Gay Erotic Stories

Ch. 09: The War, Won, yet Lost... The Crystal Tower would never be the same again. The once-majestic tower was now standing in the middle of a wasteland that stretched far across the Northern Continent. The very same tower was now the gateway of the realm of Lore to the cursed Underworld, realm of the demons. Supreme Commander Daemon sat uncomfortably on his throne. He was extremely displeased. He was displeased with the result of battle at the Dark Elven Stronghold in Elom. He was displeased that a sure victory had suddenly turned to a crushing defeat. And no soul in the world or even the underworld could comprehend what would happen if the Lord of Darkness' second-in-command was displeased of his subordinates. "FOOLS!!!" He roared at the cowered Army of Darkness before him. "I want to hear no more failure from you! Begone!! Do some damage!!" With the wave of his hand, the entire army vanished from sight and he was alone. He couldn't believe it. A small band of immature heroes had defeated his mighty horde. He knew he had to do something, or else the Lord of Darkness would definitely be displeased. He had to do something. He didn't know what, but he knew someone right for the job. "Gareth!!" Daemon roared again. "I summon you!!" An image of a tall human appeared before him. His form was somewhat vague due to the incomplete spell to make the perfect contact, but it was nonetheless enough. The man stood proud before the demon and gave a slight yet elegant bow. "Greetings, Master Daemon. How may I serve you?" "For a man of your caliber," Daemon started, "I believe you know what I want." "Ah..." The man rubbed his chin. "You want me to neutralize those people who have been foiling your plans lately." "Once again you've impressed me, Gareth." The dark man smiled. "Proceed." "Just guide them to my lair." Gareth bowed. "I will deal with them personally." The image disappeared. Daemon rose from his throne and walked toward the main room. He felt much better right now. He had his trusted man for the job. Now to make his feeling complete, he only had to release the grudge he'd been keeping caused by his incompetent subordinates. At the center of the room another form hovered in the air. It was a beautiful woman with long golden hair. She hung limply on the air, bound spread-eagled by invisible shackles. Her eyes stared blankly into space before focusing on her dreaded enemy. Her renewed vigor entered race with her fear. A race she knew she could not win. "Ah... Goddess Gaea... Just as stunning as ever..." Lord Daemon approached his captive. Gaea stared at him, hatred mixed with terror burning in her eyes. She twitched as his cold finger touched her naked body, yet the invisible shackles held her still. The demon lord chuckled, satisfied with her immediate reaction. "And still as stubborn as ever... Well, I'm in a bad mood today, so I want you to do something for me..." "Kill you? My pleasure." The goddess replied gruffly. "Oh, nothing much..." He smirked. "I just want to see you dance." Fear finally gained control of her. "No..." "Yes... Fear me... I love to see it in your eyes..." With a wave of his hand, her shackles relaxed slightly, giving her more room to struggle. Then a large black hole appeared beneath her, directly facing her nether region. The dark lord sat on his chair, watching in amusement as the once-proud goddess struggled against her bonds. "Daemon... please... don't do this..." She begged. "It's been three years since you learned how to beg." Daemon sneered. "Request denied." A pair of long, slick tentacles shot out from the hole and circled both her hips, holding her body in place. Another pair reached out and lashed around her round breasts and began massaging and molesting her breasts. Then without warning a slightly larger tentacle shot out and forced his way through her pussy and into her dry vagina. It was not the first time it did such hideous thing, but her scream came out fresh and raw. "Lord Daemon... p... please..." The tentacle began fucking her vigorously. The two tentacles held her firmly in place, but her upper body struggled and fought against the pain. And she began to perform the unwilling erotic dance for the dark lord. Her vigor had been defeated, and it would stay that way for quite some time. "Ah..." Daemon smiled. "After 20 years, she's just as young as ever..." Holgreb was a dwarf. He stood on top of a hill, staring at the barren land before him and let out a sigh. Casually he swung his battle-axe on his side. The thought of never carrying the weapon again sent shiver through his spine. Slowly he cursed himself for things he could do nothing about. He was very bored. He used to think that life was an excitement. He used to think that life would be more interesting. It used to be, but things didn't go as he had planned. His dream, if he indeed had had one, had vanished. He used to be proud as what he was, a barbarian. Not the kind of barbarian that people would enjoy having in their living rooms. He was a raider, yet he was proud of it. Or at least used to be. Holgreb took a moment looking at himself. As a dwarf, he was quite athletic and well built. Appearance was a prime factor for a barbarian. His small, short and puffy body hid his fighting potential. The rough expression he always wore in his face was well enhanced with his small dark eyes and long, unkempt beard. He still remembered how he used to strike fear to the hearts of the enemies (read: peasants) by just staring at them. He remembered how he used to storm inside houses and defeated the enemies (read: peasants) and plunder their wealth (read: peasants'). Yet those exciting moments were now memories. He's 60 years old. My enemies might still fear me, but nobody will if they knew how old I am. Common people, even barbarians, would declare 60 years old as the 'retirement' age, when they would waste their lives sitting in pub corners and drank ale all day and tell stories to the visitors. But he was uncommon. Even in his old age, his fighting skills never ceased or deteriorated. He could swing a battle-axe as if he was swinging a flogger. He could lift a boulder and threw it as if it was nothing more than a puffy pillow. He could bore a hole on the stone with his hand as if it was a toy wax. However, barbarians were not barbarians it they were not feared. Suddenly, at the corner of his eyes, he spotted something unusual. It looked like... a group of birds. It was late autumn, and the sight of birds flying south was normal. But the sight of two light-green birds and a dark-blue bird flying close together in tight formation and going east toward the city was anything but normal. Moreover, the birds had tusks. Suddenly he recalled his many experiences in his 3 years of elementary school and 45 years of barbaric profession. He suddenly realized that he was seeing... dragons! He still remembered the number of dragons he had killed... none. He still remembered what he used to do when he encountered a dragon... run or hide, depending on the circumstances. But now I will not run. He would prove the world that he was indeed the greatest barbarian of all time. As the dragons flew closer, he prepared his battle-axe and tracked his target. Then, with all her might he threw his axe toward the unwary dragons. Then he waited. Nothing happened. The dragons seemed to be affected. After years of practice, it was impossible that he missed his target. He never missed before. So it was either that the dragons feared him no longer, or they just ignored him, a wretched old dwarf. The thought insulted him. He had been ignored! Those lizards have enough nerve to ignore me! He drew his breath and screamed at the top of his voice. "DON'T YOU DARE IGNORE ME!! FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN!!" Suddenly he spotted something coming this way. I don't know that I can throw an axe like a boomerang... He studied the object for a while, and finally he understood... And his heart was flushed with joy. I am noticed! I'm not ignored! I am feared! He kept on repeating the words over and over again... until the blue flame hit the ground and exploded a few meters before him. The explosion threw his small body a few meters off the ground. When he recovered, he was sitting on the hard ground, staring at the small crater before him. The dragons were nowhere to be seen. "Dang!" He swore. "COWARDS!!! COME BACK HERE!!!" But then he realized that he was not alone. When he looked back, he saw a group of dwarves armed with axes. They are all staring at him, and all wearing the suits adorned with crest he was quite familiar with. The royal guards! He reached for his axe, and was not very surprised to find that it was not anywhere near to him. "What do you want?!" "You're the feared Holgreb the barbarian, right?!" One of them asked. After hearing the word 'feared', Holgreb quickly said the word he would later regret. "Yes!" "Well, the king wants your head. You're surrounded and outnumbered. Surrender now and we'll do this the easy way!" "I don't care how many you are!" Holgreb prepared his fighting stance. "Catch me if you can!" And they could, after 80 dwarves charged Holgreb all at once, quickly defeating the dwarf. After some struggle, the barbarian was subdued. "Hah!!" One of the royal guards taunted. "I'll make sure you'll understand the meaning of 'odds' by the time you're walking to the beheading table!" Holgreb's head grew heavy. I should have listened to my math lectures in school more seriously... Then he fainted. Anna screamed and screamed, but nobody listened. She struggled, but the intrusion continued. She could feel the intense pain as her vagina was violated. Her invisible assailant rammed his member deep inside her, satisfied with her scream of agony. Then she felt a pair of hands held her face still and forced her mouth open. She refused to do so, and was rewarded by his fingers pinching her nose close, suffocating her. She had rather die rather than giving her rapist what he wanted, but her mouth opened up involuntarily and the thick, disgusting member entered her mouth fully, almost reaching her throat. "LET ME GO!!!" She could her herself screaming. "STOP IT!!!" Her assailants roared together. She struggled wildly, yet they held her body rigid. Her mind went to panic as she could feel the member inside her vagina began to throb. "NO!!! LET ME GO!!!" "ANNA, STOP IT!!!" The view exploded before her eyes, replaced by the view of the barren land... from a few thousand meters off the ground... "KYAAA!!!" She screamed and struggled, only to find a pair of hands tightened around her waist and drew her back up. "ANNA, STOP IT!!!" She heard the voice from behind her and quickly calmed down. "A... Atrus..." Anna panted for breath. "Thank Guardian you're here..." Atrus held her close. "You're freaking the hell out of me! You've been struggling off my grasp!" "I'm sorry..." Anna said slowly. "I... I didn't know what I was doing..." "I know..." Atrus wiped the sweat off her forehead. "You're having a nightmare again?" She nodded in silence. "About... uh... it?" Anna stared at him with her weak gaze. "Yes, I just dreamed of my... rapists..." Tears filled her eyes. "Why, Atrus... Why do I have to endure this humiliation?!" Atrus stroked her hair softly as she lay her head on his chest. "But it's past, Anna. Let it go! Don't let your past control you." "But I can't..." She replied meekly. "Forever I'll be damned to remember this..." She looked into his eyes. "I... I still have the trauma... Tell me, Atrus... Tell me I'm not crazy..." "Anna, don't say..." "Tell me!" She cut him off. "Please, Atrus... Just don't lie to me..." Atrus gaze at her lovingly and kissed her cheek gently. "No, Anna. You're not crazy." As Atrus held her shivering body close to him, he took a moment to look at his surrounding. Agar's dragons had taken them all the way from the Elven land of Elom, across the Human kingdom of Aragon and toward the barren Land of the Dwarves. The journey would have taken at least two weeks if they had decided to walk. The late autumn wind was blowing quite hard at this height that the party had worn extra thick clothes for the ride, especially Anna, whose thin satin costume would not offer protection. Atrus took a glance at another dragons flying next to his. On the back of the nearest dragon were Roberto and Maya. Maya was sleeping peacefully against Roberto's plate armor as the young prince held her tight. At the far side, he could see Hawk and Aurelia the Elf, riding the last dragon. Neither of them was sleeping, yet they looked pretty tired. The journey had taken three days by now, only stopping at several places so Maya and Aurelia could fix some food for their meals. They were in a rush. The demons' threat was getting worse. The demons had been brave enough to threaten the land of Elom, but the party had thwarted their plan. Yet at another part of the world, several cities in the Human and Dwarven territories had been invaded and utterly destroyed. The bad news was that no bodies were found in the ruins. Leaders from the two nations could not comprehend what had happened to those cities and their missing dwellers. What they knew for sure was that it wasn't good. "We should be arriving in Castle Hloffeth in an hour, partner!" Roberto yelled. "Got it!" Atrus replied. "The Dwarves know we're here, so we can expect a welcoming committee!" "Like a flying battle-axe?!" Hawk asked jokingly as Aurelia waved her trophy, the old rusted battle-axe that she 'collected' earlier. "Uh... No, I don't think so..." Atrus answered. "Well, we'll find out soon enough..." The chamber was cold. It was supposed to be cold. It gave... a special meaning. The demon stood alone inside the chamber. Several figures stood in the room, their eyes fixed, staring into empty spaces. Their rigid bodies decorated the otherwise-dull chamber. The statuettes, made as the memoir of many great heroes, had lost their purpose. "Come! I summon you!" The demon roared. A thick mist appeared before him. The mist subsided, revealing a figure of a beautiful maid. Her slim body shivered from the chill. Her beautiful eyes found the dark man and showed great fear. "Worry not, my dear..." "D... don't hurt me..." The girl pleaded. "I won't... In fact, I can't hurt your body... I can only wound your soul..." Invisible shackles seized her limbs and pulled her taut. She was soon hanging spread-eagled in the air, unable to escape. She desperately tried her restraints, only to find that they were holding her firmly. Her body shook in fear as the dark man approached, still wearing his cloak. "What a lovely soul you are..." With a jerk he tore her maid suit in half, revealing her slim body. Her firm breasts stood proudly, slightly hidden by the satin bra. With a rough tug, the bra was gone, and her breasts came free. She shivered and moaned in fear as the cold touch of his finger teased and