1 New Life

Loud booming sounds echoed throughout a frozen wasteland, making the casual passerby wonder if there was an earthquake, cataclysmic size monster, a powerful mage using his ultimate spell over and over again, or all of the above. In reality, an Orc boy, about twelve years of age, was battling a large, muscular Orc with dark blue-gray skin, long black hair, two short, pointed tusks that protruded out from his bottom lip, deep orange eyes, and pointed ears.

The Orc boy, whos name was Xul, was training with his father, the Chieftain of the Frozen Tundra, Uzul. Uzul had a large greatsword made out of the bone of a massive Wyvern rib, while Xul had a longsword made out of wood. Though he had the disadvantage, Xul's face had a large smile as he blocked and parried his father's attacks over and over again.

The two leapt back, both panting for breath, before Uzul let his sword touch the ground before saying "All right, son, I think you're ready for the Initiation..." in between breaths. Xul was no better, as he looked like he would drop to the ground if not for his sword, but he managed to nod his head and say "Thank you, father. I-" Just then, another vision began to wrack Xul's mind, causing him to fall to the floor in agony.

Images of a burning forest filled his head as the screams of monster mingled with those of mortals. Desperate to end the vision, Xul began to beat his head on the ground in a frenzy, only stopping when his father grabbed his shoulders. "My boy...are you okay? You said these..."visions" were getting worse, yet you have no sign of mana in your body...having such a form of clairvoyance is impossible unless you have mana..."

The vision slowly faded, and Xul was left feeling even more exhausted than before. Sensing his son's condition, Uzul chuckled to himself before helping his son up and guiding him toward their rather large house. Once inside, Uzul started a fire in the main room after sitting Xul down on one of the soft chairs made out of Snow Bear pelt.

Currently, the two were on a "training vacation" of sorts, so they were not at the main village of the Frozen Tundra Tribe, just a sweet little condo that they had built themselves. As Uzul began to set a pot of fragrant tea over the fire, Xul's eyes began to shimmer as he caught a whiff of his favorite tea. Thinking back, Xul remembered the first time he was served this tea. It was when he was still cold and overly cautious to everyone since he was in a foreign environment that he had no knowledge about, but he soon learned to open up thanks to his father.

Ever since he was a newborn, Xul had an intelligence like no other, even surpassing the Shamans with certain knowledge on medicine and herbs, but he always got the feeling that he wasn't supposed to be here, but he never knew why. He always got the feeling that he used to have a different name, and used to live elsewhere, but he couldn't remember. It was just a constant nagging in the back of his mind that told him to leave, but he couldn't.

His father was everything he could ask for and more, sure he was a bit clumsy, dense, and a bit too eager to fight everything, but he was kind, compassionate, a good leader, an outstanding cook, a great listener, and overall just a good father that everyone can look up to, not just his son. In the Frozen Tundra Tribe, things were different. The Chieftain could be male or female, and didn't have to be a part of the original Chieftain's bloodline; they only had to beat all of the other competitors in a challenge of strength.

Knowing this, Xul clenched his jaw as his father passed him a small cup of tea before saying "Father. I want to become an Adventurer and see the world before me. Since anyone strong enough can become Chieftain, I don't have to worry about succession rights, but I'd feel bad if I just up and left all of you like that..." Uzul was silent for a few seconds, making Xul tense up, but he began to laugh hysterically before wiping a tear from his eye and responding.

"Son, you know Orcs like us will never be accepted by the Mortals. They see us as savage, brutish monsters that have no compassion or intelligence. However, if it's you, I believe that may change in the future but, for now, your duty is to stay here and help the village while growing stronger. I want to be sure that you can survive anything those Mortals will try to pull on you, all right?" Xul nodded his head with a small smile as his father pat his shoulder and asked "So, what weapon are you thinking about making for your Initiation Trials?"

Xul's eyes lit up once more and he set his tea down carefully before saying "I don't know, but I got a lot of Tundra Wolf Teeth from my last hunt, as well as some Blue Steel Ore from the Ogres yesterday. It's not enough to craft a greatsword or spear, but maybe enough for a pair of daggers or a longsword..." Uzul laughed once more and pat his large greatsword at his side before saying "You're more suited to a pair of dual weapons instead of one, I can tell that much from how you fight, but I think daggers would be a poor match-up for you."

Uzul downed his tea and released a satisfied sigh before pouring himself another cup. After thinking about the ore he had saved up, a black screen appeared in front of Xul; showing him what he had acquired from his previous hunts and kills. '34 Tundra Wolf Teeth, 14 Blue Steel Ore, and the flimsy common wooden sword that I used to kill them with...that's not enough for a pair of short swords, but enough for a longsword..."

"Hey, what're your stats at right now?" Uzul asked as he tapped his finger against the air, presumably scrolling through his own inventory. Xul switched screens and sent the data over to his father.

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[Name] - Xul, Son of Uzul

[Level] - 20

[Age] - 12

[Race] - Frozen Tundra Orc - (Complete immunity to Frost attribute as well as enhanced tracking skill. Perception +12)

[Titles] - Wolf Slayer (50% more attack power when facing Wolf-Type opponents.)

