Trials of Wrath

Staten swung out his arm stretching to breaking point and just caught the top of the cliff. Heaving himself up and over the edge of the plateau he rolled onto his back breathing heavily. Trying to sit up he realised his fingers wouldn’t open in his hands as they were stuck crab-like from the effort of the climb. Looking up he noticed the sun beginning to set. There was no time to feel sorry for himself, in minutes the sun would be below the horizon and all would be lost. Awkwardly planting his fists on the ground he pushed himself onto his knees and stiffly stood up. Grabbing the staff which he’d strapped to his back he counted himself lucky that the odd shape his hands were stuck in actually perfectly fitted holding the staff. Then setting off at a run he headed towards the temple at the middle of the Plateau.

Staten after what felt a lifetime reached the Temple gates. Panting he glanced up at the strange demonic carvings above the entrance. Feeling for some reason compelled to keep looking he watched in horror as the symbols slowly began moving and turning into graphic images of hellish monsters tearing flesh off the naked bodies of their screaming victims. Not being able to tear his eyes away he began to feel very cold and for the first time a feeling of dread filled him that he wouldn’t survive what he’d come here to defeat. Then realising the sky was reddening with the approach of dusk he came to his senses and rushed through the gates towards the huge main entrance. Mara, the only love he had ever had, was going to be killed in the final sacrifice which was to end all things. There was no more time for uncertainty.

Sprinting towards the steps in front of the temple Staten saw two figures cloaked in black step out from behind columns on either side of the entrance. They then pointed black staffs straight at him. Skidding to a halt he grasped his staff with his other hand to better defend himself he heard hissed incantations. Plumes of black fire burst forth from the staffs and headed straight towards him. Speaking in the Wards tongue which he had barely begun to get to grips with he just managed to conjure a shield of light. The black fire struck the shield like a wave crashing against rock. Flames piled up against him and as Staten struggled to maintain the shield, he knew it would be seconds until they completely engulfed him. Staten roared with the effort and at the very point where he felt the flames were going to break through the small shield and consume him in an agonizing death they began weakening. Moments later the flames stopped. Extinguishing his shield Staten looked at the inexplicable scene before him. The two cloaked figures were now lying unconscious on the floor in front of the entrance.

“Figured you’d need my help” said a voice from the roof of the temple. “As soon as I saw you I knew that even after all these years I couldn’t leave you alone for one minute without you trying to get yourself killed.“

A man agilely dropped down from the roof of the temple landing softly between the two unconscious bodies. He prodded them with a sword to check they were dead. Staten recognised the mask and uniform of the assassins league but this was the first time he’d seen it dyed a sandy khaki colour, he was impressed how well the camouflage worked in the desert mountain environment, even as close as he was he lost sight of him unless he looked straight at the man. He couldn’t have been happier with the strangers timing though. Opening his mouth to ask the assassin’s name he barely let out a syllable before being cut short.

“I’d hate to leave you before you die with the way we last spoke.”

Staten watched the man unwrap his mask and reveal a weather-beaten but broadly grinning face.

“Furzek!” Staten shouted recognizing the face, he ran up embracing the man and then holding his friend warmly by the arms.

“My friend, it has been too long since we trained in the Uren forests, I miss those days as I miss everything before this darkness shrouded our lives. I must first apologise to you straight away though. One thing I still regret to this day is the bitter words of our last meeting all those years ago.”

His friend gently slapped his shoulder “I loved those days too and seeing you climb the top of that cliff I realise I was wrong to think you unworthy for my sister, although you left the assassins order to begin to train as a Mage you are still a good man. There is little time for talking now though, we must go and hope we have time enough to help Mara escape and stop the destruction of our world.” A dark mist began to cloud Furzek’s eye. “If that evil piece of filth has done anything to my sister I will make him wish he were in Hell when I’m through with him.” Staten seeing the broiling rage in his eyes didn’t doubt it.

Then Furzek, turning so fast he seemed to transform his front into his back, set off at a blistering run through the entrance and down a passageway. Staten ran after him feeling the flicker of hope that comes knowing a great assassin and Maya’s brother was here to help but he soon realised he had a new problem as he fell further and further behind the inexorable pace. Then Furzek was gone and he was alone again. Assassins weren’t normal he thought as he caught his breath. Staten wandered the increasingly dark snaking passageways for several desperate minutes without seeing anything but the exact same red stone lining the walls either side and the floor and ceiling too. He wasn’t even sure how fast he was moving other than by the feel of movement from his feet. As the darkness in the corridor became complete he summoned a glimmer of light from the end of his staff to see where he was going. As the passageway illuminated he saw just ahead of him a crossroads where the path split into two opposite directions with a picture above each passageway. Walking up to the crossroads he saw that one was drawn the symbol of some kind of fire breathing dragon on the other was a dark ripple like after a stone had just been dropped into a pond at night with an eye protruding out of the centre of the ripple. Looking around for any indications of direction he noticed an roughly drawn arrow on the ground which was obviously quite recent due to the clean patch it made on the sandy floor. Seeing a black dagger lying at the heart of the arrow he realised it must have been Furzek’s because bending down to pick up the dagger, surprised by its heft, he saw a note left underneath it:

