Sinister

Prolouge
In the shards of the Gem of Immortality, broken in the end of the War of Mondain, there was a shard named Chesapeake. In the shard, the world of Britannia was split into two facets. Trammel, the world of peace and prosperity, and its alternate dimension, Felucca. Felucca was a land of chaos and endless war, filled with evil creatures and murderers. In Felucca, there was a pirate city known as Buccaneer's Den, or Buc's Den as it was known by the locals. It's most popular point was its tavern, filled with pirates, theives, and mostly all outcasts of society.....a place perfect for beings of evil to claim for their own.
One evening in Buc's Den, two men, covered in dark shrouds with powerful armor underneath, walked into the tavern side by side. One man had armor as black as the night, the other with armor a gleaming silver. They stood back to back, both drawing their firey red scimitars. The Man with Silver Armor turned his head slightly and said to his ally, "Remember what Mardoth said. Never look into your victims eyes when you take their lives." The Man with Black Armor nodded slowly, while the pirates in the tavern looked at them with disgust, for they were appalled that their lives were being threatened. One pirate stood up and ran toward the Man with Silver Armor and without looking, the Man impaled the pirate with his scimtar. He pulled out the sword quickly, letting the dead man fall, blood pouring onto the floor. The other pirates scattered quickly to get out, but before any of them could leave, the two warriors pounced and slaughtered everyone.
As the two men were leaving, a hiding pirate accidently knocked a mug of beer off of the table where he was hiding near. The two turned quickly, and the Man in Silver said, "I will let you take this last victim." The Man in Black walked over and grabbed the pirate by the collar of his shirt, then dropped the man. The Man in Silver squinted a bit, and walked out, for he knew that his partner had looked into the eyes of his victim, rejuvenating the slowly decaying conscience of the Necromancers. The Man in Black kneeled there and put his hands over his face as the night faded.

Chapter 1- Beginnings

Fierce Deity woke up in a cold sweat, brushing back his white hair and threw off the covers of his bed. His partner and guildmember Bolias Aurros was sitting in the chair across the room.
"You had that dream again, didn't you," Bolias said.
"Yes. That vision haunts me every night," Fierce said while he rubbed his forehead. He started getting nervous, and Bolias noticed this.
Bolias light a candle and said, "You say this dream isn't a memory, but whenever you think of it you become nervous. Why is this?"
Fierce gulped, regained his breath and said, "You wouldnt understand. Just leave it. Tomarrow, lets go to the Britain bank. Maybe I can find something to help me with these nightmares."
The next day arose quickly after that night, and like the two men said they went to the West Britain Bank. The bank was not just for the containment of money, the streets around it were filled with hundreds of people, selling and buying even some of the rarest items in Britannia. Fierce walked through the crowd with a sense of pride and a smile on his face. He stopped and turned to Bolias and said, "You know, I love this world. So many things to do, people to see. I would do anything for this world to make sure it stays like this forever." Bolias laughed and they walked on.
So many people was definitely an appropriate term for the bank streets. People rode around on many types of mounts, whether it was horses, giant beetles, ostards, or even the elegant Fire Steeds, Night Mares, or even Ethereal Mounts. The Etheral Mounts were truly a blessing to have, for they were born from statues the rider would carry on them, they never needed feeding, and they were somewhat transparent, making the rider look like they were floating on air. People loved to show off spoils of war, advertise their guilds, or just sit and watch people buy and sell items.
While Fierce and Bolias were walking, a man selling reagents for magic, also had a root which he did not know much about, but he was selling at a fair price. Fierce walked up to the man, asked him if it could cure his nightmares, and the man said, "Well this root once brought a man out of a terrible mental illness, so I do no doubt that it could cure paralyzing nightmares. But unfortunately this root is only one small piece that grows from a Reaper tree, which is very difficult to come by."
Fierce asked, "Well how much would I have to pay for it then?"
The man smiled and said, "Well because it is extremely rare, my lowest price will have to be 200,000 gold."
Fierce stood in amazment. "200,000 gold. For a little dead stick from a plant? That price is insane! I don't even have that kind of money!" He and Bolias stomped off, and Fierce squeezed his fist tightly. "I don't understand why items have to be so overpriced these days. It is completely uncalled for."
Bolias laughed and said, "So much for that undying love of the land, huh?" Fierce smacked him in the shoulder as they continued on.

~~~*~~~

Meanwhile, in the land of Felucca, near the moongate that connected the worlds and towns together, the Moongate of Britain was home to an undying war, warriors against murderers. Out of the gate came the man from Fierce's dream....the Man in Silver Armor. The warriors and murderers looked at him with a cold chill running down their spines, but no one knew why. A murderer mage got off of his horse and walked towards him. He seemed proud in his walk, as if he was the greatest fighter in Felucca, as most of the murderers were. The mage stood face to face with him, stared through the Mans frightening Bone Helmet, and said, "Who do you think you are, intruding into our war?"
The Man laughed under his breath and said, "Seeing as how this is your last day to live, I might as well introduce myself. I am Malicious Destin, I am a Necromancer. But you will know me as sort of a savior. For I am here to end what has been fought over in this land since the days of Minax."
The mage looked at the other murderers, laughed loudly and asked, "And what would you be here to end, Necromancer?"
Malicious opened his hand and said calmly, "Your lives. Kal Vas An Flam!" And as he yelled this spell, a wave of withering cold energy flew out of Malicious' body and pierced through everyone one of the murderers and warriors, sending their frozen corpses barreling down to the ground. As every man lay there dead, he walked to each corpse, placed his hand over their hearts and said “Anh Mi Sa Ko,” which was the spell called Spirit Speak. But for Necromancers such as Malicious, it stole their souls and gave them to him. With each soul he became increasingly powerful. He meditated for a few minutes as the souls conformed to his body, and silently walked into the moongate, dissappearing.

~~~*~~~

Fierce was in his small stone tower, hidden in the forests outside the city of Trinsic. He was looking for his Chivalry spellbook when he came upon a box, covered with dust. He thought to himself, “If this is what I think it is, it has been a long time since I’ve used them.” He opened the box, only to find a long, blue metal crescent blade, etched with magical runes, giving this weapon strong power. Along side the large blade was a bag, and inside that was a set of Dragon Scale Armor. This armor was truly powerful, for it was made from the skins of dragons and the strongest metals. Fierce sighed, pulled out the crescent blade, held it with both hands, and stood there as if he was going to battle. He laughed and put the blade back into the box. “Hopefully I will never need these again. It’s been years since I’ve laid down my sword, and I’ve been happy ever since.”
While Fierce was talking to himself, his guildmaster and a woman about Fierce’s age walked through the door. “I do not know why for all these years you have refused to battle at all, but even in times of peace we should be prepared for anything,” he said.
Fierce closed his eyes and sat down at a table with mage scrolls all over it. “Wiglaf. I refuse to fight because,” he paused for a second, ”I refuse to see bloodshed on this land caused by my hands. I am a Paladin, a holy warrior.”
Wiglaf walked over to him. “Yes, a Paladin, I know. But the key word there is warrior. Paladins fight for a holy cause, they fight evil to protect peace.”
The woman walked over and sat next to Fierce. Her name was Escence Teran, a Paladin like Fierce, and the newest member to the guild. "Fierce, our guild is the Defenders of Innocence. And thats who we are, we must fight to protect the ones we love. Now if youll get that armor and that blade out, I will help you. I know you have your pride, but I also want you to be safe."
"Thank you, Escence. That means a lot to me. Maybe I will bring back the warrior of old times. But lately there is just nothing to fight. Theres been an strange calmness in Ilshenar, and normally that world is nothing but endless fights, man against monster. And ever since the Champs guild came around, warriors can not even get into the giant spawns led by the Six Skull Guardians. The world just isn't the same as it used to be."
Wiglaf put on his deep blue cloak and said, "As true as that may be, there are still challenges out there. How about tomarrow the three of us go to the Dungeon of Wrong and fight the jukas? They are an increasing threat, and rumor has it they have started crafting their own fighters to bend to their will, yet no one has gone in to fight them."
Fierce walked across the room, opened the box again, and took out the blade and armor. "That sounds like a great idea. Let's all meet at the Yew Moongate at around noon tomarrow." Escence and Wiglaf nodded and walked out of the house.
Wiglaf and Escence walked silent through the forests, until Wiglaf broke the silence. "I know how you feel about him. I can see it every day. Are you ever going to tell him?"
"I'm not sure. Tomarrow is also the Moonglow Festival, I might tell him then. But I'm worried that if I do tell him he won't think of me as a strong warrior anymore."
The sandstone gates of Trinsic were getting larger as they spoke. "But Escence, he will think of you as a strong warrior forever because that is what you are. Ever since you joind our guild youve impressed both me and Fierce with your skills. Sometimes I even see Fierce get a little red in the face when he watches you fight."
Escence laughed. "He does? Well luck might just come soon enough." The two entered the city of Trinsic and parted ways for the day.

