Warriors #1

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Warriors #1

The issue is split into three stories, featuring: Sultar, Bladehelm and Argent.

The first story begins with Sultar walk through a less than respectable street, apparently speaking to himself (though, those who know the character, know he’s speaking to the demon he has made a pact with). Muttering that he will do anything for a good night’s sleep, Sultar walks down the street, unaware a street urchin has poised himself to attack; seeing Sultar walk by, the thief awaits the second person whom Sultar is speaking with, and confused when no one else walks by. Inside a seedy tavern he tries to enter a game of gambling; but is told to get lost. Stammering backwards he runs into someone. Begging their pardon, they three in turn say that they apologize and would like him to join them in their games of chance. Sultar agrees, and repeatedly loses, and realizes that the larger of the three is cheating. The demon, Oneida, seizes control of Sultar and forces him to burn the dice, revealing the fact that they’re weighted dice. Sultar flees out of the tavern and down into an alley where he’s greeted by the same three men who commence beating on Sultar and robbing him. Rendering him unconscious, they throw him into a barrel and then into bay. When Sultar regains consciousness, he believes he has sunk to the bottom of the bay and will die, so he agrees to let Oneida seize control. The demon blew apart the top of the barrel and revealed that Sultar’s barrel was still floating. With Oneida in control, Sultar located the three thieves, and burned anything metal they were holding. Then placed all three in a barrel, full of gold coins; then incinerated them within the barrel, before pushing it into the bay.

The second story brings the focus to Bladehelm, who is perched between some rocks on a mountain trail, he spots a small band of riders wearing the symbol of Ras, a city’s symbol that had not been seen in over 500 years. Among the riders is a female prisoner, and Bladehelm leaps into action. He engages in combat with the riders of Ras, but just as the female prisoner warns him, Bladehelm is struck from behind across the head and rendered unconscious. As he lay there, his mind slipped to blackness, he has a vision of a great dragon that he is destined to fight. When he awakes, he sees he’s been left behind, assumed dead. Bladehelm begins tracking the riders of Ras all the way back to the forbidden city; which according to legend, lore and scholars, had been burned down during a revolt; the eerie keep still stood. Bladehelm sneaks into the keep, and bares withness to one of the riders plunging a dagger across the neck of a helpless victim, and draining their blood to drink. He sees the fabled duchess of death, still very much alive, despite the fact that she lived 500 years ago – and according to lore – had been killed, along with the rest of her family during the revolt. Due to his shock, he is approached and captured by one of the other riders of Ras. The Duchess explains that she alone, in her family survived the curse bestowed upon her family; that at an early age, their blood will turn black, and death will come. She explained that through the dark arts, she learned that by drinking pure blood, once a year, she can ensure that she will continue to live, along with her two cousins – the riders of Ras – Vyra and Kra. The cousins then take Bladehelm and string him upside down, next to the female prisoner he had seen with the riders of Ras, by the mountain pass. Later when the cousins return to get the woman to drain her blood, Bladehelm manages to sneak the knife from one of the cousins and cut himself free. Killing Vyra first, he then throws the dagger and kills Kra next. He gathers their blood in a cup and finds the duchess of death and forces her to drink their blood, killing her. The freed slave woman finds Bladehelm’s battleaxe and promises to reward him greatly – questioning just how great is the dwarven endurance.

The third and final story focuses on Argent. It’s an unusual story where he is desperate to learn from a mistress of the arts. So insecure with himself, he uses an enchantment to make himself more appealing to her. When he enters, the mistress of magic is a young woman, with a very macabre sense of furnishings. She asks him to cast a light spell, and nervously Argent begins casting the spell, and sees the illumination of lights shows she’s rather pleased with his ability, but states there’s things that she can teach him. She sits down and mentions that it’s now time for the oral part of the interview, eyeing him suggestively. She asks him about his experience, and Argent begins to realize that perhaps she isn’t asking about his experience in magic, when she goes on to ask about his “knowledge in… other subjects is as well founded?” He rattles off some reading he had done, and she cuts him off to ask if he is a virgin. He lies and states that he is not, but then turns and leaves.