The Journey to Kalokairi: Chapter 1
By me (shadow9119)
By me (shadow9119)
A monster hunter, a cop, and a grandmother. An odd band of Kalons, sure, but they all had one specific goal in mind. Find the source of the chaos, and bring peace back to the land of Kalokairi.
It had been Ness' idea. The young monster hunter had heard the tales of the strange creatures that brought such devastation upon the land. She was immediately intrigued, but knew that there was no way she could go on such a journey by herself. So, she enlisted the help of her good friend, Keone. A rookie cop, Ness was able to appeal to his sense of justice, and he eagerly agreed to join her.
The final issue that the young Kalons faced was navigating Kalokairi. Getting their would be easy enough; Ness' parents had many links to Kalons near and far who could help them get to their destination. But they needed someone who knew the lay of the land, someone with insider's knowledge.
This knowledge would come from an unlikely source. On the other side of the island that Ness called home, a curious old woman lived with her husband in an apple orchard mostly untouched by people. This was where Ness and Keone now stood, on the doorstep of the weather-worn wooden house, waiting impatiently after knocking on the heavy wooden door.
"Do you think she'll actually help us?" Keone asked, skepticism dripping from his words like thick liquid.
Ness sighed.
"We won't know if we don't try," she replied, glancing back up at the door. Muffled movement emanated from somewhere inside the house, and Ness found herself stiffening. She had been warned by her father that Bersaglio, the Kalon they were looking for, wasn't fond of the memories that mentions of Kalokairi brought forward. Would she send them away? They had already come so far.
The door suddenly opened, startling Ness out of her thoughts. Keone took a step back as the older green Kalon appeared in the doorway, brow furrowed as she looked over the two Kalons on her doorstep.
"Ness? What brings you out here, my dear?" Bersaglio asked, leaning against the door frame. Ness was surprised that the frame could still take the weight; with as cracked and aged as it was, it looked as though it would collapse if one looked at it the wrong way.
"We, um, we have some questions," Ness said, forcing herself to stand straight. "It's about Kalokairi."
Bersaglio's eyes darkened, and Ness saw Keone shoot her a worried look.
"What about Kalokairi?" Bersaglio challenged, standing straight herself.
"You've heard the rumours, about the demons, right?" Ness asked.
"What of it?" Bersaglio hissed, and Ness flinched. Anger was something that looked so alien on Bersaglio's face.
"I want to stop them," Ness replied, taking a breath to regain her confidence. "It isn't right that these Kalons are being tortured like this. We're capable of helping them, and it would be wrong of us to just stand aside idly and watch."
There was a moment of tense silence as Bersaglio thought over what Ness had just said. Ness could see the gears turning in the old Kalon's head, and she glanced at Keone, who only shrugged. After what felt like a lifetime, Bersaglio sighed.
"Fine, but you'd better come inside."
She ushered Ness and Keone into the old house, slamming the door behind them. They were led into the kitchen and gathered around the table. Bersaglio rested her hands on the table, leaning heavily against it as she let out another sigh.
"Kalokairi started out as a small town of Kalons, but quickly grew into a struggling kingdom. It's never really been a prosperous place; even by the time I left, the economy was still struggling. There were rumours that these troubles caused some...tension between the Kalons living there, though none of this has ever been confirmed. I heard about the monsters that have been plaguing the kingdom, and it wouldn't surprise me if it turned out to be someone with a grudge."
Ness listened intently, and from the corner of her eye, she could see Keone doing the same.
"So what do we do?" Ness asked, a small ball of excitement building up inside of her.
Bersaglio raised an eyebrow.
"If by 'we', you mean yourself and Keone here, you can start by preparing yourself for the trip. I can get you to Kalokairi, but I have no desire to stay with you once we arrive."
Ness hissed, earning a glare from the older Kalon.
"But we need someone who knows the area! We'll be no use to anyone if all we can do is wander around aimlessly. You need to come with us and help us navigate the place."
Bersaglio placed a hand on her forehead, and Ness thought she almost looked as though she were in pain. She glanced again at Keone, who this time was shaking his head.
"Well, I suppose someone should look after you," Bersaglio sighed. "You are still children, after all." She gave Ness a hard stare, and the young Kalon matched it easily.
"Fine, I will come with you. But don't expect me to fight with you; you're on your own for that."
Ness grinned.
"Thank you, oh, thank you, Bersaglio!" she cried, running around the table and embracing the older Kalon in a tight hug. "I promise this trip will be worth it. We'll be helping people, after all."
