The God King

Subject: Chapter 22: Keys, Gifts, and Plans Fri Sep 03, 2010 10:05 pm

Azk's eyes shot open. He glanced all around him. It was obvious to the assassin that he was no longer in the dried up well. He was propped in a bed, with bandages around his chest and with a bandage covering his left arm. His clothing and weapons were laid gently on the dresser across the room. Also propped on the dresser was a large, platinum warhammer, which bore the insignia of the Pagan faith. Azk grinned. True to her word, Dyan had surrendered the sacred Tectonic to the assassin. Azk swung his feet over the side of the bed and gingerly stood up. He walked over to the window and peered out. He had been moved from the well back to Bianca's shop in the Black Alley! The moon was low in the sky, an indicator that dawn was soon on the approach. The assassin moved away from the window toward the beautiful warhammer. Attached to the head of the warhammer was a hastily scribbled note, and an emerald pendant carved in the shape of the Agares that Azk had fought. Azk picked up the pendant and examined it. It's design was flawless. It looked exactly like the creature that Azk had faced earlier that night. The assassin set the pendant down and picked up the note.

Newest Brother,

By besting the Agares, you have proven your worth to me and your other brothers and sisters. I humbly present you with Tectonic, the sacred treasure of my people. Respect it's power, dearest brother, as it has the might to collapse one of your cities with a single swing. Guard it with your life, dearest brother, for many seek to misuse the weapon's awesome power.

Ah, I almost forgot about the pendant. As a token to your amazing strength and cunning, we present you with it. The pendant is considered good luck by my people. But it serves another purpose. Should you ever find yourself caught in the grasp of danger, drop the pendant on the ground and say "Anu". It's power should prove useful.

May all your seeds flourish under the everlasting sun.

Dyan

Azk set the note down and smiled. "Azk?" A voice asked from behind. Reacting purely on instinct, the assassin grabbed a throwing knife, whirled around and threw. The weapon whistled through the air, embedding itself in the door, just inches from Bianca's face. "Holy mother!" Bianca shrieked. "It's me!" Bianca stepped into the room and yanked the knife from the door. "What's wrong with you?!" Bianca asked. Azk blew out a sigh, grateful that he hadn't hit his friend. "Sorry, Bianca, I'm a little on edge." Bianca eyed the assassin curiously. "How did you get here?" the woman asked. "Do your friends know that you're here?" Now it was Azk's turn to stare. "You guys didn't see me come up here?" he asked. Bianca shook her head. Azk chuckled. The Pagans surprised the assassin at every turn.

Bianca looked beyond the assassin, to the platinum warhammer. "Is that what I think it is?" the shopkeeper gasped. Azk followed her gaze and smirked. "It is." he said, with just a hint of pride in his voice. "Tectonic, the holy treasure of the Pagans, and the third elemental key." Bianca moved closer to the weapon, her eyes never leaving it. "It's beautiful." she remarked. "How did you get it?" "I asked for it." Azk laughed in response. Bianca looked at her assassin friend with surprise. "And...that worked?" Bianca suddenly shifted her gaze to Azk's chest and arm. "My god, Azk! What happened?" The assassin waved her question away. "Not right now." he said. "I'll tell you everything once the others are informed that I am back." Bianca nodded. "I'll find them at once. Just let me put something decent on." Azk tilted his head in confusion until he realized that Bianca had been wearing little more than a nightgown during their whole encounter.

"Your friends are staying at the inn across the street. I'll go get them and be right back." With that, Bianca left. Azk grabbed the emerald Agares pendant and returned to his bed. He was tempted to use the pendant's power now, but figured that would be irresponsible. He set the emerald pendant on his nightstand and waited for his friends.

*****

"You fought an Agares?" Bill balked. The sun had begun it's long ascent into the sky by the time Bianca and the others returned. They would have returned sooner, but Xavier had refused to get up so early. So, Arata had been "forced" to splash a bucket of cold water on the surly mage. "Yeah." Azk said. "It was a fierce battle." "I'll bet!" Bill said, his excitement mounting. "I hear they have rock-hard skin, tougher than any mineral in our plane of existance. Is that true?" Azk nodded, grinning. "Yeah, he was a tough opponent, but I found the chink in his armor. Apparently, Agares' mouths aren't armored at all!" Xavier grinned. "Clever, Azk." the mage complimented. Selena sat on the other side of the bed, her arms folded across her chest. "I thought you said you weren't going to do anything reckless." the shadowmancer grumbled.

Azk chuckled and pulled Selena closer to him. "Actually, I promised that I would return safe. Never said anything about being reckless." He kissed Selena on her cheek. Selena tried to stay mad at the assassin for scaring her, but her facade was failing fast. She smiled at Azk and returned the kiss. "I'm glad you came back safe." she said.

Arata sighed as he watched Azk and Selena. He couldn't help but let his mind wander to Leyla. He wondered where she was now, if she missed him at all, if she was safe. He reluctantly shook Leyla from his thoughts. There would come a time when he could find her again, but now was not the time. "So now the count is their two to our one." Arata said, glancing over at the elemental key. "What's our next move?" Azk looked at the duelist and nodded. "Well, I'm assuming that whatever this Xanhast wants these weapons for, he needs all six of them. Even if we have just one, we are effectively stopping his plans."

"But the weapons themselves, Azk." Bill said, deep in thought. "The weapons possess a mighty amount of power. This was demonstrated by Magnama's ability to control flame and Hokkyoku's ability to cut just about anything. We should try to gather as many of the weapons as we possibly can. They would be better served in our hands than Xanhast's." Azk nodded his agreement. "All right, then." Selena said. "Where to next?" The Twilight Knights sat back in thought. Where to go next? None of them had any clue! Bill thought back years ago, when he had traveled Lore in search of a way to destroy the Ring of Poison. Had he seen anything that might be of use to him now?

"I do remember visiting one place, about eight years ago." Bill said. "A temple on top of the Chiral mountains. It was called the Temple of the Dragon Cloud. I had sought a way to destroy the Ring of Poison, but none of the monks that lived there could help me. However, the monks did show me their most prized treasure, a silver staff that they constantly kept under guard." Bill glanced at his partners. "Perhaps that's one of the keys?" The knights were silent for a few moments, digesting this new info. "It's as good a guess as any I have." Xavier said (which surprised the four other knights, seeing as how Xavier was usually the most cynical of the group). "All right then. Bill and I will head to the Temple of the Dragon Cloud." He turned towards the other three knights. "Azk, Arata, Selena: See if you can find anyone in the Black Alley who might know the location of the keys." The four knights blinked in surprise. What had come over Xavier?

Xavier turned towards Bill. "You ready to go?" Bill nodded, and with a small pop!, they were gone.

Subject: Chapter 23: Twilight Fri Sep 03, 2010 10:06 pm

"Hold up." Frozen Fighter said to his companions, raising his hand in the air to stop them. Frozen, Cyra, and Fyra had been moving antagonizingly slowly. Several hours of tracking had led the three just a few miles outside of Swordhaven's gates. In truth, Frozen had known exactly where this man, Azk, had headed. But the ranger could sense something out of the ordinary with these two sisters, and had wanted to observe them. "Have you found something yet?" Fyra asked, irritation laced in her voice. They had been wandering around Swordhaven and the forest for several hours with absolutely nothing to show for it. They had even had to make camp and spend the night in the woods! It was obvious to Fyra that the assassin was probably long gone by now. Still, she continued the charade. Leaving the ranger right in the middle of their search for her "friend" would seem suspicious. Not only that, but last night, Anselm had made contact with the pyromancer, telling her that the ranger held the elemental key of light, Yumi! She couldn't leave now. Not without the key, at least.

Frozen chuckled. "Oh, I've found something, all right." Just a few feet in front of the ranger, was a large, runed archway. Half of the archway looked as though it were made from brilliant pearl, while the other half looked as though it had been made from the blackest onyx. "Oh, my." Cyra said, her icy blue eyes widening. "It's beautiful." Fyra snorted. "What is that? What does it do?" the pyromancer asked. Frozen shook his head. "I have no idea." he replied. "But I know how to find out." Frozen lowered himself to the ground, crossed his legs and sat down. Fyra walked over to the ranger, bewilderment on her face. "What are you doing?" Frozen looked up to her and grinned. "I'm waiting." he said, chuckling a little bit at the woman's frustration. "To see what happens. Ranging is something that takes patience and dedication. Please," Frozen said, patting the ground. "Sit." Fyra growled in frustration and stormed off. Frozen chuckled to himself. Out of the two sisters, Fyra, he had noticed, was the hothead of the family. Cyra seemed much more reserved. She didn't say much.

As the dawn sun rose into the sky, and light struck the top of the arch, the gate roared to life. Frozen, taken a bit by surprise, rolled backward onto his feet. "Now we've REALLY got something!" Frozen called to the sisters. Fyra and Cyra came quickly to the ranger's call. "The Twilight Gateway." Fyra whispered to herself. A grin spread on her face. Now it seemed they no longer needed their ranger escort. Because even if the assassin wasn't in the Twilight Realm now, he would have to return eventually.

Frozen turned to the sisters. "Shall we go?"

*****

Frozen fell out of the gateway, landing flat on his stomach. "That's a different experience." Frozen muttered to himself. While the transportation between the planes of existance had been nearly instantaneous, the ranger had felt like he had been trapped in there for half an hour. Before he could stand back up, Cyra fell through the gateway on top of him, and Fyra after that. "Please..." Frozen asked, though his voice sounded smothered. "Get off of me..." Fyra hopped off of her sister and helped her back onto her feet. Fyra glanced at her sister for a moment, then turned to the now-standing ranger. "Can you excuse us, please? I need to discuss something with my sister." Frozen nodded sheepishly, more focused on the beautiful landscape they had just discovered.

