Fan Fiction / Record Of Lodoss War Fan Fiction ❯ Chaos in a Nutshell ❯ More of a Intro... Kinda... ( Prologue )

Chaos in a Nutshell

By Frank Emery

(Anything asterisked has a definition of some sort at the end of this story.)

(Author's Note: I am quite aware that this story is full of plot holes… Please do not hold that against me… Thank you.)

A dark cloaked figure walks into a small city named Wehnimer's Landing. As he walked toward the tavern he received nervous stares and glances. Once in the tavern he headed in the direction of the bar. All who had been sitting at the bar scrambled away with fear in their eyes.

"Mead," was all that left his mouth.

"Al… Alright sir, I don't want no trouble," stammered out the bartender.

"I'll pay for this man's drink," came a voice from behind the cloaked man as a hand lightly grasped his shoulder.

"Finally back in town, Saldrar?" said the drow* that sat down next to the cloaked man. "It's been three long years."

Not long enough, Daestor," replied Saldrar.

"A lot has changed since you left."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, there's a new guild leader in town… Thanks…" hands the barkeep a silver coin for the drink. "It's rumored that she is a demon."

Saldrar's ears perked up under his hood at the last word. He then looked over at Daestor.

"Is that so? You've peaked my interest…" he says as he gets up and heads towards the door.

"Don't cause too much trouble!" Daestor called out as Saldrar headed out the door.

More frightened glances and nervous chatter followed him on his way to the Sorcerer's Guild.

"I can't believe he's back."

"I finally settled into my new house."

"Is that really him?"

"I heard he's going after Xenna."

Upon his arrival at the guild, the guards woke up and took their proper positions.

"Halt! Who goes there?" called out one of the guards

"How cliché…" Saldrar muttered as he rubbed his forehead.

"State your name!" shouted the other guard.

"Saldrar is my name and let me in or I'll tear your heads off!" shouted back Saldrar.

"Your name is not on the guild member list. Leave now or face the consequences!"

"Fools… So I take it you forfeit your lives?"

"We forfeit nothing! Get back or el-" the guard couldn't finish the sentence as that Saldrar's hand was firmly grasped around his throat. With one fluid motion he snapped the guard's neck and threw him aside.

"Wh-What are y-you?" stuttered the remaining guard. Saldrar then got right into his face and said, "That's a secret." He then chuckled slightly, and the guard started to chuckle but Saldrar started shaking his head. "Run," was the last word the guard ever heard as he took off the ground opened up beneath him and swallowed him whole.

Saldrar then walked into the guild, noting the minor changes that he noticed. "Nothing really major has changed…" he commented. After numerous twists and turns he arrives at two oak doors. Next to the doors fixed to the wall is a plaque that reads, "Guild mistress Xenna, The Greatest Sorceress Ever."

"Not the modest type, that should make things interesting," muttered Saldrar as he opened the doors and entered the large office.

"Who enters my chambers?" said a light purple haired woman.

"Been a long time, Xenna."

"Saldrar, is that you?" replied Xenna.

"You know why I'm here right?"

"Yes," said Xenna's voice as she faded away.

"Simple invisibility won't work on me, Xen!" shouted Saldrar as he turned around and shot a ball of energy at a seemingly empty space. The ball created a small explosion followed by some dust. When the dust cleared Xenna is standing there behind a shimmering wall of energy.

"Very good Saldrar, your skills have improved in the past three years," commented Xenna. "Now should we cut the warm-ups and get straight to the good stuff?"

"Sure, why not?"

Xenna sheds her formal guild robes revealing leather armor and a sheathed sword. Saldrar removes his cloak and flexes his wings. With his hood gone, his long platinum hair fell down his back. He rubs one of the small horns protruding from his forehead, his leathery shedding small `skin' fragments. With his cloak gone he seems to have an aura that absorbs the light around him.

"So my underlings weren't wrong when they said you gained impressive demonic powers."

"Heh. Cut the small talk, I want to get this over with… You think I like causing destruction?"

"Yes."

"Oh, well yeah but I got some other business to take care of."

Before he even finished the sentence Xenna had started muttering and incantation and tracing symbols into the air. By the time he realized it a rift had been created right in front of him. Out of the rift came three very large jellyfish. "Attack!" left Xenna's mouth and the three jellyfish charged Saldrar with their paralyzing tentacles in the air. Saldrar backed up with his broadsword drawn parrying the jellyfish attacks. Unfortunately he was not quick enough and a tentacle hit his right arm. The numb arm dropped the large sword. A second tentacle came down on his left leg, and he fell to the ground. With Saldrar on the ground with pain, the jellyfish moved in to finish him off, but Xenna intervened.

"I want to finish him off myself."

"Take this!" called out Saldrar as he launched a fireball into Xenna's face. The explosion blasted her into a wall.

"Ugh… You'll pay for this, Saldrar," groaned out Xenna.

"I don't think so," said Saldrar as he stood up. "Luckily I heal very fast."

"Curse you…"

"Come now. I think it's time we finished this."

"Alright then… Hyah!" cried out Xenna as a fireball of her own was hurled at Saldrar. The fireball hit, making a large explosion, and when the dust cleared Saldrar was standing there, unscathed.

"Pitiful. Now its time I put you out of your misery," commented Saldrar. He then put his hands in front of him and started muttering an incantation. As he muttered on a ball of energy grew and grew between his hands. Xenna looked in fear as this happened. When he finally stopped the ball was the size of a beach ball. "This is where you die!"

Xenna looked on as the ball was thrown at her. She tried her best to but up a defensive spell, but it was too late, before she could even finish the incantation the ball collided with her. The last thing she said was, "Oh, sh-" and then the ball exploded. The explosion could be heard all the way across town where a drow was sitting in a tavern having a drink.

"Oh no. That's coming from the Sorcerer's Guild," Daestor said instinctively. He threw some silver coins on the table and rushed out the door. When he got there, one-third of the city had been leveled. "That had to be Saldrar, only he could cause this much destruction."

Daestor then feverishly upturned rubble while calling out for Saldrar. By the time he got to the Sorcerer's Guild's original location, he detected a trace of magic in the air. "Only one thing leaves a trace of magic like this… a teleportation spell," he then walked a few yards more and he sensed the same trace of magic. "Xenna got away too."

The End… or is it? (Insert a "Bum bum ba!)

*Drow: A dark elf, and elf with dark or black skin.

The character Xenna © copyright Lindsey Stone

The character Saldrar © and Daestor © copyright Frank Emery