tormented her sensitive skin. "Please..." "Ah... how... weak..." Without a warning, the demon slipped his finger inside her panties and into her pussy. She jerked as the chill hit her tender skin, followed by the sensation of terrible agony. She wailed in pain as the demon tormented her. It didn't take too long until the pain became unbearable and she fainted. The demon was extremely pleased with the reaction. The play went just as planned. Slowly he disrobed, letting his cloak fall on the floor. He grabbed the maid's small waist and quickly thrust his cock deep inside her pussy. The sudden chill sent her back to the reality and she let out a long wail of agony. He showed no mercy and the torture started immediately. He maintained a slow rhythm, pumping his member inside and outside of her, therefore maintaining her agony. He relaxed the shackles, letting her thrashing body entertain him. Every time the maid was about to faint, he twisted her nipples, sending her back to reality. The torture went on until he reached his peak and shot his load inside her. The girl slumped back on her bondage. Her vagina muscles had turned numb from the terrible cold. Her head swung frantically in the air. The demon held her twisting head and forced her to look straight at him. For the first time she finally took a close look at her captor, and the horror came to her. She wailed and wailed as fear overcame her... The demon waved his hand, and the girl vanished. Yet he could hear her fear. He could feel her endless agony. The horror had been printed, and it would not be removed. It was destined to be eternal, except, of course, if he said otherwise... He smiled... The Dwarven Kingdom of Seraphim was the biggest Dwarven kingdom in the realm. Located east of the Kingdom of Aragon, Kastore had been Aragon's closest neighbor and ally. Unlike the Elves, the Dwarves welcomed warm relationship with the Humans. The alliance had lasted for ages and both races had been quite close to each other. The border was almost nonexistent, and both races could settle down in each other's territory. However, the Humans would be greatly discouraged when moving to the new land. The Land of the Dwarves was almost completely barren. Rocky ground and mountainous range dominated the landscape. Unlike Humans, Dwarves rarely farmed. They found delight in staying near their beloved metal mines, where most Humans found this dull and annoying. This created a nice trading opportunity to both nations. The Humans would import ores and metals from the Dwarves and exported farming products. Dwarves were about one-third shorter than average Humans. Their bodies were usually bigger and fatter too. The legend said that Dwarves used to stay deep beneath the ground, closer to the center of the earth. They had stayed there for ages mining their precious metals, and had suffered from gravity many times larger than the Humans, who had been staying on the earth's surface from the beginning. This theory was accepted as a valid explanation on why the Dwarves were so short. Yet inside their small bodies was power stronger than normal Humans were. A Dwarf with an axe was just as dangerous as a mountain Ogre after its winter hibernation. They arrived at Castle Hloffeth, the capital of Seraphim an hour later. The Dwarves welcomed them warmly before the castle gate, although they looked at the dragons in annoyance. Dwarves hated dragons. They were excellent foot soldiers, but they couldn't do anything against flying enemies. During the history, Aragon had always lent the Dwarves its legions of archers if the Dwarves were under attack by dragons. A welcoming committee waited patiently near the castle gate as the dragons landed before them. The party dismounted quickly and approached the waiting Dwarves. "Fellow Humans!" One of the Dwarves, wearing neat, formal attire, welcomed them. "We greet you, faithful allies. My name is..." "Omar, the minister of foreign affairs of the Kingdom of Seraphim." Roberto smiled. "Omar... You're still the same..." The Dwarf's face brightened. "Prince Roberto of Aragon...?! What a surprise! I didn't know that you're here! Look how much you've grown! And... you're... different...!" "Ah, indeed." Roberto nodded and gestured at his friends. "These wonderful friends of mine changed my life." He introduced them one by one. "They are the real delegation." "Very nice to meet you, Sir White Lion, Lady Freesland and Lady Murdock." Omar bowed slightly. "Your names have been well known even here in Seraphim." Anna bowed. "Really, you're too kind." She said. "And we have another surprise!" The Dwarf announced, gesturing at Aurelia. "It's been quite a long time since we had an envoy from the Elves of Elom. I hope everything is going well back home, especially with your mother." "Thank you." The Elf-girl replied politely. "Come, my friends. King Parson is expecting you in the throne room." Omar announced. Castle Hloffeth was a majestic fortress built on top of a small hill, overlooking the capital city of Hloffeth. It was named after Hloffeth, the first king of the Dwarves who had merged hundreds of Dwarven tribes across the barren land into a kingdom. The majestic castle had been built from the finest material extracted from many underground mines and quarries. The design was simple, consisting of the main building and four castle wings, facing the four directions. Guard towers circled the palace complex, giving ample protection from airborne attackers. Yet, the magnificence lay inside the castle. The party couldn't help but admire the interior of the main hall. Beautiful stone statuettes and sculptures decorated the spacious room, giving the sense of wonder to the visitors, regardless of their races. Numerous chandeliers and torches along the walls seemed to animate the statues to life. A pair of stairways was fixed on either sides of the room, leading to the palace wings. A heavy yet richly decorated stone double door led to the throne room. Here the party separated. Maya volunteered to take care of their stuff. Hawk and Aurelia quickly offered their help. Atrus, Roberto, and Aurelia are the representatives of the three nations, so Omar insisted that they had to attend the audience. Atrus also insisted Anna to come with them for this. So far, only Anna had the necessary talent and experience in diplomacy. The throne room was also magnificent. The half-circle meeting area dominated the room, with the throne on the middle of the half-circle. The chairs and tables were made of fine oak, probably imported from the vast forest in western Aragon. The throne itself was made of fine wood adorned with ivories. A circular glass-covered ceiling let the sunlight in, making a patch of light at the center of the room. The room was full with the royal members. The Dwarves in formal suits sat along the tables, staring at the party. King Parson, sitting on his throne, smiled at them. "Welcome to Seraphim, my friends. I hope your journey was fine." The king announced. "All is well, your majesty." Anna said in her best diplomatic tone. "Ah... You must be Lady Freesland from Aragon." The king guessed. "You are even more beautiful than tales could tell." Anna blushed at the compliment. "You're too kind, your majesty." She drew a deep breath. "Please let me introduce my companions..." "Yes, I've known most of them." King Parson quickly said. "Sir White Lion... Your exploits are well known throughout our land. It's an honor to meet you." "The honor is all mine." Atrus answered politely. The king turned to Roberto. "I hope everything is well with your father, Prince Roberto?" "My father is well, your majesty, thank you." "And what do we have here?" The king gestured at Aurelia. "My name is Aurelia, the princess and future queen of the Elves of Elom, your majesty." "Welcome to my kingdom." King Parson smiled, then turned to the party. "I have received the word of your arrival. Do you have the scroll?" Anna produced the alliance proposal scroll from her backpack and gave it to the king who, to everybody's surprise, refused to accept it. "Y... Your majesty...?" Anna said in confusion. "I have no need to read the contents. "The king answered flatly. "If old Edward wants an alliance, tell them that I accept!" "What...?!" Roberto completely forgot about the diplomatic tongue. "So fast...?!" "The Human and Dwarven kingdoms have been friends for many years." Omar the Dwarf explained. "After what our loyal ally has done to our people, we will accept any proposals whatever the terms are. The Dwarfs are honored to join your cause against the demons." "But..." The king quickly added, "despite your great deeds, I have to test your ability as the envoys of the Guardian." The king stared particularly at Atrus. "I want you to do a task for me." "What do you wish us to do?" Anna asked. Omar approached the party. "Probably some of you are familiar with the geographical detail of our land. Our land is mostly barren ground, rocky mountains, and arid plains. Mining is our main source of living. To the west lie the fertile land of Aragon, where Humans settle down. To the east is the vast, unending Desert of Desolation, an uncharted and dangerous land. And to the north is the wild, treacherous Northern Ocean. "For many years the desert to the east has been a haven for beasts and raiders. The Desert of Desolation has been a nightmare for our people. Ever since our founder King Hloffeth tamed the raider tribes along the perimeter of the desert, the Desert of Desolation has been proclaimed as part of the Forbidden Land. However, over the past years the desert seemed to possess more threat to our land. Just a few month ago, we discovered the source of the trouble." Omar took a moment to regain his breath. "Many centuries ago, the desert was a part of the territory owned by an ancient civilization called Salthi. But for some odd reasons, the Salthi was wiped out. Their ancient city was the only thing left, and for many years beasts and many foul folks had populated it. A few years ago, a lone wizard came to the ancient city of the Salthi to put an end to the threat. Then the rest of the story is mostly myth. It is said that the wizard was overwhelmed and decided to lock himself along with all the monsters inside an impenetrable structure, so the monsters could not escape. With the rest of his magical power, he summoned a giant pyramid to rise and cover the ancient city, thus trapping the monsters inside. The wizard himself was never seen again." The king continued the story. "Lately, the land around the pyramid, the Pyramid of Salthi it was called, has grown to the most dangerous land in Seraphim. We have many mines around the area and the workers are afraid of the pyramid. They claimed that the pyramid possesses a terrible curse to those who enter or disturb the trapped occupants. If the mining operation in that area is disturbed, our war effort will be greatly affected, and we can't devote our resource to the alliance. "I want you to go there and investigate the matter." The king finally said. "Discover the mystery of the pyramid and do whatever you can to end the curse, if it really exists. If the area around the pyramid is secured, our mining operation can continue, and our alliance will prosper." "Do you have any idea of the pyramid's threat?" Aurelia asked. "We have many cases of sudden sickness and hallucinations." Omar answered. "Those are normal for miners working deep underground, but the close proximity to the pyramid enhanced the rumor of the pyramid's curse. Honestly, we don't know what you will expect inside. Be very careful." "We have a small garrison near the area that can aid you should you need extra help." The king added. "But I really doubt the commander will agree to help unless the problem is solved. I personally can't blame him, so you're basically alone in this mission." "We'll do whatever we can." Anna replied. "But there is one thing we must ask from you." "Name it." King Parson said. Atrus took over the conversation. "The Guardian ordered me to find five Warriors of the Guardian to aid me in my search for the fabled Champion of the Guardian. One of the warriors is, I believe, among the Dwarves. The chosen warrior must have had a dream, a prophecy from the Guardian himself. He should also possess special ability. Do you know somebody with these characteristics?" "Sir White Lion..." The king sighed. "You're aware that most of our population are miners, working deep beneath the surface. Words don't travel very far in those mines. Searching one Dwarf from our many mines will definitely take time, and time is not on our side..." "Forgive me, your majesty..." One Dwarf suddenly rose up from his seat and approached the king. They were engaged in silent conversation for a while, until the king roared in anger. "THAT'S ABSURD!!! He's a villain!!!" "Young man..." The Dwarf said to Atrus despite the king's anger. "I think I know the man you're looking for." "Sir White Lion..." Omar said. "This is Avitir, our defense minister." "Young man..." Avitir the Dwarf said. "I don't know about the dream from the Guardian, but the man I know really possesses incredible strength and fighting skill." "B...but... He's a criminal!!!" The king roared again. "Your majesty..." Atrus replied calmly. "At least please let me see him." A few minutes later, the party was standing before the cell door, stunned at the sight before them. "You've got to be kidding..." Anna mumbled. There was an old Dwarf sitting on one corner of the cell. His long hair and beard covered most of his expression, yet the many lines across his face confirmed his late age. Tattered clothes around his body revealed his muscular body, a rare sight for a Dwarf of his age. The chain on his ankle was connected to an extremely large metal ball, proving that he had to be a very dangerous villain indeed. "The name's Holgreb." Avitir explained. "He's roughly 60 years old. He's spent most of his time as barbarian raider in the east." "A barbarian raider?" Anna asked. "Yes... you know... attacking towns, raiding temples, killing peasants, raping maidens... He's really good at his job. We're very lucky that my men surprised and seized him when he was not with his band. But I've heard stories that he could march alone against an entire squad of our soldiers and walk out victoriously. Now that's something." Atrus peeped over the tiny window on the steel door to get a better look at the Dwarf. The Dwarf, however, quickly spotted him. "Ah... visitors...! I love visitors!!!" After saying that, the Dwarf charged toward Atrus despite the heavy metal ball on his ankle. A loud crash occurred before him. Roberto reflexively reached for his Kaiser sword of his back and didn't find it there. Aurelia jumped away for cover, and Anna hid behind the minister, who is in turn trying to get away. Atrus just stared at the sight before him. On the steel door a large chunk of the panel had