Chapter One – Welcome home…?
It was a warm, bright, sunny summer day, the kind of day where absolutely nothing can go wrong, or so Mage Yoshi thought. Why would he believe any differently, after all, this wasn’t any ordinary day. After a full year of travelling across Alagaesia, on a sort of soul searching journey, he was finally returning home. He would soon see his mother, father, and sister again, after being away for so long. Of course, he wrote to them regularly, to let them know he was doing okay but he still missed hearing their voice, seeing them with his own two eyes. And now he was nearly home, walking down the roads that connected Therinsford, Nadra, and his home of Carvahall. With every ounce of his being, Mage Yoshi felt that absolutely nothing could go wrong on a day like this, but nothing could’ve prepared him for what he was about to see.
As he passed the intersection that connected Carvahall with Therinsford and Nadra, he saw plumes of smoke arising in the distance, coming from Carvahall. So much for his perfect day. Mage Yoshi quickened his pace, worried about what could’ve happened to his family and home. As it turned out, his fears were justified, it looked like there had been a large explosion, and several houses were gone, including his own home. There was nothing left of the destroyed houses except a crater and some rubble scattered about. Thankfully, much of Carvahall seemed to be unharmed, but that was the furthest thing from his mind. As he looked around Carvahall, he could not find any trace of His parents or sister, he asked everyone, but no one seemed to know what happened. Eventually, this led him back to the wreckage that was once his home.
The confusion and worry he was feeling had given way to sadness and anger. Falling to his knees, the realization that his family is gone hit him like a truck, tears running down his cheeks. Sadness soon gave way to guilt and frustration.
“I should’ve been there… I could’ve stopped this! Dammit!!”
He slammed the ground in anger, feeling that he had failed to protect the ones closest to him. For a while, he stewed in his misery, until a gentile hand clasped his shoulder. He looked up, and saw the town elder, Cyril, a kindly old Yoshi, white in colour, who was well respected throughout the town, and also happened to be a family friend. He had a solemn look on his face, and understood what had happened. Mage Yoshi dusted himself off and stood up, while Cyril leaned on his cane. There was no exchange of words at first, it was almost as if they could read each other’s thoughts from the looks on their faces. A few minutes of silence passed until Cyril decided to speak.
“I’m glad t’ have ya back home, I only wish it were under better circumstances”
Mage Yoshi chose not to reply. Not out of rudeness, he just didn’t know what to say, he was lost in thought about what had happened and what could’ve been.
“Please, come with me. We have a lot to talk about.”
Cyril turned and began walking to his home, Mage Yoshi politely followed, not uttering one word, still lost in thought. After a few minutes of travel, they arrived at Cyril’s house, a grand-looking place befitting of a Yoshi who had experienced much in his life. The house was simple, but elegant in its design, with a master bedroom, two guest rooms, your standard kitchen and bathrooms, a cellar filled with fine wines among other things, and a sitting room. The sitting room was decorated with hunting trophies, and awards, as well as old photos from years past, all framed, but some aging more than others. In the centre of the room was a rather grand looking fireplace with family pictures adorning the fireplace mantel, Cyril approached the fireplace and, after placing another log, relit the fireplace. Cyril sat in his rocking chair and gestured to Mage Yoshi to sit down, but Mage Yoshi chose not to.
“Come now, surely it won’t kill ya to sit down.”
Ah, there it was, that whimsical humour he was well known for. Mage Yoshi decided to sit on a chair nearby, his mind still contemplating the loss of his family. For a while, the room was silent, the only sound coming from the crackling fire in the fireplace. After a few minutes of silence, Cyril decided to say something to perhaps comfort Mage Yoshi concerning his loss. Cyril could tell he was feeling guilty, probably wishing he could’ve been here to save them.
“Don’t blame yerself kiddo, if you’d been here durin’ that explosion, ya probably woulda died too…”
Mage Yoshi sighed, as usual, Cyril was right. If he were there, he would’ve been killed in the explosion along with his family. He still wished he could’ve done something though. Besides that, he began to wonder just what happened and why.
“Who could’ve done this, and why? Why attack a peaceful village!?”
Cyril noted the frustration in Mage Yoshis voice, he didn’t blame Mage Yoshi for being frustrated, he too wanted to know why someone would attack his village.
“I don’t know, nothin’ like this has happened before. Whoever it was must’ve wanted you and your family dead.”
This had Mage Yoshi concerned, he had encountered many enemies on his year-long journey across Alagaesia,
What if one of them had somehow discovered where he had lived?
“What matters is yer alive and well, and so is yer sister”
Mage Yoshi’s heart skipped a beat, and he nearly fell out of the chair in surprise when Cyril mentioned his sister.
“What!? Are you saying Rose is alive?”
