Fan Fiction - The Resurgence

I'm back. This is a follow on to The War Within, so if you haven't read it, it will help understanding what's led everyone to this point. I don't think it's entirely necessary, but it will give you some perspective.

Expect to see a lot more of your favourite characters in this, and some will be making a reappearance.

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An Unexpected Turn of Events

Nishaven scowled as he read over the reports and compared them to what his Scrying Eye was telling him. The necromancer had carved himself a little pocket empire through trickery, subterfuge and death and now the Shadow were resurging. Reports of attacks were coming in all around Draconia and even coming far enough south to threaten the outlying settlements of Corvinus. The mine had been reinforced in preparation for war once again and troops were mobilizing to Corvinus’ defence. The Shadow wouldn’t get as close as they did when Kairos was in charge.

Yet Corvinus couldn’t seal itself off completely, refugees were still trickling in from the five Kingdoms in the North, with Corvinus being the nearest major safe hub. Word of the attacks had come in some months ago when a trio of refugees, led by the priest Jericho Spellbane had arrived at the city gates. They had been harassed by Shadow troops until they got within Corvinus’ boundaries, and all were beaten and bloodied. They told of the hunter Baduruu and his skill in manipulating the Kingdoms into war. It had taken a month after they had arrived to discover that Gravebone was the mastermind, and a death mage named Thaddeus his right hand.

“Has there been any more word?” Nishaven asked.

“Three more attacks, farming settlements mostly.” Mikhail replied, placing markers on the map where the attacks had happened. “Seems like they’re trying to secure their resource lines.”

Nishaven nodded. When Jericho had told of Mikhail’s skill in seeing through Baduruu’s deceptions, he put him straight to work as his advisor. He had a great need for a deductive mind like that. The third refugee, Raven, had gone back into enemy territory and was providing valuable first hand scouting via the Eye.

“Are there any patterns that you can see?” Nishaven asked.

Mikhail paused and pondered. “All the attacks are along major roads; seems they’re setting up to secure the paths into Draconia. The other Kingdoms are being ignored though; there is little activity around them.” Mikhail paused again. “As I mentioned, most targets have been related to resources so far, farmland, mines, and a couple of small Shadow Crystal deposits. They’re setting up and fortifying.” He looked at Nishaven. “Draconia was always a fortress, those mountain ranges made it nigh impossible for invading armies. Now, with the necromancer and an undead horde behind him, we won’t take Draconia with a conventional battle.”

“Agreed. Thankfully I know someone who is the master of unconventional battles.” Nishaven replied, knocking on the table twice. Out of the shadows stepped a man dressed entirely in black, with tussled hair and a wry smile on his face.

“You rang?” Lance grinned.

Mikhail needed no introduction, extending his hand. “The famous Lance Shadowstalker.”

Lance took his hand and shook it vigorously. “I’ve heard a lot about your talents Mikhail. You’re going to be a massive boon for Corvinus. Hope you didn’t mind me sneaking in like that.”

“I knew you were there.” Mikhail replied. “Nishaven kept looking over in your direction periodically. Not for long, but just enough to tell me someone else was in the room.”

Lance looked over at Nishaven and raised his eyebrows. Nishaven smiled. “I told you he was good. So, we’ve got an impenetrable fortress. Have you any thoughts Lance?”

Lance leaned on the table as he considered his options. “My first thought is to insert a small team via portal, but no doubt Gravebone will pick that up and be ready for us. We could go through the mountains and avoid the passes entirely, but I want more information around the topography of the area before I commit to a move like that.” He stood up and crossed his arms. “Is there any word of Gravebone accepting turncoats and mercenaries, like Ter Adun and Kairos did?”

“When we were still on the run, we had heard of offers being made for exorbitant sums, no doubt some mercenaries would’ve heeded the call.” Mikhail replied.

“But Gravebone likes his armies dead, not alive. He may have just killed and resurrected them to ensure their loyalty.” Nishaven added.

“Possible.” Lance stated. “But highly inefficient. And for an army that’s still in the process of setting up it’s unlikely he’d go to such drastic measures. We may still be able to insert some....” He was interrupted by the door behind Nishaven swinging open violently, crashing against the wall.

“Master, quick!” The panicked Acolyte at the entrance shouted. “At the front gate, it’s the witch!”

-----------------------

Nishaven stood on the walkway above the South gate, staring down at the diminutive silver haired woman on the bridge. The walls were lined with bowmen, and the gates covered by dozens of guardsmen. Still the woman wasn’t intimidated in the slightest, walking ever closer. Nishaven launched himself over the edge of the walkway, magically controlling his descent and landing without injury, despite falling over fifty metres. Upon landing he prepared himself for battle. Majiya was not one to be trifled with.

Majiya kept walking until she was only a few paces from Nishaven. She raised her hands and the guards behind Nishaven began to move in to defend him. However she did not attack, she simply looked at Nishaven, her face a blank slate. What she said next shocked even the normally unflappable Nishaven.

“I surrender.”

Calm before the Storm

Gwen blinked with surprise at the two headed lamb in front of her. She had seen a lot of things in her time, but this was new. The animal seemed to care little however, each of its heads moving independently and feeding in the pastures.

“They’re all born like that now.” The farmer stated frankly.

“You mean with two heads?” Gwen asked.

“With freakish deformities.” The farmer clarified. “You should see the calf that arrived this morning. Poor thing has six legs.”

“How long has this been happening?”

“First freak arrived about two weeks back I think. Back then it was a bit random, only one farmer per town would report something like it. Now… it’s every new birth.” The farmer scowled, pointing at the lamb. “It’s killing our business. No one wants to eat that.”

“What do you think’s causing it?”

“It’s this bloody storm.” The farmer frowned, pointing up at the blood red clouds swirling overhead. “Ever since this arrived things have been going insane.”

Gwen looked up, pushing the hair out of her face as she did. “Any other strange events happening?” She asked.

“People have been going missing, like literally just disappearing in the street. Someone will turn a corner and then it’s like they vanish. No screams, no cries for help, nothing. Not even clothing left behind.”

Gwen’s eyes widened. “How often does that happen?”

“Thankfully not often, well not as far as I’m aware. Only the Gods know what happens to those poor folk however.”

Gwen nodded. “I see. Thank you for your time.”

“Always happy to help a pretty face.” The farmer replied with a smile and a tip of his hat.

Gwen walked to the hitching post, unhooked her horse and climbed into the saddle. In the distance lay Ravendark, a city that filled her with dread and pride at the same time. Dread because of what she faced, and pride because she had overcome the odds to save it. It was also a place she vowed never to return to.

But now, against all good sense, she was back.

A few days ago, Gwen had felt an unquenchable desire to come back here. Instinct or something more, when she had arrived she knew she had done the right thing. Something was very wrong at Ravendark, and she was intent on discovering what. The whole region stunk of chaotic magic, and the Shadow Crystals she kept with her were glowing with untapped power. In fact they had steadily gotten brighter as she had made her way toward the city, so she was using them as a compass of sorts. She hoped they would lead her to the source of the disturbance.

She just hoped she’d be able to cope with whatever was waiting for her there.

Ravendark’s walls began to loom large on the horizon, but the Crystals in her pocket indicated that it wasn’t Ravendark she was heading toward; it was one of the nearby pockets of forest. Swerving off the beaten path, Gwen began to ride through the trees. It wasn’t long before her horse risked getting entangled, so she hitched him to a nearby tree and started moving on foot.

It was a dense forest, but besides the vines that ran underfoot Gwen had little trouble navigating it. After all she had spent most of her adult life in the wilderness. As she progressed she could feel the Crystals begin to actually vibrate, they were storing so much latent magical energy. That would’ve been enough to tell her she was close, but she wasn’t worried about the Crystals anymore. She was worried about the lightning storm in the clearing in front of her.

Looking up she could see the storm clouds were thicker here, and lightning constantly arced between the ground and the sky in a beautiful yet deadly display of power. Yet the lightning wasn’t natural, it was of magical origin. It began to bend in toward a central point, forming a ball of energy floating a metre or so above the forest floor. More lightning strikes blasted the ground, shattering the rocks in the clearing and tossing them into the air. Gwen covered her eyes to shield them from the ever intensifying light, and to prevent stray rock chips from blinding her. The sound as the air was split over and over by the godly forces was immense.

Eventually the light died down somewhat and she could look once again into the clearing, and what she saw turned her stomach to ice. In front of her stood a being of pure energy, lightning given a malevolent intelligence and purpose. It roared, splitting the very heavens. The unholy noise caused Gwen to sink to her knees in agony.