been pushed outward, creating a mound on the surface. A group of Dwaeven guards quickly arrived in the room and groaned. "Aargh! That's the sixth door he'd damaged in two hours!! Can't you guys just stop making him angry... Er... Hi, minister..." Atrus stepped back and turned at the guards. "Open the door. I want to talk to him." "Are you crazy?!" Avitir yelled. "He's just about to kill you!!" "I'll be fine." Atrus answered calmly. "Just leave us alone after I enter the cell." "After we enter the cell." Anna repeated sternly. "I'm going with you." Atrus looked at Anna. He wanted to tell her how silly she was and how dangerous it would be, but she stared back at him, full with determination. He sighed and nodded. The guards opened the steel door and stood aside, but the Dwarf didn't make any attempt to escape. Atrus came inside the cell, followed by Anna who kept close to him. The steel door slammed shut behind them and they could hear the people leaving the prison. "Go away and leave me alone!" The Dwarf snarled. "Or else..." "We're not here to fight you." Atrus replied. But the Dwarf decided that he should give them a demonstration. He suddenly dashed toward them, but was pushed back by Anna's magical force. The little man was slammed on the far wall. Although he was not really affected by the crash, the wall was. He was back on his feet in no time. "Impressive, young lady." He said slowly. "It's been years since I met someone worthy." "I would be honored to do it again if you don't cooperate." Anna warned. "I have nothing." The Dwarf stared at Atrus. "Fight me or leave me." "Holgreb, isn't it?" Atrus resumed calmly. "I heard... you're one of the most feared barbarians in the Land of the Dwarves..." "Yeah... I'm the best..." He grumbled. "Or at least I used to be, until... Hey! What should I tell you this for?!" "Because we're not sure." Anna answered. "Why did you get caught at first place?" "Bah, I yielded! A fine barbarian never surrenders!" "You yielded?" "Yeah... I got tired of fighting. You know... When you have a gold mine and you can't find anymore gold, you abandon the mine..." "You mean you can't find anymore gold when you're raiding villages?" Atrus asked. "Bah! Gold! I need no gold!" Holgreb snarled. "Fame! That's what I need!" "You don't get enough fame?" "Bah! If people hear the name of Gurkhar the Dwarf, they shook in fear! When they hear that Oscar the Immortal is coming, nobody dares to stand on the street! But when they hear my name, they start talking about an old man who can't possibly hold an axe straight! My time has come to an end! Leave me alone! Let the execution come to end my misery!" "Do you think you can make people remember your name by raiding and killing them?" Anna countered. "Of course! Gurkhar the Dwarf! Oscar the Immortal! Jesse the Gutter! Glob the..." "Is that how you want them to remember you?! As a killer?! As a raider?!" "Of course! Every time you walk on the street, people sing your name with praise! Women offer themselves as offerings! Piles of gold and silver were filled in jars!" "People don't praise you!!" Anna yelled back. "They curse you! They curse you for spreading misery in their villages! People curse you for their relatives you have killed! People curse you for their homes and farms you've burnt to the ground! And now you want to die! Then forever people will remember you as Holgreb the Barbarian, and they will sing your name in curse!!" Atrus took a glance at Anna. He'd never seen her so angry before. She was completely pissed off. He just assumed that she knew what she was doing. "So what?!" Holgreb shot back. "I'm 60! My days in this realm are numbered!" "So you just want to give it up?! I thought a fine barbarian never surrenders!" A long silence covered the cell. Anna's answer seemed to hit Holgreb at the back of his mind. And for the first time since he became a barbarian he thought. A thinking barbarian was a rare sight. "Very well..." Holgreb finally said. "I have to admit... I don't want to be remembered as a killer. I... just want to be famous, that's all..." "You can be famous in a good way." Anna's voice was relaxed. "You're a fighter. If you fight for the good of your people, they will definitely forgive you." Holgreb chuckled. "Hah... I don't think the problem will be that easy... But you've convinced me, at least for now. Now speak." Atrus nodded. "First of all, I want to know if you've ever had a dream from the Guardian?" "Bah! I never trust gods! I'm telling you, son... Those divine creatures that keep on demanding sacrifices of livestock and town's finest maidens and sending floods famines, tornadoes and sandstorms in return? Pretty dumb, those creatures... At least I can teach my dog some gratitude!" "Er..." Atrus was confused. "Answer the question, please..." "But I'm telling you this, son. As a barbarian, I am fearless. But there is one dream I had that has been bothering me. Once I dreamt of clouds, a vast landscape with only clouds. Never seen something like that before in my life. But then I saw darkness fall over the clouds. Then I saw emptiness, but filled with agonizing cries and pleas for help. Like, I'm used to all of those things, but this time it was different. I know it was just a dream, but it was so real. Is that what you want?" Atrus stared at Anna, who in turn stared at him. "Do you know what that means?" "Honestly I don't." Anna muttered. "But it does sound like the Guardian's prophecy." "Holgreb the Dwarf." Atrus announced. "I need your help in my quest to search for the Champion of the Guardian. Please join me in my journey." "Is that an order or a request, sonny?" Holgreb smirked. Atrus smiled and bowed slightly. "It's a request." The Dwarf let out a light laugh. "Well, since you ask nicely, I will join you." Anna entered the room, sat on the nearest chair and let out a long sigh. It had been a tiring day. They had finally convinced Holgreb to join the party. The Dwarf had been very excited when they told him that they were going to the Pyramid of Salthi. He said he had been in the area once and he knew some of the natives there. Hopefully their task would be a lot easier. Atrus, Aurelia and Roberto were in the palace right now, trying to arrange Holgreb's release. Anna was very tired from their journey that she decided to retire for the day, thinking that she would not be very useful in the palace anyway. Now what she needed was a nice, long rest. She yelped in panic when a pair of hands traveled along her neck and to her shoulders. "Mistress, it's me." Maya's voice came. "I didn't mean to startle you..." "I'm just tired, Maya... It's been a long day..." She felt Maya's hands begin to massage her tense muscles. "I still remember when you massaged me back in Aragon..." She chuckled lightly. "I learnt how to massage from you, Mistress." "Yeah... I even saw you doing this to Atrus a couple of times..." Anna said, without noticing the hurt in her voice. Maya came in front of her, giving her a sad gaze. "Mistress... Do you hate me for that...?" Anna was completely taken off guard. "What? Hate you? Why should I?" "I mean... Master Atrus... I hope I didn't hurt your feeling..." "Now, Maya, I'm just being silly." Anna explained. "But I don't hate you..." "Mistress... I love Atrus as my master... He possesses me completely, but I can never posses him... I... I can never be his wife..." "Maya, don't say that! I'm not going to let you enslave your life forever! Neither will Atrus!" "Mistress..." Maya just continued. "I love you both as my saviors... I love you too, Mistress... Please don't hate me..." Maya's face was now just a few inches from Anna'. Anna could see tears rolling down her cheek. Her love is true. Never before have I seen a love so pure, so honest, so devoted. Anna touched Maya's cheek and wiped her tears away. "Don't worry, Maya... I don't hate you..." Maya boldly made her first move and kissed her mistress lightly on her cheek. Anna was surprised, but she accepted the kiss. She allowed Maya's hand to circle around her waist and drew her closer. She was less surprised when Maya kissed her for the second time and inserted her tongue. Maya's hand expertly massaged her neck, relaxing the muscles and lifting the burden off her body She didn't resist when she was led to the bed and was laid down. Maya slid Anna's upper costume, revealing her pert breasts. Anna just moaned as Maya expertly nursed the breasts, massaging them and playing with her nipples. Soon both nipples stood erect and were as hard as rock. Anna's breath became more and more ragged. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Maya just smiled at her playfully. "Don't fall asleep yet, Mistress... I won't let you until I finish." "It entirely depends... on how good you are... at keeping me awake." Anna answered. Maya smiled again and crept down toward her mistress' most sacred place. She drew the satin skirt up, revealing her panties. Slowly she traced the flesh beneath the thin fabric with her fingers, purposely avoiding her pussy. She was definitely good at making her mistress crazy. Anna spontaneously raised her hips to invite her more. She just smiled and continued teasing her. Then Maya accidentally brushed against her sensitive clitoris, making her jerk from the stimulation. "Maya... please... I can't hold it any longer..." Maya slid her panties aside, revealing her very wet pussy. She made some remarks, but Anna was completely lost to the sensation. Her hands involuntarily reached out and touched her breasts and began massaging them. Maya smirked, then slowly inserted a finger inside Anna's pussy, and followed by another finger. The sensation reached its peak and a powerful orgasm overcame her. A silent cry escaped her lips as the waves of pleasure bombarded her brain. When the sensation subsided, she found Maya sitting next to her. "I hope you like it, Mistress... No offense, but you're very easy to please..." Anna chuckled, then grabbed Maya's shoulder and dragged her down on the bed. Since Maya didn't resist, Anna could easily pin her body down. "I just learned this new trick from the Book of Elements..." She said slowly. "And you're going to be my first victim..." Anna hung her palm over Maya's form and chanted the spell. Then tiny sparks appeared from her fingers and zapped through her thin bodysuit, striking her nipples. Maya let out a yelp and jerked from the shock. It wasn't strong enough to damage her body, but enough to induce the desired sensation. Maya moaned as Anna played with her breasts. "Ladies?!! Are you okay?!!" Anna slumped over Maya, startled by the intrusion. Neither of them expected that Hawk would hear them and decided to check. "Uh... We're completely fine!" Maya answered. "We heard some weird noises from next room." Hawk called again beyond the door. "I'm just making sure everything is okay." "We're fine!" Anna said. "That must have been the royal swine from the pen next door!" "Uh... okay... Sorry" Anna wouldn't think that Hawk would buy her story, but she sighed in relief anyway. Maya woke up and kissed her on the forehead. "Sleep now, Mistress. I'll wake you up for supper later." "B... but you haven't got your release..." Anna protested. "Don't worry about me." Maya smiled. "My needs can wait. Plus, I really enjoyed your new trick. Now sleep. You need your rest." Anna smiled warmly before exhaustion took control and put her slowly to sleep. This time, she dreamt of clouds. The journey to the desert took two days. They had decided not to use the dragons to avoid too much attention. Unlike Humans, Dwarves didn't use horses for transportation, so they had to walk. Canyons and rocky ground dominated the route. Although it was autumn, the weather was intensely hot due to the lack of vegetation around the area. The land was dry, parched by the sun. Dust filled the air. The only thing that could possibly cheer up the party was Holgreb's war story from his 45 years of being a barbarian. Unfortunately, it didn't do its purpose. "But hang on..." Holgreb insisted. "Let me tell you what I did when I was with Gurkhar!" "Yeah... for the 25th time..." Anna mumbled. "Uh huh... I'd bet you killed 45 vampires, 105 trolls, 208 troglodytes and 315 hobgoblins then..." Hawk mumbled. "That's right..." Roberto sighed. "And you killed one-eighth ogre as well..." "One-eighth...?" Maya asked. "How can..." "He's explained that before!" Roberto quickly answered, not wanting to make Holgreb start his story. "He shared the kill, equally, with his seven friends..." "Oh..." "Wow... you guys really like my story that much you remember the detail!" Holgreb smiled brightly. "Here... let me tell you a story when we defeated this evil spider queen..." "Oh brother..." "Atrus, how far is the nearest village?" Anna asked. Atrus didn't answer. When she tugged his shirt, he turned at her and pulled the cloth from his ears and waited expectantly. Anna grumbled, slapped him hard, and repeated the question. "According to the map, it might take another half an hour..." Atrus answered. The party groaned. Anna slapped Atrus again, ignored his protest and plugged her ears with her earrings. "Sorry for the interruption, folks..." Holgreb announced cheerfully. "Now for the story..." They finally arrived at Niddol, a small mining village at the outskirts of the Desert of Desolation. They didn't expect a welcoming party, but they never expected to be welcomed by nothing. The village was completely abandoned. There was nobody around. The houses were still erect, but the occupants were gone. The street was dusty and deserted. Only the eerie sound of the hot wind was heard. "Spread out..." Atrus ordered. "See if you can find what's wrong with the villagers..." The party spread out and entered the abandoned buildings while Atrus and Roberto stayed outside to watch over. They tried to notice if someone was watching them, but there was no one around. The village was indeed completely deserted. "Master Atrus!" Atrus and Roberto scrambled to the nearest building where Maya was. Maya was kneeling on the floor, staring at the rusted door before her. She traced the old door surface, revealing a thin, obscure line of red-smeared wood. A few red dots were also spread across the surface. Blood! "There has been a fight here, Master." Maya said slowly. "But there are no bodies..." Together they searched the room, but they found nothing. When they got out of the building, everybody was gathering. "I found nobody in the tavern." Anna reported. "But the tables and chairs were scattered around the room in a very odd way." "Same here..." Hawk nodded. "A very odd way?" Atrus asked. "Yeah... like, a round table stuck on the chandelier on the ceiling." Anna replied. "It seems like there has been a tornado inside the tavern." "There is one cupboard full of clothes." Aurelia spoke up. "But there was nobody around. They couldn't just abandon their homes without taking their clothes along!" "Probably