Dark Age Legends

[Zeros']

Even with his uber fast movement, Zeros' wouldn't be able to completely dodge the attacks at such short range, especially with how small this room was. Instead, he twisted and dodged the spiked boot.

Instead, he reached up with his hand and grabbed the mace, by the large ball. He winced, feeling the spikes drive into his hand, but he didn't let go. He sheathed his sword and quickly reached up to the mace, grabbing the shaft near the head, grasping the mace in both hands.

He started to push against the lizardman with both of his hands, putting his  demonic strength behind the weight of his body. He felt warm drops of blood starting to trickle down his hand, but he ignored them, focusing his strength in overpowering the lizardman.

---

Allen nodded and started to examine the symbols closed, adjusting his glasses. He rubbed his hands over the symbols and frowned.

"This is... some kind of opening key..." he murmured, placing both of his aged hands on the symbols. He concentrated on the symbols, trying to siphon his power into them. He symbols started to glow softly and he could swear he heard something moving nearby...

[Xorlak]

(I was going to do the standard one night break storywise, but there doesn't have to be any time lapse at all.  In fact, it'll probably be better that way.  Let's start 12 as a night chapter.

I thought up the Wind Serpent myself, but I was going for a Final Fantasy-ish name.  So I guess I got it.  (Heh...))

----

Virmir flicked his wrist up, sending the long blade diagonally to his left.  Even with the insidious length of the sword, it seemed to be a miss because the orc was too far away.  But then the orc dropped the vile plank of wood in mid stride, both his hands cut cleanly off...  It was the very air that sliced his hands, the invisible stream sent forth from the blade...

It took the orc an instant to realize what had happened, but it didn't matter, for the Velken's next move was a vertical slice downwards.  Scrums managed a few steps forward, then fell in half.  The two pieces falling left and right...  But that was not enough.  An act of indignation, the silver fox's final motion was a horizontal slash, so forceful that a massive gust of wind burst forth seemingly out of nowhere.  The broken orc was slammed through the far wall, which was torn apart itself from the violent blast of air  The frail inn could take no more and began to collapse upon the Velkens...

All of them shot out at once through the opening in the roof and into the black night sky with the injured Renard in tow.  They congregated above the building, watching it crumble as it billowed great plumes of smoke...

----

There in fact was a rumbling.  A very deep one, that shook the very ground, growing louder and louder...  Far to the right the rocks seemed to move, collapsing inward and sideways.  It was a massive door, some fifteen feet high, built into the canyon side...

Henri watched in rapt fascination.

"My word..."

He wondered over to it, holding out the light in his hands.  The darkness was impenetrable, the light only revealing that it was a deep tunnel of some sort.

"My liege, I don't think you should..."

"Come now, Ven, have you no sense of adventure?"

Ven's eyes widened.

"Adventure?  Well, I, uh, I mean, we've been doing quite the bit of adventuring already..."

Blast it.  Him and his big mouth.  Really, they needed to get back, and now he's gone and distracted his liege.  It was of course impossible to turn the king's attention back once he stumbles on something remotely magical and/or mysterious.

"I don't know.  Allen, what do you think?"  Henri asked as he turned to the alchemist with a slightly mischievous smile.

(Chapter 11 ends tomorrow.  Unless Zeros' and Dude Man want to keep at it.  I need a break though.  Heh...)

[Dude Man]

//Well, maybe we could end it. I mean tons of shows have a To be continued... right in the middle of a fight. I suppose if Zeros' is cool with it then yeah. I just don't want Gorus to be knocked out so quickly. Or maybe Zeros' could escape.

And Zeros' if you saw the picture on Duilin's DALpedia page, you'd notice the mace isn't the typical ball with spikes. It has a sort of blade thing going on (one of those maces) but I suppose the same effect would happen, if he grabbed on.\\

Gorus was surprised by the small being's sudden strength. The sudden burst of strength from the noble half demon pushed the mace right from his hand. The weapon hit the floor and slid across the room, a couple of lizardmen backed away as the weapon neared them, bumping into the wall.

Gorus jumped back, so he was a couple yards away from Zeros'. The weapon was out of his reach, and going to pick it up would leave him open for an attack, luckily he had his grappling blaster. The lizard general took the grappling hook off his belt.
All of the lizard warriors backed up right to the wall or left the room, he was really dangerous with that thing. The head of the hook had four prongs at the end, Gorus held it under the prongs, and lightly pulled the trigger of the blaster, and reeled it out, until there was a good four feet of chain. He let go of the head and then spun the chain around, like a flail.

"Okay, now put up a real fight." Gorus snarled. "I want to start trying now..."

The lizardman then swooped the hook over his head and then slid forward towards Zeros' and swung the hook with strong force downwards at his foe...

------

Brice was winning the magic force blast contest...

"You're out of your element demon!" Brice sneered. "You're super flame is no match for my water attacks!"

"I can't believe how stupid you are." Duilin laughed. "I guess my previous shock messed up your brain."

"What?"

"Unlike you, I took my time mastering two elements. Fire and Air, which includes lightning!" //Cheesy lines FTW!\\

Duilin then jumped up and arched himself on an angle, keeping his force pushing back on the water blasts. From his readied hands he shot bright yellow lightning blasts with full force pushing through the water blasts and right to Brice...

As any magic user would know, water and ice mages are weak against lightning attacks. Since Brice was already weakened by Duilin's previous dose, he couldn't handle Duilin's second stronger blast.

Brice shuddered like a jackhammer as the lightning flowed through his body, just as Duilin stopped. His smoking body fell to the ground lifeless...

---

Rufokanno had recovered from his little crash landing in his fight with Renard, he stood on the top of a tall building to get an over view of the combat against Duilin and Renard. He got up just in time to see the violent death of his allies, Scrums and Brice...Revenge will soon be his...

