The Story of Slyfeind

began life as an orphan. My parents were killed by Orcs, while I was just a child of eight years old in the city of Grey. The Orcs were servants of a cruel sorcerer, of which I knew nothing. The sorcerer’s name was Mondain.

scraped together a meager living as a street urchin, begging for what I could get, and stealing when that wasn’t enough. One day, however, at the age of fourteen, I was accosted by ruffians. I fought with all the skill and speed I could, but at fourteen there’s not much you can do. I fought well, however, and in the end, I was triumphant. The three ruffians laid unconscious at my feet. I took all their belongings, including a rusty short sword and some battered leather armor.

rmed for bear, I felt more confident. I turned to robbery, muggings, and eventually, assassination. And I got good at what I did. So good, I got a million-gold piece deal to kill one person who was evidentally trying to kill someone else. This person was the Avatar, and he was on to Mondain’s plot of domination.

took the job. A million gold is a lot of money, especially to a struggling thief. I found the Avatar in town, fought him, and lost. The Avatar left me alive, for whatever reason I didn't know. After that, I ran away, and heard much later that the Avatar went on to kill my employer, Mondain.

he next thing I knew, the world shifted. Continents were lost, others formed, the world was changed. Fortunately, my home town of Grey was saved.

moved on. I became a highwayman. My adventures were great, always profitable, and ever exciting. One day, I caught wind of a great weapon, located in the dungeon Hythloth. I journeyed there, fought great battles, and eventually even slew a dragon. His treasure was immense! Mountains of gold, gems the size of your fist, and of course, the fabled weapon; the Quicksword, Enilno.

ith Enilno, I was unstopable! The Quicksword was as light as a feather, and struck ten times for every one strike of my opponent. But as a thief’s luck is a fickle thing, mine was doomed to turn sour. Mondain had a wife; known as Minax, The Enchantress. Minax heard of my failure to kill the Avatar, and orchestrated a plot to make me pay. She manipulated time itself, sent warriors of unimaginable power, and in the end, I was captured, doomed to endure a life of imprisonment.

ut they forgot Enilno.

enniless, I still had my Quicksword, for Enilno can be hidden in such a way as to be unnoticable. You can wear it under the lightest clothes. Enilno escaped their thorough search, and while I was doomed to imprisonment, I still had Enilno, friend of all my adventures.

hen, the Avatar found me. He needed Enilno. He told me he would slay Minax with it. Trapped in jail, with a hatred for The Enchantress, I sold Enilno to the Avatar for 500 gold. With that money, I bribed the guard to let me free. And with a few muggings and pockets picked, I was back on my feet again.

he Avatar was successful in his venture to slay the evil Minax. I know this because shortly after I sold him the Quicksword, the world shook again, and all was changed.

hen came the onslaught of Exodus, foul spawn of Mondain and The Enchantress. More powerful than any other before it, Exodus was too much for The Avatar. So, what did this hero of legend do, when he couldn’t go it alone?

e found me. Yes, me, Slyfeind. The Avatar remembered the help I gave him on his quest to slay The Enchantress, that he knew he needed me by his side. The Avatar and I, along with two other friends, Shamino and Iolo, faced the dreaded Exodus, neither machine nor human, but a mix of both. And in the end, we won. Exodus was slain, and all its evil vanished with it. The world was saved.

nd I got Enilno back in the bargain.

he world was changed for the third and final time, to the land of Britannia. My home town of Grey was lost in this last shift, and all who lived there vanished. I never had a chance to say good-bye to my old home town. As difficult as my life there was, I will never forget the city of Grey.

ritannia prospered under the kind rule of Lord British, but something was missing. There needed to be a shining example of virtue. Lord British called for someone to fill that example. I heard the call, and answered. I discovered the Eight Virtues of the Avatar to be too much to handle. I couldn’t do it.

ut the Avatar himself could.

t this point, I wish to say that the Avatar was not known by that title until now. But as the years have been long, I do not remember his true name, and so the Avatar is what I call him today.

nd while we're on the subject of names, it's not "Slyfiend," it's "Slyfeind." Pronounce it Sly-Find. I get a lot of mispronunciations of my name, a lot of "Hey, you misspelled you're name," sort of thing. I'm sorry, but I do know how to spell my own name.

ouchy subject. Anyway . . . .

o, the Avatar succeeded where I failed, and although we shared many grand adventures together, I grew jealous. I heard of a man named Blackthorn, Lord British's aide, who sought to usurp the rule of Lord British. And so I sided with him. I became Second to Lord Blackthorn himself, and together we trapped Lord British in the Underworld.

y time with Lord Blackthorn was very profitable; money, prestige, and power were mine. But one day, the Avatar found me in Lord Blackthorne’s castle, and asked me to leave. He asked me to change my evil ways, and try again. I was tempted, sorely tempted, to join the side of good again. Once you fight alongside the Avatar, you are changed forever.

ut in the end, my cowardice won out. I feared Lord Blackthorn too much, and so refused the Avatar’s offer. The Avatar did not fight me at that point. He left me alive, again.

n the end, the Avatar rescued Lord British, defeated the Shadowlords (who were the true evil force behind Blackthorn’s rule), and all was well. My Lord Blackthorn was banished to another world for his deeds, and although he went voluntarily, I still felt sad for him. He who took me in when the world seemed against me, I could not help but feel utter loyalty to Lord Blackthorn. I asked Lord British if I might accompany him through the moongate, to this new land. Lord British agreed.

nd here I am, in this alternate Britannia, a similar yet different world. Lord Blackthorn doesn't remember me here. I wonder if it's the same Blackthorn from back home, or an alternate one? Maybe this is where he came from. Maybe he's testing me. Could the same moongate have sent us to seperate realms? The Avatar has recently sent word to me that a certain Guardian is threatening the home world. I wonder if that's what became of my Lord Blackthorn. So many questions, and I'm just now looking for answers. I am here to begin anew, and live my life as virtuously as possible.

don’t know if I’ll try again to achieve Infinity, the state of the Avatar. I only know what my experiences have taught me; that Evil Fails, and Virtue Prevails.

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Email: slyfeind@yahoo.com