"Sister, this place is-" Cyra began, her amazement obvious. "Nevermind this place!" Fyra whispered harshly. "I recieved orders from Anselm last night." Cyra shook away her awe, focusing on her sister's words. "We stop our hunt for the assassin. We have a new target." Cyra cocked her head. Fyra grinned. "The ranger. His bow is one of the keys our master has been searching for! We need to get it from him, and deliver it to our master." Cyra looked at her sister strangely. "Sister..." Cyra began. "Our master wants us to kill the ranger? Why? Couldn't we just ask the ranger for his bow? If he knew how important it was to stopping the Chaos, maybe-" "Cyra!" Fyra growled. "Do you really think he'd be willing to just hand it over?" Cyra furrowed her brow. She didn't know why, but she had a feeling that stealing the bow would be wrong.

Meanwhile, Frozen's gaze was locked on the landscape. The clouds were a dark black and red, with the actual sky being a brilliant pink and orange. From this angle, he could see a small village next to a large, violet colored lake. High in the sky, Frozen could see the two celestial bodies, Luc and Nox. "Amazing." Was all he could say. Frozen had always been a wanderer, ever since he had been orphaned as a child, but now, there was one word that came into his mind, one word that Frozen had dreamed of when he was younger.

Home. Frozen Fighter felt as though he were home.

"We can do this right now, quickly and cleanly." Fyra whispered, glancing over at the distracted ranger. "You can end him with one quick strike!" Cyra widened her eyes in shock. "Me?" she whispered back. "Why me?" Fyra rolled her eyes. "Because I can't extend an icicle from my palm like you. Now get over there and let's be done with this!" Cyra sighed, but didn't question her sister. She concentrated, letting the cold magical energy flow through her arm. Small icicles began to shoot out of Cyra's right hand, with a large icicle extending from her palm. She cursed what she was about to do. She crept up silently to the ranger, readying her weapon. She angled it toward the base of the ranger's neck...

The hairs on the back of Frozen's neck stood up. The air seemed suddenly...

Colder.

Frozen whipped out one of his thin longswords and spun around, the weapon slicing off the tip of Cyra's icicle. Cyra hopped backward in surprise, retracting the icicle as she did. "What's going on?" Frozen asked, drawing his other longsword. Fyra laughed. "Although I would have liked a clean kill sister, I think this will be more fun." Fyra's arms erupted into flames. "For the Onyx Skull!" she cried. Fyra raised her arm and shot a fireball at the somewhat bewildered ranger. Frozen hadn't been totally caught off guard. He had expected that these women were not what they seemed, but he never assumed that they would attack him! Frozen dodged the incoming fireball, rolling to the side, only partially singing his forest green cloak.

Frozen hopped back to his feet. These two were magic users! Frozen cursed his luck. Sword against sword, he could work with. Sword against magic...well, Frozen had learned that with magic, anything could happen.

Subject: Anselm's Journal Fri Sep 03, 2010 10:07 pm

Nami just approached me. She's a clever girl, really. She's found the locations of two more elemental keys. With Hokkyoku, Magnama, Yumi, and Aero claimed, I am just another step closer to my ultimate goal.

However...

I have a feeling that Nami no longer completely trusts me. Before I commanded her to leave, she asked me about "The Six Keys to the Apocalypse". It was foolish of me to use my power to force her to leave. I must not act rashly! No doubt she suspects something is going on here.

Nami joined me because I told her I was battling Chaos and because I offered her Kitsune's head on a silver platter. If she were to discover...no. No, she can't possibly discover my true purpose. If she did, the consequences could be disastrous. Most of my soldiers joined me because I offered them retribution, or adventure, or the chance to make a difference in this insane world we live in. If Nami found the truth...but then again, no. Even if she did discover my true goal, there's no one here who would believe her. Except for perhaps Xanhast.

Xanhast stopped trusting me after he discovered I was a Lich. But he isn't foolish enough to try to do anything with that information. My little "demonstration" of my power was enough to make Xanhast think twice about a possible revolt.

Still, I can't help but wonder. Nami suspects something, that much I know for sure. I must be careful now. I will keep my journal on my person at all times. I learned my lesson after I caught Miss Leyla trying to...

Miss Leyla...if Nami were to get a "change of heart"...she could ruin everything!

Damn it all! Leyla is the key to everything! Without her, all of my plans are for naught! Nami does not know what purpose Leyla serves. Not yet, at least.

I cannot act now. I must go to Dragon Cloud and retrieve Aero. Perhaps I'm being paranoid. Perhaps Nami won't act upon her suspicions. But I've seen her kind before. Young and foolish, with something to prove. If she does prove to be a thorn in my side, well...

I think I'll just offer her up alongside Leyla to sweeten my deal.

Subject: Chapter 24: Wind Walkers (Part 1) Sat Sep 04, 2010 2:36 am

Pop!

Bill and Xavier landed with a small thud on the ground. "Where'd we land, Xavier?" Bill asked, glancing around. They had landed on a small plateau a small ways up the Chiral Mountain range.

"Well," The wiry mage explained. "Since I had no possible idea where Dragon Cloud was located, I teleported us as close to the mountain range as I could." Xavier glanced over the plateau's edge. "We're pretty far up the mountain." he remarked. "Saves us a few hours of trekking."

"Good job, Xavier." Bill said, patting the mage on the back. "Now, all we need to do is find Wind's Walk."

Xavier turned toward the warrior. "Wind's Walk?" he echoed, confused.

Bill nodded. "Yeah. It's the path that leads to Dragon Cloud. It's called Wind's Walk because of the whipping air currents that can be felt while climbing." he explained.

"Great..." Xavier mumbled. Bill chuckled to himself. It seemed that Xavier had returned to his old, cynical self. The two searched the plateau for several minutes before a discovery was made.

"Ah, here it is!" Bill exclaimed. In front of Bill was the longest stairway Xavier had ever seen! The small mage blew out a whistle. "We have to walk up that?" he asked, utterly amazed. "These must lead all the way to the top of the mountain." With a shrug, Xavier began climbing the stairs, with Bill directly behind him.

The two walked up the stairway for many minutes in silence. Bill glanced over the side of the mountain. At the bottom of the valley sat Mobius, the small town that had been besieged by Chaos at least a week earlier. The warrior smirked to himself. To think, Emperor Steel was down there, alongside Slayer and Rayzor, fighting valiantly. He wished he could invite them on their dangerous quest. Bill blew out a small sigh.

Xavier continued the difficult climb up the Wind's Walk. Although the going was slow, and it seemed almost like the steps were becoming steeper with each stair, Xavier pushed on. To him, Wind's Walk represented a mage's rite of passage. "In order to control the energy around you," Xavier mumbled to himself, reciting something his father had once told him. "You must control the energy within you."

The two continued in silence for several more moments. "So," Bill said suddenly. "What have you been up to recently, Xavier?"

Xavier turned and gave a quick glance of confusion toward Bill. "I've been helping you collect elemental keys." he said. "Is senility setting in early, William?"

Bill forced a small laugh. "I meant what were you up to before we got involved in all this?" the warrior reiterated. "Any projects? Creating new spells?"

Xavier snorted. "What I was doing before this is hardly of any importance."

Bill eyed Xavier oddly. "Come on, Xavier." Bill said. "We've hardly gotten to know each other since I've become a Twilight Knight. And its a long trek to the temple, let me tell you." Xavier remained silent. "Aw, come on." Bill groaned. "Do you really want to walk in total silence? It's not very fun or entertaining."

Still, Xavier said nothing. "All right." Xavier said at last. "I'll answer a question about myself, if you do the same."

"Deal!" Bill said, grateful that Xavier had decided to talk a bit. "Okay, first question:" Xavier said. "Your eyes are purple. Drow purple. Explain that to me."

"Oh, well, one of my parents was a Dark Elf." Bill explained. "I guess. I mean, I had no knowledge of it until Selena told me. I guess that makes me a Half-Drow." Xavier nodded, seeming satisfied with the answer. "All right, my turn. How did you become a Twilight Knight?"

"That is a story way too long for your patience." Xavier curtly replied. "And I don't have the patience to tell it." At that moment, Xavier slipped on a step and began to fall backwards. Bill reacted quickly, catching Xavier by the front of his shirt.

"Hey, I told you the best answer I could. Now it's time you told me yours." Bill said, heaving Xavier back on his feet.

Xavier grumbled a bit. "Fine." he said. "I got into a duel with Rayzer and lost. She said I had potential. So, that's how it happened."

Bill cocked an eyebrow in surprise. "What were you doing fighting Rayzer?" the warrior asked, intrigued now.

"Ah ah ah." Xavier said, wagging his finger at Bill. "It's my turn." Bill sighed, but didn't argue. It was Xavier's turn. "Where did you meet Selena Nightingale?" the wiry mage asked.

"Odd question." Bill remarked. "I first met her in Darkovia. According to her, she had been living there for at least four years. Maybe five. The locals of the forest fear her." Bill laughed. "She must have really given them hell!"

Xavier smirked. "All right, now tell me true, Bill: did you have feelings for her?"

Bill stopped walking up the stairs, surprised by Xavier's question. "Uh...well..." Bill stuttered. "Honestly? Yes." Xavier laughed aloud. Bill furrowed his brow. "What's so funny?" he asked, a little cross.