Zaladar had returned.

Once again, amazing PB :)

I really think you should make a book or at least help out with the lore :)

Hellmouth

Thaddeus looked down at the shambling army of corpses. He shook his head when he considered the quality of the resurrections, and knew that those troops would only be good for another month or two before they decayed entirely. But they had needed an army, and fast. Even with Draconia’s formidable natural defences, he and Gravebone would not have lasted long by themselves.

Looking across at his master, he could tell the lack of quality troubled Gravebone as well, though his face was as emotionless as ever. The good news was that word of their victory had spread rapidly, and Shadow forces from all over had converged on Draconia. Another month and there would be enough troops to hold the city, and they wouldn’t have to rely as heavily on the undead. But truthfully if what they were building worked as planned, holding Draconia would become irrelevant.

“It proceeds well Master.” Thaddeus stated, pointing as the gargantuan structure being built in the city square. “I anticipate it will still take another two weeks however. The slaves are less than efficient unfortunately.”

Gravebone chuckled, sounding like a pair of stones being ground together. It was horrid and hurt Thaddeus’ ears, but he had gotten used to it over time. “This is true. Still, we have the humans running scared. They don’t know what to do with us, so they hide in their cities and wait for us to make the first move.” He turned to Thaddeus. “That gives us time.”

“Until they discover just how vulnerable we really are.” Thaddeus added. “We have been beating back scouts from all over the land, but eventually one will get in here. We cannot allow them to see just how unprepared for war Draconia is.”

“No, we cannot.” Gravebone said, looking down again at their army. “So we need to give them other things to worry about. How goes the attacks on neighbouring settlements?”

Thaddeus looked at reports from some of his more literate squad commanders. “We’ve secured enough food sources for our living troops, though we will need to keep expanding to maintain supply as more and more arrive.” He flicked through the pages. “Another Crystal mine fell to us only yesterday, which is excellent news as it will help with the construction.”

“And ore for weaponry?” Gravebone asked.

“Ah.” Thaddeus replied with a sigh. “That’s where we are lacking. Draconia’s mines are working around the clock, but they ran mostly dry years ago. King Dinear was importing most of his ore.”

“So that’s what we are going to have to do.” Gravebone replied. “I believe Harak had some excellent mining resources.”

“Harak is still fortified, despite the damage we did to their armed forces. We would have a hard time taking it, and it would make the humans acutely aware of our shortcomings. My recommendation is to go after Herodius. The plague has weakened that Kingdom to the point of nonexistence, and they would be easy pickings.”

Gravebone nodded. “Do they have mining capacity?”

Thaddeus shook his head. “No, we would have to demolish buildings and extract ore that way, however it is still the better prospect. Definitely better than fighting a protracted war with the Harak remnant.”

Gravebone raised a bony hand to his cheek, tapping it as he considered the options. “Do it. I will send Kairos to lead the assault. Give the humans another thing to worry about.”

“It will be so.” Thaddeus replied, and he left the room to begin preparations, leaving Gravebone staring out at the courtyard.

As he watched he could see hundreds of hands working, slaves bound with chains and controlled by constant threats of death. Sadistic foremen cracked flaming whips and struck out with razor sharp claws at anyone who even looked away from their work. Those that collapsed from exhaustion and hunger were dragged away to be fed to the growing Shadow army, or released to provide sport and an outlet for all those pent up urges. Away from the construction site Gravebone could see his front line troops training, Gargoyles and Flayers matching their skills against a number of human mercenaries and turncoats.

One thing that had surprised Gravebone while raising this army was just how willing some humans were to betray their people for material wealth. He had no need for human currency, and once he had taken Draconia he had simply opened the safes and let the mercenaries walk away with as much gold as they could carry. It was a simple method of payment and while not feasible in the long term, it provided loyalty while he needed it most. When he ran out of funds he’d simply kill any surviving mercenaries and resurrect them as loyal subjects anyway.

The crack of the whips returned his attention back to the creation in the main square. The ring rising up to the sky was only half built, and progress was slowing the closer they got to the top, as the supporting structures and scaffolding had to grow with it. And the further from the ground they got, the more slaves died from falls or simply collapsed from exhaustion while making the long journey to the construction sites.

To the outside observer, it looked just like a giant torus. But in actual fact it was a colossal gate, a direct pathway to the Shadow realms. Through it he could drag an entire army into this realm, but that was not his intention. He already had an army.

No, the Hellmouth was for something far more lethal. Something ancient was slumbering in the darkness, just waiting to be unleashed on the world. And when it arrived humanity would meet its end.

Nice! :D

The Elder One

Majiya tugged at her chains as she looked around. She could honestly say they weren’t taking any chances with her, a fact that gave her a sick sense of pride. Upon her surrender, Nishaven had encased her in an anti-magic field and teleported her to this dungeon deep under the Collegia Arcanus, surrounded by over two dozen armed guards. There was no actual door on the cell, you could only enter or exit via Portal, and with the anti-magic field up that was an impossibility. The bars were thick and made of enchanted steel, runes littering their surface and able to resist almost any force. No, she was well and truly trapped down here.

Outside the cell stood her captor, the human mage Nishaven. She wondered what he looked like under that hood and mask, all that was visible were those unnatural eyes that permanently shone a bright blue. To his left stood Lance Shadowstalker, and to his right stood another human, unknown to her. He was a little shorter than Nishaven with brown hair and slight stubble over his chin. His eyes constantly flittered over her, taking in every movement and mannerism.

“What’s this about Majiya?” He demanded. “What are you after?”

Majiya stood up and moved as close to the bars as the chains would allow. “Believe it or not I’m here to warn you, and help you.”

“Just what makes you think we would want your help? You Shadow are untrustworthy in the extreme.”

“Really?” Majiya laughed. “You may not realise this, but your people have worked with the ‘untrustworthy’ Shadow before. The bowslinger Gwenneth only saved Ravendark with the help of the Wulven Moonstalker.” Majiya curled her lip; her defeat still was a bit of a sore spot. “You just need to understand what motivates us.”

“And that is?”

“Power, revenge. Or if it comes down to it, self-preservation.” Majiya replied. Nishaven didn’t like her tone, she sounded almost smug, despite her situation. “In my case, it’s the latter. Gravebone’s plans are too dangerous. He needs to die.” She smirked. “Again.”

“I seem to recall you wanted to drag this dimension into chaos. What could be worse than that?”

Majiya looked into those soulless blue orbs Nishaven called eyes. “Extinction.”

“He intends to kill us all?”

“He intends to summon the Elder One to this dimension to win the war for the Shadow. The problem is the Elder One does not care, he only cares for death. This world will be left a barren wasteland before he is satiated, devoid of all life, human or shadow. Only the undead will be left, and Gravebone their king.”

“Why not go after him yourself then? Why come to us?” Nishaven asked.

“If I could I would human. Your kind are beneath me, but unfortunately there is the little matter of an army, and the battle for Corvinus robbed me of mine.” Majiya stated. “So I offer assistance in defeating Gravebone.”

Nishaven crossed his arms. “Just what do you propose then?” He asked.

“Prepare your army. I will give you the rituals required to be able to generate a Portal large enough to drop them directly into Draconia.”

“And then we let you go?”

“I wasn’t finished yet.” Majiya scowled. “I go in first. I will need to act as a beacon for the Portal, allowing you to place it correctly. You wouldn’t want your army showing up in the walls of a building.”

Nishaven laughed, “You want us to simply release you into the Shadow stronghold? Are you mad?”

Majiya rolled her eyes. “If my goal was to join Gravebone, I could’ve just walked there myself you idiot. I want him gone and his gateway destroyed, and to do that I need an army. So, you need me there for the Portal, and I need to be there so I can be the one to end Gravebone’s miserable non-life for good.”

“So ultimately this is revenge.” Nishaven stated.

“Insurance.” Majiya retorted. “Simply put I can’t trust that any of you would do it right.”

Nishaven was silent for a moment before speaking. “I will consider your offer.” He said simply before turning on his heels and walking out of the dungeon with his entourage.

Majiya snorted. “I’ll be here.”

-----------------------

“She’s playing us.” Lance stated. “No way is she being honest.” The trio had stopped in the hallway heading out of the dungeon, far enough away so that Majiya couldn’t hear them.

“She is unnaturally confident given her situation.” Mikhail added. “But from what I’ve heard, she’s always like that.”

