It was at this time that Shirai Gompachi, who was living under the protection of Chôbei, the Father of the Otokodate, was in love with Komurasaki, the beautiful courtesan who lived at the sign of the Three Sea-shores, in the Yoshiwara. He had long exhausted the scanty supplies which he possessed, and was now in the habit of feeding his purse by murder and robbery, that he might have means to pursue his wild and extravagant life. One night, when he was out on his cutthroat business, his fellows, who had long suspected that he was after no good, sent one of their number, named Seibei, to watch him. Gompachi, little dreaming that any one was following him, swaggered along the street until he fell in with a wardsman, whom he cut down and robbed; but the booty proving small, he waited for a second chance, and, seeing a light moving in the distance, hid himself in the shadow of a large tub for catching rain-water till the bearer of the lantern should come up. When the man drew nea

Somewhere, high above the mountain region of Felt, a group of knights is gathered to discuss their next move. They look at each other in silence, looking who will break the silence. No one did. They looked again, but this time the things were different. The oldest of the knights decided it was time speak. "Gentlemen, it is an honor to have you all here. It evens a greater honor to sit amongst you, the greatest of knights in the empire," he said. "The same," they replied. "As you all know, we need to decide what will be doing from now on." "What are our options?" one of them asked. "We have two options." "And, they are?" "The first one is to sit here and do nothing." "That isn't our style." "I know that you will say that." "And the second one…" "We kill those foul orcs in their caves, once and for all." "I'm with you." "Count me too, my lords!" "We all are wi

  Vision   I entered the room on the first floor. My heart was beating heavily. The room was bright; I needed a few moments to adjust. In the middle of the room a palantir stood. The stone slab, where the crystal stood, was covered in spider's web, so thick, I couldn't recognize the marking on the stone. The crystal itself was the largest I ever saw. My curiosity took over and I touched the crystal. Visions flashed before my eyes. Some were good, some were dark. I saw my family, friends, the people I loved, what fates were in stored for them. A large army gathers to invade my empire… drums… horns… men… knights. I could see everything. I could hear everything. I could see them all but they couldn't see me. I was like a ghost. To me it seemed like the tall man on the horse was looking at me. The horse changed pace, the others followed their leader. The man's armor was dark, made from plates that we

THE GAME BEGINS   The emperor sat in his chair, moved from left to right. He has been waiting for them, since dawn. It's starting to bore him. They said that; they will be here in three hours. Eight hours have passed. He straightened himself on the throne. The wait game is five hours long. Who knows how long it will last? There was nothing else than he can do, but to wait. The emperor placed himself, comfortably, on the throne. The game continues. One of the servants entered, knelt in front of the throne: "They are here." "Send them in," the emperor said without emotion. His eyes followed the servant as he left the throne room. The emperor stood up. The servant returned after a few moments, behind him a tall man slowly walked down the hallway. His gaze went from one column to the other. He walked slowly, taking his time. The stage was his. He could do whatever he wanted. The emperor's eyes followed hi

The battlefield was deserted, only a few swords and helms still adorned the place. The bodies were gone. Blood made small poodles were the ground was uneven. The whole place was covered in a think mist. In one of the burial mounds I found an armor that was intact. The corrosion was nowhere on the armor. I had to decide what armor I would wear, the one that the blacksmith gave me or this one. I chose the latter, it was a perfect fit. The style was from the first century. The gold leaves adorned the armor, after these few hundred years the armor still shined in the sunlight. The path was narrow, the road was uneven. The thing that would turn many adventures back, but I was determined. My will motivated me onward. My broken sword was of little use against wraiths, but great against monsters, if there are any. Like the legendary sword that I was after, the armor too was made in the same dwarven forge. The next burial mounds w