"Oh, its nothing." Xavier said, once his laughing had died down. "I had a sneaking suspicion that you liked her. I find it a little funny that you never acted upon those feelings. And now, Azkikr has won a place in her heart. Instead of you." Xavier finished, pointing in Bill's direction.

"Hey, I might not be Selena's love," Bill countered rather defensively. "But I know I hold a place in her heart, unlike you, Xavier." Xavier went silent. Bill blinked, surprised by the hostility of his words. "I-I'm sorry, Xavier." the warrior apologized. "I'm not sure where that came from."

"Hey, it's fine." Xavier said, shrugging. "I'd be mad too if the love of my life were seeing another."

Bill chuckled. "Selena isn't the love of my life, but I do love her as a dear friend. I guess I snapped because, well, maybe you're right. Maybe I don't hold a place in her heart, though I wish I did."

Xavier stopped and turned toward Bill. "Don't listen to me, Bill." Xavier said, patting Bill on the shoulder. "I'm just full of hot air. Selena isn't in love with you, but she does love you, Bill. You certainly hold a place in her heart. Trust me, I can tell."

The two were just about to continue up the steep trail, when the sounds of metal ringing against metal and combat drifted up to their ears. Bill and Xavier looked into the Chiral Valley. It appeared that fighting had broken out in Northen Mobius, near the floating Guardian Tower.

"Heh." Xavier gave a small laugh. "Looks like Chaos is failing. C'mon, Bill." he said, motioning toward the stairs before them. "We've still got a ways to go." Bill nodded, and followed behind his mage friend. Although it was rather unlike Xavier's character, Bill was glad that Xavier had reassured him of his worth in Selena's eyes.

"So, you really aren't in love with her anymore?" Xavier asked.

Bill chuckled. "It's MY turn to ask a question, Xavier. But no, I'm not in love with her, but I do love her." Xavier snorted. "All right, my turn: Why did you fight Rayzer?" Bill asked.

Xavier sighed. "Well, I'm not really proud of this," he began. "But...I was a tad drunk when I challenged her." Bill burst out laughing. Xavier glared at him.

"Sorry, sorry," Bill said inbetween laughs. "You just don't seem the drinking type. Anyways, why were you drunk?"

"Well, I had just left the Mage's Guild." The white robed mage explained. "Once I had learned everything that I could, I decided to go into the world and forge a name for myself. Unfortunately, forging a name for yourself is hard when a lot of the people don't entirely trust mages. So, feeling just a little depressed, I went to the local tavern and ordered a drink. One drink became two, two became three, and so on. I gave up drinking after my incident with Rayzer. Alchohol clouds the mind and impairs judgement."

Bill nodded. He himself had only tasted Firewine, a liquid that fills the belly with a sensation of heat, but he had never consumed enough to get drunk from it. Like Xavier had said, alchohol clouds the mind, and Bill's mind needed to be ever vigilant against the temptations of the Ring of Poison.

"Okay, so, I have another question." Bill said. "Why don't you like Selena?"

Xavier was silent for a moment, contemplating how he should answer. "Let's just say," he said. "That I know who she really is. Even if she doesn't."

Bill was just about to ask what Xavier had meant by that, when Xavier suddenly exclaimed "Finally! We've reached the summit!" Xavier turned to Bill. "I guess talking really DOES make the hours fly by." As Bill was just about to introduce Xavier to Dragon Cloud Temple, he gasped. A look of awe struck Xavier's face.

Dragon Cloud was in flames.

Subject: Re: The God King Sat Sep 04, 2010 9:47 am

OMG! A twist! :O

Subject: Re: The God King Sat Sep 04, 2010 3:15 pm

What A Twist!!!!! Nice chapter Billeh! Keep it up.

Subject: Re: The God King Sat Sep 04, 2010 3:17 pm

It sounds like Anselm got there first. Great chapter Bill. =)

Subject: Re: The God King Mon Sep 06, 2010 10:20 pm

That took me awhile to get through xD The story is going along so well Bill, damn it's good. Can't wait to see what happens next.

Subject: Chapter 25: The Darkest Darkness Mon Sep 06, 2010 10:47 pm

Selena paced the room, her hands behind her and her mind lost in thought. Arata stood by the window and observed the Black Alley. Azk sat on the edge of the bed, fingering the Agares pendant that Dyan had given him. The three Twilight Knights had been wandering around the Black Alley for several hours, questioning Azk's old contacts if they knew anything about elemental keys. But no one knew anything about the elemental keys, let alone their whereabouts. Those who knew the legend of the Keys of the Apocalypse still bore no fruit. As far as anyone was concerned, the keys didn't exist.

"Let's think..." Selena said aloud, lost in thought. "We have no leads..."

"Correct." Arata said absently, still staring out into the city.

"We don't really know what we're looking for or what it even looks like, let alone what it does..."

"Check." Azk said, still playing with his pendant.

Selena went silent again. How could they find something when they had no leads, no idea what this key looked like or what it was called, and no idea what this key even did! She stopped, an idea forming in her mind. "Well," she began tenetively. "We could ask...HIM..."

Both Arata and Azk looked curiously at Selena's enigmatic reference. "Him?" They asked in unison.

"My familiar, Dante." Selena explained. "He dwells in one of the lower planes of existance. He can supposidly see into the future."

"You never told us you had a familiar." Azk remarked, still eyeing Selena. A familiar that could see the future was incredibly useful! Why didn't Selena mention Dante earlier?

"Well, I didn't think it was relevant." Selena curtly replied. "And I despise him..." she mumbled afterward. "Anyways, if I'm gonna summon him, I need your dagger."

Azk complied, drawing one of his finely crafted daggers and tossing it to the shadowmancer. Selena nodded her appreciation, then gripped the blade and slid it against her palm.

"Hey, hey!" Arata exclaimed, turning toward Selena. "What do you think you're doing?"

But Selena wasn't listening. She was too focused on the summoning ritual. She opened her now bleeding palm and let several droplets of blood fall to the floor. "Ég kalla yður frá dimma djúpum hylinn. Komið til mín, Dante the Deciever!" she cried, dropping the dagger on the floor.

Black smoke began to rise from the droplets of blood on the floor. At first, the smoke appeared to be nothing more than an amorphous cloud. It wasn't long, however, before the smoke began to take on a humanoid shape. "My mistress!" an ethereal, gurgling voice cried out. "My mistress, is that really you? But it's been so long! Four years, I've wandered the Plane of Nightmares, awaiting the day you would call me once more." The smoke suddenly materialized. The creature, Dante, was a hideous being. It appeared starved, almost like it hadn't eaten in years. It wore only ragged, tattered pants. It's face--no, its entire head!--was covered in a bizarre green tatoo. It's eyes glowed a deep shade of purple. But the creature's strangest feature was its mouth...or lack of one.

Arata put a cautious hand on his katana. Creatures of the lower planes were not known for their honesty or integrity. Arata expected no less from this thing.

Dante cocked its head, staring directly at Selena. "Wait...you aren't my mistress. You're that...pretender. My mistress is Selena Nightingale."

Selena furrowed her brow. "Dante, I am your master. I am Selena."

Dante laughed at the shadowmancer. Both Arata and Azk shuddered. The creature's laugh was enough to steal the joy in the room. Dante was not a being of the light, not by any means.

"You? My mistress?" Dante asked incredulously. "No. No, surely you can't expect me to believe...this thing..." he said, gesturing toward Selena. "Is my mistress. My mistress was a woman of brilliant power..." He glanced at Selena, his cheeks raising in an eerie, mouthless grin. "And of unbelievable cruelty."

Arata and Azk turned curiously to Selena. Unbelievable cruelty? What on Lore could that mean?

"Surely," Dante continued. "This frail, weak-minded girl is not my mistress. My mistress was-" "Silence!" Selena shouted. "You will shut your filthy mouth this instant, or I will send you back to the deepest shadows in the Plane of Nightmares! Do you understand?"

Dante was silent. He stared at Selena, forming the eerie, mouthless smile again. "Ah...there she is..." Dante bowed low, sweeping his hand across his chest. "How may I serve you, my mistress? Is there something that needs to be killed?" he asked.

"Information." Selena curtly replied. "What do you know of the Keys of the Apocalypse?"

Dante's eyes widened. They seemed to sparkle with an almost devilish joy. "Ah, my mistress! I knew it was you! I-"

"Information." Selena reiterated, her tone indicating that she wasn't in the mood for Dante's antics.

"Yes, my mistress, of course! Anything for you!" Dante stood up, eyeing Selena directly. He threw his arms into the air. "The six keys, the keys of Lore's apocalypse, are manifested into six powerful weapons! They-"

"We all ready know that." Arata interrupted. "We need to know where the remaining keys are. Can you tell us?"

Dante glared at the blue haired duelist. "But of course..." the ghoul growled. "The key which you seek is shrouded in darkness and blood, insanity and screams. Seek the key in the darkest darkness, but be warned!" Dante turned toward Arata. "The key has many dark powers. This is a power that you have experienced before."

Arata's eyes lit up. Nox? This key was linked to Nox? He was just about to ask the demon to elaborate, when Selena stepped in. "Thank you, Dante." The shadowmancer said. "You are dismissed."

Dante bowed low. "I pray the key reawakens my mistress."

Selena furrowed her brow. "Dismissed." she said again. Dante nodded, then faded away into black smoke.

"Darkness, blood, insanity and screams..." Selena thought aloud. "Perhaps the site of a great tragedy? But where..."

