Theodore Rhining and the Blood Lust Moon

By Patrick Ky

The Grandmaster is seriously hurt and Theo is the only one who can get the cure. Does he get the cure or will the Grandmaster's days be numbered?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781387799749

Book preview

Theodore Rhining and the Blood Lust Moon

Theodore Rhining and the Blood Lust Moon

By

Patrick Ky

Prologue

The cry of two virgin blades that stroke together resonated in the middle of the forest. Even if there was no one to listen, the beauty of the virgins sound travels through miles to make their inevitable presence known. However, the spectacle did not stay there, the two swords remained clashed, the yellow sparks began, the difference in strength were in the middle of the game, and the stakes were high enough to cause the destruction of an entire kingdom, life was meaningless as much as the nature that surrounded the two candidates who believed their purpose was fair and should be applied by the King. After a hard swinging contact, the knights stepped back, estimated the resolve of each other, and the true intention of the opposite party. In a fight between two knights, words were not the best tool of communication. Only their sword did the talking and their determination to be the best or the most powerful they had become. When the sword clashed, the knight did not worry about the wounds, scars, and bad movements. They were only worried about the results and the best techniques for their last resort. Their last technique was all and nothing. It was the move that saved and also that lost as well the move that cut and that altered depend on the knight. Only one objective counted for a knight, victory and the recognition of his King and his kingdom.

Yet, this unholy manifestation of a knight and a mage was beyond offense and beyond the rule of Aurora kingdom. The grandmaster of a kingdom was forbidden from engaging in real combat with a knight. Most of all the grandmaster of the timeline of this season. A grandmaster chose knights for a kingdom and the King Royal guard. He did not test them, he had his own knight and if they passed, he would not exercise any sort of favorite or preference in the selection. It was inevitable to meet one or two knights Grandmaster chose for his own security and his own errand around the whole kingdoms. The grandmaster was the representative of the gods on the whole island and lands he could cover. He interfered in everything necessary and that required his knowledge, wisdom, and participation. He held the peace in check and restored the balance of nature when darkness and light fought over, and over again for dominance. The grandmaster has power over all, on all, above all, even the king at some particular situations. And, the recent situation was the new attack of the darkness army someone woke up again to rage war over the lands. This individual was clever enough to send a special commission to the grandmaster and to keep him busy while he finished the spell.

This is no ordinary knight. A dragon knight, well…it seems Devalon had found a new victim to resurrect the dark army and send them our way…he was clever enough to keep me on my toes… The grandmaster deduced in his calm mental capacity, but he was far from being calm and in shape to go toe-to-toe with this dragon knight. A dragon knight was no ordinary knight of any kingdoms. They only existed during the dark time of the Merrick Island when the dark Lord reigned supreme and with an iron fist. The dragon knight was a knight who has a dragon magic and made it his own as same as the grandmaster trusted magical powers to the first knights he created. The dragon knight had no weaknesses and their armor was invincible. They were easy to spot since they knew they were powerful, their attack had always been head on and without restraint. That did not prevent the powerful grandmaster from defeating them. Nevertheless, he was no match for them in his old days as equal as Drevarius was at the exact minute he was standing in front of one.

It was not difficult for him to hold his staff, but a sword was important the same. In a fight between a knight and a mage, the kingdom of Aurora would punish the knight and the grandmaster would lose his credibility before the king and his people. Drevarius knew the punishment better than anyone and he had observed them since he was a child and he had found his ambition to be king, but the kingdom was too far from his reach. He reached for something closer and more powerful and he had used it well until this day. Of course, he could only think that since the king encouraged him and sought his wise guidance every time he intended to accomplish good deeds for his people and for the Merrick Island. King Aurora, thanks to Drevarius, he had his name in every corner of the island for his actions, reactions, and initiatives. More or less, this fight was far from the regulations of an acknowledging Royal fight. Drevarius was in the broken woods with a dragon knight to save more than his own skin, he was there to save Aurora and Merrick Island.