[Burton_projects]

Drew left the pub in a hurry. His hair blew as a small gust came. As he walked through the town people stared at his insignia. Everyone in the town knew what luna was and most where part of it. He knocked on a house casualy. *knock* "..." *knock* "..." "..." *knock* The door opened slowly creaking with every inch. He strolled in and the door closed behind him. A lantern lit and banished the shadows in his path. He walked up a spiral staircase. There was the sound of chatter above Drew. As he rose into the attic it became silent. It was time for a meeting.

"So, why did you call us here, Drew?"

"No special reason..."

"What!?"

"This may seem crazy but I think its time we take a side in this war." The crowd talked amongst themselves.

[Xorlak]

The dark robed man spat the stew out as if it were poison.

"Bah!  This is perhaps the worst food I've ever consumed."

The waitress was visibly annoyed.

"Worse than the other three you sent back?"

"It's even cold!"

"Here, I'll set it over the fire."

The black cowled man waved his hand as if he were swatting an insect.

"Pah, screw it.  Go away."

She left to tend the other customers, rather indignantly.

The man grabbed the side of the bowl, and the stewy contents suddenly began to steam and bubble.  He took another taste.  Edible now, at least.

Draven of course did not belong with the commoners, eating their wretched food.  But it would be a temporary sacrifice.  For his time would come once again...

To be continued...

[Xorlak]

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Chapter 12</span>

Draven promptly shut and locked the door, leaving him alone in the dimly candle lit room.  There were of course noises all around, but this was unavoidable in a dank inn such as this.  So long as he was undisturbed, this should work just fine?

He flipped his cloak, the illusion spell cast upon the robes quickly fading away to reveal his standard black armor and cape, the crimson trimmed edges and all.  Silently he removed a small pouch from his belt and spilled the contents into one gloved hand.  He frowned slightly at the result, as there weren?t many Black Crystals left, however it was enough to get the job done.  He took one of the larger ones, most of the others being smaller and less neatly cut, and replaced the others into the bag.  This was a long shot, he knew, but a worthwhile risk, considering who he was up against?

He placed the Black Crystal in the center of the wood paneled floor and stepped back.  Satisfied that he had enough room, he removed a small piece of chalk and drew two circles around the stone, one slightly larger than the other.  For a moment he considered using more than one crystal, which would render this cumbersome part unnecessary, but it would be a waste and he was running low, so he continued.  He scribbled on the ground for a long while, making elaborate arcs and runes with the chalk that circled the entirety of the dark glass.  When he was finished he stepped back as the lines erupted in a crimson glow.

Quickly the floor within the circle vanished, leaving the stone floating above a fiery pit, tendrils of swirling orange flame occasionally licking upwards through the portal.  By now Draven?s smirk had returned.  He cracked his knuckles and his neck a few times, then jumped in?

----

The ten Velkens brought their injured comrade down to the ground, setting his back against a wooden pole that supported the awning of the building across the street from the collapsed inn.  It was night by then, although the crimson and black clouds seemed to give off just enough illumination to see.  The battered and exhausted Renard was given water from a canteen before he was berated by questions.

?What happened to you??  It was the concerned voice of his friend and fellow mage Helix.  He was a bit taller than Renard and the fur at the top of his head stood up in long strands.

?I? was attacked on the airship?  That winged human saved my life.   His name is Duilin.?

He pointed a claw tipped finger toward the man who saved his life.  Duilin had just finished off Brice in a rather shocking manner, and they watched the mercenary?s body lifelessly drop to the ground.  Virmir was in the back of the group and began to make his way over to the stranger.  Odd, humans don?t have wings?

Before he could make it, the entire group was suddenly surrounded by a small hoard of Kanarinian soldiers, all bearing spear guns.  Some held torches in an attempt to bathe the streets with an orange light.  Humans can?t see very well in the dark, after all.

?Hold it!  Just what is going on here?!?

He motioned to the collapsed mess that was once an inn.  His eyes widened as he suddenly realized the figure he was addressing was far from human.

The short silver fox, who was also a High General of the Dark Empire, flicked his tail once indignantly, his eyes narrowing to slits that bore coldly into the human?s soul.  He promptly opened the flap of his cloak, on the inside of which was sewn a number of insignias.  Of course the Kandarinian officer did not recognize the Velken heraldry, but the red four winged dragon insignia of the Dark Empire was plain as day, even in the dim torchlight.

?Your security is lax,? Virmir spoke in deep smooth tones, ?If we must defend ourselves from vagabonds in your cities, then we shall.  And if we must continue to do so, then we will request that our Emperor rethink our alliance with a crumbling nation such as yours.  Leave us.?

By now all of the other Velkens were staring at the soldiers with the same coldness in their eyes.  Except their bodies were largely hidden by the darkness, so that all that was visible to the soldiers were those eyes? flashing in the reflective light of the torches?

The Kandarinians backed off, for they knew not to mess with the agents of the Dark Empire?

?My apologies, ambassador.  If you need anything, let us know??

With that, the Kandarinians left the way they came.  There were much bigger issues on their minds, after all.

Virmir turned to Duilin and then offered a low bow, his tail curling upward into the air as he did so and the swords strapped to his back clanking slightly as their weight shifted.

?Our sincerest thanks, Duilin.  Whatever you did for Renard we are most thankful for.?

----

Henri started into the tunnel, the white light glowing from his palm cutting into the darkness before him, though not by much.  With a heavy sigh Ven went in after him.

?Come now, Ven.  Have you even been in a mysterious underground tunnel that didn?t have something wonderful hidden at the end??  The old man said, chuckling.

