Rebirth by Darth Monte
This work is Copyrighted©

(NOTE: This is just a first draft)

When someone asks me the question I always have the same answer. A laugh. It always makes me laugh. Sometimes it is hearty, sometimes ironic.

I often ask it to myself. Why did I give away a normal life and take this path? Not for heroism. I know and I promise, once again, not for heroism. The best answer I can give myself is that this is the path that my heart ordered me to take. Your path never creates your heart; your heart makes your path. This is the reason I have taken this path of hardship.

Adversities? There are, in every thing you would want to do in your life. But, you'd have to win over these. You can win these no matter what, if you have true will. Hard work comes from intention.

Maybe today I am only striving but someday I believe, I would be able to finish the task I have sworn to do. Crave a world where's everyone's equal.

I was born in a typical Raksha village of Snrion at the times when the higher demons ruled this land. They were the cruelest of all beings. And, to me they were the seeds of evil. They were.

For, they tortured the lower races. The rakshas, the humans, the Cricats, the goblins and all others.

I grew up practicing sword-fighting and other weaponry from a local weapon- expert Mahmush Kazi. Who was obviously the best human being I had ever seen. Humans were evil in heart, but outside they were as pure as jackfruits. These made them one of the most weird things I have ever seen. But, Mahmush was an exception. I could always see his heart, and when you can see one's heart you can count him as a good man. Because, as one's evilness grows, his treachery follows suit and spreads a wall around his heart to make it invisible to others and to himself.

Mahmush was undoubtedly the best teachers of the country. He never had more than one student at a time. He took the charge of a child from a royal family and start training him in the arts of weaponry. And within the end of the student's four years of training the student would be turned to a clone of him, and his name would soon be added to the names of the best swordsman of the countries. Mahmush had fought two battles in his life. After the first battle with the neighboring city of Rurogikar he never fought another war till his last one in which he decided to give up fighting forever. That was the time he came to nitice a fighter in a farm-boy like me. I had simply applied for his studentship. And, it's more than a miracle that he found a true fighter in me. Five years after that the Raksha King Horoxruth finally started finally united the whole world under one banner in a war with the demons. That time the deal was plainly simple. If we won we would they would return to their doomed homelands to the center of the earth on the gravity.

My teachings were done that year but I had not yet by that time fought any real war. When I heard of the war with the demons I instantly packed my bags and went for the battlefield. I had told my teacher to come with me. But, he, a man of moral would not move from his stance. Battles were bad. Bloodshed. He didn't like that.

I went to the war myself not to establish heroism. I tell again, not to establish heroism. But, to cool the rage that I had for the demons since I was born. Their cruelty is mostly what I had seen all my life. And, the ambition to kill them was the thing that inspired me to become a fighter.

The war wasn't the thing I had dreamed of. For times I felt out of place. But, just as the pictures of their torture found its place in my mind I found new enthusiasm. At the end of day one I found the true 'me' in me, as did the others. King Horoxruth personally came to me and gifted me one of the best gifts of my life, vampire. I took the sword in the war next day and made it into another glorious day of my life.

But, with the glory came a catastrophe. The next day died our king in the hands of a former student of Mahmush, Elhikere with the swords he had gotten from Mahmush himself, Butterfly's fangs.

That was a day that the world would forever crave in their history. As far as I knew Elhikere was the favourite student of Mahmush, who had greatly misunderstood him as the boy with a patriotic heart. Rage burned in my heart and forced me to take the path that no new one should have dared to take. I challenged Elhikere, in a single duel, with the entire field watching. And, the stakes were raised soon, by none but the demon-lord himself. And, we agreed to the new deal.

The winner of the whole war would be decided on our personal duel. Things were more tense now. Instead of only my fate being on the line, the fates of all the races was on my line. And, from that time I started to know what it meant of duty. And, my duty was purely to save the whole world from the clutch of the vivacious demons. If I fail I would either die or would live with the doomed curse of self-pity. So, I took up vampire and stepped into the compound of the duel.