“Staten, there were two routes. One of them must lead to Mara, we have no other choice but to go different routes. I have gone the way the arrow points, you should go the other. P.S. The dagger may be more helpful to you than to me, I have many more. Just tap the handle into your palm twice then tap again into your hand when you need it.”

The dagger was ceremonial nox blade but despite its weight and ostentatious handle it still held a deadly sharpness. The blade was only given to an assassin who had killed an Orator, the most powerful underlings of the dark overlord himself. Staten felt pride that his friend had accomplished so much since he’d last seen him. Unsure what exactly the knife would do when he tapped it on his palm he squinted and turned his head slightly in case it flashed or exploded. As he tapped the bottom of the handle twice on his palm it dissipated like dust. A moment passed, Staten felt horrified that he’d just destroyed the knife. Then looking at his palm he saw a black oval in the middle. This was the only clue as to the knife as it no longer weighed a thing. Closing his hand in order to tap his fingers in his palm the knife sprung out into his hand. Very nice he thought. Then he tapped the handle twice again so that it went back into his palm and then dashed off down the corridor opposite the arrow with the ominous dark pool symbol.

          He ran a few hundred yards down the dark corridor when he noticed an evil-smelling stench getting stronger and the corridor starting to dip downward. Then he heard a splashing noise and saw by the glimmer from his staff an oily black liquid sloshing about his feet. After a few more steps it was up to his knees and soon he was wading in the thick liquid. There was an opening up ahead and as Staten approached it and his light filled the room beyond he realised that it was gigantic dome roofed hall and as he felt around with his feet he realised the floor of the room dropped away vertically and he could only guess how deep it was. He looked across the room and saw another door on the opposite side and there was also a tiny Island halfway across. Everything about this situation felt wrong and he had a fear of swimming, or more accurately a fear of things that swam beneath him. He knew he was not a good swimmer but again thinking of Mara he knew he had to get across. He sank down to his neck and almost at once started to shiver because of the coldness of the water. This shock of temperature change made him kick off from the platform and start swimming. He could not see much at al and he was splashing and retching whenever he swallowed some of the foul tasting water.  About half way across he started shivering convulsively. He knew something was different about this water and it was actually sapping the heat right out of him. It was also taking away his energy and everything was beoming harder. Soon he could not even focus his energy enough to keep the staff glowing and as it dimmied and then finally blinked out he was left splashing in the dark. Trying his best to keep in the right direction he carried on in what he thought was the right direction. Staten was beginning to lose and his muscles were seizing up from the cold. His head bobbing more and more below the surface he began to sink when on the last flailing stroke he had left he touched something slimy and hard. It was the Island. With a renewed strength from the hope this provided Staten reached up and pulled himself out of the water. Breathing hard and shivering from the cold he rolled onto his back and then lay panting and spitting out the remnants of the foul tasting water. Slowly a warmth came back to him, he was still cold but at least his insides did not feel like they were sucked of all life-giving warmth. There was something very unnatural about these waters. After a few more moments Staten stood up, using his staff as a support. As he reached his feet the bottom of the staff dropped a few inches under his weight puncturing the floor’s surface. He quickly raised the staff out of the hole confused as to what the Island’s surface was. Relighting his staff he shone the light at the hole he had just made. As he looked at the puncture he noticed a white gloop starting to flow out of the hole. Then from somewhere far below him the deepest toned rumble he had ever heard came resoundingly upwards and the entire surface of the water in the room began to ripple, shake and splash like a turbulent sea. Then to his horror the surface he was on began to sink and panic overtook him as the worst of his fears was realised. He knew that he was not on an Island at all and was filled with dread thinking just what kind of demonic leviathan he was standing on. As the water began to rush over him again he realised it would soon extinguishing the light on his staff. Knowing he only had one hope to keep seing where he was going he spoke a quick incantation and the light shone stronger. Then he hurled the staff like a javelin as far as he possibly could and he watched