Ven brought his gauntlet to his chin.

?Well, I uh??

?Good!?

Blast it.  Ven resolved to following his king, though he didn?t quite trust the surroundings.  Ven then noticed that his king?s third eye was now visible and open, a dim green light upon his forehead.

?You sense something, don?t you??

Henri nodded, smiling lightly.  ?Yes.?

Well, that was a good thing, at least.  Although all of Ven?s previous experiences with things ?sensed? turned out to be either gargantuan monsters or bombastic wizards with apocalyptic powers?

----

Jayce stopped.  A darkness was about the camp, casting it into an even greater blackness than even the night sky bore upon it.  The few remaining lizards that walked about were already on the ground, heads held low as if they were worshiping the dark smoke that was beginning to form in the center.  Melface, who was by Jayce?s side, saw this and immediately bowed as well.  With clenched teeth, Jayce ran his black gauntlet through his hair.

?Ah, great.?

Jayce fell to his knees as well, though not bowing quite as low as the others.  The blackness swirled and congealed, becoming a horned shadow with two burning crimson eyes?

?Father, my Lord.  You?re looking pleasant this evening??

Jayce held his head up slightly, his eyes penetrating his thick locks of hair with a smirk on his face.

Retan?s eyes narrowed.  Jayce?s head bowed back down quickly.

?Your objective has changed.  There is an island nation that I desire.  You will obtain it.?

?Oh?  And what nation is this??

?Tjed.?

Jayce frowned, looking up once more.  ?But that is on the other side of??

?Then you will hurry.?

The shadow vanished without a trace.

Jayce stood up.  Blast, that was far away.  Although his smirk returned to him when he thought of guaranteed battle.

?Return to the ships.  We sail east??

[Jenia]

Elphos sighed. Staring at the night sky, it seemed to him as if only yesterday he left his burning village...
"Hey, boy, what are you doing there? Counting the stars?"
It was none other than his master and Mentor, the enigmatic Indher, though she called herself Lerfina and he called her Fernis. Whichever name of her was true, he didn't know, nor did he care much.

"No, master, just staring and thinking..." Elphos answered softly, as if not really paying attention to her.

It has been 2 days and a night, not counting this one, since they both set sail from the mainland. Although Elphos wasn't sure what to expect, he knew he could trust his master not to screw up.
All of a sudden, Elphos felt a tingling sensation at his side. He jumped away, cousing the boat to rock and his master to laugh mischivously.
"Fernis! I thought I asked you to stop poking me!" he stated angrily, trying to get back to his original position.
"Ooh, but it is so much FUN!" she said happily, sounding like an innocent little girl who doesn't know any better.
"I can't help myself!"

Elphos always thought Fernis' attitude doesn't fit her. Her strange looks, the black armor she wears, her knowledge of runes... Elphos always thought a more fitting personality for her would be the dark, silent type.

"I'm going to...ugh...get some fresh air." Elphos whipped off some of the dust on his simple, deep-blue shirt and got up, stretching his limbs.
"Well all right, just don't catch a cold..."
His master seemed to already be occupied with some old texts, cousing Elphos only to hurry.
Upon leaving the boat's small cabin, the night sky suddenly seemed clearer, as if it became more real than it was through the roof-window in the cabin.  He took a deep breathe and took a moment to enjoy the vast ocean breeze.
Turning his head over to the horizon, he smiled to himself.
Although the trip was strating to get on his nerves, he kind of enjoyed it, not having to look for-
Suddenly, his jaw dropped and his eyes widened.
"Master, you better come out to see this..."
Abandoning her book, Fernis crawled out of the boat's cabin.
"What, did you catch a fi-"
Her eyes then widened as well, but her jaw didn't drop. Instead, she proceeded to smile.
"Land! Well, even if we found the place late, we still found it!"

----

((I HATE COMPUTER ERRORS. At least half the post was saved... BUT I STILL HAVE TO RETYPE PART 2))

[Dark Spartan]

//Wow, I've had so much time between Chapters that I've been able to write up my first two posts. Here's number one, the second one will come tomorrow.\\

Darkness.

Though a full moon had risen, Alex was still unconscious. The headcrab?s toxins were spreading through his veins like a plague. If Midna did not do something soon, he could very well die.

Though Midna did not know a cure.

Unfortunately, neither did the P.C.S. It had expended all other methods of healing white magic, yet all had failed. He did not move. He did not speak. His breathing and heartbeat were extremely faint. It was as if the poison was not destroying his body, but rather put him into a deep sleep, almost comatose state. As Alex?s spirit had not yet emerged, Midna could not resurrect him. All she could do was wait.

She wiped a glistening, moonlit tear from her eye. Despite her best efforts, the rebel had  fallen again, and there was nothing she could do about it. He would have to rise on his own. Unfortunately, he seemed to be in no condition to.

Despite her concern, Midna was sure Alex would pull through. She looked up at the bright moon. She loved the darkness, far more than the daylight. Her people, the Twili, lived in a dimension of perpetual twilight, between light and darkness. However, darkness was more prevalent in Twili affairs. Light had its shining moments, but rarely. Midna hoped the darkness would give her the strength she needed to help Alex in any way she could.

Though the rebel still laid motionless.

What more could he do? He could not move. The tough outer shell of the P.C.S. was all that held him from death. His attitude towards Otis would surely be changed.

Midna sighed in frustration. ?How can I help him?? she asked herself. ?He?s helped me, I need to help him. The question is, how??

Midna remembered very little about what she had heard about Alex before she met him. Her Twili advisors had mentioned a young man who had seen both sides of the war, someone who was once cold and calculating. He was effectively a Spartan, a soldier from ancient mythology bred and trained solely for war. They were emotionless, hard, and relentless. However, Alex had since lost those traits in his leave of the war. Nevertheless, Midna was convinced he was the one her advisors had told her about. She delved into her mind to try to remember more. She remembered the advisors explaining his origins, who his parents were. Though that was many years ago, and those secrets had since been lost to time.