Chapter 2- An Unholy Alliance

Malicious wandered through the forests of Felucca, killing everything he came in contact with. He saw the dangerous dungeon of Deceit, yet he heard hellish creatures inside. He came up with an idea. "If this is what I think it is, then this cave holds the spawn of the Unholy Terror." He decided to go into the dungeon and explore. He came upon a black stone platform with a blood red pentagram on it. Curiously, he stood on top of the pentagram. When he did, red skulls with vicious flames appeared in each corner, and the ground outside the platform bursted. Hundreds of wraiths, spectres, zombies, and undead skeletons invaded the area and came after Malicious. He quickly yelled the spell "An Sanct Gra Char" (Curse Weapon) and began striking everything that moved. Quickly he destroyed every creature, until the undead mages of the underworld, Liches, appeared. There were 6 altogether, proving to be a challenge for Malicious, but he smiled, lept into the air, and began striking. Soon after he started fighting the Liches, his weapons curse wore off. The Liches each let out a thunderous laugh and brought up their hands, as if they were channeling some powerful spell. Blue flames glowed in each one of their hands until a female voice came out from behind Malicious.
"Stop, my undead mages. Well young sir, you have proven yourself worthy aginst my minions. I am impressed. And it seems you know spells of my kind. I am Neira, an Elder Necromancer. I control the undead of Felucca, and also this." She pulled out a small, red, glowing skull and held it out to Malicious, who quickly recognized it.
Before Neira could say what it was, Malicious quickly said, "The Skull of Death. So you are one of the Six Skull Guardians. Tales go far and wide of Neira the Necromancers beauty and power, but I see they hardly do you justice. I have made my way here to make a proposition with you. My name is Malicious Destin. Join me, for I have an undying hatred towards the people of Trammel. Come with me, and we will achieve the other six skulls and summon The Creature."
Neira looked suspicious, but she too had a hatred for Trammel. "So you want to summon The Harrower. You know getting it to Trammel will not be an easy task. Fortunately for you I am in a very good mood, so I will join you. Together we will be an unstoppable, unholy force." Neira got off of her Undead Steed, sent it back into the underworld, and started walking with Malicious. Little did the both of them know that a miner accustomed to Felucca was nearby, listening to every word they said. This miners name was Haphaestus, part of the guild of the Defenders of Innocence.

~~~*~~~

Fierce, Wiglaf and Escence were walking up to the gates of Dungeon Wrong, when Escence made a realization. "You know Fierce," she said, "I don't think you've ever seen me fight before." Fierce stopped in his tracks.
"I never did? Well, how about that. I never did!" He laughed a little, started walking and said, "Well then today, you had better show me what you're made of."
Wiglaf kept walking forward, trying to hold back a laugh, when Escence walked to Fierce, grabbed him by the shoulders and pinned him to the ground. "Just think I'm meerly a girl? Powerful warrior indeed."
"Well maybe you got some fight in you after all. Now let me up," Fierce said, coughing a little. Wiglaf knew how Fierce was not catching on to Escence's hints, and he smacked his forehead and kept walking, leaving the two behind.
When they came upon the Dungeon, they could hear the maniacal screams of the Jukas, tall ninja-like creatures with an unknown origin. They are comprised of warriors, mages, and Juka Lords, powerful Jukas with bows. Rumors circulate that they are evolved Gargoyles that have traveled from the future in the days of Lord Blackthorn's reign. Through the endless screams of the Jukas, you could hear what sounded like roars echoing off of metal. Wrong is a dungeon inside of a cage, so there is no metal. Wiglaf peered into the cave and said simply, "Golems." Golems are 20 foot tall metal beasts, crafted with power crystals from the Gargoyles themselves. They are extremely strong, yet not that smart.
"We may have some trouble. Let's be careful," Fierce said while putting on his dragon scale armor. "Fortunately Black Dragon Scale armor is perfect for fighting Golems. They don't use energy attacks." The three companions slipped into the dark cavern. Fierce stopped them and chanted "In Lor" (Night Sight) three times, one for each person in the group, allowing them to see in the cave as if it was lit by the sun. Out of a crevice in the wall, a juka warrior crept up behind Fierce. It stepped on a small stone, making a slight noise. Escence heard it and lept over Fierce, struck the Juka with her katana blade and killed it. Fierce turned to her and smiled. “Showing off are we?”
“Well, you wanted to see the fighter in this girl, so I showed you. What do you think?” She twirled around, showing off her blue glimmering armor.
Fierce looked at her as if he was hypnotized. “Very nice.” Fierce recollected himself and said, “I mean, very nice fighting. Yes. You have great potential.” The team continued on through the dungeon. They came upon the underground fort of the Juka, when the metal gate door swung open. A blinding red light filled the area, and from this light flew a young boy, about sixteen years old, wearing a blazing orange robe, black boots, and a white bone helmet. He landed in front of the team, casted Corp Por (Energy Bolt), and ran off. This spell wiped out all the Juka in the fort, leaving Wiglaf, Fierce, and Escence standing in amazement. They had never seen a mage as powerful as this young boy who had cleared a dungeon.
Wiglaf said dissappointedly, “Well I guess this hunt was pointless. Let’s just leave. Let’s go to Moonglow and visit the bank.” As they started walking out, they heard thunderous footsteps slowly coming behind them. As they started to turn, a monstrously large creature leaned over and started sniffing the group. It let out a giant metallic roar, signifying that it was in fact, a Golem. Fierce swung at it with his crescent blade, but its steel flesh was not affected by it. He let out a nervous laugh, and then had an idea.
“Escence, stand back and hold my blade. Wiglaf, on the count of three, cast Flamestrike. We might be able to melt this guy.” Escense was not one to back out of a fight easily. So as soon as the Golem was hurt by the Flamestrike, she dropped Fierce’s blade, jumped onto the Golem’s back, climbed 10 feet to its neck, and stabbed its main energy vein, which instantly brought the Golem crashing down, almost crushing the two other fighters.
She climbed off the steaming, metal corpse, laughing. “You boys, always trying to use magic to solve your problems. If you actually took time to study Golem lore, you would know that they have energy veins through their bodies that sustain their lives. Pierce one of them and Golems turn into, well, this.” She kicked the Golem’s mechanical head, causing it to jolt and fall off. “Next time, maybe you should trust the beauty on the team.” She flung her long, black hair behind her shoulders and picked up Fierce’s crescent blade. “Here ya go. Remember, I’m not a weapon rack.” She chuckled and walked out of the dungeon, leaving the two men amazed in the darkness.
A short while after they left Wrong, they soon found the Yew Moongate. They went through the tall, blue, glowing oval and transported the the Island of Moonglow, which held its own Moongate. Once through it was only a short walk up a dirt pathway into the thriving city of wood and stone, Moonglow. The first building in the city was the bank, which held a crowd, not as large as the Britain Bank, but had people there who were not just interested in money. Some of them trained with spells, others brought their tamed animals to show off or to fight in small street tournaments with each other. Fierce looked around, and against the iron fence border of the town sat Ethereal Mount riders, talking about their adventures over the years. To his left he saw tamers talking about the many creatures they have faced and tamed, and one tamer even had his tamed Nightmare steed training with his tamed Drake. Moonglow was overall a peaceful town.
That night was the Moonglow festival, held at the giant telescope on the east peninsula of the island. It was an exclusive event, held for the members of the First Council of Britannia. In the Council, a guild is represented by one person, but tonight was different. Every guild in the Council was allowed to have every guild member attend if they chose. It was a formal event, so every member was dressed in their best. The Defenders of Innocence was a part of the Council, but only Fierce, Wiglaf, Bolias, and Escence went. Fierce and Bolias were at a table, drinking their wine and eating. Fierce was dressed in black long pants, deep blue boots, and a black formal shirt, based off of oriental designs. Fierce also had his long white hair tied back. Bolias was in an ice white robe and blaze orange boots.
As they ate, Fierce asked, "I thought Escence was coming. Any idea where she is?"
"I'm right here, Fierce," a voice came from behind. It was Escence. Her voice sounded much different from any other day, she sounded more elegant. Fierce stood up, turned around, and saw the most beautiful woman he ever saw. She was dressed in a long ice blue dress, glimmering with red arcane gems, sapphires, and topaz crystals. She walked toward him as the musicians started playing a small distance from the telescope. She took Fierce's hand, and led him to a spot in the grass where no one was dancing. She put his arms around her waist, and put her arms around his shoulders.
They started dancing when Fierce said, "You look so beautiful. Why haven't you ever shown me this side of you before?"
"Tonight is special. There's something I want to tell you," she said, getting somewhat nervous.
Fierce said, "You can tell me anything."
Escence sighed and said, "Well there were two reasons why I joined this guild. One was, I wanted to be involved with the Council, and huntings and such, but the main reason was..."
All of a sudden, the miner Haphaestus ran up to Fierce out of nowhere and said, "Fierce, we have a major problem. Something is happening in Felucca that could be hazardous to this world."
Fierce let go of Escence and said, "What kind of problem?"
Haphaestus was trying to catch his breath while he told his story. "There was a Necromancer in Deceit while I was mining for Valorite. He looked a little younger than you, Fierce, but he was so powerful. He defeated the entire Unholy Terror spawn in less than five minutes, but did not fight Neira. Instead they formed an alliance. Fierce, they plan on summoning the Harrower and bringing it to Trammel. At least that is what I know. They may make other plans but the Harrower alone will cause mass destruction."
Fierce looked very concerned and Escence was worried. Fierce said, "What was the Necromancer's name? Did you hear it?"
"Yes," he said, "Malicious Destin." Fierce stumbled as if all the air was pulled out of his lungs.
"Malicious Destin," Fierce said. "Gather the other guild members. We are going to Felucca. We need to stop him from getting the Six Evil Skulls. We will need to travel to Ilshenar too, a few skulls are there. We must move fast. If the Harrower is spawned, we are doomed."

Chapter 3- The Hunt Begins

Escense was in her house when Haphaestus knocked on the door. She opened it up, saw that it was him, and she proceeded to drag him into the house by his neck and threw him into a chair. "I can't believe you! I was about to tell Fierce.....something very important, and you came along and interrupted me! Everything was supposed to go according to plan, but NO, you had to show up with your news about Necromancers and the end of the world and throw the whole thing off!"
Haphaestus looked stunned and said, "Escence I'm sorry, but I had to tell him. It's somewhat important when people plan on destroying the world. I had to tell as soon as possible, the Necromancers are moving! I'm sure whatever you had to tell him can wait until this is over with."
Escence stomped on the floor. "Fine. But now you have to get out."
"Why is that? I thought you were okay with it?"
She turned to Haphaestus and said, "Well I am, but I kinda need to change into my armor." It did not dawn on Haphaestus' mind for a few seconds, but when he realized it he quickly ran out of the house.