as it sailed towards the opposite door. As the water reached his neck and the creature sank beneath his feet he watched the staff on the end of it’s route and was rewarded with a satisfying echo as it stuck in the floor of the corridor he was aiming for. The incantation he had summoned would hopefully give him long enough to get to the other side but he knew he did not have long before either the light ran out or whatever was below him would strike. With this one goal in his site Staten began madly kicking and splashing through the water swimming in the direction of the light. After getting almost half way to the light he began to slow from the sapping cold of the water. All of a sudden several huge black tentacles and spikes shot out of the water twisting and spiralling in every direction around him, then they sank again. Staten who had paused in terror became alert again as his head sank below the surface then spluttering upwards he started his mad dash for the final stretch towards the exit, knowing full well that it was straight in the direction of where several of the tentacles and spikes had just shot up. Swimmingly desperately Staten was not looking at a thing. When he finally did he became elated and laughed. He was only a few feet from the entrance. Staten reached out and grabbed it. Suddenly he felt a searing pain all the way down his back and then he saw a huge spike strike into the wall to his right. The stinging pain in his back was magnified by the oily liquid which seemed to turn the cold of the water into the most intense burning. So much so that Staten lost his grip as he grasped desperately at the pain on his back and he sank back into the water behind him. Then he felt something wrap around his waist and grip him fiercely. What little air he had left in his lungs was being slowly squeezed out of him as he was being dragged down. The pressure of the water began to pound on his ears and thought the water might explode through his ears and kill him mercifully, but it didn’t, the pain just grew worse. Then he stopped being dragged down and felt the water flow past him in a new direction. He was being taken sideways towards something. Then despite the pressure and darkness of the water he saw a yellow globe which seemed to be humming. It was bringing him closer. As he stared in horror through his blurry sight he saw beneath the globe the biggest gaping mouth he had ever seen. It was lined on either side of its saggy sides by thousands of jagged spiked teeth and million of tiny and filthy waving tentacles that were rotting amongst the teeth. As he reached the globe he began to lose consciousness. He could think of very little as he vaguely saw the globe spin around and a snake like pupil contracted as it focused on him. He didn’t know how but he sensed that the eye was enjoying this. It squeezed him even tighter and every muscle in his body tensed. Then as his body tensed again he felt a weight in his hand which seemed to revive him a little. It was the nox knife. In a desperate bid just to hurt the creature and get some small revenge before it ate him Staten lashed out at a passing tentacle. He was closer to the eye than he’d realised though and without meaning to he managed to plunge the knife deep into the side of the eye. A burst of white sprayed out around the hole where the knife had stuck fast in the eye and the creature instinctively pushed Staten up and away from itself and then let go. Staten was free, he couldn’t believe it. He kicked desperately upwards with stars flashing before his eyes and a pulsing blackness that was his consciousness intermittently threatening to fail. But somehow he held on, he had to, the warmth was coming back to him as the strength-sapping power in the water seemed to be fading he began to see Mara helpless and in pain and then he imagined the fate that awaited the universe if he were to fail. He had to make it. As he felt the pressure ease around his ears he saw a fiegnt light above. He was so close, kicking pulling himself upwards he began to scream primevally and then he broke the surface. With a huge inhaling gasp he gulped down the air. The stinking putrid air of the chamber couldn't have tasted any sweeter. Scrambling through the water towards the side, not far from where he'd resurfaced he placed a hand onto the path leading to the exit. Remembering the last time he was here he shivvered and quickly hauled himself out of the water. He walked over to the right side of the entrance and picked up his staff which had been impaled there. Its light almost dead shone anew at his touch, holding it gratefully in one hand as he leaned against the wall catching his breath he looked back out across the slowly calming water he had just crossed. He felt lucky to be alive but this was overshadowed by the fact that this was only a minion of the overlord who he still had to face. Staten also made a mental note when he saw Furzek to thank him. He now owed Furzek twice, once for saving his life and now for losing his knife.

