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Chaos Upon Valysia {Eternal Wanderer x Cinnamon }

He felt like laughing both times she scolded him about his beasts being too big and dangerous. He didn't care that much, after all, he fought so far two things he's never thought he'd ever fight in his life, so why not? He watched her expose her theory, and as she started speaking about her memory of the place in the castle, he already knew what she was thinking. Smart girl, he thought as he watched as the realm about changed once more.


The sand slowly dissapeared, and so did the sky. The ground below them turned to hard stone, and so did the walls. The shelves appeared on their places, and now they stood in an empty, cold room. And his nose immediately detected a smell. Rather, a reek. And he heard a slight breath. And slow steps, as if someone was sneaking right behind-


Before he thought any more, he clutched at the ninth penitence, and pulling it out of its sheath, he immediately performed a half of pirouette, to his right, the sharp blade landing gentle enough not to cause any harm, on a creature's throat. He stared down at it, to see who was they were confronting, and raised an eyebrow in realisation. The being was crouched, trying to sneak away from the two. It now looked with scared, golden eyes, up at the one that had its life in his hands.


A long face, with sharp chin and dry, green skin, pointy ears, so pointy that they looked like horns. Canine teeth emerging from under its lips, partly spread in surprise, hands with long and dirty fingers, ended in sharp nails. A simple rag wrapped about its middle, enough to cover whatever was under it, and a slight reek about it. A grom. He knew about these creatures. Barbarians. Hated with a passion by orcs, dwarves, elves and whatever other creatures, and by humans most. Living only in small camps, scattered all across Elos, a plague that never seemed to have an end.


And it stood right there, before his eyes, begging silently for mercy. Odd enough, the Ninth Penitence wasn't heating up, nor was it shining red. With a slight move of his wrist, he forced the creature to stand upright, or as much as it could. Groms always stood somewhat hunched over, so he couldn't correct that. A pitched growly voice spoke to him, shakily.


"P-please... doesn't hurt I... me only wants to play..."


Vill'Kern's brow raised in wonder. A grom that knew the human tongue? How was that possible? No grom ever knew it, as far as he remembered. And yet there it was, a grom that stood before him, begging for mercy in the human tongue, true, a badly distorted one, but still.


"Who are you? What are you doing here? And why are you playing with us? Was it you who put those spiders on our heads?"


The Slayer shot, question after question, in an angry voice. He was ready to decapitate the beast in a move should the beast try and do something wrong. Instead, he only received more cries for mercy and the same shaky voice.


"P-please... I does anything... I not bad... Me lonely... wanted to-to play with them... Me don't has name... Spiders not me, I afraid of spiders..."


The grom stuttered as he looked Vill'Kern in the eyes, shaking as if it saw death itself before its eyes, then turned its gaze to the princess, begging her silently to stop the mercenary from killing it. The Slayer looked at the Ninth Penitence. It glowed blue. For innocence. But how could it be so? Groms were evil and always with bad intentions. But maybe they could use the creature to get out of that place...


"Can you get us out of here? If you do, i'll let you live. But don't think of playing me for stupid, or i'll gut you alive. Move!"


Vill'Kern kicked slightly at the grom's leg, almost shouting the order as the grom lowered its head scared, as if it awaited The Slayer to strike death at its neck.


"Me knows way to Thraghul... can take there... please doesn't kill I... me only wanted to play... I lonely..."
 
Ariana shivered as the landscape around them faltered and rearranged itself once more, her breath condensing into a thin cloud of vapor as she glanced about the newly established walls. Poor lighting, cold as a crisp autumn eve, shelves constantly overstocked. The room was exactly as she had remembered it as a child, a slightly spooky space that looked like it belonged more in a cave than in a castle. The princess could now remember why she rarely frequented the tiny storage space.


Ariana looked around the warrior as he abruptly shifted on his heels, the Ninth Petitence clutched in his hand before she even had time to notice he had drawn the weapon. The princess's eyes followed the length of the blade to the strange green skinned being cowering before the warrior, torn between curiousity and wariness. She had never encountered such a beast before, but she had read about magically inclined creatures, generally woodland dwellers that enjoyed causing mischief and general disarray for travellers they believed to be trespassing in their territories. The princess had read they were rumoured to be the offspring of men and demons, with varying levels of dark intent within whatever heart they possessed, but that was simple legend and impossible to verify.


Ariana could sense the fear rolling off the creature in waves, filling every inch of the small room with its terror. She smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring manner as the frightened golden eyes turned to her, pitying the fragile looking creature despite the trouble it had put them through. The Slayer's wrath was never a pleasant thing to be on the receiving end of, even standing out of the way while he interrogated the creature was enough to make the princess nervous.


What if the being really had only been trying to play? Ariana could see the blue glow emanating from the core of the Ninth Petitence, a sign of innocence if she could recall the warrior's words properly. The creature looked very similar to the illustrations of imps decorating the pages of the old tomes she used to read within Khorinys's libraries, perhaps a little bigger than she would have thought and the ears slightly different than she remembered. Weren't imps infamous for their playful, albeit misguided, natures?


The princess frowned as the creature mentioned Thraghul, no longer as certain of its innocence. How had it known their destination? Had it been lurking so close by as to be able to hear their conversations? The warrior had mentioned the one responsible for the illusions having full knowledge of what was in their minds, but had that been a fact or a theory? She knew little of variations between the 'Fairfolk', as the species were referred to on occasion, uncertain of one races abilities from the next. All she knew were certain was their penchant for causing trouble and their greed for all things shiny.


"I have a game we can play." Ariana spoke suddenly, an idea popping into her mind. She smiled at the green being as she forced her voice to remain gentle, slowly reaching towards her boot as not to frighten the creature more than it already was. Carefully the princess pulled the long forgotten envelope opener she had been carrying on her person since leaving Khorinys free of her boot, slowly rotating the dull blade to let what little light there was in the artificial room catch on the slightly tarnished silver.


"It's called 'Truth or Untruth'. If you can correctly identify what is the truth and what is a lie you can keep the silver! Doesn't that sound like fun?" Ariana kept the smile plastered on her face as she glanced at The Slayer, her eyes darting between his face and the Ninth Petitence held in his hand before returning to the hunched over creature. "First question, are you under anyone's command?"
 
The little creature immediately shifted its attention to the princess' hand and the shiny opener, getting almost instantly hypnotized by its glimmer. Vill'Kern turned his attention to the princess as well, yet not forgetting to keep his grip tight. He looked her in the eyes and smiled slightly. Mischief, he thought as he nodded, letting her play her small game. He only watched the grom as it answered, and the Ninth Penitence. If the grom lied, it meant that it wasn't innocence, therefore the blade should shine red.


"Aaaaaaa game me loves game I want play, i want play with nice girl game. Nice girl give shiny to I if I honest?"


The grom almost jumped for joy as it continued staring at the shiny silver opener. A second later, its expression turned somewhat sad as it spoke.


"I is not... me lonely... left behind by mother long ago... lived in caves and anywhere... I captured by bad people... used as servant... i escape and run... i cry for lonely and play with people passing by... I not evil. Me not hurt anyone."


Vill'Kern raised an eyebrow, awaiting for the sword to catch the red glimmer and heat up. But nothing happened. The blue glimmer remained on, while the grom continued staring with his blue eyes at the shiny object.


"Can me get the shiny? I loves shiny things, it call for my touch."
 
"Yes, as long as you're honest it will be yours." Ariana didn't have to fake a smile as the little green creature seemed to burst with excitement, its previous fear replaced with longing. The princess continued to rotate the envelope opener to glitter in the faint light as the creature answered her first question, glancing between the disheartened beast and the still blue blade of the Ninth Petitence.


"Soon, after a few more rounds of the game." Ariana answered kindly as the creature asked for the 'shiny', sympathy for the almost endearing miscreant clear in her tone as his tragic story was proven to be the honest truth by the Ninth Petitence. It seemed no one in Valysia was safe from a cruel fate. "And if you do really well we can give you a name, too, if you would like."


"The next truth or untruth is... how do your illusions work, and can you control them?" Ariana was still cautious of the creatures magic, even if he hadn't meant any harm. The chill lingering in the bones of her left arm made it hard not to be a little biased. The last thing they needed was to end up trapped in the middle of the Forsaken Labyrinth again, or some other equally unpleasant place should they say the wrong thing.


"The last truth or untruth is... do you really know the way to Thraghul, and can you lead us there safely?" The princess glanced to the warrior as she asked the last question of importance she could think of, fairly sure she had covered everything they needed to know to be able to trust the creature, but uncertain if had anything else to ask.


"If you answer those honestly the shiny will be yours... Unless Mr. Slayer would like to play the game as well."
 
The grom frowned slightly as it heard the princess. So it wasn't yet going to get the shiny. Then it heard about getting a name, and smiled once more, showing off its sharp, slightly yellow teeth, and the slightly long canines. Golden eyes glimmered with longing for the shiny object and with joy as well.


"Me get name? Never has name, I never called. Answers honestly. Promise. Me not know how magic work, but cannot make living being... cannot make friends.."


The grom frowned yet again, then continued.


"Pull people into game, else they runs away from I, and lonely again. Place empty all around, and dark. Doesn't like. Creepy here."


Vill'Kern listened carefully, trying to decipher fully what the grom was trying to say in its bad human tongue. So, if not for his illusions, the place was a piece of dark wasteland. That would explain the behemoth spider they encountered earlier. But how could his illusion keep away the other beings? Could it? Just when he was ready to ask, the answer was given.


"Me can keeps away bad monster. Don'ts know how, but can do. Can lead to Thraghul, promises. Know safest way there. But me needs shiny. Promise to give shiny to I?"


The grom looked the princess in the eyes with exactly the gaze that a child looks in a mother's eyes. The Slayer continued looking at the Penitence, and it never changed colors. So, the poor creature really did speak the truth. Sighing slightly, he sheathed his sword, but remained cautios of the grom. If it could cause realms to change, it could also trick more than that, he was sure.


"I have nothing to add. First things first, turn the realm back to normal, and second, take us safely to Thraghul. You will get the shiny, a name, and we'll leave you alone."


The grom smiled slightly and in a matter of seconds, the realm changed into a cave. The exit of it was merely a few steps away, and Vill'Kern could see the black skies outside. Exactly as he knew the place should be. The grom quickly started walking forward through the cave, while Vill'Kern followed. Reaching the exit, he looked at the sight. Lands of nothingness, and a hill up ahead. The grom pointed out.


"Thraghul entrance there. On other side. Monster at the door, but can take you past it. Been inside many times, see old man and library. Many, many books. Monsters inside as well"


But what about the curse? As soon as they'd land a foot in the cave, they'd also turn to monsters. The grom was a monster, so that was why the curse didn't affect it.


"Can you protect us from the spell there?" Vill'Kern asked as they started moving forth towards the hill.


"Old man bad, wants to make I slave, hate old man. Can get you inside, but can't defeat old man. Can you?"


The grom looked back to The Slayer and the princess while they walked.


"Of course i can" Vill'Kern nodded and walked without stopping, ready to face the old, mad mage.
 
Ariana bit her lip guiltily as the creature stared pleadingly into her eyes as it once again asked her for the shiny, resisting the urge to hand the envelope opener over and simply hope the little green being wouldn't disappear into another illusion. The expression reminded her of the stray hounds in Khorinys that would stare oh so beseechingly at anyone passing by with food, their wide eyes and seemingly forlorn expressions melting even the most frozen of hearts. The resemblance was truly uncanny. The princess was saved from her guilt as the warrior suddenly sheathed his weapon, apparently satisfied for the time being they had been told the truth. She frowned as she sensed the being's joy fade to disappointment as the mercenary stated his intentions to leave the creature alone once it had helped them accomplish their task, but before she could cover his lapse of tact the being had already began to release its illusions. The princess held her breath as the world around them shifted and twisted into a new design yet again, bracing herself for 'creepy' landscape it had described to appear.


