Dogwood Chronicles - Prologue

Prologue: Come Sail Away

It was a fairly normal day; Kirk had just finished his training on Maple Island and had boarded the ship heading to Victoria Island to become a Magician and continue his adventures.

Kirk himself wasn’t anything really impressive yet; just a Beginner with a light tan, spiky brown hair, a pair of horn-rimmed glasses, a grey t-shirt, blue jeans, and a cheap pair of sneakers, armed with only a small dagger. He had a hard time standing out in the crowd of other Beginners who looked almost exactly like him; which did make things a little complicated on the long ride to Victoria Island; it wasn’t uncommon for someone to mistake him for another person on the ship.

With the long trip finished, Kirk took his first steps in Lith Harbor; the place looking a lot nicer than Maple Island did. Unsure of how to get to Ellinia, he proceeded to ask the first person he saw carrying a map; that happened to be dressed much like the thieves he always saw in the books back on Maple Island (An old leather skullcap with goggles, a faded jacket and shirt, a pair of jeans with holes ripped in the knees, and some well-worn shoes).

Kirk: Excuse me…

Person with map:  Yes?

Kirk: Do you know how to get to Ellinia?

Person with map: I take it you’re new here. I’ll show you the way; it’s a bit dangerous for a Beginner like you to venture out there by yourself.

Kirk: Wow…thanks. I’m Kirk, by the way

Person with map: I’m Khan. Now, let’s go

From that point on, Kirk and Khan hung out; as Kirk finally became a Magician (Swapping out his ordinary clothes for a green robe and hat with ugly white shoes) and started to get stronger, with Khan helping him complete various quests. The two would simply go explore places for no real reason other than to see what they would find, or would often find ways of getting themselves in trouble.

One afternoon, the two where sitting around in the Henesys potion shop; trying to decide what they where going to do that day.

Kirk: So…what are we going to do today?

Khan: I have an idea; let’s head to Perion and try to fight Stumpy

Kirk: Wait…isn’t Stumpy supposed to be a powerful foe? There’s no way I could handle that

Khan: If we combined our power, we can probably defeat him easily. What do you say; should we try?

Kirk: Why not?

The two then made their journey north to Perion; heading to the cliffs outside of town. As they had to go around Sleepywood, since Kirk wasn’t powerful enough to handle the monsters there yet, it took them a while to arrive at the general area where Stumpy resides. Once they arrived, they saw it standing ominously before them; not moving at all.

Khan: He appears to be asleep; this is our chance to get in a first strike

Kirk: Sounds good

As Kirk got out his training wand and prepared for battle, Khan reached into his pockets and pulled out a pair of daggers; assuming a fighting stance once he was ready.

Kirk (confused): Wait…isn’t a thief supposed to fight with only one dagger?

Khan: I’m not an ordinary thief; I’m a Dual Blade, who specializes in using twin blades to rapidly dish out damage

Kirk (in amazement): Wow; I never saw those mentioned in the books on Maple Island…

Khan: There are a lot of unusual things out there, which you won’t find in those old books. Now, let’s kick some butt

As quietly as possible, Khan walks right up to Stumpy and proceeds to stare him down; studying his new foe and any possible weaknesses. After a few minutes, he then began to attack, as Kirk watched in amazement; how quickly Khan was able to attack and dodge most every attack thrown his way. Attempting to help, Kirk did cast a fireball spell against Stumpy; which didn’t have any effect compared to what his friend was pulling off. Eventually, Stumpy gained the upper hand by pounding the ground; which broke Khan’s concentration and his rapid-fire barrage, while nearly knocking him out. Quickly, he got back up and began to slowly back away.

Kirk: What now?

Khan: We should run

Kirk: Sounds like a plan to me

The two then took off running; as Stumpy resumed resting. Once the two where far enough away from Stumpy, Kirk and Khan stopped to catch their breaths; sitting down on the warm stone ground.

Khan: That didn’t go exactly as planned…

Kirk: My attacks didn’t even phase it; I’ve never encountered something that powerful before.

Khan: Although, you have to admit that was fun as hell

Kirk: True that, even though we where nearly killed by a tree. So, what are we going to do now?

Khan: I heard there’s a great bar not far from here. After that battle, I think we deserve a cold one.

Kirk: Sounds good to me

The two then proceeded to head into the town of Perion. The two would always meet up every afternoon from there on out to go on another whirlwind adventure; traveling all across Victoria Island and always finding some way to get themselves in trouble.