this is the pyramid's curse..." Roberto suggested. "I won't be surprised!" Holgreb announced, then pointed at a direction. "As far as I remember, the Pyramid of Salthi is just beyond tha..." The Dwarf didn't finish his sentence. Instead, his finger was stopped midair, pointing at a direction of a small sand dune. Beyond the dune, a thin trace of black smoke was seen. "That... that's where the garrison is..." Holgreb muttered in shock. "Smoke..." Atrus suddenly yelled, "The garrison is under attack! Let's go!" They were too late. The party stared silently at the broken wooden gate. Several burnt buildings still produced black smoke from the fire beneath the stones. Deserted assembly ground was full with black dents of scorched ground. Whatever had attacked the garrison, it had destroyed it utterly. Yet the problem stayed the same. The signs of battle were everywhere, but there were no bodies. There were spots smeared with blood. There were fallen axes and iron helmets scattered around the complex. There was a tumbled pot full of cooked lunch. But there was no sign of the survivors, as if the entire garrison occupants had been swallowed to void. Anna knelt near the scorched ground and inspected it carefully. The scorched mark interested her. The mark couldn't be made by fire. The mark was a little jagged on the sandy ground. Whatever hit it, it had to be really powerful, for the blow left a small, yet deep crack on the center. "Do you have any idea what caused it?" Roberto asked. "Something incredibly hot and strong..." Anna rubbed the rough ground with her glove" "A fire bolt?" Atrus suggested. "No... stronger than that... it fried the ground rather quickly..." "Shock spell?" Maya answered. "It travels pretty fast..." "Good point, Maya... If I'm not mistaken, this mark is probably caused by... lightning bolt." "HAH!!!" Holgreb laughed. "In the desert! We see lightning bolt in the desert once in a century!" "I know it's odd..." Anna agreed. "But I can find no other explanation for this..." "Spread out, people!" Atrus ordered again. "See if you can find something interesting." The team spread out, searching the ruins for something useful. There was hardly anything useful there, because most of the things were either broken or burnt. "Uh, guys!" Holgreb suddenly called. "I can use a hand here!" Roberto came and found that the Dwarf was standing before a ruin of what had used to be a storage shed. The building had crumbled down, leaving only a pile of big stones. "You want me to lift these rocks up?" Roberto queried. "What would be beneath them?" "You should trust a barbarian in this kind of event." Roberto shrugged and took his gigantic Kaiser Sword from his back. He jammed the sword into the piles of rocks, which gave it no resistance. With a strong yank, the boulders gave way, revealing a golden chest. Roberto gazed at the Dwarf. "Sixth sense?" "The result of 45 years of constant training." Holgreb simply answered. "Now to open it..." Holgreb opened the chest carefully and took a peek inside to make sure there were no booby traps inside the chest. Soon, he retrieved a small object wrapped in dirty cloth. Soon the party gathered around him. The object turned out to be a small round medallion made out of gold. The object was very jagged at certain edges. A strange sculpture of a spider was carved on the center. "Wait a minute... I know this symbol..." The Dwarf muttered. "It's the same symbol carved on the pyramid walls!" "So we're in the right track..." Hawk's eyes suddenly opened. "Wait a sec... You've been to the pyramid?!" "Yeah... four months ago... with Gurkhar the Dwarf!" "WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY THAT EARLIER?!!!" Maya screamed and later closed her mouth, realizing her mistake. "You want to hear the story of how we defeated the goblins around the pyramid? Just say the word!! Well, I was with Gurkhar then when those goblins... Man, they're tough..." The party sighed. "Oh brother..." The maid screamed again with renewed intensity. The dark man was quite amused. She had been bound for three hours, and he had been entertaining her without stopping. He forcefully slammed his cock all the way inside her unwilling pussy. She struggled against her bondage, doing an erotic dance before her captor. Finally the agony became too much and she fainted as soon as the demon shot his unholy seeds inside her womb. A thin mist appeared, slowly turning into the image of a ghoul; a soul in agony. The ghoul moaned around the air, twisting frantically fighting a losing fight for its freedom. Yet the message was sent. "Ah... visitors... They have arrived..." The demon waved his hand and the unconscious girl disappeared. He let out a wicked smile. He had been waiting for this moment. Finally, he could be free once again. His unholy prayer had been answered. "Finally... The worthy one has arrived..." A faint image of a young girl appeared before him. The petite girl was wearing the official priestess suit for the Order of Lycra. He could feel her strength. He could feel her determination. The girl, he thought, was the spirit of the group he was supposed to defeat. "Defeat the soul... and the body will yield..." The Pyramid of Slathi stood silently in the middle of the desert, reaching for the cloudy afternoon sky. To the east the vast field of sand stretched over the horizon, threatening unwary adventurers with beasts, deadly scorpions, and violent sandstorms. For many years the pyramid had served as the marking beacon for the Forbidden Land. For many years the pyramid was seen as the final safe haven for the lost adventurers as they were unaware of the ultimate danger lying beneath. Roberto slowly rubbed the cold stone surface with his palm. "It's odd... The surface is so smooth. There's no hint of age! It seems like the pyramid was built just yesterday, by the finest mason in the kingdom!" "It's definitely protected by magic..." Anna closed her eyes and listened to her deeper sense. "It's not right... The magic is not bad... but it resists me... as if trying to ward me off..." "I hope we have more choices." Atrus said. "But we'll have to enter the pyramid eventually." The entrance was just as simple as a hole on the surface. The long tunnel was quite small for them, although it fit Dwarves quite well. The tunnel was completely dusty and dark, preventing further inspection. The think scent of mold filled their nostrils, defeating even the bravest soul. "We can't get in now..." Aurelia said slowly in her low, melodic tone. "I'd say we camp at the garrison and returned tomorr..." Before she could finish her word, a high eerie sound was heard in the air. The dark cloud stirred violently in the sky. Suddenly the air around them became uncomfortably hot. "Wait a minute..." Anna muttered. "Atrus, this is a desert, right?" "Right." "There's no water in the desert, right?" "Very little." Holgreb agreed. "So there will be very little water vapor in the desert, right?" "True." "Then what's the cloud doing here in the desert at the first place?" The party looked at the sky and was dreaded at what they saw. The dark cloud was getting thicker and thicker. An obscure, thin line of light appeared beneath the surface. "Mistress... The garrison! There was indeed lightning bolt!" Maya suggested. "What?!! It can't be!" Holgreb snarled. "This is a desert..." Then he knew that he was wrong when a lightning bolt hit squarely on top of the pyramid, sending bolts of electricity throughout the surface and into the sand. The ground shook upon contact with the bolts. Tiny sparks blasted away from the tip of the pyramid and fell down on the ground. The party suddenly recalled one of many facts in the Land of Lore. If it didn't make sense, then it had to be magical." "I'm not really sure, but I have this strange feeling..." Roberto mumbled. "I've been to this case before... you know... thick cloud, hot air... I've seen this before in Aragon... I believe they call this... uh... tornado?" The Elf and the Dwarf were not affected at all, but all Human members quickly stared sharply at him. "WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO?!!!" Hawk roared. A loud roar at their back regained their attention. A large, dark cone appeared from the cloud and descended upon the sand, lifting it along its swirling surface. Then suddenly tiny bits of sand filled the air, hitting their faces and entering their nostrils. The party, especially Aurelia and Holgreb who had never seen a tornado before, began coughing and choking. Even slightly blurred by the sand, Anna could see the tornado closing on them. "Come on!! Get inside!!" she yelled. The party quickly scrambled inside the dark tunnel. Anna entered last and sealed the entrance with her magic barrier, preventing the sand from coming in. The tunnel was extremely dark and cramped. Nobody dared to move for a while, fearing what might lie beyond the darkness. The problem was solved when Anna summoned a few floating fireballs to illuminate the tunnel. "What in the name of the Guardian was that?!!" Aurelia complained. "Well, I suppose there's no turning back now." Atrus muttered. "We're going in." The party readied their weapons, except for Roberto, whose weapon was too huge to be used inside the tunnel. Almost everybody had to crouch several times to fit inside. Outside, the sandstorm raged violently, occasionally producing low-pitch roar across the tunnel. The fireballs guided them through the tunnel until they reached a larger room. As the party member emerged from the tunnel, mumbles of awe came in turn. The room was as big as a small house, except that it was completely fortified with stone. The ceiling was very high, too high for a structure built without purpose. But the main fact was that the walls were inscribed with strange sculptures and ancient writing. The writing went upward toward the high ceiling. "Anna... Can you understand their writing?" Atrus asked, still staring at the wall. Anna knelt before the wall and studied the writing. It was neatly marked and sculptured on the stone surface. Various pictograms were scattered around the strange letters. She had read several books about languages from nomadic age, but she had never encountered this style before. She shook her head. "Never seen this kind before. I'll try to decipher it." "No need." Holgreb mumbled. "We have what we need here." The Dwarf walked clumsily across the room and brushed the stone surface with his hand, revealing a small hollow circle. "This might be some kind of keyhole. See the symbol here?" Over the hollow circle there was a sculpture of a spider, just like the one on the medallion. "We've found the key." The Dwarf produced the medallion from his bag. Suddenly a loud roar was heard across the room. Anna's body twitched suddenly with a yelp. She stared blankly for a while; her breath raced quickly. "Anna?" Atrus asked nervously. Anna was silent for a while. "Something's wrong..." Anna muttered finally. "The strange forces around the pyramid jumped at the medallion... I can feel them probing my mind..." "Are they bad?" Aurelia asked. "I can't feel anything." "No, they're not bad... They're... If they were good, they wouldn't repulse me just like that... Something is wrong... I have a bad feeling about this..." "Ignore it!" Holgreb claimed. "It can mean good charm!" After saying that, he slammed the medallion in place on the hole. Suddenly the whole place shook with tremor. Thick dust fell from the ceiling, momentarily blinding them. A loud crash was heard, followed by a roar of mechanical gears, then silence. "Nice move." Hawk mumbled. "Good charm indeed." Soon they found that a large boulder had blocked the small tunnel, sealing the only entrance. Roberto and Hawk tried to push, but it seemed that the boulder was far too heavy. They had been trapped inside the room. "Well, we're doomed." Roberto announced. "We'll probably suffocate in a few hours." "Or not." Maya added slowly. "Hear that sound?" A low whistle of the sandstorm raging outside could still be heard. "This room has access to open air. Probably at the ceiling." "Great!!" The prince said. "I suppose there Salthi guys prefer the slow and horrible death for their uninvited visitors. We could starve for days and stay alive!" "Relax..." Atrus said slowly. "There's got to be a way out." "I suppose so." Anna agreed. "I'll start by deciphering the writing. You guys can start searching. And Holgreb!" The Dwarf twitched at Anna's sharp call. "Touch nothing!!!" Anna knelt back before the wall, facing the writing. She rubbed the stone surface with her bare hand, feeling the cold stone against her skin. When she withdrew, she noticed thick dust on her finger. This place had been abandoned for a long time since the lone mage summoned the pyramid. Now they had to find out what had happened to him, and to do so they had to enter first. If you don't know where to start, start with the most apparent and obvious symbol, she recalled her knowledge, and start from there. Her eyes quickly picked up a rough sketch of five people standing in line, which was slightly bigger than other symbols. She traced the writing, skipping the weird language, and found another symbol in shape of a circle and a spider on top of it. Then she trailed the writing until she reached a strange symbol of a box with arc-shaped top. A door! And the spider medallion is the key! Then she met another symbol of a spider, a cloud, a lightning bolt, and an arc-shaped gate, followed by strange writing. Are they trying to describe a storm? Then what's with the second spider? Something in her mind told her to check the symbols again. Slowly she rubbed the first spider symbol and was surprised to find that it was curved inside. Slowly and carefully she rubbed the surface, cleaning the dust. The spider symbol was made out of shiny stone, different from the rest of the wall. It was small compared to the entire writing, yet without the dust the spider would be quite apparent to normal eyes under plenty of light. She took some time to draw a deep breath, touched the symbol, and pushed the spider with all her might. The symbol yielded to her push and a tremor shook the room again, refilling it with thick dust. A loud roar of mechanical gears was heard. When the dust cleared up, the party was staggered. A portion of the wall had slid down, revealing a door. Another dark and long tunnel waited beyond. Atrus nodded at Anna. "Nice piece of work, girl!" "I don't like this." Anna gave him a doubtful look. "I didn't find the switch... Something in my mind told me about it... Just... just keep your eyes open." They drew their weapons and entered the tunnel. The tunnel was long and uneventful. The mold-covered stone wall gave creepy feeling. Suddenly Anna raised her arm and everybody ceased moving. "Something is really wrong here... The spirits... They're probing my mind... They're trying to warn me of something..." She said