Ariana glanced around the cave as the creature's spell dissipated, at first thinking nothing had happened until she caught sight of the exit barely a few yards from their current location. The princess hastily followed the creature and the warrior out of the cavern, looking around at the menacing black sky and ominously barren stretch of flat lands all around them, wondering if this was truly the place they had been searching for. It certainly seemed like the perfect location for a power hungry, crazed old wizard to dwell in relative peace, free to toy with his cruel spells and experiments without fear of being disturbed by unsuspecting visitors. Only a fool would willing venture into such an obviously dangerous land without good cause.


The princess followed the creature's indication to the entrance of the caves of Thraghul, her eyes widening slightly at the black vapor like cloud leaking from the mouth of the cave to slowly hover in front of the entrance as if it had a mind of its own before it rose to the dark skies above. A terrible sense of wrong was being emitted from the eerie cloud, wafting over to the princess as if it knew they were there. She glanced at the warrior and the creature leading them up the hill to the entrance and the strange vapor lingering before it, trying to tell if they could detect the substance without alerting either to her sudden alarm. Neither seemed to pay the strange cloud any mind, leading Ariana to believe it was a spiritual embodiment of the evil lurking within the confines of the cave. She had heard of emotions and auras so strong they could take a visual form, either in the spiritual plain or the physical, had read about such abnormalities in ancient texts long forgotten to all those but the royal family of Khorinys. She had even seen it for herself, when The Slayer's aura had merged with that of the Ninth Penitence, the incredible strength of the combined auras reaching the physical plain. The evil originating from the cave seemed to linger in the spiritual plain, but was no lesser in oppressive force than the warrior's had been in pure power.


"Of course he can," Ariana repeated the mercenary's words to the creature, casting the being leading the way a quick wink despite her growing concern. It had seemed honest enough when it had answered her questions, but even so she thought it best not to let it know all the cards in their hands, so to speak. Glancing surreptitiously at the warrior out of the corner of her eye, the princess barely moved her still smiling lips as she murmured to him out of the corner mouth. "Our presence seems to be anticipated."
 
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He felt it too. Then penitence was increasingly heating up against him. That meant only one thing. Bad. Something evil was going on around. He couldn't see the cloud, however he felt its presence. He looked down to the grom, squinting his eyes. Was it possible that the beast was leading them into a trap? But the Ninth Penitence judged it inoffensive and innocent. Could it be wrong? It was only to be seen later on. He heard the princess whisper, and he nodded, in understanding. The entrance to the cave was not far, but as soon as they could see through the fog, there it was. A minion lava beast.


Lava beast? But those only roamed around volcanos. Well, if it was the Thraghul cave, the beast could actually be there, summoned by the mad mage. The beast looked somewhat like the stone golem, only smaller, just the size of an average human, and with fiery red emerging from between every two rocks that formed its body. Heated lava. That wasn't something to mess with. If he struck wrong, his blade would end in the small crevices and it would melt away immediately. The grom stopped suddenly, then turned to the princess and Vill'kern.


"Bad monster there. Can pass you by it. Trust, please"


Vill'Kern let out a low sigh. He had to trust a beast. I must be insane, he thought as he nodded to the grom, which immediately turned. It took a few moments before the grom started advancing again, speaking in normal tone, causing the mercenary to almost strike the back of its head to silence it.


"Safe now. Monster illusion. Can'ts see or hear us. Can pass by"


Vill'Kern grunted. Was the grom really taking him for a fool? The monster was still there, guarding that entrance, and the being told them it was safe? But soon he remembered. The magic could give illusions, not throw beings in other realms. That was a posibility. But what if it was not like that? He had to check. Moving away from the grom and the princess, he stopped a few feet to the side, and picked up a piece of rock. Big enough so at the impact with the stone of the entrance, to make noise. With a skillful toss, he thrown it, and waited.


The piece was sent flying through the air, and made slight thud at the impact with the stone behind the lava beast. He was ready to pull out the sword in any second. But nothing happened. The lava minion remained standing in its place, as if nothing was going on. So, the grom did speak the truth again. They were safe, at least for the time being. He rejoined the princess and the grom and let himself led into the cave by the small creature, passing by the lava minion as if they were invisible. The cave was somewhat dark, but not as much as they'd expect. They had to move silently and unknown, else the mage would cause them a lot of trouble. He felt an awful chill rise up his spine as they advanced into the cave, deeper, while the grom worked its magic in such way they passed by a few stone guards without having any problems.


But as they advanced, he felt it. The awful pressure, he felt a heavy weight that was pressing with full force upon his shoulders. The air itself had an ominous smell, and the Ninth Penitence was burning. He was sure his outer thigh now carried a big burnt mark on it.
 
Ariana eyed the burning miniature version of the golem The Slayer had fought in the Dead Fields cautiously, her attention torn between the flames seeming to radiate from its very core to the dark energy that envelowhilehe menacing beast like a dark mist. The princess followed the black vapor that clung to the ceiling of the cave with her eyes to where the transparent cloud was seeping downward to coil around the fiery beast, giving the flames a dark, ominous appearance.


What was the source of that dark aura? It certainly didn't seem to be originating from the formidable beast itself. Ariana could feel the evil oozing from the black energy even from her vantage point a fair distance away, smothering the faint presence of the burning golem until it felt as if had been completely consumed, possessing the weak mind of the beast. The princess could only think of one being capable of such power, an ill intent strong enough to take form. The very mage they were there to confront.


Ariana placed her healthy hand on the green creature's shoulder to keep it from advancing as the warrior edged forward to test the potency of its illusions effect on the fiery beast it had claimed to enchanted. The princess smiled kindly at the golden gazed creature, while keeping one eye on The Slayer as he stealthily eased towards the burning golem with a stone in his hand. She didn't want the poor little being to think they didn't trust it, worried its feelings would be hurt and it would abandon them half way through the cave to deal with the flaming beast and its like on their own.


"Don't worry, he's just very careful. He always double checks the cost is clear before we go anywhere." Ariana's forced grin relaxed into a genuine smile as the warrior backtracked away from the beast that didn't appear to have any reaction to the loud echo of stone against stone. She gave the shoulder beneath her hand a slight reassuring squeeze before they continued passed the seemingly blind fiery golem. "Have you given any thought to a name you would like? How about Innis, it means 'smile' where I am from."


Ariana cautiously watched the various beasts the little green being led them passed, its enchantments seeming to take a hold over each without fail. It really appeared to be working hard to help them, but the princess was too preoccupied inspecting the condensing dark vapors to truly appreciate its efforts. The evil aura was growing stronger the further they ventured into the cave until it coated the passage completely, filling the tunnel with a miasma of ill intent, thickening the air until it felt like a physical force trying to push them back. She was sure the warrior was aware of it too, though their guide seemed blissfully unconcerned.
 
Something was indeed approaching. He felt its horrific presence heavier and heavier upon him. He caught a strong grip of his sword, ready to release it. He continued looking around while moving, looking to the princess and the grom from time to time. The princess looked almost terrified, and she was trying to distract herself by talking with the little creature, which seemed the happiest of them all when it heard the name.


"Likes, likes. Nice girl give I name, no more lonely. Go wherever girl goes and plays with"


Vill'Kern sighed. Seemed to him they will have another road companion. But they were already having a hard time by themselves, to add such a creature to their party would make it even worse. Even though the grom was indeed proving itself useful, those illusions worked wonders, he observed as they passed by every monster that seemed to not even mind them. It would be all a piece of cake if not for this awful feeling i get. The princess' arm looks even worse. Dammit, we have to get this over soon, he thought in his mind, as they approached a wooden door. And from behind it, even he could see how one after another, black clouds of fog rose, and engulfed it.


Carefully drawing the Ninth Penitence from its sheath, he guarded himself, going before the princess and the grom, even though he felt something pushed him back. Actually, something tossed him back, but he resisted with all of his strenght, opposing the force. As he touched the door to open it, he looked to the princess, with as much confidence as he could, trying to ensure her that everything was going to be safe. And just as he did, he felt a cold shadow swiftly rush from the door, past him, and dissapearing into the darkness behind them. Turning back to the door, he used the strenght of his arm to push it open, forcing the dark energy to spread and engulf him, then vanish into ether.


He was ready to strike at any given time, but as he gazed inside, there was nothing. Or rather, nothing which he would expect to attack. It all looked like a general chamber of a mage. On a wooden table, books and scrolls spread all over, lit kindly by a set of candles, placed in golden candle holders. The unequal and rocky walls of stone of the chamber were almost completely covered with entire shelves containing all sorts of books, so many of them old enough to make him think people from his ancestors' era wrote them. He couldn't believe him. It was all there, at their hands, and nothing to oppose them.


Did Vorath die? Or he moved away? It couldn't be. Those books were his most precious valuable, he wouldn't left them behind. So he must have died. After making sure no one was actually inside, he invited the princess and the grom. But yet, something felt awfully abnormal. As if something was watching them. But before he could give a voice to his thoughts, he felt that crushing presence again. Coming from the door. Door which was now guarded by an ominous shadow.


He stared to the shadow, then stood forth, putting the princess and the grom behind him, acting like a shield for whatever was coming for them. He witnessed the shadow slowly materialising into a thin figure wearing only but a black cloak, covering so much that it was beyond his power of distinguishing any actual feature of the supposed human being.


"Who dares disturb my research?" Said the figure, with a voice coming in a hateful spit. He could sense the being's hate emerging from under its very pores. "My God is not pleased of your presence, so i will exterminate you"


So that was him. The legendary mad mage. Vill'Kern felt absolutely overwhelmed by his power, something that caused his insides to turn, his guts to wrench painfully and his head to pow. And he left no way to a reasoning. He had to protect the princess, and nothing was above that duty, not his life, anything. The Ninth Penitence burnt with the red energy, and in a blink of an eye, he rushed to the cloaked figure, swinging the sword with his well known skill. But everything he struck at was air. The cloaked figure seemed to switch position with an impossible ease, causing him to cut through thin air and stumble back and forth with each attempt of slash he took.


The mad mage was playing with him as if he was only a child, and not the most feared sword wielder in all of Valysia. He twisted, turned, tried to trick strike, but he couldn't for anything in the world touch the cloaked man. It was a dance of death, and he was drunkly getting more and more involved in it, as if something but not his own will forced him too. He now felt fear, but that wasn't going to stop him.


Suddenly, as he turned, he caught a glimpse of the mage's eyes. In them resided a hellish darkness that struck terror in him on the very second. The ragged voice of the mage was heard, in a command of doom.


"Die"


Vill'Kern felt how something bursted through him, but didn't have any time to realize at all. Blood raged out in a torrent from his mouth, nose and ears, and even from under his eyes, while his body was sent flying through the air, crashing against one of the bookshelves, causing it to fall down, then, with a loud sound, his own body landed on the stone floor, with the loud sound of his armor, while the Ninth Penitence was sent to a completely different area of the small chamber. And the flame of his life was extinguished, abruptly. He was dead.
 
Ariana's lips quirked slightly at the excited creature's sudden declaration in response to the name she had suggested, the little green being's almost constant elation despite their obviously dangerous endeavor growing on the princess. She glanced at The Slayer apologetically as she felt his impatient exasperation, a half formed apology dying on her lips as something lurking behind the warrior's shoulder caught her eye. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared into the vacant space, only the dark energy coiling throughout the cave visible in the narrow passage.


The princess could have sworn she saw- nothing, Ariana told herself uneasily, following close behind the warrior as the creature now known as Innis led them deeper into the cave, nothing could get so close to the legendary mercenary without him noticing. Even with the reassurance the princess couldn't shake the image of a vaguely human shaped shadow, a deeper black than even the terrible aura clouding her vision, lingering just beyond The Slayer's shoulder. It had to have been a condensation of the evil energy, the unease the dark aura stirred within her causing her mind to play tricks on her.


Ariana's eyes darted about the cave restlessly until they finally came across the end of the corridor, the wooden door almost invisible through the thick clouds of negative energy billowing about the entrance. The princess once again placed her trembling hand on the grom's thin shoulder, restraining the creature from continuing forward into the room as The Slayer drew his weapon.


