The Tale Of Ylikone (Part 1)
Cold and darkness. My earliest memories.
I never understood how somebody could be so heartless, so cruel. Giving up a
child for adoption when the situation calls for it is understandable, but
leaving one to fend for himself at the bottom of a deep and lonely well is
unforgivable. Thus were my early years spent, wondering what I was and where I
was, eating the rock fragments that I could scrape from the well\'s algae-covered
stone walls. I know now that the one benefit of being a Kran is never needing to
worry about a food supply, as rocks and minerals are very easy to come by in
this world. I watched the cycles of light and dark pass in the circular hole far
above me, catching the occasional glimpse of things flying by... but much too
quickly to ever really make out what they were. I have to say, I wasn\'t
completely alone, as I had many bugs and a few rats that kept me company.
One fateful night, I sensed someone calling out in the darkness. I looked up,
and could see the tiniest flicker of light emanating from an unknown source.
Next thing I knew, the end of a rope hit me on the head, which I immediately
grabbed at and tugged. It felt securely anchored somewhere up top, so I ran my
hands up as far as I could, took a firm grip and lifted myself. Hand over hand,
I pulled myself to the top, for the first time breathing fresh air which wasn\'t
wet with the stench of algae and mold. With only the small light source being
held by my rescuer, what I could see of the new world around me amazed my
senses. I was led to what I would later discover to be a small cave in the side
of a very large mountain. There, I would be taken care of by a kindly old man
who only every refered to himself as Uksilma. He named me Ylikone and taught me
to speak the language of the land.
Uksilma was a very quiet man and when he spoke, it was never to waste words. He
told me of my Kran ancestory and of the history of Yliakum. Being a man of great
magic, he practised casting many spells on me, most of which did not have any
effect. Whenever I would ask him about this, he only replied that he wanted to
give me the gift of great intelligence. This made me laugh, as he had told me
many times before that most Kran were not very smart. One night, he woke me in a
tired-looking frenzy, saying that he had found the secret to make his spell
work. Uksilma brought me into his study and lay me down on a stone tablet. Using
a deliberate, but weary tone of voice, he began summoning the mystical powers. I
suddenly felt something I had never felt before... the room seemed to start
spinning and I slowly blacked out.
When I came to, Uksilma asked me if I felt any different, but I did not. It was
not until the following day when he began teaching me more of the history and
ways of the land, that I realized I could retain much more information than
before. And I was not only remembering things, I was analyzing them in my head
and figuring out complex relations. It seems that Uksilma has been successful,
at least, in giving me the ability for great learning and mind growth, if not
immediate intelligence. So, I gained a keen desire to understand everything
around me, to see new sights and wander the lands. Unfortunately, Uksilma did
not like me going out and wandering by myself and for reasons unknown at the
time to me, he would not accompany me. He really did not ever have visitors or
venture into the towns, instead prefering to live a solitary and lonely life in
this hidden cave.
Uksilma was getting fairly old and could no longer go out to hunt for food for
himself, so I took the task upon myself, learning the ways of hunting and
trapping in the nearby wilderness. Occasionally, I would walk around the small
dwarven settlements close to their mining areas. The dwarves were friendly to me
and taught me of their culture. I sometimes helped by carrying heavy rock loads
from the mines, and was rewarded with meats and a few trias which I would bring
back to Uksilma.
One day, while hunting in new territory, I came upon a female elf and child
crying beside a bloodied and torn body. I asked if I could be of assistance, and
she said that a forest creature had killed her husband and she was now all
alone. I lifted them both up, and they guided me to their village. Over time, I
became friends with the elves and the young elf child, Quank, would sometimes
come hunting small game with me. I even showed him my secret dwelling. This was
a terrible mistake, as I did not know that word of me living with a strange old
man in a hidden cave would spread so quickly, even to ears that it should not
have reached. Little did I know that Uksilma was not just a hermit because he
wanted to be, he was hiding... from someone, someone evil.
My horrible mistake became clear when I met Quank one morning running through
the forest screaming. I grabbed him and calmed him down as much as I could. He
cried that a bad man had come into their village and had used powerful magic to
slay everyone, including his mother. I brought him to the cave and Uksilma cast
some calming magic to ease Quank\'s emotional pain. Uksilma told me to take the
elven child and run to Hydlaa because it was no longer safe here. He told me
that an evil enemy had been seeking him for a long time and would stop at
nothing until he was dead. I didn\'t understand why I couldn\'t stay and help him
fight this enemy. Uksilma insisted that I leave at once and packed some basic
supplies for us for our journey. The last words I ever heard him speak were,
\"Farewell, and take care of yourself and the child. Don\'t worry about me, where
I am going, you cannot follow. Remember, as you make your way in this world,
true riches come not from the gathering of trias and fame, but from knowledge
and the treasures you find in others.\"
Still in a state of confusion, I grabbed the travelling pack and elven child and
ran off toward Hydlaa, thinking I would come back later to check on Uksilma. A
streak of fear ran rown my spine when I heard the yell. Somewhere, behind me, I
heard Uksilma screaming like he was in unbearable pain. Torn about leaving
Uksilma to this fate, I kept running as fast as I could toward Hydlaa to place
the child somewhere safe so I could return to help.
To be continued...