It was a memorable one. He fought with three weapons. The butterfly's fangs and a two-bladed axe named "Fang." It was one of the best curved and designed I have ever seen. Its hilt is made of metal and in its blade is scribed the figure of a dragon spreading its wings to the two blades of the axe. I lived at the end of the day with the cheers and shouts of thousands of creatures who said, "I want to live....I want to live."

I knelt in front of the dead Elhikere and prayed for him. A dead is no enemy of mine. I took his axe 'Fang' and took it as another of my weapon. I did not take the Butterfly's wings. I sent those two swords to their real master Mahmush Kazi. The world is too cruel upon itself. The war ended but not with good consequences. The rakshas took rule and with all their strength followed suit of the demons. They started their torture on the races of human and all other rather than create a peaceful society where everyone would live iwtrh the same rights.

I protested, and in spite of being their greatest warrior they punished me with one of the most brutal punishments, according to their standards. They cut off my hair and mad me bald. That day I left the Raksha capital and swore to do what I was born to do. No matter what the cost, create a world where everyone's equal.

-Gazakhuor Al Ghiere

 

Vampire met a sword as Fang found its way crushing through the flesh of the Raksha. It vomited a gurgle of blood from its mouth and knelt on the ground as each joint of his bones broke in pain. Fang added a finisher slash on the neck and the Raksha was finished. Gazakhuor pulled up his head just to find himself face to face with two barastars, who rose their axes and chopped together at Gazakhuor, who quickly placed himself a foot forward and put a block upon both the axes with Fang and Vampire.

The united force of the two barastars pushed him away but in a moment he recovered from the push and concentrated on the fight again. How intensely stupid these creatures are! They have no want for freedom, no thought and most important of all no feelings. They would work under any master as long as they could get enough blood to feed their hungry weapons. They never had known the powers they had in their blades. How stupid. Whenever anyone gets to kill these beings they always make sure to take away those spiky blades. They had three on each shoulders, each filled with highly dangerous explosives that were all liquid. And all of these reacted quite furiously. When they reacted with water, to craete and explosion that could kill twenty Rakshas together.

The two baras heaved at Gazakhuor from both sides. He somersaulted backwards in the air and dodged the attack. He double-crossed his axe and sword together at the baras. Amazing him both of them blocked the blows.

Gazakhuor brought back his weapons to himself and pushed two pokes at the baras. One of them parried it by jumping aside. The other parry caught the remaining bara in the neck. The poke delivered from axe's corner edge screwed through the neck and brought back blood and life with it.

The other bara led in a series of constant slashes that kept Gazakhour completely busy in blocking without giving him any chance of regaining his attack on the bara and pushing his back more and more towards a comparatively large among the many trees of the forest.

Gaza sensed the trap and instantly took his counter on the bara. He faked an attack to the bara's skull that made the bara rise his axe to block the attack. Gaza took the chance and struck the bara at the sides of its waist.

The bara placed a block on vampire's shot-route. It was metallically blocked with agreat sound of clash of metals. The next sound was of a blade enter flesh and the splash of blood. Fang's task was done.

Gaza pulled out the axe and fell to the ground for a good rest. Mahmush was still busy, but safe. Of course he was safe for he could easily captivate over the guards inside the castle. Security warnings hadn't been raised yet. But, they may rise any time.

But, that time was not to come today. For Gaza saw Mahmush running out of the gates of the tower with the parchment they were looking for.

"Let's go." Mahmush insisted and pulled Gaza straight to his feet from his bed of soil. Gaza relaxingly stood up and stretched his body parts for a while. "What's the hurry?"

"We cannot stay here. I had to kill three Rakshas. Alarm would rise any time. We better go."

Gaza sauntered behind the hasty Mahmush to their horses that were kept a mile away. When they were on their mounts their plan started taking form. "The first thing we would need is our captured goblin battalion that is being taken to castle Shyannashi's dungeons. Once we get that team out we would be able to kill Gheukutta." Mahmush said as he showed the map to Gaza.