Alex?s mind once again swam in a limitless void. Not feeling his physical form nor his spirit form, there was little he could do to commune with the living?or the dead. All he could do was emit an extremely weak and raspy moan.

Midna turned back towards Alex, who was trying desperately to move his limbs, to let her know he was still there. Unfortunately, his limbs did not comply.

?Alex?? Midna asked, hopefully. ?Can you hear me??

Somehow, Alex found strength.

?Yeah.?

Midna?s one exposed eye suddenly widened. She watched in total astonishment as the ebony metal man found the power to pick his heavy frame up from the ground.

?Urgh?? he moaned, holding his head. ?Care to tell me what happened??

?That poison headcrab?when you took your helmet off, it just leapt at you and bit you?though the poison is usually debilitating. How did you fight it??

?I dunno,? Alex said. ?Is there anything that would cause an immunity to headcrab poison??

?Not that I know of,? she replied. ?Wait, there is one thing. No, no, I must be losing it.?

?What?? Alex asked, curious. ?What is it? Tell me.?

?Well, I remember when I was banished to the Borderworld by Damien. I was attacked by a few poison headcrabs, and I recovered easily. But??

?But WHAT??

?I?m not human.?

?Yeah?? Alex replied. ?I got that much. So what ARE you??

?I?m part of an ancient race called the Twili. We originated from an rather unknown part of the Borderworld, the Twilight. In this realm, the Borderworld and Gaian cross with each other, combining light and darkness, forming a perpetual twilight. In this realm our kind lived and thrived, until??

?Until what??

?The Kandarinians took interest in our natural adeptness in both light and dark magic, and so tried to take us by force. It was many years ago that the Kandie-Twili War began, and it still rages. Since then, I?ve kept a low profile by ruling Asgarnia. Previously they had no reason to come to Asgarnia, until the unprovoked Seven-Hour War. I guess they found me. There were two key Twili. The princess, and the warrior. The princess brought balance to the light and the dark, and the warrior defended the princess. Alex, this is something I?ve hidden from you up to now, and I apologize.?

Alex waited with bated breath.

?Alex. I am the twilight princess.?

Alex thought hard for a moment. ?If you?re the princess, then who?s the warrior??

?I remember being told who it was, but Damien?s curse has fogged my mind. I can?t remember. Though I do remember what would indicate who it was.?

?And what is it??

?The twilight warrior will be revealed when such a man is found who cannot be slain. He has but one weakness, and few know what it is. It is a closely-kept secret.?

?Wait a minute. The halting of the portal storms?the exploding cannon?the confrontation with Damien?the headcrab bite??

?It all makes sense now. Alex, you are the twilight warrior.?

Alex?s breath was sucked from his lungs. ?But?I?m not a Twili?am I??

?This is true, the prophets proclaimed these two beings were at least part Twili. I?m pure Twili, and you?re human. I remember something about your parents??

Alex?s eyes suddenly widened. ?My?parents? Caulus told me??

?He never got the chance to before he died. I?m trying hard to remember, Alex, please bear with me??

Alex was surprisingly patient with waiting for her to recollect the lost knowledge.

?I remember now! It?s clear as crystal! Alex! Your father was Twili. Your mother was human. They since died in the war, and the Twili advisors deemed it best to hide you from the Kandies. So they handed you over to Caulus. They thought it would also be best if you grew up not knowing, until you were ready for the position you would serve??

?So much about my past, so much about my parents?? Alex said quietly, ?I never got to know them. I don?t even know what happened to them.?

?They died in the Kandie-Twili War, apparently. I?m sorry, Alex.?

He heaved a sigh. ?There?s not much to do about that now, is there??

Alex noticed the night sky. Ever since the radiation from the shield spire?s explosion those many months ago faded, the starry sky was all the more amazing. The moon was noticeably brighter though. He felt strange.

He shook his head, trying to clear the odd sensation.

?Something wrong, Alex??

?No?nothing.?

Suddenly, a surge of power coursed through Alex?s veins. Overwhelmed, he stumbled to his knees. As if some invisible catch on the armor had been pulled, the metal plates of the P.C.S. soon shed themselves from his body, revealing the human within. Illuminated in a bluish glow by the moonlight, Alex felt pulsations in his extremities, and he was becoming lightheaded. Within a few seconds, the skin on his arms and legs became dark, his face became pale save around his eyes, which were also dark. Before long green markings began running up and down his limbs and finally ending in a pattern surrounding his left eye. His eyes, which had closed blue, now opened blood red. He now looked very much like Midna, except for his human body. His hair retained its black color, though. When he was finally able to get back up, he saw Midna looking at him in pure awe as a small smile began to form on her lips.

?What?? He said, his voice now having a quick echo behind it.

?Alex! It?s true! You are the twilight warrior.?

?What are you talking about--? He snatched his hands over his mouth, realizing the ethereal nature of his voice, similar to Midna?s. He looked at his arms, dark and covered with the same glowing green marks. His worn leather jacket had since been replaced with a black vest, and his denim pants with dark leggings of some other material. He had been completely transformed, but not of his own will.

?Midna!? he shouted. ?What?s happened to me?! I don?t feel human! What the hell is going on?!?

?Alex, it?s your Twili side. It?s finally come to the surface! Why it hasn?t before is a mystery, but now there?s reason for hope!?

?You?ve completely lost me,? he muttered. ?Enlighten me.?