Arata and Azk weren't really paying attention to Selena's thoughts. Both were more interested in the exchange that just happened between Selena and her familiar. Was Selena hiding something from them? What had the ghoul meant by unbelievably cruel?

Selena snapped her fingers, her face lighting up. "I've got it!" she cried. "Harmony Orphanage!"

"Harmony Orphanage?" Azk echoed, snapping out of his thoughts. "Isn't that the place that burnt down several decades ago?"

Selena nodded. "Yeah! It fits so perfectly! Harmony Orphanage was converted to an asylum to accomodate all of the...uh..."

"Loonies." Arata piped in.

"Yeah." Selena said, grinning. "Rumor has it that Harmony is haunted by the ghosts of the children and the insane that perished in the fire. Darkness, blood, insanity and screams. It fits!"

Azk glanced at his two partners. "Very well." He sighed. "To Harmony."

*****

"So," Arata said, blowing out a small whistle. "That's Harmony." The three had hiked several miles outside of Swordhaven, using directions they had recieved from Bianca. The building looked like it had been severely damaged in the fire, yet it was still standing. The front doors were boarded up, along with the windows.

"How are we supposed to get inside?" Arata asked. "This building doesn't look too stable. And I really don't want to collapse the building by pulling out boards."

Azk chuckled. "There's always a way to get even to the most guarded places. I'll bet one of the entrances is unlocked..."

Sure enough, after just several minutes of searching, Azk's theory rang true. "Hey! The cellar's unlocked!" the assassin called out. Azk threw the cellar doors open, a thick cloud of of dust and ash rising from the doors. He smirked as he turned towards his partners. "So...who's going in first?"

The three looked at each other. Azk shrugged, then stepped inside. Selena quickly followed, along with Arata.

*****

The cellar seemed unnaturally dark to Arata. He had expected darkness, but not like this. He felt...like he was being watched. Observed. Of course, he wouldn't voice his fears. Azk and Selena would just call him paranoid. "Arata." a voice whispered from the darkness.

Arata froze. "Hello?" he called out, causing Selena and Azk to jump.

"Geez, Arata, who are you talking to?" Azk asked, a look of annoyance stamped on his face.

Arata stared into the darkness. "Didn't you...hear...that..." Arata asked, suddenly confused. Azk and Selena hadn't heard the voice? But...how?

"Don't be paranoid, Arata." Azk said. "This place is deserted. Has been for years!"

Arata nodded, then continued to follow the assassin's lead. "You're never leaving, Arata." The voice whispered again. Arata froze. He was sure he heard a voice! "Your blood is forfeit." the voice whispered. "Your very soul belongs to us..."

Suddenly, the cellar doors slammed shut behind the three.

"Paranoid, am I?" Arata asked.

Subject: Re: The God King Mon Sep 06, 2010 10:56 pm

Awesome chapter Bill! Can't wait to see what happens!

Subject: Re: The God King Mon Sep 06, 2010 11:18 pm

Great chapter Bill, i want to know more about Selena =p

Subject: Chapter 26: Whispers of Harmony Tue Sep 07, 2010 9:47 pm

"So, how in the world do you explain the cellar doors swinging shut?" Arata asked, growing increasingly frustrated with his assassin partner.

"There was a breeze, Arata." Azk replied. "The doors were fairly light, so they swung shut."

"Well, then why couldn't we open them?" Arata asked, cocking an eyebrow. "The doors didn't only shut, but they LOCKED as well! How do you explain that, huh?"

"Easy." The assassin explained. "Something must have fallen on top of the door. It isn't locked, Arata, it's just blocked."

"Fine." Arata growled. "But what about the voices? I'm sure I heard voices, and they didn't belong to you or Selena."

Selena sighed and rolled her cinnamon brown eyes. The two had been arguing ever since the cellar doors had slammed shut. When they had gone to investigate the noise, they had found that the doors had sealed themselves as well. Azk's explanation was that something must have fallen on top of the door. Arata believed that this was the work of angered spirits. Harmony did have a reputation of being haunted, after all. Selena wasn't sure what to believe.

"You're obviously paranoid, Arata!" Azk retorted sharply. "The dark plays terrible tricks on the mind. Just clear your thoughts and you'll be fine!"

Arata growled in frustration. "I know I heard something." he mumbled to himself. He glanced around. The cellar was pitch-black. The duelist could only make out a few faint shapes in the thick darkness that surrounded them. From what Arata could guess, they were in the lowest level of the orphanage, in the storm cellar. That would explain the shallow puddle of water shloshing around the three Knight's ankles.

"Come to me."

Arata halted immediately. He quickly glanced around, his icy blue eyes scanning the darkness. Of course, he could barely see two feet in any direction, but Arata was sure he had just heard a voice!

"Arata?"

Arata jumped, and quickly unsheathed his katana. "Arata, it's me!" Selena cried out, narrowly dodging a wild swing from the tense duelist.

Arata reached into the darkness, and grabbed Selena's arm. "Oh, thank Arcterra..." Arata mumbled, steadying his breathing. "I'm sorry if I hurt you." he apologized. "I just heard another voice. It said 'come to me'." Selena was quiet, digesting this. "Don't you know any kind of light spells?" Arata asked.

Selena nodded. She raised her hand and spoke "Illu." Instantly, the entire area was bathed in a soft, green light. "Come on." Selena said, grabbing Arata's hand and pulling him along. "Azk went on ahead. Said he likes the cover of darkness. He said he'll search the cellar. So, I guess that just leaves the upper levels for us, huh?"

Arata nodded his agreement. Selena led on, eventually reaching a rusted old ladder. Faint light was pouring down from the top of the ladder.

"This should lead to the upper levels." Selena thought aloud. "It should be better lit up there." Selena muttered something unintelligible, shutting off her magical light, and quickly ascended the ladder. Arata took one last look at the dark cellar, then followed the shadowmancer.

*****

"Damn, it's dark down here." Azk muttered. "I can barely see where I'm going."

"Do you want me to light up the area?" Selena asked, staying close to the assassin. "There's no real reason to hide in the shadows. There's nothing here."

Azk nodded his agreement. "True." he said, turning to the shadowmancer. "All right, Selena, light up the cellar."

Selena raised her hand into the air and spoke "Illu." The cellar was immediatly showered in a bright light, chasing away most of the shadows.

"Yeah, a storm cellar, just as I thought." Azk thought aloud. The room in which the assassin and the shadowmancer stood appeared to be an old storage area. Empty boxes laid about the floor, shelves were stocked with vials filled with strange liquids, and much more. "All right, Selena, I'm gonna search for anything useful." Azk said. "Just keep your light pointed toward me, okay?"

Azk went to work, shifting through crates that didn't appear to be too damaged. Selena obeyed Azk's instructions, keeping the majority of her magic light centered on the assassin. "Hey, Azk," Selena asked, glancing around her. "Have you seen Arata?"

Azk didn't bother to lift his head. "Is he not here with us?" he asked offhandedly.

"No. But he was with us when we were in the long hallway." Selena replied.

"He probably got spooked by something." Azk replied, tossing aside an empty crate and opening another one. "His mind is just playing tricks on him. I'm sure he's fine. Probably took a wrong turn somewhere."

Selena kept staring into the darkness. "I'm just worried." Selena said, never taking her gaze off of the shadows. "It's not like Arata to run off. What if-"

"Aha! Found something!" Azk exclaimed. He stood up and quickly walked over to Selena. "Look at this." he said, holding some sort of paper and grinning.

Selena glanced at the parchment. It looked like... "Building schematics?" Selena asked, a tad surprised that schematics were hidden down in the cellar.

"Yeah! We can use the schematic like a map!" Azk explained. "And if I'm reading it right..." he glanced at the parchment, running his finger along it. "There's a ladder that leads to the upper floor just around the bend over there. Come on, let's get going."

Selena grabbed Azk by the arm. "What about Arata?" she pressed.

Azk placed his hands on her shoulders. "Look, I'm sure Arata is fine." Azk said, trying to calm her down. "There's nothing here that can harm him. And even if there was, he's a trained fighter. He can take care of himself."

Selena sighed. She would just have to trust Azk's judgement. "All right...which way to the ladder?"

*****

The main floor of Harmony was almost a reflection of the outside building: Burned, run-down, and ultimately forgotten. The front desk had dozens of burned parchments still laying on its surface, almost like the building was waiting for people to come and return to this deserted place.

Arata brushed away some of the papers, seeking anything that might prove useful. "It's sad, really." Arata remarked. "I'll bet this place was so peaceful back in it's hey-day." The duelist picked up a dusty book and flipped it open. It appeared to be an old journal that belonged to one of the children of Harmony.

That girl wanted to try and talk to me again today. I feel so bad for her. She says that she lost everything. Her house, her husband...she says that her mommy won't speak to her anymore. I wanted to talk to her very badly. But she's a patient...and the doctors say kids aren't allowed to talk to the patients.

Arata closed the journal. "This place was an orphanage and an asylum...at the same time?" he asked aloud. "Strange."

There was no response. Arata set the journal down and walked around the foyer for a moment. "Selena?" he called out. "Where'd you run off to?"

"I'm up here!" came Selena's response. The shadowmancer stood at the top of an old staircase. "This place has a sort of...old timey feeling to it, doesn't it?" she asked, grinning at the duelist. "I really like it."

Arata glanced at the staircase Selena had climbed. It didn't look very stable, but, if Selena had done it, so could Arata. The duelist took a gentle step on the first stair. It creaked loudly, but other than that, held fast. Arata took another step. Another loud creak. But like the first stair, it held. "Selena, how did you climb these stairs so fast?" Arata asked, glancing upwards.