slowly. Then Maya caught something at the corner of her eyes and pointed at the wall. There was a thin, obscure slit between the stone rows. "That does look like a booby trap." "What?!" Holgreb demanded. "I don't see anything!" Maya produced a throwing knife and eyed the floor. Then she threw the knife down toward the floor. The knife hit and one tile instantly shifted downward. Then a big, circular metal blade appeared from the slit and swung across the width of the tunnel, slicing through the air. It could have been any of them instead. A loud thump was heard as the dwarf dropped his battle-axe... and his jaws. "H...how did you know...?" "Experience..." Maya said flatly. "And it seems that the spirits you're sensing are not hostile after all, Mistress. They are indeed warning you of certain danger." "We'll hope they maintain their reliability throughout this damn journey." Roberto muttered. "Under these circumstances it's always nice to find allies." "We'll proceed." Atrus announced. "And Anna, don't hesitate to stop us." They proceeded through the tunnel, passing a few more traps. Maya did a good job at uncovering them all. Finally they saw a speck of light coming at the end of the tunnel. The stone floor had been replaced by smooth stone pavement. A few torch holders were fixed at the walls. There was nothing special about them, but seeing a sign of civilization inside a pyramid was indeed good. Just when they started to cheer up, a distressed cry was heard. "People, we have a company!!" Hawk announced. Standing... or rather hovering behind them was a man. He was as tall as standard Human, wearing dark cloak that covered his entire body. His head was covered by his cloak and high collar, perfectly hiding his true expression. His eyes were flaming in red, and staring at them. "I do not welcome you." His voice sounded icy. "You've made a big mistake coming here." "Are you the one that has been messing around with this area?" Holgreb asked. "You have no right to speak here." The figure snarled. "Any last requests?" "You're a demon!!" Atrus barked. "Your minions have been plaguing this place. I'm afraid we'll have to remove you at once!" "You don't know what you're talking about. But I accept your challenge. COME!!!" Anna's body jerked violently and fell over Aurelia's unsuspecting body and they both tumbled down. Everybody raised their weapons and moved to surround their fallen allies, but the dark figure remained where he was. Instead the room suddenly became really chilly. Thin mist appeared from nowhere, filling the room. "Anna, you're okay?" Atrus asked without looking back. "The spirits... They're screaming..." Anna cringed, holding her head. "Let them go!!" "Why should I?" The figure simply answered. "They're my minions." "I can feel them..." Aurelia said, her long ears twitched. "But who are they...?" "Oh, you'll meet them... CHARGE!!!" Then the mist turned into bluish yet faint clouds flying in the air. Each cloud presented a haunted face of a person, screaming and charging at them. Atrus, Hawk and Roberto met them first, but their weapons did no good as they sliced through thin air, splitting the clouds but not hurting them. The ghouls charged again and went through their armors and chests and appeared from their backs. Then a sharp pain soared through their upper body. They staggered from the pain and fell on their knees. "What was that...?!" Roberto asked. "Never felt such pain before..." The demon let out a small chuckle. "Foolish creatures you are. You thought you live in your physical beings in the physical world. But a part of each of you lives in the spiritual world. You can't hurt them, but as you can see, they can." "You enslaved them!!" Anna screamed. "I said let them go!!" "You know too much!" The demon roared. "ATTACK THEM!!!" More ghouls charged at them and dropped them to their knees one by one. Atrus ignited his inner power and covered his body with the flame aura. The ghouls seemed to hesitate to attack, but he still couldn't hurt them. Maya was the only one that was nimble enough to evade the ghouls' attack thanks to her father's talisman. But the rest of the group were either twitching on the ground or screaming in pain. Then to his horror, Atrus saw the demon appear before the dazed Anna. The demon raised his hands and they began to shine brightly. He couldn't reach her. He wouldn't reach her in time. But Maya could. She stepped just before her mistress when the demon launched his attack. Bright light covered her body and a loud, pitiful scream was heard. "BANISH EVIL!!" Anna launched volleys of green missiles from her hands and disintegrated most of the ghouls. The rest of them disappeared immediately. "LIGHTNING SLASH!!!" The Rainbow Sword flashed brightly as Atrus swept through the dark shadow, but the demon wasn't there anymore. The ghouls were gone by the magic. Maya stood erect unmoved before Anna. Atrus stood on guard, followed by the rest of the team. The demon materialized on the air before them, sneering at them. "Foolish soul... You don't know who you're up to..." "Silence, demon!" Roberto snapped. "You don't scare us!" "Is that true...? See your friend yourselves!" Atrus was ready to strike again when Anna grabbed and tugged his shirt. "A... Atr... Atrus... I... Y... you should t... take a l... M... Maya..." Atrus turned back and was shocked at what he saw. Maya's form was still standing erect, covering her mistress. Her body was as rigid as stone, unable to move. Her face was fixed with dreaded look, facing the empty air. Her lips were trembling uncontrollably, but no voice came out. "What did you do to her?!!" Roberto demanded. "I have to admit, she's pretty valiant in protecting her friend... Pretty valiant indeed..." "WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!!" Roberto roared. "Nothing much... just a little magic here and there..." Roberto advanced, ready to swing his gigantic sword, but his body was petrified. Anna quickly circled his body with her magical force and pulled him back. "Don't do it, Roberto... It's not worth it." She stared at the demon. "What do you want?" The demon chuckled. "Now that we can talk, I can speak my mind. Don't worry about her; she's not dead... yet. But I can ensure you that she's in terrible discomfort right now." Nobody made any further comment, so the demon continued, "I have placed the petrifying magic on the girl, and don't even bother trying to cure it, because you can't. She will basically turn to stone very slowly, tortured by fatigue and discomfort. And it will slowly petrify her from outside, so she will definitely enjoy her slavery for hours before her heart turns to stone, finishing her agony." There were a series of gasps from the team. Roberto, recovered from Anna's magic, was now laying Maya's rigid body down on the floor to comfort her, although he knew that wouldn't help much. The rest of the team was still standing on their feet, unmoved. "What do you want?" Anna repeated. "This..." The demon held a small tube of light blue liquid, "is the antidote. Drinking it will instantly dispel the effect of the spell. Win it from me, and your friend will live, that is of you can do it in time, or else..." "And I suppose you won't let us get it easily." Hawk muttered. "I will be waiting in my quarter, in the central gallery in the town center of Salthi. I want you!" The demon pointed directly at Atrus. "Atrus White Lion, Prophet of the Guardian. Bring one friend with you. There you will submit yourself to our custody, and your friend will live." "You can't do that...!" Anna managed to say. "Unfortunately, I can." The demon sneered. "I'll see you later, Prophet of the Guardian..." The demon disappeared from their sight. Everybody quickly scrambled around the rigid form of Maya. Her face clearly showed her silent agony. Anna softly touched her wrist, feeling her weakened life force. She didn't like it. "It's a strong spell." She concluded. "I won't cure her, for it might endanger her life. She has at least three hours before her life is threatened. I'm afraid we'll have to play his game..." "I will play his game!" Atrus said quickly. "I won't endanger Maya's life because of me!" "But you're Lord Guardian's man!" Hawk countered. "So I have to let Maya go?! After what she has done to all of us?! Now I'm ashamed of you guys!! Maya's life is in danger, and I will help her no matter what. If anybody objects, stop me!!" The party was silent for a while. Atrus stared sharply at every one of them. "Very well, no complaints here. I'm getting the antidote." Atrus was about to leave when Anna stopped him. "Wait... I'm going with you!" "I don't need your help." Atrus said quickly. "I will kill the demon and retrieve the antidote." "Please, Atrus, let me go with you!" She insisted. "Maya is someone dear to me... If there are people who can save her, I want to be one of them!" "Anna!!" Atrus hesitated for a second. "Very well... Just don't do anything stupid." He addressed the rest of the party. "The rest of you, wait here. Roberto, I'm depending on you." "Don't worry, partner." Roberto was still massaging Maya's rigid body. "I will guard her with my life. Go and kill that demon!" Atrus nodded and quickly ran along the tunnel, Anna following close behind. Then the tunnel was quiet, except the faint sound of the raging storm echoing around the room. "We can't just stay here!" Aurelia insisted. "We have to help them!" "I'm sure Atrus won't appreciate it." Hawk grumbled. "Never seen him so angry before." "We can explore this place!" Holgreb suggested. "There are many interesting things hidden in these ruins! Probably treasures!" "Or monsters." Hawk added. "We're not here for a treasure hunt." "I don't know about you guys, but I'm leaving!" The Elf said. "Prince Roberto, I'm leaving you for a while." "Go, you guys." The prince nodded without even looking at them. "I'll guard her." "I'm still not sure this is a good idea..." Hawk said as he and the Dwarf followed the Elf along the tunnel. Soon darkness enveloped them, and Roberto was alone with Maya's body in his arms. "Don't worry, Maya..." The prince soothed her while brushing her hair and hard skin. "I'm not going to leave you. You'll be okay." He was amazed to see a trickle of tears appearing at the corner of her open-wide eyes. Her lips trembled faster, yet no words came out and her stare was blank. But the sign was more than enough for him. She knew he was there. She knew she was not alone. Softly he wiped the tears off her cheek. "Just hang on, Maya. I'm here for you..." Atrus stood on top of a large boulder, amazed at what he was seeing. Anna stood behind him, sharing the same feeling. For the moment the urgency of their situation was completely forgotten. Before them lay the view of the ruins of what once had been the great city of Salthi. The tunnel ended in a cave on one of the walls of the pyramid, at the outskirts of the city. The view great city stretched far beyond the horizon, as if there were no boundaries. The pyramid walls replacing the sky covered the city from any angles. The box-shaped buildings were arranged neatly in rows around the city. And in the center, a large slightly raised building dominated the view of the entire city. It was, presumably, the city center. And it was quite a long journey. They had to go there, defeat the demon, and get back to the cave in three hours. The thought awakened them from their amazement. Atrus nodded at his companion, then jumped down the sharp slope toward the city. After helping Anna with the journey down, they began their advance through the city. The streets were well paved with fine stone. The houses were mainly made out of fabricated material unknown to them, but the building stood proud despite the age. Perhaps they shouldn't call it ruins. The city was not ruined. It was just completely abandoned... for unknown reasons. But the ruins were not quiet at all. There were strange noises from within the building walls. Anna tried to detect them, but strange forces prevented her to use her eagle eye spell to the fullest. She could still feel the spirits around them. She just could hope they were on their side. Then suddenly Anna hit Atrus, who abruptly stopped his advance. "Shh... We're being watched. Keep your eyes open." Atrus whispered. Anna nodded. Without her magic as her ally, she had to trust Atrus' superior senses. His Ranger training had saved them many times before. Slowly they advanced through the deserted street. She could feel numerous eyes watching them, but she could see nobody around. "ANNA!! DOWN!!" She was too dazed to move and was completely taken by surprise when Atrus' body pushed her against the wall. Numerous hissing sounds were heard from the other side. When she recovered, they were standing against an old house, facing a group of beasts she had never seen before. They were shorter than normal Humans, with brown furs covering their bodies. Their arms were longer than their feet and almost touching the ground. Their dark eyes, disfigured face and sharp teeth enhanced their ferocity. But their primary detail was their eight-inch-long fingernails that they seemed to wield as weapons. "I suppose those nails could hurt a lot." Anna said. "Nice joke, wrong time." Atrus charged as the beasts leaped toward him. The Rainbow Sword flashed as it cut through the first beast's body and through its soul. Atrus landed and leaped back, claiming another foul soul. A pair of beasts appeared on his back, but a pair of bright lightning bolts blasted the creatures off his back. Anna chanted more of her brand new spell and knocked two more beasts before they even realized she was there. And the fight was over. Atrus was sure he'd seen more of the beasts, but there was no one there. They were alone once again. Those creatures could surprise them and disappeared so quickly. "This is bad... very bad..." Anna mumbled. "I wish we had more choices." Atrus agreed. "Come on..." More beasts leaped toward the Dwarf but were quickly pushed back by the vicious battle-axe. Holgreb swung the axe wildly in the air, threatening anything that dared enough to approach. Aurelia demonstrated her marksmanship with her bow and arrows while Hawk was protecting her rear. The tactics worked and soon the beasts disappeared beneath the buildings. "What are they?!" The Dwarf complained first. "Never seen them in Elom before." Aureila answered. "Must be the natives of this area." "Nope..." Holgreb replied. "Never seen 'em before..." "I have a bad feeling about this." Hawk muttered. "Do you still want to go on?" "Yes! I think there's something else beside that damned demon." The smaller party moved slowly through the buildings. They had decided to walk along the wall of the pyramid, exploring the outskirts of the abandoned city. That way they didn't have to worry about getting lost, because they only needed to retrace their way back to the cave on the wall. "I