“Agreed. She knows more than she’s letting on.” Nishaven said.

“And yet she is telling the truth, she wants our help in stopping Gravebone.” Mikhail stated. “It’s written all over her tone and body language. It’s what happens after we stop Gravebone that concerns me.”

“If she is speaking the truth, she leaves us with little choice to be honest.” Nishaven replied. “We can’t get into Draconia any other way.”

“Look, do what you gotta do, but I don’t like this, not one bit.” Lance scowled. “I don’t trust that bitch as far as I could throw a Behemoth.”

“I know, I don’t trust her either. But this is probably our best shot of defeating him quickly.” Nishaven stated. “Plus revenge is a powerful motivator, as she said.”

“She also mentioned it wasn’t actually revenge.” Lance retorted.

Nishaven frowned. “We shall see.”

-----------------------

Majiya smiled, and instantly Nishaven regretted his decision. “I knew you’d come around.” She said.

“Don’t think we’re just letting you free, witch.” Nishaven stated. “You will be bound by magic to complete your end of the bargain. I will see and hear everything you can, and if you even step out of line for a second I will incinerate you from the inside out.”

“Such harsh words.” Majiya purred. “I’ll be a good girl, don’t you worry.”

Nishaven said nothing else as he wove the enchantments over Majiya before casting her through a Portal. Majiya gave them a quick wave as she was pulled through to freedom.

“I hope you made sure the other end of that Portal was a few metres above the ground.” Lance quipped.

Mikhail stifled a snigger and despite the seriousness of the situation, Nishaven had to admit that was funny.

Supercell

Gwen gingerly touched the burn on her arm as she surveyed the wreckage of the homesteads. She had attempted to confront Zaladar before he had arrived, but without the chaotic power of Ravendark behind her she was outclassed. Facing defeat, she had been forced to retreat into the forest to avoid death, and helplessly watch as the elemental destroyed this harmless village in a fit of godly rage.

However Zaladar hadn’t done it alone. For every human he killed, a smaller version of him manifested from his body. These smaller versions were not exact duplicates, their shapes and abilities were varied but it made them no less deadly. They were thankfully easier to dispatch, and Gwen had used a number of the stragglers to power the healing properties of her bow, meaning she could once again keep up the pursuit.

“By the Gods, so many dead.” The man standing next to her said. He was the village priest and one of the few still standing, thanks to his holy magic. He turned to Gwen, his eyes filled with sadness. “What did we do to deserve this?”

Gwen looked at the ground and sighed. The man’s expression reminded her too much of her own after the Wulven had destroyed her village. “Nothing.” She whispered. “But I shall avenge these senseless deaths. Somehow.”

The priest looked at her arm and frowned. “You’re wounded, you need to rest. Besides, you have done enough for this village already.” He muttered a quick incantation and the burned flesh on Gwen’s arm began to recede. “Without your intervention, I have no doubt we’d all be dead, and our souls devoured.”

“What do you mean, souls devoured?” Gwen asked.

“I suppose you cannot feel it.” The priest sighed, pointing to one of the many corpses strewn along the street. “All those that died did not just die of their wounds. They were purged of their souls to feed the monster. The smaller monsters were what he made with the excess energy.”

“I see.” Gwen frowned. “So he’s getting stronger with every person he kills.”

The priest nodded. “No doubt. I fear it won’t be long before the monster is unstoppable.”

With nothing more she could do and with Zaladar rapidly moving away, Gwen had no choice but to continue her pursuit. She bid the priest farewell and left the village as quickly as she could, and before long she once again caught sight of the elemental. Zaladar had indeed grown bigger since the attack, and Gwen guessed he was gathering his strength. The problem was not so much that as when he decided to use it.

Stalking through the forests Gwen noticed the tell-tale roar of lightning begin to fade. Quickly climbing a tree in the hopes of getting a better vantage point, she watched as Zaladar began to dissipate, retreating back into the storm clouds that mirrored his every movement and leaving Gwen without her quarry.

Well, that was new.

-----------------------

Far from civilisation and with the sun quickly setting, Gwen decided it was time to bunker down for the night. Moving quickly, she gathered as much wood as she could carry and put together a fire, lighting it with one of her phosphorous arrows. She sat down next to it, allowing the warmth to sooth her weary muscles.

As she rested, a bright light in the forest caused her to reach for her bow. It was not Zaladar or an elemental minion however, it was a woman utilising a Portal. Walking over to Gwen, it became clear the woman was none other than Eladwen Frostmire.

“How’d you find me?” Gwen asked as Eladwen sat down opposite her, raising her hands to the fire to warm them.

“Simple, I led you here.” Eladwen replied with a hint of a smile. “It was my mental prodding that brought you back to Ravendark.”

“I thought mind tricks were Serena’s thing?” Gwen replied with a raised eyebrow.

“Well, I’m not as good as her, but my magic allows me some influence.”

“So why me?” Gwen asked. “Why send me after Zaladar?”

Eladwen shrugged. “Well, you’ve defeated him before; you have the knowledge and the power to do it again.”

Gwen rubbed her arm and looked away. “Not this time. I couldn’t even make a dent in his new form.”

“Granted he has gotten more powerful, but so have you. And I’m here to help you.” Eladwen stated reassuringly. “So now we just have to catch him.”

Gwen pointed up to the sky. “That’s… going to be a problem. He vaporised into the clouds a few hours ago. He could be anywhere.”

“Perhaps. But I think I know where he’s going.” Eladwen said. “We shall pick up the pursuit in the morning, for now you need rest. Get some sleep, I will keep guard.”

Grateful, Gwen climbed into her makeshift tent and fell into the deepest sleep she’d had in a year.
 

Infiltration

Gravebone cast his gaze over Majiya, looking down at her from King Dinear’s old throne. He wasn’t the only one paying attention to her; a number of the human mercenaries in the room were also making eyes at her. Standing next to the throne was his lackey Thaddeus.

“Seems you’ve got some admirers.” Gravebone said, glancing over at the mercenaries. “Depending on how this goes, they may or may not get to know you better. Now, what do you want Majiya?”

Majiya held back a venomous retort, it wouldn’t do to antagonise Gravebone…. yet. “I’m here to join you.”

“You mean pledge fealty to me.”

Majiya bit her lower lip. To even utter the words made her feel dirty. “Yes, to pledge fealty.”

Gravebone stared at her. “Do it properly.”

Majiya took in a deep breath to control her rising rage before dropping to one knee. “I, Majiya, pledge fealty to you, until such time as I can no longer draw breath.”

“Good.” Gravebone said. “Stand.”

Majiya slowly rose. “Yes…. my Lord.”

“Now that I am assured of your loyalty,” Gravebone began, “I have a very important job for you. Draconia needs food and supplies for our living troops, as well as the forces that trickle in every day. I have a strong band of mercenaries waiting for your ‘unique’ form of leadership.”

“I shall see that it happens.” Majiya said simply, turning and leaving the room as quickly as she could.

Once she had gone, Thaddeus leaned over. “You realise that any pledges she makes are worthless? She will betray us.”

“Of course, which is why I’m sending her far from the main works.” Gravebone replied. “I’m sure she’ll enjoy the company however.”

-----------------------

“Oh my Lord what have we here?” The mercenary exclaimed to the sound of wolf whistles as Majiya entered the camp. “We must certainly have pleased Lord Gravebone to have him send us such a juicy piece of meat.”

“Oh dear, you misunderstand.” Majiya smirked. “I’m not the entertainment, I’m the taskmaster.”

“I think you misunderstand milady.” The mercenary smiled, staring at her chest. “I’m the leader of this group, and I don’t take orders from lasses. There’s only one thing a woman’s mouth is good for, and it ain’t giving orders.”

“You have no idea who I am, do you?” Majiya snarled in response, firing a bolt of lightning from her fingertips. It connected with the mercenary but harmlessly dissipated.

The mercenary smirked. “Oh I know who you are, which is why I came prepared.” He tapped his bracers. “Now, how about a kiss for old Jakar, to apologise?” The mercenaries around him burst into laughter.

“How about you show me to my lodgings?” Majiya replied sternly.

Jakar smiled. “Of course milady. We’ve prepared only the best for you, follow me.” He headed off, casually glancing back to make sure Majiya was following him.

He led her to one corner of the camp and to a makeshift barn. Opening the doors he waved her inside with a grin. “Here you are.”

Majiya looked around. There was no bed, and no other facilities of any kind. The floor of the barn was covered in pig droppings and there were a few of the offending animals in the corner, happily grunting away.