Grandmaster Drevarius, long time no see… Drevarius lifted up his head with his big eyes in the direction of the knights lips. He could not help but wondered who was that person that spoke to him. He seemed familiar in many ways. Many ways, he could not place it in his old memories, only if he remembered in the first place. What a face! I do not remember you being in a such state of terror when you did not know someone. I taught you better than that. Drevarius did not budge and the knight attacked once more with a ferocity of the regular chimera with the speed of a jaguar and the strength of a lion. His strokes were precise, clean, strong, and deadly. Drevarius could hardly block, dodge, and evade the countless attacks. Escape was impossible and surrender was not considered an option. In a fight, there were more than striking, cutting, and killing your opponent. Drevarius was a knight before being a mage and he had multiple experiences with sword, even if now his staff was causing him to lose his sword balance in this fight.

Could I have the pleasure to know my aggressor? I could recognize his genius for sending such devoting knight after me? A name…? He sent the virgin sword up, down, lateral, and both sides. Offensive as well as defensive was important, necessary, and aggressive to win. Drevarius could manage with his weak arms, his long stick, and his unsettling sword in the brick of death or mortal wounds each time to push the knight back.

Name…Wow…Unless I miss my guess, someone had sworn to forget his memories and made new ones… A male alto voice ran through the knight lips and exploded with a thousand layers of laughs. His pride did not hide well and Drevarius picked up on that before he pushed his own shot at the knight and his puppet master.

Can’t say you are lying, but the fact I do not remember you is enough to conclude you did not serve my design well. I am the Grandmaster, not you. A large cloud of cynic Ha-ha...ha-ha…ha-ha followed after the statement of Drevarius, then nothing. The puppet master did not like the point the Grandmaster conjured over him. He was right and as far as he was concerned he was worthy to earn that title and executed the demands that honor possessed with its entire exigencies. Both a bit distracted, Drevarius started a quick spell while the dragon knight was waiting for a new order or to say a better new manoeuver from his creator. For a second, he believed the knight was not completed under the selfish spell of this new player, but the minute he tried to pinpoint him. He was over his head, dropping his sword with the entire magical dragon force he acquired from his master. Drevarius just peeped a faint glimpse, he noticed the threatening knight with his arms high, and the forest exploded with the whole rage of a natural magical beast.

For a grandmaster, I am disappointed. You still feel under the impression you killed your old master… The stick planted on a tree, the two separated feet froze, a folded body could not move, and a pair of gray eyes who started shaken without any perfect rhythms did not crack anything in range of the trees, branches, and leaves. Drevarius widened his eyeballs and dived back into his regretful memory, the one that haunted him from the minute he walked into the Aurora kingdom. …I did not expect you to be that weak…it seemed I did not teach you anything or you did not conserve anything from me. A short sigh slid through on purpose with a cryptic gesture of the lifting shoulders of the dragon knight. Such a shame to lose such good apprentice…

I was the apprentice of no one, even with my own master…we were equal. The knight reacted the right way sending his eyes in the direction of the calm confident voice, but as he could anticipate the danger at the tiniest corner of his sight, Drevarius articulated a new charm at the top of his lips and once again, the green mountains trembled, the ground jumped beyond his height, and the land received a new magical blow to mark its true history of its survival.

Aaaaahhhhhh…Averi, how dare you? You are deeeeeaaaddd… The grandmaster might not be a knight, but magic was his domain and he had experienced worse than a simple puppet knight. Of course, no one had ever thought of keeping him busy in a war or a battle and wounded him, but he did not leave his adversary without his own touch. The grandmaster of Aurora kingdom had an affinity for war and tactic. Sure, he knew many tacticians in his young days and met some, but his, he developed it with his strong ambition to become king. He turned it into the perfect talent when he grabbed new height with his old master with hope to earn the Grandmaster title. The dragon knight was paralyzed and stuck with the essence of the puppet master who was guiding his every move. He could hear his voice to the summer of the mountain he climbed with his ribs broken, a mortal wound, and the grandmaster staff united to the virgin sword.

It is useless to know you, stranger. My time has come and I must choose a new grandmaster and this one would be worse than I. He had seen, experienced, tasted, and won my plots. He will be a Good among men if he does not let the power ghetto his head, which will be unlikely. Drevarius without one more word began his ending journey to discover the next candidate ready to occupy his place and power. From the smirk he unleashed while dropping his gray coat in the muddy ground, he had one already in mind and he will be happy to let everything at the plans of his hands. The forest was nothing when he was confronting the enemy, but now, the leaves were the width of a giant dragon wing, the trees were the length of the kraken tails, and the branches had the strength of the Hydra. Walking only was a fight without the proper magic, loss of blood, and blackout series. He was weak and he had seen his end way before he got at this point in his life.  He did not have any regrets he could remember so far. The gray coat over his back was no more, the perfect eyes faded every time he tripped, and the staff was dying with each day he did not see anyone to pick it up or replace Drevarius. Being the grandmaster was the biggest privilege someone could bear, but unless you accepted to be a natural magician for the employment, you were doomed to transform into the ugliest middle-aged person in the entire world. For a man of rules and morals, he respected the nature where true magic originated, he observed the old ways of the real faith in magic, and he did not just use magic. Like the old days, when his own parents showed him what real magic could accomplish, he believed ever since. Drevarius touched one of the branches of the trees, he could not feel his skin. His bones were the one that landed on the tree.

