The Seven Heroes chapter 1 part 1

Chapter 1: The Final Days

Rolan ran through the clearing to a patch of vegetation at the left tip of the twin cliffs.

Living in the mountainous regions at the southernmost tip of Alexandria have made Rolan surefooted and nimble.

No cartographer or adventurer ever returned from the lands south which also made him inquisitive and curious.

His head had a thick cover of auburn hair while his eyes shows a hint of bright blue. Through the bright questioning eyes is a mind that thirsts for knowledge.

His thought races as he throws himself to a good vantage point at the top of the cliff. Excitement fills his lungs with short breaths.

Something finally stirs from the south.

Rolan peers across the cliff squinting his eyes trying to see through the thick blanket of darkness.

"Rolan! We have to get back inside! Dad will be mad!"

"Shhhhh!!! Libby, be quiet! why did you follow me? I told you I will be back."

"You had that feeling again? The one that always mean there's trouble?"

Libertine is Rolan's 8 year old sister. her brown hair is gathered behind her head and braided into two pigtails. Like most young siblings, they do nothing but imitate their older brother or sister.

She idolizes her dear brother. When he is studying numbers, maps or reading, she sits with him while studying letterforms and numbers. When he is working in their small field, she works hard moving insects from one spot to another. When his dad is training him with a sword, She trains and swings a stick copying her brother's strokes. When he is piqued with interest and went to dangerous places, she follows him as stealthy-like as an 8 year old can.

This will always lead to his brother getting lashes from their dad. She hates when that happens.. but she can't help it.

"But who will look after you if not me? *huff* you went out again....*huff*.... in the middle *huff ... of the night!"

"Shhhh!"

Rolan pulled his sister beside him, hidden by a big tree and some bushes. His eyes are trained on a single light in the middle of the vast blackness down below.

"That is a torch... and it is coming closer to the twin cliffs. Someone is trying to cross back into Alexandria!"

His eyes went back to his sister who now peers down where he was looking. She squints her eyes as she pucks her lips out in concentration.

"Look at that face!" He can't help but giggle at his sister's attempt to look like an adventuring scout.

Libby looks to his brother and gave a pout.

"I'm being serious here! oh, and there are three of those lights now."

"What?" Rolan looked back at the blackness and found 2 more torches were lit. "Its a band of adventurers then."

another five torches joined, and then another ten.

"Brother, There are more of them now. I am getting scared."

after a few moments, the blackness is almost gone. They have been replaced by hundreds of lit torches.

"Its an army... an army from the south.."

Rolan's eyes have gone wide. His thought races through possibilities but the ideas filled him with dread. Evil creatures lives in the south; Orcs, goblins, undead and their ilk. Sure they get trouble from occasional kobolds or a giant or two deep in the mountains, but the killings from kobolds would look tame compared to one caused by a handful of goblins.

"We have to run back. Have father and the village warn our king. We need to leave!"

Rolan pulled his sister up and started to turn, His blood ran cold when he notices that the moon is now blocked by a great shadow behind them. From the corner of his eye, he saw a huge nonhuman silhouette wielding an axe. its arm ready to throw a downward strike to the bewildered children. He will die and he took his sister with him. In that short instance, he felt regret for allowing his sister to follow him, anger at himself for being too reckless and fear. Great unbridled fear. Death is coming in a strong swift stroke.

The large silhouette squealed and its muscles tightened as it started the downward strike. Libby screamed and closed her eyes as Rolan instictively grabbed her and covered her with his own body while looking at their assailant with bright yet anger filled eyes. The axe will simply go through him but he was not thinking. It was simply reflex.

He braced himself against the killing blow but was taken by surprise when he heard someone shout out:

"GET DOWN!"

Rolan closed his eyes and ducked.