ℒhivoria. A kingdom of adventure, betrayal, greed, and power.

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The young king of Lhivoria had been finalizing the scheme he had been working on for the last few months. It had been on the eve of his father’s death that he was given the large wooden chest belonging to his great-grandfather. The chest contained the many scrolls and passages about the family lineage, biased definitions of the creatures around the land, as well as the mad man scrawling of the stone and inside of the labyrinth. No one under the jurisdiction of the king had been through the labyrinth since the fall of the current king’s great-grandfather. The current king’s own father had no need nor want for the stone, finding happiness in his own life and family as well as his kingdom.

The current king’s wife warned against the power of greed, and questioned why he couldn’t see the madness in the writings for himself. There was no use, the power of the stone was just too powerful to put aside. Between the long researched nights the king tried to have a child to take on his lineage for when he would pass away. Soon, they found his wife was unable to produce offspring; and his fight for the stone became even more desperate than it had before. He needed it for not only his only happiness, but the fate of the kingdom depended on it.

“I demand that damn stone!” he yelled at the general of his royal army. ”But your majesty… that is suicide for our men!” the man exclaimed, the look of worry in his eyes. It was one thing to protect the kingdom, but another to send the men straight into what the land knew of from lore as a death trap. ”Are you calling my great-grandfather a liar? Or are you calling me foolish?”[b] the king barked, getting to his feet, his fists pounding on the arms of his throne. [b]”No your majesty.” he responded, bowing his head in defeat and respect.

”I had no plans to send all our men into the labyrinth my friend. I will be writing a request to the forest dwelling people of Padma and Medraut, the magical bearing folks from the top of Mt. Basile, and the willing humans from our kingdom walls. I will be tricking the foolish into doing my bidding, you see. Many will die, but surely one will succeed. I’ll promise them goods and fortune, but I can’t always keep my promises.” a cackle escaped his lips as he shoved many scrolls into the general’s hands. ”Make sure you send your men to post many of these in the areas I aforementioned. I also want you to choose one of your men to lead this group and make sure that the stone gets to me. Understand?”

“Understood.” the general said, coming to action as soon as possible.

The general sent his lower ranking men across the land for the next week delivering the message to the residents of Lhivoria. As his men left the kingdom walls he called for and gave his high ranking man, Tyrus Froste a scroll. ”From order of the king, I was to request a brave and honorable man to represent the Royal Kingdom in the voyage to the center of the labyrinth. Your mission is to reach the center for the stone, and return it the kingdom. Do you understand solider?” the general lied through his teeth, but stated as bluntly and as stern as he could muster.

In other parts of the kingdom, this note was posted to various tree and structure alike:

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A week had gone by, giving every being far and wide long enough time to reach the kingdom gates. As the large and powerful church bells signaled the start of the quest, the anxious king waited in protection on the other side of the fence, waiting to see what his kingdom had produced from his calling.

The note that was stuck to the tree was always going to be intriguing. And after a while of thinking, he decided that this a good thing to go for. If this...stone, was real. Then he could use it, what for. He didn't know, but something. He would definitely find out what. The journey was a long one, with only him and his horse. (which he had to leave half way so it would go back to the family house) He mostly hid from the dangerous things. It was almost non-stop traveling. Having to constantly travel to get there soon enough. He had plenty of supplies, so that was never a problem. So when his destination was in sight, he was somewhat relived.

Arriving just as the bells rang, Xaos looked around nervously. Where exactly he was he supposed to be again? There was people around, were they going to the labyrinth? He didn't know. It took him to wander around, until he noticed where he was supposed to go. "I guess...this is it then"

Xaos looked at the king, who probably couldn't see him among the others, or maybe just wouldn't look at him. He wanted for himself, Xaos could tell But yet he was too cowardly to find it himself. Typical. But alas, he waited. For maybe the king to announce something, or for others to arrive.

