrior, Verraten was appointed as the leader of the second group. The raiders were heading for a two months travel in the mountains. During the trip they lost few members, falling from a cliff, getting crushed by avalanches and other deadly dangers. They finally found the temple after a hard and exhausted trip in an unknown terrain. After the fall of the head leader, Verraten took the head and annonced to the groups to spread around the temple and wait for further orders. The next two days were used to rest and getting more informations about the temple and their habits. Third night, the assault is given. From distance we could have heard their warcries as if they were thunders and lightnings. The fight was swift and violent, the twenty students and the three teachers wakes up into a nightmare. The dojo was swarming with young dark warriors walking on the rhythm of warcries. The young monks tried to defend themselves against that new dangers, the hatred of a clan and the fury of Kron's childs. Even with their meditation and training, those young monks were overcome from all around. This young pack of wolves were leaded by the ingenius plan of Verraten and the knowledge of their enemies acquired in the last two days.

<11th winter> *Look at your enemy's eyes and you will know.* <Allant, Warlord>
By the skills showed on the second test, Verraten proved how strong his mind is and how he managed the others, its a leader. Its time to improve his combat skills by teaching him the tactics of his predecessor, the ability to lead a larger group and understand how the enemy is thinking, how they move and how to counterattack other strategies. After this year, the young man became one of the most talented tactician for his age. We will see at the third test how he will manage his new skills.

<12th winter> *That little devil, how impressive!* <Hasmevyentil, Black Ranger>
The survival training was now the most important thing they had to learn after the lost of their comrades. So the dark empire called me once more to train those little troublemakers into different environments, forests, swamps, mountains and more. Not only the group was learning quite fast but they also appointed Verraten to lead them through the tests I've specially designed for this purpose. With only one lost, the group managed to survive the whole year under the command of Verraten, and my secret supervision indeed.

<13th winter> *Aester, how useless you are!* <Allant, Warlord>
The pack of wolves is ready for the next raid, a shrine dedicated to Aester. Few days ago our spies spotted a group of pilgrims walking to this shrine, the perfect preys. Verraten was leading once more, but this time I appointed him to the worst group of this year, we will see if he can manage that kind of looseheads. Against all hope they seems to listen to him, but the discipline is still missing *grins*. They quickly catch up the pilgrims and followed them from a good distance, hidden in the forest, gathering more information on their powers and real numbers. A month later they finally arrived to the shrine and started to raise their camp not far from the road. Two nights already and everything seems to be in order, nobody was spotted or noticed. Acting by instinct, well developped by their training, the group walked silently in the camp, two young dark warrior posted at the entrance of each tent, Verraten gave the signal by releasing the ultimate warcry. Burning the tent and slashing the pilgrims who are trying to get out, this carnage was short, too short. Still in rage they decided to burn the forest around and break into pieces the shrine itself. Cursing this place, the group left the pilgrims resting on their last journey, and came back to their lair.

<14th winter> *Kervack, Maldas, Kane, Valiant, Elnor, Ghandi, Scorpion, Antitheus...* <Tenebra, Dark Priestess>
Fighting is not the only thing to know, history and achievement is the most precious knowledge ever encounter where ever you are. This year he learned more on our past, our victories, our heroes and our enemies. The greatest fights was probably Kervack against Maldas. A legend, the first to be remembered from both side, good and evil. Without fear he just entered the arena of the white castle and kill their champion. Standing in the middle, nobody dare to fight him again, not after what they saw. Kane, the lonesome dread knight, walking through the realm spreading terror, he wanted to build the ultimate dark tower ever build, but his nemesis Valiant was always there to remember him, as long as he live nobody will raise that kind of tower. Elnor, the withered paladin, a black heart shielded by an armour of light, turned into a mad man by Hara and saved by Kron. Friend of Valiant, Scorpion and Ghandi, he tried to save them from the madness of Hara and almost succeed with one of them. Antitheus, the companion of Elnor was known for his paladin's tracking skill. Like a sixth sense, he could find them anywhere in the land. Elnor and Antitheus was an amazing team. But soon, like the wind blows the dust from the road, somebody will overpass them all!

<15th winter> *Everything get their power of life, but there is more powerful then life.* <Thakonis, Warmonger>
Weapons, magics, armours, everything was made to inflict serious wounds or to prevent them. But we, dark knight, developped a new kind of treat for our enemies, and its called the touch of Kron. This power is in every dark child since they are born but they couldn't use it til the ritual. At the last day of the 15th winter, the ritual unleashed this power from now til he die. The spring was used to reinforce that deadly weapon, the wither.

<16th summer> *A new hope is born.* <Alors, Dark Patriach>
Last entry before leaving the academy. Verraten is probably the chosen of Kron, only his future acts will determine if yes or no he really is. From today, this dark child of Kron will be allowed to enter the order of the dark empire as a Servitor. With this title a new name is given to him, Kampfer!

...(end of Vol. I)...

After an hour the patriach seems to be troubled by what he's reading. "Many pages are missing, but the informations in this tome are troubling. Where have you found this book?" he asked. The bookseller replied "I've heard somebody knocking on my door, so when I open the door this little elf was holding this book, he gave it to me and started to run as fast as if wolves were running after him." Then the cleric asked to the bookseller if he can keep this tome to show it to the head of the White Castle. In an horrified nod the bookseller allowed the cleric to keep it and he left the Chapel and regain Highmarket but something's wrong, something's strange around, its like if somebody, a shadow, was looking at him.