really think this is a bad idea." Hawk said again. "Yeah... for the sixth time in the last twenty minutes. I heard you." "Atrus is going to kill me for this!" "He won't." Holgreb answered. "We'll be back before he..." He was cut off when a strange roar startled them. Before them, gathering around the intersection stood a dozen more beasts. They were definitely hungry, shown by their continuous hissing sound. Their long claws scratched the floor, thirsty for blood. "Holgreb, protect Princess Aurelia. I'll handle them." Hawk ordered. Hawk charged them, his spear in his hands. With all his might he swung the spear at the first row of monsters. Slightly wider than the axe, Hawk's spear could draw more blood. The beasts retaliated, but still couldn't match Hawk's ferocity. For the moment the young captain went berserk, killing everything in sight. The length of his spear prevented the beasts from utilizing their claws effectively. This time no one escaped. The street was littered with the dead bodies of the monsters. Hawk stood alone, still holding his spear and grasping for breath. Sure that he wouldn't go berserk again, his friends approached. Aurelia checked and was pleased to find that he was only lightly injured. "Not bad... for a Human..." Holgreb commented. "That was awesome, boy..." "Or stupid." The Elf said. "You could get killed. But you impressed me." "They're coming from there." Hawk muttered while pointing at a circular hole on the street. "Sewers?!" Holgreb blurted. "In the middle of the desert?! I haven't heard such technology being applied in desert regions!" "Well, our Salthi friends really kept their secrets well." Aurelia said. "Let's check it! There might be treasures waiting for grabs!" "Inside the sewers?!!" Hawk roared. "Treasures inside the sewers?!! Are you awake?!!" An echoing roar followed by a weird pulsing sound was heard from the hole. Aurelia knelt before the hole and peeked inside. The dark underground tunnel was extremely uninviting, but her deeper feeling told her otherwise. Something was very wrong here. "I'm going in." The Elf said finally. "WHAT?!!" "Holgreb, get a torch or two, then get down. Hawk, feel free to join us any time." Hawk stared at her in disbelief for a while before screaming, "Fine! Five minutes! We'll be down there for five minutes and no more! I can always drag you out!" "Thank you, honey." Aurelia smiled. "Do you want the honor of going down first?" Atrus is 'definitely' going to kill me for this... Anna's body jerked once again. Her feet suddenly felt weak and she stumbled to the ground. Atrus quickly came to her aid, helping her to sit. Beads of cold sweat covered her forehead. "They're probing your mind again?" Atrus asked worry noted in his voice. "The spirits..." Anna replied slowly. "They're now screaming in agony... They... they're trying to speak to me..." Anna looked into Atrus' eyes. "Leave me... You're wasting time with me... Maya's in danger... Leave me and get that demon!" "I can't leave you here!" Atrus insisted. He thought for a while before continuing. "I want to hear it." "What?" "Go ahead and try to talk to them. Tell me what they're trying to say." "I'm not sure if I can do it." "Try it. I'll wait." Anna cast a large magic barrier around both of them and charged it to the fullest. "Atrus... Sit down in front of me and give me your hands." Atrus complied and Anna took both his hands in hers, and closed her eyes. "I haven't done this before." Anna said slowly. "The practice of contacting the world of the dead is prohibited in the Order of Lycra, but I have a feeling that the spirits were not of the dead." "You mean they haven't died?" Atrus asked. "I don't know. But we'll soon find out. What you will experience is an illusion, but based on something other than the illusion itself. I will have no control over it. The barrier will keep us safe for a while. Are you ready?" "As long as you know what you're doing." Anna closed her eyes and fell silent. Atrus did the same, but it didn't help. As a Ranger, he was very sensitive to the nature around him, but not that sensitive. The practice of contacting the dead was also illegal in the Ranger clan. It was in fact illegal throughout Aragon. Only well-trained mages and priests possessed enough talents to do so, but since the Great Magi Wars the practice was assumed lost. He could just hope, as usual, that Anna knew what she was doing. Atrus saw a flash of bright flare before him. He knew his eyes were shut. He went panic when he realized that he could no longer open his eyes. His panic peaked when he realized that he no longer had any control over his body. His body had gone numb. Yet his mind soared in space like a firefly. Then he felt nothing. Roberto never ceased brushing her hair, trying his best to comfort her. Maya's rigid body lay unmoved before him; her head rested on his hip. Her eyes remained open wide with fear. Roberto had positioned her head so that his face always occupied her vision. He had hoped she would then felt a lot better, although he had no way of knowing this. "Don't worry, Maya..." Roberto soothed her. "You'll be just fine. I will protect you no matter what. Your master will soon come with the antidote and you will return to normal..." He watched her face in anticipation for responses but found none. Her skin had turned cold and rigid as stone. She was indeed slowly turning to a statue, yet the spell kept her soul alive until the last moment. He couldn't imagine someone could invent such horrible spell. He moved his head so that his eyes were staring right into hers. Then he noticed it. Her lips ceased trembling. He had finally made contact with her. Slowly he rubbed her hard cheek and smiled. He couldn't hold the tears from falling. "I know you're listening, Maya... I know you're still there..." There was no answer but the eerie sound of the sandstorm outside the walls. The tunnel was very silent. Yet his world was also silent. Since he established eye contact with her, he knew that there was no one else but both of them, and he knew he wouldn't let her go. "I don't know if you're listening, Maya... But I want you to know... You're the first one who understood me... Without you, I won't be like this... I won't see Atrus as he is... I... I..." He hesitated to say it, yet the feeling was torturing him. He had to say it, or he would burst. "Maya... I... I just want you to know... I... I admire you... I'm really thankful that I know you... But this is not a farewell or some sort..." I have to say it... I have to say it... And in an uncontrollable yet clear voice full of passion and despair, the balance of the cosmos shifted as the words came out. "Maya... I love you... And I won't let you go..." The busy town of Salthi stood in the middle of the vast green pasture, its majestic town center towering the surrounding landscape. The streets were full with crowds doing their business and gathering near marketplaces. Multiple farms and ranches surrounded the town, adding more beauty to the landscape. A small river flowed through the city, flanked by many reservoirs in each side. An extensive network of aqueducts covered the city, providing the people with fresh water all over the year. Atrus stood on a small hill outside the city, marveled by the view before him. He'd never thought that the ruins he'd seen had actually once been a great city on a green pasture. He'd never thought that such glamour would vanish, replaced by wrecked ruins surrounded by desert parched by the sun. Then he suddenly saw a long cloud of dust on the horizon. Then a large number of crowds appeared beyond the rising dust, creeping slowly toward the city. A loud cry confirmed his fear. "THEY'RE COMING!!!" It's an invasion! Atrus reflexively reached for his sword, but it wasn't there. He realized that he was not being himself. He was in another world. He was another person. He was having a nightmare from the past. The people all over the city were scrambling for protection, something they couldn't afford. The city was totally defenseless. From a distance, smoke began to rise from the outer farms unlucky enough to be on the raiders' path. Behind them three tall towers strode across the land, heading toward the city. Siege engines! Atrus had never heard such advanced technology being used by barbaric tribes. Although the siege engines couldn't do anything due to the city's lack of town walls, they had won the psychological war. The citizens were definitely running for their lives. Then the anomaly began. A large, dark cloud appeared from nowhere and covered the city centered at the town center. The cloud was so menacing that the huge band of raiders ceased their advance. Lightning crackled across the dark sky, adding more terror to the civilians. Then another dark cloud rose, apparently from the east part of the town. Then with a loud roar, the cloud soared through space and toward the raiding parties. Numerous blasts and explosions appeared inside the invaders' ranks, scattering the raiders. The dark cloud flew through the land, sending massive destruction on the invading armies. One of the siege engines suddenly exploded in flame, sending tiny debris that could even reach where Atrus was standing. It was apparent that the raiding parties began to retreat, but the dark cloud showed no mercy. Multiple lightning bolts blasted the ground, killing more raiders. A small yet powerful whirlwind appeared from behind, scattering the raiders and tumbling another siege engine down on the ground with a crash. For some people, the scent of victory might be sweet. Yet for Atrus, the view before him was horrible. He did not approve raiding innocent people, but he couldn't approve the method used before him. He could never approve such hideous magic. He stared helplessly as the raiders were utterly destroyed. Then his attention was brought back when he saw that the cloud had turned its attention and moved toward him. He knew he was defenseless. He tried to move but his feet were frozen in place by his fear. The view of mass destruction had paralyzed him. He just watched in terror as the cloud swept past him. A terrible pain washed over her body. He raised his hands and screamed in terror and pain as he saw his hand melting. The heat was immerse and agonizing. His vision went white as the air around him exploded, shredding his body into pieces. He screamed... Just to find Anna holding his body tight. They were back at the ruins of Salthi. The blue magic barrier still covered them both. There was no one around but Anna. She appeared into view with a small cloth and began wiping the sweat off his face. He realized that he was drenched with sweat. Yet he was pleased to find that his body was intact. Anna placed her finger on his lips before he began to speak. "I know..." She said. "You don't have to tell me. I was there too, so I know what happened." "You were there?" "Yes... I... I was in one of those tall towers... I remember how the tower exploded in balls of fire. I remember how the fire consumed the other people's body... including mine..." She tried to be brave, yet her body was shaking from the experience. Atrus held her close, his mind working hard. Yet there were things he couldn't understand. "The spirits did that, right?" He asked. Anna nodded slowly. "But why? Why did they show us that?" "I knew this is the reason..." Anna said slowly. "I knew it from the start..." "What do you mean?" Anna stared at him, grief hinted in her eyes. "The spirits had shown us the terrible mistake they had done... They had made an agreement with the demons to protect their city and its citizens... They had erected a Gate and invoked its power when the raiders came to loot their city... Then the demon turned against them and attacked them... The eternal alliance had been made, and they couldn't break the seal..." "I can't believe it..." Aurelia gasped. "Neither can I..." Hawk muttered. "I never thought I will ever meet that thing ever again..." "I know... but..." Holgreb paused to think. "By the way... what the hell is that?!" They were crouching behind a large boulder at one corner of a large room. The room seemed to be the junction of all tunnels in the underground sewer network. It could contain enough water to please an entire city if it's only clean enough. Instead, the room smelt like rotten flesh. And in the center of the room a large black circular swirling hole hovered on the ground. The hole produced eerie hiss, the sound they had been hearing since they entered the tunnel. "It's the Gate." Aurelia whispered. "It's the passage from the demon world to our realm. It is also apparently the main source of our trouble." "Can it be that the demons are the one that actually destroyed the city of Salthi?" Hawk asked. "Good point, but I don't know." Aurelia answered. "We have to get out of here quickly." "What? Can't we close it?!" Holgreb protested. "No. Once the Gate is opened, it can only be closed from the other side." The Elf explained. "You want to volunteer to go to the other side?" "NO!!" "Good. Now let's go! We have to warn Atrus about..." The word was interrupted when a sharp hissing sound was heard from behind. The Dwarf turned around first and was hardly fast enough to deflect the vicious claw attack with his axe. Hawk retaliated but the creature withdrew as soon as his attack failed. But standing behind it were another dozen beasts, all wielding malicious claws on their fingers. "Damn... this is bad..." Aurelia cursed. And it was getting worse. Behind them, the Gate produced another loud, piercing sound. The swirling cloud within rotated faster and faster. And to their horror, beasts popped out of the hole one by one. "The Gate is opened..." Hawk muttered. And they were trapped... Atrus stood before the massive building. The town center stood before him, completely dwarfing the rest of the buildings around it. The giant stone pillars held the front part of the structure. The design was magnificent, showing how high the architectural technology at that time. Every curve in the building was perfect, although a little bit damaged by the test of time. But he had seen the building prior to the raiders attack. It was indeed magnificent, yet it had been more magnificent before. Now the building looked more like a deserted haunted mansion. It might not actually be haunted, but the building kept a hideous memory of the terrible event many years ago. Anna appeared beside him, eyeing the building carefully. "Be careful. The power of evil is incredibly strong here." Atrus heeded the advice. After seeing the vision half and hour ago, he decided that the force of evil was not to be underestimated. He held his sword tightly and advanced inside the mansion, Anna following behind him. The mansion was uncomfortably silent. The beasts that had been giving them a hard time were nowhere to be seen. Whoever or whatever was distracting them, Atrus gave his warmest