Yup, you probably didn't guess right. This is my 5th edition of the fantasy novel that I started years ago, and the story is completed. The only thing I've got left to do is write it down on paper. I've written about 300 pages, but of the new version, about 4.

I'll post the first chapter and I would LOVE to hear your feedback. It has a quick start and of course I just wrote it so it's not perfect, but it's a start at my goal. If you have any questions or comments, post em!

Part I
Chapter I

It grew colder as the night wore on, and it seeped into every crack and rathole in this shabby house. Blankets seemed to attract the supernatural cold more than protect from it, and nothing could warm but the blaze at the center of the room.
Aragus sat leaning back in his chair next to the fire, wrapped in blankets and excessive clothing as he sank his carving blade deeper into a rotting block of wood. He slipped and sliced his finger, opening a wound that was quickly numbing from the cold. This was a telltale sign he needed to sleep, for not only did he have his forge to attend to in the morning, but it was harvest week – the entire city would be forced out into the fields to do back breaking labor until every last edible material was packed away in the city granary, before the frost really started to set in.
His father Lorp was startled from his light sleep when he heard Aragus yip from cutting himself, and was in a rather grouchy mood. “You’re going to get a good whipping tomorrow and every day after from the guards if you don’t get sleep.” His father turned and continued snoring after he finished speaking.
Aragus was going to heed him, so he laid down his tools, sat closer to the fire and laid his head on a bundle of animal pelts. He quickly closed his eyes to drift off and dream of escaping Garheth to where is mother and sister resided, in Karlkin, when there came a rapping at the outside door. It grew with intensity until he threw his blankets off and opened it, to meet the grinning face of his long-time friend Grandlehutch.
“Grandlehutch, it’s past curfew, what are you doing out so late; if the guards caught you, you would be whipped” Aragus hastily pushed the now shivering Grandlehutch inside by the fire, and locked the door behind him.
Grandlehutch sat down by the fire and brushed his long, slightly braided brown hair out of his face to reveal his weathered, but noble looking face which was noticeably adorned with fresh wounds. “They ‘alreadah whipped me, Aragus. I was ‘jus ‘runnin from me home as these ‘thingers started ‘comin up in, and... ‘ravagin me stuff... I got ‘outdoor when ‘ah guard caught me, and...started ‘ah whippin, but I got away.”
His accent was as heavy as the northern snow, and even more so when he staggered, but he had a right to be afraid if things were ravaging his house. Something awful enough to scare Grandlehutch had to be truly horrid, as he was a bulky man who’s head scraped the ceiling of the village house.
“What came inside your house, Grandlehutch?” Questioned Aragus, hoping it was just someone playing a trick on Grandlehutch.
“‘Thar were these ‘thingers, mmm, about 4 of ‘em, with big sword-like nails on ‘them wretched hands. I think they got ‘me wife ‘n kids lad.” Grandlehutch was slightly biting his nails and shaking like he was in anguish.
Before Aragus could say anything else, his father stopped snoring and sat up, staring right had Grandlehutch. “What are you doing here so late lad?”
Grandlehutch was too preoccupied with his own thinking to notice Aragus’s father’s question, so Aragus decided to answer for him.
“Something terrible broke into his house, as he was fleeing he got caught by a guard and whipped him before he could escape. He thinks they have his wife and children.”
“Well then, we’ve got to do something. Aragus, grab your sword and my axe and lets go investigate.”
His father was always keen on investigating and helping, even if he was half asleep, and Aragus didn’t really want to comply, but he would do a good deed for a friend. He stood up and lifted the sword from the hanger on the wall behind him, as well as the sheath, and put it on his belt. He then tossed the lumber axe across the room to his father, still shocked by his will at this ridiculously late time of night..
They picked up the now less weary Grandlehutch and headed out onto the narrow cobblestone street – Grandlehutch lived just a few houses down.
When they made it down the empty streets and to his ajar front door, they heard a ruckus from inside. Gripping his long sword firmly, Aragus stepped inside first and was greeted with the smell of decomposing flesh.
His father and Grandlehutch were quick to follow, but they obviously were mortified by the smell when Grandlehutch let out a muffled yelp from under his fathers strong hand. They trotted deeper into the house, using there noses to guide them to the source of the smell. They turned and went into the bedroom where Grandlehutch and his wife sleep, and were nauseated by finding the source of the smell.
The outlines of three humanoid figures with a strange glow coming from their center grouped together were shadowing the corner of the room, as they viciously beat something with what looked like the outline of razor sharp claws.