"Careful." The princess cautioned needlessly as the warrior pushed himself and the Ninth Petitence towards the door, apparently also effected by the repelling effects of the ominous aura. She held her breath as the mercenary forced himself closer and closer to the door, Ariana's healthy hand tightening on the creature's shoulder within her grasp without her noticing. This was it, the moment of truth. Everything they needed to know about their unidentified enemy lay just beyond that door. Everything they needed, and undoubtedly a power guardian determined to keep them from it.


The black fog like aura dissipated the instant the warrior forced the door open, leaving an unbearable tension in its wake. Ariana wrapped her healthy arm protectively around the creature's shoulders as she waited for The Slayer to finish his inspection of the room, an unexplainable trembling racking her small frame. There was something horribly wrong with this place. The princess hesitated for only a moment before entering the room upon Vill'kern's signal, knowing they couldn't run away now no matter how much she wanted to. They had come to far to turn back now.


Ariana and the little green creature tucked beneath her arm had barely entered the room when the insidious aura returned with a vengeance, the abhorrent energy striking the princess to her very core. She couldn't move a muscle as the hissing voice spoke from the door way of the room, unable to even draw a breath into her straining lungs. She had never experienced such a deep seeded fear before, even her horror as Khorinys was burnt to the ground unable to match the oppressive terror consuming her now. They had waltzed right to the mage they had so gravely underestimated, and now they were going to have to pay the price.


They were going die in these caves.


"Run," Ariana gasped to the creature they had doomed to the same fate as themselves, the paralyzing fear broken by the warrior's sudden burst of motion. "Run!" She span on her heels to watch the warrior strike futilely at the constantly moving shadow, every time it seemed The Slayer had landed a blow the infamous mage would disappear and reform in a new location. It was useless. Even the legendary Vill'Kern The Slayer was no match for the mage that was no longer human. No human could possibly possess such darkness. She could feel the warrior's fear mixing with her own as the hopeless battle raged on. If it continued like this Vill'Kern would- The princess couldn't finish the thought, couldn't stand the possibilities flowing relentlessly through her mind. She had to do something to help the warrior before it was too late.


There! The candles! If she could somehow spread the light throughout the room maybe the mage's shadows would be weakened enough for The Slayer to stand a chance. It was the only assistance she could offer the desperately fighting warrior. Before the princess could even take a step her breath was knocked from her lungs as if she had been struck in the chest, the resounding crash of the fallen bookcase landing on deaf ears. It was gone. The powerful, unyielding aura that had become a constant presence in her life was gone. What was that supposed to mean? She didn't understand, Vill'Kern always managed the impossible. No matter how terrible the odds against them were he always pulled through in the end. So why couldn't she sense his aura anymore?


"Vill'Kern?" Ariana dropped to her knees beside the lifeless body of the warrior, no memory of approaching his prone form present in her mind. "Vill'Kern, can you hear me?" The princess's voice shook as much as her body as she leaned over his corpse, the tears she hadn't realized were slipping down her cheeks dripping onto his pale face to mingle with the blood almost entirely covering his face. She slowly wiped at the blood on his face as if in a trance, desperately searching for the soul she had taken for granted to pull back into the realm of the living. There was nothing. Nothing to grasp on to, nothing to return to his empty body.


Die. That's what the mage had said, wasn't it? But it wasn't possible. The Slayer was invincible. Immortal, even. The man had the blood of the Giants running through his veins. He had slaughtered the orc army and the bandits sent by the Deathless King alike. He had killed a golem, reduced the legion of undead to dust, and annihilated the mammoth spider in one foul swoop. He couldn't possibly lose his life to some wrinkled old crony. So why wasn't he waking up?


Samon? Ariana willed the old man to hear her thoughts, to tell her there was a simple resolution to this living night. Samon, Vill'Kern, he... Vorath's power... Vill'Kern won't wake up, Samon! I can't feel his aura anymore!
 
The princess was now totally doomed. But suddenly, in her mind, a voice rose. Samon.


Aye, my dearest child. I regret it dearly so. I knew Vill'Kern couldn't exterminate Vorath, not even I could, so he had no chance. I sent the sheep in the mouth of the lion... i shall come with rescue for you, may the Gods help us.


Silence befell the cave. The creature, despite Ariana's orders, cuddled against her as much, shaking with terror and mumbling about the "bad man" Vill'Kern's corpse lain, bathing in a pool of blood, as if he was impaled by a hundred spears at once. His eyes were closed, his face full of blood mixed with the princess' tears. Dead, gone forever from the living realm. His long, black hair was now spread as a crown about his head, drowning in the blood. Vorath stood, watching the tragic scene from behind the darkness his cloak and hood provided, as if he was feeding from the very grim and gloomy energy of it.


The grom hugged the princess, shaking just as much as her, but the little creature didn't care, it only wanted to take care of the one who's been so kind to it.


"Innis protect girl. I not leaves. Bad man not do hurt you"


The grom now turned from fear to a sort of rage, childish type of rage but still. Unwrapping its arms from around the princess, the little creature hissed, jumping and dashing towards the pile of books fallen out of the demolished shelf. Its small hands grabbed at the books, one by one, then started tossing them towards the mad mage, while the creature let out gasps as it forced to throw every book, each book flying to the shadow, then being tossed aside by the mage's field of dark energy. The grom though didn't even try to stop, it kept tossing book after book towards the mage, with all its anger and rage.


"What are you trying to do, filth?" Hissed the hateful voice of the mage, while he stood in place, watching the grom exhaust itself with tossing books at him. Then, bored of the little play, he did not even move a finger, but the grom was blown away, just like Vill'Kern earlier, crashing against the hard wall behind it, an impact so heavy that Ariana could hear every bone in its little body snap and crack, as the grom screamed in pain out loud, before falling down and remaining motionless upon the stoney ground.


The mage turned his attention now towards the princess, that still wept over her protector's corpse.


"My God says you are the one He was looking for. The one to bear His great energy, and might. If my God wills so, so i will do. I will take you north to Rakhmaar, to the sacred Altar"


Vill'Kern suddenly felt awake. What was going on? Last thing he remember was that horrific sight. But why couldn't he feel anything? He couldn't feel his body, warmth or cold, not even the ground he was standing on. Did he even stand on a ground? He looked about his surroundings. The princess! She was in the hands of Vorath. No, he failed. He failed miserably in protecting her. She would probably curse his name forever, if she lived to see another day. He started taking steps through the strange realm, that looked so much like... the astral field. That was it. He was in the astral field. So, it meant there was something after death.


His sight fell upon the distance far ahead of him, but he could see nothing but... two sillhouettes? What was it? As he approached, he started distinguishing more, and more. A petite woman with beautiful and long black hair, and blue eyes just like his. A short haired man with the same blue eyes. He looked upon the two in mistrust, but it was more and more obvious it wasn't anything fake. They both smiled kindly to him, and with every step he took, approaching, he felt more drawn towards the two. His parents. Their spirits awaited for him, to come, so they could leave to a better place.


He now stood before them, looking both in the eyes, while they smiled kindly upon him. They both spoke in a voice.


Our dearest son. We have been waiting for you for so long. Now we can all be happy, together, in eternity. Come.





He was happy now. Reunited with his kin. The princess and everything else felt so distant now, that he almost forgot it. He was home. He felt himself shrinking, turning back to the child that he was when his parents were murdered. He smiled to both of them, and took their hands, ready to leave, but from behind, someone called his name. Not Vill'Kern, but his truly real name. Turning around, he gazed at the ones calling him. 9 warriors, each wearing armors just like the guardian of the Labyrinth's exit wore. Each armor having a different color. They all focused upon Vill'Kern, and spoke.


Nay. Your time has not come, yet. You must return to the living world, and save it from the grip of the Dark God. To save the princess. That is your destiny. Rise now, and march to your fate, Vill'Kern The Punisher.





Vill'Kern couldn't oppose. He turned around, to face his parents. They both smiled at him kindly, and nodded. They gave him the blessing. He turned back to the warriors, and felt himself rise again, and turn back into the giant man he was. A light spread about him and the warriors, as he felt they were fusing with him, giving him a newly found strenght.


His physical body, over which Ariana was still weeping, suddenly bursted into fire. But not the kind of fire that was destroying. The fire bursted out in strong limbs that spread all over the cave like the tentacles of an octopus. The Ninth Penitence burnt out with the same flame, increasing in size, and width of blade. An explosion of energy caused cave's ceiling to burst away, as if it was never there, revealing the dark skies above them.


Vill'Kern's body increased in size, becoming now even greater than he was, while his armor morphed radically. It looked as if it was made out of pure gold, massive. His head was covered now with a closed helmet, that carried shiny deer horns. Suddenly, he slowly stood, engulfed by the flames and the bursting energy, so strong that it reached the mad mage, who, for the second, was totally blocked and shocked by the sudden revival. The warrior took two steps forth, now so heavy that the cave's ground shattered and shook. Raising a hand, the warrior called for the morphed Ninth Penitence, which immediately took the place into his hand, now both being one. He stood as a protective shield for the princess, while his flames engulfed her poisoned arm, healing it so quickly as if nothing had happened to her.


With the now new appearance he took, he stood, ready for the battle of his life.<p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_07/deer_warrior_by_josearias-d6bvjjp.jpg.4aff1b6ba54879392cf7a099ffe0c2b6.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="22320" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_07/deer_warrior_by_josearias-d6bvjjp.jpg.4aff1b6ba54879392cf7a099ffe0c2b6.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p><p><a href="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_07/sword.jpg.0d5b300d7471fa0c0d01d721d143eebf.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="22321" src="<fileStore.core_Attachment>/monthly_2014_07/sword.jpg.0d5b300d7471fa0c0d01d721d143eebf.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>



 

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A fresh wave of tears blurred Ariana's vision, distorting her view of the blood drenched remains of The Slayer, the invincible mercenary turned sworn guardian and her friend, until all she could see was a disconcernable sea of red. Her thoughts had managed to reach Samon, but instead of answering her prayers for a way to revive the fallen warrior the old mage had confirmed her worst fears. Vill'Kern was really gone. Dead, just like that. How was this possible? How could he survive such impossible odds in so many different life threatening situations just to fall here? To some damned old man with a God complex, of all people! It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. Vill'Kern deserved better. He deserved to see his home restored, the streets purified of the barbarians that had stolen everything from him. He should have died of old age in Merchantar, content in the knowledge he had restored the city to its former glory. Not here, in some underground tunnel he never should have entered. Not like this, due to some spell a mage so flippantly willed. Not because of her.


Don't come! Ariana raged in her mind, Samon's response giving rise to a burning fury that fought for dominance with the anguish already threatening to split her heart in two. He had known they didn't stand a chance and he had sent them to their demise anyway. He had known and yet he had told them to come here, with not even a word of warning. In the princess's mind he was just as guilty of causing The Slayer's death as the dark mage that had cast the spell that had stolen Vill'kern's life, having countless opportunities to dissuade the warrior from his oath to protect the princess yet letting them all slip by without a second thought. Suffer with your Damned kin in the Demon's new world order, and know you had the power to prevent it! Die with the knowledge you condemned all of Valysia to such a Hell, just as you condemned Vill'Kern to... to this!


Ariana forced the connection to the mage in her mind to sever, unwilling to hear the old mage's excuses. Nothing he could say now would bring the warrior back. Nothing anyone could do would make a difference for The Slayer's already lost soul. It was too late. All that was left to her was to pray he found the path to the next life, his ancestors providing enough light for Vill'Kern to find his way.


For the first time the princess was aware of the creature cowering against her side, the numbing agent in the vemon still running through her veins making it impossible to feel the pressure of the pitiable little creature pressed against her infected arm. Her rage was almost immediately smothered by a mixture of sorrow and compassion at the sight. Ariana forced her weakened limb to rise, draping the almost limp arm around its trembling shoulders as best she could manage, attempting to pull the mourning gorm comfortingly against her person with little success, though still unwilling to remove her healthy hand from its position pressed against the warrior's armour.