A splashing noise from within the chamber made Staten jump. A tiny little creature crawled out of the water and onto the path. It awkwardly dragged itself along the path towards him. Staten bent down to look at this strange little creature. It had a tiny yellow eye protruding out of a slug like body and tiny scuttling feet like a crab only with a forward gait. He realised that this must be the young of the creature inside. The little eye then looked up at his face and then gave a tiny snarl. Staten laughed at this bravado from this harmless little creature. Then suddenly, by uncurling its tale in a spring-like flash it pounced at his face and drove sveral spikes from its belly into his right cheek where it stuck writhing and worsening the cut. Stammering back and grabbing the creature he tore it off his face taking a large amount of flesh off his cheek with it. Then he threw it on the floor and stamped on it. A white splash sprayed underneath his foot. His cheek was bleeding freely and stung massively, he cursed himself for letting his guard down in a place as evil as this. Then there was more splashing, turning to look at the water he saw creature after creature crawling out of the water and streaming towards him. Soon there were hundreds slowly making there way towards him. Knowing the danger that they possessed Staten turned and ran up the corridor still holding his cheek. As he went further up the path the splashing sound diminished and he felt glad to be away from those dangerous beasts. Then up ahead he saw a dead end. He couldn't believe it. Running up to the wall he looked around the dead end but saw no clue to a way through. “Damn” he said striking the wall with a clenched fist. This was the exit so why was there a dead end. Even the dark inhabitants had to move about this complex somehow so there must be a way through. Unless, he thought, with a growing sense of dread, this was a trap and only the other room led to the innermost chambers. He began to hear a slow relentless shuffling coming from back down the corridor as hundreds of little creatures made there inexorable way towards him. As he listened he realised that soon they would be upon him and then he would die in a horrible way. He readied himself to make a last stand. Recalling the noble deaths of the Ward Mages, the order to whom he belonged, who had come before him he took on a defensive stance and pointed his staff forward. The creatures were bearing down on him now and he could see them rounding the corner, first tens then hundreds of them swarmed along the centre and up the sides of the path so great were there nubers. His thoughts strayed to Maya and Furzek, he hoped that Furzek had made it through having chosen the path that was not a dead end and that he would manage to rescue Maya and stop the destruction of all things.

As Staten was preparing himself for his fate there was a low wrenching noise from behind him. Then a crack appeared and started crumbling away and then with a massive boom a small hole appeared showing a little tunnel shaped crevice leading to a room lit red beyond. Knowing it was his only chance Staten jumped up to the hole and pulled himself through, The hole was so small that he had to keep his arms pointing straight ahead of him as he shuffled his way along it. As he got towards the end of the little tunnel it tapered in and just as he got to the end he had to start heaving at the hole to try to clear a path in order to get to the room beyond. The rock around the end of the tunnel was solid though, he began punching the rock hoping to dislodge a chunk, he carried on punching till his knuckles were a bloody pulp. Then he felt it. A searingly sharp pain as spikes began puncturing his ankles and his legs. He began kicking them and could feel the sickly wetness as the blood of these creatures began to mix with his own as he crushed them against the sides of the tunnel. He screamed out at the pain and the helplessness of his position and the horror that he was going to be eaten alive from his legs upwards. Then a someone grasped his hand. “Be quiet” Staten looked up into the fierce and now extremely tense eyes of Furzek, “we are in great danger, there is a dragon searching these caves for me.”

“Please, hurry Furzek,” Staten said in a desperate whisper “there are creatures attacking my legs, the pain hurts so much, get me out of this hole quickly!” Staten saw Furzek look at the bloody mass that was Staten's cheek and his eye twitched, which was a more painful an answer of the damage done to Staten than another person screaming in horror. Then Furzek grabbed the staff that Staten had shoved through the hole first and began beating at the sides of the hole. Staten was grimaced at the immense pain in his legs as the creatures writhed around deepening the wounds. Staten looked up to see Furzek with a mad glint in his eye and sweating as he rained down blow after brutal blow on the rock, The blows made a a massive booming echo around the chamber but Furzek carried on regardless. Then finally the rock cracked and then crumbled away. Furzek dropped the staff and grabbing Staten's wrists with both hands he pulled him through. Then Staten shouted “quick plug up the hole before they get through”. Furzek grabbed a large rock and rammed it into the hole squishing several of the front running creatures. Furzek then grabbed the staff and beat on the rock a few more times till it was firmly jammed in. Furzek turned to him and looked at him, Staten then looked down at his own legs for the first time. They weren't pretty. Blood and muscle glistened as a the dark fleshy wound bled onto the ground. Furzek straight away took out his sword and scabard and then unwound his long cloth sword belt cutting it in half and then wrapping it round Staten's legs.

“You're not gonna win any beauty prizes with those legs but you'll live, we do need to find Maya soon though this need more than binding.” When he'd finished the makeshift bandaging of Staten’s legs he helped him onto his feet and asked “What were those foul creatures and what were you doing there?”.

“They were the offspring of some giant beast living in a lake back down the path I had just come. I'm just thankful you were here to help me out of that dead end. How did you know I was in the other room in order to break through that wall, actually speaking of that, how did you break through the wall.”

“I didn't know you were there and I also didn't break through that wall, a dragon was chained to the wall and I managed to lure it away down another path while I hid behind the rocks just over there.” He pointed to a fallen rock formation at the mouth of the large torch-lit cave they were in. “I intended on getting it trapped in it's own chains as I had wrapped them round the beast's neck while it was asleep but it was so strong and angry that it broke the whole mounting off taking a good part of the wall with it. Lucky for you it seems that it did. But why did you go down that route, I wrote a note saying that I was going to scout ahead down the path and then meet you back at those crossroads. I didn't know how far behind you were but when returned to the cross-roads there was still no sign of you except for a patch of sweeped ground by the corridor leading to these caves”

“You mean you didn't leave me a note telling me to go the opposite route?”

