Gifts for the Maynkar

Chapter 1

A search for survival

There weren't always dragons in the valley — A prophetic phrase that lingers in the defeated minds of bold material seekers who improperly came to power from stolen fears. This tale of justice is complex in its origin but begs to be told. The consequence behind the Dragon's judgment is no longer a painted myth...

This newest breed of dragon called the Maynkar was a godsend for many but a nemesis to others. Its primary goal was to rid the earth of tyranny as hate plagued the lands and deprived the people of their basic rights to be free and flourish without the worry of becoming enslaved by totalitarianism. Several Kingdoms at the time were engaged in ferocious battles to become the ultimate sovereign of all the lands. The kingdom of Peristence was getting very close to achieving this goal. Nothing could seem to stop their insidious conquering of city after city, town after town, settlements after settlement, village after village and now they sought to acquire the substantial statures of the Kingdoms. Their authority was contagious and spreading like a terminal disease — it was epidemic.

Corinika, of Elven kind, was shrouded in hate from the day she was born, it was all she knew. She sought to avenge her name and free her mind of all the heinous acts her hands were guilty of. She wanted to disclose the truth by releasing her own pent-up fears, for she realized that darkness can never outshine the power and commitment of faith. Her name was no longer synonymous with enmity, she needed to prove it, but it may be too late...

Corinka escaped the stronghold of Peristence and its ruler Hydenz. She knew of the Maynkar and knew of their trusted hand Chalik: A valiant Elk Knight, lord in his own right. The Maynkar wholeheartedly trusted him as if he were one of their kind. Not even he knew why they gravitated towards him; he was not their maker. Chalik is the only one who understood their complex tongue. If you were to hear it, you would hear the sound of convoluted grunts, low rumbles, and high-pitched screeching. Their numbers were quite small — only 6 of the dragons lived but their claim to truth and synchronized efforts can easily equal that of a hundred men all working together to seek a solution.

The Woodland experts were also fond of the Maynkar. They knew that the dragons were here to save the world, but the process would be painstakingly tedious. These experts worked with Chalik to form a way to expedite the Judgements.

Corinika found her way to Chalik by way of merchant. She paid the greedy salesman 3 pieces of gold to give her the location of the town of Zinber — the home of the dragons. As soon as she entered the town, she found Chalik at the night watch, just as the merchant suggested he could be located. She threw herself to his feet and begged for forgiveness. Chalik was unaware who she was until she began to speak...

"Please my lord, you must hear me out. I've come to be judged for my sins and repent for the violations I have brought upon innocent men and women."

"Who are you and what of do you say to me?" The knight questioned. "Please stand up, I am no lord and do not judge you."

The lady elf stands up and brushes dirt and debris from her clothing.

"I am Corinika, daughter of Elsin and soldier for Hydenz." She exclaimed as she finally made eye contact with the knight.

Chalik immediately drew his sword and she once again fell to her knees begging for forgiveness.

"Why do you come here Corinika, unarmed and alone. I fail to understand this." Chalik stated as he slowly lowered his sword.

"I've come here to help you win this war." she said with empathy. "I no longer fight for the cause of Peristence or Hydenz or my father. My time as a corrupted warrior has come to an abrupt end."

"I am still in a state of confusion lady elf." The knight said as he secured his weapon back in its sheath. "Do you know where you are? You must be judged at once!"

"I Know this. I expect to be judged, but you must first hear me out" she replied with sincerity.

Chalik stared at her for a few moments wondering what to do. He wasn't even sure if he believed her. What if this was a trick and Hydenz was using her to infiltrate their city. This and other possibilities were what he had to contemplate. He decided to hear her out.

"Go ahead guilty one, what do you have to say for yourself?"

The elf took several deep breaths and began to confess...

"I came here on my own volition. No one knows that I'm here except you. 16 days ago, I received a warning from Clara, the oracle that lives high on the cliffs or Jurid. She revealed that I would soon die of disease unless I cleanse my soul and pray for redemption. I believed her and walked away seeing myself for the first time. I never asked to be the devil's warrior. I was born into this life with no choices of my own... I am ashamed of who I was, who I am... The Maynkar cannot defeat Hydenz alone, his army has grown to incredible numbers. Each town that he conquers, all of their people fall under his spell that was given to him by a mischievous wizard. A mind control spell that zombifies you into doing whatever he wants. This is why he is successful in growing the number of devoted mindless soldiers he has achieved. They have lost their free will to be an individual mind, they think as one. You must find a way to either protect you and your people from the spell or find a way to break it. He will find this town and slay the Maynkar before they can find him and pass judgement."

Chailk was speechless as he processed the words of Corinika. If this was all truth, then they had an even bigger problem with facing Hydenz than they previously thought.

"Young girl, if what you say is true, then why help us?" he questioned.