"Got it." Gaza said as he sauntered his horse towards his destination, "But how? How many are we going to take to the seige?"

"Good question. If my guess is right they have not yet reached Shyannashi. If we can ambush them on the way I think we would get some advantage." Mahmush said, 'In that case we would have to take the North east road. That way we would be able to meet them on their way."

"They have five hundred strong Rakshas with them and most of them know magic. We better take good amount of force with us."

"We would need at least six hundred strong, to defeat such army. And, we never had such an army. And, half of which we had has been captured. Now, what do we do?"

"How much gold do we have?" asked Gaza.

"What do you want to do?" asked Mahmush.

"I would hire a sorcerer." Gaza said, "He would be helping us in the ambush."

"Including you we already have three magic-users in our team." Mahmush said, "One more would make no difference."

"None can tell what happens. Maybe that one would be the only hope of us sometime." Gaza said, "They have at least forty expert magician." Gaza said, "And all of them has some minimum knowledge on the thing."

"Over ninety percent of us have some short knowledge of this subject." Mahmush said.

"Yet, I would hire a very expert and talented sorcerer for our invasion." Gaza said.

"Even if we do so. We would have to at least reach our camp by tonight and start the journey at tomorrow morning." Mahmush reminded Gaza.

'We have no choice. We would take this path if it's necessary this way. But you didn't answer me. How much gold do we have?"

"4000 thousand gold coins."

"Isn't that enough to hire two magicians?" asked Gazakhuor.

"Probably more than two." Mahmush laughed.

They reached their camp by midnight. All forty men, eighty goblins and one hundred dwarves awaited them. All of these were the followers of Gazakhuor Al Ghiere and his passions, waiting only for his order.

The plans were described to them.

"But, even if we start by dawn we wouldn't catch them on the crossing unless we don't give up our food and water for two nights." said the dwarf-leader and magic-expert Areses, "Shall we do that?"

'Of course. As we don't have any thing to do save tolerate the situations we would have to do that."

The journey was tougher then the previous one. They were on rush to do things quicker than normal and they had another harder mission in front of them. In spite of the continuous insistence of Mahmush they could not stop thinking about the mission in front of them. Which made thing even harder.

The only other magic-expert among them was the goblin Wacyuv, who was given the task to scout around each city alone in search of another magic expert. But what happened on their second day of journey was not what anyone, even the most hopeless of them had expected.

Wacyuv had found information of a very famous human magician that wished to be hired. GcLion Iziorar.

Anyone who could see him a glimpse would undoubtedly count him as a ambitious and highly confident of yourself.

"4000 golds." He demanded as he conjured a diamond in front of him. "I promise you. You will never lose a coin if you hire me. Never. I will repay you every coin I take from you."

Gaza had his eyes on the diamond. "What is this?" he pointed at the diamond that slowly floated through the air in front of his eyes.

"Time will answer." Izirior answered, "No magician in this world dares to take as much money as I do. You know why?"

"Why?" Quiyo the goblin-lord demanded in anger rather than curiosity.

"It's not because I am the best magician in the world. But, I know what I know and I deliver things at perfect time." He said.

"Show me a single thing you can do to help us in our mission."

Izirior smiled. The diamond swiftly ran to a flower-vase. It hit the vase and evaporated smoke from itself. And when the smoke passed there was no vase there.

"I can vanish non-living things from reality." said Izrior.

"May be I am making the biggest mistake of my life. But, ok 4000 is a deal." Gaza said stuning everyone in the room.

"What have you done?" Mahmush demanded when they were out of Izirior's hut.

"I dont' know but I have a feeling that he would be useful." Gazakhuor said.

It was evening when the whole team including the new member reached the mission's spot. There were no signs of the battalion.

Areses was sent with a team of four men to search for the team.

"Your ultimate target is with them." Said Izirior to Gaza.

