Legacy by Christopher Pastrana (best reads txt) 📕

of the endless attacks. These dark figures were throwing every element at him. From fire, to water, all six were being used now. Breathing hard now he missed a block and was thrown to the floor by a sharp, thin piece of rock.
         Following through with the fall, Reinhardt used his uninjured arm to vault himself back to his feet. A large ball of fire erupted from above him and another blade of wind gathered and came at full speed. Getting ready to defend himself Reinhardt turned and tried to release his only weapon again. When it didn't extend he realized that the thin piece of rock had hit him it had damaged the mechanism that made the weapon function. Now that it was useless he had no defense.
         A chill went up his back as he watched both attacks fade from sight. Through the darkness the forms of the cloaked men appeared again, their eyes never having left him.
         "You have potential elementalist." A strange voice filled the room. Reinhardt couldn't tell who was speaking because the voice sounded like it was coming from everywhere at once. All six of the figures watched him, calculating.
         "What are you?" Reinhardt asked trying to figure out what was going on.
         "We are the one who created this world, the ones who created the dragons and banished the forgotten one."
         "Probably isn't forgotten if you know about him." Remembering that his wife always hated how fast he was at being sarcastic he figured he probably should stop speaking.
         "The War of Greed has spread throughout the lands, and has infected the whole of your race. It has made you weak and wild."
         "War makes people stronger, they've learned and grown into a capable race." He didn't know why he was defending what they were doing. This was the same war that took the life of so many innocents, Briccio, and his own family.
         "As an individual you may become strong, yes, but your race has been torn to pieces. You have been made weak and that will lead to your demise." The mass in the center of the room began to shift and move. From the middle he could see it begin to unravel and open. An object began to lower from within it. Oddly it looked like a flower unfolding, even if it was a dark, non-reflecting flower. Straining his eyes to see what was emerging he finally managed to make out an object.
         As it dropped further down he noticed that the light didn't glint off the blade like normal steel. The entire sword was black, and when it had finally emerged, he could see how large it actually was. The blade was at least five feet long, with the other foot of the swords total length being its handle. At almost an inch wide the black face of the weapon was covered in an intricate pattern flowing just beneath the surface.
         The cloth flowed towards Reinhardt and he reached his hand out to take the handle of the sword. He was surprised at how light the weapon was in comparison to its size.
         "Even though your creation was unforeseen the results are..promising. You have begun to master the traits of your power much faster than your predecessors."
         "How many of us have there been?" Reinhardt was beginning to get interested in what was going on.
         "The number is less relevant than the reason."
         "What's the reason you created me?"
         "You misunderstand. We did not create you like the others. You were not planned like they were. The events that led up too your acquiring your gifts were random and uncultivated, making you the first to reach this state alone."
         "You keep speaking about creating this, and the state I'm in. So answer this for me..what happened to me?" Reinhardt could finally get an answer to what had happened to him back in the woods of Wanve. Not knowing if it was an answer he actually wanted he just waited.
         "When you stole your own death before it could take you, and in doing so transcended death and took it for yourself. You are death. Simply. Elegantly."
         Refusing to believe that a simple farmer could in fact become what these creatures were saying Reinhardt laughed. "Do you honestly believe that a person can become death?"
         "You are inherently different than any other person now. Your physical prowess will continue to grow, as you have seen, until your body can no longer maintain the stress it will put on you. Death will then find you, and you will be reunited with the ones you lost." Taking a few moments to think about what was being said he realized that parts made sense. Before his family died he had never been able to use the Dragon's Tail as effectively as he now could. His frequent encounters with hostile enemies also proved that he could fight far better than ever before.
         "I will admit that I am stronger than before, but I cannot accept the entirety of these facts."
         "You cannot fight what you are, nor will you. Death must pass on, and when you have reached the limits of your body, you will die again." The figures started to flow in the opposite direction. Slowly disappearing back into the ball of cloth, Reinhardt could only watch.
         "My limits?"
         "When your power emerges you will know. At that moment you will be strong enough to fullfill what you were created for."
         "You said I wasn't created?! Now you say it was for a reason?" Reinhardt was beginning to become irritated with the twisted logic.
         "Just because we did not create you does not mean you weren't created for a purpose." Almost completely gone, sucked back into the black ball, their voices still echoed from everywhere at once.
         "What is it that you want me too do exactly?" Reinhardt asked, still not sure what was going on.
         "End the war of greed."
         "How do you figure I manage that alone?"
         "Help destroy the ones who began the war."
         "You mean that I need to kill Astraeus?" Even though he asked the question he knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it. These things were supposed to be smart, and in his head he wanted them to agree with what he already had planned. If they disagreed than Briccio would have been wrong, and he refused to let his plan die.
         "No! You must remain away from the master. They are stronger than you realize. Being near one will hinder your ability to fight." Not understanding how being near somebody could hold him back in a fight, Reinhardt just accepted the fact and continued to listen. "Do what you have to do, but let the others handle the masters."
         Tracing his fingers across the smooth metal blade of his long sword he realized that something about this weapon didn't sit well with him. A presence restid within the dark metal and it wanted to be released. Fighting the desire to hold the sword he used his cloak to tie it down snuggly. Deciding it was best to not use his new weapon, he tried thinking of places that would have the supplies he needed to fix the Dragon's Tail.
         In the distance the cave walls began to open like doors. Throwing the sword over his shoulder he started up the steps, stopping only long enough to let the next step form. His life had taken a seriously strange turn, but it was still his life. A human couldn't become death itself, and he didn't care what a group of strange cloaked men thought about it. All that mattered was that he needed to end this war and to do that he needed an army. Luckily the supplies he needed to fix his weapon were with that army. War Council

            Reinhardt covered his eyes as the ground parted in front of him. The long walk from the cavern inside the whirlpool took, what seemed to him, some considerable time. Finally back above ground he looked around to get his bearings. Nothing around him was familiar. Wherever the strange events inside the void had taken place, it was nowhere to be seen. 

            Standing within a beautiful field he admired the calmness of it all. It hit him as strange that these nice places kept popping up wherever trouble was about to find him. Praying he was only imagining this realization he began trying to figure out a direction.

            Using the map Klaas had given him to find where he was, Reinhardt caught sight of a mountain range in the distance and used that to give him a general idea of where he was. Turning away from the landmark he kept his right shoulder facing the mountains. Within an hour and having finally made his way out of the empty field a lake became visible in the distance. 

            Finally knowing exactly where he was on the map, Reinhardt plotted south-west and began walking.  Free from the pull of the watchers he was able to do as he wished, and he wanted nothing more than to help usurp Astraeus and finish the work Briccio had begun.

            The long journey to the war council had begun and as the days turned too nights Reinhardt walked, until he had reached the spot he knew they would be gathering. Luckily he had no other distractions, and the trip was safe. From what he could gather it had been almost a week and a half since he had left the fields where he began. If everything stayed on plan the joint army should arrive any day. 

        Deciding to take the time to rest he untied his cloak, which had been thrown around him awkwardly. The strange long sword that had been pinned to his back fell to the ground quietly. Studying it carefully he admired the intricate weave that ran below the surface of the blade. Although it didn’t have a distinct pattern it wasn’t random. Unable to discern the purpose of the pattern he let it be a mystery.

       Taking the opportunity to look at his Dragon’s Tail, released a series of small straps that held it into place. Pulling out a small tool kit that he kept in his belt he began taking it apart, figuring out what he could keep and what needed