~~~*~~~

Fierce waited at the Britain Moongate, when one by one the guildmembers appeared. Bolias the Mage, Escence the Paladin, Wiglaf the Warrior and Kroeger the Swordsman. Bolias was wearing armor which was perfect for mages, a suit which did not require the wearer to use reagents when casting spells. Escence wore her Valorite Ringmail Armor, and had her Valorite Katana. Wiglaf wore Valorite Platemail armor and had a bardiche, a staff with a giant blade on top, and Kroeger wore a set of armor made from the red bones of Daemons, and had a halberd, which was an advanced bardiche.
Fierce took out his map of Felucca and checked where the major spawns are located. "Let's check the Vermin Horde spawn in Despise. It's in the mountain range a few miles above Britain. If we get to it before Malicious did and get the Skull of Greed, we'll cut him off and he won't be able to summon the Harrower." The guild agreed on the plan and stepped into the Moongate. They appeared through the Britain Moongate in Felucca, being very cautious for they did not want to come in contact with murderers. Once through, they all noticed something.
Kroeger peered ahead into the forest. "There's no one here. But this place reeks of death. Not the normal war, something else. There was a slaughter here. I have a feeling that Malicious was behind this. No mage involved in the civil war here could possibly be so powerful as to wipe out everyone and not go unnoticed." As they walked out of the circle of stones that surrounded the moongate, they walked in a line, protecting each other in case of an attack.
Wiglaf was walking behind Fierce, who was in front of the group. He started panicking when he looked at the ground when he walked. "This soil is thick, it is soaked. Look. Every time we take a step, blood quenches out of the ground. This is not normal for Felucca. This last battle here was just a massacre."
Escence walked up so she was behind Fierce and took his hand. "Don't let go. I've never been here, and from what I see so far, it scares me to be here." Fierce thought it might have been a bad idea to take Escence with them, but he did not let go of her hand. Once they reached the deserted Britain, they came upon the faction of The True Britannians. These were men who pledged their lives to protect the cities of Felucca, but were at constant war with the faction of the Followers of Minax. They were noble, proud men who would even sacrifice their lives if it meant saving the land.
Fierce walked up to the Britannian general and introduced himself. The man looked at him menacingly and asked, "What business do you have in Felucca? Speak quickly or I shall be forced to use my sword." Fierce laughed nervously and tried to think of an answer that did not give away their true purpose.
"Well, we're going to Dungeon Despise to fight the Vermin Horde. Our guild is dedicated to protecting those in need and..." he paused and scrambled for ideas, "...a friend of the guild is trapped in there."
The man look more disgruntled than before. "Well if your friend is trapped, how did he contact you?"
"Well he uhh....used a Communication Stone! Yeah that's it, he used a Com Stone." Fierce crossed his arms and looked up proudly, hoping the general was not on to his lies.
"Well youre story checks out." He slapped Fierce on the back. "And don't be so nervous friend. We do not murder like those Minax fighters. We support help and good trades. Come inside and rest, for you look weary." He walked over to Escence and said, "And a beautiful woman such as yourself should not be troubled in these dark times." When Fierce heard this, he increasingly became angry, but Bolias put his hand on Fierce's shoulder to calm him down.
That evening, they stayed in the Britain Castle, and they got to know the True Brittannians and became friends with Jarnos, the Brittannian general they met earlier. He sat them at a long table, just for the five of them and Jarnos. Jarnos sat next to Escence and talked to her all night. Fierce sipped wine out of his goblet while glaring at Jarnos. It took everything inside of him not to lash out at Jarnos, but he held it in. Bolias leaned over to Fierce and said, "Why don't you tell Escence how you feel? You and I both know that you have feelings for her. I see it everyday. Plus on her end, I don't think you have anything to worry about."
Fierce nearly dropped his goblet, turned very fast and asked, "What do you mean by that?" Bolias was silent. "Bolias, what are you talking about? She's just our guild member and I'm looking out for her, that's all." Fierce got mad and walked out onto the high balcony of the castle.
He stood up against the stone fence, looking out over Britain and the forests beyond the river. He was calmed by the moon shining its light over the world. Escence made her way out to the balcony and walked up next to Fierce. He looked at her looking out onto the world, he exhaled slowly and smiled. The two were silent for minutes but it seemed like an eternity for the both of them, when Escence said, "Fierce, I know what you saw down there looked strange considering we just met Jarnos, but there's nothing to worry about. He's just a friend, nothing more." Fierce gave no reaction, because he was trying to cover up any sign of hurt. Escence sighed and said, "You know, this world doesn't look so horrible at night. Knowing I'm safe here, Felucca isn't such a scary place. But I know what lies ahead of us. I know that at some point, we will be faced with frightening challenges. I know we will have to fight Malicious, and to be honest, it scares me to death. But until that time comes, I'm happy just being here, with you." She rested her head on Fierce's shoulder and closed her eyes.
The next morning, Fierce awoke to the smell of freshly cooked bacon, eggs frying in the pan, and the finest bread Britain had to offer. He walked down into the main dining area, but instead of finding the faction members stuffing their faces like they did the night before, he found a bloodbath. Jarnos walked out of his room and said while wiping the blood off of his sword, "Minax invaded last night. These were their supposed Warriors of Chaos. It was chaos alright, our faction prevailed. But there was a boy there, he looked evil but he helped us."
The other guild members walked down the stairs and stopped behind Fierce, looking puzzled and amazed when he said, "Curious. What did this boy look like?"
Jarnos ran the edge of his knife along his cheek, trying to remember the boy. "He was somewhat tall, very acrobatic. He wore a blaze robe and a bone helmet. I couldn't see much beyond that, he moved very fast, and he used a combination of mage and necromancer spells." Fierce looked back at Wiglaf and Escence, and all three of them knew it was the boy from Wrong only a few days earlier.

~~~*~~~

As Malicious walked through Felucca, with Neira at his side, two Skulls in hand, he started having doubts. "This is taking too long. You told me that we would have all six Skulls in no time, and it's been two weeks, and I only have two. This Skull of Venom from Memphitis, and this other one from you. Why is this going so slowly?"
"Just be patient, my love. Your time will come soon enough, and when it does, all of this work will be worth it. And look at what you have gotten out of it already. You have the Scroll of Power from defeating Memphitis, you have another skull, and from all of the Necromantic skills youve gained, you can now summon Revenants." Neira took the skulls from Malicious and placed them in a bag, which cause the skulls to glow with a red and green glow.
Malicious looked down at his hands and said, "Yes, the Vengeful Spirit spell will come in very useful, but I am saving it for one person."
Neira stopped and asked, "And who is this person? And who would dare challenge us?"
Malicious seemed to go into some kind of a trance and said, "Someone whom I know is coming for me. Someone whom I know will stop at nothing until my plan is ruined. But I won't let that happen, no. My vengeance is soon. And the Revenants know just how to do the job." Malicious started breathing heavily and his body began shaking. Neira started becoming frightened and slowly started walking backwards, distancing herself from him. All of a sudden Malicious lifted his head and let out an earth shattering scream, but the voice coming from Malicious sounded like that of a daemon itself. Out of Malicious' mouth poured wave upon wave of black energy, destroying everything in an area around him. Neira was thrown to the ground and could not move. She was surprised, for no Necromancer in the past had ever put out a display that Malicious was.
While Malicious was radiating with black energy, he looked over at Neira, who sat there frightened. His eyes glowed a blood red and it seemed as if flames were shooting out of his mouth when he opened it. He said with his loud, demonic voice, "What you see before you is only a fraction of what I plan to do when I face the betrayer. He has brought this upon himself, and he will soon fall. Then the world will know who I am and what he was, and could have been. What he has done his entire life will mean nothing when I get near to him."
Neira was afraid to ask the question but she did. "Who is this person that causes this to you?"
Malicious let out a giant wave of power and said with more evil in his voice then ever, "Fierce Deity."

~~~*~~~

Fierce was just finished putting on his armor, and he was tying his blue boots, when Escense walked into the room unexpectedly. She didn't see Fierce in the corner of the room, but he saw her. She was wearing just a robe from what Fierce saw, for she had just come back from the baths. In a panic, he jumped behind the curtains of the window and hid. Escence took our her armor and placed it on the table near her. She turned around to the bed, and from under it she pulled out her dark blue thigh boots. Before she started changing into her armor, she noticed black laces hanging out from the bottom of the red silk curtains. She walked over quietly and looked at the laces. She thought it may have been a rogue Minax faction member, so she quickly reached behind the curtain and grabbed Fierce's arm. She flipped him to the ground and pinned him, but could not see who it was from her wet hair in front of her face. She flung her hair back, and quickly the expression on her face went from angry to humiliated extremely quickly.
Fierce lifted Escense' head up and looked into her deep chocolate brown eyes, his gaze never wavering. He was so close to her that he could feel her breath upon his face, warmth filling every core of his being. With a gentle hand, Fierce moved a piece of her hair away from her face and leaned in to taste her soft pink lips. Escense felt her whole body shake with anticipation but as they were only inches apart, Kroeger busted into the room, causing the two to jump and scurry away from each other.
Kroeger looked very excited and said, "You guys have to come see this. Jarnos got us all mounts to ride, so this trip will go by faster!" He paused and looked at Escence confused. He said to her, "Escence whats going on? Why aren't you changed yet? We're leaving soon." He closed the door and ran down the stairs.
Fierce walked behind Escence and said, "Listen. I want you to have something." He pulled out a silver chain, and on it was a black gem, wrapped in silver vines. "This gem was my mothers. Supposedly it brought her good luck. Her and my father always fought side by side, and she never lost a fight. Before she died, she passed it along to me, telling me to give it to a woman who would one day appreciate the strength of us Paladins. I want you to wear this. It may come in useful considering the consequences." She closed her eyes as he put it around her neck and clasped it. She held the gem and felt a strange power run through her. Fierce walked out of the room and shut the door behind him. She stood there alone, staring into the gem. After a few minutes, she put on her armor and walked downstairs.
Jarnos stood at the gate of the castle with an array of animals behind him. He stood proud and the animals waited patiently. Jarnos had chosen animals whose personalities were similar to the riders who would own them.
He walked to Wiglaf and summoned over the first creature. It resembled a horse, but it was a green color with a red crest running upon its back. "To you Wiglaf, I present a Ki-rin. This steed has wondeful healing powers and is highly noble to its master. May this ancient creature serve you well."
He then walked to Bolias and summoned the next creature, a pure black horse. "This Nightmare is yours, Bolias. Strong, wise, very skilled in the ways of magic. May its strength protect you and your friends."
Then he walked to Kroeger and summoned a horse with flames eminating from its feet. It's mane and tail were also pure fire, and its hide was a yellow-orange. "This is a Firesteed. Its determination and its strength is personified by the intense flames on its body. But do not worry, the flames will not harm you. The Firesteed will answer to you and you alone."
Next he walked to Escence, and summoned a beautiful white unicorn that eminated with light. "Escence Teran, the Unicorn is your steed. Its beauty is only a small dose of what this has to offer. It will stay with you throughout anything, and it too has healing magic."
Finally he walked to Fierce, and summoned over a giant, six legged dragon. It was not very tall, but it was long. It's wings were small, so it could not fly. It was armored in Valorite from its head to its tail. "Fierce, my ally, my friend, my brother. This Swamp Dragon may not look like much, but never underestimate an adversary. This creature is amazingly powerful, and very fast for its size. It has helped me win many battles, and hopefully it will assist you in the same fashion."
They rest of the guild got onto their mounts, and Fierce shook Jarnos' hand. "Jarnos, we will never forget this deed you have done for us. We are forever in your debt. If you ever need assistance from us, we will always be there."
Jarnos smiled and said, "I know you will always be there for us. Now go, and destroy that Necromancer before anything bad happens."
Fierce froze and said, "Necromancer? How did you know we were here for that? No one told you, did they?"
Jarnos laughed. "Fierce, no. No one told me. But a few days before you came, a Necromancer came through Britain, but he was alone. All I remember from him was he walked past us, he didn't say anything except, 'Death to Fierce. Death to Trammel.' He said it so quietly to himself, but I was the only one who heard him. If he is going to do anything that would involve the destruction of Trammel, it must be stopped. If anything should happen, the True Brittannians will stand and fight. You have my word, on my honor."
Fierce saluted Jarnos with the Brittanian salute and said, "Thank you Jarnos. If anything is to happen, we will need you and your men again, and it's good to know that we have your support. Again, I thank you for these gifts, we will not let you down." With that, Fierce mounted his Swamp Dragon which he named Ancalagon, and the five warriors rode off towards Dungeon Despise.