"And, how come you know who's my ultimate target this time?" Gaza asked glancing suspiciously at the magician. He had not been told anything about what they were doing or what their real mission was. He had been told only to kill any Raksha they meet except Gazakhuor himself.

"My vision." Said Izirior.

Gazakhuor decided not to give a damn to the man, because he was already damned. But, when Areses returned the suspicion on the magician rose to its full limits. Izrior only laughed. It was really true that Gheukutta was with the enemy.

"Gazakhuor." Izirior said, "I have a plan." He said, in a quite influential and serious tone. "We should somehow scare Gheukutta away and then we would be able to tag team against him.

Soon there were spots on the horizon that marked the arrival of the enemy. All the team took their personal positions according to the plan that had been pre-decided during the journey.

But there were needs of changes in the plan. Areses and Wacvyc were selected to chase Gheukutta to the nearby forests of Gom, where Izirior and Gazakhuor would fight against him.

As soon as he lines of the enemy cavalry touched the boundaries of the archers's range the battle started. Thirty archers each launched three arrows together. Ninety arrows pierced through more then fifty Rakshas. But, they wouldn't die that easily. A second line of shafts were launched. Mahmush noticed the goblin battalion surrounded by the Rakshas. He beckoned them to fight but just then noticed them armless. He jumped in the field and started heat. People came to him, but none survived in front of the two fangs of butterflies. He parried past a spear and than hacked the shaft of the weapon with the right fang of butterflies and then thrust his sword into the spearman's belly.

Areses cleaved his axe through the flesh of a Raksha and stepped another step towards the Raksha-lord Gheukutta. He saw him cleaving through the opposing armies of Gazakhuor. He cast a fireball at him, which he unintentionally dodged while he tried to dodge the wrath of a frenzied goblin. Wacvyc whipped the skin out of another Raksha's neck and ran towards Gheukutta.

Once Gheukutta was out of the crowd it was easy to follow him. They cast thunder-netted fireballs together at Gheukutta and forced him to the direction of the Gom. But, to their utter astonishment he ran to Gom from himself. Probably because he didn't know of the fate that awaited him there.

"Here he comes." Izirior said and drew a curved broadsword that looked more like a chopper. "Take your position there and attack when he comes."

Gaza hid himself behind the cover of a dense bush. He saw Gheukutta run into the forest. Just as he rose to ambush the Raksha he felt a cold biting touch on his neck.

"Welcome to the game of Elhikere reborn." Izirior said, "Do you remember who it was?"

Gaza was thundered with fascination with a want of knowledge of what emotion he should feel that time. "I knew there was a problem."

"There's always a problem." said Elhikere reborn aka Izirior and took off the lock of blade he had on Gazakhour.

Gazakhuor swiftly came out of the lock as soon as he got chance.

"If I had been a coward I would have killed you. But, I am not a coward so I wont kill you like that.' said Elhikere.

"Thanks. But its not fair. I know that you and Gheukutta are in the same group. So it wouldn't be fair if you two take me together."

"Wouldn't it be?" a voice said from behind Gaza. It belonged to the great Raksha-lord Gheukutta.

Gazakhuor drew his weapons and spun back successfully blocking a shot at the skull. He pushed the blow back to Gheukutta and then he shoved Fang and vampire together at Gheukutta's left leg.

But, Elhikere advanced and blocked the attack for Gheukutta. 'I told that I would repay you. I will but only with four thousand chops of this.' He roared and heaved the curved sword at Gaza who blocked it and started a dance with his weapons. The two foes joined the dance.

The night deepened and the war ended. They won miraculously with only fifty survivors of Gaza's team. Both Aseres and Wacvyc were killed in the battle, so there was none who knew where Gaza was.

"He's dead." Mahmush declared after he returned from a hour of search. He burst into tears. His most favorite student was dead or lost. It was unbearable It would have been unbearable for anyone.

They all were crying when they heard the voice, "I am back." said Gazakhuor Al Ghiere with two headless-bodies in his arms.