It- Innis, she had named it Innis in honour of its endearing smile- had stayed with them despite their obvious defeat, missing its chance to escape from the 'bad man' that had tried to enslave it in the past. They had promised the creature the dark wizard would be defeated, sworn to give it the envelope opener now laying forgotten on the floor, and had failed it on all accounts. Even so Innis remained by her side, trying to comfort her rather than beg the dark mage for mercy. The princess tightened her weak grasp on the creature as much as possible, feeling as if it were the only ally she had left in this world. She wanted to comfort it, to tell it everything would be okay, but with lifeless shell that had once housed The Slayer's soul rapidly losing heat beneath her hand, she couldn't even force the lie from her lips.


"Run, Innis," Ariana whispered in the creature's pointed ear instead, her voice thick with barely contained emotion. She didn't want the innocent little being to die here as well. The princess couldn't stand the thought of being responsible for its death as well. "Please, run and never look back."


Ariana almost smiled as the small creature embraced her in a farewell, though she doubted she would ever smile again. Already it seemed as though her face had forgotten the motion. The princess gasped sharply as she heard the grom's declaration correct her assumption of its intentions, her heart clenching in fear for the tiny creature. She tried to catch a hold of its narrow green wrist as it scurried away, but her poisoned arm could barely be lifted, her weakened fingers frozen open. She thought she had felt her fingers brush against the fragile being's skin, but she knew it was in her mind.


"No, Innis, run!" Ariana yelled after it as the creature began throwing book after book at the unamused mage. She twisted around in her kneeling position beside the warrior's corpse, desperately looking for something to steal the wizard's attention away from the grom. Once again, before she had time to act the mage's magic had taken effect, drawing a blood curling scream from the poor little being that even at such a volume couldn't drown out the cracking for what sounded like every bone in the creature's small body being broken simultaneously.


Ariana grit her teeth in an effort to bite back a sob, meeting the indifferent wizard's almost bored gaze with a furious glare, the result less than menacing with the tears still flowing ceaselessly down her cheeks, as his attention turned to the princess. She had never felt such pure, unadulterated hatred for anything before in her young life, let alone for one person. The princess smirked bitterly as the mage spoke, her resolve set in stone before he had finished speaking.


"Your god is a lie." Ariana hissed back, her hand unaffected by the poison finally releasing its grip on the warrior's corpse to slowly reach for the dagger at her waist. They would see how wonderful the wizard's god was when he had failed to deliver the princess to its altar. It was almost fitting, the wizard's master would punish the mage for allowing her to die under his watch, thus avenging both The Slayer and the poor little grom. She only hoped his suffering wouldn't end too quickly, she wanted his death to be dragged out until he no longer had the will to cling to life. It was the only fitting retribution in her mind.


Ariana's hand grasped at thin air asshe failed to locate her dagger, a bone chilling dread filling her. It wasn't possible, where-? The spider that had poisoned her. She had driven the dagger through its body and had been unable to retrieve the blade from the tree it had been pinned to. The princess's hand fell limp at her side, her body cold with defeat. What could she do now? The Ninth Petitence was too fair for her to reach without the mage realizing her plan, and even if she could she would never be able to lift the heavy sword. She could make a dash for the envelope opener, but the blade was too dull to inflict any last damage. There was nothing she could do. She was as helpless to stop the mage as she had been to stop Khorinys from burning.


Ariana cried out in alarm as the warrior's body sudden burst in to flames, reflexively raising her arm protectively in front of her face. For several long, terrible moments she thought the mage had caused the sudden fire, angered by her words against his master, bracing herself for an onslaught of rubble and debris as the ceiling of the room was blown away. It pain from the inpact never came, and... and the flames weren't emitting any heat? The princess slowly lowered her arm slightly to watch the flames coil around the room without any apparent pattern, the light reflecting in her wide, still watering eyes as her gaze fell on the morphing Ninth Petitence, hope tentatively making itself known in her heart. Could it possibly be...?


"Vil-... Vill'Kern?" Ariana's breath caught in her throat as she felt an aura suddenly spark into existence within the warrior's body, fresh tears falling from her eyes for an entirely new reason as The Slayer's body grew and his armour shifted form into what almost gave him the appearance of a statue of pure gold. But there was something off, something wrong. Vill'kern's aura was... different than what it had been mere minutes before. The presence she recognized as the warrior's unique soul was still there, but it wasn't alone. It felt as if aura upon aura was layered together inside his massive body, several souls all taking up a spot within his form. But how was that possible? How was it possible for the man to even be alive?


Before Ariana could give voice to her countless questions her arm was engulfed in the healing flames, momentarily diverting her attention from the surreal scene before her eyes.
 
Vorath wasn't able to move an inch from his position. He was shocked to say the least. Hellish black eyes watched the giant armored knight rise before him, and step forth, threatening his being with only the simple stance. In his twisted mind, he asked his god again and again of how was it even possible that such would happen... but nothing answered. No voices left in his mind. Vill'Kern's aura and flames were spreading, now dancing about the mage and engulfing him in heat. For the princess, a pure soul, the flame was unharming, but for the mage it was like holy water for a demon.


Vill'Kern stood, not moving yet, and with a turn of his head, he gazed to the princess. She couldn't very well see his eyes, as they were shielded by the helmet, but yet his gaze pierced through, ensuring the princess everything was going to be fine. Turning his head to the mad mage once more, he took a heavy step to the side, while the mage watched him with a newborn hate in his eyes, born from the realisation of being abandoned by his god, and from the obvious fail at killing The Slayer. Forever. His body started emanating a hateful aura, dark, grim and cold, which immediately started fighting with The Punisher's dominant aura.


The flames of Vill'Kern also made their way up about the princess' frail embodiment, embracing her with a cozy warmth, just like a protective armor, relaxing her tensed mind. With every step he took, the now ceilingless cave seemed to be crumbling, but it didn't. His voice came out, stern, heavy and merciless. But it didn't sound like Vill'Kern's, it was way stronger and it struck deep into the mad mage's conscience.


Poor soul, lost in your way. Giving itself to darkness, letting the filth wash your dignity. Spreading destruction and pain in your path, sentencing innocent souls to eternal darkness and pain, to roam a land of waste that you alone have created. Worshipping a god that has left you alone in this world. I will cleanse your filth and put an end to your horrors, once and for all. It is time for your end.





The mage gazed to The Punisher, snarling as every word Vill'Kern spoke struck into him, raising his rage but as well, placing pieces of fear into his core. Vill'Kern raised his arm with the Ninth Penitence into his hand, pointing it to the mad mage before slashing at the air, leaving a trail of flame and the overpowered aura to cut through the darkness of the mage that hissed and snarled in pain. The mage stepped back, feeling the threat raise against him, and out of his shadowy aura, a black staff formed, with a skull at the top end of it. The skull's eye sockets were filled with the glimmering darkness.


It was a battle of darkness and light. One after another, Vill'Kern slashed with his sword at the darkness that lingered about the mage, dominating it on the battle field, engulfing him even more with the fiery aura that burnt him, causing him to retreat, while using the staff to guard himself for the slashes directed at his person. The mage at once twirled the staff in his hands, that, now revealed, looked pale, old and with fingers ending in claws. The dark magic he's been meddling with for so long turned him into a less human being that he thought he was. The skull on the staff opened its mouth and shot a dark orb towards the giant knight, orb that immediately got lost, engulfed by the fire of dominance that Vill'Kern's body set free.


With the amount of pure force that was set free in that very space, even the stones forming it were blown away, one by one, or crumbling down. But the fight seemed yet uneven. The Punisher kept stepping forth, with confidence and dominance, pushing the mage back, and dismissing each and every of his attacks with an impenetrable calm, while weakening his dark aura bit by bit.


But the fight wasn't even close to be over. The mage finally found himself cowering against a stone wall, watching as Vill'Kern approached, ready to give the last strike to the seeming scared mage. But instead, the mage's aura bursted out again, as he hissed and spat the words shouting at The Punisher.


"NO! You will not defeat me! Never! You cannot defeat me, no matter how strong you are! I will live through and I will be the one to create The New World!"


Vill'Kern stepped back, watching the darkness spread once more, for the time pushing back his flames and covering the mage as a cocoon. The cocoon extended, and extended, growing in size before popping and turning again to a dark fog, revealing what was beneath it.


Its skin was grey and on the overly grown chest lain an ancient mark, as a tattoo, in black. Black eyes seeming out of their sockets stared at the warrior of light, and huge fangs emerged from beneath the lips of a mouth that looked like a gate to hell. Black, bat-like wings spread to the sides, and two bull-like sharp horns rose from its deformed head. The beast was at least twice bigger in size than the improved Vill'Kern, and its dark aura was stronger and colder than ever. The creature opened its mouth, releasing a growling cry loud enough to deafen an average human being.


Vill'Kern took his stance once more, and with a deep breath, he released another wave of the dominant aura, the strenght of it mixed with the beast-turned mage's aura creating an explosion so strong, razing all the cave to the ground. The two opponents stood now in a huge crater, with a thundering sky above them, ready to release the battle once more.


The demon-like beast raised two dark orbs in its huge hands, tossing them at Vill'Kern, who, with a gracious pirrouette , cut through them, causing them to blow and dissapear. Dashing forwards with a speed higher than at his last burst of overpower, he used his legs to push himself up into the air, and slash at the demon's chest, the movement of the sword causing thundering sounds, as the demon stumbled back, overwhelmed by the outburst of power. Vill'Kern took advantage of the demon's attempt to wash him away with a wave of its arm, and with a spin while still in the air, he cut through the green skin, the force causing the blow to land so heavy, that the blade cut through all the demon's arm, causing it to fall to the ground, while black blood squirted out in a torrent, the beast releasing a cry of pain that echoed miles away.


Landing on the ground, with the skill of an acrobat, the warrior stood, facing the demon that writhed and cried in pain, while with the remaining hand formed another dark orb, quickly sending it towards him. The demon's strenght was slowly fading away, as it bled. The dark orb flied through the air towards him, but with a strike of the Penitence, he dismissed it just like he dismissed the ones before. It was time now. Time for the final strike. The demon already fell on a knee before him, crying out in the realisation of defeat. Taking a step forth, he placed the Ninth Penitence with its tip against the ground, solemnly, as he recited the Punisher's Judgement out loud.


I, Vill'Kern The Punisher, Walker Of The Astral Fields, Chosen Of The Nine Ancients, Bearer Of The Oath Of Penitence and protector of the Nine Realms, by the name and judgement of the Nine, sentence you to eternal wandering and pain in the Fields Of The Damned, now, and forever"





As he spoke, his energy shifted, and nine knights in differently colored armors appeared around the defeated demon, like ghosts, reciting in response to Vill'Kern's Judgement.


Now and forever.





His energy once more bursting out, and, in a second that seemed to stretch, he took a swing of the sword now named Oath Of Penitence, striking at the demon's neck, its head quickly separating from its horrible embodiment, with a last cry, as the flames engulfed the body, charring it and taking the dark soul into ether. The ghost like appearances vanished, and all that remained was the giant warrior, Vill'Kern, engulfed in the remaining flame. Taking steps past the princess, he stopped at the grom's corpse, and let his flames engulf it, healing all its wounds and restoring its innocent soul, granting it life once more.


Returning to the princess, he knelt before her, and for another second that seemed eternity, he raised his giant hand, placing it upon her cheek. His body slowly started shrinking, and the deer helmet dissapeared, leaving Vill"Kern just as Ariana always knew him, only with a new armor. He looked her in the eyes, and whispered.


"You're... safe"


His eyes closed and his body finally gave up, tired falling forth, almost taking her down with him, as he fell into a deep slumber, with a small smile across his face.
 