Chapter 4- The Dark Revelation

The night came quickly as they traveled through the forests towards the Valley of Wind and Despise. They decided to camp for the night, so Bolias casted energy fields around their campsite which would hold throughout the night. They built a fire and cooked some food that they got from Britain before they left. Later that night, while everyone else slept, Fierce sat awake, staring at the stars beyond the trees. He heard Escence shiver while she slept, so Fierce walked over to her, kneeled down, and removed his cloak. He covered Escence with it, and she instantly curled up with it. He took off his dragon skull helmet and placed it at his side. He leaned over and kissed Escence's cheek, causing her to smile in her sleep. He then got up and sat back on the log he was on before, and continued to gaze into the stars. Kroeger woke up to find Fierce sitting there, so he walked over and sat next to him. "You really should get some sleep. I'm worried about you. Ever since you talked to Jarnos today you've been acting very strangely."
Fierce looked at the ground and said, "He's coming after me. Me! Malicious wants me dead. The only reason he wants me gone is because I know all about him. This will not be the first encounter I've had with him. I know what he is like, but I never thought he would become so evil. I should have seen the signs years ago. If my father was still around, he never would have become what he is."
Kroeger looked concerned and asked, "What would your father do about Malicious? He can not be stopped at the rate he's going. I know you always said that your father was powerful, but you never specified in what field."
Fierce bit his lip and looked up. "You want to know my story? Well then I'll tell you."
"About 20 years ago, I was at my house with me, my younger brother, and my mother. I was outside training with my brother, and my mother was inside writing her book of Paladin discoveries. My father was out at Dungeon Doom, fighting in the Gauntlet of Champions. He had come home, but his clothes were tatterred and his armor broken. He walked into the house, and he threw his sword against the wall. My brother and I ran to the window to see what was happening, but I wouldn't let my brother see what was happening. He was too young to see my parents fighting. All I saw was my mother talking to my father, trying to get him out of a rage. All of a sudden my father turned around so my mother couldn't see him, and it looked like he was silently muttering a spell to himself. He raised his hand in front of him, and a spike of energy appeared in his hand. Next thing I know, he turns around so fast, and throws the spike right through my mothers heart. I didn't know what to do, but I didn't panic, because I was afraid my father would put the same spell to us. My brother asked me what happened, but how does a ten year old explain to a six year old that his mother was just killed by his father? All I said was that she had to go somewhere. A Paladin quest. And she would be gone for a long time.
My father dissappaeared after that, but five years later he showed up at the house again. He told us he was taking us under training for Necromancy. My brother had already started Necromancy a few weeks before, but I was somewhat reluctant. My brother and I had become so powerful, we had no disregard for human life. Then one day, I had stopped to think about what I was doing, and it killed me inside to know that I was murdering people, the one thing I vowed never to do. So I abandoned my brother and spent a long time secluded in the forests of Trinsic, which is where my house is now. I decided to take the path of Chivalry, but first I went to my old house to look for my mothers old things. I found my mothers Book of Chivalry, her crescent blade which I still use, and something else. I found that necklace that Escence wears now. I always remembered that my mother had told me that the necklace enhances the power of Paladins, but is only meant for the woman who truly believes in its power. So that is why I gave it to Escence."
Fierce sat back and sighed. "So theres my story. That is the nightmare I have to live with everyday."
Kroeger asked, "But if your brother continued to be a Necromancer, and he knows you know his weakness, then that must mean..."
Fierce looked up. "Yes. I am not Fierce Deity, I am Fierce Destin. Malicious is my brother." Kroeger looked surprised and frightened at the same time. "But you can't tell anyone else. If this spreads, no good will come of it. He has disowned me, which is why I changed my name. But all I know is he must be stopped. He's obviously become more evil than my father, but I don't know why, or how."
The next morning, Fierce awoke to find the guild members standing in battle positions, huddled in a line, and staring at some point on the forest. He stood up, slipped on his dragon scale helmet, grabbed his crescent blade, and quietly walked up to Bolias. "What's going on? Why are we all standing like this?" Fierce gripped his blade tighter.
Bolias whispered, "There's someone out there. I woke up, and he somehow dispelled the energy field, and was standing over our things, scrounging for food. When I asked what he was doing, he looked at me and flew away. Yes, flew. Just a major leap into the trees, like it was nothing. He managed to get away with our map around here."
Fierce placed his blade into the holster tied onto his back, and stared into the trees. "At ease guys." They all looked at Fierce oddly, but they did as their commander ordered. He walked toward the trees and raised his hands to show he was unarmed. "Now I don't know who you are, but I'd like to talk to you. Come down from wherever you are, I promise I won't hurt you." A rustle came from the tree to the right of Fierce, and out flew the mysterious boy from the past few days. He landed on the ground, and extended his hand to Fierce. They shook hands, and Fierce looked at the boy with familiarity. "Have I seen you somewhere else before? I know you've been around us a lot the past few days, but this is the first time I got the chance to see your face. You look strikingly familiar to me."
The boy laughed. "Well I don't know. I guess I just have one of those recognizable faces. The name's Zeonosis. Expert mage and master of lands."
"Master of lands? What do you mean by that? And you seem too young to be traveling in Felucca on your own. What purpose do you have?"
Zeonosis laughed. "Master of lands. I know every inch of Felucca as if it was the back of my hand. I also know Malas and Ilshenar as well. And I may only be sixteen years old, but I can carry my own weight in this world. The murderers do not frighten me, neither do the monsters. My purpose? Well I guess all I can say is, I'm looking for a group to travel with. Being a rogue can be mighty lonely at times." He walked towards Escence and ran his hand up her arm. "And I noticed this lovely lady since the day I first saw you in Wrong of Trammel. She interested me, so I decided to follow you and see what you were coming to Felucca for."
Escence pulled away as Fierce grabbed Zeonosis' arm. "You do not touch her. She's out of your league."
Zeonosis smiled and raised a brow. "Well alright, but since I have your map, I figured youd like to know that this old thing is very outdated. And besides, the 'Vermin Spawn' you're looking for, it's already been invaded by Malicious. Yes, I know who Malicious Destin is. I overheard you talking to that Britannian general. Jarnos was his name? Anyway, I not only followed you, but at one point I followed Malicious too. His next target is Buccaneer's Den. He said something about reliving the past or something, but it makes no sense to me. There arent any Champion skulls there, so I don't know why he's even bothering with it."
Wiglaf stopped Zeonosis. "Wait. If you know so much, why didn't you stop him yourself? He can't be that powerful, can he?"
Zeonosis laughed again. "You honestly have no idea, do you. Malicious is unlike any Necromancer in our time. He's got some advanced power that no one has ever seen or heard of before. And he knows this! He will use this power to first take over Trammel. Then he will spread his reign to Malas, and eventually take Ilshenar as his last prisoner land. Now being a master of lands, I can not allow this to happen, but I also can not do it on my own. You all seem powerful, very powerful, so I propose that we ally ourselves and take down Malicious. Take all the time you need to think it over, but remember, Malicious is gathering the worlds most powerful monsters to create his army, so we must act fast."
Everyone gathered into a group and discussed it as Zeonosis stood by, swung around Fierce's blade, and waited. Fierce stood up, walked to him, took the blade, and went back into the circle. Zeonosis sighed and started kicking rocks around. Fierce stood again and said, "Okay. After careful deliberation.."
He was stopped by Zeonosis who said, "Okay, Fierce. Skip all that formal junk and get to the point. Am I joining you or not?"
It took everything in Fierce not to explode on the young boy, so he bit his lip and blinked slowly. He then said, "Well fine. You want the point? You're coming with us, but only until we find Malicious. After that, you're on your own." Zeonosis cracked a smile and nodded his head.
The rest of the guild got onto their mounts, and Zeonosis pulled out a small statue of a horse no bigger than his hand. He started chanting an odd phrase, and as he did, the wind picked up and it seemed as if a breeze had picked the boy up. Forming under him was a translucent horse, an Ethereal Horse. Everyone stood in awe as this creature formed under him. Kroeger asked, "How could you have gotten an Ethereal Mount? You aren't nearly old enough to earn one."
Zeonosis laughed and pet the mane of the invisible horse. "Yeah, I know. I stole it from a warrior that tried to attack me a few months ago. Needless to say, he didn't survive that encounter. Now follow me, we don't have much time before Malicious gets to Buc's Den." And with that, the party with their new companion set off.

~~~*~~~

The moongate in the city of Buccaneer's Den was crowded with murderers, just waiting for anyone to walk through and meet their deaths. Malicious and Neira walked through, and when the pirates and murderers recognized Neira, they instantly took to a knee and bowed before her. Malicious walked to one of the pirates, grabbed him by the chin, held his head up and chanted "Rel Xen Um" (Wraith Form). This turned him into a magically powerful spirit, but all anyone could see was a translucent human-like creature. Malicious in wraith form, quickly possessed the pirate, and from the inside, tore him into pieces. After the pirate was mangled beyond recognition, Malicious tore away at his flesh until the man was no more. Malicious then transformed into his regular self again. Neira and the other pirates looked on in horror as this process took place.
Malicious wiped the blood from his bone helmet as the pirate next to the first victim started screaming. The screaming irritated Malicious, so he grabbed the pirate by the throat, lifted him off the ground, and made his grip tighter. Soon the spine of the pirate could not hold the pressure and snapped, causing the head to rip right off, and tossing it aside, but not after taking the soul of the victim. Neira herself could not watch as this inhuman monster continued to slaughter, but she did not try to stop Malicious, for she feared his potential wrath.
The slaughtering continued on throughout the day, causing the entire island of Buccaneer's Den to become a graveyard. The stench of blood filled the air, and the clouds above it a deep, poisoned red. Even the noble guards stood no chance to the Necromancer's will. As the two walked around the blood soaked town, they saw in the distance, a large dragon ship approaching. Malicious laughed and turned both himself and Neira invisible.