“No I wouldn't split us up unless I had absolutely no choice?”

“What about the dagger, you did leave me a dagger right?”

“No...” They both looked at each other, a slow feeling of dread began to creep over Staten.

“I do not think we are alone down here” Furzek stated solemnly.

The ground shuddered, Staten glanced around and when the noise sounded again he realised it was coming from the large entrance at the far end. Furzek was staring straight at the entrance. “That is the exit where the dragon left”, he said pointing to the opening. “It must have heard the commotion and now knows we are here. Quick we must get behind those fallen rocks, come on.” He grabbed Staten around the waste and supported him as Staten put his arm around Furzek's shoulder and then using the assassin's support and his own staff to hobble towards the cover of the fallen rocks. Sitting behind the rocks both men crouched and looked out through a gap in the fallen rocks. Moments later a huge red dragon with a large wide body, long tail and agile neck came striding into the room sniffing and looking around. It dragged a huge black chain that was wrapped around its neck as it slowly walked along the cave. The dragon lowering its head to smell along the floor brought up huge clouds of dust every time it snorted air out of it's nose. It made it's way over towards the hole Staten had just come through and its tale swished and curled around excitedly when it reached the patch where the pool of Staten's blood was. The dragon's mouth opened and a thick dark red tongue flickered out tasting the blood, Staten shuddered sure that the dragon seemed to be smiling. Then the dragon turned around its huge mass and walked straight towards the rocks they were hiding behind.

“He's gonna smell the blood from my wounds, we have to make a run for it” Staten said.

“If we run, we will die. No we must say hidden here it is our only hope... now get down and be silent.”

As Staten crouched down on the floor he winced at the excruciating pain. Then looking at the tightly-set features of his friend, he saw what looked like helplessness in his eyes. It was out of protection for him as well. Silently cursing himself for being such a burden Staten looked back out through a low down gap and saw the dragon walk right up right up in front of the pile of fallen rocks sniffing feverishly. Then it struck him. The only hope for Maya and the world he so treasured was sitting grimly next to him and would continue to do so giving up his life before letting a friend face death alone. Staten looked down at his disfigured and weakened legs, he was no longer of any help to Furzek, Maya or in defeating the overlord. There was only one thing left for him to do.

Furzek looking so intently at the Dragon didn’t notice as Staten slowly stood up balancing his weight on his staff. Staten quietly took several awkward paces to the end of the rock hiding place then turned back to Furzek.

“Good luck” Staten said, surprised by the assurity in his voice. Furzek turned around looking shocked and confused, “Tell Maya I tried… tell her… tell her I loved her”. Staten saw Furzek’s eyes grow wide as he realised what he was about to do and before he could say anything Staten turned staggering out of the hiding place right in front of the dragon. The dragon, momentarily stunned by this brave display then reared up and began snarling and roaring. Staten continued circling the dragon hoping to lead it as far away from the hiding place as possible before he died. The dragon landed back on its front legs and adjusted to face him as Staten stumbling and limping along with one hand leaning on the wall of the cave slowly circled around it. Then Staten heard the sound he had been dreading. There was a large pumping intake of breath and then a pause. Staten braced himself and spoke the words to bring up his energy shield even though he knew it would be useless against such an overwhelming force. It was instinctive. The creature opened its huge gaping jaws and then s fine mist began to spray out of its mouth and then there was a spark, a huge jet of flame struck the wall above him and began to lower towards him.

“STOP!”

A deep and terrifying voice resounded around the cave. The dragon stopped exhuming its fiery breath at once and then it stepped backwards till it reached the far left side of the cave and lay down like a domesticated dog.

Staten looked towards the entrance of the cave room and saw a giant of a man. Standing at about 12 foot tall in a huge flowing red cloak and with a monstrously hideous and mangled face the Overlord looked like some kind of nightmare. He was slowly clapping.

“WELL DONE. YOU AND YOUR FRIEND HAVE MADE IT THROUGH THE TREACHEROUS HALLS OF MY TEMPLE. NO ONE HAS EVER MADE IT THIS FAR BEFORE. THOUGH IT SEEMS THIS IS AS FAR AS YOU’D GET. I AM DISSAPOINTED BUT DESTRANE HERE IS MORE THAN A MATCH FOR ANY WARD OR ASSASSIN.”

Staten felt sick that he had been being watched all this time like some kind of sport in the Overlord’s sick games. He was also not sure that the Overlord knew Staten was behind the rocks he had to hope so.

“What do you want to sacrifice Maya for? You will achieve nothing by destroying this world.”

