Dark Age Legends

[Zeros']

Zeros' looks around at the people carefully. Around, there were all types of people. There were some young, some old, some sick, some poor. He could even here the sounds of small children playing nearby, though, they were protected by a barrier of some sorts.

"Yes. I'm quite sorry about that... You see... Myself and your leader, or as you refer to him, Haraldur, haven't exactly been on the... best of terms. But, when I found out only Haraldur and Tesla were trained, I've decided to back out of the battle. Now, only if you attack one of my friends or myself, only then shall I retaliate. I take no pleasure in killing the innocents," he said calmly.

[Dude Man]

Ah, well..." Marshal began "When I met Zeros' and his group, they told me that they once knew Haraldur. I wanted to join them, merely to gain knowledge of these legendary people...in hope to become one. I herd that Haraldur nearly destroied the world, and he went from continent killing people and destroing the land. So, when I saw Haraldur run off with other people, that he resucued from the Crimpson Empire, we assumed that he must be building up an army, to try something like what he did before again. So, we allied with the Crimpson Empire. We thought that you and Haraldur were a much greater threat to the world. Haraldur did nearly end the world."

[Xorlak]

Draven brought his arms before his face and felt himself hurdled backwards at great speed. After the massive blast subsided, he was perhaps over a thousand feet farther away from Haraldur.  To be caught is such a massive explosion was an exhilarating ride...

"Tch!  The things we find we are able to do when we get a glimpse of the beyond..."

So he wants to show off does he?!?!

Draven extended his left hand towards the turbulent sea below, and opened his palm.  Likewise, he extended his right hand towards the sky in a similar matter.  His aura was flaring and his eyes burned crimson...

"This may sting a bit..."

----

"My my, a rude one this is..."

Rather than pursue the fellow, Mavas decided to keep his distance and observe.  It was then that a huge explosion lit the sky behind him.  What a fine amount of chaos Ven has discovered!

----

Ven found himself relieved that Zeros' had appeared, for the villagers seemed to be getting restless.  Zeros' seemed to be getting all of their attention.  Ven glanced at Zion and Xenai and then the portal.  He began to side step toward the dimensional rift.  Hey, he wasn't doing any good standing around here, now was he?

[Haraldur]

//Draven, I thoguth we were still in the cut off dimension, and nowhere near where everyone else is?//

[Xorlak]

(I'm imagining a sort of sphere of distortion around where they were, in which nuclear-scale explosions and the like might be partially visible to outsiders... perhaps? ... No?  Heh...)

Very quickly, Draven brought his arms together in front of him, clasping his hands.  A flash of crimson erupted below Haraldur, and a geyser of molten lava spewed skyward along with much rocky debris.  At the same time, a flaming meteor appeared overhead, some 500 feet in diameter, hurdling downwards at the same target...

----

Ven evaded suspicion in his sidesteps and arrived at the portal behind Zeros'.  He quickly stepped in.

"Wait, he said... over the... sea...?!?!"

He found himself in thin air spiraling downwards over a very turbulent black ocean.  He collected himself and, at the last second, thrust his right hand at the water.  A blue-white flash froze the water in a five foot radius and he clutched to this flotsam as the waves tossed him about.

"Beautiful..."

[Dude Man]

Duilin spotted Ven falling out of the portal and freeze the water below him. "Hey, is that Ven?"

"That it is." Rink replied, he thought that he would be here.

"Ven? Who is this Ven?" Valos asked

"Some guy we met in River Town." Duilin answered "He had a problom, but we couldn't help him because of Haraldur." He then lowered himself several feet hovering above the water, lightly flapping his wings. "Nice, day for a little rafting, eh?" Duilin laughed "I wondered what happened to you. Need a hand?"

[Haraldur]

Tesla said, "So basically, you took for absolute truth the word of people you hardly know what they said about someone you have never met, without checking it out first? So basically, this was an unprovoked attack."

_________________________________________________________

Haraldur moved backwards, allowing the meteor and the lava to meet, throwing shreds of lava all over the place, to float forever through space.

A small distortion of spacetime appeared in his fingers, which he lightly threw towards Draven. This would suck up all heat in the surrounding area. It was also heat seeking.

[Xorlak]

This little dimension of his is bad news...

Draven remained motionless as hundreds of balls of molten lava and rock spewed past, for none were on a collision course with him.  He was breathing too heavily.  Now that Haraldur was distracted would be a good time to catch a breath of fresh air.

Draven closed his eyes so that he might sense the fibres of this distortion around him.  It was not like a whole new dimension he was in, but rather an artificial one created within the real world...  he found the spot, and sped off diagonally upwards, smashing through a floating chunk of rock on the way.  He brought his right hand above his head, from which grew a long blade of flame like an extension of his arm.  He slashed at the empty space, and a slit became visible in the dimensional fabric.  The hole tore open as a blast of air came rushing into the vacuum...