~~~*~~~

Off the large ship walked Zeonosis, Bolias, Wiglaf, Kroeger, Escence, and Fierce. They left their mounts on the ship and locked it so they were safe. They walked carefully through the jungle towards the town, weapons in hand. Once they came to the edge of the jungle, they noticed that most of the tree trunks were splattered with blood, while other trees were torn down. Escence trembled but held her katana tightly. The first building they came to was the bank. It was torn down and burning, and all of the bank boxes emptied or dumped. They knew then that there were no survivors in that wreckage. The company then came upon the famous tavern, which stood still, but was emptied and stained with blood and entrails.
Fierce sighed heavily and walked in, noticing the doors were ripped completely off the hinges. He shook with fear while in the building. Wiglaf asked, "Fierce, what's wrong? Is something the matter?"
Fierce's eyes widened. "No, no I'm fine. This is just horrible. How can Malicious do something like this?"
Zeonosis looked calm and said, "Well, it should be easy for a Necromancer of that power. First, the pirates don't wear armor, so their bodies aren't..."
Fierce became mad and cut him off. "Zeonosis, shut up. Just shut your mouth for once, and stop making remarks about everything we say or do." Zeonosis raised his hands and shook his head, then took a few steps back. He laughed under his breath, which infuriated Fierce. He grabbed a bloody sword from the ground and held the blade to Zeonosis' neck. "Listen you little maggot, I will not tolerate your behavior anymore! Ever since you joined with us youv'e been a thorn in my side, and I will not take it anymore!"
Bolias panicked and grabbed the sword from Fierce before he could do anything. "Listen to me Fierce, don't give in to the temptation of this place. Felucca is clouded with evil, so we all must keep our minds set on our goal and not be ingulfed by the darkness. Remember, Malicious is our enemy, not Zeonosis."
Suddenly a voice came from right outside the doorway. "Yes, you wouldn't do that to your own nephew, would you?" In walked Malicious, wearing a glimmering black robe, flaming red cloak, and his head hidden under a bone helm.
Everyone looked at each other while Fierce looked at Malicious in horror. Wiglaf said, "Nephew? You mean to tell me that Zeonosis is Fierce's nephew?"
Malicious turned his head slightly. "Yes. That is exactly what I mean. Why must you ask me when you already know the answer? Now that you know it only means one thing, Fierce has family he neglected to tell you about."
Fierce started shaking and could not move. Escence was confused as to why as brave as Fierce is, why he feared Malicious so much. Malicious continued. "You didn't know you had a nephew, did you? Well look at what you miss out on when you alienate yourself from your family and try to change your life. What have you been up to these many years? I'm dying to know, dear brother."
The group was shocked. Escence looked at Fierce, who continued to stand paralyzed. "Your brother? This.....thing, is your brother?"
"Yes, he is. I'm sorry I never told any of you, but I was afraid of how you would react. But, my nephew? Zeonosis is.." Zeonosis laughed and walked to Malicious' side.
"Yes, my dear uncle. Malicious is my father. I am not this Zeonosis, my name is Malevolent. Malevolent Destin. You were right, father. Fierce isn't the smart one in the family. It sure did take him a while to figure it out. Does this mean we wont be traveling anymore Fierce?" He laughed.
"I will never go anywhere with you ever again, Necrospawn. Deceitful child, I should have killed you when I had the chance." Fierce was no longer afraid, but radiating with anger.
Malevolent gave a sarcastic sigh. "Yes, yes you should have. But you didn't." He paused. "And since we will not be traveling anymore, I guess that boat is useless." Malevolent started chanting a spell, and in the distance, all that was seen was a swarm of meteors pierce through the clouds above and collide with the ship, destroying it and the mounts onboard. "Well, it seems I have forgotten about your mounts on the ship. I apologize. I really do. Let me make it up to you by buying you a drink." He walked to the corpse of a pirate and snatched a mug of ale out of his hand, and threw it at Fierce. With quick thinking, Fierce slashed the mug in half, sending the ale in all directions.
While Fierce was distracted by the mug, Malevolent, Malicious, and Neira recalled out of Buccaneer's Den while Malicious called out, "See you in Terathan Keep, brother!" And with that the three were gone in a vanish.


