• The Legend of Azare Two,
    Aftermath

    Jobe ran across the flat floor of a strange one room building.
    He stopped on a rock and surveyed his position in the room, and then Jobe saw something out of the corner of his eye. Jobe took a leap from the top of the stone and took off to a sprint toward the strange object.
    When Jobe reached his destination he found that the object was more than one item, but in fact it was a suit of red armor.
    Jobe picked up a helmet which had a small stain of blood around a hole in the forehead.
    “Peculiar.” Jobe said absentmindedly, and then he felt a strange urge to put the piece of steel on. Jobe couldn’t resist, he slipped it on, perfect fit.
    Just then Jobe let out a pained scream and dropped to his knees.
    The screaming stopped, Jobe started to laugh, he just kept laughing until
    he finally stood back up and put the rest of the armor on, and walked away from the Hydras tomb.
    Azare stood on the roof of a large hut made of stone, and observed the passing traders selling knick knacks and other items found in their lands.
    But Azare noticed a trader selling something very odd, the trader wasn’t selling anything from the three lands. The trader wore blue robes laced with green.
    Azare jumped off the two story hut and gently moved through the crowds toward the odd merchant.
    “Hello young one, may I interest you in some of my wares?” the trader spoke with a soft voice.
    “Where are these items from?” Azare questioned with an intrigued tone.
    The man motioned Azare to lean in closer
    “These be from Atlantis,” The trader said.
    “they be full of strange power that no one has seen for years, take this thing for example,” the trader picked up a bell from a soft fabric.
    “I dropped it in a puddle on my travels here and the water came to life, it took the form of a Hydra!”
    “A hydra, didn’t they die out ten years ago?” Azare asked with an intrigued tone.
    The merchant then stood up and shoved the bell into Azare’s chest and ran away with all of his Atlantian artifacts.
    “What the crap!” Azare shouted after the merchant. Azare then looked down at the bell and studied it closely. The mettle of the out side shell was a light blue color with a faint green glow to it. That’s when Azare noticed the Atlantian writing on the green leather handle.
    “Angetora noth Areza” Azare read. That’s when he saw it, a vision flashed through his head. At first it was a jumble of random images. This then began to slow down and make sense. The first image was the city of Atlantis, before it vanished, it was just sitting in the spot where it had been about twenty years ago, that’s when Azare first noticed a light growing from the center of the city. The glow got brighter and brighter, until it let out a sudden flash that enveloped the whole city in a white light, and died down. When Azare could finally see again, he noticed something the city of Atlantis was gone! Azare woke up from his vision, and noticed he was standing in the exact same spot where he was before the vision.
    “Oh my god.” Azare said under his breath. And looked around, when he got his head straight he took a turn to his left and ran.

    A gauntlet encased hand wrapped its crimson fingers around a mans neck and brought them against the port side wall of a hut. The man started crying, as the hand griped harder. Then a helmet covered face moved closer to the villagers face
    “Where is Azare!” seethed Jobe.
    The man just stared at Jobe with a blank expression, and then opened his mouth.
    “I… I don’t know.” He said quietly as if not to upset his captor.
    “That’s a lie! I should kill you right now!” shouted Jobe now enraged.
    He then lifted his free hand to where to man could see it.
    “This is your last chance, where is Azare!” Jobe forced. When he noticed the man wasn’t going to talk he flexed his hand, forcing the tips of the fingers to jet out into claws.
    “I was merciful… No more!” Jobe shouted, and pulled his hand back ready to thrust it into the mans body. Just then a stick jetted between Jobe’s clawed hand and the mans chest.
    “What the...” Jobe cursed as he looked up to where the stick had come from.
    “Azare!” Jobe shouted in furry when he saw the source of the projectile.
    Azare leapt from the roof of the hut he was perched on, and unsheathed the sword at his waist. When Jobe took notice to the blade a surge of rage pulsed through his body.
    “You came to me?” Jobe questioned in surprise, “all you really did was make it easer to find you… to bad you couldn’t save him.” Jobe mocked as he thrust his clawed gauntlet into his captive’s stomach. Once he saw this he grew outraged and charged Jobe head on, Jobe did the same. Then Azare took notice to Jobe’s right hand, the claws where shifting, growing, and even fusing. Azare leapt into the air, and twisted his body to the left, sending him flying out of the ally and into the open streets. Jobe was quick to react; he took a hard left, and started at a full sprint toward Azare.
    Azare focused on Jobe’s shifting hand, and then he heard the horrible sound of mettle scraping mettle. Then a, snap, as the shifting mettle broke into its own free form… a double bladed staff.
    The shaft was about three feet long, and two inches wide. There where two blades, one on each side of the shaft, that where roughly a foot long, three inches wide, and a centimeter in width. The blades had the tips of Jobe’s claws on the smooth side.
    As for the sharpened edge, there was a perfect gleam to it, but the blades faced opposite directions from each other.
    Jobe started spinning the staff an all directions, making it seem like a blur, and then let out a laugh.
    “Do you see this?” Jobe questioned rhetorically, “How can you ever hope to match my power?”
    Azare charged with his blade ready to thrust, but when he jutted his arms forward, Jobe leapt about five feet into the air, landing behind Azare and laughed. Azare spun three hundred and sixty degrees. Azare then shot him self forward and attempted to bring his blade down on Jobe’s armored head. Jobe simply swung his staff upward deflecting Azare’s blow, and sending him sprawling to the cobble stone road. Azare stood back up
    and whistled a soft tune. Jobe let out another laugh and started spinning his staff off to his side, and charged Azare. Then Jobe stopped, he heard something it was a faint growling.
    Jobe turned his head slightly and saw the source of the growling. Zark snarled and bared his teeth, then pounced Jobe. Jobe screamed, dropped his staff, and pushed Zark away from his torso. Jobe was about thirty seconds to late. Azare swung his blade at the back of Jobe’s knees, sending him to the cobble stone street. Jobe rolled onto his back, leapt to his feet and ran through the massive bronze gates of Flamor. Dazed, Azare looked to Zark and began to walk to the city of Zakaz.

