1

Month of January,

            My name is Unaslys. I am a thief. For most of my young childhood, I took mischief into my arms like a mother takes a first new born. As I grew older, this became thief related. I have stolen many, many trinkets in my time. Most were of less value then I originally thought before I went after it. I have been tricked, kicked, stabbed and even left for dead, but I am still here. I have very few friends and have made even more enemies. The rich hate me, the poor love me. I steal, but I also give back to those less fortunate. I have a heart that isn’t made of total stone. I have had many years of fun. Yes indeed.

            I have decided to write in this book since it will tell of me and my antics. I am only doing this monthly as I don’t want to write every day.

            This month has been less then grateful. Not many hints or tips about treasure I can steal. Since my years of “service”, the king and his guards have tightened up around here. They do not know my face, but I know theirs. I have at least courted a few whores this month. It has been a lonely one.

            A better month then last. I caught that bastard king and his men off guard. I took a prized treasure from his castle. It wasn’t difficult to sneak in as a guard and take it. Funny thing though, this treasure makes me feel odd with every touch. It looks like a simple necklace to me. The chain is pure gold and it is attached to a black stone. The black stone looks almost like a material I’ve never seen. Since it feels odd every time I touch it, I wear my thieving gloves when I want to look at it. For now, I’ll look for a buyer.

            Since the theft of that chain, I have been running and hiding from all my enemies. I haven’t got a chance to do my regular treasure hunting. No money left for even a simple meal…this sucks!

            Finally found a buyer a week ago for this damn chain. I got some great coin for the return. I am surprised a small merchant had that kind of money. Whatever. I’ll gladly take the coins and leave that eyesore of a necklace behind. Now I won’t have to worry about being chased out of towns. I can go back to my usual routine. I actually may take a few months off with the new fortune I received for that damn thing. I earned it!

            I was tracked down by some kind of assassins. They somehow knew who I was and demanded the chain be given to them. They…

            The diary of Unaslyswas dropped by his hands and landed in a puddle of muddy water. The pages flipped back and forth as a strong wind blew across the dirt road. He was on horseback and had two arrows stuck in his left shoulder. Blood was dry on his dirty, brown cloak. A hood covered his unshaven face. His blue eyes kept blinking in pain. He held his left shoulder in much discomfort. The horse kept on walking down a dirt path.

            The path was surrounded by a tall grass field. The grass was all dried up. It stood as tall as a human being. It was easy to get lost within.

            The writing feather Unaslys used to write his diary skipped out of his hands and flew away. Grunts and moans were masked through the strong winds that blew around. Moonlight shined down onto the ground.

            This planet was always in the moonlight during the summer months. The heat that made it feel like summer was never explained. Perhaps it was from beneath the grounds. The sun wouldn’t come up until November, when a slight winter would hit. The days and nights would return to normal. The winter would only last one month and then disappear.

            As Unaslys’s horse was walking, a sound was heard from far away. It sounded like horses galloping towards his direction.

            “Damn! They found me!” Unaslys tried to make the horse go faster.

            As he pulled on the straps, the horse twitched and caused him to topple off. The impact almost knocked the wind from his lungs.

            “Stupid horse!” Unaslys spewed dirt from his mouth.

            Without a second thought, he ran blindly into the grass field. His speed was very low as energy was starting to leave his body. The sound of the horses got closer and closer. A voice was heard.

            “Halt men! Halt!” the voice sounded like a guardsman.

            Unaslys knew the sound of the king’s guardsmen all too well, “Great. Royal punks…”

            He coughed a bit of blood from his mouth. The cough wasn’t loud enough to catch the guardsmen’s attention.

            There were two guardsmen looking at the abandoned horse Unaslys left. They wore a grey armor with blue capes. There was a symbol on the capes. It was hard to make up as mud had covered them. Each guard wore a small helmet and carried a large sword on their left side. With a simple hand command, the two men dismounted their horse. The sight was like watching two snobby rich punks get off their high horse. Their boots squished into the muddy ground.

            The leader of the two had some black hair strands coming out of his helmet. His brown eyes were looking around the area. The other guard just stood motionless. His grey eyes made him appear older then he really was. He had his hand on his sword, as if he was ready for some action.

            The leader smelled blood and saw some on the horse, “Give up, thief! We know you are here somewhere. You will pay for your crimes and have a fair trial. If you don’t come quietly,” the leader looked into the grass field, “You will most certainly be punished without a trial!”

            He gave a hand signal and the second guard went into the grass field on one side. The leader went into the other. Crunchy grass sounded as the guards made their search in the grass. Unaslys heard the sounds and kneeled down as he became weaker. He had lost too much blood. He was ready for death. He stared up at the moonlight.

            “This seems to be my end!” He whispered.