Chapter 5- The Approach of Evil

Fierce sat in the corner of the tavern and took off his helmet. He put his head in his hands and was silent. Bolias walked to him and said, "You could have told us that Malicious is your brother. But now I understand those nightmares you have. You are remembering what you used to be, are you not?" Fierce nodded. "Well just because you were like that then, it does not mean you are the same way now. You have chosen a new life, you are no longer a Necromancer. You are a Paladin, you are a noble, holy warrior, not a bloodthirsty killer."
Fierce slammed his fists on the ground and looked up. "The same blood that runs through my veins is also through his! I can't change it, I wish I could. I know I'm better than this. Mostly all of my life I have been Malicious' sidekick, because his Necromantic powers were stronger than mine. But that day so many years ago, when I stared right into that pirates eyes, I knew I was weak."
Escence stomped over to Fierce and interrupted him. "Fierce, listen to me. You are not weak. You have never been weak, you will never be weak. You were just a weak Necromancer. And you want to know why? It's because you don't have the heart and soul to be a Necromancer. You are pure, your strength lies not just with your skills with a weapon, but also the purity of your heart. You easily symbolize the Virtues. Compassion. You have a love for anything living. Honesty. You are true, you do not lie like your brother. Honor. You stand for truth, against any odd. Humility. You know who you are, you are a true person. Justice. You protect order and peace. Sacrifice. You would do anything if it meant giving your own life to defend the people. Spirituality. Your soul is pure, that can never be taken from you. And Valor. You are the bravest person I have ever met."
Fierce stood up. "You all think I am that?" The group all nodded and Fierce smiled. "Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's find a way to get to Terathan Keep. If Malicious is going there, it only means he has all the skulls. We have to stop him before he gets the chance to summon the Harrower." The group was silent and they hung their heads. "What? What is the matter?"
Kroeger was the first to look up. "Fierce, there is no way off this island. Our boat is destroyed, our mounts gone. And none of us have a rune to Terathan Keep, so we can't recall or open a moongate there. Besides, when Malicious places the skulls in the Star Room, The Harrower will not appear there. It shows up in a random dungeon."
Fierce sighed, groaned, and threw his crescent blade on the ground. "This is going to be so difficult." He paused and looked out a broken window. "There is a world moongate out there. If we can find somewhere to go, we can find someone that would have a rune to Terathan Keep. But where to go?"
Everyone thought for a few seconds and then said at the same time, "Britain!" And with that, the guild went to the moongate and went to Trammel Britain.

~~~*~~~

They walked into Britain, and of course it was as busy as it always is. They stood together and listened to the screams of people selling and buying many different things. Fierce tried to yell a request for a rune marked to Terathan Keep, but everytime he tried to yell he was overshadowed by someone, leaving him annoyed. Escence laughed, pushed Fierce out of the way, and yelled out louder than anyone heard from her ever, "Hey! Does anyone have a rune to Terathan Keep?" Merchants around her stopped and looked at her in surprise, and she just smiled and waited. A tamer walked over to her and held out a red stone with an ankh and the words "Terathan Keep" which translates to "Terathan Keep". He simply said, "For you, milady. Take it, I have extras." She thanked him and took the rune to the group. They looked at her and laughed when she gave them an innocent smile.
Fierce took the guild to the docks just south of the bank, where few people went to. He placed the rune on the ground as Bolias chanted "Vas Rel Por" (Gate Travel) and opened a red moongate to Terathan Keep in Felucca. They entered the gate, and appeared in Felucca at night. Dark clouds covered the jet black sky, while streaks of lightning flew from cloud to cloud, and cloud to ground. The dungeon they faced was a giant citadel, made from black Obsidian stones. The keep soared into the clouds, and the room at the top was known as the Star Room. Surrounding the keep were barren trees that looked as if they were burnt, and tall columns with flames on top. The ground below them crunched with the cracking of bones of dead warriors who have attempted to reach the keep and have been unsuccessful. They walked slowly towards the black doors, huddled close together. The sounds of wailing monsters echoed from inside, but there was a cry from outside that stood out distinctively. A man crawled out from behind a column, completely scarred and bloody. He had no legs, and blood poured out of his amputations. He choked as he said to the guild, "A Necromancer has done this to me. He was aligned with Neira. I had no chance. Please, I know my time has come. I know that I will soon see our Lord British in the spirit world once again. Please, hand me my sword." Wiglaf bowed to the poor man and handed him the sword. He looked to Fierce and said, "I can tell you are a strong fighter. Do not let anyone else have the same fate as I." And with that, the man thrust his sword through his chest, and had fallen.
They pushed the steel doors open, and inside was a deep, damp, dark cavern, lit by occaisional torches. As the group walked through the keep, they heard the hissing speech of the snake-like Obsidians, the screeches of the spider-human hybrids of the Terathans, and faint roars of ancient Balrons. The group proceeded through the keep, but soon after heard increasing footsteps behind them. Not human, Terathan or Obsidian, but larger. A wave of heat blew from behind them, and as they turned around, they saw their stalker.....a dragon. Bolias paralyzed it with a paralization spell and Wiglaf and Fierce ran under it and attacked its hard hide with their swords. The dragon roared in pain, but soon fell to the ground. Escence stood by and watched how quickly they took out the dragon, and she became less nervous of the fight she knew was coming.
As the group led on, they noticed the light fading as they increased in the keep. The air

 

I noticed the post cut off so Im continuing here:

They walked into Britain, and of course it was as busy as it always is. They stood together and listened to the screams of people selling and buying many different things. Fierce tried to yell a request for a rune marked to Terathan Keep, but everytime he tried to yell he was overshadowed by someone, leaving him annoyed. Escence laughed, pushed Fierce out of the way, and yelled out louder than anyone heard from her ever, "Hey! Does anyone have a rune to Terathan Keep?" Merchants around her stopped and looked at her in surprise, and she just smiled and waited. A tamer walked over to her and held out a red stone with an ankh and the words "Terathan Keep" which translates to "Terathan Keep". He simply said, "For you, milady. Take it, I have extras." She thanked him and took the rune to the group. They looked at her and laughed when she gave them an innocent smile.
Fierce took the guild to the docks just south of the bank, where few people went to. He placed the rune on the ground as Bolias chanted "Vas Rel Por" (Gate Travel) and opened a red moongate to Terathan Keep in Felucca. They entered the gate, and appeared in Felucca at night. Dark clouds covered the jet black sky, while streaks of lightning flew from cloud to cloud, and cloud to ground. The dungeon they faced was a giant citadel, made from black Obsidian stones. The keep soared into the clouds, and the room at the top was known as the Star Room. Surrounding the keep were barren trees that looked as if they were burnt, and tall columns with flames on top. The ground below them crunched with the cracking of bones of dead warriors who have attempted to reach the keep and have been unsuccessful. They walked slowly towards the black doors, huddled close together. The sounds of wailing monsters echoed from inside, but there was a cry from outside that stood out distinctively. A man crawled out from behind a column, completely scarred and bloody. He had no legs, and blood poured out of his amputations. He choked as he said to the guild, "A Necromancer has done this to me. He was aligned with Neira. I had no chance. Please, I know my time has come. I know that I will soon see our Lord British in the spirit world once again. Please, hand me my sword." Wiglaf bowed to the poor man and handed him the sword. He looked to Fierce and said, "I can tell you are a strong fighter. Do not let anyone else have the same fate as I." And with that, the man thrust his sword through his chest, and had fallen.
They pushed the steel doors open, and inside was a deep, damp, dark cavern, lit by occaisional torches. As the group walked through the keep, they heard the hissing speech of the snake-like Obsidians, the screeches of the spider-human hybrids of the Terathans, and faint roars of ancient Balrons. The group proceeded through the keep, but soon after heard increasing footsteps behind them. Not human, Terathan or Obsidian, but larger. A wave of heat blew from behind them, and as they turned around, they saw their stalker.....a dragon. Bolias paralyzed it with a paralization spell and Wiglaf and Fierce ran under it and attacked its hard hide with their swords. The dragon roared in pain, but soon fell to the ground. Escence stood by and watched how quickly they took out the dragon, and she became less nervous of the fight she knew was coming.
As the group led on, they noticed the light fading as they increased in the keep. The air became warmer and warmer, and the sounds of roars of giant beasts could be heard in the upper levels. They came across the entrance to the second level. All that could be seen were two skulls with candles on them on both sides of the door. A faint orange light came from the upper level, so they decided to move on. Before they came into the second room, Fierce took out his crescent blade and held it tighly, and held the others back. He slowly walked into the giant room alone, light by torches, and at least three hundred feet tall. Whatever lived in this room had to be gigantic. Fierce stepped lightly and looked around. As he turned to report back to the group, the sound of a giant stone door slowly opening echoed throughout the room. Large footsteps grew from the darkness, and whatever it was had swooping wings with much power. Bolias' breath quickened to the point of near hyperventilation, and he clutched his heart as if he was in massive pain. Wiglaf looked to him. "What is it? What's out there?"
Bolias did not take his eyes off of the fading Fierce for a second. "It is something not all of us can defend against. It is a creature more powerful than any of us have ever faced. It is a Balron." Escence almost screamed for Fierce but she did not want to lead the Balron onto him. But the Balron already knew Fierce was in the room. It slowly walked closer towards the warrior, breathing its hellish breath and snarling. Fierce stood up slowly and heard it.
"What are you, foul beast?" He said.
The creature spoke with a deep voice, and its words were as poisonous as pure venom. "I am the Collector of Souls. You have disturbed me, but thankfully for you my brothers rest at this time."
Fierce looked around, trying to not let his panic overtake him. "Who are your brothers?"
"My brothers are comparable to me, but they control different realms. The Lord of the Abyss and The Slayer are my brothers, but they are not as merciful as I." The Balron stepped lightly around Fierce, for it was unsure of his true power, and the Balron are very careful of what they do not know. Hearing the Balron's movements, Fierce took battle position and stepped around also. He sensed where the daemon was moving, and always stayed on his guard. Soon the two powerful adversaries were dancing the dance of death, and both knew that from this battle, only one would survive. After a short time The Collector of Souls as he was called stood tall and crossed its arms. "This area is too dark for this. I know it and you know it. So I will give you a bit of an advantage." The Balron lifted his arms high, let out an ear piercing roar, and swung his arms down, creating a wall of fire eclosing them in the room, but lighting the area. Fierce smirked and clutched his blade tightly as the Balron stood menacingly above him.
Fierce tightened his armor and said, "So this will be the end for one of us. Well, if I am to go, I would rather it be to a creature like you than to my brother."
The Balron was puzzled. "Your brother? Who is that?"
Fierce spoke as calm as a warrior would be. "Well, my brother might have come herre a short time ago. He is a Necromancer named Malicious Destin. He was traveled here with his son Malevolent and his company Neira the Ancient One. You might have seen him. He is heading for the Star Room with the Six Skulls of Summoning to bring forth The Harrower."
The Balron froze in its place. "Your brother is the Dread Lord?"
Fierce laughed. "Dread Lord? Well, that certainly is a new one. I've heard him called many things, but Dread Lord is definitely original. 'The Dread Lord Malicious Destin' isn't it? And why do you call him this?"
"Because that is exactly what he is. He destroyed my entire army of fighters, which is why I stand alone before you now and my brothers rest. His evil is unmatched. Even us ancient Balrons fear what he is." It paused, peered into Fierce's calm look and said then, "If the Dread Lord is who you say he is, then your power must be equal to his. I look forward to this battle."
Fierce bowed to the Balron while chanting spells to increase his power. The Balron stomped forward and tried to swing his claws into Fierce's skull, but by the time its hand made it to Fierce, he had made it to behind the Balron and cut off its tail. The daemon howled in pain, and held its severed tail. The creature was so enraged that it used spells to make itself stronger, and slammed Fierce into the nearest wall before he could defend. Fierce was unconscious, lying on the dungeon floor with the Balron walking quickly towards him, furious.
Wiglaf grabbed his bardiche and put on his helmet. "Listen everyone. I will not stand by and watch as our friend is about to be mangled by this daemon. I am going in there. Who is with me?" The guild prepared for battle. They charged through the fire wall and ran towards the Balron. It was during this moment that the gem around Escence's neck began to glow, and she felt her power grow massively. Suddenly the armor she wore was encased in a layering of diamond and laced with valorite and gold. Her sword shone of blue and she felt as if she was as light as a cloud. Wiglaf and Kroeger attacked the Balron at its knees, causing it to fall, and Escence lept onto its back and pierced its spine with her sword. The Balron flailed wildly and attempted to pull Escence from its back, but nothing worked. She continued to attack madly. Bolias used healing spells and brought Fierce back to consciousness. He awoke to see Kroeger, Escence and Wiglaf brutally attacking the Balron, who was on its knees writhing in pain.
Fierce arose and took his crescent blade. He ran towards the Balron and made one swift swing, bringing the blade through the skull of the Balron, killing it instantly. All of the guild members recollected themselves and wiped their swords of the daemon blood. Escence stood there amazed at the armor and sword that had helped her just now. When she calmed the armor slowly faded back into the gem. She fell to the ground and breathed heavily. She dropped her sword and removed the gem from her neck. "Fierce, what exactly is this?"
He picked up the necklace and a blue shine came over it. "I do not know. My mother never used it in front of us and never explained it. From what we just saw though, I think it is a Holy Stone. It's a rare stone that increases the power of Paladins, but no one has ever really looked into it." He handed the stone back to Escence, who quickly gave it back to Fierce.
"If this is so rare, I want you to have it."
"No. This was a gift. I want you to have it." He placed the gem around her neck and lifted her off the ground. He used the spell of healing for Paladins on her, and she felt refreshed. The group stared at the dead Balron corpse, and decided to move on before the brothers awoke.
The wall of fire had deminished, and they went to the next level of the citadel. All it was was a long, dark hallway filled with statues of phoenixes. The floor tiles had small, glowing, purple runes etched into them, but they served no real purpose. The doorway at the end of the hall had a doorway with the carvings of Minax's laws of Felucca. On the archway above the door, a phrase read, "Enter the eternal abyss, where the six deaths gather to create chaos."
Fierce stood against the door. "If we decide to enter, we could be deciding the fate of the world. I know I am not backing down. Who else is with me?" The guild was silent for a moment
Bolias stepped forward. "Fierce, I have fought with you for years. It would be my honor to fight with you to the end."
Wiglaf raised his bardiche. "And mine. I never turn down a good fight."
Kroeger put on his daemon bone helmet. "I never turned you down before, and I'm not about to start now. Looks like I'm in."
Fierce looked to Escence, who looked nervous again. "You don't have to go in. You can recall to Trammel now if you wish."
She smiled. "Fierce. Come on, you know me. I'm not about to let anything happen to you guys, and besides, if you all got knocked off, who would I have to kick around? I'm in!"
"Well, it's decided then. Remember what's on the other side of this door. My brother, an Elder Necromancer and the Necrospawn. They have all ths skulls now. We have to stop them from placing them. Let's go."
They opened the door, and walked into a small room, slightly bigger than any living room. It had six pillars, one for each skull. The sides of the room had no walls, but an endless abyss of stars and darkness. Unexplainable by any, but it seemed the universe started at the Star Room. Fierce looked around and became pale from what he saw. "Three of the Skulls are placed. Look, Greed, Power and Death are placed and charged."
Malicious walked out from behind one of the pillars. "Yes, I wanted to wait for you to arrive before I finished so you could witness how I single-handedly destroyed your world." Neira and Malevolent walked out from behind pillars, Neira holding one skull, Malevolent holding two.
Wiglaf clentched his teeth. "You monster. Why would you want something like this to happen?"
Malicious grinned. "Because the world that has oppressed me for all these years will finally pay. And when every world is mine, none will challenge me. None will oppress me." His grin slowly turned into a look of hate as he spoke. "Too long have the people of Trammel stayed weak. They became too proud. The people have all become too full of themselves. They deserve every amount of pain they will receive." Everyone became disgusted with Malicious' speech, especially Escence. She loved Trammel and all the people in it, and hearing Malicious talk about her home in such a way infuriated her. Malicious spoke again. "Well, it seems as if I have struck a nerver with all of you. Well I will remember that when The Harrower comes. Neira, Malevolent, place the skulls and charge their power." Malicious turned and walked towards the center of the room slowly, laughing under his breath.
Escence charged towards Malicious, full of rage, and she brought her sword up to strike down upon Malicious. Fierce could only see from behind, but all he saw was her arms drop, her katana fall, and the edge of a red scimiter pierce through her back. Fierce ran forward, pushing Bolias out of the way, and caught her in his arms. His eyes started tearing up as she said, "Fierce, I'm sorry I could not be more help. All I wanted was for you to be safe. I want you to know, I joined this guild out of love. Not for the land, not for the people, for you. I love you Fierce, and I only wish I told you sooner." As she said this, her shaking stopped, her eyes closed, and at that point, Fierce knew she was gone.
Before Fierce could do anything he saw Malicious' hand grasp the top of Escence's head, he heard the Spirit Speak spell chant of "Anh Mi Sah Ko" and her soul slipped right into Malicious. The Necromancer had taken the soul of the one who loved Fierce the most. Fierce stood up, wiped away the tears in his eyes, and just glared at Malicious while grasping his crescent blade. "You....you will regret what you have just done."
"What's the matter, brother? Did you care for that human? I see. The Black Necromancer from the past suddenly is in love. Well, I'll have to make a wager with you. If you defeat me here, I will give the foolish girl her soul back and I will even ressurect her for you." Malicious had a chilling look on his face.
Fierce, stammering with his words, said, "And what if you defeat me?"
"Then your soul is mine, along with the destruction of Britannia."
Fierce glared. "Deal."
Fierce removed the blade from its holster, and held it out in front of him and stood in a battle position. Malicious wiped the blood from his scimitar, and swung it around, creating a flaming glow from the blade. Fierce breathed heavily as he tried to hold in his emotions, but he could not hold them for long. He screamed and ran towards Malicious, who stood calmly. Fierce quickly brought his blade down, but was stopped by the scimitar. Fierce was then blinded as Malicious flung off his black robe and charcoal colored cloak, and showed his silver, gleaming armor. Fierce then followed up with a furious array of swings with his blade, getting a few shots in on Malicious. Malicious, as fast as he was, could not block every attack with just his sword alone, so he flew to a corner of the dungeon and grabbed a shadow iron Chaos Shield. He started blocking more attacks while attacking with his own sword. Fierce was struck a few times, but the durable armor held up. Fierce backed away from Malicious and chanted "Consecrus Arma" (Consecrate Weapon), which made his blade temporarily stronger. Malicious thought of the same idea, so he chanted the Necromancer spell "An Sanct Gra Char" (Curse Weapon) and a red shimmer came over his sword. Because Fierce's blade was charged with holy energy, and Malicious' sword charged with evil, Every strike with the weapons created a wave of furious power which blew out every light in the temple, and even knocked over the other people there.
Soon all anyone could see were red and blue flashes of light striking each other, until Bolias lit up the room with the Night Sight spell. Fierce yelled out "Divinum Furis" (Divine Fury) and he became so empowered and fast, that Malicious could not even see him or his movements. Suddenly, Fierce appeared behind Malicious and held the blade to Malicious' throat. Fierce pulled of Malicious' bone helmet, exposing his decaying, vampiric face. Fierce stumbled back in horror as Malicious turned to him and glared at him with pure white eyes. Malicious said slowly, "Look what I have become, brother. Look at me! Are you proud of what you have done?"
Fierce was shocked. "Me? How is this my doing?"
Malicious was furious. "You were the one who convinced me into learning Necromancy. Don't you remember, or have those few years been slipping from your mind? Father convinced you to join him, and then you took me away and forced me to learn too. Now I have become this. Now you see why I need souls of the dead. To sustain my own life! Everyone thought I had died all those years ago but no! I am very much alive. But for now I am weakened. I have not had a soul in days, and for some reason, this foolish girl's soul is nothing for me. So here," he shot a white light into Escence's body, "Here is your precious girl. I know I have been defeated. For now. An Corp!" And with that, Escence took in a large breath, as if it were her first, and Bolias began healing her.
The ground began shaking around them, and the floor began splitting. Everyone looked to the far corner of the room and noticed Neira, who had just finished placing all six skulls. She turned and cackled, and Malicious walked to her side. "Yes. It is time. You are all too late. The Harrower is coming."


Chapter 6- Terror Is Born

The pentagram in the center of the room started glowing with a red flame. Malicious stood and laughed as a shrouded figure, about the size of any normal man, appaered from the center of the blaze. It looked to Fierce from the darkness with two red, glowing eyes, and stepped out of the pentagram. The ground stopped quaking as the creature walked to Malicious. Bolias whispered to Fierce. "This is the Harrower.......condensed. Only when this form is defeated will the True Harrower come forth. We have little options."
Fierce thought to himself. "We can't kill this form, because something stronger will come from it. But we have to destroy this thing somehow."
The Harrower raised its arms and the room seemed to shape shift into a dark valley. They knew they were being teleported unwillingly, but to this place was just odd. It was a valley surrounded by jagged, piercing mountains, and dirt as gray as the darkest ashes. The clouds above were blackened and the sounds of thunder roared through. The Harrower glided around as if it levitated but the shroud covering it faded at its feet. Malicious smirked and Malevolent inched his way behind his father. Neira wrapped her arms around Malicious' left arm and smiled. The guild stood in battle position but the Harrower seemed fixed on Fierce. He did not touch his blade, but kept it strapped to his back. Wiglaf grew concerned when he noticed the Harrower floating towards Fierce when he made no reaction. All of a sudden the Harrower slashed at Fierce, throwing his to the ground and cutting his face. He flinched but stood seriously again. Wiglaf could not take it anymore and charged at the Harrower, holding the bardiche at an angle. He struck through the Harrower, causing substantial damage to it, and Fierce screamed at Wiglaf for it. Wiglaf did not hear the order through the harsh screams of the monster, so he attacked again. Soon the rest of the guild started attacking it and Fierce stood in shock. Even Bolias was casting spells onto the Harrower even after he knew what would happen.
Fierce then noticed that it looked as if his friends had the same surprised look on their faces as well. He then saw that the Harrower was using telepathy to control them into attacking it. Blow after blow the Harrower took while everyone fought against their will. Eventually the Harrower fell to the ground, its own blood streaming from its self-inflicted wounds. Its shroud was torn, and its telepathic hold over the guild had faded. Everyone stood back and held their breaths. The valley's storm stood still, and Malicious looked panicked. Even Malicious did not expect the blows from everyone to be so strong thats it would do so much damage to the Harrower. The valley and everyone remained quiet for many minutes, just standing still looking at the bloody corpse of the Harrower. Bolias finally broke the silence. "Maybe what I have heard was wrong. Maybe this is the True Harrower."
Malicious stood calm. "No, this cannot be it. I have worked too hard to come to this. This is not the end, the Harrower took its own life! I will not let it end this way!" Neira put her hand to his mouth and shushed him. He first looked surprised by it but that expression soon changed to an understanding. Bolias looked onto them in suspicion, when the body of the Harrower started moving. It turned itself so its back faced up, and it started glowing a pale green color. The shroud started tearing to pieces, exposing mangled, bloody grey flesh. The Harrower's back split down the middle, and from the inside came five green, lizard skin-like tentacles that flailed around and bolted to the ground. More tentacles came from the corpse, and soon after there were about fifty tentacles spread all over the valley. A giant, bloblike body started pouring out, with all of its extensions pulling it out. This was the True Harrower. It stood at least a hundred feet tall, with a giant mouth that could swallow an army. It had many black eyes that went all around its body, so it could see in every direction. Its skin was green, brown, and red patches of solid flesh, yet it could bend itself through anything. It's gelatinous body squirmed in every direction, so much that everyone had to run to escape it. When it finally escaped its smaller host, it solidified itself and gave a massive roar that crumbled mountains and broke clouds. It turned and faced Malicious, and both monsters instantly knew what their objectives were. Malicious bowed his head to the monster, and it turned towards Fierce.
Bolias attempted to open a moongate back to Trammel, but no gate would open there. Fierce screamed out, "Everyone! Recall to somewhere, use the spell and escape, we'll meet later!" One by one everyone teleported to somewhere in Trammel, just to escape.