"Mhmm," Bersaglio replied, letting out another soft sigh as she ran a hand through her hair. Ness eventually let go, and Bersaglio turned to address her and Keone. "We'll need to take time to prepare. We're fighting demons, after all; do the two of you have weapons?"
Ness glanced at Keone, then gave Bersaglio a sheepish look.
"Well, you see...we never thought we'd actually make it this far," she said, following the sentence with a nervous laugh.
Bersaglio rolled her eyes.
"Of course," she muttered, padding away from the table. She disappeared into another room, leaving Ness and Keone to wait awkwardly in the kitchen.
"I can't believe she actually said yes," Keone said, eyes wide. "I thought for sure that she'd turn us away and tell our parents what we had planned."
Ness shrugged.
"It's her home country," she replied, gazing at the doorway that Bersaglio had disappeared into. "It would tear her apart not to help."
Keone simply nodded, falling silent as Bersaglio reentered the kitchen. She was carrying three long bundles, which she dumped unceremoniously on the table.
"Swords," she stated, bluntly. She unwrapped each one, laying it out onto the table. "They were forged in Kalokairi, so it's fitting that we'll be taking them." She paused, as though reliving some past memory. "As you probably know, many swords are named for their accomplishments. These three are no exceptions. This one here-" She pointed to the one on the right. "-is called Verminfate, named for slaying a giant rat beast in the mountains. This middle one is called Balaraw, for it slay a mighty lake monster. And this last one, this is Godsbane. This sword was passed down from a prince to his servant, who used it to slay a dragon."
"No way..." Keone trailed off, and Ness could see his eyes shining as he looked over the swords.
"Did they really do all of these things?" Ness asked, glancing between the swords and Bersaglio.
The older Kalon nodded.
"They were given to me as gifts after I left. Well, except for Verminfate; that one's always been mine," she explained, and Ness swore she saw a small smile creep over the Kalon's face.
"Right, take one each," Bersaglio instructed. Ness took the sword Balaraw, and Keone, took the sword Godsbane. The sword was heavier than Ness had expected, and she hit to catch herself to avoid slamming the tip of the blade into the kitchen floor.
Bersaglio sheathed her own sword, glanced out the window of the kitchen, then turned back to Keone and Ness.
"Let us be off," she said, leading the two Kalons out of the door.
As the door closed behind them and the world spread out in front of them, Ness felt that familiar rush of excitement that came with setting out on any adventure. She threw one last glance back at her island behind her, then followed Bersaglio and Keone onto the boat as they set off to Kalokairi. What fate awaited them? Ness couldn't say for sure.
It had been Ness' idea. The young monster hunter had heard the tales of the strange creatures that brought such devastation upon the land. She was immediately intrigued, but knew that there was no way she could go on such a journey by herself. So, she enlisted the help of her good friend, Keone. A rookie cop, Ness was able to appeal to his sense of justice, and he eagerly agreed to join her.
The final issue that the young Kalons faced was navigating Kalokairi. Getting their would be easy enough; Ness' parents had many links to Kalons near and far who could help them get to their destination. But they needed someone who knew the lay of the land, someone with insider's knowledge.
This knowledge would come from an unlikely source. On the other side of the island that Ness called home, a curious old woman lived with her husband in an apple orchard mostly untouched by people. This was where Ness and Keone now stood, on the doorstep of the weather-worn wooden house, waiting impatiently after knocking on the heavy wooden door.
"Do you think she'll actually help us?" Keone asked, skepticism dripping from his words like thick liquid.
Ness sighed.
"We won't know if we don't try," she replied, glancing back up at the door. Muffled movement emanated from somewhere inside the house, and Ness found herself stiffening. She had been warned by her father that Bersaglio, the Kalon they were looking for, wasn't fond of the memories that mentions of Kalokairi brought forward. Would she send them away? They had already come so far.
The door suddenly opened, startling Ness out of her thoughts. Keone took a step back as the older green Kalon appeared in the doorway, brow furrowed as she looked over the two Kalons on her doorstep.
"Ness? What brings you out here, my dear?" Bersaglio asked, leaning against the door frame. Ness was surprised that the frame could still take the weight; with as cracked and aged as it was, it looked as though it would collapse if one looked at it the wrong way.
"We, um, we have some questions," Ness said, forcing herself to stand straight. "It's about Kalokairi."
Bersaglio's eyes darkened, and Ness saw Keone shoot her a worried look.
"What about Kalokairi?" Bersaglio challenged, standing straight herself.
"You've heard the rumours, about the demons, right?" Ness asked.
"What of it?" Bersaglio hissed, and Ness flinched. Anger was something that looked so alien on Bersaglio's face.