            He collapsed into the muddy ground as the leader was nearing his fallen body. As he did, he heard a scream from the other guard.

            “What?” the leader bellowed.

            Wind blew across the field in an eerie angle. The wind began to pick up. The leader put his hand in front of his face as grass shavings started to blow in his direction.

            “Damn! Olans, where are you? Talk!” the leader started to walk towards where he heard the screams.

            Unaslys remained without movement. A hand was pulling the arrows from his body. Another was placed on his wound. A dim light was shot into it from the hand.

            “Olans!” the leader was becoming impatient.

            He was using his sword to cut away at the tall grass. It seemed the grass was becoming taller and taller as the leader felt like he was heading downward. Soon, the leader started to realize that the grass was getting much taller and taller. Soon his sword was not even strong enough to cut the grass.

            With the grass looking more and more like many tall trees, the leader yelled, “What is going on!”

            Olans came out of nowhere and confronted the leader, “Sir, why has everything become bigger? Why are there monsters here?”

            Soon the leader figured out that they had been shrunk down by some spell. Before the leader could speak one final time, a large ant came over top of the men.

            Bones breaking and tearing was the last sound heard by the men.

            Unaslys was hunched over on the back of a horse. A hooded figure rode the animal away from the grassy field. The guard’s horses were left behind.

            Unaslys awoke in a bed with fur covers on him. The bed felt very comfortable. The pain from his wounds was non-existent. He felt like a new man. The room he was in was almost like a hut. A sound of crashing waves was heard from outside. There was light coming from cracks in the hut’s wood structure. The bed was the only piece of furniture in the room.

            “Ok, this is very nice and comforting, but…” Unaslys looked under the sheets covering him, “Thank god!”

            He saw that he was wearing a brown cloak that covered his naked body. He felt for a hood, but there was none.

            “Aw. I wanted to feel like a monk. Oh well.” He whispered as he sat up.

            As he did, the hut door was open, letting more light into the room. The figure that rescued Unaslys was standing in the entranceway. His arms were crossed. His hood still remained on.

            Unaslys looked at the stranger with some speculation, “Why?”

            “Saving you? You ask why I saved you. It is purely simple, I need you.” The figure answered.

            The voice was female.

            “You are a woman.” Unaslys sighed.

            She removed her hood. A pair of blue eyes stared back at him. She had her long blonde hair tied up in a ball. She was a beautiful sight to see. Unaslys hasn’t seen a woman in a while, but she seemed to catch his eye immediately.

            “Is that a problem, thief?” The woman gave a harsh tone.

            Unaslys thought better then to test someone that helped him get out of certain death.

            He pushed the sheets off of him slowly, “No, no. Sorry for sounding ungrateful. I truly am glad that I am not dead. I only sighed because….well, nobody ever rescued me before. I always got out of trouble before without it.”

            “You may have worked alone too long then.” The woman walked over to the bed side and uncrossed her arms, and then continued, “My name is Neep. I am a runaway. I also protect myself with magic. I try to keep my powers low key to avoid suspicion. I too steal to make a living. I have been watching you for quite some time. You are good, but not the best.”

            Unaslys took insult to that comment, “Wrong! I am the best. I have survived this long. Nobody could survive as long as I have if they were amateurs!” He looked into her eyes, “By the way, what kind of name is Neep?”

            “What kind of name is Unaslys?” Neep asked.

            Unaslys thought about it, “Uh, well, I never meet my parents. They named me. It is what I got stuck with, ok!”

            Neep gave a slight smile, then she returned to a serious stare, “So, now that we know each other, my reason for saving your hide. I want you to join me in a mission.”

            “Whoa, whoa! Wait a minute! What mission?” Unaslys became concerned.

            Neep crossed her arms, “That black stone you stole. That man you sold it too. Both bad ideas. You need to help me correct those mistakes.”

            “Damn! I knew that thing would come back to bite my ass! I had enough trouble dumping that thing. I don’t need more trouble!” Unaslys got out of the bed, brushing his cloak with his hands.

            “You do not realize what you had. What it does and if it fell into the wrong hands. Your fault. You must correct it!” Neep uncrossed her arms.

            “What the hell are you, my forgotten father? Leave me alone! I thank you for the save, but I am not risking my neck for something that brings trouble.” Unaslys walked and stopped at the entrance doorway.

            Neep asked, “Why do you think you were near death? You think just because you let the stone go, everything would go back to normal?”

            Unaslys turned to face Neep, “I didn’t know that thing was going to cause anything but a minor ripple. It turned out to cause a large one. I don’t have the stone anymore, so I can conduct my normal business. Now, I am going. Don’t follow me!”

            He turned and walked out of the hut. He saw that he was on a shoreline that stretched for a long while. The whole area was a desert with no visible tree or plant in sight.