Jakar came up and patted Majiya on the behind before pointing to one of the pigs. “Watch out for that one. He gets a bit frisky.” He said with a grin. “There’s a shovel over there, so you can dig yourself a toilet.”

“I will kill you.” Majiya snarled.

“Oh I don’t think so.” Jakar replied as he turned to leave. “But if you want somewhere more comfortable to stay, my bed is always nice and warm.” And with that he left the barn laughing.

-----------------------

Serena wrapped the cloak around her tightly as she slowly navigated her way through the mountains. As her teeth chattered in her mouth she once again cursed Lance for talking her into doing this. But he did have a point; Majiya was not to be trusted, and if they were even going to attempt to use her Portal she needed to be kept under control. Plus like Lance she was never one to put her faith in magical bindings.

At least she was coming to the end of her trek. In the distance lay Draconia and she could see her way out of the mountain ranges and into the camp. Then it would be a case of blending in with the human mercenaries and finding Majiya. Her natural abilities should help with that.

Closing in on the camp Serena spotted a number of undead congregating around her chosen entry point. Frowning, she reached out with her ability and touched their minds. They felt diseased, like a swirling cloud of pox. It almost made her physically ill to be in contact with them, so she worked quickly, violently tugging at them and causing the undead to lose consciousness. As they fell she quickly dashed past them and into the cover of some of the outlying buildings. Looking behind her she could see them groggily come to after a few minutes and continue their patrols. Without wasting any more time she moved towards the main city.

Let the hunt begin.

Ride the Lightning

The skies cracked as Eladwen unleashed her arcane might on the advancing horde of elemental beasts. The population of the town had been eradicated, which meant she didn’t have to hold back and entire streets burned as a result of the forces she commanded. Dozens of the gibbering constructs were blasted into their constituent pieces with every spell, and those that somehow survived the onslaught were ended with strikes from Gwen’s bow.

But still they advanced.

In the distance Zaladar was approaching to join the battle. Considering he was now taller than every building in the town he would greatly tip the odds in the favour of the elementals. Both Eladwen and Gwen knew this, and with their chances for survival dropping significantly if they fought on, escape became their only option.

Unleashing a Supernova into the approaching horde, Eladwen used the purchased time to hastily craft a Portal and push Gwen through it. She leapt through just as one of the beasts attacked, its lightning claws singeing the edges of her cloak. Landing about two hundred metres away from the village, Eladwen quickly closed the Portal before any of the elemental troops got the bright idea of following them through.

So the pair lay on the grass gasping for breath as Zaladar and his horde moved on, their quarry lost. It wasn’t until such time as the sounds of lightning had well and truly faded that Gwen sat up.

“See what I mean?” She gasped.

Eladwen propped herself up on her elbows and stared at that malevolent lightning as it moved toward the horizon. “Indeed, but what does Zaladar need all this energy for?”

“No idea, but I don’t like this, not one bit.” Gwen said as she slowly got to her feet. Numerous burns all over her body sent pain shooting through her as she did so. “But you were right, he’s heading north.”

Eladwen dusted herself off as she stood. “There’s only one thing in the north that Zaladar may be interested in.”

Gwen nodded. “Draconia.”

-----------------------

One thing I will say about Gravebone, he’s industrious.

Serena stared at the gargantuan construct from her vantage point in a nearby building. While she had been yet to find Majiya, the giant torus being constructed in the city square was certainly hard to miss, and naturally Serena was curious. So she had decided to take a slight detour.

And she was glad she did. This was obviously what Majiya was talking about, a giant gateway to release some unspeakable evil. Considering how many unspeakable evils there were in this world, for Majiya to be scared meant this evil must be something truly special.

Whoever it was, Gravebone was dedicated to its release. Hundreds of slaves worked tirelessly, all fearful of their Shadow overseers and a certain death should they falter. Shadow mages were carving runes of power into monolithic stone blocks, before handing them over to the foremen, who would have the slaves load them onto enormous trolleys and push them up the ramps to be placed. Serena had to wonder why the mages weren’t providing magical assistance, but guessed that the Shadow’s naturally sadistic nature had something to do with it.

“Hey!” A gravelly voice shouted, causing Serena to spin around. Behind her stood a trio of Marauders, and none of them looked happy to see her. “What are you doing?”

“Hey boys.” Serena smiled, standing up. “I’m having a look at what you’re building. I’ve just signed up with Lord Gravebone and am curious about your operations.” She knew the excuse wouldn’t wash, so she kept a hand close to the throwing knives at her belt.

“I don’t think so, spy.” The lead Marauder snarled. “But we’ll check with Lord Gravebone once we’ve dragged your broken carcass to him.”

Serena sighed. “So be it.” She said simply as she lodged the first throwing knife in the lead Marauder’s neck. Blood spurted from the wound and he collapsed without a sound, the knife severing his vocal cords. The other two came at her with their twin bladed swords, twirling and twisting as they tried to bring her down. In such a cramped space her whip was useless, so Serena was forced to dodge and weave to avoid their strikes. Rolling out of reach for a moment, Serena launched a psychic assault on the two Marauders, dazing them and giving her a chance to fight back.

Closing the distance, Serena used her second throwing knife to slice one Marauder’s throat. Quickly grabbing his sword as he fell, she swung it behind her at the last Marauder, though he had recovered enough to groggily defend her blow. Knowing that every passing second was a missed opportunity, Serena pressed her advantage while the Marauder was still recovering, eventually finding her mark and gouging a deep wound in his torso. As he dropped to his knees she severed his head to make his demise quick.

Frowning, Serena began to move the bodies into the room. She had hoped she would be able to avoid casualties. Dead troops meant security would be put on alert, and would make it harder for her to move through the camp undetected. Still, it would probably be some time before these three were found, time she intended to make the most of.

She hurried out of the room, closing the door behind her. It was time to get her mind back on the mission, so she left the building as quickly as possible and made her way to the main troop encampment. Hopefully Majiya was still towing the line, and if not then Serena would take matters into her own hands.

 

Whose the Elder One? Scourge Collosus or Firesnake? :P

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shadowborn

Whose the Elder One? Scourge Collosus or Firesnake? :P

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Not telling :p

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shadowborn

Whose the Elder One? Scourge Collosus or Firesnake? :P

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It's obviously Champion of Irum.

Everybody loves them plot twists.

Building Bridges

Jakar paused and did a double take as he entered his tent. Majiya smiled at his reaction. It was exactly what she was hoping for.

She sat on the edge of his bed, leaning back on her arms and with her legs crossed, naked from head to toe. Her hair was let out and gently draped over her body. She could practically see his pants expanding as he stared, his eyes filled with rabid lust.

“Well well, looking for a place to stay?”

“I could use a comfortable bed.” Majiya replied seductively. “And it does get cold at night here; any extra warmth would be most welcome.”

Jakar grinned fiendishly, like a predator surveying his prey. He grabbed Majiya and pushed her down, before pressing himself on top of her and violently kissing her. “It’s your lucky day, I’m going to screw you so hard you’ll be walking funny for a week.” He whispered into her ear as he began to take his pants off.

Majiya rolled him onto his back and sat over him, stretching her back so he could get a good look at her, watching his eyes as they took in every curve. She leaned in and whispered gently in his ear. “You’re mine now.”

And with that the bed came alive, the sheets splitting and twisting around Jakar’s arms and legs, stretching him out and pinning him in place. Before he could shout out part of the sheet wrapped around his mouth, gagging him. Majiya laughed as he attempted to free himself.

“Men. So predictable.” She purred, playfully running her hands over her breasts. “Show them a good pair of tits and they’ll do whatever you want.”

She leaned over the still struggling Jakar and gently removed his bracers. “You won’t be needing these anymore.” She said, tossing them away. “Too bad you didn’t realise magic was more than fire and lightning. Now, we can have some real fun.”

She placed her hand on his chest and his muffled screaming increased in volume. After a few seconds steam began to waft into the air as his skin bubbled and blistered.

"Poor boy, seems I'm just too hot for you." Majiya purred as Jakar writhed in agony.

Jakar’s eyes rolled into the back of his head as the flames began to consume his body from the inside out. His skin turned black before disintegrating. Smoke filled the tent as his internal organs were immolated and when it was all over only his skeleton remained.

-----------------------

The sounds of reverie increased as Majiya entered the makeshift mess hall. They suddenly stopped as she rolled Jakar’s scorched skull down the table.