Hello old master, it seems my days are over. I am sorry to have killed you, but one last lesson would be appreciated. The entire eyes of Drevarius turned into the white sand of the sea. Seeing was impossible unless you can perceive with the third eye of the mystical plane.

No more lesson, it is time to sleep. Your successor is coming…be patient…sleep… The grandmaster recognized the funny curious voice of his old master before he fell into the dark pit of the dream world.

The dream world was a magical place Drevarius created for his own personal comfort when he was diving in deep void of unpredictable territory. Yet that did not stop him to seize control and imagine his own castle, his own crown, and his own kingdom. He was King and he had succeeded way from the limit of his dream. He did not have problem with his reality since he had been the most powerful being in the Merrick Island. Drevarius woke up in his marble room with his precious stones bed, he took some time to breath after the fight he was engaged, and he passed his hand over the red blanket he liked so much. It was not there.

Honey, can you come outside? Something is happening… Her suave high-pitched voice traveled to him from the opening window he had graved in his bedroom. He was happy in his dream. Sure, he was not stupid to know this was a simple dream, but he was his and most of the times held on to it and made it his. He had been happy if anyone can call it like that. In his eyes, he had everything he ever wanted. Being a king in a big mansion, met the woman who rendered him vulnerable, even if he had to faint it for her, and lived to the taste of his own capacity. This was his happiness and he had it all in the dream world. More or less, It could only take you so far, but if this prevented him from hurting the good Aurora king. He was game and it did.

Honey, I have the impression that our kingdom is collapsing… King Drevarius jumped out of bed, dropped a large purple Royal blanket over his back, and walked with style to the disaster his wife warned him about. Dark hair, blue eyes, slim lips, and a height he only could perceive with the body of a real god. Drevarius appeared to his people and witnessed the damage that was being done to his kingdom. She ran into his arms. She was not blind. She had her personality and he won her in this dream fair and square. She was in love with him. Caprina of the Red Habanero clan was his Queen and they had been a good pair of Royalty for his people.

I have to confess something truth to you. This is the end for us. Our reign for this world is over and this is how we go. She held her red eyes over his ill face while he was holding her shoulder to announce to her the reality of the real world. I only hope you forgive me if you see me do nothing. I love our people, but this, we can alter it. It is nature itself…

We are dying. She concluded. Drevarius closed his eyes and nodded with a long pace, an ill face one more time, and a curving lips. In the kingdom of king Varius, magic did not exist and warriors were a bit rare. His kingdom was normal with the absolute power of the king to make the right decision. He did mess up in his dream and errors had consequences like it was in the world where he was supreme and invincible.

In the dream world, the real world affected it beyond Drevarius control. He managed to hold the basics and some major points in the success of a perfect dream kingdom, but he was dying. His recognition of his current situation played out and he admitted. The destruction of his kingdom was inevitable as long as he existed and faded to the infinity of nothingness. In a few minutes, he would be dust. Knowing this, the dream world destruction decreased at a normal pace while Drava to us regenerated enough to meet his apprentice. Who would it be? Drevarius could only choose one person and although he would not in his best days trust him with the power, he could not do much. Feeling a bit young again, he opened his eyes from the dark hole he escaped to see the candidate for the job.

One question, where is Caprina? Drevarius looked up and remembered that face, the ground voice, with the seriousness behind it. The man who did not tremble before gods and demons.

What are you doing here, Theo? He closed his eyes and breathed long before the young knight could answer his intention toward him. Well…? The grandmaster had studied him during his travel and the tasks he had fulfilled without his help. His conspiracy to dethrone the king was no longer in play, but seeing what he sewed could be all he needed to choose. I see you did not follow your father's path… He noticed Theo tightened