?The prophecy proclaims the princess will find the warrior on a night such at this, when the moon is at its absolute brightest. The complete absence of daylight triggers the Twili magic residing within the warrior, superseding his human form, but only during the night. Once day breaks, he reverts to his human nature, to become Twili the next night.?

Alex was still shocked in his inhuman appearance. ?So if this is true, so is what you said before, regarding my parents? My God. I had no idea.?

?Alex, I?m afraid I have many things to show you, and those can only be revealed in a travel to the Twilight. First, I must be sure you will want to leave Asgarnia behind for just one night.?

?Sure?but what about the suit??

?No problem, I can hang onto that for you,? Midna replied, her spirits suddenly lifted. She pointed her finger at the limp metal suit, and gave it a jolt with some unknown magic. The suit promptly disappeared. ?I can keep this in a sort of magic storage for you.?

Alex surveyed the terrestrial Asgarnia one last time before turning back to the imp. ?Very well then. Seeing as I won?t be seeing humanity for another twelve or so hours, go right ahead.?

?Good choice. Bear with me, dimensional portals take a lot of power.? She closed her eyes and began chanting in some other language that Alex was suddenly able to understand. As she did, a large portal appeared in the sky, a black vortex with blue outlines running from it.

All Alex could do was stand there as the dimensional rift took form. Once it was fully formed, Midna took Alex?s dark hand, and the two were disassembled into black particles which soon raced through the portal.

On the other side, these particles reassembled themselves into Alex and Midna. As he came into form, he looked around. This section of the Borderworld was different from the main region. There were no swirling vortices, no harmful radiation, no low gravity. The entire landscape, which was one enormous island-asteroid, was shrouded in a vermillion glow, as if the land had experienced a perpetual sunset. Ahead was a large city, or what appeared to be one.

?My God,? Alex whispered. ?It?s?beautiful.?

?And that?s not even the half of it,? Midna exclaimed, definitely excited to once again be home. ?Come on, I?ll show you around.?

[Dude Man]

"General Wilham, are you sure this is a good idea?" Ask a man dressed in white robes.

"Of course I am!" Wilham Wolfe replied. "I'm sure we'll be able to find quite a bit around here."

"But, sir, it's just a moutain. What makes you think there would be any settlement around it?"

"Well look, see how unnaturally placed and shaped it is? I've heard of some strange terra former abilities these imperials have. I have a hunch that this mountain may perhaps be a fortress."

"Uh...very well sir."

--- ---

(This is just a re-post of my last update for Gorus.)

Gorus was surprised by the small being's sudden strength. The sudden burst of strength from the noble half demon pushed the mace right from his hand. The weapon hit the floor and slid across the room, a couple of lizardmen backed away as the weapon neared them, bumping into the wall.

Gorus jumped back, so he was a couple yards away from Zeros'. The weapon was out of his reach, and going to pick it up would leave him open for an attack, luckily he had his grappling blaster. The lizard general took the grappling hook off his belt.
All of the lizard warriors backed up right to the wall or left the room, he was really dangerous with that thing. The head of the hook had four prongs at the end, Gorus held it under the prongs, and lightly pulled the trigger of the blaster, and reeled it out, until there was a good four feet of chain. He let go of the head and then spun the chain around, like a flail.

"Okay, now put up a real fight." Gorus snarled. "I want to start trying now..."

The lizardman then swept the hook over his head and then slid forward towards Zeros' and swung the hook with strong force downwards at his foe...

--- ---

The village had been liberated, and the Minotaur had been able to distract Ace enough for the Aspyes to escape.

The group of rebels had chosen to continue on foot, since Marshall would be unable to summon enough flying creatures to transport everyone, due to his magic energy was a bit low.

"We're almost home guys. Don't worry." Marshall called, leading the group, charring a torch. He then spoke to the fighter next to him. "We should still be really careful. I hear those Dark Dragons are crazy hunters during the night..."

--- ---

Duilin looked at his magic smoking hands, ripe with the tingling after effects of electrocuting the life out of that bounty hunter.

He put too much anger into it and as he finished off his enemy he felt his demonic blood rage rising yet when just when he fell to the ground and stopped, he could feel the balance returning. Before whenever his blood rage rose, his demonic side would become larger then his human. Such as after he fought Valos he nearly started to grow horns and his skin began to turn a bit golden, like Abodahon's, and it wasn't until, well after Abodahon died that it began to clear up. Although he didn't have as much rage and hate put into that as when he battled Valos, or even Draven for that matter. But he's regained balance pretty quickly.

He noticed the group of Velkens had arrived; one of them approached him and spoke. He examined the Velken, he was taller then Renard, but Duilin was still almost a foot taller then the fox-man.

"Oh it was the least I could do." Duilin replied to Virmir. "So, I assume you're part of a group with Renard. May I ask your name?"

//Ophelia will come in later.\\

[Xorlak]

"Kendo Virmir, High General of the Dark Empire, Skyward Division."

Virmir rose from the bow.  He then removed a small silver pendant that was hidden inside his cloak and tossed it to the human.  It was round like a small coin with a simple profile image of a fox head and some other lines etched into it.

"Should you ever require a favor of our people, show that pendant, and we will be glad to offer our services."

With that he turned and headed back towards the group.  By now Renard was back on his feet, supported on each side by another vulpine mage and a knight, and they were all murmuring softly amongst themselves.

----

Henri and Ven began descending stairs cut from stone, each step not quite the same size as the previous.  Ven was becoming more nervous, his eyes darting around in the pale light his majesty was proving via his spell.

"Uh, we're sort of leaving Allen behind..."

The old king had a spring in his step and was moving faster and faster, waving his hand.

"Oh, he'll catch up."

At the end of the stairs as a wide open room that the king's light failed to illuminate.  The stone floor extended forward, yet there appeared to be a drop off on each side, as if it were a bridge.