Ariana had to be dreaming. Vill'Kern must have forced her to take Samon's anti-vemon potion on the artificial cliff over looking the duplicate of Merchantar, and now she was trapped within an incredibly lucid dream as the potion took effect. If it was one of Samon's concoctions it was quite possible he had slipped in some herbs to cause hallucinations. It was the only explanation the princess could think of as she stared down at her healed arm, the sleeve pushed back to above the elbow to examine her once again unmarred skin. The limb actually felt stronger than before she had been poisoned, or at least it felt as if it was. But the warrior wasn't trained in magic. Even if he had been, he had been dead, his corpe completely void of a soul. It was impossible, even for the legendary Vill'Kern The Slayer, to return from the afterlife. It was against the rules of nature. A fundamental law of the universe. Even Vill'Kern wasn't exempt from such rulings... was he?


Ariana gazed upon the broad back of the being before her, standing between her and the enemy as Vill'Kern had done so many times before in the past, uncertain what to think. The princess wanted to believe it was really The Slayer, truly she did, but she didn't think she could handle the sorrow if it turned out to be some sort of trick. She could sense the being's aura, letting her know it was indeed a living creature within the body of the warrior, but it didn't feel like his aura. Was it possible something had crossed into the realm of the live as he had passed into the afterlife, and now had possession of his body?


Ariana's breath hitched in her throat as the helmet clad head turned in her direction, her uncertainty instantly eased despite being unable to see the warrior's eyes. It was him. It was really Vill'Kern, by some miracle returned from the dead. The princess could feel the pressure of his reassuring gaze, the same as it had been when he had sworn to help her avenge her kin and restore her homeland, the gaze identical to the look he had given her when he promised not to allow her to lose her arm. The princess's trembling lips stretched into a wide smile, tears of relief and elation overflowing from her eyes. The warrior really could make the impossible happen.


Ariana relaxed into the flames entirely surrounding her person, her smile refusing to fade as if she didn't have a care in the world. Everything was alright now. Vill'Kern had truly returned from the afterlife and he would not be going back. There was nothing for her to worry about now. The legendary warrior would set everything right, just as he always did. After all, if he could concur death what else could possibly stand in his way? The princess's smile widened, the thought filling her mind like an inarguable fact of life.


Ariana watched through the flames as the golden clad warrior approach the desperate looking mage, feeling completely at peace despite the ground trembling with his every step and what remained of the ceiling appearing as if it could come crashing down upon them at any moment. She heard his speech to the dark wizard as if he had spoken directly into her mind, his tone reminding the princess of when her father would tell her tales of her ancestors' great conquests, and closed her eyes in a vague sense of contentment. Soon, justice would be served.


Ariana gazed upon the apparently one sided battle with calm eyes, unable to sense any of the dark wizard's negative emotions or decrepit aura through the protective flames. Vill'Kern would vanquish this enemy just like all the others, magical proficiency or not. It wasn't until the Mad Mage seemed to crack under the pressure of the impenetrable warrior's approach that uncertainty began to edge into the princess's mind again, a gasp slipping from between her parted lips as the cocoon of darkness encasing the dark mage dispersed to reveal his new, grotesque form.


The flames surrounding the princess grew and stretched around her, protecting her from whatever was happening during the battle but also blocking her view. She could hear the noises like thunder rolling all about her, but she had no idea as to their source. She remained calm despite knowing she could be panicked, realizing it must be an effect of Vill'kern's flames. They seemed to reassure her that never was wrong even there was no way of knowing for uncertain until she heard the demon the Mad Mage had become howl in agony. Ariana waited for the flames to disperse enough for her vision to be cleared, her body tensed in impatience though she never doubted the warrior would come out of the battle victorious.


The flames finally diminished enough for the princess to see as Vill'Kern once again spoke in a voice that was not his own, revealing the cave reduced to a crater and the obviously defeated mage kneeling before the warrior. Her eyes widened as the spirits of the fallen nine surrounded the defeated wizard, their words echoing in her mind. She could recognize the Ancient Knight that had acted as guardian of the Forsaken Labyrinth before they were gone, there one minute and the next dragging the decapitated beastly mage to the only fate befitting such a forsaken being.


Ariana stared at the spot the vanquished mage had last stood, unable to believe what had happened. He was gone. Vorath The Mad Mage was dead, killed by Vill'Kern The Slayer- no, The Punisher he had called himself. Apparently a lot had happened to the warrior during his time in the after life. The princess's eyes slid to the massive man as he strode passed her purposefully, her dazed mind trying to keep up with what was happening. She watched as he knelt beside the fallen grom, looking away from its corpse as tears began to blur her vision once more. It seemed not everyone was as fortunate as the warrior to escape the after life.


The thought had barely passed through her mind when she felt the grom's aura slowly return to its body, her head snapping up in time to see the golden warrior rise and begin approaching her once more. It couldn't be possible! Not only had Vill'Kern returned from the dead, he had pulled the little green creature's soul back from the brink as well. What had happened to him during the time he had been gone? What had returning done to him, and what were the other auras lurking within his body?


Ariana had no time to form her questions in to an articulate thought before the mammoth warrior was before her. She could truly appreciate his stature from her angle, kneeling on the ground at The Punisher's feet as he towered above her. The ground beneath them rattled with the impact as he dropped to a knee before her, the princess completely unaware of his intentions. She remained perfectly still as she saw his intimidatingly large hand rise out of the corner of her eye, holding her breath as he touched the cool metal to her cheek.


Ariana's breath escaped her in a sigh of relief as she felt the extra auras within his body fade, the presence she identified as the warrior returning as the predominant life force in his body. The princess's trembling hand rose to settled over top of his golden gauntlet resting against her skin. She felt as if she were going to start weeping all over again, only this time in joy. A single tear slipped down her cheek as the princess's face broke out into a wide smile, her breath hitching in her throat as she heard the warrior's familiar voice.


"W-welcome back." Ariana replied in a shaky whisper, unable to remember the last time she had been so happy. She didn't have long to consider it however before Vill'Kern was pitching forward in a dead faint, his eyes closed before his head hit the ground. The princess scrambled to break his fall, her hands wrapping around the back of his head and neck as she awkwardly pushed to her feet in a effort to use the strength in her legs to slow his descent, straining her muscles to careful lower his head to the hard ground.


Dear sweet Khorinian crystals was the man ever heavy, Ariana thought as she brushed the warrior's hair from his face, a small smile on her face as the strength was drained from her body. It was lucky she had only needed to support his upper body or else they both would have ended up with an injury. Another tear slid down her cheek as she watched the warrior sleep, unable to give words to the relief she felt. Vill'Kern was alive. It was really, truly real. She could feel the warmth of his skin beneath her hand. He had really defied the laws of nature and returned from the dead. Not only had he brought himself back and defeated Vorath, he had restored the grom's soul to his body as well.


Ariana looked round as she thought of the fragile creature that had sacrificed its life to protect her, smiling through her tears as she caught sight of the small green being. Spreading her arms wide open for the creature, she silently invited the grom she still thought to be an imp into her enbrace. She wrapped one arm tightly around the being's shoulders, holding it to her chest while her other hand clenched tightly around the resting warrior's hand.


Ariana wasn't sure how long they remained in the strange connection before she pulled away slightly from the creature, looking into its golden eyes with a warm smile. Long enough for the princess to be convinced of the life force flowing through both beings' bodies, and her legs to stiffen uncomfortably beneath her.


"Innis, I'm going to look for the remains of the mage's library. Can you stay with Vill'Kern so he doesn't get lonely? I promise I'll bring you back anything shiny I find." With a final squeeze to the grom's shoulders Ariana stood, moving away to search the rubble for the texts they had ventured to Thraghul to find.
 
The green being behaved as if nothing ever has happened, and nodded excited as the princess spoke the "shiny" word, that remembering it about the shiny she promised earlier that day. Had she forgotten about that one?


"Promised shiny to Innis today. Hope give shiny to Innis" The grom smiled and spoke, while Ariana stood and moved to look around through the scattered books. Innis finally sat at the sleeping warriors side, watching him slumber, while the once black clouds upon the sky slowly left way to a shining sun, a sun that hasn't been seen for oh so long in such wastelands. As the magic of Vorath wore off, the threatening beasts that guarded the grounds, one by one, morphed back to humans, but only then to age fastly, and turn to bones and dust in the very moment. Their natural age was a few good hundred years, and as they once were just average human warriors, they would be long gone by the time.


The aura that Vill'Kern wore just some minutes ago dissipated into the air, slowly but surely killing off the stench of death and evil, and into the ground, restoring it slowly.


Vill'Kern slept silently, and dreamt.


The sun rose above everything, and bestowed its sacred light upon everyone, upon the beautiful grounds of Hall'Hyn, and upon the high walls of the restored Merchantar, with its glorious blue flags with golden coin purses high above the city gates. His home was bathing now in cheers and happiness, feasts over feasts in the honor of the restoring. His name, on the lips of every human being in the city, bards singing about his glory and him... wedding someone? After so long, it was time that he settled down and led his people. He stood, proud, before the priest that was to do the sacred ceremony of uniting two souls into marriage. And there she was. In the door frame of the main room of the palace. Petite, delicate frame, dressed in the most expensive silk wedding gown ever to be found in all of Valysia, a beautiful veil covering her face.


She stepped to him, ever so gently, as if she walked on thin air, and finally stood before him. He didn't even hear the priest's words, all he could focus on was his soon-to-be-bride. And finally, there it was, the moment to unveil her face and seal their fates together with a kiss. His hand rose, the tension grew, the veil was revealing the face of... Ariana?





He suddenly opened his eyes, and gasped out loud. Only the thought of what he had dreamt made his face turn red. How could that even be possible? He looked around disoriented, and finally saw her, the princess, looking through the scattered books. But he couldn't see her as he did at first. Something has changed, it made him quite uncomfortable, but he couldn't understand. What was going on to him?


The grom observed Vill'Kern awakening, and started jumping up excited, waving and yelling for the princess.


"Awake, awake, warrior awake, come see, red face, awake!"


Just as it happened, from a pile of books, a black book stood out. Covered in leather, very thick and its front cover was bearing a sign. The ancient sign of the Dark Arts.


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Ariana sifted through the debris left in the wake of the warrior's battle against the dark mage, the once claustrophobic cave that housed the wizard's lair reduced to little more than rubble and dust, barely disconcernable from the vast wastelands all around them if not for the wide crater they now stood in. The countless texts and scrolls that had lined the walls of the Mad Mage's domain, the very reason they had gone to such troubles to find this cursed land in the first place, had not been spared from the destructive force of the fight.


Loose pages was varying degrees of damage were strewn all about the area, some pages half buried while others were being carried away by the breeze. Whole novels seemed to have to been completely in tact, until Ariana attempted to lift them and they turned to ashes in her hands. Others still were fragile even without a significant amount of damage, the pages all but fused together by the grains of sands that had managed to worm there way between the covers. There were small piles of books she occasionally came across that appeared to be completely devoid of damage, but they were far and few between.


Ariana collected all she could find, regardless of condition or whether she could understand the language it was written in or not, gathering as much into her arms as she could lift before she would carry her finds back to the grom sitting beside the still sleeping warrior to set in a neat pile to be inspected properly after she had salvaged everything she could. As she had promised, the princess occasionally returned with different shiny objects she found for Innis to play with as it waited, handing the excited creature a treasure cove of metal vials and what appeared to be instruments the Mad Mage used to make his potions, containers of all different sizes and long, oddly shaped spoons apparently used for mixing his concoctions. She was careful to inspect everything first however, not nting to give the little being anything contaminated with potions or anything she thought it could accidentally hurt itself with. The princess returned with a collection of coins, some she recognized and some that appeared as though they were from ancient times. She even found it a small hand held mirror, completely encased in a reflective nickel aside from the glass used to inspect one's appearance. It seemed to be much easier to locate the shiny objects than the books they needed, though she had yet to be able to find the envelope opener she had initially promised the grom for playing her game.