On the opposite side, a hole in the sky appeared, which became a sort of vortex, sucking air into it, for there was no air on the other side.

----

Ven struggled to stand up, but was knocked to his knees by a large wave.

"Yes, actually, if you know the where some solid ground is, that would be nice."

He was then slammed to his stomach by another wave as the ice raft began to sink...

[Dude Man]

Duilin quickly grabbed Ven, as the ice raft sank.

"We gotta find some land." Duilin said to the others

"Hmm..." Rink looked around the area, he then spotted a small clump of land. "There's some land over there." He pointed

"Ha ha." Valos laughed

"What's so funny?" Rink asked

"Oh, nothing it's just that there happens to be this small island, that nobody noticed untill now." Valos replied, chuckled abit after that.

"Right..." Rink, rubbed his brow.

Duilin then flapped his wings, and then sored off to the small island, and placed Ven down. The others followed. Duilin sat down a foot from Ven. Valos stood by the shore, and crossed his arms. Rink, sat in a tree, and casted a small flame, and held it in his hand, and looked in it.

"I'm haveing the strangest fealing of deja vu." Rink said.

"So, Ven. You were in Haraldur's demention? What did you see in it?" Duilin asked.

-----

"Err well..." Marshal said stumped for abit. "Well, it's just that we, the Blue Minotaur, are recorders of Legends. And well, the near end of the world five years ago, was recorded as one. I've read about it alot, I was fascinated by the power of these people and well, when I saw them, I trusted them." He paused for a moment "I know it sounds silly...but when I was young I wanted to become a hero of some sort, you know save the world?" He then sighed. "But you know, I'm starting to think I've been wrong about you people. I'm mean, I think it was abit silly for me to aid with the Crimpson Empire, I mean, they are very evil people. I'm not to sure about Haraldur however, I mean he killed all those people. Didn't he?"

[Xorlak]

Ven removed the soaking wet cloak around his armor and began to wring it out.  It was a heavy material that seemed to resist moisture well, but it worked better in the rain, rather than tidal waves...

"It was odd...  it was some sort of village.  All the inhabitants were preparing for war, yet they were very calm and prepared, refined even.  They seemed to be genuinely confused as to why they were being attacked, and named Zeros' and you fellows and Draven of the Crimson Empire as their attackers."

He unfurled the cloak and shook it out.

"To be honest, I don't have the slightest clue what is going on either..."

[Dude Man]

"Haraldur, nearly ended the world five years ago." Duilin explained, he looked off into the horizion. "He helped us with an issue we had, involveing a few weapons, terribley long story..." Duilin started to remember a few terrible images, piles of corpses all over the courtyard of the Romme Castle, and dead bodies paveing the cave wall of a hideout, the corpes of Iduran. He shuddered and shook his head rapidly. He stood up and faced the other way.

"Yeah, I was there for some of it..." Rink said "Haraldur, helped the guys find a bunch of weapons, they were parts of him or something, um yes he's combined between a few people and a bunch of weapons. After he was 'complete' he then starting burning villages and destroing continents, yet he did defeat a very big and ugly dragon."

"That would have been interesting to see." Valos said blankly, he really seemed to be getting bored.

"Well, enough talk about the past." Duilin said, turning around "Ven, how did you get into the demention?"

[Zeros']

Zeros' looked around and smiled.

"Well, it seems that my time is done here," he said, turning his back to Haraldur's followers. "I wish you all in good health," he said and simply stepped forwards and... disappeared.

---

Seconds later, Zeros' appeared behind the group without a sound. He crossed his arms and leaned against a tree, carefully masking his presence and listened in on their conversation.

[Dude Man]

Rink noticed Zeros' but said nothing.

[Haraldur]

Tesla stared at him, and said, "A tangled web of assumptions, lies and half-truths is not a good motive. This is especially so because none of you have complete understanding of the events of five years ago."

______________________________________________________________

Haraldur remained motionless as he watched Draven go.

He thought to himself: It is imperitive that he is killed. Not just removed from power, but killed. Like all oppressed peoples, surely his subjects are ripe for revolt? It would need just a nudge, but not from me. They would not regard me as a messiah, with my reputation. But someone else? Who?

[Xorlak]

Draven exited the rift, letting the air pierce his aura.  It was cold, but fresh air none-the-less.  He turned, flying backwards, and extended his palm towards the open portal.  A ball of concentrated red energy appeared before it, which he would launch as soon as he saw any movement from the opening...

Up in the sky, he was now in plain view of those on the island.

----

Ven replaced the damp black cloak around his silver armor.

"We were chasing Mavas when a portal appeared, which took us to some sort of labyrinth.  There was a fight with some sort of dragon, an explosion, and we found ourselves in that village...  Hey!  They're still in there!  Zion and that other fellow.  I didn't catch his name.  The two that were helping me out..."

He turned and squinted to see the slit that he came through still up in the sky.