~~~*~~~

Fierce and Escence, since they both teleported off of the same rune, appeared in a forest west of the town Minoc. Fierce was so hurt from his last few battles that the teleportation spell took a lot of energy out of him. He collapsed on the ground and took of his armor. He breathed heavily and Escence sat by his side. She wrapped her arms around him and started crying. He asked, "What's the matter? Are you okay?"
She put her head on his shoulder and stared at a bird in a tree nearby. "Fierce, I just died a little while ago. Everything I said to you was my last thought. I was afraid I was going to lose you, and I couldn't stand that thought. I'm just glad that I get to be with you now."
He lifted her head and stared into her eyes. "Escence, I remember what you said to me. I've wanted to say this to you for a long time now, and now that we're alone I can. I love you, Escence. I always have. When you were gone for those few minutes, I couldn't bear that it was my own brother that had done that to you. I wanted nothing more than to see him dead. But now that you're okay, I am never going to let something like that happen to you again. I never want to have my hand on your face and feel cold. I'm just so glad you're here with me now." Escence's eyes teared up again and Fierce wiped them away. He leaned in and kissed her softly, finally realizing that this is what he had wanted all along. He knew it was her that kept him going. They rested in that forest and slept more comfortably than they have in a while.
When the morning rose, the sun poked through the trees and onto Escence's face. She woke up to find Fierce kneeling over a fire, cooking breakfast for them. She laid there quietly watching him until he finally noticed her. "Escence, you could use some food. You haven't eaten for a day. Here, I made some eggs and bacon for you." She crawled to him and hugged him. He rested his head on hers and continued to cook. Every now and then she would pick at the bacon and eat some until he was finally finished, and they both ate a plateful of food.
A few hours later, after they both were cleaned and packed, they tried to decide where to go. Fierce took out his map and tried to look for something that reminded them of a place they were near. They saw nothing. Fierce decided it would be best to walk to Trinsic, the city where their guild was established. By the looks of the evergreen forest around them, they figured they were in the northern region of Britannia. That meant that they had no choice but to go south.
Once they passed through the forests, they came upon the city of Yew. The people were peaceful and the town was quiet. There was a strange gathering at the bank, not a normal one, a meeting of the people. Fierce and Escence went to see the problem. Many people were yelling but the only audible words were "Orcs" and "Invasion." Fierce shoved his way to the front of the crowd and asked the leader what was going on. "Orcs. They've built a fort just south of here and rumors are spreading of an invasion. They seem to be growing in numbers, and they even have Orc Brutes. Many. We are trying to find someone who will go investigate." Fierce looked to Escence, who was unafraid of orcs. She smiled and rubbed her necklace. Fierce accepted, and soon after, headed down the south path to the Orc fort.
The forest grew dark. The trees thicker, the air damp. Orc screams and roars could be heard in the near vicinity. To the west of the pathway, Escence noticed an orcish flag waving. They quietly walked through the woods until the orc fort was in clear view. They climbed a tree to get a better view, and inside the fort was a horde of orcs, orcish archers, bombers and Brutes. Brutes are three times the size of a human, and three times as powerful. There were thirty Orc Brutes. A voice was heard from behind the orcs. A human voice. Fierce jumped to a nearby tree and tried to get a better look. It was Malicious. He was preparing an invasion. Fierce's eyes widened in shock and he motioned for Esence to run. They lept out of the trees and ran for Yew. Once there, the leader from before was waiting for a report, when Fierce dashed up to him. "Sir, everyone in this town has to evacuate. There are too many orcs. They also have a Necromancer of unspeakable power with them, controlling them. You and everyone here has to leave now." In the distance, sounds of orc marching grew louder. "Oh no, they're coming already! Quick, Escence, get me a rune to Britain castle!"
Escence scrambled to find her rune, and as soon as she pulled it out Fierce opened a moongate to the castle and rushed everyone through. As soon as the population of Yew went through, Fierce and Escence dove through and dispelled the gate.

~~~*~~~

At the same time Fierce and Escence first appeared in the woods, Bolias appeared in the city of Occlo, also known as Haven. Haven was the city where all new warriors began training. Bolias' mentor lived in Haven, a high mage known as Uzeraan. As Bolias walked through the city, he noticed that it was abandoned. All students had gone. All that was left were the people who lived and worked in the city. As he walked into Uzeraan's mansion, he saw the old mage sitting in a state of depression. Bolias ran to him. "Master Uzeraan, what is wrong?"
Uzeraan looked up towards him. "Bolias Aurros, my old apprentice. It has been too long. But now is not the time for recollections. Bolias, war is coming. Rumors are flying of the Lady Minax returning. They say she plans on corrupting Trammel just as she did in Felucca. People talk about a great darkness growing in Felucca." Bolias knew the truth, but could not reveal anything yet.
"Master, I know something is coming. I cannot conceive what will happen, but I know we need every person willing to fight. We need something." Bolias kneeled to Uzeraan's side and took his hand. "Master, I know you would be very beneficial to our plight."
Uzeraan smiled. "Bolias, I am old. It is too late for me to fight at the side of anyone. But I do know something that may help you. Follow me." Uzeraan planted his staff in the floor and pulled himself up. They walked to his bedroom, where Uzeraan cast a spell onto some stones in his wall. The stones opened, revealing a tall box with runic markings on it. He opened it, revealing a tall wooden staff, with a hand carved at the top. In the hand a red shimmering gem sat, grappled by clawed fingers. "Bolias, this is the Hand of Gordor. This is an ancient weapon used many centuries ago. It was locked away by Lord British so no one could use its power for evil. You see how the gem on the top glows while you look at it? That is because it is blessed for you. Once you take this, it will be bound to you forever. But because of this, you must choose wisely if you want this power or not. If you were to stray to darkness, so would the Hand. If you die, the Hand will vanish. So I leave it your choice. Remain here as long as you need."
Bolias paced around the room, looking at the floor, and occaisionally looking at the Hand of Gordor. He did not know what to do. Should he take the staff and be bound to it forever? Or should he leave it alone and not bring out his full potential? The questions plagued him for hours. The next morning, Bolias still paced the room, when he heard yelling from outside of the mansion. It was the town crier. He ran to the window but only heard, "Attention all citizens of Britannia! The Brittannian Council has summoned all of its members to report to Britain Castle at once!" Bolias had a rune to the castle in his runebook, and since he did not know where anyone else was, he decided to go. Before he recalled off of the rune, he stared at the Hand of Gordor again. He was as solid as a statue for a few minutes, then set down his runebook. He walked to the staff and pulled it out of the case. When he held it, the gem on top shook madly and started glowing red. Soon the entire room quaked, and roaring energy flew everywhere, blowing over everything standing free in the room. Bolias yelled as the staff bound itself to him, and in those few moments, Bolias knew what kind of power he was granted. After looking himself over a moment, he picked up the runebook and teleported to the Castle.