Ariana was quite amused by the little creature and its ever growing collection of treasures, glad it didn't seem to remember anything about what had happened to it after it had been struck by the dark mage. If it had the grom wasn't speaking of it, and the princess couldn't sense any odd traits in its aura. The princess was happy it was safe, though if she were entirely honest she was also relieved for what that implied about Vill'Kern, and what state of mind he would be in when he awoke. She kept herself busy to keep her nerves from getting the best of her if she considered the possibilities for too long. What were they going to do if those other auras had returned to his body while he slept? She refused to even consider contacting Samon, her faith in the man and his order of magic users completely shattered. They would have to find the answer in one of these texts, a daunting task she avoided thinking about too much but straining her muscles to push heavy stones aside, not entirely necessary but determined to perform a thorough search.


The recovery of the princess's arm was incredible to say the least. She marveled at the dramatic change as she pushed aside stones and dirtied her hands digging in the sand. She relished n the full mobility of the limb, prehaps carrying a bit more than she should on occasion back to their makeshift settlement. Everything around them seemed to have been affected by the warrior's previous incredible aura, even the ominous clouds beginning to dissipate to allow the sun to peek through, while the princess could feel the life returning to the ground beneath her feet. One day, this area would be completely covered in plant life, all traces of the wastelands utterly forgotten. All thanks to the warrior.


Ariana let out a soft cheer of victory as she finally spotted the envelope opener she had smuggled out of Khorinys, pushing aside rubble and sand to reveal the simple handle with the Khorinian seal engraved upon it. The princess had almost closed her hand around the dull blade when she froze midaction, feeling as if something were calling to her. Slowly the princess looked only a few feet to her side, staring at one particular book in a pile of prehaps half a dozen heavy tomes.


Ariana couldn't tear her gaze away from the intimidatingly large, black leather bound book, transfixed by the insignia she knew to represent the dark arts on the cover. Though more importantly, what lay beneath the sigil. There, used as a background for the symbol, roughly the size of her palm, was a crystal. One of her crystals. The princess slowly moved towards the book as if in a trance, unable to believe her eyes as she gathered the book in her hands. It was unmistakable. It was really one of the crystals mined from Khorinys's ground, though there was something... off about it. The normally pure energy she knew to radiate from the crystal wasn't there, in its place was instead an aura that seemed as though it were tainted, as if it had been affected by the Mad Mage it had been in the presence in for presumably centuries.


Ariana could purify the crystal. She was sure of it. The crystal was sure of it. She could feel the longing of the blackened gem to be returned to its former state, as if it were begging for her assistance. She wanted to help, craved the contact with the crystal she had once constantly been in the presence of, but... it would take her time to purify the darkness trapped within the core of the stone, and she wasn't sure how long her travelling companions could stand to be in its presence without feeling the effects of the crystal. She was sure Vill'Kern could handle it, if there was anything at this point the man couldn't deal with she would may very well keel over in shock, but what about Innis? She wasn't sure how the crystals effected imps. Would it drive the creature to madness before she had a chance to restore the stone?


Ariana jumped as she heard Innis suddenly call for her, letting her know the warrior was awake. With a red face? Concern immediately consumed her thoughts, possibilities of fevers and terrible ailments rushing through her mind. The princess pried the sigil from the cover of the book in a rush, breaking several of her nails in her haste. With more care she eased the crystal and the eight point star surrounding it, unable to seperate the two with so little time, from the thick leather, quickly stuffing it in her boot before hurrying to answer the creature's call, the heavy book clutched to her chest. She hesitated only long enough to scoop the envelope opener into her hand before she was racing back to stand before the grom and the indeed red faced warrior.


"What's wrong?" Ariana asked worriedly as soon as she was close enough, letting the items in her hands fall carelessly to the ground as she dropped to her knees beside the warrior, pressing her hand against his heated brow. She could sense his disorientation and discomfort, but could see no obvious signs of what could be the cause. At least it seemed as if the other auras hadn't returned to his body. "Do you feel sick? Feverish? Pains anywhere? Pains everywhere? Would you like anything?"
 
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He couldn't realise he was actually staring at the princess far in the distance before the grom intrerupted him with its yells. Turning his head, he looked to the grom, and barely held back from not grabbing it and blocking its mouth. He didn't have much time, however, before the princess rushed back. She carried something. Black. A book maybe? He turned his head again just in time as she pressed her hand against his brow. His heart skipped a bit and he felt another rush of heat go through him, What exactly was going on? He looked her in the eyes and he recalled again and again the one in his dreams, the princess dressed in silk and ready for him to kiss. Involuntarily he gazed at her lips moving, and felt a terrible urge to bring a resolve to his dream by kissing her, but on a second thought, he left that urge away, by answering her desperate questions.


Without having much will to oppose, he took off one of his golden metal gloves, and with a bare hand, touched the soft skin and flesh of her cheek, while looking her in the eyes, comfortingly, and whispering.


"Hey, i'm not going to die again, calm down now. Everything is alright"


He tried a sort of laugh at his own bitter joke, only the thought of having died once giving him a whole new perspective regarding the world. He held his hand pressed against her cheek to comfort her for some seconds that looked like hours, brushing his thumb against her soft flesh and smiling, for the first time in long, a genuine, kind smile. The red tint in his face didn't dissapear, however, during the contact, before the corner of his eye caught the book in sight. He could sense the maleficent aura it wore calling for it to be opened. But his attention was distracted by something else now.


The grom was happily inspecting the treasure he had gathered, actually, the one the princess gathered to it, cackling and giggling excited as it took every little shiny object in its hand and looking upon it. The small being rose its gaze only to look upon the scene between the princess and the warrior, and, with another excited yell, it started jumping about just like a child.


"You kiss nice girl now, kiss nice girl now, looooooove" The grom yelled as it ran around them in circles, jumping for joy, while Vill'Kern, disoriented once more by the embarassing situation, rushed his hand away from the princess, his face going even more red, as he finally cut through the air with his hand towards the grom, taking care not to hit it.


"Oh, cease it, kid!"


The grom looked to Vill'Kern, to the princess, then, as if it had forgotten, returned to his treasure, giggling again and ranting in his damaged human tongue about all the "shiny" that was there. Vill'Kern finally placed his glove on his hand, and rose to sitting position, to question the princess.


"So, what did you find there?" He asked as he looked at the book which seemed to call for him to open it. But he knew something was not right. The book wanted to be open, almost forced his will, so now he understood how Vorath has been driven mad. It would be wiser not to open it, but then again, how would they find out what they needed if they didn't open the book? Finally, with a sigh of defeat, he placed his hands on the book, and immediately felt its energy. He wanted to dismiss it by throwing it away as far as he could, but at the same time, he felt the book was extending tentacles that slowly were bonding him with it. This wasn't good.


He thought long before finally finding the courage to open the book, his heart skipping beat after beat as he was ready to read its content. But suddenly, he remained staring in shock. The book... it was empty. This couldn't be true! He started desperately flipping page after page, in hopes of finding anything. But there was nothing inside it. No writings, marks, drawings, symbols, nothing. He almost felt like he was going to have a rage fit. So they fought all their way to there, he died once and all for this? Samon had to give some serious explanations about it.


Samon, you little carnival conjurer, what in the name of the world means this?!? The book of Dark Arts is EMPTY! We fought all our way to here for nothing! You better have a good explanation, or your head will be my new trophy when i find you, you old halfwit!





And as soon as he phrased his angry inquiry in his mind, he heard the old man's voice booming in his head.


You hold your tongue there, young fool! I didn't... become one of the most respected persons in all Valysia so that you, a no one, could inslt me in this manner! You might have come back to life, but you have no rights to insult me, you're a human still, not a demigod. Now, the thing that the book is empty for you is good. Only people versed in wizardry may see its content, or people the Book has chosen. That book infests minds, and once your mind is infested, only then it will reveal its secrets to you. Now, if you want to read it, bring it to Hyeris, i am here. I dare not handle it by myself, but i have the Elders Of The High Circle here as well, and together we will block its dark magic. Move yourself here at once!





The connection was broken abruptly, and he found himself staring into the book. With a quick move, he closed it, despite his ardent desire of keeping it open and trying to make it show itself to him. No, that was not his desire, he thought, as he placed the book on the ground and looked to the princess.


"Well, we must travel to Hyeris. The book is useless unless we have someone well versed in magic to read it... or if one of us gets his mind tainted by the dark energy. And the second isn't an option, never ever"
 
Ariana stared down at the warrior in growing concern as the silence since she had interrogated him stretched by into seconds, feeling like an eternity as she waited for him to let her know what was wrong. The princess could sense his longing for something, but until he gave voice to the want she had no way of knowing exactly what it was. Water? Pain numbing herbs? Some sort of makeshift pillow? She bit her inner cheek to keep the questions from tumbling from her lips, impatiently waiting for the warrior to answer. What if he couldn't speak? What if something had happened to him during his return from the after life? The princess was on the verge of panicking when Vill'Kern finally spoke.


Ariana sighed in relief as the warrior reassured her of his health, leaning her cheek slightly into the comforting touch. Maybe she had been jumping to conclusions a little prematurely. The princess smiled slightly at his morbid joke, too assured to take it too seriously. She was still concerned about the red hue lingering in his features, but at least he seemed to be in good enough spirits.


"Sorry, it's my first resurrection," Ariana murmured gently, her relief for his well being leaving her with a sense of blissful contentment despite the long hours of reading ahead of them, as she brushed the warrior's hair away from his eyes. "Maybe there is a guide book around here somewhere."


"Are you sick?" Ariana questioned the grom bouncing about them tirelessly, amused at its seemingly random assessment of the situation. It must have been the only creature in all of Valysia that didn't know of Vill'Kern The Slayer's reputation if it thought that the warrior was capable of such tender emotions. The princess turned her attention back to the warrior as she sensed his disorientation again, frowning at the unnatural shade his face was turning. "Are you sure you're alright? Does your head hurt?"


"Innis, it's not very nice to tease someone that isn't feeling well." Ariana scolded the excitable creature, worried its loud cheering was causing the warrior's distress. The princess motioned to the envelope opener she had dropped earlier, hoping to distract the loud little being. "Is that the shiny you wanted before, Innis?"


Ariana looked to the warrior in alarm as he began to sit up, worried all the blood that had rushed to his head would make him dizzy. She caught a hold of the golden armour protecting his shoulder, pulling at the metal an attempt to help him into a sitting position, for all the good it would do. The princess glanced at the book she had unceremoniously dropped to the ground in her haste at his enquiry, making sure the grom was thoroughly distracted before answering.


"It's a book of Dark Arts. It had the cursed sigil on the cover, but I needed to pry it off to get to what was underneath." Ariana spoke in a low tone, pulling the symbol she had removed from the book's cover from her pocket to show the warrior. She glanced at the grom once again to make sure it still wasn't listening before she continued. "There was a crystal beneath it. One from Khorinys. It's... tainted from whatever the Mad Mage used it for, but I'm sure I can fix it with time."


Ariana gasped as the warrior picked up the heavy book, a dark aura bursting forth from its pages, her eyes widening as her gaze followed the tentacle like whisps of darkness attempt to wind themselves around him, just barely refraining from knocking the tome from his hands. It seemed her intervention wasn't necessary, however, as the warrior's fire like aura seemed to act as a second shield pressing tightly against his form, keeping the book's negative aura from penetrating his soul. The princess watched in amazement, having never seen an aura act in his a manner before.


Ariana touched her fingertips to the warrior's forehead, the only bare skin she had access to, and willed the man to see what she gazed upon. The princess never would have thought such a feat possible before, but with his aura exposed acting like a second skin, she thought it worth a try. Ariana thought it the only was to share with the warrior what she was seeing, having no words to describe the strange phenomenon. She barely noticed the blank pages.


Ariana let her hand drop to her side as the warrior released the book, quickly picking it up to keep the temptation out of arms reach. The book's aura didn't seem to react to her, but she was still wary of the potential for harm the tome possessed. Her concern was only worsened as the warrior mentioned Hyeris, her body tensing as she realized who he must have spoken to.