John Bigfeet was quite interested in what the flyers had to say. They seemed to be pretty important, since the king's men themselves put them up. However much John tried to read the fliers, he could not. Like most peasants, John did not know how to read. Besides, there wasn't ever a Bigfeet that was a scholarly man, it wasn't in their blood. Some say they are the kin of giants, since Bigfeet are bigger than other folk but not quite as bright. But, the fact that John couldn't read didn't really matter in the end, since the town crier read the flier to the townsfolk. John listened very carefully, but some of the words the crier used made John stroke his mutton-chops in an attempt to understand. He did understand the gravity of a wish, it could cure his sick mum. Sick was what, John didn't know and neither did the village doctor. What was clear was the illness was very serious, and she could die. So John set out to the kingdom proper, with plenty of bread, some water, and a big stick he uses to chase foxes away. Once he arrived, it was clear how much he stood out of the crowd. He was a foot taller than most, with a big smile on his face and a large club over his shoulder.

Step, limp, step, limp. Sage made her way slowly through the town. Even with Baeslan masking any of the pain in her twisted left leg, she still limped. The way the bones had fused, it was easier to limp than to try to manoeuvre her leg into a normal walking pattern. Her eyes stayed on the ground, focused on a point just far enough ahead of her feet to keep from colliding with people. People passed her by, but she didn’t meet anyone’s gaze.

Not that someone would look at you anyways. Not aside from the passing glance. Human nature is funny, isn’t it? Everyone is so worried about offending you by staring at your gimpy leg…so instead they pretend you don’t exist…

Baeslan’s voice was a constant monologue in the back of her mind. A quiet whisper, always muttering biting words. Most of the time, Sage tuned it out. She continued her shuffling walk.

You realize if you didn’t spend all your time looking at your own feet, you might actually see something interesting. Like that note on the wall.

Like what note on what wall?

The one you’d see if you bothered looking up.

Even as Baeslan whispered in the back of her mind, Sage had looked up. Her gaze fell on the indicated note, and she slowly read through it. As she did, her face slowly fell. Often, Baeslan’s words were little more than malicious mutterings. He rarely had any intention other than mocking her or putting her down. But after two years of having his voice in her mind, she knew when he wanted something. In this case, she knew he wanted the stone.

“I-I don’t w-want t-to.” She was desperate enough to make her point that she spoke the words aloud, hobbling away from the note on the wall as quickly as her bum leg would allow.

I do.

Baeslan, please. I really don’t want to.

Sage knew that arguing was useless. Anytime Baeslan wanted her to do something, he got his way. She knew what was coming. He could coerce her so easily, because she relied on him so heavily. Sure enough, after only a few steps, a dull ache started up in her leg. Her limp became more pronounced, and the pain showed on her face. As Baeslan stopped masking the nerve signals from her leg, the pain of the damaged limb quickly hit her in full force.

She staggered, leaning against the wall for support. “Sto-stop!” the girl gasped under her breath, eyes shut tight. Passersby on the street looked at her now. Looked at her like she was crazy. “W-we’ll g-g-go.”

Excellent.

Immediately, the pain subsided. Tears of frustration in her eyes, Sage continued down the street. Step, limp, step, limp. Once again, she refused to meet anyone’s gaze.

---

In the week that followed, Sage’s anxiety in regards to the upcoming expedition only increased. By the time the appointed day arrived, she was a wreck. She’d tried countless times to persuade Baeslan away from the idea, but he remained adamant. Every time she’d tried, she had only been awarded with a few minutes of pain in her leg. Eventually, she’d given up.

Now, as she limped towards the gates, it felt as though the tolling of the church bells were counting down to her death. You’re so melodramatic. It’s going to be fun.

“Fo-or y-you, ma-ay-aybe,” she muttered under her breath, too quiet for anyone to hear.

She kept her head down. Others had gathered by the gates, and she found a spot near the back of the group. Standing behind a giant of a man with a club over his shoulder, Sage could pretend that no one could see her. But she could still imagine the stares. Oh yes, they’re staring. What’s this stupid girl doing here amongst the warriors? Look at her leg. Does she expect us to protect her? She’s going to get in the way. She’s going to get herself killed. That’s what they’re thinking, Sage. The girl cringed visibly at Baeslan’s words. Her twisted leg was well hidden beneath her skirt. But her off-balance stance and limp made it obvious that there was something wrong.