            “Where do you expect to go?” Neep stood behind Unaslys.

            “What is this? Where is this? There is no sign of life! Where’s your boat?” Unaslys looked around franticly.

            Neep just stood silent.

            He turned around and asked, “You have me trapped, don’t you, wizard?”

            “Yep. What are you going to do? Swim. Go ahead. You won’t get far before you tire and drown from exhaustion. You can also try hiking the desert, but the heat will most certainly fry you. Or you may run into some nastiness that will have a lunch from your flesh.” Neep remained motionless.

            Unaslys sat down in the sand and flicked a mound of sand with his palm, “Gee, let me weigh my options. Drown, fry, or get eaten by monsters. The opportunities are endless.” He lowered his head in disgust, “You bitch! You have me trapped because I want none of those options.”

            “Hmmmm, I’ve been called worse.” Neep whispered to herself.

            She sat beside him and asked, “I think the mission is your only option. So, help me or not?”

            Unaslys looked into her face, “Why are you doing this to me? You should have left me to die out there. Now I am going on a mission I know nothing about and most likely will die anyway.”

            “Die as a hero rather then as a coward.” Neep tapped the sand with her hands.

            “So, it seems it was my mistake to steal that damn stone. Why? Enlighten me.” Unaslys turned away and stared at the sand.

            Neep sighed, “Here it goes…”

            The Black Stone, made out of dragon skin, time, and space, once was held by a proud warrior. It was created to aid in the people of good against evil. The warrior’s name was Zeveb. He was formed into a fighting leader of men. Parents deceased, no brothers or sisters, and brought up by a king. He was taught his skills by his king. The bound between them was father and son. When Zeveb turned a ripe age of 20, he was given the Black Stone as a gift for reaching full warrior rank. With this stone he was able to take on the evilest of creatures and destroy them. The stone gave the wearer a protective shield from dark magic and white magic. Many assassins that knew of the stone attempted to slay the warrior, but none were successful. Over time however, the stone did develop a strong hold on the wearer. Zeveb never took it off for the 15 years he wore it. This caused his mind to become unbalanced and nearly insane. The power the stone held ran through the chain and around the stone itself. With every defeated creature, its soul became trapped within the stone. As Zeveb turned 35, his mind finally gave away to the stone’s power. He became evil and uncontrollable. His first act of insanity was killing his father the king. Then came the rest of the people he knew and trusted. Each kill was carried out in stealth. Nobody suspected the warrior of evil deeds. Zeveb led each of his victims into a trap or where nobody was around. Then he carried out the bloody deed.

            Months past as Zeveb became the new king. With his new power, he filled his castle with powerful warriors to protect him. He sent his guardsmen out to make people pay his guards to keep the land “safe”. Those that did not pay were taken to the castle and imprisoned or beheaded. The beheaded ones were the most difficult people to sway to follow Zeveb’s ways. He felt they were the ones that could cause a threat to him. Assassins were not able to touch the king’s castle as it was heavily guarded. The guards were masterful in combat and had no other challenge.

            On Zeveb’s 70^th birthday, he finally took the necklace with the Black Stone on it off. The necklace had made his body old and decayed. The necklace was placed deep within the castle and sealed in a room. Nobody knew of its existence except one person. Once the king reached his 71^st birthday, he past away, leaving his second in command in charge. His name was Jeric. He was just as ruthless as Zeveb was. He was the only one that knew of the room. However, he did not want to wear the necklace. He figured he had enough power by the control on the land.

            The necklace remained untouched for a few years, until Unaslys came upon it. He had disguised himself as a guard and snuck deep into the castle. The gold and king’s treasure was too well guarded to get too, so he thought there may be something deeper in the castle. He stumbled upon the room and got into it no problem. He took the necklace and closed the door behind him. As he was making his escape from the castle, he came face to face with Jeric in one of the hallways. Seeing that Unaslys wasn’t one of his guards, he cried out for help. Being fast, Unaslys made it out of the castle by the skin of his teeth.

            Later, after much trouble, he sold the necklace to a local merchant. This merchant kept the necklace hidden from his buyers. He felt it too valuable to sell for cheap.

            A few days later, the merchant’s house was found by Neep in ruins. There were many guardsmen pushing the old man around. He had been roughed up by them. Not taking the sight of a defenseless man being beaten, she stepped in. With a few slick moves and a few magic tricks, she stopped the guardsmen. Before the old man past away in Neep’s arms, he said that the guard were after a Black Stone necklace. The old man had a drawing on one of his tables. As Neep touched the drawing, her senses went off. She knew exactly what it was. The dangers of it were swimming through her brain. The event was so strong, she dropped the drawing and nearly pasted out. By then the old man had past on.