thanks. The first door led to a huge ballroom. The majestic room was now covered with molds and dust. Multiple old paintings hung on the high walls, portraying many great men and women who were responsible for the greatness of Salthi. Most of the paintings were already ruined and torn, yet they still gave the sensation of how grand the lost civilization had been. Atrus opened the next double door. It led to another huge room covered by old, dusty carpet. The blood-red color had slightly faded by age. Multiple banners of the same color decorated the wall. Yet the main attraction of the room was the great number of statuettes in the room. They looked more like victims of the demon's spell. Instead of representing great heroes, they represented figures in awkward postures and frightened face. And they had been fated to carry the expression forever. "This is it." Anna said slowly. "The gallery room." "Whoever you are!!" Atrus yelled. "Show yourself!!" "Why, I'm here..." The man with the long dark cloak was hovering on the ground, staring at them. He hid his smirk under his high collar. He kept most of his body under the cloak, not eager to reveal too much. "I must welcome you to my sanctum, heroes... the word of your exploits has traveled far..." "Let's get over with it, demon!" Atrus grumbled. "Ah... The Prophet of the Guardian... I'd never thought I would ever see you in person..." "Why did you do this...?" Anna asked. "Why, that's a very interesting question..." His voice turned sour suddenly. "I'd never thought someone would care!!" "Why did you do this?!" Anna repeated. "Why did you do this to the race that helped you?!" At this point Atrus didn't know what Anna was talking about, but he kept silent. He cursed himself as the demon read his expression. "See... You've made both of us confused now..." "The spirits!! Those lost souls!! You manipulate them!!" "Lady, I don't know what you're talking about..." "I know who you are, Gareth!!" The demon and, of course, Atrus, were shocked at the mention of the name. "It's really you, isn't it?" "Anna, how do you..." "She spirits showed me more." Anna replied. "They have revealed everything." The demon stayed quiet for a while, so Anna continued. "There is a man named Gareth Lightbringer, the member of the Great Magi Council in northern Aragon, years before the council was disbanded. He has heard the news about the destruction of the city of Salthi in eastern region, so he went there and found the city lying in ruins. Yet the citizens lived around the ruins, tirelessly tried to defeat the demons they had invited through the Gate. So the mage joined hand with them and fought the demon. "Yet they were losing the fight." Anna continued. "The demon came to him and offered him power beyond imagination. He decided that the fight was already over, so he took the offer and betrayed those innocent citizens who put their hope in him. He killed them all. To cover his crime he erected massive city walls around the ruins and locked the lost civilization, including himself and the lost spirits of the citizens inside the pyramid. Then he became the leader of the great ruins of Salthi, with the lost souls as his slaves, and the entire ghost city as his empire." Anna stared at the demon. "That man is you." "Those damn culprits..." The demon cursed. "They talk too much. "I'll deal with them later." "There is one more matter to address..." Anna added. "You're still as young as ever, so I conclude that you've sold your soul to the demon... Correct me if I'm wrong..." "FINE!!!" The demon roared. "You know about me now!!" He slid one of his hands off the robe, and to everybody's surprise, the hand was no more than bones and rotten flesh. "Perhaps I need to introduce myself. I'm Gareth Lightbringer, a Great Lich and a general under Lord Daemon, the supreme leader of the Army of Darkness." "You're an undead creature?!" Atrus gasped. "Two hundred years..." Gareth barked. "I asked my fellow wizards to assist me in my battle. Two hundred years I waited for them to show up... No one came... They really didn't care about me... They said I'm a geek... They said I'm incompetent... I showed them... I withstood those demons... Yet they abandoned me... They urged me to take the mission because they wanted to dispose me..." He tightened his knuckle, flashes of lightning bolts crackling from it. "Now I must have my revenge... They shall pay for ignoring Gareth Lightbringer... The forces of the underworld will succeed and they will see me as a victor of war!!" "You won't win, demon." Atrus said. "You're fighting the wrong war." "That's right. You're not a victor of war." Anna added. "You're the victor of your own war." "What?!! I'm stronger now!! I'm a full, competent mage!!" "You killed innocent citizens to get your ambition." Anna replied. "I believe your friends will not approve that..." "THEY'RE NOT MY FRIENDS!!!" The ground shook as he roared in anger. "They abandoned me... Now they will see that I can do something. The entire realm will acknowledge me as a great man." "Or a great traitor." Atrus shot back. "I don't care what you think, Humans! You are all nothing but my filthy preys!" "Don't do this, Gareth..." Anna pleaded. "Please turn back before it's too late..." "SILENCE, YOU ALL!!!" The Lich roared again, and produced a long vial he'd been keeping under his robe. "I believe you want this..." Neither Atrus nor Anna countered it. "Good, now that I have your attention, I can ask what I want." He pointed at Atrus. "I want you, Prophet of the Guardian. You will come with me in exchange of your friend's life. You will meet your ultimate destiny, your death!" "Wait a minute!" Anna said. "How you we know you're not betraying us?" "You will know," Gareth responded, "that I'm a man of honor, despite my betrayal. I will fulfill my ambition. Your friend's life will not affect the ultimate outcome of war, so I don't care. If you give the potion in time, she will live." "Why do you have to do this, Gareth..." "No more discussion, Lady!" Gareth turned to Atrus. "This is it, Prophet of the Guardian. It's your choice. Is it your friend's life... or yours...?" "You don't need to ask." Atrus answered. "Take me to your master." "Atrus, no!" "We've had this discussion, Anna. I will not risk Maya's life." "But the fate of the realm is in your hand!" Anna insisted. "And now it's in yours." Atrus answered. "I'm just a messenger. But you must continue to forge the alliance. You must find the Champion. Our survival depends on it." He paused for a while. "I'm sorry, Anna... I've broken my vow. I can't be with you anymore." Anna just stared in disbelief as Atrus walked slowly toward the Lich. She couldn't believe it was happening. Atrus couldn't die! He's her best friend. She wouldn't want to see it. Tears sprung from her eyes when she saw that Atrus was taking off his sword. I have to act! Or else everything is lost. "Wait!" The Lich looked annoyed. "Now what?" "I want to raise the stake." Anna said, wiping the tears off her eyes. "What do you propose?" The Lich looked interested. "I want you to raise the bet. I want you to free the souls you've enslaved in this pyramid. I want you to save our friend Maya. Lastly I want you to shut down the Gate in this region." "That's a very hard bargain, Lady." Gareth snorted. "What do I get in return?" Anna hesitated for a while, then answered. "You can have me." "ANNA?!!" "WHAT?!!" "You know you don't need Atrus." Anna continued, purposely avoiding Atrus' stare. "I know you want me. I know that you want to get rid of me from the realm, because you know that you will meet your ambition better by doing so. A fast and surgical strike, am I right?" Atrus just stared at Anna at lost of word. The Lich also couldn't say anything. Anna choked on her word for a while before continuing. "Go ahead... Take me... And let my friends go..." "Anna, you can't..." "Agreed." The Lich grinned. "I will make you feel sorry for your decision." "No, demon!" Atrus charged the demon, but an invisible force pushed him against the wall, destroying a few statuettes in the process. When he recovered, he saw the vial hovering before him. To his horror, he saw Anna standing next to the Lich, staring at him with determination and grief. "Go and take the vial." The Lich said. "You still have an hour. Drop the content to your friend's mouth and she will survive. I have fulfilled the first part of the bargain." Then he raised his hand. A deep blue glow appeared, and the room was suddenly filled with thousands of ghouls that they knew were the lost souls of the former occupants of the city. With a wave of his hand, the ghouls vanished instantly and the room was silent once more. "The souls are free. The bonds I've fastened onto them have been broken. Therefore I have fulfilled the second part of the bargain." Atrus just watched in horror as the agreement was made. He couldn't break it. They have made an agreement with the demons, and they have no way to break the seal. "As for the third part, I don't know how to close the Gate. All I can tell you is that the Gate lies inside the city sewers at the eastern part of the city. Do whatever you want with it, but be careful with the monsters. There. I have fulfilled my part of the bargain." "Anna... don't do this..." Atrus found himself pleading. "Atrus... You have to go back and save our friends... You have to forge the alliance and find the Champion of the Guardian... He's our only hope..." Anna began to weep. "I'm so sorry, Atrus... I can't be with you anymore..." "Anna... why did you do this...?" "Because I love you..." Anna answered finally. "It's a love that will never come true... Atrus, I can't win you... Please take care of Maya for me... Her love is true for you..." Her tears fell freely from her eyes. Her hands reached out and touched the earrings Atrus had given for her birthday. "I will always remember you, Atrus... But forget me... Go on with your life... Forget me..." Atrus looked at the Lich expectantly, and he nodded. "Although I'm possessed, I'm not a man without compassion. Do whatever you like." Atrus approached her and wrapped his arms around her. "Anna... I..." Anna cried in his arms, her tears wetting his shirt. "I will miss you, Atrus..." And he kissed her lips fully, making sure that this is the moment he would never forget. Anna grasped his neck and pulled him closer, wanting to enjoy every single moment they could spend together. She knew this moment might never come again, yet Atrus knew otherwise. "I'll come for you..." Atrus said finally. "I'll rescue you..." Anna stared at him lovingly; her soft fingers wiped the tears off his cheek. "I know, Atrus... But don't... The fate of the realm is in your hand... Go and find the Champion of the Guardian and my soul will be at peace... May the Guardian speed your way, Ranger Atrus..." And against Atrus' consent, Anna broke the hug and stepped back from him. And all he could do was stare helplessly as his very best friend departed from him. Anna stood beside the Lich, unable to look at the man she'd always loved. It was over for her. Her destiny had been fulfilled. "I'm sorry, Prophet of the Guardian, but I have to go." Gareth spoke up. "Survive the war long enough and you will see me again. Then you can have your revenge." "I will see to it personally, demon!" A large, swirling hole appeared behind them and the two figures walked inside. Anna stared at him for the last time and waved her hand. "Good bye, Atrus... May you find joy in all your live..." And the hole snapped shut, engulfing the two figures, one of them was his best friend. Atrus fell on his knees and began to weep again. He couldn't believe it. He had lost Anna. He had realized how much she admired him, how much she loved him. Yet he had been blind. He'd never said the word. He'd never let her know his true feeling. He'd never told her how much he felt the same way. And when he realized it, it was too late. She was gone, and the love had gone dry. The flame aura burned through his body and he punched the carpet-covered stone ground with all his might, sending bits of stone all over the room. When he raised his hand, his knuckle was covered in blood. Yet it was not comparable to the blood Anna had shed for him. She loved him so much that she was willing to sacrifice herself, and her love, just to see him and his friends live. If it is true that I can't save her... He couldn't continue. He wouldn't want to accept the fact. He loved her, and he would not let her die just like that. Yet now there was a matter to attend. He had to rescue Maya's life, so that Anna wouldn't die for nothing. Then they had to shut down the Gate, even though he wasn't sure how. For a moment, no matter how much he hated to do it, he had to forget her for a while. It was all for the sake of his friends, and for the sake of the realm. She was right. The fight is not finished yet. He rose up, took the vial, and ran back through the city and toward the cave. "There're too many of them!!" Hawk cried. Holgreb charged the beasts that were attacking Hawk, but he could do little and the party was slowly trapped on a corner of the room, surrounded by dozens of beasts. On the background the Gate kept on spitting new monsters continuously. Aurelia had run out of arrows minutes ago and was defending herself with her short knife, definitely not a match for the creatures' claws. "They keep on coming!" Holgreb said. "I can't hold them off much longer!" "But we have to close the Gate no matter what!" The Elf insisted. "We can't close it from this side, right?" Hawk asked. "Right." "But we can render it useless from this side, just like what we did back in the Stronghold!" "You mean you want to bury the entire complex with molten lava?!" "What the hell are you talking about?!!" The Dwarf complained while holding five pairs of claws against his axe. "Give me a hand, will ya!" Hawk pointed at four tall stone pillars at the center of the room, holding the ceiling. "If we can bring those pillars down, the entire sewers network might be buried." "Or might not." Aurelia replied. "Those pillars are firm and strong! It has held the entire city for ages! Now you're going to bring them down?!" "Just plan our escape route! I know the right guy for the job!" Hawk charged at the beasts and helped Holgreb keep the creatures at bay. They slowly withdrew to the narrow tunnel, therefore limiting the number of beasts they had to confront at a time. But they couldn't hold on forever. Both Hawk and Holgreb were quite wounded and Aurelia wouldn't be able to mount a good offense with only her knife. "See those pillars over there?!" Hawk yelled at the Dwarf. "Yeah, son. Why?" "Can you bring them down?" "What?!" "Crush them! Bring them down! I heard Dwarfs posses power greater than Humans!" "Yeah..." He deflected another attack from the nearest beast and beheaded him with his axe. "But those things look pretty tough... Might