“What is this, bitch?” one of the mercenaries demanded. In response Majiya burned him alive where he stood with a flick of her wrist. She waited until the man’s screaming had ceased before speaking.

“No more questions, and no more back chat. You work for me now.” She pointed at the freshly charred corpse on the ground. “Any of you disagree and you’ll end up like this sack of shit here.” She grinned slightly as the mercenaries all pushed their chairs away from her in fear.

Her eyes narrowed. “And if I catch anyone staring at my tits I won’t be so nice.”

-----------------------

Nishaven looked over at Mikhail. “How goes the portal construction?”

Mikhail frowned. “It’s a big job, and we’ve already had a couple of accidents.” He flicked through the builders reports. “I didn’t think you needed any sort of structure for portals.”

“Normally you don’t, the mage controls the energy themselves. But the bigger portal gets the more concentration and effort required, which enforces an upper limit on the size of them. Majiya has discovered the correct runes needed to provide that control without input.”

“Are we sure they’re correct?” Mikhail asked. “We don’t want this thing turning into some sort of bomb.”

“I can understand Majiya’s logic, I’m confident in the runic patterns.” Nishaven replied. “What I’m worried about is whether she’ll actually be able to position herself in time. Her actions in Draconia concern me as well.”

“Has she made plans to betray us?” Mikhail asked. “You can make good on your threats, we’ll find another way.”

Nishaven shook his head. “No, however she has already murdered one mercenary to take over his team. Gravebone did ask her to take control of them, and they are Shadow after all. It’s just that the brutality and cruelty of her methods that trouble me.”

“Could she be raising an army of her own?” Mikhail pondered.

“I can’t discount anything right now. But she has made no obvious moves to subvert our cause; she just appears to be keeping up the charade of following orders.” Nishaven sighed. “I just want this over with so we can break this unholy alliance.”

“We do have another problem.” Mikhail stated, turning over one of the pages in his hand. “Reports from our scouts around Herodius. The Shadow has launched a major offensive there, but they’re not sacking the city in the traditional sense, they’re actually tearing down buildings and dragging materials back to Draconia.”

“Whole buildings?” Nishaven exclaimed.

Mikhail nodded. “My best guess is they’re refining ore from them. I know Draconia was rather mineral poor, and the only large deposits are in the hands of the Harak who still have a decent defence force, despite being decimated by the Shadow. This could indicate that the Shadow forces aren’t as large as we first thought.”

“Because they’re taking the easy route, attacking a softer target.”

“Exactly. It’s neither easy nor efficient to extract ore out of buildings and re-smelt it, hardly an ideal situation for Gravebone. It tells me they don’t have the forces to take the Harak remnant head on.”

“That’s good news.” Nishaven smiled.

“It’s not all good news unfortunately.” Mikhail frowned.

“Why?”

“One of the scouts caught sight of the one leading the attack.” Mikhail said, breathing deeply. “It’s Kairos. He’s back.”

The quality of this story arc is very good. Your writing ability continues to grow

*continues shoving popcorn into face*

Ohhh, best scene yet

Glad you're all liking it. I thought Majiya's revenge would go down well :)

-----------------------

Out of Time

Serena felt an overwhelming pity for the poor women being herded into the tents. Obviously threats of violence hadn’t been enough, so Majiya had bought her troops loyalty by providing them with the promise of carnal pleasure, and these women were the latest in a long line of 'rewards'. As they disappeared into the tents their screams and pleading began to fill the air, leaving Serena with the near uncontrollable urge to gut their attackers like pigs. She pushed those thoughts down however; she was vastly outnumbered and would no doubt end up like those she wanted to help.

So instead she maintained her vigil, helpless to act, listening as those monsters forced themselves on the innocent. For two weeks now she had been living in the shadows, watching Majiya’s movements and the movements of her new army. She had watched as they had sacked villages and taken prisoners, and done her best to help the survivors after they had left. She had even killed a couple of stragglers who had stayed behind to keep looting. And all the while that contraption in Draconia's main square had just kept getting bigger and bigger. The last time Serena saw it, it looked complete, or very close to it, which meant they were out of time.

She had managed to get a few mental updates to Lance, however with the distance involved it was a tricky and tiring process, forcing her to rest for long stretches afterward. What responses she received revealed Lance’s concern at the developments, and his distrust of Majiya and her actions rolled off him in waves. She could feel that he secretly hoped Majiya would step out of line even for a second so that Nishaven would make good on his threats. Truth be told if she did turn on them, Serena would make sure that she would be the one to end Majiya’s life.

Serena brought her thoughts back to the present when she noticed a Gargoyle approach Majiya’s tent. In his hand was a scrap of parchment, and he poked his head into her tent before entering completely. Knowing that this exchange was going to be important, Serena decided to take the risk and get close enough to hear what was going on.

Moving as quickly and as quietly as possible, Serena skirted through the shadows towards Majiya’s tent. She ducked behind crates of food and weapon stands as patrols passed, and made doubly sure they would not detect her by mentally altering their perceptions before she left cover. Still it was a risky ploy, if she missed or didn’t see a patrol she would be found out and this far into enemy territory she would not last long.

Moving past the mercenary tents and stifling the urge to charge in there blades drawn, Serena finally got within earshot of Majiya’s tent. She bunkered down to have a listen but a sharp blow on the back of her head knocked her to the ground. As she fell she managed to catch a glimpse of a human mercenary before her world went black.

-----------------------

Gravebone stared at Thaddeus from his position at the altar. He could tell Thaddeus had some doubts as to what was coming. Gravebone had assured him of his safety, but that didn’t stop that slight twitch that his acolyte always got when he was nervous.

“Relax Thaddeus.” Gravebone said. “You know this has to happen.”

Thaddeus exhaled sharply. “I know my Lord, but that doesn’t stop me being nervous.”

Gravebone nodded simply as he uttered the incantations. The Shadow Crystals he had carefully positioned around Thaddeus came to life, glowing with power before unleashing that power into Thaddeus. It was painful in the extreme, Thaddeus screaming until his throat turned to ash. His body burned and his eyes turned milky white. His internal organs shut down and died, and his heart pumped its last. As the ritual finished Thaddeus slumped to the ground dead.

And then after a few seconds, he stood up.

“Eternal life in undeath.” Gravebone said. “How does it feel?”

Thaddeus didn’t answer immediately, he was getting used to the fact his heart wasn’t pumping and that his internal organs weren’t there anymore. He held his hand on his chest, trying in vain to find a heartbeat. “It’s quiet, and still.” He said simply. “You don’t realise how much noise and sensation your organs produce.”

“You get used to it. Consider yourself lucky, you still look marginally human.” Gravebone replied.

Thaddeus turned to a nearby mirror and smiled. His skin didn’t move quite like it used to, it was more rubbery, but still a good enough imitation of living tissue. “I guess you’re right.”

Gravebone nodded. “Now that you’re properly prepared for what lays ahead, it’s time to proceed with the final stage of the plan. The Hellmouth is ready, all we need to do is open it and welcome our new friend.”

-----------------------

A sharp slap across the face brought Serena back to consciousness. Opening her eyes groggily she saw Majiya standing over her, with a trio of mercenaries behind. As her vision resolved she could see one of the mercenaries blow her a kiss. She tried to get up but she was bound by chains to a tent post.

Majiya was obviously not amused. “Leave us.” She ordered, and the three men left without argument. She turned her attention back to Serena. “What’s the meaning of this?” She demanded.

Serena was about to answer but she realised Majiya wasn’t talking to her. She was talking to Nishaven, who could see and hear her every movement. She couldn’t hear Nishaven’s replies, but she got the gist of the conversation from what Majiya was saying.

“Bullshit you didn’t know.” Majiya exclaimed. “She’s your insurance policy. The problem is, now she’s mine.”

Majiya paused. “You don’t seem to understand. If anything happens to me after our little deal is done, you’ll never see Serena again. Not in one piece anyway.” She smiled wickedly. “If I’m feeling nice I may not kill her, I may just leave her to my men. I’m sure they’ll look after her.”

Majiya tilted her head. “Well, maybe we can come to an arrangement; it depends on how valuable she is to you. But we can work out any details later, right now there is something more pressing to discuss.”

She unfurled the sheet of paper and held it in front of her face. She wasn’t reading it though; it was for the benefit of Nishaven.

She frowned as Nishaven said something. “Yes, I hope you’re ready. Because it’s happening now. I’m going to get my men prepared, just in case my faith in your kind is misplaced and you haven’t got what it takes to get the job done.”