But Selena had disappeared.

Arata sighed, and continued up the steps. Each step creaked and groaned loudly, but they all held fast. As the duelist climbed the last stair, he thought he could hear something: whispering.

"Hello?" Arata called out. "Selena? Is that you?"

"Excuse me, sir?" a voice behind Arata asked.

Arata jumped and spun around. Standing there was a young girl. She couldn't have been much older than five or six. She had long, dark hair that covered most of her face.

Arata breathed out a sigh. He knelt down, smiling at the young girl. "Hey, little girl." he began. "This building looks like it's about to crumble. You really shouldn't be here."

The girl didn't return Arata's smile. She merely stared at him from under her long dark hair. "Neither should you." the girl replied. "Your kind aren't welcomed here. You'll anger them."

Arata cocked his head. "My kind?" he echoed. "Anger who?" The duelist had a sneaking suspicion that this girl was not a normal child.

"The living aren't welcomed here." the girl explained. She brushed her long hair out of her face. Arata gasped and fell back, mortified. The young girl's face was horribly burnt. She appeared to be blind in her right eye. "Your presence is an insult to the spirits of this house."

Arata stared at the girl, frozen by fear and shock. He hadn't been paranoid after all. "So...the voices...the cellar door...You did this?"

The girl shook her head. "Not I. But the one who desires you. She has commanded the spirits of this house not to harm you. But I must warn you." The girl went silent, eyeing Arata.

"Warn me of...what?" Arata asked.

"Her intentions!" the girl shrieked, causing Arata to flinch. "She desires you! She desires life! She is dangerous, and powerful, and insane." The girl walked close to Arata, eyeing him with her one good eye. "Do not be decived by her. She is pure darkness. Pure evil."

Arata leaned close to the girl. "Who are you? Why are you telling me this?" he asked.

The girl smiled. "You read my journal. I tried to help her. Talk to her. But she won't see the light. She loves darkness, and death." The girl patted Arata o the head, almost as if he were the child. "And I...I like your kind. I like the living."

Arata stared at this mysterious spirit. If this demon she was speaking of was darkness, then this spirit must've been her counterpart. The light. "Can you assist me, girl?" Arata asked, standing up. "I'm looking for something. A key. It looks like a weapon, and has very dark power."

The girl's eye widened. "Nebulous." she whispered. "SHE keeps it with her at all times. It is the source of her power. Take the dagger from her, and end her with it."

Arata nodded, and was about to set off to find Selena, when the girl gripped his hand tightly. "You must do something. For me." she said. "After you retrieve the dagger...destroy this place. Burn it, blow it up, I don't care. Lay these poor souls to rest."

Arata was just about to promise his word, when the girl suddenly vanished. "Arata, quit lagging behind!" came Selena's familiar voice. Arata rushed towards it, running up another flight of creaky stairs to the attic. Standing at the attic's window was Selena, simply staring out into Greenguard forest. "It's so beautiful out there, isn't it, Arata?" Selena remarked absently.

Arata rushed forward and grabbed Selena's hand. "Come on, we need to find the dagger and get the hell out of here! This place is not safe."

Selena turned toward Arata curiously. "Dagger?" she echoed.

Arata nodded. "Yes. The darkness key, Nebulous. It's somewhere in here, being guarded by some malevolence."

Selena cocked an eyebrow. "How do you know about Nebulous?" she asked.

"The spirit of a girl told me." Arata explained. "I know, that sounds ridiculous, but it's true! We need to-"

Suddenly, Selena shot forward and planted her lips on Arata's. Arata's eyes widened in surprise. He pushed the shadowmancer away. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Selena?" the duelist asked, bewildered. "Have you lost it?"

"I've waited so patiently for one like you to come." Selena replied, ignoring Arata's questions. "One so full of life...so handsome..." Selena reached behind her a drew a wicked looking onyx dagger. The dagger appeared serrated, and stained with crimson blood. "Soon...we'll be together...forever..."

"By Arcterra..." was all Arata could say. "Selena" rushed forward, swinging Nebulous wildly. An inexperienced warrior might have been deterred by this thing's antics. But Arata was no inexperienced warrior. With lightning speed, Arata drew his katana and spun around the false Selena, slashing across her back. The demon screeched, and swung around, scratching Arata across the face with her long nails. Arata growled in pain, but kept his wits about him.

"Selena" swung Nebulous downward, aiming for Arata's neck. Arata brought his katana up, catching and blocking Nebulous. "So..." Arata growled. "What do I call you?"

The demon grinned, revealing a row of incredibly sharp teeth. "Nightmare." she replied.

*****

Selena and Azk stood in the main foyer. "Hey..." Selena said. "Do you hear that?" Azk held his breath and kept still. There was a bumping sound coming from the upper levels. "Sounds like its coming from the attic. Should we investi-"

But Selena never finished her sentence. There was a sudden BANG! as the attic door slammed shut. The sound of stairs creaking could be heard clearly. "Azk! Selena! Are you there?!" came Arata's familiar voice. "I need some help!"

Arata practically leapt down the stairs, rushing straight for the assassin and shadowmancer. "Arata!" Selena cried out. "Where have you been?"

"No time!" Arata cried. His eyes revealed his anxiousness. "She's coming!"

Azk cocked an eyebrow quizzically. "Who?" The assassin asked.

As if to answer his question, the demon leapt down from the topmost stair. It's skin looked as though it was starting to rot, her eyes had turned into slits, and her teeth were very large and incredibly sharp. Azk didn't know why, but he thought that this being looked a lot like Selena.

"Stop them!" the demon cried. On cue, a rotten hand shot out of the floor, grabbing Selena by the legs. Selena looked down and screamed. A child zombie was holding her still.

Azk tried to draw one of his daggers, but was stopped when another undead dropped from the ceiling, pinning the assassin to the floor. Numerous more undead beings, both adult and child, were swarming to the call of their dark mistress. The undead panned out, blocking any potential escape route.

The demon, Nightmare, strode around Arata. "Submit to me." she commanded. "You cannot escape. Your blood is forfeit. Your souls belong to me."

Arata sneered at the demon and spat at it. "I've faced worse than you, demon."

Suddenly, Nebulous flared with dark energy. Nightmare's form shifted in a flash of dark light. Standing in Nightmare's place was Arata's greatest enemy.

"Fuketa?" Arata asked.

"No!" a voice rang out from the building. The voice of the young girl. "It's just a shadow! An illusion! It's just her!"

Nightmare rushed forward, bringing Nebulous upward in a violent slash. Arata jumped backwards, just narrowly dodging the swing. He countered by slashing out with his own katana. He felt the katana bite into the demon. But "Fuketa" didn't mind. In fact, she began to laugh. She spun around, swinging Nebulous with her left hand and slicing Arata across the chest. The weapon's bite seemed to numb Arata's entire body. He fell to the ground, despair overwhelming him. Why should I fight? he wondered. I can't win. It's hopeless. Hopeless.

"Remember the light!" the girl cried out. "Nebulous wants to sap your joy, your light! Remember the light!"

Arata tried to think. "The light?" he wondered aloud.

Nightmare was closing in. She raised the onyx dagger high into the air...

Arata thought back. The light...what was his light? Suddenly, Arata's mind was filled with memories of Leyla. Beautiful Leyla. Innocent Leyla. "The light..." Arata mumbled.

Nightmare swung down, her body filled with ecstasy.

CLANG!

Nightmare looked down in surprise. Arata had blocked the strike! "Let's do this." the duelist growled. Arata sprung up, planting a kick on Nightmare's chest. The demon stumbled backward, hurt. "You...you have no fear..." she muttered. Arata wasn't listening. He rushed forward, working his blade furiously. Nightmare struggled to keep up with the duelist's sudden burst of energy. Arata swung upwards has hard as he could, catching Nebulous and throwing it into the air.

The duelist broke away from Nightmare and dove for the demonic dagger. He grabbed out of the air, turned, and threw the weapon...

Driving it into Nightmare's face.

The demon shuddered. "I-impossible." was all Nightmare could say. The demon began to dissolve into a thick black smoke. The weapon, Nebulous, dropped to the floor with a clang.

"Let's get the hell out of here!" Arata cried, knocking the undead off of Azk and slicing the arms off of the zombie child. Selena turned towards the door, which was still blocked by the undead. She lifted her had and cried "Bombardos!"

A burst of energy struck the door, exploding with incredible force. The building began to shudder. "Let's go!" Azk cried, scooping up Nebulous and rushing out of the opening. Arata and Selena quickly followed, leaping through the small opening just as the building collapsed on itself.

As the three were walking away back to Swordhaven, Arata could have sworn he heard another voice.

"Thank you."

Subject: Re: The God King Tue Sep 07, 2010 10:15 pm

Oooh... Great chapter Billeh! Can't wait for more.

Subject: Re: The God King Wed Sep 08, 2010 5:24 am

Awesome chapter Bill, really well written. Moaaaarrrrrrr!!!!11

Subject: Re: The God King Wed Sep 08, 2010 6:17 am

Awesome chapter Bill! I really liked it!

Subject: Re: The God King Mon Sep 13, 2010 4:11 am

OHMAHGOD! WEWT WEWT

Subject: Re: The God King Mon Sep 13, 2010 8:44 pm

Hey, everyone, sorry I haven't written the new chapter yet. It's been five days since the last chapter, and I've been meaning to write it, but I just got kind of lazy. Not only that, but I've also been distracted by playing with RPG Maker. Anywho, I hope to write the new chapter within the week, so, keep your fingers crossed (Or not. It really doesn't matter to me. Cause you know...that's how I roll).