----

Three black warships waited silently off the coast, unmoving in the waves...  Each gave off a slight crimson glow in contrast to the night, radiating from the torches that lined their decks...

Two were standard war vessels, emblazoned with the four winged dragon insignia of the Dark Empire upon their flags and sides...

The last, though, the last was no mere war vessel indeed.  For it was the personal sea faring ship of the Prince of the Dark Empire.

The Jagahn...

It stood there, over twice as large as the others, as if mocking their petty insignificant existence.  Its spiky protrusions stabbing towards the stars, challenging all to face it.  The twisting skulls and demonic visages, statues and gargoyles, laughing at the weakness of the world.  The cannons of all sizes, jutting out and pointed in all directions, waiting impatiently for the chance to kill again...

The ships were already loaded, for their target was no longer the land of Rygar.  No, it was Tjed.  Small boats went out to sea, returning the lizard men back to their vessels.

Jayce smirked as he watched the sight, standing upon the rock with the waves crashing about, surrounded by his entourage of evil.  They did not need to ride the petty boats to reach the ships.  No, for they began to levitate, surrounded by auras of hateful blackness.  They cackled maniacally as they flew, returning to the Jagahn so they might begin their journey.

Come morning, blood will be spilled...

[Dude Man]

Dark Empire?

Duilin cursed under his breath. Duilin caught the pendent, and clutched it in angry. All this time, he's been helping out a member of the Dark Empire. Now they congratulate him. He felt disgusted. He reminds himself that he used to be part of that empire, but that only makes me feel even more coverer in filth.

How could he have not of figured it out himself. Renard seemed so loyal and bent over for the Dark Empire, only somebody who was a part of it, would be so favourable for them. Duilin bet that even the Kandarin were disgusted by the empire's evil. Retan didn't even try to hide the fact he's evil, he shows it off.

He felt like tackling that animal man, when his back is turned and break the little thing's neck. Why would the Empire want to employ something that small, as a High General? Then again, from Draven he learned not to judge power by age, so likely it wouldn't be to smart to judge by size. He should just lay low.

What also got on his nerves is that they didn't even notice it was him. If it were Zeros' then likely they would have attacked him on sight. Duilin was getting a little tired of living under his shadow. But he'll make his mark.

Duilin gave a sort of half smile to the Velkens. He waved his hand holding the pendent and then walked off. He was sick of this place. There has to be somewhere that wasn't either under the control of the empire, or cooked up on some viking's bullshit...

[Dark Spartan]

?You think Alex is okay??

?Why wouldn?t he be? He?s hardcore.?

?I dunno, those headcrabs in the Mining District can be deadly. Especially the poisonous ones.?

Two rebels were conversing in the common area of the Rebel HQ as they waited for their scout to return from the mines.

Ilia was looking over a clipboard as she overheard the conversation. She walked over to the two rebels and joined in.

?What?s this about Alex?? she asked.

?Well,? one rebel started, clearly distracted by the woman, ?we, uh, sent a scout out to the mining district to make sure he?s okay?and he hasn?t come back yet.?

?Neither has Alex?? she asked again, this time with a concerned face.

?Well?no.?

?Oh dear, I hope he?s all right??

?Hey, what?s going on?? Dominic Fenix soon found himself in the middle of the group.

?We?re waiting on Alex to come back,? Ilia said.

?Bah, he?ll be fine in the mining district. If he?s survived as much as you say he has, then what reason is there to worry??

?Dom,? one rebel piped up, ?have you heard of poison headcrabs??

?Yeah, I have,? Fenix replied. ?Doesn?t Alex keep one as a pet??

?I don?t know about that, but I?ve heard stories about people who?ve been attacked by them,? the rebel replied, ?and it?s not pretty.?

?Oh?? Fenix said. ?Humor us.?

?The poison is fast-acting and powerful. It basically paralyzes the victim while the headcrab takes control, the victim?s body bloats up into this hunched over, freakish thing, and it basically acts as a carrier for other poison headcrabs, and--?

?Goodness!? Kleiner cried. ?That?s quite enough. See here, Alex will be fine. The day he is defeated by something as trivial as a headcrab is the day we surrender.?

?Besides,? Fenix went on, ?he?s in that tough old armor, and what headhumper can bite through that??

The rebel scout returned from the surface, breathless.

?Lieutenant,? Ilia asked, ?did you find Alex??

?I?m afraid not, ma?am,? the scout said somberly. ?I had a bead on his magic signature, but then it just vanished. From what I?ve ascertained, Alex is no longer in this city, on this continent, planet, or even in this dimension. Though I did see something else. A portal in the sky. A swirling black-and-blue vortex reminiscent of twilight magic. I also found a recently deceased poison headcrab on the location.?

?You don?t think?? Ilia said, worried.

?Nonsense!? Kleiner replied, trying to reassure the gorgeous young woman. ?I?m sure Alex is well out of harm?s way by now, even if he is in another dimension.?

?Lieutenant, do you have any idea where that portal leads?? Fenix asked.

?Sorry, Dominic. I?m not well-versed in twilight magic. Though if I had to take a guess, I would say the Twilight.?

?I?m sorry?? Kleiner said, perplexed.

?The Twilight is a rather unknown region of the Borderworld that slightly overlaps with Gaian. It?s here that an ancient civilization, the Twili, was rumored to live and thrive, and still exist today.?

?So you?re saying a Twili might?ve taken Alex back there?? Ilia asked.

?Strong possibility,? the scout replied. ?Though who do we know that?s Twili??

?Wasn?t the princess of Asgarnia before the war a Twili?? Fenix asked. ?Now what was her name?Midnight? Minda??