Majiya turned around and stuck her head out of the tent. “All of you! Finish up and get out here now! We’ve got work to do!” She shook her head as she walked over to Serena. “Men.” she said, kneeling down in front of her.

“Now my dear.” Majiya purred, running her finger down Serena’s face and around her cheek. “I’ve got a corpse to kill again, so you’re going to stay right here and wait for me. And when I get back, we can discuss your future. Rest assured it will be painful.”

She gently patted Serena on the face before standing up and leaving the tent. Serena watched as her captor walked off, and cursed herself for getting in this position. Still, she wasn’t done yet, she still had a trick up her sleeve.

Now if she could only reach it….

Double post, because I can :) The identity of the Elder One is revealed! (No, it's not Firesnake.)

Also for some reason when I wrote Aldon I could only imagine Sgt. Apone from Aliens. Not sure why. But Aldon needs a stogie.

-----------------------

The Mouth Opens

“All right men, this is it.” Aldon shouted out over the square. “Prepare yourselves; we’re going in hot, hard and fast, just like the last time you were with that pretty young lass from the bar.”

He could hear some of the men chuckle as he continued. “Now, we’re dropping right into the middle of the Shadow stronghold. They’re not expecting us, so we have the advantage of surprise. Every other advantage belongs to them however, so keep your wits about you and remember the first rule of combat.”

“Stick ‘em with the pointy end!” One of the troops shouted.

Aldon smiled. “Damn straight. But don’t kid yourself; this isn’t going to be easy. Not only do we have Gravebone on the other side, we also have Kairos waiting for us. And those who survived the Battle for Corvinus know what he’s capable of.”

He paused to let that knowledge sink in a bit before continuing. “One other thing. For those of you who’ve never taken a Portal ride before, close your eyes as you go through. Otherwise your first view of Draconia will be the dirt you’re emptying your guts onto.”

Aldon looked up at the Portal construct as Nishaven began preparing it. He turned back to his troops, and could see the apprehension on the faces of many of them, particularly the youngest ones. “Good luck people. See you on the other side.”

-----------------------

Serena could hear Majiya’s troops starting to move out towards the square, however of more immediate concern were the two mercenaries heading toward her tent.

“Do you think we’ve got time?” The smaller one said. “Majiya wants us ready.”

“Have you looked at her?” The other replied. He looked like the offspring of a man and an exceptionally ugly bull. “She’s much better than those farmyard bitches we’ve been playing with. I’m making the time.” He smiled at Serena as they entered the tent. “Hello love.”

“What do you want?” Serena spat. It was a stupid question; she already knew what they were here for.

They walked over to her. “Well, as you know, there’s something big about to happen, and we’re under a lot of stress. We just want you to help relieve us, help us relax.” The big one smirked as he knelt down in front of her.

Serena sighed. “Well, before you get to work, you need to know one thing.”

“And what’s that beautiful?” He said.

“You know these chains?”

“Yes?”

“I picked the locks.” Serena smirked, swinging her arms around from behind the pole. The chain wrapped around the big one’s neck, choking him. As he tried to free himself Serena pulled as hard as she could, sending him tumbling to the ground. The smaller mercenary began to advance, but Serena put a stop to that with a throwing knife to the throat. Standing up, she tugged on the chain, causing the bigger mercenary to gurgle as he tried to take in air.

“Never again.” She snarled as she yanked hard on the chain. “Never again are you going to hurt another innocent woman.” She waited until the man was well and truly dead before picking the last lock on her wrist and letting the chain fall to the ground. Looking out of the tent she could see the camp was empty, no doubt Gravebone had everyone available to defend the ritual. She knew she had to get over there as well, but first she had something else to do.

-----------------------

“Brothers and sisters!” Gravebone shouted from the balcony. The huge gathering of creatures, men and the undead craned their necks skyward to hear their master’s voice. “Today the war shall be won! The Shadow shall take control of this world, and enslave all that stand against us!”

A raucous cheer erupted from the gathering below. Gravebone lifted his hands and began to chant, and all eyes turned to the Hellmouth. Hundreds of tiny runes etched all over the surface of the gargantuan torus began to glow with eldritch energy, until it became so bright that some had to look away. A horrid grinding noise filled the square as the torus began to slowly rotate like a wheel held in place by an unseen force. As it did a flicker of light in the centre of the torus exploded into a swirling mass of blue energy and a giant hand became visible….

-----------------------

“Boss?” One of the mercs asked somewhat apprehensively.

“Quiet.” Majiya snarled. “Get back, find cover in the buildings. What’s coming next isn’t going to be pretty.”

Without any hesitation her men began to move into the nearby buildings to hide and prepare. Majiya did not retreat into the buildings immediately however, she needed some privacy right now.

“Are you seeing this?” She asked Nishaven.

“Yes, we’re ready to move in immediately.” Nishaven replied, his voice filling her mind.

“Wait. Your men will be slaughtered, and neither of us will achieve our goals.”

“Then what do you suggest we do?” Nishaven retorted angrily. “We can’t let this Elder One into the world.”

Majiya smirked. “I’ve got plans in place. Just watch.”

-----------------------

Gravebone watched as the giant hand pushed through the Hellmouth, bringing with it an arm and then a body. The crowd looked on in awe as the Elder One pushed its way into this world, casting its immense shadow over the congregation. The undead troops simply stood and stared at the beast. However the living were not so lucky, all those caught under the beast’s shadow simply keeled over and died, their souls ripped from their bodies to feed the Elder One’s insatiable appetite.

Gravebone looked down at the now panicked crowd as they attempted to escape their fate. Thaddeus simply smiled. “I’m very grateful for my transition to the ranks of the undead now.” He watched as more and more of the living fell to the beast, causing him to grow larger with every soul reaped. “I must say he certainly does live up to his name.”

“Indeed, it is very appropriate.” Gravebone replied. “The Glutton.”

Ironic that Ogloth can kill living beings if they fall under his shadow because Ogloth really sucks in-game :p

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Reshiram99

Ironic that Ogloth can kill living beings if they fall under his shadow because Ogloth really sucks in-game :p

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Well, it seemed like a cool way to explain his insta-kill ability :)

I know what's gonna happen next! Majiya will point Oggy to the general direction of Zaladar to be MCed :P

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shadowborn

I know what's gonna happen next! Majiya will point Oggy to the general direction of Zaladar to be MCed :P

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That would be OP though :p

Apologies for no story yesterday, was ANZAC Day here in Australia, and I was busy with family.

---------------------

The Glutton

“I hope whatever you’ve got planned is about to happen Majiya. Because I don’t see anything from my end.” Nishaven stated, his voice and his anger engulfing her. Majiya simply smiled as she looked up and pointed to the heavens.

“Look to the skies for your salvation, human.”

As Majiya watched, the storm clouds began to congregate and the sky turned blood red. No one seemed to notice as they were too busy fleeing for their lives or they simply considered it part of the Glutton’s arrival. The beast was not so ignorant; he knew that the clouds meant the arrival of another like him. Staring upward, he was greeted by a fist of lightning as Zaladar descended like a vengeful angel.

Stumbling backward, the Glutton almost fell back into the Hellmouth but caught himself at the last second. Roaring hatred at the elemental he reared up to his full height, engulfing Zaladar in his shadow. However like the undead in the square, Zaladar lacked a soul and was thus immune. He was not immune to the Glutton’s claws however.

The swing sent the construct of lightning and stone crashing into the nearest building. Despite his size Zaladar was not particularly heavy and the building stood firm, breaking his fall and allowing him to recover much faster than would be expected. Standing again, Zaladar sent tendrils of lightning lashing out from his body into the crowd, collecting souls of his own and growing in power. A sword began to form, a weapon of pure Shadow Energy and it hummed so loud that the few still in the square were dropping to their knees while clutching their ears.

“OGLOTH!!!!” Zaladar bellowed, and the sound of the Glutton’s true name seemed to destabilize him. Seizing the moment, Zaladar swung the sword into Ogloth, gouging a deep wound in his torso. The wound glowed brightly but did not last, healing rapidly. Ogloth retaliated with another swing that Zaladar just barely managed to avoid. Roaring again, Ogloth’s mouth began to split along his jaw line, and dozens of tentacles erupted from his mouth. They ensnared the Elemental, and though his body was largely non-corporeal enough tendrils managed to find their grip. Ogloth squeezed tight, compressing Zaladar and attempting to crush his physical components into dust.