Subject: Re: The God King Mon Sep 13, 2010 10:36 pm

Wait, you're rolling? is it down a hill or just on the floor laughing or what? the people wanna know! Lol, just take your time, I'm sure everyone will be able to wait.

Subject: Re: The God King Tue Sep 14, 2010 12:04 am

There is no hurry, take your time bill. =)

Subject: Re: The God King Tue Sep 14, 2010 3:05 pm

S'okay Bill :P I still need to write my new chapter anyway >.>

<.<

Subject: Chapter 27: Wind Walkers (Part 2) Tue Sep 14, 2010 9:02 pm

Bill stared in awe at the scene before him. The temple of Dragon Cloud was ablaze with flames. Structures that had stood for hundreds of years had been toppled over. The bodies of several monks could be seen strewn around the stone courtyard. Dragon Cloud had once been a place of solace for Bill. It had remained stalwart through the ages, unchanged by time and untouched by sword. But now...now this.

"How could this have happened?" Bill asked, the shock in his voice evident. "Dragon Cloud...in flames..."

Xavier stepped forward, clenching his staff tightly. "Don't know how it happened, but I think I know why. We need to find Aero."

Bill nodded, unsheathing Mandurugo and taking a few cautious steps into the stone courtyard. Xavier followed close behind, a spell practically formed on his lips and ready to cast if necessary.

"W-who are you?..." a voice spoke amongst the rubble of the destroyed structures. Bill and Xavier scanned the scene. The man who spoke rose his hand into the air and futilely tried to wave. The warrior rushed over to the man. He had been partially crushed by a stone column that had fallen over.

Bill knelt down and examined the young man's predicament. There was no way to move the column. And even if there was, it was likely this young monk wouldn't live to see another day anyway. "It's all right." Bill said, scanning the fallen column once more. "I'll find a way to get you out of here."

The monk shook his head. "No..." he rasped. "I'm...not gonna make it...just...who are you? Why are you here?"

Bill eyed the man with sadness. If only they had gotten here sooner... "My name is William. I came here along with my partner to find the artifact called Aero."

The monk's eyes lit up. "William?...you...you came here several years ago. I was just a child then..."

"Don't talk." Bill said, searching for some way to move the fallen column.

The monk grabbed Bill's arm and pulled him back down. "Listen! You seek Aero...so does HE! You can't let him get it!"

Bill looked at the monk curiously. "He?" Bill echoed.

The monk stared at the warrior. "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him..." The monk slowly closed his eyes and fell into death's embrace.

Bill uttered a silent prayer for the boy, and stood back up. He walked over to Xavier, his face reflecting his sullen mood.

"What did you learn?" Xavier asked. Bill looked at his mage friend.

"Someone else seeks Aero." the warrior explained.

Xavier rolled his eyes. "We all ready know that." the mage said.

"And..." Bill continued. "He's still here. Not only that, but all of this destruction," Bill said, motioning to the burning temple. "Was caused by one individual."

Xavier grinned. "Perfect. We outnumber him, then. He's likely a mage, so, leave the fighting to me."

Xavier began to make his way to the temple's entrance. Bill watched his partner for a moment before joining him. He wasn't entirely sure about Xavier's call. A temple full of monks was no challenge to this man. They were just two more people to be added to the death count.

*****

Frozen dodged the incoming fireball, throwing himself into a roll and landing back on his feet. The ranger cursed his luck. He couldn't even touch these two sisters. Every time he got close to one, the other would cast. And every time he tried to use his bow, the two would simply combine their spells and cast at him.

Frozen spun around, searching his surroundings. There was a small village about a fourth of a mile from the battlers position. If the ranger could just make it to the village, maybe he could shake these two off his tail.

"Give up already!" Fyra shouted. "Surrender the bow and we'll let you walk away with your life!" Cyra glanced at the ground. No, she knew her sister was lying. She had no intention of letting Frozen Fighter walk away.

Frozen smirked. He could see through Fyra's bluff. With lightning speed, Frozen grabbed one of the throwing knives on his belt and tossed it at Fyra. As soon as he had loosed the knife, Frozen turn around and sprinted to the village. he needed to think of a plan.

*****

Bill led Xavier through the ancient temple. The warrior had lived in Dragon Cloud eight years ago, and knew the passages better than any outsider did.

"Where are we going?" Xavier whispered. Bill had cautioned Xavier before they entered that they should keep their voices down. In the halls of Dragon Cloud, it was very easy to hear voices echoing down the corridors.

"We need to find the Grandmaster." Bill replied. "He and he alone knows the ritual to access Aero. His room is right down here-"

Bill suddenly stopped talking. Voices could be heard down the hall.

"You damn fool!" one voice roared. "I'll tear you limb from limb!"

"Go ahead, you perversion of life." another, calmer voice replied. "If you kill me, then Aero shall never be yours."

There was an outraged scream, followed by a sudden crunching noise. Bill's eyes widened. "The Grandmaster!" Bill exclaimed, dashing down the hallway. Bill skidded to a stop just outside of the Grandmaster's chambers. A man clothed in brilliant white robes stood over the body of the Grandmaster. The Grandmaster's head appeared to be turned around 180 degrees.

The man in white turned, eyeing this new target. The man's face was hidden by his cowl, but his eyes glowed a fierce yellow. "Ah...fresh meat." the white robed man said menacingly. Bill drew Mandurugo, ready to deal with this threat.

"Bill! Dammit, you weren't supposed to-" Xavier said, finally catching up to his partner. He stopped his sentence short at the sight of the white robed man.

The white robed man cocked his head, staring at Bill. "Have we met before, kid?" he asked. "I have the oddest feeling like I should know you from somewhere..."

Bill glared at the robed man. "I think I'd remember a monster like you."

The robed man laughed. "Where are my manners, then? My name is Anselm. And you two," Anselm said, pointing to Bill and Xavier. "Are gonna show me where Aero is."

Bill lowered his gaze. "I think not."

Anselm chuckled to himself. "Ah, the audacity of youth..." With inhuman speed, Anselm shot forward, locking his arm around Xavier's neck. Xavier struggled against Anselm's iron-grip, but to no avail.

"Now, let me reiterate." Anselm said. "You will show me where Aero is, or I'll snap this one's neck like a twig." Anselm was silent for a moment. "Ah...Twilight Knights...I'll snap Xavier's neck like a twig."

Surprise was evident on both Bill's and Xavier's faces. "You're surprised, obviously." Anselm said. "I can see your past with but a touch. Now!" Anselm said, giving Xavier a slight squeeze. "Take me to Aero now!"

*****

Bill, Xavier, and Anselm wandered through the temple for several minutes (or rather, Xavier was dragged) until the three reached a room with a small alter.

"Here it is." Bill said. "Aero is in this alter."

Anselm eyed the alter for a minute. "Open it." the robed man commanded.

Bill steeled his gaze. "Release Xavier first." he said.

Anselm laughed. "Why don't I just snap his neck now?" he asked, tightening his grip on Xavier's neck. The mage spluttered and gasped, trying to fill his lungs with precious air.

"Snap his neck if you want." Bill said, remaining calm. "But if you do, you'll lose your only bargaining chip. Kill him, and I won't open the alter for you."

Anselm glared at Bill for a moment, his grip on Xavier's neck still vice-like. After a moment, Anselm chuckled and released Xavier, shoving him toward Bill.

"There. Your friend is unharmed. Give me Aero." Anselm growled.

Bill glanced at the alter for several moments, not sure what to do. Anselm sighed. "You have ten seconds to deliver Aero to me. Refuse..." Bill gulped. He could guess what would happen if he refused.

"Ten..."

Bill glanced at the alter.

"Nine..."

What was he supposed to do?

"ONE..." Anselm growled, raising his hand.

"Wait!" Xavier cried. "Give us just a couple of seconds, I'll see what's wrong." Xavier turned to Bill and leaned close. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Bill? And on top of that, what was that earlier? I could've been killed!"

Bill shrugged. "I had a feeling Anselm wouldn't call my bluff. And I was right."

Xavier rolled his eyes. "Then open this alter and let's be done with this!"

Bill laughed nervously. "Yeah, um, about that..." Bill paused for a moment. "I don't know the ritual to open the alter."

Xavier went wide-eyed. "You don't know how to open it?!" the mage exclaimed.

"What?!" Anselm roared. His hand crackled with energy.

"Damn!" Bill cursed. "Get down, Xavier!" Bill ducked behind the alter, pulling Xavier along with him. Anselm took aim at the alter and unleashed a powerful bolt of energy. The alter exploded, showering the room with bits of stone and dust.

Anselm stood, growling in anger. "Do you take me for a fool?!" the man roared. As he was about to advance on the two knights, a glint of silver caught his eye. Anselm turned toward the destroyed alter. Aero was inside, completely unharmed! Anselm laughed, and plucked the staff from it's resting place. The staff was made of fine silver, and had many runes and indentations etched into it.

"Yes!" Anselm cried, raising Aero above his head. "Aero is mine!"

Bill and Xavier stood up shakily, both stunned by Anselm's amazing power. "All right, you've got what you came here for." Xavier said. "Now you're going to let us go, right?"

Anselm stared at Xavier for a moment. Suddenly, he began to laugh wildly. "Oh no. I'm not going to let you go. Why would I? I've got two Twilight Knights trapped right where I want them! With your deaths, I'll be able to send a proper meesage to those damnable Twilight Knights." Anselm glanced at Aero. "I want to destroy you two properly." Anselm stared directly at the two Twilight Knights. "Come. To the courtyard."