Strength - 39 (Raises the strength of the user for each point assigned to the Strength stat. Allows the user to carry more items, as well as handle heavier weapons with ease.)

Agility - 42 (Boosts the overall speed of the user.)

Stamina - 38 (Increases the user's overall stamina by 40 per point put into the Stamina stat, and increases the user's overall health by 30 points per point put into the Stamina stat.)

Dexterity - 84 (Increases the user's ability to focus, as well as the ability to wield bows and throwing weapons.)

Intellect - 97 (Strengthens the user's mana pool by 100 per point put into the Intellect stat, and allows the user to equip staves.)

Perception - 62 (Enables the user to analyze things at a much higher level the more points that are used.)

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Uzul whistled in amazement and said "Damn! At Level 20 I barely had that much strength and stamina...and your dexterity and intellect stats are out of this world! Aha, I knew my son would be even greater than me!!" Xul rubbed the back of his head with a silly grin before saying "It's only because I have you as my father and teacher. Without you, I wouldn't be nearly as good as I am now, and that's for sure."

Now it was Uzul's turn to rub the back of his head at the compliment, however, the moment was ruined when a loud horn began to sound out through the area. Uzul leapt to his feet and grabbed his greatsword as Xul ran to the door. They heard this sound once before, and that was when their village was raided by Demons. 'Are the Demons really back...?' Xul thought as he gulped audibly. During the last Demon raid, he had barely escaped with his life thanks to his father.

Demons were no joke.

Over the horizon, a large line of black figures emerged from the settling sun, giving Xul and Uzul chills that coursed down their back, however, they weren't from fear. If one could see the father and son duo, they would think of them as nothing more than evil, sadistic monsters considering the large smiles they had on their faces as they readied their weapons. Suddenly, a large screech came from above the duo as a wyvern encased in shadows landed heavily on the ground in front of them.

A tall man with pale gray skin, long, thin ears, glowing purple eyes, flowing silver hair, and a noble aura around him leapt from atop the wyvern before walking over toward Uzul. The man smiled widely and embraced the Orc Chieftain as he said "My friend! I hope you have been well, no? And you! You've grown into a fine young man, Xul!" Uzul returned the man's embrace and said "Aethro! What brings you to the Frozen Tundra?"

This man was none other than Aethro Korvis, the current King of the Dark Elves. Aethro was a longtime friend of Uzul, even before he became Chieftain, so the two were relatively close. "Mr. Aethro? I thought you were busy taking care of your wife since she was ready to deliver at any moment...?" Aethro suppressed a laugh before looking toward Xul and saying "My dear boy, that was three years ago...My boy is a healthy little brat who runs around all day casting globes of darkness magic as pranks..."

Uzul imagined a tiny version of Aethro running around and pranking the entire palace staff, and he couldn't hold back his laughter, causing Xul and Aethro both to send him side glances before continuing their conversation. "Ah, m-my bad...I was a bit busy focusing on my training I guess, ahaha..." Aethro smiled and said "Don't worry about it my boy. I hope that you can train my son to be as strong as you are one day. Ah, right, I'm here to invite the entirety of the Frozen Tundra Tribe to my son's fourth birthday since he wanted to see his "Uncle Uzul" so badly..."

Xul smiled broadly as he brushed the hair from his face and recalled the many times his father had visited the Dark Elf kingdom just to see Aethro's son. The one thing he could always count on with his father was his caring nature, as he couldn't bear to see anyone he knows harmed. There were many storied Xul could tell about his father saving Mortals from monsters, only to be shunned and attacked. This didn't stop him, of course, for he was content with knowing that those Mortals would live on.

Aethro clapped his hands and his Wyvern began to shrink as the shadows around its body began to swirl like a whirlwind. A woman with shoulder length black hair, dark red eyes, and scales going half-way up her neck and shoulders emerged from the shadows, her black scaled tail swaying about hypnotically. "Ugh, I keep telling you to stop with that stupid crash landing thing, but you just never listen..." The woman said with a sigh.

Aethro waved his hand dismissively and said "It looks stylish, and it serves to keep you in shape considering you're so lazy..." Xul shook his head in exasperation before walking over to the woman and greeting her. "It's been a while as well, Nerre, I hope you've been well." Nerre flashed a pleased smile toward Xul and ruffled his hair as she said "I've been doing much better since Aethro rescued me from that hell. Again, thank you for your hospitality from when I was back in the Frozen Tundra Village."

Before their conversation could continue, however, Aethro cleared his throat before asking "How about a spar with this old Dark Elf, Xul? I'd love to see your growth myself." Uzul laughed and said "Don't underestimate him, Aethro, his stats are out of this world for his level...He's pretty damn crafty as well, so don't let your guard down." Aethro laughed as his pitch-black sword materialized in his right hand, its blade barely curved with a single sharp edge and a point so fine that it could break into virtually any piece of armor.

Xul's face contorted into a large grin as he grabbed his wooden sword from his inventory and took a low stance. Aethro raised a brow at Xul's choice of weapon, but Uzul just dismissed his glance with a wave, causing the Dark Elf to shrug his shoulders and set his sword ablaze into violet flames.