“THAT IS WHERE YOU ARE WRONG. BY SACRAFICING THIS GIRL, YOUR KEYKEEPER, AND PUTTING YOUR WORLD INTO SLAVERY I WILL GIVE MY HORDES THE POWER WITH WHICH TO STRENGTHEN OUR WORLD. THEN WE WILL BE DOMINANT IN THIS GALAXY AND IN TURN RULE THIS UNIVERSE.”

Staten’s head began spinning. Not only was the fate of his own world at stake but if the Overlord succeeded the entire universe may have to bow down to his power. Focusing, he knew he had to keep the Overlord talking.

“So why have did you call off you Destrane if I’m going to die anyway”

“THEREIN LIES MY WEAKNESS, I COULDN’T RESIST THE THOUGHT OF YOU WITNESSING THE GIRLS DEATH. ESPECIALLY NOT AFTER YOUR MOVING WORDS TO THE ASSASSIN. DON’T THINK I’VE FORGOTTEN ABOUT HIM EITHER. HE WILL ALSO WATCH HIS SISTER DIE.”

The Overlord raised his hands and then flung them in a wide arc. Out of his outstretched fingers a pulse of energy shot out with a shockwave each time his arms were pushed back another wave would come out of his hands. The rock formation shook and then began crumbling.

“Furzek, get out of there!” The rocks began to fall and Staten was relieved to see Furzek running out from underneath them. Then Staten gasped, a large pile of rocks dislodged themselves above Furzek and crushed him underneath. Furzek let out a shout of pain before he could grimace and hold it in. Staten looked at his friend who was trapped underneath a pile of rocks with his upper body sticking out. Staten ran to help him but felt a force that raised him up and then flung him high up against the cave wall. The rocks seemed to meld around him and he realised the rocks were moving and entrapping him. Staten looked at the Overlord  who gave an evil smile back at him through his hideous face. If the Overlord could control rocks, Staten thought, what chance did he have. Staten then sensed something, the Overlord was smiling even more broadly if that was possible, turning his head Staten saw something entering the room. It left him feeling cold inside. From his high point on the wall Staten could see an altar slowly entering the cave room covered in a white sheet eerily floating a few feet above the ground. On top of it Staten could see Maya lying unconscious encased inside a fire with leaping black flames. Staten’s heart leapt to see that she was still alive but he dreaded what was to happen to her and wished that she were awake so that he could say something to her, or make eye contact, anything but watch her lying with the Overlord looming over her. Staten could see that this fire was not burning her but as she came closer towards the centre of the room he could see the skin of her face was sallow and sunken, she looked old and barely resembling the beautiful woman he loved, but he knew it was her.

Anger started to boil inside of him. He was angry for his ruined legs, for Furzek, who was being crushed to death under a pile of rocks, but most of all he was angry for feeling so helpless when Maya was having the very essence sucked out of her life. She was the gate-keeper, and it was in her death that the Overlord would gain access to the heart of their world, and have access to its destruction.

A rage he had never known coursed through his veins as these thoughts flew through his head and he began to forget the pains he had suffered on his legs and his back. He felt an energy racing through him with each beat of his thumping heart like a current. Then without warning a fierce blue fire lit up from within his left hand and the rocks that had chained it to the wall were blasted away. Not knowing what he was doing he then threw the blast of blue flame at the Overlord. It struck him square in the chest such was his shock at this power of magic coming from a low ranking Ward. Staten then threw another, it too struck the stumbling Overlord, then a third struck home and a fourth, just a few more and he would surely be destroyed. Staten having slipped into a kind of mania at this thought pulled back his hand and created the largest blue flame he had ever created. The Overlord looking up desperately from where he’d fallen held out his hands imploringly and said,

“WAIT, WAIT, PLEASE DON’T KILL ME”

Staten looked at the pathetic figure with disgust.

“Why, would you expect mercy from me you filth” The blue fireball was growing bigger every second. The Overlord looked down as if thinking about this and then grabbing the medallion on his neck he held it up to Staten looking suddenly less helpless.

“OH, I DO NOT EXPECT MERCY” Staten was surprised by the change in tone, “I JUST NEEDED A MOMENT TO GRAB THIS”

Staten looked at the Medallion, confused and wondering what power it had he made as if to hurl the fire swelling in his hands. The overlord then clicked in a front part of the Medallion and the fireball diminished at once. Staten looked at his hand in horror, he had completely lost control of it, he looked back at the Overlord who was taking his time and getting up slowly, almost teasingly. Once he was up the Overlord laughed a deep and evil laugh.