*****

The wind whipped through the stone courtyard, blowing fiercly against the three combatants. It appeared that the fires had gone out. Anselm stood at one end of the courtyard, and Bill and Xavier stood at the other.

"What are the rules of combat?" Bill called out.

Anselm cackled. "Rules?" he echoed scornfully. "There are no rules. It's not like you're going to survive this anyway." Immediatly, Anselm raised his hand up and loosed a blast of energy at the two Twilight Knights. Bill and Xavier immediatly dove to the sides, rolling and coming up on their feet.

"I'll distract him!" Bill called to Xavier. "When you see an opening, strike!"

Bill turned and rushed at Anselm, Mandurugo drawn.

He never got close.

Anselm raised his hand, and concentrated. Bill immediatly stopped moving and began to float in the air. "Damn telekinesis spells!" Bill growled. Anselm thrust his hand forward, tossing Bill across the courtyard and slamming him into the side of the temple.

Xavier seized the moment. With Anselm concentrating on Bill, he left himself open for attack. Xavier took aim above Anselm at the mountainside. He raised his hand and cried "Bombardos!" A ball of explosive energy shot toward the mountain, slamming into it and exploding with incredible force. Snow and rubble rained around Anselm, burying him under a ton of the stuff.

Bill stood up shakily and glanced toward where Anselm had just been. Nothing but a pile of snow and rock remained. Bill grinned and turned to Xavier. "Nice shot!" the warrior congratulated. "That was really eas-"

A tremor shook the temple. Bill and Xavier glanced at each other with disbelief.

The pile of snow and rock exploded, leaving a lone figure in the center of the explosion. Anselm glared at the Twilight Knights. The lich rushed forward, punching Bill across the face and launching the warrior across the courtyard. The lich then sped toward Xavier, slamming Aero into the mage's gut, causing him to double over in pain. Anselm grabbed the mage by the back of his robe, turned, and threw the mage over the side of the mountain.

"Xavier!" Bill cried out.

"You're next, whelp!" Anselm roared. The lich rushed at Bill, swiping at Bill with Aero. Bill quickly parried the strike, looking for a possible opening. But the lich's defenses were impeccable. Even worse, Anselm seemed to have an unlimited amount of energy. His swings never tired. His defenses never dropped. Bill would have been impressed if Anselm didn't have a mind to kill him.

Anselm's yellow eyes glowed with excitement. Still, the lich couldn't shake this feeling of familiarity. He felt he should know this boy from somewhere. But where?

Anselm shrugged and grabbed Bill by the back of his chainmail, launching Bill off the mountainside as well. "So long, fool!" Bill heard Anselm cry as he tumbled down the mountain.

Bill closed his eyes and braced for impact. This is it, he thought. But Bill never reached the bottom. In fact, he stopped falling all together. Bill opened his eyes and gasped. He was floating in the air!

"Miss me?" Xavier asked, floating next to Bill. Before Bill could ask, Xavier answered. "Levitation is a crucial spell in any mage's repitoire. Come on, let's go get Aero!" Xavier sped up the mountainside. Bill floated for just a few seconds more. He had never, in all his years, never believed that he would ever fly. He laughed as he followed Xavier. He was flying!

*****

Anselm stood at the top of Dragon Cloud, staring at Aero. "I'm so close." he muttered to himself. "I can almost taste victory."

"But before that," Xavier called out, flying high above Anselm's head. "How about you have a little taste of defeat?" Bill sped alongside Xavier, looking down on Anselm.

Anselm chuckled. "Clever!" he called out. "It would seem I've underestimated you." Anselm walked to the edge of the mountain and jumped. Instead of falling, however, Anselm began to rise into the air, until he was level with Bill and Xavier.

"Now..." Anselm began. "Let the real battle begin."

Anselm raised Aero into the air and slammed it into Xavier's shoulder, breaking it and sending him careening down the mountain. Bill rushed forward, stabbing out with Mandurugo. The sword flared, eager for blood. But curiously, there was no blood to drink.

"You are the one that defeated Xanhast all those years ago?" Anselm asked with amusement.

Bill didn't answer. He just continued to glare at Anselm with his violet eyes.

Anselm gasped. It suddenly made sense! Why didn't he see it before? But...no. No, he couldn't be...

"You...you're dead..." Anselm said, dumbfounded. Bill cocked an eyebrow curiously. "Tell me something." Anselm said, moving toward Bill. "What's your name? Your full name?"

Bill stared at this man for a moment. "My name is William. I don't know my last name. I was adopted from birth."

Anselm was so shocked that he almost dropped Aero. Bill seized his moment and kicked Aero out of Anselm's hand, and up into the air. Bill caught it, and tossed it down to Xavier, who had taken shelter under a small tree.

Anselm growled and grabbed Bill by the front of his chainmail. He looked down and called out to Xavier. "Listen up, Twilight dog! Bring me the remaining elemental keys and I will spare the life of this one! Refuse, and he dies. And if that isn't enough to motivate you..."

Anselm turned toward the small town of Mobius, where combat could still be heard echoing from the town. Anselm took aim, raised his hand and cried "Bombardos!"

A ball of energy shot from the lich's upraised hand, whirring toward the tiny town until...

KA-BOOM!!!

The tiny ball of energy exploded with such force that the entire town was reduced to rubble in seconds. The sky lit up with bright orange and red light.

"This will be the fate of every major city on Lore. Bring me the Keys, and we can avoid all of this!" Anselm reached into the folds of his robes and produced a small medallion. He tossed it to the injured mage. "That will take you directly to me. You have one day to decide, mage."

There was a loud POP! and suddenly, Bill and Anselm were gone. Xavier stared at the ruins of Mobius in disbelief. One attack had leveled the town. He needed to warn the others, and fast.

Subject: Re: The God King Wed Sep 15, 2010 3:04 am

Awesome chapter, nice tension going on :o

Subject: Re: The God King Wed Sep 15, 2010 6:40 am

New chapters! Huzzah! Really liked it Bill, great work :)

Subject: Chapter 28: Ranger's Plight Wed Sep 15, 2010 4:31 pm

Frozen dashed into the village, rushing past several startled children and surprised adults. The ranger ignored the stares of the many farmers and concentrated on finding a spot to ambush the sisters. Frozen skidded to a halt, quickly examining his surroundings. There were several small buildings which the ranger could easily scale. They would make perfect spots to snipe the powerful mage sisters at a safe and hardly visible distance.

Quick as a flash, Frozen rushed to the nearest building, a small farmhouse, and dashed up the side of the building, using his speed and momentum to run up the wall. He swung his body over the lip of the roof, going prone and laying still. Frozen didn't have to wait long before he could hear the sisters enter the village.

"Where are you, ranger?" Fyra called out, her arms going alight with flames. Several townspeople shrieked and ran for cover, scooping up their children as they did. Fyra laughed at the panicked people.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" One farmer yelled, grabbing a small hatchet to use as a weapon. Other men rallied alongside this farmer, wielding their farming equipment to form a militia of minutemen. Fyra narrowed her ruby red eyes and smirked devilishly at the group of farmers. She raised her hand and aimed at the lead farmer.

"Fete." she spoke.

A large fireball arced from the Pyromancer's fingers, zooming along until it exploded on the farmer. Flames licked every inch of his body. The man screamed in surprise and pain as the flames quickly devoured him. The other farmers, at the sight of this, suddenly lost their resolve. Each one dropped their equipment and dashed off to the shadows, where their families were hiding.

"You caused this, ranger!" Fyra cried out to the now empty village. "Had you submitted, this man would still be alive! His blood is on your hands!"

Frozen slowly got up on one knee, careful to not let Fyra or Cyra see him. "Blood's about to be all over you, girl." Frozen mumbled under his breath. He quickly, yet silently, drew Yumi and nocked an arrow, taking careful aim at the red Pyromancer. Frozen inhaled, then exhaled, releasing the arrow as he did so.

The arrow shot off the bowstring, whizzing straight for Fyra's chest. The arrow slammed instead into Fyra's stomach, blasting the mage off her feet and onto her back. Fyra howled in pain, grasping the still quivering arrow shaft.

"Fyra!" Cyra cried out, coming to attend to her sister.

Fyra slapped Cyra's hands away from her. "Find him!" Fyra growled, her pain obvious. Cyra nodded, obeying her sister's command and turning back toward the village.

But Frozen was nowhere to be seen.

Frozen had gone prone again, lying still. If he could keep up this surprise attack, then all the better for him.

Fyra gasped in pain as she plucked the arrow from her bleeding stomach. Her hand went alight with flames. "This is gonna hurt a bit..." the Pyromancer mumbled to herself. She touched her burning had to her wound, crying out in pain. She needed to do this, she knew. Several seconds passed, Fyra gritting her teeth in agony. But soon, the wound was fully cauterized, and the bleeding had stopped.

Frozen glanced over the lip of the building once more. Cyra was still scouting the area, while Fyra was getting back up on her feet. "One more shot ought'a take care of you." Frozen whispered to himself, a grim smile on his face. He slowly got back up on one knee, nocked an arrow and took aim.

"Up there!" Fyra cried, pointing Frozen's way.

Frozen cursed himself. He immediatly denocked his arrow and rushed for the lip of the building.

Cyra spun around to Fyra's cry, spotting the ranger dashing along the top of an old farmhouse. Cyra swung her hand upwards, firing an icicle at the fleeing ranger.