~~~*~~~

Bolias appeared in front of the castle, where he saw hoardes of people swarming in. Not only were just the council attending, the public was crowding in to see the meeting. Bolias walked into the giant throne room, and saluted the Serpent Crest on the wall above the throne. Once everyone entered the room, the metal doors of the castle closed. Out walked a beautiful woman, dressed in dark blue studded leather armor and wielded a thin, white sword. She stood in front of the throne and motioned for the room to silence. Once quieted, she spoke. "With the current absence of our King, Lord British, the Council of Britannia has given me the right to form the Royal Britannian Guard. This will consist of everyone you see before you. Your commander will be myself, and my name is Myrina Heron."
As Bolias first began listening to her, he soon found himself lost, gazing to her. Bolias had never been in love before but he knew there was something special about this woman. He strayed out of thought and time, and when he came to realize where he was, the meeting was over and Myrina was standing in front of him, alone. Bolias panicked. "Oh, milady, I must apologize. I seem to have been caught in a daze during your speech."
Myrina smiled. "Master mage, you dont need to be sorry for anything. To be honest, I'm glad there was someone who stayed after. It is quite lonely here with Lord British gone. By the way, may I know the name of this mage before me?"
Bolias bowed and said kindly, "I am Bolias Aurros. I am at your service."
Myrina giggled. "I do not ask for service, I would just enjoy some company."
Bolias and Myrina walked throughout the gigantic throne room and spoke about everything they knew. Next thing they knew, the sun was setting. Bolias took her to the front gardens of the castle and sat her on a bench in front of a large fountain. "Myrina, I have to tell you. Today when I was dazed, it was not because I was in thought. I was amazed by your beauty and now after spending this time with you, I am amazed by every portion of your being." He took her hand and gazed deeply into her ocean blue eyes. "I would not like today to be the last time we see each other."
Myrina smiled and gripped his hand gently. "Wherever it is you are going, I will go with you. I may be risking it all but something just tells me this is right. Not just your mission, but you. I have never had a connection with someone as well as I do with you. I too do not want this to be the last meeting we have."
Bolias smiled and for the first time in his life, he did not have the solution to what he should do next. Finally the answer hit him. He leaned towards Myrina and gently kissed her, and with that one kiss it seemed all of his magic, power and knowledge did not matter. All he knew was what he had in front of him. The few moments of that kiss seemed to last a hundred years, which he would gladly give up for those few moments. As they leaned back, small bolts of energy connected between the lips of Bolias and Myrina. They stood and walked into the castle, and together they stayed watching day fade to night.

~~~*~~~

Wiglaf and Kroeger found themselves in Malas, the mysterious land that floated in infinite nothingness. The world was split into two halves, and each half held a major city. To the northland was Luna, the home world of Paladin nature. The southland held Umbra, city of Necromancers. Wiglaf and Kroeger were a little west of Luna, in the Crystal Fens. This was a vast forest of giant glowing crystals that pierced the ground. People hear tales of those who travel through the Fens have come across a power that drives them insane, but no one will give it a name. The two warriors collected themselves and decided to travel south, in hopes of finding a moongate.
"Wiglaf," said Kroeger," I don't like this place. The stories I hear of this place are enough to make me regret coming here."
"Kroeger, don't worry. Whatever that thing is that drives men insane is, we will defeat it. I mean if we can take out a Balron easily enough, that should be simple."
"But you don't understand. A Balron doesn't drive a man insane. Whatever that power is, it attacks mentally. But I think youre right. The chances of us coming upon one thing in these huge Fens are quite slim."
Some time passed, roughly ten hours, before they found the ending of the Crystal Fens and there was open plane of grass. Far from the plane was the stone city of Luna, and as always the Paladin flags flew proudly. They tiredly hiked to the city, and when they arrived, they noticed the Paladin officers of the vaults in a panic. The ancient Scroll of Abraxus, which had been guarded by the Paladins for centuries, was stolen. The Scroll of Abraxus was never to be retrieved by the Necromancers, for on it held the secret of finding the Scroll of Summoning, a scroll the Necromancers could never have. If they ever had it, they could summon a creature more powerful than anything in Malas. It could not escape the land, but it could destroy everything. The Paladins kept it in secret for centuries, but the night before Wiglaf and Kroeger's arrival, it was stolen by an unknown force.
Kroeger listened in secretly when a guard came up behind him and tapped on his shoulder.
"Sir, this is classified Luna business. Unless you know something, I suggest you leave now."
"Do you know anything about this theif?"
"All we know is that he wore bone armor and dressed in black."
Wiglaf and Kroeger looked at each other in shock. Wiglaf said, "So he's planning on striking here, too. This is getting worse by the minute."
The guard looked puzzled. "What do you mean? I am taking you to my commander, tell us what you know."
A little while later they were in a locked meeting room, surrounded by guards and the steward of Luna. The steward said, "Now, you claim to have knowledge of who took the scroll. It is imperative that you tell us what is happening."
Kroeger stood up and cleared his throat. "Well, a little over a week ago, a Necromancer of unspeakable power came out of nowhere and aligned himself with Neira. Our guild went to seek him out, for one of our members is the brother of the Necromancer. He plans to take the most powerful creatures in all the worlds and release a plague upon everything. He is still beginning his wrath, but he is starting. Last night he summoned the Harrower."
When they heard of the Harrower, gasps and whispers flew throughout the room. The steward asked, "What is the name of this Necromancer?"
Wiglaf said quietly, "Malicious. Malicious Destin. Appropriate name for someone as evil as him. Malicious. It's exactly what he is!" His voice grew louder through each sentence he spoke. "He has no reason to do what he is doing, but he is doing it. All of this is meaningless! It is so stupid! If his son knew better, he would've stayed with us. But no. That Zeonosis....Malevolent....whatever he wants to be called! Malicious is corrupting a child to do his bidding! He is sick. He is twisted. He needs to perish for what he is doing!" Wiglaf shook with anger until Kroeger grabbed his arms to calm him.
The steward was silent for a few moments and then spoke. "Where is Malicious going to strike next?"
"We don't know," Kroeger said reluctantly. "He's surprised us so many times in the past few days, we didn't even know he would end up here. Maybe if we go to Umbra, we can find answers."
The steward nodded. "That's a good idea. Whatever you find there, report it to us. Also, the main road may be guarded, you should go by the way of the Fens."
After the meeting, Kroeger and Wiglaf walked through Luna and bought supplies to take with them, and dropped any unneccessary items into their bank boxes. Once out of Luna, they entered the southen Crystal Fens and started towards Umbra.
An hour had passed when they came to a small clearing, surrounded by crystal towers. The light that came through the crystals was highlited so it was near blinding. They squinted and tried to navigate to some opening, when they found a forked path. There were no maps of Malas on them, so they went to the passage on their right. This path twisted and turned in every direction, and the bright pale green crystals that cluttered the rest of the Fens progressively changed to a crimson. The light faded, and an eerie red glow engulfed everything. A strange mist clouded the path they were on until all that could be seen were the glowing red outlines of enormous crystals.
Wiglaf readied his bardiche and said, "Kroeger, I think maybe we took a wrong path. I think that this is the rumored place where insanity centers."
Kroeger remained strangely calm. "This is the only way. It calls to me."
Wiglaf turned slowly to Kroeger. "What? What's calling to you?"
"We must continue."
They walked ahead, Wiglaf focused on anything that could be a trap, and Kroeger, almost hypnotized. They soon came upon a formation of crystals that created a cave-like opening in the ground. Kroeger started into the opening, and when Wiglaf tried to climb in, Kroeger stopped him. "No. I must go alone. This must be for me." Wiglaf hesitantly agreed, and Kroeger went into the nothingness alone.
Time passed, and the next thing Wiglaf knew, the light of the crystals was fading, signalizing what was supposed to be night. He could faintly hear screams coming from the cave, screams of Kroeger. Wiglaf was about to climb in when coming out of the cave was Kroeger, tattered armor, and a weapon in hand. This weapon was tall, about half the size of Kroeger, and it was blood red. It shimmered with a metallic shine and was very thick. The weapon was a type of mace, and at the top was a metal skull with spikes protruding out of it. Kroeger held it as if it was as light as air, but the weapon looked as if it weighed hundreds of pounds. Kroeger slinked out of the cave and clutched the mace close. "This is what I came for. I name this the Berserker's Maul."
"All that pain and torment for a weapon?"
Kroeger stood and winced from the pain of his wounds. "Well this one weapon can turn the tide." He smirked and swung, destroying the barrier of crystals around them with ease. He attatched the Maul to his belt and walked through the crystal shards toward Umbra.