"Are you sure you can trust Samon?" Ariana asked darkly, her tone making her opinion of the old mage clear. She was not willing to forget the role the wizen old bat had played in Vill'kern's demise, even if it was only a temporary death. "He knew exactly what he was sending us into by telling us to come this way. He knew what would happen to you, and he didn't say a word! How can you be so sure he doesn't want to book for his own greedy desired, or if he too hasn't sold his soul to this god?"


Ariana let out an angry breath, glaring down at the ground as she recalled her last conversation with the mage. He should be begging Vill'Kern for forgiveness, not issuing them orders! He should be so lucky as to be spared the warrior's wrath. The princess shook her head to dismiss her angry thoughts, knowing the decision was better left up to the warrior. "I think it would be best if we at least stay here a little longer. You should get some more rest while I look through these books. Even you can't carry all of them to Hyeris. Well... Comfortably, anyway."
 
She might be right. What if Samon was indeed tainted to an extent and only sent them to Thraghul to fetch him the Book? That was some thought that disturbed Vill'Kern just as much as his other one. Somehow, the strange desire to pick the Book once more was intruding his mind, as if the Book dropped a tainted seed into him. If that has happened, he feared much for the princess' safety around him. No, that wasn't true. He was the same Vill'Kern and nothing could taint him. And the princess was safe under his protective arms. That was a fact. Again, he gazed to the princess and involuntarily, his lips pulled into another kind and hearty smile.


What is going on with me? He wondered as he couldn't let her off his sight. He heard the grom's giggles of happiness as it received the "shiny" that the princess promised it at their first meeting, and also thought about the tainted crystal she now carried. Too many thoughts. He dismissed them all with a nod, as response to the princess' proposal of spending some more time in that place. But for that, they'd need a fire, and something to eat, he just now realised his stomach was growling. He looked to the grom, finally able to cast that awe struck gaze of his from the princess, and grabbed a shiny coin to distract it from its playing with the envelope opener.


"Innis, what do you say if you go out into the forest back there and scout it for any signs of animals? Rabbits, or something. We'll be staying over the night here, and we need food. Also, check out for wood, and come back to tell me, alright?"


Innis looked to the warrior as he spoke, and didn't even blink before accepting the task it had been assigned, cheering joyful.


"Innis useful, bring food and logs, know place! Innis not dissapoint!"


The small creature, still holding the small envelope opener, dashed back towards the forest, happy to become of use, while Vill'Kern turned his gaze back to Ariana. He now remained pondering on one thing. He felt embarrased somewhat about the dream, but at least, he wished to speak to her about it, so she would at least... know. But why would she? They had now many other things much important than a silly dream. But what if he... He remembered that his parents once spoke to him about love. The feeling that one gets for someone, a feeling that makes him or her do the craziest, most insane things for the another, and longing for that person's affection and presence.


Well, i've thrown myself in the embrace of death for Ariana... i guess nothing can be crazier than that. And that something inside me when i feel her presence... oh no. I... i can't feel love. The only love i felt was for my parents, and they died. That is the day my own feelings died. I... can't be inlove with her... she's way too young, as well, but still, why do i feel this... longing for her?





He continued asking himself within his mind, but suddenly realising that Samon could be in his mind and hearing it, he stopped. He looked far into the distance, and saw the small grom rush back, holding something... something white... and furry. A rabbit! Innis was returning glorious with a rabbit, and blood onto his teeth and fangs. Innis hunted down a rabbit all by itself and returned now, victorious.


"Innis caught rabbit! Nice girl and warrior eat rabbit caught by Innis! Innis found wood and more rabbits, come see!"


The creature finally reached them and dropped the rabbit before Vill'Kern and Ariana, while gazing to both of them, awaiting to be congratulated for its work. Vill'Kern stretched his arm and pat the little being on its head.


"Well done, hunter. Now, where have you seen more of this?" He asked as he gazed to Ariana, then back to the grom, which now pointed towards the forest they exitted earlier that day.


"Green clearing there. Lots rabbits, tree! Come see!"
 
Ariana breathed a little easier knowing Vill'Kern had taken her opinion of the old mage seriously, smiling gratefully as he announced they would be staying at least the night before moving on. She watched as the excited little grom dashed into the trees and out of sight upon the warrior's request for it to seek out a suitable spot for them to spend the night, smiling slightly at its eagerness to prove itself useful to The Slayer. Innis was just like a child, easily amused and quick to do anything it could for them, perhaps with a bit more enthusiasm than necessary, but endearing all the same. The princess bit her lip as a worrying thought occurred to her, wondering if the over eager creature had accepted too much responsibility.


"Are imps skilled at hunting?" Ariana asked, turning her aattention away from the trees to look back at the warrior. She was startled to find his gaze already upon her, the longing he had felt before once again present in his aura. The princess's arms tightened around the heavy leather bound book still clutched to her chest, momentarily worried The Slayer would attack her for it. After all he had done to protect her Ariana had no doubt in her mind the warrior wouldn't harm her, but it would be a simple task for the man to pry the cursed tome from her grasp.


"Try not to think about it." Ariana suggested after several long moments of awkward silence, squirming slightly under The Slayer's unnerving gaze. Was it possible the negative aura contained within the pages of the text had managed to worm its way into his mind without her noticing? She hadn't thought it possible with Vill'kern's protective aura acting as a shield, but now she wasn't so confident. "The appeal of the book may be due to its prolonged exposure to the crystal. The effects should fade the longer it is away from the influence of the crystal, so..."


So deal with it, that was really the only option they had if they intended to use the book, presumably the text they needed to identify the specifics of the being controlling the Deathless King and the Mad Mage, but the words seemed to harsh to speak aloud. Maybe the princess should just bury the tome beneath the sands, in a location it would never be found again. They weren't even certain the text truly held the knowledge they needed, the source of their information proven to be untrustworthy.


"Your aura has changed," Ariana stated instead, grasping at anything to fill the silence left in the grom's absence. "Not drastically, just... different. Stronger. Your aura reacted to the dark energy contained within the book, forming almost a shield against the negative influence. I've never seen anything like it before."


Ariana smiled at the warrior to show she meant it as a compliment, looking back to the trees as Innis reemerged from the forest with a rabbit clutched in its grasp. The princess smiled at the elated creature as Vill'Kern praised the being almost glowing with pride. She began gathering as many of the books and pages into her arms as she could carry, careful to never let the currently blank book of Dark Arts slip from her grasp.
 
He watched the princess as she started picking up books, wondering if any of that was even necessary. The only book he knew they were after was the Book of Dark Arts, which was now held tightly in her grasp. He knew exactly her reasons, she felt his slight doubts and probably started believing that the aura of the Book had possesed him. Shaking his head to dismiss the thoughts, he started picking up random books and torn pages, stacking them into his arms, a space big enough to fill with all the remaining books and small tomes. He now looked at the little grom, that struggled its little arms with the sack of shiny objects the princess gathered for it. It caused him a small smile seeing the little being not giving up on its treasure, fighting with the heavy weight stubbornly.


Finally, the green little being gave up on trying, and instead, using one of the metal objects, started digging into the soil, fast enough, creating a small then progressively bigger and deeper hole in the ground. He rose an eyebrow as he watched with interest as Innis pushed the sack of shiny objects into the hole, keeping only the envelope opener Ariana gave it, then started burying the belongings, until there was no sign of anything there, then started prancing forth, grabbing the rabbit it caught, while Vill'Kern signaled for the princess to follow along with him.


"Hidden shinies, come get them other time, nobody find shinies there" Innis spoke proudly, while Vill'Kern turned his gaze to Ariana and smiled amused at the grom's childish behavior. Innis led them into the forest, and the warrior looked around, and took a deep breath of the pure air. The forest was now peaceful and coming back to life, nothing left of the ominous presences hidden within it. The dead trees started dissapearing behind them as they walked, and more of the green ones started surrounding them. The grom finally introduced them to the place it found. Indeed, it was beautiful, and alive. A small lake was lying in the middle of the opened field, a majestic sight. Green trees bestowed relaxing shadows upon the green soil. A beautiful deer took a leap in their opposite direction as it saw them.


Vill'Kern felt peaceful in that place. The night was closing in by the minute, and they had to settle down. He smiled to the princess, placing down the books he carried, and taking hers as well, aside from the Book, which she seemed to be guarding with a huge responsibility. Shrugging, he looked about, then after a thought, he looked down to the grom, which seemed fascinated by the beautiful place they were going to spend the night in.


"Hey, Innis, mind helping me with something?" He questioned the little being that immediately shifted its golden gaze to him, happy once more to be of use. "Let's go find some wood and some more rabbits, shall we? You get the wood, i get the rabbits."


He smiled as the little being already dashed away, repeating the word "wood" loudly as if not to forget what it was after. Vill'Kern turned to Ariana and smiled once more to her, nodding.


"I'm... going to get the rabbits. Settle down here and wait for me, alright?" He smiled to her but suddenly stopped in his way. Rabbits were small, and fast. For a titan size like him, it would be a big pain in the throat to be chasing them with a dagger, and the Oath Of Penitence was way too big, it would cut a rabbit in two pieces impossible to cook. Instead, the lake could have fishes.


"Do you like fish?" He questioned the princess as he once more gazed to her, then to the lake nearby.


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"Thank you," Ariana smiled gratefully as the warrior helped her carry the assortment of pages and books, none too keen on the idea of having to make several trips to move all of the information from its current location to the spot Innis had chosen for them to spend the night, especially when half of the knowledge contained within the variety of pages were either in a language she couldn't understand or was entirely useless to them. If there was a chance of there being anything useful pertaining to their journey, however, it would be worth the effort. They wouldn't be able to take everything with them, so the princess would need to work through the night to make sure she didn't miss anything of vital importance.


Ariana turned to their guide when all of the texts had been collected off of the ground, clearing her throat to cover her chuckle at the determined grom's predicament. Perhaps she had gone a little over board on all of the reflective objects she brought it. She just hadn't been able to resist the little creature's green face light up in excitement every time she brought it a new discovery. The princess watched with a mixture of guilt and amusement as Innis finally gave up on trying to bring his shinies with them, rather impressed by its speed as the deceptively fast little being carried out its clever plan for the currently immovable collection of shiny treasures, stepping out of the way of the soil being flung about by the speedy creature's rapid digging.


"That's brilliant, Innis. I'm sure your shinies will be perfectly safe." Ariana praised the proud little creature, feeling as if she were congratulating a school child. She returned Vill'kern's look of amusement as Innis all but bounced off towards their destination, shifting the assortment of texts in her arms as she followed behind the warrior into the trees upon his signal. The princess looked around the trees slowly regaining their luster as they travelled deeper into the wooded area, awed by the drastic change The Slayer's aura had had on the surrounding area. Not only had he broken the enchantment plaguing the Mad Mage's wastelands to eternal darkness and desolation, as well as freeing the cursed souls of the being the dark wizard had transfigured into his personal collection of beasts and guardians, his power had even reached in poisoned trees, allowing them the freedom to one day return to their former glory. The aura returning to forest felt like a new life, as if he had pulled the life of the woodlands back from the afterlife as well. The princess watched the broad shoulders of the warrior walking ahead of her, wondering if he understood the full staggering implications of what he had accomplished. The man was nothing short of a walking miracle.


Ariana gasped as they entered the clearing Innis had chosen for them, turning in a slow circle to get the full effect of the beautiful land. It was if this area alone had been completely untouched by Vorath's corruption. It was astounding that the tiny little creature had been able to find such a perfect location in such a short amount of time. If she hadn't been able to feel the life pulsing through the trees and the grass fluttering in the soft breeze, the strength of the current passing through the body of water, and the wild life that had seemed to flock to the little spot of paradise, Ariana would have thought they were in the midst of another one of the green being's illusions. She had truly underestimated it.


"It's perfect, Innis!" Ariana praised, smiling widely at the discoverer of the small retreat. The space reminded the princess strongly of her homeland, of the small little hide aways one could find in the forests surrounding Khorinys if only they took the time to look. It had been a hobby of sorts for the princess to seek out all the perfect little nocks and crannies hidden away within the trees, the peaceful environment a perfect spot to calm her frazzled senses after remaining in the presence of the crystals and the negative auras their energies generally wrought.