Zaladar struggled as he attempted to break free, and Ogloth made a noise that sounded suspiciously like mocking laughter. Ogloth began swinging Zaladar into nearby buildings, walls, whatever was within reach. While his non-corporeal components were unharmed, the physical stones that held it all together began to chip and crack under the constant pressure. Ogloth, not simply content with crushing Zaladar, began to draw the tentacles back into his mouth so he could eat him as well. However the sting of flames in his mouth gave him pause.

Turning to catch sight of his new attacker, Ogloth spotted Majiya, arm raised and hand smoking from the assault. She was utterly dwarfed by Ogloth, yet remained defiant as she launched another pair of Fireballs at him. They bounced off Ogloth’s impossibly tough hide without causing any real harm but they served their purpose, distracting him enough to allow Zaladar to cut himself free. Ogloth bellowed in agony as Zaladar’s energy blade ripped through the tendrils and then through his lower jaw. Ogloth stumbled backward, his wound already healing, but Zaladar was not going to give him the chance to get back in the fight. Absorbing as many souls as he possibly could reach, Zaladar raised his free hand and an all-powerful blast of blue-white energy burst forth from his palm.

The blast hit Ogloth like a mountain being thrown by a God. It didn’t just push him into buildings, it pushed him through them. His hide burned and flaked off, and when there was no skin left to destroy it tore apart his muscles and his bones. When Zaladar finally lowered his hand there was no more Ogloth the Glutton, only a mass of broken buildings and a deep score line in the ground that ran the length of Draconia. However the attack had taken its toll on Zaladar too; he had used the combined energy of all the souls he reaped to defeat Ogloth. Shrinking down to his natural size to conserve energy, Zaladar found himself under threat from the furious Gravebone and his undead horde.

“Thaddeus.” Gravebone turned to his acolyte, his voice filled with venom. “Get down there and kill him.”

Despite having used so much energy in his previous battle Zaladar put up a good fight, but it was too much. Waves of undead troops led by Thaddeus fell upon him, and for every one he would destroy with sword or lightning, two would take its place. Realising the threat of Ogloth had passed and seeking vengeance for their friends, living troops joined the assault, and Zaladar was overwhelmed. With no other option, Zaladar purposefully ruptured his own structure, causing him to self-destruct. When the smoke cleared large portions of the battlefield were charred and blackened ruins, very few of Gravebone’s troops had survived, and no one was uninjured.

“Nishaven.” Majiya said. “Now.”

As the massive portal opened and the humans poured through Majiya could see Gravebone slam the balcony rails with his fists. The humans engaged the weakened Shadow forces, and despite still being outnumbered were able to take advantage of the destruction wreaked by Zaladar. Aldon truly earned his nickname of “The Brave”, leading his elite squads to battle against the largest minions and combining arms to defeat Minotaurs and Shadow Knights. They even used tactics pioneered by Amber at the battle of Corvinus to defeat the larger Behemoths.

Gravebone began launching a devastating magical assault from the balcony, and it caused untold devastation to the human forces. With the advantage of elevation as well as his magic, Gravebone was untouchable for the largely non-magical forces of the humans. This meant that it was time Majiya stepped in. She summoned a Portal and teleported up to the balcony with the intent of catching Gravebone off-guard. Instead of surprising Gravebone however, she was met with a lightning bolt and slumped to the ground in agony.

“Stupid.” Gravebone muttered as he looked down at Majiya. “I knew you were going to betray me. You’ve always had you own agenda.”

Those lifeless sockets stared at Majiya as she propped herself up on her hands and knees and it was almost like Gravebone was sniffing the air. “But this time you’re dancing to someone else’s tune. I missed it before, but now I can sense the binding enchantments on you.”

Majiya felt like vomiting, but managed to rise to a kneeling position. The lightning burn ran across the length of her torso and it felt like a demon was trying to claw its way out of her stomach. She looked up glassy-eyed as Gravebone laughed.

“I can’t believe it! The great Majiya, nothing more than a puppet for the humans!” He raised his hands as though basking in the adulation of thousands of worshippers. “Don’t fear however, your indignity shall not last much longer.” He raised his hand to deliver the final blow, and Majiya took her opportunity.

The dagger she had crafted from Jakar’s bracers sunk deep into Gravebone’s spine and he gurgled as the enchanted metal began to do its work. It took the magical bonds keeping his form together that emulated muscle and life, and shattered them. Gravebone barely had time to scream before his body shifted from being an undead construct to a simple pile of bones. Staring at what remained of her nemesis Majiya slowly picked herself up and smiled. Her job was done.

She walked over to the balcony to see the progression of the battle. The humans had caused significant damage to the Shadow forces, but Thaddeus was still commanding a commendable counter-attack, and she could see Kairos had entered the fray. It would be a close battle, the outcome of which she really cared little about. Ogloth was dead and Gravebone too, and with her insurance policy in Serena she would be free of the bondage imposed on her by Nishaven. Unfortunately it seemed fate had a sadistic streak.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see a familiar female clad in black, directing the playthings Majiya had collected for her army through the city towards safe harbour. She slammed her fist on the railing and cursed every God she could think of. Serena had escaped somehow, and that left her with only one rather distasteful option.

Taking in a deep breath, she looked at the dagger in her hand. “Nishaven, I hope you’re watching this.” She muttered before plunging it into her torso.
 

Desperate Measures

Nishaven recoiled as his connection to Majiya was violently severed. The enchanted metal of the dagger had done its job quickly, breaking her bonds and leaving her beyond his grasp. He hoped she would perish from her self-inflicted wounds, but he knew not to take any chances.

“Mikhail.” He called out. “Majiya has broken free, send word to Aldon to have her killed immediately.”

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Majiya let out a silent scream as the dagger sunk deep into her flesh. It was the most excruciating pain she had ever experienced due to both the physical wound and the damage it was doing to her magical aura. But it served its purpose. Supporting herself with her free arm, she ripped it from her and tossed it across the room. Blood poured from her wound and her trembling arm could not support her weight any longer. She collapsed.

Quickly weakening, Majiya applied pressure to the wound to slow the blood loss while she fumbled through the small potion pouch she kept with her at all times. Her magic did not extend to healing her body, so she always kept a healing salve for emergencies. Her vision was starting to lose colour so she didn’t waste any time popping the lid and swallowing the potion whole. It tasted like brimstone and it took everything she had not to vomit it back up.

Thankfully the potion worked quickly, and it wasn’t long before the pain began to dull and Majiya could breathe more normally. She was still very weak, but managed to crawl over to Gravebone’s remains, using one of the scraps of cloth he wore to make a pressure bandage. She needed to get away from here quickly, no doubt Nishaven would’ve already organised a hit squad to finish her off. So with what little energy she had, she summoned a Portal and crawled through.

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“Boss!” The squad leader shouted as he caught sight of Majiya, helping her to stand. “What happened?”

Majiya had teleported to the building her mercs were holed up in. She was feeling stronger with every passing second, but for now she was vulnerable and needed protection, a position she didn’t enjoy at all. Still, two solid weeks of browbeating and catering to the ‘needs’ of her men meant she could count on most of them not to try and take advantage of her weakened state.

“I’m fine Tigrus. Just had a run in with Gravebone.”

“I hope you took care of business.” Tigrus replied with a smile.

Majiya smirked, despite the fact her torso stung profusely. “Well, let’s say he won’t be going anywhere.”

“Good to hear.” He replied, leaning her up against a wall. Her legs threatened to buckle, but she managed to stay upright to keep up appearances. “What’s our next move?” Tigrus asked.

“We wait until one side is victorious, then we wipe them out.” Majiya replied. “But if your men want something to do in the meantime, Serena has escaped and is running off with your entertainment. If you want it back, you know what to do.”

Tigrus smiled wickedly. “I certainly do.”

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“This way.” Serena whispered as she led the women further away from the battle. Leading the poor women anywhere was a difficult task, most of them were in shock, or so uncontrollably frightened that they just wanted to curl up into a corner and cry. It had taken a great deal of effort to even get many of them up and walking.

Still, they’d gone this far, and a few of them were starting to exhibit a spark of defiance. As one would begin following Serena, another would too, and it wasn’t long before they were on the move again.

The distinctive sound of moving armor caused Serena to pause and ready herself for battle. Out of the shadows stepped a good two dozen of Majiya’s mercenaries and she knew they were in trouble.

“Found you.” The leader grinned. “Oh you’re going to suffer for this.”

“Move. Now. Or you will not survive.” Serena snarled.

