Archaic

“There weren’t always dragons in the valley,” an old man tells the barkeep as he hands him another mug of ale.

Sitting at a table in a dimly lit corner of the Lucky Shoe, a young scholar named Eelia reads through a book titled Astral Alchemy. The Lucky Shoe is a dark, raggedy place, a no-good tavern located in a small village within Garnock Valley. It reeks of musty water and stale ale, and the floors squeak with every step. She hears the old man blabbering about how the dragons have ruined Garnock Valley.

She shouts over, chuckling, “You babbling old fool, dragons are just one of the problems humanity has created.”

“And who might you be?” he sharply asks.

“My name is Eelia!” she exclaims, walking over to him. She notices that he is a weathered old man. “The last name need not be your concern.” She slams her books on the bar top.

Eelia is no older than seventeen but carries herself as if she has witnessed twice as many sunrises. Eelia has the posture of a knight with blue eyes full of adventure and long, wavy hair the color of chestnuts that cascades down her back.

“Ahhh, a young scholar, I see,” – the old man looks around at Eelia – “Surprisingly, I too was once a scholar.”

Eelia scoffs at the idea. A man such as this, having even looked at a book, is laughable.

He responds fiercely, “You think so little of your elders! I have knowledge that you can’t begin to comprehend, child! I have taught longer than you have been alive! Besides that, what is someone like you doing in a dingy ol’ place such as this?” he asks, taking another gulp of his ale.

Eelia, feeling annoyed by his response, lashes back, “I am here, quite simply, because there have been rumors of a man who opened the dragon portal; I am searching for him.”

His eyes widen, and his interest begins to pique.

A few weary locals are also sitting at tables inside the tavern, and one is making their way to the bar. The figure is cloaked and mysterious, his face indistinguishable from the shadows enveloping him. He orders an ale as he stands there awaiting the barkeep. Eelia gets the feeling he is listening in on their conversation.

“I do not have time to sit and chat with an old drunkard. I must take my leave.” Eelia starts to pack up her books as the cloaked man approaches her.

“You speak of rumors, my child. I know of this man whom you are speaking of.”

Eelia’s eyes narrow as she is uncertain of the man's intentions.

“I can take you to this man,” the cloaked man says, “follow me. I will lead the way.”

The old man looks concerned, but she disregards it and follows the cloaked man outside.

It is a dark, foggy night; storms are rolling in from the West – the perfect night for a dragon attack. Eelia focuses on her surroundings, looking for any signs of dragons, but she can barely make out the man in front of her. They reach the other side of the village, their destination, an old run-down shop. When they arrive, Eelia is hesitant to enter.

“So where exactly is this rumored man you say you know?" she questions as she walks through the entrance.

The man says nothing and walks to a back room. Eelia waits, looking around as an eerie feeling starts to flood her body. Eelia’s feelings persist, and she decides to leave. As she heads back to the entrance, the cloaked man leaps out from the shadows, grabs her, and begins to drag her to the back room. Just as Eelia starts fearing the worst, a small lightning bolt flies past her face and strikes the cloaked man in the head. As he falls to the ground, he pulls her down with him.

“Eelia, I tried to warn you!” the old man proclaims as he wipes dust away from his hands.

He walks over, grabs Eelia’s hand, and pulls her back to her feet.

“What is your name anyways, old man?”

“Hanick. Hanick Bertrix. Hurry, follow me,” he anxiously says while motioning his hand towards himself.

The storm has hit, and they end up at a small cottage outside the village. There is an oak tree that towers over the roof. It is blocking some of the raindrops as they make their way up the path leading to the front door.

“Come inside; no need to worry. It is safe here,” Hanick says, reassuring her. “It is late, and the storm will not be easing up soon.”

They go inside. Hanick removes his cloak and hangs it over the chair. He leads her to a small empty bedroom with a bed and a bedside table.

“You can sleep here tonight. The bathroom is right across the hall.”

The cottage is small, with only two bedrooms. The kitchen and the living room combined as if it was one. Eelia wakes to the smell of food cooking. She feels disoriented after the night before. As Eelia enters the kitchen, rubbing her eyes, she notices Hanick cooking bacon over an open fire, and there’s a decent breakfast on the table.

Hanick notices her and says, “Good morning. Please, have a seat. Don’t want the food to get cold.”

As Eelia sits down, Hanick places the bacon on the table, sits down across from her, and starts to prepare his plate. Eelia looks around as she eats and notices that the walls are covered with old paintings of Hanick pictured with famous alchemists. Piles of alchemy books are scattered throughout the cottage. It seemed like every alchemy book she could imagine.