"I want to stop them," Ness replied, taking a breath to regain her confidence. "It isn't right that these Kalons are being tortured like this. We're capable of helping them, and it would be wrong of us to just stand aside idly and watch."
There was a moment of tense silence as Bersaglio thought over what Ness had just said. Ness could see the gears turning in the old Kalon's head, and she glanced at Keone, who only shrugged. After what felt like a lifetime, Bersaglio sighed.
"Fine, but you'd better come inside."
She ushered Ness and Keone into the old house, slamming the door behind them. They were led into the kitchen and gathered around the table. Bersaglio rested her hands on the table, leaning heavily against it as she let out another sigh.
"Kalokairi started out as a small town of Kalons, but quickly grew into a struggling kingdom. It's never really been a prosperous place; even by the time I left, the economy was still struggling. There were rumours that these troubles caused some...tension between the Kalons living there, though none of this has ever been confirmed. I heard about the monsters that have been plaguing the kingdom, and it wouldn't surprise me if it turned out to be someone with a grudge."
Ness listened intently, and from the corner of her eye, she could see Keone doing the same.
"So what do we do?" Ness asked, a small ball of excitement building up inside of her.
Bersaglio raised an eyebrow.
"If by 'we', you mean yourself and Keone here, you can start by preparing yourself for the trip. I can get you to Kalokairi, but I have no desire to stay with you once we arrive."
Ness hissed, earning a glare from the older Kalon.
"But we need someone who knows the area! We'll be no use to anyone if all we can do is wander around aimlessly. You need to come with us and help us navigate the place."
Bersaglio placed a hand on her forehead, and Ness thought she almost looked as though she were in pain. She glanced again at Keone, who this time was shaking his head.
"Well, I suppose someone should look after you," Bersaglio sighed. "You are still children, after all." She gave Ness a hard stare, and the young Kalon matched it easily.
"Fine, I will come with you. But don't expect me to fight with you; you're on your own for that."
Ness grinned.
"Thank you, oh, thank you, Bersaglio!" she cried, running around the table and embracing the older Kalon in a tight hug. "I promise this trip will be worth it. We'll be helping people, after all."
"Mhmm," Bersaglio replied, letting out another soft sigh as she ran a hand through her hair. Ness eventually let go, and Bersaglio turned to address her and Keone. "We'll need to take time to prepare. We're fighting demons, after all; do the two of you have weapons?"
Ness glanced at Keone, then gave Bersaglio a sheepish look.
"Well, you see...we never thought we'd actually make it this far," she said, following the sentence with a nervous laugh.
Bersaglio rolled her eyes.
"Of course," she muttered, padding away from the table. She disappeared into another room, leaving Ness and Keone to wait awkwardly in the kitchen.
"I can't believe she actually said yes," Keone said, eyes wide. "I thought for sure that she'd turn us away and tell our parents what we had planned."
Ness shrugged.
"It's her home country," she replied, gazing at the doorway that Bersaglio had disappeared into. "It would tear her apart not to help."
Keone simply nodded, falling silent as Bersaglio reentered the kitchen. She was carrying three long bundles, which she dumped unceremoniously on the table.
"Swords," she stated, bluntly. She unwrapped each one, laying it out onto the table. "They were forged in Kalokairi, so it's fitting that we'll be taking them." She paused, as though reliving some past memory. "As you probably know, many swords are named for their accomplishments. These three are no exceptions. This one here-" She pointed to the one on the right. "-is called Verminfate, named for slaying a giant rat beast in the mountains. This middle one is called Balaraw, for it slay a mighty lake monster. And this last one, this is Godsbane. This sword was passed down from a prince to his servant, who used it to slay a dragon."
"No way..." Keone trailed off, and Ness could see his eyes shining as he looked over the swords.
"Did they really do all of these things?" Ness asked, glancing between the swords and Bersaglio.
The older Kalon nodded.
"They were given to me as gifts after I left. Well, except for Verminfate; that one's always been mine," she explained, and Ness swore she saw a small smile creep over the Kalon's face.
"Right, take one each," Bersaglio instructed. Ness took the sword Balaraw, and Keone, took the sword Godsbane. The sword was heavier than Ness had expected, and she hit to catch herself to avoid slamming the tip of the blade into the kitchen floor.
Bersaglio sheathed her own sword, glanced out the window of the kitchen, then turned back to Keone and Ness.
"Let us be off," she said, leading the two Kalons out of the door.
As the door closed behind them and the world spread out in front of them, Ness felt that familiar rush of excitement that came with setting out on any adventure. She threw one last glance back at her island behind her, then followed Bersaglio and Keone onto the boat as they set off to Kalokairi. What fate awaited them? Ness couldn't say for sure.