“HA, HA, IDIOT BOY! DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU COULD DESTROY ME. I AM FAR TOO INTELLIGENT TO BE UNDONE BY THE LIKES OF A SIMPLE FOOL LIKE YOU. IT WAS I WHO PLANTED THAT KNIFE WHICH GIVES ME ACCESS TO YOUR THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS. IT WAS A SECURITY MEASURE. I DID NOT BECOME THE OVERLORD WITHOUT A CERTAIN LEVEL OF PRUDENCE. EVEN STUPID WARDS GET LUCKY FROM TIME TO TIME. ONLY I DO NOT RELY ON CHANCE FOR VICTORY. I HAVE FULL CONTROL OF YOU. STILL, I AM IMPRESSED ALL THE SAME. FOR THAT YOU HAVE EARNT A QUICK DEATH.”

The Overlord raised his hand and the blue fire re-ignited in Staten’s hand, he could not control himself and he was bringing it up to his face. A few more inches and he would be dead.

A Rock shifted, Staten regained enough control to hold his hand from getting any closer, but he could feel the burning heat searing his face. The Overlord’s attention on Staten had been interrupted. The Overlord was looking at Furzek desperate on the floor. Then Staten realised what he’d done. From where he was trapped on the floor he had used his sword to reach across and dislodge a rock from the wall, the wall leading to the lake room. The Overlord sent an energy blast and a large pile of rocks fell ontop of Furzek. Staten screamed out at his friends’ death. He then looked back at the Overlord with venom in his eyes. He began to feel the burning coming closer to his face again the roaring of it’s furious blaze filled his ears.

Then just above this noise he heard a new sound, a scrambling, scrabbling sound. Like hundreds of tiny feet making there way across a rock floor.

Before the Overlord could even react Destrane tiny ears perked up and a look of both fury and fear shone in his eyes. Standing up with great agility for a creature so huge he then charged across the room. The little creatures were pouring out of the hole in the rock with such force that the sides of the hole were widening from there combined strength. Destrane began breathing fire at the hole but he could not destroy them all. The creatures started leaping at his legs and climbing up his body. The Overlord tried blasting energy at the hole but nothing could stop the flow of creatures there were just too many. Destrane beginning to panic began stumbling and crashing into the walls. Then as he tripped the loose rocks near the hole his legs slipped out from under him. The Overlord gave a huge scream which was extinguished as the huge dragon fell square on top of him. The Dragon writher for a long while but he was completely overwhelmed by the creatures. Staten watched disgusted as the creatures began to tear apart the dragon. They were taking bits of the animal and taking them back to the hole like a swarm of ants.

Staten didn’t know how long it took as he was disorientated, exhausted and had lost quite a lot of blood. He was sure it did not take long until there was nothing left of the dragon but a gory patch of blood bones and meat. There was no trace of the Overlord beneath the Dragon either. He must have been torn apart by the creatures too. Slowly, with nothing left to glean off the dragon the creatures made there way back into the hole. They obviously had enough to feed themselves and their larger guardian probably for the next few years in that fetid lake.

Now the creatures had gone Staten looked into the middle of the room. Maya and the alter were still there, he had almost forgotten what he was supposed to be doing. Initially relieved that the creatures had not gone near her he then feared why they dare not. It must have something to do with the flames giving her a kind of protection. Looking at his legs and hand encased in rock he knew he had to get out and get down to her. He was not sure if he could summon any magic strong enough to free him, he had no idea how he’d summoned the magic before. Thinking about how he might have done it Staten closed his eyes and then it struck him. He had been almost blind with anger and that had focused his powers more than he’d ever been able to before. Frustration had been a catalyst. He tried to fake anger and recreate the same feeling but he failed miserably not being able to even raise a spark. Feeling dispirited and like he had nothing left to gice he looked down at Maya trapped in the flaming case, she was dying and there was nothing he could do. He had gone through all this to rescue her, he had faced so many dangers and now he was beaten by himself. He had let her down, her brother the Wards whose job it was to protect the key keeper and this world and he had let himself down. Thinking about all he’d lost this day just to bear witness to this terrible end to his love before he himself died left a bitter taste in his mouth and he felt himself sapped of any feeling except for a terrible sadness which left his chest feeling so tight he found it hard to breathe. As he looked at Maya through the flames he saw patches of raw skin and blood showing through on her cheeks. She was being eaten alive by this dark magic. Then as he was watching her fall apart before his eyes her eyes flashed open and she turned her head to him. He gazed inhorror at her eyes. They were untouched from the magic and he recognized something about her clearly for the first time. She mouthed something at him, “help me”.