"I strongly feel it is the right thing to do. Hydenz will first try and seduce the dragons with the same spell, if that doesn't work then his horde of zombies will attack and overcome them, erasing them from existence. I CANNOT let that happen; this is why I've come to you."

"Corinika, the only way to confirm this truth is for you to go in front of one of the dragons... I will explain your plight to them and will stand by your side, but I cannot predict or recommend how they will handle you. Do you understand this?"

Knowing that this could be the last thing she ever does as a living elf she replies, "Yes! I do understand. Take me to them."

Chalik shackles the elf and gathers two guards who each took one of her arms and led her to the cave system in which the Maynkar lived. As they approached the entrance, they could hear screams of terror mixed with cheers of joy. Judgement was in session.

The Mayncar possessed the unique ability to read your soul. To capture your thoughts and decide if they are pure. They are the Judge, Jury and executioner all at once. If you wreaked of sin or collusion, your judgement will be swift.

The 4 of them entered the cave with Chalik walking in the forefront. They walked halfway down the center of the aisle that separated the space. There were townspeople on either side involved in the celebration of the guilty one's final sentence. They all lowered their tone at the sight of the knight bringing an adult female elf in chains.

This large cave had been fully decorated with splendor; it was fit for a king. The walls had been covered and draped in gold plated satin. The floor was covered in cobblestone that was placed and leveled down with precision. Two ten feet tall silver dragon statues were erected at the back of the cave, one on either side where the Maynkar would render their intuitive decisions. These specialized dragons were only 15 ft tall, with yellow eyes that became neon when they connected with the soul of the ones who unwilfully came before them.

There were 5 known ways that the Maynkar have dealt with the guilty. You will either become a prisoner of your own mind and fall into a deep coma until your natural death. Or perhaps they will choose to remove your sight so you can live the rest of your days in darkness. They have been know to give some individuals the Touch of Death. This ensures a slow and painful demise as your skin rots away into nothingness. They may choose a more swift and final punishment for you by climbing high into the sky with you encased in their talons. Then releasing you into a freefall of madness. The locals called it The last Drop. Nothing will be waiting on the ground to save you as gravity pulls you back to the earth. You literally have minutes to contemplate what you have done and repent your thoughts into prayers of forgiveness before your body crashes with the ground into instant death. Lastly, the most seldom yet most horrifying method is to feed you to the volcano of Mount Kavassin. Your soul will not escape this. It will burn as your existence will be annihilated from ever hurting another living thing ever.

If you were lucky and your deeds were justified, then you will survive to live another day as they will simply walk away from you. This was rarely the case though.

Coninika was next. The room became silent as she made her approach. She turned her head to gaze at Chalik before making her final steps. She stopped, lowered herself to her knees and slowly raised her head until she locked eyes with Morta, one of the Maynkar. His breathing started to slow down to almost nothing, then it stopped completely when he let out a grunt. His eyes began to light up until they were bright enough for his subject to cast a shadow on the ground behind her. The faces of everyone were full of fright and suspense, some were holding on to each other as no one ever knew how things would turn out. Chalik secretly prayed that she would walk away unharmed due to her sincere honesty and admonition. Wind began to surge inside of the cave, blowing her long blond hair in every which way. She never took her eyes off of Morta the entire time, her face was expressionless. All of a sudden you hear a loud pop, the dragon's eyes returned to normal, and the wind ceased. Corinika's flowing hair fell back to her sides. Morta slowly brought his head within inches of hers. He reached out with his left limb and lightly tapped her on the abdomen with a single talon. He exhaled through his nostrils which blew her hair to her back. Then he turned away and returned to his spot between the silver statues. The judgement was over. Everyone started to chat amongst themselves, some even cheered. Chalik had his head down, looking toward the ground. She had been given the Touch of Death.

The guards removed all of the chains from the Elf and walked away from her. She grabbed her stomach as she begun to feel a tiny burning sensation. She didn't know if anything happened to her as she looked around the room at the unfamiliar faces peering at her. She was fine, so she thought. Chalik grabbed her arm an walked her out of the cave.

Somewhat sad, Chalik spoke,

"You did not pass... You were given the Touch of Death and will succumb to the condition within 5 days unless you craft a gift for the Maynkar. They understood why you came here but your atrocities provoked punishment. I am grateful for the insight into Hydenz plans to take over, we will be ready for him, thank you for that. I cannot help you fight the effects but I can tell you how to create the gift. You must strip yourself of all clothing and walk into the forest. You will find the Well of Collidus there, you must feed it in order to reverse the effects of the flesh-eating disease. If you do not succeed, you will meet your demise. If you do succeed, we will welcome you with open arms to help us fight the coming war. Please leave here now. We wish you well."

A single tear ran down her face as she turned away from the knight and slowly disappeared into the forest.