“How do you know all those alchemists? And how did you wield a lightning bolt?” Eelia questions Hanick while taking a bite out of the bacon; then, her eyes widen with shock but suddenly narrow with confusion, “You are an artisan?”

“Indeed.”

Eelia nods her head to acknowledge him, then gazes off to the side.

She remains silent for a few minutes before adding, “Do you know who the cloaked man was last night?”

“No.”

“I wonder why he tried to kidnap me.”

“Judging by the garments you wear, I would surmise you have a decent amount of gold. I followed you assuming the man was up to no good, that, and you reminded me of an old friend.”

“Did you kill him?”

“No, no, simply just a shock. You need to be more careful who you trust in these parts.”

Eelia ignores the comment and changes the subject.

She coarsely asks, “If you are what you say, how come I’ve never heard of a Hanick Bertrix? I have read tons of alchemy books during my studies, and never once did I read about you.”

“My dear,” he says with the patience of a mother, “that is because I write the books. My name is more commonly on the cover than on the pages. You may have heard of me by a different name, Hermes Geber III.”

Eelia scrambles to grab one of her books to find Hermes Geber III's name on the cover. She is in disbelief, wondering why such a powerful alchemist lives here? Eelia thinks back to the lectures from her professor. He would refer to some of the most famous alchemists ever to live, such as Kanus Gordel, Jabir Midas, Tyberius Aquiar, and Hermes Geber III. Eelia leans back in her seat.

“Why do you go by Hanick then?”

“Well, though I may be an artisan, mistakes can potentially arise. As I’m sure you know, it is the tricky part of alchemy.”

“And…?”

“You are hunting for the man that opened the dragon portal, correct?”

“Yes, but what does that have to do with you?”

Hanick spreads his arms wide, “Well, here I am.”

Eelia crosses her arms, thinking back. How could this be the man from the rumors?

“How exactly did you manage to open the dragon portal? From my understanding, the alchemic ingredients required are located on treacherous, forbidden land, and that it involves some of the most complicated spell work!” Eelia says with little patience.

Hanick laughs a deep belly laugh that rumbles the table like a roar of thunder.

“You are correct, but I had connections and many friends to aid my journey. I am known for mastering some of the most complex recipes in alchemy.”

“There is no way that you opened the portal.”

Hanick squints his eyes, annoyed by Eelia’s pertinacity, “I was experimenting with portals for research that fateful night. I am to blame for the dragons who threaten the valley. I am why my family was burned to death by a dragon. It has been 15 years since, but I still remember running out of my lab to see my house engulfed in flames, and there was nothing I could do to save them. Since then, I have lived in the shadows and silence, feeling shame, guilt, and anger. I stopped practicing alchemy. I became a regular at the Lucky Shoe after making what I thought was the biggest mistake the world has ever known.”

Eelia swiftly responds, “No. You could not have opened the portal,” – Hanick stares at Eelia – “Because! You need a very rare ingredient. There is only one found in the world.” Eelia reaches into her bag and pulls out a dodecahedron-shaped stone. It has an ominous presence, and they feel that it is not from this land. “My brother went missing the night the portal opened. I found it in his room after my family gave up searching for him. Years later, I came across an ancient scroll in the Royal Palace Library,” Eelia says as she pulls the scroll from her bag. “It is in a different language, but I could decipher a few words.” Eelia lays the scroll on the table, and Hanick looks it over. The words are written in strange ink, and the language is unrecognizable; however, it appears to have the picture of the stone Eelia pulled out moments before. She continues, “From what I have concluded, this is an ancient recipe for opening portals, and it listed this stone as an ingredient. I’m not sure what this arcane stone is. All I know is that you didn’t open the portal.”

Hanick squirms in his seat, unwilling to believe what he is hearing. "What language is this scroll written in? I have never seen anything like it in all my studies. And the stone, where did it come from? If I didn’t open the portal, then I wasted 15 years? Was it a mere coincidence?" Hanick’s face shows a range of emotions as he ponders everything. Hanick growls, “Who is responsible then?”

Eelia can feel the emotions radiating from Hanick, and she tenses, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves.

“By the same guy who I believe kidnapped my brother. The rumors speak of a portal jumper who spreads chaos. I stumbled upon some ancient texts which spoke of a man with great power that grants him the ability to open portals. The rumors and the text match up perfectly. I think he is back.“

“Who is back?”

“The Ruiner.”