This recognition and the look of pain and fear in her eyes made something click inside of him and all the sadness left in an instant as he shouted her name. This was too much for him to take and seeing her pain he felt a rage and a desperation to help her. Her brother was already dead but if he could help her then there was hope. He felt a warmth in his free hand. The fire had returned and it was even more intense. He aimed it at his hand and blasted it free then he blew off the rock at his feet with another blast. Crumbling away he fell down to the ground landing heavily. He was up almost straight away though such was his adrenaline at seeing Maya awake. He ran over to her and he put his hands through the flames to grab her, instantly they sapped his strength and he felt them draining him. He tried to move her but she was tied there in a way he couldn’t see. He had to pull out of the fire.

“Maya, how are you bound to this alter, how do I free you from this?”

She looked at him and smiled.

“You are brave Staten, but there is no way to free me from this fire. I do not have long until I will be assimilated by the fire and then the freedom of our world will be over.”

He reached his hand in and held hers, it was as light as air.

“Don’t tell me I just have to stand here and watch you die”

“No. You must show even more courage than you have done already in getting to me. If I am assimilated by this dark fire then the Horde will have free access to our world. The only way this can be stopped is if you kill me and become the key keeper yourself.”

Staten’s eye’s grew wide he let go of her hand and took several steps back from her.

“Surely you’re not asking me to kill you, I am sworn to protect you, I do not want to live without you! No, I’m not going to kill you!”

“Staten”, she said weakly, as parts of her began to fall off like leaves in a breeze. “If you do not kill me then you will lose more than me today. Please, end my suffering and do as you are sworn to do and protect this world.”

Staten’s eyes began to swell with tears a feeling of tragic sadness tightened up his chest again and when trying to speak he choked. He cleared his throat and then said,

“Maya, I love you, I hope one day I will be forgiven for what I must do.”

“You will be forgiven. I wish things could have been different, but this is the only way.”

Staten looked at her feeling dead inside. He couldn’t hold her gaze and looked at the floor. Tapping his palm the black knife was released into his grip. It’s weight was not reassuring this time. Though he despised using anything that was a possession of the Overlord he was dead now and the knife was just a knife. It was the only thing he had that he could kill her with, though he was unsure he would even be able to go through with the act.

When he looked back at her he saw that she was looking at the knife, as she looked back at him she was smiling warmly, but he saw a tremor in her lip, he didn’t know whether this was fear, pity, sadness or all three.

He put his hand back into the black fire feeling it’s crushing coldness and held her hand one last time. She squeezed back faintly.

“Goodbye my love”

“Goodbye” said Staten hoarsely.

He tore his gaze away from her lifted the knife and not knowing where he got the strength to do so he plunged it straight into her heart. The screaming he was dreading did not come. Where the knife had entered there was no blood, only an outline of light. The light grew into a beam that struck the ceiling, it blasted a hole straight through the ceiling in a moment then Staten held his hand to his eyes as the brightness of the light filled the entire room. As he squinted through the light he saw standing in front of him the woman he loved, she was as young and beautiful as ever in the sacred gown of the key keepers which he knew so well. His Joy at seeing her alive faded as he realised he could faintly see through her. The figure of light walked up to him.

“Thank you” Maya said. Then she gave him a kiss that was like a spring wind blowing on his lips. She then pulled away and amiling in all her radiant beauty she became a cloud of light that then shot upwards through the hole in the ceiling.

Staten stood speechless he looked up at the ceiling and realised he could see the night sky hundreds of feet up through the thin hole. There was a star shining directly in the middle. He was certain that Maya was above him now.

His feet gave way and he fell to the ground. He looked across at the altar and the fire that burned so coldly was no longer lit. He felt like a fire was missing from within himself now. He bowed his head as a tear flowed down his cheek.

“You have done well my friend, I thank you with all that I am”

Staten turned his head to look behind him. Furzek was standing there, his right arm was clearly broken but he was otherwise unharmed.

“Furzek! But I… I thought you were dead?”

So did I for a while. I was trapped by those first rocks and then when the Overlord piled the second load on me my arm broke but I was not crushed, I thought I was going to suffocate when a strange light appeared before me. It was my sister, she told me what you’d done for her and then disappeared. When I could next see after the brightness had gone I was lying outside the rocks no longer trapped with you looking out of a hole in the ceiling.”

“She…”, Staten composed his breath as he threatened to choke with the sadness. “I killed her and she left through that hole, as light.”

“Do not feel bad for what you did. You had to.”

Furzek walked over and lifted him up to lean on his left side with his good arm.

“You are the key keeper now, I know you do not want to think about it but you must get away from here before any of the Horde come to finish off the Overlord’s work. It will not be long till one of them comes to replace him. We must continue the fight against them, but with what you have achieved today we have a chance. A better chance of being able to beat them. Now let’s get out of here”

Staten walked with his friend’s help towards the exit of the cave, wounded and crushed by his losses but with a flicker of hope with his friend by his side that there was now a future for their world.