            Neep was a runaway since her age of 13. She shunned the normal way of life by paying the king and watching others suffer around her. Her magic ability was past to her from her parents. She never knew the full potential of this, but over time has discovered that it grows with each passing year. The more she uses it, the more powerful it becomes. Her thief ability came from years of being on the streets without any shelter or steady work. She was caught many times early on, but then got better and better at it. Her fighting skill was learned from studying the king’s guardsmen. She would dress as one and sneak in the castle to watch sparring matches between the guards. Over time she began to spar with the guards themselves. They never knew she was a woman. Neep would exit whenever Jeric the king showed up. She saw him fight once and realized he was very good. Too good and showed no mercy.

            Unaslys said, after hearing the story of the stone, “I had no idea that my actions could result in the possible world’s end. What is your plan?”

            “That is what we must discuss together. Now that I have your full attention.” Neep stood up from the sand.

            Unaslys followed Neep back into the hut.

            “So, your plan is going to take time to carry out?” Unaslys was sitting on a bed, twiddling his thumbs.

            Neep sat on the floor, staring back at him, “Time unfortunately must happen for us to succeed. If we rushed, this could cause our failure. Something we can not afford.”

            “Does this Jeric know of its existence?” Unaslys asked.

            “From the conversation that goes around, he regards it as nothing but a stupid stone. However, he wants it for its selling value. If he discovers that it has power, he will use it to wipe out all of his enemies. Something we can not let happen.” Neep sat up straight.

            Unaslys rubbed his unshaven face, “Sounds like a broken plan to me. How are we supposed to get this stone while others are looking for it too? What if someone else has it? Are you psychic? Can you tell me the future?”

            “Shut-up. You have only me to trust. Nobody else.” Neep stood up.

            “Testy, testy. Well, since I don’t feel like swimming to drown, trekking across a desert and dying, or getting snuffed out by desert creatures, you have my attention. When do we leave on this forced venture?” Unaslys remained still.

            “Forced? You think I am forcing this on you?” Neep gave a look.

            Unaslys smiled back, “Of course. Why else would I be brought to a place I can’t get out of? Besides, I kind of like this planet and wouldn’t want it to go dead. That way I wouldn’t be able to steal anymore, and I love stealing!”

            Neep kept a look into his eyes, “We leave tomorrow, smart ass!”

            She walked outside of the hut in a hissy mood.

            “I think I like I am beginning to like this broad.” Unaslys sat back with a smile.

            Jeric was sitting in his room, reading a book on death and decay. He enjoyed reading depressing or dark material. It fed his dark soul’s mind. He lay in his bed.

            Jeric had dark, green eyes that almost looked reptilian. He was human, but his eyes made it appear different. His bald head shined in the candlelight as the moonlight was the only other light source in the room. It came from a castle window near him. He wore a pure red knight uniform. The armor was a hard leather make. His sword was attached to his side in an alligator sheath. The handle was made of pure diamond. He certainly didn’t spend his money cautiously. His red helmet was on a bed side table. He was relaxing after a full day of being king. This meant killing those caught by his guards for not paying his tax. Also he had to deal with assassins trying to sneak into the castle. They were looking for the Black Stone, but it was no longer in the castle. The assassins assumed it still remained there. Jeric always laughed at the attempts made by the assassins to get the stone. He never thought the stone was worth anything except a high figure in money.      

            A guard burst through his door, “Sir, we have some news about the stone!”

            Jeric’s eyes gave the guard a cold stare, “I am reading! I asked not to be disturbed during my sleeping hours!”

            “But sir, um, we, that is I have news about the stone.” The guard started to feel uneasy.

            Jeric sighed, placing his book down and getting up from his bed, “News?”

            He quickly pulled his sword out and cut the knees of the guard. The guard fell like a twig in pain.

            “You know news without the stone in your possession isn’t really good news, is it?” Jeric walked around the fallen guard, brushing the blood off of his sword.

            “No…but I thought…you should know.” The guard grunted in pain.

            “Talk! I haven’t got all night!” Jeric put the sword to the guard’s neck.

            “We…we found where it is being kept!” The guard was closing his eyes in pain.

            Jeric made an uninspiring face, “So what? Why aren’t you going there now and getting it?”

            “We thought you should know…sir!” The guard held his knees.

            Jeric stuck his sword in the neck of the guard, “Fool!”

            The guard was now motionless as two more guards came to Jeric’s door.

            “Take this worthless corpse and feed the fishes with it!” Jeric wiped the blood from his sword and sheathed it.

            The two guards didn’t speak and grabbed the dead corpse and took it out of the room.

            Jeric closed his eyes in disgust; He then opened them and sat back on his bed, grabbing his book. He stared at his open door with an angry look.

            A guard came back to close the door as the blood remained on his floor.

            Jeric looked back at his book once his door was closed. His anger turned into a creepy enjoyment as he continued to read his dark book.