The leader simply laughed as his men surrounded Serena and the cowering women. “Oh come now, you think you’re going to fight us all off? How cute.” He looked Serena dead in the eyes. “Once we herd this meat back to its pen, I’m going to reserve special treatment for you. You’re going to spend the rest of your short miserable life chained to my bed. And I’m not kind to my meat.”

Serena did not respond but clenched her teeth as she reached out mentally, delving deep into the mind of the monster in front of her. She could see all the sick fantasies playing around in his head, but she pushed past them. She pushed further, deeper into the darkest recesses of his brain, into the subconscious. She pushed through to all those areas thought impenetrable, thought safe from people like her.

As she descended, she couldn’t help but cast her mind back to the last time she did this. To her teenage years and that boy of barely seventeen, who forced himself on her, who tried to take from her. In her fear and rage she made him pay, as she would make this monster pay. But there was no fear this time, only rage. She smiled as she found what she was looking for.

“Fuck you.” She whispered.

And with that, Serena made him forget how to breathe.

The mercenary’s eyes went wide as he realised he could no longer do the most basic of tasks. His face went blue and his eyes rolled into the back of his head as he struggled to take in air. Eventually his body could not go on and he slumped to the ground dead.

The men under his command stood there for a moment, completely shocked at what they’d seen. It didn’t take them long to snap back to reality, fear and anger motivating them to move in. Reaching for her belt, Serena flung four throwing knives outward, the fan of blades guided by her mind to their targets, leaving four more mercenaries dead as their jugulars were ruptured. The rest continued on without pause, focused solely on ending Serena’s life.

Serena’s life was something she wasn’t willing to give up just yet, and she launched a psychic barrage at the remaining mercenaries. It wasn’t deadly like her last assault, but it was enough to completely disorient them. She choked one with her whip and dragged his lifeless body into another two. She used one of her daggers to end the life of another, and she cracked the neck of a third. The massacre continued and by the time they others had recovered their senses there were only three left.

Serena was preparing to unleash another psychic assault to finish them off when a pair of arrows and a bolt of lightning did the job for her. Looking over she saw the familiar faces of Gwen and Eladwen, both wearing heavy cloaks as a result of their trek through the mountains.

“Are you a sight for sore eyes.” Serena stated simply. She was glad to see them, but her rage hadn’t worn off yet and she didn’t smile. “Why are you here?”

“We’ve been tailing Zaladar.” Eladwen replied, looking around at the carnage. “It seems we’ve missed the action.”

“Yeah. I’ll explain once we get these women back to Corvinus.” Serena said, looking over at the congregation. “They’ve been through hell. Multiple times.”

Eladwen said nothing but simply nodded and crafted a Portal. Through it Serena could see the main temple of Corvinus, and Zhanna turning to await their arrival. She helped all the women through the portal, followed by Gwen and Eladwen. Serena cast one last eye over the city of Draconia before stepping through, vowing to see Majiya and her army burn.

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A chorus of cheers caught Majiya’s attention and she half-walked, half-dragged herself over to the window to see what was happening. Down in the square she could see the humans celebrating, Aldon standing atop a fallen behemoth and delivering his victory speech. There weren’t many left however, maybe fifty or so. Behind him the portal flickered and died, but not before Lance Shadowstalker stepped through. He approached Aldon and whispered something into his ear. Aldon nodded and Lance took a dozen of his men and headed into the palace. Looking for me no doubt.

Majiya waited until Lance’s troupe had disappeared before giving the order. “Kill them.”

Tigrus nodded and gave the order to his archers. The humans down below were completely caught off guard by the assault, and a dozen fell before Aldon could even assess the situation. Once he realised exactly where the assault was coming from he ordered his remaining men storm the building, but it was for naught. By the time they’d made it to the ground level and engaged their foes there were only a half dozen left. Aldon took more than his fair share of mercenary lives but ultimately he fell as well, bleeding from over a dozen wounds. Majiya smiled. Victory was almost in her grasp.

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Lance and his team had made it to the balcony where Gravebone and Majiya had fought before they realised their compatriots were under attack. Unable to make it to them in time they could do nothing but stand by and watch the wholesale slaughter. Lance hung his head as he realised they had failed, and he ordered the retreat. Before leaving however he noticed the dagger on the floor, covered in Majiya’s blood. Picking it up, he placed it into his pocket and lead his men out of the palace.

Nishaven would need to see this.

Imma double postin' again. :) The conclusion, a nice little wrap up, and one last twist.

The New Threat

Majiya ran her hand gently over King Dinear’s throne as she inspected it. Like most of Draconia’s work it wasn’t embellished, though it was finely crafted. It was also comfortable, the cushions and even the general shape of the throne ensuring that it almost hugged the user. This was good because she intended to spend a lot of time sitting in it.

She smiled to herself as she sat down. Her plan had worked perfectly, bar that slight hiccup with the dagger. Zaladar had kept up his end of the bargain in exchange for her help preparing his return all those months ago, and she knew that his “death” was only temporary. Killing the avatar of a God was nigh-impossible.

Killing the undead was a little easier. Majiya mused as she ran her fingers over the skull of Gravebone. She decided she would keep it on the arm rest of the throne as a reminder to those around her of what she was capable of. Besides, she enjoyed looking at it.

The sound of the doors opening directed her attention to the front of the throne room. Tigrus walked in, coming to a stop about ten paces away from her.

“Report.” She said simply.

Tigrus cleared his throat. “We own Draconia. There are no traces of resistance, we’ve sweeped the city many times over. We haven’t been able to find Lance or Serena, no doubt they’ve escaped.”

Majiya snorted. “It hardly matters now. I would’ve liked to have seen Serena recaptured for what she forced me to do, but it was not essential to the plan. Anything else?”

Tigrus frowned. “We have not been able to find Thaddeus or Kairos, alive or otherwise. They have most likely fled through the mountains.”

Majiya scowled, and Tigrus took a couple of steps back. “That is…. unfortunate. Kairos may be nothing more than a shell of what he was, but he’s still a dangerous combatant and Thaddeus is a sneaky little worm. You will be sending squads through the mountains to find them.”

“But boss, that’s….”

Majiya leaned forward. “No arguing.”

Tigrus swallowed before bowing. “It will be done.” Not wanting to test Majiya’s patience anymore, he fled as quickly as he could.

Majiya leaned back for a moment before deciding she needed to get to work. Forcing herself out of the chair she made her way from the throne room towards the balcony overlooking the Hellmouth. Her side still hurt a great deal, but at least she wasn’t hunched over from pain anymore. Most of her magical power had returned as well, so woe betide anyone who thought she was still an easy mark.

Reaching the balcony the Hellmouth came into full view. Amazingly it had been undamaged in the battle between Ogloth and Zaladar. This was an unexpected bonus, and meant Majiya could move forward with her plans much quicker. Soon it would open once again, and she would have an army larger than any this world had ever seen.

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Corvinus.

The word played over and over in Kairos’ head for reasons he did not understand. He had never heard that word before, nor did he know what it meant. But since the battle with the humans it was a permanent fixture in his mind.

Thaddeus’ voice registered on the edges of his hearing, spurring him onward through the mountains. Running from the battle was the last thing he had wanted to do, it was a cowardly act. And taking orders from this weed of a man rankled him for some reason.

Corvinus.

Kairos snarled as he tried to identify the reasons for the word. Something had brought it to his attention, he just needed to figure it out. It was something to do with the humans. It was not a military manoeuver, he knew that much. Could it have been the name of their leader? No, he had been referred to as Aldon.

The uniform.

That was it; it was the uniform that was familiar. Which meant Corvinus was the name of a city. But how did he know this, and why? Thaddeus’ voice again interrupted his train of thought and he looked up at him. He was standing there with his arms crossed, as though he was disappointed his puppy dog hadn’t come to him straight away. His cloak blew wildly in the wind and the Shadow Crystals at his belt clanked against each other.

No longer content with simply glowering at Kairos, Thaddeus walked over to him. Kairos waited until he was within reach then simply smacked him across the face, the impact sending him tumbling down the side of the mountain path. Kairos watched Thaddeus fall then continued on. The Shadow Crystals in Thaddeus’ possession had been the final piece of the puzzle; they had reminded him of his purpose, of his true nature.

He was Kairos Doombringer, the one who united the Shadow factions and lay siege to the Corvinus Mine. Ultimately denied at the eleventh hour by betrayal within his own ranks. Resurrected and used as a puppet by Gravebone. Now he was finally free of his bondage.

And it was time for revenge.

Dun, dun DUN!