?Actually, Midna, Fenix,? the scout corrected him.

?But all intel suggests that she was killed directly after the Seven-Hour War?s conclusion!? Kleiner cried. ?How is she still alive??

?Our current ruler, Damien Roth, had other plans, Izzy.? The scout continued. ?Rather than go through the trouble of killing her outright, he simply cursed her with the form of an imp and was then able to take the throne from her. Perhaps that?s why Alex has been behaving so strangely lately.?

?So this Midna character has enlisted our dear Alex?s help in reclaiming her throne?? asked Ilia.

?As far as we know,? the scout replied. ?Though I see nothing wrong with it. Though there is reason for concern if she took him to the Twilight.?

?Why?? Ilia said, concerned.

?Alex may know more than he?s letting on, he might have business there.?

?Why is that reason for concern??

?Because we need him here! How can we fight without a leader??

?Look at ourselves,? Fenix protested. ?We?ve become so overconfident of Alex?s abilities that we?ve become totally reliant on him! If he?s gone, the Kandies could run roughshod over us. We have to learn to fight for ourselves. Just because one man isn?t here doesn?t mean the whole rebellion can be allowed to fall apart.?

?You mean?? Ilia trailed off.

?That?s right,? Fenix said. ?We have to continue with or without his help. It?s the only way we can get the city back.?

?And what if he comes back?? Ilia said. ?Will he think he abandoned us??

?Nonsense,? Kleiner finally piped up, who was watching the argument up to now. ?Alex has always trusted us! If anything, I?m sure he?s confident we can deal with this ordeal ourselves while he?s off on personal business.?

?If you say so, Isaac?? Ilia said reluctantly.



?Alex? What?s wrong??

?Huh? Oh, nothing. Still getting used to this form is all. It feels weird.?

?You?ll get used to it,? Midna said reassuringly. ?A lot of first-time transformers feel weird being stripped of their humanity. But just look at your new body. Deep-rooted powers are now at your fingertips!?

?Why are we here?? Alex asked. ?We should be back at rebel base.?

?Alex, there?s a lot you need to know about the ongoing conflict between the Twili and the Kandies. If we are to ever stand a chance against them, we need your help. Please.?

Alex ran his blackened hand through his hair. ?Where do we start??

?The city up ahead. There the Twili elders can fill you in.?

As the two approached the city, Alex noticed the landscape was mystifying. Unlike the rest of the Borderworld, the Twilight had a terrestrial landmass, due in part to its overlapping with Gaian. However, day and night were nonexistent in this realm, the world was bathed in a permanent dusk. Gravity here compared to the rest of the Borderworld was significantly higher, being about two-thirds of Gaian. A breathable atmosphere was maintained, and the overlapping with Gaian shrouded the realm from the harmful Borderworld energy.

And then Alex saw it.

The Twilight City. The largest city in the Twilight. It was at least twice Asgarnia?s size. Yet just as beautiful as it was before the Seven-Hour War. Here the Twili lived and thrived, fortunate that the Kandarinian Sovereignty had not found their beloved city yet. However, that did not mean the Twili were not afraid.

As Alex and Midna walked the streets of the city, various onlookers noticed the new man. One stout Twili found his way over to Alex.

?So you?re the one the elders have been preaching about. You?re Alex, aren?t you??

?Um, yeah?? Alex said, a little unsure of himself.

?Oh, happy day!? the portly being cried. ?We have no need to fear those despots, the Kandarinians!?

?Hold up, sir. I?m not even sure why I?m here. I?ve come to see the elders.?

?Well, if that?s the case, you want the Temple of Dusk, up ahead.? The Twili turned Alex?s attention to an enormous building up ahead, dwarfing the Kandarinian Citadel. ?You better get a move on. The elders have been waiting.?

?Waiting?? Alex asked. ?For how long??

?Twenty-eight years.?



Alex and Midna soon found themselves at the base of the Temple of Dusk. Looking up at it Alex was definitely intimidated.

?Alex, I?ve been noticing you?re rather nervous about this.? Midna said, putting her hand on his shoulder.

?Well, if you just found out that you?re supposed to be the savior of an ancient race, declared at birth, wouldn?t you be nervous, too?!?

?Calm down, everything?s going to be okay. I know it. I?ve spoken with the elders before. Trust me, they are welcoming, especially to a man of your status.?

?Great,? Alex mumbled. ?I?ve been here for forty-five minutes and already I have a status. I liked it better when I was taking speargun shots.?

?Now, now, Alex. I?m sure with a little bit of adjusting you?ll grow to like the Twilight. It may not look promising, but I?m sure with your help we can destroy those Kandies once and for all. However, our first target is Damien. The elders know far more of your hidden abilities than you do. Once you can unleash them, Damien doesn?t stand a chance.?

?Anything for you, I guess. I just have one more question.?

?And what would that be??

?What about the rebels? Without me, how will they fare against the Kandies? We?ve got to get back there as soon as possible??

?I understand your concern for your friends, and that we are all fighting a common enemy, but first things first. We must see the elders. Even if we got back there, you would still remain in your Twili form until dawn.?

Alex heaved an echoing sigh. ?Very well then. Lead the way.?

Midna now leading, Alex followed her into the mysterious Temple of Dusk.

[Xorlak]

Renard watched Duillin walk off into the night.  The Velken could tell from the winged human's posture that something did not quite sit right.  He made a brief movement as if to run after the man, but his comrades restrained him, misinterpreting the jerk as a stumble due to his weakness.

"Easy there, Renard.  We're gonna head back to the airship now."

There was a knot welling deep down in his stomach, an emotion he couldn't quite place a claw on.  He finally managed to yell out,

"Goodbye... Duilin..."

