Leodinus strained his eyes trying to see what existed outside the small circle of his torchlight. He was shivering, a cool breeze having decided to graze his spine continuous since he entered the ruin. His feet echoed with his each step, amplifying his fear.
\"Damn you Megar for convincing me to come on this cursed journey,\" whispered Leodinus. His friend, Megar, told him that treasures awaited them if they could get there. Leodinus had succeeded, Megar hadn\'t. A balorg, a relative to a blood wolf, had attacked him as they entered the cave.
They were merrily singing their joys at having found their destination when they saw blood red eyes. They shined like rubies beside a fire seconds before it leapt. It had landed on Megar\'s chest, tearing at his throat. Leodinus, out of sheer panic, began to run toward the back of the cave. He kept running away from his dead friend and the howls of the approaching balorg.
As his heart pounded and his ears blasting with blood, he tripped and fell forward. He hit his face on the ground, busting his nose with an explosion of blood. Leodinus groaned in agony and turned over. The balorg was approaching him now at a slow pace with lust in its blood eyes.
Leodinus struggled to get to his feet and flee, but his legs were like jelly. Instead, he dragged himself away from the wolf, calling out for help. The creature kept coming, the blood of his fallen friend dripping from its pink fangs.
Leodinus pulled himself up to a wall and could move no more. The wolf was mere feet away and he could think of nothing to do, but cry out to the gods for being so unfair.
Having cursed his creators, he let his arms fall to his side hitting a glyph of entrance. There was a bright glow that burst into flaming rays of white. The balorg ran off howling in pain. Leodinus had no time to be shocked, for the earth fell from him. He landed meters below. He rose up to try and return above, but the opening closed. He was left in darkness for mere seconds when a torch to his right burst to life.
Leodinus was far from the balorg and his dead friend when he found the ancient, decaying tome in a room. He was carefully turning the pages of the yellow and dry paper. Much of it was ruined and water damaged. However, he did find a page that was relatively unharmed. At the top of the page was written:
Xacha Exploration of Hagoy Caves 8th day of the 14th cycle of the year 400 of the year of our Laanx Below this was written:
We started our exploration of the newly discovered cave with care. Ten soldiers were divided to be in front and behind myself and the other two scientists. It was a large area, full of stalactites and stalagmites. The first part of it went relatively easy. In fact I was bored by the relative anticlimactic nature of the cave. There seemed to be an overall lack of creatures in it. I thought at first it was completely uninhabited. However, as we got deeper into the cave, we came upon large piles of droppings. At first we weren\'t sure what could make such a sight. The thought of bats doing so much seemed impossible. That was until one of our soldiers screamed out and pointed up.
There, gripping onto the cave roof, were tens of large bat-like creatures. I sketched what they looked like below. They are four to eight meters from my guess and have a variety of brilliant colors. Leodinus saw a fading sketch of what seemed to be a large bat, but with a few alterations. Its face had small patches of what seemed to be sharp bones. Its ears were tear-shaped and seemed too large for the head. The most distinguishing thing was the fact that it was colored a weird green on its chest and a purple on its wings. Leodinus read on:
I had the soldiers set up a camp nearby and the other Xacha and I began our studies. We watched their habits. Their flying patterns, their eating habits (what little we could collect when we did have the chance to follow them to a hunting spot), and their overall behavior.
They seemed oblivious to our presence and their large wings lead me to believe that they have a great strength. Possibly they could be a cheaper way to transport than the Pterosaurs. They may even prove to replace those expensive luxuries of the rich.
I finish up this entry with the mention that other sketches and our ideas on their behavior and so forth are in my official book. I also made a map and directions for this cave starting from the small village of Turavon near the mouth of the Frenho river. Leodinus knew where the Frenho river was and ran a finger long the map. He thought he could easily find it. Yet, another feeling gripped at Leodinus. The tome was over a hundred and fifty years old. The expedition it came from was attacked. Leodinus had heard the story when he was a boy. The party was attacked by a powerful wizard and only a soldier escaped. When he reached a town he was so exhausted he only had the ability to tell what happened to the others before he died. No other evidence of the lost party was found.
Epilogue Years later the Owner and Founder of the first Megaras breeding company was asked several questions by a bard.
Bard: \"It is said that the only place in which Megaras can breed is in Yliakum. Is this true.\"
Leodinus: \"Oh, that is mostly true. There is another spot, but I\'m not tellin\'.\"
The bard went away somewhat unsatisfied. Leodinus walked back into his bedroom and muttered, \"Thank you Megar for convincing me to come on that cursed journey.\"
(I wrote this story in the forum box. It was off the top of my head and I know I am just makin\' up lore and such, but it is just for fun
. Please don\'t bash me too much
).