take some time..." "Good! I'll lead the way, and you follow me. Don't get too close to me. Got it?" "I guess..." Hawk raised his spear high and swung it with all his might. The spear cut through whatever in its path. Then he leaped forward and began to go berserk again, striking anybody in sight. Holgreb followed and covered his back while keeping his distance. Soon the enemies gave way and the two heroes made their way toward the center of the room. The beasts had lost interest in Aurelia and proceeded to surround the men. Finally Holgreb reached the first pillar. He touched it and felt it with his hands. It looked quite solid. He tried punching it. It wouldn't budge. He had only one more choice to make. He stepped back without crossing Hawk's path, prepared his stance, then dashed toward the pillar and smashed his body onto it with all his might. The pillar shook, followed by the ceiling. The pillar might hold the entire city, but it didn't prevent molds from growing between the stones and weakening the structure from inside. He smashed it once again, and the entire pillar fell down, followed by a small part of the ceiling. "Good job!" Hawk cried. "Now to the next one!" They slowly crept toward the next pillar and Hawk let the Dwarf did his job. He had made himself a huge pile of dead carcasses around the room. He was supposed to be proud of himself. He could single-handedly hold these monsters with his spear. When the second pillar fell down, he yelled. "AURELIA!!" Aurelia produced a small golden statuette from her pouch. She rubbed the statuette, spoke a short prayer, and cried, "Agar, the Guardian of Earth! I summon you! Please help us!" When Atrus arrived, Roberto was still tending Maya's rigid form. Atrus could see how glad he was when he saw him coming. Atrus quickly produced the vial. "Hold her head so I can feed it to her!" Atrus ordered. Atrus took off the plug, watched in disgust as the fluid was bubbling and hissing upon contact with air and dust. He could just hope that that demon could be trusted. Roberto had adjusted Maya's posture, offering her gaping mouth. Atrus slowly bent the vial, letting the antidote drop into her mouth and down into her throat. Then they waited. The effect came almost instantly. A bright flash came from her and her body jerked as if in pain. And then it fell back into Roberto's embrace. Her lungs desperately gasped for breath. Her limbs quivered uncontrollably due to the total lack of movement for hours. After some time she finally relaxed. Atrus realized something was wrong. "Where is everybody?!" "They followed you." Roberto answered. "I don't know where they are, since I never left her. You mean you didn't meet them?" "Damn, those people... They don't know what they're up to... The demons have erected another Gate in this region..." "A Gate...?" Maya spoke up, but was quickly coughing." "Don't talk yet..." Roberto advised. "Your throat has been quite dry for some time." "We have to find them." Atrus said. "Maya, can you walk?" "I guess, Master... I'll try..." "No, I'll carry her." Roberto nodded. "I'll be right behind, buddy. Go on." Atrus nodded and headed toward the city. The city was quieter than before. The weird hissing sound was gone. Atrus looked at the east part of the city. He had only one question. How could he find where east is?! Roberto joined him on his side, carrying Maya. They were amazed by the view of the ruined city before them. They hadn't seen what's inside. They hadn't seen what calamity had destroyed the city. Yet the ruins still deserved a small token of appreciation. Then something caught his attention. He couldn't be sure, but he was hearing a faint noise of a rumble somewhere beneath the ground. A small earthquake confirmed his thought. Something was very wrong here. He'd seen many bad things in a day. And a huge dragon popping out off the ground would be the last thing he wanted to see. "Look!" Roberto pointed. "It's Agar!" Agar rose from the ground, noticed them and quickly headed toward the cave, its golden wings flapping gracefully in the air. It landed near the cave, its head turned toward Atrus. "Greetings... We meet again." "Nice to see you too, now what happened?" Atrus demanded. Aurelia popped her head off the dragon's back. "Get on here! We're going to bury the Gate!" "And how do you think you're going to do that?!" The Elf patted the dragon's head. "We have the biggest monster this realm ever knows!" Atrus thought for a while, but the view behind them forced him to make out his mind rather quicker. From the hole left by Agar, a large swarm of beasts appeared. They were running after two figures that Atrus quickly identified as Hawk and Holgreb. They were both running like crazy. "Quick!" Atrus ordered. "Get on the dragon! We're getting out of here!" They climbed up and Agar took off. The dragon flew low, facing the runaway heroes, and swept low. Both Hawk and Holgreb jumped as the dragon drew near. Hawk easily caught the dragon's long neck, but Holgreb found more difficulty in hanging around due to his short body and had to be helped up by Atrus. Agar quickly gained altitude, leaving the angry beasts on the ground. The view was horrible. The streets of the city beneath were now packed with hundreds of beasts. They were swarming the ground below like ants. "The ceiling above the Gate has been collapsed..." Hawk said after regaining his lost breath. "But it's just a matter of time until those critters decided to work together to reopen the passage... We have to kill them all, and quick!" The beasts began to throw knives, rocks, whatever they could throw at the dragon. Agar replied by sending a huge energy burst from its mouth. The energy ball exploded on the ground, killing many monsters and scattering the rest. The dragon spitted two more energy balls, creating two craters on the city surface. "Agar! Can you bring the pyramid down upon the city?!" Aurelia asked. "I can try." The dragon replied. Agar flew toward the top center of the pyramid. It took a deep breath and spewed a large energy blast toward the wall. The stone surface exploded, leaving a small opening toward the outer world. It was indeed so good to see sunlight again. Then the dragon's body glowed in bright yellow. The party was unharmed, but they could feel the rising temperature around the dragon. Suddenly the dragon roared and multiple energy balls shot out toward the ground perpendicular to all four walls. The energy balls buried themselves on the ground next to the walls, creating large chain explosion and tremors to the wall. The earth shook violently and soon the walls began to crumble. Agar turned toward the opening on the wall and raced toward it. "Hang on tight, everybody!" Atrus warned. A large portion of the pyramid ceiling crumbled down, raining boulders upon the doomed city below and crushing anything unlucky enough to be beneath them. Agar skillfully evaded the rock shower and headed toward the opening. Finally the dragon shot out of the wall and into open air. The storm had subsided, leaving only endless view sand reflecting the mild evening sun. Yet below, the once proud Pyramid of Salthi crumbled down on the ground, spreading tremors to distant lands. And before they realized what's going on, it was over... Atrus stood on a small sand dune, alone. His body was weary from the long adventure they had just gone through. His eyes cringed from the punishing glare of the sun, despite the partial protection from the bandage around his head. The blow he received from the demon in the town center hadn't been fatal, yet it left a little scar at the side on his head where he slammed his head on the wall. The wound was healing, although he'd prefer to keep it, a memoir from a doomed adventure. He stared silently at the ruins before him. The Pyramid of Salthi was gone. Nothing was left but a large pile of rubble... and the memory of a once great nation. The kingdom had been informed and a detachment of troops had been sent to secure the area. They had also decided to leave the rubble alone. The monument would stand on, forever reminding people what a terrible mistake those people had made in the past. If their cry would never be heard again, the ruins would do the job. It was indeed another job well done. The Dwarfs had agreed to devote their attention toward the alliance. Dwarven mining operations all over the land had been altered to mine precious metals needed to forge the best weapons of all time. Men and women were being rallied for war. Their task was simply completed here. Yet there was something missing. Anna... Atrus could feel tears wetting his eyes as the memory came back to haunt him. He could remember the fateful event back in the town center. He could see the grief in her eyes as she departed from him. He could feel the terrible loss in his heart as the dimension door engulfed her, taking her away from him. He wished he could just go back there and rewrite the entire history. Yet time went on for the mortals. He had been destined to be haunted by the memory for the rest of the eternity. "I just... can't believe... she's gone..." Maya's soft, yet grieving voice woke him up from his dream. He looked at her and his heart was knocked further back to see the terrible pain in her eyes. She had been smashed by Anna's loss. The minute they told her about the tragedy, she quickly fainted, both from the fatigue and the terrible news. Now her body had healed, yet her pain had not. "I'm sorry, Maya..." "Master... it's not your fault..." Maya choked on herself. "She gave her life to save me..." She didn't continue. Atrus slowly circled his arm around her and pulled her close. "I know Maya... I know..." "She loved you, Master..." Maya finally said. "She loved you... more than anything..." The regret went deeper as the word cut through his soul like a hot knife to butter. He wished Anna would be here. She would have made everything right. She would have cheered him up and told him that everything would be just fine. He knew that she was the only one who could heal the pain. "Atrus!!!" Atrus turned around to see Roberto running toward him. The young prince hesitated when he saw the wet eyes in Atrus' face, but Atrus looked at him expectantly. "Sorry for the interruption, but a messenger from Aragon just came to Castle Hloffeth yesterday to send a dire news! Southern Aragon has been attacked by what they called an army of walking dead! The undead armies are attacking!" "So the plague has arrived..." Atrus nodded. "We have to return to Stromgard and mount a defense. We need Agar to take us there..." "Wait, o Prophet of the Guardian!" A soft tiny sound from behind startled them. Atrus turned around to find the strangest creature he'd ever seen. It was a girl just about his height. Her body was sleek and lean, covered with black tight bodysuit, leather gloves and high boots. Her dark, short hair added natural beauty to her face. Two small long antennas stretched from her forehead. Yet the main feature was a pair of wide, transparent wing-like surface stretched on her back. "A Fairy?!" Maya exclaimed. "Yes, my Lady..." The Fairy bowed slightly, presenting the group her small, colorful wings tucked on her back. "I have come to bring news from our kingdom." At that time everybody had gathered to see what happened. They were amazed to find a Fairy there. Living in Heaven, Fairies rarely ventured to the realm, except for a few special occasions. Their rarity had incited many false stories about their existence, usually connected to great treasures stored in Heaven for those who could reach it. Yet the Fairy before them was nothing close to the descriptions depicted in those stories, except for the wings. "What can we do for you?" Atrus asked. "I am to bring a terrible news, o Prophet of the Guardian... Our home is under attack by the Evil One! Please lend us your assistance!" "The Evil One?" Atrus asked. "You mean the demons?" "Yes, o Prophet of the Guardian! Please help us!" "The demons in Heaven?" Aurelia's brow raised. "What do they want there?" "Any idea what they're looking for?" Atrus turned to ask the Fairy. "O Prop..." "Atrus will suffice." He cut her off. "Uh... okay... Prophet Atrus... We are sure that the Evil Ones are trying to destroy our world, so that we can't interfere with their plans in the realm..." "Master! It's the dream!" Atrus looked at Maya. "What dream?" "Mistress told me about Holgreb's dream! Remember, the land of clouds? Heaven sounds just like it." "Then the darkness fell over the clouds, and there are cries of agony..." Holgreb repeated. "It's the prophecy of the attack of Heaven!" Maya claimed. "Then it is true..." The Fairy hung her head. "The Heaven will fall... My sisters..." "We're going to help!" Atrus decided. "How can we go there?" "I can lead you the way!" The Fairy chanted a spell and a dimension door opened before them "Come quick! We don't have much time!" One by one the party entered the dimension door. The war in Aragon had to wait. They had a more important matter to address. Soon all people entered the magical door, Atrus being the last. He took a last glance at the ruins. The memory of the long lost civilization, and the only woman he would ever love, would always be with him. And this was the sight he would never forget. "Hang on, Anna... I'm coming..." Then he entered the door before it vanished into the air. Anna twitched and struggled, yet she knew she was bounded. Her every muscle refused to move. She fought to crank her eyes open, only to find total darkness engulfing her vision. She was trapped in the darkness. Panic began to take control. Her body refused to struggle, but her mind went wild. She screamed, but her mouth produced no voice. Her spirit, on the other hand, produced the loudest soul-shattering wail of anguish the realm had ever known. She cried and cried, yet her deeper voice seemed to never run out. Had her eyes produced any tears, her face would have been drenched. Her inner power to fight back remained, yet the fear was there. It was controlling her. It was haunting her. It was devouring her. It was bending her slowly, very slowly. "Enjoying yourself?" The thundering voice inside startled her. "Who... are... you...?" Her soul answered weakly. "I'm your worst nightmare... And I can guarantee a very fun, enjoyable, and of course, long journey toward your true destiny... your death..." "Kill... me... j... just kill me..." "Don't worry, my dear..." The voice replied. "Your death will come... eventually... But your time is running out... so you might as well enjoy every single minute... And I will make sure you will stay awake to enjoy your last hours in this realm..." And the game of death began... To Be Continued... * * * * * Finally, it's done... One chapter per month... I was hoping to finish this before Christmas... Now I really doubt it... Anyway, thanks for the CC&C. Keep 'em coming! Contributed by vipers101@hotmail.com