He was then lifted into the air, and he watched the city disappear into the darkness.  Yeah, he knew what that emotion was.  The next time they met, it may no longer be on friendly terms...

----

Ven and Henri continued down the stone bridge, or whatever it was.  It was too dark to see what lay beyond the drop off on either side.  Every so many feet there seemed to be two other smaller bridges that jutted off left and right, though they simply remained on the main one.  Henri was totally enraptured, while Ven walked with his teeth clenched, hand upon the blade on his back.

Eventually on the right side, a dark looming outline became visible.  Closer and closer they moved, until very faintly a bow, mast, and wings became visible...

"... An... airship...?"

[Dude Man]

Duilin grimaced as he heard Renard's voice. He didn't even turn around; he said nothing and continued walking. He'll remember him; he'll slaughter him and his group of freaks. Cruelty? More like justice. They don't the innocent people any different...

He supposed it would be best to walk alone. The eastern coast wasn't very far from here. Perhaps he should actually go to Helternia. It was the closest place, and it was usually independent. However, he worried that it'd be most likely that the Empire found it as a good seaport, because, well it was. From what he knew, it was right in between Terian and Kandarin. Besides, it'd be best to check up on Rivertown, see what happened to his old house. He hasn't been at his own house for a good year and a half. Most likely his landlord rented it out to somebody else.

--- ---

The sky was dark, but it didn't bother Ophelia. She was allowed to travel with a scouting squad, the group was her, four lizardmen and Captain Rex Vondran. He was golden skinned demon lord. He wore a full suit of black armour with jutting spikes on his shoulder. His hair was short, spikey and black, and he had a pair of medium sized horns on his forehead. They had been assigned to scout the zone around Asgarnia, as they had been suspection with Kandarin and the Asgarnia Rebels...

--- ---

Duilin had exited Asgarnia and continued his venture. He didn't feel like flying, so he jogged. He still had some elixir left over so he should be good. He wasn't tired yet. 18 months of sleep is more then enough to pull and all-nighter. He had too much on his mind to sleep anyway. He was sure Rink and Zeros' were back, but he had no clue where he'd find them. Besides, Zeros' and Rink could probably find him. Even if he was out of aura range, Rink would guess that Duilin would go back to Helternia. He hopped they would, he'd need more then just himself if he wanted to end this dark age...

[D. Ein]

"Wretched quill, at last I found you! I suppose it is true, then. Much of mankind's problems root from the lack of organization. I suppose I'd better write about what happened in the gap, then.

The group did, in fact, make it back safely with the Necronomicon. After being captured off one by one, they confronted the Black Dragon from inside, effectively ridding the world of half of the sect. Their being captive was a part of an exquisite plan, made by me. Through the Elder and Roland's eyes (by now, I had fully mastered the druidic "eyeless sight" technique), I orchestrated the plot until the Necronomicon was safe in their hands. I waited for them to deliver it to me. As I placed the period after that last sentence, I heard the door creak. It was Victo, carrying a burlap bag.

-"My lord."

-"I suppose you have it, then?"

-"But of course."

-"Give it to me!"

Victo bowed, and brought the bag to me. I reached down, and felt the book's leathery surface, studded with metallic clips. I slowly drew the tome out of the bag....

The Necronomicon. At last, in my hands. The deepest Necromantic secrets written in but one book, secrets so dark that they had to be locked away under the protection of an insane homicidal sect... The tome's cover was decorated by the ancient symbol of Necromancy - two crossed skeletal hands, with a skull in between the palms. The symbol was pressed into the surface, and the resulting groove was drenched with blood. I reached to open the book...

...when a guard ran into the throne room.

-"My lord! My lord! The golems! Something's making them crazy! We can't stop them, and they've been overcharged with power! They're on a killing frenzy, destroying everything in sight!"

-"Guard, you're THIS close to sending ME on a killing frenzy. Where are these golems?"

-"They've broken the Qim perimeters... They made their way into Jovil! Here comes one now!!!"

True enough, I felt the stomping of the golem's giant legs. By the magnitude of the steps, I judged my attacker to be an atronach. I heard the booming footsteps race past the palace, the ceiling crumblets falling on my head.

-"Well then... I suppose we'd best take care of it."

I stepped out of the palace doors, and spied the atronach running down the stone street, its shining white axe annihilating the smaller houses on either side of the street. Perhaps this is fate's way of letting me know of my own powers... I will take this one out without it knowing it.

I quickly formed a lightning bolt in my hand powerful enough to blast a small house to bits, and threw it at the atronach. The massive creature stopped, then exploded in a shower of sparks and stone fragments, raining down on Jovil. I blew the remaining smoke off my hands.

-"It would seem as though these golems are overcharged with volatile energy, which accounts for their frenzies... It also explains that explosion... When the bolt struck the golem, it overloaded with energy, and... what's that?"

Just then, I became aware of more thumping, right behind my back. I slowly turned.

Behind me, there was a huge stone golem, about to smash its enormous fist on me. Obviously, thinking fast was imperative, but somehow, I couldn't move... I just stood there, paralyzed, watching the rock falling on my head...

What happened after that was beyond my comprehension. Somehow, I felt my body become lighter than the air itself, and there was some sort of a blueish glow around me. I felt massive shock through my body, as if I had been struck by a powerful lightning bolt, and, moments later, I found myself staring at the golem's hand, stuck in the stone. Within an eyeblink, I managed to move several meters, and I cannot even recall how it happened. Nevertheless, I used the opportunity to climb onto the golem, who was still struggling free from the earth. I aimed another hastily charged bolt at its neck, where charges kept zapping between the head and the body. The head proceeded to fly off, with me on it. We both landed safely next to the guard.

-"Where's the rest of them?"