A familiar cry echoed in the room and Grandlehutch eagerly bolted into action. He tore the axe out from Aragus’s father’s hands, and went stomping towards the creatures gathered in the corner brandishing it. When he got close enough, he let out a snarl and swung, sinking deep into what sounded like flesh.
The injured creature let out an unhuman, high pitched scream, but Grandlehutch disregarded it and swung again, this time going right through the neck and taking off its head. One of the remaining creatures clawed his way onto Grandlehutch, but Grandlehutch slammed his body against the wall, then chopped at it while it fell to the floor.
Once a second head had been effortlessly lopped, the remaining creature attempted to charge past Aragus, but he outstretched his arm and it ran into nothing but his blade, killing it in an instant.
As soon as the beings had died, the mysterious glow inside of their chest faded and flies could be heard all through the room feasting on the bodies, as if they had been watching the entire incident, just waiting to strike whoever died first.
When they looked at the bodies, they noticed that the flesh was not only an eerie green color, but stuck like leather nailed to a tree – these didn’t look human, nor ever living -- but they had to escape rather than look at bodies.
Grandlehutch on the other hand, was on his knees in the corner with his palms to his eyes, weeping. Aragus and his father could see why; a small boy lay in the corner, mutilated – that small boy was Grandlehutch’s son.
Aragus and his father walked over to try and ease his pain, but Grandlehutch just stood up, gripped the blood stained lumber axe, and let out a booming and enraged scream. He swung and buried it deep into the wood of the wall and started crying even harder. Through a sad, tear filled face he managed to speak. “‘Them beasts have ‘me wife ‘n daughter, I’ll get ‘em if it’s ‘tha last thing I do.” Grandlehutch tore the axe out of the wall and tried to hold back more tears for as long as he could, and turned away from the corner so he could not see the corpse.
“We can’t report this to authorities – not only will they not believe us, but we will be thrown into the dungeon with the rest of the innocent chaps.” said Aragus’s father, letting out a sigh of frustration.
“I agree. We don’t really have a place to go, but we need to get out of this city before we are noticed.”
Without a second thought, they left the house and traveled back into the still empty streets, and walked southward towards the front gates of the city. As they approached they saw approximately twenty guards standing post, fully armed with hands on whips.
“Looks like were not going this way” Remarked his father, as he lead them north – they were going to have to try the North Gate, the gate that lead to the ocean front and the horrors of it that they had been told so many times to stay away from.
When they reached the North gate, there was but one guard at his post. Aragus told Grandlehutch to go at it with utmost quietness, and so he did. Grandlehutch ran up to the man, and before the man could even fully turn around to yell Grandlehutch had smashed his axe through the mans thin chain mail and dug a deep gash into the mans chest, as well as spray his own face with blood. Grandlehutch yanked the axe out and watched the man die before grunting and wiping his face of blood.
Lorp took this opportunity to raid the guard of his arms and armor and use this as his own. Once he was finished donning his armor -- although uncomfortable seeing as he had never worn armor before -- and hiding the body, they walked up the stairs to the gate control and as quietly as they could, opened the gates just enough to escape from.
As they were hastily walking out of the opening in the gates, there came a stern and curious voice from behind them. “Where are you bringing these two criminals, guard?”
Lorp and Aragus turned around to see a lanky man in gold trimmed and rather extravagant armor standing in back of them with his sword drawn. It was obviously one of the guard generals, and if his father did not come up with an excuse quickly, they’re escape was doomed.
“I will ask again, guard. Where do you brings these criminals – and why does one of them wield a bloody lumber axe?” The lanky man clenched his sword tighter in quick frustration.
“One of them was killing sheep, I found him lurking inside the city trying to break into a families house. The other one was found with stolen goods. I am bringing them outside the city walls to execute them; make sure to speak no word of this to Garheth.”
The lanky man chuckled, and sheathed his sword. “I won’t say word” was all the man said before he walked off back into the shadowy streets.
Grandlehutch let out a sigh of relief and made sure to wipe his axe off on his handkerchief.
This time they walked out the gates into the dark, starless night and to wherever they might be taken – Aragus hoped this was to Karlkin, as it would be the first time he had seen his mother in 10 years.

NOTE: ALL NAMES, COPYRIGHTS, TITLES, ETC ARE COPYRIGHT OF ME. YOU DO NOT HAVE PERMISSION TO USE THEM IN ANY WAY.