A smile crept across Cyril’s face, that’s just the reaction he would’ve expected from Mage Yoshi, Cyril certainly had his attention now. The smile faded as Cyril spoke once again.
“Yes, she is, at least I hope she is…”
Cyril’s uncertain tone of voice worried Mage Yoshi, was his sister in danger? For that matter, if she is indeed alive, where is she?
“Y’See, yer sister left Carvahall not to long ago, she wanted to meet up with ya ‘fore you got home. I was hopin’ that when you showed up, so would she…”
That explained everything, it was so like Rose to try and meet up with Mage Yoshi before he got home, she was always a little impatient. That just left one question though.
“Okay, then where is she?”
Cyril gazed at the floor for a moment, then back at Mage Yoshi again, a more serious look about his face this time.
“I already told ya, I don’t know. If she wasn’ with ya when ya got here, she mighta gotten lost. Or, she could be in danger…”
Mage Yoshi stood up and turned to leave without saying anything else, when Cyril stopped him.
“Whoa there, where do ya think yer goin?”
“I’ve gotta find Rose, she’s the only family I have left!”
“I know, but do ya even know where t’ start?”
Mage Yoshi gave thought the question over for a minute. He was about to answer, but fell silent when he realized that Cyril was right, he really didn’t know where to even start.
“That’s what I thought. Don’t worry lad, I’ll send ya in the right direction soon enough, but first I’ve got something for ya.”
And with that, Cyril walked out of the room, leaving Mage Yoshi confused and for the moment alone. Five or so minutes later, Cyril returned with an ornate looking box long enough to hold a blade and handed it to Mage Yoshi.
“Go on, open it up”
“What is it?”
“A gift from yer father”
Mage Yoshi had to see what it was now. He lifted the latch and opened the box to reveal a sword, which he lifted slowly out of the box. The sword had a wooden handle wrapped in leather, cross guards that ran from the pommel to the base of the blade, and a round blue crystal set in the pommel, the rest of the sword was hidden inside a leather and metal scabbard with a strap.
Mage Yoshi slowly unsheathed the sword to look at the blade, it was made from a gleaming silvery metal and had
The same kind of blue crystal that was set in the pommel also embedded in the middle of the blade, this crystal ran the length of the blade right to the cross guard. It was a very intriguing blade and Mage Yoshi felt that it held secrets, perhaps within the crystals. Mage Yoshi sheathed the blade after looking it over one more time.
“So, this sword belonged to my father?”
“Aye, an’ it belonged to his father before him, and so on. That blade’s been passed down your family line. Your father gave it to me for safe keeping and was going to give it to you when the time was right, but… well… I suppose I had to fill in for him.”
Luckily the strap affixed to the scabbard had a buckle, so he unbuckled the strap and the buckled it around his chest with the blade in its scabbard resting on his back.
“Okay, so, you said you’d send me in the right direction”
“Aye, that I did, and I will. Yer sister might’ve gone to the nearby town of Therinsford.”
“The mining town?”
“The very same, so I suggest ya head there first. When you get there, go to the tavern and look for a Yoshi named Gil.”
“Who is that?”
“Gil’s an old friend of mine, he’s the foreman of the Therinsford mine. He often hangs out at the tavern after a hard day’s work. You’ll know when you see him, he’s usually the only one in the tavern wearing mining gear. He knows the town well, if anyone’s seen yer sister, it’s him.”
“Okay, I’d better get going, Therinsford is at least a day’s travel.”
And with that, Mage Yoshi once again turned to leave the elder Yoshi’s home, this time Cyril did not stop him from leaving, instead he chose to walk with Mage Yoshi to the village border. The path that lead to the rest of Alagaesia stretched out before them. Cyril turned to Mage Yoshi, he could see that the sorrow and guilt had vanished from Mage Yoshi’s eyes, they now burned with a fierce look of determination.
“Well, I suppose this is where we part ways. It was nice havin’ ya back home again, even if it was only for a little while. I wish ye luck on yer journey”
Mage Yoshi turned to face Cyril, it was nice seeing him again, and he wished he could stay, but with Rose missing and possibly in danger, he had to go and find her.
“Thank you, I hope to see you again when we return”
Cyril smiled a little, somehow, he knew that Mage Yoshi worried that this might be their last meeting, not out of a fear of death, but out of a concern for his age. Cyril understood, he was quite old, but Cyril felt he still had a few years left in him.
“Don’t worry yerself lad, I’ll be here when ye return. Go on then, go and find yer sister. Bring her home safe ‘n sound.”
Nothing more was said, Mage Yoshi began walking down the road that lead out of the village, turning around one last time to see Cyril standing there with a smile on his face. He then turned back to the road ahead and continued walking. As Mage Yoshi looked out at the horizon, he couldn’t help but wonder where rose was, and if she was safe. Regardless, he had set out again, and would soon be in Therinsford.