Of course it used to annoy the living daylights out of the guards and nannies responsible for watching over me, Ariana remembered nostalgically, smiling at the warrior gratefully as he took the load of texts from her tiring arms to set it down beside his own pile of papers and tomes. The princess was relieved he hadn't attempted to remove the book of Dart Arts from her grasp, hoping she had been mistaken about his longing for the cursed tome earlier. It seemed impossible that such a tiny thing could have any effect on the legendary warrior at all, let alone take control of his mind. Even so the princess kept it close to her person, concerned what could happen if the shiny black leather caught a pair of golden eyes.


Ariana bit her lip as Innis went racing back into the trees to complete his assigned task, the suggest for the two to switch responsibilities dying on her lips. Vill'Kern's stature would allow him to carry far more wood than the tiny grom, and the creature's speed had evidently proven to be an asset in catching the quick little rabbits. She smiled in slight exasperation after Innis's already faded form, finding she had quite the soft spot for the tiny creature. If The Slayer's matching smile as he watched Innis disappear into the trees was anything to go by, it seemed the affection was unavoidable.


"Good luck." Ariana replied in response to his declaration of going to hunt for the furry little creatures, amusing herself with thought of the giant warrior trying to sneak up behind a tiny bunny as she made her way towards the pile of texts, resolving to get a start on the readings while she still had some daylight available to her. It was all she could do not to laugh in the man's presence as he abruptly stopped, turning back to enquire about her opinion on fish.


"Fish?" Ariana repeated in interest, following his gaze to the water. "I haven't tried it much. It's an-was an unwritten rule in Khorinys that a person shouldn't eat what they couldn't prepare for themselves. My father taught my how to catch them but I could never seem to remove all of the little bones. I almost killed one of the royal guard once with my cooking, he started to choke on one of the bones I missed."
 
"Oh well, on my travel with the pirates across the Fiery Sea, i had the... honor of being the chief's help. So i can't say i'm a stranger to cooking fish and sea food. We already have a rabbit, it's no problem with it, so fish might come in handy"


The warrior spoke to the princess as he then turned to the lake, and took a few steps to it. The water reflecting the sun that was soon going to go to sleep was as clear as a crystal mirror, spreading the golden light of the sun into the whole clearing. The beautiful silence, the rumor of actual living beings, it all was perfect and harmonious. He looked back to the princess as she was busy with her research, and smiled warmly upon her. This silence was more than sure the perfect break from their horror filled adventure so far. He took another breath in the clean air, before moving to the edge of the lake and starting to take off his armor, piece by piece. He was going to mix the fishing with bare hands, the one he was a master at, with a relaxing bath in the fresh water.


Remaining only in a short pair of trousers, he now exposed his full embodiment. He was more than stout, he was a massive structure forme dof pure muscular mass, decorated with lots of old battle scars, so many that his skin almost resembled the crocodile skin. He gazed upon the once injured shoulder, still bandaged by Ariana in a time that now seemed like years to him, and careful, he undone the bandage, revealing a fresh, pink scar added to the collection on his body. From underneath the long waves of black hair, on his back, was visible the part of a tattoo, the tail of a dragon.


He now felt relieved of everything, and even though he was so used to his armor that he didn't ever mind it, it felt like a blessing for him to take off the heavy weight and move freely, even for a little while. He slowly took steps into the water, that rose to his knees, then to his waist, until he finally dived in, dissapearing under the water for long seconds. He swam to the very pond of the lake, as his lung capacity allowed him to dive deeper, and aimed his attacks at a certain fish, that he knew it resided in lakes and always was hiding into the pond. Just about a minute later, his head popped out of the water, freely, while in his hands, two fishes squirmed for freedom. Using the force of his arms, he tossed the fishes onto the lake's edge, watching them as they fell on it and started struggling and convulsing, due to the suffocation.


And in he went again, exploring more of the pond and always coming out glorious, adding another pair of fishes to the catch pile, that soon increased. Ten pieces were enough, he judged, so he continued spending some time in the water, only swimming through it and relaxing, yet keeping an eye out for the princess, and for the grom that rushed back and forth, bringing sticks and small logs and adding them to a pile. He focused mostly on Ariana, who was deep in her research, and her concentration filled expression stole him yet another smile.


She really is the fairest of all maidens, he thought delighted before swimming to the shore, while the sun was slowly setting down. Putting on only his armored greaves, both parts, and the boots, then grabbing the other parts of the armor and the fish, he returned to where they set camp, nodding to the grom that returned with the last logs of wood. It was enough.


He started working on building the fire, placing the sticks under the grom's curious surveillance, and then, taking out the matchbox he had from Ariana, he set the wood afire, watching it as it burnt, its light reflecting int the grom's eyes as it watched even more curious the fire, and then returned to playing with the envelope opener, intrigued by how the "shiny" was becoming even shinier with the fire intensifying.


Vill'Kern pulled out the dagger, and started firstly with the rabbit, carefully skinning it, and handing the fresh pelt to Innis, who immediately found an use for it, placed it down on the ground and sat on it close to the fire, proud of its trophy and still caught with playing with the opener. He carefully separated the rabbit, flesh from bone, leaving only freshly peeled meat. He then took a long enough stick, and, sharpening one of its ends, he impaled the rabbit flesh piece by piece onto it, then placed it aside. At the same time, he took care to make the fireplace into a nice roaster, with two places, one for the rabbit, the second for the fish.


He now moved to the fishes, and started eviscerating them, and taking out every major bone out of it, then with a little skill impaling them one after another on the long enough stick. The fire was now proper for roasting the meat, and he placed both sticks above the fire and embers, and watching as they slowly roasted, emanating a smell he hasn't felt in quite long time. The smell of food. He now turned his attention to the princess who, as he saw, ended her research for that night, and winked.


"We're going to have some great feast tonight"


After a little bit more, the roast was finally done, and he motioned for the princess and the grom to serve themselves, but instead, he cut himself a piece of the rabbit meat and started eating, looking apologetically in the princess' eyes for his rudeness.
 
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Ariana watched the warrior approach the water curiously, wondering what instrument he intended to use to catch the fish. There were a variety of fair sized branches all about them in the luscious trees that would make for a suitable pole, as well as a few twigs littered in the thriving grass, any number of which would make for a decent rod, but what did he intend use as a line and bait? She didn't think the vines would be subtle enough to fool their potential dinner, though even if it did she could see nothing that would be fitting to use as a hook to ensnare the finned prey. The princess's eyes widened in shock as instead of searching for a suitable string and hook Vill'Kern stopped before the unbelievably pure water, removing his armour piece by piece as if this were a daily occurrence for the man, until he stood in little more than a rather pathetic excuse for a pair of trousers.


Was he insane? Did he have no shame? Had he completely forgotten about the princess's presence? Ariana was embarrassed enough for the both of them as she found herself until to turn her gaze away, her face feeling as though she had a severe sunburn, radiating heat surely strong enough to make a fire unnecessary for the night. The princess stared at the scene before her as if her eyes were drawn to the warrior's recently revealed form, her gaze glued to man despite her best intentions to look away at something, anything, else. It was just so... so improper. If he had wanted to bathe all he had to do was say, she would have gone with Innis to help collect wood! Instead she was gaping at him like a fish out of water, her eyes tracing along the definition of his muscular arms to impossibly broad shoulders, following the length of a poorly healed scar to ultimately slip downward to come to rest on the tattooed tail of what appeared to be a dragon.


Never before had she witnessed so much of the male form, astounded by the difference between his physique and her own. Of course the princess had known men were built to carry more strength than women, but just how much strength she had been unaware until now. Though to be fair, Vill'Kern was more than likely in a league unto his own. Where her flesh was soft with distinctive curves, his form appeared completely unyielding, a straight line of coiled muscles ready to strike at the smallest sign of trouble. She wondered if she would be able to feel each individual muscle were she to lay her hand upon his skin, or if the muscles would move in tandem to complete their assigned task. The princess supposed, since her hand would already be in an ideal position to sate many of her curiosities, it would also be the perfect time to test the texture of the raised scars, to see if they were as smooth as they appeared, and testing for herself if they seemed to cause the warrior pain or limited his mobility. Perhaps she would even be able to see the rest of that fascinating tattoo. Maybe it wasn't the only ink Vill'Kern had permanently decorated his person with.


Ariana all but dove at the papers and books piled on the ground as she realized just what she had been fantasizing about, her face quite possibly on fire, as she made a fuss of sorting through the texts to create two piles, one of languages she couldn't understand and the other of ones she could. The princess prayed her flustered state hadn't been noticed by the currently peaceful warrior, feeling as though she might strike herself for taking such liberties. Speaking of shameless! Since when had she had so little control over her own thoughts? What if he had noticed her blatant staring? Was it possible for someone to die of embarrassment? It certainly felt as if her heart was about to escape the confines of her chest. Her eardrums could very well burst at any moment with the pressure of the blooding pounding in her head. It wasn't his fault, she supposed slightly grudgingly, though it was easier to blame him for her rampant ogling then to admit she had been too transfixed to look away. Vill'Kern had done nothing wrong by his standards as he strode, barely covered, into the water. Of course he wouldn't be concerned with the dignities and formalities the court strived to uphold, having lived his life for so long in whichever way he saw fit. If he saw it fit to prance about in his undergarments, admittedly looking as if he were quite enjoying himself as he moved deeper into the water, that was his right. It just so happened to also be her torment.


Tsk, she was staring again! Ariana forced her eyes to remain on the texts laying before her, berating herself for her lack of control. What was wrong with her? Well, that particular question was probably left for another time when she wasn't on a fixed schedule. Now, she needed to get through these documents before she was forced to leave them behind, whether she knew what knowledge they contained or not. The princess took several slow, calming breathes as she attempted to smother the impulse to join the warrior in the rather appealing clear waters, forcing herself to relax into the comfortable silence and tranquil atmosphere of the small paradise. It was actually quite refreshing to be able to simply sit and read- if she could keep her eyes to task- surrounded by the quiet sounds of the wildlife rummaging through the trees, completing the last of their whims before settling down for the night. The soft breeze ruffled her long hair as the princess finally managed to concentrate on the words written in looping script on the pages before her, a soft smile on her lips as she allowed herself to be consumed by her work, blocking out all of the world around her except for the reassuring presence of the warrior's peaceful aura.


Ariana remained in her trance like state, reading text after text, page after page, book after book, until there was simply not enough light left to continue. She rubbed at her weary eyes as she closed the tome she had been pursuing with an air of finality, no longer able to decipher the dark print from the pages without the sun high in the sky above her. The princess had managed to work her way through a fair number of the texts as the warrior had caught their dinner and Innis had collected enough wood to keep the fire alive for at least a week, gleaming many interesting facts and stories from the pages, though nothing pertaining to their cause. Unfortunately, she hadn't made that large of a dent in the pile of information that now seemed to be mocking her, still more than half of the works to look through before she could rest, promising her a long night seated before the fire.


Thinking of the flames, the princess looked round at the roaring fire and the delicious smell wafting over to her on the cooling breeze. When was the last time they had eaten? It felt like months ago. Ariana could feel her cheeks heating up once more as she returned the warrior's wink with a smile, pointed not allowing her mind to wander to thoughts similar to the ones that had plagued her earlier, forcing her stiff legs to carry her towards the mouth watering aroma emanating from the roasting meat. Stretching her cramped muscles, the princess sat before the fire, grinning at The Slayer's declaration.


"It certainly smells like it." Ariana agreed, amusing herself until the food had finished cooking by watching Innis catch the light of the flames on the reflective surface of the envelope opener, cheering as if it had discovered fire itself. The princess couldn't keep the smile from her face as she thoroughly enjoyed the worry free atmosphere as they consumed their food- the only thing dampening her mood being the fact she had missed her chance to watch Vill'Kern prepare the fish- relishing in their happiness for as long as they could hold on to it, before they would have to return to reality and the world that wouldn't wait for them forever.
 
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