Frozen hopped on the ledge of the rooftop and leapt, aiming for the nearest building. As he leapt, Frozen suddenly cried out in pain.

Cyra's ice spike had found it's mark, lodging itself deep in the ranger's thigh.

Frozen hit the next rooftop shoulder first, turning his would-be crash into a slight roll. The ranger examined his newest wound. The icicle had lodged itself in his right thigh. Frozen stood up, then toppled over, growling in pain. He could barely put any pressure on his right leg!

Knowing what he had to do next, Frozen steeled his gaze (and he hoped his nerves as well) and yanked the ice spike free from his thigh. The ranger cried out in agony as the spike came free. Blood oozed from the wound, flowing freely. Frozen applied as much pressure as he could, then limped over to the edge of the rooftop. He needed to get down and find cover.

"Got him, sis." Cyra said to her advancing sister. "He's on that building right there."

Fyra's eyes gleamed maliciously. "He wants to play rough?" the Pyromancer cackled. "I'll show him how rough I can be!" Fyra raised her hand and shot a fireball at the building Frozen was on, igniting it.

Cyra's eyes widened in shock. "Fyra, what are you doing?!" The Cryomancer asked. "There might be people in there!"

Frozen glanced over the side of the building, only to see flames begin their slow crawl toward the rooftop. If he stayed on the roof, he was dead. If he went into the building, he was dead. If he hopped onto the ground, he was dead.

Screams suddenly arose from inside the building. It appeared Frozen was not the only one living on borrowed time.

*****

Razackie stood on the Twilight Castle's balcony, overlooking the beautiful violet lake, just about a mile from the small Twilit village. The Twilight Weapons Master had decided to stay in the Twilight to train the new soldiers Steel had recruited following the Ring of Poison's destruction and the revealing of Chaos. Most of the recruits were green to the ways of combat (much to Raz's dismay) and had required more training than Raz had originally guessed.

Raz gazed out into the beautiful and perpetual Twilight landscape. Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary. The soldiers were practicing in the courtyard (Raz thought it was funny that he could tell the experienced Twilight soldiers from the rookies), the violet lake shone brilliantly, smoke could be seen rising from the village...

Wait...smoke?

Raz squinted his eyes against the orange Twilight sun. Indeed, there was smoke rising from one of the buildings in the small village! Raz spun around, dashing out of his chambers, grabbing his trusted broadsword as he did.

"Captain! Captain, we have an emergency!" Raz shouted, dashing through the castle's fine hallways.

"What? An emergency?" The captain asked as Raz sped by.

"There's a fire in the village!" Raz explained without stopping. "We need to make sure everyone's safe! Gather your men and head for the village as fast as you can!"

The captain nodded, spinning around and dashing towards the barracks.

*****

Frozen glanced all around him. The flames were closing in. The building was almost consumed.

"Surrender the bow!" Fyra snarled.

Off a short distance, the group of farmers from earlier watched the scene with mounting horror and anger. "Are we gonna let these two witches destroy our entire village before we do something?!" One farmer cried, scooping up his pitchfork. "For the Twilight!" he yelled, dashing toward the Pyromancer and Cryomancer. The others rallied to his cry, each grabbing their farming implements and rushing at the two sisters.

Cyra spun around and gasped. A mob of farmers was coming, armed with pitchforks and hatchets and kamas. Fyra turned around and chuckled. "Haven't learned your lesson yet?" she asked, flames licking her arms. As the first farmer drew close, Fyra dodged his wild swing and countered with a fiery punch right to the man's eye. The farmer screamed, falling backward and grasping his burnt eye. Before Fyra could finish him off, another minuteman was upon her.

Frozen watched the scene with awe and nervousness. He was definetly inspired by the villager's bravery, but he knew how this would end. Fyra and Cyra had far greater combat experience than a handful of farmers, and had wicked powers to boot.

Screams and cries continued to rise from the burning building. Cyra turned around, horrified by what her sister had done. They had come for Yumi, not the lives of innocents! Cyra took a quick glance at her sister. Fyra was busy fighting off the farmer militia. Cyra nodded, turned toward the burning building, and let loose a blast of frost.

The fires hissed as the frost made contact with it, turning the raging flames into nothing more than a cloud of steam. Frozen stared at the girl in surprise. What could have prompted this act of kindness? he wondered. Capitalizing on Cyra's treacherous act, Frozen grabbed the lip of the roof, swung around, and crashed feet first through the window and into the still burning building. He needed to get the people out of here.

Frozen quickly made his way through the burning house, being careful to avoid any patches of flame and listening to the screams of the trapped people. Frozen rushed into a small hallway, the screams emanating from behind a closed door. Frozen lowered his shoulder and barged through the door, flames suddenly arising at the sudden presence of oxygen.

The ranger surveyed the room. A young man and his wife, who was in the late stasges of pregnancy, were huddled in the corner of the room. "Hey!" Frozen called out, grabbing their attention. "I'm here to help!"

The man quickly grabbed his wife and led her to the ranger. "You know the way out?" The man asked. His wife's face was wet with tears. Frozen nodded. "Come on! We only have a small window of time to get out of here!"

*****

Fyra lit another farmer on fire, her red eyes gleaming in the flames. The man shrieked and attempted to pat the fire out, but to no avail. He was consumed, like the others. The remaining farmers backed off a bit, cursing their luck. Most of their allies had succumbed to this powerful fire mage.

Fyra turned around to examine the burning building. She gasped in surprise. The flames had died somewhat! Fyra glared at her sister. Cyra's gaze immediatly went to the ground.

"You stupid ass!" Fyra snarled. "We had him!"

"People were going to die!" Cyra shot back. "Innocent people!"

At that moment, Frozen and the young couple burst through the front door, coughing from the smoke. Frozen felt like he could barely walk. The pain in his thigh was intensifying. Suddenly, the ranger collapsed on one knee. "Go!" Frozen yelled to the young couple. "Get to safety!"

Fyra glared at her sister. "I'm going to get Yumi." she growled. "Make sure these farmers don't get anymore ideas. Understood?"

Cyra nodded, turning toward the remaining farmers. Fyra advanced on the kneeling ranger. Frozen glared at her. He didn't fear death. Not one little bit.

"Ready to die?" Fyra asked, hands bursting with white hot flames.

Frozen smirked. "Always ready."

"Fyra!" Cyra cried out.

Fyra spun around, cursing her luck. A young man with a broadsword was rushing toward the scene. "Stall him!" Fyra snarled.

Cyra nodded and let loose a blast of frozen energy, creating a wall of solid ice in mere seconds. Razackie grinned. The wall posed no obstacle to him. He wasn't weapon master for nothing. Raz sped toward the nearest building, launching himself alongside it's wall until he had climbed to the roof. The Weapon Master leapt off the roof, landing at the cryomancer's feet.

Cyra jumped backward, surprised by Razackie's amazing atheltic finesse. Raz gripped his broad sword tightly and swung hard, aiming for Cyra's throat. The cryomancer dropped to the ground, narrowly dodging the Weapon Master's lethal strike. Raz fell into the momentum of his swing, swinging around fully then bringing his sword up and stabbing downward. Cyra rolled, the broad sword landing in the dirt with a thud. The cryomancer hopped back up and rushed toward her sister. They needed to leave. Now.

Fyra slapped Frozen across the face with her burning hand, making sure to press the flames deep into his skin. Frozen fell on the ground, crying out in agony. Fyra quickly reached down and wrestled Yumi from Frozen's weakened grasp.

"Fyra, we need to leave!" Cyra said, her eyes wide with panic. Razackie was already on the approach, and the sound of guards could be heard beyond the ice wall. Fyra grased her sister and Yumi tightly, then touched the medallion around her neck. In a small flash of light, the two disappeared.

*****

An hour passed, women mourning the deaths of their husbands, children crying for their deceased fathers. Frozen watched the scene sullenly. He had caused this, he knew. If he hadn't rushed into the village...

Frozen glanced at a young boy crying over the charred corpse of his father. "Father..." Frozen whispered to himself. He knew what it was like to lose someone close to him. His own father had been murdered many years ago by vampires, and the only trinket he had to remember him by, Yumi, was gone now as well.

Raz sat next to the sullen ranger. "You did a brave thing back there, rescuing that young couple." the Weapons Master said. Frozen said nothing. "If it weren't for your efforts, this whole place would've burned to the ground."

Frozen snorted. "This all happened because of me. I led them here. I caused all of this..."

Raz looked at the ranger. "You didn't know." Raz said, glancing back at the scene. "What did you feel as you gazed out into the Twilight landscape?"

Frozen blinked at the odd question. "Well," he said. "I felt...at home, I guess. Like I belonged here."

Raz smiled. "Few people have ever discovered the Twilight Realm on their own, and fewer still were ever destined to become a Twilight Knight."

Frozen turned toward Raz, his expression curious. Raz smiled. "I'd be honored if you would join us. Your heart is pure and noble, and your actions speak of limitless bravery. We seek men and women of courage much like yourself."

Frozen stared at Razackie in disbelief. The ranger broke into a smile. His heart hadn't lied to him when he felt at home.

"I'll gladly join." Frozen said, turning back toward the scene. The fires had been doused, and the bodies of the deceased had been moved.

Raz patted the ranger on the back. "Come on, then. Let's get you patched up." The two stood up and began walking toward the castle. "After you are rested, I think I have your first assignment all ready..."

Subject: Re: The God King Thu Sep 16, 2010 2:38 am

Awesome chapter Bill, nice intro Raz =p

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