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Synopsis

As seen through the eyes of our hero, Taragon Stein encompasses the world of Carthapia where magic and monsters are as alive as the people who inhabit there. With the northlands on the brink of an invasion, Taragon Stein is entrusted to find an artefact of ultimate evil and the only thing capable of holding back the tides of war. Join Taragon and his two companions as they set of on a voyage of perilous discovery.

Sample

The shadowy form that fled before me rounded the trees and headed deeper into the forest at my pursuit! I could see him now. Barely twenty paces behind him, this green-cloaked man ran swiftly ahead of me, but I have had to run from much more menacing things than myself in the past. Now I would have him! As I gained on him, I watched him cast aside the Longbow he held before disappearing between two large leafy bushes just ahead. At that moment something warned me not to follow. A feeling? Some intuition? Or perhaps even divine intervention? Whatever it was that made me halt my chase, I am glad that it did! Moving aside the foliage with the flat of my weapon I was not then entirely surprised to find our attacker waiting upon its other side with sword held ready for a thrusting attack. Had I pursued my foe further, I would have been dead. As it was, the man realising his ploy had failed, stepped slowly forwards as I moved cautiously back.

"Mr.Stein, we meet again." The cool sounding voice had an immediate ring of cold familiarity about it that I recognised instantly. I had been expecting as much. It was the cloaked Ranger who had won my gold from me in the Sunbud Tree tavern. "What's the matter Mr.Stein, surely you still cannot bare me a grudge over your lost coins? After all, I did win them fairly…well, almost fairly." A flash of white teeth from within his hood revealed his grin.

"My coin?" I questioned in an almost nondescript tone, "not at all. But your arrow in my friends leg…Well that's a different matter!" Both our stances showed our readiness for combat. I also noticed that he held his sword in a manner that told me he was proficient in its use. I had to be wary of this foe, even if I did have the slight advantage of height.

"Yes, well I suppose it's his fault for being such a large target. I was hoping to pick you off one by one, but you seem to have a very interesting shield there. I don't suppose you would let me look at it for a while?" I gave a mocking grin and slowly pointed my sword in his direction.

"I'm afraid not, but you will get the opportunity to study my sword." His eyes glinted menacingly from within the gloom of his hood accompanied by another evil grin.

"Ah the sword, yes. Well, I do prefer the bow myself, but you will find me just as competent in its use."

"I do hope so," I returned whilst planning my first attack, "I would hate this to be over too quickly." Which was in truth was a total lie! I would have sooner shoot this Ranger with my crossbow and have him killed in an instant, but since that was still strapped to my leg, there was little chance of that happening.

"Shall we then?" he offered.

"Let's," I answered back, I was getting bored of his babble anyway.

My first attack was a deception; I made a thrusting manoeuvre for his chest whilst bringing my shield up in the hope of striking him in the face. As foreseen, he parried my thrusting attack with ease, but then had to bend quickly backwards in an effort to avoid being hit by my buckler. He moved swiftly and retaliated by bringing his sword down in an overhead motion. I side stepped the attack and brought my knee rapidly up to his exposed side, but in a blur of green cloak he spun around my attack and struck me on the arm with something that was hidden in his other hand. A stinging sensation sent a wave of pain along my sword arm as we broke apart.

I looked to my arm, and placed my free hand on the cut that was seeping blood through a tear in the leather near to my bicep. A lucky hit, and one that had been totally unexpected. Thankfully it had just been a glancing blow, and my leather armour had absorbed most of the attack, no real damage done. But I cursed myself for not seeing the dagger beforehand.

"Tell me Mr.Stein," he began in amusing tones whilst eyeing my fresh blood upon his dagger mockingly, "before you die, tell me what is it you hope to find within the north?" I raised a smile as I wiped my blood from my hand. This was good. At least our intentions were still unknown. Now all I had to do was kill him and continue our search. Unfortunately this was proving to be a bit of a problem.

"Find?" I replied blankly, "we're not here to find anything. We just heard that the beer is better tasting so we thought we would come and try some for ourselves."

"Do not take me for a fool Mr.Stein!" His words were harsh and edged with anger, was this the first crack to appear in an otherwise composed exterior? "We know you are on a mission for your King. We have known of your movements ever since you left the gates of Ranak-lore." He smiled as he turned into the light, revealing some of his thin-faced features as he did. "So tell me, did you enjoy the fight you had in the tavern of Galma?" My mind raced back to the Inn of Good hope and to the three thugs who had attacked us.

"That was your doing?" The Ranger gracefully swept his hand before him.

"I arranged that little affray through some acquaintances of mine. I must say it was most entertaining to watch." My eyes betrayed my look of surprise to the Bowman, "Oh yes, I was there, hidden in a far corner of the tavern. Do you know why I arranged that particular incident Mr.Stein?" I said nothing as my eyes probed for a weakness, something I could use, anything! I then noticed that the terrain of the land behind him did not allow much room to manoeuvre backwards. If I tried another charge, he would surely side step to his right, and then… "It was because I was bored. Bored as I am now. My orders were to follow you to see what your intentions are and then dispose of you. But why continue to follow when there's action soon to be had to the south?" I launched my attack.

The speed and accuracy of my sudden attack surprised even me! My opponent just had time to swerve to the right whilst hastily blocking my attack before I shifted my weight and swung my blade upwards towards the position I had estimated he would be in. A dagger flashed before my eyes, but the satisfying feeling along my blade told me that my strike had connected. The Ranger stumbled backwards, his hand immediately going to the deep cut which was issuing blood like a fountain from a place under his chin. I could only imagine the surprised disbelieving look he now must have worn. I then watched with pleasing satisfaction as his hand, wet from his own blood, continually tried to staunch the flow. Hate filled eyes glared at me from the darkness of the Ranger's hooded cloak.

"Do you know what the problem is with a wound like that?" my words were slow and deliberately sarcastic. The ranger said nothing but continually glared at me on shaky feet whilst his cloak turned from forest green to crimson red. "Two-fold really. The first is that you will soon start to feel really weak as your lifeblood ebbs away, and secondly," I smiled a huge grin whilst leaning a little closer for effect, "it does have a tendency to spoil your looks, but in your case I think I may have improved them somewhat."