    Chapter 2


    When Azare finally entered the black gates of Zakaz, he took a left down a major street and followed a couple of horse drawn carts filled with merchandise. Azare then took a right in to a large building. When Azare opened the door Zark ran past him and sat staring at Azare. When he observed his surroundings, Azare noticed a table where a bartender was filling a mug. Azare went to the bartender and dropped three golden coins on the table. When the man turned to see Azare, he grabbed the coins and put them into a small leather bag.
    “Are you going to order something or did you just wanna pay me for being so pretty?” the tender asked.
    “Give me a bottle anything Azare said quietly. Zark leapt up and put his front paws onto the table. Azare then noticed why, Zark was sniffing at a box a merchant had put onto the table. “Zark… stop.” Azare said as the bartender put a tall bottle and smaller cup in front of him. The merchant chuckled at Zark. Azare poured some of the beverage into the small cup and drank. That’s when Azare felt it, a slight burning where the pouch on his belt touched his pants. The burning intensified; Azare cringed and shot his hand into the pouch. Nothing except a small mettle object, a bell. Azare pulled the bell out of the pouch.
    When he did so Azare felt a strange urge to study it more closely. Zark leapt from the table and sat on the cold ground, and accepted the merchants hand when he started to pet Zark. The merchant, with a smile on his face, looked at Azare, and took notice to the bell.
    “I see you’re still trying to work the bell.” The merchant said to Azare.
    Azare looked at the merchant with a puzzled expression,
    “What?” Azare said, and then it hit him. The merchant was the same one that had given Azare the bell!
    “The bell,” the merchant said as he gestured toward the bell.
    “Oh, oh yeah… no I got it to work…” Azare was cut off by the merchant.
    The small man stood up, gathered his things, and slid the box to Azare.
    Azare then watched as the man scampered out of the bar. Zark leapt back up onto the table and clawed at the metallic green and box. Before Azare could fully realize what was happening, he was gripping onto the green leather strap, that bound the box shut, and rubbing the serrated side of his knife.
    Snap!
    The leather strap finally released its grip from the box. Zark let out a bark of excitement, then a small growl.
    “Zark… quiet.” Azare said while studying the box, then drinking the rest of the rum in his already emptying bottle. “Let’s go Zark.” Azare said while he grabbed the box.




    Chapter 3


    Azare and Zark reached an ally. A bum looked up at Azare and then focused on the box.
    “That be a nice box, be a shame if it where thieved.” The bum said to Azare as if he knew something might happen. Azare avoided contact.
    “alright done listen ta me,” the bum whispered as Azare climbed a latter to the roof of a mettle hut. Alright… Azare thought to him self; let’s see what you have in stock.
    Azare then grasped onto the mettle latch and pulled up. The latch then gave way allowing the box to open. Zark then snarled at the sight of blue light coming from the small opening in the chest.
    Azare then threw the box open all the way. “What is…?” Azare said when he saw the contents of the box. A sword with a razor sharp blade sat snugly in a fine silk. The handle ended with a carving of a hydra head, and was wrapped in a green padding.
    The blade had a bluish glow to it. But that’s not what fascinated Azare, what he was interested in was the scripture engraved in the blade. “Asoreth nortalla shantanna Hydra”
    Azare with an Atlantian accent and then flinched ready for another vision to hit him the same way the bell did. But that is not what happened... no, Azare opened his eyes when he didn't feel anything.
    "Wha... what the hell!" Azare shoutted.
    "Welcome..." came a female voice in an Attlantian accent "welcome to Atlantis."
    the voice continued.
    "Oh hell no!" Azare swore, "I've been here once before, and you freaks experimented on me!"
    "Do not worry Azare..." The voice said, "I am in charge and I won't let that happen to you adain, I just want to talk." Azare heard the sounds of foot steps and stood up. From the shadows of the room a woman about the same age as Azare (Azare is twenty) with striking looks, walked in.
    "Nice to meet you Azare, my name is Nash'te." said the woman, offering a hand shake. Azare just stood still and stared at Nash'te, then shook his head, and gripped her hand.
    "I'm Azare but I guess you already knew that."
    Nash'te chuckled
    "Yes i knew that, i also know howyou slew the last Hydra, and threw away all the riches..."