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Legacy of the Quill: New Beginnings

by Heavenly Quill

Chapter 6: Awakening

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Author's Notes:

Ok my readers I know its been a long while since my last update and i'm sorry but rest assured the next chapter should not take nearly as long. that being said i'd like to thank my editor proof reader and friend Justin Daniels for contributing so much for this story. This chapter in fact is brought to you largely by him. so please go give his stories a read. Ok enough talk enjoy the new chapter!

Yin and Yang continued to hide on the roof of the building while staring at the sand-filled skies in horror. The town's magic barrier was around it, keeping the sandstorm from blowing into the town... but there's no possible way that anyone could survive that kind of weather, unless they were inside either a town or a cave... and the latter would practically be impossible, because the path between Sandstone City and Rockwell Village didn't have any caves in it.

Mournfully, the twins covered their eyes and began to weep, until they heard the sound of movement coming from the guard station. As soon as they turned and took a quick peek, their eyes widened at the sight before them.

A pair of guards were carrying Heart Stone by each arm, but stopped midway down the street. Then, after letting out a light chuckle, they shoved him to the ground, and walked back into the guard station, while Stone just lied there with his eyes closed, and his knees curled close to his chest. Seeing that there were no guards running around anymore, Yin and Yang quickly climbed down the building, and ran to their friend's aid.

"Stone! Thank goodness, I thought they killed you!" Yin cried as the two ran up to him... then, when they saw the large amount of blood coming from his closed eyelids, the two of them gasped. "Stone?! What... what did they..."

While breathing heavily, Stone replied, "Cut... they cut 'em out... th-they... they cut my EYES out!" Then, due to the amount of pain that he was in, Stone fell to the ground unconsciously.

Without hesitation, Yin and Yang picked their unconscious friend up off the ground and lifted him onto their shoulders. Then the two of them started carrying him away from the center of the street while talking to each other.

"I just hope... I just hope Strax managed to escape with Quill! I-if he did, then he could've quickly dug a hole for the two of them to hide in during this storm!" He was interrupted by his brother suddenly stopping. When he looked at his brother, he noticed right away that his brother was looking at something in the distance with an expression that practically spelled "trouble". Following his brother's expression, soon HIS faial expression shaped into the same exact look, as a motionless figure was seen lying in a puddle of blood with several arrows sticking out of his back. Instantly, the two twins recognized the figure lying in his own blood.

"S... STRAX?!"


Slowly, Quill's eyes started to open. When they did, however, he couldn't see anything but darkness. The ground he was on felt like it was stone. Around him, however, he was able to hear the sound of running water.

"H... hello?" he asked, only to be met with echoes of his own voice. Nervously, he sat back up and tried to find a source of light.

Finally, after ten seconds of fruitless searching, his right hand caught hold of a metallic object. Feeling around it, he sighed in relief when he figured out what the object was... a lantern.

He lifted the handle up with his right hand and felt for the lever at the bottom with his left. Then, when he found it, he slowly turned it clockwise; instantly filling the room up with light.

Looking around in circles, his eyes widened when he saw greenish white stone bricks all around him... the walls, the floor, and the ceiling. Stretching one foot away from the walls, a small moat filled with water six inches deep circled the round room. On one corner, however, there was a brick bridge that connected the floor Quill was standing on to a dark green wooden door that arched upways in the center.

Slowly, he walked up to the door and gripped onto the handle. Then, when he turned the knob, he slowly opened it, and gasped at the room before him.

A huge stone circle floated in the center of a pitch black room. Around the circle, several lit torches rested. Connected to the circle were countless stone bridges that led to many other rooms in the massive cave. Below the circle, a stone spiral staircase led down, with even more bridges connecting it to other rooms below.

Standing in the center of the stone circle were a group of strange-looking creatures. They each had either tan, brown, or yellow furless chests and faces, but they also had features that could best be described as animal-like. Some of them had hands that were the same color as their chests and faces, while others had the wings and talons of eagles. Some had the legs and paws of a lion. Those also had huge manes on their heads that lowered below their chins similar to lions.

They all turned towards Quill when he opened the door, which caused him to gasp and back away...

That is, until his back bumped into someone. When he turned around, his eyes widened when the same gargoyle that carried him there looked down at him.

Before he could say anything, however, the gargoyle lowered his knees to look Quill in the eyes from his height. Then the gargoyle smiled and nodded his head. "At long last, you've awoken, Quill. Please, do not fear us, for we mean you no harm."

Quill's heavy breathing started to slow at the reassurance. "S-sorry, sir... I... w-where..."

The gargoyle shook his head and stood back up. "Fear not, Quill, for all will be revealed to you, soon. For now, you must prepare." He walked past Quill and began crossing the bridge to the circle.

"Prepare? Prepare for what, exactly?" Quill asked as he followed the gargoyle down the bridge.

"To fulfill your destiny, of course!" the gargyle answered matter-of-factly.

Quill tilted his head in confusion, before deciding to drop the subject. He looked around the area, more specifically, at the creatures that roamed about, conversing with each other, reading books, and/or sparring with a sword, club, or spear.

"A-am I... dead?" Quill finally asked before looking back at the gargoyle.

The gargoyle hummed for a moment before shaking his head. "No... but you were dead when I found you, though. Fear not, for you are not in Tartarus, either."

Quill sighed again in relief after hearing the last bit. "So... w-where are we, exactly?"

The gargoyle, after stepping onto the circle, chuckled before continuing towards the center of it. Then, when Quill reached the circle and stepped on top of it, the gargoyle turned to face him. "You are in Nexus. It is one of the few remaining cities where the Cursed Ones live."

"C-CURSED Ones?!" Quill nervously asked baffled.

The gargoyle nodded his head before turning towards the figures around the city. "Indeed. The curse that they all share is very... unique, in a way. They have all lived a life before, but have lost any and all memories of those lives. Taking on a new form, and a new body, they live on in small communities once they leave Nexus, or any other places. What they seek is entirely for themselves to decide, whether it be a sign of the life they lived before, or a new place to start over in. No matter what, however, they are all bound to follow the Nymphari, should they require them to do something... and they hear them, even when nobody else can."

"Wait... did you just say the 'Nymphari'?!" Quill asked again. His eyes were widened even more, now.

The gargoyle nodded his head and replied, "Indeed... and this may come as a shock to you, but after you have woken up, now you have the capability to hear them, as well."

Quill's jaw dropped, and he stood speechlessly. Then he shook his head, blinked a few times, and asked, "B-but... how do you know?!"

The gargoyle chuckled again before stretching his arms out. "Because you are speaking to one of them right now, of course!"

Quill stood there silently, before turning towards the Cursed Ones around them. They walked up to the circle and nodded their heads in agreement at the gargoyle's words.

Slowly Quill looked back up at the gargoyle and asked, "W-who... who are you?"

The gargoyle crossed his arms over his chest and replied, "I am the King of the Nymphari, but you may call me... Scorpan."

Next Chapter: Side Story part 1: Fallen Friend Estimated time remaining: 6 Minutes
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